Panacea Life Sciences Holdings, Inc 10-K for FY2021
Panacea Life Sciences Holdings, Inc. (PLSH)
About this 10-K
Panacea Life Sciences Holdings, Inc filed this 10-K on March 31, 2022, covering the fiscal year ended December 31, 2021 (FY2021).
Headline figures
Fiscal year ended December 31, 2021, as reported in this filing, compared with the same period a year earlier where the filing states it.
- Revenue
- $2.06M
- down 77.2% from $9.02M a year earlier
- Net loss
- $4.78M
- compared with a net loss of $5.23M a year earlier
UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
Form
(Mark One)
For
the fiscal year ended:
For the transition period from _____________ to _____________
Commission
File Number:
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
| (State or other jurisdiction of | (I.R.S. Employer | |
| incorporation or organization) | Identification No.) |
(Address of principal executive offices, Zip Code)
(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)
Exactus, Inc. 80 NE 4th Avenue, Suite 28, Delray Beach, FL 33483
(Former Name, Former Address and Former Fiscal Year if Changed Since Last Report)
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:
| Title of each class | Trading Symbol(s) | Name of each exchange on which registered | ||
| N/A | N/A | N/A |
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act: Common Stock, par value $0.0001 per share
Indicate
by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act. Yes ☐
Indicate
by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act. Yes ☐
Indicate
by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act during
the past 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such
filing requirements for the past 90 days.
Indicate
by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically, every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule
405 of Regulation S-T (§ 232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant
was required to submit such files).
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer”, “smaller reporting company” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.
| Large Accelerated Filer ☐ | Accelerated Filer ☐ | |
| Smaller reporting company | ||
| Emerging growth company |
If
an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying
with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act.
Indicate
by check mark whether the registrant has filed a report on and attestation to its management’s assessment of the effectiveness
of its internal control over financial reporting under Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (15 U.S.C. 7262(b)) by the registered
public accounting firm that prepared or issued its audit report.
Indicate
by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act). Yes ☐
The
aggregate market value of the voting and non-voting common equity held by non-affiliates computed by reference to the price at which
the common equity was last sold, or the average bid and asked price of such common equity, as of the last business day of the registrant’s
most recently completed second fiscal quarter, June 30, 2021, was approximately $
State the number of shares outstanding of each of the issuer’s classes of common stock, as of the latest practicable date: shares of common stock, par value $0.0001 per share, outstanding as March 15, 2022.
Documents Incorporated by Reference
TABLE OF CONTENTS
| i |
Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
This Annual Report on Form 10-K may contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including statements about our new and planned operations in the hemp industry through our subsidiary, Panacea Life Sciences, Inc. (“Panacea” or “PLS”), our expected revenue growth, our future plans and developments with respect to PPE products and the COVID-19 pandemic, research conducted at the Panacea Life Sciences Cannabinoid Lab at Colorado State University and plans, goals and anticipated results in connection therewith, our human resources following our acquisition of Panacea, proposed federal legislation and its potential impact on the CBD industry, our business relationship with XXII, our plans for our current and future products and our marketing and sales strategy including our intention to expand into new markets, our plans to raise capital, and our liquidity. Words such as “expects,” “anticipates,” “plans,” “believes,” “seeks,” “estimates,” “could,” “would,” “may,” “intends,” “targets” and similar expressions or variations of such words are intended to identify forward-looking statements but are not the exclusive means of identifying forward-looking statements in this Report. The identification of certain statements as “forward-looking” is not intended to mean that other statements not specifically identified are not forward-looking. All statements other than statements about historical facts are statements that could be deemed forward-looking statements, including, but not limited to, statements that relate to our future revenue, product development, customer demand, market acceptance, growth rate, competitiveness, gross margins, and expenditures.
Although forward-looking statements in this Report reflect the good faith judgment of our management, such statements can only be based on facts and factors currently known by us. Consequently, forward-looking statements are inherently subject to risks and uncertainties discussed under the heading “Risk Factors” within Part I, Item 1A of this Report, and other documents we file from time-to-time with the SEC. Such risks, uncertainties and changes in condition, significance, value, and effect could cause our actual results to differ materially from those expressed herein and in ways not readily foreseeable. Readers are urged not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this Report and are based on information currently and reasonably known to us. We undertake no obligation to revise or update any forward-looking statements to reflect any event or circumstance that may arise after the date of this Report, other than as required by law. Readers are urged to carefully review and consider the various disclosures made in this Report, which attempt to advise interested parties of the risks and factors that may affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.
| ii |
PART I
Item 1. Business
General
Panacea Life Sciences Holdings, Inc. (the “Company”, “we”, “us”, “our”) is a seed to sale cannabinoid and nutraceutical manufacturer and research company that produces purposeful, natural pharmaceutical alternatives for consumers and pets. We manufacture and sell softgels, gummies, tinctures, sublingual tablets, cosmetics, and other topicals. The Company operates through its wholly-owned subsidiary, Panacea Life Sciences, Inc. (“PLS” or “Panacea”), which the Company acquired in a reverse merger in June 2021. Panacea was founded by Leslie Buttorff in 2017 as a woman-owned business. Panacea was formed to own and engage in creating disruptive healthcare and veterinary solutions with a specific focus on hemp. In 2020 PLS also expanded into the Personal Protection Equipment (“PPE”) business on a temporary basis.
Recent Developments
Effective October 25, 2021 we completed the 1-for-28 reverse stock split as well as the name change from Exactus, Inc. to Panacea Life Sciences Holdings, Inc.
On October 25, 2021, of the 10,649,078 shares of EXDI Common Stock issued to Quintel-MC, Incorporated (an affiliate of our Chief Executive Officer) were exchanged for 100 shares of Series C-2 Convertible Preferred Stock (the “Parent C-2 Stock”) which are convertible into 7,321,429 shares of Parent Common Stock and are entitled to vote on an as-converted basis. Other than the conversion and voting rights, there are no other preferences for the Parent C-2 Stock.
On November 18, 2021, the Company and an institutional investor signed an agreement for a $1.1 million original issue discount convertible note (the “Note”) financing in which the investor is paying $1 million in gross proceeds. The one-year Note is convertible into common stock at $1.40 per share. We also issued the investor 785,715 warrants to purchase common stock at an exercise price of $1.40 per share. The warrants are exercisable over a five-year period beginning May 18, 2022. The parties also entered into a Registration Rights Agreement giving the investor certain demand registration rights. After payment of a 10% commission to a broker-dealer, the adjusted net proceeds received by us were $900,000 before expenses including legal fees of the investor.
On March 3, 2022, the Company entered into an Exchange Agreement (the “Agreement”) with an institutional investor (the “Investor”) pursuant to which the Company agreed to issue a 10% original issue discount senior convertible promissory note in the principal amount of $385,000 (the “Note”) and five-year warrants to purchase 275,000 shares of the Company’s common stock, par value $0.0001 per share at an exercise price of $1.40 per share (the “Warrants”) in exchange for 350 shares of the Company’s 0% Series A Convertible Preferred Stock (“Series A”). The Agreement was entered into after the Investor exercised the most favored nation rights contained in Section 7(b) of the Company’s Certificate of Designation of Preferences, Rights and Limitations of the Series A in connection with the consummation of a private placement with an institutional investor (the “Purchaser”) on November 18, 2021.
Our Competitive Analysis
We believe that our competitive advantages are derived from being vertically integrated that allows for extraction, enrichment and manufacturing under a cGMP quality environment: 1) Using pharmaceutical formulation methods to optimize the delivery of various hemp products, 2) Developing both full spectrum and THC-free products, 3) Hemp supply, and 4) utilize Good Manufacturing Practice to produce goods that are safe and quality products that deliver consistent dosing. The ability to produce both full spectrum products (those that contain <0.3%) and THC-free products allows us to optimize dosage and delivery to various human conditions. Removal of the THC from products is a difficult and expensive process, but we believe this is essential for specific patient populations; such as, athletes where testing positive for THC would lead to disqualification, first responders who would be terminated for testing positive for THC, and in animal products where even a small amount of THC can lead to toxicity and potential lethality. Industrial hemp extracts are found to have particular application as neuroprotectants, for example in limiting neurological damage and increasing speed of recovery with traumatic brain injury. The cannabinoids have also been reported to treat human disease conditions where currently multiple pharmacologicals are needed to address, e.g., Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), or where there is no current cure such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s Disease, and age-related dementia, to name a few.
| 1 |
Although numerous reports describe cannabis/hemp extract health benefits the industry lacks sufficient clinical data and quality control to provide patient benefit. We are combining human and pet clinical studies with Good Manufacturing Process manufacturing to generate a panel of products. Our products are formulated with delivery methods for health benefits including an intellectual property portfolio enabling development of topical creams, sublinguals, oral soft gel capsules, patches, and sprays. Our products are derived from organic practices industrial hemp grown in Colorado.
We believe a multitude (hundreds) of companies, large and small, have launched or intend to launch retail brands and white label products containing cannabinoids like CBD, including retail and seed-to-sale companies that are larger and better capitalized than we are and/or which offer products similar to ours with a larger geographic scope of operations and a market presence. Many of these are dependent upon third parties to provide raw material inventory for sale. We believe this makes many of the participants in the industry vulnerable to shortages, quality issues, reliability, and pricing variability. Our industry relationships may allow us to build an efficient supply chain that will put us among the few companies that maintain a competitive pricing and supply advantage. The CBD-based consumer product industry is highly fragmented with numerous companies. There are also large, well-funded companies that currently do not offer hemp-based consumer products including large agribusiness companies but may do so in the future and become significant competitors. Our goal is to be a leader in wholesale and retail sales channels for end-products, such as nutraceuticals, supplements and pet and farm products. As government regulation of CBD and related products becomes more lenient in certain jurisdictions, and other barriers to entry decline, we anticipate experiencing an increase in competition and an intensifying competitive environment, including potentially the introduction of new seed-to-sale companies and/or the expansion of operations by current competitors. Further, numerous other factors are expected to be critical to our ability to be and remain competitive in our business and goals, including product quality and prices, brand strength, production and distribution capabilities and geographic scope of operations and market presence. Additionally, market conditions can shift demand for CBD products, such as competitive pricing, the effects of inflation, regulatory changes and economic or geopolitical turmoil.
Our Intellectual Property
We operate in every segment of the cannabinoid product value chain. From the hemp plant to finished goods, we ensure our products with stringent testing protocols employed at every stage of the supply chain. In year 2021 we obtained registration for three of our six brands and our mark. Panacea endeavors to offer pure natural remedies within product lines for every aspect of life, Our portfolio includes the following trademarks and registrations: PANA Health™, PANA Beauty®, PANA Sport™, PANA Pet®, PANA Life® and PANA Pure™ and our PANA logo mark™.
Research and Development
In October 2021, the Panacea Life Sciences Cannabinoid Lab at Colorado State University, or CSU, was opened. The cannabinoid research center is conducting numerous studies and clinical research with the goal of extending our knowledge of how cannabis extracts affect human and animal health. We will work through the center to form multiple research collaborations as well as perform our own studies in multiple therapeutic areas. The lab is housed in the Chemistry Building in the heart of the CSU campus. The objective is to develop the center into a leader in cannabinoid research nation- and world-wide as the industry continues to grow. Panacea and CSU will work collaboratively on new projects and clinical research studies.
Our Sales Strategy
As previously described, since our products contain little to no THC, we have the ability to sell our products across the United States and internationally. We have established a multi-faceted sales strategy targeting:
| ● | global ecommerce platform for fulfilling orders and shipping worldwide where legally permitted; | |
| ● | direct pharmacy placement; | |
| ● | direct placement in retail stores, salons, spas, athletic facilities, etc. | |
| ● | Intelligent vending machines | |
| ● | Kiosks in Denver International Airport | |
| ● | E-commerce based systems and social media |
| 2 |
In addition, we have established several other sales channels via sales representatives (“reps”), e-commerce (selling directly to customers), large bulk sales to suppliers and to dispensaries. We are working to establish a multi-tiered sales strategy focused on utilizing representatives for education and sales. The sales team is comprised of independent representatives (1099 consultants) that are compensated by commission only. We have over 20 sales reps that have signed up to be in the sales channel. The e-commerce sales platform also works with the commissioned based sales. All sales commissions are tracked and paid via our integrated systems.
We also manufacture products for several other companies for various white label and contract manufacturing deals. We specialize in bovine and vegan soft gel manufacturing. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, these business lines were approximately 30% of our revenue. We plan to reinitiate these product lines in 2022.
Marketing and Distribution
We distribute our products to various businesses across the United States through channels optimized to the individual needs of customers. Our business to business (B2B) as well as business to customer (B2C) approaches allow much flexibility for healthcare providers the ability to recommend specific treatment options using cannabinoids as a replacement for conventional pharmaceuticals.
We are recruiting key service providers to leverage the power of online sales and social media placement. We have placed products on various online cannabidiol (CBD) sales stores and has launched product sales on Amazon.com. As product ambassadors are secured, we intend to increase its online and social media exposure to advance a business-to-consumer and business to business distribution model.
In 2021, we engaged Karsh Hagan, an independent, multi-disciplined marketing, design and technology company in Denver, Colorado to assist with brand development and roll out strategies. Currently we sell over 60 different product SKUs of CBD and Cannabigerol (CBG) products. In addition, we offer “white label” licensing to retail businesses and contract manufacturing services to smaller CBD companies. We plan to continue to build an integrated healthcare organization by creating products and programs using emerging botanical extracts. We deliver these programs through managed agriculture, pharmaceutical production, physician education, distribution and social media networks. We use our intellectual property in extraction technology, proprietary compounds, delivery systems, and distribution to produce high-quality products in terms of control, consistency, accountability, and packaging.
All of our products are stored in a secure distribution area in preparation for delivery to various sales channels, healthcare providers and other retail locations. The laboratory and production facility have the capacity for domestic and international delivery fulfillment and for international export. All products are tracked and securely manifested for delivery to retail and medical offices for distribution.
In 2018, our operating subsidiary PLS, a Colorado corporation, entered into an agreement with Canna Software/Quintel-MC, Incorporated, a related party, to research and define Panacea Life Sciences business and manufacturing processes. The ERPCannabis system based on an SAP architecture was used to develop the base installation. All financial, human resource, payroll, procurement, production planning and materials management business processes are represented in this system. In addition, the system is linked to our e-Commerce web site. This system allows us to update product costing and determine inventory levels which will be critical as the company expands. In addition, sophisticated financial and payroll processing are inherent in the solution; thus, offering investors detailed accounting results related to company investments. (See Note 6 under related party transactions in Notes Payable.)
Our Industrial Hemp Supply
In 2019, Panacea Life Sciences acquired Needle Rock Farms (NRF) in Crawford, Colorado. Our 2020 hemp crop was grown at NeedleRock Farms. Also, in December, 2019 Twenty Second Century Group, Inc. (Nasdaq: XXII) (“XXII”) made a $14 million investment in Panacea which consisted of $7 million in preferred stock and $7 million in convertible debt. XXII also was to provide an additional $10 million in funding at a later point in time. On June 30, 2021 Panacea and XXII agreed to dissolve the agreement and agreed on the following: the preferred stock was converted to common stock; a $4.3 million loan was secured against the laboratory space owned by J&N Real Estate, LLC (owned by Panacea’s CEO), the NRF and equipment would be transferred to XXII in exchange for a reduction of $2.2 million in convertible debt, 10 acres of the farm would be sub platted to Panacea, $500,000 in hemp would be delivered from the 2021 crop yield, and a 15-year agreement for hemp supply would be finalized after the deal was completed. In 2021 XXII was the grower at NRF and used organic practices for the crop. As of the date of this Report, XXII has not delivered the $500,000 of hemp to Panacea, nor have we closed on the 10 acres. However, we also have the 2020 crop and several hemp tolling contracts in which the output of crude and or distillate is shared with the growers to process.
Biotechnology Goals
We seek to take advantage of an emerging worldwide trend to utilize the production of cannabinoids derived from industrial hemp, such as CBD, CBDA, CBG, and other minor cannabinoids, to produce consumer products. Hemp is being used in cosmetics, nutritional supplements, and animal feed, where we also intend to focus our efforts. The market for hemp-derived products is expected to increase substantially over the next five years.
| 3 |
The therapeutic potential of cannabinoids is attributable to the valuable overlap between phyto-cannabinoids (i.e., plant-derived cannabinoids) and the endogenous cannabinoid system in humans, termed a “therapeutic handshake”. Clinical trials demonstrate few adverse effects from oral CBD doses of up to 1,500 mg/day. The scientific understanding of the hemp plant’s clinical effects is based mostly on studies in specific indications, like epilepsy. One company, GW Pharmaceuticals pls, a company developing pharmaceutical drugs and cannabinoid-based medicines, has sought and obtained US and foreign approvals since 2018. EPIDIOLEX®/EPIDYOLEX® (cannabidiol), the first prescription, plant-derived cannabis-based medicine approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for use in the U.S. and the European Commission (EC) for use in Europe, is an oral solution which contains highly purified CBD. In the U.S., EPIDIOLEX® is indicated for the treatment of seizures associated with Lennox-Gastaut syndrome (LGS), Dravet syndrome or Tuberous Sclerosis Complex (TSC) in patients one year of age and older. Panacea has produced a similar product for sale.
Environmental Matters
Compliance with federal, state and local requirements regulating the discharge of materials into the environment, or otherwise relating to the protection of the environment, has not had, nor is expected to have, any direct material effect on our capital expenditures, earnings or competitive position.
Government Regulations
On December 20, 2018, the President of the United States signed the Farm Bill into law. Among other things, this new law changed certain federal laws relating to the production and marketing of hemp, defined as cannabis (Cannabis sativa L.), and hemp products containing less than 0.3 percent delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC, including removing hemp and derivatives of hemp from the Controlled Substance Act. On January 15, 2021 the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) issued its final rule regarding the Establishment of a Domestic Hemp Production Program which authorized hemp to be grown and processed legally in the United States and made it legal to transport in interstate commerce.
The Farm Bill recognizes hemp as distinct from its genetic cousin, marijuana, and specifically industrial hemp has been excluded from U.S. federal drug laws. The Farm Bill allows for each individual state to regulate industrial hemp and industrial hemp-based products or accept the USDA rules. Although no longer a controlled substance under federal law, cannabinoids derived from industrial hemp (other than THC) are still subject to a patchwork of state regulations. We are actively monitoring the regulations and proposed regulations in each state to ensure our operations are compliant.
In conjunction with the enactment of the Farm Bill, the FDA released a statement about the status of CBD and the agency’s actions in the short term with regards to CBD are expected to continue to influence the industry. The statement noted that the Farm Bill explicitly preserved the FDA’s authority to regulate products containing cannabis or cannabis-derived compounds under Section 351 of the Public Health Service Act. This authority allows the FDA to continue enforcing the law to protect patients and the public while also providing potential regulatory pathways for products containing cannabis and cannabis-derived compounds. The statement also noted the growing public interest in cannabis and cannabis-derived products, including CBD, and informed the public that the FDA will treat products containing cannabis or cannabis-derived compounds as it does any other FDA-regulated products — meaning the products will be subject to the same authorities and requirements as FDA-regulated products containing any other substance, regardless of the source of the substance, including whether the substance is derived from a plant that is classified as hemp under the Farm Bill.
As of the date of this Report, and based upon publicly available information, to our knowledge the FDA has not taken any enforcement actions against CBD companies. The FDA, however, has sent warning letters to companies demanding they cease and desist from the production, distribution, or advertising of CBD products, only relating to instances that such CBD companies have made misleading and unapproved label claims. We will continue to monitor the FDA’s position on CBD. In December 2020, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) announced it was going to seek penalties against companies making deceptive marketing claims and named 6 companies which it had targeted for making egregious and unsupported health claims. On March 5, 2021, the FTC approved the final administrative consent orders with all 6 companies. We are unaware of any further actions and we will continue to monitor the FTC’s position with regards to deceptive marketing claims.
| 4 |
We are subject to federal and state consumer protection laws, including laws protecting the privacy of customer non-public information and the handling of customer complaints and regulations prohibiting unfair and deceptive trade practices. The growth and demand for online commerce has and may continue to result in more stringent consumer protection laws that impose additional compliance burdens on online companies. These laws may cover issues such as user privacy, spyware and the tracking of consumer activities, marketing e-mails and communications, other advertising and promotional practices, money transfers, pricing, product safety, content and quality of products and services, taxation, electronic contracts and other communications and information security.
There is also great uncertainty over whether or how existing laws governing issues such as sales and other taxes, auctions, libel, and personal privacy apply to the internet and commercial online services. These issues may take years to resolve. For example, tax authorities in a number of states, as well as a Congressional advisory commission, are currently reviewing the appropriate tax treatment of companies engaged in online commerce, and new state tax regulations may subject us to additional state sales and income taxes. New legislation or regulation, the application of laws and regulations from jurisdictions whose laws do not currently apply to our business or the application of existing laws and regulations to the internet and commercial online services or other contexts applicable to our operations could result in significant additional taxes or regulatory restrictions on our business. These taxes or restrictions could have an adverse effect on our cash flows, results of operations and overall financial condition. Furthermore, there is a possibility that we may be subject to significant fines or other payments for any past failures to comply with these requirements.
Potential Impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Our Business Operations
As disclosed in Note 2 to our consolidated financial statements, the COVID-19 pandemic has had a notable impact on general economic conditions, including but not limited to the temporary closures of many businesses, “shelter in place” and other governmental regulations, reduced business and consumer spending due to both job losses and reduced investing activity, among many other effects attributable to the COVID-19 pandemic, and there continue to be many unknowns. During 2020, COVID-19 had a significant impact on our CBD operations. Recognizing the sudden need for personal protective equipment, we shifted our business to importing and selling PPE hand sanitizers and masks.
The Omicron variant which had a significant impact in the second half of 2021 and early 2022. While a new variant is replacing Omicron, the economy has substantially reopened and it is uncertain as the impact it may have. The duration and extent of the impact from the COVID-19 pandemic depends on future developments that cannot be accurately predicted at this time, such as the severity and transmission rate of the virus and its many variants, the extent and effectiveness of containment actions including vaccinations and the impact of these and other factors on our employees, customers, partners and vendors. If we are not able to respond to and manage the impact of such events effectively, our business will be harmed.
Potential Impacts of Certain Current and Proposed Regulations on Our Business and Operations
Recently, a bill titled the Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act, put forward by Senate Majority leader Chuck Schumer, D-NY, would amend the definition of a dietary supplement to remove the prohibition on marketing CBD as a dietary supplement. Management sees the bill, if enacted, as an opportunity for the FDA to accelerate their decision to classify CBD products as a dietary supplement. This would be a significant step for hemp/CBD companies as it would open the door to new selling opportunities, such as getting into retail stores, who have largely been hesitant to welcome CBD in their doors without a clear position from the FDA.
Many people are increasingly turning to CBD products for several reasons: CBD is non-psychoactive, so it does not produce a “high” like THC, there are few known contraindications, the properties of different cannabinoids can positively affect a wide range of ailments, and cannabinoids work directly and indirectly with the body’s endocannabinoid system to create balance known as homeostasis. As demand increases, we believe the FDA must provide more clarity about CBD’s legalization, and this bill is a promising first step.
Human Capital
On December 31, 2021 we had 35 employees, including 29 full-time employees. There are no collective bargaining agreements covering any of our employees. Panacea is registered as a Woman-Owned Business as its founder, majority shareholder and CEO is female.
We believe that our success depends on our ability to attract, develop and retain key personnel. We believe that the skills, experience and industry knowledge of our key employees significantly benefit our operations and performance.
Employee health and safety in the workplace is one of our core values. The COVID-19 pandemic has underscored for us the importance of keeping our employees safe and healthy. In response to the pandemic, we have taken actions aligned with the World Health Organization and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in an effort to protect our workforce so they can more safely and effectively perform their work. Panacea does not have a remote workforce.
Employee levels are managed to align with the pace of business and management believes it has sufficient human capital to operate its business successfully.
Additional information
We file annual, quarterly and other reports, proxy statements and other information with the SEC. The SEC maintains a website at www.sec.gov that contains reports, proxy and information statements, and other information regarding issuers such as our company that file electronically with the SEC.
Our corporate website address is www.panacealife.com. We make available free of charge, through the Investor section of our website, annual reports on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and current reports on Form 8-K and amendments to those reports filed or furnished pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Exchange Act as soon as reasonably practicable after we electronically file such material with, or furnish it to, the SEC. The information which appears on our corporate website is not part of this Report.
| 5 |
Item 1A. Risk Factors
RISK FACTORS
Investing in our common stock involves a high degree of risk. Investors should carefully consider the following Risk Factors before deciding whether to invest in us. Additional risks and uncertainties not presently known to us, or that we currently deem immaterial, may also impair our business operations or our financial condition. If any of the events discussed in the Risk Factors below occur, our business, financial condition, results of operations or prospects could be materially and adversely affected. In such case, the value and marketability of our common stock could decline.
Summary Risk Factors
Our business is subject to numerous risks and uncertainties that you should consider before investing in our common stock. Set forth below is a summary of the principal risks we face:
| ● | We need to raise capital through the sale of our common stock or securities convertible or exercisable into our common stock soon which will have a dilutive effect on our existing stockholders; | |
| ● | Our ability to continue as a going concern is in doubt unless we obtain adequate new debt or equity financing and achieve sufficient sales levels; | |
| ● | Because we require additional capital to execute our business plan and expand our operations, our inability to generate and obtain such capital on acceptable terms, or at all, could harm our business, operating results, financial condition and prospects; | |
| ● | We are highly dependent on our Chief Executive Officer, and the loss of her services or a conflict of interest arising from her loans to us and her other business endeavors would adversely affect us; | |
| ● | Our business and the CBD industry generally are subject to substantial regulation and governmental scrutiny characterized by high compliance costs and uncertainty, including the possibility that laws change in a manner adverse to us; | |
| ● | the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the U.S. and global economy, and the uncertainty relating to its continuation and the pace of economic recovery, could hinder our business plan or force us to change our production efforts; | |
| ● | Panacea’s operations and our new Chief Executive Officer were not previously subject to the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) reporting obligations, which could render us difficult to evaluate and expose us to risk; | |
| ● | If we are unable to keep up with rapid technological change, consumer preferences and economic developments in our industry or in general, our products may become obsolete. | |
| ● | We could become subject to data privacy and security claims or enforcement actions, particularly due to our digital marketing efforts; | |
| ● | We may become subject to product liability or related claims based on our production and sale of products containing chemical compounds designed to be ingested or applied topically; | |
| ● | Our Chief Executive Officer, directly and through entities she controls, owns a majority of our outstanding common stock and voting power on an as-converted basis, rendering other stockholders’ ability to influence matters before them limited in most cases; and | |
| ● | Operational risks such as material weaknesses and other deficiencies in internal control over financial reporting could result in errors, potentially requiring restatements of our historical financial data, leading investors to lose confidence in our reported results. |
| 6 |
Our ability to continue as a going concern is in doubt unless we obtain adequate new debt or equity financing and achieve sufficient sales levels.
Our auditors have issued their audit opinion which is qualified based upon our ability to continue as a going concern. We have incurred significant net losses to date. We anticipate that we will continue to lose money for the foreseeable future. Additionally, we have negative cash flows from operations and we our revenue may exceed our expenses in the next 12 months. Since our inception in 2017, we have generated losses from operations. As of December 31, 2021, our accumulated deficit was $16.8 million, and we had $3.8 million in cash and liquid stock. Our continued existence is dependent upon generating sufficient working capital and obtaining adequate new debt or equity financing. These factors raise doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern for a period of 12 months from the issuance date of this Report. Management cannot provide assurance that we will ultimately achieve or maintain profitable operations or become cash flow positive or raise additional debt and/or equity capital. Because of our continuing losses, without improvements in our cash flow from operations or new financing, we may have to continue to restrict our expenditures. Working capital limitations may impinge on our day-to-day operations, which may contribute to continued operating losses.
Operational risks such as material weaknesses and other deficiencies in internal control over financial reporting could result in errors, potentially requiring restatements of our historical financial data, leading investors to lose confidence in our reported results.
There are a number of factors that may impede our efforts to establish and maintain effective internal controls and a sound accounting infrastructure, including our lacking a Chief Financial Officer, our pace of growth, and general uncertainty regarding the operating effectiveness and sustainability of controls. Controls and procedures, no matter how well designed and operated, provide only reasonable assurance that material errors in our financial statements will be prevented or detected on a timely basis. Any failure to establish and maintain effective internal controls over financial reporting increases the risk of material error and/or delay in our financial reporting. Depending on the nature of a failure and any required remediation, ineffective controls could have a material adverse effect on our business and potentially result in additional restatements of our historical financial results. Financial restatements or other issues arising from ineffective controls and our recent change of our auditors could also cause investors to lose confidence in our reported financial information, which would have an adverse effect on the trading price of our securities. Delays in meeting our financial reporting obligations could affect our ability to maintain the listing of our securities. Although we seek to reduce these risks through active efforts relating to properly documented processes, adequate systems, risk culture, compliance with regulations, corporate governance and other factors supporting internal controls, such procedures may not be effective in limiting each of the operational risks.
Risks Related to Our Business and the CBD Industry
Because we need to raise additional capital any financing based on our common stock or common stock equivalents will dilute our existing stockholders and the terms of any such financing could impose restrictions on our operations.
We have depended upon loans from our Chief Executive Officer and principal stockholder and prior to November 18, 2021, we have primarily financed our operations by borrowing funds from her. On November 18, 2021, we entered into an agreement with an institutional investor for a $1.1 million original issue discount convertible note. See Item 1, Business. We will require additional capital to execute our business plan and we do not know if investors will be interested in purchasing additional shares our common stock or common stock equivalents or, if any financing will be on terms that are less attractive to us. To the extent that we raise additional capital through the sale of common stock or common stock equivalents, our stockholders will be diluted. Further, the terms of such financings may include liquidation or other preferences that adversely affect the rights of existing stockholders. Debt financings may involve an equity component, such as convertible notes and warrants, which could also result in dilution of our existing stockholders’ ownership. The incurrence of indebtedness would result in increased fixed payment obligations and could also result in certain restrictive covenants, such as limitations on our use of the proceeds, prohibitions on incurring additional debt or making subsequent dilutive issuances of securities, limitations on our ability to acquire or license intellectual property rights and other operating restrictions that could adversely impact our ability to conduct our business. Additionally, if we were to default on such indebtedness, we could lose any assets and intellectual property with which the indebtedness is secured. We received no additional cash proceeds from this transaction.
Because, we are highly dependent on the services of Leslie Buttorff, our Chief Executive Officer, the loss of her and our inability to expand our management team, could harm our business.
Our success is largely dependent on the continued services of Leslie Buttorff, our Chief Executive Officer and principal stockholder. The loss of the services of Ms. Buttorff would leave us without executive leadership, which could diminish our business and growth opportunities. Additionally, Ms. Buttorff has business interests outside our company, including as an owner and officer of a consulting company and of a real estate holding company each of which hold shares in us as a result of the recent share exchange under the Exchange Agreement. Accordingly, from time-to-time she may not devote her full time and attention to our affairs, which could have a material adverse effect on our operating results, and there can be no assurance that a conflict of interest will not arise from her other business ventures. Further, as of December 31, 2021, Ms. Buttorff holds demand promissory notes totaling $9,704,894 at various interest rates ranging from 0% to 12%. Thus, she has the power to call the notes and obtain all of our assets. As of this date of this Report, additional funds have been borrowed. Additionally, we have a line of credit with Ms. Buttorff through which it may borrow up to $1 million at a 10% annual interest rate. The fact that she continues to advance money and is our principal stockholder reflects her intent to support us.
We will also need to build an executive management team around Ms. Buttorff, including locating and hiring a Chief Financial Officer and other executive officers, which could be a time consuming and expensive process and divert management’s attention from other pressing matters concerning our operations or growth. The market for highly qualified personnel in this industry is very competitive and we may be unable to attract such personnel in a timely manner, on favorable terms or at all. If we are unable to attract and retain the required personnel, our business could be harmed.
| 7 |
The loss of Ms. Buttorff would have a material adverse effect on us. We do not have key man insurance on the life of Ms. Buttorff. Ms. Buttorff’s Employment Agreement with us (the “Employment Agreement”) permits her to resign for good reason which includes our material breach of the Employment Agreement including our failure to pay her. In the event Ms. Buttorff terminates her Employment Agreement for good reason, this would result in the us owing her approximately $760,000 in severance pay plus any earned bonuses and other benefits and would leave us without an executive officer which may have a material adverse effect upon us, your investment, and hamper our ability to continue operations. As of this date, the Company has not paid Ms. Buttorff a salary and continues to accrue this liability. If we fail to procure the services of additional executive management or implement and execute an effective contingency or succession plan for Ms. Buttorff, the loss of Ms. Buttorff would significantly disrupt our business from which we may not be able to recover.
