EDGAR 10-K Filing

Company CIK: 1648960
Filing Year: 2024
Filename: 1648960_10-K_2024_0001213900-24-027991.json

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ITEM 1. BUSINESS
ITEM 1. BUSINESS
Overview
We are a blockchain, cybersecurity, and social media company that not only focuses on protecting privacy on personal devices, but also protects user information after it is shared with others. We believe that one’s right to privacy should not end the moment they click “send”, and that we all deserve the same right to privacy online that we enjoy in our own living rooms. Our flagship product, DatChat Messenger & Private Social Network, is a privacy platform and mobile application that gives users the ability to communicate with the privacy and protection they deserve. Recently, we have expanded our business and product offerings to include the co-development of a mobile-based social and gaming metaverse, known as “Habytat”, as well as the development of Museum, an a social network and multi-media storage platform for consumers and enterprises.
DatChat Messenger & Private Social Network
Our platform allows users to exercise control over their messages and posts, even after they are sent. Through our application, users can delete messages that they have sent, on their own device and the recipient’s device as well. There is no set time limit within which they must exercise this choice. A user can elect at any time to delete a message that they previously sent to a recipient’s device.
The application also enables users to hide secret and encrypted messages behind a cover, which messages can only be unlocked by the recipient and which are automatically destroyed after a fixed number of views or fixed amount of time. Users can decide how long their messages last on the recipient’s device. The application also includes a screen shot protection system, which makes it virtually impossible for the recipient to screenshot a message or picture before it gets destroyed. In addition, users can delete entire conversations at any time, making it like the conversation never even happened.
In addition to the foregoing, the application also provides users with the ability to connect via an encrypted live video chat that also is designed to prevent screenshots or screen grabs. The application integrates with iMessage, making private messages potentially available to hundreds of millions of users.
Habytat
In June 2022, we formed a wholly owned subsidiary, Dragon Interactive, Inc. (formerly, SmarterVerse, Inc.) (“Dragon Interactive”). In July 2022, Dragon Interactive entered into a development agreement with MetaBizz, LLC, an infrastructure firm that creates and develops 4D experiences in the metaverse (“MetaBizz”). In August 2022, we launched the “Habytat”, a virtual space that blends real world and virtual realities into one, in real time, using emerging technology like virtual and augmented reality, to create a highly immersive 3D environment. Habytat is supported by proprietary artificial intelligence (“AI”) and utilizes a machine learning engine to develop more realistic looking content, daily rewards, games, and new utilities that are designed to further enhance the user experience in an engaging way. Our goal is to leverage our patents and develop new technology that leads to more people joining and seeing the value in the metaverse. The development agreement with MetaBizz is no longer active.
Each Habytat user is granted user rights to use a designated piece of virtual property in Geniuz City, the first world within Habytat, through the minting and issuance of a unique NFT. Geniuz City is designed to be a near photo-realistic world based on Miami’s Wynwood arts district and its surrounding areas. Geniuz City enables users to visit art galleries, explore the town, interact with other users, take selfies with famous landmarks, customize their properties and enjoy the culture of Geniuz City.
Users will be able to customize their virtual property to represent their personal style and taste. Users will then be able to accumulate reward points when they visit and interact with such virtual property or invite others to join Habytat, and such rewards can be used to enhance, expand, and improve their virtual property. The official in-world currency of Habytat is the “Nirad,” which can be earned through participation on the DatChat Social Network+ or the Habytat and used to upgrade properties and experiences in Habytat.
As of March 28, 2024, we had over 140,000 Habytat users.
Mobile Metaverse
In May 2023, we launched the open mobile metaverse, Habytat 1.0, as part of our mission to democratize access to the metaverse. We hope that by making Habytat available via mobile devices and offering free ownership of virtual land and homes, that Habytat will break down obstacles that previously limited participation, such as the necessity for expensive virtual reality (“VR”) gear or metaverse properties. We have assembled a team of over twenty game developers, graphic artists and back-end developers to create Habytat 1.0.
HabyPets
In August 2023, we launched a series of novel AI-powered pets called “HabyPets.” HabyPets provides an interactive experience within the Habytat world, creating a more immersive and personal experience for users. Supported by Habytat’s proprietary AI and machine learning engine, HabyPets grow over time from playful companions to mature adult pets. Similar to real-life pets, these AI pets can be trained by users via a range of behavioral commands, replicating the natural progression of real pets over time. These include, but are not limited to, catching frisbees, playing with toys, engaging in tug of war, and even participating in thrilling races with other pets at the park. By actively engaging with their pets, users can establish a connection and provide proper care for their virtual companions, fostering a realistic experience within the Habytat metaverse.
Myseum
We are currently developing “Myseum,” a platform that will allow users to create a personal museum designed to easily share pictures, videos and documents utilizing planned features, such as creating instant sharing spaces at family gatherings, time released video messages, multi-tiered social media, and secure family document storage and sharing. Currently, Myseum is scheduled to launch in the second quarter of 2024 and will encompass features and social networking technology designed to unlock and share digital media.
Spin-off and Name Change
In January 2024, we announced plans to spin-off the Habytat platform business into a new standalone public company pursuant to a distribution as further discussed below. As of the date of this Annual Report, we currently own approximately 71.5% of Dragon Interactive, the entity that owns and operates the Habytat Platform business. This marked a significant step forward in our corporate strategy to reposition the Company as a pureplay social media ecosystem centered around our Myseum assets.
In February 2024, Darin Myman was appointed as President of SmarterVerse.
In February 2024, SmarterVerse changed its name to Dragon Interactive Corporation.
If the distribution proceeds, our shareholders will maintain their current shares in the Company and receive a pro-rata distribution of a portion of our shares of Dragon Interactive. The proposed distribution remains subject to approval by our board of directors as well as other customary conditions, including the filing and effectiveness of either a Form S-1 or Form 10 registration statement with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and obtaining of any other required regulatory approvals. Upon consummation of the proposed distribution, Dragon Interactive would become a standalone public company with plans seek a listing on a national stock exchange. No assurance can be given that the spin-off and/or the distribution will occur as anticipated or at all.
Competition
DatChat Messenger & Private Social Network
The current market for mobile messenger applications is highly competitive, and we expect that it will remain competitive. There are currently several large companies that provide mobile messenger applications and we expect several more competitors to enter into this market in the next few years. Well-established competitors include Snapchat, WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, Facebook, Telegram, MeWe, Confide and Apple iMessage. We believe that it is the range of privacy and security features that we offer that sets us apart from our competitors.
Our flagship applications are the DatChat Privacy Platform and Private Encrypted Social Network, which address the needs of consumers and businesses to communicate with increased levels of privacy and control over messages and social posts, even after they are sent or shared. In addition, we are developing a blockchain-based, decentralized communications platform that is being designed to allow consumers and businesses to connect directly with each other.
Observing that mobile messaging and social media users are drawn to several different messaging platforms by specific capabilities, we set out to create the application to consolidate popular messaging and social media features such as group chats, emoticons and video sharing, offer new and unique features such as being able to “nuke” a conversation to remove all traces of it from all parties involved, and deliver increased levels of privacy and security. As public concerns over privacy in an ever-expanding digital society grow, the application offers comfort to its users with extensive control over their messages and posts, even after they are sent or shared. The application allows users to not only control how long or how many times a message or post may be viewed by the recipient, but also allows the sender to erase the message or entire conversation after it is sent. Our goal is to make the application a leader in the mobile secure messaging and social media market based upon our proprietary technology and enhanced privacy and security features. We intend to roll out additional features including video chat, attachments, unique social posts and other features to enhance the messaging and social media experience.
Software and Development
DatChat Messenger & Private Social Network
Our ability to compete depends in large part on our continuous commitment to research and development, our ability to rapidly introduce new features and functionality and our ability to improve proven applications for established markets in which we have competitive advantages. We intend to work closely with our customers to continuously enhance the performance, functionality, usability, reliability and flexibility of the application.
Our software and development team is responsible for the design enhancements, development, testing and certification of the application. In addition, we may, in the future, utilize third parties for our automated testing, managed upgrades, software development and other technology services. We are also developing video messages and video messages containing hidden messages embedded in the video stream. We anticipate that the video messaging currently under development will allow users to change the number of views allowed or destruct the message after being sent, in addition to setting the message to auto-self-destruct. We are also in the process of developing a private and encrypted social wall/network.
Habytat and HabyPets
Our software and development is led by SmarterVerse’s Chief Technology Officer, Rene J. Palacio Mongui, and Chief Operating Officer, Ingrith Gartner Salazar. The software and development team is responsible for the engineering, development, design, integration and testing of the Habytat metaverse and the HabyPets AI platform.
Marketing and Monetization
DatChat Messenger & Private Social Network
The application is currently offered for free on Apple’s App Store and Google Play. Initial marketing is expected to consist of public relations, “cost-per-install” campaigns, social media marketing using the Facebook’s ad platform and other readily available advertising platforms.
We anticipate utilizing social influencers and additional public relations strategies to promote the application on a global basis, which also includes making the application available for use in other languages.
We also plan to add in-app purchases such as user customization features, unique emoticons, stickers and long form video messages to monetize the application.
We anticipate monetizing the application with a subscription-based service for small and medium size businesses. In the future, we may develop other mobile applications and services for consumers once our user base reaches a level at which we deem it to be economically feasible. No assurance can be given that we will successfully develop new or future applications that will be embraced by users or generate revenue.
Intellectual Property Portfolio
DatChat Messenger & Private Social Network
We strive to protect and enhance the proprietary technology and inventions that are commercially important to our business, including seeking, maintaining and defending patent rights. Our policy is to seek to protect our proprietary position through a combination of intellectual property rights in the United States, including patents, trademarks, copyrights, trade secret laws and internal procedures. Our commercial success will depend in part on our ability to protect our intellectual property and proprietary technologies.
As of March 28, 2024, we had 11 issued patents, no notices of allowance and 3 filed patent applications in the United States relating to our encryption technologies, blockchain platform and digital assets. Our issued patents will expire in 2036. In addition, we plan to continue expanding and strengthening our IP portfolio with additional patent applications in the future. We may not be able to obtain protection for our intellectual property, and our existing and future patents, trademarks, and other intellectual property rights may not provide us with competitive advantages or distinguish our products and services from those of our competitors. Our pending patent application and future applications may not result in the issuance of patents, and any resulting issued patents may have claims narrower than those in our patent applications. Additionally, our current and future patents, trademarks, and other intellectual property rights may be contested, circumvented, or found unenforceable or invalid, and we may not be able to prevent third parties from infringing them. Our internal controls may not always be effective at preventing unauthorized parties from obtaining our intellectual property and proprietary technologies.
Other companies that own patents, copyrights, trademarks, trade secrets, and other intellectual property rights related to the mobile, encryption, blockchain, communication, privacy, internet, and other technology-related industries frequently enter into litigation based on allegations of infringement, misappropriation, and other violations of intellectual property or other rights. Third parties, including our competitors, may make claims from time to time that we have infringed their patents, trademarks, copyrights, trade secrets, or other intellectual property rights. As our business grows and competition rises, the risk of facing claims related to intellectual property and litigation matters will likely increase.
Our Privacy Policy
Privacy and security are the foundations of our Company. We recognize that this is why users are drawn to the application and that our users care deeply about how their personal information is collected, used and shared. When you read our Privacy Policy, we hope that you notice that it has been written to advance our core principles and protect the integrity of the application.
When users sign up for the application, they are required to provide us with certain personal information such as their name, email address and phone number. We take commercially reasonable and appropriate measures to protect this personal information from accidental loss, misuse, and unauthorized access, disclosure, alteration, or destruction, taking into account the risks involved in processing and the nature of such data, and comply with applicable laws and regulations. We do not currently transfer any personal information to third-parties that do not act on our behalf, and we will not do so without users’ opt-in consent. Similarly, we do not currently collect sensitive personal information from users without opt-in consent. We may disclose personal information to certain types of third-party companies, but only to the extent needed to enable them to provide such services. The types of companies that may receive personal information and their functions are: marketing assistance, analytics and reporting, customer support, email and SMS delivery, cloud infrastructure, and systems monitoring. All such third parties function as our agents, performing services at our instruction and on our behalf pursuant to contracts which require them to provide at least the same level of privacy protection as is required by our Privacy Policy. In addition, we may be required to disclose personal information in response to lawful requests by public authorities, including for the purpose of meeting national security or law enforcement requirements. We may also disclose personal information to other third parties when compelled to do so by government authorities or required by law or regulation including, but not limited to, in response to court orders and subpoenas.
With respect to retention of personal information, we may only retain such users’ personal information in a form that identifies them only for as long as it serves the purpose(s) for which it was initially collected as stated in our Privacy Policy, or subsequently authorized. We may continue processing users’ personal information for longer periods, but only for the time and to the extent such processing reasonably serves the purposes of statistical analysis, and subject to the protection of our Privacy Policy. After such time periods have expired, we may either delete the personal information or retain it in a form such that it does not identify the user personally.
Most importantly, when users send an encrypted message through the application, we may only temporarily process and store the message in its encrypted form. We do not (and cannot) read our users’ encrypted messages and we delete our users’ messages as soon as they have been successfully self-destructed or deleted. Our end-to-end encryption ensures that we will never have access to the contents of our users’ messages. Moreover, we recognize the privacy rights of our users and are committed to complying with data protection laws to the extent they apply to us, and to assist our users in exercising their rights under applicable law. For example, users may exercise their rights pursuant to the EU General Data Protection Regulation (“GDPR”) or Section 1798.83 of the California Civil Code, simply by submitting a request via email to privacy@DatChat.com.
Employees
As of March 28, 2024, we have a total of 12 full-time employees. We have established a network of external professionals and consultants to which we outsource various research and development and operational tasks in an effort to minimize administrative overhead. We are not a party to any collective bargaining agreements. We believe that we maintain good relations with our employees.
Our Corporate Information
DatChat, Inc. was initially incorporated in Nevada on December 4, 2014 under the name YssUp, Inc. On March 4, 2015, an amendment to our articles of incorporation was filed with the Nevada Secretary of State, changing YssUp, Inc.’s name to “DatChat, Inc.” On September 22, 2016, amended and restated articles of incorporation were filed with the Nevada Secretary of State in order to, among other things, authorize the Company to issue preferred stock.
Available Information
Our website address is www.datchat.com. The contents of, or information accessible through, our website are not part of this Annual Report on Form 10-K, and our website address is included in this document as an inactive textual reference only. We make our filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”), including our Annual Report on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, Current Reports on Form 8-K and all amendments to those reports, available free of charge on our website as soon as reasonably practicable after we file such reports with, or furnish such reports to, the SEC. The public may read and copy the materials we file with the SEC at the SEC’s Public Reference Room at 100 F Street, NE, Washington, DC 20549. The public may obtain information on the operation of the Public Reference Room by calling the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330. Additionally, the SEC maintains an internet site that contains reports, proxy and information statements and other information. The address of the SEC’s website is www.sec.gov. The information contained in the SEC’s website is not intended to be a part of this filing.

