Identiv Inc

Risks Related to Our Customers, Products and Markets, and Our Business

Adverse global and regional economic conditions have and may continue to materially adversely affect our business, results of operations and financial condition.

We conduct operations internationally with sales in the Americas, Europe and the Middle East, and Asia-Pacific regions. Our manufacturing operations and third-party contract manufacturers are located in China, Singapore, and Thailand/Southeast Asia. We also purchase certain products and key components from a limited number of sources that depend on the supply chain, including freight, to receive components, transport finished goods and deliver our products across the world. As a result, adverse global and regional economic conditions may materially adversely affect our business, results of operations and financial condition.

Such conditions, including but not limited to inflation, slower growth or recession, higher interest rates and currency fluctuations, and other conditions that may impact consumer confidence and spending may adversely affect demand for our products. During fiscal years 2023 and 2022, we were impacted by adverse macroeconomic conditions including but not limited to inflation, foreign currency fluctuations, and the slowdown of economic activity around the globe. Adverse conditions included experiencing delays and reductions in customer orders, shifting supply chain availability and component shortages. We also continue to be affected by supply chain challenges. Global economic conditions have also impacted our suppliers, contract manufacturers, logistics providers, and distributors, causing increases in cost of materials and higher shipping and transportation rates, which then impacted the pricing of our products. Price increases may not successfully offset cost increases or may cause us to lose market share and, in turn, may adversely impact our operations.

We depend on a number of suppliers and contract manufacturers for the production of our products and components making us potentially vulnerable to supply disruption.

Our reliance on suppliers and contract manufacturers for the production of our products and hardware components has and may continue to result in product delivery problems and delays. We may suffer a disruption if the supply of components causes us to be unable to purchase sufficient components on a timely basis. For example, the recent global semiconductor shortage that began in 2021 has and may continue to adversely impact our ability to meet product demand in a timely fashion. This shortage may persist for an indefinite period of time and has and may continue to have a negative impact on our revenue and operating results. Low inventory levels can affect our ability to meet customer demand, lengthen lead times and potentially cause us to miss opportunities, lose market share and/or damage customer relationships, also adversely affecting our business. Although we have taken steps to ensure we have adequate supply for expected customer demand, there can be no assurance that our efforts will be successful. If we are not able to get the necessary products and components on a timely basis, our business, financial condition and results of operations may be adversely affected.

Our financial performance depends on the extent and pace of RFID market adoption and end-user adoption of our RFID products and the timing of new customer deployments.

Our financial performance depends on the pace, scope and depth of end-user adoption of our RFID products in multiple industries. That pace, scope and depth continued to accelerate during 2023 which has caused large fluctuations in our operating results. If RFID market adoption, and adoption of our products specifically, does not meet our expectations, then our growth prospects and operating results will be adversely affected. If we are unable to meet end-user or customer volume or performance expectations, then our business prospects may be adversely affected. In addition, given the uncertainties of the specific timing of our new customer deployments, we cannot be assured that we will have appropriate inventory and capacity levels or that we will not experience inventory shortfalls or overages in the future. We seek to mitigate those risks by being deeply embedded in our customers' design cycle, working with our chip partners on long lead time components, managing our limited capital equipment needs within a short cycle and expanding our facilities to accommodate several scenarios for growth potential. If end users with sizable projects change or delay them, we may experience significant fluctuation in revenue on a quarterly or annual basis, and we anticipate that such uncertainty and fluctuations may continue to characterize our business for the foreseeable future.

The impact of health epidemics, pandemics and other outbreaks of infectious disease, such as the global pandemic caused by COVID-19, could negatively impact our operations, supply chain and customer base.

Our business and operations have and may in the future be adversely affected by health epidemics, pandemics and other outbreaks of infectious disease, such as the global COVID-19 pandemic. The recent COVID-19 pandemic and efforts to control its spread severely restricted the level of economic activity around the world, which has and may continue to impact timing of demand for our products and services. Our operations and supply chains for certain of our products or services may be negatively impacted by the regional or global outbreak of illnesses, including a resurgence of COVID-19 variants. Any resulting quarantines, labor shortages or other disruptions to our operations, or those of our suppliers or customers, have and may continue to adversely impact our sales and operating results, including through additional expenses and strain on the business as well as our supply chain. In addition, an outbreak of infectious disease could adversely affect some of the market verticals that we participate in as well as the general economies and financial markets of many countries, including those in which we operate, negatively impact supply and demand for our products and services, and result in delayed sales and extended payment cycles for our products and services. Further, a recession, depression, excessive inflation or other sustained adverse market events resulting from the outbreak of infectious diseases that may occur, could materially and adversely affect our business and that of our customers or potential customers. We are unable to accurately fully predict the effect of any such health concerns on our business, which could be affected by other factors we are not currently able to predict, including the success of actions taken to contain or treat future outbreaks of infectious diseases and reactions by consumers, companies, governmental entities and capital markets.