If we are unable to develop and maintain our brand and reputation for our product offerings, our business and prospects could be materially harmed.
Our business and prospects depend, in part, on developing and then maintaining and strengthening our brand and reputation in the markets we serve. If problems with our products cause our customers to have a negative experience or failure or delay in the delivery of our products to our customers, our brand and reputation could be diminished. If we fail to develop, promote and maintain our brand and reputation successfully, our business and prospects could be materially harmed.
Because we face intense competition, we may not be able to increase our market share which would materially and adversely affect us.
Our industry is highly competitive. It is possible that future competitors could enter our market, thereby causing us to lose market share and revenues or fail to grow our operations and market presence as intended or at all. In addition, some of our current competitors have, or future competitors may have, significantly greater financial, technical, marketing and other resources than we do or may have more experience or advantages in the markets in which we will compete that will allow them to offer lower prices or higher quality products. If we do not successfully compete with these competitors, we could fail to develop a sufficient market share to achieve our goals and our future business prospects could be materially adversely affected.
The pet health and wellness industry is highly competitive. We compete on the basis of product and ingredient quality, product availability, palatability, brand awareness, loyalty and trust, product variety and innovation, product packaging and design, reputation, price and convenience and promotional efforts. The pet products and services retail industry has become increasingly competitive due to the expansion of pet-related product offerings by certain supermarkets, warehouse clubs, and other mass and general retail and online merchandisers and the entrance of other specialty retailers into the pet food and pet supply market.
We face direct competition from companies that sell various pet health and wellness products at a lower price point and distribute such products to traditional retailers, which are larger than we are and have greater financial resources. Price gaps between products may result in market share erosion and harm our business. Our current and potential competitors may also establish cooperative or strategic relationships amongst themselves or with third parties that may further enhance their resources and offerings. Further, it is possible that domestic or foreign companies, some with greater experience in the pet health and wellness industry or greater financial resources than we possess, will seek to provide products or services that compete directly or indirectly with ours in the future.
Many of our current competitors have, and potential competitors may have, longer operating histories, greater brand recognition, significantly greater financial, marketing and other resources and larger customer bases than we do. These factors may allow our competitors to derive greater net sales and profits from their existing customer base, acquire customers at lower costs or respond more quickly than we can to new or emerging technologies and changes in consumer preferences or habits. These competitors may engage in more extensive research and development efforts, undertake more far-reaching marketing campaigns and adopt more aggressive pricing policies (including but not limited to predatory pricing policies and the provision of substantial discounts), which may allow them to build larger customer bases or generate net sales from their customer bases more effectively than we do.
Our competitors may be able to identify and adapt to changes in consumer preferences more quickly than us due to their resources and scale. They may also be more successful in marketing and selling their products, better able to increase prices to reflect cost pressures and better able to increase their promotional activity, which may impact us and the entire pet health and wellness industry. Increased competition as to any of our products could result in price reduction, increased costs, reduced margins and loss of market share, which could negatively affect our profitability. While we believe we are better equipped to customize products for the pet health and wellness market generally as compared to other companies in the industry, there can be no assurance that we will be able to successfully compete against these other companies. Expansion into markets served by our competitors and entry of new competitors or expansion of existing competitors into our markets could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
We may face difficulties as we expand our business and operations into jurisdictions in which we have no prior operating experience.
We plan in the future to expand our operations and business into jurisdictions outside of the jurisdictions where we currently carry on business. There can be no assurance that any market for our products will develop in any such foreign jurisdiction. We may face new or unexpected risks or significantly increase our exposure to one or more existing risk factors, including economic instability, new competition, changes in laws and regulations, including the possibility that we could be in violation of these laws and regulations as a result of such changes, and the effects of competition. These factors may limit our capability to successfully expand our operations in, or export our products to, those other jurisdictions.
We must accurately forecast demand for all of our products in order to ensure that we have enough products available to meet the needs of our customers. Our forecasts are based on multiple assumptions that may cause our estimates to be inaccurate and affect our ability to obtain adequate third-party contract manufacturing capacity in order to meet the demand for our products. If we do not accurately align our manufacturing capabilities with demand, our business, financial condition and results of operations may be materially adversely affected.
In addition, we must continuously monitor our inventory and product mix against forecasted demand. If we underestimate demand, we risk having inadequate supplies. We also face the risk of having too much inventory on hand that may reach its expiration date and become unsalable, and we may be forced to rely on markdowns or promotional sales to dispose of excess or slow-moving inventory. If we are unable to manage our supply chain effectively, our operating costs could increase and our profit margins could decrease.
Because the sale of our products involves the potential for product liability, we may incur significant losses and expenses in excess of our insurance coverage.
We face an inherent risk of exposure to product liability claims if the use of our products results in, or is believed to have resulted in, illness or injury. Our products are designed for ingestible or topical use and contain combinations of ingredients, and there is little experience with or knowledge of the long-term effects of these combinations. In addition, interactions of these ingredients and products with other products, prescription medications and over-the-counter treatments have not been fully explored or understood and may have unintended consequences. Future research or results may lead to the discovery of unknown adverse side effects from CBD, which would harm our business and materially and adversely affect our financial condition.
Although we believe all of our products will be safe when taken as directed by us, there is little long-term research on the effects of human consumption of certain of the new product ingredients or combinations in concentrated form that we use or may in the future use in developing our CBD products. Any instance of illness or negative side effects of ingesting CBD products or applying them topically on the skin could have a material adverse effect on our business and operations by, among other things, exposing us to the risk of costly litigation and/or governmental sanctions and dramatically reducing the demand for some or all of our products.
Any product liability claim or related developments from our products or CBD in general may increase our costs and adversely affect our revenue, product demand and operating results. Moreover, liability claims arising from a serious adverse event may increase our costs through higher insurance premiums and deductibles and may make it more difficult to secure adequate insurance coverage in the future. In addition, our product liability insurance may fail to cover future product liability claims, which, if adversely determined, could subject us to substantial monetary damages. Finally, we may sustain a judgment in excess of our insurance coverage.
| 8 |
The success of our business will depend upon our ability to create and expand our brand awareness.
The health and wellness and CBD markets we compete in are highly competitive, with many well-known brands leading the industry. Our competitors include CBD companies who have a longer history operating in these markets than we do. Our ability to compete effectively and generate revenue will be based upon our ability to create and expand awareness of our products distinct from those of our competitors. It is imperative that we are able to convey to consumers the benefits of our products both in general and as compared to competitive offerings. However, advertising, packaging and labeling of our products is limited by various regulations. Our success will be dependent upon our ability to convey to consumers that our products are superior to those of our competitors while complying with complex and varying regulations in the markets in which we attempt to market and sell them.
If we fail to develop and introduce new products it will adversely affect our future prospects.
Our industry is subject to rapid change. New products are constantly introduced to the market. Our ability to remain competitive depends in part on our ability to enhance existing products, to develop and manufacture new products in a timely and cost-effective manner, to adequately anticipate, prepare and execute strategies for market transitions, and to effectively market our products. Management believes that our future financial results will depend to a great extent on the successful expansion of our current product offerings and on the development and introduction of new products. We cannot be certain that we will be successful in selecting, developing, manufacturing and marketing new products or in improving upon or enhancing the market for existing products.
The success of new product introductions or expansions to new territories depends on various factors, including, without limitation, the following:
| ● | Successful sales and marketing efforts; |
| ● | Timely delivery of the products; |
| ● | Availability of raw materials and/or sufficient production facilities; |
| ● | Pricing of raw materials and labor; |
| ● | Regulatory allowance and restrictions of the products; and |
| ● | Market acceptance and consumer sentiment. |
If we fail to appropriately respond to changing consumer preferences and demand for new products, it could significantly harm our customer relationships and product sales and harm our operating results and financial condition.
Our business is subject to changing consumer trends and preferences, especially with respect to targeted nutrition and natural wellness products. Our success will depend in part on our ability to anticipate and respond to these changes, and we may not respond in a timely or commercially appropriate manner to such changes. Furthermore, the health and wellness industry is characterized by rapid and frequent changes in demand for products and new product introductions and enhancements. Our failure to accurately predict these trends could negatively impact consumer opinion of our products, which in turn could harm our customer relationships and product demands and cause the loss of sales. The success of our product offerings depends upon a number of factors, including our ability to:
| ● | Accurately anticipate consumer needs; |
| ● | Successfully commercialize new products or product enhancements in a timely manner; |
| ● | Price our products competitively; |
| ● | Arrange for the production and delivery our products in sufficient volumes and in a timely manner; |
| ● | Differentiate our products from those of our competitors; and |
| ● | Innovate and develop new products or product enhancements that meet these trends. |
If we do not meet these challenges, some of our products could be rendered obsolete, which could negatively impact our operating results and financial condition.
| 9 |
Adverse publicity associated with our products or ingredients, or those of our competitors or similar businesses, could adversely affect our sales and revenue.
Adverse publicity concerning any actual or purported failure by us or our competitors to comply with applicable laws and regulations or concerning any other aspect of our business or the CBD industry could have an adverse effect on the public perception of us and our products. This, in turn, could negatively affect our ability to obtain financing, endorsers and attract distributors, retailers or consumers for our products, which would have a material adverse effect
Our distributors’ and customers’ perception of the safety, utility and quality of our products or even similar products distributed by others can be significantly influenced by national media attention, publicized scientific research or findings, product liability claims and other publicity concerning our products or similar products distributed by others. Adverse publicity, whether or not accurate, that causes a perceived connection between consumption of our products or any similar products and illness or other adverse effects, will likely diminish the public’s perception of and in turn the demand for our products. Claims that any products are ineffective, inappropriately labeled or have inaccurate instructions as to their use, could have a material adverse effect on the market demand for our products, including reducing our sales and revenue, which would have a material adverse effect on our business.
If we are unable to manufacture our products in sufficient quantities or at defined quality specifications or are unable to maintain regulatory approvals for our production facility, we may be unable to develop or meet demand for our products and lose time to market and potential revenues.
Commercialization of our products require access to, or development of, facilities to manufacture a sufficient supply of our products. In the future we may face difficulties in the development, production or distribution of our products. We may need to outsource the testing or manufacturing process or other aspects of our commercialization efforts, and
We may face competition for access to any third-party supply sources, development or production partners and facilities such as hemp growers and may be subject to production delays if any of those third parties give their other business partners a higher priority than they give to us. Even if we are able to identify additional or replacement third-parties, the delays and costs associated with establishing and maintaining a relationship with such third parties may have a material adverse effect on us. Further, a reduction in the control of our production efforts would be inherent in any such outsourcing, which exposes us to a greater risk of liability, including regulatory enforcement actions for alleged noncompliance with law and product liability claims. This could also result in lower product quality which could negatively impact demand for our offerings or our competitive advantage. Any of these challenges could prevent us from achieving our business objectives and harm your investment in us.
If the market opportunities for our current and potential future products are less lucrative than anticipated, our ability to generate revenues may be adversely affected and our business may suffer.
Our understanding, expectation and estimates of the market for our current and future products may prove to be incorrect, and new test results or studies, reports, legislative or regulatory developments or other factors beyond our control may result in the market for our products being lower than anticipated on a regional, national or global scale. The number of individuals in the U.S. who are willing to purchase our products may be lower than expected, or expectations for repetitive purchases and consumption may prove to be incorrect. These occurrences could materially adversely affect our prospects and operational results.
If we are unable to establish relationships with third parties to carry out sales, marketing, and distribution functions or to create effective marketing, sales, and distribution capabilities, we will be unable to market our products successfully.
Our business strategy includes using third parties to market and sell the products at the retail level. There can be no assurance that we will successfully be able to establish marketing, sales, or distribution relationships with a sufficient number of third parties to meet our goals, that such relationships, if established, will be successful, or that we will be successful in gaining market acceptance for current or future products. To the extent that we enter into any marketing, sales, or distribution arrangements with third parties, our product revenues per unit sold are expected to be lower than
| 10 |
if we marketed, sold, and distributed our products directly, and any revenues we receive will depend upon the efforts of such third parties.
If we are unable to establish such third-party marketing and sales relationships, we would have to establish and grow in-house marketing and sales capabilities. To market any products directly, we would have to build a marketing, sales, and distribution force that has technical expertise and could support a distribution capability. Competition in the health and wellness and CBD industries for technically proficient marketing, sales, and distribution personnel is intense, and attracting and retaining such personnel may significantly increase our costs. There can be no assurance that we will be able to establish internal marketing, sales, or distribution capabilities or that these capabilities will be sufficient to meet our needs.
We face and may continue to face business disruption and related risks arising from the COVID-19 pandemic, which has had and could continue to have a material adverse effect on our business.
Our production and development and sale of our products has been and could continue to be materially adversely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. In response to the pandemic, we began producing and selling personal protective equipment such as hand sanitizer and face masks in 2020. In 2021, sales levels declined as the pandemic began to be contained. We rely upon CBD sales in retail stores including convenience stores and have not created a material online sales presence. Sales of our CBD products declined as a result of the pandemic, due in part to decreased demand caused by economic hardship and uncertainty and production challenges caused by supply shortages and the lockdowns. While vaccinations beginning in 2021 allowed for the reopening of the economy, the recent “Delta” and “Omicron” variants of the virus, potential new variants of the virus, as well as reduced efficacy of vaccines over time and the possibility that a large number of people decline to get vaccinated or receive booster shots, creates inherent uncertainty as to the future of our business, our industry and the economy in general in light of the pandemic.
We are still assessing our business plans and the impact COVID-19 may have on our ability to commercialize our products, but there can be no assurance that this analysis will enable us to avoid or mitigate part or all of any impact from the spread of COVID-19 or its consequences, including macroeconomic downturns. The duration and extent of the impact from the COVID-19 pandemic depends on future developments that cannot be accurately predicted at this time, such as the severity and transmission rate of the virus and its many variants, the extent and effectiveness of containment actions including vaccinations and the impact of these and other factors on our employees, customers, partners and vendors. If we are not able to respond to and manage the impact of such events effectively, our business will be harmed.
Because of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the effect on the capital markets and the economy is uncertain, and we may have to deal with a recessionary economy and economic uncertainty including possible material adverse effects upon our business.
Because of the Russian Invasion of Ukraine, the effect on the capital markets and the economy is uncertain, and as a result we may have to deal with a recessionary economy and economic uncertainty, including possible adverse effects upon our ability to raise capital as and when needed. As a result of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, certain events are beginning to affect the global and U.S. economy including increased inflation, substantial increases in the prices of oil and gas, large Western companies ceasing to do business in Russia and uncertain capital markets with declines in leading market indexes. The duration of this war and its impact are at best uncertain. Ultimately the economy may turn into a recession with uncertain and potentially severe impacts upon public companies and us, including our ability to raise capital. We cannot predict how this will affect our operations or the industries in which we operate, however any such impact may be material and adverse.
If our information technology systems are compromised, the information we store and process, including our intellectual property, could be accessed, publicly disclosed, lost or stolen, which could harm our business, relationships with strategic partners and future results of operations.
Companies are increasingly suffering damage from attacks by hackers and there is a general risk that the Russia may adopt widespread Internet hacking as a weapon in the Ukrainian war, which hacking may ultimately affect us. In the ordinary course of business, we store sensitive information, such as our intellectual property, including trade secrets and results of our clinical and preclinical research, and that of our suppliers and business partners, on a central server, and such information is transmitted via email correspondence. The secure maintenance and processing of this information is critical to our research and development activities and future operations. Despite our security measures, our information technology and infrastructure may be vulnerable to attacks by hackers or breaches due to employee error, malfeasance or other disruptions. Any such breach could compromise our information technology systems and the information stored there could be accessed by third parties, publicly disclosed, lost or stolen. Any such unauthorized access, disclosure, misappropriation or other loss of information could result in disruption of our operations, including our existing and future research collaborations, and damage our reputation, which in its turn could harm our business and future results of operations.
We have a limited operating history upon which investors can evaluate our future prospects.
Our subsidiary was founded and began operations in the CBD industry in 2017 and we therefore have a limited operating history upon which an evaluation of our business plan or performance and prospects can be made. Our business and prospects must be considered in the light of the potential problems, delays, uncertainties and complications encountered in connection with a business which is still in its early stages in a relatively new industry characterized by unexpected change. The risks include, but are not limited to, the possibility that we fail to develop functional and scalable products, or that although functional and scalable, our products will not be economical to market in order to become or remain profitable; that our competitors hold proprietary rights precluding us from marketing such products; that our competitors offer a superior or equivalent product or otherwise achieve or maintain greater market acceptance than us; that we are unable to upgrade or improve our processes and products to accommodate new features and expand our offerings; or that we fail to receive or maintain necessary regulatory clearances and compliance for our products and operations. In order to grow our revenue, we must develop and improve upon our brand name recognition and competitive advantages for our products and expand into new markets. Even if we accomplish such growth, resulting expenses may be greater than estimated, which could reduce or even eliminate any revenue gains for which such endeavors were made. There are no assurances that we can successfully address these challenges. If we are unsuccessful, our business, financial condition and operating results could be materially and adversely affected.
| 11 |
If the market for CBD products declines, it would materially and adversely affect our business.
Following the passage of the 2018 Farm Bill described below, our industry experienced an influx of hemp farmers and producers which resulted in a saturated marketplace. As a result, the supply for CBD and related products has in the past exceeded demand. This trend has reduced prices and affected our gross margins and could force us to reduce our prices to remain competitive or could result in lower sales levels than we have experienced in the past, either of which would result in a decline in revenue or growth rate and could materially adversely affect our financial condition and prospects.
If we fail to attract new customers in a cost-effective manner, our business may be harmed.
A large part of our success depends on our ability to attract new customers in a cost-effective manner. We have made, and may continue to make, significant investments in attracting new customers through increased advertising spends on social media, radio, podcasts, and targeted email communications, other media and events, sponsorships, and influencer sponsorships. Marketing campaigns can be expensive and may not result in the cost-effective acquisition of customers. Further, as our brand becomes more widely known, future marketing campaigns may not attract new customers at the same rate as past campaigns and the cost of acquiring new customers may increase over time. Additionally, regulation, algorithms, or participants in the digital marketing ecosystem may change rules for our industry or access to available demographics which may result in significant changes in the ability to target key demographic pools, impacting our ability to target our customers effectively. If we are unable to attract new customers, or fail to do so in a cost-effective manner, our business may be harmed.
Even if we meet our growth objectives and our enter into new markets as intended, we may face difficulties evaluating our current and future business prospects, and we may be unable to effectively manage any growth associated with these achievements, which would increase the risk of your investment losing value and could harm our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
Our entry into new markets and/or growth in our product offering or consumer base may place a significant strain on our resources and increase demands on our executive management, personnel and operational systems, and our human, administrative and financial resources may be inadequate to meet these demands. We may also be unable to effectively manage any expanded operations or achieve planned growth on a timely or profitable basis, particularly if the number of customers using our products significantly increases within a short period of time. If we are unable to manage expanded operations effectively, we may experience operating inefficiencies, the quality of our products could decline, and our business and results of operations could be materially adversely affected.
If we cannot manage our growth effectively, our results of operations would be materially and adversely affected.
We expect to experience growth as we raise additional capital. Businesses which grow rapidly often have difficulty managing their growth while maintaining their compliance and quality standards. If we grow as rapidly as anticipated, we will need to expand our management by recruiting and employing additional executive and key personnel capable of providing the necessary support. There can be no assurance that management, along with staff, will be able to effectively manage our growth nor can there be any assurance that growth in our product offerings, customer base or contracts will translate to an increase in revenue or profitability. Any failure to meet the challenges associated with rapid growth could materially and adversely affect our business and operating results.
Existing or future governmental regulations relating to CBD products may harm or prevent our ability to produce and/or sell our product offerings.
While a majority of state governments in the United States have legalized the growing, production, and use of CBD in some form and subject to certain restrictions, cannabis remains illegal under federal law. In addition, in July 2017, the United States Drug Enforcement Agency issued a statement that certain CBD extractions fall within the definition of marijuana and are therefore a Schedule I controlled substance under the Controlled Substances Act of 1970, as amended. Thus, the cannabis industry, including companies which sell products containing CBD, faces significant uncertainty surrounding regulation by the federal government, which could claim supremacy over state regulatory regimes including those with a “friendlier” view toward CBD products. While the federal government has for several years chosen to not intervene in the cannabis business conducted legally within the states that have legislated such activities, there is, nonetheless, potential that the federal government may at any time choose to begin enforcing its laws against the manufacture, possession, or use of cannabis-based products such as CBD. Similarly, there is the possibility that the federal government may enact legislation or rules that authorize the manufacturing, possession or use of those products under specific guidelines. Local, state and federal cannabis laws and regulations are broad in scope and subject to evolving interpretations. In the event the federal government was to tighten its regulation of the industry, we would likely suffer a material adverse effect on our business, including potentially substantial losses.
| 12 |
Because laws and regulations affecting our industry are evolving, changes to any regulation may materially affect our CBD products.
In conjunction with the enactment of the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 (the “Farm Bill”), the FDA released a statement about the status of CBD as a nutritional supplement, and the agency’s actions in the short term with regards to CBD will guide the industry. As a company whose products contain CBD, we intend to meet all FDA guidelines as the regulations evolve. Any difficulties in compliance with future government regulation could increase our operating costs and adversely impact our results of operations in future periods.
In addition, as a result of the Farm Bill’s passage, we expect that there will be a constant evolution of laws and regulations affecting the CBD industry which could affect our operations. Local, state and federal hemp laws and regulations may be broad in scope and subject to changing interpretations. These changes may require us to incur substantial costs associated with legal and compliance fees and ultimately require us to alter our business plan. Furthermore, violations of these laws, or alleged violations, could disrupt our business and result in a material adverse effect on our operations. In addition, we cannot predict the nature of any future laws, regulations, interpretations or applications, and it is possible that regulations may be enacted in the future that will be directly applicable to our business.
Unexpected changes in federal and state law could cause any of our current products, as well as products that we intend to develop and launch, containing hemp-derived CBD oil to be illegal, or could otherwise prohibit, limit or restrict any of our products containing CBD.
Our business is based on the production and distribution of products containing hemp-derived CBD. The Farm Bill, which amended various sections of the U.S. Code, and legalized the cultivation and sale of industrial hemp at the federal level, subject to compliance with certain federal requirements and state law. There can be no assurance that the Farm Bill will not be repealed or amended such that our products containing hemp-derived CBD would once again be deemed illegal under federal law.
The Farm Bill delegates the authority to the states to regulate and limit the production of hemp and hemp-derived products within their territories. Although many states have adopted laws and regulations that allow for the production and sale of hemp and hemp-derived products under certain circumstances, no assurance can be given that such state laws may not be repealed or amended such that our intended products containing hemp-derived CBD would once again be deemed illegal under the laws of one or more states now permitting such products, which in turn would render such intended products illegal in those states under federal law even if the federal law is unchanged. In the event of either repeal of federal or of state laws and regulations, or of amendments thereto that are adverse to our intended products, we may be restricted or limited with respect to those products that we may sell or distribute, which could adversely impact our intended business plan with respect to such intended products.
Additionally, the FDA has indicated that certain products containing CBD are not permissible under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (the “FDCA”), notwithstanding the passage of the Farm Bill. On December 20, 2018, after the Farm Bill became law, then FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb issued a statement in which he reiterated the FDA’s position that CBD products that are marketed with a claim of therapeutic benefit must be approved by the FDA for their intended use before they may be distributed in interstate commerce and that the FDCA prohibits interstate distribution of food products containing CBD and marketing products containing CBD as a dietary supplement, regardless of whether the substances are hemp-derived. Although we believe our existing and planned CBD products comply with applicable federal and state laws and regulations, legal proceedings alleging violations of such laws could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and financial condition, including expensive legal fees and other costs. Sources of hemp-derived CBD depend upon legality of cultivation, processing, marketing and sales of products derived from those plants under state law.
| 13 |
Hemp-derived CBD can only be legally produced in states that have laws and regulations that allow for such production and that comply with the Farm Bill, apart from state laws legalizing and regulating medical and recreational cannabis or marijuana, which remains illegal under federal law. This is one of the reasons why we are based in Colorado. Unexpected changes in federal and state law could cause our current CBD production methods or resulting products, as well as products that we intend to develop and launch, to be illegal or could otherwise prohibit, limit or restrict some or all of our products in the event of repeal or amendment of laws and regulations which are now comparatively favorable to the cannabis/hemp industry in certain states, we would be required to locate new suppliers in states with laws and regulations that qualify under the Farm Bill. If we were to be unsuccessful in arranging new sources of supply of our raw ingredients, or if our raw ingredients were to become legally unavailable, our intended business plan with respect to such products could be adversely impacted.
Because we and our distributors may only sell and ship our products containing hemp-derived CBD in states that have adopted laws and regulations qualifying under the Farm Bill, a reduction in the number of states having such qualifying laws and regulations could limit, restrict or otherwise preclude the sale of intended products containing hemp-derived CBD.
The interstate shipment of hemp-derived CBD from one state to another is legal only where both states have laws and regulations that allow for the production and sale of such products and that qualify under the Farm Bill. Therefore, the marketing and sale of our products is limited by such factors and is restricted to such states. Although we believe we may lawfully sell any of our finished products including those containing CBD in a majority of states, a repeal or adverse amendment of laws and regulations that are now favorable to the distribution, marketing and sale of finished products we intend to sell could significantly limit, restrict or prevent us from generating revenue related to our products that contain hemp-derived CBD. Additionally, any such adverse changes or existing legislation in new markets we target may stunt our growth and diminish our prospects. Any such repeal or adverse amendment of laws and regulations could have an adverse impact on our business plan with respect to such products.
Costs associated with compliance with numerous laws and regulations and quality standards could adversely impact our financial results.
The manufacture, labeling and distribution of CBD products is regulated by various federal, state and local government agencies. These governmental authorities regulate our products and processes to ensure that the products are not adulterated or misbranded. We are subject to regulation by the federal government and other state and local agencies as a result of our CBD products. In addition to the risks associated with the possibility of government enforcement or private litigation due to alleged noncompliance, our compliance costs associated with our day-to-day operations are high and are expected to increase as we expand into new markets and/or develop and market new products. For example, as a “seed to sale” CBD business, meaning a business which handles every step of a CBD product’s manufacture and sale in-house rather than relying on third parties for some or all the production and distribution steps, we are responsible for the quality of our product, and the means by which it is produced and marketed, at every stage. Compliance with regulations imposed on our business model means we must deploy and maintain an advanced computer monitoring system which allows us to track our production and distribution process. We must train our employees and utilize and maintain security measures to ensure our facility functions properly. Compliance with these and other government requirements for product monitoring, quality, labelling and distribution are costly which may limit our profitability. Further, if we fail to properly comply with our obligations in the manufacturing process, we risk governmental enforcement actions which may be costly and adversely affect us.
Our products or third parties with whom we do business may not comply with health, safety and labelling standards.
We do not have control over all of the third parties involved in the sale of our products and their compliance with government health, safety and labelling standards. Even if our products meet these standards, they could otherwise become contaminated or fail, or the standards could be changed in a manner adverse to our operations or those of our business partners. A failure to meet these standards could occur in our operations or those of our distributors or suppliers. This could result in expensive production interruptions, recalls, regulatory investigations and enforcement actions and liability claims. Moreover, negative publicity could be generated from false, unfounded or nominal liability claims or limited recalls. Any of these failures or occurrences could negatively affect our business and financial performance.
| 14 |
If we fail to comply with U.S. laws related to privacy, data security, and data protection, it could adversely affect our operating results and financial condition.
We rely on a variety of marketing techniques, including email, radio, display advertising, and social media marketing, targeted online advertisements, and postal mailings, and we are or may become subject to various laws and regulations that govern such marketing and advertising practices. A variety of federal and state laws and regulations, including those enforced by various federal government agencies such as the Federal Trade Commission, Federal Communications Commission, and state and local agencies, govern the collection, use, retention, sharing, and security of personal data, particularly in the context of online advertising, which we utilize to attract new customers.
The legislative and regulatory bodies or self-regulatory organizations in various jurisdictions inside the United States may expand current laws or regulations, enact new laws or regulations, or issue revised rules or guidance regarding privacy, data protection, consumer protection, information security, and online advertising. California has enacted the California Consumer Privacy Act of 2018 (the “CCPA”), which became operative on January 1, 2020, and its implementing regulations took effect in August 2020. The CCPA requires companies that process personal information on California residents to make new disclosures to consumers about such companies’ data collection, use, and sharing practices and inform consumers of their personal information rights such as deletion rights, allows consumers to opt out of certain data sharing with third parties, and provides a new cause of action for data breaches. In November 2020, California enacted the California Privacy Rights Act of 2020 (the “CPRA”), which amends and expands the scope of the CCPA, while introducing new privacy protections that extend beyond those included in the CCPA and its implementing regulations. The CCPA, as amended and expanded by the CPRA, is one of the most prescriptive general privacy law in the United States and may lead to similar laws being enacted in other U.S. states or at the federal level. For example, the State of Nevada also passed a law effective on October 1, 2019 that amends the state’s online privacy law to allow consumers to submit requests to prevent websites and online service providers (“Operators”) from selling personally identifiable information that Operators collect through a website or online service. Further, on March 2, 2021, the Governor of Virginia signed into law the Virginia Consumer Data Protection Act (the “VCDPA”). The VCDPA creates consumer rights, similar to the CCPA, but also imposes security and assessment requirements for businesses. In addition, on July 7, 2021, Colorado, the state in which we are headquartered, enacted the Colorado Privacy Act (“CoCPA”), becoming the third comprehensive consumer privacy law to be passed in the United States (after the CCPA and VCDPA). Although the CoCPA closely resembles the VCDPA, both of which do not contain a private right of action and will instead be enforced by the respective states’ Attorney General and district attorneys, the two differ in many ways and once they become enforceable in 2023, we must comply with each if our operations fall within the scope of these newly enacted comprehensive mandates. Prior efforts undertaken to comply with other recent privacy-related laws have proven that these initiatives require time to carefully plan, assess gaps in current compliance mechanisms, and implement new policies, processes and remediation efforts. Additionally, the FTC and state attorneys general are interpreting federal and state consumer protection laws to impose standards for the online collection, use, dissemination, and security of data. Each of these privacy, security, and data protection laws and regulations, and any other such changes or new laws or regulations, could impose significant limitations, require changes to our business model or practices, or restrict our use or storage of personal information, which may increase our compliance expenses and make our business more costly or less efficient to conduct. In addition, any such changes could compromise our ability to develop an adequate marketing strategy and pursue our growth strategy effectively, which, in turn, could adversely affect our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
While we intend to strive to comply with applicable laws and regulations relating to privacy, data security, and data protection, given that the scope, interpretation, and application of these laws and regulations are often uncertain and may be in conflict across jurisdictions, it is possible that these obligations may be interpreted and applied in a manner that is inconsistent from one jurisdiction to another and may conflict with other rules or our practices. Any failure or perceived failure by us or third-party service providers to comply with privacy or security policies or privacy-related legal obligations, or any compromise of security that results in the unauthorized release or transfer of personal data, may result in governmental enforcement actions, litigation, or negative publicity, and could have an adverse effect on our operating results and financial condition.
| 15 |
Our planned expansion into international markets will involve inherent risks that we may not be able to control.
Our business plan includes the eventual marketing and sale of our products in international markets. Specifically, we do not currently have a set time frame for entering these markets. In 2022, we started a reselling program in Brazil, where our products are delivered to their warehouses in Miami, Florida and exchanged in the United States for sale. Accordingly, our operating results could be materially and adversely affected by a variety of uncontrollable and changing factors relating to international business operations, including:
| ● | Economic conditions adversely affecting geographic areas in which we intend to do business; |
| ● | Foreign currency exchange rates; |
| ● | Political or social unrest or economic instability in a specific country or region; |
| ● | Higher costs of doing business in foreign countries; |
| ● | Infringement claims on foreign patents, copyrights or trademark rights; |
| ● | Difficulties in staffing and managing operations across disparate geographic areas; |
| ● | Difficulties associated with enforcing agreements and intellectual property rights through foreign legal systems; |
| ● | Trade protection measures and other regulatory requirements, which may affect our ability to import or export our products from or to various countries; |
| ● | Adverse tax consequences; |
| ● | Unexpected changes in legal and regulatory requirements and challenges in complying with varying requirements across jurisdictions; and |
| ● | Military conflict, terrorist activities, natural disasters and medical epidemics. |
If we are unable to overcome these or other challenges in executing our planned expansion into international markets, our prospects would be materially adversely affected.
Risks Related to Intellectual Property
We may become involved in litigation or other proceedings relating to patent and other intellectual property rights.
