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UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549
FORM 8-K
CURRENT REPORT
PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE
SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
November 27, 2007
Date of report (Date of earliest event reported)
Wireless Ronin Technologies, Inc.
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
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Minnesota
(State or other jurisdiction
of incorporation)
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1-33169
(Commission
File Number)
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41-1967918
(IRS Employer
Identification No.) |
5929 Baker Road, Suite 475
Minnetonka, Minnesota 55345
(Address of principal executive offices, including zip code)
(952) 564-3500
(Registrants telephone number, including area code)
Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy
the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions (see General
Instruction A.2):
o Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425)
o Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12)
o Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b))
o Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c))
TABLE OF CONTENTS
We are filing herewith a Cautionary Statement pursuant to the Private Securities Litigation
Reform Act of 1995 for use as a readily available written document to which reference may be made
in connection with forward-looking statements, as defined in such act. Such Cautionary Statement,
which appears as Exhibit 99 to this report, is incorporated by reference in response to this Item
8.01.
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ITEM 9.01 FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND EXHIBITS. |
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SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly
caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.
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Date: November 27, 2007 |
Wireless Ronin Technologies, Inc.
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By: |
/s/ John A. Witham
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John A. Witham |
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Executive Vice President and
Chief Financial Officer |
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EXHIBIT INDEX
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Exhibit |
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Number |
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Description |
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99
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Cautionary Statement, dated November 27, 2007. |
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exv99
EXHIBIT 99
CAUTIONARY STATEMENT
Wireless Ronin Technologies, Inc., or persons acting on our behalf, or outside reviewers
retained by us making statements on our behalf, or underwriters of our securities, from time to
time, may make, in writing or orally, forward-looking statements as defined under the Private
Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. This Cautionary Statement, when used in conjunction with
an identified forward-looking statement, is for the purpose of qualifying for the safe harbor
provisions of the Litigation Reform Act and is intended to be a readily available written document
that contains factors which could cause results to differ materially from such forward-looking
statements. These factors are in addition to any other cautionary statements, written or oral,
which may be made, or referred to, in connection with any such forward-looking statement.
The following matters, among others, may have a material adverse effect on our business,
financial condition, liquidity, results of operations or prospects, financial or otherwise, or on
the trading price of our common stock. Reference to this Cautionary Statement in the context of a
forward-looking statement or statements shall be deemed to be a statement that any one or more of
the following factors may cause actual results to differ materially from those in such
forward-looking statement or statements.
Risks Related to Our Business
Our operations and business are subject to the risks of an early stage company with limited revenue
and a history of operating losses. We have incurred losses since inception, and we have had only
nominal revenue. We may not ever become or remain profitable.
Since inception, we have had limited revenue from the sale of our products and services, and
we have incurred net losses. We incurred net losses of $4,789,925 and $14,787,737, respectively,
for the years ended December 31, 2005 and 2006. We had a net loss of $6,412,800 for the nine
months ended September 30, 2007. As of September 30, 2007, we had an accumulated deficit of
$39,846,513. We expect to increase our spending significantly as we continue to expand our
infrastructure and our sales and marketing efforts and continue research and development.
We have not been profitable in any year of our operating history and anticipate incurring
additional losses into the foreseeable future. We do not know whether or when we will become
profitable. Even if we are able to achieve profitability in future periods, we may not be able to
sustain or increase our profitability in successive periods. We may require additional financing
in the future to support our operations. For further information, please review the risk factor
Adequate funds for our operations may not be available, requiring us to curtail our activities
significantly below.
We have formulated our business plans and strategies based on certain assumptions regarding
the acceptance of our business model and the marketing of our products and services. However, our
assessments regarding market size, market share, market acceptance of our products and services and
a variety of other factors may prove incorrect. Our future success will depend upon many factors,
including factors which may be beyond our control or which cannot be predicted at this time.
Our success depends on our RoninCast system achieving and maintaining widespread acceptance in our
targeted markets. If our products contain errors or defects, our business reputation may be
harmed.