Our business could be adversely affected by reductions or delays in the purchase of our products or services for government security programs in the United States and globally.

We derive a substantial portion of our revenues from indirect sales to U.S. federal, state and local governments and government agencies, as well as from subcontracts under federal government prime contracts. Large government programs are an important market for our business, as high-security systems employing physical access, smart card, RFID or other access control technologies are increasingly used to enable applications ranging from authorizing building and network access for federal employees to paying taxes online, to citizen identification, to receiving health care. We believe that the success and growth of our business will continue to be influenced by our successful procurement of government business either directly or through our indirect sales channels. Accordingly, changes in government purchasing policies or government budgetary constraints, including government shutdowns, could directly affect our financial performance. Sales to government agencies and customers primarily serving the U.S. government, including further sales pursuant to existing contracts, may be adversely affected by factors outside our control, such as, federal government shutdowns or other Congressional actions to reduce federal spending, and by adverse economic, political or market conditions. A reduction in current or future anticipated sales to the U.S. government sector could harm our results of operations.

Additionally, we anticipate that an increasingly significant portion of our future revenues will come from government programs outside the U.S., such as electronic national identity, eGovernment and eHealth programs. We currently supply smart card readers, RFID products and credential provisioning and management solutions for various government programs in Europe, Asia and Australia and are actively targeting additional programs in these and other geographic areas. However, the allocation and availability of funding for such programs are often impacted by economic or political factors over which we have no control, and which may cause delays in program implementation, which could negatively impact our sales and results of operations.

Our U.S. government business depends upon the continuance of regulations that require federal agencies to implement security systems such as ours, and upon our ability to receive certain government approvals or certifications and demonstrate compliance in government audits or investigations. A failure to receive these government approvals or certifications or a negative audit result could result in a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

While we are not able to quantify the amount of sales made to end customers in the U.S. government market due to the indirect nature of our selling process, we believe that orders from U.S. government agencies represent a significant portion of our revenues. The U.S. government, suppliers to the U.S. government and certain industries in the public sector currently fall, or may in the future fall, under regulations that require federal agencies to implement security systems that utilize physical and logical access control products and solutions such as ours. These regulations include, but are not limited to, HSPD 12 and FIPS 201 produced by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (“NIST”). Discontinuance of, changes in, or lack of adoption of laws or regulations pertaining to security related to sales to end customers in the U.S. government market could adversely affect our sales.

Our U.S. government business is also dependent upon the receipt of certain governmental approvals or certifications and failure to receive such approvals or certifications could have a material adverse effect on our sales in those market segments for which such approvals or certifications are customary or required. Government agencies in the U.S. and other countries may audit our business as part of their routine audits and investigations of government procurement programs. Based on the outcome of any such audit, if any of our costs are found to be improperly allocated to a specific order, those costs may not be reimbursed, and any costs already reimbursed for such order may have to be refunded. If a government agency audit uncovers improper or illegal activities, we may be subject to civil and criminal penalties and administrative sanctions. A negative audit could materially affect our competitive position and result in a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Our revenues may decline if we cannot compete successfully in an intensely competitive market.

We target our products at the rapidly evolving market for security technologies. Many of our current and potential competitors have significantly greater financial, technical, marketing, purchasing and other resources than we do. As a result, our competitors may be able to respond more quickly to new or emerging technologies or standards and to changes in customer requirements. Our competitors may also be able to devote greater resources to the development, promotion and sale of products or solutions and may be able to deliver competitive products or solutions at a lower end user price.

We also experience indirect competition from certain of our customers who currently offer alternative products or solutions or are expected to introduce competitive offerings in the future. For example, in our Premises business, many of our dealer channel partners act as system integrators, providing installation and service, and therefore carry competitive lines of products and systems. This is a common practice within the industry as the integrators need access to multiple lines in order to support all potential service and user requirements. Depending on the technical competence of their sales forces, the comfort level of their technical staff with our systems and price pressures from customers, these integrators may choose to offer a competitor’s product. There is also business pressure to provide some level of sales to all vendors to maintain access to a range of products and systems.