A third party may sue us or our strategic collaborators for infringing its intellectual property rights. Likewise, we may need to resort to litigation to enforce licensed rights or to determine the scope and validity of third-party intellectual property rights. The cost to us of any litigation or other proceeding relating to intellectual property rights, even if resolved in our favor, could be substantial, and the litigation would divert our efforts. Some of our competitors may be able to sustain the costs of complex patent litigation more effectively than we can because they have substantially greater resources. If we do not prevail in this type of litigation, we or our strategic collaborators may be required to pay monetary damages; stop commercial activities relating to the affected products or services; obtain a license in order to continue manufacturing or marketing the affected products or services; or attempt to compete in the market with a substantially similar product. Uncertainties resulting from the initiation and continuation of any litigation could limit our ability to continue some of our operations. In addition, a court may require that we pay expenses or damages, and litigation could distract management or disrupt our commercial activities.
If we become involved in intellectual property litigation, such litigation is likely to be expensive and time-consuming and could be unsuccessful.
Our commercial success will depend in part on our avoiding infringement on the patents and proprietary rights of third parties for products we license or sell. There is substantial litigation, both within and outside the United States, involving patent and other intellectual property rights in the health and wellness industry, including patent infringement lawsuits, interferences, oppositions, and reexaminations and other post-grant proceedings before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, and corresponding foreign patent offices. Numerous U.S. and foreign issued patents and pending patent applications which are owned by third parties may exist with products we may license and sell.
| 16 |
Parties making intellectual property claims against us may obtain injunctive or other equitable relief, which could block our ability to further develop and commercialize one or more products. Defense of these claims, regardless of their merit, involves substantial litigation expense and would be a substantial diversion of our management’s attention from our business. If a claim of infringement against us succeeds, we may have to pay substantial damages, possibly including treble damages and attorneys’ fees for willful infringement, pay royalties, redesign our infringing products or obtain one or more licenses from third parties, which may be impossible or require substantial time and monetary expenditure.
To counter infringement or unauthorized use claims against us, we may be required to file infringement claims in response, or we may be required to defend the validity or enforceability of any such intellectual property rights. In an infringement proceeding, a court may decide that either our or one or more of our licensors’ intellectual property rights are not valid or is unenforceable or may refuse to stop the other party from using the underlying concepts or technology at issue because our intellectual property rights do not cover those elements. In any event, intellectual property litigation is expensive and time consuming and we may be unsuccessful in defending or enforcing such claims, which would materially harm our business.
Any inability to protect our intellectual property rights could reduce the value of our products and brands, which could adversely affect our financial condition, results of operations and business.
Our business is partly dependent upon our trademarks, trade secrets, copyrights and other intellectual property rights. Effective intellectual property rights protection, however, may not be available under the laws of every country in which we and our sub-licensees may operate. There is a risk of certain valuable trade secrets being exposed to potential infringers. Regardless of whether our compounds and technology are or becomes protected by patents or otherwise, there is a risk that other companies may employ such compounds or technology without authorization and without recompensing us.
The efforts we take to protect our proprietary rights may not be sufficient or effective. Any significant impairment of our intellectual property rights could harm our business or our ability to compete. In addition, protecting our intellectual property rights is costly and time consuming. There is a risk that we may have insufficient resources to counter adequately such infringements through negotiation or the use of legal remedies. It may not be practicable or cost effective for us to fully protect our intellectual property rights in some countries or jurisdictions. If we are unable to successfully identify and stop unauthorized use of our intellectual property, we could lose potential revenue and experience increased operational and enforcement costs, which could adversely affect our financial condition, results of operations and business.
The intellectual property behind our products may include unpublished know-how, which is dependent on certain key individuals, as well as existing and pending intellectual property protection.
The commercialization of our products is partially dependent upon know-how and trade secrets held by certain individuals working with and for us. Because the expertise runs deep in these few individuals, if something were to happen to any or all of these individuals, the ability to properly manufacture our products without compromising quality and performance could be diminished greatly. Further, while our employees and contractors are subject to non-disclosure obligations, any misappropriation of confidential information including trade secrets and know-how could allow our competitors and others to overcome any advantage we have and reduce our market share and viability.
| 17 |
Risks Related to Our Securities and Our Status as an SEC Reporting Company
Because our Chief Executive Officer, directly and through entities she controls, beneficially owns approximately 61% of our issued and outstanding common stock and voting power on an as-converted basis, she can exert significant control over our business and affairs which may be averse to those of our stockholders, particularly if a conflict of interest arises.
Our Chief Executive Officer and currently one of our three directors, owns approximately 61% of our issued and outstanding shares of common stock and voting power on an as-converted basis. As of December 31, 2021 Ms. Buttorff and or her companies also hold $9,704,894 in demand notes which bear interest at a rate ranging from 0 to 12% per annum. As of the date of this Report, additional funds have been loaned to the Company. The interests of Ms. Buttorff may differ from the interests of our other stockholders, including by virtue of her other businesses operated through her entities and their holdings that are not affiliated with us. As a result, Ms. Buttorff will have significant influence and control over all corporate actions including those actions requiring stockholder approval, irrespective of how our minority stockholders may vote, including the following actions:
| ● | the election of our directors; |
| ● | charter or bylaw amendments; |
| ● | a merger, asset sale or other fundamental corporate transaction; and |
| ● | any other matter submitted to our stockholders for a vote, subject only to applicable law including the Nevada Revised Statutes. |
This concentration of ownership and the conflicts of interest may have the effect of impeding a merger, consolidation, takeover or other business combination or tender offer for our common stock which other stockholders may deem desirable or could reduce our stock price or prevent our stockholders from realizing a premium over our stock price in such a transaction. Further, to the extent our other stockholders disagree with an action Ms. Buttorff elects to take as a stockholder, their ability to prevent such action or avoid the effect on their shareholdings will range from significantly limited to non-existent due to our current capital structure, subject only to applicable law and our charter documents. Therefore, if Ms. Buttorff has an interest adverse to other stockholders, or if other stockholders otherwise disagree with Ms. Buttorff with respect to a matter before the stockholders, they will have little to no control over that matter and the direction we ultimately take.
The requirements of being a public company may strain our resources and distract our management, which could make it difficult to manage our business.
The federal securities laws require us to comply with SEC reporting requirements relating to our business and securities. Complying with these reporting and other regulatory obligations is time-consuming and will result in increased costs to us which could have a negative effect on our financial condition or business. These increased costs are not fully reflected in the financial statements contained in this Annual Report on Form 10-K because until June 30, 2021, our subsidiary was a private company not subject to SEC reporting obligations.
As a public company, we are subject to the reporting requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the “Exchange Act”) and the requirements of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. These requirements may place a strain on our systems and resources. We are required to file annual, quarterly and current reports with the SEC disclosing certain aspects and developments of our business and financial condition. The Sarbanes-Oxley Act requires that we maintain effective disclosure controls and procedures and internal controls over financial reporting which we currently lack. To maintain and improve the effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures, we will need to commit significant resources, hire additional executive officers and personnel and provide for additional management oversight. We intend to implement additional procedures and processes for the purpose of addressing the standards and requirements applicable to SEC reporting companies. Sustaining our growth will also require us to commit additional managerial, operational and financial resources to identifying competent professionals to join us and to maintain appropriate operational and financial systems to adequately support our intended expansion. These activities may divert management’s attention from other business concerns, which could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations, financial condition or business.
| 18 |
Due to factors beyond our control, our stock price may be volatile.
Any of the following factors could affect the market price of our common stock:
| ● | Our failure to generate increasing material revenues from our CBD products; |
| ● | Our failure to enhance our product offerings or expand into new markets; |
| ● | A decline in our revenue or growth rate; |
| ● | Our public disclosure of the terms of any financing which we consummate in the future; |
| ● | A decline in the economy which impacts the demand for our products and our ability to generate revenue and achieve growth metrics; |
| ● | Announcements by us or our competitors of significant contracts, new products, acquisitions, commercial relationships, joint ventures or capital commitments; |
| ● | Changes in laws, regulations or government actions affecting the CBD industry in general or our products in particular; |
| ● | Our ability to list our common stock on a national securities exchange; |
| ● | Our ability to attract analyst coverage; |
| ● | The sale of large numbers of shares of common stock by our shareholders; |
| ● | Short selling activities; or |
| ● | Changes in market valuations of similar companies. |
In the past, following periods of volatility in the market price of a company’s securities, securities class action litigation has often been instituted. A securities class action suit against us could result in substantial costs and divert our management’s time and attention, which would otherwise be used to benefit our business.
These broad market and industry factors may have a material adverse effect on the market price of our common stock, regardless of our actual operating performance. These factors could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
We are subject to the “penny stock” rules which will adversely affect the liquidity of our common stock.
The SEC has adopted regulations which generally define “penny stock” to be an equity security that has a market price of less than $5.00 per share, subject to specific exemptions. The market price of our common stock on the OTCQB is presently less than $5.00 per share and therefore we are considered a “penny stock” company according to SEC rules. Until such time as our stock price rises above $5.00 per share, the “penny stock” designation requires any broker-dealer selling our securities to disclose certain information concerning the transaction, obtain a written agreement from the purchaser and determine that the purchaser is reasonably suitable to purchase the securities. These rules limit the ability of broker-dealers to solicit purchases of our common stock and therefore reduce the liquidity of the public market for our shares.
Broker-dealers are increasingly reluctant to permit investors to buy or sell speculative unlisted stock and often impose costs which make it uneconomical for small shareholders to do so. Moreover, as a result of apparent regulatory pressure from the SEC and the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (“FINRA”) a growing number of broker-dealers decline to permit investors to purchase and sell or otherwise make it difficult to sell shares of penny stocks. The “penny stock” designation may have a depressive effect upon our common stock price which the prospective reverse stock split may not sufficiently overcome.
Potential Impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Our Business Operations
As disclosed in Note 2 to our consolidated financial statements, the COVID-19 pandemic has had a notable impact on general economic conditions, including but not limited to the temporary closures of many businesses, “shelter in place” and other governmental regulations, reduced business and consumer spending due to both job losses and reduced investing activity, among many other effects attributable to the COVID-19 pandemic, and there continue to be many unknowns. During 2020, COVID-19 had a significant impact on our CBD operations. Recognizing the sudden need for personal protective equipment, we shifted our business to importing and selling PPE hand sanitizers and masks.
The Omicron variant which had a significant impact in the second half of 2021 and early 2022. While a new variant is replacing Omicron, the economy has substantially reopened and it is uncertain as the impact it may have. The duration and extent of the impact from the COVID-19 pandemic depends on future developments that cannot be accurately predicted at this time, such as the severity and transmission rate of the virus and its many variants, the extent and effectiveness of containment actions including vaccinations and the impact of these and other factors on our employees, customers, partners and vendors. If we are not able to respond to and manage the impact of such events effectively, our business will be harmed.
| 19 |
Potential Impacts of Certain Current and Proposed Regulations on Our Business and Operations
Recently, a bill titled the Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act, put forward by Senate Majority leader Chuck Schumer, D-NY, would amend the definition of a dietary supplement to remove the prohibition on marketing CBD as a dietary supplement. Management sees the bill, if enacted, as an opportunity for the FDA to accelerate their decision to classify CBD products as a dietary supplement. This would be a significant step for hemp/CBD companies as it would open the door to new selling opportunities, such as getting into retail stores, who have largely been hesitant to welcome CBD in their doors without a clear position from the FDA.
Many people are increasingly turning to CBD products for several reasons: CBD is non-psychoactive, so it does not produce a “high” like THC, there are few known contraindications, the properties of different cannabinoids can positively affect a wide range of ailments, and cannabinoids work directly and indirectly with the body’s endocannabinoid system to create balance known as homeostasis. As demand increases, we believe the FDA must provide more clarity about CBD’s legalization, and this bill is a promising first step.
Item 1B. Unresolved Staff Comments
None.
Item 2. Properties
Our contract with XXII provides us with the right to own 10 acres of the Needle Rock Farm in Delta County, CO. We also lease our laboratory space at 16194 West 45th Drive, Golden, CO 80403 from J&N Real Estate Company, LLC which is owned by our CEO. See Note 5 to our consolidated financials.
Item 3. Legal Proceedings
From time–to-time, we may become involved in legal proceedings arising in the ordinary course of business. We are unable to predict the outcome of any such matters or the ultimate legal and financial liability, and at this time cannot reasonably estimate the possible loss or range of loss and accordingly have not accrued a related liability.
We filed suit in District Court in and for Osage, County, Oklahoma on December 19, 2019. We have sued Defendants, Mike Fisher, in his official capacity as Osage County District Attorney ex rel. State of Oklahoma as an investigating and/or prosecuting body, Eddie Virden in his official capacity as the Sheriff of the City of Osage as holder of the property, and the City of Pawhuska as the property seizing body, (collectively the “Government Defendants”) for the return of approximately 17,000 pounds of industrial hemp (the “Property”). We believe we were entitled to possession of the Property pursuant to an August 23, 2018, contract between us and Blue Circle Development, LLC (“BCD”), wherein we agreed to pay and BCD agreed to deliver the Property according to certain terms. Plaintiff performed pursuant to the contract and is entitled to possession of the Property. We believe the Government Defendants wrongfully detained the Property and is responsible for damages to the Property and to us. On or about May 4, 2020, the Government Defendants improperly released the Property to BCD in violation of a Court Order. We have asserted claims against the Government Defendants for interference with the Court Order and BCD for improperly intercepting the Property from us. The case is currently in the discovery phase including document production and depositions. The parties will complete the discovery phase, potentially engage in dispositive motion briefing, and proceed toward a trial date.
| 20 |
Item 4. Mine Safety Disclosures
Not applicable.
PART II
Item 5. Market for Registrants Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities
Market Information
Our Common Stock is quoted on the OTCQB over-the-counter market under the symbol “PLSH.” Over-the-counter market quotations reflect inter-dealer prices, without retail mark-up, mark-down or commissions and may not necessarily represent actual transactions. On March 15, 2022 the closing bid price on the OTCQB for our Common Stock was $0.50.
| 21 |
Holders of Our Common Stock
As of March 15, 2022, we had 14,762,342 shares of our common stock issued and outstanding, and approximately 186 shareholders of record.
Dividends
There are no restrictions in our articles of incorporation or bylaws that prevent us from declaring dividends. The Nevada Revised Statutes, however, do prohibit us from declaring dividends where after giving effect to the distribution of the dividend:
1. We would not be able to pay our debts as they become due in the usual course of business, or;
2. Our total assets would be less than the sum of our total liabilities plus the amount that would be needed to satisfy the rights of shareholders who have preferential rights superior to those receiving the distribution.
We have not declared any dividends and we do not plan to declare any dividends in the foreseeable future.
Item 6. Selected Financial Data
A smaller reporting company is not required to provide the information required by this Item.
Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations Forward-Looking Statements
The following discussion of our financial condition and results of operations should be read in conjunction with the unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements and the notes to those statements that are included elsewhere in this Report. Our discussion includes forward-looking statements based upon current expectations that involve risks and uncertainties, such as our plans, objectives, expectations and intentions. Actual results and the timing of events could differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements because of several factors, including those set forth under the Part I, Item 1A, Risk Factors and Business sections in this Report, and our other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. We use words such as “anticipate,” “estimate,” “plan,” “project,” “continuing,” “ongoing,” “expect,” “believe,” “intend,” “may,” “will,” “should,” “could,” and similar expressions to identify forward-looking statements. In addition, any statements that refer to projections of our future financial performance, our anticipated growth and trends in our businesses, and other characterizations of future events or circumstances are forward-looking statements. Such statements are based on our current expectations and could be affected by the uncertainties and risk factors described throughout this Report.
General
We are a Nevada corporation organized in 2008. Exactus, Inc. was our former name. We have pursued opportunities in hemp-based businesses, which we refer to as “cannabinoids or CBD”. On June 30, 2021 Exactus acquired Panacea Life Sciences, Inc. (“Panacea” or “PLS”), our subsidiary, and as a result became a seed-to-sale Cannabinoid company. The former Panacea stockholders have assumed majority control of us and all our operations are now operated through Panacea which because of the share exchange became our wholly owned subsidiary. Leslie Buttorff, became our Chief Executive Officer and a director upon the closing of the share exchange, also became our principal stockholder through common stock and Convertible Preferred Stock issued to her and entities she controls.
Panacea was founded by Leslie Buttorff in 2017 as a woman-owned business with a focus on CBD products and technology. Through Panacea, we are dedicated to developing and producing the highest-quality, most medically relevant, legal, hemp-derived cannabinoid products for consumers and pets. Beginning at a farm, XXII owns and of which we have the right to own a 10-acre parcel, located in Needle Rock, Colorado and leases laboratory space located within a 51,000 square foot, state-of-the-art, cGMP, extraction, manufacturing, testing and fulfillment center located in Golden, Colorado, Panacea operates in every aspect of the CBD product value chain. From cultivation to finished goods, Panacea ensures its products with stringent testing protocols employed at every stage of the supply chain. Panacea endeavors to offer pure natural remedies within product lines for every aspect of life: PANA Life®, PANA Beauty®, PANA Sport™, PANA Pet®, PANA PURE™ and PANA Health™.
| 22 |
We believe we are well positioned to develop novel hemp extracts as dietary supplements and topical applications. Our biotechnology plans focus on our research at Colorado State University where we are involved in several health-related research studies.
Results of Operations
Comparison of the Years Ended December 31, 2021 and 2020
The following table sets forth our results of operations for the years ended December 31, 2021 and December 31, 2020.
| Years Ended December 31, | Period to | |||||||||||
| 2021 | 2020 | Period Change | ||||||||||
| Revenues from cannabinoid sales | $ | 1,933,627 | $ | 4,224,720 | $ | (2,231,092 | ) | |||||
| Revenues from PPE sales | $ | 66,000 | $ | 4,793,000 | (4,727,000 | ) | ||||||
| Cost of sales | $ | 1,519,049 | $ | 7,020,223 | $ | (5,501,174 | ) | |||||
| Operating expenses | $ | 4,959,059 | $ | 4,449,313 | $ | 509,746 | ||||||
| General and administrative | $ | 1,518,687 | $ | 2,806,026 | $ | (1,287,339 | ) | |||||
| Interest expense | $ | (1,105,243 | ) | $ | (1,511,579 | ) | $ | 406,336 | ||||
| Unrealized gain on marketable securities | $ | 1,008,046 | $ | 1,426,798 | $ | (418,672 | ) | |||||
| Realized gain on sale of securities | $ | 160,296 | $ | - | $ | 160,296 | ||||||
| Other loss | $ | - | $ | (20,180 | ) | $ | 20,180 | |||||
| Employer retention credit | $ | 396,679 | $ | - | $ | 396,679 | ||||||
| Rental income | $ | 236,560 | $ | 271,767 | $ | (35,207 | ) | |||||
| Loss on sale of assets | $ | (297,351 | ) | $ | (140,714 | ) | $ | (156,637 | ) | |||
| Gain on extinguishment of debt | $ | 755,782 | $ | - | $ | 755,782 | ||||||
Year Ended December 31, 2021 and 2020
Net Revenues
We are principally engaged in the business of producing and selling products made from industrial hemp. Revenue consists of sales of our six category of brand products, white label and contract manufacturing sales to other CBD companies, raw material sales (distillate and isolate), and tolling arrangements. We have also engaged in the sale of personal protective equipment (PPE).
| 23 |
Our revenues for the year ended December 31, 2021 decreased by $6,958,093, or 77%, to $2,059,627 as compared to $9,017,720 for the year ended December 31, 2020. The decrease in sales in 2021 was due primarily to the decrease of PPE related sales and the continued impact COVID has had on the CBD business. In 2021, we continued to see many of our CBD customers go out of business, which continued to impact our white label and contract manufacturing contracts. We expect the decrease in sales activity to continue due to limited capital resources until we consummate a financing. During the year ended December 31, 2021, we generated $2.06 million in revenue compared to $9.018 million in the year ended December 31, 2020. The decrease in sales is attributed to less PPE items being sold in 2021 and the continued impact COVID has had on the CBD business. Revenues related to the sale of PPE items were $0.066 million in the year ended December 31, 2021, compared to $4.793 million in the year ended December 31, 2020.
Cost of Sales
Cost of sales for the year ended December 31, 2021 decreased by $5,501,174, or 78%, to $1,519,049 as compared to $7,020,223 for the year ended December 31, 2020. The decrease in cost of sales was due primarily to decrease in sales as well as the effect of COVID-19 on the materials supply chain. The primary components of cost of sales include the cost of manufacturing the CBD products and PPE. The decrease in costs corresponds to the decrease in PPE sales.
Operating Expenses
Operating expenses for the year ended December 31, 2021 decreased by $577,593, or 8%, to $6,677,746 as compared to $7,255,339 for the year ended December 31, 2020. The decrease in operating expenses was primarily due to a decrease in general and administrative expenses of $1,087,339, partially offset by an increase in production related operating expenses of $509,746.
The decrease in general and administrative expenses of $1,087,339 or 39% to $1,718,687 for the year ended December 31, 2021 as compared to $2,806,026 for the year ended December 31, 2020, was primarily due to decreases in sales commissions, sales and marketing activities as well as general activities, partially offset by an increase in professional fees relating the various transactions relating to the merger.
The increase in production related operating expenses of $509,746 or 11% to $4,959,059 for the year ended December 31, 2021 as compared to $4,449,313 for the year ended December 31, 2020, was primarily due to increases in payroll and related expenses of $193,000 stock-based compensation of $223,000 legal and professional fees of $633,000 and insurance of $169,000.
Within the total G&A category of expenses, sales and marketing expenses decreased from $1.505 million to $0.378 million for the 12 months ended December 31, 2021 when compared to the 12 months ended December 31, 2020, primarily due to sales commissions paid for PPE sales, the Panacea brand development, advertising fees for the Facebook program and the new Panacea website.
Also, within the total G&A category of expenses, professional, legal, and consulting fees were $0.779 million for the 12 months ended December 31, 2021 when compared to $0.312 million the 12 months ended December 31, 2020. In 2020, legal expenses were attributed to the farm acquisition and the XXII investment. In 2021, legal fees were related to the XXII farm sale and investment restructuring, the Panacea reverse merger and fees related to obtaining a trademarks and registrations for our brand.
Other income (expense)
Other income for the year ended December 31, 2021 increased by $1,361,823, or 5,235%, to 1,387,835 as compared to $26,012 for the year ended December 31, 2020.
| 24 |
Summary of Cash Flows
| Years ended December 31, | ||||||||
| 2021 | 2020 | |||||||
| Cash (used in) / provided by | ||||||||
| Operating activities | $ | (3,922,090 | ) | $ | (7,646,723 | ) | ||
| Investing activities | 522,533 | (3,080,388 | ) | |||||
| Financing activities | 3,334,953 | 2,295,981 | ||||||
| Net decrease in cash and cash equivalents | $ | (64,605 | ) | $ | (8,431,130 | ) | ||
Cash flows from operating activities
Net cash used in operating activities was $3,922,090 for the year ended December 31, 2021 as compared to $7,646,723 for the year ended December 31, 2020. The decrease in 2021 was due primarily to decreases in revenues as well as cost of sales and operating expenses as well as favorable changes to working capital. The largest source of operating cash is from our customers. A large majority of our customers purchase CBD on-line, so credit card payments are collected and paid within 1-2 business days. Other white label and contract manufacturing customers pay before the products are released. Some larger customers have either net 10-, 2%- or 30-day net terms. Net cash used in operating activities was $3.922 million and $7.647 million for 12 months ended December 31, for 2021 and 2020, respectively.
Cash flows from investing activities
Net cash provided by investing activities was $522,533 for the year ended December 31, 2021 as compared to net cash used in investing activities of $3,080,388 for the year ended December 31, 2020. The increase of cash provided in 2021 was due primarily to a significant decrease in fixed asset acquisitions as well as increases in proceeds from sales of fixed assets and marketable securities. Machinery and building retrofitting expenses and cash received in the acquisition were the investing activities for the 12 months ended December 31, 2021 and totaled $0.522 million and $3.08 million for December 31, 2020.
Cash flows from financing activities
During the year ended December 31, 2021, cash provided by financing activities totaled $3,334,953 which includes proceeds of $2,302,468 from related part notes, $1,000,000 from convertible notes, and $243,042 from a related party payroll protection loan partially offset by repayments of notes payable in the amount of $210,556.
During the year ended December 31, 2020, cash provided by financing activities totaled $2,295,981 which includes of $5,984,226 from related party notes payable and $273,300 from other loans partially offset by the repayment of $3,961,545 of notes payable. Net cash provided by financing activities for the 12 months ended December 31, 2021 was $3.335 million. For the same period in 2020 the financing was $2.296 million. In 2021 the primary financing was cash provided by Company’s CEO.
Liquidity and Capital Resources
On December 31, 2021, we had approximately $3.8 million of liquid marketable securities and $20,000 in cash. There have been no material changes as of the date of this Report. Our Chief Executive Officer holds the XXII shares pursuant to the pledge agreement and has the power at any time to permit us to sell the shares to provide working capital. We have borrowed substantial sums from Leslie Buttorff, our Chief Executive Officer, to meet its working capital obligations. On June 30, 2021 Panacea issued an affiliate of Ms. Buttorff a 12% demand promissory note for $4.063 million and issued Ms. Buttorff a 10% demand promissory note for $1.624 million secured by a pledge of certain XXII common stock owned by Panacea. Additionally, we have a line of credit with Ms. Buttorff through which it may borrow up to $1 million at a 10% annual interest rate.
We do not have sufficient cash resources to sustain our operations for the next 12 months. This raises substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern as we are dependent on obtaining financing from one or more debt or equity offerings or further loans from Ms. Buttorff assuming she agrees to advance further funds.
| 25 |
These consolidated financial statements are presented on the basis that we will continue as a going concern. The going concern concept contemplates the realization of assets and satisfaction of liabilities in the normal course of business. No adjustment has been made to the carrying amount and classification of our assets and the carrying amount of our liabilities based on the going concern uncertainty. These factors raise substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern for a period of 12 months from the 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. In addition, due to insufficient revenue, we will need to obtain further funding through public or private equity offerings, debt financing, collaboration arrangements or other sources in order to maintain active business operations. We currently do not have sufficient cash flow to pay our ongoing financial obligations on a consistent basis. The issuance of any additional shares of common stock, preferred stock or convertible securities could be substantially dilutive to our stockholders. In addition, adequate additional funding may not be available to us on acceptable terms, or at all. If we are unable to raise capital, we will be forced to borrow additional sums from our Chief Executive Officer or delay, reduce or eliminate our research and development programs, we may not be able to continue as a going concern, and we may be forced to discontinue 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.
Off Balance Sheet Arrangements
As of December 31, 2021, we had no material off-balance sheet arrangements.
Critical Accounting Estimates and New Accounting Pronouncements
Critical Accounting Estimates
The discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations is based upon our consolidated financial statements, which have been prepared in accordance with US GAAP. The preparation of our consolidated financial statements requires its management to make estimates and judgments that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenue and expenses and related disclosures. Our management bases its estimates, assumptions and judgments on historical experience and various other factors that are believed to be reasonable under the circumstances, the results of which form the basis for making judgments about the carrying values of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. Different assumptions and judgments would change the estimates used in the preparation of our consolidated financial statements which, in turn, could change the results from those reported. In addition, actual results may differ from these estimates and such differences could be material to our financial position and results of operations.
Critical accounting estimates are those that our management considers the most important to the portrayal of our financial condition and results of operations because they require management’s most difficult, subjective or complex judgments, often as a result of the need to make estimates about the effect of matters that are inherently uncertain. Our critical accounting estimates in relation to its consolidated financial statements include those related to:
| ● | Goodwill and intangible assets | |
| ● | Fair value of marketable securities | |
| ● | Incremental Borrowing Rate used Right of Use Asset Calculations | |
| ● | Business combinations |
Goodwill and Indefinite-Lived Intangibles
We allocate the cost of acquired companies to the identifiable tangible and intangible assets acquired and liabilities assumed, with the remaining amount classified as goodwill. The identification and valuation of these intangible assets and the determination of the estimated useful lives at the time of acquisition, as well as the completion of impairment tests, require significant management judgments and estimates. These estimates are made based on, among other factors, review of projected future operating results and business plans, economic projections, anticipated highest and best use of future cash flows and the cost of capital. The use of alternative estimates and assumptions could increase or decrease the estimated fair value of goodwill and other intangible assets, and potentially result in a different impact to our results of operations. Further, changes in business strategy and/or market conditions may significantly impact these judgments and thereby impact the fair value of these assets, which could result in an impairment of the goodwill or intangible assets.
| 26 |
Goodwill is not amortized but is tested for impairment annually and whenever events or circumstances change that indicate impairment may have occurred. We tested goodwill for impairment and determined there was no impairment and found not impairment charge based on the excess of a reporting unit’s carrying amount over our fair value.
Fair value of marketable securities
Marketable securities are recorded at fair value using the quoted market prices and changes in fair value are recorded as net realized gains or losses in comprehensive income. We monitor these investments for impairment and make appropriate reductions in carrying values as necessary.
Incremental Borrowing Rate used Right of Use Asset Calculations
We determine if a contract is a lease or contains a lease at the inception of the contract and reassess that conclusion if the contract is modified. All leases are assessed for classification as an operating lease or a finance lease. Operating lease right-of-use, or ROU, assets are included in non-current other assets on our consolidated balance sheet. Operating lease liabilities are separated into a current portion, included within other accrued liabilities on our consolidated balance sheet, and a non-current portion, included within other long-term liabilities on our consolidated balance sheet. We do not have any finance lease ROU assets or liabilities. ROU assets represent our right to use an underlying asset for the lease term and lease liabilities represent our obligation to make lease payments arising from the lease. We do not obtain and control the right to use the identified asset until the lease commencement date.
Our lease liabilities are recognized at the applicable lease commencement date based on the present value of the lease payments required to be paid over the lease term. Because the interest rate implicit in the lease is not readily determinable, we generally use our incremental borrowing rate to discount the lease payments to present value. The estimated incremental borrowing rate is derived from information available at the lease commencement date. We factor in publicly available data for instruments with similar characteristics when calculating our incremental borrowing rates. Our ROU assets are also recognized at the applicable lease commencement date. The ROU asset equals the carrying amount of the related lease liability, adjusted for any lease payments made prior to lease commencement and lease incentives provided by the lessor. Variable lease payments are expensed as incurred and do not factor into the measurement of the applicable ROU asset or lease liability.
Business Combinations
We have applied significant estimates and judgments in order to determine the fair value of the identified assets acquired, liabilities assumed and goodwill recognized in connection with our business combinations to ensure the value of the assets and liabilities acquired are recognized at fair value as of the acquisition date. In measuring the fair value, we utilize valuation techniques consistent with the market approach, income approach, or cost approach.
The valuation of the identifiable assets and liabilities includes assumptions made in performing the valuation, such as projected revenue, weighted average cost of capital, discount rates, estimated useful lives, and other relevant assessments. These assessments can be significantly affected by our estimates, judgments, and assumptions. If actual results are not consistent with our estimates, judgments, or assumptions, or if additional or new information arises in the future that affects our fair value estimates, then adjustments to our initial fair value estimates may have a material impact to our purchase accounting or our results of operations. If actual results are not consistent with our estimates, judgments, or assumptions, or if additional or new information arises in the future, beyond our one-year measurement period, that affects our fair value estimates, then adjustments to our initial fair value estimates may have a material impact to our results of operations
Item 7A. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk
A smaller reporting company is not required to provide the information required by this item.
| 27 |
Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data
Index to Financial Statements Required by Article 8 of Regulation S-X:
Audited Financial Statements:
| F-1 |
REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM
To the shareholders and the board of directors of Panacea Life Sciences Holdings, Inc.
Opinion on the Financial Statements
We have audited the accompanying consolidated balance sheet of Panacea Life Sciences Holdings, Inc. (the “Company”) as of December 31, 2021, the related statement of operations, stockholders’ equity (deficit), and cash flows for the year then ended, and the related notes (collectively referred to as the “financial statements”). In our opinion, the financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Company as of December 31, 2021, and the results of its operations and its cash flows for the year then ended, in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States.
Substantial Doubt about the Company’s Ability to Continue as a Going Concern
The accompanying financial statements have been prepared assuming that the Company will continue as a going concern. As discussed in Note 2 to the financial statements, the Company’s significant operating losses raise substantial doubt about its ability to continue as a going concern. The financial statements do not include any adjustments that might result from the outcome of this uncertainty.
Basis for Opinion
These financial statements are the responsibility of the Company’s management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the Company’s financial statements based on our audit. We are a public accounting firm registered with the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (“PCAOB”) and are required to be independent with respect to the Company in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.
We conducted our audit in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement, whether due to error or fraud. The Company is not required to have, nor were we engaged to perform, an audit of its internal control over financial reporting. As part of our audits, we are required to obtain an understanding of internal control over financial reporting but not for the purpose of expressing an opinion on the effectiveness of the Company’s internal control over financial reporting. Accordingly, we express no such opinion.
