Filed Pursuant to Rule 424(b)(5)
Registration No. 333-222132

 

PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT

 

(To Prospectus dated January 11, 2018)

 

 

 

  

 

8,729,253 Shares of Common Stock

 

We are offering 8,729,253 shares of our common stock to an institutional investor. The shares of common stock issuable upon the are being offered pursuant to an exemption from the registration requirements of the Securities Act provided in Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act and/or Rule 506(b) of Regulation D.

 

Our common stock is traded on the NYSE American under the symbol “DPW.” On February 11, 2019, the last reported sale price of our common stock as reported on the NYSE American was $0.10 per share.

 

Investing in our common stock involves a high degree of risk. See “Risk Factors” beginning on page S-12 of this prospectus supplement. 

 

Neither the Securities and Exchange Commission nor any state securities commission has approved or disapproved of these securities or determined if this prospectus supplement or the accompanying prospectus is truthful or complete. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.

 

Delivery of the shares of common stock was made on or about February 11, 2019.

 

The date of this prospectus supplement is February 12, 2019.

 

 

TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

Prospectus Supplement

 

	Page
ABOUT THIS PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT	S-1
SPECIAL NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS	S-2
PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT SUMMARY	S-3
RISK FACTORS	S-12
USE OF PROCEEDS	S-45
DESCRIPTION OF THE SECURITIES WE ARE OFFERING	S-45
PLAN OF DISTRIBUTION	S-45
LEGAL MATTERS	S-45
EXPERTS	S-45
WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION	S-45
INCORPORATION OF CERTAIN INFORMATION BY REFERENCE	S-46

 

 

Prospectus

 

 

ABOUT THIS PROSPECTUS	1
OUR BUSINESS	1
RISK FACTORS	4
DISCLOSURE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS	12
USE OF PROCEEDS	13
THE SECURITIES WE MAY OFFER	13
DESCRIPTION OF CAPITAL STOCK	13
DESCRIPTION OF WARRANTS	14
DESCRIPTION OF UNITS	16
PLAN OF DISTRIBUTION	17
LEGAL MATTERS	18
EXPERTS	18
WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION	18
INCORPORATION OF DOCUMENTS BY REFERENCE	19

 

 

ABOUT THIS PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT

 

This prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus relate to an offering of our common stock and warrants to purchase common stock. Before buying any of the securities that we are offering, we urge you to carefully read this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus, together with the information incorporated by reference as described under “Where You Can Find More Information” and “Incorporation of Certain Information by Reference” in this prospectus supplement. These documents contain important information that you should consider when making your investment decision.

 

Unless otherwise stated or the context requires otherwise, references to “Digital Power”, “DPW”, the “Company,” “we,” “us” or “our” are to DPW Holdings, Inc. and its subsidiaries.

 

This document is in two parts. The first part is this prospectus supplement, which describes the terms of this offering and also adds to, updates and changes information contained in the accompanying prospectus and the documents incorporated by reference. The second part is the accompanying prospectus, which gives more general information. To the extent the information contained in this prospectus supplement differs from or conflicts with the information contained in the accompanying prospectus or any document incorporated by reference, the information in this prospectus supplement will control. If any statement in one of these documents is inconsistent with a statement in another document having a later date — for example, a document incorporated by reference into the accompanying prospectus — the statement in the document having the later date modifies or supersedes the earlier statement.

 

We have not authorized anyone to provide you with information different from that which is contained in or incorporated by reference in this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus. No one is making offers to sell or seeking offers to buy these securities in any jurisdiction where the offer or sale is not permitted. You should assume that the information contained in this prospectus supplement is accurate as of the date on the front cover of this prospectus supplement only and that any information we have incorporated by reference or included in the accompanying prospectus is accurate only as of the date given in the document incorporated by reference or as of the date of the prospectus, as applicable, regardless of the time of delivery of this prospectus supplement, the accompanying prospectus, any related free writing prospectus, or any sale of our securities. Our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects may have changed since that date.

 

We further note that the representations, warranties and covenants made by us in any agreement that is filed as an exhibit to any document that is incorporated by reference into this prospectus supplement or the accompanying prospectus were made solely for the benefit of the parties to such agreement, including, in some cases, for the purpose of allocating risk among the parties to such agreements, and should not be deemed to be a representation, warranty or covenant to you. Moreover, such representations, warranties or covenants were accurate only as of the date when made. Accordingly, such representations, warranties and covenants should not be relied on as accurately representing the current state of our affairs.

 

 

SPECIAL NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

 

This prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus, including the documents that we incorporate by reference herein and therein, contain forward-looking statements regarding future events and our future results that are subject to the safe harbors created under the Securities Act of 1933 and the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. All statements other than statements of historical facts are statements that could be deemed forward-looking statements. These statements are based on our expectations, beliefs, forecasts, intentions and future strategies and are signified by the words “expects,” “anticipates,” “intends,” “believes” or similar language. In addition, any statements that refer to projections of our future financial performance, our anticipated growth, trends in our business and other characterizations of future events or circumstances are forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are only predictions and are subject to risks, uncertainties and assumptions that are difficult to predict, including those identified above, under “Risk Factors” and elsewhere in this report. Therefore, actual results may differ materially and adversely from those expressed in any forward-looking statements. All forward-looking statements included in this prospectus are based on information available to us on the date of this report and speak only as of the date hereof.

 

We disclaim any current intention to update its “forward-looking statements,” and the estimates and assumptions within them, at any time or for any reason. In particular, the following factors, among others, could cause actual results to differ materially from those described in the “forward-looking statements:” (a) our continued operating and net losses in the future; (b) our need for additional capital for our operations and to fulfill our business plans, (c) dependency on our ability, and the ability of our contract manufacturers, to timely procure electronic components; (d) the potential ineffectiveness of our strategic focus on power supply solution competencies; (e) dependency on developer partners for the development of some of our custom design products; (f) dependency on sales of our legacy products for a meaningful portion of our revenues; (g) the possible failure of our custom product development efforts to result in products which meet customers’ needs or such customers’ failure to accept such new products; (h) our ability to attract, retain and motivate key personnel; (i) dependence on a few major customers; (j) dependence on the electronic equipment industry; (k) reliance on third-party subcontract manufacturers to manufacture certain aspects of the products sold by us; (l) reduced profitability as a result of increased competition, price erosion and product obsolescence within the industry; (m) our ability to establish, maintain and expand its OEM relationships and other distribution channels; (n) our inability to procure necessary key components for its products, or the purchase of excess or the wrong inventory; (o) variations in operating results from quarter to quarter; (p) dependence on international sales and the impact of certain governmental regulatory restrictions on such international sales and operations; and other risk factors included in our most recent filings with the SEC, including, but not limited to, our Forms 10-K, 10-Q and 8-K. All filings are also available on our website at www.dpwholdings.com.

 

 

PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT SUMMARY

 

This summary does not contain all the information that you should consider before investing in the securities offered by this prospectus supplement. You should carefully read the entire prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus, including the “Risk Factors” sections, as well as the financial statements and the other information incorporated by reference herein and the information in any free writing prospectus that we may authorize for use in connection with this offering before making an investment decision.

 

Company Overview

 

We are a growth company seeking to increase our revenues through acquisitions.  Our strategy reflects our management and Board’s current philosophy which we began implementing upon the change in control that was completed in September 2016. Our acquisition and development target strategy includes companies that have developed a “new way of doing business” in mature, well-developed industries experiencing changes due to new technology; companies that may become profitable or more profitable through efficiency and reduction of costs; companies whose business is related to our core business in the commercial and defense industries; and companies that will enhance our overall revenues.  It is our goal to substantially increase our gross revenues in the near future.

 

We operate as a holding company with operations conducted primarily through our subsidiaries. We conduct our activities in a manner so as not to be deemed an investment company under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “Investment Company Act”). Generally, this means that we do not invest or intend to invest in securities as our primary business and that no more than 40% of our total assets will be invested in investment securities as such term is defined in the Investment Company Act. We are a diversified holding company owning subsidiaries engaged in the following operating businesses: commercial and defense solutions, commercial lending, cryptocurrency blockchain mining and advanced textile technology. We also maintain a large investment in Avalanche International, Corp. (“Avalanche”), which is doing business as MTIX International.

 

Originally, we were primarily a solution-driven organization that designed, developed, manufactured and sold high-grade customized and flexible power system solutions for the medical, military, telecom and industrial markets.  Although we are actively seeking growth through acquisitions, we will continue to focus on high-grade and custom product designs for the commercial, medical and military/defense markets, where customers demand high density, high efficiency and ruggedized products to meet the harshest and/or military mission critical operating conditions.

 

We have operations located in Europe through our wholly-owned subsidiary, Digital Power Limited (“DP Limited”), Salisbury, England, which operates under the brand name of “Gresham Power Electronics” (“Gresham”).  DP Limited designs, manufactures and sells power products and system solutions mainly for the European marketplace, including power conversion, power distribution equipment, DC/AC (Direct Current/Active Current) inverters and UPS (Uninterrupted Power Supply) products. Our European defense business is specialized in the field of naval power distribution products.

 

On November 30, 2016, we formed Digital Power Lending, LLC (“DP Lending”), a wholly-owned subsidiary. DP Lending is engaged in providing commercial loans to companies throughout the United States to provide them with operating capital to finance the growth of their businesses.  The loans will primarily range in duration from six months to three years. DP Lending operates under California Finance Lending License #60DBO-77905.

 

On April 25, 2017, we formed Coolisys Technologies, Inc. (“Coolisys”), a wholly-owned subsidiary. We intend to operate our existing businesses in the customized and flexible power system solutions in Coolisys and as such we plan to reorganize Digital Power North American operations, Digital Power Ltd. (“Gresham Power”), and Microphase Corporation into subsidiaries of Coolisys. DP Limited will continue to primarily serve the European markets.

 

On June 2, 2017, we purchased 56.4% of the outstanding equity interests of Microphase Corporation (“Microphase”). Microphase is a design-to-manufacture original equipment manufacturer (“OEM”) industry leader delivering world-class radio frequency (“RF”) and microwave filters, diplexers, multiplexers, detectors, switch filters, integrated assemblies and detector logarithmic video amplifiers (“DLVA”) to the military, aerospace and telecommunications industries. Microphase is headquartered in Shelton, Connecticut.

 

 

Further, on September 1, 2017, Coolisys acquired all of the outstanding membership interests in Power-Plus Technical Distributors, LLC, a California limited liability company (“Power-Plus”). Power-Plus is an industrial distributor of value added power supply solutions, UPS systems, fans, filters, line cords, and other power-related components. In addition to its current business, Power-Plus will serve as an extended sales organization for our overall flexible power system solutions. As a result of the acquisition, Power Plus Technical Distributors has become a subsidiary of Coolisys.

 

On December 28, 2017, at the Annual Meeting of Shareholders of DPW Holdings, Inc., then known as Digital Power Corporation, our shareholders approved a number of proposals, including our reincorporation from California to Delaware (“Reincorporation”). The effective date of the Reincorporation was December 29, 2017.  Upon consummation of the Reincorporation, we continued our daily business operations as they were conducted by our predecessor, Digital Power Corporation, immediately prior to the Reincorporation and the officers and directors of our predecessor became our officers and directors, except that Milton C. Ault III became our Chief Executive Officer but Amos Kohn remained as our President. The Reincorporation did not affect any of our material contracts with any third parties, and our rights and obligations under such material contractual arrangements continue to be our rights and obligations after the Reincorporation. The Reincorporation did not result in any change in our headquarters, business, jobs, management, location of any of our offices or facilities, number of employees, assets, liabilities or net worth (other than as a result of the costs incident to the Reincorporation).

 

On December 31, 2017, Coolisys entered into a Share Purchase Agreement (the “Enertec Agreement”) with Micronet Enertec Technologies, Inc. (“MICT”), a Delaware corporation, Enertec Management Ltd., an Israeli corporation and wholly owned subsidiary of MICT (“EML” and, together with MICT, the “Seller Parties”), and Enertec Systems 2001 Ltd. (“Enertec”), an Israeli corporation and wholly owned subsidiary of EML, pursuant to which Coolisys would acquire Enertec, subject to the terms and conditions set forth in the Enertec Agreement. We believe that Enertec is Israel’s largest private manufacturer of specialized electronic systems for the military market. The purchase price consisted of a cash payment of $5,250,000 and the assumption of $4,000,000 in Enertec’s liabilities, with the cash portion to be adjusted for any increase or decrease of the $4,000,000 in liabilities. The acquisition was completed on May 23, 2018. On May 23, 2018, Coolisys acquired Enertec subject to the terms and conditions set forth in the Enertec Agreement (the “Acquisition”) for an aggregate purchase price of $5,250,000, which includes a deduction of (i) a closing debt of $288,439 in excess of the Allowed Company Debt to be assumed by us (as defined in the Enertec Agreement) of $4,000,000 and (ii) $189,041 in Intercompany Accounts (as defined in the Enertec Agreement) for a total cash payment of $4,772,520.

 

On January 23, 2018, we reached preliminary agreement on the terms to govern the acceptance of delivery of the purchase order conveying to us the right to acquire 1,000 Antminer S9s (the “Bitmain Miners”) manufactured by Bitmain Technologies, Inc. (the “Bitmain”), in connection with our cryptocurrency mining operations, or crypto mining. Pursuant to a purchase order delivered on behalf of Bitmain to us, on January 31, 2018 we paid approximately $5,000,000 to Bitmain for the Bitmain Miners.  We received delivery of the Bitmain Miners on February 1, 2018.

 

On January 23, 2018, we entered into a securities purchase agreement with an institutional investor to sell, for an aggregate purchase price of $1,000,000, a 10% senior convertible promissory note (the “Note”) with an aggregate principal face amount of $1,250,000, a warrant to purchase an aggregate of 625,000 shares of our common stock and 543,478 shares of our common stock. The transactions contemplated by the Securities Purchase Agreement closed on February 8, 2018.  The Note is convertible into 625,000 shares of our common stock, a conversion price of $2.00 per share, subject to adjustment. The exercise price of the warrant to purchase 625,000 shares of our common stock is $2.20 per share, subject to adjustment. On February 9, 2018, in addition to the 543,478 shares of common stock provided for pursuant to the Securities Purchase Agreement, we issued to the investor an aggregate of 691,942 shares of our common stock upon the conversion of the entire outstanding principal and accrued interest on the Note of $1,383,884.

 

 

On January 25, 2018, we issued two 5% promissory notes (collectively, the “Notes”), each in the principal face amount of $2,500,000 for an aggregate debt of $5,000,000 to two institutional investors.  The entire unpaid balance of the principal and accrued interest on each of the Notes was due and payable on February 23, 2018, subject to a 30-day extension available to us. The proceeds from these two promissory notes were used to purchase 1,000 Antminer S9s (“Miners”) manufactured by Bitmain Technologies, Inc. in connection with our crypto mining operations. Between March 23 and March 27, 2018, we paid the entire outstanding principal and accrued interest on the Notes of $5,101,127.

 

On January 30, 2018, we formed Digital Farms, Inc., formerly known as Digital Farms, Inc. (“DFI”), a wholly-owned subsidiary. DFI was established to operate our newly formed cryptocurrency business, which is pursuing a variety of digital currency. We mine the top three cryptocurrencies, Bitcoin, Litecoin and Ethereum, for our own account.  

 

On February 20, 2018, we issued a promissory note in the principal face amount of $900,000 to an accredited investor. This promissory note included an original issue discount (“OID”) of $150,000 resulting in net proceeds of $750,000. The principal and OID on this note was due and payable on March 22, 2018. On March 23, 2018, we entered into a new promissory note in the principal amount of $1,750,000 for a term of two months, subject to our ability to prepay within one month. The interest rate payable on this new promissory note shall be twenty percent per thirty calendar days, payable in a lump sum on the maturity date. We also issued to the lender a warrant to purchase 1,250,000 shares of our common stock at an exercise price of $1.15 per share, pursuant to a consulting agreement. The principal amount of the new promissory note consisted of net proceeds of $1,000,000 and the cancellation of the principal of $750,000 from the February 20, 2018 promissory note. The interest on the February 20, 2018 note in the amount of $150,000 was paid to the lender prior to entering into the new promissory note. On April 23, 2018, we paid the entire outstanding principal and accrued interest on the new promissory note of $2,100,000.

 

On February 26, 2018, we issued a 10% promissory note in the principal face amount of $330,000 to an accredited investor. This promissory note included an OID of $30,000 resulting in net proceeds to us of $300,000. The principal and accrued interest on this note is due and payable on April 12, 2018, subject to a 30-day extension available to us.  This 10% promissory note, including accrued interest, was paid on April 27, 2018.

 

On February 27, 2018, we entered into a Sales Agreement with H.C. Wainwright & Co., LLC (“HCW”) to sell shares of common stock having an aggregate offering price of up to $50,000,000 (the “Shares”) from time to time, through an “at the market offering” program (the “HCW ATM Offering”) under which HCW will act as sales agent.  The offer and sale of the Shares were made pursuant to our effective “shelf” registration statement on Form S-3 and an accompanying base prospectus contained therein (Registration Statement No. 333-222132) filed with the SEC on December 18, 2017, amended on January 8, 2018, and declared effective by the SEC on January 11, 2018, and a prospectus supplement related to the HCW ATM Offering, dated February 27, 2018.  We paid to HCW a commission in an amount equal to 5.0% of the gross sales price per Share sold through the HCW ATM Offering as sales agent under the Sales Agreement. In addition, we reimbursed $60,000 to HCW for certain expenses it incurred in the performance of its obligations under the Sales Agreement and had agreed to reimburse HCW up to a maximum of $5,000 each calendar quarter. We sent HCW a notice terminating the Sales Agreement on September 13, 2018, which termination took effect on September 23, 2018.

 

In connection with the termination of the HCW ATM Offering, HCW released us from the right of first refusal provisions set forth in the Sales Agreement. In consideration for the release, we agreed to issue HCW 500,000 shares of common stock and to pay HCW a fee of three percent of the aggregate gross proceeds that we receive on future financings and a one percent fee of the aggregate gross proceeds received on future financings by our subsidiaries, in each case until February 28, 2020.

 

On March 8, 2018, DFI entered into an Asset Purchase Agreement (the “APA”) with Blockchain Mining Supply & Services Ltd. (“BMSS”). Pursuant to the APA, DFI agreed to acquire 1,100 Antminer S9s (the “BMSS Miners”) manufactured by Bitmain, in connection with DFI’s mining operations, from BMSS. Pursuant to the APA, DFI was supposed to pay an aggregate of $3,272,500 to BMSS for the BMSS Miners, of which $1,918,125 was paid. Neither we nor DFI paid for any more BMSS Miners as required under the APA. Consequently, both we and DFI have been sued by BMSS.

 

 

On March 22, 2018, DFI entered into a Master Services Agreement with a U.S. based entity, whereby DFI secured the right to 25 megawatts of power in support of DFI’s operations.

 

On March 23, 2018, we entered into a securities purchase agreement to sell and issue a 12% promissory note and a warrant to purchase 300,000 shares of common stock to an accredited investor if the promissory note is paid in full on or before May 23, 2018, or up to 450,000 shares of common stock, if the promissory note is paid by June 22, 2018. The promissory note was issued with a 10% OID. The promissory note is in the principal amount of $1,000,000 and was sold for $900,000, bears interest at 12% simple interest on the principal amount, and was due on June 22, 2018. We are in discussions to extend the maturity date of the promissory note to December 22, 2018; however, since payment was not made on the specified maturity date this unsecured 12% promissory note is currently in default. Interest only payments are due, in arrears, on a monthly basis commencing on April 23, 2018. The exercise price of the warrant is $1.15 per share. The promissory note is unsecured by any of our assets but is personally guaranteed by our Chief Executive Officer.

 

On March 27, 2018, we issued a 10% promissory note in the principal face amount of $200,000 to an accredited investor. The principal and accrued interest on this note was due and payable on March 29, 2018. Between March 29 and April 24, 2018, we paid the entire outstanding principal on this 10% promissory note of $200,000.

 

On April 16, 2018, we entered into three securities purchase agreements with certain institutional investors to sell, for an aggregate purchase price of $1,550,000, 12% convertible notes with an aggregate principal face amount of $1,722,222, warrants to purchase an aggregate of 993,588 shares of our common stock, and an aggregate of 200,926 commitment shares. The 12% convertible notes bore simple interest at 12% on the principal amount with a guarantee of interest during the initial six months in the amount of $103,333. Subject to certain beneficial ownership limitations and an event of default having occurred and not been cured, the investors could convert the principal amount of the 12% convertible notes and accrued interest earned thereon into shares of our common stock at $0.70 per share, subject to adjustment for customary stock splits, stock dividends, combinations or similar events. Beginning on May 16, 2018, we were required to make six monthly cash payments in the aggregate amount of $304,259 until the 12% convertible notes were satisfied in full, which was to occur on October 16, 2018. The entire amount of principal and interest on these 12% convertible notes has been paid. The warrants entitle the holders to purchase, in the aggregate, up to 993,588 shares of our common stock at an exercise price of $1.30 per share for a period of five years from April 16, 2018 subject to certain beneficial ownership limitations. In connection with these three securities purchase agreements, we entered into security agreements pursuant to which we granted to each investor a security interest in, among others, DFI’s accounts, chattel paper, documents, equipment, general intangibles, instruments and inventory, and all proceeds, as set forth in the security agreements.

 

On May 23, 2018, DP Lending entered into and closed a securities purchase agreement with I. AM, Inc. (“I. AM”), David J. Krause and Deborah J. Krause. Pursuant to the securities purchase agreement, I. AM sold to DP Lending, 981 shares of common stock for a purchase price of $981, representing, upon the closing, 98.1% of I. AM’s outstanding common stock. I. AM owns and operates the Prep Kitchen brand restaurants located in the San Diego area. I.AM owed DP Lending $1,715,330 in outstanding principal, pursuant to a loan and security agreement, between I. AM and DP Lending, which I. AM used to acquire the restaurants. The purchase agreement provides that, as I. AM repays the outstanding loan to DP Lending in accordance with the loan agreement, DP Lending will on a pro rata basis transfer shares of common stock of I. AM to David J. Krause, up to an aggregate of 471 shares.

  

On July 13, 2018, we issued a 15% promissory note in the principal amount of $176,000 to an accredited investor. This promissory note included an OID of $16,000 and allows for legal fees of $5,000 resulting in net proceeds of $155,000. The principal and accrued interest on this note was due and payable on October 11, 2018. This 15% promissory note was not paid on the maturity date and is currently in default.

 

On September 21, 2018, we issued to an institutional investor a 12% term promissory note in the principal face amount of $526,316, with an interest rate of 12% for a purchase price of $500,000. The outstanding principal face amount, plus any accrued and unpaid interest, was due by December 31, 2018, or as otherwise provided in accordance with the terms set forth therein. This 12% term promissory note was not paid on the maturity date and is currently in default. In accordance with the note, we also agreed to issue 300,000 shares of our common stock to the investor. The note contains standard and customary events of default.

 

 

On September 27, 2018, we issued to each of three institutional investors a 5% OID term promissory note, dated September 26, 2018, for an aggregate purchase price of $250,000 with an interest rate of 12%. The outstanding principal face amount, plus any accrued and unpaid interest on the note was due by December 31, 2018, or as otherwise provided in accordance with the terms set forth in the note. This 5% OID term promissory note was not paid on the maturity date and is currently in default. In connection therewith, we agreed to issue 50,000 shares of our common stock to each investor.

 

On December 3, 2018, we issued 1,434 shares of our 10% Series A Cumulative Redeemable Perpetual Preferred Stock (the “Series A Preferred Stock”), for an aggregate purchase price of $33,699. Dividends on the Series A Preferred Stock accrue daily and are cumulative from, and including, the date of issuance and are payable monthly. Dividends accrue at the annual rate of 10%, which is equivalent to $2.50 per annum per share, based on the $25.00 liquidation preference from, and including, the date of original issuance to, but not including, September 30, 2023, or such other date fixed for redemption. There is no mandatory redemption of the Series A Preferred Stock and the holders of the Series A Preferred Stock generally have no voting rights except for limited voting rights if dividends payable on the outstanding Series A Preferred Stock are in arrears for eighteen or more consecutive or non-consecutive monthly dividend periods. The shares of Series A Preferred Stock are only convertible under very limited circumstances.

 

On October 11, 2018, we entered into a Securities Purchase Agreement with a certain institutional investor providing for the issuance of (i) an OID promissory note in the principal face amount of $565,000 due December 8, 2018, for a purchase price of $510,000, and (ii) 400,000 shares of common stock.

 

Convertible Notes Issued to an Institutional Investor

 

On May 15, 2018 (the “May Closing Date”), we entered into a securities purchase agreement with an institutional investor (the “Investor”) providing for the issuance of (i) a Senior Secured Convertible Promissory Note (the “May Convertible Note”) with a principal face amount of $6,000,000 which May Convertible Note was, subject to adjustment, convertible into 8,000,000 shares (the “May Conversion Shares”) of our common stock at $0.75 per share; (ii) a five-year warrant to purchase 1,111,111 shares of our common stock (the “Series A Warrant Shares”) at an exercise price of $1.35 (the “Series A Warrant”); (iii) a five-year warrant to purchase 1,724,138 shares of our Class B common stock (the “Series B Warrant Shares” and with the Series A Warrant Shares, the “Warrant Shares”) at an exercise price of $0.87 per share (the “Series B Warrant” and together with the Series A Warrant, the “Warrants”); and (iv) 344,828 shares of our common stock (the “Commitment Shares”). We may prepay the full outstanding principal and accrued and unpaid interest at any time without penalty. Pursuant to an amendment dated as of the August Closing Date to the May Convertible Note issued to the Investor on the May Closing Date, we reduced the conversion price to $0.40 from $0.75 (resulting in the number of May Conversion Shares increasing to 15,000,000), extended the maturity date from November 15, 2018 to October 31, 2019 and amended the amortization schedule to provide for 14 monthly payments until the maturity date. On November 16, 2018, we amended the amortization schedule of the May Note. The November 16, 2018 amendment requires an initial payment of $877,793 on December 17, 2018, and commencing on January 2, 2019, and continuing every month thereafter, a payment of $351,117 on the first business day of such month for a period of eleven (11) months, and a final payment of $1,053,351 on December 31, 2019. On December 7, 2018, we further amended the amortization schedule of the May Note such that the investor has the option to receive the $877,793 initial payment due on December 17, 2018 in either shares of our common stock, in cash, or alternatively in Bitcoin. As of February 11, 2018, the balance of the principal amount, plus interest, of the May Convertible Note was $4,560,726, which may be convertible, subject to the terms and conditions set forth therein, into 29,071,975 shares of our common stock.

 

On July 2, 2018 (the “July Closing Date”), we entered into a securities purchase agreement with the Investor providing for the issuance of (i) a Senior Secured Convertible Promissory Note (the “July Convertible Note” and with the May Convertible Note, the “Convertible Notes”) with a principal face amount of $1,000,000 which July Convertible Note was, subject to adjustment, convertible into 1,333,333 shares (the “July Conversion Shares”) of our common stock at $0.75 per share, (ii) an additional 400,000 Commitment Shares to be issued in connection with the May Convertible Note. The July Convertible Note initially matured on January 1, 2019. On December 20, 2018, we amended the payment terms such that principal and interest on the July Convertible Note is due in two equal payments on February 15, 2019 and May 15, 2019 (the “Maturity Date”). Pursuant to a registration rights agreement entered into with the Investor on the July Closing Date, we agreed to file a registration statement on Form S-3 to register the July Conversion Shares within twenty-one (21) days of the Closing Date. We may prepay the full outstanding principal and accrued and unpaid interest at any time by paying additional amounts on the principal and interest then outstanding. Pursuant to an amendment dated as of the August Closing Date to the July Convertible Note issued to the Investor on the July Closing Date, we reduced the conversion price to $0.40 from $0.75 (resulting in the number of July Conversion Shares increasing to 2,500,000).