Our success will depend to a large extent on broad market acceptance of RoninCast and our
other products and services among our prospective customers. Our prospective customers may still
not use our solutions for a number of other reasons, including preference for static signage,
unfamiliarity with our technology or perceived lack of reliability. We believe that the acceptance
of RoninCast and our other products and services by our prospective customers will depend on the
following factors:
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our ability to demonstrate RoninCasts economic and other benefits; |
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our customers becoming comfortable with using RoninCast; and |
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the reliability of the software and hardware comprising RoninCast and our other
products. |
Our software is complex and must meet stringent user requirements. Our products could contain
errors or defects, especially when first introduced or when new models or versions are released,
which could cause our customers to reject our products, result in increased service costs and
warranty expenses and harm our reputation. We must develop our products quickly to keep pace with
the rapidly changing digital signage and communications market. In the future, we may experience
delays in releasing new products as problems are corrected. In addition, some undetected errors or
defects may only become apparent as new functions are added to our products. Delays, costs and
damage to our reputation due to product defects could harm our business.
We may experience fluctuations in our quarterly operating results.
We may experience variability in our total sales on a quarterly basis as a result of many
factors, including the condition of the electronic communication and digital signage industry in
general, shifts in demand for software and hardware products, technological changes and industry
announcements of new products and upgrades, absence of long-term commitments from customers, timing
and variable lead-times of customer orders, delays in or cancellations of customer orders, the
ability of our customers to pay for products and services, effectiveness in managing our operations
and changes in economic conditions in general. We may not consider it prudent to adjust our
spending levels on the same timeframe; therefore, if total sales decline for a given quarter, our
operating results may be materially adversely affected. As a result of the potential fluctuations
in our quarterly operating results, we believe that period-to-period comparisons of our financial
results should not be relied upon as an indication of future performance. Further, it is possible
that in future quarters our operating results will be below the expectations of public market
analysts and investors. In such event, the price of our common stock would likely be materially
adversely affected.
During the first nine months of 2007, sales to one customer generated a majority of our revenue and
any decrease in revenue from this customer, who has reprioritized its digital signage projects,
could have an adverse effect on our net revenue and operating results.
The markets for our products are highly concentrated. Our revenues are typically derived from
a limited number of customers. Revenues from our largest customer accounted for 56.1 percent of
our revenue for the nine months ended September 30, 2007. This customer also has advised us of its
re-prioritization of its planned digital signage implementations. In particular, this customer has
delayed the rollout of network installations into large, upscale malls, and the launch,
installation and operation of digital signage networks in physicians offices throughout the U.S.
This re-prioritization of pending projects will negatively impact our 2007 revenue. Furthermore,
our customer concentration increases the risk of quarterly fluctuations in our revenues and
operating results. Any downturn in the business of our key customers or potential new customers
could have a negative impact on our sales to such customers, which could adversely affect our net
revenues and results of operations. We expect that a small number of customers will continue to
account for a large amount of our revenues. The decision by any large customer to decrease or
cease using our products would harm our business. The loss of one of more of our customers, or a
significant reduction in the use of our services by one or more of our customers, could have a
material adverse effect on our results of operations.
During the first nine months of 2007, our accounts receivable with one customer represented a
majority of our accounts receivable and our dependence on such customer, who has reprioritized its
digital signage projects, represents a significant concentration of credit risk.
Due to our dependence on a limited number of customers, we are subject to a concentration of
credit risk with respect to accounts receivable. Accounts receivable due from our largest customer
accounted for 56.7 percent of our accounts receivable as of September 30, 2007. As noted above,
this customer has advised us of its re-prioritization of its planned digital signage
implementations.
Furthermore, in October 2007, this customer executed a promissory note in favor of our company
and entered into a related security agreement pursuant to which we acquired a security interest in
certain collateral. Due to the issuance of this note, we will reclassify approximately $1.8
million of accounts receivable into notes receivable during the quarter ended December 31, 2007.
