Mentor Capital, Inc.
For the period ended Jun 30, 2025. Filed Aug 13, 2025.
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A company's report for each of its first three quarters. The financial statements are not audited. It shows how the business has moved since the last annual report, and what management says changed.
Jun 30, 2025 · Filed Aug 13, 2025
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Item 1A. Risk Factors
In addition to other information in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, the following risk factors should be carefully considered in evaluating our business since it operates in a highly changing and complex business environment that involves numerous risks, some of which are beyond our control. The following discussion highlights a few of these risk factors, any one of which may have a significant adverse impact on our business, operating results, and financial condition.
As a result of the risk factors set forth below and elsewhere in this Form 10-Q and in our Form 10-K, and the risks discussed in our Rule 15c2-11 and other publicly disclosed submissions, actual results could differ materially from those projected in any forward-looking statements.
We face significant risks, and the risks described below may not be the only risks we face. Additional risks that we do not know of or that we currently consider immaterial may also impair our business operations. If any of the events or circumstances described in the following risks actually occurs, our business, financial condition or results of operations could be harmed, and the trading price of our Common Stock could decline.
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We may incur material expenses or delays in financings or SEC filings due to the dismissal of our former auditor, BF Borgers, and our stock price and access to the capital markets may be affected.
As a public company, we are required to file annual and quarterly financial statements with the Securities and Exchange Commission which are audited or reviewed, as applicable, by independent registered public accountants who are PCAOB-registered, and permitted to appear and practice before the Securities and Exchange Commission. On May 3, 2024, our former auditor, BF Borgers was prohibited from practicing before the Securities and Exchange Commission. On May 15, 2024, the Company’s audit committee and Board of Directors unanimously approved the engagement of the Company’s new independent registered public accountant who completed our recent year-end 2024 audit and the re-audit of 2023 and 2022 opening balances. Regardless, any negative news about the proceedings against BF Borgers may also adversely affect investor confidence and public perception of the Company. All of these factors could materially and adversely affect our business, the market price of our common stock, and our ability to access the capital markets.
Variable financial conditions can be challenging.
Securing additional sources of financing to enable us to increase investing in our target markets will be difficult, and there is no assurance of our ability to secure such financing. A failure to obtain additional financing, or to continue to generate capital from the sale of operating businesses and assets, or to generate positive cash flow from operations could prevent us from continuing to seek out and invest in larger new companies.
Mentor will continue to attempt to raise capital resources from related and unrelated parties through the sale of preferred and common stock equity and debt. Management’s plans further include monetizing existing mature business projects and increasing revenues through acquisition, investment, and organic growth.
A failure to obtain financing could prevent us from executing our business plan.
We anticipate that current cash resources and opportunities without new inflows would be sufficient for us to execute our business plan for four years after the date these financial statements are issued. We believe that securing substantial additional sources of financing is possible, but there is no assurance of our ability to secure such financing. A failure to obtain additional financing could prevent us from making substantial expenditures for advancement and growth to partner with businesses and hire additional personnel. If we raise additional future financing by selling equity, or convertible debt securities, the relative equity ownership of our existing investors could be diluted, or the new investors could obtain terms more favorable than previous investors. If we raise additional funds through debt financing, we could incur significant borrowing costs and be subject to adverse consequences in the event of a default.
Management voluntarily transitioned to a fully reporting company and spends considerable time meeting the associated reporting obligations.
Management operated Mentor Capital, Inc. as a non-reporting public company for over 28 years and approximately 10 years ago voluntarily transitioned to reporting company status subject to financial and other SEC-required disclosures. Prior to such voluntary transition, management had not been required to prepare and make such required disclosures. As a reporting company, we may be subject to the Securities and Exchange Act, as amended (“Exchange Act”), the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, the Dodd-Frank Act, and other securities rules and regulations. If we were listed on an Exchange, we would be subject to the rules of the Exchange on which we were listed. The Exchange Act requires, among other things, that we file annual, quarterly, and current reports with respect to our business and operating activities. Preparing and filing periodic reports imposes a significant expense, time, and reporting burden on management. This distraction can divert management from its operation of the business to the detriment of core operations.
Investors may suffer risk of dilution following exercise of warrants for cash.
As of June 30, 2025, the Company had 21,686,105 outstanding shares of its Common Stock trading at approximately $0.046 per share. As of the same date, the Company also had 4,250,000 outstanding Series D warrants exercisable for shares of Common Stock at $0.02 per share. These Series D warrants do not have a cashless exercise feature. The Company estimates that the warrants may be increasingly exercised anytime the per share price of the Company’s Common Stock is greater than $0.24 per share. Exercise of these Series D warrants may result in immediate and potentially substantial dilution to current holders of the Company’s Common Stock. In addition, the Company has 413,512 outstanding Series H warrants with a per share exercise price of $7.00 held by an investment bank and its affiliates. These $7.00 Series H warrants include a cashless exercise feature. Current and future shareholders may suffer dilution of their investment and equity ownership if any of the warrant holders elect to exercise their warrants.