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ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS
ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS
An investment in our common stock involves a high degree of risk. You should carefully consider the following risk factors and the other information in this Annual Report on Form 10-K before investing in our common stock. Our business and results of operations could be seriously harmed by any of the following risks. The risks set out below are not the only risks we face. Additional risks and uncertainties not currently known to us or that we currently deem to be immaterial also may materially adversely affect our business, financial condition and/or operating results. If any of the following events occur, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be materially adversely affected. In such case, the value and trading price of our common stock could decline, and you may lose all or part of your investment.
Risks Related to our Business and Industry
We have a limited operating history and have not yet generated any revenues.
Our limited operating history makes evaluating the business and future prospects difficult and may increase the risk of your investment. We were incorporated in 2014, and since then there have been a limited amount of downloads of the application. To date, we have minimal revenues. As reflected in the accompanying consolidated financial statements, for the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, we incurred a net loss of $8,404,970 and $12,138,572, respectively. Additionally, for the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, we used cash in operations of $6,529,277 and $7,258,765, respectively. As of December 31, 2023, we has an accumulated deficit of $48,134,088. We intend, in the long term, to derive revenues from advertisement sales, technology licensing, and other forms of revenue. The application is available for download on certain mobile platforms and we are developing compatibility with other platforms. We also continue to develop and refine functions of the application.
We have not developed a strong customer base, and we have not generated sustainable revenue since inception. We cannot assure you that we ever will. We will incur significant losses in launching products and we may not realize sufficient subscriptions or profits in order to sustain our business.
We have not yet developed a strong customer base and we have not generated sustainable revenue since inception. We are subject to the substantial risk of failure facing businesses seeking to develop and commercialize new products and technologies. Maintaining and improving our platform will require significant capital. We will also incur substantial accounting, legal and other overhead costs as a public company. If our offerings to customers are unsuccessful, result in insufficient revenue or result in us not being able to sustain revenue, we will be forced to reduce expenses, which may result in an inability to gain new customers.
We may fail to develop new products, or may incur unexpected expenses or delays.
Although the application is currently available for download, we may need to develop various new technologies, products and product features to remain competitive. Due to the risks inherent in developing new products and technologies, limited financing, loss of key personnel, and other factors, we may fail to develop these technologies and products, or may experience lengthy and costly delays in doing so. Although we are able to license some of our technologies in their current stage of development, we cannot assure that we will be able to develop new products or enhancements to our existing products in order to remain competitive.
We are dependent on the services of certain key management personnel, employees, and advisors. If we are unable to retain or motivate such individuals or hire qualified personnel, we may not be able to grow effectively.
We depend on the services of a number of key management personnel, employees, and advisors and our future performance will largely depend on the talents and efforts of such individuals. We do not currently maintain “key person” life insurance on any of our employees. The loss of one or more of such key individuals, or failure to find a suitable successor, could hamper our efforts to successfully operate our business and achieve our business objectives. Our future success will also depend on our ability to identify, hire, develop, motivate and retain highly skilled personnel. Competition in our industry for qualified employees is intense, and our compensation arrangements may not always be successful in attracting new employees and/or retaining and motivating our existing employees. Future acquisitions by us may also cause uncertainty among our current employees and employees of the acquired entity, which could lead to the departure of key individuals. Such departures could have an adverse impact on the anticipated benefits of an acquisition.
We may face intense competition and expect competition to increase in the future, which could prohibit us from developing a customer base and generating revenue.
We are focused on the mobile application industry, specifically the mobile messaging market, which is already saturated with established companies. Many of these companies, including Apple Inc., Alphabet Inc., Facebook, Inc., and Snap Inc., already have an established market in our industry. Most of these companies have significantly greater financial and other resources than us and have been developing their products and services longer than we have been developing ours.
The application is based on new and unproven technologies and is subject to the risks of failure inherent in the development of new products and services.
Because the application is based on certain new technologies, it is subject to risks of failure that are particular to new technologies, including the possibility that:
● the application may not gain market acceptance;
● proprietary rights of third parties may preclude us from marketing a new product or service;
● the application may not receive the exposure required to obtain new users; or
● third parties may market superior products or services.
If we are unable to maintain a good relationship with the markets where the application is distributed, our business will suffer.
The Apple App Store is the primary distribution, marketing, promotion and payment platform for the application. Any deterioration in our relationship with Apple or any application marketplace we utilize in the future would harm our business and adversely affect the value of our common stock.
We are subject to Apple’s standard terms and conditions for application developers, which govern the promotion, distribution and operation of mobile applications on its platform. Our business would be harmed if:
● Apple discontinues or limits access to its platform by us and other application developers;
● Apple modifies its terms of service or other policies, including fees charged to, or other restrictions on, us or other application developers, or Apple changes how the personal information of its users is made available to application developers on their respective platforms or shared by users;
● Apple establishes more favorable relationships with one or more of our competitors;
● Apple limits our access to its application marketplace because our application provides mobile messaging services similar to Apple; or
● Apple makes changes in its operating system or development platform that are incompatible with our technology.
We expect to benefit from Apple’s strong brand recognition and large user base. If Apple loses its market position or otherwise falls out of favor with mobile users, we would need to identify alternative channels for marketing, promoting and distributing our application, which would consume substantial resources and may not be effective. In addition, Apple has broad discretion to change their terms of service and other policies with respect to us and other developers, and those changes may be unfavorable to us. Any such changes in the future could significantly alter our users experience or how interact within our application, which may harm our business.
In the event that Apple’s standard terms and conditions become prohibitively costly or unduly burdensome, we plan to host our own servers in a co-location facility and create a web-based, desktop version of the application that does not require users to install the application from the App store.
The mobile application industry is subject to rapid technological change and, to compete, we must continually enhance the application.
We must continue to enhance and improve the performance, functionality and reliability of the application. The mobile application industry is characterized by rapid technological change, changes in user requirements and preferences, frequent new product and services introductions embodying new technologies and the emergence of new industry standards and practices that could render our product and services obsolete. We have discovered that some of our customers’ desire additional performance and functionality that the application, and the underlying technology, does not currently support. Our success will depend, in part, on our ability to both internally develop leading technologies to enhance the application, develop new mobile applications and services that address the increasingly sophisticated and varied needs of our customers, and respond to technological advances and emerging industry standards and practices on a cost-effective and timely basis. The development of our technology and other proprietary technology involves significant technical and business risks. We may fail to use new technologies effectively or to adapt our proprietary technology and systems to customer requirements or emerging industry standards. If we are unable to adapt to changing market conditions, customer requirements or emerging industry standards, we may not be able to create revenue and expand our business.
Defects in the application and the technology powering it may adversely affect our business.
Tools, code, subroutines and processes contained within the application may contain defects not yet discovered or contained in updates and new versions. Our introduction of new mobile applications or updates and new versions with defects or quality problems may result in adverse publicity, reduced downloads and use, product redevelopment costs, loss of or delay in market acceptance of our products or claims by customers or others against us. Such problems or claims may have a material and adverse effect on our business, prospects, financial condition and results of operations.
If we fail to retain current users or add new users, or if our users engage less with the application, our business would be seriously harmed.
Adding, maintaining, and engaging daily monthly users will be essential to attaining our growth targets and sustaining operations. If current and potential users do not perceive our products to be effective and useful, we may not be able to attract new users, retain existing users, or maintain or increase the frequency and duration of their engagement. In addition, our products typically require high bandwidth data capabilities, high-end mobile device penetration and high bandwidth capacity cellular networks with large coverage areas. We therefore do not expect to experience rapid user growth or engagement in countries with low smartphone penetration even if such countries have well-established and high bandwidth capacity cellular networks. We may also not experience rapid user growth or engagement in regions where, even though smartphone penetration is high, due to the lack of sufficient cellular based data networks, consumers rely heavily on Wi-Fi and may not access our products regularly.
There are many factors that could negatively affect user retention, growth, and engagement, including if:
● users increasingly engage with competing products instead of ours;
● our competitors may mimic our products and therefore harm our user engagement and growth;
● we fail to introduce new and exciting products and services or those we introduce are poorly received;
● our products fail to operate effectively on the iOS and Android mobile operating systems;
● we are unable to continue to develop products that work with a variety of mobile operating systems, networks, and smartphones;
● we are unable to combat hostile or inappropriate usage on our products;
● there are changes in user sentiment about the quality or usefulness of the application;
● there are concerns about the privacy implications, safety, or security of our products;
● there are changes in our products that are mandated by legislation, regulatory authorities, or litigation, including settlements or consent decrees that adversely affect the user experience;
● technical or other problems frustrate the user experience, particularly if those problems prevent us from delivering our products in a fast and reliable manner;
● we fail to provide adequate service to users;
● we are the subject of adverse media reports or other negative publicity; and
● we do not maintain our brand image or our reputation is damaged.
Any decrease to user retention, growth, or engagement could render our products less attractive to users, advertisers, or partners, and would seriously harm our business.
There is a risk that the public will not perceive the privacy protections that we offer to be necessary or useful and therefore would not be interested in our services.
No matter how effective our products might be in affording users control over their privacy, the general public may not perceive our products to be necessary or useful. In general, although people are more aware than in the past of the amount of personal data that is tracked on a daily basis with the advent of social media and targeted advertising, mere awareness does not necessarily translate into a desire to take affirmative action with respect to one’s privacy. For us, this could mean that the average person might not feel the need to have the ability to delete messages that they have sent. While we believe that the general public will recognize the value of our products and feel empowered to take control of their privacy, it is possible that a great number of people have come to believe that their personal information cannot be protected and that any attempt to do so would be ineffective. As such, regardless of how effective our products might be, there is a risk that the general public might deem our products to be unnecessary and will not be drawn to download and use the application.
Users may not want to change the way that they send messages and therefore would not be interested in our products.
Our success is dependent in part on users altering their behavior and changing the way that they send text messages. Although the application is fully integrated with iMessage, the application requires the user to send the message through a separate text bar, which is located below the ordinary iMessage bar. Even if users have downloaded the application, it is possible that users will bypass this option when they go to send a text message. In addition, our user experience may not be received positively, as some users might find it inconvenient to have two text bars appearing on the screen at the same time when they go to send a text message. The iMessage integration figure does not currently allow a user to remove the iMessage bar so that only the application’s bar appears and it is doubtful that Apple would ever allow such a feature. Moreover, because both text bars are displayed on the screen at the same time, users may inadvertently send a private message through iMessage that they intended to send through the application, thereby defeating the data protection and privacy benefits that the application offers. If users do not adapt to seeing and typing messages with two texts bars displayed, our user retention may suffer.
The characteristics of the application, including but not limited to privacy and encryption, may be exploited to facilitate illegal activity; if any of our users do so or are alleged to have done so, it could adversely affect us and generate negative perception of our products in the marketplace.
For all of the same reasons that our products are attractive to the general public, the privacy, data protection and encryption features could appeal to persons and groups engaged in illegal activities due to the ability of the application to delete messages from a recipient’s phone. In this context, the application may be used to facilitate both illegal activity and the destruction of evidence, which could potentially draw scrutiny from regulators. In addition, the application could develop a stigma that it is associated with illegal activity and deter certain people from communicating through the application.
Negative publicity could adversely affect our reputation, our business, and our operating results.
Negative publicity about our company, including about the quality and reliability of our products, content shared by users through the application, changes to our products, policies and services, our privacy and security practices, litigation, regulatory activity, the actions of users on the application, or user experience with our products, even if inaccurate, could adversely affect our reputation and the confidence in and the use of our product. Such negative publicity could also have an adverse effect on the size, engagement, and loyalty of our user base and, in turn, adversely affect our business, results of operations and financial condition.
We expect to derive substantially all of our revenue from a limited number of products.
Currently, we expect to derive substantially all of our revenue from a limited number of products and applications. As such, the continued growth in market demand for and market acceptance of the product or application is critical to our continued success. Demand for our products or the applications is affected by a number of factors, many of which are beyond our control, such as continued market acceptance; the timing of development and release of competing new products; consumer preferences; the development and acceptance of new features, integrations, and capabilities; price or product changes by us or our competitors; technological changes and developments within the markets we serve; growth, contraction, and rapid evolution of our market; and general economic conditions and trends. If we are unable to continue to meet demands of our users or trends in preferences or to achieve more widespread market acceptance of our products and applications, our business, results of operations, and financial condition could be harmed. Changes in preferences of users may have a disproportionately greater impact on us than if we offered multiple products. In addition, competitors may develop or acquire their own tools or software and people may continue to rely on traditional tools and software, such as text message and email, which would reduce or eliminate the demand for our products and applications. If demand declines for any of these or other reasons, our business could be adversely affected.
The application depends on effectively operating with mobile operating systems, hardware, networks, regulations, and standards that we do not control. Changes in our products or to those operating systems, hardware, networks, regulations, or standards may seriously harm our user growth, retention, and engagement.
Because the application is used primarily on mobile devices, the application must remain interoperable with popular mobile operating systems, Android and iOS. The owners of such operating systems, Google and Apple, respectively, each provide consumers with products that compete with ours. We have no control over these operating systems or hardware, and any changes to these systems or hardware that degrade our products’ functionality, or give preferential treatment to competitive products, could seriously harm DatChat usage on mobile devices. Our competitors that control the operating systems and related hardware the application runs on could make interoperability of our products with those mobile operating systems more difficult or display their competitive offerings more prominently than ours. When introducing new products, it takes time to optimize such products to function with these operating systems and hardware, impacting the popularity of such products, and we expect this trend to continue. Moreover, our products require high-bandwidth data capabilities. If the costs of data usage increase, our user growth, retention, and engagement may be seriously harmed.
We may not successfully cultivate relationships with key industry participants or develop products that operate effectively with these technologies, systems, networks, regulations, or standards. If it becomes more difficult for our users to access and use the application on their mobile devices, if our users choose not to access or use the application on their mobile devices, or if our users choose to use mobile products that do not offer access to the application, our user growth, retention, and engagement could be seriously harmed.
Moreover, the adoption of any laws or regulations that adversely affect the popularity or growth in use of the internet or mobile applications, including laws or regulations that undermine open and neutrally administered internet access, could decrease user demand for the application and increase our cost of doing business. For example, in December 2017, the Federal Communications Commission adopted an order reversing net neutrality protections in the United States, including the repeal of specific rules against blocking, throttling or “paid prioritization” of content or services by internet service providers. To the extent internet service providers engage in such blocking, throttling or “paid prioritization” of content or similar actions as a result of this order and the adoption of similar laws or regulations, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be materially adversely affected.
Risks Related to Information Technology Systems, Intellectual Property and Privacy Laws
We rely on a single third-party provider, Amazon Web Services (“AWS”), for computing infrastructure, secure network connectivity, and other technology-related services needed to deliver our products. Any disruption in the services provided by such third-party provider could adversely affect our business.
Our products are hosted from, and use computing infrastructure, secure network connectivity, and other technology-related services provided by AWS. We do not control the operations of this third-party provider or own the equipment used to provide such services. Because we cannot easily switch our AWS-serviced operations to another cloud provider, any disruption of or interference with our use of AWS, for example, due to natural disasters, cyber-attacks, terrorist attacks, power losses, telecommunications failures, or similar events, would impact our operations and may adversely affect our business, financial condition, operating results and cash flows. In addition, AWS has no obligation to renew its agreement with us on commercially reasonable terms or at all. If we are unable to renew our agreement on commercially reasonable terms or develop our blockchain capabilities, we may be required to transition to a new provider, and we may incur significant costs and possible service interruption in connection with doing so.
In addition, Amazon may take actions beyond our control that could seriously harm our business, including:
● discontinuing or limiting our access to its cloud platform
● increasing pricing terms;
● terminating or seeking to terminate our contractual relationship altogether;
● establishing more favorable relationships or pricing terms with one or more of our competitors; and
● modifying or interpreting its terms of service or other policies in a manner that impacts our ability to run our business and operations.
Amazon has broad discretion to change and interpret its terms of service and other policies with respect to us, and those actions may be unfavorable to us. They may also alter how we are able to process data on their cloud platform. If Amazon makes changes or interpretations that are unfavorable to us, our business could be seriously harmed.
Major network failures could have an adverse effect on our business.
Our technology infrastructure is critical to the performance of the application and customer satisfaction. The application runs on a complex distributed system, or what is commonly known as cloud computing. Some elements of this system are operated by third-parties that we do not control and which would require significant time to replace. We expect this dependence on third parties to continue. Major equipment failures, natural disasters, including severe weather, terrorist acts, acts of war, cyber-attacks or other breaches of network or information technology security that affect third-party networks, communications switches, routers, microwave links, cell sites or other third-party equipment on which we rely, could cause major network failures and/or unusually high network traffic demands that could have a material adverse effect on our operations or our ability to provide service to our customers. These events could disrupt our operations, require significant resources to resolve, result in a loss of customers or impair our ability to attract new customers, which in turn could have a material adverse effect on our business, prospects, results of operations and financial condition. If we experience significant service interruptions, which could require significant resources to resolve, it could result in a loss of customers or impair our ability to attract new customers, which in turn could have a material adverse effect on our business, prospects, results of operations and financial condition. In addition, with the growth of wireless data services, enterprise data interfaces and Internet-based or Internet Protocol enabled applications, wireless networks and devices are exposed to a greater degree to third-party data or applications over which we have less direct control. As a result, the network infrastructure and information systems on which we rely, as well as our customers’ wireless devices, may be subject to a wider array of potential security risks, including viruses and other types of computer-based attacks, which could cause lapses in our service or adversely affect the ability of our customers to access our service. Such lapses could have a material adverse effect on our business, prospects, results of operations and financial condition.
If third parties claim that we infringe their intellectual property, it may result in costly litigation.
We cannot assure you that third parties will not claim our current or future products or services infringe their intellectual property rights. Any such claims, with or without merit, could cause costly litigation that could consume significant management time. As the number of product and services offerings in the mobile application market increases and functionalities increasingly overlap, companies such as ours may become increasingly subject to infringement claims. Such claims also might require us to enter into royalty or license agreements. If required, we may not be able to obtain such royalty or license agreements, or obtain them on terms acceptable to us.
We may not be able to adequately protect our proprietary technology, and our competitors may be able to offer similar products and services which would harm our competitive position.
Our success, in part, depends upon our proprietary technology. We have various forms of intellectual property including patent, copyright, trademark and trade secret laws, confidentiality procedures and contractual provisions to establish and protect our proprietary rights. Despite these precautions, third parties could copy or otherwise obtain and use our technology without authorization, or develop similar technology independently. We also pursue the registration of our domain names, trademarks, and service marks in the United States. We have also filed patent applications. However, we cannot provide any assurance that patent applications that we file will ultimately result in an issued patent or, if issued, that they will provide sufficient protections for our technology against competitors. We cannot assure you that the protection of our proprietary rights will be adequate or that our competitors will not independently develop similar technology, duplicate our products and services or design around any intellectual property rights we hold.
We could be harmed by improper disclosure or loss of sensitive or confidential data.
In connection with the operation of our business, we plan to process and transmit data. Unauthorized disclosure or loss of sensitive or confidential data may occur through a variety of methods. These include, but are not limited to, systems failure, employee negligence, fraud or misappropriation, or unauthorized access to or through our information systems, whether by our employees or third parties, including a cyberattack by computer programmers, hackers, members of organized crime and/or state-sponsored organizations, who may develop and deploy viruses, worms or other malicious software programs.
Such disclosure, loss or breach could harm our reputation and subject us to government sanctions and liability under laws and regulations that protect sensitive or personal data and confidential information, resulting in increased costs or loss of revenues. It is possible that security controls over sensitive or confidential data and other practices we and our third-party vendors follow may not prevent the improper access to, disclosure of, or loss of such information. The potential risk of security breaches and cyberattacks may increase as we introduce new services and offerings, such as mobile technology. Further, data privacy is subject to frequently changing rules and regulations, which sometimes conflict among the various jurisdictions in which we provide services. Any failure or perceived failure to successfully manage the collection, use, disclosure, or security of personal information or other privacy related matters, or any failure to comply with changing regulatory requirements in this area, could result in legal liability or impairment to our reputation in the marketplace.
Unauthorized breaches or failures in cybersecurity measures adopted by us and/or included in our products and services could have a material adverse effect on our business.
