UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
WASHINGTON, DC 20549
FORM 10-K
(Mark one)
☒ ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
FOR THE FISCAL YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2017
OR
☐ TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
Commission File Number 001-33169
CREATIVE REALITIES, INC.
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
| Minnesota | 41-1967918 | |
| (State
or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization) |
(I.R.S.
Employer Identification No.) | |
| 13100 Magisterial Drive, Ste. 100, Louisville, KY | 40223 | |
| (Address of principal executive offices) | (Zip Code) |
(502) 791-8800
(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Exchange Act: None
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Exchange Act: Common Stock, Par Value $0.01
Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act. Yes ☐ No ☒
Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act. Yes ☐ No ☒
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 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 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. Yes ☒ No ☐
Indicate by check mark if disclosure of delinquent filers in response to Item 405 of Regulation S-K (§ 229.405) is not contained herein, and will not be contained, to the best of registrant’s knowledge, in definitive proxy or information statements incorporated by reference in Part III of this Form 10-K or any amendment to this Form 10-K. ☐
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically and posted on its corporate Web site, if any, every Interactive Data File required to be submitted and posted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§ 229.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit and post such files). Yes ☒ No ☐
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, 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 | ☐ |
| Non-accelerated filer | ☐ (Do not check if a smaller reporting company) | 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 is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act). Yes ☐ No ☒
The aggregate market value of the common equity held by non-affiliates of the issuer as of June 30, 2017, was approximately $8,645,459 based upon the last sale price of one share on such date.
As of March 23, 2018, the issuer had outstanding 82,581,866 shares of common stock.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
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| ITEM 1 | BUSINESS |
(All currency is rounded to the nearest thousands, except share and per share amounts.)
Our Company
Creative Realities, Inc. is a Minnesota corporation that provides innovative digital marketing technology and solutions to retail companies, individual retail brands, enterprises and other organizations throughout the United States and in certain international markets. We have expertise in a broad range of existing and emerging digital marketing technologies, as well as the related media management and distribution software platforms and networks, device management, product management, customized software service layers, systems, experiences, workflows, and integrated solutions. Our technology and solutions include: digital merchandising systems; omni-channel customer engagement systems, interactive digital shopping assistants, advisors and kiosks, and other interactive marketing technologies such as mobile, social media, point-of-sale transactions, beaconing and web-based media that enable our customers to transform how they engage with consumers. We have expertise in a broad range of existing and emerging digital marketing technologies, as well as the following related aspects of our business: content, network management, and connected device software and firmware platforms; customized software service layers; hardware platforms; digital media workflows; and proprietary processes and automation tools. We believe we are one of the world’s leading interactive marketing technology companies that focuses on the retail shopper experience by helping retailers and brands use the latest technologies to create better shopping experiences.
Our main operations are conducted directly through Creative Realities, Inc., and under our wholly owned subsidiaries Wireless Ronin Technologies Canada, Inc., and ConeXus World Global, LLC, a Kentucky limited liability company.
We seek to generate revenue in this business by:
| ● | consulting with our customers to determine the technologies and solutions required to achieve their specific goals, strategies and objectives; | |
| ● | designing our customers’ digital marketing experiences, content and interfaces; | |
| ● | engineering the systems architecture delivering the digital marketing experiences we design – both software and hardware – and integrating those systems into a customized, reliable and effective digital marketing experience; | |
| ● | managing the efficient, timely and cost-effective deployment of our digital marketing technology solutions for our customers; | |
| ● | delivering and updating the content of our digital marketing technology solutions using a suite of advanced media, content and network management software products; and | |
| ● | maintaining our customers’ digital marketing technology solutions by: providing content production and related services; creating additional software-based features and functionality; hosting the solutions; monitoring solution service levels; and responding to and/or managing remote or onsite field service maintenance, troubleshooting and support calls. |
We seek to generate revenue through these activities through: bundled-solution sales; service fees for consulting, experience design, content development and production, software development, engineering, implementation, and field services; software license fees; and maintenance and support services related to our software, managed systems and solutions.
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Our digital marketing technology and solutions are deployed in and have application across diverse categories: automotive, apparel and accessories, banking, baby/children, beauty, consumer products, department stores, electronics, fashion, fitness, foodservice/quick service restaurants, financial services, gaming, luxury retail, mass merchants, mobile operators, and pharmacy retail. The industries in which we sell our solutions are established, but the planning, development, implementation and maintenance of technology-enabled experiences involving combinations of digital marketing technologies is relatively new and evolving. Moreover, a number of participants in these industries have only recently started considering or expanding the adoption of these types of technologies, solutions and experiences as part of their overall marketing strategies. As a result, we remain an early stage company without an established history of profitability.
We believe that the adoption and evolution of digital marketing technology and solutions will increase substantially in years to come both in the industries or categories on which we currently focus and in others. We also believe that adoption of our technology and solutions depends upon not only the services and solutions that we provide, but also depends heavily upon the cost of hardware used to process and display content on them. While the costs of hardware configurations and software media players have historically decreased and we believe they will continue to do so at an accelerating rate, flat panel displays typically constitute a large portion of the expenditure customers make relative to the entire cost of implementing a digital marketing system and can be a barrier to customer deployment. As a result, we believe that the broader adoption of digital marketing technology solutions is likely to increase, although we cannot predict the rate at which such adoption will occur.
Another key component of our business strategy, especially given the evolving industry dynamics in which we operate, is to acquire and integrate other operating companies in the industry in conjunction with pursuing our organic growth objectives. We believe that the selective acquisition and successful integration of certain companies will accelerate our growth; enable us to aggregate multiple customer bases onto a single business and technology platform; provide us with greater operating scale; enable us to leverage a common set of processes, tools, and cost efficiencies; and ultimately result in higher operating profitability and cash flow from operations. Our management team is actively pursuing and evaluating alternative acquisition opportunities on an ongoing basis. Our management team and Board of Directors have broad experience with the execution, integration and financing of acquisitions. We believe that, based on the foregoing and other factors, the Company can successfully serve as a consolidator of multiple business and technology platforms serving similar markets.
We currently market and sell our technology and solutions primarily through our sales and business development personnel throughout North America, but we also utilize agents, strategic partners, and lead generators who provide us with access to additional sales, business development and licensing opportunities.
We currently operate in one reportable segment, marketing technology solutions. Substantially all property and equipment is located at our offices in the United States, and a data center located in the United States. All sales for the years ended December 31, 2017 and 2016, were in the United States and Canada.
You may read and copy any materials we file with the SEC at the SEC’s public reference room at 100 F Street NE, Washington, DC 20549. The public may obtain information about the operation of the public reference room by calling the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330. The SEC also maintains an Internet site that contains reports, proxy and information statements, and other information regarding issuers that file electronically with the SEC. The website of the SEC is www.sec.gov. Additional information about the Company and its public disclosures is available on our website at www.cri.com.
Corporate Organization
Our principal offices are located at 13100 Magisterial Drive, Ste 100, Louisville, Kentucky 40223, and our telephone number at that office is (502) 791-8800.
The legal entity that is the registrant was originally incorporated and organized as a Minnesota corporation under the name Wireless Ronin Technologies, Inc. in March 2003. Our business initially focused on the provision of expertise digital media marketing solutions to customers, including digital signage, interactive kiosks, mobile, social media and web-based media solutions. We acquired the assets and business of Broadcast International, Inc., a Utah corporation and public registrant, through a merger transaction that was effective as of August 1, 2014. Then on August 20, 2014, we consummated a merger transaction with Creative Realities, LLC, a privately owned Delaware limited liability company, in which we issued a majority of our issued and outstanding shares of common stock. In that merger transaction, we acquired the interactive marketing technology business of Creative Realities that we currently operate. Shortly after that merger, we changed our corporate name from “Wireless Ronin Technologies, Inc.” to “Creative Realities, Inc.” On October 15, 2015, we acquired the assets and business of ConeXus World Global, LLC, a privately owned Kentucky limited liability company for which we issued preferred and common stock. In that merger transaction, we acquired the systems integration and marketing technology business of ConeXus World that we currently operate. On May 23, 2016, we dissolved Broadcast International, Inc.
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Our fiscal year ends December 31. Neither we nor any of our predecessors have been in bankruptcy, receivership or any similar proceeding. Our corporate structure, including our principal operating subsidiaries, is as follows:
Recent Acquisitions
Acquisition of ConeXus World Global
There were no acquisitions completed during the years-ended December 31, 2017 and 2016. On October 15, 2015, we completed the acquisition of ConeXus World Global, LLC for 2,080,000 shares of Series A-1 Convertible Preferred Stock, and the conversion of $823 of ConeXus World Global debt into (i) 2,639,258 shares of our common stock, and (ii) $150 in principal amount of our convertible debt.
In accordance with the terms of the agreement and plan of merger and reorganization, an additional 416,000 shares of Series A-1 Convertible Preferred Stock and 4,000,000 shares of common stock were to be issued upon the reorganization of the capital structure of a Belgian affiliate of ConeXus (the “Holdback Shares”). Since the passage of the March 31, 2016 date targeted for the completion of the reorganization of the Belgian affiliate, the parties have determined that the value of the Belgian affiliate was de minimis.
An agreement was reached on September 1, 2017 by Creative Realities, Inc. and the prior shareholders of ConeXus to recognize the value obtained by Creative Realities, Inc. as a result of the merger and to issue the Holdback Shares to the prior shareholders of ConeXus. Creative Realities, Inc. has waived the contingency relating to the issuance of the Holdback Shares and issued to the shareholders 5,631,373 shares of common stock. 3,198,054 of these shares were issued to Rick Mills, a majority shareholder of ConeXus, a related party, and the CEO of Creative Realities, Inc. Since the measurement period for the business combination has expired, the issuance of the shares is recognized as a charge to operations during the year of $1.9 million.
As used throughout this report, the “Company” generally refers to the registrant (Creative Realities, Inc., formerly known as Wireless Ronin Technologies, Inc.), unless the context otherwise indicates or requires. Use of the first person “we” refers to the Company or, if the context so requires, to the historical business of Creative Realities or the registrant itself, in each case prior to the consummation of the August 20, 2014 merger transaction.
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Common Stock
In 2017 and 2016 the following Preferred Stock conversions took place:
| Convertible Preferred Stock Conversions | ||||||||||||
| Number of Convertible Preferred Series A | Number of Convertible Preferred Series A-1 | Shares of Common Stock Received | ||||||||||
| Q4 2017 | - | - | - | |||||||||
| Q3 2017 | 132,200 | 1,860,561 | 7,814,749 | |||||||||
| Q2 2017 | 12,750 | - | 50,000 | |||||||||
| Q1 2017 | 240,250 | - | 942,157 | |||||||||
| Q4 2016 | 132,000 | - | 517,647 | |||||||||
| Q3 2016 | 75,500 | - | 296,078 | |||||||||
| Q2 2016 | - | - | - | |||||||||
| Q1 2016 | 100,000 | - | 392,157 | |||||||||
In 2016, in conjunction with the structured settlement program, the Company issued 409,347 shares of its restricted common stock to creditors and 809,842 shares of stock were issued to investors.
The Company and the investors entered into registration rights agreements requiring Creative Realities to register under the Securities Act of 1933 the resale of the shares of common stock issuable upon conversion of the secured notes and upon exercise of the warrants. The Company filed a registration statement on Form S-1/A on May 13, 2016 registering 23,272,184 shares of common stock and that registration statement became effective on June 1, 2016.
Preferred Stock
As of December 31, 2017, the Company had outstanding 5,833,549 shares of Series A Convertible Preferred Stock and 0 shares of Series A-1 Convertible Preferred Stock.
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The preferred stock entitles its holders to a 6% dividend, payable semi-annually in cash or in kind through the three-year anniversary of the original issue date, and from and after such three-year anniversary in duly authorized, validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable shares of common stock. The three-year anniversary of the initial investment date occurred during the second half of 2017 for $5.2 million of the $5.5 million originally issued Convertible Preferred Stock and therefore dividends on those investments were paid via issuance of common shares as of the year-end date.
During the years ended December 31, 2017 and 2016, respectively, the Company issued an aggregate of 245,816 and 452,224 shares of preferred stock in satisfaction of its semi-annual dividend obligation. During the years ended December 31, 2017 and 2016 respectively, the Company issued an aggregate of 718,840 and 0 shares of common stock in satisfaction of its semi-annual dividend obligation.
The preferred stock may be converted into our common stock at the option of a holder at an initial conversion price as adjusted of $0.255 per share. Subject to certain conditions, we may call and redeem the preferred stock after three years. During such time as a majority of the preferred stock sold remains outstanding, holders will have the right to elect a member to our Board of Directors. The preferred stock has full-ratchet price protection in the event that we issue common stock below the conversion price, as adjusted, subject to certain customary exceptions. The warrants issued to purchasers of the preferred stock contain weighted-average price protection in the event that we issue common stock below the exercise price, as adjusted, again subject to certain customary exceptions. In the Securities Purchase Agreement, we granted purchasers of the preferred stock certain registration rights pertaining to the common shares they may receive upon conversion of their preferred stock and upon exercise of their warrants.
In 2017, 385,200 shares of Series A Convertible Preferred Stock and 1,860,561 shares of Series A-1 Convertible Preferred Stock were converted into 8,806,906 shares of common stock at the conversion rate of $0.255 per share.
In 2016, 307,500 shares of Series A Preferred Stock were converted into 1,205,882 shares of common stock at the conversion rate of $0.255 per share.
Changes in Management and Board of Directors
During 2017, the Company transitioned the finance and accounting function from Fairfield, NJ to the corporate headquarters in Louisville, KY which included hiring a new VP of Finance. There were no changes in the Board of Directors.
On May 2, 2016, Eric J. Bertrand was appointed to the Board of Directors of Creative Realities, Inc. Mr. Bertrand possesses voting and investment power over shares beneficially held by Lincoln Road Media Partners LLC, which was the holder of a convertible promissory note and is the holder of a warrant issued in a private placement transaction on April 14, 2016. See Note 6 to the Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information. Mr. Bertrand was appointed to the board in connection with Lincoln Road Media’s investment in the convertible note and warrant.
Business Strategy
We believe that our existing business model is highly scalable and can be expanded successfully as we continue to grow organically and integrate our recent merger transactions, strengthen our operational practices and procedures, further streamline our administrative office functions, and continue to capitalize on various marketing programs and activities.
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Industry Background
Over the past 18-24 months, approximately, we believe certain digital marketing technology industry trends are creating the opportunity for retailers, brands, venue-operators, enterprises, non-profits and other organizations to create innovative shopping, marketing, and informational experiences for their customers and other stakeholders in various venues worldwide. These trends include: (i) the expectations of technology-savvy consumers; (ii) addressing on-line competitors by improving physical experiences (iii) accelerating decline in the cost of hardware configurations (primarily flat panel displays) and software media players; (ii) the continued evolution of mobile, social, software and hardware technologies, applications and tools; (iii) the increasing sophistication of social networking platforms; (iv) increasingly complex customer requirements related to their specific digital marketing technology and solution objectives; and (v) customers challenging service providers with the delivery of a satisfactory consumer experience with the traditional pressure on reducing installation and ongoing operating costs.
As a result, a growing number of retailers, brands, venue-operators and other organizations have identified the need and opportunity to implement increasingly cost-effective and “sales-lifting” digital marketing, and interactive experiences to market to their customers. These include creating unique and customized experiences for targeted, timely offerings and relevant promotions; improving engagement resulting in increased sales; and increasing shopping basket size. We believe our clients consider capitalizing on these industry trends to be increasingly critical to any successful “store of the future” retail and brand sales environment, especially where sales staff turnover is high, training outcomes are inconsistent and product knowledge is low.
Companies are accomplishing their strategies by implementing various digital marketing technology solutions, which: are implemented in multiple forms and types of configurations and locations; attempt to achieve any of a broad range of individual or combination of objectives; contain various levels of targeting; have the ability to instantly manage single or multiple locations remotely from a customer’s desktop or other connected device at each location; and are built to deliver or contain a standard or customized experience unique to and within the customer’s environment. Examples of such solutions include:
| ● | Digital Merchandising Systems, which aim to inform and interact with customers through various types of content in an integrated experience, improve in-store customer experiences and increase overall sales, upsells, and/or cross-sales; | |
| ● | Digital Sales Assistants, which aim to replace or augment existing sales resources and the level of interactive and informational sales assistance inside the store; | |
| ● | Digital Way-Finders, which aim to help customers navigate their way around individual retail stores and multi-store locations or venues, or within individual brand categories; | |
| ● | Digital Kiosks, which aim to provide data, specialized and customized broadcasts, promotional information and coupons, train, and other forms of information and interaction with customers in a variety of deployment forms, types, configurations and experiences;
| |
|
● | Digital Menu-Board Systems, which aim to enable various types of restaurant operators the ability to remotely and on a scheduled basis, update and modify menu information, promotions, and other forms of content dynamically; |
| ● | Dynamic Digital Signage which aims to deliver and manage in-store marketing and advertising campaigns, specialized and customized broadcasts, and various other forms of messaging targeting customers in a particular experience or environment. |
Our Markets
We currently market and sell our marketing technology solutions through our direct sales force and word-of-mouth referrals from existing customers. Select strategic partnerships and lead generation programs also drive business to the Company through targeted business development initiatives. We market to companies that seek digital marketing solutions across multiple connected devices and who specifically seek or could benefit from enhancements to the customer experience offered in their stores, venues, brands or organizations.
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Our digital marketing technology solutions have application in a wide variety of industries. The industries in which we sell our solutions are established and include hospitality, branded retail, automotive, food service and retail healthcare, but the planning, development, implementation and maintenance of technology-enabled experiences is relatively new and evolving. Moreover, a number of participants in these industries have only recently started considering or expanding the adoption of these types of technologies, solutions and experiences as part of their overall marketing strategies.
Seasonality
A portion of our customer activity is influenced by seasonal effects related to traditional end of calendar year peak retail sales periods and other factors that arise from our target customer base. Nevertheless, our revenues can be materially affected by the launch of new markets, the timing of production rollouts, and other factors, any of which have the ability to reduce or outweigh certain seasonal effects.
Effect of General Economic Conditions on our Business
We believe that demand for our services will increase in part as a result of recovering retail-related real estate investments and new construction and the recent economic recovery in general. These general economic improvements generally make it easier for our customers to justify decisions to invest in digital marketing technology solutions.