Our audit included performing procedures to assess the risks of material misstatement of the financial statements, whether due to error or fraud, and performing procedures that respond to those risks. Such procedures included examining, on a test basis, evidence regarding the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. Our audit also included evaluating the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the financial statements. We believe that our audit provides a reasonable basis for our opinion.
Critical Audit Matters
Critical audit matters are matters arising from the current period audit of the financial statements that were communicated or are required to be communicated to the audit committee and that: (1) relate to accounts or disclosures that are material to the financial statements and (2) involved especially challenging, subjective, or complex judgments.
We determined that there are no critical audit matters.
|
/s/
|
|
| BF Borgers CPA PC | |
| We have served as the Company’s auditor since 2021 | |
| March 25, 2022 |
Firm
ID is
| F-2 |
REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM
To the Board of Directors and
Stockholders of Panacea Life Sciences, Inc.
Opinion on the Financial Statements
We have audited the accompanying balance sheet of Panacea Life Sciences, Inc. (the Company) as of December 31, 2020, and the related statements of operations, stockholders’ equity, and cash flows for the year ended December 31, 2020, and the related notes (collectively referred to as the financial statements). In our opinion, the financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Company as of December 31, 2020, and the results of its operations and its cash flows for the year ended December 31, 2020, in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.
The Company’s Ability to Continue as a Going Concern
The accompanying financial statements have been prepared assuming that the Company will continue as a going concern. As discussed in Note 2 to the financial statements, the Company has suffered recurring losses from operations and will require additional capital to continue as a going concern. This raises substantial doubt about the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern. Management’s plans regarding these matters are also described in Note 2. The financial statements do not include any adjustments to reflect the possible future effects on the recoverability and classification of assets or the amounts and classification of liabilities that may result from the outcome of this uncertainty.
Basis for Opinion
These financial statements are the responsibility of the Company’s management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the Company’s financial statements based on our audit. We are a public accounting firm registered with the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (PCAOB) and are required to be independent with respect to the Company in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.
We conducted our audit in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement, whether due to error or fraud. The Company is not required to have, nor were we engaged to perform, an audit of its internal control over financial reporting. As part of our audit, we are required to obtain an understanding of internal control over financial reporting, but not for the purpose of expressing an opinion on the effectiveness of the Company’s internal control over financial reporting. Accordingly, we express no such opinion.
Our audit included performing procedures to assess the risks of material misstatement of the financial statements, whether due to error or fraud, and performing procedures that respond to those risks. Such procedures included examining, on a test basis, evidence regarding the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. Our audit also included evaluating the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the financial statements. We believe that our audit provides a reasonable basis for our opinion.
| F-3 |
Critical Audit Matters
The critical audit matters communicated below are matters arising from the current period audit of the financial statements that were communicated or required to be communicated to the audit committee and that: (1) relate to accounts or disclosures that are material to the financial statements and (2) involved our especially challenging, subjective, or complex judgments. The communication of critical audit matters does not alter in any way our opinion on the financial statements, taken as a whole, and we are not, by communicating the critical audit matters below, providing separate opinions on the critical audit matters or on the accounts or disclosures to which they relate.
Goodwill
Description of the Matter
As described in Note 2 to the financial statements, the Company’s goodwill balance was $2,188,810 as of December 31, 2020. The Company performs goodwill impairment testing annually as of December 31 or more frequently if events or circumstances indicate the carrying value of a reporting unit that includes goodwill might exceed the fair value of that reporting unit. The Company estimates the fair value of each reporting unit based on a combination of an income approach that utilizes discounted cash flows specific to each reporting unit.
We identified the determination of the fair value of each reporting unit included in the Company’s annual goodwill impairment test as a critical audit matter. The key assumptions utilized by management in the determination of the fair value under the income approach include projected revenue growth rates, profit margins, operating expenses, terminal value and discount rates for the Company. Auditing management’s valuation methods and assumptions utilized in estimating the fair value involved especially challenging and subjective auditor judgement due to the nature and extent of audit effort required to address this matter, including the extent of specialized skill or knowledge needed.
How we addressed the matter in our Audit
The primary procedures we performed to address this critical audit matter included:
| ● | Evaluating management’s review of key assumptions used in determining the valuation methodology for the measurement of the fair value of each reporting unit. | |
| ● | Evaluating management’s ability to forecast cash flows and the reasonableness of management assumptions used to develop cash flow forecasts and projections by comparing them to historical operating performance, internal and external communications made by the Company and forecasted information included in industry reports. | |
| ● | Testing the accuracy and completeness of the data used by management to develop its projections. | |
| ● | Utilizing personnel with specialized knowledge and skill of valuation techniques to assist in: (i) evaluating the methodologies used by management to determine the fair value of each reporting unit including the weighting of income and market approaches; (ii) assessing the underlying projections by comparing key assumptions to historical levels; (iii) evaluating the reasonableness of assumptions used in the income approach including discount rates, terminal values, present value factors; and (iv) testing the mathematical accuracy of the Company’s calculations. |
| /s/
|
|
| We have served as the Company’s auditor since 2021 | |
| December 17, 2021 | |
| Firm ID is |
|
| F-4 |
Panacea Life Sciences Holdings, Inc. and Subsidiary
Consolidated Balance Sheets
| December 31, 2021 | December 31, 2020 | |||||||
| ASSETS | ||||||||
| CURRENT ASSETS: | ||||||||
| Cash and cash equivalents | $ | $ | ||||||
| Accounts receivable, net | ||||||||
| Other receivables, related party | - | |||||||
| Inventory | ||||||||
| Marketable securities related party | ||||||||
| Prepaid expenses and other current assets | ||||||||
| TOTAL CURRENT ASSETS | ||||||||
| Operating lease right-of-use asset, net, related party | ||||||||
| Property and equipment, net | ||||||||
| Intangible assets, net | ||||||||
| Goodwill | ||||||||
| TOTAL ASSETS | $ | $ | ||||||
| LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY | ||||||||
| CURRENT LIABILITIES: | ||||||||
| Accounts payable and accrued expenses | $ | $ | ||||||
| Operating lease liability, current portion, related party | ||||||||
| Note payable-current, related party | ||||||||
| Convertible note payable, net | - | |||||||
| Paycheck protection loan, SBA Loan | ||||||||
| TOTAL CURRENT LIABILITIES: | ||||||||
| Operating lease liability, long-term portion, related party | ||||||||
| Other long-term liabilities, related party | ||||||||
| TOTAL LIABILITIES | ||||||||
| Commitments and contingencies | - | - | ||||||
| STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY | ||||||||
| Series A Preferred Stock: $ Par Value, shares designated; and shares issued and outstanding on December 31, 2021 and December 31, 2020 respectively. | - | - | ||||||
| Series B-1 Preferred: $ Par Value, shares designated; and shares issued and outstanding on December 31, 2021 and December 31, 2020 respectively. | - | |||||||
| Series B-2 Preferred: $ Par Value, shares designated; and shares issued and outstanding on December 31, 2021 and December 31, 2020 respectively. | - | |||||||
| Series C Preferred: $ Par Value, shares designated; and shares issued and outstanding on December 31, 2021 and December 31, 2020 respectively. | ||||||||
| Series C-1 Preferred: $ Par Value, shares designated and and shares issued and outstanding on December 31, 2021 and December 31, 2020 respectively. | ||||||||
| Series C-2 Preferred: $ Par Value, and shares designated and and shares issued and outstanding on December 31, 2021 and December 31, 2020 respectively. | - | |||||||
| Series D Preferred: $ Par Value, shares designated and and shares issued and outstanding on December 31, 2021 and December 31, 2020 respectively. | ||||||||
| Common Stock: $ Par Value, shares authorized; and shares issued and outstanding on December 31, 2021 and December 31, 2020 respectively. | ||||||||
| Additional paid in capital | ||||||||
| Accumulated deficit | ( | ) | ( | ) | ||||
| TOTAL STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY | ||||||||
| TOTAL LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY | $ | $ | ||||||
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.
| F-5 |
Panacea Life Sciences Holdings, Inc. and Subsidiary
Consolidated Statements of Operations
| for the year ending December 31, | ||||||||
| 2021 | 2020 | |||||||
| REVENUE | $ | $ | ||||||
| COST OF SALES | ||||||||
| GROSS PROFIT | ||||||||
| OPERATING EXPENSES | ||||||||
| Operating expenses | ||||||||
| General and administrative expenses | ||||||||
| TOTAL OPERATING EXPENSES | ||||||||
| LOSS FROM OPERATIONS | ( | ) | ( | ) | ||||
| OTHER INCOME (EXPENSES) | ||||||||
| Interest expense | ( | ) | ( | ) | ||||
| Unrealized gain (loss) on marketable securities, net | ||||||||
| Realized gain on sale of securities | - | |||||||
| Other income (loss) | - | ( | ) | |||||
| Employer retention credit | - | |||||||
| Rental Income | ||||||||
| Loss on sale of assets | ( | ) | ( | ) | ||||
| Gain on extinguishment of debt | - | |||||||
| TOTAL OTHER INCOME (EXPENSE) | ||||||||
| INCOME (LOSS) BEFORE INCOME TAXES | ( | ) | ( | ) | ||||
| TAXES | - | - | ||||||
| NET INCOME (LOSS) | $ | ( | ) | $ | ( | ) | ||
| Per-share data | ||||||||
| Basic and diluted loss per share | $ | ( | ) | $ | ( | ) | ||
| Weighted average number of common shares outstanding | ||||||||
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.
| F-6 |
Panacea Life Sciences, Inc.
Statements of Stockholders’ Equity
| Preferred Stock | Common Stock | Additional Paid-in | Accumulated | Total Stockholder’s | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Shares | Amount | Shares | Amount | Capital |
Deficit | Equity | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Balance as of December 31, 2019 | $ | $ | $ | $ | ( | ) | $ | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Shares issued for acquisition | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Shares issued for acquisition , shares | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Series A Preferred stock conversion to common stock | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Series A Preferred stock conversion to common stock, shares | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Issuance of common stock at split | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Conversion of Common Stock to Series C-2 Preferred Stock to equity | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Conversion of Common Stock to Series C-2 Preferred Stock to equity, shares | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Issuance of convertible debt and warrants, net of issuance costs | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Net Income (Loss) | - | - | - | - | - | ( | ) | ( | ) | |||||||||||||||||||
| Balance as of December 31, 2020 | $ | $ | $ | $ | ( | ) | $ | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Shares issued for acquisition | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Series A Preferred stock conversion to common stock | ( | ) | - | ( | ) | - | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Issuance of common stock at split | - | - | - | - | - | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Conversion of Common Stock to Series C-2 Preferred Stock to equity | ( | ) | ( | ) | - | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Issuance of convertible debt and warrants, net of issuance costs | - | - | - | - | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Net Income (Loss) | - | $ | - | $ | - | $ | ( | ) | $ | ( | ) | |||||||||||||||||
| Balance as of December 31, 2021 | $ | $ | $ | $ | ( | ) | $ | |||||||||||||||||||||
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements
| F-7 |
Panacea Life Sciences, Inc.
Statements of Cash Flows
| For the years ended December 31, | ||||||||
| 2021 | 2020 | |||||||
| Cash flows from operating activities | ||||||||
| Net loss | $ | ( | ) | $ | ( | ) | ||
| Adjustments to reconcile net loss to net cash used in operating activities | ||||||||
| Depreciation | ||||||||
| Realized gain on sale of securities | ( | ) | - | |||||
| Unrealized gain on marketable securities | ( | ) | ( | ) | ||||
| Fixed Asset Disposal Loss | ||||||||
| Amortization of intangible assets | ||||||||
| Noncash settlement of convertible note and accrued interest | ( | ) | - | |||||
| Amortization of debt discount and non-cash interest expense | - | |||||||
| Changes in operating assets and liabilities | ||||||||
| Accounts receivable | ( | ) | ||||||
| Inventory | ( | ) | ( | ) | ||||
| Prepaid expense and other assets | ( | ) | ||||||
| Accounts payable and accrued expenses | ||||||||
| Operating lease liability, net | ||||||||
| Net cash used in operating activities | ( | ) | ( | ) | ||||
| Cash flows from investing activities | ||||||||
| Net cash received from acquisitions | - | |||||||
| Proceeds from sale of marketable securities | - | |||||||
| Proceeds from sale of fixed assets | ||||||||
| Net fixed asset acquisitions | ( | ) | ( | ) | ||||
| Net Cash provided by (used in) investing activities | ( | ) | ||||||
| Cash flows from financing activities | ||||||||
| Repayment of notes payable | ( | ) | - | |||||
| Proceeds from payroll protection loan, SBA loan | - | |||||||
| Proceeds from payroll protection loan - related party | - | |||||||
| Payments of principal on notes payable | ( | ) | ( | ) | ||||
| Proceeds from Note payable-related party | ||||||||
| Proceeds from issuance of convertible notes, net of discount | - | |||||||
| Cash provided by financing activities | ||||||||
| Net increase (decrease) in Cash and Cash Equivalents | ( | ) | ( | ) | ||||
| Cash and Cash Equivalents, Beginning of Period | ||||||||
| Cash and Cash Equivalents, End of Period | $ | $ | ||||||
| Supplemental Disclosure of Cash Flow Information | ||||||||
| Cash paid for income taxes during the year | $ | $ | ||||||
| Interest payments during the year | $ | $ | ||||||
| Noncash investing and financing activity | ||||||||
| Non-cash Receivable - related party | $ | $ | ||||||
| Related party loan repayment with inventory | $ | $ | ||||||
| Non-cash fixed asset disposal as part of the reverse acquisition | $ | $ | ||||||
| Capitalized assets purchased on account - related party | $ | $ | ||||||
| Liabilities from acquisition | $ | $ | ||||||
| Debt retired in merger, related party | $ | $ | ||||||
| Preferred Series B-1 Issuance in Acquisition | $ | $ | ||||||
| Preferred Series B-2 Issuance in Acquisition | $ | $ | ||||||
| Common stock issued for the reverse merger with Exactus | $ | $ | ||||||
| Discounts related to issuance of convertible debt and warrants | $ | $ | ||||||
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.
| F-8 |
PANACEA LIFE SCIENCES HOLDINGS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARY
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
DECEMBER 31, 2021
NOTE 1 - NATURE OF ORGANIZATION
Organization and Business Description
Panacea Life Sciences Holdings, Inc. (the “Company”, “Panacea Holdings”, “Exactus”, “we”, “us”, “our”) was incorporated on January 18, 2008 in the State of Nevada. In January 2019, the Company added to the scope of its business activities, efforts to produce, market and sell products made from industrial hemp containing cannabidiol (“CBD”). On June 30, 2021 the Company entered into a Securities Exchange Agreement (the “Exchange Agreement”) with Panacea Life Sciences, Inc. (“Panacea”) a CBD company, and the stockholders of Panacea. Pursuant to the Exchange Agreement, the former Panacea stockholders assumed majority control of the Exactus and all operations are now operated by Panacea, which as a result of the share exchange became a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Exactus. In October, 2021 the Company changed its name from Exactus, Inc. to Panacea Life Sciences Holdings, Inc.
The Company operates in one segment with a focus on developing and producing high-quality, medically relevant, legal, hemp-derived cannabinoid products for consumers and pets.
NOTE 2 – SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES
Basis of presentation and principles of consolidation
On June 30, 2021 the Company merged with Panacea. The merger is accounted for as a reverse acquisition and recapitalization in accordance with the Financial Accounting Standards Board (ASC 805, Business Combinations). Management evaluated the guidance contained in ASC 805 with respect to the identification of the acquirer in the merger and concluded, based on a consideration of the pertinent facts and circumstances, that Panacea acquired Exactus for financial accounting purposes. This determination is primarily based on Panacea stockholders comprising a relative majority of the voting power of the Company and having the ability to nominate the members of the board of directors of Exactus after the Merger, Panacea’s operations prior to the Merger comprising the only ongoing operations of the Company following the Merger, and Panacea’s senior management prior to the Merger comprising a majority of the senior management of the Company following the Merger. Accordingly, for accounting purposes, the financial statements of the Company represent a continuation of the financial statements of Panacea with the Merger being treated as the equivalent of Panacea issuing stock for the net assets of Exactus, accompanied by a recapitalization whereby no goodwill or other intangible assets are recorded. Transactions and balances prior to the Merger are those of Panacea. The shares and net loss per share available to holders of Panacea’s common stock prior to the Merger have been retroactively restated as shares reflecting the exchange ratio established in the Exchange Agreement.
The consolidated financial statements represent the accounts and balances for Panacea through June 30, 2021, and the consolidated balances and activities of the Company and its wholly owned subsidiary, Panacea, from that date forward. All significant consolidated transactions and balances have been eliminated in consolidation.
All
share and per share numbers have been retroactively adjusted to give effect to a
| F-9 |
Going concern
These
audited consolidated financial statements are presented on the basis that the Company will continue as a going concern. Panacea has merged
with Exactus, so the below items reflect stand-alone historical results of Panacea through June 30, 2021 and the combined financial information
thereafter. The going concern concept contemplates the realization of assets and satisfaction of liabilities in the normal course of
business. Since our inception in later 2017, we have generated losses from operations, except for some slight profits in a few quarters.
As of December 31, 2021, our accumulated deficit was $
These factors raise doubt about the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern for a period of 12 months from the issuance date of these financial statements. Management plans to raise additional capital to fund operations, until the Company achieves and maintains profitable operations and cash flows. Management cannot provide assurance that the issuance of any additional shares of common stock, preferred stock or convertible securities could be substantially dilutive to our shareholders. In addition, adequate additional funding may not be available to us on acceptable terms, or at all. These audited 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 the Company be unable to continue as a going concern.
COVID-19
The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in a global slowdown of economic activity which is likely to continue to reduce the future demand for a broad variety of goods and services, while also disrupting sales channels, marketing activities and supply chains for an unknown period of time until the virus is fully contained. The Company’s business operations have been negatively impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and related events and the Company expects this impact on its revenue and results of operations, the size and duration of which is currently difficult to predict. However, adverse consequences from COVID-19 and recent supply chain disruptions and delays may hinder our ability to continue our operations and generate revenue. The impact to date has included a decline in CBD product and sales demand. Further, in 2020, the Company (Panacea) invested in personal protective equipment (PPE) materials to sell. Hand sanitizers, testing kits and masks, and sales of PPE products, which constituted a significant portion of our revenue during the fiscal year ended December 31, 2021 and prior periods during the pandemic, have declined as vaccines continue to be administered and mask mandates and similar requirements have been lifted or reduced in many places. Although the Company is unable to predict the full impact and duration of COVID-19 on its business, the Company is actively managing its financial expenditures in response to the current uncertainty.
The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and related events, including actions taken by various government authorities in response, have increased market volatility and make the estimates and assumptions that affect the amounts reported in the financial statements and accompanying notes more difficult. As of the date of issuance of the financial statements, the Company is not aware of any specific event or circumstance that would require it to update its estimates, judgments or revise the carrying value of its assets or liabilities. These estimates may change, as new events occur and additional information is obtained, and are recognized in the consolidated financial statements as soon as they become known.
Use of Estimates
The audited consolidated financial statements have been prepared in conformity with US GAAP and required management of the Company to make estimates and assumptions in preparation of these statements. Actual results may differ significantly from those estimates. Significant estimates made by management include but are not limited to the useful life of property and equipment, incremental borrowing rate used in the calculation of right of use asset and lease liability, reserves for inventory, allowance for doubtful accounts, revenue allocations, valuation allowance on deferred tax assets, assumptions used in assessing impairment of long-term assets, assumptions used in the calculation of net realizable value of inventory and fair value of non-cash equity transactions.
| F-10 |
Cash and Cash Equivalents
For purposes of balance sheet presentation and reporting of cash flows, the Company considers all unrestricted demand deposits, money market funds and highly liquid debt instruments with an original maturity of less than 90 days to be cash and cash equivalents. There were no cash equivalents. The Company places its cash and cash equivalents with high-quality financial institutions. At times, balances in the Company’s cash accounts may exceed the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (“FDIC”) limit. On December 31, 2021 and 2020, the Company’s cash balances did not exceed the FDIC limit.
Accounts Receivable
Accounts receivable are generally unsecured. The Company establishes an allowance for doubtful accounts receivable based on the age of outstanding invoices and management’s evaluation of collectability. Accounts are written off after all reasonable collection efforts have been exhausted and management concludes that likelihood of collection is remote. Any future recoveries are applied against the allowance for doubtful accounts. As of December 31, 2021 and December 31, 2020, we did not believe we needed to reserve for any doubtful accounts, respectively. The Company’s accounts receivable policy changed in 2020 to only provide larger, well-established companies with Net 30 payment terms. For all other sales they are paid by credit card or wires received before the product is shipped to the customer.
Inventory
Inventories are stated at lower of cost or net realizable value. Inventories of purchased materials are valuated using a moving average method and managed by first in first out basis (FIFO). Inventories of internally manufactured materials are valuated using a standard costing method and are also managed on a FIFO basis. Production related costs that are capitalized as inventory as part of the standard cost valuation include the direct materials consumed, direct labor used, indirect labor used, and manufacturing overhead. Overhead is calculated based on specific manufacturing process and allocated on an order-by-order basis. Production variances that occur between standard cost valuation and actual costs are expensed as incurred in the income statement as part of cost of goods sold.
Marketable securities
The Company’s marketable securities consist of and shares of XXII at December 31, 2021 and 2020, respectively, which are classified as available-for-sale and included in current assets. (See Note 2 – Going Concern). Securities are valued based on market prices for identical assets using third party certified pricing sources. Available-for-sale securities are carried at fair value with unrealized and realized gains and losses reported as a component of income (loss). Realized gains and losses, if any, are calculated on the specific identification method and are included in other income in the consolidated statements of operations.
Fair Value Measurements
The Company adopted the provisions of Accounting Standard Codification (“ASC”) Topic 820, “Fair Value Measurements and Disclosures”, which defines fair value as used in numerous accounting pronouncements, establishes a framework for measuring fair value, and expands disclosure of fair value measurements. The guidance prioritizes the inputs used in measuring fair value and establishes a three-tier value hierarchy that distinguishes among the following:
| ● | Level 1—Valuations based on unadjusted quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities that the Company has the ability to access. | |
| ● | Level 2—Valuations based on quoted prices for similar assets or liabilities in active markets, quoted prices for identical or similar assets or liabilities in markets that are not active and models for which all significant inputs are observable, either directly or indirectly. | |
| ● | Level 3—Valuations based on inputs that are unobservable and significant to the overall fair value measurement. |
| F-11 |
The following table shows, by level within the fair value hierarchy, the Company’s assets and liabilities at fair value on a recurring basis as of December 31, 2021 and December 31, 2020:
FAIR VALUE, ASSETS MEASURED ON RECURRING BASIS
| December 31, 2021 | December 31, 2020 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Total | Level 1 | Level 2 | Level 3 | Total | Level 1 | Level 2 | Level 3 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Marketable securities | $ | $ | $ | $ | $ | $ | $ | $ | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Total | $ | $ | $ | $ | $ | $ | $ | $ | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
There were no transfers of marketable securities into or out of Level 1 during the years ended December 31, 2021 or 2020.
SCHEDULE OF MARKETABLE SECURITIES
| December 31, 2021 | ||||
| Balance at beginning of year | $ | |||
| Sale of securities | ( | ) | ||
| Realized gain on sale of securities | ||||
| Unrealized gain on marketable securities, net | ||||
| Balance at end of period | $ | |||
As of December 31, 2021, the Company has no liabilities that are re-measured at fair value.
Property and Equipment
Property
and equipment are stated at cost less accumulated depreciation. Depreciation is calculated using the straight–line method on the
various asset classes over their estimated useful lives, which range from to
Intangible Assets and Goodwill
The
Company has intangible assets. Goodwill is comprised of the purchase price of business combinations in excess of the fair market value
assigned at acquisition to the tangible and intangible assets acquired. Goodwill is not amortized. The Company tests goodwill for impairment
on an annual basis. The Company performed its most recent goodwill impairment using a discounted cash flow analysis and found that the
fair value exceeded the carrying value. It has $
SCHEDULE OF INTANGIBLE ASSETS AND GOODWILL
| Estimated Life | ||
| Goodwill from Phoenix Acquisition | ||
| Intangibles – Formulations |
| December 31, 2021 | December 31, 2020 | |||||||
| Goodwill | $ | $ | ||||||
| Intangibles – Formulations | ||||||||
| Less accumulated amortization | ( | ) | ( | ) | ||||
| Net intangible assets | $ | $ | ||||||
| F-12 |
Leases
The
Company determines if an arrangement is a lease at inception. Contracts containing a lease are further evaluated for classification as
an operating or finance lease.
The Company uses incremental borrowing rates based on the estimated rate of interest for collateralized borrowing over a similar term of the lease payments at commencement date. The ROU asset also includes any lease payments made and excludes lease incentives. Lease terms may include options to extend or terminate the lease when it is reasonably certain that the Company will exercise that option. Lease expenses are recognized on a straight-line basis over the lease term or the useful life of the leased asset.
In addition, the carrying amount of the ROU and lease liabilities are remeasured if there is a modification, a change in the lease term, a change in the in-substance fixed lease payments or a change in the assessment to purchase the underlying asset.
Convertible Notes Payable
The Company has issued convertible notes, which contain variable conversion features, whereby the outstanding principal and accrued interest automatically convert into common shares at a fixed price which may be a discount to the common stock at the time of conversion. Some of the conversion features of these notes are contingent upon future events, whereby, the holder agreed not to convert until the contingent future event has occurred.
Revenue Recognition
The Company accounts for revenue in accordance with ASC Topic 606, Revenue from Contracts with Customers.
The Company accounts for a contract when it has been approved and committed to, each party’s rights regarding the goods or services to be transferred have been identified, the payment terms have been identified, the contract has commercial substance, and collectability is probable. Revenue is generally recognized net of allowances for returns and any taxes collected from customers and subsequently remitted to governmental authorities. However, the Company’s sales are primarily through retail stores, purchase orders or ecommerce; thus, currently contract liabilities are negligible. The Company does not have any multiple-element arrangements.
Some
of the Company’s contract liabilities consist of advance customer payments. Contract liability results from transactions in which
the Company has been paid for products by customers, but for which all revenue recognition criteria have not yet been met. Once all revenue
recognition criteria have been met, the contract liabilities are recognized. The Company recorded $
SCHEDULE OF REVENUE FROM CONTRACT WITH CUSTOMER
| December 31, 2021 | December 31, 2020 | |||||||
| Balance, beginning of period | $ | $ | ||||||
| Payments received for unearned revenue | ||||||||
| Revenue earned | ||||||||
| Balance, end of period | $ | $ | ||||||
| F-13 |
Revenue is recognized when a customer obtains control of promised goods or services and is recognized in an amount that reflects the consideration that an entity expects to receive in exchange for those goods or services. In addition, the standard requires disclosure of the nature, amount, timing, and uncertainty of revenue and cash flows arising from contracts with customers. The amount of revenue that is recorded reflects the consideration that the Company expects to receive in exchange for those goods. The Company applies the following five-step model in order to determine this amount: (i) identification of the promised goods in the contract; (ii) determination of whether the promised goods are performance obligations, including whether they are distinct in the context of the contract; (iii) measurement of the transaction price, including the constraint on variable consideration; (iv) allocation of the transaction price to the performance obligations; and (v) recognition of revenue when (or as) the Company satisfies each performance obligation.
Revenue related to the sale of products is recognized once goods have been sold to the customer and the performance obligation has been completed. In both contracted purchase and retail sales, we offer consumer products through our online stores. Revenue is recognized when control of the goods is transferred to the customer. This generally occurs upon our delivery to a third-party carrier or, to the customer directly. Revenue from tolling services is recognized when the performance obligation, such as processing of the material, has been completed and output material has been transferred to the customer.
Revenue is generally recognized net of allowances for returns and any taxes collected from customers and subsequently remitted to governmental authorities. Some of the Company’s contract liabilities consist of advance customer payments. A contract liability results from transactions in which the Company has been paid for products by customers, but for which all revenue recognition criteria have not yet been met. Once all revenue recognition criteria have been met, the contract liabilities are recognized. However, the Company’s sales are primarily through retail stores, purchase orders or ecommerce; thus, currently contract liabilities are negligible. The Company does not have any multiple-element arrangements.
Some of the Company’s contract liabilities consist of advance customer payments. Contract liability results from transactions in which the Company has been paid for products by customers, but for which all revenue recognition criteria have not yet been met. Once all revenue recognition criteria have been met, the contract liabilities are recognized.
Shipping and Handling Costs
The
Company accounts for shipping and handling fees in accordance with ASC 606. The amounts charged to customers for shipping products are
recognized as revenues and the related freight costs of shipping products are classified in general and administrative costs as incurred.
Shipping costs are included as a component of general and administrative and were $
Advertising & Marketing
Advertising
costs are expensed when incurred.
Included in this category are expenses related to public relations, investor relations, new package design, website design, design of
promotional materials, cost of trade shows, cost of products given away as promotional samples, and paid advertising. The Company recorded
advertising costs included in general and administrative costs of $
Segment Information
The Company follows the provisions of ASC 280-10 Segment Reporting. This standard requires that companies disclose operating segments based on the manner in which management disaggregates the Company in making internal operating decisions. Segment identification and selection is consistent with the management structure used by the Company’s chief operating decision maker to evaluate performance and make decisions regarding resource allocation, as well as the materiality of financial results consistent with that structure. Based on the Company’s management structure and method of internal reporting, the Company has one operating segment. The Company’s chief operating decision maker does not review operating results on a disaggregated basis; rather, the chief operating decision maker reviews operating results on an aggregate basis.
| F-14 |
The Company computes basic and diluted earnings per share amounts in accordance with ASC Topic 260, “Earnings per Share”. Basic earnings per share is computed by dividing net income (loss) available to common stockholders by the weighted average number of common shares outstanding during the reporting period. Diluted earnings per share reflects the potential dilution that could occur if preferred stock converted to common stock and warrants are exercised. Preferred stock and warrants are excluded from the diluted earnings per share calculation if their effect is anti-dilutive.
The
Business Combination on December 31, 2021 was accounted for as a recapitalization of equity structure. In
October, 2021 the Company completed
| Years ended December 31, | ||||||||
| 2021 | 2020 | |||||||
| Convertible note payable | - | - | ||||||
| Restricted Stock | - | - | ||||||
| Options to purchase common stock | - | - | ||||||
| Warrants to purchase common stock | - | - | ||||||
| Series A Convertible Preferred | - | |||||||
| Series B-1 Convertible Preferred | - | |||||||
| Series B-2 Convertible Preferred | - | |||||||
| Series C Convertible Preferred | ||||||||
| Series C-1 Convertible Preferred | ||||||||
| Series C-2 Convertible Preferred | - | |||||||
| Series D Convertible Preferred | ||||||||
| Total | - | - | ||||||
Income taxes
The Company accounts for income taxes in accordance with ASC 740, “Income Taxes”. ASC 740 requires an asset and liability approach for financial accounting and reporting for income taxes and established for all the entities a minimum threshold for financial statement recognition of the benefit of tax positions and requires certain expanded disclosures. The provision for income taxes is based upon income or loss after adjustment for those permanent items that are not considered in the determination of taxable income. Deferred income taxes represent the tax effects of differences between the financial reporting and tax basis of the Company’s assets and liabilities at the enacted tax rates in effect for the years in which the differences are expected to reverse. The Company evaluates the recoverability of deferred tax assets and establishes a valuation allowance when it is more likely than not that some portion or all the deferred tax assets will not be realized. Management makes judgments as to the interpretation of the tax laws that might be challenged upon an audit and cause changes to previous estimates of tax liability. In management’s opinion, adequate provisions for income taxes have been made. If actual taxable income by tax jurisdiction varies from estimates, additional allowances or reversals of reserves may be necessary.
Recently Issued Accounting Standards
In August 2020, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) No. 2020-06, Debt with Conversion and Other Options (Subtopic 470-20) and Derivatives and Hedging-Contracts in Entity’s Own Equity (Subtopic 815-40), Accounting for Convertible Instruments and Contract’s in an Entity’s Own Equity. The ASU simplifies accounting for convertible instruments by removing major separation models required under current GAAP. Consequently, more convertible debt instruments will be reported as a single liability instrument with no separate accounting for embedded conversion features. The ASU removes certain settlement conditions that are required for equity contracts to qualify for the derivative scope exception, which will permit more equity contracts to qualify for it. The ASU simplifies the diluted net income per share calculation in certain areas. The ASU is effective for annual and interim periods beginning after December 31, 2021, and early adoption is permitted for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2020, and interim periods within those fiscal years. The Company is currently evaluating the impact that this new guidance will have on its consolidated financial statements.
