EDGAR 10-K Filing

Company CIK: 840715
Filing Year: 2024
Filename: 840715_10-K_2024_0001753926-24-000656.json

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ITEM 1. BUSINESS
ITEM 1. BUSINESS
GENERAL
ClearOne, Inc. (the Company) was incorporated in Utah in 1983 and reincorporated in Delaware on October 25, 2018. The Company is headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah. The Company has other locations in Gainesville, Florida; Zaragoza, Spain; Chennai, India; and Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
We compete in a global market with our conferencing, collaboration, and network streaming solutions. We design, develop and sell conferencing, collaboration and network streaming solutions for voice and visual communications. The performance and simplicity of our advanced comprehensive solutions offer unprecedented levels of functionality, reliability and scalability.
Our comprehensive line of high-quality conferencing and collaboration products are targeted for large, medium and small businesses, as well as for personal use. We have been a global market leader in the installed professional audio conferencing market, where our products are used in numerous industries such as enterprise, healthcare, education, government, legal and finance.
We have an established history of product innovation and plan to continue to apply our expertise in audio, video and networked AV to design, develop and introduce innovative new products and enhance our existing products. Our end-users range from some of the world’s largest and most prestigious companies and institutions to small and medium-sized businesses, higher education and government organizations, as well as individual consumers. We sell our commercial products to these end-users through a global network of independent distributors who, in turn, sell our products to dealers, systems integrators and other value-added resellers. We also sell directly to dealers, systems integrators and other value-added resellers. Our solutions save end-users time and money by creating a natural environment for collaboration and communication. Our partners, who are involved in system integration benefit from simpler project designs and lower support costs because our products are designed and built to work with each other seamlessly.
Company Information
Our website address is http://www.clearone.com. Our annual reports on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K, and any amendments to such reports are available, free of charge, on our website in the “Investor Relations” section under “Company.” These reports are made available as soon as reasonably practicable after we file such material with, or furnish it to, the SEC. These reports are also available on the SEC’s website, which is located at http://www.sec.gov.
ITEM 1 - BUSINESS
For a discussion of certain risks applicable to our business, results of operations, financial position, and liquidity, see the risk factors described in “Item 1A, Risk Factors” below.
Our Business Strategy
The Company’s primary challenge is the loss in revenue and consequent reduction in cash flows due to operating losses. Our current strategy consists of the following elements to overcome this adverse situation:
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Continue our product innovation to bring to market products that are needed by our partners and end-users
● Cut costs to operate efficiently
● Focus on our core products and improve the quality of our products
● Develop products that have improved interoperability with products from other suppliers.
● Provide continually improving levels of support to our channel partners
We currently participate in the following markets:
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All aspects of audio conferencing including installed professional audio conferencing through DSP mixers, USB based speakerphones and table-top conferencing;
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Professional microphones to support audio and video collaboration through patented beamforming microphones, ceiling microphones and wireless microphones;
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Visual collaboration in all forms including low-cost room appliances, professional cameras, Bring-Your-Own-Device and cloud video services; and
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Audio Visual Networking which includes network media streaming, video walls, sound reinforcement and audio distribution.
Our business goals are to:
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Improve our global market share in professional installed audio conferencing products for large businesses and organizations;
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Position ClearOne as the preferred AV channel partner uniquely offering a complete value-chain of natively integrated solutions from audio to video maximizing AV channel partner profitability;
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Extend total addressable market from our traditional stronghold of installed audio conferencing and microphones to adjacent complementary markets - video collaboration and AV networking;
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Continue to leverage the video conferencing, collaboration and AV networking technologies to enlarge our current market share;
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Focus on the small and medium business market with appropriately scaled, lower cost and less complex products and solutions;
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Capitalize on the growing influence of information technology channels in the audio-visual market and introduce more solutions to these channels;
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Capitalize on the convergence of audio visual and information technology to meet enterprise and commercial multimedia needs and the end-users’ transition from high-priced systems to low cost, complete AV room solutions and cloud services;
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Improve the interoperability of our products to increase the ability of our products to work with wider range of other audio-visual products in the market;
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Pursue certifications and partnerships to position our products favorably in the burgeoning Microsoft Teams eco-system;
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Leverage software-based platforms across all our product lines; and
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Expand and strengthen our sales channels.
ITEM 1 - BUSINESS
We will continue to focus on our core strengths, which include the following:
● Providing a superior conferencing and collaboration experience;
● Delivering the complete value chain for audio visual communication;
● Extending our capabilities in product innovation through software-based video collaboration and AV networking
● Offering greater innovation, interoperability and value to our end-users and channel partners;
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Leveraging and extending ClearOne technology, leadership and innovation;
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Focusing on our core products and improving the quality of our products to attain higher levels of customer satisfaction;
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Leveraging our strong domestic and international channels to distribute new products; and
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Strengthening existing end-user and channel partner relationships through dedicated and comprehensive support.
PRODUCTS
Our products can be broadly categorized into the following:
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Audio conferencing including installed DSP based professional audio conferencing, USB-based speakerphones and table-top audio conferencing
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Professional microphones consisting of patented beamforming microphones, ceiling microphones and wireless microphones; and
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Video products including video collaboration and AV networking
AUDIO CONFERENCING
Our full range of audio conferencing products include (i) professional installed DSP based audio conferencing and sound-reinforcement products used in enterprise, healthcare, education and distance learning, government, legal and finance organizations, (ii) mid-tier premium conferencing products for smaller rooms and small and medium businesses which interface with video and web conferencing systems, (iii) affordable USB-based speakerphones that can be used with PCs, laptops, tablets, smartphones, and other portable devices, and (iv) traditional tabletop conferencing phones used in conference rooms and offices.
Our audio conferencing products feature our proprietary HDConference®, Distributed Echo Cancellation® and noise cancellation technologies to enhance communication during a conference call by eliminating echo and background noise. Most of our products also feature some of our other HDConference proprietary audio processing technologies such as adaptive modeling and first-microphone priority, which combine to deliver clear, crisp and full-duplex audio. These technologies enable natural and fatigue-free communication between distant conferencing participants.
Our audio conferencing products contributed 45% and 47% of our consolidated revenue in 2023 and 2022, respectively.
Professional installed audio conferencing and sound reinforcement
We compete in the global professional installed audio conferencing market. We are a pioneer in the development of high-end, professional conferencing products and we have established strong brand recognition for these products worldwide. Our installed professional conferencing products include the CONVERGE® Pro 2 and CONVERGE Pro 2 SR product lines.
Our flagship CONVERGE Pro 2 product line lead our professionally installed audio products line. The CONVERGE Pro 2 product line currently includes CONVERGE Pro 2 128, CONVERGE Pro 2 128VT, CONVERGE Pro 2 128VTD, CONVERGE Pro 2 120, CONVERGE Pro 2 012, CONVERGE Pro 2 48VT and CONVERGE Pro 2 48VTD. CONVERGE Pro 2 SR product line currently includes CONVERGE Pro 2 128SR, and CONVERGE Pro 2 128SRD. CONVERGE Pro 2 and CONVERGE Pro 2 SR together offer various levels of integration and features to allow a commercial system integrator to optimize a system to fit diverse conferencing applications and environments. CONVERGE Pro 2 product line succeeded the original CONVERGE Pro product line, which is currently being phased out as our customers transition fully to CONVERGE Pro 2 product line.
CONVERGE Pro 2’s broad DSP platform satisfies clients’ diverse audio needs with these features:
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Best-in-class audio delivered through next-gen Acoustic Echo Cancellation and Noise Cancellation processing with Acoustic Intelligence, advanced microphone gating and built-in DARE™ feedback elimination.
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Powerful architecture - Up to 12 mic/line inputs per unit, built-in USB audio interface, built-in optional Dante™ for networked audio.
ITEM 1 - BUSINESS
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Daisy-chainable design to support up to 144 Mic/line inputs, C-Link expansion bus with 150 channels and P-Link bus for scalable connection of peripheral devices including any combination of ClearOne peripheral devices, such as the Beamforming Microphone Array 2, BMA CT, BMA 360, USB Expander, GPIO Expander and/or the DIALOG® 20 Wireless Microphone system.
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Supports video conferencing, audio and web conferencing, in-room meetings, wireless presentation, and more.
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Integration of VoIP or telephony, USB, and Dante™ for maximum functionality.
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Ability to control local meeting rooms and audio distribution applications with flexible options - touch panel controller, BYOD dialer apps or 3rd party control modules.
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Configure, manage, monitor and troubleshoot the entire system of auto-discovered devices with MatrixView™ and FlowView™ in CONSOLE AI for visualized audio signal paths.
The CONVERGE Pro 2 line of products is ably supported by a touch panel controller, a GPIO expansion box, a USB expansion box and a wall-mount Bluetooth Expander. CONVERGE Pro 2 VoIP SKUs are certified to interoperate with Cisco, Avaya and ShoreTel SIP based VoIP systems and also interoperate with Microsoft Teams, Zoom, Google Meet, and other popular collaboration applications.
Our CONVERGENCE Cloud software is a unified AV network management platform to monitor, control, and audit ClearOne Pro Audio and Video products and services. Remote real-time system access provides at-a-glance and all-inclusive dashboard views with auto-discovery of Pro Audio devices and unlimited scalability designed to support organizations of any size. With the new Cloud option, AV Practitioners can profit on value-added MaaS opportunities to easily support multiple clients and multiple networks with fully secure, real-time remote system access on a single multi-tenant platform. The powerful and elegant user interface, in twelve languages, works on any browser and will allow full support of the AV Network with built-in video, audio, and chat tools for real-time communications as well as email and immediate SMS text alerts. Relevant information is quickly found with search, sort, and filter options. CONVERGENCE AV Cloud can be virtually partitioned for AV management by location such as building, floor, room, or any desired global topology. Practitioners can easily manage accounts, assigning three levels of access with Owner, Administrator, and Monitor roles; all housed on encrypted secure cloud servers. Client tenant usage can be conveniently tracked for invoicing and optional auto-payment reminders.
Our CONVERGENCE® InSite server network hardware enables remote device management by facilitating bi-directional communications between its Cloud or Enterprise AV Manager and on-site ClearOne Pro Audio products.
Mid-Tier Premium Conferencing
Our premium conferencing offerings consist of the CONVERGE Huddle and INTERACT® product lines. Premium conferencing solutions are mid-tier, lower cost, conferencing product solutions designed to meet the needs of our larger customers with smaller conferencing rooms as well as small and medium businesses. CONVERGE Huddle is a versatile solution for multiple use huddle room environments at a price point that meets budget requirements for audio and video collaboration applications. CONVERGE Huddle connects to ClearOne or third-party peripheral devices, such as microphones, speakers, cameras, and display screens and applications such as Microsoft Teams, Zoom, Google Meet, GoToMeeting ™, and WebEx® through a single clutter-free connection via USB 3.0 to a laptop. It comes with professional quality Acoustic Echo Cancellation and Noise Cancellation algorithms and user-friendly CONSOLE® software. It can be mounted easily under a table, behind a display, on a wall or in a rack. The INTERACT product series is comprised of INTERACT AT and INTERACT Pro. Both systems can be easily connected to enterprise telephones, analog POTS lines, existing HD video codecs and soft video clients. These INTERACT systems also include a USB audio interface to connect to PCs, laptops and tablets, as well as to rich multimedia devices, such as video or web conferencing systems and unified communication systems for enhanced collaboration.
Speakerphones
Our CHAT® product line of speakerphones includes affordable and stylish USB based personal and group speakerphones. CHAT speakerphones provide full-duplex and rich full bandwidth frequency response for superior audio clarity. CHAT products are designed for a wide variety of applications and devices (fixed or portable) for greatly enhanced collaboration wherever and whenever needed. CHAT speakerphones are offered either as personal speakerphones under CHAT 50 SKU or as group speakerphones under CHAT 150 CHAT 150 BT SKUs.
ITEM 1 - BUSINESS
CHAT 50 personal speakerphones are approximately the size of a deck of cards, and connect to PCs and Macs for rich, clear, hands-free audio and playback. CHAT 150 group speakerphones are designed for small group use. These can connect to the same devices and applications as the CHAT personal speakerphones but feature three microphones in larger design for use by a larger number of participants. CHAT group speakerphones make it possible to introduce rich, crystal clear conferencing capability without the need for introducing a separate traditional conference phone. CHATAttach® is comprised of two CHAT 150 group speakerphones which can be daisy-chained together to function as a single conferencing system for much larger coverage than a single CHAT 150. CHAT group speakerphones are integral to our media collaboration product line.
On January 30, 2023, we introduced the new CHAT® 150 BT group speakerphone with USB and Bluetooth connectivity that enhances the conferencing experience for the ultimate in business class performance. With simple, instant connection to personal computers, mobile devices or Bluetooth-enabled desk phones, the CHAT® 150 BT group speakerphone provides users with an affordable way to upgrade home offices, executive offices, and mid-size meeting rooms with BYOD convenience and superior audio clarity for audio conferences and video meetings. The CHAT® 150 BT speakerphone also has an audio bridging feature that allows far end conference participants connected via a software conferencing application through USB, local users of the speakerphone, and far end callers on a mobile call connected through Bluetooth to all join the same call and hear each other clearly. Featuring a steerable microphone array with first-mic priority, the CHAT® 150 BT speakerphone intelligently activates the microphone closest to the person speaking, reducing interference from ambient noise. Like all ClearOne microphone products, the CHAT® 150 BT speakerphone is compatible with popular collaboration platforms including Microsoft® Teams, Zoom™, WebEx™, Google® Meet™, and many more. The new BT model retains all the class-leading features of the original CHAT® 150 speakerphone, including Advanced Noise Cancellation, Full Duplex Distributed Echo Cancellation™ and Automatic Level Control algorithms, to ensure highly intelligible, natural audio capture and playback. It also supports NFC tap-to-pair and includes a wired USB connection for compatibility with the full variety of modern devices.
PROFESSIONAL MICROPHONES
Our microphones contributed 41% and 39% of our consolidated revenue in 2023 and 2022, respectively.
Beamforming Microphone Array
ClearOne began shipping the first generation Beamforming Microphone Array in March 2013. This product works with CONVERGE Pro products. Beamforming Microphone Array 2, the next generation Beamforming Microphone Array started shipping in the last quarter of 2017. It works with CONVERGE Pro2. It affirmed ClearOne’s clear industry leadership with the following outstanding features:
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Significantly enhanced and new echo cancellation, with improved performance in demanding acoustic environments.
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Acoustic intelligence with adaptive ambience - faster convergence and better adaptation to changes in room acoustics, such as ambient noise from chairs moving, doors closing, chatter in the background, using separate acoustic echo cancellation for each fixed beam and inhibiting changes in beam selection when only the far end is active.
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Dramatically better mic pickup, including using an augmenting microphone signal, improving overall sound quality.
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Natural and clearly intelligible audio, even when two people speak at once.
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Zero consumption of analog I/O and signal processing in the DSP mixer leaving those resources available for other needs.
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Single cable for power, audio and control.
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Two power options - P-Link and POE.
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Daisy-chains with all ClearOne P-Link devices and works with CONVERGE Pro 2 DSP AEC mixers.
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Easy configuration and management through CONSOLE software.
ITEM 1 - BUSINESS
During the first quarter of 2019, the Company began shipping our patented Beamforming Microphone Array Ceiling Tile (BMA CT) to our partners. All of the innovations developed for the BMA CT make the integrator’s job easier and more profitable. The BMA CT dramatically transforms how integrators can approach system design for ceiling tile installations, allowing for multi-array setups that can utilize a single, low-channel count DSP mixer while maintaining ClearOne’s high level of performance and reliability. Further simplification comes from the array’s built-in power amplifier, which allows each array to drive two 10-Watt, 8-Ohm loudspeakers. The BMA CT also features ClearOne’s proprietary adaptive steering technology (think of it as smart switching). This provides impeccable room coverage while eliminating the need to adjust individual beams. Integrators can daisy chain ceiling tiles via P-Link (ClearOne’s proprietary peripheral link) for larger conference setups - for simpler wiring and longer distances compared to networked home-run connections. P-Link also allows integrators to daisy chain additional peripherals such as wireless mics, USB Expanders, and GPIO Expanders. The system supports all of this functionality with zero consumption of analog I/O and signal processing in the DSP mixer leaving those resources available for other needs.
During the first quarter of 2020, we announced two new additions to our COLLABORATE Versa family of products. COLLABORATE® Versa Room CT, provides all the equipment and accessories needed for exceptional room cloud-based conferencing. At the heart of the system, is the USB audio-enabled Beamforming Mic Array Ceiling Tile (BMA CTH). Thanks to its onboard processing, the BMA CTH performs acoustic echo cancellation, noise cancellation, and beam selection, so no external DSP mixer is required. The array’s adaptive steering (think of it as smart switching) provides impeccable room coverage. The Versa Room CT brings cost-effective professional conferencing audio to small and mid-sized meeting rooms. COLLABORATE Versa Lite CT is a USB audio enabled BMA CTH room solution. This solution dramatically enhances the audio experience for any cloud-collaboration application such as Zoom, Microsoft Teams, and Webex, without the need for a DSP mixer. The system can be easily and quickly configured using ClearOne’s CONSOLE® AI Lite software with Audio Intelligence™ and Auto Connect™. A laptop or a desktop PC can be connected to the BMA CTH directly through the USB port on the Versa USB to share room audio. The included 50-foot CAT6 cable connects the Versa USB Expander to the BMA CTH.
During October 2020, we announced BMA 360, the world’s most technologically advanced Beamforming Microphone Array Ceiling Tile, delivering unequaled audio performance and deployment ease. The ClearOne BMA 360 is the world’s first truly wideband, frequency invariant beamforming mic array with uniform gain response across all frequency bands. With FiBeam™ technology, conference participants will experience the ultimate in natural and full fidelity audio across all beams and within a single beam. Deep sidelobe beamforming, DsBeam™, provides unparalleled maximum sidelobe depth, below -40 dB, resulting in superior rejection of reverberation and noise in difficult spaces for superb clarity and intelligibility.
The BMA 360 is based on a dramatically new approach to beamforming that provides a new beam topology to easily achieve distortion-free, full 360-degree coverage of any room shape and any seating arrangement using ClearOne Audio Intelligence™. Further advancements in adaptive steering (think of it as smart switching) provide impeccable coverage of each conference participant as well as support for camera tracking. In addition to the advancements in beamforming technology, the 6G Acoustic Echo Cancellation (AEC) delivers unmatched per-beam full-duplex audio performance. On-board audio algorithms, like noise reduction, filtering, and Automatic Level Control, eliminate the need for per-beam processing in a DSP mixer - requiring fewer DSP mixer resources. Finally, robust built-in amplifiers, configurable as 4 x 15 Watt or 2 x 30 Watt, provide flexibility for driving loudspeakers. ClearOne’s breakthrough technologies, FiBeam, DsBeam, and 6G AEC combine to create VividVoice™, a significant advancement for professional conferencing. The integrated features in the BMA 360 significantly reduce system design complexity, simplify installation, consume less rack space, and lower system cost. The BMA 360 also supports daisy-chaining of up to three ceiling tiles via P-Link for divisible rooms, or larger conference setups - for simpler wiring, longer distances, and lower-cost deployments compared to networked “home-run” connections via Ethernet. ClearOne’s BMA technology is protected by at least a dozen patents and pending patent applications.
ITEM 1 - BUSINESS
During February 2021, we expanded the applications for our BMA 360, Beamforming Microphone Array Ceiling Tile with the addition of a new Voice Lift feature that allows its impeccable audio to be locally amplified and heard throughout classrooms, lecture halls, and large meeting rooms. ClearOne’s powerful breakthrough technologies, FiBeam™ and DsBeam™, already found on the BMA 360, enable exceptional new levels of Voice Lift performance. FiBeam technology makes the BMA 360 the world’s first truly wideband, frequency-invariant beamforming mic array that provides the ultimate in natural and full-fidelity sound. DsBeam provides unparalleled sidelobe depth below -40 dB, resulting in superior rejection of reverb and noise and providing superb clarity and intelligibility. With the addition of the new Voice Lift feature, the BMA 360 offers everything desired in a beamforming microphone array ceiling tile-superior beamformed audio, echo cancellation, noise cancellation, auto-mixing, power amplifiers, and camera-tracking functions. The ClearOne architecture offers easy setup and configuration for foolproof installation which benefits AV practitioners. End-users also benefit from the BMA 360’s reduced overall system cost for maximum return on investment. Each BMA 360 can have up to four Voice Lift zones to provide a simple and intuitive way to drive multiple speaker groups, allowing everyone to easily hear and be heard. Built-in 4 channel power amplifiers make wiring simple, convenient, and provide a large cost savings. ClearOne’s innovative combination of built-in power amplifiers and mix-minus zones makes the Voice Lift feature extremely simple to create and deploy. The BMA 360, now with Voice Lift, sets another industry standard for exceptional mic pickup distance and system gain.
At Infocomm 2023, we unveiled the BMA 360D, the newest member of the world’s most advanced beamforming microphone array ceiling tile family. The BMA 360D offers unrivaled audio performance and native compatibility with any Dante-enabled DSP mixer. The new Dante-compatible beamforming microphone array allows integrators and users to leverage ClearOne’s industry-leading microphone innovations in more projects and spaces than ever before. The BMA 360D takes our groundbreaking product to the next level by leveraging standard IP networking infrastructure in an enterprise, empowering AV and IT practitioners to upgrade existing room solutions to use more powerful microphones and expanding flexibility that enables third-party DSP integrations in new system designs. The added power and advanced beamforming also enhance the performance of critical modern functions such as voice lift and camera tracking. Dante integration in the BMA 360D enhances the array’s functionality by delivering unprocessed beam audio on individual Dante transmit channels. Additionally, a smart-switched output is delivered on a separate Dante channel to provide the optimal mix of active inputs while enabling ClearOne’s full suite of audio enhancements, which include echo cancellation, noise cancellation, and level control. The BMA 360D incorporates the industry’s only ultra-wideband, frequency-invariant beamforming mic array technology with uniform gain response across all frequency bands. With proprietary FiBeam™ and DsBeam™ technology, participants experience natural and full-fidelity audio across all beams and within a single beam. DsBeam delivers superb clarity and intelligibility through unparalleled sidelobe depth below -40 dB, resulting in superior rejection of reverb and noise even in challenging environments. Integrator setup is simplified by convenient preset beam patterns for common room layouts, while custom beam patterns can be created for unique floor plans. Combined with adaptive steering that focuses audio pickup on active speakers, the adjustable beam patterns provide impeccable coverage of every meeting or conference participant. The exceptional accuracy of ClearOne’s beamforming and adaptive steering technologies also enhance the performance of voice lift and camera tracking functions for any attached DSP mixer.
Ceiling Microphone Array
The ClearOne Ceiling Microphone Array enhances almost any professional conferencing application which demands high-quality audio. The Ceiling Microphone Array is easily installed and combines affordability with exceptional audio quality. With three wide-range microphones mounted together into a single unit array, the Ceiling Microphone Array provides the rich sound of three individual unidirectional microphones while maintaining full 360-degree coverage.
This product line was further strengthened in 2018 by the introduction of the Ceiling Microphone Array Analog-X series of ceiling microphones. These products feature superior sound quality, adjustability for desired height from 0 to 7 feet and numbered microphone elements for easy identification. This product line was further expanded with the introduction of Ceiling Microphone Array Dante, a tri-element ceiling microphone array with built-in Dante audio networking for conferencing and sound reinforcement applications. Each Ceiling Microphone Array Dante utilizes three premium quality microphone elements to deliver 360-degree room coverage for boardrooms, conference rooms, telemedicine facilities and more. Dante networking technology offers simple installation with CAT5 or CAT6 cabling, and delivers uncompressed, multi-channel audio with near-zero latency and sample accurate time synchronization throughout the network.
ITEM 1 - BUSINESS
Wireless Microphones
In 2013, ClearOne introduced WS800 Wireless Microphone Systems, including four new models of wireless microphones/transmitters (Tabletop/boundary, Gooseneck, Handheld, Bodypack) and a base-station receiver with either 4 or 8 channels, which connect to professional audio mixers. Since the Sabine acquisition in 2014, our portfolio of wireless microphone systems was enhanced by the introduction of digital compressed versions, Dante compatible versions and more frequency ranges catering to various international markets.
During 2017, we started shipping DIALOG® 20, the two-channel wireless microphone system. Leveraging the full power of ClearOne's robust, adaptive frequency-hopping "spread" spectrum technology within the 2.4 GHz unlicensed spectrum, DIALOG 20 has several advantages over fixed-frequency transmission. DIALOG 20 incorporates flexible features and multiple options usually available only in much larger systems. While DIALOG 20 works seamlessly with all commercially available mixers, it boasts additional features when natively interfacing with our CONVERGE Pro 2 or Beamforming Microphone Arrays.
In January 2022 we introduced DIALOG® 10 USB, the industry’s only single-channel wireless microphone system offering professional-quality audio with USB connectivity. Offering plug-and-play simplicity and wireless convenience, DIALOG 10 USB is an ideal solution for webcasting and cloud-based collaboration. Setup is a breeze with the included USB Type C cable that connects to any PC for audio, power, and control. With no external power source or additional audio cables required, DIALOG 10 USB is one of the easiest and fastest ways to enjoy high-quality audio in any application.