This debt obligation is scheduled to mature on the first to occur of (1) successful completion of
this customers financing efforts, or (2) December 31, 2007.
In the case of insolvency by one of our significant customers, accounts receivable with
respect to that customer might not be collectible, might not be fully collectible, or might be
collectible over longer than normal terms, each of which could adversely affect our financial
position. In addition, in the case of insolvency by our largest customer and notwithstanding the
above-referenced security agreement, we may not be able to fully recover the amount of the note
receivable, which could adversely affect our financial position. There can be no assurance that we
will not suffer credit losses in the future.
The integration and operation of McGill Digital Solutions may disrupt our business and create
additional expenses and we may not achieve the anticipated benefits of the acquisition. In the
event we elect to expand our business through additional acquisitions, we cannot assure that such
future acquisitions, if pursued and consummated, will be advantageous or profitable.
Integration of an acquisition involves numerous risks, including difficulties in converting
information technology systems and assimilating the operations and products or services of an
acquired business, the diversion of managements attention from other business concerns, risks of
entering markets in which we have limited or no direct prior experience, assumption of unknown
liabilities, the potential loss of key associates and/or customers, difficulties in completing
strategic initiatives already underway in the acquired or acquiring companies, unfamiliarity with
partners of the acquired company, and difficulties in attracting additional key employees necessary
to manage acquired operations, each of which could have a material adverse effect on our business,
results of operations and financial condition.
In August 2007, we acquired McGill Digital Solutions. The success of our integration of
McGill Digital Solutions, which is presently incomplete as well as subject to the above-referenced
risks, assumes certain synergies and other benefits. We cannot assure you that these risks or
other unforeseen factors will not offset the intended benefits of the acquisition, in whole or in
part.
We may determine to grow through future acquisitions of technologies, products or businesses.
We may complete future acquisitions using cash, or through issuances of equity securities which
could be dilutive, or through the incurrence of debt which could contain restrictive covenants. In
addition, acquisitions may result in significant amortization expenses related to intangible
assets. Such methods of financing could adversely affect our earnings. We cannot assure you that
we will be successful in integrating any business acquired in the future. In addition, we cannot
assure you that we will pursue or consummate future acquisitions or that any acquisitions, if
consummated, will be advantageous or profitable for our company.
Most of our contracts are terminable by our customers with limited notice and without penalty
payments, and early terminations could have a material effect on our business, operating results
and financial condition.
Most of our contracts are terminable by our customers following limited notice and without
early termination payments or liquidated damages due from them. In addition, each stage of a
project often represents a separate contractual commitment, at the end of which the customers may
elect to delay or not to proceed to the next stage of the project. We cannot assure you that one
or more of our customers will not terminate a material contract or materially reduce the scope of a
large project. The delay, cancellation
or significant reduction in the scope of a large project or number of projects could have a
material adverse effect on our business, operating results and financial condition.
Our prospective customers often take a long time to evaluate our products, and this lengthy and
variable sales cycle makes it difficult to predict our operating results.
It is difficult for us to forecast the timing and recognition of revenue from sales of our
products because our prospective customers often take significant time evaluating our products
before purchasing them. The period between initial customer contact and a purchase by a customer
may be more than one year. During the evaluation period, prospective customers may decide not to
purchase or may scale down proposed orders of our products for various reasons, including:
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reduced need to upgrade existing visual marketing systems; |
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introduction of products by our competitors; |
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lower prices offered by our competitors; and |
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changes in budgets and purchasing priorities. |
Our prospective customers routinely require education regarding the use and benefit of our
products. This may also lead to delays in receiving customers orders.
Adequate funds for our operations may not be available, requiring us to curtail our activities
significantly.