We believe that the principal competitive factors affecting the markets for our products and solutions include:

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the extent to which products and systems must support evolving industry standards and provide interoperability;

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the extent to which products are differentiated based on technical features, quality and reliability, ease of use, strength of distribution channels and price;

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the ability to quickly develop new products and solutions to satisfy new market and customer requirements; and

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the total cost of ownership including installation, maintenance and expansion capability of systems.

Increased competition and increased market volatility in our industry could result in lower prices, reduced margins or the failure of our product and service offerings to achieve or maintain market acceptance, any of which could have a serious adverse impact on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Our percentage of revenue and customer concentration is significant in certain of our businesses.

Sales to our ten largest customers accounted for 30%, 25% and 32% of total net revenue in 2023, 2022 and 2021, respectively. One customer accounted for 12% of net revenue in 2023, while no customer accounted for 10% or more of net revenue in 2022 and 2021. A significant amount of revenue is sourced from sales of products and systems to our OEM partners and an indirect sales network who sell to various entities within the U.S. federal government sector. We cannot guarantee that future reductions in U.S. government budgets will not impact our sales to these government entities or that the terms of existing contracts will not be subject to renegotiation. Our loss of one or more significant customers could have a significant adverse impact on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Our business will not be successful if we do not keep up with the rapid changes in our industry.

The market for security products and related services is characterized by rapid technological developments, frequent new product introductions and evolving industry standards. To be competitive, we have to continually improve the performance, features and reliability of our products and services, particularly in response to competitive offerings, and quickly demonstrate the value of new products and services or enhancements to existing products and services. Our failure to develop and introduce new products and services successfully on a timely basis and to achieve market acceptance for such products and services could have a significant adverse impact on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Security breaches, whether or not related to our products, could result in the disclosure of sensitive government information or private personal information that could result in the loss of clients and negative publicity.

Many of the systems we sell manage private personal information or protect sensitive information related to our customers in the government or commercial markets. A well-publicized actual or perceived breach of network or computer security in one of these systems, regardless of whether such a breach is attributable to our products, could adversely affect the market’s perception of us and our products, and could result in the loss of customers, have an adverse effect on our reputation and reduce demand for our products.

As part of our technical support services, we agree, from time to time, to possess all or a portion of the security system database of our customers. This service is subject to a number of risks. For example, despite our security measures, our systems may be vulnerable to cyber-attacks by hackers, physical break-ins and service disruptions that could lead to interruptions, delays or loss of data. If any such compromise of our security were to occur, it could be very expensive to correct, could damage our reputation and result in the loss of customers, and could discourage potential customers from using our services. We could also be liable for damages and penalties. Although we do not believe we have experienced a cyber or physical security breach, we may experience breaches in the future. Our systems also may be affected by outages, delays and other difficulties. In addition, our insurance coverage may be insufficient to cover losses and liabilities that may result from such events.

Our business and reputation may be adversely affected by information technology system failures or network disruptions.

We may be subject to information technology system failures and network disruptions. These may be caused by natural disasters, accidents, power disruptions, telecommunications failures, large-scale cybersecurity attacks, acts of terrorism or war, computer viruses, physical or electronic break-ins, or other events or disruptions. System redundancy may be ineffective or inadequate, and our disaster recovery planning may not be sufficient for all eventualities. Such failures or disruptions could compromise company or customer data and result in delayed or cancelled orders and expose us to liability. System failures and disruptions could also impede the manufacturing and shipping of products, delivery of online services, processing of transactions and reporting of financial results. In addition, any such failures or disruptions could harm our reputation. Although we do not have operations in Russia or Ukraine, we do not and cannot know if the current uncertainties in these geopolitical areas may escalate and result in broad economic and security conditions, which could result in material implications for our business.

Sales of our products could decline and we could be subject to legal claims for damages if our products are found to have defects.

Despite our testing efforts, our products may contain defects that are not detected until after the products have been shipped. The discovery of defects or potential defects may result in damage to our reputation, delays in market acceptance of our products and additional expenditures to resolve issues related to the products’ implementation. If we are unable to provide a solution to actual or potential product defects that is acceptable to our customers, we may be required to incur substantial costs for product recall, repair and replacement, or costs related to legal or warranty claims made against us.