In June 2023 we introduced the DIALOG UVHF wireless microphone system that combines class-leading flexibility, Power over Ethernet (PoE) simplicity, Dante technology and up to 350 usable frequencies. The DIALOG UVHF is a highly flexible wireless microphone system that delivers incredibly robust reception and more available spectrum on-demand than any other product in its class. The system has the only wireless access point to offer antenna redundancy and antenna diversity. Dual integral antennas with spatial and polarization diversity help to maintain high audio quality in harsh environments.
VIDEO
Our video products include video collaboration and AV networking products. Our video products contributed 14% of our consolidated revenue in 2023 and 2022.
Video Collaboration:
Our Media Collaboration suite of products is led by our comprehensive portfolio of COLLABORATE® branded videoconferencing and collaboration solutions.
Our Media Collaboration series includes COLLABORATE Space, a suite of solutions that unifies messaging, calls, meetings and, perhaps most importantly, minds in a way that will energize workflows and increase productivity for everyone involved in the enterprise. Designed as a persistent, user-friendly collaboration suite, COLLABORATE Space contains many powerful UCC capabilities, as well as the seamless ability to make calls outside the network. By adding phone credits on the account, customers can reach anyone in the world on a standard landline or mobile phone with the system’s integrated phone dialer.
ITEM 1 - BUSINESS
With COLLABORATE Space, users can work together one-on-one, or in groups of hundreds, with integrated file sharing, searchable archives, and user presence information. They can connect with colleagues and contacts, via audio and video, with the most intuitive collaboration tools. Users can meet immediately or schedule a meeting and access a full suite of collaboration features, including file sharing, whiteboarding, annotation, chat, and meeting minutes. Team members wishing to move from email can also create searchable private and public channels, organized by topic, which can be accessed from anywhere. They can also search, access and store agendas, notes, messages, documents, whiteboards, session recordings, and more. Finally, COLLABORATE Space runs on any device, from desktop to mobile, and on any standards-based video endpoint.
COLLABORATE Space Enterprise has all the functionality people have come to expect from a full-featured cloud collaboration app, with the increased security and full, enterprise control associated with on-premises platforms. In addition to the “Enterprise” platform, COLLABORATE Space is available in cloud-based “Basic” and “Pro” versions.
COLLABORATE Space, our powerful cloud-based collaboration solution, added two valuable features in 2020 - webinar hosting and Web RTC. COLLABORATE Space Pro and Enterprise meeting plans can be upgraded to include the Webinar feature allowing session hosts to conduct video and audio presentations for up to 1,000 participants. The Web RTC feature works with all popular browsers including Microsoft Edge, Google Chrome, Safari and Mozilla Firefox. The Web RTC feature enables users to easily join full-featured COLLABORATE Space audio and video meetings using a browser with no downloads or plug-ins required. Users can accept meeting, webinar, and classroom invitations and join with a single click; easily sharing and viewing content within a browser window. COLLABORATE Space also added a feature where Microsoft Teams users can now enjoy a richer collaboration than that available within the Teams environment today. This richer collaboration experience includes better video quality, support for multiple cameras, support for multiple displays, and a persistent meeting space where chats, audio and video recordings, documents, meeting minutes, whiteboard sessions, and more can be shared in private or public channels for later access. Users can easily initiate a Space video meeting or join an existing Space video meeting within the MS Teams environment.
Bring your own device and web conferencing
The COLLABORATE Versa series offer a USB PTZ camera, a speakerphone and USB hub that connects a laptop to the meeting room peripherals via a single USB 3.0 cable. COLLABORATE Versa, is compatible with Microsoft Teams, Zoom, WebEx, Google Meet, and more. This solution is targeted at huddle spaces and medium conference rooms.
COLLABORATE Versa 50 features a ClearOne UNITE® 50 EPTZ 3x zoom 1080p30 camera to capture all participants in the room; a USB hub for connecting to dual displays, cameras, audio endpoints, networks and other peripherals, and a CHAT® 150 speakerphone with advanced audio processing for a rich conferencing experience.
The COLLABORATE Versa Pro 50 addresses today’s AV collaboration needs for COLLABORATE Space, MS Teams, Zoom, WebEx, GoToMeeting and other applications with a complete huddle space solution. It features a CONVERGE® Huddle audio DSP mixer for a professional audio experience, a ClearOne UNITE® 50 EPTZ 3x zoom 1080p30 camera, and a ceiling microphone array with 360-degree coverage reducing reverberation and noise. Customers purchasing the COLLABORATE Versa Pro 150 get upgraded to a 1080p30 UNITE® 150 PTZ camera with 12x optical zoom.
COLLABORATE Versa Pro CT, includes a Huddle DSP mixer and the Huddle-compatible and patented BMA CTH that is a perfect fit for small-to medium-sized rooms. The COLLABORATE Versa Pro CT is a great room solution for Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) collaboration using any cloud-based service. such as Microsoft Teams, WebEx, Zoom, and more. The system includes the Company’s new BMA CTH Beamforming Microphone Array Ceiling Tile with built-in AEC, providing the same impeccable room coverage as the BMA CT using adaptive steering (think of it as smart switching). The COLLABORATE Versa Pro CT system also includes mic/line inputs with AEC, line outputs, 4x10 Watt power amps, USB audio, and HDMI. The system comes preloaded with a project file ready for the most common room configuration. Or it can be further configured using CONSOLE® AI software, now with enhanced visualization and Audio Intelligence.
Additionally, both COLLABORATE Versa Pro 50 and Versa Pro 150 solutions feature a CONVERGE® Huddle audio DSP mixer for a professional audio experience, and a Ceiling Microphone Array with 360-degree coverage that reduces reverberation and noise.
ITEM 1 - BUSINESS
In May 2023, we launched eight new COLLABORATE® Versa® packaged hardware systems to provide optimized audio and video performance for conference rooms and personal office spaces. The updated lineup of bundled solutions empowers businesses of all sizes and means to leverage powerful conferencing capabilities that include automatic voice tracking, face tracking and echo cancellation. The new lineup of COLLABORATE Versa solutions offers an ideal package for every small-to-medium sized conferencing space or personal office, giving business owners and IT staff mission-specific options that ensure maximum value, utility and performance in any room. The solutions launched were COLLABORATE Versa Room CT 160, COLLABORATE Versa Room CT, COLLABORATE Versa 20, COLLABORATE Versa 20 Plus, COLLABORATE Versa 160, COLLABORATE Versa 60, COLLABORATE Versa Pro 160, and COLLABORATE Versa Pro 60.
In April 2023 we announced the immediate market availability of the Versa UCS2100 Collaboration Switcher Kit. Designed for use in small to mid-sized meeting rooms, board rooms, and executive offices, the Versa UCS2100 automatically detects HDMI and USB-C sources, such as a dedicated in-room PC or a Bring-Your-Own-Meeting (BYOM) laptop and offers the flexibility for users to access the same set of in-room AV peripherals, such as cameras and audio devices. Its USB-C input provides up to 60 watts charging and provides simultaneous 1 x HDMI output and 1 x HDBaseT output. When combined with ClearOne UNITE series PTZ cameras, INTERACT, CONVERGE® Pro 2, CONVERGE® HUDDLE, and CHAT series audio conferencing devices, the Versa UCS2100 delivers guaranteed performance and a streamlined user experience that supports automatic source detection and switching and is controllable via RS-232, TCP/IP, or front panel buttons.
In October 2023 at Infocomm India we provided our integration partners and end user customers with added flexibility in system connectivity with the introduction of our new Versa USB22 Dante adapter. This new product enables users to directly connect any computer to a Dante network without first requiring software installation and can be used with any audio application for playback or capture and is thus ideal for a wide range of small to mid-sized meeting spaces. The Versa USB 22D delivers bit-perfect audio reproduction, super-low latency, and sample-accurate synchronization across the entire Dante network. It connects any computer to the ClearOne BMA 360D through a Dante network.
Cameras
UNITE 200/150 is a professional-grade PTZ camera series supporting USB, HDMI and IP connectivity. It delivers 1080p HD resolution, 12X optical zoom and is compatible with PC-based and Pro-AV applications, supporting wide range of meeting spaces.
The UNITE 50 4K camera is plug-and-play ready with a 120-degree field-of-view, and digital zoom. It pairs easily with any microphone/speaker combination. The UNITE 50 4K camera’s ultra-wide-angle field-of-view is ideally suited for PC-based video conferencing, web conferencing and unified communications, and other collaboration experiences in huddle spaces and small conference rooms. The camera also supports the USB Video Class (UVC) 1.1 standard for maximum compatibility with a wide variety of cloud and room-based solutions. Along with 4K30 resolution, the autofocus camera features 3x digital zoom and a full-function USB 3.0 interface for video and power. Its wide dynamic range provides support for optimal image capture - critical for all video conferencing.
In April 2020, we introduced the UNITE 20 Pro Webcam, which easily mounts on a PC or laptop to provide full 1080p30 image with an ultra wide-angle field-of-view up to 120°. A super-high signal-to-noise ratio and advanced 2D and 3D noise reduction provides superior desktop camera video quality.
During the first quarter of 2021, we announced two powerful cameras that enhance the ease and visual quality of online collaboration beyond the capabilities of integrated laptop and PC cameras. With the ClearOne UNITE® 10, the Company’s most affordable camera ever, and the feature-rich ClearOne UNITE 50 4K AF that includes Auto-Framing technology for automatic single- or multi-person capture, everyone can communicate with the confidence provided by stunning video that puts them in the best possible light. The small, powerful webcam supports up to 1080p video quality and offers autofocus. The UNITE 10 can capture five-megapixel images with a field of view up to 87 degrees. The UNITE 10 attaches to any PC or laptop with a simple mounting bracket, and a 1.5m USB-A cable ensures simple connection to most modern computers.
ITEM 1 - BUSINESS
The new UNITE 50 4K AF camera is a major upgrade over traditional webcams and introduces ClearOne’s new Auto-Framing technology that automatically frames meeting participants to maximize screen use through intelligent image algorithms and ePTZ automation (electronic pan, tilt and zoom). With 4K video quality at 30 Hz, auto-focus capability, 4x digital zoom, more than 8 megapixels of total resolution and an ultra-wide 110-degree field of view, the UNITE 50 4K AF ePTZ is equally capable of delivering incredible image quality from a home office as it is at capturing all participants in an office boardroom. The camera can be controlled through an IR remote, further simplifying use and enabling real-time control of pan, tilt and zoom to provide greater control when capturing multi-person meeting environments. A standard damping mount ensures fast, easy installation, while an included USB 3.0 cable provides both power and video. Both new ClearOne cameras enable life-like video quality to web-based conferencing applications including Microsoft Teams, WebEx, Google Meet, Zoom, and GoToMeeting.
During July 2021 we introduced the UNITE 180 ePTZ professional camera that provides a full 180-degree panoramic field-of-view with “real-time stitching” to achieve a variety of useful viewing modes for any application and environment. Designed for professional-quality visual collaboration, conferencing, UC applications, distance learning, and more, the new UNITE 180 camera provides six viewing mode options as well as panoramic view for the ultimate in camera flexibility. Real-time stitching creates a seamless 180-degree panoramic view of wide spaces by bringing the views of multiple lenses together as one complete image. Large classroom settings, training centers, or any wide conferencing area are all captured and presented with perfect clarity in any of the viewing mode options. A 4x zoom further enhances the UNITE 180 feature set. The UNITE 180 is compatible with all popular cloud-based video collaboration applications including Microsoft Teams, Zoom, WebEx, Google Meet, and others.
During July 2021 we also announced the market introduction of the Versa Mediabar™ video soundbar, the Company’s first professional quality all-in-one audio and video capture device that combines the elegance and simplicity of a soundbar with the power of ClearOne’s intelligent audio capture and 4K camera technologies. Versa Mediabar provides high-quality visual collaboration, audio conferencing, and UC applications from a single integrated device, offering the simplest solution available for offices, conference rooms and home offices with virtually no setup required. With a compact design that can be mounted on a wall or attached to a video display, the Versa Mediabar connects via a single USB cable to elevate the soundbar concept into a powerful tool for virtual collaboration that includes AI-enabled auto-framing and people tracking. The Versa Mediabar features a built-in 4K Ultra HD camera with a 110-degree ultra wide-angle field of view and a four-element microphone array with 360-degree voice pickup and intelligent DSP that provides acoustic echo cancellation (AEC) and automatic noise reduction to ensure crystal clear audio capture. The camera combines electronic pan, tilt and zoom functions (ePTZ) with artificial intelligence to enable auto-framing and people tracking that keeps the speaker in view even if they move around the room. From huddle spaces and small meeting rooms to executive offices and home offices, the compact Versa Mediabar delivers all the power and clarity needed for daily virtual communications. In addition to its professional-quality audio and video capture, the Versa Mediabar also features a powerful built-in speaker with Bluetooth connectivity that allows it to serve double duty as a fully-featured conferencing solution or a Bluetooth speaker for impromptu calls using any Bluetooth device. These attributes make the Versa Mediabar perfect for popular cloud-based collaboration applications such as Microsoft Teams, Zoom, WebEx, and Google Meet. The Versa Mediabar supports standard UVC commands for control, making it a great addition to existing systems, while dual wall and display mounting options deliver freedom of placement and movement.
At the end of October 2022, we announced the introduction of the UNITE® 60 camera, a new wide angle 4K USB camera featuring AI-powered smart face and voice tracking, along with electronic PTZ (pan/tilt/zoom) capabilities. With a 120-degree field of view, and a plug-and-play USB 3.0 connection for video, control, and power, the new UNITE 60 camera is ideally suited for rooms such as executive offices, huddle rooms, or smaller conference rooms. The UNITE 60 camera leverages a wide dynamic range and super-high SNR with advanced 2D and 3D noise reduction to deliver excellent visuals across varied lighting conditions. In addition to the AI auto-tracking feature, the camera can also be controlled via IR remote or UVC protocol. The camera can be paired with a wide variety of microphones and speakers.
In November 2022, we announced the introduction of UNITE 160, a new camera that offers cutting-edge 4K UHD performance with 12x optical zoom capabilities, remote-controlled mechanical pan and tilt as well as AI-powered smart face tracking and auto framing. This camera is designed to capture all participants in large rooms while enabling automated focus on a moving presenter, making it ideal for larger spaces including board rooms, training centers, conference rooms and classrooms. This new camera offers an integrated AI-based camera tracking solution for rooms that are a fit for ClearOne's Versa Lite CT and a single camera. This new lower-cost camera tracking configuration eliminates the need for a DSP mixer and a control system.
ITEM 1 - BUSINESS
On January 16, 2023, we introduced UNITE 260 Pro camera, a professional grade 4K Ultra HD camera featuring both a 20X optical zoom and 16X digital zoom that allows users to capture every participant in all meeting, training, and learning environments it is deployed in. Compatible with all popular meeting applications like Microsoft® Teams, Zoom™, WebEx™, and Google® Meet™, the new camera features an AI-based smart face tracking mode that keeps a selected presenter in the frame as they move about the room. Alternatively, the camera’s AI-based auto framing mode always keeps an entire group in perfect view. With dual video outputs HDMI and IP, the UNITE 260 Pro Camera is an excellent choice for a hybrid environment: streaming content while simultaneously showing it live where the presentation is occurring.
AV Networking
Our AV networking products are primarily sold under VIEW® Pro and VIEW Lite brands and deliver the ultimate IP A/V experience by streaming time sensitive high definition audio and video and control over TCP/IP networks. By combining audio and/or video content, meta-data and control signals into one digital stream in harmony with industry standards, its distributed, edge of the network architecture allows the hardware and the processing power to be distributed across any existing TCP/IP network. This leverages many of the advantages of using TCP/IP over traditional analog systems and other centrally controlled IP-based systems.
PROFESSIONAL AUDIO AND VIDEO HOME OFFICE SOLUTIONS
During November 2020, we introduced Aura™, a comprehensive range of Good, Better and Best packages of enterprise quality audio, video, audio-video options to meet the home office market demand for professional audio and video collaboration solutions that match the quality found in a traditional corporate office.
With the post-pandemic demand for work from home and learn from home markets plateauing, we have decided to deemphasize the Aura product line and continue our focus on our core product lines and our key channels including the professional audiovisual channel.
ITEM 1 - BUSINESS
MARKETING AND SALES
We use a two-tier channel model through which we sell our commercial products to a worldwide network of independent professional audiovisual, information technology and telecommunications distributors, who then sell our products to independent systems integrators, dealers, and value-added resellers, who in turn work directly with the end-users of our products for product fulfillment and installation, if needed. Our products are also specified and recommended by professional audio-visual consultants. We also sell our commercial products directly to certain dealers, systems integrators, value-added resellers, and end-users.
Our product sales generated in the United States and outside the United States for the years ended December 31 are as follows:
Revenue in millions
Revenue
%
Revenue
%
In the United States
$
8.2
%
$
12.1
%
Outside United States
10.5
%
13.1
%
$
18.7
%
$
25.2
%
We sell directly to our distributors and resellers in approximately 38 countries worldwide. We anticipate that the portion of our total product revenue from international sales will continue to be a significant portion of our total revenue as we further enhance our focus on developing new products, establishing new channel partners, strengthening our presence in key growth areas, complying with regional environmental regulatory standards, and improving product localization with country-specific product documentation and marketing materials.
Distributors, Resellers and Independent Integrators
We sold our products directly to approximately 263 distributors and direct resellers throughout the world during 2023. Distributors and resellers purchase our products at a discount from list price and resell them worldwide to hundreds of independent systems integrators, telephony value-added resellers, IT value-added resellers, and PC dealers on a non-exclusive basis. Our distributors maintain their own inventory and accounts receivable and are required to provide technical and non-technical support for our products to the next level of distribution participants. We work with our distributors and resellers to establish appropriate inventory stocking levels. We also work with our distributors and resellers to maintain relationships with our existing systems integrators, dealers, and other value-added resellers.
While dealers, resellers, and system integrators all sell our products directly to end-users, system integrators typically add significant value to each sale by combining our products with products from other manufacturers as part of an integrated system solution. Commercial dealers and value-added resellers usually purchase our products from distributors and may bundle our products with products from other manufacturers for resale to the end-user. We maintain close working relationships with all our reseller partners and offer them education and training on all of our products.
Marketing
Much of our marketing effort is conducted in conjunction with our channel partners who provide leverage for us in reaching existing and prospective customers worldwide. We also regularly attend industry forums and exhibit our products at multiple regional and international trade shows, often with our channel partners. These trade shows provide exposure for our brand and products to a wide audience. We market our ClearOne-branded commercial products on our website www.clearone.com. We also conduct public relations initiatives to get press coverage and product reviews in industry and non-industry publications alike.
Customers
Since we sell through distributors and value-added resellers, we do not have comprehensive information on end-users who ultimately use our products. As a result, we do not know whether any end-user accounted for more than 10% of our total revenue during any of the periods reported in this Annual Report. Our customers are distributors and value-added resellers. During the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022 no distributor accounted for more than 10% of our total consolidated revenue.
ITEM 1 - BUSINESS
As discussed above, distributors facilitate product sales to a large number of independent systems integrators, dealers, and value-added resellers, and subsequently to their end-users. The loss of one or more distributors could reduce revenue and have a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations. Our orders fulfilled on which we had not recognized revenue were $30 thousand and $63 thousand as of December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively. We had a backlog of unfulfilled orders of approximately $0.4 million and $2.9 million as of December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively.
Competition
The audio-visual product markets are characterized by intense competition, rapidly evolving technology, and increased business consolidation. We compete with businesses having substantially greater financial, research and product development, manufacturing, marketing, and other resources. If we are not able to continually design, manufacture, and successfully market new or enhanced products or services that are comparable or superior to those provided by our competitors and at comparable or better prices, we could experience pricing pressures and reduced sales, gross profit margins, profits, and market share, each of which could have a materially adverse effect on our business. Our competitors vary within each product category. We believe we are able to differentiate ourselves and therefore successfully compete as a result of the high audio quality of our products resulting from a combination of proprietary and highly advanced audio signal processing technologies and networking technology in the form of trade secrets and patented intellectual property, technical and channel support services, and the strength of our channels and brands. It is critical for our success to be able to defend our intellectual property including trademarks, trade secrets and patents from our competitors who have far more resources.
We believe the following principal factors drive our sales:
●
Quality, features and functionality, and ease of use of the products.
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Broad and deep global channel partnerships.
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Brand name recognition and acceptance.
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Effective sales and marketing.
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Quality of sales and technical support services.
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Significant established history of successful worldwide installations for diverse vertical markets.
In the professional audio conferencing system and sound reinforcement markets our main competitors include AcousticMagic, Biamp, BOSE, Crestron, Extron, Harman (Samsung), Peavey, Poly, QSC, Shure, Symetrix, Vaddio, Xilica, and Yamaha and any original equipment manufacturing (OEM) partners, along with several other companies potentially poised to enter the market.
Our primary competitors in the USB-based speakerphones market are Jabra, Logitech, Poly, Sennheiser, Yamaha and Yealink and any OEM partners.
In the microphones market, our primary competitors include AKG, Audio Technica, Audix, Avlex/Mipro, Beyerdynamic, Biamp, Clock Audio, Lectrosonics, Nureva, Mediavision/Taiden, Poly, Sennheiser, Shure, TeachLogic, TOA, Yamaha and Vaddio and any OEM partners.
Our video conferencing products face tremendous competition from well established players as well as emerging players, including Acano/CISCO, Adobe Connect, Amazon Chime, Avaya (Radvision), Aver, Barco, Blackboard Collaborate, Cisco, Citrix, Fuze, Huawei, InFocus, Kramer, LifeSize, Magor, Pexip, Poly, Microsoft, Starleaf, UNIFY, Vidyo, Yealink, Zoom and ZTE.
ITEM 1 - BUSINESS
Sources and Availability of Raw Materials
We manufacture our products through electronics manufacturing services (“EMS”) providers, who are generally responsible for sourcing and procuring required raw materials and components. Most of the components that our EMS providers require for manufacturing our products are readily available from a number of sources. During 2020 and 2021, we witnessed a significant tightening of the electronics market with demand for electronic products especially for semiconductors which include memories and processors, far exceeding the supply along with surging inflation that caused price increases and longer fulfillment cycles. COVID-19 completely disrupted the entire supply chain and extended the already lengthy fulfillment cycles. Continuing tariff wars between USA and China has created more uncertainty with respect to pricing and has consequently affected the supply chain. During 2023, we experienced a revenue decline partially due to our inability to source adequate inventory to meet the demand for professional audio products and BMA due to the transition of manufacturing of our products from China to Singapore by our electronics manufacturing services provider. The challenges with the manufacturing transition from China to Singapore was successfully resolved in the fourth quarter of 2023.
Extended lead times for component purchases and component cost increases persisted throughout 2021 and 2022. Lead times shortened for many components in 2023, and although component costs moderated somewhat in 2022 and 2023 compared to 2021, several component suppliers have made cost increases permanent.
We continually work with our EMS providers to seek alternative sources for all our components and raw material requirements to ensure higher quality and better pricing. Most of our EMS providers and their vendors are duly qualified by our corporate quality assurance process. We work with our EMS providers to ensure that raw materials and components conform to our specifications.
Manufacturing
Currently, all of our products are manufactured by EMS providers. Our primary EMS provider is Flextronics.
Seasonality
We do not recognize a consistent pattern between the quarters to identify seasonality.
Research and Product Development
We are committed to research and product development and view our continued investment in research and product development as a key ingredient to our long-term business success. Our research and product development expenditures were approximately $3.7 million and $4.4 million during the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively.
Our core competencies in research and product development include (a) many audio technologies, including acoustic echo cancellation, noise cancellation and other advanced adaptive digital signal processing technologies, (b) networking and multimedia streaming technologies, (c) video technologies, and (d) cloud technologies. We also have expertise in wireless technologies, VoIP, software and network system development. We believe that continued investment in our core technological competencies is vital to developing new products and to enhancing existing products.
Intellectual Property and Other Proprietary Rights
We believe that our success depends in part on our ability to protect our proprietary rights. We rely on a combination of patent, copyright, trademark, and trade secret laws and confidentiality agreements and processes to protect our proprietary rights.
As of December 31, 2023, we had approximately 79 patents and 4 pending patent applications, including foreign counterpart patents and foreign applications. Our patents and pending patent applications cover a wide range of our products and services including, but not limited to acoustic echo cancellation, beamforming microphone arrays, systems that enable streaming media over IP networks, algorithms for video processing, wireless conferencing systems, spatial audio, and technologies for the Internet of Things. The durations of our patents are determined by the laws of the country of issuance. For the U.S., patents may be 17 years from the date of issuance of the patent or 20 years from the date of its filing, depending upon when the patent application was filed. In addition, we hold numerous U.S. trademarks. The laws of foreign countries may not protect our intellectual property to the same degree as the laws of the United States.
ITEM 1 - BUSINESS
We will obtain patents and other intellectual property rights used in connection with our business when practicable and appropriate. Our intellectual property policy is to protect our products, technology and processes by asserting our intellectual property rights where appropriate and prudent. From time to time, assertions of infringement of certain patents or other intellectual property rights of others have been made against us. In addition, the Company was involved in patent infringement lawsuits against Shure Inc. ("Shure"). See Note 8- Commit ments and Contingencies - Legal Proceedings - Intellectual Property Litigation for a discussion of these legal proceedings.
We are dependent on our intellectual property. If we are not able to protect our proprietary rights or if those rights are invalidated or circumvented, our business may be adversely affected. We may be subject to litigation and infringement claims, which could cause us to incur significant expenses or prevent us from selling our products or services. For more information concerning the risks related to patents, trademarks, and other intellectual property, please see “Risk Factors-Risks Related to our Business.”
We generally require our employees, certain customers and partners to enter into confidentiality and non-disclosure agreements before we disclose any confidential aspect of our technology, services, or business. In addition, our employees are required to assign to us any proprietary information, inventions, or other technology created during the term of their employment with us. However, these precautions may not be sufficient to protect us from misappropriation or infringement of our intellectual property.
Employees
As of December 31, 2023, we had 82 full-time employees. Of these employees, 44 were located in the U.S. and 38 in locations outside the U.S. None of our employees are subject to a collective bargaining agreement and we believe our relationship with our employees is good. We also hire contractors with specific skill sets to meet our operational needs.