In May 2021, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued ASU 2021-04 “Earnings Per Share (Topic 260), Debt—Modifications and Extinguishments (Subtopic 470-50), Compensation— Stock Compensation (Topic 718), and Derivatives and Hedging—Contracts in Entity’s Own Equity (Subtopic 815- 40) Issuer’s Accounting for Certain Modifications or Exchanges of Freestanding Equity-Classified Written Call Options” which clarifies and reduces diversity in an issuer’s accounting for modifications or exchanges of freestanding equity-classified written call options (for example, warrants) that remain equity classified after modification or exchange. An entity should measure the effect of a modification or an exchange of a freestanding equity-classified written call option that remains equity classified after modification or exchange as follows: i) for a modification or an exchange that is a part of or directly related to a modification or an exchange of an existing debt instrument or line-of-credit or revolving-debt arrangements (hereinafter, referred to as a “debt” or “debt instrument”), as the difference between the fair value of the modified or exchanged written call option and the fair value of that written call option immediately before it is modified or exchanged; ii) for all other modifications or exchanges, as the excess, if any, of the fair value of the modified or exchanged written call option over the fair value of that written call option immediately before it is modified or exchanged. The amendments in this Update are effective for all entities for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2021, including interim periods within those fiscal years. An entity should apply the amendments prospectively to modifications or exchanges occurring on or after the effective date of the amendments. The Company is currently evaluating the impact of this standard on its consolidated financial statements.
| F-15 |
The Company does not discuss recent pronouncements that are not anticipated to have an impact on or are unrelated to its financial condition, results of operations, cash flows or disclosures.
NOTE 3 – PROPERTY, EQUIPMENT, NET OF ACCUMULATED DEPRECIATION
Property and equipment, net including any major improvements, are recorded at historical cost. The cost of repairs and maintenance is charged against operations as incurred. Depreciation is calculated using the straight-line method over the estimated useful lives of the related assets, generally as follows:
SCHEDULE OF PROPERTY PLANT AND EQUIPMENT USEFUL LIVES
| Estimated Life | ||
| Computers and technological assets | ||
| Furniture and fixtures | ||
| Machinery and equipment | ||
| Leasehold improvement |
Property and equipment, net consists of the following:
SCHEDULE OF PROPERTY AND EQUIPMENT
| December 31, 2021 | December 31, 2020 | |||||||
| Computers and technological assets | $ | $ | ||||||
| Furniture and fixtures | ||||||||
| Machinery and equipment | ||||||||
| Land | ||||||||
| Assets Under Construction | - | |||||||
| Leasehold Improvements | ||||||||
| Total | ||||||||
| Less accumulated depreciation | ( | ) | ( | ) | ||||
| Total Property and equipment, net | $ | $ | ||||||
The land and equipment decreased from December 31, 2020 to December 31, 2021 due to the partial sale of the farmland and equipment. See Note 10.
Depreciation
expenses for the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020 were $
The
asset under construction in 2020 was related to a deposit the Company made on an XL Novasep chromatography unit. The Company decided
it did not have the proper equipment needed to house the unit, so it negotiated a settlement with Novasep to return the deposit less
restocking and legal fees. The unit was never delivered to the Company. On May 24, 2021 $
| F-16 |
NOTE 4 – INVENTORY
Inventory consists of the following components:
SCHEDULE OF INVENTORY
| December 31, 2021 | December 31, 2020 | |||||||
| Raw Materials | $ | $ | ||||||
| Semi-Finished | ||||||||
| Finished Goods | ||||||||
| Packaging | ||||||||
| Trading | ||||||||
| Total | $ | $ | ||||||
NOTE 5 –OPERATING LEASE RIGHT-OF-USE ASSETS AND OPERATING LEASE LIABILITIES – RELATED PARTY
Right of Use
The
Company adopted Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) No. 2016-02, “Leases” (“ASC 842”) on January
1, 2019, the start of our 2019 fiscal year. The Company has one lease arrangement with a related party entered into on December 22, 2018
for a 3-year term commencing January 1, 2019 for certain laboratory facilities with a nine-year extension option. This lease was extended
and now expires on
The
Company, as of January 1, 2019, leases a portion of the property (formerly the Environmental Protection Agency building) in Golden, CO
from J&N Real Estate, owned by the CEO, a related party with a term expiring on
SCHEDULE OF RIGHT OF USE ASSET AND LIABILITY
| December 31, 2021 | December 31, 2020 | |||||||
| Right-of-use assets | $ | $ | ||||||
| Present value of operating lease liabilities | $ | $ | ||||||
| Less: Long-term portion of operating lease liability | ( | ) | ( | ) | ||||
| Short-term portion of operating lease liability | ||||||||
| Unpaid balances | ||||||||
| Total short-term lease liability obligations | $ | $ | ||||||
| Weighted-average remaining lease term (Ends December 31, 2030) | | |||||||
| Weighted-average discount rate | 3.0 | % | ||||||
During
years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020, we recognized approximately $
| F-17 |
Approximate future minimum lease payments for our right of use assets over the remaining lease periods as of December 31, 2021, are as follows:
Maturity of operating lease liabilities for the following years ended:
SCHEDULE OF MATURITY OF OPERATING LEASE LIABILITIES
| 2022 | $ | |||
| 2023 | $ | |||
| 2024 | $ | |||
| 2025 | $ | |||
| 2026 | $ | |||
| Thereafter | $ | |||
| Total undiscounted operating lease payments | $ | |||
| Less: Imputed interest | $ | ( | ) | |
| Present value of operating lease liabilities | $ |
NOTE 6 – NOTES PAYABLE
Convertible Note Payable
On
November 18, 2021, the Company entered into a Securities Purchase Agreement (“SPA”) with Lincoln Park Capital Fund, LLC
(the “Purchaser”) pursuant to which the Company agreed to sell a
The
Note will be due
Under
the terms of the Note, upon a public offering by the Company of common stock, either alone or in units or with other securities pursuant
to an effective registration statement resulting in gross proceeds to the Company of at least $
The Note also contains customary negative covenants prohibiting the Company from certain actions while the Note remains outstanding.
The
Warrants will be exercisable for a -year term beginning on May 18, 2022, at an exercise price of $
| F-18 |
The SPA provides that the Purchaser may purchase an additional note and additional warrants on substantially the same terms as the Note and the Warrants on any business day prior to the 91st business day immediately following the closing of the SPA.
Pursuant to the SPA, the Company entered into a Registration Rights Agreement dated November 18, 2021, by and between the Company and the Purchaser, in which the Company has agreed to file a Registration Statement on Form S-1 with the SEC following request by the Purchaser at any time following the 180-day period after the initial closing.
The
Company calculated the fair value of the Warrants using the Black Scholes method as $
Paycheck Protection Program Funding U.S. Small Business Administration Loan
On
May 28, 2020, the Company received a secured,
In
April 2021, the Exactus Company borrowed a “second draw” loan of $
Regarding
Panacea Life Sciences, Inc.’s (PLS) Small Business Administration (SBA) loans, PLS received the PPP first draw loan in the amount
of $
PLS’s accounting treatment of the PPP loans and forgiveness follows best practice from the AICPA and accounted for the loan as a financial liability in accordance with FASB ASC 470 and accrue interest in accordance with the interest method under FASB ASC 835-30. The full amount of the PPP loan and accrued interest was forgiven on June 28, 2021 and written off.
The aforementioned forgiveness of the various PPP loans was recorded in the Company’s consolidated statement of operations as gain on extinguishment of debt
| F-19 |
Employer Retention Credit
Panacea
received an employer retention credit from the federal government of $
Note payable-current, related party
As
part of the agreement in the share agreement transaction, certain loan balances (“Quintel Loans”) from Quintel-MC
Incorporated, an affiliate of the Company’s CEO, (“Quintel”) and historical interest owed of $
On
June 30, 2021, Panacea issued the Company’s CEO, Ms. Buttorff, a
On
June 30, 2021 the $
During
October 2019, the Company issued a short-term promissory note to an officer of Exactus, for an aggregate principal amount of $
During
February 2021, the Company entered into a short-term promissory note for principal amount of $
SCHEDULE OF NOTES PAYABLE
| December 31, 2021 | December 31, 2020 | |||||||
| Quintel Note | $ | $ | ||||||
| CEO Note | ||||||||
| XXII Debt | - | |||||||
| Total related party notes | $ | $ | ||||||
On January 1, 2019 Panacea received a loan from
Quintel-MC Incorporated for up to $
On December 3, 2019, we entered into securities
purchase agreement with an investor pursuant to which we sold a convertible note bearing interest at
Other long-term liabilities, related party
The
Company has recorded a related party liability (“Fixed Asset Loan”) in the amounts of $
In
2020, the Company recorded an additional related party liability in the amount of $
| F-20 |
| December 31, 2021 | December 31, 2020 | |||||||
| Other long-term liabilities, related party | ||||||||
| Fixed Asset Loan | $ | $ | ||||||
| J&N Building Loan | ||||||||
| Total | $ | $ | ||||||
NOTE 7 - STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY
Common stock
The Company’s authorized common stock consists of shares with a par value of $ per share.
During the year ended December 31, 2021, shares of Series A Preferred Shares were converted into shares of common stock.
Common stock options
Stock Option Plan
On June 30, 2021 the Company’s stockholders approved the 2021 Equity Incentive Plan (the “2021 Plan”). The 2021 Plan provides for the issuance of incentive awards in the form of non-qualified and incentive stock options, restricted stock awards, restricted stock unit awards, warrants and preferred stock. The awards may be granted by the Company’s Board of Directors to its employees, directors and officers and to consultants, agents, advisors and independent contractors who provide services to the Company or to a subsidiary of the Company. The exercise price for stock options must not be less than the fair market value of the underlying shares on the date of grant. The incentive awards shall either be fully vested and exercisable from the date of grant or shall vest and become exercisable in such installments as the Board of Directors or Compensation Committee may specify. Stock options expire no later than ten years from the date of grant. The aggregate number of shares of common stock which may be issued pursuant to the Plan is . Unless sooner terminated, the Plan shall terminate in years.
As part of the merger of Exactus, Panacea assumed the Exactus 2018 Equity Incentive Plan (the “2018 Plan”). The 2018 Plan provides for the issuance of incentive awards in the form of non-qualified and incentive stock options, stock appreciation rights, restricted stock awards, and restricted stock unit awards. The awards may be granted by the Company’s Board of Directors to its employees, directors and officers and to consultants, agents, advisors and independent contractors who provide services to the Company or to a subsidiary of the Company. The exercise price for stock options must not be less than the fair market value of the underlying shares on the date of grant. The incentive awards shall either be fully vested and exercisable from the date of grant or shall vest and become exercisable in such installments as the Board or Compensation Committee may specify. Stock options expire no later than ten years from the date of grant. The aggregate number of shares of common stock which may be issued pursuant to the Plan is . Unless sooner terminated, the Plan shall terminate in years. This plan had fully vested options outstanding at the time of the merger. There have been no options granted under this plan subsequent to the merger.
On January 22, 2021, Exactus had granted -year options exercisable at $ per share to certain officers and directors, including options to Larry Wert who remains a director. Subsequently, at a meeting on March 31, 2021 several directors reviewed the January grants to three of the insiders and sought to negate their option awards in order to achieve two stated goals: to allow the directors to vote a sufficient number of shares required to approve a matter purportedly requiring additional votes to achieve a majority under Nevada law, and to correct an alleged mistake in the January action which was claimed to have unintentionally awarded options instead of shares of common stock. The directors present thereupon purported to grant four directors a total of shares and directed the Company’s transfer agent to issue such shares. The effectiveness of the March 31, 2021 board action is currently under review and may ultimately be determined to have been ineffective as a matter of law. All related shares and options outstanding have been reported as if legally transacted.
| F-21 |
Stock Options
SCHEDULE OF STOCK OPTIONS
| Options Outstanding as of December 31, 2021 | ||||||||||||||||
Number of Shares Subject to Options | Weighted Average Exercise Price Per Share | Weighted Average Remaining Contractual Life (in years) | Aggregate Intrinsic Value | |||||||||||||
| Balance at December 31, 2020 | ||||||||||||||||
| Options assumed in merger | $ | |||||||||||||||
| Options granted | - | - | ||||||||||||||
| Options exercised | - | - | ||||||||||||||
| Options canceled / expired | - | - | ||||||||||||||
| Balance at December 31, 2021 | $ | $ | ||||||||||||||
| Vested and exercisable at December 31, 2021 | $ | $ | ||||||||||||||
Stock Warrants
As
a result of the Merger closing (see Note 10), as of December 31, 2021, the Company had outstanding warrants to purchase an aggregate
of
| Name | Number of Shares | Average Exercise Price | ||||||
| Balance at December 31, 2020 | ||||||||
| Assumed in Merger | $ | |||||||
| Issued with convertible debt | ||||||||
| Total as of December 31, 2021 | $ | |||||||
As of December 31, 2021, the outstanding warrants have no intrinsic value.
Restricted Stock
SUMMARY OF RESTRICTED STOCK
| Restricted Stock Common Stock | ||||
| Balance at December 31, 2020 | ||||
| Assumed in merger | ||||
| Balance at December 31, 2021 | ||||
As of December 31, 2021, there were no unamortized or unvested stock-based compensation costs related to restricted share arrangements. These shares are included in the total of outstanding share as of December 31, 2021.
| F-22 |
Preferred Stock
The Company’s authorized preferred stock consists of shares with a par value of $.
In connection with our acquisition of Panacea on December 31, 2021, we issued convertible preferred stock to our new principal shareholder and Chief Executive Officer (and her affiliates) as follows:
shares of Series C Convertible Preferred Stock (the “Series C”) shares of Series C-1 Convertible Preferred Stock (the “Series C-1”) and shares of Series D Convertible Preferred Stock (the “Series D”), which together convert into approximately % of the Company’s common stock outstanding as of that date. The Series C has a liquidation preference of $ per share, is convertible at the rate of shares of common stock per share and through December 31, 2023 has the option to participate in the recovery by the Company of certain assets. In order to avail herself of the rights, the holder can cause the Company to use the cash generated by the assets and repurchase Series C at a price equal to the liquidation preference per share, subject to the Company maintaining an agreed upon level of net assets. The Series C-1 has a liquidation preference of $ per share and is convertible at the rate of shares of common stock for each share of Series C-1. The Series D has a liquidation preference of $ per share and is convertible into common stock at the rate of shares of common stock per share. The Series C, C-1 and D also vote on an as converted basis.
In
addition, the Company entered into an exchange agreement with an investor and filed with the Secretary of State of the State of Nevada
a Certificate of Designation of Preferences, Rights and Limitations for Series A Preferred stock under which the Note in the original
principal amount of $
The
Company authorized the issuance of a total of shares of Series A Preferred for issuance. Each share of Series A Preferred is convertible
at the option of the holder, into that number of shares of our common stock (subject to certain limitations on beneficial ownership)
determined by dividing the Stated Value by $
On February 16, 2021 the Company offered to our prior Series A Preferred stock holder enhanced conversion inducements to voluntarily convert the preferred shares into our common stock and filed a Certificate of Cancellation and Withdrawal with the Secretary of State of the State of Nevada cancelling our prior Certificate of Designation of Preferences, Rights and Limitations for Series A Preferred stock, all of which has been converted to common stock, in order to issue the new 0% Series A Preferred stock described herein.
On April 7, 2021 the Company filed a Certificate of Cancellation and Withdrawal with the Secretary of State of the State of Nevada cancelling our prior Certificate of Designation of Preferences, Rights and Limitations for the previous Series C Preferred Stock, all of which has been cancelled or converted into common stock.
On February 16, 2021, the Company offered to holders of our prior Series D Preferred Stockholder(s) enhanced inducements to voluntarily convert preferred shares into our common stock.
On April 7, 2021 the Company filed a Certificate of Cancellation and Withdrawal with the Secretary of State of the State of Nevada cancelling our prior Certificate of Designation of Preferences, Rights and Limitations for the previous Series D Preferred Stock, all of which has been cancelled or converted into common stock.
| F-23 |
During the quarter ended December 31, 2021 the Company withdrew its prior Series C Preferred Stock, Series D Preferred Stock and Series E Preferred Stock and issued shares of newly designated Series C, Series C-1 and Series D to former Panacea stockholders pursuant to the Exchange Agreement.
Common Stock for services
In October, 2021 the Company entered into a consulting agreement for investor relations services. The consultant shall receive compensation of shares of the Company’s Common Stock and shall vest over one year with common stock to vest on the date of this agreement and common shares on the first day of each month thereafter.
NOTE 8 - COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES
Legal Matters
In the ordinary course of business, the Company enters into agreements with third parties that include indemnification provisions which, in its judgment, are normal and customary for companies in the Company’s industry sector. These agreements are typically with business partners, and suppliers. Pursuant to these agreements, the Company generally agrees to indemnify, hold harmless, and reimburse indemnified parties for losses suffered or incurred by the indemnified parties with respect to the Company’s products, use of such products, or other actions taken or omitted by us. The maximum potential number of future payments the Company could be required to make under these indemnification provisions is unlimited. The Company has not incurred material costs to defend lawsuits or settle claims related to these indemnification provisions. As a result, the estimated fair value of liabilities relating to these provisions is minimal. Accordingly, the Company has no liabilities recorded for these provisions as of December 31, 2021.
As a result of our acquisition of Panacea, the Company is now involved in the following pending litigation:
On
February 16, 2021, Henley Group, Inc. filed with the Superior Court of the State of California, San Bernardino County, a complaint (Case
#: SIV SB 2105771) against Panacea for breach of contract and fraud related to Panacea’s non-delivery of product. While Panacea
refunded the purchase price, the plaintiff seeks damages including lost profits and costs which plaintiff alleged to have incurred in
the amount of approximately $
On
October 7, 2019, CMI Mechanical (“CMI”) agreed to procure, deliver, and install a dehumidification system (the “System”)
at the Company’s facility located at 16194 W. 45th Drive, Golden, Colorado 80403 (the “Property”). The Company believes
the System has failed to meet the requirements of the subject contract, and CMI has not remedied that failure for the Company. The Company
withheld certain payments as permitted under the contract. On December 10, 2020, CMI recorded a lien against the Property in the amount
of $
Concentrations
The Company has no concentration of vendors that would impact production costs in the longer term.
On
the revenue side, in the 3rd Quarter of 2021 we signed a large contract with a convenience store chain. The revenues from
the first shipment of CBD products are
In
2020, there were concentrations of purchases from two vendors: BSH (approximately
The
other concentration is in the accounts receivable category, where three customer accounts for
| F-24 |
The Company has no other contingencies, material commitments, or purchase obligations or sales obligations.
Executive Employment Agreement
On
December 31, 2021 the Company entered into an updated Employment Agreement with Leslie Buttorff pursuant to which Ms. Buttorff serves
as the Company’s Chief Executive Officer for an initial term of July 1, 2021 to December 31, 2024 (the “Employment Agreement).
Under her Employment Agreement, Ms. Buttorff receives an annual base salary of $
Under her Employment Agreement, she is entitled to severance payments under termination provisions which are intended to comply with Section 409A of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, or the Code, and the Regulations thereunder.
In
the event of termination by the Company without “cause” or resignation by Ms. Buttorff for “good reason,” Ms.
Buttorff is entitled to receive two years’ base salary, or $
Generally, “good reason” is defined as (i) any material breach of the Employment Agreement by the Company, (ii) the Company’s assignment of Ms. Buttorff to a position that has materially less authority, status, or functional responsibility than the position with the Company as of the commencement date, or the assignment to her of duties that are not those of an executive at the management level, (iii) the reduction of Ms. Buttorff’s base salary, (iv) the requirement that Ms. Buttorff move her primary place of employment more than 30 miles from her initial place of employment, or (v) upon any change of control event as defined in Treasury Regulation Section 1.409A-3(i)(5) provided that within 12 months of the change of control event the Company terminates Ms. Buttorff or fails to obtain an agreement from any successor to perform the Employment Agreement.
Under the terms of her Employment Agreement, Ms. Buttorff is subject to non-competition and non-solicitation covenants during the term of her employment and following termination of employment with the Company. The Employment Agreement also contains customary confidentiality and non-disparagement covenants.
NOTE 9 - RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS
Notes Payable and Accrued Interest – Related Parties
On
December 31, 2021 Panacea received a loan of $
On
December 31, 2021, Panacea issued the Company’s CEO, Ms. Buttorff, a
| F-25 |
On
July 1, 2021, the Company issued Ms. Buttorff a $
During
October 2019, the Company issued a short-term promissory notes to an officer of Exactus, for an aggregate principal amount of $
J&N Real Estate related party owned by Ms. Buttorff—See Note 10 Exchange Agreement and Note 5 Operating lease.
Services
Agreement dated January 1, 2019, by and between the Company and Quintel, with respect to IT, HR, accounting/periodic reporting, production
planning, and employee reporting services. Master Agreement dated January 1, 2019, by and between the Company and Quintel/Canna Software,
LLC for the provision of the ERPCannabis solution. As of December 31, 2021 the outstanding obligation under these two service contracts
is $
The interest expense recorded for related party loans are shown below.
SCHEDULE OF RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS LOANS
| December 31, 2021 | December 31, 2020 | |||||||
| Accrued Interest | ||||||||
| Related party loan-Quintel | $ | $ | ||||||
| Related party loan-CEO loan | ||||||||
| Related party loan-XXII | - | - | ||||||
| Related party loan – Line of credit | - | |||||||
| Accrued Interest | - | |||||||
| Year ended December 31, 2021 | Year ended December 31, 2020 | |||||||
| Interest Expense | ||||||||
| Related party loan-Quintel | $ | $ | ||||||
| Related party loan-CEO loan | ||||||||
| Related party loan-XXII | - | |||||||
| Related party loan – Line of Credit | - | |||||||
| Interest Expense | - | |||||||
Other
The Company continues to hold shares of XXII stock which is available for trading. XXII recently moved from the NYSE to NASDAQ. As of December 31, 2021 XXII is a common shareholder of the Company. See Note 10 for additional details related to XXII resolution.
NOTE 10 – EXCHANGE AGREEMENT BETWEEN EXACTUS, INC. AND PANACEA LIFE SCIENCES, INC.
On
June 30, 2021, Exactus legally acquired Panacea pursuant to the Exchange Agreement with the shareholders of Panacea including its founder
Leslie Buttorff and 22nd Century Group, Inc., (“XXII”), a principal investor. Panacea, which was founded by Leslie
Buttorff in 2017 as a woman-owned business, attracted $
| F-26 |
Shares Issuances
Pursuant
to the Exchange Agreement, on June 30, 2021 the Company issued a total of shares of common stock,
On
June 29, 2021 the Company filed with the Secretary of State of the State of Nevada three new series of preferred stock (“Preferred
Stock”) designated as Series C Convertible Preferred Stock, Series C-1 Preferred Stock and Series D Preferred Stock and authorized
the filing of a Certificate of Designation of Preferences, Rights and Limitations of Series C Convertible Preferred Stock, Series C-1
Convertible Preferred Stock and Series D Convertible Preferred Stock in the State of Nevada. The Board designated for issuance
Also,
on December 31, 2021, Panacea and XXII agreed to dissolve their business relationship. In terms of the agreement the following transactions
occurred in consideration for the XXII investment in Panacea of $
| 1. | Series
B Preferred ($ | |
| 2. | $ | |
| 3. | Panacea
sold to XXII the real property and improvements located in Delta County, Colorado, and comprised of approximately | |
| 4. | J&N
Real Estate Company LLC (J&N), owned by Leslie Buttorff, assumed a $ |
On December 31, 2021, the Board authorized the Company to file a certificate of amendment (the “Amendment”) to its Amended and Restated Articles of Incorporation with the Secretary of State of the State of Nevada in order to effectuate a reverse stock split of the Company’s issued and outstanding common stock, par value $ per share on a one (1) for twenty-eight (28) basis (the “Reverse Stock Split”). The Reverse Stock Split was effective October 25, 2021.
As disclosed in Note 1 and 2 the Company has accounted for this share exchange as a reverse merger and recapitalization.
NOTE 11 – INCOME TAXES
The
Company has incurred aggregate net operating losses of approximately $
| F-27 |
The following table summarizes the significant differences between the U.S. Federal statutory tax rate and the Company’s effective tax rate for financial statement purposes for the year ended December 31, 2020. The company has yet to file income taxes for the year ended December 31, 2021.
SCHEDULE OF EFFECTIVE TAX RATE
December 31, 2020 | ||||
| U.S. federal statutory rate | % | |||
| Increase (decrease) in taxes resulting from: | ||||
| Increase in valuation allowance | ( | )% | ||
| ROU Assets/Liabilities | ( | )% | ||
| State taxes | % | |||
| Income tax (expense) benefit | - | % | ||
The tax effects of temporary differences that give rise to deferred tax assets and liabilities as of December 31, 2020 are summarized as follows:
SCHEDULE OF DEFERRED TAX ASSETS AND LIABILITIES
December 31, 2020 | ||||
| Deferred tax assets (liabilities) | ||||
| Net Operating Loss Carryforwards | $ | |||
| Marketable securities | ( | ) | ||
| ROU Assets/Liabilities | ( | ) | ||
| Depreciation and amortization | ( | ) | ||
| Total deferred tax assets (liabilities) | ||||
| Valuation Allowance | ( | ) | ||
| Net deferred tax assets (liabilities) | $ | |||
The
Company provided a valuation allowance equal to the deferred income tax asset for the year ended December 31, 2020 because it was not
known whether future taxable income will be sufficient to utilize the loss carryforward. The increase in the allowance was $
NOTE 13 – SUBSEQUENT EVENTS
On
October 7, 2019, CMI Mechanical (“CMI”) agreed to procure, deliver, and install a dehumidification system (the “System”)
at the Company’s facility located at 16194 W. 45th Drive, Golden, Colorado 80403 (the “Property”). The Company believes
the System has failed to meet the requirements of the subject contract, and CMI has not remedied that failure for the Company. The Company
withheld certain payments as permitted under the contract. On December 10, 2020, CMI recorded a lien against the Property in the amount
of $
| F-28 |
On
March 3, 2022, the Company entered into an Exchange Agreement (the “Agreement”) with an institutional investor (the “Investor”)
pursuant to which the Company agreed to issue a
The
Note will be due March 3, 2023, which is one year from the issuance date. The Note initially does not bear any interest, however upon
and during any event of default by the Company, the Note will accrue interest at a rate of
The
principal and accrued interest on the Note is convertible into common stock at a conversion price of $
Under
the terms of the Note, upon a Qualified Offering, as defined in the Note, the conversion price will be reduced to
The
Note also contains customary negative covenants prohibiting the Company from certain actions while the Note remains outstanding. The
Warrants will be exercisable for a -year term beginning on May 18, 2022, at an exercise price of $
Each
of the Note and the Warrants contain a
Pursuant to the Agreement, the Company entered into a Registration Rights Agreement dated March 3, 2022, by and between the Company and the Investor, in which the Company has agreed to file a Registration Statement on Form S-1 with the Securities Exchange Commission following request by the Purchaser in the November 2021 private placement and include the registrable securities of the Investor. The Investor has agreed that their rights and remedies pursuant to the Registration Rights Agreement are subordinate to the rights and remedies of the Purchaser pursuant to its registration rights agreement.
The Company obtained the consent of the Purchaser in connection with the foregoing.
| F-29 |
Item 9. Changes In and Disagreements with Accountants on Accounting and Financial Disclosure
As previously disclosed on the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed on December 29, 2021, on December 28, 2021, the Company’s Board of Directors approved the change of the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm from RBSM LLP to BF Borgers CPA PC for the 2021 audit and for the Company’s periodic reports on Forms 10-K and 10-Q for future filings.
Item 9A. Controls and Procedures
Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures
Disclosure controls and procedures are controls and other procedures that are designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed by us in the reports that we file or submit under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the “Exchange Act”) are recorded, processed, summarized and reported, within the time periods specified in the SEC’s rules and forms. Disclosure controls and procedures include, without limitation, controls and procedures designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed by us in the reports that we file under the Exchange Act is accumulated and communicated to our management, including our principal executive and financial officer, as appropriate to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure.
Our Chief Executive Officer (principal executive officer), who is presently also serving as our principal financial officer, has conducted an evaluation of the design and effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures pursuant to Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) of the Exchange Act as of the end of the period covered by this Report. Our management’s evaluation of our internal control over financial reporting was based on the framework in Internal Control-Integrated Framework (2013), issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission. In designing and evaluating the disclosure controls and procedures, management recognizes that because of inherent limitations, any controls and procedures, no matter how well designed and operated, may not prevent or detect misstatements and can provide only reasonable assurance of achieving the desired control objectives. In addition, the design of disclosure controls and procedures must reflect the fact that there are resource constraints, and that management is required to apply its judgment in evaluating the benefits of possible controls and procedures relative to their costs.
Our internal control over financial reporting includes those policies and procedures that:
| ● | pertain to the maintenance of records that, in reasonable detail, accurately and fairly reflect the transactions and dispositions of our assets; | |
| ● | provide reasonable assurance that transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, and that our receipts and expenditures are being made only in accordance with authorizations of our management and directors; and | |
| ● | provide reasonable assurance regarding prevention or timely detection of unauthorized acquisition, use or disposition of our assets that could have a material effect on the financial statements. |
Our Chief Executive Officer has concluded that our disclosure controls and procedures were not effective to ensure that the information relating to us is required to be disclosed in our SEC reports (i) is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in SEC rules and forms, and (ii) is accumulated and communicated to our management to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure as a result of the following material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting:
| ● | The Company does not have sufficient segregation of duties within accounting functions due to only having two officers and limited resources. | |
| ● | The Company does not have an audit committee; and | |
| ● | The Company does not have written documentation of our internal control policies and procedures. |
We plan to rectify these weaknesses by establishing written policies and procedures for our internal control of financial reporting and hiring additional accounting personnel at such time as we raise sufficient capital to do so.
Changes in Internal Controls over Financial Reporting
There have been no changes in the internal control over financial reporting (as such term is defined in Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f) under the Exchange Act) during the quarter ended December 31, 2021 that have materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.
Item 9B. Other Information
None.
Item 9C. Disclosure Regarding Foreign Jurisdictions that Prevent Inspections
Not applicable.
PART III
The information required by Item 10 (Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance), Item 11 (Executive Compensation), Item 12 (Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Stockholder Matters), Item 13 (Certain Relationships and Related Transactions, and Director Independence), and Item 14 (Principal Accounting Fees and Services) is incorporated by reference to the Company’s definitive proxy statement for the 2021 Annual Meeting of Stockholders to be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission within 120 days of December 31, 2021.
Item 10. Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance
Item 11. Executive Compensation
Item 12. Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Stockholder Matters
Item 13. Certain Relationships and Related Transactions, and Director Independence
Item 14. Principal Accounting Fees and Services
| 28 |
PART IV
Item 15. Exhibits, Financial Statements Schedules
(a) Financial Statements and Schedules
The following financial statements and schedules listed below are included in this Form 10-K.
Financial Statements (See Item 8)
* Management contract or compensatory plan or arrangement.
** Exhibits and/or Schedules have been omitted. The Company hereby agrees to furnish to the Securities and Exchange Commission upon request any omitted information.
*** This exhibit is being furnished rather than filed and shall not be deemed incorporated by reference into any filing, in accordance with Item 601 of Regulation S-K.
+Portions of this exhibit have been omitted as permitted by the rules of the SEC. The information excluded is both (i) not material and (ii) the type that the Company customarily and actually treats as private or confidential. The Company undertakes to submit a marked copy of this exhibit for review by the SEC Staff, to the extent it has not been previously provided, and provide supplemental materials to the SEC Staff promptly upon request.
Copies of this Report (including the financial statements) and any of the exhibits referred to above will be furnished at no cost to our shareholders who make a written request to Panacea Life Sciences Holdings, Inc., at the address on the cover page of this Report, Attention: Corporate Secretary.
Item 16. Form 10-K Summary
Not applicable.
| 29 |
SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this Report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.
| Panacea Life Sciences Holdings, Inc. | |
| March 31, 2022 | /s/ Leslie Buttorff |
| Leslie Buttorff | |
Chief Executive Officer (Principal Executive Officer) |
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, this Report has been signed below by the following persons on behalf of the registrant and in the capacities and on the dates indicated.
| SIGNATURE | TITLE | DATE | ||
| /s/ Leslie Buttorff | Principal Executive Officer and Chairman | March 31, 2022 | ||
| Leslie Buttorff | ||||
| /s/ Nathan Berman | Principal Accounting Officer | March 31, 2022 | ||
| Nathan Berman | ||||
| /s/ Janice Nerger | Director | March 31, 2022 | ||
| Janice Nerger | ||||
| /s/ Lawrence J. Wert | Director | March 31, 2022 | ||
| Lawrence J. Wert |
| 30 |
EXHIBIT 3.2
AMENDED AND RESTATED BYLAWS
OF
PANACEA LIFE SCIENCES HOLDINGS, INC.