The global nature of our business exposes us to operational and financial risks and our results of operations could be adversely affected if we are unable to manage them effectively.

We market and sell our products and solutions to customers in many countries around the world. To support our global sales, customer base and product development activities, we maintain offices and/or business operations in several locations around the world, including the United Kingdom, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Japan, Singapore, Thailand, Canada, and the U.S. We also maintain manufacturing facilities in Singapore, Thailand and California and engage contract manufacturers in multiple countries outside the U.S. Managing our global development, sales, administrative and manufacturing operations places a significant burden on our management resources and our financial processes and exposes us to various risks, including:

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longer accounts receivable collection cycles;

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changes in foreign currency exchange rates;

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compliance with and changes in foreign laws and regulatory requirements;

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changes in political or economic conditions and stability, particularly in emerging markets;

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difficulties managing widespread sales and manufacturing operations and related costs;

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export controls;

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natural disasters;

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less effective protection of our intellectual property; and

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potentially adverse tax consequences.

Any failure to effectively mitigate these risks and effectively manage our global operations could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or operating results.

If current or future export laws limit or otherwise restrict our business, we could be prohibited from shipping our products to certain countries, which could cause our business, financial condition and results of operations to suffer.

Some of our products are subject to export controls or other laws restricting the sale of our products under the laws of the U.S., the European Union (“EU”) and other governments. The export regimes and the governing policies applicable to our business are subject to change. We cannot be certain that such export authorizations will be available to us or for our products in the future. In some cases, we rely upon the compliance activities of our prime contractors, and we cannot be certain they have taken or will take all measures necessary to comply with applicable export laws. If we or our prime contractor partners cannot obtain required government approvals under applicable regulations, we may not be able to sell our products in certain international jurisdictions.

A significant portion of our revenue is through an indirect sales channel, and the loss of dealers, systems integrators, resellers, or other channel partners could result in decreased revenue.

We currently use an indirect sales channel that includes dealers, systems integrators, value added resellers and resellers to sell a significant portion of our products and solutions, primarily into markets or to customers where the channel partner may have closer customer relationships or greater access than we do. Some of these channel partners also sell our competitors’ products, and if they favor our competitors’ products for any reason, they may fail to market our products as effectively or to devote necessary resources that result in sales of our products, which could cause our sales to suffer. Indirect selling arrangements are intended to benefit both us and the channel partner, and may be long- or short-term relationships, depending on market conditions, competition in the marketplace and other factors. If we are unable to maintain effective indirect sales channels, there could be a reduction in the amount of product we are able to sell, and our revenues could decrease.

We depend upon third-party manufacturers and a limited number of suppliers, and if we experience disruptions in our supply chain or manufacturing, our business may suffer.

We rely upon a limited number of suppliers for some key components of our products which exposes us to various risks, including whether or not our suppliers will provide adequate quantities with sufficient quality on a timely basis and the risk that supplier pricing may be higher than anticipated. In addition, some of the basic components used in some of our products, such as semiconductors, may at any time be in great demand. This could result in components not being available to us in a timely manner or at all, particularly if larger companies have ordered significant volumes of those components, or in higher prices being charged for components we require. Disruption or termination of the supply of components or software used in our products could delay shipments of our products, which could have a material adverse effect on our business and operating results and could also damage relationships with current and prospective customers.

Many of our products are manufactured outside the U.S. by contract manufacturers. Our reliance on these manufacturers poses a number of risks, including lack of control over the manufacturing process and ultimately over the quality and timing of delivery of our products. If any of our contract manufacturers cannot meet our production requirements, we may be required to rely on other contract manufacturing sources or identify and qualify new contract manufacturers, and we may not be able to do this in a timely manner or on reasonable terms. Additionally, we may be subject to currency fluctuations, potentially adverse tax consequences, unexpected changes in regulatory requirements, tariffs and other trade barriers, export controls, natural disasters, or political and economic instability. Any significant delay in our ability to obtain adequate supplies of our products from our current or alternative manufacturers could materially and adversely affect our business and operating results. In addition, if we are not successful at managing the contract manufacturing process, the quality of our products could be jeopardized or inventory levels could be inadequate or excessive, which could result in damage to our reputation with our customers and in the marketplace, as well as possible shortages of products or write-offs of excess inventory.