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ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS
ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS
Investors should carefully consider the risks described below. The risks described below are not the only ones we face and there are risks that we are not presently aware of or that we currently believe are immaterial that may also impair our business operations. Any of these risks could harm our business. The trading price of our common stock could decline significantly due to any of these risks, and investors may lose all or part of their investment. In assessing these risks, investors should also refer to the other information contained or incorporated by reference in this annual report on Form 10-K, including our consolidated financial statements and related notes.
Risks Relating to Our Business
We face intense competition in all markets for our products and services and our operating results will be adversely affected if we cannot compete effectively against other companies.
The markets for our products and services are characterized by intense competition, pricing pressures and rapid technological change. Our competitive landscape continues to rapidly evolve, in particular with respect to our video-related services and products, as we move into new markets for video collaboration such as mobile, social and cloud-delivered video. We compete with businesses having substantially greater financial, research and product development, manufacturing, marketing, and other resources than we do. In addition, many of our current competitors, as well as many of our potential competitors, are private companies not subject to the costs and disclosure requirements applicable to us as a public company, have longer operating histories, significantly greater resources to invest in new technologies and more substantial experience in new product development, regulatory expertise, manufacturing capabilities and the distribution channels to deliver products to customers. If we are not able to continually design, manufacture, and successfully introduce new or enhanced products or services that are comparable or superior to those provided by our competitors and at comparable or better prices, we could experience pricing pressures and reduced sales, gross profit margins, profits, and market share, each of which could have a materially adverse effect on our business.
Difficulties in estimating customer demand in our products segment could harm our profit margins.
Orders from our distributors and other distribution participants are based on demand from end-users. Prospective end-user demand is difficult to measure. This means that our revenue during any fiscal quarter could be adversely impacted by low end-user demand, which could in turn negatively affect orders we receive from distributors and dealers. Our expectations for both short and long-term future net revenues are based on our own estimates of future demand. Revenue for any particular time period is difficult to predict with any degree of certainty. We typically ship products within a short time after we receive an order; consequently, unshipped backlog has not historically been a good indicator of future revenue. We believe that the level of backlog is dependent in part on our ability to forecast revenue mix and plan our manufacturing accordingly. A significant portion of our customers’ orders are received during the last month of the quarter. We budget the amount of our expenses based on our revenue estimates. If our estimates of sales are not accurate and we experience unforeseen variability in our revenue and operating results, we may be unable to adjust our expense levels accordingly and our gross profit and results of operations will be adversely affected. Higher inventory levels or stock shortages may also result from difficulties in estimating customer demand.
If we are unable to protect our intellectual property rights or have insufficient proprietary rights, our business would be materially impaired.
We currently rely primarily on a combination of trade secrets, copyrights, trademarks, patents, patents pending, and nondisclosure agreements to establish and protect our proprietary rights in our products. Our success is dependent in part on obtaining, maintaining and enforcing our intellectual property rights. If we are unable to obtain, maintain and enforce intellectual property legal protection covering our products, then no assurances can be given that others will not independently develop technologies similar to ours, or duplicate or design around aspects of our technology. In addition, we cannot assure that any patent or registered trademark owned by us will not be invalidated, circumvented or challenged, or that the rights granted thereunder will provide competitive advantages to us. Costly litigation may be necessary to enforce our intellectual property rights. We believe our products and other proprietary rights do not infringe upon any proprietary rights of third parties; however, we cannot ensure that third parties will not assert infringement claims in the future. We currently hold only a limited number of patents. To the extent that we have patentable technology that is material to our business and for which we have not filed patent applications, others may be able to use such technology or even gain priority over us by patenting such technology themselves, which could have a material adverse effect on our business. With respect to any patent application we have filed, we cannot ensure that a patent will be awarded.
ITEM 1A - RISK FACTORS
We may be subject to patent litigation, including claims challenging the validity and enforceability of some of our patents, which could cause us to incur significant expenses or prevent us from protecting our products or services against competing products.
Our industry is characterized by vigorous protection of intellectual property rights. We previously were involved in litigation to enforce our intellectual property rights and we may be involved in litigation in the future, which has resulted and could result in our adversaries in such litigation challenging the validity, scope, and/or enforceability of our intellectual property. Irrespective of the merits of these claims, any resulting litigation could be costly and time consuming and could divert the attention of management and key personnel from other business issues. The complexity of the technology involved, and the uncertainty of intellectual property litigation increase these risks. See Part I, Item 3. Legal Proceedings and Note 8 - Commitments and Contingencies of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements (Part II, Item 8) for information regarding current legal proceedings involving our intellectual property rights.
Our sales depend to a certain extent on government funding and regulation.
In the audio conferencing products market, the revenue generated from sales of our audio conferencing products for distance learning and courtroom facilities depends on government funding. In the event government funding for such initiatives was reduced or became unavailable, our sales could be negatively impacted. Additionally, many of our products are subject to governmental regulations. New regulations could impact sales in a materially adverse manner.
Environmental laws and regulations subject us to a number of risks and could result in significant costs and impact on revenue.
Regulations regarding the materials used in manufacturing, the process of disposing of electronic equipment and the efficient use of energy require us to take additional time to obtain regulatory approvals of new products in international markets. Such regulations may impact our ability to expand our sales in a timely and cost-effective manner and, as a result, our business could be harmed.
A material weakness was identified in our internal control over financial reporting. If we fail to maintain effective internal control over financial reporting in the future, we may be unable to report our financial results accurately on a timely basis, investors could lose confidence in our reported financial information, the trading price of our common shares could decline and our access to the capital markets or other financing sources could become limited.
In connection with the audit of our consolidated financial statements as of December 31, 2017, our independent registered public accounting firm identified deficiencies in our system of internal control over financial reporting that it considered to be a material weakness related to the accurate and timely reporting of our financial results and disclosures for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2017 and our testing and assessment of the design and operating effectiveness of internal controls over financial reporting in a timely manner. The Public Company Accounting Oversight Board's Auditing Standard No. 5 defines a material weakness as 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 annual or interim financial statements will not be prevented or detected on a timely basis. See Part II, Item 9A, “Controls and Procedures.”
We initiated remedial measures and conducted an evaluation of the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting for the years 2019, 2020, and 2021 based on the framework set forth in Internal Control - Integrated Framework (2013 framework) issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission, and concluded that remediation of the material weakness identified during the 2017 audit has been completed. We also concluded under this evaluation that our internal control over financial reporting was effective as of December 31, 2022 and December 31, 2023, respectively.
However, there can be no assurance that these actions, as well as further actions we may take, will allow us to prevent any material weakness in the future and provide a solid foundation to meet our reporting obligations under the Exchange Act. If we fail to implement and maintain effective internal control over financial reporting, or if additional material weaknesses or any significant deficiencies in our internal control over financial reporting are discovered or occur in the future, our consolidated financial statements may contain material misstatements, and we could be required to restate our financial results. In addition, if we are unable to successfully remediate future material weakness and if we are unable to produce accurate and timely financial statements, our stock price may be materially adversely affected and we may be unable to maintain compliance with applicable stock exchange listing requirements.
ITEM 1A - RISK FACTORS
We have identified two significant deficiencies in internal control over financial reporting, and if we fail to maintain effective internal controls over financial reporting, the price of our common stock may be adversely affected.
We are required to establish and maintain appropriate internal controls over financial reporting. Failure to establish those controls, or any failure of those controls once established, could adversely impact our public disclosures regarding our business, financial condition or results of operations. Any failure of these controls could also prevent us from maintaining accurate accounting records and discovering accounting errors and financial fraud.
In the course of completing its assessment of internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2021, management did not identify any material weaknesses but did identify the continued existence of two significant deficiencies in the lack of end user segregation in our accounting system and a failure to perform user access audits for certain system applications. Specifically, management believes that we may not be able to adequately segregate responsibility over financial transaction processing and reporting. A significant deficiency is a deficiency, or a combination of deficiencies, in internal control over financial reporting, that is less severe than a material weakness yet important enough to merit attention by those responsible for oversight of the Company’s financial reporting. Although we are unable to remediate the end user segregation significant deficiency with current personnel, we are mitigating its potential impact, primarily through a review of all employee’s access rights in our accounting system.
In addition, management’s assessment of internal controls over financial reporting may identify additional weaknesses and conditions that need to be addressed or other potential matters that may raise concerns for investors. Any actual or perceived weaknesses and conditions that need to be addressed in our internal control over financial reporting or disclosure of management’s assessment of our internal controls over financial reporting may have an adverse impact on the price of our common stock.
Our profitability may be adversely affected by our continuing dependence on our distribution channels.
We market our products primarily through a network of distributors who in turn sell our products to value-added resellers. All of our agreements with such distributors and other distribution participants are non-exclusive, terminable at will by both parties, and generally short-term. No assurances can be given that any or all such distributors or other distribution participants will continue their relationship with us. Distributors and, to a lesser extent, value-added resellers cannot easily be replaced and any loss of revenues from these and other sources or our inability to reduce expenses to compensate for such loss of revenue could adversely affect our net revenue and profit margins.
Although we rely on our distribution channels to sell our products, our distributors and other distribution participants are not obligated to devote any specified amount of time, resources, or efforts to the marketing of our products, or to sell a specified number of our products. There are no prohibitions on distributors or other resellers offering products that are competitive with our products, and some do offer competitive products. The support of our products by distributors and other distribution participants may depend on the competitive strength of our products and the price incentives we offer for their support. If our distributors and other distribution participants are not committed to our products, our revenue and profit margins may be adversely affected.
Additionally, we offer our distributors price protection on their inventory of our products. If we reduce the list price of our products, we will compensate our distributors for the respective products that remain in their inventory on the date the price adjustment becomes effective, provided that they have been providing inventory reports consistently and the inventory was bought within the six months preceding the price adjustment date. Our net revenue and profit margins could be adversely affected if we reduce product prices significantly or distributors happen to have significant on-hand inventory of the affected product at the time of a price reduction. Further, if we do not have sufficient cash resources to compensate distributors on terms satisfactory to them or us, our price protection obligations may prevent us from reacting quickly to changing market conditions.
We are substantially dependent on our sales force to effectively execute our sales, pricing and business strategies.
We believe that there is significant competition for skilled sales personnel with technical knowledge. Our ability to grow our business depends on our success in recruiting, training, and retaining sales personnel to support our sales. We periodically adjust our sales organization and our compensation programs to optimize our sales operations, to increase revenue, and to support our business model. If we have not structured our sales organization or compensation for our sales personnel in a way that properly supports our business objectives, or if we fail to make changes in a timely fashion or do not effectively manage changes, our performance and results of operations could be adversely affected.
ITEM 1A - RISK FACTORS
Product development delays or defects could harm our competitive position and reduce our revenue.
We have in the past experienced, and may again experience, technical difficulties and delays with the development and introduction of new products. Many of the products we develop contain sophisticated and complicated circuitry, software and components and utilize manufacturing techniques involving new technologies. Potential difficulties in the development process that we may experience include the following: (a) meeting required specifications and regulatory standards; (b) hiring and keeping a sufficient number of skilled developers; (c) meeting market expectations for performance; (d) obtaining prototype products at anticipated cost levels; (e) having the ability to identify problems or product defects in the development cycle; and (f) achieving necessary manufacturing efficiencies.
The success of our new product introductions depends on a number of factors, including proper new product definition, product cost, infrastructure for services and cloud delivery, timely completion and introduction of new products, proper positioning and pricing of new products in relation to our total product portfolio and their relative pricing, differentiation of new products from those of our competitors and other products in our own portfolio, market acceptance of these products and the ability to sell our products. Once new products reach the market, they may have defects, or may be met by unanticipated new competitive products, which could adversely affect market acceptance of these products and our reputation. Other factors that may affect our success include properly addressing the complexities associated with compatibility issues, channel partner and sales strategies, sales force integration and training, technical and sales support, and field support. As a result, it is possible that investments that we are making in developing new products and technologies may not yield the planned financial results. If we are not able to manage and minimize such potential difficulties, our business and results of operations could be negatively affected.
We depend on an outsourced manufacturing strategy, and we may face increased risks and costs associated with volatility in commodity and labor prices or as a result of supply chain or procurement disruptions, which could negatively impact our product availability and revenues.
We outsource the manufacturing of all of our products to electronics manufacturing services (“EMS”) providers located outside the U.S. If any of these EMS providers experience (i) difficulties in obtaining sufficient supplies of components, (ii) difficulties in obtaining adequate skilled labor, (iii) component prices significantly exceeding anticipated costs, (iv) an interruption in their operations, or (v) otherwise suffers capacity constraints, we could experience a delay in production and shipping of these products, which would have a negative impact on our revenue. Should there be any disruption in services due to natural disaster, economic or political difficulties, transportation restrictions, acts of terror, quarantines or other restrictions associated with infectious diseases, or other similar events, or any other reason, such disruption could have a material adverse effect on our business. Operating in the international outsourcing environment exposes us to certain inherent risks, including unexpected changes in regulatory requirements and tariffs, and potentially adverse tax consequences, which could materially affect our results of operations. Currently, we have no second source of manufacturing for a large portion of our products.
Switching from one EMS provider to another or switching from one location of manufacturing to another location similar to our recent transition from China to Singapore, is an expensive, difficult and a time-consuming process, with serious risks to our ability to successfully transfer our manufacturing operations. Our operations, and consequently our revenues and profitability, were impacted materially in 2021, 2022 and 2023 due to switching of manufacturing from one location to another. Our operations, and consequently our revenues and profitability could be materially adversely affected in the future if we are forced to switch from any of our EMS providers to another EMS provider due to any number of factors, including financial difficulties faced by the manufacturer, disagreements in pricing negotiations between us and the manufacturer or organizational changes in the manufacturer. If our EMS providers experience disruptions in their operations, it is uncertain whether we would be able to source the essential commodities, supplies, materials, and skilled labor timely or at all without incurring significant costs or delays, particularly during times of economic uncertainty resulting from events outside of our control, including, but not limited to, effects of COVID-19. We may be forced to purchase supplies and materials in larger quantities or in advance of when we would typically purchase them. This may cause us to require use of capital sooner than anticipated. Alternatively, we may also be forced to seek new third-party suppliers or contractors, whom we have not worked with in the past, and it is uncertain whether these new suppliers will be able to adequately meet our materials or labor needs. In addition, we may be unable to compete with entities that may have more favorable relationships with their suppliers and contractors or greater access to the required raw materials and skilled labor.
ITEM 1A - RISK FACTORS
The cost of delivered product from our EMS providers is a direct function of their ability to buy components at a competitive price and to realize efficiencies and economies of scale within their overall business structures. During 2021 there was a worldwide shortage of semiconductor, memory and other electronic components affecting many industries, from automotive to technology providers. Even though this shortage has eased in 2022, the shortage continues to impact our operation. If the shortage continues or worsens it will impact our EMS providers significantly. If our EMS providers are unsuccessful in obtaining component parts at efficient costs or at all, our delivered costs could rise or we may not be able to fulfill orders on time or at all, affecting our gross margins, profitability and ability to compete. In addition, if the EMS providers are unable to achieve greater operational efficiencies, delivery schedules for new product development and current product delivery could be negatively impacted.
EMS providers often require long range forecasts to help them plan their operations as well as to allocate their resources. We are tied to these forecasts through contracts as well as to maintain harmony in business relationships. Our ability to react to actual demand from our customers and order optimum levels of inventory is severely limited due to these forecasts provided to the EMS providers. Our inability to accurately forecast our future demands could lead to either excess inventory causing potential inventory obsolescence and cashflow problems or shortage in inventory causing potential loss of revenue.
Additionally, the sourcing and availability of raw materials necessary for our EMS providers to manufacture certain of our products, including "conflict minerals" has been and could continue to be significantly constrained, which is likely to result in continued elevated price levels. Furthermore, compliance with SEC disclosure and reporting requirements in the future regarding the use of "conflict minerals" mined from the Democratic Republic of Congo and adjoining countries could adversely affect the sourcing, supply and pricing of materials used in our products. As a result, we may not be able to obtain the materials necessary to manufacture our products, which could force us to cease production or search for alternative supply sources, possibly at a higher cost. Such disruptions may have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.
COVID-19 has caused and may continue to cause unanticipated fluctuations in our gross margins, which can result in unanticipated fluctuations in our operating results.
Our gross margins can vary due to customer demand, competition, product pricing, product lifecycle, product mix, new product introductions, unit volumes, acquisitions and divestitures, commodity, supply chain and logistics costs, capacity utilization, geographic sales mix, currency exchange rates, trade policy and tariffs, and the complexity and functionality of new product innovations and other factors. If we are not able to introduce new products in a timely manner at the product cost we expect, or if customer demand for our products is less than we anticipate, or if there are product pricing, marketing and other initiatives by our competitors to which we need to react or that are initiated by us to drive sales that lower our margins, then our overall gross margin will be less than we project.
Moreover, growth in the hybrid work environment is likely to create greater pressures on us and our suppliers to accurately project overall and specific product categories of component and product demand and to establish optimal levels and manufacturing capacity. If we are unable to secure enough components and/or finished products at reasonable prices or of acceptable quality to build new products in a timely manner in the quantities or configurations needed, our revenue and gross margins could suffer until other sources can be developed. In addition, our gross margins vary significantly by product line, sales geography and customer type, as well as within product lines. When the mix of products sold shifts from higher margin product lines to lower margin product lines, to lower margin sales geographies, or to lower margin products within product lines, our overall gross margins and our profitability may be adversely affected. Moreover, as we expand within and into new product categories, our products in those categories may have lower gross margins than in our traditional product categories. If we are unable to offset these potentially lower margins by enhancing the margins in our more traditional product categories, our profitability may be adversely affected.
As our global manufacturing partners and a significant number of distributors are located outside of the United States, we rely upon logistics providers to transport goods around the world. As supply chains have become more constrained, the need to expedite shipments to manufacturing facilities and customers has increased. Further, we continue to experience higher transportation and fuel costs which has resulted in decreased margins and may result in the future in increased inventory and further margin decline, which would adversely affect our results of operations and financial condition.
Changes in trade policy, including tariffs and the tariffs focused on China in particular, and currency exchange rates also have adverse impacts on our gross margins. The COVID-19 pandemic put pressure on our gross margins and caused us to face uncertain product demand and incur increased air freight and other costs to fulfill sell through demand, replenish channel inventory, and maintain market share.
ITEM 1A - RISK FACTORS
The impact of these factors on gross margins can create unanticipated fluctuations in our operating results, which may cause volatility in the price of our stock.