(a Nevada corporation)
ARTICLE I
STOCKHOLDERS
1. CERTIFICATES REPRESENTING STOCK. Certificates representing stock in the corporation shall be signed by, or in the name of, the corporation by the Chairperson or Vice-Chairperson of the Board of Directors, if any, or by the Chief Executive Officer or a President and by the Treasurer or an Assistant Treasurer or the Secretary or an Assistant Secretary of the corporation. Any or all the signatures on any such certificate may be a facsimile. In case any officer, transfer agent, or registrar who has signed or whose facsimile signature has been placed upon a certificate shall have ceased to be such officer, transfer agent, or registrar before such certificate is issued, it may be issued by the corporation with the same effect as if such person were such officer, transfer agent, or registrar at the date of issue.
Whenever the corporation shall be authorized to issue more than one class of stock or more than one series of any class of stock, and whenever the corporation shall issue any shares of its stock as partly paid stock, the certificates representing shares of any such class or series or of any such partly paid stock shall set forth thereon the statements prescribed by the Chapter 78 of the General Corporation Law of Nevada (the “Private Corporations Law”). Any restrictions on the transfer or registration of transfer of any shares of stock of any class or series shall be noted conspicuously on the certificate representing such shares.
The corporation may issue a new certificate of stock or uncertificated shares in place of any certificate theretofore issued by it, alleged to have been lost, stolen, or destroyed, and the Board of Directors may require the owner of the lost, stolen, or destroyed certificate, or such owner’s legal representative, to give the corporation a bond sufficient to indemnify the corporation against any claim that may be made against it on account of the alleged loss, theft, or destruction of any such certificate or the issuance of any such new certificate or uncertificated shares.
2. UNCERTIFICATED SHARES. Subject to any conditions imposed by the Private Corporations Law, the Board of Directors of the corporation may provide by resolution or resolutions that some or all of any or all classes or series of the stock of the corporation shall be uncertificated shares. Within a reasonable time after the issuance or transfer of any uncertificated shares, the corporation shall send to the registered owner thereof any written notice prescribed by the Private Corporations Law.
3. FRACTIONAL SHARE INTERESTS. The corporation may, but shall not be required to, issue fractions of a share. If the corporation does not issue fractions of a share, it shall (1) arrange for the disposition of fractional interests by those entitled thereto, (2) pay in cash the fair value of fractions of a share as of the time when those entitled to receive such fractions are determined, or (3) issue scrip or warrants in registered form (either represented by a certificate or uncertificated) or bearer form (represented by a certificate) which shall entitle the holder to receive a full share upon the surrender of such scrip or warrants aggregating a full share. A certificate for a fractional share or an uncertificated fractional share shall, but scrip or warrants shall not unless otherwise provided therein, entitle the holder to exercise voting rights, to receive dividends thereon, and to participate in any of the assets of the corporation in the event of liquidation. The Board of Directors may cause scrip or warrants to be issued subject to the conditions that they shall become void if not exchanged for certificates representing the full shares or uncertificated full shares before a specified date, or subject to the conditions that the shares for which scrip or warrants are exchangeable may be sold by the corporation and the proceeds thereof distributed to the holders of scrip or warrants, or subject to any other conditions which the Board of Directors may impose.
4. STOCK TRANSFERS. Upon compliance with provisions restricting the transfer or registration of transfer of shares of stock, if any, transfers or registration of transfers of shares of stock of the corporation shall be made only on the stock ledger of the corporation by the registered holder thereof, or by the registered holder’s attorney thereunto authorized by power of attorney duly executed and filed with the Secretary of the corporation or with a transfer agent or a registrar, if any, and, in the case of shares represented by certificates, on surrender of the certificate or certificates for such shares of stock properly endorsed and the payment of all taxes due thereon.
5. RECORD DATE FOR STOCKHOLDERS. In order that the corporation may determine the stockholders entitled to notice of or to vote at any meeting of stockholders or any adjournment thereof, the Board of Directors may fix a record date, which record date shall not precede the date upon which the resolution fixing the record date is adopted by the Board of Directors, and which record date shall not be more than sixty nor less than ten days before the date of such meeting. If no record date is fixed by the Board of Directors, the record date for determining stockholders entitled to notice of or to vote at a meeting of stockholders shall be at the close of business on the day next preceding the day on which notice is given, or, if notice is waived, at the close of business on the day next preceding the day on which the meeting is held. A determination of stockholders of record entitled to notice of or to vote at a meeting of stockholders shall apply to any adjournment of the meeting; provided, however, that the Board of Directors may fix a new record date for the adjourned meeting. In order that the corporation may determine the stockholders entitled to consent to corporate action in writing without a meeting, the Board of Directors may fix a record date, which record date shall not precede the date upon which the resolution fixing the record date is adopted by the Board of Directors, and which date shall not be more than ten days after the date upon which the resolution fixing the record date is adopted by the Board of Directors. If no record date has been fixed by the Board of Directors, the record date for determining the stockholders entitled to consent to corporate action in writing without a meeting, when no prior action by the Board of Directors is required by the Private Corporations Law, shall be the first date on which a signed written consent setting forth the action taken or proposed to be taken is delivered to the corporation by delivery to its principal place of business or an officer or agent of the corporation having custody of the book in which proceedings of meetings of stockholders are recorded. If no record date has been fixed by the Board of Directors and prior action by the Board of Directors is required by the Private Corporations Law, the record date for determining stockholders entitled to consent to corporate action in writing without a meeting shall be at the close of business on the day on which the Board of Directors adopts the resolution taking such prior action. In order that the corporation may determine the stockholders entitled to receive payment of any dividend or other distribution or allotment of any rights or the stockholders entitled to exercise any rights in respect of any change, conversion, or exchange of stock, or for the purpose of any other lawful action, the Board of Directors may fix a record date, which record date shall not precede the date upon which the resolution fixing the record date is adopted, and which record date shall be not more than sixty days prior to such action. If no record date is fixed, the record date for determining stockholders for any such purpose shall be at the close of business on the day on which the Board of Directors adopts the resolution relating thereto.
6. MEANING OF CERTAIN TERMS. As used herein in respect of the right to notice of a meeting of stockholders or a waiver thereof or to participate or vote thereat or to consent or dissent in writing in lieu of a meeting, as the case may be, the term “share” or “shares” or “share of stock” or “shares of stock” or “stockholder” or “stockholders” refers to an outstanding share or shares of stock and to a holder or holders of record of outstanding shares of stock when the corporation is authorized to issue only one class of shares of stock, and said reference is also intended to include any outstanding share or shares of stock and any holder or holders of record of outstanding shares of stock of any class upon which or upon whom the articles of incorporation confers such rights where there are two or more classes or series of shares of stock or upon which or upon whom the Private Corporations Law confers such rights notwithstanding that the incorporation may provide for more than one class or series of shares of stock, one or more of which are limited or denied such rights thereunder; provided, however, that no such right shall vest in the event of an increase or a decrease in the authorized number of shares of stock of any class or series which is otherwise denied voting rights under the provisions of the articles of incorporation, except as any provision of law may otherwise require.
7. STOCKHOLDER MEETINGS.
- TIME. The annual meeting shall be held on the date and at the time fixed, from time to time, by the directors, provided, that the first annual meeting shall be held on a date within thirteen months after the organization of the corporation, and each successive annual meeting shall be held on a date within thirteen months after the date of the preceding annual meeting. A special meeting shall be held on the date and at the time fixed by the directors.
- PLACE. Annual meetings and special meetings may be held at such place, either within or without the State of Nevada, as the directors may, from time to time, fix. Whenever the directors shall fail to fix such place, the meeting shall be held at the registered office of the corporation in the State of Nevada. The board of directors may also, in its sole discretion, determine that the meeting shall not be held at any place, but may instead be held solely by means of remote communication as authorized by Section 78.320 of the Nevada Private Corporations Law. If a meeting by remote communication is authorized by the board of directors in its sole discretion, and subject to guidelines and procedures as the board of directors may adopt, stockholders and proxyholders not physically present at a meeting of stockholders may, by means of remote communication participate in a meeting of stockholders and be deemed present in person and vote at a meeting of stockholders whether such meeting is to be held at a designated place or solely by means of remote communication, provided that (a) the corporation shall implement reasonable measures to verify that each person deemed present and permitted to vote at the meeting by means of remote communication is a stockholder or proxyholder, (b) the corporation shall implement reasonable measures to provide such stockholders and proxyholders a reasonable opportunity to participate in the meeting and to vote on matters submitted to the stockholders, including an opportunity to read or hear the proceedings of the meeting substantially concurrently with such proceedings, and (c) if any stockholder or proxyholder votes or takes other action at the meeting by means of remote communication, a record of such vote or other action shall be maintained by the corporation.
- CALL. Annual meetings and special meetings may be called by the directors or by any officer instructed by the directors to call the meeting.
- NOTICE OR WAIVER OF NOTICE. Written notice of all meetings shall be given, which shall state the place, if any, date, and hour of the meeting, the means of remote communication, if any, by which stockholders and proxyholders may be deemed to be present in person and vote at such meeting, and in the case of a special meeting, the purpose or purposes for which the meeting is called. The notice of an annual meeting shall state that the meeting is called for the election of directors and for the transaction of other business which may properly come before the meeting and shall (if any other action which could be taken at a special meeting is to be taken at such annual meeting) state the purpose or purposes. The notice of any meeting shall also include, or be accompanied by, any additional statements, information, or documents prescribed by the Private Corporations Law. Except as otherwise provided by the Private Corporations Law, the written notice of any meeting shall be given not less than ten days nor more than sixty days before the date of the meeting to each stockholder entitled to vote at such meeting. If mailed, notice is given when deposited in the United States mail, postage prepaid, directed to the stockholder at such stockholder’s address as it appears on the records of the corporation. If a meeting is adjourned to another time or place, notice need not be given of the adjourned meeting if the time, place, if any, thereof, and the means of remote communications, if any, by which stockholders and proxyholders may be deemed to be present in person and vote at such adjourned meeting are announced at the meeting at which the adjournment is taken. At the adjourned meeting the corporation may transact any business which might have been transacted at the original meeting. If the adjournment is for more than 30 days, or if after the adjournment a new record date is fixed for the adjourned meeting, a notice of the adjourned meeting shall be given to each stockholder of record entitled to vote at the meeting. Whenever notice is required to be given under the Private Corporations Law, articles of incorporation or bylaws, a written waiver signed by the person entitled to notice, or a waiver by electronic transmission by the person entitled to notice, whether before or after the time stated therein, shall be deemed equivalent to notice. Attendance of a stockholder at a meeting of stockholders shall constitute a waiver of notice of such meeting, except when the stockholder attends the meeting for the express purpose of objecting, at the beginning of the meeting, to the transaction of any business because the meeting is not lawfully called or convened. Neither the business to be transacted at, nor the purpose of, any regular or special meetings of the stockholders need be specified in any written waiver of notice or any waiver by electronic transmission unless so required by the articles of incorporation or these bylaws.
- STOCKHOLDER LIST. The officer who has charge of the stock ledger of the corporation shall prepare and make, at least ten days before every meeting of stockholders, a complete list of the stockholders entitled to vote at the meeting, arranged in alphabetical order, and showing the address of each stockholder and the number of shares registered in the name of each stockholder. Such list shall be open to the examination of any stockholder, for any purpose germane to the meeting for a period of at least ten days prior to the meeting on a reasonably accessible electronic network, provided that the information required to gain access to such list is provided with the notice of the meeting or during ordinary business hours at the principal place of business of the corporation. In the event that the corporation determines to make the list available on an electronic network, the corporation may take reasonable steps to ensure that such information is available only to stockholders of the corporation. If the meeting is to be held at a place, then the list shall be produced and kept at the time and place of the meeting during the whole time thereof and may be inspected by any stockholder who is present. If the meeting is to be held solely by means of remote communication, then the list shall also be open to the examination of any stockholder during the whole time of the meeting on a reasonably accessible electronic network, and the information required to access such list shall be provided with the notice of the meeting. The stock ledger shall be the only evidence as to who are the stockholders entitled to examine the stock ledger, the list required by this section or the books of the corporation, or to vote in person or by proxy at any meeting of stockholders.
- CONDUCT OF MEETING. Meetings of the stockholders shall be presided over by one of the following officers in the order of seniority and if present and acting - the Chairperson of the Board, if any, the Vice-Chairperson of the Board, if any, the Chief Executive Officer, President, an Executive Vice-President, or, if none of the foregoing is in office and present and acting, by a chairperson to be chosen by the stockholders. The Secretary of the corporation, or in such Secretary’s absence, an Assistant Secretary, shall act as secretary of every meeting, but if neither the Secretary nor an Assistant Secretary is present the chairperson of the meeting shall appoint a secretary of the meeting.
- PROXY REPRESENTATION. Each stockholder entitled to vote at a meeting of stockholders or to express consent or dissent to corporate action in writing without a meeting may authorize another person or persons to act for such stockholder by proxy, but no such proxy shall be voted or acted upon after 3 years from its date, unless the proxy provides for a longer period. A stockholder may execute a writing authorizing another person or persons to act for such stockholder as proxy. Execution may be accomplished by the stockholder or such stockholder’s authorized officer, director, employee or agent signing such writing or causing such person’s signature to be affixed to such writing by any reasonable means including, but not limited to, by facsimile signature. A stockholder may also authorize another person or persons to act for such stockholder as proxy by transmitting or authorizing the transmission of a telegram, cablegram, or other means of electronic transmission to the person who will be the holder of the proxy or to a proxy solicitation firm, proxy support service organization or like agent duly authorized by the person who will be the holder of the proxy to receive such transmission, provided that any such telegram, cablegram or other means of electronic transmission must either set forth or be submitted with information from which it can be determined that the telegram, cablegram or other electronic transmission was authorized by the stockholder. If it is determined that such telegrams, cablegrams or other electronic transmissions are valid, the inspectors or, if there are no inspectors, such other persons making the determination shall specify the information upon which they relied. Any copy, facsimile telecommunication or other reliable reproduction of the writing or transmission created pursuant to Section 78.355 of the Private Corporations Law may be substituted or used in lieu of the original writing or transmission for any and all purposes for which the original writing or transmission could be used, provided that such copy, facsimile telecommunication or other reproduction shall be a complete reproduction of the entire original writing or transmission. A duly executed proxy shall be irrevocable if it states that it is irrevocable and, if, and only as long as, it is coupled with an interest sufficient in law to support an irrevocable power. A proxy may be made irrevocable regardless of whether the interest with which it is coupled is an interest in the stock itself or an interest in the corporation generally.
- INSPECTORS. The directors, in advance of any meeting, may, but need not, appoint one or more inspectors of election to act at the meeting or any adjournment thereof. If an inspector or inspectors are not appointed, the person presiding at the meeting may, but need not, appoint one or more inspectors. In case any person who may be appointed as an inspector fails to appear or act, the vacancy may be filled by appointment made by the directors in advance of the meeting or at the meeting by the person presiding thereat. Each inspector, if any, before entering upon the discharge of duties of inspector, shall take and sign an oath faithfully to execute the duties of inspector at such meeting with strict impartiality and according to the best of such inspector’s ability. The inspectors, if any, shall determine the number of shares of stock outstanding and the voting power of each, the shares of stock represented at the meeting, the existence of a quorum, the validity and effect of proxies, and shall receive votes, ballots, or consents, hear and determine all challenges and questions arising in connection with the right to vote, count and tabulate all votes, ballots, or consents, determine the result, and do such acts as are proper to conduct the election or vote with fairness to all stockholders. On request of the person presiding at the meeting, the inspector or inspectors, if any, shall make a report in writing of any challenge, question, or matter determined by such inspector or inspectors and execute a certificate of any fact found by such inspector or inspectors.
- QUORUM. The holders of thirty-three and 1/3 of the outstanding shares of stock shall constitute a quorum at a meeting of stockholders for the transaction of any business. The stockholders present may adjourn the meeting despite the absence of a quorum.
- VOTING. Each share of stock shall entitle the holder thereof to one vote. Directors shall be elected by a plurality of the votes of the shares present in person or represented by proxy at the meeting and entitled to vote on the election of directors. Any other action shall be authorized by a majority of the votes cast except where the Private Corporations Law prescribes a different percentage of votes and/or a different exercise of voting power, and except as may be otherwise prescribed by the provisions of the articles of incorporation and these Bylaws. In the election of directors, and for any other action, voting need not be by ballot.
- SPECIAL MEETINGS. Unless otherwise prescribed by law or by the Articles of Incorporation, Special Meetings of Stockholders, for any purpose or purposes, may be called by either (i) the Chairman, if there be one, or (ii) the President, (iii) any Vice President, if there be one, (iv) the Secretary, or (v) any Assistant Secretary, if there be one, and shall be called by any such officer at the request in writing of a majority of the Board of Directors or at the request in writing of stockholders owning a majority of the capital stock of the Corporation issued and outstanding and entitled to vote (the “Requisite Percentage”). Written notice of a Special Meeting stating the place, date and hour of the meeting and the purpose or purposes for which the meeting is called shall be given not less than ten nor more than sixty days before the date of the meeting to each stockholder entitled to vote at such meeting.
A stockholder request for a Special Meeting (a “Special Meeting Request”) shall be directed to the Secretary of the Corporation and shall be signed by each stockholder, or a duly authorized agent of such stockholder, requesting the Special Meeting (each, a “Requesting Stockholder”) and shall be accompanied by a notice setting forth (1) the information required by Section 9 of this Article II as to any nominations proposed to be made or any other business proposed to be conducted at such Special Meeting and as to such Requesting Stockholders (including the completed written questionnaires and written representations and agreements required by Section 9 of this Article II from any nominee for election as a director of the Corporation, as applicable); (2) a statement of the specific purpose or purposes of the Special Meeting; (3) an acknowledgement by the Requesting Stockholders and the beneficial owner (as defined in Rule l3d-3 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (or any successor thereto) (the “Act”)) (the “Beneficial Owner”), if any, on whose behalf the Special Meeting Request(s) are being made that a disposition of shares of the Corporation’s capital stock owned of record or beneficially as of the date on which the Special Meeting Request(s) in respect of such shares is delivered to the Secretary that is made at any time prior to the Special Meeting shall constitute a revocation of such Special Meeting Request(s) with respect to such disposed shares; and (4) documentary evidence that the Requesting Stockholder(s) own the Requisite Percentage of as of the date of such Special Meeting Request.
In determining whether a Special Meeting of Stockholders has been requested by the record holders of shares representing in the aggregate at least the Requisite Percentage, multiple Special Meeting Requests will be considered together only if (i) each Special Meeting Request identifies substantially the same purpose or purposes of the Special Meeting and substantially the same matters proposed to be acted on at the Special Meeting (in each case as determined in good faith by the Board of Directors) and (ii) such Special Meeting Requests have been dated and delivered to the Secretary within thirty (30) days of the earliest dated Special Meeting Request. A stockholder may revoke a Special Meeting Request at any time by written revocation delivered to the Secretary, and if, following any revocation (including any deemed revocation pursuant to clause (3) of the foregoing paragraph), the un-revoked Special Meeting Requests are from stockholders holding in the aggregate less than the Requisite Percentage, the Board of Directors, in its sole discretion, may cancel the Special Meeting.
8. CONSENT OF STOCKHOLDERS IN LIEU OF MEETING.
Unless otherwise provided in the Articles of Incorporation, any action required or permitted to be taken at any Annual or Special Meeting of Stockholders of the Corporation, may be taken without a meeting, without prior notice and without a vote, if a consent in writing, setting forth the action so taken, shall be signed by the holders of outstanding stock having not less than the minimum number of votes that would be necessary to authorize or take such action at a meeting at which all shares entitled to vote thereon were present and voted. Every written consent purporting to take or authorize the taking of corporate action must bear the date of signature of each stockholder who signs the written consent, and no written consent shall be effective to take the corporate action referred to therein unless, within sixty (60) days of the earliest dated written consent delivered in the manner required by this Section 6, written consent signed by a sufficient number of stockholders to take such action are so delivered to the Corporation. The written consents shall be delivered to the Corporation by delivery to its registered office in Nevada, its principal place of business, or an officer or agent of the Corporation having custody of the book in which the proceedings are recorded. Delivery to the registered officer shall be by hand or certified or registered mail, return receipt requested. Prompt notice of the taking of the corporate action without a meeting by less than unanimous written consent shall be given to those stockholders who have not consented in writing.
The record date for the determination of stockholders entitled to express consent to corporate action in writing without a meeting shall be as fixed by the Board of Directors or as otherwise established under this Section 6. Any person seeking to have the stockholders authorize or take corporate action by written consent without a meeting shall, by written notice addressed to the Secretary of the Corporation and delivered to the Corporation and signed by a stockholder of record, request that a record date be fixed for such purpose. The written notice must contain the following information with respect to each action that the stockholder proposes to take by consent: (a) the information required by Section 9 of Article II of these Bylaws as though such stockholder was intending to make a nomination or to bring any other matter before a meeting of stockholders, and (b) to the extent not otherwise required by Section 9 of Article II of these Bylaws, such notice must also state, (i) the text of the proposal (including the text of any resolutions to be effected by consent and the language of any proposed amendment to the Bylaws of the Corporation), (ii) the reasons for soliciting consents for the proposal, (iii) any material interest in the proposal held by the stockholder and the Beneficial Owner(s), if any, on whose behalf the action is to be taken, and (iv) any other information relating to the stockholder, the Beneficial Owner(s), any person whom the stockholder proposes to nominate for election or appointment as a director of the Corporation pursuant to such solicitation of written consents or the proposal of other business by the stockholder, as applicable, that would be required to be disclosed in filings in connection with the solicitation of proxies or consents pursuant to Section 14 of the Act and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder (or any successor provision of the Act or the rules or regulations promulgated thereunder). Following receipt of the notice, the Board of Directors shall have ten (10) calendar days to determine the validity of the request, and if appropriate, adopt a resolution fixing the record date for such purpose. The record date for such purpose shall be no more than ten (10) calendar days after the date upon which the resolution fixing the record date is adopted by the Board of Directors and shall not precede the date such resolution is adopted. If the Board of Directors fails within ten (10) calendar days after the Corporation receives such notice to fix a record date for such purpose, provided that the request is valid and fixing a record date is appropriate, the record date shall be the day on which the first written consent is delivered to the Corporation in the manner described in the first paragraph of this Section 6; except that, if prior action by the Board of Directors is required by applicable law, the record date shall be at the close of business on the day on which the Board of Directors adopts the resolution taking such prior action.
Nothing contained in this Section 6 shall in any way be construed to suggest or imply that the Board of Directors or any stockholder shall not be entitled to contest the validity of any consent or related revocations, whether before or after such certification by the inspectors or to take any other action (including, without limitation, the commencement, prosecution, or defense of any litigation with respect thereto, and the seeking of injunctive relief in such litigation).
Section 9. Advance Notice of Stockholder Proposals and Stockholder Nominations. Nominations of persons for election to the Board of Directors of the Corporation and the proposal of business to be considered by the stockholders may be made at any meeting of stockholders only (a) pursuant to the Corporation’s notice of meeting, (b) by or at the direction of the Board of Directors, or (c) by any stockholder of the Corporation who was a stockholder of record at the time of giving of notice provided for in these Bylaws and continues to be a stockholder of record at the time of such meeting, who is entitled to vote at the meeting and who complies with the notice procedures set forth in this Section 9.
To be timely, a stockholder’s notice shall be delivered to the Secretary at the principal executive offices of the Corporation not later than the close of business on the 90th day nor earlier than the close of business on the 120th day prior to the first anniversary of the preceding year’s annual meeting; provided, however, that in the event that the date of the annual meeting is advanced by more than 30 days or delayed by more than 70 days from such anniversary date or if the Corporation has not previously held an annual meeting, notice by the stockholder to be timely must be so delivered not earlier than the close of business on the 120th day prior to such annual meeting and not later than the close of business on the later of the 90th day prior to such annual meeting or the tenth day following the day on which public announcement of the date of such meeting is first made by the Corporation. In no event shall the public announcement of a postponement or adjournment of an annual meeting to a later date or time commence a new time period for the giving of a stockholder’s notice as described above. For purposes of these Bylaws, “public announcement” shall mean disclosure in a press release reported by a national news service or in a document publicly filed by the Corporation with the Securities and Exchange Commission pursuant to Section 13, 14 or 15(d) of the Act and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder.
Such stockholder’s notice shall set forth (I) as to the stockholder giving the notice and the Beneficial Owner, if any, on whose behalf the nomination or proposal is made (each, a “Stockholder Associated Person”) (a) the name and address of such stockholder, as they appear on the Corporation’s books, and of each other Stockholder Associated Person; (b) (1) the class and number of shares of the Corporation which are owned beneficially and of record by such Stockholder Associated Person; (2) any option, warrant, convertible security, stock appreciation right, or similar right with an exercise or conversion privilege or a settlement payment or mechanism at a price related to any class or series of shares of the Corporation or with a value derived in whole or in part from the value of any class or series of shares of the Corporation, or any derivative or synthetic arrangement having the characteristics of a long position in any class or series of shares of the Corporation, or any contract, derivative, swap or other transaction or series of transactions designed to produce economic benefits and risks that correspond substantially to the ownership of any class or series of shares of the Corporation, including due to the fact that the value of such contract, derivative, swap or other transaction or series of transactions is determined by reference to the price, value or volatility of any class or series of shares of the Corporation, whether or not such instrument, contract or right shall be subject to settlement in the underlying class or series of shares of the Corporation, through the delivery of cash or other property, or otherwise, and without regard of whether any Stockholder Associated Person may have entered into transactions that hedge or mitigate the economic effect of such instrument, contract or right or any other direct or indirect opportunity to profit or share in any profit derived from any increase or decrease in the value of shares of the Corporation (any of the foregoing, a “Derivative Instrument”) directly or indirectly owned beneficially by such Stockholder Associated Person, (3) any proxy, contract, arrangement, understanding, or relationship pursuant to which any Stockholder Associated Person has a right to vote any class or series of shares of the Corporation, (4) any agreement, arrangement, understanding, relationship or otherwise, including any repurchase or similar so-called “stock borrowing” agreement or arrangement, engaged in, directly or indirectly, by any Stockholder Associated Person, the purpose or effect of which is to mitigate loss to, reduce the economic risk (of ownership or otherwise) of any class or series of the shares of the Corporation by, manage the risk of share price changes for, or increase or decrease the voting power of, such stockholder with respect to any class or series of the shares of the Corporation, or which provides, directly or indirectly, the opportunity to profit or share in any profit derived from any decrease in the price or value of any class or series of the shares of the Corporation (any of the foregoing, “Short Interests”), (5) any rights to dividends on the shares of the Corporation owned beneficially by any Stockholder Associated Person that are separated or separable from the underlying shares of the Corporation, (6) any proportionate interest in shares of the Corporation or Derivative Instruments held, directly or indirectly, by a general or limited partnership in which any Stockholder Associated Person is a general partner or, directly or indirectly, beneficially owns an interest in a general partner of such general or limited partnership, (7) any performance-related fees (other than an asset-based fee) that any Stockholder Associated Person is entitled to base on any increase or decrease in the value of shares of the Corporation or Derivative Instruments, if any, including without limitation any such interests held by members of such Stockholder Associated Person’s immediate family sharing the same household, (8) any significant equity interests or any Derivative Instruments or Short Interests in any principal competitor of the Corporation held by any Stockholder Associated Person, and (9) any direct or indirect interest of any Stockholder Associated Person in any contract with the Corporation, any affiliate of the Corporation or any principal competitor of the Corporation (including, in any such case, any employment agreement, collective bargaining agreement or consulting agreement); (d) any other information relating to any Stockholder Associated Person that would be required to be disclosed in a proxy statement and form of proxy or other filings required to be made in connection with solicitations of proxies for, as applicable, the proposal and/or for the election of directors in a contested election pursuant to Section 14 of the Act and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder; and (e) a representation that the stockholder is a holder of record of stock of the Corporation entitled to vote at such meeting and intends to appear in person or by proxy at the meeting and nominate the person or persons specified in the notice; (II) as to each person whom the stockholder proposes to nominate for election or reelection as a director (a) all information relating to such person that would be required to be disclosed in a proxy statement or other filings required to be made in connection with solicitations of proxies for election of directors in a contested election pursuant to Section 14 of the Act and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder (including such person’s written consent to being named in the proxy statement as a nominee and to serving as a director if elected), (b) the name and address of the person or persons to be nominated, (c) a description of all arrangements or understandings between the stockholder and each nominee and any other person or persons (naming such person or persons) pursuant to which the nomination or nominations are to be made by the stockholder; (e) a description of all direct and indirect compensation and other material monetary agreements, arrangements and understandings during the past three years, and any other material relationships, between or among any Stockholder Associated Person, on the one hand, and each proposed nominee, and his or her respective affiliates and associates, or others acting in concert therewith, on the other hand, including, without limitation all information that would be required to be disclosed pursuant to Rule 404 promulgated under Regulation S-K if such Stockholder Associated Person were the “registrant” for purposes of such rule and the nominee were a director or executive officer of such registrant; and (f) a written questionnaire with respect to the background and qualification of such person and the background of any other person or entity on whose behalf the nomination is being made (which questionnaire shall be provided by the Secretary upon written request), and a written representation and agreement (in the form provided by the Secretary upon written request) that such person (1) is not and will not become a party to (A) any agreement, arrangement or understanding with, and has not given any commitment or assurance to, any person or entity as to how such person, if elected as a director of the Corporation, will act or vote on any issue or question (a “Voting Commitment”) that has not been disclosed to the Corporation or (B) any Voting Commitment that could limit or interfere with such person’s ability to comply, if elected as a director of the Corporation, with such person’s fiduciary duties under applicable law, (C) agrees to comply with all policies of the Corporation as in effect from time to time and (D) is not and will not become a party to any agreement, arrangement or understanding with any person or entity other than the Corporation with respect to any direct or indirect compensation, reimbursement or indemnification in connection with service or action as a director that has not been disclosed therein; and (III) as to any other business that the stockholder proposes to bring before the meeting, a brief description of the business desired to be brought before the meeting, the reasons for conducting such business at the meeting and any material interest in such business of any Stockholder Associated Person. In addition, the stockholder making such proposal shall promptly provide any other information reasonably requested by the Corporation. Notwithstanding anything in these Bylaws to the contrary, no business shall be conducted at any meeting of the stockholders except in accordance with the procedures set forth in this Section 9. The Chairman of any such meeting shall direct that any nomination or business not properly brought before the meeting shall not be considered.
ARTICLE II
DIRECTORS
1. FUNCTIONS AND DEFINITION. The business and affairs of the corporation shall be managed by or under the direction of the Board of Directors of the corporation. The Board of Directors shall have the authority to fix the compensation of the members thereof. The use of the phrase “whole board” herein refers to the total number of directors which the corporation would have if there were no vacancies.
2. QUALIFICATIONS AND NUMBER. A director need not be a stockholder, a citizen of the United States, or a resident of the State of Nevada. The initial Board of Directors shall consist of one person. Thereafter the number of directors constituting the whole board shall be at least one. Subject to the foregoing limitation and except for the first Board of Directors, such number may be fixed from time to time by action of the stockholders or of the directors, or, if the number is not fixed, the number shall be one. The number of directors may be increased or decreased by action of the stockholders or of the directors.
3. ELECTION AND TERM. The first Board of Directors, unless the members thereof shall have been named in the articles of incorporation, shall be elected by the incorporator or incorporators and shall hold office until the first annual meeting of stockholders and until their successors are elected and qualified or until their earlier resignation or removal. Any director may resign at any time upon notice given in writing or by electronic transmission to the corporation. Thereafter, directors who are elected at an annual meeting of stockholders, and directors who are elected in the interim to fill vacancies and newly created directorships, shall hold office until the next annual meeting of stockholders and until their successors are elected and qualified or until their earlier resignation or removal. Except as the Private Corporations Law may otherwise require, in the interim between annual meetings of stockholders or of special meetings of stockholders called for the election of directors and/or for the removal of one or more directors and for the filling of any vacancy in that connection, newly created directorships and any vacancies in the Board of Directors, including unfilled vacancies resulting from the removal of directors for cause or without cause, may be filled by the vote of a majority of the remaining directors then in office, although less than a quorum, or by the sole remaining director.
4. MEETINGS.
- TIME. Meetings shall be held at such time as the Board shall fix, except that the first meeting of a newly elected Board shall be held as soon after its election as the directors may conveniently assemble.
- PLACE. Meetings shall be held at such place within or without the State of Nevada as shall be fixed by the Board.
- CALL. No call shall be required for regular meetings for which the time and place have been fixed. Special meetings may be called by or at the direction of the Chairperson of the Board, if any, the Vice-Chairperson of the Board, if any, of the President, or of a majority of the directors in office.