Regulation
We are subject to regulation by various federal and state governmental agencies. Such regulation includes radio frequency emission regulatory activities of the U.S. Federal Communications Commission, the consumer protection laws of the U.S. Federal Trade Commission, product safety regulatory activities of the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, and environmental regulation in areas in which we conduct business. Some of the hardware components that we supply to customers may contain hazardous or regulated substances, such as lead. A number of U.S. states have adopted or are considering “takeback” bills addressing the disposal of electronic waste, including CRT style and flat panel monitors and computers. Electronic waste legislation is developing. Some of the bills passed or under consideration may impose on us, or on our customers or suppliers, requirements for disposal of systems we sell and the payment of additional fees to pay costs of disposal and recycling. Presently, we do not believe that any such legislation or proposed legislation will have a materially adverse impact on our business.
Competition
While we believe there is presently no direct competitor with the comprehensive offering of technologies, solutions and services we provide to our customers, there are multiple individual competitors who offer pieces of our solution stack. These include digital signage software companies such as Stratacache, Four Winds Interactive, and Reflect Systems; marketing services companies such as Sapient Nitro or digital signage systems integrators such as Convergent. Some of these competitors may have significantly greater financial, technical and marketing resources than we do and may be able to respond more rapidly than we can to new or emerging technologies or changes in customer requirements. We believe that our sales and business development capabilities, network operations / field service management capabilities, our comprehensive offering of digital marketing technology and solutions, brand awareness, and proprietary processes are the primary factors affecting our competitive position.
Territories
Our Company sells products and services primarily throughout North America.
Employees
We have approximately 100 employees as of December 31, 2017. We do not have any employees that operate under collective-bargaining agreements.
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| ITEM 1A | RISK FACTORS |
Investing in our securities involves a high degree of risk. You should carefully consider the specific risks described below, and any risks described in our other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, pursuant to Sections 13(a), 13(c), 14, or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, before making an investment decision. See the section of this prospectus entitled “Where You Can Find More Information.” Any of the risks we describe below could cause our business, financial condition, results of operations or future prospects to be materially adversely affected.
RISKS RELATED TO OUR BUSINESS AND OUR INDUSTRY
We have generally incurred losses, and may never achieve profitability.
Except for the second and fourth quarters of 2016 and the first quarter of 2017, we have incurred net losses, have negative cash flows from operations and have a working capital deficit. We incurred net losses in each of the years ended December 31, 2017 and 2016, respectively.
We have formulated our business plans and strategies based on certain assumptions regarding the acceptance of our business model and the marketing of our products and services. Nevertheless, our assessments regarding market size, market share, market acceptance of our products and services and a variety of other factors may prove incorrect. Our future success will depend upon many factors, including factors which may be beyond our control or which cannot be predicted at this time.
Our digital marketing business is evolving in a rapidly changing market, and we cannot ensure the long-term successful operation of our business or the execution of our business plan.
Our digital marketing technology and solutions are an evolving business offering and the markets in which we compete are rapidly changing. As a result, our prospects must be considered in light of the risks, expenses and difficulties frequently encountered by growing companies in new and rapidly evolving markets. We may be unable to accomplish any of the following, which would materially impact our ability to implement our business plan:
| ● | establishing and maintaining broad market acceptance of our technology, solutions, services, and platforms, and converting that acceptance into direct and indirect sources of revenue; |
| ● | establishing and maintaining adoption of our technology, solutions, services, and platforms in and on a variety of environments, experiences, and device types; |
| ● | timely and successfully developing new technology, solution, service, and platform features, and increasing the functionality and features of our existing technology, solution, service, and platform offerings; |
| ● | developing technology, solutions, services, and platforms that result in a high degree of customer satisfaction and a high level of end-customer usage; |
| ● | successfully responding to competition, including competition from emerging technologies and solutions; |
| ● | developing and maintaining strategic relationships to enhance the distribution, features, content and utility of our technology, solutions, services, and platforms; |
| ● | identifying, attracting and retaining talented engineering, network operations, program management, technical services, creative services, and other personnel at reasonable market compensation rates in the markets in which we employ such personnel; and |
| ● | integration of acquisitions. |
Our business strategy may be unsuccessful and we may be unable to address the risks we face in a cost-effective manner, if at all. If we are unable to successfully accomplish these tasks, our business will be harmed.
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Adequate funds for our operations may not be available, requiring us to raise additional financing or else curtail our activities significantly.
We will likely be required to raise additional funding through public or private financings, including equity financings in 2018. Any additional equity financings may be dilutive to shareholders and may be completed at a discount to the then-current market price of our common stock. Debt financing, if available, would likely involve restrictive covenants on our operations or pertaining to future financing arrangements. Nevertheless, we may not successfully complete any future equity or debt financing. Adequate funds for our operations, whether from financial markets, collaborative or other arrangements, may not be available when needed or on terms attractive to us. If adequate funds are not available, our plans to operate our business may be adversely affected and we could be required to curtail our activities significantly and/or cease operating.
We are reliant on the continued support of a related party for adequate financing of our operations.
We will likely be required to raise additional funding through public or private financings, including equity financings, through at least 2018. As of the date of this filing, the Company’s majority shareholder and investor, Slipstream Communications LLC is the holder of 100% of the Company’s outstanding debt instruments including the term loan, secured revolving promissory note and convertible promissory notes. If we are unable to extend the maturity or replace our existing financing agreements in the future, our plans to operate our business may be adversely affected and we could be required to curtail our activities significantly and/or cease operating.
We may be unable to implement our business plan if we cannot raise sufficient capital and may be required to pay a high price for capital.
We will need to obtain additional capital to implement our business plan and meet our financial obligations as they become due. We may not be able to raise the additional capital needed or may be required to pay a high price for capital. Factors affecting the availability and price of capital may include the following:
| ● | the availability and cost of capital generally; | |
| ● | our financial results; |
| ● | the experience and reputation of our management team; | |
| ● | market interest, or lack of interest, in our industry and business plan; | |
| ● | the trading volume of, and volatility in, the market for our common stock; | |
| ● | our ongoing success, or failure, in executing our business plan; | |
| ● | the amount of our capital needs; and | |
| ● | the amount of debt, options, warrants, and convertible securities we have outstanding. |
We may be unable to meet our current or future obligations or to adequately exploit existing or future opportunities if we cannot raise sufficient capital. If we are unable to obtain capital for an extended period of time, we may be forced to discontinue operations.
We expect that there will be significant consolidation in our industry. Our failure or inability to lead that consolidation would have a severe adverse impact on our access to financing, customers, technology, and human resources.
Our industry is currently composed of a large number of relatively small businesses, no single one of which is dominant or which provides integrated solutions and product offerings incorporating much of the available technology. Accordingly, we believe that substantial consolidation may occur in our industry in the near future. If we do not play a positive role in that consolidation, either as a leader or as a participant whose capability is merged in a larger entity, we may be left out of this process, with product offerings of limited value compared with those of our competitors. Moreover, even if we lead the consolidation process, the market may not validate the decisions we make in that process.
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Our success depends on our interactive marketing technologies achieving and maintaining widespread acceptance in our targeted markets.
Our success will depend to a large extent on broad market acceptance of our interactive marketing technologies among our current and prospective customers. Our prospective customers may still not use our solutions for a number of other reasons, including preference for static advertising, lack of familiarity with our technology, preference for competing technologies or perceived lack of reliability. We believe that the acceptance of our interactive marketing technologies by prospective customers will depend primarily on the following factors:
| ● | our ability to demonstrate the economic and other benefits attendant our marketing technologies; | |
| ● | our customers becoming comfortable with using our interactive marketing technologies; and | |
| ● | the reliability of our interactive marketing technologies. |
Our interactive technologies are complex and must meet stringent user requirements. Some undetected errors or defects may only become apparent as new functions are added to our technologies and products. The need to repair or replace products with design or manufacturing defects could temporarily delay the sale of new products and adversely affect our reputation. Delays, costs and damage to our reputation due to product defects could harm our business.
Our financial condition and potential for continued net losses may negatively impact our relationships with customers, prospective customers and third-party suppliers.
Our financial condition and potential for continued net losses may cause current and prospective customers to defer placing orders with us, to require terms that are less favorable to us, or to place their orders with competing marketing technology suppliers, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. On the same basis, third-party suppliers may refuse to do business with us, or may do so only on terms that are unfavorable to us, which also could cause our revenue to decline.
Because we do not have long-term purchase commitments from our customers, the failure to obtain anticipated orders or the deferral or cancellation of commitments could have adverse effects on our business.
Our business is characterized by short-term purchase orders and contracts that do not require that purchases be made. This makes forecasting our sales difficult. The failure to obtain anticipated orders and deferrals or cancellations of purchase commitments because of changes in customer requirements, or otherwise, could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. We have experienced such challenges in the past and may experience such challenges in the future.
Our continued growth could be adversely affected by the loss of several key customers, including a significant related party customer.
Our largest customers account for a majority of our total revenue. We had two customers that accounted for 63% and 71% of accounts receivable as of December 31, 2017 and December 31, 2016, respectively. In addition, we had three customers that accounted for 56% and 56% of revenue for the years ended December 31, 2017 and December 31, 2016, respectively. Decisions by one or more of these key customers and/or partners to not renew, terminate or substantially reduce their use of our products, technology, services, and platform could substantially slow our revenue growth and lead to a decline in revenue. Our business plan assumes continued growth in revenue, and it is unlikely that we will become profitable without a continued increase in revenue.
Our financial performance, condition and continued growth could be adversely affected by a key related party.
For the years ended December 31, 2017 and 2016, the Company had sales of $3,390 and $1,344, respectively, with a related party entity that is 22.5% owned by a member of senior management. Accounts receivable due from the related party was $3,017 and $543 at December 31, 2017 and 2016, respectively.
10
Most of our contracts are terminable by our customers with limited notice and without penalty payments, and early terminations could have a material effect on our business, operating results and financial condition.
Most of our contracts are terminable by our customers following limited notice and without early termination payments or liquidated damages due from them. In addition, each stage of a project often represents a separate contractual commitment, at the end of which the customers may elect to delay or not to proceed to the next stage of the project. We cannot assure you that one or more of our customers will not terminate a material contract or materially reduce the scope of a large project. The delay, cancellation or significant reduction in the scope of a large project or a number of projects could have a material adverse effect on our business, operating results and financial condition.
It is common for our current and prospective customers to take a long time to evaluate our products, most especially during economic downturns that affect our customers’ businesses. The lengthy and variable sales cycle makes it difficult to predict our operating results.
It is difficult for us to forecast the timing and recognition of revenue from sales of our products and services because our actual and prospective customers often take significant time to evaluate our products before committing to a purchase. Even after making their first purchases of our products and services, existing customers may not make significant purchases of those products and services for a long period of time following their initial purchases, if at all. The period between initial customer contact and a purchase by a customer may be years with potentially an even longer period separating initial purchases and any significant purchases thereafter. During the evaluation period, prospective customers may decide not to purchase or may scale down proposed orders of our products for various reasons, including:
| ● | reduced need to upgrade existing visual marketing systems; | |
| ● | introduction of products by our competitors; | |
| ● | lower prices and sometimes free services (for limited periods of time) offered by our competitors; and | |
| ● | changes in budgets and purchasing priorities. |
Our prospective customers routinely require education regarding the use and benefit of our products. This may also lead to delays in receiving customers’ orders.
Our industry is characterized by frequent technological change. If we are unable to adapt our products and services and develop new products and services to keep up with these rapid changes, we will not be able to obtain or maintain market share.
The market for our products and services is characterized by rapidly changing technology, evolving industry standards, changes in customer needs, heavy competition and frequent new product and service introductions. If we fail to develop new products and services or modify or improve existing products and services in response to these changes in technology, customer demands or industry standards, our products and services could become less competitive or obsolete.
We must respond to changing technology and industry standards in a timely and cost-effective manner. We may not be successful in using new technologies, developing new products and services or enhancing existing products and services in a timely and cost-effective manner. Furthermore, even if we successfully adapt our products and services, these new technologies or enhancements may not achieve market acceptance.
A portion of business involves the use of software technology that we have developed or licensed. Industries involving the ownership and licensing of software-based intellectual property are characterized by frequent intellectual-property litigation, and we could face claims of infringement by others in the industry. Such claims are costly and add uncertainty to our operational results.
A portion of our business involves our ownership and licensing of software. This market space is characterized by frequent intellectual-property claims and litigation. We could be subject to claims of infringement of third-party intellectual-property rights resulting in significant expense and the potential loss of our own intellectual-property rights. From time to time, third parties may assert copyright, trademark, patent or other intellectual-property rights to technologies that are important to our business. Any litigation to determine the validity of these claims, including claims arising through our contractual indemnification of our business partners, regardless of their merit or resolution, would likely be costly and time consuming and divert the efforts and attention of our management and technical personnel. If any such litigation resulted in an adverse ruling, we could be required to:
| ● | pay substantial damages; | |
| ● | cease the development, use, licensing or sale of infringing products; | |
| ● | discontinue the use of certain technology; or | |
| ● | obtain a license under the intellectual property rights of the third party claiming infringement, which license may not be available on reasonable terms or at all. |
11
Our proprietary platform architectures and data tracking technology underlying certain of our services are complex and may contain unknown errors in design or implementation that could result in system performance failures or inability to scale.
The platform architecture, data tracking technology and integration layers underlying our proprietary platforms, our contract administration, procurement, timekeeping, content and network management, network services, device management, virtualized services, software automation and other tools, and back-end services are complex and include software and code used to generate customer invoices. This software and code is developed internally, licensed from third parties, or integrated by in-house personnel and third parties. Any of the system architecture, system administration, integration layers, software or code may contain errors, or may be implemented or interpreted incorrectly, particularly when they are first introduced or when new versions or enhancements to our tools and services are released. Consequently, our systems could experience performance failure or we may be unable to scale our systems, which may:
| ● | adversely impact our relationship with customers and others who experience system failure, possibly leading to a loss of affected and unaffected customers; |
| ● | increase our costs related to product development or service delivery; or |
| ● | adversely affect our revenues and expenses. |
Our business may be adversely affected by malicious applications that interfere with, or exploit security flaws in, our products and services.
Our business may be adversely affected by malicious applications that make changes to our customers’ computer systems and interfere with the operation and use of our products or products that impact our business. These applications may attempt to interfere with our ability to communicate with our customers’ devices. The interference may occur without disclosure to or consent from our customers, resulting in a negative experience that our customers may associate with our products and services. These applications may be difficult or impossible to uninstall or disable, may reinstall themselves and may circumvent other applications’ efforts to block or remove them. The ability to provide customers with a superior interactive marketing technology experience is critical to our success. If our efforts to combat these malicious applications fail, or if our products and services have actual or perceived vulnerabilities, there may be claims based on such failure or our reputation may be harmed, which would damage our business and financial condition.
We compete with other companies that have more resources, which puts us at a competitive disadvantage.
The market for interactive marketing technologies is generally highly competitive and we expect competition to increase in the future. Some of our competitors or potential competitors may have significantly greater financial, technical and marketing resources than us. These competitors may be able to respond more rapidly than we can to new or emerging technologies or changes in customer requirements. They may also devote greater resources to the development, promotion and sale of their products than us.
We expect competitors to continue to improve the performance of their current products and to introduce new products, services and technologies. Successful new product and service introductions or enhancements by our competitors could reduce sales and the market acceptance of our products and services, cause intense price competition or make our products and services obsolete. To be competitive, we must continue to invest significant resources in research and development, sales and marketing and customer support. If we do not have sufficient resources to make these investments or are unable to make the technological advances necessary to be competitive, our competitive position will suffer. Increased competition could result in price reductions, fewer customer orders, reduced margins and loss of market share. Our failure to compete successfully against current or future competitors could adversely affect our business and financial condition.
12
Our future success depends on key personnel and our ability to attract and retain additional personnel.
Our key personnel include:
| ● | Richard Mills, our Chief Executive Officer; |
| ● | John Walpuck, our Chief Financial and Chief Operating Officer; and |
| ● | Will Logan, our Vice President of Finance. |
If we fail to retain our key personnel or to attract, retain and motivate other qualified employees, our ability to maintain and develop our business may be adversely affected. Our future success depends significantly on the continued service of our key technical, sales and senior management personnel and their ability to execute our growth strategy. The loss of the services of our key employees could harm our business. We may be unable to retain our employees or to attract, assimilate and retain other highly qualified employees who could migrate to other employers who offer competitive or superior compensation packages.
Unpredictability in financing markets could impair our ability to grow our business through acquisitions.
We anticipate that opportunities to acquire similar businesses will materially depend on the trading price of our common stock and the availability of financing alternatives with acceptable terms. As a result, poor credit and other market conditions or uncertainty in financial markets could materially limit our ability to grow through acquisitions since such conditions and uncertainty will result in a lower trading price for our common stock and make obtaining financing more difficult.
Our reliance on information management and transaction systems to operate our business exposes us to cyber incidents and hacking of our sensitive information if our outsourced service provider experiences a security breach.
Effective information security internal controls are necessary for us to protect our sensitive information from illegal activities and unauthorized disclosure, in addition to denial of service attacks and corruption of our data. In addition, we rely on the information security internal controls maintained by an outsourced service provider. Breaches of our information management system could also adversely affect our business reputation. Finally, significant information system disruptions could adversely affect our ability to effectively manage operations or reliably report results.
Because our technology, products, platform, and services are complex and are deployed in and across complex environments, they may have errors or defects that could seriously harm our business.
Our technology, proprietary platforms, products and services are highly complex and are designed to operate in and across data centers, large and complex networks, and other elements of the digital media workflow that we do not own or control. On an ongoing basis, we need to perform proactive maintenance services on our platform and related software services to correct errors and defects. In the future, there may be additional errors and defects in our software that may adversely affect our services. We may not have in place adequate reporting, tracking, monitoring, and quality assurance procedures to ensure that we detect errors in our software in a timely manner. If we are unable to efficiently and cost-effectively fix errors or other problems that may be identified, or if there are unidentified errors that allow persons to improperly access our services, we could experience loss of revenues and market share, damage to our reputation, increased expenses and legal actions by our customers.
13
We may have insufficient network or server capacity, which could result in interruptions in our services and loss of revenues.
Our operations are dependent in part upon: network capacity provided by third-party telecommunications networks; data center services and provider owned and leased infrastructure and capacity; the Company’s dedicated and virtualized server capacity located at its data center services provider partner and a geo-redundant micro-data center location; and the Company’s own infrastructure and equipment. Collectively, this infrastructure, equipment, and capacity must be sufficiently robust to handle all of our customers’ web-traffic, particularly in the event of unexpected surges in high-definition video traffic and network services incidents. We may not be adequately prepared for unexpected increases in bandwidth and related infrastructure demands from our customers. In addition, the bandwidth we have contracted to purchase may become unavailable for a variety of reasons, including payment disputes, outages, or such service providers going out of business. Any failure of these service providers or the Company’s own infrastructure to provide the capacity we require, due to financial or other reasons, may result in a reduction in, or interruption of, service to our customers, leading to an immediate decline in revenue and possible additional decline in revenue as a result of subsequent customer losses.