 

 

On August 31, 2018 (the “August Closing Date”), we entered into a securities purchase agreement with the Investor providing for the issuance of a Senior Secured Convertible Promissory Note (the “August Convertible Note”) with a principal face amount of $2,000,000, which August Convertible Note is, subject to adjustment, convertible into 5,000,000 shares (the “July Conversion Shares”) of our common stock at $0.40 per share. Pursuant to a registration rights agreement entered into with the Investor on the Closing Date, we agreed to file a registration statement on Form S-3 to register the August Conversion Shares within twenty-one (21) days of the Closing Date, which date was amended on August 31, 2018 to state that the filing date for such registration statement is 21 days after the above referenced registration statement relating to the Convertible Notes has been declared effective. The August Conversion Shares will not be issued to the Investor until we shall have obtained approval of the NYSE American and our stockholders for the foregoing transactions. On December 20, 2018, we amended the payment terms such that principal and interest on the August Convertible Note is due in two equal payments on February 15, 2019 and May 15, 2019 (the “Maturity Date”). We may prepay the full outstanding principal and accrued and unpaid interest at any time by paying additional amounts on the principal and interest then outstanding.

  

On September 25, 2018, we entered into an agreement to amend the Convertible Notes, which provides for a mandatory prepayment in the event we receive gross proceeds in the aggregate amount equal to or greater than $2,000,000 or in the event we receive funds pursuant to a repayment from a related party of promissory notes issued to such entity. The amendment was conditional upon our using commercially reasonable best efforts to cause the registration of the foregoing shares underlying the Convertible Notes, and the 400,000 shares of common stock, to be declared effective within thirty (30) days of the effective date of the amendment.

 

On December 28, 2018, Enertec entered into a Secured Promissory Note (the “Enertec Note”), whereby in consideration of the $500,000 in financing, Enertec agreed to pay interest in an amount of 10% per annum in cash to the investor, beginning on January 15, 2019, on a monthly basis, until the Enertec Note is paid in full. The maturity date of the Enertec Note shall be the earlier of June 15, 2019 or as otherwise provided in the terms of the Enertec Note.

 

On December 28, 2018, Microphase entered into a Secured Promissory Note (the “Microphase Note”), whereby in consideration of the $200,000 in financing, Microphase agreed to pay interest in an amount of 10% per annum in cash to the investor, beginning on January 15, 2019, on a monthly basis, until the Microphase Note is paid in full. The maturity date of the Microphase Note shall be the earlier of March 31, 2019, or as otherwise provided in the terms of the Microphase Note.

 

Advances on Future Receipts

 

During the quarter ended March 31, 2018, we entered into a total of nine Agreements for the Purchase and Sale of Future Receipts (collectively, the “Agreements on Future Receipts”) pursuant to which we sold up to $5,632,400 in our “future receipts” for a purchase price in the amount of $4,100,000. The term “future receipts” means cash, check, ACH, credit card, debit card, bank card, charge card or other form of monetary payment. The Agreements on Future Receipts have been personally guaranteed by our Chief Executive Officer and in one instance has also been guaranteed by Philou Ventures, LLC (“Philou”). The terms of the Agreements on Future Receipts are reflected below.

 

On January 10, 2018, we entered into two Agreements for the Purchase and Sale of Future Receipts (together, the “Agreements”) with TVT Capital LLC (“TVT”), pursuant to which Agreements we sold up to (i) $476,000 in our future receipts for a purchase price of $350,000 (“Agreement No. 1”) and (ii) $1,700,000 in our future receipts for a purchase price of $1,250,000 (“Agreement No. 2”). Under the terms of Agreement No. 1, we are obligated to pay $9,445 on a weekly basis until the purchase price of $350,000 has been paid in full. In connection with entering into Agreement No. 1, we paid a $10,500 origination fee. Under the terms of Agreement No. 2, we are obligated to pay $33,730 on a weekly basis until the purchase price of $1,250,000 has been paid in full. In connection with entering into Agreement No. 2, we paid a $37,500 origination fee.

 

 

On January 18, 2018, we entered into a Future Receivables Sale Agreement with Libertas Funding LLC (“Libertas”), pursuant to which we sold the rights of up to $488,000 in our future receivables for a purchase price of $400,000 (“Agreement No. 3”). In connection with entering into Agreement No. 3, we paid a $12,000 origination fee. Under the terms of Agreement No. 3, beginning in April 2018, we are obligated to pay $56,191 on a weekly basis until the purchase price of $488,000 has been paid in full.

 

On January 25, 2018, we entered into two agreements for the Purchase and Sale of Future Receipts with TVT, pursuant to which we sold up to (i) $562,125 in future receipts of our company to TVT for a purchase price of $375,000 (“Agreement No. 4”) and (ii) $337,275 in our future receipts for a purchase price of $225,000 (“Agreement No. 5”). Under the terms of Agreement No. 4, we are obligated to pay $22,310 on a weekly basis until the purchase amount of $562,125 has been paid in full. In connection with entering into Agreement No. 4, we paid an origination fee in the amount of $13,545.  Agreement No. 4 also includes a warrant to purchase 56,250 shares of our common stock at an exercise price of $2.25 per share and a warrant to purchase 37,500 shares of our common stock at an exercise price of $2.50 per share. Under the terms of Agreement No. 5, we are obligated to pay $13,385 on a weekly basis until the purchase amount of $337,275 has been paid in full. In connection with entering into Agreement No.5, we paid an origination fee in the amount of $6,750. Agreement No. 5 also includes warrants to purchase 56,250 shares of our common stock at an exercise price of $2.25 per share.

 

On January 25, 2018, we entered into a Future Receivables Sale Agreement with Libertas, pursuant to which we sold up to $118,000 in our future receivables to Libertas for a purchase price of $100,000 (“Agreement No. 6”). We are obligated to pay $14,048 on a weekly basis until the purchase amount of $118000 has been paid in full. In connection with entering into Agreement No. 6, Libertas received an additional discount for due diligence in the amount of $3,000. Agreement No. 6 also includes warrants to purchase 125,000 shares of our common stock at an exercise price of $2.50 per share. Agreement No. 6 has been guaranteed by Philou.

 

On March 23, 2018, we entered into two agreements for the purchase and sale of future receipts with C6 Capital, LLC (“C6”), pursuant to which we sold up to (i) $979,300 in future receipts of our company to TVT for a purchase price of $700,000 (“Agreement No. 7”) and (ii) $419,700 in future receipts of our company for a purchase price of $300,000 (“Agreement No. 8”). Under the terms of Agreement No. 7, we are obligated to pay $25,770 on a weekly basis until the purchase amount of $979,300 has been paid in full. In connection with entering into Agreement No.7, we paid an origination fee in the amount of $14,000. Under the terms of Agreement No. 8, we are obligated to pay $11,045 on a weekly basis until the purchase amount of $419,700 has been paid in full. In connection with entering into Agreement No. 8, we paid an origination fee in the amount of $6,000.

 

On March 27, 2018, we entered into a future receivables sale agreement with Libertas, pursuant to which we sold up to $552,000 in future receivables to Libertas for a purchase price of $400,000 (“Agreement No. 9”). In connection with the entrance into Agreement No. 9 we paid an origination fee in the amount of $12,000. Under the terms of Agreement No. 9, we are obligated to pay $13,143 on a weekly basis until the purchase amount of $552,000 has been paid in full. As additional consideration, we also issued to Libertas 150,000 shares of our common stock.

 

Related Party Transactions

 

On March 9, 2017, we entered into a Preferred Stock Purchase Agreement (the “Purchase Agreement”) with Philou Ventures, LLC (“Philou”), pursuant to which Philou may invest up to $5,000,000 in us through the purchase of Series B Preferred Stock (“Preferred Stock”) over a term of 36 months. On March 24, 2017, Philou made an initial purchase of 25,000 shares of Preferred Stock pursuant to the Purchase Agreement in consideration of cancellation of Company debt of $250,000 due to MCKEA Holdings LLC (“MCKEA”), an affiliate of Philou. Since March 24, 2017, Philou has purchased an additional 100,000 shares of Preferred Stock pursuant to the terms of the Purchase Agreement, the most recent purchase having occurred on April 24, 2018 for the purchase of 25,000 shares of Preferred Stock.

 

 

On October 5, 2016, November 30, 2016, and February 22, 2017, we entered into three 12% Convertible Promissory Notes with Avalanche in the principal amount of $525,000 each (the “AVLP Notes”). The AVLP Notes included a 5% original issue discount, resulting in net loans to Avalanche of $1,500,000 and an original issue discount of $75,000. Each of the AVLP Notes is due two years from its issuance date and accrue interest at 12% per annum.

 

On September 6, 2017, we and Avalanche entered into a Loan and Security Agreement (“Loan Agreement”) with an effective date of August 21, 2017 pursuant to which we will provide Avalanche a non-revolving credit facility of up to $10,000,000, for a period ending on August 21, 2019. In consideration of entering into the Loan Agreement, the AVLP Notes were cancelled and the AVLP Notes were consolidated and a new Convertible Promissory Note (the “New AVLP Note”) was issued. At November 26, 2018, we have provided loans to AVLP in the principal amount $6,675,346 and, in addition to the New AVLP Notes, Avalanche has issued us warrants to purchase 13,350,692 shares of AVLP common stock. The New AVLP Note is due in two years and accrues interest at 12% per annum on the face amount. The New AVLP Note contains standard events of defaults. Future advances under the Loan Agreement, if any, will be evidenced by a convertible promissory containing a conversion price feature at $0.50 per share and warrant with an exercise price of $0.50 per share. Further, under the terms of the Loan Agreement, the New AVLP Notes are secured by the assets of Avalanche.

 

In March 2017, Avalanche contractually acquired the rights to MTIX Limited (“MTIX”), an English company that owns the proprietary rights for the development of a cost effective and environmentally friendly material synthesis technology for textile applications. On March 15, 2017, we announced that we had entered into a $50 million purchase order with MTIX to manufacture, install and service fabric treatment machines that utilize the MLSE™ system. No assurance can be given that MTIX will order $50 million in fabric machines which are the subject of the purchase order.

 

On January 23, 2019 and February 6, 2019, we entered into stock purchase agreements with Ault & Company, Inc. for the purchase of an aggregate of 1,416,667 shares of our common stock at a purchase price of $0.12 per share of common stock for total consideration of $170,000.

 

Milton C. Ault, III and William Horne, two of our directors and officers, are directors of Avalanche. In addition, based on Avalanche’s Form 10-K for the year ended November 30, 2015, Philou is the largest shareholder of Avalanche. Philou is our largest shareholder, and Kristine L. Ault, the spouse of Milton C. Ault, was until recently the manager for Philou. Presently, Ault & Company is the manager of Philou; its chief executive officer is Milton C. Ault. Kristine L. Ault is also the managing member of MCKEA, which in turn, is the member of Philou.  Ms. Ault resigned from our board of directors on January 23, 2018.

 

Corporate Information

 

Our corporate name is DPW Holdings, Inc. for both legal and commercial purposes. We are located at 201 Shipyard Way, Newport Beach, California, 92663 (telephone number (949) 444-5464). Our website address is www.dpwholdings.com. The information on our website does not constitute part of this prospectus. We have included our website address as a factual reference and do not intend it to be an active link to our website.

 

 

The Offering

 

Common stock offered by us in this offering	8,729,253 shares of our common stock.
Common stock to be outstanding after this offering	111,099,790 shares of common stock
Use of proceeds	We will receive no proceeds from the sale by the selling stockholder of the securities offered under this prospectus supplement. See “Use of Proceeds” on page S-45 of this prospectus supplement.
Risk factors	Investing in our securities involves a high degree of risk. See “Risk Factors.”
NYSE American symbol	“DPW.”

 

The number of shares of common stock to be outstanding immediately after this offering is based on 111,364,738 shares of our common stock outstanding as of February 11, 2019. Unless otherwise indicated, the number of shares of common stock presented in this prospectus supplement excludes:

 

·

18,727,617 shares of common stock issuable upon the exercise of outstanding warrants with a weighted average exercise price of $1.01 per share as of February 11, 2019;

 

·

39,384,475 shares of common stock issuable upon the conversion of outstanding convertible notes as of February 11, 2019;

 

·

7,570,000 shares of common stock issuable upon the exercise of outstanding stock options with a weighted average exercise price of $1.03 per share as of February 11, 2019;

 

·

10,055,773 shares of common stock available for future grant under our 2012, 2016, 2017 and 2018 Stock Incentive Plans equity incentive plan as of February 11, 2019; and

 

 

RISK FACTORS

 

An investment in our securities involves a high degree of risk.  Prior to making a decision about investing in our securities, you should carefully consider the specific factors discussed below and discussed under the section entitled “Risk Factors” contained in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2017, as updated by our subsequent filings under the Exchange Act, each of which is incorporated by reference in this prospectus supplement and accompanying prospectus in their entirety, together with all of the other information contained or incorporated by reference in this prospectus supplement, the accompanying prospectus, the documents incorporated by reference herein and therein, and any related free writing prospectus.  The risks and uncertainties we have described are not the only ones we face.  Additional risks and uncertainties not presently known to us or that we currently deem immaterial may also affect our operations. The occurrence of any of these known or unknown risks might cause you to lose all or part of your investment in the offered securities.

  

Risks Related to Our Company

 

We have historically incurred significant losses and our financial situation creates doubt whether we will continue as a going concern.

 

We have historically experienced operating and net losses and anticipate continuing to experience such losses in the future. For the years ended December 31, 2017 and 2016, we had an operating loss of approximately $5,983,000 and $1,219,000 and net losses of approximately $10,895,000 and $1,122,000, respectively. As of December 31, 2017, we had a working capital deficiency of approximately $2,235,000 and as of September 30, 2018, we had a working capital deficiency of approximately $9,744,000. There are no assurances that we will be able to achieve a level of revenues adequate to generate sufficient cash flow from operations or obtain additional financing through private placements, public offerings and/or bank financing necessary to support our working capital requirements. To the extent that funds generated from any private placements, public offerings and/or bank financing are insufficient, we will have to raise additional working capital. No assurance can be given that additional financing will be available, or if available, will be on acceptable terms. These conditions raise substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern. If adequate working capital is not available we may be forced to discontinue operations, which would cause investors to lose their entire investment.

 

We expect to continue to incur losses for the foreseeable future and need to raise additional capital to continue business development initiatives and to support our working capital requirements. For example, in March 2017, we were awarded a 3-year, $50 million purchase order by MTIX Ltd. (“MTIX”) to manufacture, install and service the Multiplex Laser Surface Enhancement (“MLSE”) plasma-laser system. We believe that the MLSE purchase order will be a source of revenue and generate significant cash flows for us. However, if we are unable to raise additional capital, we may be required to curtail operations and take additional measures to reduce costs, including reducing our workforce, eliminating outside consultants and reducing legal fees in order to conserve cash in amounts sufficient to sustain operations and meet our obligations. As a result of these financing uncertainties, during the third quarter ended September 30, 2017, we recognized that our dependence on ongoing capital requirements to fund our operations raise substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern. Our ongoing capital requirements have only increased since then, meaning that substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern remains and will likely do so for the foreseeable future.

 

We will need to raise additional capital to fund our operations in furtherance of our business plan.

 

Until we are profitable, we will need to quickly raise additional capital in order to fund our operations in furtherance of our business plan. The proposed financing may include shares of common stock, shares of preferred stock, warrants to purchase shares of common stock or preferred stock, debt securities, units consisting of the foregoing securities, equity investments from strategic development partners or some combination of each. Any additional equity financings may be financially dilutive to, and will be dilutive from an ownership perspective to our stockholders, and such dilution may be significant based upon the size of such financing. Additionally, we cannot assure that such funding will be available on a timely basis, in needed quantities, or on terms favorable to us, if at all.

 

 

Our limited operating history makes it difficult to evaluate our future business prospects and to make decisions based on of our historical performance.

 

Although our executive officers have been engaged in the industries in which we operate for varying degrees of time, we did not begin operations of our current business until recently. We have a very limited operating history in our current form, which makes it difficult to evaluate our business on the basis of historical operations. As a consequence, it is difficult, if not impossible, to forecast our future results based upon our historical data. Reliance on our historical results may not be representative of the results we will achieve, and for certain areas in which we operate, principally those unrelated to defense contracting, will not be indicative at all. Because of the uncertainties related to our lack of historical operations, we may be hindered in our ability to anticipate and timely adapt to increases or decreases in sales, product costs or expenses. If we make poor budgetary decisions as a result of unreliable historical data, we could be less profitable or incur losses, which may result in a decline in our stock price.

 

We have an evolving business model, which increases the complexity of our business.

 

Our business model has evolved in the past and continues to do so. In prior years we have added additional types of services and product offerings and in some cases we have modified or discontinued those offerings. We intend to continue to try to offer additional types of products or services, and we do not know whether any of them will be successful. From time to time we have also modified aspects of our business model relating to our product mix. We do not know whether these or any other modifications will be successful. The additions and modifications to our business have increased the complexity of our business and placed significant strain on our management, personnel, operations, systems, technical performance, financial resources, and internal financial control and reporting functions. Future additions to or modifications of our business are likely to have similar effects. Further, any new business or website we launch that is not favorably received by the market could damage our reputation or our brand. The occurrence of any of the foregoing could have a material adverse effect on our business.

 

We are a holding company whose subsidiaries are given 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.

 

Our independent auditors have expressed doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern. If we do not continue as a going concern, investors will lose their entire investment.

 

In its report on our financial statements included in this prospectus, our independent auditors have expressed doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern. Our ability to continue as a going concern is an issue raised as a result of ongoing operating losses and a lack of financing commitments then in place to meet expected cash requirements. Our ability to continue as a going concern is subject to our ability to generate a profit and/or obtain necessary funding from outside sources, including obtaining additional funding from the sale of our securities, increasing sales or obtaining loans and grants from various financial institutions where possible. If we do not continue as a going concern, investors will lose their entire investment.

 

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 June 2, 2017, we acquired a majority interest in Microphase Corp. (“Microphase”) and on May 23, 2018 we acquired Enertec Systems 2001 Ltd. (“Enertec”). Our strategy and business plan is dependent on our ability to successfully integrate Microphase’s, Enertec’s and our other acquisition’s operations. In addition, while we are based in Fremont, CA, Microphase’s operations are located in Shelton, Connecticut, Enertec’s operations are located in Karmiel, Israel and Digital Power Limited’s (doing business as Gresham Power) operations are located in Salisbury, England. These distant locations and others that we may become involved with in the future will stretch our resources and management time. 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.

 

 

If we make any additional acquisitions, they may disrupt or have a negative impact on our business.

 

We have plans to make additional acquisitions beyond Microphase. For instance, we announced the pending acquisition of Enertec. on January 2, 2018, which closed on May 23, 2018.  Whenever we make acquisitions, we could have difficulty integrating the acquired companies’ personnel and operations with our own. In addition, the key personnel of the acquired business may not be willing to work for us. We cannot predict the effect expansion may have on our core business. Regardless of whether we are successful in making an acquisition, the negotiations could disrupt our ongoing business, distract our management and employees and increase our expenses. In addition to the risks described above, acquisitions are accompanied by a number of inherent risks, including, without limitation, the following:

 

·

difficulty of integrating acquired products, services or operations;

	·	potential disruption of the ongoing businesses and distraction of our management and the management of acquired companies;
	·	difficulty of incorporating acquired rights or products into our existing business;

·

difficulties in disposing of the excess or idle facilities of an acquired company or business and expenses in maintaining such facilities;

·

difficulties in maintaining uniform standards, controls, procedures and policies;

·

potential impairment of relationships with employees and customers as a result of any integration of new management personnel;

·

potential inability or failure to achieve additional sales and enhance our customer base through cross-marketing of the products to new and existing customers;

·

effect of any government regulations which relate to the business acquired; and

·

potential unknown liabilities associated with acquired businesses or product lines, or the need to spend significant amounts to retool, reposition or modify the marketing and sales of acquired products or the defense of any litigation, whether or not successful, resulting from actions of the acquired company prior to our acquisition.

 

Our business could be severely impaired if and to the extent that we are unable to succeed in addressing any of these risks or other problems encountered in connection with these acquisitions, many of which cannot be presently identified, these risks and problems could disrupt our ongoing business, distract our management and employees, increase our expenses and adversely affect our results of operations.

 

No assurance of successful expansion of operations.

 

Our significant increase in the scope and the scale of our operations, including the hiring of additional personnel, has resulted in significantly higher operating expenses. We anticipate that our operating expenses will continue to increase. Expansion of our operations may also make significant demands on our management, finances and other resources. Our ability to manage the anticipated future growth, should it occur, will depend upon a significant expansion of our accounting and other internal management systems and the implementation and subsequent improvement of a variety of systems, procedures and controls. We cannot assure that significant problems in these areas will not occur. Failure to expand these areas and implement and improve such systems, procedures and controls in an efficient manner at a pace consistent with our business could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. We cannot assure that attempts to expand our marketing, sales, manufacturing and customer support efforts will succeed or generate additional sales or profits in any future period. As a result of the expansion of our operations and the anticipated increase in our operating expenses, along with the difficulty in forecasting revenue levels, we expect to continue to experience significant fluctuations in its results of operations.

 

 

We may be unable to successfully expand our production capacity, which could result in material delays, quality issues, increased costs and loss of business opportunities, which may negatively impact our product margins and profitability.

 

Part of our future growth strategy is to increase our production capacity to meet increasing demand for our goods. Assuming we obtain sufficient funding to increase our production capacity, any projects to increase such capacity may not be constructed on the anticipated timetable or within budget. We may also experience quality control issues as we implement any production upgrades. Any material delay in completing these projects, or any substantial cost increases or quality issues in connection with these projects could materially delay our ability to bring our products to market and adversely affect our business, reduce our revenue, income and available cash, all of which could harm our financial condition.

 

If we fail to establish and maintain an effective system of internal control over financial reporting, we may not be able to report our financial results accurately or prevent fraud. Any inability to report and file our financial results accurately and timely could harm our reputation and adversely impact the trading price of our common stock. 

 

Effective internal control over financial reporting is necessary for us to provide reliable financial reports and prevent fraud. If we cannot provide reliable financial reports or prevent fraud, we may not be able to manage our business as effectively as we would if an effective control environment existed, and our business and reputation with investors may be harmed. As a result, our small size and any current internal control deficiencies may adversely affect our financial condition, results of operations and access to capital. We have also experienced complications reporting as a result of material weaknesses which resulted in the restatement of our Form 10-Q for the quarterly period ended June 30, 2017, which was filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“Commission”) on August 21, 2017, and amended on November 14, 2017. We have carried out an evaluation under the supervision and with the participation of our management, including our principal executive officer and principal financial officer, of the effectiveness of the design and operation of our disclosure controls and procedures as of the end of the most recent period covered by this report. Based on the foregoing, our principal executive officer and principal financial officer concluded that our disclosure controls and procedures were not effective at the reasonable assurance level due to the material weaknesses described below.

 

A material weakness is a deficiency, or a combination of deficiencies, within the meaning of Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (“PCAOB”) Audit Standard No. 5, in internal control over financial reporting, such that there is a reasonable possibility that a material misstatement of our annual or interim financial statements will not be prevented or detected on a timely basis. Management has identified the following material weaknesses which have caused management to conclude that as of March 31, 2018 our internal controls over financial reporting (“ICFR”) were not effective at the reasonable assurance level:

 

1.

We do not have sufficient resources in our accounting function, which restricts our ability to gather, analyze and properly review information related to financial reporting in a timely manner. In addition, due to our size and nature, segregation of all conflicting duties may not always be possible and may not be economically feasible. However, to the extent possible, the initiation of transactions, the custody of assets and the recording of transactions should be performed by separate individuals. Management evaluated the impact of our failure to have segregation of duties during our assessment of our disclosure controls and procedures and concluded that the control deficiency that resulted represented a material weakness.

 

2.

We have inadequate controls to ensure that information necessary to properly record transactions is adequately communicated on a timely basis from non-financial personnel to those responsible for financial reporting. Management evaluated the impact of the lack of timely communication between non–financial and financial personnel on our assessment of our reporting controls and procedures and has concluded that the control deficiency represented a material weakness.

 

 

Planned Remediation

 

Management, in coordination with the input, oversight and support of our Board of Directors, has identified the measures below to strengthen our control environment and internal control over financial reporting.

 

During January 2018 we hired a new Chief Financial Officer and engaged the services of a financial accounting advisory firm. During September 2018 we hired a Chief Accounting Officer to tasked with expanding and monitoring the Company’s internal controls, to provide an additional level of review of complex financial issues and to assist with financial reporting. Further, until we expand our internal accounting department, the Chairman of the Audit Committee shall perform the following:

 

•       assists with documentation and implementation of policies and procedures and monitoring of controls,

 

•       reviews all anticipated transactions that are not considered in the ordinary course of business to assist in the early identification of accounting issues and ensure that appropriate disclosures are made in the Company’s financial statements.

 

We are currently working to improve and simplify our internal processes and implement enhanced controls, as discussed above, to address the material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting and to remedy the ineffectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures.

 

If our accounting controls and procedures are circumvented or otherwise fail to achieve their intended purposes, our business could be seriously harmed.

 

We evaluate our disclosure controls and procedures as of the end of each fiscal quarter, and are annually reviewing and evaluating our internal control over financial reporting in order to comply with the Commission’s rules relating to internal control over financial reporting adopted pursuant to the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. Because of its inherent limitations, internal control over financial reporting may not prevent or detect misstatements. Also, projections of any evaluation of effectiveness to future periods are subject to the risk that controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions, or that the degree of compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate. If we fail to maintain effective internal control over financial reporting or our management does not timely assess the adequacy of such internal control, we may be subject to regulatory sanctions, and our reputation may decline.

 

We face significant competition, including changes in pricing.

 

The markets for our products are both competitive and price sensitive. Many competitors have significant financial, operations, sales and marketing resources, plus experience in research and development, and compete with us by offering lower prices. Competitors could develop new technologies that compete with our products to achieve a lower unit price. If a competitor develops lower cost superior technology or cost-effective alternatives to our products and services, our business could be seriously harmed.

 

The markets for some of our products are also subject to specific competitive risks because these markets are highly price competitive. Our competitors have competed in the past by lowering prices on certain products. If they do so again, we may be forced to respond by lowering our prices. This would reduce sales revenues and increase losses. Failure to anticipate and respond to price competition may also impact sales and aggravate losses.

 

Many of our competitors are larger and have greater financial and other resources than we do.

 

Our products compete and will compete with similar if not identical products produced by our competitors. These competitive products could be marketed by well-established, successful companies that possess greater financial, marketing, distribution personnel, and other resources than we do. Using said resources, these companies can implement extensive advertising and promotional campaigns, both generally and in response to specific marketing efforts by competitors. They can introduce new products to new markets more rapidly. In certain instances, competitors with greater financial resources may be able to enter a market in direct competition with us, offering attractive marketing tools to encourage the sale of products that compete with our products or present cost features that consumers may find attractive. 

 

 

Our growth strategy is subject to a significant degree of risk.

 

Our growth strategy through acquisitions involves a significant degree of risk. Some of the companies that we have identified as acquisition targets or make a significant investment in may not have a developed business or are experiencing inefficiencies and incur losses. Therefore, we may lose our investment in the event that these companies’ businesses do not develop as planned or that we are unable to achieve the cost efficiencies or reduction of losses as anticipated.

 

Further, in order to implement our growth plan, we have hired additional staff and consultants to review potential investments and implement our plan. As a result, we have substantially increased our infrastructure and costs. If we fail to quickly find new companies that provide revenue to offset our costs, we will continue to experience losses. No assurance can be given that our product development and investments will produce sufficient revenues to offset these increases in expenditures. 

 

Our business and operations are growing rapidly. If we fail to effectively manage our growth, our business and operating results could be harmed.

 

We have experienced, and may continue to experience, rapid growth in our operations. This has placed, and may continue to place, significant demands on our management, operational and financial infrastructure. If we do not manage our growth effectively, the quality of our products and services could suffer, which could negatively affect our operating results. To effectively manage our growth, we must continue to improve our operational, financial and management controls and reporting systems and procedures. These systems improvements may require significant capital expenditures and management resources. Failure to implement these improvements could hurt our ability to manage our growth and our financial position.

 

A principal stockholder has significant influence over us.

 

Philou beneficially owns approximately 5.49% of our currently outstanding Common Stock as of February 11, 2019. As a result, it will be able to exert a significant degree of influence over our management and affairs and over matters requiring stockholder approval, including the election of directors, any merger, consolidation or sale of all or substantially all of our assets, and any other significant corporate transaction. Its interests may not always coincide with those of our other stockholders. Ault & Company, the manager of Philou, beneficially owns an additional approximate 0.3% of our currently outstanding Common Stock as of February 11, 2019.

 

Philou has certain rights to maintain its ownership interest in us

 

In connection with entering into a Series B Preferred Stock purchase agreement with Philou, we granted the right to Philou to participate in future offering under substantially the same term of such offerings in order to allow Philou to maintain its ownership interest. If exercised by Philou, this contractual right granted to it has the effect of allowing Philou to maintain its interest in us and dilute existing shareholders’ ownership interests.