- NOTICE OR ACTUAL OR CONSTRUCTIVE WAIVER. No notice shall be required for regular meetings for which the time and place have been fixed. Written, oral, or any other mode of notice of the time and place shall be given for special meetings in sufficient time for the convenient assembly of the directors thereat. Whenever notice is required to be given under the Private Corporations Law, articles of incorporation or bylaws, a written waiver signed by the person entitled to notice, or a waiver by electronic transmission by the person entitled to notice, whether before or after the time stated therein, shall be deemed equivalent to notice. Attendance of any such person at a meeting shall constitute a waiver of notice of such meeting, except when such person attends a meeting for the express purpose of objecting, at the beginning of the meeting, to the transaction of any business because the meeting is not lawfully called or convened. Neither the business to be transacted at, nor the purpose of, any regular or special meetings of the directors need be specified in any written waiver of notice.
- QUORUM AND ACTION. A majority of the whole Board shall constitute a quorum except when a vacancy or vacancies prevents such majority, whereupon a majority of the directors in office shall constitute a quorum, provided, that such majority shall constitute at least one-third of the whole Board. A majority of the directors present, whether or not a quorum is present, may adjourn a meeting to another time and place. Except as herein otherwise provided, and except as otherwise provided by the Private Corporations Law, the vote of the majority of the directors present at a meeting at which a quorum is present shall be the act of the Board. The quorum and voting provisions herein stated shall not be construed as conflicting with any provisions of the Private Corporations Law and these Bylaws which govern a meeting of directors held to fill vacancies and newly created directorships in the Board or action of disinterested directors.
Any member or members of the Board of Directors or of any committee designated by the Board, may participate in a meeting of the Board, or any such committee, as the case may be, by means of conference telephone or similar communications equipment by means of which all persons participating in the meeting can hear each other.
- CHAIRPERSON OF THE MEETING. The Chairperson of the Board, if any and if present and acting, shall preside at all meetings. Otherwise, the Vice-Chairperson of the Board, if any and if present and acting, or the President, if present and acting, or any other director chosen by the Board, shall preside.
5. REMOVAL OF DIRECTORS. Except as may otherwise be provided by the Private Corporations Law, any director or the entire Board of Directors may be removed, with or without cause, by the holders of a majority of the shares then entitled to vote at an election of directors.
6. COMMITTEES. The Board of Directors may designate one or more committees, each committee to consist of one or more of the directors of the corporation. The Board may designate one or more directors as alternate members of any committee, who may replace any absent or disqualified member at any meeting of the committee. In the absence or disqualification of any member of any such committee or committees, the member or members thereof present at any meeting and not disqualified from voting, whether or not such member or members constitute a quorum, may unanimously appoint another member of the Board of Directors to act at the meeting in the place of any such absent or disqualified member. Any such committee, to the extent provided in the resolution of the Board, shall have and may exercise all the powers and authority of the Board of Directors in the management of the business and affairs of the corporation with the exception of any power or authority the delegation of which is prohibited by Section 78.125 of the Private Corporations Law, and may authorize the seal of the corporation to be affixed to all papers which may require it.
7. WRITTEN ACTION. Any action required or permitted to be taken at any meeting of the Board of Directors or any committee thereof may be taken without a meeting if all members of the Board or committee, as the case may be, consent thereto in writing or electronic transmission, and the writing or writings or electronic transmission or transmissions are filed with the minutes of proceedings of the Board or committee. Such filing shall be in paper form if the minutes are maintained in paper form and shall be in electronic form if the minutes are maintained in electronic form.
ARTICLE III
OFFICERS
The officers of the corporation shall consist of a Chief Executive Officer, President, a Secretary, a Treasurer, and, if deemed necessary, expedient, or desirable by the Board of Directors, a Chairperson of the Board, a Vice-Chairperson of the Board, one or more Executive Vice-Presidents, one or more other Vice-Presidents, one or more Assistant Secretaries, one or more Assistant Treasurers, and such other officers with such titles as the resolution of the Board of Directors choosing them shall designate. Except as may otherwise be provided in the resolution of the Board of Directors choosing such officer, no officer other than the Chairperson or Vice-Chairperson of the Board, if any, need be a director. Any number of offices may be held by the same person, as the directors may determine.
Unless otherwise provided in the resolution choosing such officer, each officer shall be chosen for a term which shall continue until the meeting of the Board of Directors following the next annual meeting of stockholders and until such officer’s successor shall have been chosen and qualified.
All officers of the corporation shall have such authority and perform such duties in the management and operation of the corporation as shall be prescribed in the resolutions of the Board of Directors designating and choosing such officers and prescribing their authority and duties and shall have such additional authority and duties as are incident to their office except to the extent that such resolutions may be inconsistent therewith. The Secretary or an Assistant Secretary of the corporation shall record all of the proceedings of all meetings and actions in writing of stockholders, directors, and committees of directors, and shall exercise such additional authority and perform such additional duties as the Board shall assign to such Secretary or Assistant Secretary. Any officer may be removed, with or without cause, by the Board of Directors. Any vacancy in any office may be filled by the Board of Directors.
ARTICLE IV
CORPORATE SEAL
The corporate seal shall be in such form as the Board of Directors shall prescribe.
ARTICLE V
FISCAL YEAR
The fiscal year of the corporation shall be fixed, and shall be subject to change, by the Board of Directors.
ARTICLE VI
CONTROL OVER BYLAWS
Subject to the provisions of the articles of incorporation and the provisions of the Private Corporations Law, the power to amend, alter, or repeal these Bylaws and to adopt new Bylaws may be exercised by the Board of Directors or by the stockholders.
ARTICLE VII
INDEMNIFICATION OF OFFICERS, DIRECTORS, EMPLOYEES AND AGENTS
1. Discretionary and Mandatory Indemnification of Officers, Directors, Employees and Agents.
a. Power to Indemnify in Actions, Suits or Proceedings other than those by or in the Right of the Corporation. Subject to Article VIII, Section 1(c), the Corporation shall, to the fullest extent permitted by the Nevada Revised Statutes, as now or hereafter in effect, indemnify any person who was or is a party or is threatened to be made a party to any threatened, pending or completed action, suit or proceeding, whether civil, criminal, administrative or investigative, except an action by or in the right of the Corporation, by reason of the fact that he is or was a director, officer, employee or agent of the Corporation, or is or was serving at the request of the Corporation as a director, officer, employee or agent of another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise, against expenses, including attorneys’ fees, judgments, fines and amounts paid in settlement actually and reasonably incurred by him in connection with the action, suit or proceeding if he: (i) is not liable pursuant to Nevada Revised Statutes Section 78.138; or (ii) acted in good faith and in a manner which he reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of the Corporation, and, with respect to any criminal action or proceeding, had no reasonable cause to believe his conduct was unlawful. The termination of any action, suit or proceeding by judgment, order, settlement, conviction, or upon a plea of nolo contendere or its equivalent, does not, of itself, create a presumption that the person is liable pursuant to the Nevada Revised Statutes Section 78.138 or did not act in good faith and in a manner which he reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of the Corporation, or that, with respect to any criminal action or proceeding, he had reasonable cause to believe that his conduct was unlawful.
b. Power to Indemnify in Actions, Suits or Proceedings by or in the Right of the Corporation. Subject to Article VII, Section 1(c), the Corporation shall, to the fullest extent permitted by the Nevada Revised Statutes, as now or hereafter in effect, indemnify any person who was or is a party or is threatened to be made a party to any threatened, pending or completed action or suit by or in the right of the Corporation to procure a judgment in its favor by reason of the fact that he is or was a director, officer, employee or agent of the Corporation, or is or was serving at the request of the Corporation as a director, officer, employee or agent of another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise against expenses, including amounts paid in settlement and attorneys’ fees actually and reasonably incurred by him in connection with the defense or settlement of the action or suit if he: (i) is not liable pursuant to Nevada Revised Statutes Section 78.138; or (ii) acted in good faith and in a manner which he reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of the Corporation. Indemnification may not be made for any claim, issue or matter as to which such a person has been adjudged by a court of competent jurisdiction, after exhaustion of all appeals therefrom, to be liable to the Corporation or for amounts paid in settlement to the Corporation, unless and only to the extent that the court in which the action or suit was brought or other court of competent jurisdiction determines upon application that in view of all the circumstances of the case, the person is fairly and reasonably entitled to indemnity for such expenses as the court deems proper.
c. Authorization. Any indemnification pursuant to Article VIII, Section 1, unless ordered by a court or advanced pursuant to Article VIII, Section 6, shall be made by the Corporation only as authorized in the specific case upon a determination that indemnification of the director, officer, employee or agent is proper in the circumstances. The determination must be made: (i) by the stockholders; (ii) by the board of directors by majority vote of a quorum consisting of directors who were not parties to the action, suit or proceeding; (iii) if a majority vote of a quorum consisting of directors who were not parties to the action, suit or proceeding so orders, by independent legal counsel in a written opinion; or (iv) if a quorum consisting of directors who were not parties to the action, suit or proceeding cannot be obtained, by independent legal counsel in a written opinion.. To the extent, however, that a director, officer, employee or agent of the Corporation has been successful on the merits or otherwise in defense of any action, suit or proceeding referred to in Article VIII, Section 1, or in defense of any claim, issue or matter therein, the Corporation shall indemnify such person against expenses, including attorneys’ fees, actually and reasonably incurred by him in connection with the defense.
2. Expenses Payable in Advance. Expenses incurred by a current or former director or officer in defending or investigating a threatened or pending action, suit or proceeding may be paid by the Corporation, upon the determination by the Board of Directors, in advance of the final disposition of such action, suit or proceeding upon receipt of an undertaking by or on behalf of such director or officer to repay such amount if it shall ultimately be determined that he is not entitled to be indemnified by the Corporation as authorized in this Article VIII, provided the Corporation approves in advance counsel selected by the director or officer (which approval shall not be unreasonably withheld). The provisions of this Article VIII, Section 2 do not affect any rights to advancement of expenses to which corporate personnel other than directors or officers may be entitled under any contract or otherwise by law.
3. Contract Rights. The provisions of this Article VIII shall be deemed to be a contract right between the Corporation and each director, officer, employee or agent of the Corporation who serves in any such capacity at any time while this Article VIII and the relevant provisions of the Nevada Revised Statutes or other applicable law are in effect. Such contract right shall vest for each director and officer at the time such person is elected or appointed to such position, and no repeal or modification of this Article VIII or any such law shall affect any such vested rights or obligations then existing with respect to any state of facts or proceeding arising after such election or appointment.
4. Non-exclusivity of Indemnification and Advancement of Expenses. The indemnification and advancement of expenses provided by or granted pursuant to this Article VIII shall not be deemed exclusive of any other rights to which those seeking indemnification or advancement of expenses may be entitled under the Articles of Incorporation or any Bylaws, agreement, contract, vote of stockholders or disinterested directors or pursuant to the direction (howsoever embodied) of any court of competent jurisdiction or otherwise, both as to action in his official capacity and as to action in another capacity while holding such office, it being the policy of the Corporation that indemnification of the persons specified in Article VIII, Section 1 shall be made to the fullest extent permitted by law. The provisions of this Article VIII shall not be deemed to preclude the indemnification of any person who is not specified in Article VIII, Section 1 but whom the Corporation has the power or obligation to indemnify under the provisions of the Nevada Revised Statutes, or otherwise. However, indemnification, unless ordered by a court pursuant to Article VIII, Section 6 or for the advancement of expenses made pursuant to Article VII, Section 2, may not be made to or on behalf of any director, officer, employee or agent of the Corporation if a final adjudication establishes that his acts or omissions involved intentional misconduct, fraud or a knowing violation of the law and was material to the cause of action.
5. Insurance. The Corporation may purchase and maintain insurance on behalf of any person who is or was a director or officer of the Corporation, or is or was a director or officer of the Corporation serving at the request of the Corporation as a director, officer, employee or agent of another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust, employee benefit plan or other enterprise against any liability asserted against him and incurred by him in any such capacity, or arising out of his status as such, whether or not the Corporation would have the power or the obligation to indemnify him against such liability under the provisions of this Article VIII.
6. Indemnification by a Court. Notwithstanding any contrary determination in the specific case under Article VIII, Section 1(c), and notwithstanding the absence of any determination thereunder, any director or officer may apply to any court of competent jurisdiction in the State of Nevada for indemnification to the extent otherwise permissible under Article VIII, Section 1. The basis of such indemnification by a court shall be a determination by such court that indemnification of the director or officer is proper in the circumstances because he has met the applicable standards of conduct set forth in Article VIII, Section 1, as the case may be. Neither a contrary determination in the specific case under Article VIII, Section 1(c) nor the absence of any determination thereunder shall be a defense to such application or create a presumption that the director or officer seeking indemnification has not met any applicable standard of conduct. Notice of any application for indemnification pursuant to Article VIII, Section 6 shall be given to the Corporation promptly upon the filing of such application. If successful, in whole or in part, the director or officer seeking indemnification shall also be entitled to be paid the expense of prosecuting such application to the fullest extent permitted by law.
7. Limitation on Indemnification. Notwithstanding anything contained in this Article VIII, Section 6 to the contrary, except for proceedings to enforce rights to indemnification (which shall be governed by Section 5 of this Article VIII), the Corporation shall not be obligated to indemnify any director or officer in connection with a proceeding (or part thereof) initiated by such person unless such proceeding (or part thereof) was authorized or consented to by the Board of Directors of the Corporation.
8. Severability. If these Bylaws or any portion hereof shall be invalidated on any ground by any court of competent jurisdiction, then the Corporation shall nevertheless indemnify each person as provided above as to the expenses (including attorney’s fees), judgments, fines and amounts paid in settlement with respect to any action, suit or proceeding, whether civil, criminal, administrative or investigative, including a grand jury proceeding and an action by the Corporation, to the full extent permitted by any applicable portion of these Bylaws that shall not have been invalidated or by any other applicable law.
9. Survival of Indemnification and Advancement of Expenses. The indemnification and advancement of expenses provided by the Corporation pursuant to this Article VIII shall, unless otherwise provided when authorized or ratified, continue as to a person who has ceased to be a director, officer, employee or agent and inures to the benefit of the heirs, executors and administrators of such person.
10. Certain Definitions. For purposes of this Article VIII, references to “the Corporation” shall include, in addition to the resulting corporation, any constituent corporation (including any constituent of a constituent) absorbed in a consolidation or merger which, if its separate existence had continued, would have had power and authority to indemnify its directors or officers, so that any person who is or was a director or officer of such constituent corporation, or is or was a director or officer of such constituent corporation serving at the request of such constituent corporation as a director, officer, employee or agent of another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust, employee benefit plan or other enterprise, shall stand in the same position under the provisions of this Article VIII with respect to the resulting or surviving corporation as he would have with respect to such constituent corporation if its separate existence had continued. For purposes of this Article VIII, references to “fines” shall include any excise taxes assessed on a person with respect to an employee benefit plan; and references to “serving at the request of the Corporation” shall include any service as a director, officer, employee or agent of the Corporation which imposes duties on, or involves services by, such director or officer with respect to an employee benefit plan, its participants or beneficiaries; and a person who acted in good faith and in a manner he reasonably believed to be in the interest of the participants and beneficiaries of an employee benefit plan shall be deemed to have acted in a manner “not opposed to the best interests of the Corporation” as referred to in this Article VIII.
ARTICLE VIII.
FORUM SELECTION
Unless the Corporation consents in writing to the selection of an alternative forum, a state or federal court located within the State of New York shall be the sole and exclusive forum for (i) any derivative action or proceeding brought on behalf of the Corporation, (ii) any action asserting a claim for breach of a fiduciary duty owed by any director, officer or other employee of the Corporation to the Corporation or the Corporation’s stockholders, (iii) any actions asserting a claim arising pursuant to any provision of the Nevada Revised Statutes, the Articles of Incorporation or these Bylaws, in each case as amended, or (iv) any action asserting a claim governed by the internal affairs doctrine, in each such case subject to such court having personal jurisdiction over the indispensable parties named as defendants therein. Any person or entity purchasing or otherwise acquiring any interest in shares of capital stock of the Corporation shall be deemed to have notice of and consented to the provisions of this Article VIII.
Exhibit 4.1
DESCRIPTION OF SECURITIES
REGISTERED UNDER SECTION 12 OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
Authorized Capital Stock
The total number of shares of stock Panacea Life Sciences Holdings, Inc. is authorized to issue shall be 700,000,000 shares. This stock shall be divided into two classes to be designated as “Common Stock” and “Preferred Stock.”
Common Stock
The total number of authorized shares of common stock shall be 650,000,000 shares with a par value of $0.0001 per share.
Preferred Stock
The total number of authorized shares of Preferred Stock shall be 50,000,000 shares with a par value of $0.0001 per share. The board of directors shall have the authority to authorize the issuance of the Preferred Stock from time to time in one or more classes or series, and to state in the resolution or resolutions from time to time adopted providing for the issuance thereof the following:
(a) Whether or not the class or series shall have voting rights, full or limited, the nature and qualifications, limitations and restrictions on those rights, or whether the class or series will be without voting rights;
(b) The number of shares to constitute the class or series and the designation thereof;
(c) The preferences and relative, participating, optional or other special rights, if any, and the qualifications, limitations, or restrictions thereof, if any, with respect to any class or series;
(d) Whether or not the shares of any class or series shall be redeemable and if redeemable, the redemption price or prices, and the time or times at which, and the terms and conditions upon which, such shares shall be redeemable and the manner of redemption;
(e) Whether or not the shares of a class or series shall be subject to the operation of retirement or sinking funds to be applied to the purchase or redemption of such shares for retirement, and if such retirement or sinking funds be established, the amount and the terms and provisions thereof;
(f) The dividend rate, whether dividends are payable in cash, stock of the Corporation, or other property, the conditions upon which and the times when such dividends are payable, the preference to or the relation to the payment of dividends payable on any other class or classes or series of stock, whether or not such dividend shall be cumulative or noncumulative, and if cumulative, the date or dates from which such dividends shall accumulate;
(g) The preferences, if any, and the amounts thereof which the holders of any class or series thereof are entitled to receive upon the voluntary or involuntary dissolution of, or upon any distribution of assets of, the Corporation;
(h) Whether or not the shares of any class or series are convertible into, or exchangeable for, the shares of any other class or classes or of any other series of the same or any other class or classes of stock of the Corporation and the conversion price or prices or ratio or ratios or the rate or rates at which such exchange may be made, with such adjustments, if any, as shall be stated and expressed or provided for in such resolution or resolutions; and
(i) Such other rights and provisions with respect to any class or series as may to the board of directors seem advisable.
The shares of each class or series of the Preferred Stock may vary from the shares of any other class or series thereof in any respect. The Board of Directors may increase the number of shares of the Preferred Stock designated for any existing class or series by a resolution adding to such class or series authorized and unissued shares of the Preferred Stock not designated for any existing class or series of the Preferred Stock and the shares so subtracted shall become authorized, unissued and undesignated shares of the Preferred Stock.
Special Meetings
Under our bylaws, unless otherwise prescribed by law or by the Articles of Incorporation, Special Meetings of Stockholders, for any purpose or purposes, may be called by either (i) the Chairman, if there be one, or (ii) the President, (iii) any Vice President, if there be one, (iv) the Secretary, or (v) any Assistant Secretary, if there be one, and shall be called by any such officer at the request in writing of a majority of the Board of Directors or at the request in writing of stockholders owning a majority of the capital stock of the Corporation issued and outstanding and entitled to vote (the “Requisite Percentage”). Written notice of a Special Meeting stating the place, date and hour of the meeting and the purpose or purposes for which the meeting is called shall be given not less than ten nor more than sixty days before the date of the meeting to each stockholder entitled to vote at such meeting.
A stockholder request for a Special Meeting (a “Special Meeting Request”) shall be directed to the Secretary of the Corporation and shall be signed by each stockholder, or a duly authorized agent of such stockholder, requesting the Special Meeting (each, a “Requesting Stockholder”) and shall be accompanied by a notice setting forth (1) the information required by Section 9 of this Article II as to any nominations proposed to be made or any other business proposed to be conducted at such Special Meeting and as to such Requesting Stockholders (including the completed written questionnaires and written representations and agreements required by Section 9 of this Article II from any nominee for election as a director of the Corporation, as applicable); (2) a statement of the specific purpose or purposes of the Special Meeting; (3) an acknowledgement by the Requesting Stockholders and the beneficial owner (as defined in Rule l3d-3 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (or any successor thereto) (the “Act”)) (the “Beneficial Owner”), if any, on whose behalf the Special Meeting Request(s) are being made that a disposition of shares of the Corporation’s capital stock owned of record or beneficially as of the date on which the Special Meeting Request(s) in respect of such shares is delivered to the Secretary that is made at any time prior to the Special Meeting shall constitute a revocation of such Special Meeting Request(s) with respect to such disposed shares; and (4) documentary evidence that the Requesting Stockholder(s) own the Requisite Percentage of as of the date of such Special Meeting Request.
In determining whether a Special Meeting of Stockholders has been requested by the record holders of shares representing in the aggregate at least the Requisite Percentage, multiple Special Meeting Requests will be considered together only if (i) each Special Meeting Request identifies substantially the same purpose or purposes of the Special Meeting and substantially the same matters proposed to be acted on at the Special Meeting (in each case as determined in good faith by the Board of Directors) and (ii) such Special Meeting Requests have been dated and delivered to the Secretary within thirty (30) days of the earliest dated Special Meeting Request. A stockholder may revoke a Special Meeting Request at any time by written revocation delivered to the Secretary, and if, following any revocation (including any deemed revocation pursuant to clause (3) of the foregoing paragraph), the un-revoked Special Meeting Requests are from stockholders holding in the aggregate less than the Requisite Percentage, the Board of Directors, in its sole discretion, may cancel the Special Meeting.”
Consent of Stockholders in Lieu of Meeting
Unless otherwise provided in the Articles of Incorporation, any action required or permitted to be taken at any Annual or Special Meeting of Stockholders of the Corporation, may be taken without a meeting, without prior notice and without a vote, if a consent in writing, setting forth the action so taken, shall be signed by the holders of outstanding stock having not less than the minimum number of votes that would be necessary to authorize or take such action at a meeting at which all shares entitled to vote thereon were present and voted. Every written consent purporting to take or authorize the taking of corporate action must bear the date of signature of each stockholder who signs the written consent, and no written consent shall be effective to take the corporate action referred to therein unless, within sixty (60) days of the earliest dated written consent delivered in the manner required by this Section 6, written consent signed by a sufficient number of stockholders to take such action are so delivered to the Corporation. The written consents shall be delivered to the Corporation by delivery to its registered office in Nevada, its principal place of business, or an officer or agent of the Corporation having custody of the book in which the proceedings are recorded. Delivery to the registered officer shall be by hand or certified or registered mail, return receipt requested. Prompt notice of the taking of the corporate action without a meeting by less than unanimous written consent shall be given to those stockholders who have not consented in writing.
The record date for the determination of stockholders entitled to express consent to corporate action in writing without a meeting shall be as fixed by the Board of Directors or as otherwise established under this Section 6. Any person seeking to have the stockholders authorize or take corporate action by written consent without a meeting shall, by written notice addressed to the Secretary of the Corporation and delivered to the Corporation and signed by a stockholder of record, request that a record date be fixed for such purpose. The written notice must contain the following information with respect to each action that the stockholder proposes to take by consent: (a) the information required by Section 9 of Article II of these Bylaws as though such stockholder was intending to make a nomination or to bring any other matter before a meeting of stockholders, and (b) to the extent not otherwise required by Section 9 of Article II of these Bylaws, such notice must also state, (i) the text of the proposal (including the text of any resolutions to be effected by consent and the language of any proposed amendment to the Bylaws of the Corporation), (ii) the reasons for soliciting consents for the proposal, (iii) any material interest in the proposal held by the stockholder and the Beneficial Owner(s), if any, on whose behalf the action is to be taken, and (iv) any other information relating to the stockholder, the Beneficial Owner(s), any person whom the stockholder proposes to nominate for election or appointment as a director of the Corporation pursuant to such solicitation of written consents or the proposal of other business by the stockholder, as applicable, that would be required to be disclosed in filings in connection with the solicitation of proxies or consents pursuant to Section 14 of the Act and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder (or any successor provision of the Act or the rules or regulations promulgated thereunder). Following receipt of the notice, the Board of Directors shall have ten (10) calendar days to determine the validity of the request, and if appropriate, adopt a resolution fixing the record date for such purpose. The record date for such purpose shall be no more than ten (10) calendar days after the date upon which the resolution fixing the record date is adopted by the Board of Directors and shall not precede the date such resolution is adopted. If the Board of Directors fails within ten (10) calendar days after the Corporation receives such notice to fix a record date for such purpose, provided that the request is valid and fixing a record date is appropriate, the record date shall be the day on which the first written consent is delivered to the Corporation in the manner described in the first paragraph of this Section 6; except that, if prior action by the Board of Directors is required by applicable law, the record date shall be at the close of business on the day on which the Board of Directors adopts the resolution taking such prior action.
Nothing contained in this Section 6 shall in any way be construed to suggest or imply that the Board of Directors or any stockholder shall not be entitled to contest the validity of any consent or related revocations, whether before or after such certification by the inspectors or to take any other action (including, without limitation, the commencement, prosecution, or defense of any litigation with respect thereto, and the seeking of injunctive relief in such litigation).”
Transfer Agent and Registrar
Equity Stock Transfer is the transfer agent and registrar in respect of the common stock.
Pursuant to Item 202(a), the information regarding the Common Stock contained herein does not constitute a complete legal description of the Common Stock and is qualified in all material respects by the provisions of the Company’s Amended and Restated Articles of Incorporation and bylaws, as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Exhibit 10.20
Panacea Life Sciences Holdings, Inc.
Amended and Restated 2021 Equity Incentive Plan
1. Scope of Plan; Definitions.
(a) This Amended and Restated 2021 Equity Incentive Plan (the “Plan”) is intended to advance the interests of Panacea Life Sciences Holdings, Inc. (the “Company”) and its Related Corporations by enhancing the ability of the Company to attract and retain qualified employees, consultants, Officers and directors, by creating incentives and rewards for their contributions to the success of the Company and its Related Corporations. This Plan will provide to (a) Officers and other employees of the Company and its Related Corporations opportunities to purchase common stock, par value $0.0001 (“Common Stock”) of the Company pursuant to Options granted hereunder which qualify as incentive stock options (“ISOs”) under Section 422(b) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (the “Code”), (b) directors, Officers, employees and consultants of the Company and Related Corporations opportunities to purchase Common Stock of the Company pursuant to options granted hereunder which do not qualify as ISOs (“Non-Qualified Options”); (c) directors, Officers, employees and consultants of the Company and Related Corporations opportunities to receive shares of Common Stock of the Company which normally are subject to restrictions on sale (“Restricted Stock”); (d) directors, Officers, employees and consultants of the Company and Related Corporations opportunities to receive grants of stock appreciation rights (“SARs”); and (e) directors, Officers, employees and consultants of the Company and Related Corporations opportunities to receive grants of restricted stock units (“RSUs”). ISOs and Non-Qualified Options are referred to hereafter as “Options.” Options, Restricted Stock, RSUs and SARs are sometimes referred to hereafter collectively as “Stock Rights.” Any of the Options and/or Stock Rights may in the Board of Directors’ or Compensation Committee’s discretion be issued in tandem to one or more other Options and/or Stock Rights to the extent permitted by law.
(b) For purposes of the Plan, capitalized words and terms shall have the following meaning:
“Board” means the board of directors of the Company.
“Chairman” means the chairman of the Board.
“Change of Control” means the occurrence of any of the following events: (i) the consummation of the sale or disposition by the Company of all or substantially all of the Company’s assets in a transaction which requires shareholder approval under applicable state law; or (ii) the consummation of a merger or consolidation of the Company with any other corporation, other than a merger or consolidation which would result in the voting securities of the Company outstanding immediately prior thereto continuing to represent (either by remaining outstanding or by being converted into voting securities of the surviving entity or its parent) at least 50% of the total voting power represented by the voting securities of the Company or such surviving entity or its parent outstanding immediately after such merger or consolidation.
“Code” shall have the meaning given to it in Section 1(a).
“Common Stock” shall have the meaning given to it in Section 1(a).
“Company” shall have the meaning given to it in Section 1(a).
“Compensation Committee” means the compensation committee of the Board, if any, which shall consist of two or more members of the Board, each of whom shall be both an “outside director” within the meaning of Section 162(m) of the Code and a “non-employee director” within the meaning of Rule 16b-3. All references in this Plan to the Compensation Committee shall mean the Board when (i) there is no Compensation Committee or (ii) the Board has retained the power to administer this Plan.
“Disability” means “permanent and total disability” as defined in Section 22(e)(3) of the Code or successor statute.
“Disqualifying Disposition” means any disposition (including any sale) of Common Stock underlying an ISO before the later of (i) two years after the date of employee was granted the ISO or (ii) one year after the date the employee acquired Common Stock by exercising the ISO.
“Exchange Act” shall mean the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.
“Fair Market Value” shall be determined as of the last Trading Day before the date a Stock Right is granted and shall mean:
(1) the closing price on the principal market if the Common Stock is listed on a national securities exchange or the OTCQB or OTCQX.
(2) if the Company’s shares are not listed on a national securities exchange or the OTCQB or OTCQX, then the closing price if reported or the average bid and asked price for the Company’s shares as published by OTC Markets Group, Inc.;
(3) if there are no prices available under clauses (1) or (2), then Fair Market Value shall be based upon the average closing bid and asked price as determined following a polling of all dealers making a market in the Company’s Common Stock; or
(4) if there is no regularly established trading market for the Company’s Common Stock or if the Company’s Common Stock is listed, quoted or reported under clauses (1) or (2) but it trades sporadically rather than every day, the Fair Market Value shall be established by the Board or the Compensation Committee taking into consideration all relevant factors including the most recent price at which the Company’s Common Stock was sold.
“ISO” shall have the meaning given to it in Section 1(a).
“Non-Qualified Options” shall have the meaning given to it in Section 1(a).
“Officers” means a person who is an executive officer of the Company and is required to file ownership reports under Section 16(a) of the Exchange Act.
“Options” shall have the meaning given to it in Section 1(a).
“Plan” shall have the meaning given to it in Section 1(a).
“Related Corporations” shall mean a corporation which is a subsidiary corporation with respect to the Company within the meaning of Section 424(f) of the Code.
“Restricted Stock” shall have the meaning contained in Section 1(a).
“RSU” shall have the meaning given to it in Section 1(a).
“SAR” shall have the meaning given to it in Section 1(a).
“Securities Act” means the Securities Act of 1933.
“Stock Rights” shall have the meaning given to it in Section 1(a).
“Trading Day” shall mean a day on which The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC is open for business.
This Plan is intended to comply in all respects with Rule 16b-3 (“Rule 16b-3”) and its successor rules as promulgated under Section 16(b) of the Exchange Act for participants who are subject to Section 16 of the Exchange Act. To the extent any provision of the Plan or action by the Plan administrators fails to so comply, it shall be deemed null and void to the extent permitted by law and deemed advisable by the Plan administrators. Provided, however, such exercise of discretion by the Plan administrators shall not interfere with the contract rights of any grantee. In the event that any interpretation or construction of the Plan is required, it shall be interpreted and construed in order to ensure, to the maximum extent permissible by law, that such grantee does not violate the short-swing profit provisions of Section 16(b) of the Exchange Act and that any exemption available under Rule 16b-3 or other rule is available.
2. Administration of the Plan.
(a) The Plan may be administered by the entire Board or by the Compensation Committee. Once appointed, the Compensation Committee shall continue to serve until otherwise directed by the Board. A majority of the members of the Compensation Committee shall constitute a quorum, and all determinations of the Compensation Committee shall be made by the majority of its members present at a meeting. Any determination of the Compensation Committee under the Plan may be made without notice or meeting of the Compensation Committee by a writing signed by all of the Compensation Committee members. Subject to ratification of the grant of each Stock Right by the Board (but only if so required by applicable state law), and subject to the terms of the Plan, the Compensation Committee shall have the authority to (i) determine the employees of the Company and Related Corporations (from among the class of employees eligible under Section 3 to receive ISOs) to whom ISOs may be granted, and to determine (from among the class of individuals and entities eligible under Section 3 to receive Non-Qualified Options, Restricted Stock, RSUs and SARs) to whom Non-Qualified Options, Restricted Stock, RSUs and SARs may be granted; (ii) determine when Stock Rights may be granted; (iii) determine the exercise prices of Stock Rights other than Restricted Stock and RSUs, which shall not be less than the Fair Market Value; (iv) determine whether each Option granted shall be an ISO or a Non-Qualified Option; (v) determine when Stock Rights shall become exercisable, the duration of the exercise period and when each Stock Right shall vest; (vi) determine whether restrictions such as repurchase options are to be imposed on shares subject to or issued in connection with Stock Rights, and the nature of such restrictions, if any, and (vii) interpret the Plan and promulgate and rescind rules and regulations relating to it. The interpretation and construction by the Compensation Committee of any provisions of the Plan or of any Stock Right granted under it shall be final, binding and conclusive unless otherwise determined by the Board. The Compensation Committee may from time to time adopt such rules and regulations for carrying out the Plan as it may deem best.