Information security risks have generally increased in recent years, in part because of the proliferation of new technologies and the use of the Internet, and the increased sophistication and activity of organized crime, hackers, terrorists, activists, cybercriminals and other external parties, some of which may be linked to terrorist organizations or hostile foreign governments. Cybersecurity attacks are becoming more sophisticated and include malicious attempts to gain unauthorized access to data and other electronic security breaches that could lead to disruptions in critical systems, unauthorized release of confidential or otherwise protected information and corruption of data, substantially damaging our reputation. Our security systems are designed to maintain the security of our users’ confidential information, as well as our own proprietary information. Accidental or willful security breaches or other unauthorized access by third parties or our employees, our information systems or the systems of our third-party providers, or the existence of computer viruses or malware in our or their data or software could expose us to risks of information loss and misappropriation of proprietary and confidential information, including information relating to our products or customers and the personal information of our employees.
In addition, we could become subject to unauthorized network intrusions and malware on our own IT networks. Any theft or misuse of confidential, personal or proprietary information as a result of such activities or failure to prevent security breaches could result in, among other things, unfavorable publicity, damage to our reputation, loss of our trade secrets and other competitive information, difficulty in marketing our products, allegations by our customers that we have not performed our contractual obligations, litigation by affected parties and possible financial obligations for liabilities and damages related to the theft or misuse of such information, as well as fines and other sanctions resulting from any related breaches of data privacy regulations, any of which could have a material adverse effect on our reputation, business, profitability and financial condition. Furthermore, the techniques used to obtain unauthorized access or to sabotage systems change frequently and are often not recognized until launched against a target, and we may be unable to anticipate these techniques or to implement adequate preventative measures.
We may be subject to stringent and changing laws, regulations, standards, and contractual obligations related to privacy, data protection, and data security. Our actual or perceived failure to comply with such obligations could adversely affect our business.
We receive, collect, store, and process certain personally identifiable information about individuals and other data relating to users of the application. We have legal and contractual obligations regarding the protection of confidentiality and appropriate use of certain data, including personally identifiable and other potentially sensitive information about individuals. We may be subject to numerous federal, state, local, and international laws, directives, and regulations regarding privacy, data protection, and data security and the collection, storing, sharing, use, processing, transfer, disclosure, disposal and protection of information about individuals and other data, the scope of which are changing, subject to differing interpretations, and may be inconsistent among jurisdictions or conflict with other legal and regulatory requirements. We strive to comply with our applicable data privacy and security policies, regulations, contractual obligations, and other legal obligations relating to privacy, data protection, and data security. However, the regulatory framework for privacy, data protection and data security worldwide is, and is likely to remain for the foreseeable future, uncertain and complex, and it is possible that these or other actual or alleged obligations may be interpreted and applied in a manner that we do not anticipate or that is inconsistent from one jurisdiction to another and may conflict with other legal obligations or our practices. Further, any significant change to applicable laws, regulations or industry practices regarding the collection, use, retention, security, processing, transfer or disclosure of data, or their interpretation, or any changes regarding the manner in which the consent of users or other data subjects for the collection, use, retention, security, processing, transfer or disclosure of such data must be obtained, could increase our costs and require us to modify our services and features, possibly in a material manner, which we may be unable to complete, and may limit our ability to receive, collect, store, process, transfer, and otherwise use user data or develop new services and features.
If we are found in violation of any applicable laws or regulations relating to privacy, data protection, or security, our business may be materially and adversely affected and we would likely have to change our business practices and potentially the services and features, integrations or other capabilities of the application. In addition, these laws and regulations could impose significant costs on us and could constrain our ability to use and process data in a commercially desirable manner. In addition, if a breach of data security were to occur or be alleged to have occurred, if any violation of laws and regulations relating to privacy, data protection or data security were to be alleged, or if we were to discover any actual or alleged defect in our safeguards or practices relating to privacy, data protection, or data security, the application may be perceived as less desirable and our business, financial condition, results of operations and growth prospects could be materially and adversely affected.
We also expect that there will continue to be new laws, regulations, and industry standards concerning privacy, data protection, and information security proposed and enacted in various jurisdictions. For example, the California Consumer Privacy Act (“CCPA”), which came into force in 2020, provides new data privacy rights for California consumers and new operational requirements for covered companies. Specifically, the CCPA mandates that covered companies provide new disclosures to California consumers and afford such consumers new data privacy rights that include, among other things, the right to request a copy from a covered company of the personal information collected about them, the right to request deletion of such personal information, and the right to request to opt-out of certain sales of such personal information. The California Attorney General can enforce the CCPA, including seeking an injunction and civil penalties for violations. The CCPA also provides a private right of action for certain data breaches that is expected to increase data breach litigation. Additionally, a new privacy law, the California Privacy Rights Act (“CPRA”), was approved by California voters in the November 3, 2020 election. The CPRA generally takes effect on January 1, 2023 and significantly modifies the CCPA, including by expanding consumers’ rights with respect to certain personal information and creating a new state agency to oversee implementation and enforcement efforts, potentially resulting in further uncertainty and requiring us to incur additional costs and expenses in an effort to comply. Some observers have noted the CCPA and CPRA could mark the beginning of a trend toward more stringent privacy legislation in the United States, which could also increase our potential liability and adversely affect our business. For example, the CCPA has encouraged “copycat” or other similar laws to be considered and proposed in other states across the country, such as in Virginia, New Hampshire, Illinois and Nebraska. This legislation may add additional complexity, variation in requirements, restrictions and potential legal risk, require additional investment in resources to compliance programs, could impact strategies and availability of previously useful data and could result in increased compliance costs and/or changes in business practices and policies.
Various U.S. federal privacy laws are potentially relevant to our business, including the Federal Trade Commission Act, Controlling the Assault of Non-Solicited Pornography and Marketing Act, the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act, and the Telephone Consumer Protection Act. Any actual or perceived failure to comply with these laws could result in a costly investigation or litigation resulting in potentially significant liability, injunctions and other consequences, loss of trust by our users, and a material and adverse impact on our reputation and business.
In addition, the data protection landscape in the EU is continually evolving, resulting in possible significant operational costs for internal compliance and risks to our business. The EU adopted the General Data Protection Regulation (“GDPR”), which became effective in May 2018, and contains numerous requirements and changes from previously existing EU laws, including more robust obligations on data processors and heavier documentation requirements for data protection compliance programs by companies.
Among other requirements, the GDPR regulates the transfer of personal data subject to the GDPR to third countries that have not been found to provide adequate protection to such personal data, including the United States. Recent legal developments in Europe have created complexity and uncertainty regarding such transfers. For instance, on July 16, 2020, the Court of Justice of the European Union (the “CJEU”) invalidated the EU-U.S. Privacy Shield Framework (the “Privacy Shield”) under which personal data could be transferred from the European Economic Area to U.S. entities who had self-certified under the Privacy Shield scheme. While the CJEU upheld the adequacy of the standard contractual clauses (a standard form of contract approved by the European Commission as an adequate personal data transfer mechanism and potential alternative to the Privacy Shield), it made clear that reliance on such clauses alone may not necessarily be sufficient in all circumstances. Use of the standard contractual clauses must now be assessed on a case-by-case basis taking into account the legal regime applicable in the destination country, including, in particular, applicable surveillance laws and rights of individuals, and additional measures and/or contractual provisions may need to be put in place; however, the nature of these additional measures is currently uncertain. The CJEU also states that if a competent supervisory authority believes that the standard contractual clauses cannot be complied with in the destination country and that the required level of protection cannot be secured by other means, such supervisory authority is under an obligation to suspend or prohibit that transfer.
Additionally, the GDPR greatly increased the European Commission’s jurisdictional reach of its laws and added a broad array of requirements for handling personal data. EU member states are tasked under the GDPR to enact, and have enacted, certain implementing legislation that adds to and/or further interprets the GDPR requirements and potentially extends our obligations and potential liability for failing to meet such obligations. The GDPR, together with national legislation, regulations and guidelines of the EU member states a governing the processing of personal data, impose strict obligations and restrictions on the ability to collect, use, retain, protect, disclose, transfer and otherwise process personal data. In particular, the GDPR includes obligations and restrictions concerning the consent and rights of individuals to whom the personal data relates, security breach notifications and the security and confidentiality of personal data.
Failure to comply with the GDPR could result in penalties for noncompliance (including possible fines of up to the greater of €20 million and 4% of our global annual turnover for the preceding financial year for the most serious violations, as well as the right to compensation for financial or non-financial damages claimed by individuals under Article 82 of the GDPR).
In addition to the GDPR, the European Commission has another draft regulation in the approval process that focuses on a person’s right to conduct a private life. The proposed legislation, known as the Regulation of Privacy and Electronic Communications (“ePrivacy Regulation”), would replace the current ePrivacy Directive. While the text of the ePrivacy Regulation is still under development, a recent European court decision and regulators’ recent guidance are driving increased attention to cookies and tracking technologies. If regulators start to enforce the strict approach in recent guidance, this could lead to substantial costs, require significant systems changes, limit the effectiveness of our marketing activities, divert the attention of our technology personnel, adversely affect our margins, increase costs and subject us to additional liabilities. Regulation of cookies and similar technologies may lead to broader restrictions on our marketing and personalization activities and may negatively impact our efforts to understand users.
Further, in March 2017, the United Kingdom formally notified the European Council of its intention to leave the EU pursuant to Article 50 of the Treaty on European Union (“Brexit”). The United Kingdom ceased to be an EU Member State on January 31, 2020, but enacted a Data Protection Act substantially implementing the GDPR (“U.K. GDPR”), effective in May 2018, which was further amended to align more substantially with the GDPR following Brexit. It is unclear how U.K. data protection laws or regulations will develop in the medium to longer term and how data transfers to and from the United Kingdom will be regulated. Some countries also are considering or have enacted legislation requiring local storage and processing of data that could increase the cost and complexity of delivering our services. Beginning in 2021 when the transitional period following Brexit expired, we are required to comply with both the GDPR and the U.K. GDPR, with each regime having the ability to fine up to the greater of €20 million (in the case of the GDPR) or £17 million (in the case of the U.K. GDPR) and 4% of total annual revenue. The relationship between the United Kingdom and the EU in relation to certain aspects of data protection law remains unclear, including, for example, how data transfers between EU member states and the United Kingdom will be treated and the role of the United Kingdom’s Information Commissioner’s Office following the end of the transitional period. These changes could lead to additional costs and increase our overall risk exposure.
Any failure or perceived failure by us to comply with our posted privacy policies, our privacy-related obligations to users, or any other legal obligations or regulatory requirements relating to privacy, data protection, or data security, may result in governmental investigations or enforcement actions, litigation, claims, or public statements against us by consumer advocacy groups, or others and could result in significant liability, cause our users to lose trust in us, and otherwise materially and adversely affect our reputation and business. Furthermore, the costs of compliance with, and other burdens imposed by, the laws, regulations, other obligations, and policies that are applicable to the businesses of our users may limit the adoption and use of, and reduce the overall demand for, the application. Further, public scrutiny of, or complaints about, technology companies or their data handling or data protection practices, even if unrelated to our business, industry or operations, may lead to increased scrutiny of technology companies, including us, and may cause government agencies to enact additional regulatory requirements, or to modify their enforcement or investigation activities, which may increase our costs and risks. Any of the foregoing could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Online applications are subject to various laws and regulations relating to children’s privacy and protection, which if violated, could subject us to an increased risk of litigation and regulatory actions.
A variety of laws and regulations have been adopted in recent years aimed at protecting children using the internet such as the COPPA and Article 8 of the GDPR. We implement certain precautions to ensure that we do not knowingly collect personal information from children under the age of 13 through the application. Despite our efforts, no assurances can be given that such measures will be sufficient to completely avoid allegations of COPPA violations, any of which could expose us to significant liability, penalties, reputational harm and loss of revenue, among other things. Additionally, new regulations are being considered in various jurisdictions to require the monitoring of user content or the verification of users’ identities and age. Such new regulations, or changes to existing regulations, could increase the cost of our operations.
We may not be successful in our metaverse strategy and investments, which could adversely affect our business, reputation, or financial results.
We believe the metaverse, an embodied internet where people have immersive experiences beyond two-dimensional screens, is the next evolution in social technology. In 2023, we launched Habytat, a mobile based social metaverse. Our continued development of Habytat be a complex, evolving, and long-term initiative that will involve the development of new and emerging technologies and collaboration with other companies, developers, partners, and other participants. However, the metaverse may not develop in accordance with our expectations, and market acceptance of features, products, or services we build for Habytat is uncertain. In addition, we have limited experience with virtual and augmented reality technology, which may enable other companies to compete more effectively than us. We may be unsuccessful in our research and product development efforts, including if we are unable to develop relationships with key participants in the metaverse or develop products that operate effectively with metaverse technologies, products, systems, networks, or standards. Our metaverse efforts may also divert resources and management attention from other areas of our business.
In addition, as our efforts to continue developing Habytat evolve, we may be subject to a variety of existing or new laws and regulations in the United States and international jurisdictions, including in the areas of privacy, safety, competition, content regulation, consumer protection, and e-commerce, which may delay or impede the development of our products and services, increase our operating costs, require significant management time and attention, or otherwise harm our business. As a result of these or other factors, our metaverse strategy and investments may not be successful in the foreseeable future, or at all, which could adversely affect our business, reputation, or financial results.
Habytat is currently under development and no assurance can be given that it will be accepted by others or generate sufficient interest.
Habytat, our social metaverse platform, launched in 2023 and features a virtual world containing immersive experiences in intelligent retail, social networking, gaming and the use of NFTs to grant property rights, boasting a wide range of “online + offline” and “virtual + reality” scenarios. We aim to continue researching and developing different applications for our social metaverse platform in order to generate continual interest in our social metaverse platform, including, but not limited to, our proprietary metaverse ad network and dynamic NFT technology. If we do not generate sufficient interest in our social metaverse platform we will not attract enough advertisers to make it profitable.
Habytat is based on new and unproven technologies and therefore is subject to the risks of failure inherent in the development of new products and services.
Because both Habytat is based on certain new technologies, it is subject to risks of failure that are particular to new technologies, including the possibility that:
● Habytat may not gain market acceptance;
● proprietary rights of third parties may preclude us from marketing a new product or service;
● Habytat may not receive the exposure required to obtain new users; or
● third parties may market superior products or services.
We may not be able to adequately evaluate the risks associated with our planned social metaverse and advertising platforms.
Habytat may not be successful and may expose us to legal, regulatory, and other risks. Given the nascent and evolving nature of the metaverse, digital assets and blockchain technology, we may be unable to accurately anticipate or adequately address such risks or the potential impact of such risks. The occurrence of any such risks could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations, reputation, and prospects. It is difficult to predict how the legal and regulatory framework around such digital assets and services will develop and how such developments will impact our business and our platforms. The launch of Habytat also subjects us to risks similar to those associated with any new platform offering, including, but not limited to, our ability to accurately anticipate market demand and acceptance, our ability to successfully launch these initiatives, technical issues with the operation of Habytat and legal and regulatory risks as discussed above. We believe these risks may be heightened with respect to this initiative, as metaverse assets and services, NFTs and other digital assets and services are still considered relatively novel concepts. If we fail to accurately anticipate or manage the risks associated with Habytat or if we directly or indirectly become subject to disputes, liability, or other legal or regulatory issues in connection with either of these initiatives, they may not be successful and our business, financial condition, results of operations, reputation, and prospects could be materially harmed.
Digital ecosystems, including offerings of digital assets, is evolving, and uncertain, and new regulations or policies may materially adversely affect our development.
The technologies supporting the metaverse and NFTs, like blockchain and NFTs, are new and rapidly evolving. If we fail to explore new advancements in these technologies and apply them innovatively to keep our products and services competitive, we may not experience significant growth of our business. Regulation of digital assets is currently underdeveloped and likely to rapidly evolve as government agencies take greater interest in them. Regulation also varies significantly among international, federal, state and local jurisdictions and is subject to significant uncertainty. Various legislative and executive bodies in the United States and in other countries may in the future adopt laws, regulations, or guidance, or take other actions, which may severely impact the permissibility of NFTs generally and the technology behind them or the means of transacting in or transferring them. The regulatory regime governing blockchain technologies, NFTs, and other digital assets is uncertain, and new regulations or policies may materially adversely affect our development and our value if we materially embrace digital assets in the future.
Our business is subject to risks generally associated with the metaverse and digital entertainment industry.
We are susceptible to market conditions and risks associated with the metaverse and digital entertainment industry, including the popularity, customers’ preferences, and potential regulations, all of which are difficult to predict and are beyond our control.
In addition, economic conditions that negatively impact discretionary consumer spending, including inflation, slower growth, unemployment levels, tax rates, interest rates, energy prices, declining consumer confidence, recession and other macroeconomic conditions, including those resulting from COVID-19 and from geopolitical issues and uncertainty, could have a material adverse impact on our business and results of operations.
If we fail to retain users or add new users, or if our users decrease their level of engagement with Habytat, revenue, bookings, and operating results will be harmed.
Our business plan assumes that the demand for interactive entertainment offerings, specifically, the adoption of a metaverse with users interacting together by playing, communicating, connecting, working, making friends, learning, or simply hanging out, all in 3D environments, will increase for the foreseeable future. However, if this market shrinks or grows more slowly than anticipated, if the metaverse does not gain widespread adoption as a forum for experiences, social interaction and creative expression for our users, or if demand for Habytat does not grow as quickly as we anticipate, whether as a result of competition, product obsolescence, budgetary constraints of our developers, creators, and users, technological changes, unfavorable economic conditions, uncertain geopolitical or regulatory environments or other factors, we may not be able to increase our revenue and bookings sufficiently to ever achieve profitability and our stock price would decline.
The multitude of other entertainment options, online gaming, and other interactive experiences is high, making it difficult to retain users who are dissatisfied with Habytat and seek other entertainment options. These and other factors may lead users to switch to another entertainment option rapidly, which can interfere with our ability to forecast usage and would negatively affect our user retention, growth, and engagement. Falling user retention, growth, or engagement rates could harm our business.
We face intense competition for our products and services
There are numerous technology companies seeking ways to support efforts to enter the Web 3 technologies business. Additionally, the metaverse has become more readily recognized as a method of completing transactions and as such, more competitors are seeking to enter this marketplace. These technologies are subject to rapidly changing technological developments, shifting organizational priorities and requirements, frequent introductions of new products and services, and increased marketing and sales activities of other industry participants.
Many competitors exist in the overlapping areas of Web 3 and traditional digital marketing, data analytics, and digital transformation. Many of our current and potential competitors have a significantly larger market presence, greater name recognition, access to more potential customers and substantially greater financial, technical, sales and marketing, management, support, and other resources than we have. As a result, many of our competitors can respond more quickly than we can to new or changing opportunities and technologies, and may devote greater resources to the marketing, promotion and sale of their products than we can.
Our costs are continuing to grow, and some of our investments, particularly our investments in virtual and augmented reality, have the effect of reducing our operating margin and profitability. If our investments are not successful longer-term, our business and financial performance will be harmed.
Operating our business is costly, and we expect our expenses to continue to increase in the future as we add users and broaden our user base, as users increase the amount and types of content they consume and the data they share with us, for example as we continue to expand our technical infrastructure, as we continue to invest in new and unproven technologies, and as we continue our efforts to focus on privacy, safety, security, and content review. We are also continuing to increase our investments in new platforms and technologies, including as part of our efforts related to building the metaverse. Some of these investments, particularly our significant investments in virtual and augmented reality, have generated only limited revenue and is anticipated to reduce our operating margin and profitability, and we expect the adverse financial impact of such investments to continue for the foreseeable future.
Our industry is subject to rapid technological change, and if we do not adapt to, and appropriately allocate our resources among, emerging technologies and business models, our business may be negatively impacted.
Technology changes rapidly in the entertainment industry. We must continually anticipate and adapt to emerging technologies and business models to stay competitive. Forecasting the financial impact these changing technologies and business models may have is inherently uncertain and volatile. Supporting a new technology or business model may require affiliating with a new business or technology vendor, and such affiliation may be on terms that are less favorable to us than those for traditional technologies or business models. If we invest in the development of content offerings that incorporate a new technology or business model that does not achieve significant popularity, whether because of competition or otherwise, we may not recover the often substantial costs of developing and marketing those content offerings, or recover the opportunity cost of diverting company resources away from other content and product offerings. In the near and longer term, we expect to take advantage of broader trends such as the growth of the metaverse in the digital economy and the associated increase in importance of technologies such as blockchains, virtual reality and augmented reality. We may not be successful in allocating our resources to these new areas and may not recover the costs and opportunity costs of investing in these opportunities instead of others. Further, our competitors may adapt to these or other emerging technologies or business models more quickly or effectively than we do.
If, on the other hand, we elect not to pursue the development of content offerings or other opportunities incorporating a new technology, or otherwise elect not to pursue new business models that achieve significant success and popularity, it may have adverse consequences to our business. It may take significant time and expenditures to shift financial and personnel resources to that technology or business model, and it may be more difficult to compete against existing companies that incorporate that technology or business model effectively.