We do not have sufficient capital to engage in material research and development, which may harm our long-term growth.
In light of our limited resources in general, we have made no material investments in research and development over the past several years. In the long term, as a result of our failure to invest in research and development, our technology and product offerings may not keep pace with the market and we may lose any existing competitive advantage. Over the long term, this may harm our revenue growth and our ability to become profitable.
Our business operations are susceptible to interruptions caused by events beyond our control.
Our business operations are susceptible to interruptions caused by events beyond our control. We are vulnerable to the following potential problems, among others:
| ● | our platform, technology, products, and services and underlying infrastructure, or that of our key suppliers, may be damaged or destroyed by events beyond our control, such as fires, earthquakes, floods, power outages or telecommunications failures; |
| ● | we and our customers and/or partners may experience interruptions in service as a result of the accidental or malicious actions of Internet users, hackers or current or former employees; |
| ● | we may face liability for transmitting viruses to third parties that damage or impair their access to computer networks, programs, data or information. Eliminating computer viruses and alleviating other security problems may require interruptions, delays or cessation of service to our customers; and |
| ● | failure of our systems or those of our suppliers may disrupt service to our customers (and from our customers to their customers), which could materially impact our operations (and the operations of our customers), adversely affect our relationships with our customers and lead to lawsuits and contingent liability. |
The occurrence of any of the foregoing could result in claims for consequential and other damages, significant repair and recovery expenses and extensive customer losses and otherwise have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
General global market and economic conditions may have an adverse impact on our operating performance and results of operations.
Our business has been and could continue to be affected by general global economic and market conditions. Weakness in the United States and worldwide economy could have a negative effect on our operating results, including a decrease in revenue and operating cash flow. To the extent our customers are unable to profitably leverage various forms of digital marketing technology and solutions, and/or the content we create, deliver and publish on their behalf, they may reduce or eliminate their purchase of our products and services. Such reductions in traffic would lead to a reduction in our revenues. Additionally, in a down-cycle economic environment, we may experience the negative effects of increased competitive pricing pressure, customer loss, slowdown in commerce over the Internet and corresponding decrease in traffic delivered over our network and failures by our customers to pay amounts owed to us on a timely basis or at all. Suppliers on which we rely for equipment, field services, servers, bandwidth, co-location and other services could also be negatively impacted by economic conditions that, in turn, could have a negative impact on our operations or revenues. Flat or worsening economic conditions may harm our operating results and financial condition.
14
The markets in which we operate are rapidly emerging, and we may be unable to compete successfully against existing or future competitors to our business.
The market in which we operate is becoming increasingly competitive. Our current competitors generally include general digital signage companies, specialized digital signage operators targeting certain vertical markets (e.g., financial services), content management software companies, or integrators and vertical solution providers who develop single implementations of content distribution, digital marketing technology, and related services. These competitors, including future new competitors who may emerge, may be able to develop a comparable or superior solution capabilities, software platform, technology stack, and/or series of services that provide a similar or more robust set of features and functionality than the technology, products and services we offer. If this occurs, we may be unable to grow as necessary to make our business profitable.
Whether or not we have superior products, many of these current and potential future competitors have a longer operating history in their current respective business areas and greater market presence, brand recognition, engineering and marketing capabilities, and financial, technological and personnel resources than we do. Existing and potential competitors with an extended operating history, even if not directly related to our business, have an inherent marketing advantage because of the reluctance of many potential customers to entrust key operations to a company that may be perceived as unproven. In addition, our existing and potential future competitors may be able to use their extensive resources to:
| ● | develop and deploy new products and services more quickly and effectively than we can; |
| ● | develop, improve and expand their platforms and related infrastructures more quickly than we can; |
| ● | reduce costs, particularly hardware costs, because of discounts associated with large volume purchases and longer term relationships and commitments; |
| ● | offer less expensive products, technology, platform, and services as a result of a lower cost structure, greater capital reserves or otherwise; |
| ● | adapt more swiftly and completely to new or emerging technologies and changes in customer requirements; |
| ● | take advantage of acquisition and other opportunities more readily; and |
| ● | devote greater resources to the marketing and sales of their products, technology, platform, and services. |
If we are unable to compete effectively in our various markets, or if competitive pressures place downward pressure on the prices at which we offer our products and services, our business, financial condition and results of operations may suffer.
Risks Related to Our Securities and Our Company
Because of our limited resources, we may not have in place various processes and protections common to more mature companies and may be more susceptible to adverse events.
We have limited resources after accounting for a significant amount of restructuring and integration costs incurred in connection with prior acquisition activities, and we expect to incur additional restructuring and integration costs related to additional acquisitions in the future. As a result, we may not have in place systems, processes and protections that many of our competitors have or that may be essential to protect against various risks. For example, we have in place only limited resources and processes addressing human resources, timekeeping, data protection, business continuity, personnel redundancy, and knowledge institutionalization concerns. As a result, we are at risk that one or more adverse events in these and other areas may materially harm our business, balance sheet, revenues, expenses or prospects.
15
Failure to achieve and maintain effective internal controls could limit our ability to detect and prevent fraud and thereby adversely affect our business and stock price.
Effective internal controls are necessary for us to provide reliable financial reports. Nevertheless, all internal control systems, no matter how well designed, have inherent limitations. Even those systems determined to be effective can provide only reasonable assurance with respect to financial statement preparation and presentation. Our inability to maintain an effective control environment may cause investors to lose confidence in our reported financial information, which could in turn have a material adverse effect on our stock price. We have identified several material weaknesses in internal controls and have concluded in our 2017 filings that our disclosure controls and procedures and internal controls over financial reporting were not effective at the reasonable assurance level.
Our controlling shareholder possesses controlling voting power with respect to our common stock and voting preferred stock, which will limit your influence on corporate matters.
Our controlling shareholder, Slipstream Communications, LLC, has beneficial ownership of 74,070,970 shares of common stock, including common shares that are beneficially owned by an affiliate of Slipstream Communications named Slipstream Funding, LLC. These shares represent beneficial ownership of approximately 58.39% of our common stock (on an as-converted basis) as of the date of this annual report on form 10-K. In addition, in the last quarter of 2016 and the first quarter of 2017, Slipstream Communications, LLC purchased all of our outstanding debt from the original debtholders. The terms of the debt have remained the same. As a result, Slipstream Funding has the ability to control our management and affairs through the election and removal of our entire Board of Directors and all other matters requiring shareholder approval, including the future merger, consolidation or sale of all or substantially all of our assets. This concentrated control could discourage others from initiating any potential merger, takeover or other change-of-control transaction that may otherwise be beneficial to our shareholders. Furthermore, this concentrated control will limit the practical effect of your participation in Company matters, through shareholder votes and otherwise.
Our Articles of Incorporation grant our Board of Directors the power to issue additional shares of common and preferred stock and to designate other classes of preferred stock, all without shareholder approval.
Our authorized capital consists of 250 million shares of capital stock. Pursuant to authority granted by our Articles of Incorporation, our Board of Directors, without any action by our shareholders, may designate and issue shares in such classes or series (including other classes or series of preferred stock) as it deems appropriate and establish the rights, preferences and privileges of such shares, including dividends, liquidation and voting rights, provided it is consistent with Minnesota law. The rights of holders of other classes or series of stock that may be issued could be superior to the rights of holders of our common shares. The designation and issuance of shares of capital stock having preferential rights could adversely affect other rights appurtenant to shares of our common stock. Furthermore, any issuances of additional stock (common or preferred) will dilute the percentage of ownership interest of then-current holders of our capital stock and may dilute our book value per share.
Significant issuances of our common stock, or the perception that significant issuances may occur in the future, could adversely affect the market price for our common stock.
Significant actual or perceived potential future issuance our common stock could adversely affect the market price of our common stock. Generally, issuances of substantial amounts of common stock in the public market, and the availability of shares for future sale could adversely affect the prevailing market price of our common stock and could cause the market price of our common stock to remain low for a substantial amount of time.
We cannot foresee the impact of potential securities issuances of common shares on the market for our common stock, but it is possible that the market for our shares may be adversely affected, perhaps significantly. It is also unclear whether or not the market for our common stock could absorb a large number of attempted sales in a short period of time, regardless of the price at which they might be offered.
Our common stock trades in an illiquid trading market.
Trading of our common stock is conducted on the OTC Markets (OTCQX). This has an adverse effect on the liquidity of our common stock, not only in terms of the number of shares that can be bought and sold at a given price, but also through delays in the timing of transactions and reduction in security analysts’ and the media’s coverage of us and our common stock. This may result in lower prices for our common stock than might otherwise be obtained and could also result in a larger spread between the bid and asked prices for our common stock if we were listed on a more liquid exchange.
16
There is not now and there may not ever be an active market for shares of our common stock.
In general, there has been minimal trading volume in our common stock. The small trading volume will likely make it difficult for our shareholders to sell their shares as and when they choose. Furthermore, small trading volumes are generally understood to depress market prices. As a result, investors and shareholders may not always be able to resell shares of our common stock publicly at the time and prices that such investors and shareholders feel are fair or appropriate.
We do not intend to pay dividends on our common stock for the foreseeable future. We will, however, pay dividends on our Series A Convertible Preferred Stock.
When permitted by Minnesota law, we are required to pay dividends to the holders of our Series A Convertible Preferred Stock, each share of which carries a $1.00 stated value. There are presently approximately 5.8 million shares of Series A Convertible Preferred Stock outstanding. All shares of Series A-1 Convertible Preferred Stock were converted to common stock in September 2017. Our Series A Convertible Preferred Stock entitles its holders to:
| ● | a cumulative 6% dividend, payable on a semi-annual basis in cash unless (i) we are unable to pay the dividend in cash under applicable law, or (ii) we have demonstrated positive cash flow during the prior quarter reported on our Form 10-Q, in which case we may at our election pay the dividend through the issuance of additional shares of preferred stock up through August 20, 2017 and thereafter through the issuance of additional shares of common stock; |
| ● | in the event of a liquidation or dissolution of the Company, a preference in the amount of all accrued but unpaid dividends plus the stated value of such shares before any payment shall be made or any assets distributed to the holders of any junior securities, including our common stock; |
| ● | convert their preferred shares into our common shares at a conversion rate of $0.255 per share, subject, however, to full-ratchet price protection in the event that we issue common stock below the then-current conversion price (subject to certain customary exceptions); and |
| ● | vote their preferred shares on an as-if-converted basis. |
We currently have the right to (1) call and redeem some or all of such preferred shares, subject to a 30-day notice period and certain other conditions, at a price equal to $1.00 per share plus accrued but unpaid dividends thereon and (2) pay all dividends in the form of shares of common stock. Holders of Series A Convertible Preferred Stock have no preemptive or cumulative-voting rights.
We do not anticipate that we will pay any dividends for the foreseeable future on our common stock. Accordingly, any return on an investment in us will be realized only when a shareholder sells shares of our common stock. When legally permitted, we must expect to pay dividends to our preferred shareholders.
We do not have significant tangible assets that could be sold upon liquidation.
We have nominal tangible assets. As a result, if we become insolvent or otherwise must dissolve, there will be no tangible assets to liquidate and no corresponding proceeds to disburse to our shareholders. If we become insolvent or otherwise must dissolve, shareholders will likely not receive any cash proceeds on account of their shares.
| ITEM 1B | UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS |
None.
17
| ITEM 2 | PROPERTIES |
(All currency is rounded to the nearest thousands, except share and per share amounts.)
Our corporate headquarters are currently located at 13100 Magisterial Drive, Suite 100, Louisville, Kentucky 40223. The corporate phone number is (502) 791-8800. We lease warehouse and office space of approximately 6,400 square feet and 8,300 square feet for our Kentucky operations under a lease agreement through May 30, 2021 and March 31, 2021, respectively. The monthly lease payment for the warehouse is $0.3 for September 1, 2015 through August 31, 2016 and $5 for September 1, 2016 through May 30, 2021. The monthly lease payment for the office space is $6 for April 1, 2015 through March 31, 2017 and $12 for April 1, 2017 through March 31, 2021. We lease office space of approximately 10,000 square feet to support our Canadian operations at a facility located at 4510 Rhodes Drive, Suite 800, Windsor, Ontario under a lease through June 30, 2018 with a monthly rental of $4 CAD per month. We also lease 3,650 square feet of office space in Dallas, Texas, and 4,100 square feet of office space and 5,100 square feet of warehouse space in El Segunda California for monthly lease payments of $4 and $4 per month which have lease terms ending on December 31, 2018 and June 30, 2019, respectively.
We have lease agreements for office space with approximately 18,000 square feet located at 22 Audrey Place, Fairfield, New Jersey 07004 which housed our previous operations center. We announced the planned closure of this location on August 10, 2017 and fully exited the facility in early 2018. The monthly lease amount is currently $22 and escalates to $23 by the end of the lease term on September 2020. We currently have two subtenants which provide $13 of monthly subtenant rental income. Our agreements with these subtenant lessees extend through October 2018 with an additional one-year extension at the option of the lessee. We are currently in negotiations with the landlord to exit this lease arrangement. No lease termination expense has been accrued as of December 31, 2017 as we had not ceased use of the facilities by the year-end date.
| ITEM 3 | LEGAL PROCEEDINGS |
Litigation
We are involved in a variety of legal claims and proceedings related to our business described in Note 7 to the Company’s financial statements, Commitments and Contingencies.
While we are unable to predict the ultimate outcome of these ordinary course claims and proceedings, management believes there is not a reasonable possibility that the costs and liabilities of such ordinary course matters, individually or in the aggregate, will have a material adverse effect on our financial condition or results of operations.
| ITEM 4 | MINE SAFETY DISCLOSURES |
Not applicable.
18
| ITEM 5 | MARKET FOR REGISTRANT’S COMMON EQUITY, RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS AND ISSUER PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES |
(All currency is rounded to the nearest thousands, except share and per share amounts.)
Market Information
Our common stock is listed for trading on the OTC Bulletin Board, the “OTCQX,” under the symbol “CREX.” The transfer agent and registrar for our common stock is Computershare Limited, 401 2nd Avenue North, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55401. The following table sets forth the high and low bid prices for our common stock as reported by the OTC Markets in 2017 and 2016. These quotations reflect inter-dealer prices, without retail mark-up, markdown, or commission, and may not represent actual transactions. Trading in the Company’s common stock during the period represented was sporadic, exemplified by low trading volume and many days during which no trades occurred.
| High | Low | |||||||
| 2017 | ||||||||
| First Quarter | $ | 0.31 | $ | 0.18 | ||||
| Second Quarter | $ | 0.37 | $ | 0.22 | ||||
| Third Quarter | $ | 0.45 | $ | 0.25 | ||||
| Fourth Quarter | $ | 0.40 | $ | 0.17 | ||||
| High | Low | |||||||
| 2016 | ||||||||
| First Quarter | $ | 0.23 | $ | 0.15 | ||||
| Second Quarter | $ | 0.23 | $ | 0.14 | ||||
| Third Quarter | $ | 0.23 | $ | 0.11 | ||||
| Fourth Quarter | $ | 0.31 | $ | 0.16 | ||||
Shareholders
As of March 23, 2018, there were approximately 504 holders of record of our common stock.
Dividend Policy
We have never declared or paid cash dividends on our common stock. We currently intend to retain future earnings, if any, to operate and expand our business and to finance the development and expansion of our business, subject to our obligation to pay dividends to our preferred stockholders as described below. We do not anticipate paying cash dividends on our common stock in the foreseeable future. Any payment of cash dividends in the future will be at the discretion of our board of directors and will depend upon our results of operations, earnings, capital requirements, contractual restrictions and other factors deemed relevant by our board of directors.
Holders of our common stock are entitled to share pro rata in dividends and distributions with respect to the common stock when, as and if declared by our Board of Directors out of funds legally available therefor. In addition, we must first pay dividends on our Series A Convertible Preferred Stock, which have priority over any dividends to be paid to holders of our common stock. The current dividend payable to the holders of Series A Convertible Preferred Stock has been satisfied through the issuance of preferred and common stock. The current dividend for the Series A Convertible Preferred Stock aggregates to up to approximately $175 on a semi-annual basis (which we may be able to satisfy our dividend-payment obligations relating to the Series A Convertible Preferred Stock through the issuance of additional shares of preferred stock through August 20, 2017 and thereafter the issuance of additional shares of common stock). Other than with respect to shares of Series A Convertible Preferred Stock, future dividend policy is subject to the sole discretion of our Board of Directors and will depend upon a number of factors, including future earnings, capital requirements and our financial condition.
19
Securities Authorized for Issuance Under Equity Compensation Plans
See “Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Stockholder Matters” in Item 12 for information regarding securities authorized for issuance under our equity compensation plans.
Sales of Unregistered Securities During the Fiscal Year 2017
Common Stock
During 2017, accredited investors converted 385,200 shares of Series A Convertible Preferred Stock and 1,860,561 shares of Series A-1 Convertible Preferred Stock for 8,806,906 shares of common stock at the conversion rate of $0.255 per share. These shares were issued pursuant to the private placement exemptions provided under Section 4(a)(2) and 4(a)(6) of the Securities Act.
Effective December 31, 2017, we issued 718,840 shares of common stock in satisfaction of the Series A Convertible Preferred Stock dividend for the period July 1, 2017 through December 31, 2017. The preferred stock entitles its holders to a 6% dividend, payable semi-annually in cash or in kind through the three-year anniversary of the original issue date, and from and after such three-year anniversary in duly authorized, validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable shares of common stock. The three-year anniversary of the initial investment date occurred during the second half of 2017 for $5.2 million of the $5.5 million originally issued Convertible Preferred Stock and therefore dividends on those investments were paid via issuance of common shares as of the year-end date. The common stock we issued as dividends on account of our Series A Convertible Preferred Stock was issued pursuant to the private placement exemptions provided under Section 4(a)(2) and 4(a)(6) of the Securities Act.
During 2016, accredited investors converted 307,500 shares of Convertible Preferred Stock for 1,205,882 shares of common stock. These shares were issued pursuant to the private placement exemptions provided under Section 4(a)(2) and 4(a)(6) of the Securities Act.