Global economic conditions have adversely affected our business in the past and could adversely affect our revenues and harm our business in the future.
Adverse economic conditions worldwide have contributed to slowdowns in the communications industry and have caused a negative impact on the specific segments and markets in which we operate. Adverse changes in general global economic conditions can result in reductions in capital expenditures by end-user customers for our products, longer sales cycles, the deferral or delay of purchase commitments for our products and increased competition. These factors have adversely impacted our operating results in prior periods and could also impact us again in the future. Global economic concerns, such as rising inflation rates, the varying pace of global economic recovery, European and domestic debt and budget issues, the slowdown in economic growth in large emerging markets such as China and India, and international currency fluctuations, may continue to create uncertainty and unpredictability in the global and national economy. A global economic downturn would negatively impact technology spending for our products and services and could materially adversely affect our business, operating results and financial condition. Further, global economic conditions may result in a tightening in the credit markets, low liquidity levels in many financial markets, decrease in customer demand and ability to pay obligations, and extreme volatility in credit, equity, foreign currency and fixed income markets.
Such adverse economic conditions could negatively impact our business, particularly our revenue potential, potentially causing losses on investments and the collectability of our accounts receivable. These factors potentially include: the inability of our customers to obtain credit to finance purchases of our products and services, customer or partner insolvencies or bankruptcies, decreased customer confidence to make purchasing decisions resulting in delays in their purchasing decisions, decreased customer demand or demand for lower-end products, or decreased customer ability to pay their obligations when they become due to us.
Our operations may be impacted by the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
On February 24, 2022, Russia launched an invasion of Ukraine which has resulted in increased volatility in various financial markets and across various sectors. The United States and other countries, along with certain international organizations, have imposed economic sanctions on Russia and certain Russian individuals, banking entities and corporations as a response to the invasion. The extent and duration of the military action, resulting sanctions and future market disruptions in the region are impossible to predict. Moreover, the ongoing effects of the hostilities and sanctions may not be limited to Russia and Russian companies and may spill over to and negatively impact other regional and global economic markets of the world, including Asia, Europe and the United States. The ongoing military action along with the potential for a wider conflict could further increase financial market volatility and cause negative effects on regional and global economic markets, industries, and companies. It is not currently possible to determine the severity of any potential adverse impact of this event on our financial condition or results of operations.
We are a smaller Company than some of our competitors and may be more susceptible to market fluctuations, other adverse events, increased costs and less favorable purchasing terms.
Since we are a relatively small Company, there is a risk that we may be more susceptible to market fluctuations and other adverse events. In particular, we may be more susceptible to reductions in government and corporate spending from our government and enterprise customers. We may also experience increased costs and less favorable terms from our suppliers than some of our larger competitors who may have greater leverage in their purchasing spend. Any of these outcomes could result in loss of sales or our products being more costly to manufacture and thus less competitive. Any such unfavorable market fluctuations, reductions in customer spending or increased manufacturing costs could have a negative impact on our business and results of operations.
Difficulties in integrating future acquisitions could adversely affect our business.
Any acquisition involves numerous risks and challenges, including difficulties and time involved in integrating the operations, technologies and products of the acquired companies, entering new business or product lines, the diversion of our management’s attention from other business concerns, geographic dispersion of operations, generating market demand for expanded product lines and the potential loss of key customers or employees of an acquired Company. Failure to achieve the anticipated benefits of any future acquisitions or to successfully integrate the operations of these or any other companies or assets we acquire, could also harm our business, results of operations and cash flows. Additionally, we cannot assure you that we will not incur material charges in future periods to reflect additional costs associated with any future acquisitions we may make.
ITEM 1A - RISK FACTORS
Profitability could be negatively impacted if we do not adequately forecast the demand for our products and are unable to monetize our long-term inventories.
As of December 31, 2023 we held approximately $3.1 million in long-term inventories. There can be no assurance that we will be able to successfully anticipate changing consumer preferences and product trends or economic conditions and, as a result, we may not successfully monetize our long-term inventory. Inventory levels in excess of consumer demand may result in inventory write-downs and the sale of excess inventory at discounted prices, which could have an adverse effect on the image and reputation of our brands and negatively impact profitability.
Conditions in India, Spain, and United Arab Emirates may affect our operations.
We have different teams working outside the U.S. in India, Spain, and United Arab Emirates offering various services. Our ability to operate the Company smoothly may be affected significantly if either one or more of these countries are adversely impacted by political, economic, security and military conditions in these countries.
Product obsolescence could harm demand for our products and could adversely affect our revenue and our results of operations.
Our industry is subject to technological innovations that could render existing technologies in our products obsolete and thereby decrease market demand for such products. If any of our products becomes slow-moving or obsolete and the recorded value of our inventory is greater than its market value, we will be required to write down the value of our inventory to its fair market value, which would adversely affect our results of operations. In limited circumstances, we are required to purchase components that our outsourced manufacturers use to produce and assemble our products. Should technological innovations render these components obsolete, we will be required to write down the value of this inventory, which could adversely affect our results of operations.
International sales account for a significant portion of our net revenue and risks inherent in international sales could harm our business.
International sales represent a significant portion of our total product revenue. We anticipate that the portion of our total product revenue from international sales will continue to increase as we further enhance our focus on developing new products for new markets, establishing new distribution partners, strengthening our presence in emerging economies, and improving product localization with country-specific product documentation and marketing materials. Our international business is subject to the financial and operating risks of conducting business internationally, including the following:
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unexpected changes in, or the imposition of, additional legislative or regulatory requirements;
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unique or more onerous environmental regulations;
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fluctuating exchange rates;
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tariffs and other barriers;
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difficulties in staffing and managing foreign sales operations;
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import and export restrictions;
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greater difficulties in accounts receivable collection and longer payment cycles;
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potentially adverse tax consequences;
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potential hostilities and changes in diplomatic and trade relationships; and
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disruption in services due to natural disaster, economic or political difficulties, transportation, quarantines or other restrictions associated with infectious diseases.
ITEM 1A - RISK FACTORS
We may not be able to hire and retain qualified key and highly-skilled technical employees, which could affect our ability to compete effectively and may cause our revenue and profitability to decline.
We depend on our ability to hire and retain qualified key and highly skilled employees to manage, research and develop, market, and service new and existing products. Competition for such key and highly-skilled employees is intense, and we may not be successful in attracting or retaining such personnel. To succeed, we must hire and retain employees who are highly skilled in the rapidly changing communications and Internet technologies. Individuals who have the skills and can perform the services we need to provide our products and services are in great demand. Because the competition for qualified employees in our industry is intense, hiring and retaining employees with the skills we need is both time-consuming and expensive. We may not be able to hire enough skilled employees or retain the employees we do hire. In addition, provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 and related rules of the SEC impose heightened personal liability on some of our key employees. The threat of such liability could make it more difficult to identify, hire and retain qualified key and highly-skilled employees.
We have relied on our ability to grant stock options as a means of recruiting and retaining key employees. Accounting regulations requiring the expensing of stock options will impair our future ability to provide these incentives without incurring associated compensation costs. If we are unable to hire and retain employees with the skills we seek, our ability to sell our existing products, systems, or services or to develop new products, systems, or services could be hindered with a consequent adverse effect on our business, results of operations, financial position, or liquidity. In addition, given the current political climate regarding the U.S. immigration laws, we may not be able to attract highly-skilled technical employees from abroad.
We are dependent on our key personnel whose continued service is not guaranteed.
We are dependent upon key personnel for the execution of our business strategies, including our chief executive officer and chief financial officer, neither of whom is subject to an employment agreement with us and we do not have key man life insurance for any of our executive officers. Accordingly, the loss of services of our executive officers could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.
We rely on third-party technology and license agreements, the loss of any of which could negatively impact our business.
We have licensing agreements with various suppliers for software and hardware incorporated into our products. These third-party licenses may not continue to be available to us on commercially reasonable terms, if at all. The termination or impairment of these licenses could result in delays of current product shipments or delays or reductions in new product introductions until equivalent designs can be developed, licensed, and integrated, if at all possible, which would have a material adverse effect on our business.
We may have difficulty in collecting outstanding receivables.
We grant credit to substantially all of our customers without requiring collateral. In times of economic uncertainty, the risks relating to the granting of such credit will typically increase. Although we monitor and mitigate the risks associated with our credit policies, we cannot ensure that such mitigation will be effective. We have experienced losses due to customers failing to meet their obligations. Future losses could be significant and, if incurred, could harm our business and have a material adverse effect on our operating results and financial position.
Interruptions to our business could adversely affect our operations.
As with any Company, our operations are at risk of being interrupted by earthquake, fire, flood, and other natural and human-caused disasters, including disease and terrorist attacks. Our operations are also at risk of power loss, telecommunications failure, human error, physical or electronic security breaches and computer viruses (which could leave us vulnerable to the loss of confidential proprietary information as well as disruption of our business activities) and other infrastructure and technology-based problems. To help guard against such risks, we carry business interruption loss insurance to help compensate us for losses that may occur, but we cannot assure that such coverage would protect us from all such possible losses.
ITEM 1A - RISK FACTORS
Security breaches and other disruptions could compromise our information and expose us to liability, which would cause our business and reputation to suffer.
In the ordinary course of our business, we collect and store sensitive data, including intellectual property, our proprietary business information and that of our employees, customers, licensors, vendors and business partners, including personally identifiable information of our customers and employees, in our data centers and on our networks. Despite our security measures, our information technology and infrastructure may be vulnerable to attacks by hackers or breached due to employee error, malfeasance or other disruptions. Security breaches have occurred with increased frequency and sophistication in recent years. Any such breach could compromise our networks and the information stored there could be accessed, publicly disclosed, lost or stolen. Any such access, disclosure or other loss of information could result in legal claims or proceedings, liability under laws that protect the privacy of personal information, disrupt our operations, and damage our reputation, which could adversely affect our business.
We may require additional financing to fund future operations, which may not be available to us on acceptable terms or at all.
As of December 31, 2023, we had approximately $17.8 million of cash and cash equivalents and $4.4 million of marketable securities. Although we anticipate having sufficient cash on hand, cash from future operations and cash from the sale of marketable securities to fund our operations for the next twelve months, there can be no assurance that efforts to enforce our patents will be successful or that our marketing and sales efforts will progress as anticipated or that our cash generated from operations will be as expected, and we may need additional debt or equity financing in the next twelve months to execute our business plan and to be able to continue as a going concern. If in the future, we fail to satisfy the continued listing standards of Nasdaq, we may not be able to sell shares of our common stock. Accordingly, if additional debt or equity financings are needed, market conditions may limit our ability to raise capital on favorable terms, or at all, and the terms of any public or private offerings of debt or equity securities likely would be significantly dilutive to existing shareholders.
Risks Relating to Share Ownership
As a result of Edward D. Bagley’s significant share ownership position in the Company, he is able to influence corporate matters.
Based solely on filings by Edward D. Bagley under Regulation 13D and Section 16 of the Exchange Act, Mr. Bagley beneficially owns approximately 44% of our issued and outstanding shares of common stock. Mr. Bagley’s daughter, Lisa Higley, is a member of our board of directors. Based on Mr. Bagley’s significant share ownership, Mr. Bagley will be able to significantly influence who serves on our board of directors and the outcome of matters required to be submitted to our stockholders for approval, including, without limitation, decisions relating to the outcome of any proposed merger or consolidation of our company and Mr. Bagley’s significant interest in us may discourage third parties from seeking to acquire control of us, which may adversely affect the market price of our common stock. In addition, based solely on filings by other members of Mr. Bagley’s family and their family trusts under Regulation 13D and Section 16 of the Exchange Act, such family members and their family trusts collectively beneficially own an additional 16% of our outstanding shares of common stock, however, Mr. Bagley asserts he does not have control over and disclaims beneficial ownership of such shares. Mr. Bagley’s interests and the interests of his family and their family trusts may not be consistent with those of our other stockholders.
Global Financial, Economic and Social Conditions Could Deteriorate.
Our business could be materially affected by conditions in the global financial markets and economic conditions generally. The recent outbreak of a novel coronavirus, which causes the disease now known as COVID-19, was first identified in December 2019 in China, and has since spread globally. Government efforts to contain the spread of the coronavirus through lockdowns of cities, business closures, restrictions on travel and emergency quarantines, among others, and responses by businesses and individuals to reduce the risk of exposure to infection, including social distancing in the form of reduced travel, cancellation of meetings and public and private events, and implementation of work-at-home policies, among others, have caused significant disruptions to the global economy and normal business operations across a growing list of sectors and countries, including in the United States.
ITEM 1A - RISK FACTORS
The foregoing have, and are likely to continue to adversely affect business confidence and consumer sentiments, and have been, and may continue to be, accompanied by significant volatility and declines in financial markets and asset values. The spread of the coronavirus, particularly if its development into a worldwide health crisis worsens, also may have broader macro-economic implications, including reduced levels of economic growth and possibly a global recession, the effects of which could be felt well beyond the time the pandemic is contained, and which could adversely affect demand for our products and our results of operations and financial condition. The impact of COVID-19 on any of our suppliers, co-manufacturers, distributors or transportation or logistics providers may negatively affect the price and availability of our products and impact our supply chain. If the pandemic continues to evolve into a severe worldwide health crisis, the disease could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, financial condition and cash flows and adversely impact the trading price of our common stock.
Our stock price fluctuates as a result of the conduct of our business and stock market fluctuations.
The market price of our common stock has experienced significant fluctuations and may continue to fluctuate significantly. The market price of our common stock may be significantly affected by a variety of factors, including the following:
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statements or changes in opinions, ratings, or earnings estimates made by brokerage firms or industry analysts relating to the market in which we do business or relating to us specifically;
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disparity between our reported results and the projections of analysts;
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the shift in sales mix of products that we currently sell to a sales mix of lower-gross profit product offerings;
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the level and mix of inventory held by our distributors;
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the announcement of new products or product enhancements by us or our competitors;
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technological innovations by us or our competitors;
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success in meeting targeted availability dates for new or redesigned products;
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the ability to profitably and efficiently manage our supply of products and key components;
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the ability to maintain profitable relationships with our customers;
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the ability to maintain an appropriate cost structure;
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quarterly variations in our results of operations;
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general consumer confidence or market conditions, or market conditions specific to technology industry;
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domestic and international economic conditions;
● unexpected changes in regulatory requirements and tariffs;
● our ability to report financial information in a timely manner;
● the markets in which our stock is traded;
● our ability to integrate the companies we have acquired; and
● our ability to successfully utilize our cash reserves resulting from the settlement of litigation and arbitration matters.
Rights to acquire our common stock could result in dilution to other holders of our common stock.
As of December 31, 2023, there were outstanding options to acquire approximately 607,810 shares of our common stock at a weighted average exercise price of $5.03 per share. In addition, as of December 31, 2023 there were outstanding warrants to acquire approximately 5,022,123 shares at weighted average exercise price of $2.54. During the terms of these options and warrants the holders thereof will have the opportunity to profit from an increase in the market price of the common stock. The existence of these derivatives may adversely affect the terms on which we can obtain additional financing, and the holders of these derivatives can be expected to exercise such options at a time when we, in all likelihood, would be able to obtain additional capital by offering shares of our common stock on terms more favorable to us than those provided by the exercise of these derivatives.
ITEM 1A - RISK FACTORS
The sale of additional shares of our common stock could have a negative effect on the market price of our common stock.
The sale of substantial amounts of our common stock in the public market, such as the Rights Offering that we completed in December 2018, Notes and Warrants that we issued in December 2019, Common Stock and Warrants that we issued in 2020 and 2021, and exchange of common stock for the cancellation of short-term bridge loan could adversely affect prevailing market prices and could impair our ability to raise capital through the sale of our equity securities. Most shares of common stock currently outstanding are eligible for sale in the public market, subject in certain cases to compliance with the requirements of Rule 144 under the securities laws. Shares issued upon the exercise of stock options granted under our stock option plan generally will be eligible for sale in the public market. We also have the authority to issue additional shares of common stock and shares of one or more series of preferred stock. The issuance of such shares could dilute the voting power of the currently outstanding shares of our common stock and could dilute earnings per share.
Because we have suspended regular payment of dividends on our common stock and pay only special dividends, stockholders will benefit from an investment in our stock only if it appreciates in value unless a decision is made to reinstate paying regular dividend payments.
Any future determination as to the declaration and payment of cash dividends will be at the discretion of our board of directors and will depend on factors the board of directors deems relevant, including among others, our results of operations, financial condition and cash requirements, business prospects, and the terms of our secured convertible notes and other financing arrangements. Accordingly, unless a declaration and payment of cash dividends is made, realization of a gain on stockholders’ investments will depend on the appreciation of the price of our stock. There is no guarantee that our stock will appreciate in value or a dividend declaration will be made.
If equity research analysts do not publish research or reports about our business or if they issue unfavorable commentary or downgrade our common stock, the price of our common stock could decline.
The liquidity of the trading market for our common stock may be affected in part by the research and reports that equity research analysts publish about us and our business. We do not control the opinions of these analysts. The price of our stock could decline if one or more equity analysts downgrade our stock or if those analysts issue other unfavorable commentary or cease publishing reports about us or our business.
Our certification of incorporation designates the Court of Chancery in the State of Delaware as the sole and exclusive forum for certain actions or proceedings that may be initiated by our stockholders, which could discourage claims or limit stockholders’ ability to make a claim against the Company, our directors, officers, and employees.
Our certificate of incorporation states that unless we consent in writing to the selection of an alternative forum, the Court of Chancery in the State of Delaware shall be the sole and exclusive forum for any stockholder to bring (i) any derivative action or proceeding brought on behalf of the Company, (ii) any action asserting a claim for breach of a fiduciary duty owed by any director, officer, employee or agent of the Company to the Company or the Company's stockholders, (iii) any action asserting a claim arising pursuant to any provision of the Delaware General Corporation Law, our certificate of incorporation or our bylaws or (iv) any action asserting a claim governed by the internal affairs doctrine, in each case subject to the Delaware Court of Chancery having personal jurisdiction over the indispensable parties named as defendants therein.
These exclusive forum provisions do not apply to claims under the Securities Act or the Exchange Act. The exclusive forum provision may discourage claims or limit stockholders’ ability to submit claims in a judicial forum that they find favorable and may create additional costs as a result. If a court were to determine the exclusive forum provision to be inapplicable and unenforceable in an action, we may incur additional costs in conjunction with our efforts to resolve the dispute in an alternative jurisdiction, which could have a negative impact on our results of operations.

