Elicio Therapeutics Inc
For the period ended Dec 31, 2023. Filed Mar 29, 2024.
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FY2023 · Filed Mar 29, 2024
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Item 9A. Controls and Procedures
Definition and Limitations of Disclosure Controls
Our disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”)) are controls and other procedures that are designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed in our reports filed under the Exchange Act, such as this Annual Report on Form 10-K, is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in the SEC’s rules and forms. Disclosure controls and procedures are also designed to ensure that such information is accumulated and communicated to our management, including our principal executive officer and principal financial officer, as appropriate to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure. Our management evaluates these controls and procedures on an ongoing basis.
There are inherent limitations to the effectiveness of any system of disclosure controls and procedures. These limitations include the possibility of human error, the circumvention or overriding of the controls and procedures and reasonable resource constraints. In addition, because we have designed our system of controls based on certain assumptions, which we believe are reasonable, about the likelihood of future events, our system of controls may not achieve its desired purpose under all possible future conditions. Accordingly, our disclosure controls and procedures provide reasonable assurance, but not absolute assurance, of achieving their objectives.
Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures
Our management, with the participation of our President and Chief Executive Officer and our Chief Financial Officer, our principal executive officer and principal accounting and financial officer, respectively, have evaluated the effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) under the Exchange Act) as of December 31, 2023.
Based on the evaluation of our disclosure controls and procedures, our President and Chief Executive Officer and our Chief Financial Officer concluded that our disclosure controls and procedures were not effective as of December 31, 2023 as a result of our material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting.
However, our management, including our Chief Executive Officer and our Chief Financial Officer, has concluded that, notwithstanding the identified material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting, the financial statements in this Annual Report on Form 10-K fairly present, in all material respects, our financial position, results of operations and cash flows for the periods presented in conformity with U.S. GAAP.
Changes in Internal Control Over Financial Reporting
There was no change in our internal control over financial reporting (as defined in Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f)) under the Exchange Act) that occurred during the year ended December 31, 2023, that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting, except as follows:
Material Weakness Remediation Plan
As previously reported, in connection with the preparation of our consolidated financial statements, we identified control deficiencies in the design and operation of our internal control over financial reporting that constituted material weaknesses. A material weakness is a deficiency, or a combination of deficiencies, in internal control over financial reporting such that there is a reasonable possibility that a material misstatement of our financial statements will not be prevented or detected on a timely basis.
The material weaknesses identified in our internal control over financial reporting related to (i) insufficient resources with knowledge and expertise in U.S. GAAP to properly evaluate certain complex transactions, including debt instruments and equity instruments; (ii) insufficient financial reporting and close controls to ensure that incurred expenses are accrued at period end and deliverables from third party contractors are reviewed for accuracy; and (iii) insufficient resources to ensure that calculations used in financial reporting are properly reviewed, including EPS and WASO calculations.
We initiated several steps to remediate these material weaknesses, including:
engaging SEC compliance and technical accounting consultants to assist in evaluating transactions for conformity with U.S. GAAP;
hiring additional finance and accounting personnel to augment accounting staff and to provide more resources for complex accounting matters and financial reporting; and
strengthening our financial reporting and close relating to incurred expenses by ensuring our data capture procedures are clearly defined and that responsible personnel, including supervisory personnel, have adequate training regarding the process and expectation.
Although we have initiated efforts to remediate these material weaknesses, the material weaknesses have not been fully remediated as of December 31, 2023. Our remediation efforts are intended to address the identified material weaknesses. Management is committed to continuous improvement of our internal control over financial reporting and will continue to diligently review our internal control over financial reporting. However, we cannot assure you that we will be successful in remediating the material weaknesses we identified or that our internal control over financial reporting, as modified, will enable us to identify or avoid material weaknesses in the future.
Management’s Report on Internal Control Over Financial Reporting
Our management is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting as defined in Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f) under the Exchange Act. Our internal control over financial reporting is a process designed by, or under the supervision of, the Company’s principal executive and principal accounting and financial officers and effected by the Company’s board of directors, management and other personnel to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with GAAP. Because of its inherent limitations, internal control over financial reporting may not prevent or detect misstatements.
Our management assessed the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2023. In making this assessment, management used the criteria set forth by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (“COSO”) in Internal Control-Integrated Framework (2013 framework). Based on our assessment, management concluded our internal control over financial reporting was not effective as of December 31, 2023, based on the COSO criteria.
Inherent Limitation on the Effectiveness Over Financial Reporting
The effectiveness of any system of internal control over financial reporting, including ours, is subject to inherent limitations, including the exercise of judgment in designing, implementing, operating, and evaluating the controls and procedures, and the inability to eliminate misconduct completely. Accordingly, any system of internal control over financial reporting, including ours, no matter how well designed and operated, can only provide reasonable, not absolute assurances. In addition, projections of any evaluation of effectiveness to future periods are subject to the risk that controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions, or that the degree of compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate. We intend to continue to monitor and upgrade our internal controls as necessary or appropriate for our business, but there can be no assurance that such improvements will be sufficient to provide us with effective internal control over financial reporting.
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