 

We are heavily dependent on our senior management, and a loss of a member of our senior management team could cause our stock price to suffer.

 

If we lose the services of Milton C. Ault III, our Chief Executive Officer, William B. Horne, our Chief Financial Officer, Amos Kohn, our President and the Chief Executive Officer of Coolisys, one of our principal subsidiaries and/or certain key employees, we may not be able to find appropriate replacements on a timely basis, and our business could be adversely affected. Our existing operations and continued future development depend to a significant extent upon the performance and active participation of these individuals and certain key employees. Although we have entered into employment agreements with Messrs. Horne and Kohn, we have only entered into an independent contractor agreement with Mr. Ault. Although we may enter into employment agreements with Mr. Ault and additional key employees in the future, we cannot guarantee that we will be successful in retaining the services of these individuals. If we were to lose any of these individuals, we may not be able to find appropriate replacements on a timely basis and our financial condition and results of operations could be materially adversely affected.

 

 

We rely on highly skilled personnel and the continuing efforts of our executive officers and, if we are unable to retain, motivate or hire qualified personnel, our business may be severely disrupted.

 

Our performance largely depends on the talents, knowledge, skills, know-how and efforts of highly skilled individuals and in particular, the expertise held by our Chief Executive Officer, Milton C. Ault III. His absence, were it to occur, would materially and adversely impact development and implementation of our projects and businesses. Our future success depends on our continuing ability to identify, hire, develop, motivate and retain highly skilled personnel for all areas of our organization. Our continued ability to compete effectively depends on our ability to attract, among others, new technology developers and to retain and motivate our existing contractors. If one or more of our executive officers are unable or unwilling to continue in their present positions, we may not be able to replace them readily, if at all. Therefore, our business may be severely disrupted, and we may incur additional expenses to recruit and retain new officers. In addition, if any of our executives joins a competitor or forms a competing company, we may lose some customers.

 

Our operating results may vary from quarter to quarter.

 

Our operating results have in the past been subject to quarter-to-quarter fluctuations, and we expect that these fluctuations will continue, and may increase in magnitude, in future periods. Demand for our products is driven by many factors, including the availability of funding for our products in our customers’ capital budgets. There is a trend for some of our customers to place large orders near the end of a quarter or fiscal year, in part to spend remaining available capital budget funds. Seasonal fluctuations in customer demand for our products driven by budgetary and other concerns can create corresponding fluctuations in period-to-period revenues, and we therefore cannot assure you that our results in one period are necessarily indicative of our revenues in any future period. In addition, the number and timing of large individual sales and the ability to obtain acceptances of those sales, where applicable, have been difficult for us to predict, and large individual sales have, in some cases, occurred in quarters subsequent to those we anticipated, or have not occurred at all. The loss or deferral of one or more significant sales in a quarter could harm our operating results for such quarter. It is possible that, in some quarters, our operating results will be below the expectations of public market analysts or investors. In such events, or in the event adverse conditions prevail, the market price of our common stock may decline significantly.

 

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 “1940 Act”), however, a company may be deemed an investment company under section 3(a)(1)(C) of the 1940 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 have commenced digital asset mining, the output of which is cryptocurrencies, which the Commission has indicated it deems a security. In the event that 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 1940 Act. One such exclusion, Rule 3a-2 under the 1940 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 are putting in place policies that we expect will 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 1940 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 1940 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 to conduct our operations.

 

We will not be able to successfully execute our business strategy if we are deemed to be an investment company under the 1940 Act.

 

U.S. companies that have more than 100 shareholders or are publicly traded in the U.S. and are, or hold themselves out as being, engaged primarily in the business of investing, reinvesting or trading in securities are subject to regulation under the 1940 Act.  Unless a substantial part of our assets consists of, and a substantial part of our income is derived from, interests in majority-owned subsidiaries and companies that we primarily control, we may be required to register and become subject to regulation under the 1940 Act.  If bitcoin and other virtual currencies were to be deemed securities for purposes of the 1940 Act, or if we were deemed to own but not operate one or more of our other subsidiaries, we would have difficulty avoiding classification and regulation as an investment company.

 

If we were deemed to be, and were required to register as, an investment company, we would be forced to comply with substantive requirements under the 1940 Act, including limitations on our ability to borrow, limitations on our capital structure; restrictions on acquisitions of interests in associated companies, prohibitions on transactions with affiliates, restrictions on specific investments, and compliance with reporting, record keeping, voting, proxy disclosure and other rules and regulations.  If we were forced to comply with the rules and regulations of the 1940 Act, our operations would significantly change, and we would be prevented from successfully executing our business strategy.  To avoid regulation under the 1940 Act and related rules promulgated by the Commission, we could need to sell bitcoin and other assets which we would otherwise want to retain and could be unable to sell assets which we would otherwise want to sell.  In addition, we could be forced to acquire additional, or retain existing, income-generating or loss-generating assets which we would not otherwise have acquired or retained and could need to forgo opportunities to acquire bitcoin and other assets that would benefit our business.  If we were forced to sell, buy or retain assets in this manner, we could be prevented from successfully executing our business strategy.

 

Securitization of our assets subjects us to various risks.

 

We may securitize assets to generate cash for funding new investments. We refer to the term securitize to describe a form of leverage under which a company (sometimes referred to as an “originator” or “sponsor”) transfers income producing assets to a single-purpose, bankruptcy-remote subsidiary (also referred to as a “special purpose entity” or SPE), which is established solely for the purpose of holding such assets and entering into a structured finance transaction. The SPE would then issue notes secured by such assets. The special purpose entity may issue the notes in the capital markets either publicly or privately to a variety of investors, including banks, non-bank financial institutions and other investors. There may be a single class of notes or multiple classes of notes, the most senior of which carries less credit risk and the most junior of which may carry substantially the same credit risk as the equity of the SPE.

 

An important aspect of most debt securitization transactions is that the sale and/or contribution of assets into the SPE be considered a true sale and/or contribution for accounting purposes and that a reviewing court would not consolidate the SPE with the operations of the originator in the event of the originator's bankruptcy based on equitable principles. Viewed as a whole, a debt securitization seeks to lower risk to the note purchasers by isolating the assets collateralizing the securitization in an SPE that is not subject to the credit and bankruptcy risks of the originator. As a result of this perceived reduction of risk, debt securitization transactions frequently achieve lower overall leverage costs for originators as compared to traditional secured lending transactions.

 

 

In accordance with the above description, to securitize loans, we may create a wholly owned subsidiary and contribute a pool of our assets to such subsidiary. The SPE may be funded with, among other things, whole loans or interests from other pools and such loans may or may not be rated. The SPE would then sell its notes to purchasers whom we would expect to be willing to accept a lower interest rate and the absence of any recourse against us to invest in a pool of income producing assets to which none of our creditors would have access. We would retain all or a portion of the equity in the SPE. An inability to successfully securitize portions of our portfolio or otherwise leverage our portfolio through secured and unsecured borrowings could limit our ability to grow our business and fully execute our business strategy, and could decrease our earnings, if any. However, the successful securitization of portions of our portfolio exposes us to a risk of loss for the equity we retain in the SPE and might expose us to greater risk on our remaining portfolio because the assets we retain may tend to be those that are riskier and more likely to generate losses. A successful securitization may also impose financial and operating covenants that restrict our business activities and may include limitations that could hinder our ability to finance additional loans and investments. The 1940 Act may also impose restrictions on the structure of any securitizations.

 

Interests we hold in the SPE, if any, will be subordinated to the other interests issued by the SPE. As such, we will only receive cash distributions on such interests if the SPE has made all cash interest and other required payments on all other interests it has issued. In addition, our subordinated interests will likely be unsecured and rank behind all of the secured creditors, known or unknown, of the SPE, including the holders of the senior interests it has issued. Consequently, to the extent that the value of the SPE's portfolio of assets has been reduced as a result of conditions in the credit markets, or as a result of defaults, the value of the subordinated interests we retain would be reduced. Securitization imposes on us the same risks as borrowing except that our risk in a securitization is limited to the amount of subordinated interests we retain, whereas in a borrowing or debt issuance by us directly we would be at risk for the entire amount of the borrowing or debt issuance.

 

We may also engage in transactions utilizing SPEs and securitization techniques where the assets sold or contributed to the SPE remain on our balance sheet for accounting purposes. If, for example, we sell the assets to the SPE with recourse or provide a guarantee or other credit support to the SPE, its assets will remain on our balance sheet. Consolidation would also generally result if we, in consultation with the SEC, determine that consolidation would result in a more accurate reflection of our assets, liabilities and results of operations. In these structures, the risks will be essentially the same as in other securitization transactions but the assets will remain our assets for purposes of the limitations described above on investing in assets that are not qualifying assets and the leverage incurred by the SPE will be treated as borrowings incurred by us for purposes of our limitation on the issuance of senior securities.

 

We may not be able to utilize our net operating loss carry forwards.

 

At December 31, 2017, we had Federal net operating loss carry forwards (“NOLs”) for income tax purposes of approximately $12.0 million, expiring through 2037. However, we do not know if or when we will have any earnings and capital gains against which we could apply these carry forwards.  Furthermore, as a result of changes in the ownership of our common stock, our ability to use our federal NOLs will be limited under Internal Revenue Code Section 382.  State NOLs are subject to similar limitations in many cases.  As a result, our substantial NOLs may not have any value to us.

 

Changes in the U.S. tax and other laws and regulations may adversely affect our business.

 

The U.S. government may revise tax laws, regulations or official interpretations in ways that could have a significant adverse effect on our business, including modifications that could reduce the profits that we can effectively realize from our international operations, or that could require costly changes to those operations, or the way in which they are structured.  For example, the effective tax rates for most U.S. companies reflect the fact that income earned and reinvested outside the U.S. is generally taxed at local rates, which may be much lower than U.S. tax rates.  If we expand abroad and there are changes in tax laws, regulations or interpretations that significantly increase the tax rates on non-U.S. income, our effective tax rate could increase and our profits could be reduced.  If such increases resulted from our status as a U.S. company, those changes could place us at a disadvantage to our non-U.S. competitors if those competitors remain subject to lower local tax rates.

 

 

Recently enacted U.S. tax reform legislation known colloquially as the “Tax Cuts and Jobs Act,” among other things, makes significant changes to the rules applicable to the taxation of corporations, such as changing the corporate tax rate to a flat 21% rate, modifying the rules regarding limitations on certain deductions for executive compensation, introducing a capital investment deduction in certain circumstances, placing certain limitations on the interest deduction, modifying the rules regarding the usability of certain net operating losses, implementing a minimum tax on the “global intangible low-taxed income” of a “United States shareholder” of a “controlled foreign corporation,” modifying certain rules applicable to United States shareholders of controlled foreign corporations, imposing a deemed repatriation tax on certain earnings and adding certain anti-base erosion rules.  We are currently in the process of analyzing the effects of this new legislation on us and at this time the ultimate outcome of the new legislation on our business and financial condition is uncertain.  It is possible that the application of these new rules may have a material and adverse impact on our operating results, cash flows and financial condition.

 

Risks Related to Our Business and Industry - Overview

 

Technology changes rapidly in our business, and if we fail to anticipate new technologies, the quality, timeliness and competitiveness of our products will suffer.

 

Rapid technology changes in our industry require us to anticipate, sometimes years in advance, which technologies and/or distribution platforms our products must take advantage of in order to make them competitive in the market at the time they are released. Therefore, we usually start our product development with a range of technical development goals that we hope to be able to achieve. We may not be able to achieve these goals, or our competition may be able to achieve them more quickly than we can. In either case, our products may be technologically inferior to competitive products, or less appealing to consumers, or both. If we cannot achieve our technology goals within the original development schedule of our products, then we may delay products until these technology goals can be achieved, which may delay or reduce revenue and increase our development expenses. Alternatively, we may increase the resources employed in research and development in an attempt to accelerate our development of new technologies, either to preserve our product launch schedule or to keep up with our competition, which would increase our development expenses and adversely affect our operations and financial condition.

 

We are dependent upon our ability, and our contract manufacturers’ ability, to timely procure electronic components.

 

Because of the global economy, many raw material vendors have reduced capacities, closed production lines and, in some cases, even discontinued their operations. As a result, there is a global shortage of certain electronic or mineral components, which may extend our production lead-time and our production costs. Some materials are no longer available to support some of our products, thereby requiring us to search for cross materials or, even worse, redesign some of our products to support currently-available materials. Such redesign efforts may require certain regulatory and safety agency re-submittals, which may cause further production delays. While we have initiated actions that we believe will limit our exposure to such problems, the dynamic business conditions in many of our markets may challenge the solutions that have been put in place, and issues may recur in the future.

 

In addition, some of our products are manufactured, assembled and tested by third party subcontractors and contract manufacturers located in Asia. While we have had relationships with many of these third parties in the past, we cannot predict how or whether these relationships will continue in the future. In addition, changes in management, financial viability, manufacturing demand or capacity, or other factors, at these third parties could hurt our ability to manufacture our products.

 

Our strategic focus on our custom power supply solution competencies and concurrent cost reduction plans may be ineffective or may limit our ability to compete.

 

As a result of our strategic focus on custom power supply solutions, we will continue to devote significant resources to developing and manufacturing custom power supply solutions for a large number of customers, where each product represents a uniquely tailored solution for a specific customer’s requirements. Failure to meet these customer product requirements or a failure to meet production schedules and/or product quality standards may put us at risk with one or more of these customers. Moreover, changes in market conditions and strategic changes at the direction of our customers may affect their decision to continue to purchase from us. The loss of one or more of our significant custom power supply solution customers could have a material adverse impact on our revenues, business or financial condition.

 

 

We have also implemented a series of initiatives designed to increase efficiency and reduce costs. While we believe that these actions will reduce costs, they may not be sufficient to achieve the required operational efficiencies that will enable us to respond more quickly to changes in the market or result in the improvements in our business that we anticipate. In such event, we may be forced to take additional cost-reducing initiatives, including those involving our personnel, which may negatively impact quarterly earnings and profitability as we account for severance and other related costs. In addition, there is the risk that such measures could have long-term adverse effects on our business by reducing our pool of talent, decreasing or slowing improvements in our products or services, making it more difficult for us to respond to customers, limiting our ability to increase production quickly if and when the demand for our solutions increases and limiting our ability to hire and retain key personnel. These circumstances could cause our earnings to be lower than they otherwise might be.

 

We depend upon a few major customers for a majority of our revenues, and the loss of any of these customers, or the substantial reduction in the quantity of products that they purchase from us, would significantly reduce our revenues and net income.

 

We currently depend upon a few major OEMs and other customers for a significant portion of our revenues. If our major OEM customers will reduce or cancel their orders scaling back some of their activities, our revenues and net income would be significantly reduced. Furthermore, diversions in the capital spending of certain of these customers to new network elements have and could continue to lead to their reduced demand for our products, which could, in turn, have a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations. If the financial condition of one or more of our major customers should deteriorate, or if they have difficulty acquiring investment capital due to any of these or other factors, a substantial decrease in our revenues would likely result. We are dependent on the electronic equipment industry, and accordingly will be affected by the impact on that industry of current economic conditions.

 

Substantially all of our existing customers are in the electronic equipment industry, and they manufacture products that are subject to rapid technological change, obsolescence, and large fluctuations in demand. This industry is further characterized by intense competition and volatility. The OEMs serving this industry are pressured for increased product performance and lower product prices. OEMs, in turn, make similar demands on their suppliers, such as us, for increased product performance and lower prices. Such demands may adversely affect our ability to successfully compete in certain markets or our ability to sustain our gross margins.

 

Our reliance on subcontract manufacturers to manufacture certain aspects of our products involves risks, including delays in product shipments and reduced control over product quality.

 

Since we do not own significant manufacturing facilities, we must rely on, and will continue to rely on, a limited number of subcontract manufacturers to manufacture our power supply products. Our reliance upon such subcontract manufacturers involves several risks, including reduced control over manufacturing costs, delivery times, reliability and quality of components, unfavorable currency exchange fluctuations, and continued inflationary pressures on many of the raw materials used in the manufacturing of our power supply products. If we were to encounter a shortage of key manufacturing components from limited sources of supply, or experience manufacturing delays caused by reduced manufacturing capacity, inability of our subcontract manufacturers to procure raw materials, the loss of key assembly subcontractors, difficulties associated with the transition to our new subcontract manufacturers or other factors, we could experience lost revenues, increased costs, and delays in, or cancellations or rescheduling of, orders or shipments, any of which would materially harm our business.

 

 

We outsource, and are dependent upon developer partners for, the development of some of our custom design products.

 

We made an operational decision to outsource some of our custom design products to numerous developer partners. This business structure will remain in place until the custom design volume justifies expanding our in house capabilities. Incomplete product designs that do not fully comply with the customer specifications and requirements might affect our ability to transition to a volume production stage of the custom designed product where the revenue goals are dependent on the high volume of custom product production. Furthermore, we rely on the design partners’ ability to provide high quality prototypes of the designed product for our customer approval as a critical stage to approve production.

 

We face intense industry competition, price erosion and product obsolescence, which, in turn, could reduce our profitability.

 

We operate in an industry that is generally characterized by intense competition. We believe that the principal bases of competition in our markets are breadth of product line, quality of products, stability, reliability and reputation of the provider, along with cost. Quantity discounts, price erosion, and rapid product obsolescence due to technological improvements are therefore common in our industry as competitors strive to retain or expand market share. Product obsolescence can lead to increases in unsaleable inventory that may need to be written off and, therefore, could reduce our profitability. Similarly, price erosion can reduce our profitability by decreasing our revenues and our gross margins. In fact, we have seen price erosion over the last several years on most of the products we sell, and we expect additional price erosion in the future.

 

Our future results are dependent on our ability to establish, maintain and expand our manufacturers’ representative OEM relationships and our other relationships.

 

We market and sell our products through domestic and international OEM relationships and other distribution channels, such as manufacturers’ representatives and distributors. Our future results are dependent on our ability to establish, maintain and expand our relationships with OEMs as well as with manufacturers’ representatives and distributors to sell our products. If, however, the third parties with whom we have entered into such OEM and other arrangements should fail to meet their contractual obligations, cease doing, or reduce the amount of their, business with us or otherwise fail to meet their own performance objectives, customer demand for our products could be adversely affected, which would have an adverse effect on our revenues.

 

We may not be able to procure necessary key components for our products, or we may purchase too much inventory or the wrong inventory.

 

The power supply industry, and the electronics industry as a whole, can be subject to business cycles. During periods of growth and high demand for our products, we may not have adequate supplies of inventory on hand to satisfy our customers' needs. Furthermore, during these periods of growth, our suppliers may also experience high demand and, therefore, may not have adequate levels of the components and other materials that we require to build products so that we can meet our customers' needs. Our inability to secure sufficient components to build products for our customers could negatively impact our sales and operating results. We may choose to mitigate this risk by increasing the levels of inventory for certain key components. Increased inventory levels can increase the potential risk for excess and obsolescence should our forecasts fail to materialize or if there are negative factors impacting our customers’ end markets. If we purchase too much inventory or the wrong inventory, we may have to record additional inventory reserves or write-off the inventory, which could have a material adverse effect on our gross margins and on our results of operations.

 

Although we depend on sales of our legacy products for a meaningful portion of our revenues, these products are mature and their sales will decline.

 

A relatively large portion of our sales have historically been attributable to our legacy products. We expect that these products may continue to account for a meaningful percentage of our revenues for the foreseeable future. However, these sales are declining. Although we are unable to predict future prices for our legacy products, we expect that prices for these products will continue to be subject to significant downward pressure in certain markets for the reasons described above. Accordingly, our ability to maintain or increase revenues will be dependent on our ability to expand our customer base, to increase unit sales volumes of these products and to successfully, develop, introduce and sell new products such as custom design and value added products. We cannot assure you that we will be able to expand our customer base, increase unit sales volumes of existing products or develop, introduce and/or sell new products.

 

 

Failure of our information technology infrastructure to operate effectively could adversely affect our business.

 

We depend heavily on information technology infrastructure to achieve our business objectives. If a problem occurs that impairs this infrastructure, the resulting disruption could impede our ability to record or process orders, manufacture and ship in a timely manner, or otherwise carry on business in the normal course. Any such events could cause us to lose customers or revenue and could require us to incur significant expense to remediate.

 

We are subject to certain governmental regulatory restrictions relating to our international sales.

 

Some of our products are subject to International Traffic In Arms Regulation (“ITAR”), which are interpreted, enforced and administered by the U.S. Department of State. ITAR regulation controls not only the export, import and trade of certain products specifically designed, modified, configured or adapted for military systems, but also the export of related technical data and defense services as well as foreign production. Any delays in obtaining the required export, import or trade licenses for products subject to ITAR regulation and rules could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and/or operating results. In addition, changes in United States export and import laws that require us to obtain additional export and import licenses or delays in obtaining export or import licenses currently being sought could cause significant shipment delays and, if such delays are too great, could result in the cancellation of orders. Any future restrictions or charges imposed by the United States or any other country on our international sales or foreign subsidiary could have a materially adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and/or operating results. In addition, from time to time, we have entered into contracts with the Israeli Ministry of Defense which were governed by the U.S. Foreign Military Financing program (“FMF”). Any such future sales would be subject to these regulations. Failure to comply with ITAR or FMF rules could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, and/or operating results.

  

We depend on international operations for a substantial majority of our components and products.

 

We purchase a substantial majority of our components from foreign manufacturers and have a substantial majority of our commercial products assembled, packaged, and tested by subcontractors located outside the United States. These activities are subject to the uncertainties associated with international business operations, including trade barriers and other restrictions, changes in trade policies, governmental regulations, currency exchange fluctuations, reduced protection for intellectual property, war and other military activities, terrorism, changes in social, political, or economic conditions, and other disruptions or delays in production or shipments, any of which could have a materially adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and/or operating results.

 

We depend on international sales for a portion of our revenues.

 

Sales to customers outside of North America accounted for 34.8% and 40.2% of net revenues for the years ended December 31, 2017 and 2016, and we expect that international sales will continue to represent a material portion of our total revenues. International sales are subject to the risks of international business operations as described above, as well as generally longer payment cycles, greater difficulty collecting accounts receivable, and currency restrictions. In addition, DPL, our wholly-owned subsidiary in the United Kingdom, supports our European and other international customers, distributors, and sales representatives, and therefore is also subject to local regulation. International sales are also subject to the export laws and regulations of the United States and other countries.

 

Our sales and profitability may be affected by changes in economic, business and industry conditions.

 

If the economic climate in the United States or abroad deteriorates, customers or potential customers could reduce or delay their technology and entertainment investments. Reduced or delayed technology and entertainment investments could decrease our sales and profitability. In this environment, our customers may experience financial difficulty, cease operations and fail to budget or reduce budgets for the purchase of our products and professional services. This may lead to longer sales cycles, delays in purchase decisions, payment and collection, and can also result in downward price pressures, causing our sales and profitability to decline. In addition, general economic uncertainty and general declines in capital spending in the information technology sector make it difficult to predict changes in the purchasing requirements of our customers and the markets we serve. There are many other factors which could affect our business, including:

 

 

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The introduction and market acceptance of new technologies, products and services;

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New competitors and new forms of competition;

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The size and timing of customer orders (for retail distributed physical product);

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The size and timing of capital expenditures by our customers;

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Adverse changes in the credit quality of our customers and suppliers;

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Changes in the pricing policies of, or the introduction of, new products and services by us or our competitors;

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Changes in the terms of our contracts with our customers or suppliers;

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The availability of products from our suppliers; and

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Variations in product costs and the mix of products sold.

       These trends and factors could adversely affect our business, profitability and financial condition and diminish our ability to achieve our strategic objectives.

 

 The sale of our products is dependent upon our ability to satisfy the proprietary requirements of our customers.

 

We depend upon a relatively narrow range of products for the majority of our revenue. Our success in marketing our products is dependent upon their continued acceptance by our customers. In some cases, our customers require that our products meet their own proprietary requirements. If we are unable to satisfy such requirements, or forecast and adapt to changes in such requirements, our business could be materially harmed.

 

The sale of our products is dependent on our ability to respond to rapid technological change, including evolving industry-wide standards, and may be adversely affected by the development, and acceptance by our customers, of new technologies which may compete with, or reduce the demand for, our products.

 

Rapid technological change, including evolving industry standards, could render our products obsolete. To the extent our customers adopt such new technology in place of our products, the sales of our products may be adversely affected. Such competition may also increase pricing pressure for our products and adversely affect the revenues from such products.

  

Our limited ability to protect our proprietary information and technology may adversely affect our ability to compete, and our products could infringe upon the intellectual property rights of others, resulting in claims against us, the results of which could be costly.

 

Many of our products consist entirely or partly of proprietary technology owned by us. Although we seek to protect our technology through a combination of copyrights, trade secret laws and contractual obligations, these protections may not be sufficient to prevent the wrongful appropriation of our intellectual property, nor will they prevent our competitors from independently developing technologies that are substantially equivalent or superior to our proprietary technology. In addition, the laws of some foreign countries do not protect our proprietary rights to the same extent as the laws of the United States. In order to defend our proprietary rights in the technology utilized in our products from third party infringement, we may be required to institute legal proceedings, which would be costly and would divert our resources from the development of our business. If we are unable to successfully assert and defend our proprietary rights in the technology utilized in our products, our future results could be adversely affected.

 

Although we attempt to avoid infringing known proprietary rights of third parties in our product development efforts, we may become subject to legal proceedings and claims for alleged infringement from time to time in the ordinary course of business. Any claims relating to the infringement of third-party proprietary rights, even if not meritorious, could result in costly litigation, divert management’s attention and resources, require us to reengineer or cease sales of our products or require us to enter into royalty or license agreements which are not advantageous to us. In addition, parties making claims may be able to obtain an injunction, which could prevent us from selling our products in the United States or abroad.

 

  

If we are unable to satisfy our customers’ specific product quality, certification or network requirements, our business could be disrupted and our financial condition could be harmed.

 

Our customers demand that our products meet stringent quality, performance and reliability standards. We have, from time to time, experienced problems in satisfying such standards. Defects or failures have occurred in the past, and may in the future occur, relating to our product quality, performance and reliability. From time to time, our customers also require us to implement specific changes to our products to allow these products to operate within their specific network configurations. If we are unable to remedy these failures or defects or if we cannot effect such required product modifications, we could experience lost revenues, increased costs, including inventory write-offs, warranty expense and costs associated with customer support, delays in, or cancellations or rescheduling of, orders or shipments and product returns or discounts, any of which would harm our business.

 

If we ship products that contain defects, the market acceptance of our products and our reputation will be harmed and our customers could seek to recover their damages from us.

 

Our products are complex, and despite extensive testing, may contain defects or undetected errors or failures that may become apparent only after our products have been shipped to our customers and installed in their network or after product features or new versions are released. Any such defect, error or failure could result in failure of market acceptance of our products or damage to our reputation or relations with our customers, resulting in substantial costs for us and our customers as well as the cancellation of orders, warranty costs and product returns. In addition, any defects, errors, misuse of our products or other potential problems within or out of our control that may arise from the use of our products could result in financial or other damages to our customers. Our customers could seek to have us pay for these losses. Although we maintain product liability insurance, it may not be adequate.

 

Some of our business is subject to U.S. government procurement laws and regulations.

 

We must comply with certain laws and regulations relating to the formation, administration and performance of federal government contracts. These laws and regulations affect how we conduct business with our federal government contracts, including the business that we do as a subcontractor. In complying with these laws and regulations, we may incur additional costs, and non-compliance may lead to the assessment of fines and penalties, including contractual damages, or the loss of business.

  

Risks Related to Our Business and Industry – Digital Farms

 

We intend to develop an online cloud mining platform which may subject us to additional liabilities from our customers.

 

We intend to develop and offer a cloud mining platform to customers who prefer not to directly acquire and maintain crypto mining hardware. To date, we have offered the cloud mining platform to selected customers prior to offering the platform to the general public. The success of this business will be largely dependent on achieving sustainable revenues that are dependent on prices of the various currencies and controlling costs, which are primarily power and computer hardware.  In addition, through our management and administration of crypto mining equipment on behalf of our customers, we may become subject to actions from our customers seeking to recover for liabilities arising from, among other matters:

 

·

erroneously accounting for proceeds from crypto mining activities;

·

power, network or technology failures which prevent our miners from operating efficiently;

·

delays in processing payments at times when there are significant fluctuations in the price of the cryptocurrencies; and

·

hackers or other malicious groups or organizations targeting and attempting to interfere with our miners which could negatively affect the operations of such miners.