Secured Notes
On December 12, 2016, we entered into a $1.0 million secured revolving promissory note pursuant to the August 17, 2016 Loan and Security Agreement with Slipstream Communications, LLC, a related party, addressed below, with interest thereon at 8% per annum, maturing on February 1, 2017. In connection with the loan, we issued the lender a five-year warrant to purchase up to 1,542,452 shares of common stock at a per-share price of $0.28 (subject to adjustment), all pursuant to a securities purchase agreement. The fair value of the warrants on the issuance date was $136. This note was repaid on January 12, 2017. These securities transactions were effected pursuant to the private placement exemptions provided under Section 4(a)(2) and 4(a)(6) of the Securities Act.
Share Repurchase Program
On August 9, 2017, our Board of Directors authorized a program to repurchase up to 5 million shares of our outstanding common stock through August 9, 2019. The authorization allows for the repurchases to be conducted through open market or privately negotiated transactions. Shares acquired under the stock repurchase program are expected to be retired and returned to the status of authorized but unissued shares of common stock. The stock repurchase program can be suspended, modified or discontinued at any time at our discretion. During the fourth quarter of 2017, 1,185,968 shares of common stock were repurchased at an aggregate price of $149 and were immediately cancelled, as follows:
| Period | (a) Total Number of Shares (or Units) Purchased | (b) Average Price Paid per Share (or Unit) | (c) Total Number of Shares (or Units) Purchased as Part of Publicly Announced Plans or Programs | (d) Maximum Number (or Approximate Dollar Value) of Shares (or Units) that May Yet Be Purchased Under the Plans or Programs | ||||||||||||
| October 1-October 31, 2017 | ||||||||||||||||
| November 1-November 30, 2017 | 1,185,968 | 0.1265 | 1,185,968 | |||||||||||||
| December 1-December 31, 2017 | ||||||||||||||||
| Total | 1,185,968 | 1,185,968 | 3,814,032 | |||||||||||||
| ITEM 6 | SELECTED FINANCIAL DATA |
Not applicable.
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| ITEM 7 | MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS |
(All currency is rounded to the nearest thousands, except share and per share amounts.)
Forward-Looking Statements
The following discussion contains various forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 21E of the Exchange Act. Although we believe that, in making any such statement, our expectations are based on reasonable assumptions, any such statement may be influenced by factors that could cause actual outcomes and results to be materially different from those projected. When used in the following discussion, the words “anticipates,” “believes,” “expects,” “intends,” “plans,” “estimates” and similar expressions, as they relate to us or our management, are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are subject to numerous risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated, certain of which are beyond our control, are set forth in Item 1A under the caption “Risk Factors.”
Our actual results, performance or achievements could differ materially from those expressed in, or implied by, forward-looking statements. Accordingly, we cannot be certain that any of the events anticipated by forward-looking statements will occur or, if any of them do occur, what impact they will have on us. We caution you to keep in mind the cautions and risks described in this document and to refrain from attributing undue certainty to any forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of the document in which they appear. We do not undertake to update any forward-looking statement.
Overview
Creative Realities, Inc. is a Minnesota corporation that provides innovative digital marketing technology solutions to retail companies, individual retail brands, enterprises, and organizations throughout the United States and in certain international markets. We have expertise in a broad range of existing and emerging digital marketing technologies, as well as the related media management and distribution software platforms and networks, device management, product management, customized software service layers, systems, experiences, workflows, and integrated solutions. Our technology and solutions include: digital merchandising systems and omni-channel customer engagement systems, interactive digital shopping assistants, advisors and kiosks, and other interactive marketing technologies such as mobile, social media, point-of-sale transactions, beaconing and web-based media that enable our customers to transform how they engage with consumers. We have expertise in a broad range of existing and emerging digital marketing technologies, as well as the following related aspects of our business: content, network management, and connected device software and firmware platforms; customized software service layers; hardware platforms; digital media workflows; and proprietary processes and automation tools.
Our main operations are conducted directly through Creative Realities, Inc. (f/k/a Wireless Ronin Technologies, Inc.), and under our wholly owned subsidiaries Creative Realities, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company, Wireless Ronin Technologies Canada, Inc., a Canadian corporation, and ConeXus World Global, LLC, a Kentucky limited liability company.
We generate revenue in this business by:
| ● | consulting with our customers to determine the technologies and solutions required to achieve their specific goals, strategies and objectives; |
| ● | designing our customers’ digital marketing experiences, content and interfaces; |
| ● | engineering the systems architecture delivering the digital marketing experiences we design – both software and hardware – and integrating those systems into a customized, reliable and effective digital marketing experience; |
| ● | managing the efficient, timely and cost-effective deployment of our digital marketing technology solutions for our customers; |
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| ● | delivering and updating the content of our digital marketing technology solutions using a suite of advanced media, content and network management software products; and |
| ● | maintaining our customers’ digital marketing technology solutions by: providing content production and related services; creating additional software-based features and functionality; hosting the solutions; monitoring solution service levels; and responding to and/or managing remote or onsite field service maintenance, troubleshooting and support calls. |
These activities generate revenue through: bundled-solution sales; service fees for consulting, experience design, content development and production, software development, engineering, implementation, and field services; software license fees; and maintenance and support services related to our software, managed systems and solutions.
Our Sources of Revenue
We generate revenue through digital marketing solution sales, which include system hardware, professional and implementation services, software design and development, software licensing, deployment, and maintenance and support services.
We currently market and sell our technology and solutions primarily through our sales and business development personnel, but we also utilize agents, strategic partners, and lead generators who provide us with access to additional sales, business development and licensing opportunities.
Our Expenses
Our expenses are primarily comprised of three categories: sales and marketing, research and development, and general and administrative. Sales and marketing expenses include salaries and benefits for our sales, business development solution management and marketing personnel, and commissions paid on sales. This category also includes amounts spent on marketing networking events, promotional materials, hardware and software to prospective new customers, including those expenses incurred in trade shows and product demonstrations, and other related expenses. Our research and development expenses represent the salaries and benefits of those individuals who develop and maintain our proprietary software platforms and other software applications we design and sell to our customers. Our general and administrative expenses consist of corporate overhead, including administrative salaries, real property lease payments, salaries and benefits for our corporate officers and other expenses such as legal and accounting fees.
Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates
Our management is responsible for our financial statements and has evaluated the accounting policies to be used in their preparation. Our management believes these policies are reasonable and appropriate. The Company’s significant accounting policies are described in Note 2 of the Company’s consolidated financial statements included within Part II, ITEM 8 of this Report. The following discussion identifies those accounting policies that we believe are critical in the preparation of our financial statements, the judgments and uncertainties affecting the application of those policies and the possibility that materially different amounts will be reported under different conditions or using different assumptions.
The preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires that management make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of commitments and contingencies at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. Our actual results could differ from those estimates.
Revenue Recognition
See Note 2, “Summary of Significant Accounting Policies,” in our Consolidated Financial Statements, included in Part II, ITEM 8 of this Report, for a complete discussion of our revenue recognition policies.
We recognize revenue primarily from these sources:
| ● | Hardware: | |
| System hardware sales | ||
| ● | Services and Other: | |
| Professional and implementation services | ||
| Software design and development services | ||
| Software and software license sales | ||
| Maintenance and support services |
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We recognize revenue in accordance with Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) 910, Contractors-Construction, ASC 605, Revenue Recognition, ASC 605-25, Accounting for Revenue Arrangements with Multiple Deliverables. and ASC subtopic 985-605, Software. In the event of a multiple-element arrangement, we evaluate each element of the transaction to determine if it represents a separate unit of accounting, taking into account all factors following the guidelines set forth in FASB ASC 985-605-25-5:
| (i) | persuasive evidence of an arrangement exists; | |
| (ii) | delivery has occurred, which is when product title transfers to the customer, or services have been rendered; | |
| (iii) | customer payments are fixed or determinable and free of contingencies and significant uncertainties; and | |
| (iv) | collection is reasonably assured. If it is determined that collection of a fee is not reasonably assured, we defer the revenue and recognize it at the time collection becomes reasonably assured, which is generally upon receipt of cash payment, revenues are reported on a gross basis. |
On January 1, 2018, we adopted Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) 2014-09, Revenue From Contracts with Customers (“ASU 2014-09,” as codified in “ASC 606”), which outlines a single comprehensive model for entities to use in accounting for revenue arising from contracts with customers and supersedes most current revenue recognition guidance, including industry-specific guidance. The adoption of the standard did not have a significant impact on our financial statements or our critical accounting policies related to revenue recognition. Based on our initial evaluation of the Company’s current contracts and the related revenue streams and performance obligations, the Company expects that the allocation of revenue between hardware, services and other will have insignificant changes as compared with current GAAP. However, for certain sales transactions, the timing of revenue recognition for hardware and certain services sales may occur earlier, with the remaining service and other sales, occurring later than under current GAAP. The largest impacts as a result of the new standard are the new required qualitative and quantitative disclosures. See Note 2, “Recently Issued Accounting Pronouncements,” in our Consolidated Financial Statements, included in Part II, ITEM 8 of this Report for additional information.
Accounts Receivable
Our unsecured accounts receivable are customer obligations due under normal trade terms, carried at their face value less an allowance for doubtful accounts. We had a factoring arrangement with Allied Affiliated Funding for the majority of our accounts receivable during the period October 15, 2015 to August 16, 2016. We record an allowance for doubtful accounts receivable for amounts due from third parties that we do not expect to collect. We estimate the allowance based on historical write-off experience and current economic conditions and also consider factors such as customer credit, past transaction history with the customer and changes in customer payment terms when determining whether the collection of a receivable is reasonably assured. Historically, less than 1.0% of net sales ultimately prove to be uncollectible. Accounts receivable are written off after all reasonable collection efforts have failed.
We have not made any material changes in the accounting methodology we use to measure the estimated liability for doubtful accounts during the past two fiscal years. We do not believe there is a reasonable likelihood that there will be a material change in the future estimates or assumptions we use to establish the liability for doubtful accounts. However, if actual results are not consistent with our estimates or assumptions, we may be exposed to losses or gains that could be material.
Approximately 51% or $3,017 of our accounts receivable at December 31, 2017 is from a related party (see Note 8).
Goodwill and Intangible Assets
Goodwill is evaluated for impairment annually as of September 30 and whenever events or circumstances make it more likely than not that impairment may have occurred. The Company has no indefinite-lived intangible assets. We test goodwill for impairment by comparing the book value to the fair value at the reporting unit level. The Company has only one reporting unit, and therefore the entire goodwill is allocated to that reporting unit. The fair value of the reporting unit is determined by using a discounted cash flow analyses consisting of various assumptions, including expectations of future cash flows based on projections or forecasts derived from analysis of business prospects and economic or market trends that may occur. We use these same expectations in other valuation models throughout the business. In addition to the discounted cash flow analysis, we utilize a leveraged buy-out model, trading comps and market capitalization to ultimately determine an estimated fair value of our reporting unit based on weighted average calculations from these models. The Company bases its fair value estimates on assumptions it believes to be reasonable but that are unpredictable and inherently uncertain. If the carrying amount exceeds the fair value, further analysis is performed to measure the impairment loss.
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In addition, the Company’s market capitalization could fluctuate from time to time. Such fluctuation may be an indicator of possible impairment of goodwill if the Company’s market capitalization falls below its book value. If this situation occurs, the Company will perform the required detailed analysis to determine if there is impairment.
We have not made any material changes in our reporting units or the accounting methodology we use to assess impairment of goodwill since September 30, 2017. We updated our goodwill analysis as of December 31, 2017 using actual fourth quarter 2017 results and updated projected 2018 results and concluded no impairment exists. The valuation of goodwill and intangible assets is subject to a high degree of judgment, uncertainty and complexity. We do not believe there is a reasonable likelihood that there will be a material change in the future estimates or assumptions we use to test for impairment losses on goodwill. However, if actual results are not consistent with our estimates or assumptions, we may be exposed to an impairment charge that could be material.
Intangible assets include the following and are being amortized over their estimated useful lives as follows:
| Acquired Intangible Asset: | Amortization Period: (years) | |
| Technology platform and patents | 4 and 5 | |
| Trademark | 5 | |
| Customer relationships | 3 |
Intangible assets are evaluated for impairment if events and circumstances warrant by comparing the fair value of the intangible asset with its carrying amount. The impairment evaluation involves testing the recoverability of the asset on an undiscounted cash-flow basis, and, if the asset is not recoverable, recognizing impairment charge, if necessary, to reduce the asset’s carrying amount to its fair value. There were no indicators of impairment identified in 2017. The Company recognized an impairment loss on its technology platform for the year ended December 31, 2016.
Income Taxes
Accounting for income taxes requires recognition of deferred tax liabilities and assets for the expected future tax consequences of events that have been included in the financial statements or tax returns. Under this method, deferred tax assets and liabilities are determined based on the difference between the financial statement and tax bases of assets and liabilities. These deferred taxes are measured by applying the provisions of tax laws in effect at the balance sheet date, including the impact of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (the “Tax Act”) enacted on December 22, 2017. The Tax Act made broad and significant changes to the U.S. tax code that affects the year ended December 31, 2017, including, but not limited to, a change in the federal rate from 35% to 21% effective January 1, 2018.
The Company recognizes in income the effect of a change in tax rates on deferred tax assets and liabilities in the period that includes the enactment date.
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As of December 31, 2017 and 2016 a full valuation allowance is recorded against our deferred tax assets to reduce the consolidated deferred tax asset to zero. The valuation allowance is based, in part, on our estimate of future taxable income, the expected utilization of federal and state tax loss carryforwards, and credits and the expiration dates of such tax loss carryforwards. Significant assumptions are used in developing the analysis of future taxable income for purposes of determining the valuation allowance for deferred tax assets which, in our opinion, are reasonable under the circumstances.
Fair Value of Financial Instruments
Fair value is the price that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date. The fair value hierarchy gives the highest priority to quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities (Level 1) and the lowest priority to unobservable inputs (Level 3). Inputs are broadly defined as assumptions market participants would use in pricing an asset or liability.
FASB ASC 820-10 Fair Value Measurements and Disclosures, requires disclosure of the estimated fair value of an entity’s financial instruments. Such disclosures, which pertain to the Company’s financial instruments, do not purport to represent the aggregate net fair value of the Company.
The carrying value of cash and cash equivalents, accounts receivable, accounts payable, and accrued liabilities approximate fair value because of the short maturity of those instruments. The fair value of the warrant liabilities is calculated using a Black-Scholes model, which approximates a binomial model due to probability factors used to determine the fair value. The calculation of this liability is based on Level 3 inputs. See Notes 3 and 11 for further discussion on the valuation of warrant liabilities.
Impact of Recently Issued Accounting Pronouncements
Refer to Note 2, “Recently Issued Accounting Pronouncements,” in our Consolidated Financial Statements included in Part II, ITEM 8 of this Report for a full description of recent accounting pronouncements, including the expected dates of adoption and estimated effects on results of operations and financial condition, which is incorporated herein by reference.
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Results of Operations
Note: All dollar amounts reported in Results of Operations are in thousands, except per-share information.
Year Ended December 31, 2017 Compared to Year Ended December 31, 2016
The tables presented below compare our results of operations adjusted for full retrospective adoption of certain accounting guidance described in Note 2 from one period to another, and present the results for each period and the change in those results from one period to another in both dollars and percentage change.
| For the Years Ended | ||||||||||||||||
| December 31, | Change | |||||||||||||||
| 2017 | 2016 | Dollars | % | |||||||||||||
| Sales | $ | 17,698 | $ | 13,673 | $ | 4,025 | 29 | % | ||||||||
| Cost of sales (exclusive of depreciation and amortization shown separately below) | 10,309 | 6,815 | 3,494 | 51 | % | |||||||||||
| Gross profit | 7,389 | 6,858 | 531 | 8 | % | |||||||||||
| Sales and marketing expenses | 2,078 | 1,061 | 1,017 | 96 | % | |||||||||||
| Research and development expenses | 991 | 893 | 98 | 11 | % | |||||||||||
| General and administrative expenses | 6,944 | 6,393 | 551 | 9 | % | |||||||||||
| Depreciation and amortization expense | 1,505 | 2,003 | (498 | ) | -25 | % | ||||||||||
| ConeXus acquisition stock issuance expense | 1,971 | - | 1,971 | NM | ||||||||||||
| Impairment loss on intangible assets | - | 1,065 | (1,065 | ) | -100 | % | ||||||||||
| Total operating expenses | 13,489 | 11,415 | 2,074 | 18 | % | |||||||||||
| Operating loss | (6,100 | ) | (4,557 | ) | (1,543 | ) | 34 | % | ||||||||
| Other income (expenses): | ||||||||||||||||
| Interest expense | (1,610 | ) | (1,636 | ) | 26 | -2 | % | |||||||||
| Change in fair value of warrant liability | (153 | ) | (42 | ) | (111 | ) | 264 | % | ||||||||
| Gain on settlement of debt | 872 | 1,008 | (136 | ) | -13 | % | ||||||||||
| Other income | 2 | 164 | (162 | ) | -99 | % | ||||||||||
| Total other expense | (889 | ) | (506 | ) | (383 | ) | 76 | % | ||||||||
| Net loss before income taxes | (6,989 | ) | (5,063 | ) | (1,926 | ) | 38 | % | ||||||||
| Benefit/(provision) from income taxes | 39 | 365 | (326 | ) | -89 | % | ||||||||||
| Net loss | $ | (6,950 | ) | $ | (4,698 | ) | $ | (2,252 | ) | 48 | % | |||||
NM - not meaningful
Sales
Sales increased by $4,025 or 29% in 2017 compared to 2016. The $4,025 increase was driven by approximately $1,230 from two new large customers and the broadening of sales within existing customer relationships, including an increase in sales to a related party of $1,344.
Gross Profit
Gross profit margin on a percentage basis decreased to 42% in 2017 from 50% in 2016, and increased by $531 in absolute dollars during the same period. The decrease in gross profit margin percentage and increase in absolute dollars is primarily the result of a lower margin sales mix on increased sales to customers.
Sales and Marketing Expenses
Sales and marketing expenses generally include the salaries, taxes, and benefits of our sales and marketing personnel, as well as trade show activities, travel, and other related sales and marketing costs. Total sales and marketing expenses increased to $2,078 in 2017 from $1,061 in 2016. The increase was primarily due to an increase in payroll expense related to our growing sales force and related travel expenses.
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Research and Development Expenses
Research and development expenses increased 11% to $991 in 2017 from $893 in 2016, primarily as a result of additional headcount focused on these activities.