Based on our current and anticipated expense levels and our existing capital resources, we
anticipate that our cash will be adequate to fund our operations for at least the next twelve
months. Our future capital requirements, however, will depend on many factors, including our
ability to successfully market and sell our products, develop new products and establish and
leverage our strategic partnerships and reseller relationships. In order to meet our needs should
we not become cash flow positive or should we be unable to sustain positive cash flow, we may be
required to raise additional funding through public or private financings, including equity
financings. Any additional equity financings may be dilutive to shareholders, and debt financing,
if available, may involve restrictive covenants. Adequate funds for our operations, whether from
financial markets, collaborative or other arrangements, may not be available when needed or on
terms attractive to us. If adequate funds are not available, our plans to expand our business may
be adversely affected and we could be required to curtail our activities significantly.
Difficulty in developing and maintaining relationships with third party manufacturers, suppliers
and service providers could adversely affect our ability to deliver our products and meet our
customers demands.
We rely on third parties to manufacture and supply parts and components for our products and
provide order fulfillment, installation, repair services and technical and customer support. Our
strategy to rely on third party manufacturers, suppliers and service providers involves a number of
significant risks, including the loss of control over the manufacturing process, the potential
absence of adequate capacity, the unavailability of certain parts and components used in our
products and reduced control over delivery schedules, quality and costs. For example, we do not
generally maintain a significant inventory of parts or components, but rely on suppliers to deliver
necessary parts and components to third party manufacturers, in a timely manner, based on our
forecasts. If delivery of our products and services to our customers is interrupted, or if our
products experience quality problems, our ability to meet customer demands would be harmed, causing
a loss of revenue and harm to our reputation. Increased costs,
transition difficulties and lead times involved in developing additional or new third party
relationships could adversely affect our ability to deliver our products and meet our customers
demands and harm our business.
Reductions in hardware costs will likely decrease hardware pricing to our customers and reduce our
per unit revenue.
Our product pricing includes a standard percentage markup over our cost of product components,
such as computers and display monitors. As such, any decrease in our costs to acquire such
components from third parties will likely be reflected as a decrease in our hardware pricing to our
customers. Therefore, reductions in such hardware costs could potentially reduce our revenue.
Because our business model relies upon strategic partners and resellers, we expect to face risks
not faced by companies with only internal sales forces.
We currently sell most of our products through an internal sales force. We anticipate that
strategic partners and resellers will become a larger part of our sales strategy. We may not,
however, be successful in forming relationships with qualified partners and resellers. If we fail
to attract qualified partners and resellers, we may not be able to expand our sales network, which
may have an adverse effect on our ability to generate revenue. Our anticipated reliance on
partners and resellers involves several risks, including the following:
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we may not be able to adequately train partners and resellers to sell and service
our products; |
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they may emphasize competitors products or decline to carry our products; and |
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channel conflict may arise between other third parties and/or our internal sales
staff. |
Our industry is characterized by frequent technological change. If we are unable to adapt our
products and develop new products to keep up with these rapid changes, we will not be able to
obtain or maintain market share.
The market for our products is characterized by rapidly changing technology, evolving industry
standards, changes in customer needs, heavy competition and frequent new product introductions. If
we fail to develop new products or modify or improve existing products in response to these changes
in technology, customer demands or industry standards, our products could become less competitive
or obsolete.
We must respond to changing technology and industry standards in a timely and cost-effective
manner. We may not be successful in using new technologies, developing new products or enhancing
existing products in a timely and cost effective manner. Our pursuit of necessary technology may
require substantial time and expense. We may need to license new technologies to respond to
technological change. These licenses may not be available to us on commercially reasonable terms
or at all. We may not succeed in adapting our products to new technologies as they emerge.
Furthermore, even if we successfully adapt our products, these new technologies or enhancements may
not achieve market acceptance.
Our future success depends on our key personnel and our ability to attract and retain additional
personnel.
Our key personnel include:
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Jeffrey C. Mack, Chairman of the Board of Directors, Chief Executive Officer and
President; |
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John A. Witham, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer; |
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Christopher F. Ebbert, Executive Vice President and Chief Technology Officer; and |
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Scott W. Koller, Executive Vice President of Sales and Marketing. |
If we fail to retain our key personnel or to attract, retain and motivate other qualified
employees, our ability to maintain and develop our business may be adversely affected. Our future
success depends significantly on the continued service of our key technical, sales and senior
management personnel and their ability to execute our growth strategy. The loss of the services of
our key employees could harm our business. We may be unable to retain our employees or to attract,
assimilate and retain other highly qualified employees who could migrate to other employers who
offer competitive or superior compensation packages.