 

 

We may lose access to digital tokens and any cryptocurrency due to loss of private key(s), custodial error, or purchaser error.

 

A private key, or a combination of private keys, is necessary to control and dispose of cryptocurrency stored in a digital wallet or vault. Accordingly, loss of requisite private key(s) associated with a digital wallet or vault storing cryptocurrency will result in loss of such cryptocurrency. Moreover, any third party that gains access to such private key(s), including by gaining access to login credentials of a digital wallet or secure services that we use, may be able to misappropriate any digital token or cryptocurrency held by us. Any errors or malfunctions caused by or otherwise related to the digital wallet that we choose to receive and store cryptocurrency, including our failure to properly maintain or use such digital wallet or secure service, may also result in the loss of any cryptocurrency that we hold.  Additionally, any failure on our part to follow precisely the procedures for buying and receiving cryptocurrency, including, for instance, if it provides the wrong address for receiving cryptocurrency, may result in the loss of any cryptocurrency held or purchased by us.

 

Hackers or other malicious groups or organizations may attempt to interfere with end users of digital tokens, or cryptocurrency, in a variety of ways.

 

Hackers or other malicious groups or organizations may target and attempt to interfere with end users of digital tokens, or cryptocurrency, in a variety of ways, including, but not limited to, end user attacks such as malware attacks, denial of service attacks, consensus-based attacks, Sybil attacks, smurfing and spoofing. Furthermore, although we utilize a closed system to mine cryptocurrency, there is a risk that a third party or one of our employees may intentionally or unintentionally introduce weaknesses into the core infrastructure, which could negatively affect us and any cryptocurrency with which we are involved.

 

We have discretion over the maintenance, storage and transmission of its cryptocurrency holdings. Currently investments and holdings in cryptocurrencies by our company are uninsured and, as a result, we may lose all of our money invested in cryptocurrencies without any recourse.

 

Unlike bank accounts or accounts at some other financial institutions, cryptocurrencies are generally uninsured unless an investor purchases private insurance to insure them or holds them with a vendor which provides insurance. Thus, in the event of loss or loss of utility value, there is no public insurer, such as the Securities Investor Protection Corporation (“SIPC”) or the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (“FDIC”), to offer recourse to any investor, including our company, unless covered independently by private insurance arranged by us. Further, we have wide discretion over the storage of its cryptocurrency holdings. We intend to use various third party wallet providers, trust companies or others to hold its cryptocurrency holdings. We may have a high concentration of its cryptocurrency holdings in one location or with one third party wallet provider, which may be prone to losses arising out of hacking, loss of passwords, compromised access credentials, malware, cyber-attacks or other factors. We may not do detailed diligence on third party wallet providers and, as a result, may not be aware of all security vulnerabilities and risks. Certain third party wallet providers may not indemnify us against any losses thereby hurting our ability to recover losses from third party wallet providers. The systems in place to ensure the security of our company’s cryptocurrency holdings may not prevent the improper access to, damage or theft of our company’s holdings in cryptocurrencies. Further, a loss due to the storage of our company’s cryptocurrencies could harm our reputation or result in the loss of some or all of our company’s cryptocurrencies, including those assets held on behalf of customers for our online cloud mining platform.

 

The regulatory status of cryptocurrency and distributed ledger technology is unclear or unsettled in many jurisdictions and it is difficult to predict the impact future regulation may have on either.

 

The regulatory status of cryptocurrency and distributed ledger technology is unclear or unsettled in many jurisdictions. It is difficult to predict how or whether regulatory agencies may apply existing regulation with respect to such technology and its applications. It is likewise difficult to predict how or whether legislatures or regulatory agencies may implement changes to law and regulation affecting distributed ledger technology and its applications, including applicable cryptocurrency protocols.  Regulatory actions could negatively impact any cryptocurrency in various ways, including, for purposes of illustration only, through a determination that cryptocurrency are a regulated financial instrument that requires registration or licensing.

 

 

The tax characterization of cryptocurrency is uncertain.

 

Cryptocurrency holders may be required to pay taxes associated with the transactions contemplated herein, whether in the United States or in their home countries. It is the sole responsibility of cryptocurrency holders to comply with the tax laws of the United States and other jurisdictions applicable to them and pay all relevant taxes. The sale or other exchange of cryptocurrency, or the use of cryptocurrency to pay for goods or services, or holding cryptocurrency as an investment, generally has tax consequences that could result in tax liability. In 2014, the Internal Revenue Service issued guidance on the tax treatment of transactions using cryptocurrency, such as Bitcoins or other similar currencies.

  

The transfer of any cryptocurrency may be restricted, which may adversely affect its liquidity and the price at which it may be sold.

 

Cryptocurrency has not been, and will not be, registered under the Securities Act or the securities laws of any other jurisdiction and, unless so registered, may not be offered or sold except pursuant to an exemption from, or a transaction not subject to, the registration requirements of the Securities Act and any other applicable laws and regulations. These restrictions may limit the ability of investors to resell cryptocurrency. It is the responsibility of any holder of a digital token or a cryptocurrency to ensure that all offers and sales of cryptocurrency within the United States and other jurisdictions comply with all applicable laws and regulations.

 

Cryptocurrency confers no governance rights in any entity.

 

Because cryptocurrencies confer no governance rights of any kind with respect to any entity with which such digital token or cryptocurrency may be associated, all decisions involving a related company will be made by the management and/or stockholders of such company at their sole discretion.  These decisions could adversely affect the utility or value of any applicable digital token or cryptocurrency.

 

There are unanticipated and unknown risks in buying and holding cryptocurrency and/or cryptographic tokens.

 

Digital tokens and various cryptocurrencies are a relatively new and untested technology. In addition to the risks specified in these risk factors, there are other risks associated with either our company’s or a holder’s purchase, holding and use of digital tokens and cryptocurrency cannot be anticipated. Such risks may further materialize as unanticipated variations or combinations of the risks discussed in this prospectus supplement.

 

Our decision to deal in cryptocurrencies, such as bitcoins, may subject us to exchange risk and additional tax and regulatory requirements.

 

Bitcoin is not considered legal tender or backed by any government, and it has experienced price volatility, technological glitches and various law enforcement and regulatory interventions. The use of cryptocurrencies such as bitcoin has been prohibited or effectively prohibited in some countries. If we fail to comply with regulations or prohibitions applicable to us, we could face regulatory or other enforcement actions and potential fines and other consequences. From time to time, we may hold bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies directly, and we have exchange rate risk on the amounts we hold as well as the risks that regulatory or other developments may adversely affect the value of the cryptocurrencies we hold. The uncertainties regarding legal and regulatory requirements relating to cryptocurrencies or transactions utilizing cryptocurrencies, as well as potential accounting and tax issues, or other requirements relating to cryptocurrencies could have a material adverse effect on our business.

 

Various cryptocurrencies facilitate the use of anonymous transactions which could adversely affect us.

 

Although bitcoin and other cryptocurrency transaction details are logged on the blockchain, a buyer or seller of bitcoin may never know to whom the public key belongs or the true identity of the party with whom it is transacting. Some public key addresses are randomized sequences of alphanumeric characters that, standing alone, do not provide sufficient information to identify users. Transacting with a counterparty that is unknown to us, such as a party making illicit use of cryptocurrencies, could have an adverse effect on us or our reputation.

 

 

Our investment in Digital Farms, Inc. may expose us to risks under laws and regulations with which we do not have significant experience.

 

In 2017, we established our cryptocurrency business, which is pursuing a variety of digital currency. We anticipate mining the top ten cryptocurrencies for our own account. These include Bitcoin, Bitcoin Cash, Litecoin and Ethereum, along with other currencies that we consider to be in the top ten by market capitalization. Virtually every state in the U.S. regulates money transmitters and money services businesses. In some states the licensing requirements and regulations expressly cover companies engaged in digital currency activities; in other states it is not clear whether or how the existing laws and regulations apply to digital currency activities. Further, U.S. federal law requires registration of most such businesses with the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (“FinCEN”). These licenses and registrations subject companies to various anti-money laundering, know-your-customer, record-keeping, reporting and capital and bonding requirements, limitations on the investment of customer funds, and inspection by state and federal regulatory agencies. Under U.S. federal law, it is a crime for a person, entity or business that is required to be registered with FinCEN or licensed in any state to fail to do so, even if the person, entity or business was unaware of the licensing requirement. Further, under U.S. federal law, anyone who owns all or part of an unlicensed money transmitting business is subject to civil and criminal penalties. The business in which we have invested has represented to us that it has not taken any action that could subject it to registration with FinCEN or to the licensing requirements in any state and has agreed that it will not do so until it has become properly licensed in all required states and registered with FinCEN. However, if the business makes an error, even inadvertently, we could be subject to potential civil and criminal penalties as a result. Any such penalties, or even the allegation of criminal activities, could have a material adverse effect on us and our business. Further, all of our foreign business activities expose us to a variety of risks, including risks under the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act.

  

U.S. and international regulatory changes or actions may restrict the use of or impose heightened regulatory burdens on cryptocurrency or the operation of cryptocurrency network based on currency, securities, or commodities regulations in a manner that adversely affects an investment in us.

 

Until recently, little or no regulatory attention has been directed toward cryptocurrency and the cryptocurrency networks by U.S. federal and state governments, foreign governments, and self-regulatory agencies. As cryptocurrency has grown in popularity and in market size, the Federal Reserve Board, U.S. Congress, and certain U.S. agencies (e.g., FinCEN and the Federal Bureau of Investigation) have begun to examine the operations of cryptocurrency networks, cryptocurrency users, and cryptocurrency exchange markets. Local state regulators such as the California Department of Financial Institutions and the New York State Department of Financial Services have also initiated examinations of Bitcoins, the Bitcoin Network, and the regulation thereof. Additionally, a U.S. federal magistrate judge in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas has ruled that “Bitcoin is a currency or form of money,” two CFTC commissioners publicly expressed a belief that derivatives based on Bitcoins are subject to the same regulation as those based on commodities, and the IRS released guidance treating cryptocurrency as property that is not currency for U.S. federal income tax purposes, although there is no indication yet whether other courts or federal or state regulators will follow these asset classifications. There is a possibility of future regulatory change altering, perhaps to a material extent, the nature of an investment in us or our ability to continue to operate.

  

Currently, neither the SEC nor the CFTC has formally asserted regulatory authority over cryptocurrency, cryptocurrency networks, or cryptocurrency trading and ownership, though in testimony before the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry on December 10, 2014, CFTC Chairman Timothy Massad stated that the CFTC believed it had jurisdiction over derivative instruments such as futures and swaps based on digital currencies. On July 25, 2017, the SEC issued an investigative report, stating that offers and sales of digital assets by “virtual” organizations using distributed ledger or cryptocurrency technology (i.e., Initial Coin Offerings or Token Sales) are subject to the requirements of the federal securities laws. Furthermore, the SEC has raised concerns with instances of public companies changing their business models to reflect a focus on cryptocurrency or blockchain technology and is looking closely at the disclosures of public companies that shift their business models to capitalize on the perceived promise of distributed ledger technology and whether the disclosures comply with the federal securities laws, particularly in the context of a securities offering, and in a few instances halted the trading of companies. To the extent that Bitcoins, Ethereum, or Litecoins, themselves are determined to be a security, commodity future or other regulated asset, or to the extent that a US or foreign government or quasi-governmental agency exerts regulatory authority over the Bitcoin, Ethereum, or Litecoin Networks, or cryptocurrency trading and ownership, trading or ownership in cryptocurrency may be adversely affected, which could adversely affect an investment in our company.

 

 

To the extent that future regulatory actions or policies limit the ability to exchange cryptocurrency or utilize them for payments, the demand for cryptocurrency will be reduced. Furthermore, regulatory actions may limit the ability of end-users to convert cryptocurrency into fiat currency (e.g., U.S. Dollars) or use cryptocurrency to pay for goods and services. Such regulatory actions or policies could adversely affect an investment in us.

 

Cryptocurrency currently faces an uncertain regulatory landscape in not only the United States but also in many foreign jurisdictions such as the European Union, China and Russia. While certain governments such as Germany—where the Ministry of Finance has declared Bitcoins to be “Rechnungseinheiten” (a form of private money that is recognized as a unit of account, but not recognized in the same manner as fiat currency) — have issued guidance as to how to treat bitcoins and/or other cryptocurrencies, most regulatory bodies have not yet issued official statements regarding intention to regulate or determinations on regulation of cryptocurrency, the cryptocurrency networks, and cryptocurrency users. Among those for which preliminary guidance has been issued in some form, Canada and Taiwan have labeled cryptocurrency as a digital or virtual currency, distinct from fiat currency, while Sweden and Norway are among those to categorize cryptocurrency as a form of virtual asset or commodity. In China, authorities have recently banned use of bitcoins and/or other cryptocurrencies and ordered Beijing-based cryptocurrency exchanges to cease trading and immediately notify users of their closures. Similarly, Russia has indicated an intention to ban use of bitcoins and/or other cryptocurrencies and Russia’s Central Bank stated that at this stage they will not approve any cryptocurrency trading on any official exchange, nor will it approve the use of the technology for infrastructure purposes. In May 2014, the Central Bank of Bolivia banned the use of Bitcoins as a means of payment. In the summer and fall of 2014, Ecuador announced plans for its own state-backed electronic money, while passing legislation that reportedly prohibits the use of decentralized digital currencies. Conversely, regulatory bodies in some countries such as India and Switzerland have declined to exercise regulatory authority when afforded the opportunity. Various foreign jurisdictions may, in the near future, adopt laws, regulations, or directives that affect cryptocurrency networks and its users, particularly cryptocurrency exchanges and service providers that fall within such jurisdictions’ regulatory scope. Other countries such as Malaysia and Australia have been considering regulation, classification, and potential bans. Such laws, regulations, or directives may conflict with those of the United States and may negatively impact the acceptance of cryptocurrency by users, merchants, and service providers outside of the United States and may, therefore, impede the growth of the cryptocurrency economy.

  

The effect of any future regulatory change on our company or cryptocurrency is impossible to predict, but such change could be substantial and adverse to us and could adversely affect an investment in us.

 

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

 

Although currently cryptocurrency is not regulated or are lightly regulated in most countries, including the United States, one or more countries may take regulatory actions in the future that severely restricts the right to acquire, own, hold, sell or use cryptocurrency or to exchange cryptocurrency for fiat currency. Such restrictions may adversely affect an investment in our company.

 

Cryptocurrency transactions are irrevocable and stolen or incorrectly transferred cryptocurrency may be irretrievable. As a result, any incorrectly executed cryptocurrency transactions could render company liable to lawsuits or criminal charges to the extent company facilitates bad transactions, and thus, adversely affect an investment in us.

 

Cryptocurrency transactions are not, from an administrative perspective, reversible without the consent and active participation of the recipient of the transaction or, in theory, control or consent of a majority of the processing power on the cryptocurrency network. Once a transaction has been verified and recorded in a block that is added to the blockchain, an incorrect transfer of cryptocurrency or a theft of cryptocurrency generally will not be reversible and we may not be capable of seeking compensation for any such transfer or theft. Although our transfers of cryptocurrency will regularly be made to or from vendors, consultants, services providers, etc. it is possible that, through computer or human error, or through theft or criminal action, our cryptocurrency could be transferred from us in incorrect amounts or to unauthorized third parties. To the extent that we are unable to seek a corrective transaction with such third-party or are incapable of identifying the third-party that has received our cryptocurrency through error or theft, we will be unable to revert or otherwise recover incorrectly transferred company cryptocurrency. To the extent that we are unable to seek redress for such error or theft, such loss could adversely affect an investment in us. In addition, incorrectly executed cryptocurrency transactions could render company liable to lawsuits or criminal charges to the extent company facilitates bad transactions, and thus, adversely affect an investment in us.

 

 

The cryptocurrency exchanges on which cryptocurrencies trade are relatively new and, in most cases, largely unregulated and may therefore be more exposed to fraud and failure than established, regulated exchanges for other products. To the extent that the cryptocurrency exchanges representing a substantial portion of the volume in cryptocurrency trading are involved in fraud or experience security failures or other operational issues, such cryptocurrency exchanges’ failures may result in a reduction in the price of cryptocurrency and can adversely affect an investment in us.

 

The cryptocurrency exchanges on which cryptocurrency trade are new and, in most cases, largely unregulated. Furthermore, many cryptocurrency exchanges do not provide the public with significant information regarding their ownership structure, management teams, corporate practices, or regulatory compliance. As a result, the marketplace may lose confidence in, or may experience problems relating to, cryptocurrency exchanges, including prominent exchanges handling a significant portion of the volume of cryptocurrency trading. These potential consequences of a cryptocurrency exchange’s failure could reduce the demand and use of cryptocurrency, reduce the value of cryptocurrency, and/or adversely affect an investment in us.

 

In the past, many cryptocurrency exchanges have been closed due to fraud, failure, or security breaches. In many of these instances, the customers of such cryptocurrency exchanges were not compensated or made whole for the partial or complete losses of their account balances in such cryptocurrency exchanges. While smaller cryptocurrency exchanges are less likely to have the infrastructure and capitalization that make larger cryptocurrency exchanges more stable, larger cryptocurrency exchanges are more likely to be appealing targets for hackers and “malware” (i.e., software used or programmed by attackers to disrupt computer operation, gather sensitive information, or gain access to private computer systems).

 

If the awards of cryptocurrency for solving blocks and transaction fees for recording transactions are not sufficiently high to incentivize miners, miners may respond in a way that reduces confidence in the cryptocurrency networks, which could adversely affect an investment in our company.

 

If the award of new cryptocurrency for solving blocks declines and transaction fees are not sufficiently high, miners may not have an adequate incentive to continue mining cryptocurrency and may cease their crypto mining operations.  Miners ceasing operations would reduce the collective processing power on the cryptocurrency networks, which would adversely affect the confirmation process for transactions (i.e., temporarily decreasing the speed at which blocks are added to the blockchain until the next scheduled adjustment in difficulty for block solutions) and make the cryptocurrency networks more vulnerable to a malicious actor or botnet obtaining control in excess of 50 percent of the processing power on the cryptocurrency networks. Any reduction in confidence in the confirmation process or processing power of cryptocurrency networks may adversely impact Digital Farms, Inc., as well as an investment in us.

  

In addition, to the extent to which the value of cryptocurrency mined by a professionalized crypto mining operation exceeds the allocable capital and operating costs determines the profit margin of such operation. A professionalized crypto mining operation may be more likely to sell a higher percentage of its newly mined cryptocurrency 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 of the new cryptocurrency mined each day will be sold into the cryptocurrency exchange markets more rapidly, thereby reducing cryptocurrency prices. Lower cryptocurrency prices will result in further tightening of profit margins, particularly for professionalized crypto mining operations with higher costs and more limited capital reserves, creating a network effect that may further reduce the price of cryptocurrency until crypto mining operations with higher operating costs become unprofitable and remove mining power from the cryptocurrency networks. The network effect of reduced profit margins resulting in greater sales of newly mined cryptocurrency could result in a reduction in the price of cryptocurrency that could adversely impact Digital Farms, Inc., as well as an investment in our company.

 

 

To the extent that any miners cease to record transactions in solved blocks, transactions that do not include the payment of a transaction fee will not be recorded on the blockchain until a block is solved by a miner who does not require the payment of transaction fees. Any widespread delays in the recording of transactions could result in a loss of confidence in the cryptocurrency networks, which could adversely impact an investment in us.

 

To the extent that any miners cease to record transactions in solved blocks, such transactions will not be recorded on the blockchain. Currently, there are no known incentives for miners to elect to exclude the recording of transactions in solved blocks; however, to the extent that any such incentives arise (e.g., a collective movement among miners or one or more mining pools forcing cryptocurrency users to pay transaction fees as a substitute for or in addition to the award of new cryptocurrency upon the solving of a block), actions of miners solving a significant number of blocks could delay the recording and confirmation of transactions on the blockchain. Any systemic delays in the recording and confirmation of transactions on the blockchain could result in greater exposure to double-spending transactions and a loss of confidence in cryptocurrency networks, which could adversely impact an investment in our company. 

 

Intellectual property rights claims may adversely affect the operation of cryptocurrency networks.

 

Third parties may assert intellectual property claims relating to the holding and transfer of digital currencies and their source code. Regardless of the merit of any intellectual property or other legal action, any threatened action that reduces confidence in cryptocurrency networks’ long-term viability or the ability of end-users to hold and transfer cryptocurrency may adversely affect an investment in us. Additionally, a meritorious intellectual property claim could prevent us and other end-users from accessing cryptocurrency networks or holding or transferring their cryptocurrency. As a result, an intellectual property claim against us or other large cryptocurrency network participants could adversely affect an investment in us.

 

Currently, there is relatively small use of cryptocurrency in the marketplace in comparison to relatively large use by speculators, thus contributing to price volatility that could adversely affect an investment in us.

 

As relatively new products and technologies, cryptocurrency has only recently become widely accepted as a means of payment for goods and services, and use of cryptocurrency by remains limited. Conversely, a significant portion of cryptocurrency demand is generated by speculators and investors seeking to profit from the short- or long-term holding of cryptocurrency. A lack of expansion by cryptocurrency into our markets, or a contraction of such use, may result in increased volatility or a reduction in the price of cryptocurrencies, either of which could adversely impact an investment in us.

 

The acceptance of Bitcoin Network, Ethereum Network, or Litecoin Network software patches or upgrades by a significant, but not overwhelming, percentage of the users and miners in the respective networks could result in a “fork” in the blockchain, resulting in the operation of two separate networks until such time as the forked blockchains are merged. The temporary or permanent existence of forked blockchains could adversely impact Digital Farms, Inc. as well as an investment in our company.

 

Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Litecoin are open source projects and, although there is an influential group of leaders in the cryptocurrency community, there is no official developer or group of developers that formally controls the Bitcoin, Ethereum, or Litecoin Networks. Any individual can download the particular cryptocurrency network software and make any desired modifications, which are proposed to users and miners on the respective network through software downloads and upgrades. A substantial majority of miners and the particular cryptocurrency users must consent to those software modifications by downloading the altered software or upgrade that implements the changes; otherwise, the changes do not become a part of the cryptocurrency network. Generally, changes to various cryptocurrency networks have been accepted by the vast majority of users and miners, ensuring that the cryptocurrency networks remain coherent economic systems; however, a developer or group of developers could potentially propose a modification to a cryptocurrency network that is not accepted by a vast majority of miners and users, but that is nonetheless accepted by a substantial population of participants in the respective cryptocurrency network. In such a case, and if the modification is material and/or not backwards compatible with the prior version of the respective cryptocurrency network software, a “fork” in the blockchain could develop and two separate networks of the same cryptocurrency could result, one running the pre-modification software program and the other running the modified version (e.g., a second bitcoin network). Such a fork in the blockchain typically would be addressed by community-led efforts to merge the forked blockchains, and several prior forks have been so merged without any material impact on the price of Bitcoin, although there can be no assurance that this will always be the case upon a fork. This kind of split in a Bitcoin, Ethereum, or Litecoin Network could materially and adversely impact an investment in us and, in the worst case scenario, harm the sustainability of the respective network’s economy.

 

  

The open-source structure of cryptocurrency network protocol means that the developers and other contributors to the protocol are generally not directly compensated for their contributions in maintaining and developing the protocol. A failure to properly monitor and upgrade the protocol could damage the cryptocurrency network and an investment in us.

 

The Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Litecoin Networks operate based on an open-source protocol maintained by certain core developers and other contributors. The core developers are those developers employed by MIT Media Lab’s Digital Currency Initiative who oversee the Bitcoin Network. As these network protocols are not sold and the networks’ use does not generate revenues for its development team, the core developers and contributors are generally not compensated for maintaining and updating the respective cryptocurrency network protocol. To the extent that material issues arise with the Bitcoin, Ethereum, or Litecoin Network protocols, and the core developers and open-source contributor community are unable to address the issues adequately or in a timely manner, the respective cryptocurrency network, Digital Farms, Inc. and an investment in us may be adversely affected.

 

The further development and acceptance of cryptocurrency networks, which represents a new and rapidly changing industry, are subject to a variety of factors that are difficult to evaluate. The slowing or stopping of the development or acceptance of digital currency systems may adversely affect our business.

 

Digital currencies may be used, among other things, to buy and sell goods and services are a new and rapidly evolving industry. The growth of the digital currency industry in general, and in particular the Bitcoin industry, Ethereum industry, and Litecoin industry, are subject to a high degree of uncertainty. The factors affecting the further development of the digital currencies industry, as well as the Bitcoin, Ethereum and Litecoin industries, include:

 

·

Continued worldwide growth in the adoption and use of Bitcoins, Ethereum, and Litecoins, and other cryptocurrency;

·

Government and quasi-government regulation of Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Litecoin, and other cryptocurrency and their use, or restrictions on or regulation of access to and operation of cryptocurrency networks and system;

·

The maintenance and development of the open-source software protocol of various cryptocurrency networks;

·

The availability and popularity of other forms or methods of buying and selling goods and services, including new means of using fiat currencies; and

·

General economic conditions and the regulatory environment relating to digital currencies; and

·

A decline in the popularity or acceptance of the top cryptocurrencies or their networks could adversely affect an investment in us.

  

The value of cryptocurrency and fluctuations in the price of cryptocurrency could materially and adversely affect the business of Digital Farms, Inc.

 

Several factors may affect the value of cryptocurrency, including, but not limited to:

 

	·	Total cryptocurrency in existence;
	·	Global cryptocurrency demand, which is influenced by the growth of retail merchants’ and commercial businesses’ acceptance of cryptocurrency as payment for goods and services, the security of online cryptocurrency exchanges and digital wallets that hold cryptocurrency, the perception that the use and holding of cryptocurrency is safe and secure, the lack of regulatory restrictions on their use and the reputation of cryptocurrency for illicit use;

 

 

·

Global cryptocurrency supply, which is influenced by similar factors as global cryptocurrency demand, in addition to fiat currency needs by miners (for example, to invest in equipment or pay electricity bills) and taxpayers who may liquidate cryptocurrency holdings around tax deadlines to meet tax obligations;

·

Investors’ expectations with respect to the rate of inflation or deflation of fiat currencies or cryptocurrency;

·

Interest rates;

·

Currency exchange rates, including the rates at which cryptocurrency may be exchanged for fiat currencies;

·

Fiat currency withdrawal and deposit policies of cryptocurrency exchanges and liquidity of such cryptocurrency exchanges;

·

Interruptions in service from or failures of major cryptocurrency exchanges;

·

Cyber theft of cryptocurrency from online cryptocurrency wallet providers, or news of such theft from such providers, or from individuals’ cryptocurrency wallets;

·

Investment and trading activities of large investors, including private and registered funds, that may directly or indirectly invest in cryptocurrency;

·

Monetary policies of governments, trade restrictions, currency devaluations and revaluations;

·

Regulatory measures, if any, that restrict the use of cryptocurrency as a form of payment or the purchase of cryptocurrency on the cryptocurrency market;

·

The availability and popularity of businesses that provide cryptocurrency -related services;

·

The maintenance and development of the open source software protocol of certain cryptocurrency networks;

·

Increased competition from other forms of cryptocurrency or payments services;

·

Global or regional political, economic, or financial events and situations;

·

Expectations among cryptocurrency economy participants that the value of cryptocurrency will soon change; and

·

Fees associated with processing a cryptocurrency transaction.

 

Banks and financial institutions may not provide banking services, or may cut off services, to businesses that provide cryptocurrency-related services or that accept cryptocurrencies as payment, including financial institutions of investors in our securities.

 

A number of companies that provide bitcoin and/or other cryptocurrency-related services have been unable to find banks or financial institutions that are willing to provide them with bank accounts and other services. Similarly, a number of companies and individuals or businesses associated with cryptocurrencies may have had and may continue to have their existing bank accounts closed or services discontinued with financial institutions. We also may be unable to obtain or maintain these services for our business. The difficulty that many businesses that provide bitcoin and/or other cryptocurrency-related services have and may continue to have in finding banks and financial institutions willing to provide them services may be decreasing the usefulness of cryptocurrencies as a payment system and harming public perception of cryptocurrencies and could decrease its usefulness and harm its public perception in the future. Similarly, the usefulness of cryptocurrencies as a payment system and the public perception of cryptocurrencies could be damaged if banks or financial institutions were to close the accounts of businesses providing bitcoin and/or other cryptocurrency-related services.  This could occur as a result of compliance risk, cost, government regulation or public pressure. The risk applies to securities firms, clearance and settlement firms, national securities and commodities exchanges, the over the counter market and the Depository Trust Company, which, if any of such entities adopts or implements similar policies, rules or regulations, could result in the inability of our investors to open or maintain stock or commodities accounts, including the ability to deposit, maintain or trade our securities. Such factors would have a material adverse effect on the ability of our to continue as a going concern or to pursue its cryptocurrency business segment at all, which would have a material adverse effect on our business, prospects or operations and harm investors. 