Our success depends largely on the continued service and availability of key personnel.

Our future success depends on our ability to continue to attract, retain, and motivate our senior management as well as qualified technical personnel, particularly software engineers. Competition for these employees is intense and many of our competitors may have greater name recognition and significantly greater financial resources to better compete for these employees. If we are unable to retain our existing personnel, or attract and train additional qualified personnel, our growth may be limited. Our key employees are employed on an “at will” basis, meaning either we or the employee may terminate their employment with us at any time. The loss of key employees could slow our product development processes and sales efforts or harm our reputation. Also, if our stock price declines, it may result in difficulty attracting and retaining personnel as equity incentives generally comprise a significant portion of our employee compensation. Further, restructurings and reductions in force that we have recently experienced may have a negative effect on employee morale and the ability to attract and retain qualified personnel.

We may be required to settle in cash a conditional restricted stock unit grant to our Chief Executive Officer upon the consummation of a Corporate Event.

In October 2023, our board of directors approved a conditional commitment to issue restricted stock units to Mr. Humphreys pursuant to that certain employment letter agreement with Mr. Humphreys dated as of September 14, 2015 and the amendment thereto dated as of October 4, 2023 (as so amended, the “Agreement”). In the event of (i) a sale or merger of a material business unit at a price and on terms determined by the board of directors to constitute a qualifying transaction or (ii) a Change of Control, as defined in the Agreement (each, a “Corporate Event”) prior to October 4, 2027 and subject to Mr. Humphreys’ continued employment with the Company (except as provided in the Agreement), we will be required to grant Mr. Humphreys 365,000 fully vested restricted stock units (the “Conditional Award”), effective as of immediately prior to the consummation of the Corporate Event, which will settle for either stock or cash upon the consummation of the Corporate Event in accordance with the Agreement. If we do not have sufficient available stock reserved under our 2011 Incentive Compensation Plan at the time, we would be required to settle a portion or all of the Conditional Award in cash, based on the fair market value of our common stock as provided in the Agreement. The amount of any such cash settlement could be material.

We cannot assure you that our evaluation of strategic alternatives will result in any outcomes that maximize stockholder value.

We previously disclosed that our board of directors initiated an exploration of strategic alternatives for the Company intended to maximize stockholder value, and such strategic review is a major focus of our Company. No assurance can be given as to the outcome of the process, including whether the process will result in a transaction, the timing of any such transaction or whether any transaction will successfully achieve its intended benefits.

Risks Related to Our Financial Results, Liquidity and Need for Additional Capital

Our revenue and operating results are subject to significant fluctuations and such fluctuations may lead to a reduced market price for our stock.

Our revenue and operating results have varied in the past and will likely continue to fluctuate in the future. We believe that period-to-period comparisons of our operating results are not necessarily meaningful, but securities analysts and investors often rely upon these comparisons as indicators of future performance. If our operating results in any future period fall below the expectations of securities analysts and investors, or the guidance that we provide, the market price of our stock would likely decline.

Factors that have caused our results to fluctuate in the past and which are likely to affect us in the future include the following:

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business and economic conditions overall and in our markets;

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the timing and size of customer orders, including orders that may be tied to annual or other budgetary cycles, seasonal demand, product plans or program roll-out schedules;

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the effects of U.S. government shutdowns, spending cuts and other changes in budget allocation or availability that create uncertainty for customers in certain parts of our business;

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the absence of significant backlog in our business;

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cancellations or delays of customer orders or the loss of a significant customer;

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the length of sales cycles associated with our product or service offerings;

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reductions in the average selling prices that we are able to charge due to competition, new product introductions or other factors;

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the impact of increasing freight and logistics costs;

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our ability to obtain an adequate supply of quality components and to deliver our products on a timely basis;

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our inventory levels and the inventory levels of our customers and indirect sales channels;

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the extent to which we invest in development, sales and marketing, and other expense categories;

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acquisitions, dispositions or organizational restructuring;

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fluctuations in the value of foreign currencies against the U.S. dollar;

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the cost or impact of litigation; and

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the write-off of trade receivables and investments.

Estimating the amount and mix of future revenues is difficult, and our failure to do so accurately could affect our ability to be profitable or reduce the market price for our stock.