No members of the Compensation Committee or the Board shall be liable for any action or determination made in good faith with respect to the Plan or any Stock Right granted under it. No member of the Compensation Committee or the Board shall be liable for any act or omission of any other member of the Compensation Committee or the Board or for any act or omission on his own part, including but not limited to the exercise of any power and discretion given to him under the Plan, except those resulting from his own gross negligence or willful misconduct.
(b) The Compensation Committee may select one of its members as its chairman and shall hold meetings at such time and places as it may determine. All references in this Plan to the Compensation Committee shall mean the Board if no Compensation Committee has been appointed. From time to time the Board may increase the size of the Compensation Committee and appoint additional members thereof, remove members (with or without cause) and appoint new members in substitution therefor, fill vacancies however caused or remove all members of the Compensation Committee and thereafter directly administer the Plan.
(c) Stock Rights may be granted to members of the Board, whether such grants are in their capacity as directors, Officers or consultants. All grants of Stock Rights to members of the Board shall in all other respects be made in accordance with the provisions of this Plan applicable to other eligible persons. Members of the Board who are either (i) eligible for Stock Rights pursuant to the Plan or (ii) have been granted Stock Rights may vote on any matters affecting the administration of the Plan or the grant of any Stock Rights pursuant to the Plan.
(d) In addition to such other rights of indemnification as he or she may have as a member of the Board, and with respect to administration of the Plan and the granting of Stock Rights under it, each member of the Board and of the Compensation Committee shall be entitled without further act on his part to indemnification from the Company for all expenses (including advances of litigation expenses, the amount of judgment and the amount of approved settlements made with a view to the curtailment of costs of litigation) reasonably incurred by him in connection with or arising out of any action, suit or proceeding, including any appeal thereof, with respect to the administration of the Plan or the granting of Stock Rights under it in which he may be involved by reason of his being or having been a member of the Board or the Compensation Committee, whether or not he continues to be such member of the Board or the Compensation Committee at the time of the incurring of such expenses; provided, however, that such indemnity shall be subject to the limitations contained in any Indemnification Agreement between the Company and the Board member or Officer. The foregoing right of indemnification shall inure to the benefit of the heirs, executors or administrators of each such member of the Board or the Compensation Committee and shall be in addition to all other rights to which such member of the Board or the Compensation Committee would be entitled to as a matter of law, contract or otherwise.
(e) The Board may delegate the powers to grant Stock Rights to Officers to the extent permitted by the laws of the Company’s state of incorporation.
3. Eligible Employees and Others. ISOs may be granted to any employee of the Company or any Related Corporation. Those Officers and directors of the Company who are not employees may not be granted ISOs under the Plan. Subject to compliance with Rule 16b-3 and other applicable securities laws, Non-Qualified Options, Restricted Stock, RSUs and SARs may be granted to any director (whether or not an employee), Officers, employees or consultants of the Company or any Related Corporation. The Compensation Committee may take into consideration a recipient’s individual circumstances in determining whether to grant an ISO, a Non-Qualified Option, Restricted Stock, RSUs or a SAR. Granting of any Stock Right to any individual or entity shall neither entitle that individual or entity to, nor disqualify him from participation in, any other grant of Stock Rights.
4. Common Stock. The Common Stock subject to Stock Rights shall be authorized but unissued shares of Common Stock or shares of Common Stock reacquired by the Company in any manner, including purchase, forfeiture or otherwise. The aggregate number of shares of Common Stock which may be issued pursuant to the Plan is 113,383,460, less any Stock Rights previously granted or exercised, subject to adjustment as provided in Section 14. Any such shares may be issued under ISOs, Non-Qualified Options, Restricted Stock, RSUs or SARs, so long as the number of shares so issued does not exceed the limitations in this Section. Subject to adjustment in accordance with Section 14, no more than 113,383,460 shares of Common Stock may be issued in the aggregate pursuant to the exercise of ISOs. If any Stock Rights granted under the Plan shall expire or terminate for any reason without having been exercised in full or shall cease for any reason to be exercisable in whole or in part, or if the Company shall reacquire any unvested shares, the unpurchased shares subject to such Stock Rights and any unvested shares so reacquired by the Company shall again be available for grants under the Plan. For the avoidance of doubt, in the event that (i) the payment of the exercise price of any Stock Right, or (ii) the satisfaction of any tax withholding obligations arising from any Stock Right is made by withholding of shares of Common Stock by the Company, the shares so withheld shall again become available for grants under the Plan.
5. Granting of Stock Rights.
(a) The date of grant of a Stock Right under the Plan will be the date specified by the Board or Compensation Committee at the time it grants the Stock Right; provided, however, that such date shall not be prior to the date on which the Board or Compensation Committee acts to approve the grant. The Board or Compensation Committee shall have the right, with the consent of the optionee, to convert an ISO granted under the Plan to a Non-Qualified Option pursuant to Section 17.
(b) The Board or Compensation Committee shall grant Stock Rights to participants that it, in its sole discretion, selects. Stock Rights shall be granted on such terms as the Board or Compensation Committee shall determine except that ISOs shall be granted on terms that comply with the Code and regulations thereunder.
(c) A SAR entitles the holder to receive, as designated by the Board or Compensation Committee, cash or shares of Common Stock, value equal to (or otherwise based on) the excess of: (a) the Fair Market Value of a specified number of shares of Common Stock at the time of exercise over (b) an exercise price established by the Board or Compensation Committee. The exercise price of each SAR granted under this Plan shall be established by the Compensation Committee or shall be determined by a method established by the Board or Compensation Committee at the time the SAR is granted, provided the exercise price shall not be less than 100% of the Fair Market Value of a share of Common Stock on the date of the grant of the SAR, or such higher price as is established by the Board or Compensation Committee. A SAR shall be exercisable in accordance with such terms and conditions and during such periods as may be established by the Board or Compensation Committee. Shares of Common Stock delivered pursuant to the exercise of a SAR shall be subject to such conditions, restrictions and contingencies as the Board or Compensation Committee may establish in the applicable SAR agreement or document, if any. The Board or Compensation Committee, in its discretion, may impose such conditions, restrictions and contingencies with respect to shares of Common Stock acquired pursuant to the exercise of each SAR as the Board or Compensation Committee determines to be desirable. A SAR under the Plan shall be subject to such terms and conditions, not inconsistent with the Plan, as the Board or Compensation Committee shall, in its discretion, prescribe. The terms and conditions of any SAR to any grantee shall be reflected in such form of agreement as is determined by the Board or Compensation Committee. A copy of such document, if any, shall be provided to the grantee, and the Board or Compensation Committee may condition the granting of the SAR on the grantee executing such agreement.
(d) An RSU gives the grantee the right to receive a number of shares of the Company’s Common Stock on applicable vesting or other dates. Delivery of the RSUs may be deferred beyond vesting as determined by the Board or Compensation Committee. RSUs shall be evidenced by an RSU agreement in the form determined by the Board or Compensation Committee. With respect to an RSU, which becomes non-forfeitable due to the lapse of time, the Compensation Committee shall prescribe in the RSU agreement the vesting period. With respect to the granting of the RSU, which becomes non-forfeitable due to the satisfaction of certain pre-established performance-based objectives imposed by the Board or Compensation Committee, the measurement date of whether such performance-based objectives have been satisfied shall be a date no earlier than the first anniversary of the date of the RSU. A recipient who is granted an RSU shall possess no incidents of ownership with respect to such underlying Common Stock, although the RSU agreement may provide for payments in lieu of dividends to such grantee.
(e) Notwithstanding any provision of this Plan, the Board or Compensation Committee may impose conditions and restrictions on any grant of Stock Rights including forfeiture of vested Options, cancellation of Common Stock acquired in connection with any Stock Right and forfeiture of profits.
(f) The Options and SARs shall not be exercisable for a period of more than 10 years from the date of grant.
6. Sale of Shares. The shares underlying Stock Rights granted to any Officer, director or a beneficial owner of 10% or more of the Company’s securities registered under Section 12 of the Exchange Act shall not be sold, assigned or transferred by the grantee until at least six months elapse from the date of the grant thereof.
7. ISO Minimum Option Price and Other Limitations.
(a) The exercise price per share relating to all Options granted under the Plan shall not be less than the Fair Market Value per share of Common Stock on the last trading day prior to the date of such grant. For purposes of determining the exercise price, the date of the grant shall be the later of (i) the date of approval by the Board or Compensation Committee or the Board, or (ii) for ISOs, the date the recipient becomes an employee of the Company. In the case of an ISO to be granted to an employee owning Common Stock which represents more than 10% of the total combined voting power of all classes of stock of the Company or any Related Corporation, the price per share shall not be less than 110% of the Fair Market Value per share of Common Stock on the date of grant and such ISO shall not be exercisable after the expiration of five years from the date of grant.
(b) In no event shall the aggregate Fair Market Value (determined at the time an ISO is granted) of Common Stock for which ISOs granted to any employee are exercisable for the first time by such employee during any calendar year (under all stock option plans of the Company and any Related Corporation) exceed $100,000.
8. Duration of Stock Rights. Subject to earlier termination as provided in Sections 5, 9, 10 and 11, each Option and SAR shall expire on the date specified in the original instrument granting such Stock Right (except with respect to any part of an ISO that is converted into a Non-Qualified Option pursuant to Section 17), provided, however, that such instrument must comply with Section 422 of the Code with regard to ISOs and Rule 16b-3 with regard to all Stock Rights granted pursuant to the Plan to Officers, directors and 10% shareholders of the Company.
9. Exercise of Options and SARs; Vesting of Stock Rights. Subject to the provisions of Sections 9 through 13, each Option and SAR granted under the Plan shall be exercisable as follows:
(a) The Options and SARs shall either be fully vested and exercisable from the date of grant or shall vest and become exercisable in such installments as the Board or Compensation Committee may specify.
(b) Once an installment becomes exercisable it shall remain exercisable until expiration or termination of the Option and SAR, unless otherwise specified by the Board or Compensation Committee.
(c) Each Option and SAR or installment, once it becomes exercisable, may be exercised at any time or from time to time, in whole or in part, for up to the total number of shares with respect to which it is then exercisable.
(d) The Board or Compensation Committee shall have the right to accelerate the vesting date of any installment of any Stock Right; provided that the Board or Compensation Committee shall not accelerate the exercise date of any installment of any Option granted to any employee as an ISO (and not previously converted into a Non-Qualified Option pursuant to Section 17) if such acceleration would violate the annual exercisability limitation contained in Section 422(d) of the Code as described in Section 7(b).
10. Termination of Service. Subject to any contrary provisions or restrictions as may be imposed by the Board or Compensation Committee or by a written agreement, if an optionee ceases to be employed by the Company or any Related Corporations, other than by reason of death or disability, no further installments of his Options shall vest or become exercisable, and the Options shall terminate on 5:30 pm New York, NY time on the day three months after the day of the termination of his employment, but in no event later than on their specified expiration dates. Employment shall be considered as continuing uninterrupted during any bona fide leave of absence (such as those attributable to illness, military obligations or governmental service) provided that the period of such leave does not exceed 90 days or, if longer, any period during which such optionee’s right to re-employment is guaranteed by statute. A leave of absence with the written approval of the Board shall not be considered an interruption of employment under the Plan, provided that such written approval contractually obligates the Company or any Related Corporation to continue the employment of the optionee after the approved period of absence. ISOs granted under the Plan shall not be affected by any change of employment within or among the Company and Related Corporations so long as the optionee continues to be an employee of the Company or any Related Corporation.
11. Death; Disability. Unless otherwise determined by the Board or Compensation Committee or by a written agreement:
(a) If the holder of an Option or SAR ceases to be employed by the Company and all Related Corporations by reason of his death, any Options or SARs held by the optionee may be exercised to the extent he could have exercised it on the date of his death, by his estate, personal representative or beneficiary who has acquired the Options or SARs by will or by the laws of descent and distribution, at any time prior to the earlier of: (i) the Options’ or SARs’ specified expiration date or (ii) one year (except three months for an ISO) from the date of death.
(b) If the holder of an Option or SAR ceases to be employed by the Company and all Related Corporations, or a director or Director Advisor can no longer perform his duties, by reason of his Disability, any Options or SARs held by the optionee may be exercised to the extent he could have exercised it on the date of termination due to Disability until the earlier of (i) the Options’ or SARs’ specified expiration date or (ii) one year from the date of the termination.
12. Assignment, Transfer or Sale.
(a) No ISO granted under this Plan shall be assignable or transferable by the grantee except by will or by the laws of descent and distribution, and during the lifetime of the grantee, each ISO shall be exercisable only by him, his guardian or legal representative.
(b) Except for ISOs, all Stock Rights are transferable subject to compliance with applicable securities laws and Section 6 of this Plan.
13. Terms and Conditions of Stock Rights. Stock Rights shall be evidenced by instruments (which need not be identical) in such forms as the Board or Compensation Committee may from time to time approve. Such instruments shall conform to the terms and conditions set forth in Sections 5 through 12 hereof and may contain such other provisions as the Board or Compensation Committee deems advisable which are not inconsistent with the Plan. In granting any Stock Rights, the Board or Compensation Committee may specify that Stock Rights shall be subject to the restrictions set forth herein with respect to ISOs, or to such other termination and cancellation provisions as the Board or Compensation Committee may determine. The Board or Compensation Committee may from time to time confer authority and responsibility on one or more of its own members and/or one or more Officers of the Company to execute and deliver such instruments. The proper Officers of the Company are authorized and directed to take any and all action necessary or advisable from time to time to carry out the terms of such instruments.
14. Adjustments Upon Certain Events.
(a) Subject to any required action by the shareholders of the Company, the number of shares of Common Stock covered by each outstanding Stock Right, and the number of shares of Common Stock which have been authorized for issuance under the Plan but as to which no Stock Rights have yet been granted or which have been returned to the Plan upon cancellation or expiration of a Stock Right, as well as the price per share of Common Stock (or cash, as applicable) covered by each such outstanding Option or SAR, shall be proportionately adjusted for any increases or decrease in the number of issued shares of Common Stock resulting from a stock split, reverse stock split, stock dividend, combination or reclassification of Common Stock, or any other increase or decrease in the number of issued shares of Common Stock effected without receipt of consideration by the Company; provided, however, that conversion of any convertible securities of the Company or the voluntary cancellation whether by virtue of a cashless exercise of a derivative security of the Company or otherwise shall not be deemed to have been “effected without receipt of consideration.” Such adjustment shall be made by the Board or Compensation Committee, whose determination in that respect shall be final, binding and conclusive. Except as expressly provided herein, no issuance by the Company of shares of stock of any class, or securities convertible into shares of stock of any class, shall affect, and no adjustment by reason thereof shall be made with respect to, the number or price of shares of Common Stock subject to a Stock Right. No adjustments shall be made for dividends or other distributions paid in cash or in property other than securities of the Company.
(b) In the event of the proposed dissolution or liquidation of the Company, the Board or Compensation Committee shall notify each participant as soon as practicable prior to the effective date of such proposed transaction. To the extent it has not been previously exercised, a Stock Right will terminate immediately prior to the consummation of such proposed action.
(c) In the event of a merger of the Company with or into another corporation, or a Change of Control, each outstanding Stock Right shall be assumed (as defined below) or an equivalent option or right substituted by the successor corporation or a parent or subsidiary of the successor corporation. In the event that the successor corporation refuses to assume or substitute for the Stock Rights, the participants shall fully vest in and have the right to exercise their Stock Rights as to which it would not otherwise be vested or exercisable. If a Stock Right becomes fully vested and exercisable in lieu of assumption or substitution in the event of a merger or sale of assets, the Board or Compensation Committee shall notify the participant in writing or electronically that the Stock Right shall be fully vested and exercisable for a period of at least 15 days from the date of such notice, and any Options or SARs shall terminate one minute prior to the closing of the merger or sale of assets.
For the purposes of this Section 14(c), the Stock Right shall be considered “assumed” if, following the merger or Change of Control, the option or right confers the right to purchase or receive, for each share of Common Stock subject to the Stock Right immediately prior to the merger or Change of Control, the consideration (whether stock, cash, or other securities or property) received in the merger or Change of Control by holders of Common Stock for each share held on the effective date of the transaction (and if holders were offered a choice of consideration, the type of consideration chosen by the holders of a majority of the outstanding Shares); provided, however, that if such consideration received in the merger or Change of Control is not solely common stock of the successor corporation or its parent, the Board or Compensation Committee may, with the consent of the successor corporation, provide for the consideration to be received upon the exercise of the Stock Right, for each share of Common Stock subject to the Stock Right, to be solely common stock of the successor corporation or its parent equal in Fair Market Value to the per share consideration received by holders of Common Stock in the merger or Change of Control.
(d) Notwithstanding the foregoing, any adjustments made pursuant to Section 14(a), (b) or (c) with respect to ISOs shall be made only after the Board or Compensation Committee, after consulting with counsel for the Company, determines whether such adjustments would constitute a “modification” of such ISOs (as that term is defined in Section 424(h) of the Code) or would cause any adverse tax consequences for the holders of such ISOs. If the Board or Compensation Committee determines that such adjustments made with respect to ISOs would constitute a modification of such ISOs it may refrain from making such adjustments.
(e) No fractional shares shall be issued under the Plan and the optionee shall receive from the Company cash in lieu of such fractional shares.
15. Means of Exercising Stock Rights.
(a) An Option or SAR (or any part or installment thereof) shall be exercised by giving written notice to the Company at its principal office address. Such notice shall identify the Stock Right being exercised and specify the number of shares as to which such Stock Right is being exercised, accompanied by full payment of the exercise price therefor (to the extent it is exercisable in cash) either (i) in United States dollars by check or wire transfer; or (ii) at the discretion of the Board or Compensation Committee, through delivery of shares of Common Stock having a Fair Market Value equal as of the date of the exercise to the cash exercise price of the Stock Right or such other formula as may be approved by the Board or Compensation Committee; or (iii) at the discretion of the Board or Compensation Committee, by any combination of (i) and (ii) above. If the Board or Compensation Committee exercises its discretion to permit payment of the exercise price of an ISO by means of the methods set forth in clauses (ii) or (iii) of the preceding sentence, such discretion need not be exercised in writing at the time of the grant of the Stock Right in question. The holder of a Stock Right shall not have the rights of a shareholder with respect to the shares covered by his Stock Right until the date of issuance of a stock certificate to him for such shares. Except as expressly provided above in Section 14 with respect to changes in capitalization and stock dividends, no adjustment shall be made for dividends or similar rights for which the record date is before the date such stock certificate is issued.
(b) Each notice of exercise shall, unless the shares of Common Stock are covered by a then current registration statement under the Securities Act, contain the holder’s acknowledgment in form and substance satisfactory to the Company that (i) such shares are being purchased for investment and not for distribution or resale (other than a distribution or resale which, in the opinion of counsel satisfactory to the Company, may be made without violating the registration provisions of the Securities Act), (ii) the holder has been advised and understands that (1) the shares have not been registered under the Securities Act and are “restricted securities” within the meaning of Rule 144 under the Securities Act and are subject to restrictions on transfer and (2) the Company is under no obligation to register the shares under the Securities Act or to take any action which would make available to the holder any exemption from such registration, and (iii) such shares may not be transferred without compliance with all applicable federal and state securities laws. Notwithstanding the above, should the Company be advised by counsel that issuance of shares should be delayed pending registration under federal or state securities laws or the receipt of an opinion that an appropriate exemption therefrom is available, the Company may defer exercise of any Stock Right granted hereunder until such event has occurred.
16. Term, Termination and Amendment.
(a) This Plan was adopted by the Board. This Plan may be approved by the Company’s shareholders, which approval is required for ISOs.
(b) The Board may terminate the Plan at any time. Unless sooner terminated, the Plan shall terminate on June 30, 2031 or 10 years from the date the Board adopts the Plan. No Stock Rights may be granted under the Plan once the Plan is terminated. Termination of the Plan shall not impair rights and obligations under any Stock Right granted while the Plan is in effect, except with the written consent of the grantee.
(c) The Board at any time, and from time to time, may amend the Plan. Provided, however, except as provided in Section 14 relating to adjustments in Common Stock, no amendment shall be effective unless approved by the shareholders of the Company to the extent (i) shareholder approval is necessary to satisfy the requirements of Section 422 of the Code or (ii) required by the rules of the principal national securities exchange or trading market upon which the Company’s Common Stock trades. Rights under any Stock Rights granted before amendment of the Plan shall not be impaired by any amendment of the Plan, except with the written consent of the grantee.
(d) The Board at any time, and from time to time, may amend the terms of any one or more Stock Rights; provided, however, that the rights under the Stock Right shall not be impaired by any such amendment, except with the written consent of the grantee.
17. Conversion of ISOs into Non-Qualified Options; Termination of ISOs. The Board or Compensation Committee, at the written request of any optionee, may in its discretion take such actions as may be necessary to convert such optionee’s ISOs (or any installments or portions of installments thereof) that have not been exercised on the date of conversion into Non-Qualified Options at any time prior to the expiration of such ISOs, regardless of whether the optionee is an employee of the Company or a Related Corporation at the time of such conversion. Provided, however, the Board or Compensation Committee shall not reprice the Options or extend the exercise period or reduce the exercise price of the appropriate installments of such Options without the approval of the Company’s shareholders. At the time of such conversion, the Board or Compensation Committee (with the consent of the optionee) may impose such conditions on the exercise of the resulting Non-Qualified Options as the Board or Compensation Committee in its discretion may determine, provided that such conditions shall not be inconsistent with this Plan. Nothing in the Plan shall be deemed to give any optionee the right to have such optionee’s ISOs converted into Non-Qualified Options, and no such conversion shall occur until and unless the Board or Compensation Committee takes appropriate action. The Compensation Committee, with the consent of the optionee, may also terminate any portion of any ISO that has not been exercised at the time of such termination.
18. Application of Funds. The proceeds received by the Company from the sale of shares pursuant to Options or SARS (if cash settled) granted under the Plan shall be used for general corporate purposes.
19. Governmental Regulations. The Company’s obligation to sell and deliver shares of the Common Stock under this Plan is subject to the approval of any governmental authority required in connection with the authorization, issuance or sale of such shares.
20. Withholding of Additional Income Taxes. In connection with the granting, exercise or vesting of a Stock Right or the making of a Disqualifying Disposition the Company, in accordance with Section 3402(a) of the Code, may require the optionee to pay additional withholding taxes in respect of the amount that is considered compensation includable in such person’s gross income.
To the extent that the Company is required to withhold taxes for federal income tax purposes as provided above, if any optionee may elect to satisfy such withholding requirement by (i) paying the amount of the required withholding tax to the Company; (ii) delivering to the Company shares of its Common Stock (including shares of Restricted Stock) previously owned by the optionee; or (iii) having the Company retain a portion of the shares covered by an Option exercise. The number of shares to be delivered to or withheld by the Company times the Fair Market Value of such shares or such other formula as may be approved by the Board or Compensation Committee pursuant to the Plan shall equal the cash required to be withheld.
21. Notice to the Company of Disqualifying Disposition. Each employee who receives an ISO must agree to notify the Company in writing immediately after the employee makes a Disqualifying Disposition of any Common Stock acquired pursuant to the exercise of an ISO. If the employee has died before such stock is sold, the holding periods requirements of the Disqualifying Disposition do not apply and no Disqualifying Disposition can occur thereafter.
22. Continued Employment. The grant of a Stock Right pursuant to the Plan shall not be construed to imply or to constitute evidence of any agreement, express or implied, on the part of the Company or any Related Corporation to retain the grantee in the employ of the Company or a Related Corporation, as a member of the Company’s Board or in any other capacity, whichever the case may be.
23. Governing Law; Construction. The validity and construction of the Plan and the instruments evidencing Stock Rights shall be governed by the laws of the Company’s state of incorporation. In construing this Plan, the singular shall include the plural and the masculine gender shall include the feminine and neuter, unless the context otherwise requires.
24. (a) Forfeiture of Stock Rights Granted to Employees or Consultants. Notwithstanding any other provision of this Plan, and unless otherwise provided for in a Stock Rights Agreement, all vested or unvested Stock Rights granted to employees or consultants shall be immediately forfeited at the discretion of the Board if any of the following events occur:
(1) Termination of the relationship with the grantee for cause including, but not limited to, fraud, theft, dishonesty and violation of Company policy;
(2) Purchasing or selling securities of the Company in violation of the Company’s insider trading guidelines then in effect;
(3) Breaching any duty of confidentiality including that required by the Company’s insider trading guidelines then in effect;
(4) Competing with the Company;
(5) Being unavailable for consultation after leaving the Company’s employment if such availability is a condition of any agreement between the Company and the grantee;
(6) Recruitment of Company personnel after termination of employment, whether such termination is voluntary or for cause;
(7) Failure to assign any invention or technology to the Company if such assignment is a condition of employment or any other agreements between the Company and the grantee; or
(8) A finding by the Board that the grantee has acted disloyally and/or against the interests of the Company.
(b) Forfeiture of Stock Rights Granted to Directors. Notwithstanding any other provision of this Plan, and unless otherwise provided for in a Stock Rights Agreement, all vested or unvested Stock Rights granted to directors shall be immediately forfeited at the discretion of the Board if any of the following events occur:
(1) Purchasing or selling securities of the Company in violation of the Company’s insider trading guidelines then in effect;
(2) Breaching any duty of confidentiality including that required by the Company’s insider trading guidelines then in effect;
(3) Competing with the Company;
(4) Recruitment of Company personnel after ceasing to be a director;
or
(5) A finding by the Board that the grantee has acted disloyally and/or against the interests of the Company.
The Company may impose other forfeiture restrictions which are more or less restrictive and require a return of profits from the sale of Common Stock as part of said forfeiture provisions if such forfeiture provisions and/or return of provisions are contained in a Stock Rights Agreement.
(c) Profits on the Sale of Certain Shares; Redemption. If any of the events specified in Section 24(a) or (b) of the Plan occur within one year from the date the grantee last performed services for the Company in the capacity for which the Stock Rights were granted (the “Termination Date”) (or such longer period required by any written agreement), all profits earned from the sale of the Company’s securities, including the sale of shares of Common Stock underlying the Stock Rights, during the two-year period commencing one year prior to the Termination Date shall be forfeited and immediately paid by the grantee to the Company. Further, in such event, the Company may at its option redeem shares of Common Stock acquired upon exercise of the Stock Right by payment of the exercise price to the grantee. To the extent that another written agreement with the Company extends the events in Section 24(a) or (b) beyond one year following the Termination Date, the two-year period shall be extended by an equal number of days. The Company’s rights under this Section 24(c) do not lapse one year form the Termination Date but are contract rights subject to any appropriate statutory limitation period.
Exhibit 23.1
CONSENT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM
We hereby consent to the incorporation in this Annual report on Form 10-K of our report dated March 31 , 2022, relating to the consolidated financial statements of Panacea Life Sciences Holdings, Inc. as of December 31, 2021 and to all references to our firm included in this Annual Report.
Certified Public Accountants
Lakewood, CO
March 31 , 2022
Exhibit 31.1
CERTIFICATION OF PRINCIPAL EXECUTIVE OFFICER
I, Leslie Buttorff, certify that:
1. I have reviewed this annual report on Form 10-K of Panacea Life Sciences Holdings, Inc.;
2. Based on my knowledge, this report does not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to make the statements made, in light of the circumstances under which such statements were made, not misleading with respect to the period covered by this report;
3. Based on my knowledge, the financial statements, and other financial information included in this report, fairly present in all material respects the financial condition, results of operations and cash flows of the registrant as of, and for, the periods presented in this report;
4. The registrant’s other certifying officer(s) and I are responsible for establishing and maintaining disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e)) and internal control over financial reporting (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f)) for the registrant and have:
a) Designed such disclosure controls and procedures, or caused such disclosure controls and procedures to be designed under our supervision, to ensure that material information relating to the registrant, including its consolidated subsidiaries, is made known to us by others within those entities, particularly during the period in which this report is being prepared;
b) Designed such internal control over financial reporting, or caused such internal control over financial reporting to be designed under our supervision, to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles;
c) Evaluated the effectiveness of the registrant’s disclosure controls and procedures and presented in this report our conclusions about the effectiveness of the disclosure controls and procedures, as of the end of the period covered by this report based on such evaluation; and
d) Disclosed in this report any change in the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting that occurred during the registrant’s most recent fiscal quarter (the registrant’s fourth fiscal quarter in the case of an annual report) that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting; and
5. The registrant’s other certifying officer(s) and I have disclosed, based on our most recent evaluation of internal control over financial reporting, to the registrant’s auditors and the audit committee of the registrant’s board of directors (or persons performing the equivalent functions):
a) All significant deficiencies and material weaknesses in the design or operation of internal control over financial reporting which are reasonably likely to adversely affect the registrant’s ability to record, process, summarize and report financial information; and
b) Any fraud, whether or not material, that involves management or other employees who have a significant role in the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting.
Date: March 31, 2022
| /s/ Leslie Buttorff | |
Leslie Buttorff Chief Executive Officer (Principal Executive Officer) |
Exhibit 31.1
CERTIFICATION OF PRINCIPAL FINANCIAL OFFICER
I, Nathan Berman, certify that:
1. I have reviewed this annual report on Form 10-K of Panacea Life Sciences Holdings, Inc.;
2. Based on my knowledge, this report does not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to make the statements made, in light of the circumstances under which such statements were made, not misleading with respect to the period covered by this report;
3. Based on my knowledge, the financial statements, and other financial information included in this report, fairly present in all material respects the financial condition, results of operations and cash flows of the registrant as of, and for, the periods presented in this report;
4. The registrant’s other certifying officer(s) and I are responsible for establishing and maintaining disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e)) and internal control over financial reporting (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f)) for the registrant and have:
a) Designed such disclosure controls and procedures, or caused such disclosure controls and procedures to be designed under our supervision, to ensure that material information relating to the registrant, including its consolidated subsidiaries, is made known to us by others within those entities, particularly during the period in which this report is being prepared;
b) Designed such internal control over financial reporting, or caused such internal control over financial reporting to be designed under our supervision, to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles;
c) Evaluated the effectiveness of the registrant’s disclosure controls and procedures and presented in this report our conclusions about the effectiveness of the disclosure controls and procedures, as of the end of the period covered by this report based on such evaluation; and
d) Disclosed in this report any change in the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting that occurred during the registrant’s most recent fiscal quarter (the registrant’s fourth fiscal quarter in the case of an annual report) that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting; and
5. The registrant’s other certifying officer(s) and I have disclosed, based on our most recent evaluation of internal control over financial reporting, to the registrant’s auditors and the audit committee of the registrant’s board of directors (or persons performing the equivalent functions):
a) All significant deficiencies and material weaknesses in the design or operation of internal control over financial reporting which are reasonably likely to adversely affect the registrant’s ability to record, process, summarize and report financial information; and
b) Any fraud, whether or not material, that involves management or other employees who have a significant role in the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting.
Date: March 31, 2022
| /s/ Nathan Berman | |
Nathan Berman Principal Accounting Officer |
Exhibit 32.1
CERTIFICATION PURSUANT TO 18 U.S.C. SECTION 1350,
AS ADOPTED PURSUANT TO SECTION 906 OF THE SARBANES-OXLEY ACT OF 2002
In connection with the annual report of Panacea Life Sciences Holdings, Inc. (the “Company”) on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2021, as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on the date hereof (the “Report”), I, Leslie Buttorff, Chief Executive Officer of the Company, certify, pursuant to 18 U.S.C. §1350, as adopted pursuant to §906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, that to my knowledge:
| 1. | The Report fully complies with the requirements of section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and | |
| 2. | The information contained in the Report fairly presents, in all material respects, the financial condition and results of operations of the Company. |
Date: March 31, 2022
| /s/ Leslie Buttorff | |
Leslie Buttorff Chief Executive Officer (Principal Executive Officer) |
In connection with the annual report of Panacea Life Sciences Holdings, Inc. (the “Company”) on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2021, as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on the date hereof (the “Report”), I, Nathan Berman, Principal Accounting Officer of the Company, certify, pursuant to 18 U.S.C. §1350, as adopted pursuant to §906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, that to my knowledge:
| 1. | The Report fully complies with the requirements of section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and | |
| 2. | The information contained in the Report fairly presents, in all material respects, the financial condition and results of operations of the Company. |
Date: March 31, 2022
| /s/ Nathan Berman | |
Nathan Berman Principal Accounting Officer |