General and Administrative Expenses
Total general and administrative expenses increased 9% to $6,944 in 2017 from $6,393 in 2016. The increase was primarily due to an increase in personnel costs, including recruiting fees, offset primarily by decreases in legal fees.
Depreciation and Amortization Expenses
Depreciation and amortization expenses decreased 25% to $1,505 in 2017 from $2,003 in 2016 primarily as a result of the reduction of intangible assets from the impairment recognized in the third quarter of 2016.
Interest Expense
See Note 6 to the Consolidated Financial Statements for a discussion of the Company’s debt and related interest expense obligations.
Change in Fair Value of Warrant Liability
See Note 3 to the Consolidated Financial Statements for a discussion of the Company’s non-cash change in Warrant Liability.
Gain on Settlement of Debt
During 2017, the Company settled and/or wrote off debt of $1,159 for $288 cash payment and recognized a gain of $872. This debt included $693 of payables previously recorded by our dissolved subsidiary Broadcast International, Inc, as we had exhausted all efforts to identify and settle these obligations in the first quarter of 2017.
In August 2016, the Company settled debt of $90 for $35 cash payment, resulting in a gain on debt settlement of $55. In June 2016, the Company settled debt of $614 for $123 cash payment and the issuance of 409,347 shares of the Company’s restricted common stock, fair value at conversion date of $85, and recognized a gain on debt restructuring of $406. In conjunction with this debt settlement, an additional 809,842 shares of restricted common stock were issued to investors for cash to facilitate the settlement of a portion of the $614 debt. In March 2016, the Company issued 8.00% nonconvertible promissory notes in favor of certain general unsecured creditors in the aggregate principal amount of $288 to settle an aggregate amount of $839 of accounts payable, accrued expenses and other liabilities. The aggregate amount of payables, accrued expenses and other liabilities was subsequently revised to $796. In September 2016, the amounts previously settled with nonconvertible promissory notes were paid in cash of $249 resulting in a gain on the debt settlement of $547. No gain was previously recorded.
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Summary Quarterly Financial Information
The following represents unaudited financial information derived from the Company’s annual and quarterly financial statements, as adjusted for the retrospective adoption of ASU No. 2017-11:
| Quarters ended | December 31, 2017 | September 30, 2017 | June 30, 2017 | March 31, 2017 | ||||||||||||
| Net sales | $ | 4,136 | $ | 3,575 | $ | 3,568 | $ | 6,419 | ||||||||
| Cost of sales | 2,636 | 2,157 | 1,944 | 3,572 | ||||||||||||
| Gross profit | 1,500 | 1,418 | 1,624 | 2,847 | ||||||||||||
| Operating expenses, excluding depreciation and amortization | 2,793 | 4,631 | 2,238 | 2,322 | ||||||||||||
| Depreciation/amortization | 321 | 374 | 408 | 402 | ||||||||||||
| Operating (loss)/income | (1,614 | ) | (3,587 | ) | (1,022 | ) | 123 | |||||||||
| Other expenses/(income) | (177 | ) | 679 | 717 | (369 | ) | ||||||||||
| Net (loss)/income | (1,437 | ) | (4,266 | ) | (1,739 | ) | 492 | |||||||||
| Quarters ended | December 31, 2016 | September 30, 2016 | June 30, 2016 | March 31, 2016 | ||||||||||||
| Net sales | $ | 5,501 | $ | 2,708 | $ | 3,029 | $ | 2,435 | ||||||||
| Cost of sales | 2,826 | 1,387 | 1,312 | 1,290 | ||||||||||||
| Gross profit | 2,675 | 1,321 | 1,717 | 1,145 | ||||||||||||
| Operating expenses, excluding depreciation and amortization | 2,108 | 2,060 | 1,976 | 2,203 | ||||||||||||
| Depreciation/amortization | 388 | 540 | 536 | 539 | ||||||||||||
| Impairment loss on intangible assets | - | 1,065 | - | - | ||||||||||||
| Operating (loss)/income | 179 | (2,344 | ) | (795 | ) | (1,597 | ) | |||||||||
| Other expenses/(income) | 934 | (130 | ) | (913 | ) | 250 | ||||||||||
| Net (loss)/income | (755 | ) | (2,214 | ) | 118 | (1,847 | ) | |||||||||
Supplemental Operating Results on a Non-GAAP Basis
The following non-GAAP data, which adjusts for the categories of expenses described below, is a non-GAAP financial measure. Our management believes that this non-GAAP financial measure is useful information for investors, shareholders and other stakeholders of our Company in gauging our results of operations on an ongoing basis. We believe that EBITDA is a performance measure and not a liquidity measure, and therefore a reconciliation between net loss/income and EBITDA has been provided. EBITDA should not be considered as an alternative to net loss/income as an indicator of performance or as an alternative to cash flows from operating activities as an indicator of cash flows, in each case as determined in accordance with GAAP, or as a measure of liquidity. In addition, EBITDA does not take into account changes in certain assets and liabilities as well as interest and income taxes that can affect cash flows. We do not intend the presentation of these non-GAAP measures to be considered in isolation or as a substitute for results prepared in accordance with GAAP. These non-GAAP measures should be read only in conjunction with our consolidated financial statements prepared in accordance with GAAP.
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Reconciliation of GAAP to Non-GAAP EBITDA
The following unaudited table presents the Company’s GAAP (Net Loss) measure, and the corresponding adjustments, to calculate “EBITDA” for the quarters ending December 31, 2017 and 2016, September 30, 2017 and 2016, June 30, 2017 and 2016 and March 31, 2017 and 2016, as adjusted for the retrospective adoption of ASU No. 2017-11:
| Quarters ended | December 31, 2017 | September 30, 2017 | June 30, 2017 | March 31, 2017 | ||||||||||||
| GAAP net (loss)/income | (1,437 | ) | (4,266 | ) | (1,739 | ) | 492 | |||||||||
| Interest expense: | ||||||||||||||||
| Amortization of debt discount | 100 | 328 | 133 | 195 | ||||||||||||
| Other interest | 330 | 169 | 140 | 215 | ||||||||||||
| Gain on settlement of debt | (6 | ) | - | - | (866 | ) | ||||||||||
| Change in warrant liability | (340 | ) | 116 | 369 | 8 | |||||||||||
| Additional ConeXus acquisition expense | - | 1,971 | - | - | ||||||||||||
| Depreciation/amortization | 321 | 374 | 408 | 402 | ||||||||||||
| Other expenses/(income) | (261 | ) | 66 | 75 | 79 | |||||||||||
| EBITDA | (1,293 | ) | (1,242 | ) | (614 | ) | 525 | |||||||||
| Quarters ended | December 31, 2016 | September 30, 2016 | June 30, 2016 | March 31, 2016 | ||||||||||||
| GAAP net (loss)/income | $ | (755 | ) | $ | (2,214 | ) | $ | 118 | $ | (1,847 | ) | |||||
| Interest expense: | ||||||||||||||||
| Amortization of debt discount | 297 | 224 | 177 | 154 | ||||||||||||
| Other interest | 228 | 187 | 175 | 194 | ||||||||||||
| Gain on settlement of debt | (55 | ) | (547 | ) | (406 | ) | - | |||||||||
| Impairment loss on intangible assets | - | 1,065 | - | - | ||||||||||||
| Change in warrant liability | 400 | 84 | (293 | ) | (148 | ) | ||||||||||
| Depreciation/amortization | 388 | 540 | 536 | 539 | ||||||||||||
| Other expenses/(income) | 64 | (78 | ) | (566 | ) | 51 | ||||||||||
| EBITDA | $ | 567 | $ | (739 | ) | $ | (259 | ) | $ | (1,057 | ) | |||||
Liquidity and Capital Resources
We have incurred net losses and negative cash flows from operating activities for the years ended December 31, 2017 and 2016. As of December 31, 2017, we had cash and cash equivalents of $1,003 and a working capital deficit of $(3,801). On November 13, 2017, Slipstream Communications, LLC, a related party, extended the maturity date of our term loan to August 17, 2019 and extended the maturity date of our promissory notes on a rolling quarter addition basis which is now April 10, 2019. While management believes that due to the extension of our debt maturity date, our current cash balance and our operational forecast for 2018, we can continue as a going concern through at least March 31, 2019, given our net losses and working capital deficit, we obtained a continued support letter from Slipstream Communications, LLC through March 31, 2019. We can provide no assurance that our ongoing operational efforts will be successful which could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and cash flows.
See Note 6 to the Consolidated Financial Statements for an additional discussion of the Company’s debt obligations.
Operating Activities
We do not currently generate positive cash flow. Our operational costs have been greater than sales generated to date. As of December 31, 2017, we had an accumulated deficit of $(26,231). The cash flows provided by / used in operating activities was $655 and ($4,106) for the years ended December 31, 2017 and 2016, respectively. The majority of the cash consumed by operations for both periods was attributed to our net losses of $(6,950) and $(4,698) for the years ended December 31, 2017 and 2016, respectively. Included in our net losses were non-cash charges consisting of depreciation, amortization of debt discount related to convertible preferred stock / issued for debt-issuance costs, change in warrant liability, impairment on intangible assets, stock-based compensation, stock issuance expenses related to the ConeXus acquistion and changes in the allowance for doubtful accounts totaling $4,669 and $4,320 for the years ended December 31, 2017 and 2016, respectively.
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Investing Activities
Net cash used in investing activities during the year ended December 31, 2017 was $(569) compared to $(292) during 2016. The increase in cash used in investing activities is primarily due to more capital expenditures during the period. We currently do not have any material commitments for capital expenditures as of December 31, 2017, nor do we anticipate any significant expenditures in 2018.
Financing Activities
Net cash used in financing activities during the year ended December 31, 2017 was $(435) compared to net cash provided by financing activities during the year ended December 31, 2016 of $4,389. The decrease is mainly due to the issuance of new debt financing and warrants in 2016.
Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements
During the year ended December 31, 2017, we did not engage in any off-balance sheet arrangements set forth in Item 303(a) (4) of Regulation S-K.
| ITEM 7A | QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK |
Not applicable.
| ITEM 8 | FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND SUPPLEMENTARY DATA |
See Index to Consolidated Financial Statements on Page F-1.
| ITEM 9 | CHANGES IN AND DISAGREEMENTS WITH ACCOUNTANTS ON ACCOUNTING AND FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE |
None
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| ITEM 9A | CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES |
Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures
The Company, under the supervision and with the participation of its management, including the Chief Executive Officer (principal executive officer) and the Chief Financial Officer (principal financial officer), evaluated the effectiveness of the design and operation of the Company’s “disclosure controls and procedures” (as defined in Rule 13a-15(e) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (“Exchange Act”)) as of the end of the period covered by this report. Based on that evaluation, the Chief Executive Officer and the Chief Financial Officer concluded that the Company’s disclosure controls and procedures were not effective at the reasonable assurance level due to the material weaknesses described below.
Management’s Annual Report on Internal Control Over Financial Reporting
Our management is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting as defined in Rules 13a-15(f) under the Exchange Act. Our internal control over financial reporting is designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with GAAP.
Because of its inherent limitations, internal control over financial reporting may not prevent or detect misstatements. Therefore, even those systems determined to be effective can provide only reasonable assurance with respect to financial statement preparation and presentation.
Under the supervision and with the participation of our management, including our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, we evaluated the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2017 based on the framework in Internal Control - Integrated Framework (2013) issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (“COSO”). Based on our assessment and those criteria, management identified that the Company’s internal control over financial reporting was not effective as of December 31, 2017 and that material weaknesses exist including: (1) a deficient process to close the monthly consolidated financial statements and prepare comprehensive and timely account analysis, (2) adequately identify and document multiple elements and deliverables, including allocation, deferral and cost estimates in support of revenue recognition, as well as not completing our analysis of the transition to and (3) the implementation and adoption of ASC 606 Revenue Recognition.
A material weakness is a control deficiency or combination of control deficiencies, that results in more than a remote likelihood that a material misstatement of the annual or interim financial statements will not be prevented or detected on a timely basis. Management has already implemented certain practices and procedures during 2017 to address the foregoing deficiencies, including the hiring of new accounting personnel and plans to expand the scope of its assessment of the effectiveness of its internal controls over financial reporting at the consolidated Company in 2018, and develop a plan to complete the remediation of the foregoing deficiencies.
This annual report does not include an attestation report of the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm regarding internal control over financial reporting. Management’s report was not subject to attestation by the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm pursuant to rules of the Securities and Exchange Commission that permit the Company, as a smaller reporting company, to provide only management’s report in its annual report.
Changes in Internal Control over Financial Reporting
There were no changes in our internal control over financial reporting that occurred during the quarter ended December 31, 2017, that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.
| ITEM 9B | OTHER INFORMATION |
None.
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| ITEM 10 | DIRECTORS, EXECUTIVE OFFICERS AND CORPORATE GOVERNANCE |
Our Board of Directors consists of Alec Machiels (Chairman), Rick Mills (CEO), David Bell, Donald Harris, Patrick O’Brien and Eric Bertrand. The following table sets forth the name and position of each of our current directors and executive officers.
| Name | Age | Positions | ||
| Alec Machiels | 45 | Director (Chairman) | ||
| David Bell | 74 | Director | ||
| Donald Harris | 65 | Director | ||
| Richard Mills | 63 | Director, Chief Executive Officer | ||
| John Walpuck | 56 | Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer | ||
| Patrick O’Brien | 71 | Director | ||
| Eric J. Bertrand | 45 | Director |
The biographies of the above-identified individuals are set forth below:
Alec Machiels is a Partner at Pegasus Capital Advisors, L.P., a private equity fund manager, and joined our Board of Directors in August 2014 in connection with the Creative Realities merger. Mr. Machiels is a member of the Executive, Investment and Sustainability Committees, as well as the co-chair of the Energy and Wellness Committees at Pegasus Capital Advisors, L.P. He has over 17 years of private equity investing and investment banking experience. Previously, Mr. Machiels was a Financial Analyst in the Financial Services Group at Goldman Sachs International in London and in the Private Equity Group at Goldman Sachs and Co. in New York. Investments in which he has been highly involved in include Molycorp Minerals, Traxys, Pure Biofuels, Olympus, Slipstream Communications, Coffeyville Resources and Merisant Company. Mr. Machiels currently serves on the boards of Pure Biofuels, Olympus, Slipstream Communications, NSI, and Valogix. He was also a member of the Board of Trustees of the American Federation of Arts and Chair of its Endowment Committee 2011- 2013. Mr. Machiels also co-founded Potentia Pharmaceuticals and Apellis Pharmaceuticals – two biotechnology companies in the complement immunotherapy space – as well as Revon Systems, a healthcare IT company. Mr. Machiels is a graduate of Harvard Business School, KU Leuven Law School in Belgium and Konstanz University in Germany.
David Bell joined our Board of Directors in August 2014 in connection with the Creative Realities merger. Mr. Bell brings over 40 years of advertising and marketing industry experience to the board, including serving as CEO of three of the largest companies in the industry–Bozell Worldwide, True North Communications and The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. Since 2007, Mr. Bell has led Slipstream Communications, LLC which is an international company providing strategic branding, digital marketing, and public relations services and served as a Senior Advisor to Google Inc. from 2006 to 2009. He is currently a Senior Advisor to AOL and has been an Operating Advisor at Pegasus Capital Advisors since 2004. He has also served on the boards of multiple publicly traded companies, including Lighting Science Group Corporation and Point Blank Solutions, Inc., and Primedia, Inc., and served as President and CEO of The Interpublic Group of Companies Inc. from 2003 to 2005. Mr. Bell served as an independent director on the Board of Directors of Time, Inc. from June 2014 to January 2018.
Donald A. Harris was appointed to our Board of Directors in August 2014 in connection with the Broadcast International merger. He has been President of 1162 Management, the General Partner of 5 Star Partnership, a private equity firm, since June 2006. Mr. Harris has been President and Chief Executive Officer of UbiquiTel Inc., a telecommunications company organized by Mr. Harris and other investors, since its inception in September 1999 and also its Chairman since May 2000. Mr. Harris served as the President of Comcast Cellular Communications Inc. from March 1992 to March 1997. Mr. Harris received a Bachelor of Science degree from the United States Military Academy and an MBA from Columbia University. Mr. Harris’s experience in the telecommunications industry and his association with private equity funding is valuable to the Company.
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Richard Mills is currently our Chief Executive Officer. Mr. Mills possesses over 32 years of industry experience. He was previously Chief Executive Officer of ConeXus World Global, a leading digital media services company, which he founded in 2010, and which was acquired by Creative Realities as reported herein. Prior to founding ConeXus, Mr. Mills was President and Director at Beacon Enterprise Solutions Group, Inc., a public telecom and technology infrastructure services provider. Previous to that, he joined publicly traded Pomeroy Computer Resources, Inc. in 1993 and served as Chief Operating Officer and a member of the Board of Directors from 1995 until 1999. Mr. Mills helped grow sales at Pomeroy during his time there from $100 million to $700 million. Mr. Mills was also a founder of Strategic Communications LLC.
John Walpuck has served as our Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer since April 2014. Mr. Walpuck brings over 25 years of experience in financial and general management to Creative Realities, and over 20 years of experience in a broad range of digital media services, software, Internet services, online businesses, virtualization, and other technology industry sectors. Prior to Creative Realities, Mr. Walpuck served as the Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer of AllDigital, Inc. a digital broadcasting solutions company for the period from 2010 through 2013. Mr. Walpuck also served as the President and CEO of Disaboom, Inc., an online business and social network dedicated to people with disabilities, where he worked from 2007 to 2010. Prior to Disaboom, from 2005 to 2007, he served as the Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Nine Systems Corporation, a digital media services company. Mr. Walpuck has an MBA from the University of Chicago. He is a CMA, CPA and holds other professional certifications.
Patrick O’Brien has been a member of our Board of Directors since November 2015. Mr. O’Brien is the Managing Director& Principal of Granville Wolcott Advisors, which he formed in 2009 to provide consulting, due diligence and asset management services. Mr. O’Brien is a seasoned executive and business advisor, with 40 years of multi-unit international management experience with an emphasis in financial analysis and strategic business development. During the past five years, Mr. O’Brien has served on the boards of Merriman Holdings, Inc., Ironclad Performance Wear Corporation, Cinedigm, Inc., and is Chairman and CEO of LVI Liquidation Corp. (formerly Livevol, Inc.) He is a graduate of the Eli Broad School of Business of Michigan State University with BA in Hotel Management
Eric J. Bertrand joined our Board of Directors in May, 2016. Mr. Bertrand is the Chief Executive Officer and a partner of modop, a full-service advertising agency with offices in New York, Los Angeles, Miami, Portland and Panama City, Panama. Prior to modop, Mr. Bertrand was a PE/VC fund manager, having invested $300 million in 60+ companies over the past 20 years. Mr. Bertrand was a General Partner with Palisade Capital Management, where he jointly managed a private equity fund and venture capital funds. Mr. Bertrand began his private equity career with Aetna’s Private Equity Group. Today, Mr. Bertrand is a Board Member of modop, Silverlight Digital, several privately held companies as well as international charities, Unite For Sight and the Alive Inside Foundation. Eric holds an MBA in Finance and Entrepreneurial Studies from New York University. He graduated from Bryant University with a BS in Business Administration concentrating on Finance and Applied Actuarial Mathematics.