Accurately estimating future revenues is difficult because the purchasing patterns of our customers can vary depending upon a number of factors. We sell our smart card readers primarily through a channel of distributors who place orders on an ongoing basis depending on their customers’ requirements. As a result, the size and timing of these orders can vary from quarter to quarter. Market demand for RFID and NFC technology is resulting in larger program deployments of these products and components, as well as increasing competition for these solutions. Across our business, the timing of closing larger orders increases the risk of quarter-to-quarter fluctuation in revenues. If orders forecasted for a specific group of customers for a particular quarter are not realized or revenues are not otherwise recognized in that quarter, our operating results for that quarter could be materially adversely affected. In addition, from time to time, we may experience an unexpected increase or decrease in demand for our products resulting from fluctuations in our customers’ budgets, purchasing patterns or deployment schedules. These occurrences are not always predictable and can have a significant impact on our results in the period in which they occur. Failure to accurately forecast customer demand may result in excess or obsolete inventory, which if written down might adversely impact our cost of revenues and financial condition.

In addition, our expense levels are based, in significant part, upon our expectations as to future revenues and are largely fixed in the short term. We may be unable to adjust spending in a timely manner to compensate for any unexpected shortfall in revenues. Any significant shortfall in revenues in relation to our expectations could have an immediate and significant effect on our operating results for that quarter and may lead to a reduced market price for our stock.

If we are not able to secure additional capital when needed, our business could be adversely affected.

We may seek or need to raise additional funds for capacity expansion, general corporate and commercial purposes or for acquisitions. Our ability to obtain financing depends on our historical and expected future operating and financial performance, and is also subject to prevailing economic conditions and to financial, business and other factors beyond our control. If we are unable to secure additional financing when desired, our ability to fund our business operations, make capital expenditures, pursue additional expansion or acquisition opportunities, or have resources available to capitalize on other opportunities could be limited, and this could adversely impact our financial results. There can be no assurance that additional capital will be available to us on favorable terms or at all. The sale of additional debt or equity securities may cause dilution to existing stockholders. Any debt or equity securities issued may also provide for rights, preferences or privileges senior to those of our common stock and could impose significant restrictions on our operations.

Fluctuations in foreign exchange rates between the U.S. dollar and other major currencies in which we do business may adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

A significant portion of our business is conducted in foreign currencies, principally the euro, Indian Rupee and Thai Baht. Fluctuations in the value of foreign currencies relative to the U.S. dollar will result in currency exchange gains and losses in our reported results. If a significant portion of operating expenses are incurred in a foreign currency such as the euro, Indian Rupee or Thai Baht, and revenues are generated in U.S. dollars, exchange rate fluctuations might have a positive or negative net financial impact on these transactions, depending on whether the value of the U.S. dollar decreases or increases compared to that currency. In addition, the valuation of current assets and liabilities that are denominated in a currency other than the functional currency can result in currency exchange gains and losses. For example, when one of our subsidiaries uses the euro as the functional currency, and this subsidiary has a receivable in U.S. dollars, a devaluation of the U.S. dollar against the euro of 10% would result in a foreign exchange loss to the reporting entity of 10% of the value of the underlying U.S. dollar receivable. We cannot predict the effect of exchange rate fluctuations upon future operating results. The effect of currency exchange rate changes may increase or decrease our costs and/or revenues in any given period, and we may experience currency losses in the future. To date, we have not adopted a hedging program to protect against the risks associated with foreign currency fluctuations.

Risks Related to Our Intellectual Property, and Litigation

We may not be able to protect our intellectual property rights, which could make us less competitive and cause us to lose market share.

Our future success will depend, in part, upon our intellectual property rights and our ability to protect these rights. We rely on a combination of patent, copyright, trademark and trade secret laws, nondisclosure agreements and other contractual provisions to establish, maintain and protect our proprietary rights. From time to time, we may be required to use litigation to protect our proprietary technology. As a result, we may incur substantial costs and we may not be successful in any such litigation. Despite our efforts to protect our proprietary rights, unauthorized third parties may copy aspects of our products, obtain and use information that we regard as proprietary, or infringe upon our patents. In addition, the laws of some foreign countries do not protect proprietary and intellectual property rights to the same extent as do the laws in the U.S. Because many of our products are sold and a significant portion of our business is conducted outside the U.S., our exposure to intellectual property risks may be higher. Our efforts to protect our proprietary and intellectual property rights may not be adequate. Additionally, there is a risk that our competitors will independently develop similar technology or duplicate our products or design around patents or other intellectual property rights. If we are unsuccessful in protecting our intellectual property or our products or technologies are duplicated by others, our competitive position could be harmed and we could lose market share.