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ITEM 1B. UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS
ITEM 1B. UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS
Not applicable.

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ITEM 2. PROPERTIES
ITEM 2. PROPERTIES
We occupy a 1,350 square-foot facility in Gainesville, Florida under the terms of an operating lease expiring in February 2028. The Gainesville facility is used primarily to support our research and development activities.
We occupy a 21,443 square-foot facility in Salt Lake City, Utah under the terms of an operating lease, which has been amended in February 2023 to expire in February 2028. Under the terms of this amendment, we reduced our space to approximately 9,402 square feet. The facility supports our principal administrative, sales, marketing, customer support, and research and product development activities.
We occupy a 6,175 square-foot facility in Chennai, India under the terms of an operating lease expiring in August 2024. This facility supports our administrative, marketing, customer support, and research and product development activities.
We occupy a 40,000 square-foot warehouse in Salt Lake City, Utah under the terms of an operating lease expiring in April 2025, which serves as our primary inventory fulfillment center.
We believe our current facilities are adequate to meet our needs for the foreseeable future and that suitable additional or alternative space will be available in the future on commercially reasonable terms as needed.

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ITEM 3. LEGAL PROCEEDINGS
ITEM 3. LEGAL PROCEEDINGS
See Note 8 - Commitments and Contingencies-Legal Proceedings of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements (Part II, Item 8) for information regarding legal proceedings in which we are involved, which is incorporated in this Item 3 by reference.