We may not be successful in our metaverse strategy and investments, which could adversely affect our business, reputation, or financial results.
We believe the metaverse, an embodied internet where people have immersive experiences beyond two-dimensional screens, is the next evolution in social technology. Our business strategy focuses on offerings within the metaverse. We expect this will be a complex, evolving, and long-term initiative that will involve the development of new and emerging technologies, continued investment in privacy, safety, and security efforts, and collaboration with other companies, developers, partners, and other participants. However, the metaverse may not develop in accordance with our expectations, and market acceptance of features, products, or services we build for the metaverse is uncertain. In addition, we have limited experience with virtual and augmented reality technology, which may enable other companies to compete more effectively than us. We may be unsuccessful in our research and product development efforts, including if we are unable to develop relationships with key participants in the metaverse or develop products that operate effectively with metaverse technologies, products, systems, networks, or standards. Our metaverse efforts may also divert resources and management attention from other areas of our business. In addition, as our metaverse efforts evolve, we may be subject to a variety of existing or new laws and regulations in the United States and international jurisdictions, including in the areas of privacy and e-commerce, which may delay or impede the development of our products and services, increase our operating costs, require significant management time and attention, or otherwise harm our business. As a result of these or other factors, our metaverse strategy and investments may not be successful in the foreseeable future, or at all, which could adversely affect our business, reputation, or financial results.
Risks Related to Our Common Stock and Series A Warrants
The price of our common stock and our Series A Warrants may fluctuate substantially.
You should consider an investment in our common stock and Series A Warrants to be risky, and you should invest in our common stock and Series A Warrants only if you can withstand a significant loss and wide fluctuations in the market value of your investment. Some factors that may cause the market price of our common stock to fluctuate, in addition to the other risks mentioned in this “Risk Factors” section and elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, are:
● sale of our common stock by our shareholders, executives, and directors;
● volatility and limitations in trading volumes of our shares of common stock;
● our ability to obtain financing;
● the timing and success of introductions of new products by us or our competitors or any other change in the competitive dynamics of our industry, including consolidation among competitors;
● our ability to attract new customers;
● changes in our capital structure or dividend policy, future issuances of securities, sales of large blocks of common stock by our shareholders;
● our cash position;
● announcements and events surrounding financing efforts, including debt and equity securities;
● our inability to enter into new markets or develop new products;
● reputational issues;
● announcements of acquisitions, partnerships, collaborations, joint ventures, new products, capital commitments, or other events by us or our competitors;
● changes in general economic, political and market conditions in or any of the regions in which we conduct our business;
● changes in industry conditions or perceptions;
● analyst research reports, recommendation and changes in recommendations, price targets, and withdrawals of coverage;
● departures and additions of key personnel;
● disputes and litigations related to intellectual properties, proprietary rights, and contractual obligations;
● changes in applicable laws, rules, regulations, or accounting practices and other dynamics; and
● other events or factors, many of which may be out of our control.
In addition, if the market for stocks in our industry or industries related to our industry, or the stock market in general, experiences a loss of investor confidence, the trading price of our common stock could decline for reasons unrelated to our business, financial condition and results of operations. If any of the foregoing occurs, it could cause our stock price to fall and may expose us to lawsuits that, even if unsuccessful, could be costly to defend and a distraction to management.
We may acquire other companies or technologies, which could divert our management’s attention, result in dilution to our stockholders and otherwise disrupt our operations and adversely affect our operating results.
We may in the future seek to acquire or invest in businesses, applications and services or technologies that we believe could complement or expand our services, enhance our technical capabilities or otherwise offer growth opportunities. The pursuit of potential acquisitions may divert the attention of management and cause us to incur various expenses in identifying, investigating and pursuing suitable acquisitions, whether or not they are consummated.
In addition, we do not have any experience in acquiring other businesses. If we acquire additional businesses, we may not be able to integrate the acquired personnel, operations and technologies successfully, or effectively manage the combined business following the acquisition. We also may not achieve the anticipated benefits from the acquired business due to a number of factors, including:
● inability to integrate or benefit from acquired technologies or services in a profitable manner;
● unanticipated costs or liabilities associated with the acquisition;
● difficulty integrating the accounting systems, operations and personnel of the acquired business;
● difficulties and additional expenses associated with supporting legacy products and hosting infrastructure of the acquired business;
● difficulty converting the customers of the acquired business onto our platform and contract terms, including disparities in the revenue, licensing, support or professional services model of the acquired company;
● diversion of management’s attention from other business concerns;
● adverse effects to our existing business relationships with business partners and customers as a result of the acquisition;
● the potential loss of key employees;
● use of resources that are needed in other parts of our business; and
● use of substantial portions of our available cash to consummate the acquisition.
In addition, a significant portion of the purchase price of companies we acquire may be allocated to acquired goodwill and other intangible assets, which must be assessed for impairment at least annually. In the future, if our acquisitions do not yield expected returns, we may be required to take charges to our operating results based on this impairment assessment process, which could adversely affect our results of operations.
Acquisitions could also result in dilutive issuances of equity securities or the incurrence of debt, which could adversely affect our operating results. In addition, if an acquired business fails to meet our expectations, our operating results, business and financial position may suffer.
If research analysts do not publish research about our business or if they issue unfavorable commentary or downgrade our common stock or Series A Warrants, our securities’ price and trading volume could decline.
The trading market for our securities may depend in part on the research and reports that research analysts publish about us and our business. If we do not maintain adequate research coverage, or if any of the analysts who cover us downgrade our stock or publish inaccurate or unfavorable research about our business, the price of our common stock and Series A Warrants could decline. If one or more of our research analysts ceases to cover our business or fails to publish reports on us regularly, demand for our securities could decrease, which could cause the price of our common stock and Series A Warrants or trading volume to decline.
We may issue additional equity securities, or engage in other transactions that could dilute our book value or relative rights of our common stock, which may adversely affect the market price of our common stock and Series A Warrants.
Our board of directors may determine from time to time that it needs to raise additional capital by issuing additional shares of our common stock or other securities. Except as otherwise described in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, we will not be restricted from issuing additional common stock, including securities that are convertible into or exchangeable for, or that represent the right to receive, shares of our common stock. Because our decision to issue securities in any future offering will depend on market conditions and other factors beyond our control, we cannot predict or estimate the amount, timing, or nature of any future offerings, or the prices at which such offerings may be affected. Additional equity offerings may dilute the holdings of existing shareholders or reduce the market price of our common stock and Series A Warrants, or all of them. Holders of our securities are not entitled to pre-emptive rights or other protections against dilution. New investors also may have rights, preferences and privileges that are senior to, and that adversely affect, then-current holders of our securities. Additionally, if we raise additional capital by making offerings of debt or preference shares, upon our liquidation, holders of our debt securities and preference shares, and lenders with respect to other borrowings, may receive distributions of its available assets before the holders of our common stock.
Market and economic conditions may negatively impact our business, financial condition and share price.
Concerns over inflation, energy costs, geopolitical issues, the U.S. mortgage market and a declining real estate market, unstable global credit markets and financial conditions, and volatile oil prices have led to periods of significant economic instability, diminished liquidity and credit availability, declines in consumer confidence and discretionary spending, diminished expectations for the global economy and expectations of slower global economic growth going forward, increased unemployment rates, and increased credit defaults in recent years. Our general business strategy may be adversely affected by any such economic downturns, volatile business environments and continued unstable or unpredictable economic and market conditions. If these conditions continue to deteriorate or do not improve, it may make any necessary debt or equity financing more difficult to complete, more costly, and more dilutive. Failure to secure any necessary financing in a timely manner and on favorable terms could have a material adverse effect on our growth strategy, financial performance, and share price and could require us to delay or abandon development or commercialization plans.
The ability of a stockholder to recover all or any portion of such stockholder’s investment in the event of a dissolution or termination may be limited.
In the event of a dissolution or termination of the Company, the proceeds realized from the liquidation of the assets of the Company or such subsidiaries will be distributed among the stockholders, but only after the satisfaction of the claims of third-party creditors of the Company. The ability of a stockholder to recover all or any portion of such stockholder’s investment under such circumstances will, accordingly, depend on the amount of net proceeds realized from such liquidation and the amount of claims to be satisfied therefrom. There can be no assurance that the Company will recognize gains on such liquidation, nor is there any assurance that Common Stock holders will receive a distribution in such a case.
We do not intend to pay cash dividends on our shares of common stock so any returns will be limited to the value of our shares.
We currently anticipate that we will retain future earnings for the development, operation and expansion of our business and do not anticipate declaring or paying any cash dividends for the foreseeable future. Any return to shareholders will therefore be limited to the increase, if any, of our share price.
We are an “emerging growth company” and are able to avail ourselves of reduced disclosure requirements applicable to emerging growth companies, which could make our common stock less attractive to investors.
We are an “emerging growth company,” as defined in the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012 (the “JOBS Act”), and we have elected to take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not “emerging growth companies” including not being required to comply with the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in our periodic reports and proxy statements, and exemptions from the requirements of holding a nonbinding advisory vote on executive compensation and shareholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved. In addition, pursuant to Section 107 of the JOBS Act, as an “emerging growth company” we have elected to take advantage of the extended transition period provided in Section 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act, for complying with new or revised accounting standards. In other words, an “emerging growth company” can delay the adoption of certain accounting standards until those standards would otherwise apply to private companies. As such, our financial statements may not be comparable to companies that comply with public company effective dates.
We cannot predict if investors will find our common stock less attractive because we may rely on these exemptions. If some investors find our common stock less attractive as a result, there may be a less active trading market for our common stock and our stock price may be more volatile. We may take advantage of these reporting exemptions until we are no longer an “emerging growth company.” We will remain an “emerging growth company” until the earliest of (i) the last day of the fiscal year in which we have total annual gross revenues of $1.07 billion or more; (ii) the last day of our fiscal year following the fifth anniversary of the date of the completion of our initial public offering; (iii) the date on which we have issued more than $1 billion in nonconvertible debt during the previous three years; or (iv) the date on which we are deemed to be a large accelerated filer under the rules of the SEC.
We may be at risk of securities class action litigation.
We may be at risk of securities class action litigation. In the past, small-cap issuers have experienced significant stock price volatility, particularly when associated with regulatory requirements by governmental authorities, which our industry now increasingly faces. If we face such litigation, it could result in substantial costs and a diversion of management’s attention and resources, which could harm our business and results in a decline in the market price of our common stock.
Financial reporting obligations of being a public company in the United States are expensive and time-consuming, and our management will be required to devote substantial time to compliance matters.
As a publicly traded company, we will incur significant additional legal, accounting and other expenses that we did not incur as a privately company. The obligations of being a public company in the United States require significant expenditures and will place significant demands on our management and other personnel, including costs resulting from public company reporting obligations under the Exchange Act and the rules and regulations regarding corporate governance practices, including those under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (“Sarbanes-Oxley”) the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, and the listing requirements of the stock exchange on which our securities are listed. These rules require the establishment and maintenance of effective disclosure and financial controls and procedures, internal control over financial reporting and changes in corporate governance practices, among many other complex rules that are often difficult to implement, monitor and maintain compliance with. Moreover, despite recent reforms made possible by the JOBS Act, the reporting requirements, rules, and regulations will make some activities more time-consuming and costly, particularly after we are no longer an “emerging growth company.” In addition, we expect these rules and regulations to make it more difficult and more expensive for us to obtain director and officer liability insurance. Our management and other personnel will need to devote a substantial amount of time to ensure that we comply with all of these requirements and to keep pace with new regulations, otherwise we may fall out of compliance and risk becoming subject to litigation or being delisted, among other potential problems.
If we fail to comply with the rules under Sarbanes-Oxley related to accounting controls and procedures in the future, or, if we discover material weaknesses and other deficiencies in our internal control and accounting procedures, our stock price could decline significantly and raising capital could be more difficult.
Section 404 of Sarbanes-Oxley requires annual management assessments of the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting. If we fail to comply with the rules under Sarbanes-Oxley related to disclosure controls and procedures in the future, or, if we discover material weaknesses and other deficiencies in our internal control and accounting procedures, our stock price could decline significantly and raising capital could be more difficult. If material weaknesses or significant deficiencies are discovered or if we otherwise fail to achieve and maintain the adequacy of our internal control, we may not be able to ensure that we can conclude on an ongoing basis that we have effective internal controls over financial reporting in accordance with Section 404 of Sarbanes-Oxley. Moreover, effective internal controls are necessary for us to produce reliable financial reports and are important to helping prevent financial fraud. If we cannot provide reliable financial reports or prevent fraud, our business and operating results could be harmed, investors could lose confidence in our reported financial information, and the trading price of our common stock could drop significantly.
Comprehensive tax reform bills could adversely affect our business and financial condition.
The U.S. government recently enacted comprehensive federal income tax legislation that includes significant changes to the taxation of business entities. These changes include, among others, a permanent reduction to the corporate income tax rate. Notwithstanding the reduction in the corporate income tax rate, the overall impact of this tax reform is uncertain, and our business and financial condition could be adversely affected. This Annual Report on Form 10-K does not discuss any such tax legislation or the manner in which it might affect purchasers of our common stock. We urge our shareholders to consult with their legal and tax advisors with respect to any such legislation and the potential tax consequences of investing in our common stock.
We could issue “blank check” preferred stock without stockholder approval with the effect of diluting interests of then-current stockholders and impairing their voting rights, and provisions in our charter documents and under Nevada law could discourage a takeover that stockholders may consider favorable.
Our Amended and Restated Articles of Incorporation provides for the authorization to issue up to 20,000,000 shares of “blank check” preferred stock with designations, rights and preferences as may be determined from time to time by our board of directors. Our board of directors is empowered, without stockholder approval, to issue one or more series of preferred stock with dividend, liquidation, conversion, voting or other rights which could dilute the interest of, or impair the voting power of, our common stockholders. The issuance of a series of preferred stock could be used as a method of discouraging, delaying or preventing a change in control. For example, it would be possible for our board of directors to issue preferred stock with voting or other rights or preferences that could impede the success of any attempt to change control of our company. In addition, advanced notice is required prior to stockholder proposals, which might further delay a change of control.
Our ability to have our securities traded on the Nasdaq Capital Market is subject to us meeting applicable listing criteria.
We are currently listed on the Nasdaq Stock Market, LLC (“Nasdaq”), a national securities exchange. The Nasdaq requires companies desiring to list their common stock to meet certain listing criteria including total number of shareholders: minimum stock price, total value of public float, and in some cases total shareholders’ equity and market capitalization. Our failure to meet such applicable listing criteria could prevent us from listing our common stock on the Nasdaq. In the event we are unable to have our shares traded on Nasdaq, our common stock could potentially trade on the OTCQX or the OTCQB, each of which is generally considered less liquid and more volatile than the Nasdaq. Our failure to have our shares traded on the Nasdaq could make it more difficult for you to trade our shares, could prevent our common stock trading on a frequent and liquid basis and could result in the value of our Common Stock being less than it would be if we were able to list our shares on the Nasdaq.
Our principal stockholders and management own a significant percentage of our stock and will be able to exert significant control over matters subject to stockholder approval.
Our directors, executive officers and each of our stockholders who owned greater than 5% of our outstanding Common Stock beneficially, as of March 28, 2024, own approximately 15.0% of our common stock outstanding. Accordingly, these stockholders have and will continue to have significant influence over the outcome of corporate actions requiring stockholder approval, including the election of directors, a merger, the consolidation or sale of all or substantially all of our assets or any other significant corporate transaction. The interests of these stockholders may not be the same as or may even conflict with our other investors’ interests. For example, these stockholders could delay or prevent a change in control of us, even if such a change in control would benefit our other stockholders, which could deprive our stockholders of an opportunity to receive a premium for their Common Stock as part of a sale of the Company or our assets. The significant concentration of stock ownership may negatively impact the value of our Common Stock due to potential investors’ perception that conflicts of interest may exist or arise.
There are risks associated with the completion of the proposed spin-off of our platform business.
As previously announced, we plan to spin-off the Habytat platform business, which will operate independently as a publicly listed company. There is no assurance we will be able to successfully complete the proposed spin-off. In the event the Company does not complete the spin-off, it could incur write-offs related to the legal, tax and regulatory costs of the proposed transaction.
Our Articles of Incorporation, as amended, our Amended and Restated Bylaws, and Nevada law may have anti-takeover effects that could discourage, delay or prevent a change in control, which may cause our stock price to decline.
Anti-takeover provisions may limit the ability of another party to acquire us, which could cause our stock price to decline. Our articles of incorporation, as amended, bylaws and Nevada law contain provisions that could discourage, delay or prevent a third party from acquiring us, even if doing so may be beneficial to our stockholders. In addition, these provisions could limit the price investors would be willing to pay in the future for shares of our common stock.
If our shares become subject to the penny stock rules, it would become more difficult to trade our shares.
The SEC has adopted rules that regulate broker-dealer practices in connection with transactions in penny stocks. Penny stocks are generally equity securities with a price of less than $5.00, other than securities registered on certain national securities exchanges or authorized for quotation on certain automated quotation systems, provided that current price and volume information with respect to transactions in such securities is provided by the exchange or system. If we do not obtain or retain a listing on the Nasdaq Capital Market or if the price of our common stock falls below $5.00, our common stock will be deemed a penny stock. The penny stock rules require a broker-dealer, before a transaction in a penny stock not otherwise exempt from those rules, to deliver a standardized risk disclosure document containing specified information. In addition, the penny stock rules require that before effecting any transaction in a penny stock not otherwise exempt from those rules, a broker-dealer must make a special written determination that the penny stock is a suitable investment for the purchaser and receive (i) the purchaser’s written acknowledgment of the receipt of a risk disclosure statement; (ii) a written agreement to transactions involving penny stocks; and (iii) a signed and dated copy of a written suitability statement. These disclosure requirements would likely have the effect of reducing the trading activity in the secondary market for our common stock, and therefore stockholders may have difficulty selling their shares.
FINRA sales practice requirements may limit a stockholder’s ability to buy and sell our stock.
In addition to the “penny stock” rules described above, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc. (“FINRA”), has adopted rules that require that in recommending an investment to a customer, a broker-dealer must have reasonable grounds for believing that the investment is suitable for that customer. Prior to recommending speculative, low-priced securities to their non-institutional customers, broker-dealers must make reasonable efforts to obtain information about the customer’s financial status, tax status, investment objectives and other information. The FINRA requirements may make it more difficult for broker-dealers to recommend that their customers buy our common stock, which may have the effect of reducing the level of trading activity in our common stock. As a result, fewer broker-dealers may be willing to make a market in our common stock, reducing a stockholder’s ability to resell shares, as well as overall liquidity, of our common stock.
Our Amended and Restated Articles of Incorporation provide that the Eighth Judicial District Court of Clark County, Nevada will be the sole and exclusive forum for certain disputes which could limit stockholders’ ability to obtain a favorable judicial forum for disputes with the Company or its directors, officers, employees or agents.
Our Amended and Restated Articles of Incorporation provide that unless the Company consents in writing to the selection of an alternative forum, the Eighth Judicial District Court of Clark County, Nevada shall be the sole and exclusive forum for state law claims with respect to: (i) any derivative action or proceeding brought in the name or right of the Company or on its behalf, (ii) any action asserting a claim for breach of any fiduciary duty owed by any director, officer, employee or agent of the Company to the Company or the Company’s stockholders, (iii) any action arising or asserting a claim arising pursuant to any provision of Nevada Revised Statutes Chapters 78 or 92A or any provision of the Company’s Amended and Restated Articles of Incorporation or Amended and Restated Bylaws or (iv) any action asserting a claim governed by the internal affairs doctrine, including, without limitation, any action to interpret, apply, enforce or determine the validity of the Company’s Amended and Restated Articles of Incorporation or Amended and Restated Bylaws. This exclusive forum provision would not apply to suits brought to enforce any liability or duty created by the Securities Act or the Exchange Act or any other claim for which the federal courts have exclusive jurisdiction. To the extent that any such claims may be based upon federal law claims, Section 27 of the Exchange Act creates exclusive federal jurisdiction over all suits brought to enforce any duty or liability created by the Exchange Act or the rules and regulations thereunder.
Section 22 of the Securities Act creates concurrent jurisdiction for federal and state courts over all suits brought to enforce any duty or liability created by the Securities Act or the rules and regulations thereunder. However, our Amended and Restated Articles of Incorporation contain a federal forum provision which provides that unless the Company consents in writing to the selection of an alternative forum, the federal district courts of the United States of America will be the exclusive forum for the resolution of any complaint asserting a cause of action arising under the Securities Act. Any person or entity purchasing or otherwise acquiring any interest in shares of capital stock of the Corporation are deemed to have notice of and consented to this provision. As this provision applies to Securities Act claims, there may be uncertainty whether a court would enforce such a provision.
These choice of forum provisions may limit a stockholder’s ability to bring a claim in a judicial forum that it finds favorable for disputes with the Company or its directors, officers or other employees, which may discourage such lawsuits against the Company and its directors, officers and other employees. Alternatively, if a court were to find our choice of forum provisions contained in either our Amended and Restated Articles of Incorporation or Amended and Restated Bylaws to be inapplicable or unenforceable in an action, the Company may incur additional costs associated with resolving such action in other jurisdictions, which could harm its business, results of operations, and financial condition.