 

 

Possibility of cryptocurrency algorithms or protocols changing, such as a transition by some networks to proof of stake validation, and other crypto mining related risks could have an adverse impact on our business prospects.

 

The underlying cryptocurrency algorithms, protocols and other important factors are constantly changing. It is possible that these changes could negatively impact our business and business plans. Should the top cryptocurrencies that we intend to focus on shift their underlying protocols, algorithms, validation methods or other material factors (for instance from a proof of work validation method to a proof of stake method, which is an alternative method to proof of work for validating cryptocurrency transactions), it could adversely impact our business prospects. A shift from proof of work validation method to a proof of stake method could render any company that maintains advantages in the current climate (for example from lower priced electric, processing, real estate, or hosting) less competitive Any major changes related to the top cryptocurrencies could have an adverse impact on the ability of Digital Farms, Inc. to continue as going concerns or to pursue this segment at all, which would have a material adverse effect on our business, prospects or operations of and potentially the value of any cryptocurrencies that we hold or expect to acquire for our own account.

 

The profitability and success of crypto mining is constantly changing due to various factors. These changes and our choices related to which cryptocurrencies to focus on for their own account or for customers could adversely affect our business results.

 

The miners that we have purchased allow us to decide which cryptocurrency to mine. The factors that affect the success of mining an individual cryptocurrency change rapidly. Should we choose the wrong cryptocurrency to focus our crypto mining operations on, it could adversely impact our business prospects.

 

To the extent that the profit margins of cryptocurrency mining operations are not high, operators of cryptocurrency mining operations are more likely to immediately sell cryptocurrency earned by mining in the market, resulting in a reduction in the price of cryptocurrencies that could adversely impact us and similar actions could affect other cryptocurrencies.

 

Over the years, crypto mining operations have evolved from individual users mining with computer processors, graphics processing units and first generation application-specific integrated circuit (“ASIC”) servers. Currently, new processing power is predominantly added by incorporated and unincorporated “professionalized” crypto mining operations. Professionalized crypto mining operations may use proprietary hardware or sophisticated ASIC machines acquired from ASIC manufacturers. They require the investment of significant capital for the acquisition of this hardware, the leasing of operating space (often in data centers or warehousing facilities), incurring of electricity costs and the employment of technicians to operate the cryptocurrency mining farms.

 

As a result, professionalized crypto mining operations are of a greater scale than prior miners and have more defined, regular expenses and liabilities. These regular expenses and liabilities require professionalized crypto mining operations to more immediately sell cryptocurrencies earned from crypto mining operations, whereas it is believed that individual miners in past years were more likely to hold newly mined bitcoins and/or other cryptocurrencies for more extended periods. The immediate selling of newly mined bitcoins and/or other cryptocurrencies greatly increases the supply of bitcoins and/or other cryptocurrencies for sale, creating downward pressure on the price of bitcoins and/or other cryptocurrencies.

  

The extent to which the value of bitcoins and/or other cryptocurrencies mined by a professionalized crypto mining operation exceeds the allocable capital and operating costs determines the profit margin of such operation. A professionalized crypto mining operation may be more likely to sell a higher percentage of its newly mined bitcoins and/or other cryptocurrencies 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 reducing bitcoin and/or other cryptocurrencies prices. Lower bitcoin and/or other cryptocurrencies prices could result in further tightening of profit margins, particularly for professionalized crypto mining operations with higher costs and more limited capital reserves, creating a network effect that may further reduce the price of bitcoin until crypto mining operations with higher operating costs become unprofitable and remove mining power. The network effect of reduced profit margins resulting in greater sales of newly mined bitcoins and/or other cryptocurrencies could result in a reduction in the price of bitcoins and/or other cryptocurrencies that could adversely impact business of Digital Farms, Inc. and our company.

 

 

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

 

Should new services/software embodying new technologies emerge, our or our investments’ ability to recognize the value of the use of existing hardware and equipment and its underlying technology, may become obsolete and require substantial capital to replace such equipment.

 

The increase in interest and demand for cryptocurrencies has led to a shortage of crypto mining hardware as individuals purchase equipment for mining at home and large scale mining evolved. Equipment in Digital Farms, Inc.’s crypto mining facilities will require replacement from time to time and new technological innovations could render our current equipment obsolete at any time. Shortages of graphics processing units may lead to unnecessary downtime for miners and limit the availability or accessibility of cryptocurrency mining processing capabilities in the industry. Such events would have a material adverse effect on our ability to continue as a going concern or to pursue this segment at all, which would have a material adverse effect on our business, prospects or operations and potentially the value of any cryptocurrencies that we may hold or expect to acquire for our own account.

 

We have an evolving business model.

 

As Digital Assets and blockchain technologies become more widely available, we expect the services and products associated with them to evolve. Very recently, the Commission issued a report that promoters that use initial coin offerings or token sales to raise capital may be engaged in the offer and sale of securities in violation of the Securities Act and the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the “Exchange Act”). This may cause us to potentially change our future business in order to comply fully with the federal securities laws as well as applicable state securities laws. As a result, to stay current with the industry, our business model may need to evolve as well. From time to time we may modify aspects of our business model relating to our product mix and service offerings. We cannot offer any assurance that these or any other modifications will be successful or will not result in harm to the business. We may not be able to manage growth effectively, which could damage our reputation, limit our growth and negatively affect our operating results.

 

“Digital Asset” — Collectively, all digital assets based upon a computer-generated math-based and/or cryptographic protocol that may, among other things, be used to buy and sell goods or pay for services. Bitcoins represent one type of Digital Asset.

 

“Digital Security” — A type of Digital Asset that is offered by a promoter as an investment contract, which is a type of security defined by Section 2(a)(1) of the Securities Act.

 

Since there has been limited precedence set for financial accounting of Bitcoin, Ethereum, and other digital assets, it is unclear how we will be required to account for digital assets transactions in the future.

 

Since there has been limited precedence set for the financial accounting of digital assets, it is unclear how we will be required to account for digital asset transactions or assets. Furthermore, a change in regulatory or financial accounting standards could result in the necessity to restate our financial statements. Such a restatement could negatively impact our business, prospects, financial condition and results of operation. Such circumstances would have a material adverse effect on our ability to continue as a going concern or to pursue this segment at all, which would have a material adverse effect on our business, prospects or operations and potentially the value of any cryptocurrencies that we hold or acquire for our own account and harm investors.

 

Demand for bitcoins is driven, in part, by its status as the most prominent and secure digital asset. It is possible that a digital asset other than bitcoins could have features that make it more desirable to a material portion of the digital asset user base, resulting in a reduction in demand for bitcoins, which could have a negative impact on the price of bitcoins and adversely affect an investment in our securities.

 

The Bitcoin Network and bitcoins, as an asset, hold a “first-to-market” advantage over other digital assets. This first-to-market advantage is driven in large part by having the largest user base and, more importantly, the largest combined mining power in use to secure the blockchain and transaction verification system.   Having a large crypto mining network results in greater user confidence regarding the security and long-term stability of a digital asset’s network and its blockchain; as a result, the advantage of more users and miners makes a digital asset more secure, which makes it more attractive to new users and miners, resulting in a network effect that strengthens the first-to-market advantage.

 

 

There are thousands of alternate digital assets (or altcoins). Bitcoin enjoys significantly greater acceptance and usage than other altcoin networks in the retail and commercial marketplace, due in large part to the relatively well-funded efforts of payment processing companies including BitPay and Coinbase.

 

Despite the marked first-mover advantage of the Bitcoin Network over other digital assets, it is possible that an altcoin could become materially popular due to either a perceived or exposed shortcoming of the Bitcoin Network protocol that is not immediately addressed by the core developers of Bitcoin or a perceived advantage of an altcoin that includes features not incorporated into Bitcoin. If an altcoin obtains significant market share (either in market capitalization, mining power or use as a payment technology), this could reduce Bitcoin’s market share and have a negative impact on the demand for, and price of, bitcoins, which in turn, may materially and adversely affect the business, prospects or operations of the Digital Farms, Inc. and our company. 

 

Risks Related to Our Business and Industry - Microphase

 

Microphase has a history of losses and our future profitability on a quarterly or annual basis is uncertain, which could have a harmful effect on our business and the value of our company.

 

During the past three fiscal years Microphase has incurred losses from operations. These losses are attributable to lower volumes of its products sold to major defense contractors partially as a result of the overall reduction in defense spending and sequestration by the U.S. Congress. As of June 30, 2017, Microphase had an accumulated deficit of approximately $18 million.  Since the financial crisis of 2008, Microphase has been significantly short of capital needed to acquire parts for production of its products to complete orders for such products. At times, Microphase has not had the cash available to make advance payments for the purchase of parts, and then, as a consequence, Microphase would not receive the parts from its vendors required to finish a customer order. This would then delay the delivery of products to customers, and would also delay recognition of the resulting revenues and the receipt of cash from the customer. Sometimes after experiencing a delay in delivery of an order from Microphase, the customer would not place its next order with Microphase, resulting in a loss of business.

 

Microphase’s future profitability depends upon many factors, including several that are beyond its control. These factors include, without limitation:

 

	·	changes in the demand for ITS products and services;
	·	loss of key customers or contracts;

·

the introduction of competitive products;

·

the failure to gain market acceptance of ITS new and existing products; and

·

the failure to successfully and cost effectively develop, introduce and market new products, services and product enhancements in a timely manner.

 

In addition, Microphase is incurring significant legal, accounting, and other expenses related to being a reporting company without there being a trading market for any of its securities. As a result of these expenditures, Microphase will have to generate and sustain increased revenue to achieve and maintain future profitability.

 

A large percentage of Microphase’s current revenue is derived from prime defense contractors to the U.S. government and its allies, and the loss of these relationships, a reduction in U.S. government funding or a change in U.S. government spending priorities or bidding processes could have an adverse impact on its business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows. 

 

 

Microphase is highly dependent on sales to major defense contractors of the U.S. military and its allies, including Lockheed Martin, Raytheon, BAE Systems and SAAB. The percentages of its revenue that were derived from sales to these named major defense contractors and directly to the U.S. Government were 61.9% in fiscal 2017, 66.8% in fiscal 2016, 65.8% in fiscal 2015, 56.1% in fiscal 2014 and 48.4% in fiscal 2013. Therefore, any significant disruption or deterioration of Microphase’s relationship with any such major defense contractors or the U.S. Government could materially reduce its revenue.  In the twelve months ended June 30, 2017 there were three customers that accounted for more than 10% of sales:  BAE Systems, Saab and Aselsan.  In the twelve months ended June 30, 2016 there were two customers that accounted for more than 10% of sales: Lockheed Martin and BAE Systems. Microphase’s competitors continuously engage in efforts to expand their business relationships with the same major defense contractors and the U.S. Government and will continue these efforts in the future, and the U.S. Government may choose to use other contractors. Microphase expects that a majority of the business that it seeks will be awarded through competitive bidding. Microphase operates in highly competitive markets and its competitors have more extensive or more specialized engineering, manufacturing and marketing capabilities than Microphase does in many areas, and Microphase may not be able to continue to win competitively awarded contracts or to obtain task orders under multi-award contracts. Further, the competitive bidding process involves significant cost and managerial time to prepare bids and proposals for contracts that may not be awarded to Microphase, as well as the risk that Microphase may fail to accurately estimate the resources and costs required to fulfill any contract awarded to us. Following any contract award, Microphase may experience significant expense or delay, contract modification or contract rescission as a result of its competitors protesting or challenging contracts awarded to it in competitive bidding. Major defense contractors to whom Microphase supplies components for systems must compete with other major defense contractors (to which Microphase may not supply components) for military orders from the U.S. Government. In addition, Microphase competes with other policy needs, which may be viewed as more necessary, for limited resources and an ever-changing amount of available funding in the budget and appropriation process. Budget and appropriations decisions made by the U.S. Government are outside of Microphase control and have long-term consequences for its business. U.S. Government spending priorities and levels remain uncertain and difficult to predict and are affected by numerous factors, including until recently sequestration (automatic, across-the-board U.S. Government budgetary spending cuts), and the purchase of our products could be superseded by alternate arrangements. While the US defense budget was recently increased, there can be no assurance that this increase will be maintained for the foreseeable future. A change in U.S. Government spending priorities or an increase in non-procurement spending at the expense of our programs, or a reduction in total U.S. Government spending, could have material adverse consequences on Microphase’s future business. 

 

Microphase’s U.S. government contracts may be terminated by the federal government at any time prior to their completion, which could lead to unexpected loss of sales and reduction in Microphase’s backlog.

 

Under the terms of Microphase’s U.S. government contracts, the U.S. government may unilaterally:

 

·

terminate or modify existing contracts;

·

reduce the value of existing contracts through partial termination; and

·

delay the payment of Microphase’s invoices by government payment offices.

 

The federal government can terminate or modify any of its contracts with Microphase or its prime contractors either for the federal government’s convenience, or if Microphase or its prime contractors default, by failing to perform under the terms of the applicable contract. A termination arising out of Microphase’s default could expose it to liability and have a material adverse effect on its ability to compete for future federal government contracts and subcontracts. If the federal government or its prime contractors terminate and/or materially modify any of Microphase’s contracts or if any applicable options are not exercised, Microphase’s failure to replace sales generated from such contracts would result in lower sales and would adversely affect its earnings, which could have a material adverse effect on Microphase’s business, results of operations and financial condition. Microphase’s backlog as of June 30, 2017 was approximately $4.0 million. Microphase’s backlog could be adversely affected if contracts are modified or terminated.

 

Microphase’s products with military applications are subject to export regulations, and compliance with these regulations may be costly.

 

Microphase is required to obtain export licenses before filling foreign orders for many of its products that have military or other governmental applications. United States Export Administration regulations control technology exports like its products for reasons of national security and compliance with foreign policy, to guarantee domestic reserves of products in short supply and, under certain circumstances, for the security of a destination country. Thus, any foreign sales of its products requiring export licenses must comply with these general policies. Compliance with these regulations is costly, and these regulations are subject to change, and any such change may require Microphase to improve its technologies, incur expenses or both in order to comply with such regulations.

 

 

Microphase depends on U.S. government contracts issued to major defense contractors, which often are only partially funded, subject to immediate termination, and heavily regulated and audited. The termination or failure to fund, or negative audit findings for, one or more of these contracts could have an adverse impact on Microphase’s business.

 

Over its lifetime, a U.S. Government program awarded to a major defense contractor may be implemented by the award of many different individual contracts and subcontracts. The funding of U.S. Government programs is subject to Congressional appropriations. Although multi-year contracts may be authorized and appropriated in connection with major procurements, Congress generally appropriates funds on a fiscal year basis. Procurement funds are typically made available for obligations over the course of one to three years. Consequently, programs often receive only partial funding initially, and additional funds are designated only as Congress authorizes further appropriations. The termination of funding for a U.S. Government program with respect to major defense contractors for which Microphase is a subcontractor would result in a loss of anticipated future revenue attributable to that program, which could have an adverse impact on its operations. In addition, the termination of, or failure to commit additional funds to, a program for which Microphase is a subcontractor could result in lost revenue and increase its overall costs of doing business.

 

Generally, U.S. Government contracts are subject to oversight audits by U.S. Government representatives. Such audits could result in adjustments to Microphase’s contract costs. Any costs found to be improperly allocated to a specific contract will not be reimbursed, and such costs already reimbursed must be refunded. Microphase has recorded contract revenues based on costs Microphase expect to realize upon final audit. However, Microphase does not know the outcome of any future audits and adjustments, and Microphase may be required to materially reduce its revenues or profits upon completion and final negotiation of audits. Negative audit findings could also result in termination of a contract, forfeiture of profits, suspension of payments, fines and suspension or debarment from U.S. Government contracting or subcontracting for a period of time.

 

In addition, U.S. Government contracts generally contain provisions permitting termination, in whole or in part, without prior notice at the U.S. Government’s convenience upon the payment only for work done and commitments made at the time of termination. Microphase can give no assurance that one or more of the U.S. Government contracts with a major defense contractor under which Microphase provides component products will not be terminated under these circumstances. Also, Microphase can give no assurance that it will be able to procure new contracts to offset the revenue or backlog lost as a result of any termination of its U.S. Government contracts. Because a significant portion of Microphase’s revenue is dependent on its performance and payment under its U.S. Government contracts, the loss of one or more large contracts could have a material adverse impact on its business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows. 

 

Microphase’s government business also is subject to specific procurement regulations and other requirements. These requirements, though customary in U.S. Government contracts, increase its performance and compliance costs. In addition, these costs might increase in the future, thereby reducing Microphase’s margins, which could have an adverse effect on its business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows. Failure to comply with these regulations and requirements could lead to fines, penalties, repayments, or compensatory or treble damages, or suspension or debarment from U.S. Government contracting or subcontracting for a period of time. Among the causes for debarment are violations of various laws, including those related to procurement integrity, export control, U.S. Government security regulations, employment practices, protection of the environment, accuracy of records, proper recording of costs and foreign corruption. The termination of a U.S. Government contract or relationship as a result of any of these acts would have an adverse impact on Microphase’s operations and could have an adverse effect on its standing and eligibility for future U.S. Government contracts.

  

Microphase’s business could be negatively impacted by cybersecurity threats and other security threats and disruptions.

 

As a U.S. Government defense contractor, Microphase faces certain security threats, including threats to its information technology infrastructure, attempts to gain access to its proprietary or classified information, threats to physical security, and domestic terrorism events. Microphase’s information technology networks and related systems are critical to the operation of its business and essential to its ability to successfully perform day-to-day operations. Microphase is also involved with information technology systems for certain customers and other third parties, which generally face similar security threats. Cybersecurity threats in particular, are persistent, evolve quickly and include, but are not limited to, computer viruses, attempts to access information, denial of service and other electronic security breaches. Microphase believes that it has implemented appropriate measures and controls and has invested in skilled information technology resources to appropriately identify threats and mitigate potential risks, but there can be no assurance that such actions will be sufficient to prevent disruptions to mission critical systems, the unauthorized release of confidential information or corruption of data. A security breach or other significant disruption involving these types of information and information technology networks and related systems could:

 

 

·

disrupt the proper functioning of these networks and systems and therefore its operations and/or those of certain of its customers;

·

result in the unauthorized access to, and destruction, loss, theft, misappropriation or release of, proprietary, confidential, sensitive or otherwise valuable information of Microphase or its customers, including trade secrets, which others could use to compete against Microphase or for disruptive, destructive or otherwise harmful purposes and outcomes;

·

compromise national security and other sensitive government functions;

·

require significant management attention and resources to remedy the damages that result;

·

subject Microphase to claims for breach of contract, damages, credits, penalties or termination; and

·

damage Microphase’s reputation with its customers (particularly agencies of the U.S. Government) and the public generally.

 

Any or all of the foregoing could have a negative impact on its business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.

 

Microphase enters into fixed-price contracts that could subject it to losses in the event of cost overruns or a significant increase in inflation.

 

Microphase has a number of fixed-price contracts which allow it to benefit from cost savings but subject it to the risk of potential cost overruns, particularly for firm fixed-price contracts, because Microphase assumes the entire cost burden. If its initial estimates are incorrect, Microphase can lose money on these contracts. U.S. Government contracts can expose Microphase to potentially large losses because the U.S. Government can hold Microphase responsible for completing a project or, in certain circumstances, paying the entire cost of its replacement by another provider regardless of the size or foreseeability of any cost overruns that occur over the life of the contract. Because many of these contracts involve new technologies and applications, unforeseen events such as technological difficulties, fluctuations in the price of raw materials, problems with its suppliers and cost overruns, can result in the contractual price becoming less favorable or even unprofitable to Microphase. The U.S. and other countries also may experience a significant increase in inflation. A significant increase in inflation rates could have a significant adverse impact on the profitability of these contracts. Furthermore, if Microphase does not meet contract deadlines or specifications, Microphase may need to renegotiate contracts on less favorable terms, be forced to pay penalties or liquidated damages or suffer major losses if the customer exercises its right to terminate. In addition, some of its contracts have provisions relating to cost controls and audit rights, and if Microphase fails to meet the terms specified in those contracts Microphase may not realize their full benefits. Microphase’s results of operations are dependent on its ability to maximize its earnings from its contracts. Cost overruns could have an adverse impact on its financial results. 

 

Risks Related to Ownership of Our Common Stock

 

 If we do not continue to satisfy the NYSE American continued listing requirements, our common stock could be delisted from NYSE American.

 

The listing of our common stock on the NYSE American is contingent on our compliance with the NYSE American’s conditions for continued listing. On December 18, 2015, we were notified by the NYSE American that we were no longer in compliance with the NYSE American continued listing standards because our reported stockholders' equity was below continued listing standards. The NYSE American requires that a listed company's stockholders' equity be $4.0 million or more if it has reported losses from continuing operations and/or net losses in three of its four most recent fiscal years. Subsequently, the NYSE American informed us that we are required to attain stockholders’ equity of $6.0 million or more because we experienced a loss for the year ended December 31, 2016.

 

 

Following submission of our compliance plan demonstrating how we intend to regain compliance with the continued listing standards, we were notified on March 9, 2016, that the NYSE American granted us a listing extension on the basis of our plan until June 19, 2017. We are subject to periodic review by NYSE American staff during the extension period. Failure to make progress consistent with the plan or to regain compliance with the continued listing standards by the end of the extension period could result in our common stock being delisted from the NYSE American.

  

On June 19, 2017, we filed a Form 8-K report with the Commission announcing that our Stockholders' Equity was approximately $6,409,000 on a pro-forma basis. In a letter dated June 20, 2017, the NYSE American notified us that we had successfully regained compliance with the NYSE American continued listing standards. Notwithstanding the foregoing, in light of our continue losses, there is no assurance that we will be able to continue to meet the NYSE American continued listing standard. Failure to meet the NYSE American listing requirement, we may be subject to delisting by the NYSE American. In the event our common stock is no longer listed for trading on the NYSE American, our trading volume and share price may decrease and we may experience further difficulties in raising capital which could materially affect our operations and financial results.

  

On November 20, 2017, we received a letter from NYSE Regulation indicating that the NYSE American had concluded that we failed to comply with Section 401(a) of the NYSE American’s Company Guide, which section requires that a listed company “make immediate public disclosure of all material information concerning its affairs” The letter, which relates to our disclosure of certain personnel changes to our board of directors and officers, provided that such letter constituted a warning letter issued to us pursuant to Section 1009(a)(i) of the NYSE American Company Guide. On October 12, 2017, we filed a Form 8-K that disclosed that certain personnel changes to our board of directors and executive officers were effective October 6, 2017. On November 6, 2017, we filed an amendment to the above referenced Form 8-K that disclosed that the personnel changes had not in fact occurred. After discussion with the NYSE American, on November 8, 2017, we filed a subsequent Form 8-K that further clarified that we had determined to rescind the personnel changes as of October 23, 2017. In that Form 8-K, we provided additional disclosure explaining why the personnel changes were not undertaken.

 

On November 29, 2017, we notified the NYSE American, LLC that we were no longer in compliance with Rule 801(h) of the NYSE American Company Guide because, as a smaller reporting company, our Board of Directors was not comprised of at least 50% independent directors. On November 28, 2017, our Board of Directors approved the issuance of cash compensation, and 200,000 shares of common stock and warrants to purchase 1,000,000 shares of common stock subject to vesting and shareholder approval, to Mr. William Horne, a director of our company, for services. As a result of this compensation, Mr. Horne may not be deemed independent within the meaning of Section 803A(2) of the NYSE American Company Guide. Mr. Horne has resigned from the audit committee of the Board of Directors. Robert Smith has been appointed as chair of the audit committee. On December 8, 2017, our board of directors rescinded the equity compensation granted to Mr. Horne.  We believe that we are therefore presently in compliance with Rule 801(h) of the NYSE American Company Guide.

 

Our common stock price is volatile.

 

Our common stock is listed on the NYSE American. In the past, our trading price has fluctuated widely, depending on many factors that may have little to do with our operations or business prospects. The exercise of outstanding options and warrants may adversely affect our stock price and a shareholder’s percentage of ownership. As of February 11, 2019, we had outstanding options to purchase an aggregate of 7,570,000 shares of common stock, with a weighted average exercise price of $1.03 per share, exercisable at prices ranging from $0.57 to $2.32 per share and warrants to purchase up to 18,727,620 shares of common stock, with a weighted average exercise price of $1.01 per share, at exercise prices ranging from $0.01 to $2.50 per share.

 

 

In addition, we have previously agreed to register shares of common stock, and common stock underlying outstanding warrants and convertible debt in connection with private placement of our securities that are not being registered in this prospectus. Our shares of common stock are thinly traded. Therefore, the resale of a large number of shares of common stock and common stock underlying warrants and convertible debt by the selling stockholders may adversely affect the market price of our common stock. 

 

Volatility in our common stock price may subject us to securities litigation.

 

Stock markets, in general, have experienced, and continue to experience, significant price and volume volatility, and the market price of our common stock may continue to be subject to similar market fluctuations unrelated to our operating performance or prospects. This increased volatility, coupled with depressed economic conditions, could continue to have a depressing effect on the market price of our common stock. The following factors, many of which are beyond our control, may influence our stock price:

 

·

the status of our growth strategy including the development of new products with any proceeds we may be able to raise in the future;

·

announcements of technological or competitive developments;

·

regulatory developments affecting us, our customers or our competitors;

·

announcements regarding patent or other intellectual property litigation or the issuance of patents to us or our competitors or updates with respect to the enforceability of patents or other intellectual property rights generally in the US or internationally;

·

actual or anticipated fluctuations in our quarterly operating results;

·

changes in financial estimates by securities research analysts;

·

changes in the economic performance or market valuations of our competitors;

·

additions or departures of our executive officers; and

·

sales or perceived sales of additional shares of our common stock.

 

In addition, the securities markets have, from time to time, experienced significant price and volume fluctuations that are not related to the operating performance of particular companies. Any of these factors could result in large and sudden changes in the volume and trading price of our common stock and could cause our stockholders to incur substantial losses. In the past, following periods of volatility in the market price of a company’s securities, stockholders have often instituted securities class action litigation against that company. If we were involved in a class action suit or other securities litigation, it would divert the attention of our senior management, require us to incur significant expense and, whether or not adversely determined, have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.

 

We have a substantial number of convertible notes, warrants, options and preferred stock outstanding that could affect our price.

 

Due to a number of financings, we have a substantial number of shares that are subject to issuance pursuant to outstanding convertible debt, warrants and options. These conversion prices and exercise prices range from $0.01 to $2.50 per share of common stock. As of February 11, 2019, the number of shares of common stock subject to convertible notes, warrants, options and preferred stock were 39,384,475, 18,727,620, 7,570,000 and 1,785,714, respectively. The issuance of common stock pursuant to convertible notes, warrants, options and preferred stock at conversion or exercise prices less than market prices may have the effect of limiting an increase in market price of our common stock until all of these underling shares have been issued.

 

 

We have a number of shares of common stock subject to registration rights.

 

Due to a number of financings, we have contractually agreed to register with the Commission shares of common stock, and common stock underlying outstanding warrants and convertible debt in connection with private placements of our securities. The potential resale at the same time of a large number of shares of common stock and common stock underlying warrants and convertible debt by the selling stockholders may adversely affect the market price of our common stock.

 

Sales of additional shares of our common stock could cause the price of our common stock to decline.

 

Sales of substantial amounts of our common stock in the public market, or the availability of such shares for sale, by us or others, including the issuance of common stock upon exercise of outstanding options and warrants, could adversely affect the price of our common stock. We and our directors and officers may sell shares into the market, which could adversely affect the market price of shares of our common stock.

 

The rights of the holders of common stock may be impaired by the potential issuance of preferred stock.