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Beginning on February 9, 2015, in accordance with Section 1145 of the United States Bankruptcy Code and in accordance with the Company’s court-approved Plan of Reorganization, the Company announced that it would allow for partial redemption of up to 1% per month of the outstanding Series D warrants to provide for the court specified redemption mechanism for warrants not exercised timely by the original holder or their estates. On October 7, 2016, the Company announced that the 1% redemptions which were formerly priced on a calendar month schedule would subsequently be initiated and priced on a random date to be scheduled after the prior 1% redemption is complete to prevent potential third-party manipulation of share prices during the pricing period at month-end. Company designees that apply during the redemption period must pay 10 cents per warrant to redeem the warrants and then exercise the Series D warrant to purchase a share of the Company’s Common Stock at a maximum of one-half of the closing bid price on the day preceding the 1% partial redemption. The 1% partial redemption may continue to be periodically recalculated and repeated according to the court formula until such unexercised warrants are exhausted, or the partial redemption is otherwise suspended or truncated by the Company. There were no warrant redemptions in the three and six months ended June 30, 2025 or in fiscal year 2024.
We may be unable to collect on our ownership in oil and gas royalty interests in the form of oil and gas royalty payments or amounts owed to us may be reduced due to external market conditions, regulatory changes, or the performance of third-party oil and gas operators.
We may be unable to collect on our ownership in oil and gas royalty interests owed to us due to a failure of third-party producers to properly send royalty payments to us, or we may experience delays in payments or mistakes in the amounts sent to us. Further, our royalty payment amounts may be decreased due to declines in production levels on properties in which we have mineral and royalty interests or changes in supply and demand levels for oil, gas, and natural gas. Our royalty interests may also be impacted by negative market and trade conditions that may affect the demand for oil, gas, and natural gas, which would impact prices for those commodities. We may be impacted by actions taken by the members of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (“OPEC”) and Russia that affect the production and pricing of oil, as well as other domestic and global political, economic, or diplomatic developments, including regional supply and demand factors and delays of production that may be caused by governmental or state orders, rules, or regulations that impose production limits on such acreage including federal, state, and legislative initiatives relating to hydraulic fracturing. Our royalty interest payments may be decreased due to risks related to climate change. Restrictions on the use of water, including limits on the use of produced water by operators and a moratorium on new produced water well permits recently imposed by the Texas Railroad Commission in an effort to control induced seismicity in the Permian Basin could affect our royalty payments. Future royalty revenue may also be affected by significant declines in prices for oil, natural gas, or natural gas liquids, which, if significant, may require significant impairment of our royalties. Third party operators may be impacted by changes in U.S. energy, environmental, monetary and trade policies and conditions in the capital, financial and credit markets, including the availability and pricing of capital for their drilling and development operations, or they could face changes in availability or cost of rigs, equipment, raw materials, supplies and oilfield services, or a lack of or disruption in access to adequate and reliable transportation, processing, storage and other facilities impacting operators, including severe weather conditions and natural disasters.
Our business model is to partner with or acquire other companies.
We aim to find energy businesses whose products, managers, technology, or other factors that we like and then acquire or invest in those businesses. While we are open to investing in a diverse portfolio of entities across the energy sector, there is no certainty that we will find suitable partners or that we will be able to engage in transactions on advantageous terms with the partners we identify. There is also no certainty that we will be able to consummate future transactions on favorable terms, or any new transaction at all. To date, several of our acquisitions/investments have not turned out well for us.
We may have to work harder to introduce rigor in our transactions.
Many of the people and entities with whom we engage may not be used to operating in business transactions in a public environment. Therefore, in order to discharge our fiduciary and disclosure obligations, we may have to work harder to maintain good business practices. Entities and persons operating in private industry may be unaccustomed to entering into lengthy written agreements or keeping financial records according to GAAP. Additionally, entities and persons with whom we had engaged may not have paid particular attention to the obligations including their obligations associated with employee retention tax credit and economic injury disaster loan programs with which they have agreed in written contracts. We have experienced or may experience differences in this manner with several different entities with whom we do business, including several entities that failed to comply with common law contractual obligations, which led us into litigation and other legal remedies.
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Our actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in our forward-looking statements.