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ITEM 1B. UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS
ITEM 1B. UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS
None.

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ITEM 2. PROPERTIES
ITEM 2. PROPERTIES
Our principal executive offices are located at 204 Neilson Street, New Brunswick, NJ 08901. We lease our office for a monthly base rent of $7,156 plus a pro rata share of operating expenses, with three percent (3%) annual increases in monthly installments on the first day of each year pursuant to a lease which terminates on December 31, 2024. We believe that our current office space will be adequate for the foreseeable future. We intend to add new facilities or expand existing facilities as we add employees, and we believe that suitable additional or substitute space will be available as needed to accommodate any such expansion of our operations.

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ITEM 3. LEGAL PROCEEDINGS
ITEM 3. LEGAL PROCEEDINGS
From time to time, we may become involved in various lawsuits and legal proceedings, which arise in the ordinary course of business. Litigation is subject to inherent uncertainties, and an adverse result in these or other matters may arise from time to time that may harm our business. We are currently not aware of any such legal proceedings or claims that will have, individually or in the aggregate, a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or operating results.

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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 and Series A Warrants are listed on the Nasdaq Capital Market under the symbols “DATS” and “DATSW,” respectively.
Shareholders
As of March 28, 2024, we had 1,463 shareholders of record of our common stock. The actual number of holders of our common stock is greater than this number of record holders, and includes shareholders who are beneficial owners, but whose shares are held in street name by brokers or held by other nominees. This number of holders of record also does not include stockholders whose shares may be held in trust by other entities.
Dividend Policy
We have never paid or declared any cash dividends on our common stock, and we do not anticipate paying any cash dividends on our common stock in the foreseeable future. We intend to retain all available funds and any future earnings to fund the development and expansion of our business. Any future determination to pay dividends will be at the discretion of our board of directors and will depend upon a number of factors, including our results of operations, financial condition, future prospects, contractual restrictions, restrictions imposed by applicable law and other factors our board of directors deems relevant.
Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities
The following table provides information relating to our purchases of shares of our common stock during the three months ended December 31, 2023.
(a) (b) (c) (d)
Period Total Number
of Shares
Purchased Average
Price Paid
Per Share Total
Number of
Shares
Purchased
as Part of
Publicly
Announced
Plans or
Programs (1) Maximum
Number of
Shares that
May Yet Be
Purchased
Under the
Plans or
Programs (1)
October 1, 2023 - October 31, 2023 - -
November 1, 2023 - November 30, 2023 - -
December 1, 2023 - December 31, 2023 - -
$ - - $ 0
(1) On January 6, 2023, our Board of Directors approved a stock repurchase program authorizing a stock repurchase plan of up to $2,000,000 of our issued and outstanding common stock, from time to time, with such program to be in place until December 31, 2023. Through December 31, 2023, the Company purchased 66,945 shares of its common stock for $397,969, or at an average price of $5.94 per share, which has been reflected as treasury stock on the accompanying audited balance sheet for the period ended December 31, 2023.
Recent Sales of Unregistered Securities
On August 4, 2023, we entered into a Subscription and Investment Representation Agreement with an investor (the “Purchaser”) pursuant to which we issued and sold 2,000,000 shares of our newly designated Series B Preferred Stock, par value $0.0001 per share (the “Series B Preferred Stock”), to such Purchaser for an aggregate purchase price of $1,000.

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ITEM 6. SELECTED FINANCIAL DATA
ITEM 6. [RESERVED]
Not applicable.