 

Our certificate of incorporation gives our board of directors the right to create new series of preferred stock. As a result, the board of directors may, without stockholder approval, issue preferred stock with voting, dividend, conversion, liquidation or other rights which could adversely affect the voting power and equity interest of the holders of common stock. Preferred stock, which could be issued with the right to more than one vote per share, could be utilized as a method of discouraging, delaying or preventing a change of control. The possible impact on takeover attempts could adversely affect the price of our common stock. Although we have no present intention to issue any shares of preferred stock or to create a series of preferred stock, we may issue such shares in the future. 

 

The requirements of being a public company may strain our resources, divert management’s attention and affect our ability to attract and retain qualified board members.

 

We are a public company and subject to the reporting requirements of the Exchange Act, and the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. The Exchange Act requires, among other things, that we file annual, quarterly and current reports with respect to our business and financial condition. The Sarbanes-Oxley Act requires, among other things, that we maintain effective disclosure controls and procedures and internal controls for financial reporting. For example, Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act requires that our management report on the effectiveness of our internal controls structure and procedures for financial reporting. Section 404 compliance may divert internal resources and will take a significant amount of time and effort to complete. If we fail to maintain compliance under Section 404, or if in the future management determines that our internal control over financial reporting are not effective as defined under Section 404, we could be subject to sanctions or investigations by the NYSE American should we in the future be listed on this market, the Commission, or other regulatory authorities. Furthermore, investor perceptions of our company may suffer, and this could cause a decline in the market price of our common stock. Any failure of our internal controls could have a material adverse effect on our stated results of operations and harm our reputation. If we are unable to implement these changes effectively or efficiently, it could harm our operations, financial reporting or financial results and could result in an adverse opinion on internal controls from our independent auditors. We may need to hire a number of additional employees with public accounting and disclosure experience in order to meet our ongoing obligations as a public company, particularly if we become fully subject to Section 404 and its auditor attestation requirements, which will increase costs. Our management team and other personnel will need to devote a substantial amount of time to new compliance initiatives and to meeting the obligations that are associated with being a public company, which may divert attention from other business concerns, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

If we fail to comply with the rules under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 related to accounting controls and procedures, or if we discover material weaknesses and deficiencies in our internal control and accounting procedures, our stock price could decline significantly and raising capital could be more difficult.

 

If we fail to comply with the rules under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 related to disclosure controls and procedures, or, if we discover material weaknesses and other deficiencies in our internal control and accounting procedures, our stock price could decline significantly and raising capital could be more difficult. Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act requires annual management assessments of the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting. If material weaknesses or significant deficiencies are discovered or if we otherwise fail to achieve and maintain the adequacy of our internal control, we may not be able to ensure that we can conclude on an ongoing basis that we have effective internal controls over financial reporting in accordance with Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. 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 common stock could drop significantly.

 

 

If securities or industry analysts do not publish research or reports about our business, or if they change their recommendations regarding our stock adversely, our stock price and trading volume could decline.

 

The trading market for our common stock will be influenced by the research and reports that industry or securities analysts publish about us or our business. Our research coverage by industry and financial analysts is currently limited. Even if our analyst coverage increases, if one or more of the analysts who cover us downgrade our stock, our stock price would likely decline. If one or more of these analysts cease coverage of our company or fail to regularly publish reports on us, we could lose visibility in the financial markets, which in turn could cause our stock price or trading volume to decline.

 

The elimination of monetary liability against our directors, officers and employees under law and the existence of indemnification rights for or obligations to our directors, officers and employees may result in substantial expenditures by us and may discourage lawsuits against our directors, officers and employees.

 

Our certificate of incorporation contains a provision permitting us to eliminate the personal liability of our directors to us and our stockholders for damages for the breach of a fiduciary duty as a director or officer to the extent provided by Delaware law. We may also have contractual indemnification obligations under any future employment agreements with our officers. The foregoing indemnification obligations could result in us incurring substantial expenditures to cover the cost of settlement or damage awards against directors and officers, which we may be unable to recoup. These provisions and the resulting costs may also discourage us from bringing a lawsuit against directors and officers for breaches of their fiduciary duties, and may similarly discourage the filing of derivative litigation by our stockholders against our directors and officers even though such actions, if successful, might otherwise benefit us and our stockholders. 

 

We do not anticipate paying dividends on our common stock and, accordingly, shareholders must rely on stock appreciation for any return on their investment.

 

We have never declared or paid cash dividends on our common stock and do not expect to do so in the foreseeable future. The declaration of dividends is subject to the discretion of our board of directors and will depend on various factors, including our operating results, financial condition, future prospects and any other factors deemed relevant by our board of directors. You should not rely on an investment in our company if you require dividend income from your investment in our company. The success of your investment will likely depend entirely upon any future appreciation of the market price of our common stock, which is uncertain and unpredictable. There is no guarantee that our common stock will appreciate in value.

 

Risks Related to this Offering

 

A significant number of shares of our common stock may be sold in this offering, which could cause the price of our shares of common stock to decline.

 

In this offering the selling stockholders may sell up to 8,729,253 shares of our common stock.  As of the date of this prospectus, such 8,729,253 shares represent approximately 7.86% of our outstanding shares after giving effect to the sale of the common stock in this offering. This offering could adversely affect the price of our common stock. We cannot predict the effect, if any, that this offering will have on the market price of our common stock. 

 

You may experience future dilution as a result of future equity offerings.

 

In order to raise additional capital, we may in the future offer additional shares of our common stock or other securities convertible into or exchangeable for our common stock at prices that may not be the same as the price per share in this offering. We may sell shares or other securities in any other offering at a price per share that is less than the price per share paid by investors in this offering, and investors purchasing shares or other securities in the future could have rights superior to existing stockholders. The price per share at which we sell additional shares of our common stock, or securities convertible or exchangeable into common stock, in future transactions may be higher or lower than the price per share paid by investors in this offering.

 

 

USE OF PROCEEDS

 

We will receive no proceeds from the sale by the selling stockholder of the securities offered under this prospectus supplement.

 

 

DESCRIPTION OF THE SECURITIES WE ARE OFFERING

 

Common Stock

 

See “Description of Capital Stock—Common Stock” on page 13 of the accompanying prospectus for a description of the material terms of our common stock. The common stock issuable in this offering shall not be issued to the investor until the Company has obtained approval of the NYSE American. If required by the NYSE American, the Company shall file a proxy statement to obtain stockholder approval for the issuance of the shares.

 

PLAN OF DISTRIBUTION

 

On January 23, 2019, we entered into an Exchange Agreement (the “Exchange Agreement”) with a certain institutional investor (the “Investor”) pursuant to which we issued two (2) new secured promissory notes with  an aggregate principal face amount of $1,043,799.03 and interest at 8% per annum (each, a “New Note”) in exchange for both the Secured Promissory Note issued by us to the Investor on October 10, 2018 (the “October Note”) and that certain Secured Promissory Note issued by us to the Investor on August 16, 2018 as amended on November 29, 2018 (the “November Note”, and together with the October Note, the “Old Notes”).

 

Pursuant to the Exchange Agreement, the Investor may elect to receive shares of Common Stock (the “Shares”) issued under our Registration Statement on Form S-3 (File No. 333-222132), subject to a beneficial ownership limitation. The number of Shares issuable to the Investor shall be determined by dividing the amount of the New Note to be drawn down by $0.12, subject to certain conditions. Any Shares issued to the Investor in accordance therewith shall reduce the outstanding sums due under the New Notes, subject to a leak-out provision set forth in the Exchange Agreement.

 

The issuance of the Shares occurred on or about February 11, 2019. On such date, we delivered to the selling stockholder 8,729,253 shares of our common stock. 

 

The transfer agent and registrar for our common shares is Computershare Trust Company, located at 250 Royall Street Canton, MA 02021, phone (800) 962-4284.

 

LEGAL MATTERS

 

The validity of the securities being offered by this prospectus supplement will be passed upon for us by Sichenzia Ross Ference LLP, New York, New York.

 

EXPERTS

 

The consolidated financial statements incorporated in this prospectus supplement by reference from our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2017, have been so incorporated in reliance on the report of Marcum, LLP, an independent registered public accounting firm, incorporated herein by reference, given on the authority of said firm as experts in auditing and accounting.

 

WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION

 

This prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus are part of the registration statement on Form S-3 we filed with the SEC under the Securities Act and do not contain all the information set forth in the registration statement. Whenever a reference is made in this prospectus supplement or the accompanying prospectus to any of our contracts, agreements or other documents, the reference may not be complete and you should refer to the exhibits that are a part of the registration statement or the exhibits to the reports or other documents incorporated by reference in this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus for a copy of such contract, agreement or other document. Because we are subject to the information and reporting requirements of the Exchange Act, we file annual, quarterly and current reports, proxy statements and other information with the SEC. Our SEC filings are available to the public over the Internet at the SEC’s website at http://www.sec.gov. You may also read and copy any document we file at the SEC’s Public Reference Room at 100 F Street, N.E., Washington, D.C. 20549. Please call the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330 for further information on the operation of the Public Reference Room.

 

 

 INCORPORATION OF CERTAIN INFORMATION BY REFERENCE

 

The SEC allows us to “incorporate by reference” information from other documents that we file with it, which means that we can disclose important information to you by referring you to those documents. The information incorporated by reference is considered to be part of this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus. Information contained in this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus and information that we file with the SEC in the future and incorporate by reference in this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus will automatically update and supersede this information. We incorporate by reference the documents listed below and any future filings (other than information in current reports furnished under Item 2.02 or Item 7.01 of Form 8-K and exhibits filed on such form that are related to such items) we make with the SEC under Sections 13(a), 13(c), 14 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act, after the date of the prospectus supplement and prior to the termination of the offering of the securities covered by this prospectus supplement:

 

·

Our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the period ended December 31, 2017;

 

·

Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q for the quarters ended March 31, 2018, June 30, 2018, and September 30, 2018;

 

·

Current Reports on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on January 2, 2018, January 16, 2018, January 22, 2018, January 24, 2018, January 25, 2018, January 31, 2018, February 1, 2018, February 12, 2018, February 27, 2018, March 9, 2018, March 23, 2018, March 26, 2018, March 27, 2018, April 13, 2018, April 16, 2018, April 25, 2018, May 9, 2018, both reports filed on May 16, 2018, May 23, 2018 May 24, 2018, June 5, 2018, June 6, 2018, June 11, 2018, both reports filed on June 18, 2018, all three reports filed on July 2, 2018; July 17, 2018; both reports filed on July 30, 2018, August 1, 2018, August 3, 2018, August 15, 2018, August 16, 2018, August 23, 2018, both reports filed on September 4, 2018, September 5, 2018, September 6, 2018, September 14, 2018, September 21, 2018, September 25, 2018, October 2, 2018, October 3, 2018, October 5, 2018, October 9, 2018, October 11, 2018, October 15, 2018, October 16, 2018, October 18, 2018, October 22, 2018, November 8, 2018, November 15, 2018, November 16, 2018, December 4, 2018, December 10, 2018, December 20, 2018, December 27, 2018, both reports filed on December 28, 2018, both reports filed on December 31, 2018, January 3, 2019, January 7, 2019, January 10, 2019, both amendments filed on January 14, 2019, January 24, 2019 and February 5, 2019; and

 

·

Our proxy statement dated January 30, 2019, and

 

·

The description of our common stock contained in Form 8-A.

 

We will furnish without charge to you, upon written or oral request, a copy of any or all of the documents incorporated by reference, including exhibits to these documents. You should direct any requests for documents to: DPW Holdings, Inc., 201 Shipyard Way, Newport Beach, CA 92663; Tel.: (949) 444-5464; Attention: Milton C. Ault III, Chief Executive Officer.

 

In accordance with Rule 412 of the Securities Act, any statement contained in a document incorporated by reference herein shall be deemed modified or superseded to the extent that a statement contained herein or in any other subsequently filed document which also is or is deemed to be incorporated by reference herein modifies or supersedes such statement.

 

 

The information in this prospectus is not complete and may be changed. We may not sell these securities under this prospectus until the registration statement of which it is a part and filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission is effective. This prospectus is not an offer to sell these securities and it is not soliciting an offer to buy these securities in any state where the offer or sale is not permitted.

 

PRELIMINARY PROSPECTUS

 

SUBJECT TO COMPLETION, DATED JANUARY 8, 2018

 

 

 

$100,000,000

Common Stock

Preferred Stock

Warrants

Units

 

 

We may offer and sell, from time to time in one or more offerings, any combination of common stock, preferred stock, warrants, or units having an aggregate initial offering price not exceeding $100,000,000. The preferred stock, warrants, and units may be convertible or exercisable or exchangeable for common stock or preferred stock or other securities of ours.

 

Each time we sell a particular class or series of securities, we will provide specific terms of the securities offered in a supplement to this prospectus.  The prospectus supplement may also add, update or change information in this prospectus.  You should read this prospectus and any prospectus supplement, as well as the documents incorporated by reference or deemed to be incorporated by reference into this prospectus, carefully before you invest in any securities.

 

This prospectus may not be used to offer or sell our securities unless accompanied by a prospectus supplement relating to the offered securities.

 

Our common stock is presently listed on the NYSE American under the symbol “DPW”.  On January 2, 2018, the last reported sale price of our common stock was $3.50.

 

These securities may be sold directly by us, through dealers or agents designated from time to time, to or through underwriters or dealers or through a combination of these methods on a continuous or delayed basis.  See “Plan of Distribution” in this prospectus.  We may also describe the plan of distribution for any particular offering of our securities in a prospectus supplement. If any agents, underwriters or dealers are involved in the sale of any securities in respect of which this prospectus is being delivered, we will disclose their names and the nature of our arrangements with them in a prospectus supplement. The net proceeds we expect to receive from any such sale will also be included in a prospectus supplement.

 

INVESTING IN OUR SECURITIES INVOLVES VARIOUS RISKS.  SEE “RISK FACTORS” BEGINNING ON PAGE 4 OF THIS PROSPECTUS AND IN THE APPLICABLE PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT, AS UPDATED IN OUR FUTURE FILINGS MADE WITH THE SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION THAT ARE INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE INTO THIS PROSPECTUS. YOU SHOULD CAREFULLY READ AND CONSIDER THESE RISK FACTORS BEFORE YOU INVEST IN OUR SECURITIES.

 

NEITHER THE SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION NOR ANY STATE SECURITIES COMMISSION HAS APPROVED OR DISAPPROVED OF THESE SECURITIES OR DETERMINED IF THIS PROSPECTUS IS TRUTHFUL OR COMPLETE. ANY REPRESENTATION TO THE CONTRARY IS A CRIMINAL OFFENSE.

 

This prospectus is dated January     , 2018

 

 

TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

		Page
About this Prospectus		1
Our Business		1
Risk Factors		4
Disclosure Regarding Forward-Looking Statements		12
Use of Proceeds		13
The Securities We may Offer		13
Description of Capital Stock		13
Description of Warrants		14
Description of Units		16
Plan of Distribution		17
Legal Matters		18
Experts		18
Where you can find more Information		18
Incorporation of Documents by Reference		19

 

 

EXPLANATORY NOTE

 

This Amendment No. 1 to Form S-3 is being filed principally for the purpose of reflecting the registrant’s reincorporation from California to Delaware.  The reincorporation occurred by virtue of the merger of Digital Power Corporation, a California corporation, with and into its then subsidiary DPW Holdings, Inc., a Delaware corporation.

 

 

ABOUT THIS PROSPECTUS

 

This prospectus is part of a shelf registration statement that we filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) using a “shelf” registration process. Under this shelf registration process, we may sell any combination of the securities described in this prospectus in one or more offerings from time to time having an aggregate initial offering price of $100,000,000. This prospectus provides you with a general description of the securities we may offer. Each time we offer securities, we will provide you with a prospectus supplement that describes the specific amounts, prices and terms of the securities we offer. The prospectus supplement also may add, update or change information contained in this prospectus. You should read carefully both this prospectus and any prospectus supplement together with additional information described below under the caption “Where You Can Find More Information.”

 

This prospectus does not contain all the information provided in the registration statement we filed with the Commission. You should read both this prospectus, including the section titled “Risk Factors,” and the accompanying prospectus supplement, together with the additional information described under the heading “Where You Can Find More Information.”

 

You should rely only on the information contained or incorporated by reference in this prospectus or a prospectus supplement. We have not authorized any other person to provide you with different information. If anyone provides you with different or inconsistent information, you should not rely on it. This prospectus is not an offer to sell securities, and it is not soliciting an offer to buy securities in any jurisdiction where the offer or sale is not permitted. You should assume that the information appearing in this prospectus or any prospectus supplement, as well as information we have previously filed with the Commission and incorporated by reference, is accurate as of the date on the front of those documents only. Our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects may have changed since those dates.

 

OUR BUSINESS

 

Except where the context otherwise requires, the terms, “we,” “us,” “our” or “the Company,” refer to the business of DPW Holdings, Inc., a Delaware corporation and its wholly-owned subsidiaries.

 

Overview

 

We are a growth company seeking to increase our revenues through acquisitions. Our strategy reflects our management and Board’s current philosophy that occurred as a result of a change in control completed in September 2016. Our acquisition and development target strategy includes companies that have developed a “new way of doing business” in mature, well-developed industries experiencing changes due to new technology; companies that may become profitable or more profitable through efficiency and reduction of costs; companies that are related to our core business in the commercial and defense industries; and companies that will enhance our overall revenues. It is our goal to substantially increase our gross revenues in the near future.

 

We were originally a solution-driven organization that designs, develops, manufactures and sells high-grade customized and flexible power system solutions for the medical, military, telecom and industrial markets. Although we intend to seek growth through acquisitions, we will continue to focus on high-grade and custom product designs for the commercial, medical and military/defense markets, where customers demand high density, high efficiency and ruggedized products to meet the harshest and/or military mission critical operating conditions.

 

We also have operations located in Europe through our wholly-owned subsidiary, Digital Power Limited (“DPL”), Salisbury, England, which operates under the brand name of “Gresham Power Electronics” (“Gresham”). DPL designs, manufactures and sells power products and system solutions mainly for the European marketplace, including power conversion, power distribution equipment, DC/AC (Direct Current/Active Current) inverters and UPS (Uninterrupted Power Supply) products. Our European defense business is specialized in the field of naval power distribution products. 

 

On November 30, 2016, Digital Power formed Digital Power Lending, LLC (“DP Lending”), a wholly-owned subsidiaries. DP Lending is engaged in providing commercial loans to companies throughout the United States to provide them with operating capital to finance the growth of their businesses. The loans will primarily be short-term, ranging from six to twelve months.

 

 

On June 2, 2017, we completed the acquisition of a 56.4% majority interest in Microphase Corp. (“Microphase”) Microphase is a customer-driven supplier of advanced electronic technology solutions serving applications from DC to 100 GHz across a diverse mix of markets. Microphase designs, develops and manufactures standard and customized state-of-the-art RF, Microwave, and Millimeter-wave components, devices, subsystems and integrated modules for the worldwide commercial wireless infrastructure, defense & aerospace, satellite, wireless multimedia and consumer electronics, public safety and homeland/global security markets.

 

In addition, on September 1, 2017, Coolisys Technologies, Inc. (“Coolisys”), a Delaware corporation and wholly owned subsidiary of DPW Holdings, Inc. (the ‘Company”), completed the acquisition of all of the Membership Interests of Power Plus Technical Distributors LLC.  Power-Plus Technical Distributors is an industrial distributor of value added power supply solutions, UPS systems, fans, filters, line cords, and other power-related components.  As a result of the acquisition, Power Plus Technical Distributors has become a subsidiary of Coolisys.

 

On August 16, 2017, the Company approved the issuance and sale of (i) 272,727 shares of our common stock at a purchase price equal to $0.55 per share and (ii) warrants to purchase up to 272,727 shares of our common stock at $0.65 per share to two shareholders for an aggregate purchase price of $150,000. These shares and warrants have yet to be issued by the Company and are subject to approval from the NYSE American prior to issuance. In addition, the Company is obligated to issue to Spartan Capital 100,000 shares of our common stock for capital advisory services.

 

In October 2017, Ault & Company purchased 75,000 shares of our common stock at $0.60 per share and a warrant to purchase up to 75,000 shares at $0.60 per share for an aggregate purchase price of $45,000. These shares and warrants have yet to be issued by the Company and are subject to approval from the NYSE American prior to issuance. 

 

Also, in October 2017, William Gordon, the Company’s Vice President, purchased 128,806 shares of our common stock at $0.67 for cancellation of $93,000 in debt that was owed to Mr. Gordon in connection with the Company’s acquisition of Power Plus Technical Distributors LLC. These shares were issued to Mr. Gordon under the Company’s shelf registration statement (Reg. No. 333-215834).

 

On November 2, 2017, we entered into a Securities Purchase Agreement (the “Purchase Agreement”) with an institutional investor (the “Purchaser”), pursuant to which the we agreed to issue and sell to the Purchaser (i) at the first closing, 300,000 shares of restricted common stock of the Company (the “Restricted Shares”) and a 10% Original Issue Discount Convertible Debenture for a purchase price of $1,010,000 with a principal face amount of $1,111,000 and (ii) at the second closing, an additional 10% Original Issue Discount Convertible Debenture for an aggregate purchase price of $990,000 with an aggregate principal face amount of $1,089,000.

 

On November 7, 2017, we entered into subscription agreements with investors, under which we agreed to issue and sell 725,000 shares of common stock to the investors at $0.60 per share for an aggregate purchase price of $435,000. $180,000 of the aggregate purchase price was paid in cash and $255,000 was in consideration for the cancellation of debt incurred by the Company.

 

On December 4, 2017, we entered into a Securities Purchase Agreement (the “Purchase Agreement”) with an institutional investor (the “Purchaser”), pursuant to which we agreed to issue and sell to the Purchaser 150,000 shares of restricted common stock of the Company (the “Restricted Shares”) and a 10% Original Issue Discount Convertible Debenture for a purchase price of $500,000 with a principal face amount of $550,000. The Purchase Agreement closed on December 14, 2017.

 

On December 5, 2017, we entered into an exchange agreement (the “Exchange Agreement”) with WT Johnson & Sons (Huddersfield) Limited (the “Holder”), pursuant to which we issued to the Holder, (a) a convertible promissory note in the principal amount of $600,000 (“Note A”), and (b) a convertible promissory note in the principal amount of $1,667,766 (“Note B”), in exchange for cancellation of (i) an outstanding loan made by the Holder to MTIX Ltd., an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of the Company (“MTIX”), in the amount of $265,666; and (ii) cancellation of an aggregate of $2,002,500 owed by us to the Holder pursuant to an Agreement for the Sale and Purchase of the Textile Multi-Laser Enhancement Technology Machine dated as of July 21, 2017 by and between MTIX and the Holder. The Exchange Agreement closed on December 13, 2017.

 

On December 5, 2017, we entered into an exchange agreement (the “Agreement”) with several accredited investors (each, an “Investor” and collectively, the “Investor”), pursuant to which we issued to each of the Investors, (a) shares of common stock, no par value (the “Conversion Shares”), and (b) a warrant (the “Warrant”) to purchase shares of common stock (the “Warrant Shares”), in exchange for cancellation of outstanding debt owed to the Investors by Microphase in the amount of $690,000. Pursuant to the terms of the Agreement, the Investors were entitled to 10% interest payable on the debt until August 31, 2017 and an additional premium of 25%, resulting in an aggregate amount of debt of $896,939 (the “Debt”). The number of Conversion Shares issuable to each Investor was derived by dividing the individual’s portion of the Debt by the 10-day trailing volume-weighted average price ending on August 4, 2017, resulting in the issuance of an aggregate of 1,523,852 Conversion Shares. Each Investor was entitled to receive a Warrant to purchase that number of Warrant Shares equal to 25% of the Conversion Shares the Investor was issued. Each Warrant is exercisable for $1.10 per share, carries a term of three years, is exercisable on a cashless basis and contains standard anti-dilution provisions. The Agreement provides for registration rights under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended for the Conversion Shares and the Warrant Shares. The Agreement closed on December 13, 2017.

 

 

On December 5, 2017, we entered into a subscription agreement with one investor (the “Direct Offering”) for the sale of 640,000 shares of common stock at $1.25 per share for the aggregate purchase price of $800,000. The Direct Offering was consummated on December 13, 2017.

 

On December 28, 2017, at the Annual Meeting of Shareholders of DPW Holdings, Inc., then known as Digital Power Corporation, the Company’s shareholders approved a number of proposals, including the reincorporation of the Company from California to Delaware (“Reincorporation”). The effective date of the Reincorporation was December 29, 2017.  Upon consummation of the Reincorporation, the daily business operations of the Company continued as they were conducted by its predecessor immediately prior to the Reincorporation and the officers and directors of the predecessor became the officers and directors of the Company, except that Milton C. Ault III became the Company’s Chief Executive Officer whereas Amos Kohn remained as its President and Chief Financial Officer. The Reincorporation did not affect any of the Company’s material contracts with any third parties, and the Company’s rights and obligations under such material contractual arrangements continue to be rights and obligations of the Company after the Reincorporation. The Reincorporation did not result in any change in headquarters, business, jobs, management, location of any of the offices or facilities, number of employees, assets, liabilities or net worth (other than as a result of the costs incident to the Reincorporation) of the Company.

 

On December 31, 2017, CooliSys Technologies Inc. (“Coolisys”), a Delaware corporation and wholly owned subsidiary of the Company, entered into a Share Purchase Agreement (the “Agreement”) with Micronet Enertec Technologies, Inc. (“MICT”), a Delaware corporation, Enertec Management Ltd., an Israeli corporation and wholly owned subsidiary of MICT (“EML” and, together with MICT, the “Seller Parties”), and Enertec Systems 2001 Ltd. (“Enertec”), an Israeli corporation and wholly owned subsidiary of EML, pursuant to which Coolisys shall acquire Enertec, subject to the terms and conditions set forth in the Agreement. The purchase price consists of a cash payment of $5,250,000 and the assumption of $4,000,000 in Enertec’s liabilities, with the cash portion to be adjusted for any increase or decrease of the $4,000,000 in liabilities.

 

Corporate Information

 

Our corporate name is DPW Holdings, Inc. for both legal and commercial purposes. We are located at 48430 Lakeview Blvd., Fremont, California, 94538-3158 (telephone number (510) 657-2635). Our website address is www.dpwholdings.com. The information on our website does not constitute part of this prospectus.  We have included our website address as a factual reference and do not intend it to be an active link to our website.

 

 

RISK FACTORS

 

An investment in our securities is speculative and involves a high degree of risk. Our business, financial condition or results of operations could be adversely affected by any of these risks. You should carefully consider the following factors as well as the other information contained in this prospectus, in any supplement to this prospectus and in the other reports that we file with the Commission and that we incorporate by reference into this prospectus, before deciding to invest in our securities. The risks and uncertainties we have described are not the only ones we face. Additional risks and uncertainties not presently known to us or that we currently deem immaterial may also affect our operations. Past financial performance may not be a reliable indicator of future performance, and historical trends should not be used to anticipate results or trends in future periods. If any of these risks actually occurs, our business, business prospects, financial condition or results of operations could be seriously harmed. This could cause the trading price of our shares of common stock to decline, resulting in a loss of all or part of your investment. Please also read carefully the section below entitled “Forward-Looking Statements.”

 

We generated operating and net losses for the nine months ended September 30, 2017, and for the years ended December 31, 2016, and 2015; we have a risk as a going concern.

 

We are a growth company and have experienced operating and net losses, and anticipate continuing to experience such losses in the future. For the nine months ended September 30, 2017, we had a loss from operations of approximately $3,549,000 and a net loss of approximately $4,916,000. For the years ended December 31, 2016, and 2015, we had losses from operations of approximately $1,219,000 and $1,003,000 and net losses of approximately $1,122,000 and $1,096,000, respectively.

 

We expect to continue to incur losses for the foreseeable future and need to raise additional capital to continue business development initiatives and to support our working capital requirements. In March 2017, we were awarded a 3-year, $50 million purchase order by MTIX Ltd. (“MTIX”) to manufacture, install and service the Multiplex Laser Surface Enhancement (“MLSE”) plasma-laser system. We believe that the MLSE purchase order will be a source of revenue and generate significant cash flows for us. However, if we are unable to raise additional capital, we may be required to curtail operations and take additional measures to reduce costs, including reducing our workforce, eliminating outside consultants and reducing legal fees in order to conserve cash in amounts sufficient to sustain operations and meet our obligations. As a result of these financing uncertainties, during the third quarter ended September 30, 2017, we recognized that our dependence on ongoing capital requirements to fund our operations raise substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern.

 

If we fail to establish and maintain an effective system of internal control, we may not be able to report our financial results accurately or prevent fraud. Any inability to report and file our financial results accurately and timely could harm our reputation and adversely impact the trading price of our common stock. 