Our ability to execute our business strategy depends on our ability to protect our intellectual
property, and if any third parties make unauthorized use of our intellectual property, or if our
intellectual property rights are successfully challenged, our competitive position and business
could suffer.
Our success and ability to compete depends substantially on our proprietary technologies. We
regard our copyrights, service marks, trademarks, trade secrets and similar intellectual property
as critical to our success, and we rely on trademark and copyright law, trade secret protection and
confidentiality agreements with our employees, customers and others to protect our proprietary
rights. Despite our precautions, unauthorized third parties might copy certain portions of our
software or reverse engineer and use information that we regard as proprietary. No U.S. or
international patents have been granted to us. As of November 1, 2007, we had applied for three
U.S. patents, but we cannot provide assurance that they will be granted. Even if they are granted,
our patents may be successfully challenged by others or invalidated. In addition, any patents that
may be granted to us may not provide us a significant competitive advantage. We have been granted
trademarks, but they could be challenged in the future. If future trademark registrations are not
approved because third parties own these trademarks, our use of these trademarks would be
restricted unless we enter into arrangements with the third party owners, which might not be
possible on commercially reasonable terms or at all. If we fail to protect or enforce our
intellectual property rights successfully, our competitive position could suffer. We may be
required to spend significant resources to monitor and police our intellectual property rights. We
may not be able to detect infringement and may lose competitive position in the market. In
addition, competitors may design around our technology or develop competing technologies.
Intellectual property rights may also be unavailable or limited in some foreign countries, which
could make it easier for competitors to capture market share.
Our industry is characterized by frequent intellectual property litigation, and we could face
claims of infringement by others in our industry. Such claims are costly and add uncertainty to
our business strategy.
The digital media and communications industry is characterized by uncertain and conflicting
intellectual property claims and frequent intellectual property litigation, especially regarding
patent rights. We could be subject to claims of infringement of third party intellectual property
rights, which could result in significant expense and could ultimately result in the loss of our
intellectual property rights. From time to time, third parties may assert patent, copyright,
trademark or other intellectual property rights to technologies that are important to our business.
In addition, because patent applications in the
United States are not publicly disclosed until the patent is issued, applications may have
been filed which relate to our industry of which we are not aware. We may in the future receive
notices of claims that our products infringe or may infringe intellectual property rights of third
parties. Any litigation to determine the validity of these claims, including claims arising
through our contractual indemnification of our business partners, regardless of their merit or
resolution, would likely be costly and time consuming and divert the efforts and attention of our
management and technical personnel. If any such litigation resulted in an adverse ruling, we could
be required to:
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pay substantial damages; |
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cease the manufacture, use or sale of infringing products; |
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discontinue the use of certain technology; or |
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obtain a license under the intellectual property rights of the third party claiming
infringement, which license may not be available on commercially reasonable terms or at
all. |
MediaTile Company USA has informed us that it filed a patent application in June 2005 related
to the use of cellular technology for delivery of digital content. We currently use cellular
technology to deliver digital content on a limited basis. While MediaTile has not alleged that our
products infringe its rights, they may so allege in the future.
Our business may be adversely affected by malicious applications that interfere with, or exploit
security flaws in, our products and services.
Our business may be adversely affected by malicious applications that make changes to our
customers computer systems and interfere with the operation and use of our products. These
applications may attempt to interfere with our ability to communicate with our customers devices.