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ITEM 4. MINE SAFETY DISCLOSURE
ITEM 4. MINE SAFETY DISCLOSURES
Not Applicable.
PART II

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ITEM 5. MARKET FOR REGISTRANT'S COMMON EQUITY
ITEM 5. MARKET FOR REGISTRANT’S COMMON EQUITY, RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS AND ISSUER PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES
Market Information
Our common stock is traded on the NASDAQ Capital Market under the symbol CLRO. On March 29, 2024, there were 23,969,148 shares of our common stock issued and outstanding held by approximately 295 shareholders of record. Each broker dealer or a clearing corporation that holds shares for customers is counted as a single shareholder of record.
Dividends
The Company paid a special one-time cash dividend of $1.00 per share of ClearOne common stock or the eligible warrants on June 1, 2023.
The Company's Board of Directors has declared another special dividend of $0.50 per share of the Company's stock and eligible warrants to be paid on April 10, 2024 to shareholders and warrant holders of record on April 2, 2024.
Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities
None.
Sales of Unregistered Securities
None.
Equity Compensation Plan Information.
Information about the Company’s equity compensation plans required by Item 201(d) of Regulation S-K is set forth under Part III, Item 12 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

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ITEM 6. SELECTED FINANCIAL DATA
ITEM 6. RESERVED

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ITEM 7. MANAGEMENT'S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS
ITEM 7. MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
The following discussion should be read in conjunction with our consolidated financial statements and related notes included in this report, as well as our other filings with the SEC. This discussion contains forward-looking statements based on current expectations that involve risks and uncertainties, such as our plans, objectives, expectations, and intentions, as set forth under “Disclosure Regarding Forward-Looking Statements.” Our actual results and the timing of events could differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements as a result of various factors, including those set forth in the following discussion and under the caption “Risk Factors” in Item 1A and elsewhere in this report.
OVERVIEW
ClearOne is a global Company that designs, develops and sells conferencing, collaboration, and AV networking solutions for voice and visual communications. The performance and simplicity of our advanced, comprehensive solutions offer a high level of functionality, reliability and scalability. We derive a major portion of our revenue from audio conferencing products and microphones by promoting our products in the professional audio-visual channel. We have extended our total addressable market from the installed audio conferencing market to adjacent complementary markets - microphones, video collaboration and AV networking. We have achieved this historically through strategic technological acquisitions as well as by internal product development.
In early January 2022, we introduced DIALOG® 10 USB, the industry's only pro-quality, single-channel wireless USB microphone system offering professional-quality audio with USB connectivity for webcasting and cloud-based collaboration. In March 2022, this new USB wireless mic system won the 2022 NSCA Excellence in Product Innovation Award. One of only seven winners in this prestigious award program, the DIALOG 10 USB is the industry’s only pro-quality single-channel wireless microphone system with USB connectivity for webcasting and cloud-based collaboration such as Microsoft Teams, Zoom, WebEx, and GotoMeeting. DIALOG 10 USB won its second award in May 2022 by winning the 2022 Top New Technology (TNT) Award in the Microphone category. In June 2022, at Infocomm 2022 in Las Vegas, Nevada, DIALOG 10 USB won two additional awards - Commercial Integrator 2022 BEST Award in the Microphones category and 2022 Sound & Video Contractor Magazine Infocomm Best in Market Award.
On January 30, 2023, we introduced the new CHAT® 150 BT group speakerphone with USB and Bluetooth connectivity that enhances the conferencing experience for the ultimate in business class performance. With simple, instant connection to personal computers, mobile devices or Bluetooth-enabled desk phones, the CHAT® 150 BT group speakerphone provides users with an affordable way to upgrade home offices, executive offices, and mid-size meeting rooms with BYOD convenience and superior audio clarity for audio conferences and video meetings. The CHAT® 150 BT speakerphone also has an audio bridging feature that allows far end conference participants connected via a software conferencing application through USB, local users of the speakerphone, and far end callers on a mobile call connected through Bluetooth to all join the same call and hear each other clearly. Featuring a steerable microphone array with first-mic priority, the CHAT® 150 BT speakerphone intelligently activates the microphone closest to the person speaking, reducing interference from ambient noise. Like all ClearOne microphone products, the CHAT® 150 BT speakerphone is compatible with popular collaboration platforms including Microsoft® Teams, Zoom™, WebEx™, Google® Meet™, and many more. The new BT model retains all the class-leading features of the original CHAT® 150 speakerphone, including Advanced Noise Cancellation, Full Duplex Distributed Echo Cancellation™ and Automatic Level Control algorithms, to ensure highly intelligible, natural audio capture and playback. It also supports NFC tap-to-pair and includes a wired USB connection for compatibility with the full variety of modern devices.
MANAGEMENT'S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
On January 16, 2023, we introduced UNITE 260 Pro camera, a professional grade 4K Ultra HD camera featuring both a 20X optical zoom and 16X digital zoom that allows users to capture every participant in all meeting, training, and learning environments it is deployed in. Compatible with all popular meeting applications like Microsoft® Teams, Zoom™, WebEx™, and Google® Meet™, the new camera features an AI-based smart face tracking mode that keeps a selected presenter in the frame as they move about the room. Alternatively, the camera’s AI-based auto framing mode always keeps an entire group in perfect view. With dual video outputs HDMI and IP, the UNITE 260 Pro Camera is an excellent choice for a hybrid environment: streaming content while simultaneously showing it live where the presentation is occurring.
In April 2023 we announced the immediate market availability of the Versa UCS2100 Collaboration Switcher Kit. Designed for use in small to mid-sized meeting rooms, board rooms, and executive offices, the Versa UCS2100 automatically detects HDMI and USB-C sources, such as a dedicated in-room PC or a Bring-Your-Own-Meeting (BYOM) laptop and offers the flexibility for users to access the same set of in-room AV peripherals, such as cameras and audio devices. Its USB-C input provides up to 60 watts charging and provides simultaneous 1 x HDMI output and 1 x HDBaseT output. When combined with ClearOne UNITE series PTZ cameras, INTERACT, CONVERGE® Pro 2, CONVERGE® HUDDLE, and CHAT series audio conferencing devices, the Versa UCS2100 delivers guaranteed performance and a streamlined user experience that supports automatic source detection and switching and is controllable via RS-232, TCP/IP, or front panel buttons.
In May 2023, we launched eight new COLLABORATE® Versa® packaged hardware systems to provide optimized audio and video performance for conference rooms and personal office spaces. The updated lineup of bundled solutions empowers businesses of all sizes and means to leverage powerful conferencing capabilities that include automatic voice tracking, face tracking and echo cancellation. The new lineup of COLLABORATE Versa solutions offers an ideal package for every small-to-medium sized conferencing space or personal office, giving business owners and IT staff mission-specific options that ensure maximum value, utility and performance in any room. The solutions launched were COLLABORATE Versa Room CT 160, COLLABORATE Versa Room CT, COLLABORATE Versa 20, COLLABORATE Versa 20 Plus, COLLABORATE Versa 160, COLLABORATE Versa 60, COLLABORATE Versa Pro 160, and COLLABORATE Versa Pro 60.
In June 2023, we returned to Infocomm for the first time since 2019 with a complete suite of products, programs, and on-site demonstrations designed to help partners grow their business across every vertical market where increased collaboration is a priority. We exhibited our solutions in Booth #3061 in the Orange County Convention Center from June 14-16, 2023 in Orlando, Florida.
At Infocomm 2023, we unveiled the BMA 360D, the newest member of the world’s most advanced beamforming microphone array ceiling tile family. The BMA 360D offers unrivaled audio performance and native compatibility with any Dante-enabled DSP mixer. The new Dante-compatible beamforming microphone array allows integrators and users to leverage ClearOne’s industry-leading microphone innovations in more projects and spaces than ever before. The BMA 360D takes our groundbreaking product to the next level by leveraging standard IP networking infrastructure in an enterprise, empowering AV and IT practitioners to upgrade existing room solutions to use more powerful microphones and expanding flexibility that enables third-party DSP integrations in new system designs. The added power and advanced beamforming also enhance the performance of critical modern functions such as voice lift and camera tracking. Dante integration in the BMA 360D enhances the array’s functionality by delivering unprocessed beam audio on individual Dante transmit channels. Additionally, a smart-switched output is delivered on a separate Dante channel to provide the optimal mix of active inputs while enabling ClearOne’s full suite of audio enhancements, which include echo cancellation, noise cancellation, and level control. The BMA 360D incorporates the industry’s only ultra-wideband, frequency-invariant beamforming mic array technology with uniform gain response across all frequency bands. With proprietary FiBeam™ and DsBeam™ technology, participants experience natural and full-fidelity audio across all beams and within a single beam. DsBeam delivers superb clarity and intelligibility through unparalleled sidelobe depth below -40 dB, resulting in superior rejection of reverb and noise even in challenging environments. Integrator setup is simplified by convenient preset beam patterns for common room layouts, while custom beam patterns can be created for unique floor plans. Combined with adaptive steering that focuses audio pickup on active speakers, the adjustable beam patterns provide impeccable coverage of every meeting or conference participant. The exceptional accuracy of ClearOne’s beamforming and adaptive steering technologies also enhance the performance of voice lift and camera tracking functions for any attached DSP mixer.
MANAGEMENT'S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
We also introduced at Infocomm, our powerful new DIALOG® UVHF wireless microphone system that combines class-leading flexibility, Power over Ethernet (PoE) simplicity, Dante technology, and up to 350 usable frequencies to offer professional-quality audio conferencing, video collaboration, and sound reinforcement for any size room. The new DIALOG UVHF system offers businesses and institutions a flexible wireless microphone system that can address varying types of audio pickup needs for rooms of virtually any size. With up to 350 available frequencies across 160 MHz of RF range, the system also delivers incredibly robust reception. Now corporate boardrooms, training rooms, college lecture halls, courtrooms and other multi-use venues can ensure excellent audio pickup quality and meet varying pickup needs with the simplicity of PoE that enables installation virtually anywhere through a single CAT6 ethernet cable. ClearOne’s free support for system design and remote commissioning makes it easier than ever to outfit any presentation space with a professional-quality multi-function audio pickup solution. The DIALOG UVHF system allows integrators, room designers and meeting hosts to address a wide range of audio pickup needs through five lavalier, lanyard and headset-type body microphones, two handheld microphones, a boundary microphone and three gooseneck microphones for podium use. Powering the microphones is simple and efficient, as all models use the same 12-hour off-the-shelf Li-ion battery that can be charged via USB-C or an optional eight-bay network-connected charging dock. Firmware updates can be done over the network, while the transmitters charge. The Dante-enabled system includes an eight-channel Dante Access Point to ensure optimal signal transmission and system reliability, while an optional DIALOG UVHF Dante interface provides eight Euroblock balanced analog outputs, including mixed output, USB audio output and eight GPIOs. The lightweight plenum-rated access point provides versatile mounting options for wall, ceiling, tabletop or pole mounting, including VESA mount holes. The DIALOG UVHF is the only system with a wireless access point that delivers antenna redundancy and diversity, with dual antennas providing spatial and polarization diversity that helps maintain high audio quality in harsh environments. A wired ethernet connection adds the ability to connect management software to the access point via a web browser. Secure RF connections are created using full-time standards-based FIPS 197 AES-256 encryption. ClearOne’s solutions are designed to support all leading collaboration platforms, including Microsoft Teams, Google Meet, GoToMeeting, Zoom and WebEx.
In August 2023, we showcased our full range of conferencing, collaboration, and communications solutions at CEDIA 2023 held in Denver, Colorado. During the event, we highlighted the CHAT® 150 BT Speakerphone (USB and Bluetooth speakerphone), Versa® Mediabar™ (video soundbar), UNITE® 60 (4K ePTZ wide-angle tracking camera), COLLABORATE® Versa® Pro CT (product bundle consisting of Huddle DSP and BMA CTH beamforming mic array ceiling tile), COLLABORATE® Versa® Lite CT (USB Plug-N-Play beamforming mic array ceiling tile), and COLLABORATE® Versa® 60 (product bundle consisting of CHAT® 150 USB speakerphone, a UNITE® 60 wide angle 4K ePTZ camera, and a VERSA USB Hub).
In August 2023, we announced that our entire line of commercial and residential solutions is available for specification within the popular D-Tools software program for integrators. D-Tools’ System Integrator software and D-Tools Cloud platform make it easier than ever for integrators to specify ClearOne solutions for any type of installation.
In September 2023, our new DIALOG® UVHF Wireless Microphone System was named a winner in the Higher Education category of the 2023 Tech & Learning Magazine Awards of Excellence. The annual Tech & Learning Awards of Excellence program, conducted by leading educational technology publication Tech & Learning, recognizes innovation in the edtech industry and celebrates the most impressive products and solutions that support learning environments.
In October 2023, we debuted the new Versa USB22D Dante Adapter at InfoComm India 2023. Versa USB22D enables users to seamlessly connect computers to a Dante network and use any audio application for playback or capture without installing software.
We also continued our programs to cut costs and to speed up product development that we believe will enable us to get back to a growth path.
During 2023, our overall revenue of $18.7 million decreased by 26% when compared to revenue of $25.2 million during 2022. The decrease in revenue was seen across all product categories and major regions. We believe the revenue decline was primarily due to the decline in demand for video products and due to our inability in the first half of 2023 to source adequate inventory to meet the demand for professional audio products and BMA due to the transition of manufacturing of our products from China to Singapore by our EMS provider. We believe that many of our channel partners who could not buy our products due to product shortages caused by our manufacturing transition issues are yet to resume their typical buying pattern with us. We also believe that the lack of Microsoft Teams certification for our products is increasingly impacting our ability to sell our conferencing and collaboration solutions.
MANAGEMENT'S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
Our gross profit margin decreased to 34% during 2023 from 38% in 2022. Net income of $20.6 million in 2022 changed to net loss of $0.6 million in 2023. The change from net income to net loss was primarily due to the recognition in 2022 of a gain of $33.6 million included under other income related to the one-time legal settlement receivable of $55 million net of unamortized capitalized legal expenses of $21.4 million. This gain was partially offset by (a) a decrease in the tax provision by $6.5 million (b) recognition of settlement gains from two separate settlements of $5.3 million, (c) increase in interest income by $1.7 million, and (d) increase in operating income by $0.4 million.
Industry conditions
We operate in a very dynamic and highly competitive industry which is dominated on the one hand by a few players with respect to certain products like traditional video conferencing appliances while on the other hand influenced heavily by a fragmented reseller market consisting of numerous regional and local players. The industry is also characterized by venture capitalist funded start-ups and private companies willing to fund cumulative cash losses in order to gain market share and achieve certain non-financial goals. It has become increasingly important to have higher interoperability with other products in the audio visual market as well as product certifications with leading video conferencing service providers like Microsoft and Zoom.
Economic conditions, challenges and risks
The audio-visual products market is characterized by intense competition and rapidly evolving technology. Our competitors vary within each product category. Our installed professional audio conferencing products, which is our flagship product category, continue to be ahead of the competition despite the reduction in revenues. Our strength in this space is largely due to our fully integrated suite of products consisting of DSP mixers, wide range of professional microphone products and video collaboration products. Despite our strong leadership position in the installed professional audio conferencing market, we face challenges to revenue growth due to the limited size of the market, pricing pressures from new competitors attracted to the commercial market due to higher margins, and the lack of certifications from Microsoft.
Our video products and beamforming microphone arrays, especially highly advanced BMA 360 and BMA-CT are critical to our long term growth. We face intense competition in this market from well-established market leaders as well as emerging players rich with marketing funds. We expect our strategy of making our products more interoperable with other audio-visual products, continuing to improve the quality of our high-end audio conferencing products and microphones, and offering a wide range of innovative professional cameras will generate high growth in the near future.
We derive a significant portion of our revenue (approximately 56% in 2023) from international operations and expect this trend to continue in the future. Most of our revenue from outside the U.S. is billed in U.S. dollars and is not exposed to any significant currency risk. However, we are exposed to foreign exchange risk if the U.S. dollar is strong against other currencies as it will make U.S. Dollar denominated prices of our products less competitive.
In December 2019, a novel strain of coronavirus (“COVID-19”) started spreading from China and was declared a pandemic. The COVID-19 pandemic caused severe global disruptions and had varying impact on our business. The installed audio conferencing market was negatively impacted due to lockdowns, postponement of projects and restrictions on installers to visit commercial sites. On the other hand, COVID-19 generated higher than normal demand in 2020 for our video products and personal conferencing products due to the significant expansion of work-from-home market. The extent of COVID-19’s effect on our operational and financial performance keeps evolving and depends on multiple factors including the severity and infectiousness of current and future virus strains, effectiveness of vaccines especially on novel strains of COVID-19, government regulations, etc., all of which are uncertain and difficult to predict considering the rapidly evolving landscape. Supply chain disruptions resulting from COVID-19 have caused significant fluctuations in our costs of goods resulting in a reduction of our gross margins. If the pandemic continues to be a severe worldwide health crisis, the disease could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, financial condition and cash flows and adversely impact the trading price of our common stock.
Deferred Revenue
Deferred revenue decreased from $63 thousand in 2022 to $30 thousand in 2023 due to decrease in new subscriptions to the video conferencing software.
MANAGEMENT'S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
DISCUSSION OF RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
The following table sets forth certain items from our consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive income (loss) for the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, together with the percentage change each item represents. Throughout this discussion, we compare results of operations for the year ended December 31, 2023 (“2023”) to the year ended December 31, 2022 (“2022” or “the comparable period”).
(In thousands, except percentages)
Change
Favorable (Adverse)
in %
Revenue
$
18,704
$
25,205
(26
)
Cost of goods sold
12,347
15,748
Gross profit
6,357
9,457
(33
)
Sales and marketing
4,897
5,517
Research and product development
3,671
4,390
General and administrative
4,561
6,772
Total operating expenses
13,129
16,679
Interest expense
(537 )
(420 )
(28 )
Other income, net
7,183
35,102
(80 )
Operating loss
(6,772
)
(7,222
)
Income (loss) before income taxes
(126
)
27,460
(100
)
Provision for (benefit from) income taxes
6,904
Net income (loss)
$
(560
)
$
20,556
(103
)
Revenue
Our revenue decreased by 26% to $18.7 million in 2023 compared to $25.2 million of revenue in 2022. Revenue from all product categories declined during the year with audio conferencing, microphones and video products declining by 29%, 21% and 27% respectively. Video products suffered a decline in revenues in 2023 compared to 2022 due to a lack of demand for video products due to bottoming of demand for the work from home and learn from home markets and due to extreme pricing pressures. Revenue decreases were also due to our inability in the first half of 2023 to source adequate inventory to meet the demand for professional audio products and BMA due to the transition of manufacturing of our products from China to Singapore by our EMS provider. We believe that many of our channel partners who could not buy our products due to product shortages caused by our manufacturing transition issues are yet to resume their typical buying pattern with us. We also believe that the lack of Microsoft Teams certification for our products is increasingly impacting our ability to sell our conferencing and collaboration solutions.
The share of audio conferencing products in our product mix decreased from 47% in 2022 to 45% in 2023. The share of microphones in the revenue mix increased slightly from 39% in 2022 to 41% in 2023. Share of video products in the revenue mix remained the same at 14% in 2022 and 2023.
During 2023, revenue decreased significantly in all regions of the world. Asia Pacific including the Middle East decreased by 6%, Europe and Africa decreased by 54% and the Americas decreased by approximately 26%.
We believe, although there can be no assurance, that we can return to revenue growth and generating operating profits through our strategic initiatives namely product innovation, focus on core products and cost reduction.
MANAGEMENT'S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
Cost of Goods Sold and Gross Profit
Cost of goods sold (“COGS”) includes expenses associated with finished goods purchased from outsourced manufacturers, the manufacture of our products (including material and direct labor), our manufacturing and operations organization, property and equipment depreciation, warranty expense, freight expense, and the allocation of overhead expenses.
Our gross profit during 2023 was approximately $6.4 million or 34% compared to approximately $9.5 million or 38% in 2022. The gross profit margin was negatively impacted due to (a) an increase in freight and tariff costs as a percentage of revenue, (b) increased administration costs as a percentage of revenue, and (c) an increase in inventory obsolescence costs. These increases in cost of goods sold as a percentage of revenue was partially offset by reduction in material costs as a percentage of revenue.
Our profitability in the near-term continues to depend significantly on our revenues from audio conferencing products. We hold long-term inventory and if we are unable to sell our long-term inventory, our profitability might be affected by inventory write-offs and price mark-downs. Our long-term inventory includes approximately $0.2 million of Converge Pro and Beamforming microphone array products, $1.0 million of cameras, and $1.6 million of raw materials that will be used primarily for manufacturing professional audio conferencing products and BMA microphones. Any business changes that are adverse to these product lines could potentially impact our ability to sell our long-term inventory in addition to our current inventory.
Operating Expenses and Profits (Losses)
Operating income (loss), or income (loss) from operations, is the surplus or deficit after operating expenses are deducted from gross profits. Operating expenses include sales and marketing (“S&M”) expenses, research and product development (“R&D”) expenses and general and administrative (“G&A”) expenses. Total operating expenses were $13.1 million in 2023, compared to $16.7 million in 2022. The following contains a more detailed discussion of expenses related to sales and marketing, research and product development, general and administrative, and other items.
Sales and Marketing S&M expenses include sales, customer service, and marketing expenses such as employee-related costs, allocations of overhead expenses, trade shows, and other advertising and selling expenses.
S&M expenses in 2023 decreased to $4.9 million, compared to $5.5 million in 2022. The decrease was primarily due to (a) decreases in employment expenses and consultant expenses, (b) a decrease in commissions paid to employees, full-time consultants and independent manufacturer representatives. This overall decrease was partially offset by (a) an increase in trade-show-related costs, and (b) an increase in travel expenses.
Research and Product Development R&D expenses include research and development, product line management, engineering services, and test and application expenses, including employee-related costs, outside services, expensed materials, depreciation, and an allocation of overhead expenses.
R&D expenses decreased from $4.4 million in 2022 to $3.7 million in 2023. The decrease was primarily due to (a) a decrease in project-related expenses, (b) a decrease in employment expenses including salaries and bonuses, and (c) a decrease in allocation of common expenses to R&D. This overall decrease was partially offset by an increase in legal expenses incurred on application for new patents.
General and Administrative G&A expenses include employee-related costs, professional service fees, allocations of overhead expenses, litigation costs, and corporate administrative costs, including costs related to finance and human resources.
G&A expenses decreased to $4.6 million in 2023, compared to $6.8 million in 2022. The decrease was primarily due to (a) a decrease in amortization of capitalized legal costs related to patents litigation, and (b) a decrease in employment expenses including salaries and bonuses. This decrease was partially offset by (a) an increase in consulting expenses including investor relations costs, and (b) an increase in directors and officers insurance expenses.
MANAGEMENT'S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
Interest expense
Interest expense increased to $0.5 million in 2023 compared to $0.4 million in 2022. The increase was primarily due to interest associated with the prepayment of the $2 million bridge loan in January 2023.
Other income (expense), net
Other income (expense), net includes interest income, foreign currency changes and gain or loss on disposal of assets.
Other income in 2023 included (a) $5.3 million from two separate legal settlements, and (b) $1.9 million of interest income received on marketable securities. Other income in 2022 included (a) a gain recognized of $33.6 million related to the one-time legal settlement receivable of $55 million, net of unamortized capitalized legal expenses of $21.4 million (b) $1.5 million in gain from the forgiveness of CARES Act Paycheck Protection Program Loan, and (c) $1.9 million of interest income received on marketable securities.
Provision for income taxes
The effective tax provision rate was below 0% in 2023, compared to 25% effective tax benefit rate during 2022. Income tax provision for 2023 was $0.4 million as compared to an income tax provision of $6.9 million in 2022. The significant change in income taxes was primarily due to a decrease in net income in 2023 compared to 2022. We have been recording a valuation allowance against net deferred tax assets since 2018 and have not been claiming tax benefit for our losses as we have concluded that it is more likely than not that our deferred tax assets were not realizable, primarily due to our recent pre-tax losses.
LIQUIDITY, CAPITAL RESOURCES AND FINANCIAL POSITION
As of December 31, 2023, our cash and cash equivalents were approximately $17.8 million compared to $1.0 million as of December 31, 2022. Our working capital was $39.1 million and $69.3 million as of December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively.
Net cash flows used in operating activities were approximately $54.6 million during 2023, an increase of approximately $58.8 million from $4.2 million used in operating activities in 2022. The increase in cash provided was primarily due to receipt of settlement proceeds of $56.3 million from two separate settlements and income tax refunds, partially offset by change in operating assets and liabilities.
Net cash used in investing activities was $4.9 million in 2023 compared to $2.1 million provided by investing activities in 2022, an increase in cash used of $7.0 million. The increase in cash used in investing activities in 2023 was primarily due to an increase in net cash outflows from purchase of marketable securities net of sale of marketable securities of approximately $7.4 million partially offset by a decrease of $0.7 million in capitalized legal spending.
Net cash used in financing activities was $32.9 million during 2023 compared to net cash provided by financing activities of $2.1 million during 2022, a decrease in cash provided of $34.9 million. The decrease was primarily due to payment of a special dividend of $29.0 million and an increase in principal payments of debt. This decrease was further increased by lack of any capital raise in 2023 compared to capital raised through equity and debt issuances of $2.0 million in 2022.
MANAGEMENT'S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
In order to maintain liquidity, the Company has been actively engaged in preserving cash by implementing company-wide cost reduction measures and raising additional capital. The company raised additional capital in 2019 by issuing senior convertible notes, in 2020 by borrowing through the CARES Act Paycheck Protection Program and issuing common stock and warrants and in 2021 by issuing short-term notes and issuing common stock and warrants. In January 2022, the Company issued $2 million in common stock as consideration for the cancellation and termination of the short-term notes. In October 2022, the Company issued short term notes to raise $2 million. The Company paid a special one-time cash dividend of $1.00 per share of ClearOne common stock or the eligible warrants on June 1, 2023 amounting to $29 million. On March 11, 2024 the Company's Board of Directors declared another special dividend of $0.50 per share of the Company's stock and eligible warrants amounting to $14.5 million to be paid on April 10, 2024. The Company also believes that the Company's core strategies of product innovation and prudent cost management will bring the company back to profitability in the future. The Company believes, although there can be no assurance, that all of these measures and effective management of working capital, along with the current cash balance after the receipt of proceeds from legal settlement, will provide the liquidity needed to meet our operating needs through at least April 1, 2025.
As of December 31, 2023, we had open purchase orders of approximately $3.6 million mostly for purchase of inventory.
As of December 31, 2023, we had inventory totaling $13.8 million, of which non-current inventory accounted for $3.1 million. This compares to total inventories of $11.7 million and non-current inventory of $2.7 million as of December 31, 2022.
Contractual Obligations and Commitments
The following table summarizes our contractual obligations as of December 31, 2023 (in millions):
Payment Due by Period
Total
Less Than
1 Year
1-3 Years
3-5 Years
More than 5
years
Operating lease obligations
1.2
0.4
0.5
0.3
-
Purchase obligations
3.6
3.6
-
-
-
Total
$
4.8
$
4.0
$
0.5
$
0.3
$
-
Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements
We have no off-balance-sheet arrangements that have or are reasonably likely to have a current or future material effect on our financial condition, changes in financial conditions, revenues or expenses, results of operations, liquidity, capital expenditures or capital resources, results of operations or liquidity.
CRITICAL ACCOUNTING POLICIES AND ESTIMATES
Our discussion and analysis of our results of operations and financial position are based upon our consolidated financial statements, which have been prepared in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles ("GAAP"). We review the accounting policies used in reporting our financial results on a regular basis. The preparation of these financial statements requires us to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenue and expenses during the reporting period. We evaluate our assumptions and estimates on an ongoing basis and may employ outside experts to assist in our evaluations. We believe that the estimates we use are reasonable; however, actual results could differ from those estimates. Our significant accounting policies are described in Note 1 - Business Description, Basis of Presentation and Significant Accounting Policies to the Consolidated Financial Statements included in Part IV of this report. We believe the following critical accounting policies identify our most critical accounting policies, which are the policies that are both important to the representation of our financial condition and results and require our most difficult, subjective or complex judgments, often as a result of the need to make estimates about the effect of matters that are inherently uncertain.
MANAGEMENT'S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
Revenue and Associated Allowances for Revenue Adjustments and Doubtful Accounts
The Company recognizes revenue when it satisfies a performance obligation. The Company recognizes revenue from sales agreements upon transferring control of a product to the customer. This typically occurs when products are shipped or delivered, depending on the delivery terms, or when products that are consigned at customer locations are sold to dealers or end users. Revenue recognized during the twelve months ended December 31, 2023 for audio and video conferencing equipment sales was $18.6 million, and for software, licenses, etc. was $0.1 million. Sales returns and allowances are estimated based on historical experience. Provisions for discounts and rebates to customers, estimated returns and allowances, ship and credit claims and other adjustments are provided for in the same period the related revenues are recognized, and are netted against revenues. For returns, the Company recognizes a related asset for the right to recover returned products with a corresponding reduction to cost of goods sold. The Company reviews warranty and related claims activity and records provisions, as necessary.
Frequently, the Company receives orders with multiple delivery dates that may extend across reporting periods. Since each delivery constitutes a performance obligation, the Company allocates the transaction price of the contract to each performance obligation based on the stand-alone selling price of the products. The Company invoices the customer for each delivery upon shipment and recognizes revenues in accordance with delivery terms. Although payment terms vary, distributors typically pay within 45 days of invoicing and dealers pay within 30 days of invoicing. As scheduled delivery dates are within one year, revenue allocated to future shipments of partially completed contracts are not disclosed.
The Company has elected to record freight and handling costs associated with outbound freight after control over a product has transferred to a customer as a fulfillment cost and include it in cost of revenues. Taxes assessed by government authorities on revenue-producing transactions, including value-added and excise taxes, are presented on a net basis (excluded from revenues) in the Consolidated Statements of Operations and Comprehensive Income (Loss).
The details of deferred revenue and associated cost of goods sold and gross profit are as follows (in thousands):
As of December 31,
Deferred revenue
$
$
Deferred cost of goods sold
-
-
Deferred gross profit
$
$
The Company offers rebates and market development funds to certain of its distributors, dealers/resellers, and end-users based upon the volume of product purchased by them. The Company records rebates as a reduction of revenue in accordance with GAAP.
The Company provides, at its discretion, advance replacement units to end-users on defective units of certain products under warranty. Since the purpose of these units is not revenue generating, the Company tracks the units due from the end-user, until the defective unit has been returned. Any amount due from the customer upon failure to return the products is accounted as receivable only after establishing customer's failure to return the products. The inventory due from the customer is accounted at cost or market value whichever is lower.
Impairment of Long-Lived Assets
We assess the impairment of long-lived assets, such as property and equipment and definite-lived intangible assets subject to amortization, whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying value of an asset may not be recoverable. Recoverability of assets to be held and used is measured by a comparison of the carrying amount of an asset or asset group to estimated future undiscounted net cash flows of the related asset or group of assets over their remaining lives. If the carrying amount of an asset exceeds its estimated future undiscounted cash flows, an impairment charge is recognized for the amount by which the carrying amount exceeds the estimated fair value of the asset. Impairment of long-lived assets is assessed at the lowest levels for which there are identifiable cash flows that are independent of other groups of assets. The impairment of long-lived assets requires judgments and estimates. If circumstances change, such estimates could also change. Assets held for sale are reported at the lower of the carrying amount or fair value, less the estimated costs to sell.
MANAGEMENT'S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
Accounting for Income Taxes
We are subject to income taxes in both the United States and in certain non-U.S. jurisdictions. We account for income taxes following ASC 740, Accounting for Income Taxes, recognizing deferred tax assets and liabilities using enacted tax rates for the effect of temporary differences between book and tax basis of recorded assets and liabilities. We estimate our current tax position together with our future tax consequences attributable to temporary differences resulting from differing treatment of items, such as deferred revenue, depreciation, and other reserves for tax and accounting purposes. These temporary differences result in deferred tax assets and liabilities. We assess the likelihood that our deferred tax assets will be recovered from future taxable income, prior year carryback, or future reversals of existing taxable temporary differences. To the extent we believe that recovery is not more likely than not, we establish a valuation allowance against these deferred tax assets. Significant judgment is required in determining our provision for income taxes, our deferred tax assets and liabilities, and any valuation allowance recorded against our deferred tax assets.
To the extent we establish a valuation allowance in a period, we must include and expense the allowance within the tax provision in the consolidated statement of operations. In accordance with ASC Topic 740, “Accounting for Income Taxes”, we analyzed our valuation allowance at December 31, 2023 and determined that based upon available evidence it is more likely than not that certain of our net deferred tax assets will not be realized and, accordingly, we have recorded a full valuation allowance against these deferred tax assets in the amount of $13.8 million. Please refer to Note 13 - Income Taxes in the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information.
Share-Based Payments
We estimate the fair value of stock options using the Black-Scholes option pricing model, which requires certain estimates, including an expected forfeiture rate and expected term of options granted. We also make decisions regarding the method of calculating expected volatilities and the risk-free interest rate used in the option-pricing model. The resulting calculated fair value of stock options is recognized as compensation expense over the requisite service period, which is generally the vesting period. When there are changes to the assumptions used in the option-pricing model, including fluctuations in the market price of our common stock, there will be variations in the calculated fair value of our future stock option awards, which results in variation in the compensation cost recognized.
Inventories
Inventories are valued at the lower of cost or market, with cost computed on a first-in, first-out (“FIFO”) basis. In addition to the price of the product purchased, the cost of inventory includes the Company’s internal manufacturing costs, including warehousing, engineering, material purchasing, quality and product planning expenses and applicable overhead, not in excess of estimated realizable value. Consideration is given to obsolescence, excessive levels, deterioration, direct selling expenses, and other factors in evaluating net realizable value.
The inventory consists of current inventory of $10.6 million and long-term inventory of $3.1 million. Long term inventory represents inventory held in excess of our current (next 12 months) requirements based on our recent sales and forecasted level of sales. If we are unable to sell our long-term inventory including due to changes in business conditions, our profitability might be affected by inventory write-offs and price mark-downs.
IMPACT OF RECENTLY ISSUED ACCOUNTING PRONOUNCEMENTS
For descriptions of recently issued accounting standards, see Note 1. Business Description, Basis of Presentation and Significant Accounting Policies of our Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements.