This Form 10-Q contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the federal securities laws that relate to future events or future financial performance. When used in this report, you can identify forward-looking statements by terminology such as “believes,” “anticipates,” “seeks,” “looks,” “hopes,” “plans,” “predicts,” “expects,” “estimates,” “intends,” “will,” “continue,” “may,” “potential,” “should,” and similar expressions. These statements are only expressions of expectation. Our actual results could, and likely will, differ materially from those anticipated in such forward-looking statements as a result of many factors, including those set forth above and elsewhere in this report and including factors unanticipated by us and not included herein. Although we believe that the expectations reflected in our forward-looking statements are reasonable, we cannot guarantee future results, levels of activity, performance, or achievements. Neither we nor any other person assumes responsibility for the accuracy and completeness of these statements. Accordingly, we caution readers not to place undue reliance on these statements. Where required by applicable law, we will undertake to update any disclosures or forward-looking statements.
If we are unable to protect our royalty interests and property, our competitive position would be adversely affected.
We and our partners and subsidiaries intend to rely on contracts and agreements with third-parties to protect our property rights. If we, or our affiliates and partners, fail to protect property rights, including our royalty interest rights, our business, financial condition, and results of operations would suffer. In the future, we may be forced to pay significant amounts to defend our rights, and a substantial amount of the attention of our management may be diverted from our ongoing business, all of which would materially adversely affect our business.
We depend on our key personnel and may have difficulty attracting and retaining the skilled staff and outside professionals we need to execute our growth plans.
Our success will be dependent largely upon the personal efforts of our Chief Executive Officer, Chet Billingsley. The loss of Mr. Billingsley could have a material adverse effect on our business and prospects. Currently, we have two full-time employees, and we substantially rely on the services provided by outside professionals. To execute our plans, we will have to retain our current employees and work with outside professionals who we believe will help us achieve our goals. Competition for recruiting and retaining highly skilled employees with technical, management, marketing, sales, product development, and other specialized training is intense. We may not be successful in employing and retaining such qualified personnel. Specifically, we may experience increased costs in order to retain skilled employees. If we are unable to retain experienced employees and the services of outside professionals as needed, we may be unable to execute our business plan
Founder and CEO Chet Billingsley, along with other members of the Company’s Board of Directors, have considerable control over the company through their aggregate ownership of approximately 15.12% of the outstanding shares of the Company’s Common Stock on a fully diluted basis.
As of June 30, 2025, Mr. Billingsley owned approximately 9.03% of the outstanding shares of the Company’s Common Stock on a fully diluted basis. Together with other members of the Company’s Board of Directors, the management of the Company owns approximately 15.12% of the outstanding shares of the Company’s Common Stock on a fully diluted basis. Mr. Billingsley holds 47,274 Series D warrants, exercisable at $0.02 per share. Marcia Meyer, and Lori Stansfield, directors of the Company, hold an aggregate of 628,955 Series D warrants exercisable at $0.02 per share. Due to the large number of shares of Common Stock owned by Mr. Billingsley and the directors of the Company, management has considerable ability to exercise control over the Company and matters submitted for shareholder approval, including the election of directors and approval of any merger, consolidation or sale of substantially all of the assets of the Company. Additionally, due to his position as CEO and Chairman of the Board, Mr. Billingsley has the ability to control the management and affairs of the Company. The Company’s directors and Mr. Billingsley owe a fiduciary duty to our shareholders and are required to act in good faith in a manner each reasonably believes to be in the best interests of our shareholders. As shareholders, Mr. Billingsley and the other directors are entitled to vote their shares in their own interests, which may not always be in the interests of our shareholders generally.
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We face rapid change.
The market for our partners’ and subsidiaries’ products and services is characterized by rapidly changing laws, political climate, technologies, and the introduction of new products and services. We believe that our future success will depend in part upon our ability to work with companies that develop and enhance products and services offered in the energy and dispute resolution industries. There can be no assurance that our partners and subsidiaries will be able to develop and execute products and services or enhance initial products in a timely manner to apply and satisfy customer needs, achieve market acceptance or address changes in our target markets. Failure to apply and develop products and services and introduce them successfully and in a timely manner could adversely affect our competitive position, financial condition, and results of operations.
If we experience rapid growth, we will need to manage such growth well.
We may experience substantial growth in the size of our staff and the scope of our operations, resulting in increased responsibilities for management. To manage this possible growth effectively, we will need to continue to improve our operational, financial and management information systems, will possibly need to create departments that do not now exist, and hire, train, motivate and manage a growing number of staff. Due to a competitive employment environment for qualified accounting, technical, marketing, and sales personnel, we may experience difficulty in filling our needs for qualified personnel. There can be no assurance that we will be able to effectively achieve or manage any future growth, and our failure to do so could delay market penetration or otherwise have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.
We could face product liability risks and may not have adequate insurance.
Our partners’ and affiliates’ products may be used in sensitive ways. We may become the subject of litigation alleging that our partners’ and affiliates’ products were pollutive, ineffective or unsafe. Thus, we may become the target of lawsuits from injured or disgruntled customers or other users. We intend to, but do not now, carry product and liability insurance, but in the event that we are required to defend more than a few such actions, or in the event we are found liable in connection with such an action, our business and operations may be severely and materially adversely affected.