 

Effective internal control is necessary for us to provide reliable financial reports and prevent fraud. If we cannot provide reliable financial reports or prevent fraud, we may not be able to manage our business as effectively as we would if an effective control environment existed, and our business and reputation with investors may be harmed. As a result, our small size and any current internal control deficiencies may adversely affect our financial condition, results of operations and access to capital. We have also experienced complications reporting as a result of material weaknesses which resulted in the restatement of our Form 10-Q for the quarterly period ended June 30, 2017, which was filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“Commission”) on August 21, 2017, and amended on November 14, 2017. We have carried out an evaluation under the supervision and with the participation of our management, including our principal executive officer and principal financial officer, of the effectiveness of the design and operation of our disclosure controls and procedures as of the end of the most recent period covered by this report. Based on the foregoing, our principal executive officer and principal financial officer concluded that our disclosure controls and procedures were not effective at the reasonable assurance level due to the material weaknesses described below.

  

A material weakness is a deficiency, or a combination of deficiencies, within the meaning of Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (“PCAOB”) Audit Standard No. 5, in internal control over financial reporting, such that there is a reasonable possibility that a material misstatement of our annual or interim financial statements will not be prevented or detected on a timely basis. Management has identified the following material weaknesses which have caused management to conclude that as of June 30, 2017 our internal controls over financial reporting (“ICFR”) were not effective at the reasonable assurance level:

 

1.

We do not have sufficient resources in our accounting function, which restricts our ability to gather, analyze and properly review information related to financial reporting in a timely manner. In addition, due to our size and nature, segregation of all conflicting duties may not always be possible and may not be economically feasible. However, to the extent possible, the initiation of transactions, the custody of assets and the recording of transactions should be performed by separate individuals. Management evaluated the impact of our failure to have segregation of duties during our assessment of our disclosure controls and procedures and concluded that the control deficiency that resulted represented a material weakness.

 

 

2.

We have inadequate controls to ensure that information necessary to properly record transactions is adequately communicated on a timely basis from non-financial personnel to those responsible for financial reporting. Management evaluated the impact of the lack of timely communication between non–financial and financial personnel on our assessment of our reporting controls and procedures and has concluded that the control deficiency represented a material weakness.

 

We have taken steps to remediate some of the weaknesses described above, including a greater level of involvement by our Audit Committee. We intend to continue to address these weaknesses as resources permit.

 

 If we do not continue to satisfy the NYSE American continued listing requirements, our common stock could be delisted from NYSE American.

 

The listing of our common stock on the NYSE American is contingent on our compliance with the NYSE American’s conditions for continued listing. On December 18, 2015, we were notified by the NYSE American that we were no longer in compliance with the NYSE American continued listing standards because our reported stockholders' equity was below continued listing standards. The NYSE American requires that a listed company's stockholders' equity be $4.0 million or more if it has reported losses from continuing operations and/or net losses in three of its four most recent fiscal years. Subsequently, the NYSE American informed us that we are required to attain stockholders’ equity of $6.0 million or more because we experienced a loss for the year ended December 31, 2016.

 

Following submission of our compliance plan demonstrating how we intend to regain compliance with the continued listing standards, we were notified on March 9, 2016, that the NYSE American granted us a listing extension on the basis of our plan until June 19, 2017. We are subject to periodic review by NYSE American staff during the extension period. Failure to make progress consistent with the plan or to regain compliance with the continued listing standards by the end of the extension period could result in our common stock being delisted from the NYSE American.

  

On June 19, 2017, we filed a Form 8-K report with the Commission announcing that our Stockholders' Equity was approximately $6,409,000 on a pro-forma basis. In a letter dated June 20, 2017, the NYSE American notified us that we had successfully regained compliance with the NYSE American continued listing standards. Notwithstanding the foregoing, in light of our continue losses, there is no assurance that we will be able to continue to meet the NYSE American continued listing standard. Failure to meet the NYSE American listing requirement, we may be subject to delisting by the NYSE American. In the event our common stock is no longer listed for trading on the NYSE American, our trading volume and share price may decrease and we may experience further difficulties in raising capital which could materially affect our operations and financial results.

 

On November 20, 2017, we received a letter from NYSE Regulation indicating that the NYSE American had concluded that we failed to comply with Section 401(a) of the NYSE American’s Company Guide, which section requires that a listed company “make immediate public disclosure of all material information concerning its affairs ...” The letter, which relates to our disclosure of certain personnel changes to our board of directors and officers, provided that such letter constituted a warning letter issued to the Company pursuant to Section 1009(a)(i) of the NYSE American Company Guide. On October 12, 2017, we filed a Form 8-K that disclosed that certain personnel changes to our board of directors and executive officers were effective October 6, 2017. On November 6, 2017, we filed an amendment to the above referenced Form 8-K that disclosed that the personnel changes had not in fact occurred. After discussion with the NYSE American, on November 8, 2017, we filed a subsequent Form 8-K that further clarified that we had determined to rescind the personnel changes as of October 23, 2017. In that Form 8-K, we provided additional disclosure explaining why the personnel changes were not undertaken.

 

On November 29, 2017, we notified the NYSE American, LLC that we were no longer in compliance with Rule 801(h) of the NYSE American Company Guide because, as a smaller reporting company, our Board of Directors was not comprised of at least 50% independent directors. On November 28, 2017, our Board of Directors approved the issuance of cash compensation, and 200,000 shares of common stock and warrants to purchase 1,000,000 shares of common stock subject to vesting and shareholder approval, to Mr. William Horne, a director of the Company, for services. As a result of this compensation, Mr. Horne may not be deemed independent within the meaning of Section 803A(2) of the NYSE American Company Guide. Mr. Horne has resigned from the audit committee of the Board of Directors. Robert Smith has been appointed as chair of the audit committee. On December 8, 2017, our board of directors rescinded the equity compensation granted to Mr. Horne.  We believe that we are therefore presently in compliance with Rule 801(h) of the NYSE American Company Guide.

 

We will need to raise additional capital to increase our stockholders’ equity and to fund our operations in furtherance of our business plan.

 

Until we are profitable, we will need to quickly raise additional capital in order to increase our stockholders’ equity in order to continue to meet NYSE American continued listing standards and fund our operations in furtherance of our business plan. The proposed financing may include shares of common stock, shares of preferred stock, warrants to purchase shares of common stock or preferred stock, debt securities, units consisting of the foregoing securities, equity investments from strategic development partners or some combination of each. Any additional equity financings may be financially dilutive to, and will be dilutive from an ownership perspective to our stockholders, and such dilution may be significant based upon the size of such financing. Additionally, we cannot assure that such funding will be available on a timely basis, in needed quantities, or on terms favorable to us, if at all.

 

 

Our growth strategy is subject to a significant degree of risk.

 

Our growth strategy through acquisitions involves a significant degree of risk. Some of the companies that we have identified as acquisition targets or make a significant investment in may not have a developed business or are experiencing inefficiencies and incur losses. Therefore, we may lose our investment in the event that these companies’ businesses do not develop as planned or that we are unable to achieve the cost efficiencies or reduction of losses as anticipated.

 

Further, in order to implement our growth plan, we have hired additional staff and consultants to review potential investments and implement our plan. As a result, we have substantially increased our infrastructure and costs. If we fail to quickly find new companies that provide revenue to offset our costs, we will continue to experience losses. No assurance can be given that our product development and investments will produce sufficient revenues to offset these increases in expenditures.

 

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

 

As stated above, our growth strategy through acquisitions is fraught with risk. On June 2, 2017, we acquired a majority interest in Microphase Corp. Our strategy and business plan is dependent on our ability to successfully integrate Microphase’s and our other acquisition’s operations. In addition, while we are based in Fremont, CA, Microphase’s operations are located in Shelton, Connecticut and Digital Power Limited’s (doing business as Gresham Power) operations are located in Salisbury, England. These distant locations will stretch our resources and management time. 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.

 

A principal stockholder has significant influence over us.

 

Philou Ventures, LLC (“Philou Ventures”) beneficially owns approximately 16.8% of our currently outstanding Common Stock on a fully diluted basis, as of January 2, 2018. As a result, it will be able to exert a significant degree of influence over our management and affairs and over matters requiring stockholder approval, including the election of directors, any merger, consolidation or sale of all or substantially all of the Company’s assets, and any other significant corporate transaction. Its interests may not always coincide with those of our other stockholders.

 

A principal stockholder has certain rights to maintain its ownership interest in us.

 

In connection with entering into a Series B Preferred Stock purchase agreement on March 9, 2017 with Philou Ventures, we granted Philou Ventures the right to participate in future offerings under substantially the same terms of such offerings in order to allow Philou Ventures to maintain its ownership interest. If exercised by Philou Ventures, this contractual right has the effect of allowing Philou Ventures to maintain its interest in us and further dilute existing shareholders’ ownership interests in the event that we issue equity securities in such further offerings.

 

Our success is dependent on key management.

 

Our success depends substantially on the performance of certain key officers and personnel, in particular their ability to identify, acquire and operate new businesses and opportunities. The loss of the services of either Messrs. Ault or Kohn would have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, financial condition and prospects. We have not obtained key person insurance for these individuals.

 

Microphase is in technical default of a $450,000 loan.

 

In connection with our acquisition of a controlling interest in Microphase, Microphase delivered a promissory note in the principal face amount of $450,000 to an unsecured creditor for Microphase’s prior legal work.  The promissory note is secured by 10,000 shares of our Series E preferred stock.  Subject to shareholder approval, each share of Series E preferred stock is convertible into 60 shares of our common stock.  Under the terms of the promissory note, we were required to obtain shareholder approval of the conversion of the Series E preferred stock by August 1, 2017, which has not yet occurred. We will hold a shareholders’ meeting on December 28, 2017 to, among other things, seek approval of the conversion of the Series E preferred stock. The holder of the Microphase promissory note has not initiated any action to notice an event of default and we have had some limited discussion with the holder as to this issue. No assurance can be given that the holder will not send a notice of default under the Microphase promissory note and seek immediate collection.  In the event the holder does initiate collection action under the promissory note, this could have an adverse effect on Microphase’s operations, and, in turn, our investment in Microphase and therefore upon us as well.

 

 

We depend on Advice Electronics Ltd. (“Advice”) to maintain the technology used to manufacture our products and to manufacture some of our products. We also depend on the right to manufacture certain products subject to royalty payments with Advice.

 

In January 2016, Telkoor, a prior affiliate, sold its entire commercial assets to Advice which included without limitation product IP, manufacturing rights, customer base, inventory, staff and technological capabilities. Following such transaction, we entered into a manufacturing and distribution agreement with Advice. This agreement allows us to manufacture certain Advice products (formerly owned by Telkoor) through August 2017 against royalty payments. From August 2017 through December 2020, subject to Advice's consent, we will be allowed to continue distributing and selling certain Advice products while keeping product branding under our brand, after which we will be entitled to distribute the products under DPW Holdings, Inc. brand until December 2020.

 

We depend on Advice to design and retain up to date product technology and for manufacturing capabilities for certain of the products that we sell. If Advice is unable or unwilling to continue designing or manufacturing our products in required volumes and with a certain level of quality on a timely basis, that could lead to loss of sales and adversely affect our operating results and cash position. We also depend on Advice's intellectual property and ability to transfer production to third party manufacturers. Failure to obtain new products in a timely manner or delay in delivery of products to customers will have an adverse effect on our ability to meet our customers’ expectations. In addition, we operate in highly competitive markets where our ability to sell Advice’s products could be adversely affected by Advice's agreements with third parties, long lead-times and the high cost of Advice’s products. Also, in 2012, Telkoor’s products manufacturing lead-times increased, which hindered our ability to respond to our customers’ needs in timely manner. Advice's principal offices, research and development and manufacturing facilities are located in Israel. Political, economic and military conditions in Israel directly affect Advice operations. We are also dependent upon Advice’s terms and conditions with its contract manufacturers for some of our products, which terms and conditions may not always be in our best interest. In 2010, we purchased certain IP from Telkoor in order to reduce our dependency on Telkoor with respect to a certain line of products. We also entered into a Manufacturing Rights Agreement with Advice in 2016, pursuant to which we were granted the non-exclusive right to directly place purchase orders for certain products from a third-party manufacturer in consideration for payment of royalties to Advice. This agreement currently accounts for a significant portion of our sales. In the event this agreement is terminated for any reason, it would materially affect our financial position.

 

We are dependent upon our and our contract manufacturers’ ability to timely procure electronic components.

 

Because of the global economy, many raw material vendors have reduced capacities, closed production lines and, in some cases, even discontinued their operations. As a result, there is a global shortage of certain electronic components, which has extended our production lead-time and our production costs. Some materials are no longer available to support some of our products, thereby requiring us to search for cross materials or, even worse, redesign some of our products to support currently-available materials. Such redesign efforts may require certain regulatory and safety agency re-submittals, which may cause further production delays. While we have initiated actions that we believe will limit our exposure to such problems, the dynamic business conditions in many of our markets may challenge the solutions that have been put in place, and issues may recur in the future.

 

In addition, some of our products are manufactured, assembled and tested by third party subcontractors and contract manufacturers located in Asia. While we have had relationships with many of these third parties in the past, we cannot predict how or whether these relationships will continue in the future. In addition, changes in management, financial viability, manufacturing demand or capacity, or other factors, at these third parties could hurt our ability to manufacture our products.

 

Our strategic focus on our custom power supply solution competencies and concurrent cost reduction plans may be ineffective or may limit our ability to compete.

 

As a result of our strategic focus on custom power supply solutions, we will continue to devote significant resources to developing and manufacturing custom power supply solutions for a large number of customers, where each product represents a uniquely tailored solution for a specific customer’s requirements. Failure to meet these customer product requirements or a failure to meet production schedules and/or product quality standards may put us at risk with one or more of these customers. Moreover, changes in market conditions and strategic changes at the direction of our customers may affect their decision to continue to purchase from us. The loss of one or more of our significant custom power supply solution customers could have a material adverse impact on our revenues, business or financial condition.

 

 

We have also implemented a series of initiatives designed to increase efficiency and reduce costs. While we believe that these actions will reduce costs, they may not be sufficient to achieve the required operational efficiencies that will enable us to respond more quickly to changes in the market or result in the improvements in our business that we anticipate. In such event, we may be forced to take additional cost-reducing initiatives, including those involving our personnel, which may negatively impact quarterly earnings and profitability as we account for severance and other related costs. In addition, there is the risk that such measures could have long-term adverse effects on our business by reducing our pool of talent, decreasing or slowing improvements in our products or services, making it more difficult for us to respond to customers, limiting our ability to increase production quickly if and when the demand for our solutions increases and limiting our ability to hire and retain key personnel. These circumstances could cause our earnings to be lower than they otherwise might be.

 

We are dependent upon our ability to attract, retain and motivate our key personnel.

 

Our success depends on our ability to attract, retain and motivate our key management personnel, including, but not limited to, our President and Chief Executive Officer, our Vice President of Finance, marketing and sales personnel, and key engineers necessary to implement our business plan and to grow our business. Competition for certain specific technical and management skill sets is intense. If we are unable to identify and hire the personnel that we need to succeed, or if one or more of our present key employees were to cease to be associated with us, our future results could be adversely affected.

  

We depend upon a few major customers for a majority of our revenues, and the loss of any of these customers, or the substantial reduction in the quantity of products that they purchase from us, would significantly reduce our revenues and net income.

 

We currently depend upon a few major OEMs and other customers for a significant portion of our revenues. If our major OEM customers reduce or cancel their orders scaling back some of their activities, our revenues and net income would be significantly reduced. Furthermore, diversions in the capital spending of certain of these customers to new network elements have and could continue to lead to their reduced demand for our products, which could, in turn, have a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations. If the financial condition of one or more of our major customers should deteriorate, or if they have difficulty acquiring investment capital due to any of these or other factors, a substantial decrease in our revenues would likely result.

 

We are dependent on the electronic equipment industry, and accordingly will be affected by the impact on that industry of current economic conditions.

 

Substantially all of our existing customers are in the electronic equipment industry, and they manufacture products that are subject to rapid technological change, obsolescence and large fluctuations in demand. This industry is further characterized by intense competition and volatility. The OEMs serving this industry are pressured for increased product performance and lower product prices. OEMs, in turn, make similar demands on their suppliers, such as us, for increased product performance and lower prices. Such demands may adversely affect our ability to successfully compete in certain markets or our ability to sustain our gross margins.

 

Our reliance on subcontract manufacturers to manufacture certain aspects of our products involves risks, including delays in product shipments and reduced control over product quality.

 

Since we do not own significant manufacturing facilities, we must rely on, and will continue to rely on, a limited number of subcontract manufacturers to manufacture our power supply products. Our reliance upon such subcontract manufacturers involves several risks, including reduced control over manufacturing costs, delivery times, reliability and quality of components, unfavorable currency exchange fluctuations and continued inflationary pressures on many of the raw materials used in the manufacturing of our power supply products. If we were to encounter a shortage of key manufacturing components from limited sources of supply, or experience manufacturing delays caused by reduced manufacturing capacity, inability of our subcontract manufacturers to procure raw materials, the loss of key assembly subcontractors, difficulties associated with the transition to our new subcontract manufacturers or other factors, we could experience lost revenues, increased costs, and delays in, or cancellations or rescheduling of, orders or shipments, any of which would materially harm our business.

 

We outsource, and are dependent upon developer partners for, the development of some of our custom design products.

 

We made an operational decision to outsource some of our custom design products to numerous developer partners. This business structure will remain in place until the custom design volume justifies expanding our in-house capabilities. Incomplete product designs that do not fully comply with the customer specifications and requirements might affect our ability to transition to a volume production stage of the custom designed product where the revenue goals are dependent on the high volume of custom product production. Furthermore, we rely on the design partners’ ability to provide high quality prototypes of the designed product for our customer approval as a critical stage to approve production.

 

 

We face intense industry competition, price erosion and product obsolescence, which, in turn, could reduce our profitability.

 

We operate in an industry that is generally characterized by intense competition. We believe that the principal bases of competition in our markets are breadth of product line, quality of products, stability, reliability and reputation of the provider, along with cost. Quantity discounts, price erosion and rapid product obsolescence due to technological improvements are therefore common in our industry as competitors strive to retain or expand market share. Product obsolescence can lead to increases in unsaleable inventory that may need to be written off and, therefore, could reduce our profitability. Similarly, price erosion can reduce our profitability by decreasing our revenues and our gross margins. In fact, we have seen price erosion over the last several years on most of the products we sell, and we expect additional price erosion in the future.

 

Our future results are dependent on our ability to establish, maintain and expand our manufacturers’ representative OEM relationships and our other relationships.

 

We market and sell our products through domestic and international OEM relationships and other distribution channels, such as manufacturers’ representatives and distributors. Our future results are dependent on our ability to establish, maintain and expand our relationships with OEMs as well as with manufacturers’ representatives and distributors to sell our products. If, however, the third parties with whom we have entered into such OEM and other arrangements should fail to meet their contractual obligations, cease doing, or reduce the amount of their business with us or otherwise fail to meet their own performance objectives, customer demand for our products could be adversely affected, which would have an adverse effect on our revenues.

 

We may not be able to procure necessary key components for our products, or we may purchase too much inventory or the wrong inventory.

 

The power supply industry, and the electronics industry as a whole, can be subject to business cycles. During periods of growth and high demand for our products, we may not have adequate supplies of inventory on hand to satisfy our customers' needs. Furthermore, during these periods of growth, our suppliers may also experience high demand and, therefore, may not have adequate levels of the components and other materials that we require to build products so that we can meet our customers' needs. Our inability to secure sufficient components to build products for our customers could negatively impact our sales and operating results. We may choose to mitigate this risk by increasing the levels of inventory for certain key components. Increased inventory levels can increase the potential risk for excess and obsolescence should our forecasts fail to materialize or if there are negative factors impacting our customers’ end markets. If we purchase too much inventory or the wrong inventory, we may have to record additional inventory reserves or write-off the inventory, which could have a material adverse effect on our gross margins and on our results of operations.

 

Although we depend on sales of our legacy products for a meaningful portion of our revenues, these products are mature and their sales will decline.

 

A relatively large portion of our sales have historically been attributable to our legacy products. We expect that these products may continue to account for a meaningful percentage of our revenues for the foreseeable future. However, these sales are declining. Although we are unable to predict future prices for our legacy products, we expect that prices for these products will continue to be subject to significant downward pressure in certain markets for the reasons described above. Accordingly, our ability to maintain or increase revenues will be dependent on our ability to expand our customer base, to increase unit sales volumes of these products and to successfully, develop, introduce and sell new products such as custom design and value added products. We cannot assure you that we will be able to expand our customer base, increase unit sales volumes of existing products or develop, introduce and/or sell new products.

 

Our operating results may vary from quarter to quarter.

 

Our operating results have in the past been subject to quarter-to-quarter fluctuations, and we expect that these fluctuations will continue, and may increase in magnitude, in future periods. Demand for our products is driven by many factors, including the availability of funding for our products in our customers’ capital budgets. There is a trend for some of our customers to place large orders near the end of a quarter or fiscal year, in part to spend remaining available capital budget funds. Seasonal fluctuations in customer demand for our products driven by budgetary and other concerns can create corresponding fluctuations in period-to-period revenues, and we therefore cannot assure you that our results in one period are necessarily indicative of our revenues in any future period. In addition, the number and timing of large individual sales and the ability to obtain acceptances of those sales, where applicable, have been difficult for us to predict, and large individual sales have, in some cases, occurred in quarters subsequent to those we anticipated, or have not occurred at all. The loss or deferral of one or more significant sales in a quarter could harm our operating results for such quarter. It is possible that, in some quarters, our operating results will be below the expectations of public market analysts or investors. In such events, or in the event adverse conditions prevail, the market price of our common stock may decline significantly.

 

 

Failure of our information technology infrastructure to operate effectively could adversely affect our business.

 

We depend heavily on information technology infrastructure to achieve our business objectives. If a problem occurs that impairs this infrastructure, the resulting disruption could impede our ability to record or process orders, manufacture and ship in a timely manner, or otherwise carry on business in the normal course. Any such events could cause us to lose customers or revenue and could require us to incur significant expense to remediate.

 

We are subject to certain governmental regulatory restrictions relating to our international sales.

 

Some of our products are subject to International Traffic in Arms Regulation (“ITAR”), which are interpreted, enforced and administered by the U.S. Department of State. ITAR regulation controls not only the export, import and trade of certain products specifically designed, modified, configured or adapted for military systems, but also the export of related technical data and defense services as well as foreign production. Any delays in obtaining the required export, import or trade licenses for products subject to ITAR regulation and rules could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and/or operating results. In addition, changes in United States export and import laws that require us to obtain additional export and import licenses or delays in obtaining export or import licenses currently being sought could cause significant shipment delays and, if such delays are too great, could result in the cancellation of orders. Any future restrictions or charges imposed by the United States or any other country on our international sales or foreign subsidiary could have a materially adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and/or operating results. In addition, from time to time, we have entered into contracts with the Israeli Ministry of Defense which were governed by the U.S. Foreign Military Financing program (“FMF”). Any such future sales would be subject to these regulations. Failure to comply with ITAR or FMF rules could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, and/or operating results.

 

We depend on international operations for a substantial majority of our components and products.

 

We purchase a substantial majority of our components from foreign manufacturers and have a substantial majority of our commercial products assembled, packaged, and tested by subcontractors located outside the United States. These activities are subject to the uncertainties associated with international business operations, including trade barriers and other restrictions, changes in trade policies, governmental regulations, currency exchange fluctuations, reduced protection for intellectual property, war and other military activities, terrorism, changes in social, political, or economic conditions, and other disruptions or delays in production or shipments, any of which could have a materially adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and/or operating results.

 

We depend on international sales for a portion of our revenues.

 

Sales to customers outside of North America accounted for 40.2% and 55.8% of net revenues for the years ended December 31, 2016 and 2015, and 28.8% and 44.2% of net revenues for the quarters ended September 30, 2017 and 2016, and we expect that international sales will continue to represent a material portion of our total revenues. International sales are subject to the risks of international business operations as described above, as well as generally longer payment cycles, greater difficulty collecting accounts receivable, and currency restrictions. In addition, Digital Power Limited, our wholly-owned subsidiary in England, supports our European and other international customers, distributors, and sales representatives, and therefore is also subject to local regulation. International sales are also subject to the export laws and regulations of the United States and other countries.

 

If our accounting controls and procedures are circumvented or otherwise fail to achieve their intended purposes, our business could be seriously harmed.

 

We evaluate our disclosure controls and procedures as of the end of each fiscal quarter, and are annually reviewing and evaluating our internal control over financial reporting in order to comply with Commission’s rules relating to internal control over financial reporting adopted pursuant to the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. Because of its inherent limitations, internal control over financial reporting may not prevent or detect misstatements. Also, projections of any evaluation of effectiveness to future periods are subject to the risk that controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions, or that the degree of compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate. If we fail to maintain effective internal control over financial reporting or our management does not timely assess the adequacy of such internal control, we may be subject to regulatory sanctions, and our reputation may decline.

 

The sale of our products is dependent upon our ability to satisfy the proprietary requirements of our customers.

 

We depend upon a relatively narrow range of products for the majority of our revenue. Our success in marketing our products is dependent upon their continued acceptance by our customers. In some cases, our customers require that our products meet their own proprietary requirements. If we are unable to satisfy such requirements, or forecast and adapt to changes in such requirements, our business could be materially harmed.

 

 

The sale of our products is dependent on our ability to respond to rapid technological change, including evolving industry-wide standards, and may be adversely affected by the development, and acceptance by our customers, of new technologies which may compete with, or reduce the demand for, our products.

 

Rapid technological change, including evolving industry standards, could render our products obsolete. To the extent our customers adopt such new technology in place of our products, the sales of our products may be adversely affected. Such competition may also increase pricing pressure for our products and adversely affect the revenues from such products.

 

Our limited ability to protect our proprietary information and technology may adversely affect our ability to compete, and our products could infringe upon the intellectual property rights of others, resulting in claims against us, the results of which could be costly.

 

Many of our products consist entirely or partly of proprietary technology owned by us. Although we seek to protect our technology through a combination of copyrights, trade secret laws and contractual obligations, these protections may not be sufficient to prevent the wrongful appropriation of our intellectual property, nor will they prevent our competitors from independently developing technologies that are substantially equivalent or superior to our proprietary technology. In addition, the laws of some foreign countries do not protect our proprietary rights to the same extent as the laws of the United States. In order to defend our proprietary rights in the technology utilized in our products from third party infringement, we may be required to institute legal proceedings, which would be costly and would divert our resources from the development of our business. If we are unable to successfully assert and defend our proprietary rights in the technology utilized in our products, our future results could be adversely affected.

 

Although we attempt to avoid infringing known proprietary rights of third parties in our product development efforts, we may become subject to legal proceedings and claims for alleged infringement from time to time in the ordinary course of business. Any claims relating to the infringement of third-party proprietary rights, even if not meritorious, could result in costly litigation, divert management’s attention and resources, require us to reengineer or cease sales of our products or require us to enter into royalty or license agreements which are not advantageous to us. In addition, parties making claims may be able to obtain an injunction, which could prevent us from selling our products in the United States or abroad.

 

If we are unable to satisfy our customers’ specific product quality, certification or network requirements, our business could be disrupted and our financial condition could be harmed.

 

Our customers demand that our products meet stringent quality, performance and reliability standards. We have, from time to time, experienced problems in satisfying such standards. Defects or failures have occurred in the past, and may in the future occur, relating to our product quality, performance and reliability. From time to time, our customers also require us to implement specific changes to our products to allow these products to operate within their specific network configurations. If we are unable to remedy these failures or defects or if we cannot effect such required product modifications, we could experience lost revenues, increased costs, including inventory write-offs, warranty expense and costs associated with customer support, delays in, or cancellations or rescheduling of, orders or shipments and product returns or discounts, any of which would harm our business.

 

If we ship products that contain defects, the market acceptance of our products and our reputation will be harmed and our customers could seek to recover their damages from us.

 

Our products are complex, and despite extensive testing, may contain defects or undetected errors or failures that may become apparent only after our products have been shipped to our customers and installed in their network or after product features or new versions are released. Any such defect, error or failure could result in failure of market acceptance of our products or damage to our reputation or relations with our customers, resulting in substantial costs for us and our customers as well as the cancellation of orders, warranty costs and product returns. In addition, any defects, errors, misuse of our products or other potential problems within or out of our control that may arise from the use of our products could result in financial or other damages to our customers. Our customers could seek to have us pay for these losses. Although we maintain product liability insurance, it may not be adequate.