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ITEM 7. MANAGEMENT'S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS
ITEM 7. MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITIONS AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
You should read the following discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations together with our consolidated financial statements and the related notes appearing elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. In addition to historical information, this discussion and analysis contains forward-looking statements that involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions. Our actual results may differ materially from those discussed below. Factors that could cause or contribute to such differences include, but are not limited to, those identified below, and those discussed in the section titled “Risk Factors” included elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. All amounts in this report are in U.S. dollars, unless otherwise noted.
Overview
We are a blockchain, cybersecurity, and social media company that not only focuses on protecting privacy on personal devices, but also protects user information after it is shared with others. We believe that one’s right to privacy should not end the moment they click “send”, and that we all deserve the same right to privacy online that we enjoy in our own living rooms. Our flagship product, DatChat Messenger & Private Social Network, is a privacy platform and mobile application that gives users the ability to communicate with the privacy and protection they deserve. Recently, we have expanded our business and product offerings to include the co-development of a mobile-based social and gaming metaverse, known as “Habytat”, as well as the development of Museum, an a social network and multi-media storage platform for consumers and enterprises.
DatChat Messenger & Private Social Network
Our platform allows users to exercise control over their messages and posts, even after they are sent. Through our application, users can delete messages that they have sent, on their own device and the recipient’s device as well. There is no set time limit within which they must exercise this choice. A user can elect at any time to delete a message that they previously sent to a recipient’s device.
The application also enables users to hide secret and encrypted messages behind a cover, which messages can only be unlocked by the recipient and which are automatically destroyed after a fixed number of views or fixed amount of time. Users can decide how long their messages last on the recipient’s device. The application also includes a screen shot protection system, which makes it virtually impossible for the recipient to screenshot a message or picture before it gets destroyed. In addition, users can delete entire conversations at any time, making it like the conversation never even happened.
In addition to the foregoing, the application also provides users with the ability to connect via an encrypted live video chat that also is designed to prevent screenshots or screen grabs. The application integrates with iMessage, making private messages potentially available to hundreds of millions of users.
Habytat
In June 2022, we formed a wholly owned subsidiary, Dragon Interactive, Inc. (formerly, SmarterVerse, Inc.) (“Dragon Interactive”). In July 2022, Dragon Interactive entered into a development agreement with MetaBizz, LLC, an infrastructure firm that creates and develops 4D experiences in the metaverse (“MetaBizz”). In August 2022, we launched the “Habytat”, a virtual space that blends real world and virtual realities into one, in real time, using emerging technology like virtual and augmented reality, to create a highly immersive 3D environment. Habytat is supported by proprietary artificial intelligence (“AI”) and utilizes a machine learning engine to develop more realistic looking content, daily rewards, games, and new utilities that are designed to further enhance the user experience in an engaging way. Our goal is to leverage our patents and develop new technology that leads to more people joining and seeing the value in the metaverse. Currently, the development agreement is not active.
Each Habytat user is granted user rights to use a designated piece of virtual property in Geniuz City, the first world within Habytat, through the minting and issuance of a unique NFT. Geniuz City is designed to be a near photo-realistic world based on Miami’s Wynwood arts district and its surrounding areas. Geniuz City enables users to visit art galleries, explore the town, interact with other users, take selfies with famous landmarks, customize their properties and enjoy the culture of Geniuz City.
Users will be able to customize their virtual property to represent their personal style and taste. Users will then be able to accumulate reward points when they visit and interact with such virtual property or invite others to join Habytat, and such rewards can be used to enhance, expand, and improve their virtual property. The official in-world currency of Habytat is the “Nirad,” which can be earned through participation on the DatChat Social Network+ or Habytat and used to upgrade properties and experiences in Habytat.
As of March 28, 2024, we had over 140,000 Habytat users.
Mobile Metaverse
In May 2023, we launched the open mobile metaverse, Habytat 1.0, as part of our mission to democratize access to the metaverse. We hope that by making Habytat available via mobile devices and offering free ownership of virtual land and homes, that Habytat will break down obstacles that previously limited participation, such as the necessity for expensive virtual reality (“VR”) gear or metaverse properties. We have assembled a team of over twenty game developers, graphic artists and back-end developers to create Habytat 1.0.
HabyPets
In August 2023, we launched a series of novel AI-powered pets called “HabyPets.” HabyPets provides an interactive experience within the Habytat world, creating a more immersive and personal experience for users. Supported by Habytat’s proprietary AI and machine learning engine, HabyPets grow over time from playful companions to mature adult pets. Similar to real-life pets, these AI pets can be trained by users via a range of behavioral commands, replicating the natural progression of real pets over time. These include, but are not limited to, catching frisbees, playing with toys, engaging in tug of war, and even participating in thrilling races with other pets at the park. By actively engaging with their pets, users can establish a connection and provide proper care for their virtual companions, fostering a realistic experience within the Habytat metaverse.
Myseum
We are currently developing “Myseum,” a platform that will allow users to create a personal museum designed to easily share pictures, videos and documents utilizing planned features, such as creating instant sharing spaces at family gatherings, time released video messages, multi-tiered social media, and secure family document storage and sharing. Currently, Myseum is scheduled to launch in the second quarter of 2024 and will encompass features and social networking technology designed to unlock and share digital media.
Spin-off and Name Change
In January 2024, we announced plans to spin-off the Habytat platform business into a new standalone public company pursuant to a distribution as further discussed below. As of the date of this Annual Report, we currently own approximately 71.5% of Dragon Interactive, the entity that owns and operates the Habytat platform business. This marked a significant step forward in our corporate strategy to reposition the Company as a pureplay social media ecosystem centered around our Myseum assets.
In February 2024, Darin Myman was appointed as President of SmarterVerse.
In February 2024, SmarterVerse changed its name to Dragon Interactive Corporation.
If the distribution proceeds, our shareholders will maintain their current shares in the Company and receive a pro-rata distribution of a portion of our shares of Dragon Interactive. The proposed distribution remains subject to approval by our board of directors as well as other customary conditions, including the filing and effectiveness of either a Form S-1 or Form 10 registration statement with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and obtaining of any other required regulatory approvals. Upon consummation of the proposed distribution, Dragon Interactive would become a standalone public company with plans seek a listing on a national stock exchange. No assurance can be given that the spin-off and/or the distribution will occur as anticipated or at all.
Recent Events
On January 16, 2024, we entered into an underwriting agreement with EF Hutton LLC, as the representative of the underwriters named therein, relating to an underwritten public offering of 382,972 shares of our common stock and pre-funded warrants to purchase up 590,000 shares of our common stock for gross proceeds of approximately $1.8 million, before deducting underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated offering expenses payable by the Company.
Risks and Uncertainties
In February 2022, the Russian Federation and Belarus commenced a military action with the country of Ukraine. As a result of this action, various nations, including the United States, have instituted economic sanctions against the Russian Federation and Belarus. Further, the impact of this action and related sanctions on the world economy is not determinable as of the date of these consolidated financial statements, and the specific impact on the Company’s financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows is also not determinable as of the date of these financial statements.
On August 16, 2022, the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 (the “IR Act”) was signed into federal law. The IR Act provides for, among other things, a new U.S. federal 1% excise tax on certain repurchases of stock by publicly traded U.S. domestic corporations and certain U.S. domestic subsidiaries of publicly traded foreign corporations occurring on or after January 1, 2023. The excise tax is imposed on the repurchasing corporation itself, not its shareholders from which shares are repurchased. The amount of the excise tax is generally 1% of the fair market value of the shares repurchased at the time of the repurchase. However, for purposes of calculating the excise tax, repurchasing corporations are permitted to net the fair market value of certain new stock issuances against the fair market value of stock repurchases during the same taxable year. In addition, certain exceptions apply to the excise tax. The U.S. Department of the Treasury (the “Treasury”) has been given authority to provide regulations and other guidance to carry out and prevent the abuse or avoidance of the excise tax.
Management continues to evaluate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the industry and has concluded that while it is reasonably possible that the virus could have a negative effect on the Company’s financial position and results of its operations, the specific impact is not readily determinable as of the date of these financial statements. These financial statements do not include any adjustments that might result from the outcome of this uncertainty.
Basis of Presentation
The financial statements contained herein have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (the “U.S. GAAP”) and the requirements of the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Critical Estimates
This management’s discussion and analysis of financial condition and results of operations is based on our financial statements, which have been prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP. The preparation of these consolidated financial statements requires us to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities, disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the consolidated financial statements, and the reported amounts of revenue and expenses during the reported period. In accordance with U.S. GAAP, we base our estimates on historical experience and on various other assumptions we believe to be reasonable under the circumstances. Actual results may differ from these estimates if conditions differ from our assumptions. While our significant accounting policies and significant estimates are more fully described in Note 1 in the “Notes to Financial Statements”, we believe the following estimates are critical to the process of making significant judgments and estimates in preparation of our consolidated financial statements.
Accounting for digital currencies and other digital assets
The Company purchases Ethereum cryptocurrency (“Ethereum”) and other digital assets and accepts Ethereum as a form of payment for non-fungible tokens sales (NFTs). The Company accounts for these digital assets held as the result of the purchase or receipt of Ethereum and other digital assets, as indefinite-lived intangible assets in accordance with ASC 350, Intangibles-Goodwill and Other (“ASC 350”). The Company has ownership of and control over its digital currencies and digital assets and the Company may use third-party custodial services to secure them. The digital currencies and digital assets are initially recorded at cost and are subsequently remeasured, net of any impairment losses incurred since acquisition. The Company believes that digital currencies and other digital assets meet the definition of indefinite-lived intangible assets and accounts for them at historical cost less impairment, applying the guidance in ASC 350. The Company monitors any standard-setting, regulatory or technological developments that may affect the Company’s accounting for digital currencies or its controls and processes related to digital currencies. Digital currencies are included in long-term assets in the consolidated balance sheet.
The Company determines the fair value of its digital currencies and other digital assets on a nonrecurring basis in accordance with ASC 820, Fair Value Measurement, based on quoted prices on the active exchange(s) that it has determined is the principal market for Ethereum (Level 1 inputs) and other digital assets. The Company performs an analysis each quarter to identify whether events or changes in circumstances, principally decreases in the quoted prices on active exchanges, indicate that it is more likely than not that its digital assets are impaired. In determining if an impairment has occurred, the Company considers the lowest market price quoted on an active exchange since acquiring the respective digital asset. If the then current carrying value of a digital asset exceeds the fair value, an impairment loss has occurred with respect to those digital assets in the amount equal to the difference between their carrying values and the fair value. The impaired digital assets are written down to their fair value at the time of impairment and this new cost basis will not be adjusted upward for any subsequent increase in fair value. Gains are not recorded until realized upon sale, at which point they are presented net of any impairment losses for the same digital assets held. In determining the gain or loss to be recognized upon sale, the Company calculates the difference between the sales price and carrying value of the digital assets sold immediately prior to sale. Impairment losses and gains or losses on sales are recognized within operating expenses in the consolidated statements of operations. During the year ended December 31, 2022, the Company recorded an impairment loss of $119,276.
Capitalized internal-use software costs
Costs incurred to develop internal-use software including Metaverse software development, are expensed as incurred during the preliminary project stage. Internal-use software development costs are capitalized during the application development stage, which is after: (i) the preliminary project stage is completed; and (ii) management authorizes and commits to funding the project and it is probable the project will be completed and used to perform the function intended. Capitalization ceases at the point the software project is substantially complete and ready for its intended use, and after all substantial testing is completed. Upgrades and enhancements are capitalized if it is probable that those expenditures will result in additional functionality. Amortization is provided for on a straight-line basis over the expected useful life of the internal-use software development costs and related upgrades and enhancements. When existing software is replaced with new software, the unamortized costs of the old software are expensed when the new software is ready for its intended use. Software development costs incurred during the year ended December 31, 2023 and 2022 were expensed since the Metaverse software development project is in the preliminary project stage. Such costs are included in research and development costs on the accompanying consolidated statement of operations.
Variable interest entities
Pursuant to ASC 810-10-25-22, an entity is defined as a VIE if it either lacks sufficient equity to finance its activities without additional subordinated financial support, or it is structured such that the holders of the voting rights do not substantively participate in the gains and losses of the entity. When determining whether an entity that meets the definition of a business qualifies for a scope exception from applying VIE guidance, the Company considers whether: (i) it has participated significantly in the design of the entity, (ii) it has provided more than half of the total financial support to the entity, and (iii) substantially all of the activities of the VIE are conducted on its behalf. A VIE is consolidated by its primary beneficiary, the party that has the power to direct the activities that most significantly impact the VIE’s economic performance and has the right to receive benefits or the obligation to absorb losses of the entity that could be potentially significant to the VIE. The primary beneficiary assessment must be re-evaluated on an ongoing basis.
Based on the Company’s analysis, on February 14, 2023, Metabizz, LLC, a Florida corporation, and Metabizz SAS, a company incorporated under the laws of Columbia (collectively “Metabizz”), were determined to be VIE entities in accordance with ASC 810-10-25-22 because the equity owners in Metabizz do not have the characteristics of a controlling financial interest and the initial equity investments in these entities may be or are insufficient to meet or sustain its operations without additional subordinated financial support from DatChat. The equity owners of Metabizz have only a nominal equity investment at risk, and the Company absorbs or receives a majority of the entity’s expected losses or benefits. The Company participates significantly in the design of Metabizz. The Company has provided working capital advances to Metabizz to allow Metabizz to fund its day to day obligations. Substantially all of the activities of Metabizz are conducted for the Company’s benefit, as evidenced by the fact that the operations of Metabizz consists of development of software and technologies to be used by SmarterVerse and the Company provides work capital to Metabizz to pay employees and independent contractors to perform the development services on behalf of the Company. Repayment of the working capital advances is not guaranteed by the equity owner of Metabizz and creditors of Metabizz do not have recourse against the Company. Accordingly, the Company is required to consolidate the assets, liabilities, revenues and expenses of Metabizz using the fair value method. Additionally, the managing partner of Metabizz is also the Chief Innovation Officer of SmarterVerse. Since Metabizz, LLC and Metabizz SAS are considered VIE’s, any noncontrolling interest eliminates in consolidation.
In connection with the initial consolidation of Metabizz, on February 14, 2023 (the initial consolidation date), the Company recorded a gain on initial consolidation of variable interest entities of $42,737.
Stock-based compensation
Stock-based compensation is accounted for based on the requirements of the Share-Based Payment Topic of ASC 718, “Compensation - Stock Compensation” (“ASC 718”), which requires recognition in the financial statements of the cost of employee, non-employee and director services received in exchange for an award of equity instruments over the period the employee, non-employee or director is required to perform the services in exchange for the award (presumptively, the vesting period). ASC 718 also requires measurement of the cost of employee, non-employee, and director services received in exchange for an award based on the grant-date fair value of the award.
Leases
We applied ASC Topic 842, Leases (Topic 842) to arrangements with lease terms of 12 months or more. Operating lease right of use assets (“ROU”) represents the right to use the leased asset for the lease term and operating lease liabilities are recognized based on the present value of the future minimum lease payments over the lease term at commencement date. As most leases do not provide an implicit rate, we use an incremental borrowing rate based on the information available at the adoption date in determining the present value of future payments. Lease expense for minimum lease payments is amortized on a straight-line basis over the lease term and is included in general and administrative expenses in the statements of operations.
Recently Issued Accounting Pronouncements
Refer to the notes to the audited financial statements.
Results of Operations
Revenue
During the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, we generated revenues of $672 and $46,214, respectively. For the year ended December 31, 2022, revenues consisted of subscription revenues of $9,820 and revenues from the sale of NFT’s of $36,394, as compared to $672 of revenues from subscriptions for the year ended December 31, 2023. We do not expect to generate any revenues from the sale of NFT’s in the near future.
Operating expenses
For the year ended December 31, 2023, operating expenses amounted to $8,784,703 as compared to $12,272,939 for the year ended December 31 2022, a decrease of $3,488,236, or 28.4%. For the years ended December 31 2023 and 2022, operating expenses consisted of the following:
Year Ended December 31,
Compensation and related expenses $ 4,760,180 $ 6,551,776
Marketing and advertising expenses 388,444 828,736
Professional and consulting expenses 1,324,640 2,285,312
Research and development 1,351,415 514,957
General and administrative expenses 892,972 991,882
Impairment loss on property and equipment and intangible assets 43,671 981,000
Impairment loss on digital currencies and other digital assets 23,381 119,276
Total $ 8,784,703 $ 12,272,939
Compensation and related expenses
Compensation and related expenses include salaries, stock-based compensation, health insurance and other benefits.
During the year ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, compensation and related expenses amounted to $4,760,180 and $6,551,776, respectively, a decrease of $1,791,596, or 27.3%. The decrease was attributable to a decrease in stock-based compensation of $1,170,624 and a decrease in other compensation and other related expenses of $620,972.
Marketing and advertising expenses
During the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, marketing and advertising expenses amounted to $388,444 and $828,736, respectively, a decrease of $440,292, or 53.1%, primarily due to an overall decrease in promotions, branding and digital marketing strategies and social media ads.
Professional and consulting expenses
During the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, we reported professional and consulting expenses of $1,324,640 and $2,285,312, respectively, a decrease of $960,672, or 42.0%. The decrease is attributable to a decrease in consulting fees of $154,396 which includes a decrease in stock-based consulting fees of $96,431, a decrease in investor relations fees of $295,850, a decrease in legal fees of $224,180, and a decrease in recruiting fees of $322,000, offset be an increase in other professional fees of $35,754.
Research and development costs
During the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, we incurred $1,351,415 and $514,957 in research and development costs, an increase of $836,458, or 162.4%. Research and development costs were incurred in connection with our Metaverse software development project, including the development of Habytat which is in the preliminary stage.
General and administrative expenses
During the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, general and administrative expenses amounted to $892,972 and $991,882, a decrease of $98,910, or 10.0%. The decreases are primarily attributable to a decrease in conference fees and a decrease in other general and administrative expenses, offset by an increase in travel expense.
Impairment loss on property and equipment and intangible assets
During the year ended December 31, 2023, we wrote off the balance of property and equipment held by MetaBizz since the property and equipment was abandoned and no longer being used by the Company as of December 31, 2023. Accordingly, we recognized an impairment loss on property and equipment of $43,671.
During the year ended December 31, 2022, we concluded that the undiscounted cash flows did not support the carrying values of its intangible assets as of December 31, 2022. We determined the value of the patents acquired were fully impaired as of December 31, 2022 and recognized an impairment loss on its long-lived intangible assets of $981,000.
Impairment loss on digital currencies and other digital assets
During the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, operating expenses included an impairment charge related to the write down of digital assets of $23,381 and $119,276, respectively.
Loss from Operations
During the year ended December 31, 2023, loss from operation amounted to $8,784,031 as compared to $12,226,725 during the year ended December 31, 2022, a decrease of $3,442,694, or 28.2%.
Other Income (Expense)
Other income (expenses) primarily consisted of interest income, gain on initial consolidation of variable interest entities, and realized gain on short-term investments and unrealized gains or losses on short-term investments. During the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, we reported other income, net of $379,061 and $88,153, respectively. During the year ended December 31, 2023, other income, net primarily consisted of interest income of $9,281, gain on initial consolidation of variable interest entities of $42,737, and a realized gain on short-term investments of $327,145. During the year ended December 31, 2022, other income primarily consisted of interest income of $12,305, a realized gain on short-term investments of $28,176, and an unrealized gain on short-term investments of $47,672.
Net Loss
Due to the foregoing reasons, during the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, our net loss was $8,404,970, or $(4.14) per common share (basic and diluted) and $12,138,572, or ($6.04) per common share (basic and diluted), respectively, a decrease of $3,733,602, or 30.8%.
Liquidity, Capital Resources and Plan of Operations
As of December 31, 2023, we had cash and cash equivalents of $953,362 and short-term investments of $5,236,781. Short-term investments include U.S. Treasury bills that are all highly rated and have initial maturities between four and twelve months.
The consolidated financial statements have been prepared on a going concern basis, which contemplates the realization of assets and the settlement of liabilities and commitments in the normal course of business. As reflected in the accompanying consolidated financial statements, we had a net loss of $8,404,970 for the year ended December 31, 2023. Net cash used in operations was $6,529,277 for the year ended December 31, 2023. Additionally, as of December 31, 2023, we had an accumulated deficit of $48,134,088 and have generated minimal revenues since inception. As of December 31, 2023, we had working capital of $5,969,447, including cash of $953,362 and short-term investments of $5,236,781. These factors raise substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern for a period of twelve months from the issuance date of this report. Management cannot provide assurance that we will ultimately achieve profitable operations or become cash flow positive or raise additional debt and/or equity capital. We are seeking to raise capital through additional debt and/or equity financings to fund our operations in the future. Although we have historically raised capital from sales of common shares, there is no assurance that it will be able to continue to do so. If we are unable to raise additional capital or secure additional lending in the near future, management expects that the Company will need to curtail its operations. These consolidated financial statements do not include any adjustments related to the recoverability and classification of assets or the amounts and classification of liabilities that might be necessary should we be unable to continue as a going concern.
On January 16, 2024, we entered into an underwriting agreement (the “Underwriting Agreement”) with EF Hutton LLC (the “Representative”), as the representative of the underwriters named therein (the “Underwriters”), relating to an underwritten public offering (the “Offering”) of 382,972 shares of the Company’s common stock (the “Shares”) and pre-funded warrants to purchase up to 590,000 shares of Common Stock (the “Pre-Funded Warrants”). The public offering price for each share of Common Stock was $1.85 for aggregate gross proceeds of $708,498, and public offering price for the Pre-Funded Warrants was $1.8499 for each Pre-Funded Warrant for aggregate gross proceeds of $1,091,441. In connection with this Offering, we raised aggregate gross proceeds of $1,799,939 and received net proceeds of $1,437,940, net of Underwriters discounts and offering costs of $261,999 and legal fees of $100,000.
Our primary uses of cash have been for compensation and related expenses, fees paid to third parties for professional services, marketing and advertising expenses, and general and administrative expenses. All funds received have been expended in the furtherance of growing the business. We received funds from the sale of our common stock and the exercise of warrants. The following trends are reasonably likely to result in changes in our liquidity over the near to long term:
● An increase in working capital requirements to finance our current business,
● Cost of research and development,
● Addition of administrative, technical and sales personnel as the business grows, and
● The cost of being a public company.
Cash Flow Activities for the Years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022
Cash Flows from Operating Activities
Net cash used in operating activities totaled $6,529,277 and $7,258,765 for the years ended December 31, 2023, and 2022, respectively, a decrease of $729,488.
Net cash flow used in operating activities for the year ended December 31, 2023 primarily reflected a net loss of $8,404,970 adjusted for the add-back (reduction) of non-cash items consisting of depreciation and amortization of $28,943, amortization of right of use assets of $60,549, accretion of stock-based stock option and common stock expense of $2,254,079, a non-cash gain from initial consolidation of variable interest entities of $(42,737), impairment loss on digital assets of $23,381, impairment of property and equipment of $43,671, and net realized gain on short-term investments of $327,145, offset by changes in operating assets and liabilities primarily consisting of a decrease in prepaid expenses of $5,797, a decrease in accounts payable and accrued expenses of $103,639, and a decrease in operating lease liabilities of $67,339.
Net cash flow used in operating activities for the years ended December 31, 2022 primarily reflected a net loss of $12,138,572, adjusted s was adjusted for the add-back (reduction) of non-cash items consisting of stock-based compensation of $3,173,401, stock-based professional fees of $347,733, amortization or right of use assets of $49,783, depreciation and amortization of $127,501, impairment loss of intangible assets of $981,000, and impairment loss on digital currencies and other digital assets of $119,276, offset by realized and unrealized gains on short-term investments of $75,848, and non-cash revenues from the sale of NFT’s of $36,394, and operating asset and liability changes of $179,616, primarily due to a decrease in prepaid expenses of $242,221 and accounts payable and accrued expenses of $61.
Cash Flows from Investing Activities
Net cash provided by (used in) investing activities amounted to $6,160,932 and $(11,209,126) for the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively.
During the years ended December 31, 2023, we purchased short-term investments of $8,599,121 and received gross proceeds from the sale of short-term investments of $14,745,000. Additionally, we received $64,538 in cash upon initial consolidation of variable interest entities and purchased property and equipment amounting to $49,485.
During the year ended December 31, 2022, we purchased property and equipment of $44,475, purchased digital currencies and other digital assets of $233,245, and we purchased short-term investments of $20,842,149, and received gross proceeds from the sale of short-term investments of $9,910,000.
Cash Flows from Financing Activities
Net cash (used in) provided by financing activities totaled approximately $(398,284) and $1,112 for the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively.
During the year ended December 31, 2023, we repaid related party advances of $1,315, we used cash of $397,969 to purchase 66,945 treasury stock at an average price of $5.94 per share, and we received $1,000 from the sale of Series B preferred stock.
During the year ended December 31, 2022, financing activities was primarily attributable to proceeds from related party advances of $20,294 offset by the repayment of related party advances of $19,182.
Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements
We have not entered into any other financial guarantees or other commitments to guarantee the payment obligations of any third parties. We have not entered into any derivative contracts that are indexed to our shares and classified as shareholders’ equity or that are not reflected in our financial statements. Furthermore, we do not have any retained or contingent interest in assets transferred to an unconsolidated entity that serves as credit, liquidity or market risk support to such entity. We do not have any variable interest in any unconsolidated entity that provides financing, liquidity, market risk or credit support to us or engages in leasing, hedging or research and development services with us.