Our Common Stock is not listed on any exchange and trades on the OTC Markets OTCQB system. As such, the market for our Common Stock is limited and is not regulated by the rules and regulations of any exchange. Freely trading shares of even fully reporting OTCQB companies like ours receive careful scrutiny by brokers who may require legal opinion letters, proof of consideration, medallion guarantees, or expensive fee payments before accepting or declining share deposits. Further, the price of our Common Stock and its volume in the market may be subject to wide fluctuations. Our stock price could decline regardless of our actual operating performance, and stockholders could lose a substantial part of their investment as a result of industry or market-based fluctuations. Our stock may trade relatively thinly. If a more active public market for our stock is not sustained, it may be difficult for stockholders to sell shares of our Common Stock. Because we do not now pay cash dividends on our Common Stock, stockholders may not be able to receive a return on their shares unless they are able to sell them. The market price of our Common Stock will likely fluctuate in response to a number of factors, including but not limited to the following:
sales, sales cycle, and market acceptance or rejection of the energy products and services or the royalty interests in which we’ve invested;
our ability to engage with partners who are successful in their markets;
economic conditions within our markets;
the timing of announcements by us or our competitors of significant products, contracts or acquisitions or publicity regarding actual or potential results or performance thereof;
domestic and international economic, business, and political conditions;
justified or unjustified adverse publicity; and
proper or improper third-party short sales or other manipulation of our stock.
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We have a long business and corporate existence.
We began in Silicon Valley in 1985 as a limited partnership and operated as Mentor Capital, LP until we incorporated in California in 1994. We were privately owned until September 1996; at which time our Common Stock began trading on the Over The Counter Pink Sheets. Our merger and acquisition and business development activities have spanned many business sectors, and we went through a bankruptcy reorganization in 1998. In late 2015, we reincorporated under the laws of the State of Delaware. We have operated in several different industries over our existence but do not have brand recognition within any one industry.
Failure to maintain effective internal controls in accordance with Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 could have a material adverse effect on our stock price.
Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 and the related rules and regulations of the SEC require annual management assessments of the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting. If we fail to adequately maintain compliance with, or maintain the adequacy of, our internal control over financial reporting, as such standards are modified, supplemented or amended from time to time, we may not be able to ensure that we can conclude on an ongoing basis that we have effective internal control over financial reporting in accordance with Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 and the related rules and regulations of the SEC. If we cannot favorably assess our internal controls over financial reporting, investor confidence in the reliability of our financial reports may be adversely affected, which could have a material adverse effect on our stock price.
We have indemnified our officers and directors.
We have indemnified our officers and directors against possible monetary liability to the maximum extent permitted under California and Delaware law. The managers of Mentor Partner I, LLC, Mentor Partner II, LLC, and TWG, LLC have been indemnified to the maximum extent permitted under Texas law.
The worldwide economy could impact the Company in numerous ways.
The effects of negative worldwide economic events, such as the impact of money printing, inflation, interest rate fluctuations, tariff increases, recession, climate regulation, economic sanctions, potential banking or currency crises, cybersecurity risks, evolving and sophisticated cyber-attacks and other attempts to gain access to our information technology systems, the war in Ukraine, the war in the Middle East, the reoccurring election-related changes in the U.S. federal government’s administration, product and labor shortages, increased risk to oil and energy markets, market conditions and monetization that could impact the price of gold, and a global economic slowdown may cause disruptions and extreme volatility in global financial markets, increased rates of default and bankruptcy, political change, impact levels of consumer spending, and may impact our business, operating results, or financial condition. The ongoing worldwide economic political, and military situations future weakness in the credit markets, and significant liquidity problems for the financial services industries may also impact our financial condition in a number of ways. For example, current or potential partners and affiliates may not pay us, or our partners or affiliates may delay paying us or our partners or affiliates for previously purchased products and services. Our involvement in the classic energy sector may draw political or regulatory scrutiny even if our actions are entirely legal and beneficial to society. Also, we may have difficulties in securing additional financing in the energy sector.
Shareholders, directors, partners, professionals, and employees may disagree with management’s plan and direction for the company.
In any organization, some individuals will have differing views on the best approach that the Company should follow to optimize results. These differences can sometimes even evolve into personal conflicts that are a distraction to management. With over four decades of senior management experience current leadership has rarely but occasionally encountered these sorts of diverging opinions as to how the Company should proceed. Disagreements of this nature have recently been addressed but may again continue or reappear in the future and randomly over time.
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The text of this filing, as the company filed it with the SEC, without its images or exhibits. This is not investment advice.