Under our corporate bylaws, all of our directors serve for indefinite terms expiring upon the next annual meeting of our shareholders. The holders of a majority of our outstanding Series A Convertible Preferred Stock also have the right, but not the obligation, to designate one person to serve as a director on our board. As of the date of this Annual Report, the preferred shareholders have not exercised this right.
When considering whether directors and nominees have the experience, qualifications, attributes and skills to enable the Board of Directors to satisfy its oversight responsibilities effectively in light of our business and structure, the Board of Directors focuses primarily on the industry and transactional experience, and other background, in addition to any unique skills or attributes associated with a director. With regard to Mr. Machiels, the Board of Directors considered his background and experience with the private investing market and his long-standing oversight of the Creative Realities business during such time as it was wholly owned by Pegasus Capital. With regard to Mr. Bell, the Board considered his deep experience within the advertising and marketing industries and his prior management of large enterprises. With regard to Mr. Bertrand, the Board considered his deep experience within the media industry and significant private equity background. With regard to Mr. Mills, the Board of Directors considered his extensive background and experience in the industry. With regard to Mr. O’Brien, the Board of Directors considered his background as an advisor and extensive management experience. Finally, with regard to Mr. Harris, the Board of Directors considered his extensive experience in the telecommunications industry and association with private equity investors.
33
The Board of Directors has determined that there are no “independent” directors as such term is defined in Section 5605(a)(2) of the Nasdaq listing rules, and meets the criteria for independence set forth in Rule 10A-3(b)(1) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. The preceding disclosure respecting director independence is required under applicable SEC rules. Nevertheless, as a corporation whose shares are listed for trading on the OTCQX Markets, we presently are not required to have any independent directors at all on our board, or any independent directors serving on any particular committees of the Board of Directors. The Board of Directors has determined that at least one member of the board, Mr. Machiels, is an “audit committee financial expert” as that term is defined in Regulation S-K promulgated under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Mr. Machiels’ relevant experience in this regard is detailed above, which includes past employment experience in finance and investment banking. Mr. Machiels is not an “independent” member of the board as described above. The Board of Directors has determined that each director is able to read and understand fundamental financial statements.
Board and Committee Matters
The Company does not have a standing nominating committee, compensation committee or audit committee. Instead, the entire Board of Directors shares the responsibility of identifying potential director-nominees to serve on the Board of Directors, making compensation decisions and performing the functions of an audit committee. The Board believes the engagement of all directors in these functions is important at this time in the Company’s development in light of the Company’s recent acquisition activities.
Communications with Board Members
Our board of directors has provided the following process for shareholders and interested parties to send communications to our board and/or individual directors. All communications should be addressed to Creative Realities, Inc., 13100 Magisterial Drive, Ste. 100, Louisville, KY 40223, Attention: Corporate Secretary. Communications to individual directors may also be made to such director at our company’s address. All communications sent to any individual director will be received directly by such individuals and will not be screened or reviewed by any company personnel. Any communications sent to the board in the care of the Corporate Secretary will be reviewed by the Corporate Secretary to ensure that such communications relate to the business of the company before being reviewed by the board.
SECTION 16(a) BENEFICIAL OWNERSHIP REPORTING COMPLIANCE
Compliance with Section 16(a) of the Exchange Act
Section 16(a) of the Exchange Act requires our officers, directors and persons who own more than 10 percent of a registered class of our equity securities to file reports of ownership and changes in ownership with the SEC. Such officers, directors and shareholders are required by the SEC to furnish us with copies of all such reports. To our knowledge, based solely on a review of copies of reports filed with the SEC during 2017 and written representations from such persons that no other reports were required, all applicable Section 16(a) filing requirements were timely met except as follows: Richard Mills has not yet filed a report relating to the issuance of shares to him by the Company in connection with the Second Amendment to Agreement and Plan of Merger and Reorganization and Waiver, which agreement is an exhibit to this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
Code of Ethics
We have adopted a Code of Business Conduct and Ethics that applies to all of our employees, officers (including our principal executive officer, principal financial officer, principal accounting officer or controller, and persons performing similar functions) and directors. Our Code of Business Conduct and Ethics satisfies the requirements of Item 406(b) of Regulation S-K. Our Code of Business Conduct and Ethics is available, free of charge, upon written request to our Corporate Secretary at 13100 Magisterial Drive, Ste. 100, Louisville, KY 40223.
34
| ITEM 11 | EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION |
Executive Compensation
Summary Compensation Table
The following table sets forth information concerning the compensation of our named executive officers for 2017 and 2016:
| Name and Principal Position (a) | Years | Salary ($) | Bonus ($) | Stock Awards ($) (c) | Option Awards ($) | Non-Equity Incentive Plan Compensation ($) | All Other Compensation ($) | Total ($) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Richard Mills | 2017 | 270,000 | - | - | - | - | - | 270,000 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Chief Executive Officer and Director | 2016 | 270,000 | - | - | - | - | - | 270,000 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| John Walpuck | 2017 | 240,000 | - | - | - | - | - | 240,000 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer | 2016 | 240,000 | - | - | - | - | - | 240,000 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| (a) | Mr. Mills joined the Company effective October 15, 2015. Mr. Walpuck joined the company effective May 2014. |
The material terms of employment agreements and payments to be made upon a change in control are discussed below, in the narrative following “Employment Agreements.”
Our named executive officers are eligible for retirement benefits on the same terms as non-executives under the company’s defined contribution 401(k) retirement plan. Employees may contribute pretax compensation to the plan in accordance with current maximum contribution levels proscribed by the Internal Revenue Service. There are currently plans to implement an employer contribution match of 50% of employee wages up to 6%, for an effective match of 3% on April 1, 2018.
35
Outstanding Equity Awards at Fiscal Year-End
The following table sets forth certain information concerning outstanding stock options and restricted stock awards held by our named executive officers as of December 31, 2017:
| Option Awards (a) | Stock Awards | |||||||||||||||||||
| Number of | Number of Securities | Number | Market value | |||||||||||||||||
| Securities | Underlying | of shares | of shares | |||||||||||||||||
| Underlying | Unexercised | or units of | or units of | |||||||||||||||||
| Unexercised | Options | Option | stock | stock | ||||||||||||||||
| Options | (#) | Exercise | Option | that has | that have | |||||||||||||||
| (#) | Non- | Price | Expiration | not vested | not vested | |||||||||||||||
| Name | Exercisable | Exercisable | ($) | Date | (#) | ($) | ||||||||||||||
| John Walpuck | 170,000 | (b) | - | $ | 0.65 | 5/29/2024 | - | - | ||||||||||||
| 50,000 | (b) | - | $ | 0.45 | 8/18/2024 | |||||||||||||||
| 480,685 | (d) | $ | 0.45 | 10/9/2024 | ||||||||||||||||
| 1,449,432 | (c) | $ | 0.32 | 1/22/2025 | ||||||||||||||||
| 1,069,882 | (e) | $ | 0.19 | 11/20/2025 | ||||||||||||||||
| (a) | Unless otherwise indicated, represents shares issuable upon the exercise of stock options granted under our Amended and Restated 2006 Equity Incentive Plan. |
| (b) | These stock options became fully exercisable upon the effectiveness of the Company’s merger transaction with Creative Realities, LLC. |
| (c) | This stock option became exercisable to the extent of 25 percent of the shares purchasable thereunder on January 22, 2016, with additional increments of 25 percent becoming exercisable annually thereafter. |
(d)
|
This stock option became exercisable to the extent of 25 percent of the shares purchasable thereunder on October 9, 2015, with additional increments of 25 percent becoming exercisable annually thereafter. |
| (e) | This stock option becomes exercisable to the extent of 25 percent of the shares purchasable thereunder on November 20, 2016, with additional increments of 25 percent becoming exercisable annually thereafter. |
Director Compensation Table
Non-employee directors received no compensation during 2017 and 2016.
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| ITEM 12 | SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS AND MANAGEMENT AND RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS |
As of the close of business on March 13, 2018, we had outstanding two classes of voting securities – common stock, of which there were 82,581,866 shares issued and outstanding and Series A Convertible Preferred Stock, of which there were 5,663,946 shares issued and outstanding. Each share of common stock is currently entitled to one vote on all matters put to a vote of our shareholders, and each share of preferred stock votes on an as-converted basis, which means that each preferred share is currently entitled to two and one-half votes on all matters put to a vote of our shareholders. Our preferred stock votes together with our common stock as a single class. The following table sets forth the number of common shares, and percentage of outstanding common shares, beneficially owned as of December 31, 2017, by:
| ● | each person known by us to be the beneficial owner of more than five percent of our outstanding common stock |
| ● | each current director |
| ● | each executive officer of the Company and other persons identified as a named executive in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, and |
| ● | all current executive officers and directors as a group. |
Unless otherwise indicated, the address of each of the following persons is 22 Audrey Place, Fairfield, NJ 07004, and each such person has sole voting and investment power with respect to the shares set forth opposite his, her or its name.
| Name and Address | Common Shares Beneficially Owned [1] | Percentage of Common Shares 1 | ||||||
Slipstream Funding, LLC [2] c/o Pegasus Capital Advisors, L.P. 99 River Road Cos Cob, CT 06807 | 30,349,949 | 35.98 | % | |||||
Slipstream Communications, LLC [3] c/o Pegasus Capital Advisors, L.P. 99 River Road Cos Cob, CT 06807 | 74,070,970 | 58.39 | % | |||||
| Horton Capital Partners Fund, L.P. [4] | 8,679,847 | 9.95 | % | |||||
| Eric Bertrand [5] | 911,857 | 1.09 | % | |||||
| John Walpuck [6] | 2,082,358 | 2.46 | % | |||||
| Donald A. Harris [7] | 2,688,547 | 3.23 | % | |||||
| Alec Machiels [8] | 0 | * | ||||||
| David Bell [9] | 0 | * | ||||||
| Richard Mills [10] | 17,974,915 | 21.70 | % | |||||
| Patrick O’Brien [11] | 0 | * | ||||||
| All current executive officers and directors as a group [12] | 20,750,562 | 24.07 | % | |||||
* less than 1%
37
| (1) | Beneficial ownership is determined in accordance with the rules of the SEC, and includes general voting power and/or investment power with respect to securities. Shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of options or warrants that are currently exercisable or exercisable within 60 days of the record rate, and shares of common stock issuable upon conversion of other securities currently convertible or convertible within 60 days, are deemed outstanding for computing the beneficial ownership percentage of the person holding such securities but are not deemed outstanding for computing the beneficial ownership percentage of any other person. Under applicable SEC rules, each person’s beneficial ownership is calculated by dividing the total number of shares with respect to which they possess beneficial ownership by the total number of outstanding shares of the Company. In any case where an individual has beneficial ownership over securities that are not outstanding, but are issuable upon the exercise of options or warrants or similar rights within the next 60 days, that same number of shares is added to the denominator in the calculation described above. Because the calculation of each person’s beneficial ownership set forth in the “Percentage of Common Shares” column of the table may include shares that are not presently outstanding, the sum total of the percentages set forth in such column may exceed 100%. |
| (2) | Investment and voting power over shares held by Slipstream Funding, LLC is held by Slipstream Communications, LLC, its sole member. See table footnote 3 for further information regarding Slipstream Communications, LLC. The share figure includes 1,779,015 shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of an outstanding warrant issued to the shareholder in connection with the Company’s merger transaction with Creative Realities, LLC. |
| (3) | Investment and voting power over shares held by Slipstream Communications, LLC is held by BCOM Holdings, LP, its managing member. Slipstream Communications is the sole member of Slipstream Funding, LLC, and as a result share figure includes the 28,570,934 shares of common stock, and 1,779,015 common shares issuable upon exercise of an outstanding warrant, issued to and held by Slipstream Funding, LLC in connection with the merger transaction with Creative Realities, LLC. Share figure also includes 15,461,920 common shares issued on account of a convertible promissory note, 3,111,761 common shares issuable upon conversion of Series A Convertible Preferred Stock and 25,706,248 common shares purchasable upon exercise of outstanding warrants. |
| (4) | Includes 3,485,518 common shares issuable upon conversion of Series A Convertible Preferred Stock and 1,205,358 common shares purchasable upon exercise of outstanding warrants. The warrants to purchase shares held by Horton Capital Partners Fund, LP contain “blocker” provisions that limits its ability to exercise such warrants to the extent that such exercise would cause the shareholder’s beneficial ownership in the Company to exceed 4.99% of the Company’s shares outstanding. The calculation of beneficial ownership does not take into account the effect of such “blocker” provisions. |
| (5) | Includes 892,857 common shares purchasable upon exercise of outstanding warrants. The warrants to purchase shares held Eric Bertrand contain “blocker” provisions that limits its ability to exercise such warrants to the extent that such exercise would cause the shareholder’s beneficial ownership in the Company to exceed 4.99% of the Company’s shares outstanding. The calculation of beneficial ownership does not take into account the effect of such “blocker” provisions. |
| (6) | Mr. Walpuck is our Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer. Shares reflected in the table are common shares issuable upon exercise of vested options. |
| (7) | Mr. Harris is a director of the Company. Share figure includes 225,549 common shares issuable upon conversion of Series A Convertible Preferred Stock and 419,643 shares purchasable upon the exercise of outstanding warrants. |
| (8) | Mr. Machiels is a director of the Company. |
| (9) | Mr. Bell is a director of the Company. |
| (10) | Mr. Mills is a director of the Company and Chief Executive Officer. Includes 2,639,258 common shares and 267,857 common shares purchasable upon exercise of outstanding warrants, each held by RFK Communications, LLC. The warrants to purchase shares held by RFK Communications, LLC contain “blocker” provisions that limits its ability to exercise such warrants to the extent that such exercise would cause the shareholder’s beneficial ownership in the Company to exceed 4.99% of the Company’s shares outstanding. The calculation of beneficial ownership does not take into account the effect of such “blocker” provisions. |
| (11) | Mr. O’Brien is a director of the Company. |
| (12) | Includes Messrs. Walpuck, Harris, Machiels, Bell, Mills, O’Brien and Bertrand. |
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| ITEM 13 | CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED-PARTY TRANSACTIONS, AND DIRECTOR INDEPENDENCE |
Employment Agreements
We employ Richard Mills as our Chief Executive Officer. Mr. Mills’ employment agreement is effective for a two-year term, which automatically renews for additional one-year periods unless either we or Mr. Mills elects not to extend the term. The agreement provides for an initial annual base salary of $270,000 subject to annual increases but generally not subject to decreases, and includes provisions for the right to receive up to 4,951,557 performance shares of common stock in connection with a series of performance-based requirements. Under the agreement, Mr. Mills is eligible to participate in performance-based cash bonus or equity award plans for our senior executives. Mr. Mills will participate in our employee benefit plans, policies, programs, perquisites and arrangements to the extent he meets applicable eligibility requirements. In the event of a termination of employment for good reason, as defined, without cause, as defined, or within 12 months following a change in control, as defined, other than for reason of death, disability or for cause, any of which occur during the first year of Mr. Mills’ employment, Mr. Mills will be entitled to receive a severance payment equal to six months of his base salary. After the one-year anniversary of his employment, the severance amount increases to 12 months of then-current base salary. The agreement provides that any severance payments would be paid in installments over the course of the severance. The agreement contains certain non-solicitation and non-competition provisions that continue after employment for a period of one year. The agreement also contains other customary restrictive and other covenants relating to the confidentiality of information, the ownership of inventions and other matters.
We employ John Walpuck as our Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer. Mr. Walpuck’s employment agreement is effective for a one-year term, which automatically renews for additional one-year periods unless either the Company or Mr. Walpuck elects not to extend the employment term. The agreement provides for an initial annual base salary of $240,000, subject to annual increases but generally not subject to decreases. Mr. Walpuck is eligible to participate in performance-based cash bonus or equity award plans for the Company’s senior executives. In addition, Mr. Walpuck will participate in employee benefit plans, policies, programs, perquisites and arrangements to the extent he meets eligibility and other requirements. In the event of a termination of employment for good reason, as defined, without cause, as defined, or within 12 months following a change in control, as defined, other than for reason of death, disability or for cause, any of which occur during the first year of Mr. Walpuck’s employment, Mr. Walpuck will be entitled to receive a severance payment equal to six months of his base salary. After the one-year anniversary of his employment, the severance amount increases to 12 months of then-current base salary. The agreement provides that any severance payments would be paid in installments over the course of a one-year period. The agreement contains certain non-solicitation and non-competition provisions that continue after employment for a period of one year. The agreement also contains other customary restrictive and other covenants relating to the confidentiality of information, the ownership of inventions and other matters.
Independence
The Company does not have a standing nominating committee, compensation committee or audit committee. Instead, the entire Board of Directors shares the responsibility of identifying potential director-nominees to serve on the Board of Directors, making compensation decisions and performing the functions of an audit committee. The board believes the engagement of all directors in these functions is important at this time in the Company’s development in light of the Company’s recent acquisition activities.
The Board of Directors has determined that none of its directors is “independent,” as such term is defined in Section 5605(a)(2) of the Nasdaq listing rules, or meets the criteria for independence set forth in Rule 10A-3(b)(1) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. The preceding disclosure respecting director independence is required under applicable SEC rules. Nevertheless, as a corporation whose shares are listed for trading on the OTCQX, we presently are not required to have any independent directors at all on our board, or any independent directors serving on any particular committees of the Board of Directors.
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| ITEM 14 | PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTANT FEES AND SERVICES |
(All currency is rounded to the nearest thousands, except share and per share amounts.)