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ITEM 7A. QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK
ITEM 7A. QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK
Not Applicable

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ITEM 8. FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND SUPPLEMENTARY DATA
ITEM 8. FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND SUPPLEMENTARY DATA
Financial statements and supplementary data required by this are included herein as a separate section of this Form 10-K, beginning on page, and are incorporated in this Item 8 by reference.

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ITEM 9. CHANGES IN AND DISAGREEMENTS WITH ACCOUNTANTS
ITEM 9. CHANGES IN AND DISAGREEMENTS WITH ACCOUNTANTS ON ACCOUNTING AND FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE
None.

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ITEM 9A. CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES
ITEM 9A. CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES
Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures
We maintain disclosure controls and procedures designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed in our reports filed under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), is recorded, processed, summarized, and reported within the required time periods, and that such information is accumulated and communicated to our management, including our Chief Executive Officer and Interim Chief Financial Officer, as appropriate, to allow for timely decisions regarding required disclosure. As required by Rule 13a-15 under the Exchange Act, we have completed an evaluation, under the supervision and with the participation of our management, including the Chief Executive Officer and the Interim Chief Financial Officer, of the effectiveness and the design and operation of our disclosure controls and procedures as of December 31, 2023. Our disclosure controls and procedures are designed to provide reasonable assurance of achieving their objectives. Based upon this evaluation, our Chief Executive Officer and Interim Chief Financial Officer concluded that, as of the end of the period covered by this Annual Report, our disclosure controls and procedures were effective at a reasonable assurance level as of December 31, 2023.
The effectiveness of any system of disclosure controls and procedures is subject to certain limitations, including the exercise of judgment in designing, implementing, and evaluating the controls and procedures, the assumptions used in identifying the likelihood of future events, and the inability to eliminate improper conduct completely. A controls system, no matter how well designed and operated, cannot provide absolute assurance that the objectives of the controls system are met, and no evaluation of controls can provide absolute assurance that all control issues and instances of fraud, if any, within a Company have been detected. As a result, there can be no assurance that our disclosure controls and procedures will detect all errors or fraud.
Management’s Annual 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 designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles.
Because of its inherent limitations, internal control over financial reporting may not prevent or detect misstatements. Also, projections of any evaluation of effectiveness to future periods are subject to the risk that controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions, or that the degree of compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate.
Our management conducted an evaluation of the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2023 based on the framework set forth in Internal Control - Integrated Framework (2013 framework) issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission. Based on our assessment using that criteria, management concluded that the design and operation of our internal control over financial reporting were effective as of December 31, 2023.
Changes in Internal Control Over Financial Reporting
There were no changes in our internal control over financial reporting that occurred during the fourth fiscal quarter that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.