The interference may occur without disclosure to or consent from our customers, resulting in a
negative experience that our customers may associate with our products. These applications may be
difficult or impossible to uninstall or disable, may reinstall themselves and may circumvent other
applications efforts to block or remove them. In addition, we offer a number of products and
services that our customers download to their computers or that they rely on to store information
and transmit information over the Internet. These products and services are subject to attack by
viruses, worms and other malicious software programs, which could jeopardize the security of
information stored in a customers computer or in our computer systems and networks. The ability
to reach customers and provide them with a superior product experience is critical to our success.
If our efforts to combat these malicious applications fail, or if our products and services have
actual or perceived vulnerabilities, there may be claims based on such failure or our reputation
may be harmed, which would damage our business and financial condition.
We could have liability arising out of our previous sales of unregistered securities.
Prior to our initial public offering, we financed our development and operations with proceeds
from the sale to accredited investors of debt and equity securities. These securities were not
registered under federal or state securities laws because we believed such sales were exempt under
Section 4(2) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and under Regulation D under the Securities
Act. In addition, we issued stock purchase warrants to independent contractors and associates as
compensation or as incentives for future performance in reliance upon the exemption provided by
Rule 701 promulgated under Section 3(b) of the Securities Act. We have received no claim that such
sales were in violation of securities registration requirements under such laws, but should a claim
be made, we would have the burden of demonstrating that sales were exempt from such registration
requirements. In addition, it is possible that
a purchaser of our securities could claim that disclosures to them in connection with such
sales were inadequate, creating potential liability under the anti-fraud provisions of federal and
state securities or other laws. If successful, claims under such laws could require us to pay
damages, perform rescission offers, and/or pay interest on amounts invested and attorneys fees and
costs. Depending upon the magnitude of a judgment against us in any such actions, our financial
condition and prospects could be materially and adversely affected.
We compete with other companies that have more resources, which puts us at a competitive
disadvantage.
The market for digital signage software is highly competitive and we expect competition to
increase in the future. Some of our competitors or potential competitors have significantly
greater financial, technical and marketing resources than our company. These competitors may be
able to respond more rapidly than we can to new or emerging technologies or changes in customer
requirements. They may also devote greater resources to the development, promotion and sale of
their products than our company.
We expect competitors to continue to improve the performance of their current products and to
introduce new products, services and technologies. Successful new product introductions or
enhancements by our competitors could reduce sales and the market acceptance of our products, cause
intense price competition or make our products obsolete. To be competitive, we must continue to
invest significant resources in research and development, sales and marketing and customer support.
If we do not have sufficient resources to make these investments or are unable to make the
technological advances necessary to be competitive, our competitive position will suffer.
Increased competition could result in price reductions, fewer customer orders, reduced margins and
loss of market share. Our failure to compete successfully against current or future competitors
could seriously harm our business.
Our results of operations could be adversely affected by changes in foreign currency exchange
rates, particularly fluctuations in the exchange rate between the U.S. dollar and the Canadian
dollar.
Since a portion of our operations and revenue occur outside the United States and in
currencies other than the U.S. dollar, our results could be adversely affected by changes in
foreign currency exchange rates. Additionally, given our August 2007 acquisition of McGill Digital
Solutions in Windsor, Canada, changes in the exchange rate between the U.S. dollar and the Canadian
dollar can significantly affect intercompany balances and our results of operations. Although we
periodically use forward contracts to manage our exposure associated with forecasted international
revenue transactions denominated in U.S. dollars, our business, results of operations and financial
condition could be adversely affected by changes in foreign currency exchange rates.
Risks Related to Our Securities
We must implement additional finance and accounting systems, procedures and controls in order to
satisfy requirements applicable to public companies, which will increase our costs and divert
managements time and attention.
As a public company, we incur significant legal, accounting and other expenses that we did not
incur as a private company, including costs associated with public company reporting requirements
and corporate governance requirements, including requirements under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002,
as well as rules implemented by the SEC and NASDAQ.