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ITEM 7A. QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK
ITEM 7A. QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK
As a smaller reporting company, we are not required to provide the information required by this item.

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ITEM 8. FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND SUPPLEMENTARY DATA
ITEM 8. FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND SUPPLEMENTARY DATA
Our financial statements are contained in pages through, which appear at the end of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

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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
Our principal executive officer and principal financial officer, after evaluating the effectiveness of the Company’s “disclosure controls and procedures” (as defined in Exchange Act Rule 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e)) as of December 31, 2023, the end of the period covered by this Annual Report on Form 10-K, have concluded that our disclosure controls and procedures were not effective such that the information required to be disclosed by us in reports filed under the Exchange Act is (i) recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in the SEC’s rules and forms and (ii) accumulated and communicated to our management, including our principal executive officer and principal financial officer, as appropriate to allow timely decisions regarding disclosure. In designing and evaluating the disclosure controls and procedures, management recognizes that any controls and procedures, 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.
Management’s Report on Internal Control Over Financial Reporting
Our management is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting as such term is defined in Exchange Act Rule 13a-15(f). Internal control over financial reporting is a process designed under the supervision and with the participation of our management, including our principal executive officer and principal financial officer, to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of consolidated financial statements for external purposes in accordance with GAAP. All internal control systems, no matter how well designed, have inherent limitations. Therefore, even those systems determined to be effective can provide only reasonable assurance with respect to financial statement preparation and presentation.
As of December 31, 2023, under the supervision and with the participation of our management, including our principal executive officer and principal financial officer, we conducted an evaluation of the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting based on the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission in Internal Control-Integrated Framework - 2013. Based on this assessment, our management concluded that, as of December 31, 2023, our internal control over financial reporting was not effective because it identified a material weakness. A material weakness is a significant deficiency or a combination of significant deficiencies in internal control over financial reporting such that there is a reasonable possibility that a material misstatement of the annual or interim financial statements will not be prevented or detected on a timely basis.
Specifically, management concluded that the ineffectiveness of our internal controls over financial reporting was due to the following material weaknesses:
● We lack segregation of duties within accounting functions duties as a result of our limited financial resources to support hiring of personnel.
● The lack of multiples levels of management review on complex business, accounting and financial reporting issues.
● We have not implemented adequate system and manual controls.
While we used the services of a third-party accountant to provide accounting and financial reporting services to us, we lack both an adequate number of personnel with requisite expertise in the key functional areas of finance and accounting and an adequate number of personnel to properly implement internal control over financial reporting. These factors represent material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting. Although we believe the possibility of errors in our financial statements is remote and expect to continue to use a third-party accountant to address shortfalls in staffing and to assist us with accounting and financial reporting responsibilities in an effort to mitigate the lack of segregation of duties, until such time as we expand our staff with qualified personnel, we expect to continue to report material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting.
Attestation Report of our Registered Public Accounting Firm
This Annual Report on Form 10-K does not include an attestation report of our registered public accounting firm regarding internal control over financial reporting. As a smaller reporting company, our management’s report was not subject to attestation by our registered public accounting firm pursuant to rules of the SEC that permit us to provide only management’s report in this annual report.
Changes in Internal Control Over Financial Reporting
There have been no changes in our internal control over financial reporting that occurred during our last 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
During our last fiscal quarter ended December 31, 2023, none of our directors or executive officers adopted, modified or terminated a “Rule 10b5-1 trading arrangement” or a “non-Rule 10b5-1 trading arrangement” as such terms are defined under Item 408 of Regulation S K.

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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 the name, age and positions of our executive officers and directors.
NAME
AGE
POSITION
Darin Myman
Chief Executive Officer and Chairman
Peter Shelus
Chief Technology Officer and Director
Brett Blumberg
Chief Financial Officer
Wayne Linsley
Director
Joseph Nelson
Director
Carly Luogameno
Director
The business background and certain other information about our directors and executive officers is set forth below.
Darin Myman - Chief Executive Officer and Director
Darin Myman has served as Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the board of directors since January 2015. Previously, Mr. Myman served as co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Wally World Media, Inc., (OTC:WLYW). He also has served as the Chief Executive Officer and a member of PeopleString’s board of directors since PeopleString’s inception. Mr. Myman developed extensive Internet skills through a variety of positions. He has executive management and founder experience having served as a co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of BigString Corporation, a publicly traded company, since October 2005. He also has corporate governance and board experience having served as a member of BigString’s board of directors since BigString’s inception. Prior to BigString, Mr. Myman was a co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of LiveInsurance.com, the first online insurance broker that pioneered the electronic storefront for large national insurance agencies. Prior to co-founding LiveInsurance.com, he served as a Vice President of the online brokerage services unit of Westminster Securities Corporation. We believe that Mr. Myman is qualified to serve as a member of our board of directors because of his background in business and experience in senior leadership and as a board member of public companies.
Peter Shelus - Chief Technology Officer and Director
Peter Shelus is a co-founder of DatChat and has served as our Chief Technology Officer since January 2016 and a member of our board of directors since December 2022. Mr. Shelus has over 10 years of ephemeral messaging and mobile video development experience. Mr. Shelus has been at the forefront of the secure messaging industry, having served as a lead engineer for one of the first ephemeral messaging platforms, “BigString,” where he helped develop the patented technology that became a cornerstone of self-destructing messaging. Mr. Shelus holds Bachelor of Science degree in computer science from Rutgers University. We believe that Mr. Shelus is qualified to serve as a member of our board of directors because of his experience in the secure messaging industry and background in technology engineering and development.
Brett Blumberg - Chief Financial Officer
Brett Blumberg has served as our Chief Financial Officer since February 2022. Mr. Blumberg has extensive experience in finance and accounting. He is a certified public accountant and has been a partner of the public accounting firm Jubran, Shorr & Company since 2015. Mr. Blumberg was a senior accountant at CohnReznick, LLP from 2013 to 2014. Prior to obtaining his CPA license Mr. Blumberg was a private banker at Wells Fargo and owned and operated a Mortgage Brokerage/Banking Company, Canyon Financial Group, LLC from 2006 to 2012. He previously worked in recruitment and talent acquisition for accounting and finance firms from 2000 to 2006. Mr. Blumberg holds a Bachelor of Art degree in economics and psychology from SUNY Binghamton University.
Wayne D. Linsley - Director
Wayne D. Linsley has served as a member of the board of directors since August 2021. Mr. Linsley has over 40 years of experience in business management. Since April 2020, Mr. Linsley has served as a member of the board of directors of Hoth Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ: HOTH), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company and since January 2020, he has served as a member of the board of directors of Silo Pharma, Inc. (NASDAQ: SILO) a biopharmaceutical company focused on merging traditional therapeutics with psychedelic research. From 2014 to September 2021, Mr. Linsley served as the Vice President of Operations at CFO Oncall, Inc., a company that provides financial reporting and controller services on an outsourced basis and previously, from 2012 to 2014, Mr. Linsley worked at CFO Oncall, Inc. as an independent contractor. Mr. Linsley holds Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from Siena College.
Joseph Nelson - Director
Joseph Nelson has served as a member of our board of directors since August 2021. Since April 2022, Mr. Nelson has served as Chief Financial Officer of Delta Corp Holdings Limited, a global, asset-light, fully integrated company engaged in transportation/logistic services, asset management and servicing the maritime industry supply chain. From December 2017 to March 2022, Mr. Nelson served as the Head of Investor Relations for GasLog Ltd., and GasLog Partners LP, a leading international owner, operator and manager of liquefied natural gas carriers providing support to many of the world’s largest energy companies. From November 2014 to November 2017, Mr. Nelson served as an Equity Research Analyst at Credit Suisse. Mr. Nelson holds a Master of Business Administration degree from New York University’s Stern School of Business; a Bachelor of Science degree in chemistry and a Bachelor of Art degree in philosophy from the Stevens Institute of Technology. We believe that Mr. Nelson is qualified to serve as a member of our board of directors because of his experience in investor relations and background in business and finance.
Carly Luogameno - Director
Carly Luogameno has served as a member of our board of directors since August 2021. Since May 2011, Mrs. Luogameno has worked as a digital consultant at ShmeeLive. From May 2018 to June 2020, Mrs. Luogameno served as a digital director for Lust For Life, LLC, a subsidiary of Renewable Energy & Power, Inc. (OTCQB: RBNW). From August 2013 to September 2015, Mrs. Luogameno served as the Marketing Director for Jerrick Media,(OTC: JMDA, now Creatd, OTC:VOCL). Mrs. Luogameno has in-depth experience in ecommerce and digital industries with specializations in digital marketing campaign development, content marketing strategy, SEO and paid media management. Her digital marketing background is rooted in inbound marketing strategies and her approach focuses on listening to user needs and communicating to them via high quality content in order to attract return visitors and engagements. Mrs. Luogameno specializes in working with start-up companies, across the technology, healthcare and fashion industries. Mrs. Luogameno holds Bachelor of Art degree in arts, entertainment & media management from Columbia College Chicago.
Family Relationships
There are no family relationships among any of our executive officers and directors.
Arrangements between Officers and Directors
Except as set forth herein, to our knowledge, there is no arrangement or understanding between any of our officers or directors and any other person pursuant to which the officer or director was selected to serve as an officer or director.
Involvement in Certain Legal Proceedings
We are not aware of any of our directors or officers being involved in any legal proceedings in the past ten years relating to any matters in bankruptcy, insolvency, criminal proceedings (other than traffic and other minor offenses), or being subject to any of the items set forth under Item 401(f) of Regulation S-K.
Committees of Our Board of Directors
Our board of directors directs the management of our business and affairs, as provided by Nevada law, and conducts its business through meetings of the board of directors and its standing committees. We will have a standing audit committee, compensation committee and nominating and corporate governance committee. In addition, from time to time, special committees may be established under the direction of the board of directors when necessary to address specific issues.
Audit Committee. The audit committee is appointed by the board to assist the board in its duty to oversee the Company’s accounting, financial reporting and internal control functions and the audit of the Company’s financial statements. The role of the audit committee is to oversee management in the performance of its responsibility for the integrity of the Company’s accounting and financial reporting and its systems of internal controls, the performance and qualifications of the Company’s independent auditor, including the independent auditor’s independence, the performance of the Company’s internal audit function; and the Company’s compliance with legal and regulatory requirements.
Our audit committee consists of Wayne D. Linsley, Carly Luogameno and Joseph Nelson, with Mr. Linsley serving as chair. Our board of directors has affirmatively determined that each meet the definition of “independent director” under the rules of The Nasdaq Capital Market, and that they meet the independence standards under Rule 10A-3. Each member of our audit committee meets the financial literacy requirements of Nasdaq rules. In addition, our board of directors has determined that Wayne D. Linsley qualifies as an “audit committee financial expert,” as such term is defined in Item 407(d)(5) of Regulation S-K. Our board of directors adopted a written charter for the audit committee, which is available on our principal corporate website at www.datchat.com.
Compensation Committee. The compensation committee is responsible for reviewing and recommending, among other things:
● the adequacy and form of compensation of the board;
● the compensation of Chief Executive Officer, including base salary, incentive bonus, stock option and other grant, award and benefits upon hiring and on an annual basis;
● the compensation of other senior management upon hiring and on an annual basis; and
● the Company’s incentive compensation and other equity-based plans and recommending changes to such plans to our board of directors, when necessary.
Our compensation committee will consists of Wayne D. Linsley, Carly Luogameno and Joseph Nelson, with Mr. Linsley serving as chair. Our board of directors has adopted a written charter for the compensation committee, which is available on our principal corporate website at www.datchat.com.
Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee. We do not have a designated nominating and corporate governance committee. Our independent directors, acting as a group, are responsible for:
Our nominating and corporate governance committee is responsible for, among other things:
● developing criteria for membership on the board of directors and committees;
● identifying individuals qualified to become members of the board of directors;
● recommending persons to be nominated for election as directors and to each committee of the board of directors;
● annually reviewing our corporate governance guidelines; and
● monitoring and evaluating the performance of the board of directors and leading the board in an annual self-assessment of its practices and effectiveness.
Our nominating and corporate governance committee consists of Wayne D. Linsley, Carly Luogameno and Joseph Nelson, with Mr. Linsley serving as chair. Our board of directors has adopted a written charter for the nominating and corporate governance committee, which is available on our principal corporate website at www.datchat.com.
Code of Business Code and Ethics Conduct
We have adopted a written code of business conduct and ethics that applies to our directors, officers and employees, including our principal executive officer, principal financial officer, principal accounting officer or controller, or persons performing similar functions. A copy of the code posted on our website, www.datchat.com. In addition, we intend to post on our website all disclosures that are required by law or rules concerning any amendments to, or waivers from, any provision of the code.
Anti-hedging
We do not currently have a policy prohibiting employees, officers, or directors from engaging in transactions that hedge or offset, or are designed to hedge or offset, any decrease in the market value of the Company’s equity securities.
Changes in Nominating Procedures
None.
Board Diversity Matrix
Our nominating and corporate governance committee is committed to promoting diversity on our Board of Directors. We have surveyed our current directors and asked each director to self-identify their race, ethnicity, and gender using one or more of the below categories. The results of this survey are included in the matrix below:
Board Diversity Matrix (As of March 28, 2024)
Total Number of Directors
Part I: Gender Identity Female Male Non-Binary Did Not
Disclose Gender
Directors
Part II: Demographic Background
African American or Black
Alaskan Native or Native America
Asian
Hispanic or Latinx
Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander
White
Two or More Races or Ethnicities
LGBTQ+
Did Not Disclose Demographic Background