The following table presents fees for audit and other services provided by EisnerAmper LLP for 2017 and 2016. Fees for tax services were provided by Eichen & Dimeglio, CPAs, PC in both 2017 and 2016.
| 2017 | 2016 | |||||||
| Audit fees (a) | $ | 207 | $ | 193 | ||||
| Audit related fees (b) | 0 | 4 | ||||||
| Tax fees (c) | 53 | 33 | ||||||
| $ | 260 | $ | 230 | |||||
| (a) | Audit fees for 2017 and 2016 relate to professional services provided in connection with the audit of our consolidated financial statements, the reviews of our quarterly condensed consolidated financial statements and audit services provided in connection with other regulatory filings. |
| (b) | Audit-related fees relate to professional services provided in connection with filing Form S-1. |
| (c) | Tax fees consisted of the aggregate fees billed for tax compliance, tax advice, and tax planning. |
Our Board of Directors reviewed the audit services rendered by EisnerAmper, LLP during 2017 and 2016 and concluded that such services were compatible with maintaining the auditor’s independence.
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| ITEM 15 | EXHIBITS AND FINANCIAL STATEMENT SCHEDULES |
| (a) | See “Index to Consolidated Financial Statements” on page F-1 and “Exhibit Index” on page E-1. | ||
| (b) | See “Exhibit Index” on page E-1. | ||
| (c) | Not applicable. |
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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, in the City of New York, State of New York, on March 26, 2018.
| Creative Realities, Inc. | ||
| By | /s/ Richard Mills | |
| Richard Mills | ||
| Chief Executive Officer | ||
| By | /s/ John Walpuck | |
| John Walpuck | ||
Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer | ||
In accordance with the Exchange Act, this report has been signed below by the following persons on behalf of the registrant, and in the capacities and on the date indicated.
| Signature | Title | Date | ||
| /s/ Richard Mills | Chief Executive Officer | March 26, 2018 | ||
| Richard Mills | ||||
| /s/ John L. Walpuck | Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer (Principal | March 26, 2018 | ||
| John J. Walpuck | Financial Officer and Principal Accounting Officer) | |||
| /s/ Alec Machiels | Chairman of the Board of Directors | March 26, 2018 | ||
| Alec Machiels | ||||
| /s/ David Bell | Director | March 26, 2018 | ||
| David Bell | ||||
| /s/ Donald Harris | Director | March 26, 2018 | ||
| Donald Harris | ||||
| /s/ Patrick O’Brien | Director | March 26, 2018 | ||
| Patrick O’Brien |
| |||
| /s/ Eric J. Bertrand | Director | March 26, 2018 | ||
| Eric J. Bertrand |
42
INDEX TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
| Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firms | F-2 | |
| Consolidated Financial Statements | ||
| Consolidated Balance Sheets | F-4 | |
| Consolidated Statements of Operations | F-5 | |
| Consolidated Statements of Shareholders’ Equity | F-6 | |
| Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows | F-7 | |
| Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements | F-8 |
F-1
REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM
To the Board of Directors and Shareholders of
Creative Realities, Inc. and Subsidiaries
Opinion on the Financial Statements
We have audited the accompanying consolidated balance sheets of Creative Realities, Inc. and Subsidiaries (the “Company”) as of December 31, 2017 and 2016, and the related consolidated statements of operations, shareholders’ equity, and cash flows for each of the years 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 consolidated financial position of the Company as of December 31, 2017 and 2016 and the consolidated results of their operations and their cash flows for each of the years then ended, in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.
Change in Accounting Principle
As discussed in Note 2 to the financial statements, the Company has changed its method of accounting for the classification of certain equity-linked financial instruments with down-round features in 2017 due to the adoption of the Financial Accounting Standards Board Accounting Standards Update No. 2017-11.
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 audits. 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 audits 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 audits 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 audits 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 audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.
/s/ EisnerAmper LLP
We have served as the Company’s auditor since 2015.
EISNERAMPER LLP
Iselin, New Jersey
March 26, 2018
F-2
CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS
(in thousands, except share and per share amounts)
| December 31, | December 31, | |||||||
| 2017 | 2016 | |||||||
| ASSETS | ||||||||
| CURRENT ASSETS | ||||||||
| Cash and cash equivalents | $ | 1,003 | $ | 1,352 | ||||
| Accounts receivable, net of allowance for doubtful accounts of $40 and $85, respectively | 5,912 | 3,998 | ||||||
| Unbilled receivables | 77 | 242 | ||||||
| Work-in-process and inventories | 851 | 585 | ||||||
| Prepaids and other current assets | 1,030 | 168 | ||||||
| Total current assets | 8,873 | 6,345 | ||||||
| Property and equipment, net | 1,136 | 912 | ||||||
| Intangibles, net | 875 | 2,035 | ||||||
| Goodwill | 14,989 | 14,989 | ||||||
| Other assets | 172 | 138 | ||||||
| TOTAL ASSETS | $ | 26,045 | $ | 24,419 | ||||
| LIABILITIES AND SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY | ||||||||
| CURRENT LIABILITIES | ||||||||
| Short-term related party loans payable, net of $0 and $454 discount, respectively | $ | - | $ | 7,627 | ||||
| Accounts payable | 2,017 | 3,218 | ||||||
| Accrued expenses | 2,689 | 2,277 | ||||||
| Deferred revenues | 6,721 | 753 | ||||||
| Customer deposits | 1,247 | 606 | ||||||
| Total current liabilities | 12,674 | 14,481 | ||||||
| Long-term related party loans payable, net of $1,916 and $0 discount, respectively | 5,465 | - | ||||||
| Warrant liability | 858 | 705 | ||||||
| Deferred tax liabilities | 549 | 610 | ||||||
| Other liabilities | 220 | 218 | ||||||
| TOTAL LIABILITIES | 19,766 | 16,014 | ||||||
| COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES | ||||||||
| Convertible preferred stock, net of discount (liquidation preference of $5,692 and $7,690, respectively) | 1,927 | 3,925 | ||||||
| SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY | ||||||||
| Common stock, $.01 per value, 200,000 shares authorized; 82,582 and 66,649 shares issued and outstanding, respectively | 826 | 666 | ||||||
| Additional paid-in capital | 29,757 | 23,095 | ||||||
| Accumulated deficit | (26,231 | ) | (19,281 | ) | ||||
| Total shareholders’ equity | 4,352 | 4,480 | ||||||
| TOTAL LIABILITIES AND SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY | $ | 26,045 | $ | 24,419 | ||||
See accompanying Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements.
F-3
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS
(in thousands, except share and per share amounts)
| For the Years Ended | ||||||||
| December 31, | ||||||||
| 2017 | 2016 | |||||||
| Sales | ||||||||
| Hardware | $ | 5,412 | $ | 3,031 | ||||
| Services and other | 12,286 | 10,642 | ||||||
| Total sales | 17,698 | 13,673 | ||||||
| Cost of sales | ||||||||
| Hardware | 4,434 | 2,544 | ||||||
| Services and other | 5,875 | 4,271 | ||||||
| Total cost of sales (exclusive of depreciation and amortization shown separately below) | 10,309 | 6,815 | ||||||
| Gross profit | 7,389 | 6,858 | ||||||
| Operating expenses: | ||||||||
| Sales and marketing expenses | 2,078 | 1,061 | ||||||
| Research and development expenses | 991 | 893 | ||||||
| General and administrative expenses | 6,944 | 6,393 | ||||||
| Depreciation and amortization expense | 1,505 | 2,003 | ||||||
| ConeXus acquistion stock issuance expense | 1,971 | - | ||||||
| Impairment loss on intangible assets | - | 1,065 | ||||||
| Total operating expenses | 13,489 | 11,415 | ||||||
| Operating loss | (6,100 | ) | (4,557 | ) | ||||
| Other income (expenses): | ||||||||
| Interest expense | (1,610 | ) | (1,636 | ) | ||||
| Change in fair value of warrant liability | (153 | ) | (42 | ) | ||||
| Gain on settlement of debt and dissolution of Broadcast | 872 | 1,008 | ||||||
| Other income, net | 2 | 164 | ||||||
| Total other expense | (889 | ) | (506 | ) | ||||
| Net loss before income taxes | (6,989 | ) | (5,063 | ) | ||||
| Benefit/(provision) from income taxes | 39 | 365 | ||||||
| Net loss | (6,950 | ) | (4,698 | ) | ||||
| Dividends on preferred stock | 246 | 463 | ||||||
| Net loss attributable to common shareholders | $ | (7,196 | ) | $ | (5,161 | ) | ||
| Net loss per common share - basic and diluted | $ | (0.10 | ) | $ | (0.07 | ) | ||
| Net loss attributable to common shareholders | $ | (0.10 | ) | $ | (0.08 | ) | ||
| Weighted average shares outstanding - basic and diluted | 72,788 | 65,443 | ||||||
See accompanying Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements.
F-4
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY
For the years ended December 31, 2017 and 2016
(in thousands, except shares)
| Additional | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Common Stock | paid in | (Accumulated | ||||||||||||||||||
| Shares | Amount | capital | Deficit) | Total | ||||||||||||||||
| Balance as of December 31, 2015 | 64,224,860 | $ | 642 | $ | 22,528 | $ | (14,582 | ) | $ | 8,588 | ||||||||||
| Shares issued upon conversion of preferred stock | 1,205,882 | 12 | 295 | - | 307 | |||||||||||||||
| Shares issued for restructured settlement program | 1,219,189 | 12 | 155 | - | 167 | |||||||||||||||
| Dividends on preferred stock | - | - | (463 | ) | - | (463 | ) | |||||||||||||
| Stock-based compensation | - | - | 273 | - | 273 | |||||||||||||||
| Net loss | - | - | - | (5,910 | ) | (5,910 | ) | |||||||||||||
| Adjustment due to adoption of ASU 2017-11 | - | - | 307 | 1,211 | 1,518 | |||||||||||||||
| Balance as of December 31, 2016 | 66,649,931 | $ | 666 | $ | 23,095 | $ | (19,281 | ) | $ | 4,480 | ||||||||||
| Shares issued upon conversion of preferred stock | 8,806,906 | 88 | 2,158 | - | 2,246 | |||||||||||||||
| Additional shares issued for ConeXus purchase | 5,631,373 | 56 | 1,915 | - | 1,971 | |||||||||||||||
| Shares issued for services | 1,960,784 | 20 | 480 | - | 500 | |||||||||||||||
| Issuance of warrants with promissory notes | - | - | 2,216 | - | 2,216 | |||||||||||||||
| Redemption and cancellation of shares under repurchase plan | (1,185,968 | ) | (11 | ) | (138 | ) | - | (149 | ) | |||||||||||
| Dividends on preferred stock | - | - | (246 | ) | - | (246 | ) | |||||||||||||
| Common stock issued as dividend | 718,840 | 7 | (7 | ) | - | - | ||||||||||||||
| Stock-based compensation | - | - | 284 | - | 284 | |||||||||||||||
| Net loss | - | - | - | (6,950 | ) | (6,950 | ) | |||||||||||||
| Balance as of December 31, 2017 | 82,581,866 | 826 | 29,757 | (26,231 | ) | 4,352 | ||||||||||||||
See accompanying Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements.
F-5
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS
(in thousands, except share per share amounts)
| For the Years Ended | ||||||||
| December 31, | ||||||||
| 2017 | 2016 | |||||||
| Operating Activities: | ||||||||
| Net loss | (6,950 | ) | (4,698 | ) | ||||
| Adjustments to reconcile net loss to net cash provided by (used in) operating activities: | ||||||||
| Depreciation and amortization | 1,505 | 2,003 | ||||||
| Amortization of debt discount | 756 | 852 | ||||||
| Stock-based compensation | 284 | 273 | ||||||
| Change in warrant liability | 153 | 42 | ||||||
| Allowance for doubtful accounts | - | 85 | ||||||
| Warrants issued for services | - | 36 | ||||||
| ConeXus acquisition stock issuance expense | 1,971 | - | ||||||
| Increase in notes due to in-kind interest | 86 | 102 | ||||||
| Deferred tax provision (benefit) | (61 | ) | (365 | ) | ||||
| Impairment of intangible assets | - | 1,065 | ||||||
| Gain on debt settlement | (872 | ) | (1,008 | ) | ||||
| Changes to operating assets and liabilities: | ||||||||
| Accounts receivable and unbilled revenues | (1,749 | ) | (3,360 | ) | ||||
| Inventories | (266 | ) | (503 | ) | ||||
| Prepaid expenses and other current assets | (862 | ) | 180 | |||||
| Other non-current assets | (34 | ) | 65 | |||||
| Accounts payable | (390 | ) | 858 | |||||
| Deferred revenue | 5,968 | (460 | ) | |||||
| Accrued expenses | 473 | 17 | ||||||
| Customer deposits | 641 | 606 | ||||||
| Other non-current liabilities | 2 | 104 | ||||||
| Net cash provided by (used in) operating activities | 655 | (4,106 | ) | |||||
| Investing activities | ||||||||
| Purchases of property and equipment | (569 | ) | (292 | ) | ||||
| Net cash used in investing activities | (569 | ) | (292 | ) | ||||
| Financing activities | ||||||||
| Issuance of common stock | 500 | 167 | ||||||
| Issuance of loans payable and warrants, net of discount | - | 4,510 | ||||||
| Share repurchase and cancellation | (149 | ) | - | |||||
| Payments on debts | (786 | ) | (288 | ) | ||||
| Net cash (used in) provided by financing activities | (435 | ) | 4,389 | |||||
| (Decrease)/increase in Cash and Cash Equivalents | (349 | ) | (9 | ) | ||||
| Cash and Cash Equivalents, beginning of year | 1,352 | 1,361 | ||||||
| Cash and Cash Equivalents, end of year | 1,003 | 1,352 | ||||||
See accompanying Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements.
F-6
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(in thousands, except share and per share amounts)
All currency is rounded to the nearest thousands except share and per share amounts
NOTE 1: NATURE OF OPERATIONS AND LIQUIDITY
Nature of the Company’s Business
Creative Realities, Inc. is a Minnesota corporation that provides innovative digital marketing technology and solutions to retail companies, individual retail brands, enterprises and organizations throughout the United States and in certain international markets. We have expertise in a broad range of existing and emerging digital marketing technologies, as well as the related media management and distribution software platforms and networks, device management, product management, customized software service layers, systems, experiences, workflows, and integrated solutions. Our technology and solutions include: digital merchandising systems and omni-channel customer engagement systems, interactive digital shopping assistants, advisors and kiosks, and other interactive marketing technologies such as mobile, social media, point-of-sale transactions, beaconing and web-based media that enable our customers to transform how they engage with consumers. We have expertise in a broad range of existing and emerging digital marketing technologies, as well as the following related aspects of our business: content, network management, and connected device software and firmware platforms; customized software service layers; hardware platforms; digital media workflows; and proprietary processes and automation tools. We believe we are one of the world’s leading interactive marketing technology companies that focuses on the retail shopper experience by helping retailers and brands use the latest technologies to create better shopping experiences.
Our main operations are conducted directly through Creative Realities, Inc., and under our wholly owned subsidiaries Creative Realities, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company, Wireless Ronin Technologies Canada, Inc., and ConeXus World Global, LLC, a Kentucky limited liability company.
Liquidity
We have incurred net losses and negative cash flows from operating activities for the years ended December 31, 2017 and 2016. As of December 31, 2017, we had cash and cash equivalents of $1,003 and a working capital deficit of $(3,801). On November 13, 2017, Slipstream Communications, LLC, a related party, extended the maturity date of our term loan to August 17, 2019 and extended the maturity date of our promissory notes on a rolling quarter addition basis which is now April 15, 2019. While management believes that due to the extension of our debt maturity date, our current cash balance and our operational forecast for 2018, we can continue as a going concern through at least March 31, 2019, given our net losses and working capital deficit, we obtained a continued support letter from Slipstream Communications, LLC through March 31, 2019. We can provide no assurance that our ongoing operational efforts will be successful which could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and cash flows.
The consolidated financial statements do not include any adjustments to the recoverability and classifications of recorded assets and liabilities as a result of the above uncertainty.
Major Acquisitions
Acquisition of ConeXus World Global
There were no acquisitions completed during the years-ended December 31, 2017 and 2016. On October 15, 2015, we completed the acquisition of ConeXus World Global, LLC for 2,080,000 shares of Series A-1 Convertible Preferred Stock, and the conversion of $823 of ConeXus World Global debt into (i) 2,639,258 shares of our common stock, and (ii) $150 in principal amount of our convertible debt.
In accordance with the terms of the agreement and plan of merger and reorganization, an additional 416,000 shares of Series A-1 Convertible Preferred Stock and 4,000,000 shares of common stock were to be issued upon the reorganization of the capital structure of a Belgian affiliate of ConeXus (the “Holdback Shares”). Since the passage of the March 31, 2016 date targeted for the completion of the reorganization of the Belgian affiliate, the parties have determined that the value of the Belgian affiliate was de minimis.
F-7
An agreement was reached on September 1, 2017 by Creative Realities, Inc. and the prior shareholders of ConeXus to recognize the value obtained by Creative Realities, Inc. as a result of the merger and to settle the Holdback Shares to the prior shareholders of ConeXus. Creative Realities, Inc. has waived the contingency relating to the issuance of the Holdback Shares and issued to the shareholders 5,631,373 shares of common stock. 3,198,054 of these shares were issued to Rick Mills, a majority shareholder of ConeXus, a related party, and the CEO of Creative Realities, Inc. Since the measurement period for the business combination has expired, the issuance of the shares is recognized as a charge to operations during the year ended December 31, 2017 of $1.9 million.
NOTE 2: SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES
A summary of the significant accounting policies consistently applied in the preparation of the accompanying consolidated financial statements follows:
1. Principles of Consolidation
The consolidated financial statements include the accounts of Creative Realities, Inc., our wholly owned subsidiaries ConeXus World Global LLC, Creative Realities, LLC and Wireless Ronin Technologies Canada, Inc. All inter-company balances and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation, as applicable.
2. Foreign Currency
For the Company’s Canadian operations, the local currency has been determined to be the functional currency. The results of its non-U.S. dollar based operations are translated to U.S. dollars at the average exchange rates during the period. Assets and liabilities are translated at the rate of exchange prevailing on the balance sheet date. Equity is translated at the prevailing rate of exchange at the date of the equity transaction. The effects of converting non-functional currency assets and liabilities into the functional currency are recorded as general and administrative expenses in the consolidated statements of operations. Translation adjustments which were considered immaterial to date, have been recorded as general and administrative expenses in the consolidated statements of operations.