As an example of reporting requirements, we continue to evaluate our internal control systems
in order to allow management to report on our internal control over financing reporting beginning
with our annual report for the year ended December 31, 2007, and our independent registered public
accounting firm to attest to our internal control over financing reporting beginning with our
annual report for the year ended December 31, 2008, as required by Section 404 of the
Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. As a company with limited capital and human resources, we anticipate
that more of managements time and attention will be diverted from our business to ensure
compliance with these regulatory requirements than would be the case with a company that has
established controls and procedures. This diversion of managements time and attention could have
an adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
In the event we identify significant deficiencies or material weaknesses in our internal
control over financial reporting that we cannot remediate in a timely manner, or if we are unable
to receive a positive attestation from our independent registered public accounting firm with
respect to our internal control over financial reporting, investors and others may lose confidence
in the reliability of our financial statements, and the trading price of our common stock and
ability to obtain any necessary equity or debt financing could suffer. In addition, if our
independent registered public accounting firm is unable to rely on our internal control over
financial reporting in connection with its audit of our financial statements, and if it is unable
to devise alternative procedures in order to satisfy itself as to the material accuracy of our
financial statements and related disclosures, it is possible that we would be unable to file our
annual report with the SEC, which could also adversely affect the trading price of our common stock
and our ability to secure any necessary additional financing, and could result in the delisting of
our common stock from NASDAQ and the ineligibility of our common stock for quotation on the OTC
Bulletin Board. In that event, the liquidity of our common stock would be severely limited and the
market price of our common stock would likely decline significantly.
In addition, the foregoing regulatory requirements could make it more difficult or more costly
for us to obtain certain types of insurance, including directors and officers liability
insurance, and we may be forced to accept reduced policy limits and coverage or incur substantially
higher costs to obtain the same or similar coverage. The impact of these events could also make it
more difficult for us to attract and retain qualified persons to serve on our Board of Directors,
on Board committees or as executive officers.
Our management has broad discretion over the use of the remaining net proceeds from our initial
public offering as well as the net proceeds from our follow-on offering and may apply the proceeds
in ways that do not improve our operating results or increase the value of our common stock.
Our management has significant discretion in the use of the remaining net proceeds of our
initial public offering and the net proceeds of our follow-on offering. Accordingly, our investors
will not have the opportunity to evaluate the economic, financial and other relevant information
that we may consider in the application of such net proceeds. Therefore, it is possible that we
may allocate such net proceeds in ways that fail to improve our operating results, increase the
value of our common stock or otherwise maximize the return on these proceeds.
If we fail to comply with the NASDAQ requirements for continued listing, our common stock could be
delisted from NASDAQ, which could hinder our investors ability to obtain timely quotations on the
price of our common stock, or trade our common stock in the secondary market.
Our common stock must sustain a minimum bid price of at least $1.00 per share and we must satisfy
the other requirements for continued listing on NASDAQ. If our common stock is delisted from
NASDAQ, trading in our common stock would likely thereafter be conducted in the over-the-counter
markets in the so-called pink sheets or the OTC Bulletin Board. In such event, the liquidity of
our common stock would likely be impaired, not only in the number of shares which could be bought
and sold, but also through
delays in the timing of the transactions, and there would likely be a reduction in the coverage of
our company by securities analysts and the news media, thereby resulting in lower prices for our
common stock than might otherwise prevail.
The market price of our stock may be subject to wide fluctuations.
The price of our common stock may fluctuate, depending on many factors, some of which are
beyond our control and may not be related to our operating performance. These fluctuations could
cause our investors to lose part or all of their investment in our shares of common stock. Factors
that could cause fluctuations include, but are not limited to, the following:
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price and volume fluctuations in the overall stock market from time to time; |
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significant volatility in the market price and trading volume of companies in our
industry; |
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actual or anticipated changes in our earnings or fluctuations in our operating
results or in the expectations of financial market analysts; |
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investor perceptions of our industry, in general, and our company, in particular; |
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the operating and stock performance of comparable companies; |
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general economic conditions and trends; |
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major catastrophic events; |
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loss of external funding sources; |
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sales of large blocks of our stock or sales by insiders; or |
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departures of key personnel. |
Our directors, executive officers and Spirit Lake Tribe together may exercise significant control
over our company.