 

Our common stock price is volatile.

 

Our common stock is listed on the NYSE American. In the past, our trading price has fluctuated widely, depending on many factors that may have little to do with our operations or business prospects. The exercise of outstanding options and warrants may adversely affect our stock price and a shareholder’s percentage of ownership.

 

We have a substantial number of convertible notes, warrants and options outstanding that could affect our price.

 

Due to a number of financings, we have a substantial number of shares that are subject to issuance pursuant to outstanding convertible debt, warrants and options. These conversion prices and exercise prices range from $0.01 to $1.69 per share of common stock. As of January 2, 2018, the number of shares of common stock subject to convertible notes, warrants and options were 1,283,940, 7,133,828 and 3,877,500 respectively. The issuance of common stock pursuant to convertible notes, warrants and options at conversion or exercise prices less than market prices may have the effect of limiting an increase in market price of our common stock until all of these underling shares have been issued.

 

 

We have a number of shares of common stock subject to registration rights.

 

Due to a number of financings, we have contractually agreed to register with the Commission shares of common stock, and common stock underlying outstanding warrants and convertible debt in connection with private placements of our securities. The potential resale at the same time of a large number of shares of common stock and common stock underlying warrants and convertible debt by the selling stockholders may adversely affect the market price of our common stock.

 

DISCLOSURE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

 

This prospectus contains forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements include those that express plans, anticipation, intent, contingency, goals, targets or future development and/or otherwise are not statements of historical fact. These forward-looking statements are based on our current expectations and projections about future events and they are subject to risks and uncertainties known and unknown that could cause actual results and developments to differ materially from those expressed or implied in such statements.

 

In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by terminology, such as “expects,” “anticipates,” “intends,” “estimates,” “plans,” “believes,” “seeks,” “may,” “should”, “could” or the negative of such terms or other similar expressions.  Accordingly, these statements involve estimates, assumptions and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed in them.  Any forward-looking statements are qualified in their entirety by reference to the factors discussed throughout this prospectus.

 

You should read this prospectus and any accompanying prospectus supplement and the documents that we reference herein and therein and have filed as exhibits to the registration statement, of which this prospectus is part, completely and with the understanding that our actual future results may be materially different from what we expect.  You should assume that the information appearing in this prospectus and any accompanying prospectus supplement is accurate as of the date on the front cover of this prospectus or such prospectus supplement only.  Because the risk factors referred to above, as well as the risk factors referred to on page 7 of this prospectus and incorporated herein by reference, could cause actual results or outcomes to differ materially from those expressed in any forward-looking statements made by us or on our behalf, you should not place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements.  Further, any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date on which it is made, and we undertake no obligation to update any forward-looking statement to reflect events or circumstances after the date on which the statement is made or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.  New factors emerge from time to time, and it is not possible for us to predict which factors will arise.  In addition, we cannot assess the impact of each factor on our business or the extent to which any factor, or combination of factors, may cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statements.  We qualify all of the information presented in this prospectus and any accompanying prospectus supplement, and particularly our forward-looking statements, by these cautionary statements.

 

 

USE OF PROCEEDS

 

Except as otherwise provided in the applicable prospectus supplement, we intend to use the net proceeds from the sale of the securities offered by this prospectus for general corporate purposes, which may include working capital, capital expenditures, research and development expenditures, regulatory affairs expenditures, clinical trial expenditures, acquisitions of new technologies and investments, the financing of possible acquisitions or business expansions, and the repayment, refinancing, redemption or repurchase of future indebtedness or capital stock.

 

The intended application of proceeds from the sale of any particular offering of securities using this prospectus will be described in the accompanying prospectus supplement relating to such offering. The precise amount and timing of the application of these proceeds will depend on our funding requirements and the availability and costs of other funds.

 

 

THE SECURITIES WE MAY OFFER

 

The descriptions of the securities contained in this prospectus, together with the applicable prospectus supplements, summarize all the material terms and provisions of the various types of securities that we may offer. We will describe in the applicable prospectus supplement relating to any securities the particular terms of the securities offered by that prospectus supplement. If we indicate in the applicable prospectus supplement, the terms of the securities may differ from the terms we have summarized below. We will also include in the prospectus supplement information, where applicable, about material United States federal income tax considerations relating to the securities, and the securities exchange, if any, on which the securities will be listed.

 

We may sell from time to time, in one or more offerings:

 

·

shares of our common stock;

·

shares of our preferred stock;

·

warrants to purchase any of the securities listed above; and/or

·

units consisting of any of the securities listed above.

 

The terms of any securities we offer will be determined at the time of sale. We may issue securities that are exchangeable for or convertible into common stock or any of the other securities that may be sold under this prospectus. When particular securities are offered, a supplement to this prospectus will be filed with the Commission, which will describe the terms of the offering and sale of the offered securities.

 

DESCRIPTION OF CAPITAL STOCK

 

The following is a summary of all material characteristics of our capital stock as set forth in our articles of incorporation and bylaws. The summary does not purport to be complete and is qualified in its entirety by reference to our certificate of incorporation and bylaws, and to the provisions of the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware, as amended.

 

Common Stock

 

We are authorized to issue 200,000,000 shares of Class A Common Stock and 25,000,000 shares of Class B Common Stock, par value $0.001 per share.  As of January 2, 2018, there were 30,397,299 shares of our Class A common stock issued and outstanding but no shares of Class B common stock issued or outstanding. The outstanding shares of our common stock are validly issued, fully paid and nonassessable. In this Prospectus, all references solely to “common stock” shall refer to the Class A common stock.

 

Holders of our shares Class A common stock are entitled to one vote for each share on all matters submitted to a shareholder vote. Holders of our shares Class B common stock are entitled to ten votes for each share on all matters submitted to a shareholder vote. Holders of our common stock do not have cumulative voting rights. Therefore, holders of a majority of the shares of our common stock voting for the election of directors can elect all of the directors. Holders of our common stock representing a majority of the voting power of our capital stock issued, outstanding and entitled to vote, represented in person or by proxy, are necessary to constitute a quorum at any meeting of shareholders. A vote by the holders of a majority of our outstanding shares is required to effectuate certain fundamental corporate changes such as liquidation, merger or an amendment to our articles of incorporation.

 

Holders of our common stock are entitled to share in all dividends that our Board of Directors, in its discretion, declares from legally available funds. In the event of a liquidation, dissolution or winding up, each outstanding share entitles its holder to participate pro rata in all assets that remain after payment of liabilities and after providing for each class of stock, if any, having preference over our common stock. Our common stock has no pre-emptive, subscription or conversion rights and there are no redemption provisions applicable to our common stock.

 

 

Preferred Stock

 

We are authorized to issue up to 25,000,000 shares of preferred stock, par value $0.001 per share.  Of these shares of preferred stock, 500,000 are designated as Series A Redeemable Convertible Preferred Stock; 500,000 are designated as Series B Redeemable Convertible Preferred Stock; 460,000 shares are designated as Series C Redeemable Convertible Preferred Stock; 378,776 shares are designated as Series D Redeemable Convertible Preferred Stock; and 10,000 shares are designated as Series E Redeemable Convertible Preferred Stock. As of January 2, 2018, there were no shares of Series A Redeemable Convertible Preferred Stock outstanding; 100,000 shares of Series B Redeemable Convertible Preferred Stock outstanding; no shares of Series C Redeemable Convertible Preferred Stock outstanding; 378,776 shares of Series D Redeemable Convertible Preferred Stock outstanding; and no shares of Series E Redeemable Convertible Preferred Stock outstanding.

 

The shares of preferred stock may be issued in series, and shall have such voting powers, full or limited, or no voting powers, and such designations, preferences and relative participating, optional or other special rights, and qualifications, limitations or restrictions thereof, as shall be stated and expressed in the resolution or resolutions providing for the issuance of such stock adopted from time to time by the board of directors. The board of directors is expressly vested with the authority to determine and fix in the resolution or resolutions providing for the issuances of preferred stock the voting powers, designations, preferences and rights, and the qualifications, limitations or restrictions thereof, of each such series to the full extent now or hereafter permitted by the laws of the State of Delaware.

 

December 2017 Debenture

 

In the December 2017 private placement we issued the December 2017 Debenture for an aggregate purchase price of $500,000 with an aggregate principal face amount of $550,000. The December 2017 Debenture has a term of eight months, bears interest at 5% per year and the principal of the December 2017 Debenture and interest earned thereon may be converted into shares of common stock at $0.60 per share, subject to adjustments for lower priced issuances, stock splits, stock dividends, combinations or similar events. The interest may be paid in cash or, subject to the satisfaction of certain equity conditions, in shares of common stock at our discretion.  In the event that we consummate any debt or equity financing with gross proceeds equal to or greater than $7,500,000, then we shall prepay to the holder in cash 110% of the outstanding principal amounts of the December 2017 Debenture and any accrued and unpaid interest if the closing of such transaction occurs within ninety days from the original issue date of a debenture, and we shall prepay to the holder in cash 115% of the outstanding principal amounts of the December 2017 Debenture and any accrued and unpaid interest if the closing of such transaction occurs between 91 days from the original issue date and the maturity date of the December 2017 Debenture. We have the option to prepay all amounts owed under the December 2017 Debenture in cash at a rate of 110% within 90 days from the original issue date and 115% from 91 days from the original issue date through the maturity date. The December 2017 Debenture contains a 4.99% beneficial ownership limitation, which may be increased at the holder’s option to up to 9.99% with 61 days written notice. Further, until the earlier of repayment or conversion, we shall not enter into a variable rate transactions.

 

The December 2017 Debenture contains standard and customary events of default including, but not limited to, failure to make payments when due under the December 2017 Debenture, failure to comply with certain covenants contained therein, or bankruptcy or insolvency of the Company. Upon an event of default, 150% of the outstanding principal amount of the December 2017 Debenture, plus accrued but unpaid interest, liquidated damages and other amounts owing in respect thereof through the date of acceleration, shall become, at the holder's election, immediately due and payable in cash or in shares of common stock.

 

Transfer Agent and Registrar

 

The Transfer Agent and Registrar for our common stock is Computershare, 8742 Lucent Blvd., Suite 225, Highlands Ranch, CO 80129.

 

DESCRIPTION OF WARRANTS

 

The following description, together with the additional information we may include in any applicable prospectus supplements, summarizes the material terms and provisions of the warrants that we may offer under this prospectus and the related warrant agreements and warrant certificates. While the terms summarized below will apply generally to any warrants that we may offer, we will describe the particular terms of any series of warrants in more detail in the applicable prospectus supplement. If we indicate in the prospectus supplement, the terms of any warrants offered under that prospectus supplement may differ from the terms described below.  If there are differences between that prospectus supplement and this prospectus, the prospectus supplement will control.  Thus, the statements we make in this section may not apply to a particular series of warrants.  Specific warrant agreements will contain additional important terms and provisions and will be incorporated by reference as an exhibit to the registration statement which includes this prospectus.

 

 

General

 

We may issue warrants for the purchase of common stock and/or preferred stock in one or more series. We may issue warrants independently or together with common stock and/or preferred stock, and the warrants may be attached to or separate from these securities.

 

We will evidence each series of warrants by warrant certificates that we may issue under a separate agreement. We may enter into the warrant agreement with a warrant agent. Each warrant agent may be a bank that we select which has its principal office in the United States and a combined capital and surplus of at least $50,000,000.  We may also choose to act as our own warrant agent.  We will indicate the name and address of any such warrant agent in the applicable prospectus supplement relating to a particular series of warrants.

 

We will describe in the applicable prospectus supplement the terms of the series of warrants, including:

 

·

the offering price and aggregate number of warrants offered;

·

the currency for which the warrants may be purchased;

·

if applicable, the designation and terms of the securities with which the warrants are issued and the number of warrants issued with each such security or each principal amount of such security;

·

if applicable, the date on and after which the warrants and the related securities will be separately transferable;

·

in the case of warrants to purchase common stock or preferred stock, the number of shares of common stock or preferred stock, as the case may be, purchasable upon the exercise of one warrant and the price at which these shares may be purchased upon such exercise;

·

the warrant agreement under which the warrants will be issued;

·

the effect of any merger, consolidation, sale or other disposition of our business on the warrant agreement and the warrants;

·

anti-dilution provisions of the warrants, if any;

·

the terms of any rights to redeem or call the warrants;

·

any provisions for changes to or adjustments in the exercise price or number of securities issuable upon exercise of the warrants;

·

the dates on which the right to exercise the warrants will commence and expire or, if the warrants are not continuously exercisable during that period, the specific date or dates on which the warrants will be exercisable;

·

the manner in which the warrant agreement and warrants may be modified;

·

the identities of the warrant agent and any calculation or other agent for the warrants;

·

federal income tax consequences of holding or exercising the warrants;

·

the terms of the securities issuable upon exercise of the warrants;

·

any securities exchange or quotation system on which the warrants or any securities deliverable upon exercise of the warrants may be listed; and

·

any other specific terms, preferences, rights or limitations of or restrictions on the warrants.

 

Before exercising their warrants, holders of warrants will not have any of the rights of holders of the securities purchasable upon such exercise, including in the case of warrants to purchase common stock or preferred stock, the right to receive dividends, if any, or, payments upon our liquidation, dissolution or winding up or to exercise voting rights, if any.

 

Exercise of Warrants

 

Each warrant will entitle the holder to purchase the securities that we specify in the applicable prospectus supplement at the exercise price that we describe in the applicable prospectus supplement. Unless we otherwise specify in the applicable prospectus supplement, holders of the warrants may exercise the warrants at any time up to 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time on the expiration date that we set forth in the applicable prospectus supplement. After the close of business on the expiration date, unexercised warrants will become void.

 

Holders of the warrants may exercise the warrants by delivering the warrant certificate representing the warrants to be exercised together with specified information, and paying the required amount to the warrant agent in immediately available funds, as provided in the applicable prospectus supplement. We will set forth on the reverse side of the warrant certificate, and in the applicable prospectus supplement, the information that the holder of the warrant will be required to deliver to the warrant agent.

 

Until the warrant is properly exercised, no holder of any warrant will be entitled to any rights of a holder of the securities purchasable upon exercise of the warrant.

 

 

Upon receipt of the required payment and the warrant certificate properly completed and duly executed at the corporate trust office of the warrant agent or any other office indicated in the applicable prospectus supplement, we will issue and deliver the securities purchasable upon such exercise. If fewer than all of the warrants represented by the warrant certificate are exercised, then we will issue a new warrant certificate for the remaining amount of warrants. If we so indicate in the applicable prospectus supplement, holders of the warrants may surrender securities as all or part of the exercise price for warrants.

 

Enforceability of Rights by Holders of Warrants

 

Any warrant agent will act solely as our agent under the applicable warrant agreement and will not assume any obligation or relationship of agency or trust with any holder of any warrant. A single bank or trust company may act as warrant agent for more than one issue of warrants. A warrant agent will have no duty or responsibility in case of any default by us under the applicable warrant agreement or warrant, including any duty or responsibility to initiate any proceedings at law or otherwise, or to make any demand upon us. Any holder of a warrant may, without the consent of the related warrant agent or the holder of any other warrant, enforce by appropriate legal action its right to exercise, and receive the securities purchasable upon exercise of, its warrants in accordance with their terms.

 

Warrant Agreement Will Not Be Qualified Under Trust Indenture Act

 

No warrant agreement will be qualified as an indenture, and no warrant agent will be required to qualify as a trustee, under the Trust Indenture Act. Therefore, holders of warrants issued under a warrant agreement will not have the protection of the Trust Indenture Act with respect to their warrants.

 

Governing Law

 

Each warrant agreement and any warrants issued under the warrant agreements will be governed by New York law.

 

Calculation Agent

 

Calculations relating to warrants may be made by a calculation agent, an institution that we appoint as our agent for this purpose.  The prospectus supplement for a particular warrant will name the institution that we have appointed to act as the calculation agent for that warrant as of the original issue date for that warrant. We may appoint a different institution to serve as calculation agent from time to time after the original issue date without the consent or notification of the holders.

 

The calculation agent’s determination of any amount of money payable or securities deliverable with respect to a warrant will be final and binding in the absence of manifest error.

 

DESCRIPTION OF UNITS

 

We may issue units comprised of one or more of the other securities described in this prospectus in any combination. Each unit will be issued so that the holder of the unit is also the holder of each security included in the unit. Thus, the holder of a unit will have the rights and obligations of a holder of each included security. The unit agreement under which a unit is issued may provide that the securities included in the unit may not be held or transferred separately, at any time or at any time before a specified date.

 

The applicable prospectus supplement will describe:

 

·

the designation and terms of the units and of the securities comprising the units, including whether and under what circumstances those securities may be held or transferred separately;

·

any unit agreement under which the units will be issued;

·

any provisions for the issuance, payment, settlement, transfer or exchange of the units or of the securities comprising the units; and

·

whether the units will be issued in fully registered or global form.

 

The applicable prospectus supplement will describe the terms of any units. The preceding description and any description of units in the applicable prospectus supplement does not purport to be complete and is subject to and is qualified in its entirety by reference to the unit agreement and, if applicable, collateral arrangements and depositary arrangements relating to such units.

 

 

PLAN OF DISTRIBUTION

 

We may sell the securities being offered pursuant to this prospectus through underwriters or dealers, through agents, or directly to one or more purchasers or through a combination of these methods.  The applicable prospectus supplement will describe the terms of the offering of the securities, including:

 

·

the name or names of any underwriters, if any, and if required, any dealers or agents;

·

the purchase price of the securities and the proceeds we will receive from the sale;

·

any underwriting discounts and other items constituting underwriters’ compensation;

·

any discounts or concessions allowed or reallowed or paid to dealers; and

·

any securities exchange or market on which the securities may be listed.

 

We may distribute the securities from time to time in one or more transactions at:

 

·

a fixed price or prices, which may be changed;

·

market prices prevailing at the time of sale;

·

prices related to such prevailing market prices; or

·

negotiated prices.

 

Only underwriters named in the prospectus supplement are underwriters of the securities offered by the prospectus supplement.

 

If underwriters are used in an offering, we will execute an underwriting agreement with such underwriters and will specify the name of each underwriter and the terms of the transaction (including any underwriting discounts and other terms constituting compensation of the underwriters and any dealers) in a prospectus supplement. The securities may be offered to the public either through underwriting syndicates represented by managing underwriters or directly by one or more investment banking firms or others, as designated. If an underwriting syndicate is used, the managing underwriter(s) will be specified on the cover of the prospectus supplement. If underwriters are used in the sale, the offered securities will be acquired by the underwriters for their own accounts and may be resold from time to time in one or more transactions, including negotiated transactions, at a fixed public offering price or at varying prices determined at the time of sale. Any public offering price and any discounts or concessions allowed or reallowed or paid to dealers may be changed from time to time. Unless otherwise set forth in the prospectus supplement, the obligations of the underwriters to purchase the offered securities will be subject to conditions precedent and the underwriters will be obligated to purchase all of the offered securities if any are purchased.

 

We may grant to the underwriters options to purchase additional securities to cover over-allotments, if any, at the public offering price, with additional underwriting commissions or discounts, as may be set forth in a related prospectus supplement. The terms of any over-allotment option will be set forth in the prospectus supplement for those securities.

 

If we use a dealer in the sale of the securities being offered pursuant to this prospectus or any prospectus supplement, we will sell the securities to the dealer, as principal.  The dealer may then resell the securities to the public at varying prices to be determined by the dealer at the time of resale.  The names of the dealers and the terms of the transaction will be specified in a prospectus supplement.

 

We may sell the securities directly or through agents we designate from time to time.  We will name any agent involved in the offering and sale of securities and we will describe any commissions we will pay the agent in the prospectus supplement. Unless the prospectus supplement states otherwise, any agent will act on a best-efforts basis for the period of its appointment.

 

We may authorize agents or underwriters to solicit offers by institutional investors to purchase securities from us at the public offering price set forth in the prospectus supplement pursuant to delayed delivery contracts providing for payment and delivery on a specified date in the future. We will describe the conditions to these contracts and the commissions we must pay for solicitation of these contracts in the prospectus supplement.

 

In connection with the sale of the securities, underwriters, dealers or agents may receive compensation from us or from purchasers of the securities for whom they act as agents in the form of discounts, concessions or commissions. Underwriters may sell the securities to or through dealers, and those dealers may receive compensation in the form of discounts, concessions or commissions from the underwriters or commissions from the purchasers for whom they may act as agents. Underwriters, dealers and agents that participate in the distribution of the securities, and any institutional investors or others that purchase securities directly and then resell the securities, may be deemed to be underwriters, and any discounts or commissions received by them from us and any profit on the resale of the securities by them may be deemed to be underwriting discounts and commissions under the Securities Act.

 

We may provide agents and underwriters with indemnification against particular civil liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act, or contribution with respect to payments that the agents or underwriters may make with respect to such liabilities. Agents and underwriters may engage in transactions with, or perform services for, us in the ordinary course of business.

 

 

In addition, we may enter into derivative transactions with third parties (including the writing of options), or sell securities not covered by this prospectus to third parties in privately negotiated transactions. If the applicable prospectus supplement indicates, in connection with such a transaction, the third parties may, pursuant to this prospectus and the applicable prospectus supplement, sell securities covered by this prospectus and the applicable prospectus supplement. If so, the third party may use securities borrowed from us or others to settle such sales and may use securities received from us to close out any related short positions. We may also loan or pledge securities covered by this prospectus and the applicable prospectus supplement to third parties, who may sell the loaned securities or, in an event of default in the case of a pledge, sell the pledged securities pursuant to this prospectus and the applicable prospectus supplement. The third party in such sale transactions will be an underwriter and will be identified in the applicable prospectus supplement or in a post-effective amendment.

 

To facilitate an offering of a series of securities, persons participating in the offering may engage in transactions that stabilize, maintain, or otherwise affect the market price of the securities. This may include over-allotments or short sales of the securities, which involves the sale by persons participating in the offering of more securities than have been sold to them by us. In those circumstances, such persons would cover such over-allotments or short positions by purchasing in the open market or by exercising the over-allotment option granted to those persons. In addition, those persons may stabilize or maintain the price of the securities by bidding for or purchasing securities in the open market or by imposing penalty bids, whereby selling concessions allowed to underwriters or dealers participating in any such offering may be reclaimed if securities sold by them are repurchased in connection with stabilization transactions. The effect of these transactions may be to stabilize or maintain the market price of the securities at a level above that which might otherwise prevail in the open market. Such transactions, if commenced, may be discontinued at any time. We make no representation or prediction as to the direction or magnitude of any effect that the transactions described above, if implemented, may have on the price of our securities.

 

Any common stock sold pursuant to a prospectus supplement will be eligible for quotation and trading on The NYSE American. Any underwriters to whom securities are sold by us for public offering and sale may make a market in the securities, but such underwriters will not be obligated to do so and may discontinue any market making at any time without notice.

 

In order to comply with the securities laws of some states, if applicable, the securities offered pursuant to this prospectus will be sold in those states only through registered or licensed brokers or dealers. In addition, in some states securities may not be sold unless they have been registered or qualified for sale in the applicable state or an exemption from the registration or qualification requirement is available and complied with.

 

LEGAL MATTERS

 

The validity of the issuance of the securities offered hereby will be passed upon for us by Sichenzia Ross Ference Kesner LLP, New York, New York.

 

EXPERTS

 

The consolidated financial statements as of December 31, 2016, and for the year then ended incorporated by reference in this prospectus have been so incorporated in reliance on the report of Marcum, LLP, an independent registered public accounting firm, incorporated herein by reference, given on the authority of said firm as experts in auditing and accounting.

 

The consolidated financial statements as of December 31, 2015, and for year then ended incorporated by reference in this prospectus have been so incorporated in reliance on the reports of Kost Forer Gabbay & Kasierer, a Member of Ernst & Young Global, an independent registered public accounting firm, incorporated herein by reference, given on the authority of said firm as experts in auditing and accounting.

 

WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION

 

We have filed with the Commission a registration statement on Form S-3 under the Securities Act, with respect to the securities covered by this prospectus. This prospectus and any prospectus supplement which form a part of the registration statement, does not contain all of the information set forth in the registration statement or the exhibits and schedules filed therewith. For further information with respect to us and the securities covered by this prospectus, please see the registration statement and the exhibits filed with the registration statement. Any statements made in this prospectus or any prospectus supplement concerning legal documents are not necessarily complete and you should read the documents that are filed as exhibits to the registration statement or otherwise filed with the Commission for a more complete understanding of the document or matter. A copy of the registration statement and the exhibits filed with the registration statement may be inspected without charge at the Public Reference Room maintained by the Commission, located at 100 F Street, N.E., Washington, D.C. 20549. Please call the Commission at 1-800-SEC-0330 for more information about the operation of the Public Reference Room. The Commission also maintains an internet website that contains reports, proxy and information statements and other information regarding registrants that file electronically with the Commission. The address of the website is http://www.sec.gov.

 

We file annual, quarterly and current reports, proxy statements and other information with the Commission. You may read, without charge, and copy the documents we file at the Commission’s public reference room in Washington, D.C. at 100 F Street, N.E., Washington, D.C. 20549. You can request copies of these documents by writing to the Commission and paying a fee for the copying cost. Please call the Commission at 1-800-SEC-0330 for further information on the public reference rooms. Our filings with the Commission are also available to the public at no cost from the SEC’s website at http://www.sec.gov.

 

 

INCORPORATION OF DOCUMENTS BY REFERENCE

 

We have filed a registration statement on Form S-3 with the Commission under the Securities Act. This prospectus is part of the registration statement but the registration statement includes and incorporates by reference additional information and exhibits. The Commission permits us to “incorporate by reference” the information contained in documents we file with the Commission, which means that we can disclose important information to you by referring you to those documents rather than by including them in this prospectus. Information that is incorporated by reference is considered to be part of this prospectus and you should read it with the same care that you read this prospectus. Information that we file later with the Commission will automatically update and supersede the information that is either contained, or incorporated by reference, in this prospectus, and will be considered to be a part of this prospectus from the date those documents are filed. We have filed with the Commission, and incorporate by reference in this prospectus:

 

·

Our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the period ended December 31, 2016;

 

·

Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q for the quarters ended March 31, 2017 and September 30, 2017, and Form 10-Q/A for the quarter ended June 30, 2017;

  

·

Current Reports on Form 8-K filed with the Commission on January 5, 2017, January 20, 2017, February 17, 2017, February 24, 2017, February 27, 2017, March 9, 2017, March 16, 2017, March 20, 2017, March 21, 2017, March 28, 2017, April 4, 2017, April 11, 2017, May 3, 2017, May 5, 2017, May 17, 2017, May 31, 2017, June 5, 2017, June 6, 2017, June 7, 2017, June 8, 2017, June 19, 2017, June 21, 2017, June 29, 2017, July 12, 2017, July 17, 2017, July 26, 2017, July 31, 2017, August 9, 2017, August 11, 2017, August 25, 2017, September 6, 2017 (Item 2.01 only), September 7, 2017, October 12, 2017, October 19, 2017, October 23, 2017, November 2, 2017, November 6, 2017 (Form 8-K/A), November 7, 2017, November 8, 2017 (Form 8-K/A), November 8, 2017, November 14, 2017, November 21, 2017, November 22, 2017, December 4, 2017, December 8, 2017, December 13, 2017, December 15, 2017 (Form 8-K/A), December 20, 2017, December 26, 2017, December 28, 2017, December 29, 2017 and January 2, 2018.

 

·

Our proxy statement dated November 17, 2017, and

 

·

The description of our common stock contained in Form 8-A.

 

We also incorporate by reference all additional documents that we file with the Securities and Exchange Commission under the terms of Sections 13(a), 13(c), 14 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act that are made after the initial filing date of the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part until the offering of the particular securities covered by a prospectus supplement or term sheet has been completed. We are not, however, incorporating, in each case, any documents or information that we are deemed to furnish and not file in accordance with Securities and Exchange Commission rules.

 

We will provide you, without charge upon written or oral request, a copy of any and all of the information that has been incorporated by reference in this prospectus and that has not been delivered with this prospectus. Requests should be directed to DPW Holdings, Inc., 48430 Lakeview Blvd., Fremont, California, 94538-3158; Tel.: (510) 657-2635; Attention: Milton C. Ault III, Chief Executive Officer.

 

 

 

 

150,000 Shares of Common Stock

 

 

 

 

 

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