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ITEM 9B. OTHER INFORMATION
ITEM 9B. OTHER INFORMATION
(a) None
(b) None

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ITEM 10. DIRECTORS, EXECUTIVE OFFICERS AND CORPORATE GOVERNANCE
ITEM 10. DIRECTORS, EXECUTIVE OFFICERS AND CORPORATE GOVERNANCE The following table sets forth certain information regarding our directors and executive officers as of April 1, 2024.
Name
Age
Position
Director or Officer Since
Derek L. Graham
Chief Executive Officer
Larry R. Hendricks
Director *
Lisa B. Higley
Director
Eric L. Robinson
Chairman, and Director *
Bruce Whaley
Director *
Raghunathan Jayashree
Interim Chief Financial Officer
*
Member of the Audit and Compliance Committee, Compensation Committee and Nominating Committee
Derek Graham is our Chief Executive Officer. He was appointed as Interim CEO in May 2022 and was confirmed as the permanent CEO in January 2023. He joined our company in July 2003 as Lead Engineer for Conferencing Cameras. In 2004, he was promoted to Engineering Operations Manager. In 2006, he was promoted to Director of Research and Development. In 2007, he was promoted to Sr. Director of Research and Development. In 2009, he was promoted to Vice President of Research and Development. In 2011, he was promoted to Sr. Vice President of Research and Development. In those prior roles, Derek was responsible for funding, staffing, and execution of parallel engineering programs that resulted in successful development of professionally installed audio and video conferencing, video streaming, wireless microphone, digital signage, and camera products. Derek is a named inventor on 13 patents. Prior to joining ClearOne, Derek held engineering and management positions at Intel Corporation in the areas of audio conferencing and telephony technologies. Mr. Graham earned a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering, with highest honors, and a Master’s Degree in Electrical Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology.
Eric. L Robinson has served as a director of our company since July 2015 and was named Chairman of the Board in February 2022. Mr. Robinson spent fourteen years in private practice as a corporate attorney, including eleven years as a partner in the Salt Lake City, Utah law firm of Blackburn & Stoll, LC. Mr. Robinson's law practice focused on securities, corporate and other business transactions. For the past five years, Mr. Robinson has been principally employed by MicroPower Global Limited, a company in the semiconductor business, Operation Underground Railroad, Inc. and as a private attorney. At MicroPower, Mr. Robinson acted as General Counsel, Chief Financial Officer and a director. At Operation Underground Railroad, Inc. he acts as VP of Legal Affairs. Mr. Robinson also maintains a law practice and serves as counsel to a number of companies in the fields of regenerative medicine and commercial construction. Mr. Robinson previously served as chief financial officer, in-house counsel, secretary and treasurer of ActiveCare, Inc. from July 2016 until his voluntary resignation in June 2017, and subsequent to Mr. Robinson’s departure, ActiveCare filed a voluntary bankruptcy petition under Chapter 11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code on July 15, 2018. His legal practice included working with companies in connection with public and private offerings of securities, corporate partnering, mergers and acquisitions, licensing technology transfer, contracts and construction. He graduated from the University of Utah with honors with a B.S. degree in accounting and he subsequently passed the CPA exam (unlicensed). He graduated from Vanderbilt University with a J.D. where he graduated Order of the Coif and acted as a Managing Editor of the Law Review. Mr. Robinson has previously served as corporate and securities legal counsel to the Company and the Company's largest shareholder, E. Dallin Bagley.
Larry R. Hendricks has served as a director of our Company since June 2003. Mr. Hendricks is a Certified Public Accountant who retired in December 2002 after serving as Vice President of Finance and General Manager of Daily Foods, Inc., a national meat processing company. During his 30-year career in accounting, he served as a self-employed CPA and worked for the international accounting firm Peat Marwick & Mitchell. Mr. Hendricks has served on the boards of eight other organizations, including Tunex International, Habitat for Humanity, Daily Foods, Skin Care International, and the National Advisory Board of the Huntsman College of Business at Utah State University. He earned a Bachelor's Degree in Accounting from Utah State University and a Master of Business Administration Degree from the University of Utah.
Lisa B. Higley was appointed a director of our Company effective July 20, 2020. Ms. Higley has been self-employed as a CPA since June 2009. Previously, she was the CFO for Daisy D’s Paper Company from March 2007 until January 2009, where she managed all aspects of the company’s financial and accounting responsibilities. Additionally, Ms. Higley was the CFO for Tunex International from April 2006 to March 2007 where she was accountable for all financial aspects of the corporation. Prior to that, Ms. Higley was a staff tax accountant at Wisen, Smith, Racker & Prescott LLP from February 2004 to April 2006. Ms. Higley earned her Bachelor of Science in Accounting from the University of Oregon and her MBA from Utah State University, and has been a Utah CPA since 2004. Ms. Higley is the daughter of Edward D. Bagley, our former Chairman of the Board. Mr. Edward D. Bagley beneficially owns 44 % of our issued and outstanding common stock.
Bruce Whaley was appointed a director of our Company effective April 16, 2019. Mr. Whaley has extensive experience as a stockbroker for nearly five decades. Mr. Whaley is currently a broker trading at Wilson & Davis, a regional brokerage firm based in Salt Lake City, Utah. He has been with Wilson & Davis since 1988. Until March 2023, Mr. Whaley also held a real estate license and worked as a real estate agent for Coldwell Banker. Mr. Whaley attended the University of Utah between 1968 and 1971 and studied many subjects including business administration, accounting and finance. He did not graduate with a degree.
Raghunathan Jayashree was appointed as Interim CFO on February 27, 2024. Ms. Raghunathan joined the Company as a Senior Manager in July 2018 and has served as the Company’s Controller since October 2019. Ms. Raghunathan, has been a Chartered Accountant in India since 1996 and has over twenty years of work experience in the field of accounting.
Section 16(a) Beneficial Ownership Reporting Compliance
Section 16(a) of the Securities Exchange Act, of 1934 as amended, requires our directors, executive officers and persons who own more than 10% of a registered class of our equity securities to file with the SEC initial reports of ownership on Form 3 and reports of changes of ownership of our equity securities on Forms 4 and 5. Officers, directors, and greater than 10% shareholders are required to furnish us with copies of all Section 16(a) reports they file. Based solely on a review of the reports furnished to us for the year ended December 31, 2023, we believe that each person who, at any time during such fiscal year was a director, officer, or beneficial owner of more than 10% of our common stock complied with all Section 16(a) filing requirements during such period.
Code of Ethics
The Board of Directors adopted a code of ethics that applies to our Board of Directors, executive officers, and employees. The Company's Code of Ethics is posted on our website at www.clearone.com.
Insider Trading Policies and Procedures
The Company has adopted a Statement of Policy Regarding Compliance with Insider Trading Laws (the "Insider Trading Policy) that establishes policies and procedures governing the purchase, sale, and/or other dispositions of the Company's securities by directors, officers and employees. The Insider Trading Policy requires compliance with all applicable laws, rules and regulations governing the offer and sale of securities and prohibits directors, officers and employees from engaging in transactions in the Company's securities while in possession of material nonpublic information. The Insider Trading Policy establishes quarterly blackout periods during which trading in the Company's securities is prohibited. These blackout periods begins 15 days prior to the end of each fiscal quarter and ends at the opening of trading on the first business day after the public dissemination of Company's financial results for that quarter for a full trading day. In addition, the Insider Trading Policy requires senior officers and key employees to obtain pre-approval of any transactions in Company securities from the Company's Compliance Officer under the Insider Trading Policy, which currently is the Interim Chief Financial Officer. A copy of the Company's Insider Trading Policy is filed as Exhibit 19.1 to this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
Nomination Procedures
No changes have been made to the procedures by which our shareholders may recommend nominees to our Board of Directors.
Audit and Compliance Committee
The Company has a separate Audit and Compliance Committee and its members are Eric L. Robinson (Chairman), Larry R. Hendricks and Bruce Whaley. The Board of Directors has determined that Eric L. Robinson is an “audit committee financial expert” and each member is independent in accordance with applicable rules and regulations of NASDAQ and the SEC.

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ITEM 11. EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION
ITEM 11. EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION
EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION
The following table sets forth the compensation paid or earned by each named executive officer for the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022.
SUMMARY COMPENSATION TABLE
Name and Principal Position
Salary
Option Awards
Non-Equity Incentive Plan Compensation
All Other Compensation
Total
Derek Graham, Chief Executive Officer(1)
Year ended December 31, 2023
$ 244,147
$ 21,900
$ -
$ 100,000
$ 366,047
Year ended December 31, 2022
$ 221,625
$ -
$ -
$ -
$
221,625
Narsi Narayanan - Chief Financial Officer(2)
Year ended December 31, 2023
$
250,340
$
14,600
$
-
$
100,000
$
364,940
Year ended December 31, 2022
$
230,000
$
-
$
-
$
-
$
230,000
(1)
Derek L. Graham was appointed as Interim CEO on May 24, 2022 and became permanent CEO on Jan 26, 2023.
(2) Narsi Narayanan served as CFO and Corporate Secretary till March 1, 2024, when his employment with ClearOne ended.
OUTSTANDING EQUITY AWARDS AT FISCAL YEAR-END
The following table provides information on the holdings of stock options by the named executive officers as of December 31, 2023.
Name
Number of Securities Underlying Unexercised Options
Option Exercise Price ($)
Option Grant Date
Option Expiration Date
Exercisable
Unexercisable
Derek Graham
1,250
-
8.340
9-12-2014
9-12-2024
7,500
2,500
2.500
12-14-2020
12-14-2026
-
30,000
1.010
6-15-2023
6-15-2029
Narsi Narayanan
20,000
-
8.340
9-12-2014
9-12-2024
25,000
-
11.960
3-11-2016
3-11-2026
2,500
-
11.000
12-14-2016
12-14-2026
20,000
-
9.900
6-1-2017
6-1-2027
20,000
-
2.500
12-14-2020
12-14-2026
-
20,000
1.010
6-15-2023
6-15-2029
(1)
One-third of the shares underlying each stock option vest on the first anniversary of the grant date and the remaining shares vest equally over a period of 24 months following the first anniversary of the grant date.
OPTION EXERCISES AND STOCK VESTED
There were no exercises of stock options by named executive officers during 2023.
DIRECTOR COMPENSATION
The following table summarizes the compensation paid to non-employee directors for the year ended December 31, 2023.
Name
Fees Earned or Paid in Cash
Option Awards
Other Compensation
Total
Larry R. Hendricks
$
33,600
$
-
$
-
$
33,600
Lisa B. Higley
54,000
-
-
54,000
Eric L. Robinson
64,800
-
-
64,800
Bruce Whaley
33,600
-
-
33,600
All directors are reimbursed by the Company for their out-of-pocket travel and related expenses, if any, incurred in attending all Board of Directors and committee meetings. However, during 2023 no expenses were reimbursed to any director.

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ITEM 12. SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS
ITEM 12. SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS AND MANAGEMENT AND RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS
The following table sets forth certain information regarding ownership of our common stock as of March 29, 2024, except as otherwise stated, by (i) each director and nominee for director, (ii) the named executive officers, (iii) all of our named executive officers and directors as a group, and (iv) each person known to us to be the beneficial owner of more than 5% of our outstanding common stock.
Shares Beneficially Owned
Currently Owned
Currently Owned Percent(2)
Shares that could be acquired within 60 days
Total (2)
Percent (2)
Name of Beneficial Owner (1)
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
(E)
Directors and Executive Officers:
Derek L. Graham
5,260
0.02
%
9,791
15,051
0.06
%
Larry R. Hendricks
18,048
0.08
%
50,000
68,048
0.27
%
Lisa B. Higley(3)
24,501
0.10 %
10,000
34,501
0.14 %
Eric L. Robinson
-
%
38,333
38,398
0.15
%
Bruce Whaley
12,000
0.05
%
10,000
22,000
0.09
%
Raghunathan Jayashree
-
-
%
-
-
-
%
Total (Directors and Officers)
59,874
0.25
%
118,124
177,998
0.71
%
5% Shareholders:
Edward D. Bagley(4)
10,590,528
44.18
%
723,628
11,314,156
45.60
%
(1)
Except as otherwise indicated, each person named in the table has sole voting and investment power, subject to applicable community property law. Except as otherwise indicated, each person may be reached at our corporate offices c/o ClearOne, Inc., 5225 Wiley Post Way, Suite 500, Salt Lake City, Utah 84116.
(2)
The percentages shown in Column (B) are calculated based on 23,969,148 shares of common stock outstanding on March 29, 2024. The numbers shown in Column (D) and percentages shown in Column (E) include the shares of common stock actually owned as of March 29, 2024 and the shares of common stock that the identified person or group had the right to acquire within 60 days of such date. In calculating the percentage of ownership, all shares of common stock that each identified person or group had the right to acquire within 60 days of March 29, 2024 upon the exercise of the stock options, secured convertible notes and warrants shown in Column (C) are deemed to be outstanding for the purpose of computing the percentage of the shares of common stock owned by the persons or groups listed above.
(3)
This information is based upon the Form 4 filed with the SEC as of June 2, 2023. Lisa Higley, who was appointed a Director effective July 20, 2020, is the daughter of Edward D. Bagley, and each of them has previously disclaimed beneficial ownership of common stock beneficially owned by the other. The share amounts indicated for Ms. Higley do not include any shares held by Edward D. Bagley. The share amounts indicated for Ms. Higley do not include 6,546 shares owned by her spouse and 2,252,636 shares held by a trust in which she is a co-trustee.
(4)
Mr. Edward D. Bagley may be deemed to own an additional 2,252,636 shares of common stock that are deemed to be owned by his wife, Carolyn Bagley, as a result of her acting as one of four co-trustees of a trust. Mr. Bagley may be deemed to own an additional 355,257 shares of common stock that Carolyn Bagley owns individually. Mr. Bagley, however, disclaims beneficial ownership of these shares that may be indirectly beneficially owned by Mr. Bagley and they are excluded from the amounts reported in the table above. Mr. Edward D. Bagley has sole voting and dispositive power over 11,314,156 shares (including the shares that may be acquired pursuant to exercise of options to purchase 35,277 shares of common stock, and warrants to purchase 685,295 shares of common stock) and shared voting and dispositive power over the 355,257 shares held by Mr. Edward D. Bagley’s spouse. This information is based upon a Form 4 as filed by Mr. Bagley with the SEC on December 15, 2023 and a Schedule 13D Amendment filed by Mr. Bagley with the SEC in September 2020. E. Bryan Bagley, who resigned as Director effective November 6, 2012, is the son of Edward D. Bagley, and each of them has previously disclaimed beneficial ownership of common stock beneficially owned by the other. Lisa Higley, who was appointed a Director effective July 20, 2020, is the daughter of Edward D. Bagley, and each of them has previously disclaimed beneficial ownership of common stock beneficially owned by the other. The share amounts indicated for Mr. Edward D. Bagley do not include any shares held by E. Bryan Bagley or Lisa Higley.
Equity Compensation Plan Information
The following table summarizes information, as of December 31, 2023, relating to equity compensation plans of the Company (including individual compensation arrangements) pursuant to which equity securities of the Company are authorized for issuance.
Plan Category
(a)
Number of securities to be issued upon exercise of outstanding options and rights
(b)
Weighted-Average Exercise Price of Outstanding Options and Rights
(c)
Number of securities remaining available for future issuance under equity compensation plans (excluding securities reflected in column(a))
Equity Compensation Plans Approved by Stockholders
607,810
$5.03
857,044
Equity Compensation Plans Not Approved by Stockholders
-
-
-
Total
-
$-
-

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ITEM 13. CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED TRANSACTIONS
ITEM 13. CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED TRANSACTIONS AND DIRECTOR INDEPENDENCE
We recognize that transactions between us and any of our directors, executives or other related persons can present potential or actual conflicts of interest and create the appearance that our decisions are based on considerations other than the best interests of our Company and shareholders. Therefore, as a general matter and in accordance with our Code of Ethics, it is our preference to avoid such transactions. Nevertheless, we recognize that there are situations where such transactions may be in, or may not be inconsistent with, the best interests of our Company. Under the terms of its charter, our Audit and Compliance Committee reviews and, if appropriate, approves or ratifies any such transactions. Pursuant to the charter, the Committee will review any transaction in which we are or will be a participant and the amount involved exceeds $120,000, and in which any of our directors or executives had, has or will have a direct or indirect material interest. After its review, the Committee will only approve or ratify those transactions that are in, or are not inconsistent with, the best interests of our Company and our shareholders, as the Committee determines in good faith. The Company’s Board of Directors adopted the Company's Related Party Transactions Policy on January 18, 2017. This policy is available on our website at http://investors.clearone.com/corporate-governance.
Related Party Transactions: Consulting Agreement with Edward D. Bagley
On June 3, 2015, the Company entered into a Consulting Agreement with Edward D. Bagley, former Chairman of the Board and greater than 10% shareholder (“Consulting Agreement”) which became effective on July 29, 2015 for an initial term of three years which was renewed in 2018 for an additional term of three years and renewed again in 2021 for an additional term of 3 years through 2024. Pursuant to the terms of the Consulting Agreement Mr. Bagley is paid a fee of $5,000 per month and is eligible to participate in our equity incentive programs and will be granted stock options commensurate with grants of stock options made to our directors. During 2023, he was paid $60,000 as consulting fees. During 2023, he did not receive any grant of stock options.
Director Independence
Our Board of Directors has determined, after considering all the relevant facts and circumstances, that Larry Hendricks, Eric Robinson and Bruce Whaley are independent directors, in accordance with the definition of “independence” under the listing standards of NASDAQ, because they have no relationship with us that would interfere with their exercise of independent judgment.

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ITEM 14. PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTING FEES AND SERVICES
ITEM 14. PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTING FEES AND SERVICES
amounts:
Audit fees(1)
$
256,386
$
229,111
Audit-related fees(2)
-
-
Tax fees(3)
64,525
55,700
All other fees
-
-
Total
$
320,911
$
284,811
(1)
Represents fees billed for professional services rendered for the audit and reviews of our financial statements filed with the SEC on Forms 10-K and 10-Q.
(2)
Represents fees billed for consents provided with respect to registration statements and related amendments.
(3)
Represents fees billed for tax filing, preparation, and tax advisory services.
Pre-Approval Policies and Procedures
The Audit and Compliance Committee ensures that we engage our independent registered public accounting firm to provide only audit and non-audit services that are compatible with maintaining the independence of our public accountants. The Audit and Compliance Committee approves or pre-approves all services provided by our public accountants. Permitted services include audit and audit-related services, tax services and other non-audit related services. Certain services are identified as restricted. Restricted services are those services that may not be provided by our external public accountants, whether identified in statute or determined to be incompatible with the role of an independent auditor. All fees identified in the preceding table were approved by the Audit and Compliance Committee. During 2023, the Audit and Compliance Committee reviewed all non-audit services provided by our independent registered public accounting firm and concluded that the provision of such non-audit services was compatible with maintaining the independence of the external public accountants.
PART IV

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ITEM 15. EXHIBITS, FINANCIAL STATEMENT SCHEDULES
ITEM 15. EXHIBITS, FINANCIAL STATEMENT SCHEDULES
1.
Financial Statements: Financial statements set forth under Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K are filed in a separate section of this Form 10-K. See the “Index to Consolidated Financial Statements”.
2.
Financial Statement Schedules: All schedules are omitted since they either are not required, not applicable or the information is presented in the accompanying consolidated financial statements and notes thereto.
3.
Exhibits: The exhibits listed under the Index of exhibits in the next page are filed or incorporated by reference as part of this Form 10-K.