As of November 1, 2007, our directors, executive officers and Spirit Lake Tribe beneficially
owned approximately 6.4% of the outstanding shares of our common stock. As a result, these
shareholders, if acting together, may be able to influence or control matters requiring approval by
our shareholders, including the election of directors and the approval of mergers or other
extraordinary transactions. They may also have interests that differ from our other investors and
may vote in a way with which such investors disagree and which may be adverse to such investors
interests. The concentration of ownership may have the effect of delaying, preventing or deterring
a change of control of our company, could deprive our shareholders of an opportunity to receive a
premium for their common stock as part of a sale of our company and might ultimately affect the
market price of our common stock.
Our articles of incorporation, bylaws and Minnesota law may discourage takeovers and business
combinations that our shareholders might consider in their best interests.
Anti-takeover provisions of our articles of incorporation, bylaws and Minnesota law could
diminish the opportunity for shareholders to participate in acquisition proposals at a price above
the then current market price of our common stock. For example, while we have no present plans to
issue any preferred stock, our Board of Directors, without further shareholder approval, may issue
up to 16,666,666
shares of undesignated preferred stock and fix the powers, preferences, rights and limitations
of such class or series, which could adversely affect the voting power of our common stock. In
addition, our bylaws provide for an advance notice procedure for nomination of candidates to our
Board of Directors that could have the effect of delaying, deterring or preventing a change in
control. Further, as a Minnesota corporation, we are subject to provisions of the Minnesota
Business Corporation Act, or MBCA, regarding control share acquisitions and business
combinations. We may, in the future, consider adopting additional anti-takeover measures. The
authority of our board to issue undesignated preferred stock and the anti-takeover provisions of
the MBCA, as well as any future anti-takeover measures adopted by us, may, in certain
circumstances, delay, deter or prevent takeover attempts and other changes in control of our
company not approved by our Board of Directors.
We do not anticipate paying cash dividends on our shares of common stock in the foreseeable future.
We have never declared or paid any cash dividends on our shares of common stock. We intend to
retain any future earnings to fund the operation and expansion of our business and, therefore, we
do not anticipate paying cash dividends on our shares of common stock in the foreseeable future.
As a result, capital appreciation, if any, of our common stock will be the sole source of gain for
investors in our common stock for the foreseeable future.
A substantial number of shares are eligible for sale by our current investors and the sale of those
shares could adversely affect our stock price.
If our existing shareholders sell, or indicate an intention to sell, substantial amounts of
our common stock in the public market after the lock-up agreements discussed below lapse, the
trading price of our common stock could be adversely effected.
Our
directors, executive officers and Spirit Lake Tribe have agreed not to sell, offer to
sell, contract to sell, pledge, hypothecate, grant any option to purchase, transfer or otherwise
dispose of, grant any rights with respect to, or file or participate in the filing of a
registration statement with the SEC, except the registration
statement that was originally declared effective by the SEC on
February 8, 2007, or establish or increase a put equivalent position or liquidate or decrease a call
equivalent position within the meaning of Section 16 of the Exchange Act, or be the subject of any
hedging, short sale, derivative or other transaction that is designed to, or reasonably expected to
lead to, or result in, the effective economic disposition of, or publicly announce his, her or its
intention to do any of the foregoing with respect to, any shares of common stock, or any securities
convertible into, or exercisable or exchangeable for, any shares of common stock before December
13, 2007, without the prior written consent of the underwriters of our follow-on offering.
Upon
the expiration of these lock-up agreements, 1,928,667 shares of our outstanding common
stock, 1,111,986 shares underlying warrants and 848,330 shares underlying options will become
eligible for sale. Substantially all of the foregoing shares and shares underlying
warrants are eligible for resale under the registration statement
that was originally declared effective by the SEC on February 8, 2007. If these additional shares are
sold, or if it is perceived that they will be sold, in the public market, the trading price of our
common stock could be adversely affected.