As an example, the complexity and uncertainty of European patent laws have increased in recent years. In Europe, a new unitary patent system took effect June 1, 2023 which will significantly impact European patents, including those granted before the introduction of such a system. Under the unitary patent system, European applications have the option, upon grant of a patent, of becoming a Unitary Patent which will be subject to the jurisdiction of the Unitary Patent Court (UPC). As the UPC is a new court system, there is no precedent for the court, increasing the uncertainty of any litigation. Patents granted before the implementation of the UPC will have the option of opting out of the jurisdiction of the UPC and remaining as national patents in the UPC countries. Patents that remain under the jurisdiction of the UPC will be potentially vulnerable to a single UPC-based revocation challenge that, if successful, could invalidate the patent in all countries who are signatories to the UPC. We cannot predict with certainty the long-term effects of the unitary patent system and any potential changes.

We face risks from claims of third parties and litigation, which could have an adverse effect on our results of operations.

We have received, and may in the future receive, notices of claims of infringement and misappropriation or misuse of other parties’ proprietary rights. From time to time, we are subject to claims of third parties, possibly resulting in litigation, which could include, among other things, claims regarding infringement of the intellectual property rights of third parties, product defects, employment-related claims, and claims related to acquisitions, dispositions or restructurings. We cannot assure you that we will prevail in such actions, or that other actions alleging misappropriation or misuse by us of third-party trade secrets, alleging infringement by us of third-party patents and trademarks or challenging the validity of our patents, will not be asserted or prosecuted against us. Addressing any such claims or litigation may be time-consuming and costly, divert management resources, cause product shipment delays, require us to redesign our products, require us to accept returns of products and to write-off inventory, or result in other adverse effects to our business. Any of the foregoing could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and could require us to pay significant monetary damages.

We expect the likelihood of intellectual property infringement and misappropriation claims may increase as the number of products and competitors in the security market grows and as we increasingly incorporate third-party technology into our products. As a result of infringement claims, we could be required to license intellectual property from a third party or redesign our products. Licenses may not be offered when required or on acceptable terms. If we do obtain licenses from third parties, we may be required to pay license fees or royalties or we may be required to license some of our intellectual property to others in return for such licenses. If we are unable to obtain a license necessary for us or our third-party manufacturers to manufacture our allegedly infringing products, we could be required to suspend the manufacture of products or stop our suppliers from using processes that may infringe the rights of third parties. We may also be unsuccessful in redesigning our products. Our suppliers and customers may be subject to infringement claims based on intellectual property included in our products. We have historically agreed to indemnify our suppliers and customers for patent infringement claims relating to our products. The scope of this indemnity varies, but may, in some instances, include indemnification for damages and expenses, including attorney’s fees. We may periodically engage in litigation as a result of these indemnification obligations. Our insurance policies exclude coverage for third-party claims for patent infringement.

We have in the past been named as a defendant in putative securities class action and derivative lawsuits.

Securities class action lawsuits have often been brought against a company following periods of volatility in the market price of its securities. Companies such as ours in the technology industry are particularly vulnerable to this kind of litigation due to the volatility of their stock prices. We have in the past been named as a defendant in putative securities class action and derivative lawsuits and may again be so named in the future. Any litigation to which we were a party has and may in the future result in the diversion of management attention and resources from our business and business strategy. In addition, any litigation to which we may become a party to may result in onerous or unfavorable judgments that may not be reversed upon appeal and that may require us to pay substantial monetary damages or fines, or we may decide to settle lawsuits on similarly unfavorable terms, which could have a material adverse effect our business, financial condition or results of operations.

Risks Relating to Our Financial Reporting and Disclosure

Any failure to maintain an effective system of disclosure and internal controls over financial reporting, or our ability to produce timely and accurate financial statements, could adversely affect investor confidence in us.

As a public company, we must maintain effective disclosure controls and procedures and internal control over financial reporting. Effective internal controls are necessary for us to provide reliable financial reports and prevent fraud. If we identify one or more material weaknesses in our internal controls, our management will be unable to conclude that our internal control over financial reporting is effective. Our independent registered public accounting firm is required to issue an attestation report on the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting every fiscal year. Even if our management concludes that our internal control over financial reporting is effective, our independent registered public accounting firm may conclude that there are material weaknesses with respect to our internal controls or the level at which our internal controls are documented, designed, implemented or reviewed.