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ITEM 11. EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION
ITEM 11. EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION
Summary Compensation Table
The following table sets forth for the year ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, the compensation awarded to, paid to, or earned by, our Chief Executive Officer and two other most highly compensated executive officers, whose total compensation during such years exceeded $100,000. We refer to these officers as our “named executive officers.”
Name and Principal Position Year Salary
($) Bonus
($) Stock
Awards
($) Option Awards
($)1 Non-Equity
Incentive Plan
Compensation
($) Nonqualified
Deferred
Compensation
Earnings
($) All Other
Compensation
($) Total
($)
Darin Myman $ 450,000 $ 300,000 $ - $ - $ - $ - $ - $ 750,000
Chief Executive Officer $ 450,000 $ - $ - $ - $ - $ - $ - $ 450,000
Brett Blumberg $ 60,000 - - $ 15,543 - - - $ 75,543
Chief Financial Officer $ 52,500 - - - - - - $ 52,500
Peter Shelus $ 275,000 $ - $ - $ - $ - $ - $ - $ 275,000
Chief Technology Officer $ 268,750 $ - $ - $ - $ - $ - $ - $ 268,750
(1) As required by SEC rules, the amounts in this column reflect the grant date or modification date fair value as required by FASB ASC Topic 718. A discussion of the assumptions and methodologies used to calculate these amounts is contained in the notes to our financial statements under “Shareholders’ Deficit”. In September 2023, Mr. Blumberg received 5,000 stock options to purchase 5,000 shares of restricted stock at $15.00 per share.
Outstanding Equity Awards at December 31, 2023
The following table provides information regarding option awards held by each of our named executive officers that were outstanding as of December 31, 2023.
STOCK AWARDS
Name Number of
Securities
Underlying
Unexercised
options (#)
Exercisable Equity
Incentive Plan
Awards:
Number of
Securities
Underlying
Unexercised
Unearned
Options (#)
Unexercisable Equity
Incentive Plan
Awards:
Number of
Securities
Underlying
Unexercised
Unearned
Options (#) Option
Exercise
Price
($) Option
Expiration
Date Number
of Shares
or Units
of Stock
that have
not
Vested
(#) Market
Value of
Shares or
Units of
Stock
that
Have not
Vested
($) Equity
Incentive
Plan
Awards:
Number of
Unearned
Shares,
Units or
Other Rights
that have
not
Vested
(#) Equity
Incentive
Plan
Awards:
Market or
Payout
Value of
Unearned
Shares,
Units or
other Rights
that have not
Vested
($)
Darin Myman 25,000 - - 350.00 9/28/2026 - - - -
Brett Blumberg 5,000 - - 15.00 9/06/2028 - - - -
Non-Employee Director Compensation
The following table presents the total compensation for each person who served as a non-employee member of our Board of Directors and received compensation for such service during the fiscal year ended December 31, 2023. Other than as set forth in the table and described more fully below, we did not pay any compensation, make any equity awards or non-equity awards to, or pay any other compensation to any of the non-employee members of our Board of Directors in 2023.
Name
Fees
earned
or paid
in cash
($)
Stock
Awards
($)
Option
Awards
($)
Non-Equity
Incentive Plan
Compensation
($)
Nonqualified
deferred
compensation earnings
($)
All Other Compensation
($)
Total
($)
Joseph Nelson
36,000
13,322
49,322
Carly Luogameno
36,000
13,322
49,322
Wayne Linsley
60,000
13,322
73,322
(1) As required by SEC rules, the amounts in this column reflect the grant date or modification date fair value as required by FASB ASC Topic 718. A discussion of the assumptions and methodologies used to calculate these amounts is contained in the notes to our financial statements under “Shareholders’ Deficit”. In February 2023, each director received 2,500 stock options to purchase 2,500 shares of restricted stock at $12.50 per share.
Employment Agreements
On August 27, 2021, we entered into an agreement (the “Employment Agreement”) with Darin Myman effective as of August 15, 2021 pursuant to which Mr. Myman’s (i) base salary will increase to $450,000 per year, and (ii) Mr. Myman shall be entitled to receive an annual bonus in an amount up to $350,000, which annual bonus may be increased by the Compensation Committee of the Board of Directors of the Company (the “Compensation Committee”), in its sole discretion, upon the achievement of additional criteria established by the Compensation Committee from time to time (the “Annual Bonus”). The term of the Employment Agreement will continue for a period of one year from the effective date and automatically renews for successive one year periods at the end of each term until either party delivers written notice of their intent not to review at least six (6) months prior to the expiration of the applicable term. In addition, pursuant to the Employment Agreement, upon termination of Mr. Myman’s employment for death or Total Disability (as defined in the Employment Agreement), in addition to any accrued but unpaid compensation and vacation pay through the date of his termination and any other benefits accrued to him under any Benefit Plans (as defined in the Employment Agreement) outstanding at such time and the reimbursement of documented, unreimbursed expenses incurred prior to such termination date (collectively, the “Payments”), Mr. Myman shall be entitled to the following severance benefits: (i) 24 months of his then base salary; (ii) if Mr. Myman elects continuation coverage for group health coverage pursuant to COBRA Rights (as defined in the Employment Agreement), then for a period of 24 months following Mr. Myman’s termination he will be obligated to pay only the portion of the full COBRA Rights cost of the coverage equal to an active employee’s share of premiums (if any) for coverage for the respective plan year; and (iii) payment on a pro-rated basis of any Annual Bonus or other payments earned in connection with any bonus plan to which Mr. Myman was a participant as of the date of his termination (together with the Payments, the “Severance”). Furthermore, pursuant to the Employment Agreement, upon Mr. Myman’s termination (i) at his option (A) upon 90 days prior written notice to the Company or (B) for Good Reason (as defined in the Employment Agreement), (ii) termination by the Company without Cause (as defined in the Employment Agreement) or (iii) termination of Mr. Myman’s employment within 40 days of the consummation of a Change in Control Transaction (as defined in the Employment Agreement), Mr. Myman shall receive the Severance; provided, however, Mr. Myman shall be entitled to a pro-rated Annual Bonus of at least $200,000. In addition, any equity grants issued to Mr. Myman shall immediately vest upon termination of Mr. Myman’s employment by him for Good Reason or by the Company at its option upon 90 days prior written notice to Mr. Myman, without Cause.
Brett Blumberg Employment Agreement
On February 15, 2022, we entered into an employment agreement with Brett Blumberg effective as of February 15, 2022 pursuant to which Mr. Blumberg will serve as Chief Financial Officer of the Company (the “Blumberg Employment Agreement”). The term of the Blumberg Employment Agreement will continue for a period of one year from the Effective Date and automatically renews for successive one year periods at the end of each term until either party delivers written notice of their intent not to review at least 30 days prior to the applicable renewal date. Pursuant to the terms of the Blumberg Employment Agreement, Mr. Blumberg (i) shall receive an annual base salary of $60,000 (effective as of February 15, 2022), (ii) shall be entitled to earn a bonus, subject to the sole discretion of the Company’s Board and (iii) shall be eligible to receive awards pursuant to the Company’s equity incentive plans, subject to the sole discretion of the Company’s compensation committee. Mr. Blumberg is also entitled to participate in any and all Employee Benefit Plans (as defined in the Blumberg Employment Agreement), from time to time, that are then in effect along with vacation, sick and holiday pay in accordance with the Company’s policies established and in effect from time to time. The Blumberg Employment Agreement may be terminated by either the Company or Mr. Blumberg at any time and for any reason upon 10 days prior written notice. Upon termination of the Blumberg Employment Agreement, Mr. Blumberg shall be entitled to (i) any equity award that has vested prior to the termination date, (ii) reimbursement of expenses incurred on or prior to such termination date and (iii) such employee benefits to which Mr. Blumberg may be entitled as of the termination date (collectively, the “Accrued Amounts”). The Blumberg Employment Agreement shall also terminate upon Mr. Blumberg’s death or the Company may terminate Mr. Blumberg’s employment upon his Disability (as defined in the Blumberg Employment Agreement). Upon the termination of Mr. Blumberg’s employment for death or Disability, Mr. Blumberg shall be entitled to receive the Accrued Amounts. The Blumberg Employment Agreement also contains covenants prohibiting Mr. Blumberg from disclosing confidential information with respect to the Company.

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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 beneficial ownership of shares of our common stock as of March 28, 2024 by (i) each person known to beneficially own more than 5% of our outstanding common stock, (ii) each of our directors, (iii) each of our named executive officers and (iv) all of our directors and named executive officers as a group. Except as otherwise indicated, the persons named in the table below have sole voting and investment power with respect to all shares beneficially owned, subject to community property laws, where applicable.
Name Shares Percentage(2)
Directors, Director Nominees, Named Executive Officers and Named Executive Officer Nominees(1)
Darin Myman (3) 201,428 9.56 %
Peter Shelus 100,000 4.94 %
Brett Blumberg (5) 5,000 -
Wayne D. Linsley (4) 7,500 -
Joseph Nelson (4) 7,500 -
Carly Luogameno (4) 7,500 -
All Director, Director Nominees, Named Executive Officers and Named Executive Officer Nominees as a group (6 persons) 328,928 15.0 %
* Represents beneficial ownership of less than 1%.
(1) The address of each holder listed below, except as otherwise indicated, is 204 Neilson Street, New Brunswick, New Jersey 08901.
(2) The calculation in this column is based upon 20,234,066 shares of common stock outstanding on March 28, 2024. Beneficial ownership is determined in accordance with the rules of the SEC and generally includes voting or investment power with respect to the subject securities. Shares of common stock that are currently exercisable or convertible within 60 days of March 28, 2024 are deemed to be beneficially owned by the person holding such securities for the purpose of computing the percentage beneficial ownership of such person, but are not treated as outstanding for the purpose of computing the percentage beneficial ownership of any other person.
(3) Includes 25,000 vested stock options.
(4) Includes 7,500 of vested stock options.
(5) Includes 5,000 of vested stock options.
Securities Authorized for Issuance Under Equity Compensation Plans
The following table summarizes information about our equity compensation plans as of December 31, 2023.
Plan Category Number of
securities to
be issued
upon
exercise of
outstanding options, warrants
and rights
(a) Weighted average
exercise
price of
outstanding options, warrants
and rights Number of
securities remaining available for future
issuance under
equity compensation plans
(excluding securities reflected in
column (a))
Equity compensation plans approved by security holder 158,670 $ 105.30 141,330
Equity compensation plans not approved by security holder - - -
Total 158,670 $ 105.30 141,330

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ITEM 13. CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED TRANSACTIONS
ITEM 13. CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED TRANSACTIONS, AND DIRECTOR INDEPENDENCE
The following includes a summary of transactions during our fiscal years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022 to which we have been a party, including transactions in which the amount involved in the transaction exceeds the lesser of $120,000 or 1% of the average of our total assets at year-end for the last two completed fiscal years, and in which any of our directors, executive officers or, to our knowledge, beneficial owners of more than 5% of our capital stock or any member of the immediate family of any of the foregoing persons had or will have a direct or indirect material interest, other than equity and other compensation, termination, change in control and other arrangements, which are described elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. We are not otherwise a party to a current related party transaction, and no transaction is currently proposed, in which the amount of the transaction exceeds the lesser of $120,000 or 1% of the average of our total assets at year-end for the last two completed fiscal years and in which a related person had or will have a direct or indirect material interest.
Transactions with Related Persons
Except as described below and except for employment arrangements which are described under “executive compensation,” since January 1, 2019, there has not been, nor is there currently proposed, any transaction in which we are or were a participant, the amount involved exceeds the lesser of $120,000 or 1% of the average of the total assets at December 31, 2023 and 2022, and any of our directors, executive officers, holders of more than 5% of our common stock or any immediate family member of any of the foregoing had or will have a direct or indirect material interest.
Our Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Darin Myman, from time to time, provides advances to the Company for working capital purposes. On December 31, 2023 and 2022, the Company had a payable to Mr. Myman of $0 and $1,315, respectively, which is presented as due to related party on the balance sheets. These advances are short-term in nature and non-interest bearing. During the year ended December 31, 2023, the Company repaid $1,315.
Related Persons Transaction Policy
We have adopted a formal policy regarding approval of transactions with related parties. For purposes of our policy only, a related person transaction is a transaction, arrangement or relationship, or any series of similar transactions, arrangements or relationships, in which we and any related person are, were or will be participants in which the amount involved exceeds the lesser of $120,000 or one percent of our total assets at year-end for our last two completed fiscal years. Transactions involving compensation for services provided to us as an employee or director are not covered by this policy. A related person is any executive officer, director or beneficial owner of more than 5% of any class of our voting securities, including any of their immediate family members and any entity owned or controlled by such persons.
Under the policy, if a transaction has been identified as a related person transaction, including any transaction that was not a related person transaction when originally consummated or any transaction that was not initially identified as a related person transaction prior to consummation, our management must present information regarding the related person transaction to our audit committee, or, if audit committee approval would be inappropriate, to another independent body of our board of directors, for review, consideration and approval or ratification. The presentation must include a description of, among other things, the material facts, the interests, direct and indirect, of the related persons, the benefits to us of the transaction and whether the transaction is on terms that are comparable to the terms available to or from, as the case may be, an unrelated third party or to or from employees generally. Under the policy, we will collect information that we deem reasonably necessary from each director, executive officer and, to the extent feasible, significant shareholder to enable us to identify any existing or potential related-person transactions and to effectuate the terms of the policy. In addition, under our code of business conduct and ethics, our employees and directors will have an affirmative responsibility to disclose any transaction or relationship that reasonably could be expected to give rise to a conflict of interest. In considering related person transactions, our audit committee, or other independent body of our board of directors, will take into account the relevant available facts and circumstances including, but not limited to:
● the risks, costs and benefits to us;
● the impact on a director’s independence in the event that the related person is a director, immediate family member of a director or an entity with which a director is affiliated;
● the availability of other sources for comparable services or products; and
● the terms available to or from, as the case may be, unrelated third parties or to or from employees generally.
The policy requires that, in determining whether to approve, ratify or reject a related person transaction, our audit committee, or other independent body of our board of directors, must consider, in light of known circumstances, whether the transaction is in, or is not inconsistent with, our best interests and those of our shareholders, as our audit committee, or other independent body of our board of directors, determines in the good faith exercise of its discretion.
Independence of the Board of Directors
Our board of directors undertook a review of the independence of our directors and considered whether any director has a relationship with us that could compromise that director’s ability to exercise independent judgment in carrying out that director’s responsibilities. Our board of directors has affirmatively determined that Wayne D. Linsley, Carly Luogameno and Joseph Nelson are each an “independent director,” as defined under Nasdaq rules.

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ITEM 14. PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTING FEES AND SERVICES
ITEM 14. PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTANT FEES AND SERVICES
The following table sets forth the aggregate fees billed by Salberg & Company, P.A. for the year ended December 31, 2023, and D. Brooks and Associates CPAs, P.A. for the year ended December 31, 2022 as described below:
Audit Fees $ 78,600 $ 68,238
Audit Related Fees $ - $ -
Tax Fees $ - $ -
All Other Fees $ - $ -
Total $ 78,600 $ 68,238
Audit Fees: Audit fees consist of fees billed for the professional services rendered to us for the audit of our annual consolidated financial statements for the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, reviews of the quarterly financial statements during the periods, the issuance of consent and comfort letters in connection with registration statement filings, and all other services that are normally provided by the accounting firm in connection with statutory and regulatory filings and engagements.
2023 audit fees include approximately $78,600 in Salberg & Company, P.A. fees in connection with the audits and quarterly reviews for the year ended December 31, 2023 and approximately $68,238 in D. Brooks and Associates fees in connection with the quarterly reviews, audit consents and registration statement consents for the year ended December 31, 2022.
Audit-Related Fees: Fees not included in audit fees that are billed by the auditor for assurance and related services that are reasonably related to the performance of the audit of the financial statements.
Tax Fees: Fees for professional services rendered for tax compliance, tax advice, and tax planning.
All Other Fees: All other fees billed by the auditor for products and services not included in the foregoing categories.
Pre-Approval Policies and Procedures
In accordance with Sarbanes-Oxley, our audit committee charter requires the audit committee to pre-approve all audit and permitted non-audit services provided by our independent registered public accounting firm, including the review and approval in advance of our independent registered public accounting firm’s annual engagement letter and the proposed fees contained therein. The audit committee has the ability to delegate the authority to pre-approve non-audit services to one or more designated members of the audit committee. If such authority is delegated, such delegated members of the audit committee must report to the full audit committee at the next audit committee meeting all items pre-approved by such delegated members. In the fiscal years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022 all of the services performed by our independent registered public accounting firm were pre-approved by the audit committee.
PART IV

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ITEM 15. EXHIBITS, FINANCIAL STATEMENT SCHEDULES
ITEM 15. EXHIBITS AND FINANCIAL STATEMENT SCHEDULES
(a) The following documents are filed as part of this report:
(1) Financial Statements:
Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm (PCAOB Firm ID: 106)
Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm (PCAOB Firm ID: 4048)
Consolidated Balance Sheets
Consolidated Statements of Operations
Consolidated Statements of Changes in Stockholders’ Equity
Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements
The consolidated financial statements required by this Item are included beginning at page.
(1) Financial Statement Schedules:
All financial statement schedules have been omitted because they are not applicable, not required or the information required is shown in the consolidated financial statements or the notes thereto.
(b) Exhibits
The following documents are included as exhibits to this report.
Exhibit Number
Title of Document
3.1
Amended and Restated Articles of Incorporation (Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.1 to the Company’s Form S-1 filed on July 2, 2021)
3.2
Amended and Restated Bylaws (Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.2 to the Company’s Form S-1/A filed on August 9, 2021)
3.3
Amendment No.1 to Amended and Restated Bylaws (Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.1 to the Company’s Form 8-K filed on October 26, 2022)
3.4
Certificate of Designation of Series A Preferred Stock (Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.3 to the Company’s Form S-1/A filed on August 9, 2021)
3.5
Certificate of Designation of Series B Preferred Stock (Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.1 to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed on August 7, 2023)
3.6
Certificate of Amendment to Amended and Restated Articles of Incorporation (Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.4 to the Company’s Form S-1/A filed on August 9, 2021)
3.7
Certificate of Change to Amended and Restated Articles of Incorporation (Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.5 to the Company’s Form S-1/A filed on August 9 2021)
3.8
Certificate of Change to Amended and Restated Articles of Incorporation (Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.1 to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed on September 19, 2023)
3.9
Certificate of Correction to Amended and Restated Articles of Incorporation (Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.1 of the Company’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed on November 13, 2023)
3.10
Certificate of Change to Amended and Restated Articles of Incorporation (Incorporated by reference to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed on December 28, 2023)
4.1
Form of Series A Warrant Agent Agreement including Form of Series A Warrant (Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.1 to the Company’s Form S-1/A filed on August 9, 2021)
4.2
Form of Representative’s Warrant (Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.2 to the Company’s Form S-1/A filed on August 9, 2021)
4.3
Form of Stock Certificate (Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.3 to the Company’s Form S-1/A filed on August 9, 2021)
4.4
2021 Equity Incentive Plan and forms of award agreements thereunder (Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.2 to the Company’s Form S-1/A filed on August 9, 2021)
4.5
Amended and Restated 2021 Omnibus Equity Incentive Plan (Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.1 to the Company’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed on November 13, 2023)
4.6
Underwriting Agreement dated January 16, 2024 between DatChat, Inc. and EF Hutton LLC (Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 1.1 to the Company’s Form 8-K filed on January 19, 2024)
4.7
Form of Pre-Funded Warrant (included as Exhibit A to Exhibit 1.1) (Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.1 to the Company’s Form 8-K filed on January 19, 2024)
4.8*
Description of Registrant’s Securities
10.1+
Employment Agreement between the Company and Brett Blumberg (Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to the Company’s Form 8-K filed on February 16, 2022)
10.2
Form of Subscription and Investment Representation Agreement (Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to the Company’s Form 8-K filed on August 7, 2023)
21.1*
Subsidiaries
23.1*
Consent of Salberg & Company, P.A.
23.2*
Consent of D. Brooks CPAs, P.A.
31.1*
Certification of the Chief Executive Officer pursuant to Rule 13a-14(a) of the Exchange Act, as adopted pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002
31.2*
Certification of the Chief Financial Officer pursuant to Rule 13a-14(a) of the Exchange Act, as adopted pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002
32.1*
Certification of the Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer pursuant to Rule 13a-14(b) of the Exchange Act and 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, as adopted pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002
97.1*
DatChat, Inc. Clawback Policy
101.INS*
Inline XBRL Instance Document
101.SCH*
Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Schema Document
101.CAL*
Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Calculation Linkbase Document
101.LAB*
Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Label Linkbase Document
101.PRE*
Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Presentation Linkbase Document
101.DEF*
Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Definition Linkbase Document
104*
Cover Page Interactive Data File - the cover page of the Registrant’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2023 is formatted in Inline XBRL
* Filed herewith.
+ Indicates a management contract or any compensatory plan, contract or arrangement.