Any failure to implement and maintain effective disclosure controls and procedures and internal control over financial reporting, including identifying material weaknesses, could cause investors to lose confidence in the accuracy and completeness of our financial statements and reports, which could adversely affect the market price of our common stock. We could also be subject to sanctions or investigations by The Nasdaq Stock Market, the SEC and other regulatory authorities.

We incur significant legal, accounting, administrative and other costs and expenses as a public company. The Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, including the requirements of Section 404, as well as rules and regulations subsequently implemented by the SEC, the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2010 and the rules and regulations promulgated and to be promulgated thereunder, the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board and the securities exchanges, impose additional reporting and other obligations on public companies. Our management and other personnel need to devote a substantial amount of time to these compliance and disclosure obligations. If these requirements divert the attention of our management and personnel from other aspects of our business, they could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. Moreover, these rules and regulations applicable to public companies substantially increase our legal, accounting and financial compliance costs, require that we hire additional personnel and make some activities more time-consuming and costly. It may also be more expensive for us to obtain director and officer liability insurance.

General Risk Factors

Our stock price has been and is likely to remain volatile.

Over the past several years, The Nasdaq Capital Market has experienced significant price and volume fluctuations that have particularly affected the market prices of the stocks of technology companies. Volatility in our stock price may result from a number of factors, some of which are beyond our control, including, among others:

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low volumes of trading activity in our stock;

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technical trading patterns of our stock;

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variations in our or our competitors’ financial and/or operational results;

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the fluctuation in market value of comparable companies in any of our markets;

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expected or announced news about strategic partner relationships, customer wins or losses, product announcements or organizational changes;

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comments and forecasts by securities analysts;

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litigation developments;

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global developments, including war, acts of terrorism, contagions such as COVID-19, and other such events; and

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general market downturns.

In addition, the stock market has experienced extreme price and volume fluctuations that have affected and continue to affect the market prices of equity securities of many companies. These fluctuations have often been unrelated or disproportionate to the operating performance of those companies. Broad market and industry factors, as well as general economic, political, regulatory and market conditions, may negatively affect the market price of our common stock, regardless of our actual operating performance.

You may experience dilution of your ownership interests due to the future issuance of additional shares of our stock, and future sales of shares of our common stock could adversely affect our stock price.

We have issued a significant number of shares of our common stock as well as warrants to purchase shares of our common stock, in connection with a number of financing transactions and acquisitions in the recent years. In the future, from time to time we may issue additional previously authorized and unissued securities, resulting in additional dilution of the ownership interests of our current stockholders.

In addition, we have reserved shares of common stock for potential future issuance including stock issuable pursuant to our equity incentive plans and the conversion of our preferred stock. As of March 1, 2024, 1,202,748 shares of common stock are reserved for future grants and outstanding equity awards under our equity incentive plans and an additional 8,231,477 shares of common stock are reserved for future issuance in connection with other potential issuances, including conversion of our preferred stock. We may issue additional shares of common stock or other securities that are convertible into or exercisable for shares of common stock in connection with the hiring of personnel, future acquisitions, and future financings or for other business purposes. If we issue additional securities, the aggregate percentage ownership of our existing stockholders will be reduced. In addition, any new securities that we issue may have rights senior to those of our common stock. The issuance of additional shares of common stock or preferred stock or other securities, or the perception that such issuances could occur, may create downward pressure on the trading price of our common stock.

Provisions in our charter documents and Delaware law may delay or prevent our acquisition by another company, which could decrease the value of your shares.

Our certificate of incorporation and bylaws and Delaware law contain provisions that could make it more difficult for a third party to acquire us or enter into a material transaction with us without the consent of our board of directors. These provisions include a classified board of directors and limitations on actions by our stockholders by written consent. Delaware law imposes some restrictions on mergers and other business combinations between us and any holder of 15% or more of our outstanding common stock. In addition, our board of directors has the right to issue preferred stock without stockholder approval, which could be used to dilute the stock ownership of a potential hostile acquirer. These provisions will apply even if the offer were to be considered adequate by some of our stockholders. Because these provisions may be deemed to discourage a change of control, they may delay or prevent the acquisition of our Company, which could decrease the value of our common stock.