3. Revenue Recognition
We recognize revenue primarily from these sources:
| ● | Hardware:
System hardware sales | |
| ● | Services and Other:
Professional and implementation services | |
| Software design and development services | ||
| Software and software license sales | ||
| Maintenance and support services |
We recognize revenue in accordance with Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) 910, Contractors-Construction, ASC 605, Revenue Recognition, ASC 605-25, Accounting for Revenue Arrangements with Multiple Deliverables and ASC subtopic 985-605, Software. In the event of a multiple-element arrangement, we evaluate each element of the transaction to determine if it represents a separate unit of accounting, taking into account all factors following the guidelines set forth in FASB ASC 985-605-25-5:
| (v) | persuasive evidence of an arrangement exists; | |
| (vi) | delivery has occurred, which is when product title transfers to the customer, or services have been rendered; |
F-8
| (vii) | customer payments are fixed or determinable and free of contingencies and significant uncertainties; and | |
| (viii) | collection is reasonably assured. If it is determined that collection of a fee is not reasonably assured, we defer the revenue and recognize it at the time collection becomes reasonably assured, which is generally upon receipt of cash payment. Revenues are reported on a gross basis. |
We enter into arrangements with customers that may include a combination of software products, system hardware, maintenance and support, or installation and training services. We allocate the total arrangement fee among the various elements of the arrangement based on the relative fair value of each of the undelivered elements determined by vendor-specific objective evidence (VSOE). In software arrangements for which we do not have VSOE of fair value for all elements, revenue is deferred until the earlier of when VSOE is determined for the undelivered elements (residual method) or when all elements for which we do not have VSOE of fair value have been delivered. We have determined VSOE of fair value for each of our products and services.
The VSOE for maintenance and support services is based upon the renewal rate for continued service arrangements. The VSOE for installation and training services is established based upon pricing for the services. The VSOE for software and licenses is based on the normal pricing and discounting for the product when sold separately.
Each element of our multiple-element arrangements qualifies for separate accounting. Nevertheless, when a sale includes both software and maintenance, we defer revenue under the residual method of accounting. Under this method, the undelivered maintenance and support fees included in the price of software is amortized ratably over the period the services are provided. We defer maintenance and support fees based upon the customer’s renewal rate for these services.
System hardware sales
Included in “hardware” are system hardware sales whereby revenue is recognized generally upon shipment of the product or customer acceptance depending upon contractual arrangements with the customer. Shipping charges billed to customers are included in sales and the related shipping costs are included in cost of sales. Total hardware sales were $5,400 and $3,031 for the years ended December 31, 2017 and 2016, respectively.
Services and Other
Included in “services and other” revenue is professional and implementation services, software design and development services, software and software license sales and maintenance and support services revenue. Total services and other revenue was $12,298 and $10,642 for the years ended December 31, 2017 and 2016, respectively.
Professional and implementation services
Professional services revenue is derived primarily from consulting services related to the design and development of various marketing experiences, and content development and management. The majority of professional services and accompanying agreements qualify for separate accounting.
Implementation services revenue is derived from implementation, maintenance and support contracts, content development, software development and training.
These services are bid either on a fixed-fee basis, time-and-materials basis or both. For time-and-materials contracts, we recognize revenue as services are performed. For fixed-fee contracts, we recognize revenue upon completion of specific contractual milestones, by using the percentage-of-completion method.
F-9
Software design and development services
Software design and development services includes revenue from contracts for technology integration consulting services where we design/redesign, build and implement new or enhanced systems applications and related processes for clients recognized on the percentage-of-completion method. The percentage-of-completion accounting involves calculating the percentage of services provided during the reporting period compared to the total estimated services to be provided over the duration of the contract. Estimated revenues from applying the percentage-of-completion method include estimated incentives for which achievement of defined goals is deemed probable. Contract costs include all direct material, labor, subcontractors, certain indirect costs, such as indirect labor, equipment costs, supplies, tools and depreciation costs. Selling, general and administrative costs are charged to expense as incurred. This method is followed where reasonably dependable estimates of revenues and costs can be made. We measure progress for completion based on either the hours worked as a percentage of the total number of hours of the project or by delivery and customer acceptance of specific milestones as outlined per the terms of the agreement with the customer. Estimates of total contract revenue and costs are continuously monitored during the term of the contract, and recorded revenue and costs are subject to revision as the contract progresses. Such revisions may result in increases or decreases to revenue and income and are reflected in the financial statements in the periods in which they are first identified. If estimates indicate that a contract loss will occur, a loss provision is recorded in the period in which the loss first becomes probable and reasonably estimable. Contract losses are determined to be the amount by which the estimated direct and indirect costs of the contract exceed the estimated total revenue that will be generated by the contract and are included in cost of sales and classified in accrued expenses in the balance sheet. Our presentation of revenue recognized on a contract completion basis has been consistently applied for all periods presented.
Software and software license sales
Software and software license sales are revenue when a fixed fee order has been received and delivery has occurred to the customer. We assess whether the fee is fixed or determinable and free of contingencies based upon signed agreements received from the customer confirming terms of the transaction. Software is delivered to customers electronically or on a CD-ROM, and license files are delivered electronically.
Maintenance and support services
Maintenance and support services revenue consists of software updates and various forms of support services. Software updates provide customers with rights to unspecified software product upgrades and maintenance releases and patches released during the term of the support period. Support includes access to technical support personnel for software and hardware issues. We also offer a hosting service through our network operations center, or NOC, allowing the ability to monitor and support its customers’ networks 7 days a week, 24 hours a day. This revenue is recognized ratably over the term of the contract, which is typically one to three years. Maintenance and support is renewable by the customer. Rates for maintenance and support, including subsequent renewal rates, are typically established based upon a fee per location, per device, or a specified percentage of net software license fees as set forth in the arrangement. Support agreement fees are based on the level of service provided to its customers, which can range from monitoring the health of a customer’s network to supporting a sophisticated web-portal to managing the end-to-end hardware and software of a digital marketing system.
Costs and estimated earnings recognized in excess of billings on uncompleted contracts are recorded as unbilled services and are included in work-in-process on the balance sheet. Billings in excess of costs and estimated earnings on uncompleted contracts are recorded as deferred revenues until revenue recognition criteria are met. Unbilled receivables are a normal part of our business as some receivables are invoiced in the month following shipment or completion of services. Our policy is to present any taxes imposed on revenue-producing transactions on a net basis.
4. Cash and Cash Equivalents
Cash equivalents consist of liquid investments with original maturities of three months or less when purchased. As of December 31, 2017, the Company had substantially all cash deposited with commercial banks. The balances are insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation up to $250.
5. Accounts Receivable and Allowance for Doubtful Accounts
Our unsecured accounts receivable are customer obligations due under normal trade terms, carried at their face value less an allowance for doubtful accounts. Approximately 51% or $3,017 of our accounts receivable at December 31, 2017 is from a related party (see Note 8). We entered into a factoring arrangement with Allied Affiliated Funding for our accounts receivable with recourse on October 15, 2015 which concluded on August 17, 2016. During that period, the majority of our receivables were factored. We determine our allowance for doubtful accounts based on the evaluation of the aging of our accounts receivable and on a customer-by-customer analysis of our high-risk customers. Our reserves contemplate our historical loss rate on receivables, specific customer situations and the economic environments in which we operate. We determine past-due accounts receivable on a customer-by-customer basis. Accounts receivable are written off after all reasonable collection efforts have failed.
F-10
6. Work-In-Process and Inventories
Our work-in-process and inventories are recorded using the lower of cost or market on a first-in, first-out (FIFO) method. Inventory is net of an allowance for obsolescence of $10 and $10 as of December 31, 2017 and 2016, respectively.
7. Fair Value of Financial Instruments
Fair value is the price that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date. The fair value hierarchy gives the highest priority to quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities (Level 1) and the lowest priority to unobservable inputs (Level 3). Inputs are broadly defined as assumptions market participants would use in pricing an asset or liability.
FASB ASC 820-10, Fair Value Measurements and Disclosures, requires disclosure of the estimated fair value of an entity’s financial instruments. Such disclosures, which pertain to our financial instruments, do not purport to represent our aggregate net fair value. The carrying value of cash and cash equivalents, accounts receivable, accounts payable, and accrued liabilities approximate fair value because of the short maturity of those instruments. The fair value of the warrant liabilities is calculated using a Black-Scholes model, which approximates a binomial model due to probability factors used to determine the fair value. The calculation of this liability is based on Level 3 inputs. See Notes 3 and 11 for further discussion on the valuation of warrant liabilities.
8. Impairment of Long-Lived Assets
We review the carrying value of all long-lived assets, including property and equipment, for impairment in accordance with FASB ASC 360-10-05-4, Accounting for the Impairment or Disposal of Long-Lived Assets. Under FASB ASC 360-10-05-4, impairment losses are recorded whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate the carrying value of an asset may not be recoverable.
If the impairment tests indicate that the carrying value of the asset is greater than the expected undiscounted cash flows to be generated by such asset, an impairment loss would be recognized. The impairment loss is determined by the amount by which the carrying value of such asset exceeds its fair value. We generally measure fair value by considering sale prices for similar assets or by discounting estimated future cash flows from such assets using an appropriate discount rate. Assets to be disposed of are carried at the lower of their carrying value or fair value less costs to sell. Considerable management judgment is necessary to estimate the fair value of assets, and accordingly, actual results could vary significantly from such estimates. There were no impairment losses for long-lived assets recorded for the years ended December 31, 2017 and 2016.
9. Property and Equipment
Property and equipment are carried at cost, less accumulated depreciation and amortization. Depreciation is provided for in amounts sufficient to relate the cost of depreciable assets to operations over the estimated service lives, principally using straight-line methods. Leasehold improvements are amortized over the shorter of the life of the improvement or the lease term, using the straight-line method.
F-11
Property and equipment consists of the following at December 31, 2017 and 2016:
| December 31, | ||||||||
| 2017 | 2016 | |||||||
| Equipment | $ | 1,700 | $ | 1,644 | ||||
| Leasehold improvements | 680 | 673 | ||||||
| Purchased and developed software | 1,516 | 1,007 | ||||||
| Furniture and fixtures | 439 | 438 | ||||||
| Other depreciable assets | 27 | 27 | ||||||
| Total property and equipment | 4,362 | 3,789 | ||||||
| Less: accumulated depreciation and amortization | (3,226 | ) | (2,877 | ) | ||||
| Net property and equipment | $ | 1,136 | $ | 912 | ||||
The estimated useful lives used to compute depreciation and amortization are as follows:
| Equipment | 3 – 5 years | |
| Furniture and fixtures | 5 years | |
| Purchased and developed software | 5 years | |
| Leasehold improvements | Shorter of 5 years or term of lease |
Depreciation expense was $345 and $272 for the years ended December 31, 2017 and 2016, respectively.
10. Research and Development and Software Development Costs
Research and development expenses consist primarily of development personnel and non-employee contractor costs related to the development of new products and services, enhancement of existing products and services, quality assurance and testing. Effective April 2015, the Company began capitalizing its costs for additional functionality to its internal software. We capitalized approximately $524 and $270 for the years ended December 31, 2017 and 2016, respectively. These software development costs include both enhancements and upgrades of our client based systems including functionality of our internal information systems to aid in our productivity, profitability and customer relationship management. We are amortizing these costs over 5 years once the new projects are finished and placed in service. These costs are included in property and equipment, net on the consolidated balance sheets.
11. Basic and Diluted Loss per Common Share
Basic and diluted loss per common share for all periods presented is computed using the weighted average number of common shares outstanding. Basic weighted average shares outstanding include only outstanding common shares. Diluted net loss per common share is computed by dividing net loss by the weighted average common and potential dilutive common shares outstanding computed in accordance with the treasury stock method. Shares reserved for outstanding stock options and warrants totaling approximately 46.7 and 36.0 million at December 31, 2017 and 2016, respectively, were excluded from the computation of loss per share as well as the potential common shares issuable upon conversion of convertible preferred stock and convertible promissory notes as their effect was antidilutive due to our net loss. Net loss attributable to common shareholders for the year ended December 31, 2017 and December 31, 2016 is after dividends on convertible preferred stock of $246 and $463, respectively.
12. Deferred Income Taxes
The calculation of our income tax provision involves dealing with uncertainties in the application of complex tax regulations. We recognize tax liabilities for uncertain income tax positions based on management’s estimate of whether it is more likely than not that additional taxes will be required. We had no uncertain tax positions as of December 31, 2017 and 2016. Deferred income taxes are recognized in the financial statements for the tax consequences in future years of differences between the tax basis of assets and liabilities and their financial reporting amounts based on enacted tax laws and statutory tax rates. Temporary differences arise from net operating losses, differences in basis of intangibles (other than goodwill), stock-based compensation, reserves for uncollectible accounts receivable and inventory, differences in depreciation methods, and accrued expenses. Valuation allowances are established when necessary to reduce deferred tax assets to the amount expected to be realized. In the event of any future tax assessments, we have elected to record the income taxes and any related interest and penalties as income tax expense on our statement of operations.
F-12
13. Accounting for Stock-Based Compensation
The Company accounts for stock-based compensation in accordance with ASC 718-10 that requires the measurement and recognition of compensation expense for all stock-based payments including warrants, stock options, restricted stock grants and stock bonuses based on estimated fair value. For purposes of determining estimated fair value under FASB ASC 718-10-30, the Company computes the estimated fair values of stock options using the Black-Scholes option pricing model. Stock-based compensation expense to employees of $284 and $273 was charged to expense during the years ended December 31, 2017 and 2016, respectively.
14. Goodwill and Definite-Lived Intangible Assets
We follow the provisions of FASB ASC 350, Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets. Pursuant to FASB ASC 350, goodwill acquired in a purchase business combination is not amortized, but instead tested for impairment at least annually. The Company used a measurement date of September 30 (see Note 5). There was no impairment loss recognized during the year ended December 31, 2017. An impairment loss was recognized during the year ended December 31, 2016.
15. Use of Estimates
The preparation of financial statements in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting periods. Our significant estimates include; the allowance for doubtful accounts, recognition of revenue under fixed price contracts, deferred tax assets, deferred revenue, depreciable lives and methods for property and equipment and definite lived intangible assets, valuation of warrants and other stock-based compensation, as well as valuations and purchase price allocations related to business combinations, expected future cash flows including growth rates, discount rates and terminal values and other assumptions and estimates used to evaluate the recoverability of long-lived assets, goodwill and other intangible assets and the related amortization methods and periods. Actual results could differ from those estimates.
16. Change in authorized shares
On February 11, 2016, the Company filed an S-1 Registration Statement registering 20,268,959 shares of common stock issuable upon conversion of its secured notes and upon exercise of the warrants. This S-1 was effective June 1, 2016.
17. Recently Issued Accounting Pronouncements
In May 2014, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) 2014-09, Revenue From Contracts With Customers (Topic 606), that outlines a single comprehensive model for entities to use in accounting for revenue arising from contracts with customers and supersedes most current revenue recognition guidance, including industry-specific guidance. This ASU is based on the core principle that an entity should recognize revenue to depict the transfer of promised goods or services to customers in an amount that reflects the consideration to which the entity expects to be entitled in exchange for those goods or services. This ASU also requires disclosures sufficient to enable users to understand the nature, amount, timing, and uncertainty of revenue and cash flows arising from contracts with customers, including qualitative and quantitative disclosures about contracts with customers, significant judgments and changes in judgments, and assets recognized from the costs to obtain or fulfill a contract.
F-13
The Company adopted the new revenue guidance effective January 1, 2018 using the modified retrospective method of adoption. Based on the Company’s initial assessment any adjustments for transition are not expected to be material. The Company conducted a risk assessment and had developed a transition plan that enabled the Company to meet the implementation requirement. Revenue streams and performance obligations evaluated include those outlined in the Revenue section of Note 1 above. The Company’s contracts rarely include forms of variable consideration. Based on the evaluation of the Company’s current contracts and the related revenue streams and performance obligations, the allocation of revenue between hardware, services and other will have insignificant changes as compared with current GAAP. However, for certain sales transactions, the timing of revenue recognition for hardware and certain services sales may occur earlier, with the remaining service and other sales, occurring later than under current GAAP. The largest impacts as a result of the new standard are the new required qualitative and quantitative disclosures.
In July 2017, the FASB issued Accounting Standards Update No. 2017-11, Earnings Per Share (Topic 260), Distinguishing Liabilities From Equity (Topic 480), Derivatives and Hedging (Topic 815) Part I. Accounting for Certain Financial Instruments With Down Round Features, Part II Replacement of the Indefinite Deferral for Mandatorily Redeemable Entities and Certain Mandatorily Redeemable Noncontrolling Interests with a Scope Exception. This update provides guidance that changes the classification analysis of certain equity-linked financial instruments with down-round features. These instruments are no longer accounted for as derivative liabilities at fair value as a result of the existence of a down round feature. The Company early adopted this ASU in 2017 and has applied the guidance in this ASU retrospectively to all prior periods. As a result of adopting this ASU, the Company no longer recognizes a liability related to 16,482,635 warrants, which were only classified as liabilities as a result of having down round features. The debt discount for those warrants has been recalculated to reflect the relative fair value of the warrants and the debt. In addition, the Company determined that the impact to the income/(loss) per share as a result of the down round features was not material. The impact to the financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2016 and the balance sheet as of December 31, 2016 is as follows:
| Year ended | ||||||||
| December 31, | ||||||||
| 2016 | ||||||||
| As previously reported | As adjusted | |||||||
| Operating income/(loss) | (4,557 | ) | (4,557 | ) | ||||
| Other income (expenses): | ||||||||
| Interest expense | (1,908 | ) | (1,636 | ) | ||||
| Change in fair value of warrant liability | (982 | ) | (42 | ) | ||||
| Gain on settlement of debt | 1,008 | 1,008 | ||||||
| Other income/(expense) | 164 | 164 | ||||||
| Total other income/(expense) | (1,718 | ) | (506 | ) | ||||
| Income/(loss) before income taxes | (6,275 | ) | (5,063 | ) | ||||
| Benefit/(provision) from income taxes | 365 | 365 | ||||||
| Net loss | (5,910 | ) | (4,698 | ) | ||||
| Dividends on preferred stock | 463 | 463 | ||||||
| Net loss attributable to common shareholders | (6,373 | ) | (5,161 | ) | ||||
| Net loss per common share - basic and diluted | (0.09 | ) | (0.07 | ) | ||||
| Net loss attributable to common shareholders | (0.10 | ) | (0.08 | ) | ||||
| Weighted average shares outstanding - basic and diluted | 65,443 | 65,443 | ||||||
F-14
| December 31, 2016 | ||||||||
| As previously reported | As adjusted | |||||||
| LIABILITIES AND SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY | ||||||||
| CURRENT LIABILITIES | ||||||||
| Loans payable, net | $ | 7,635 | $ | 7,627 | ||||
| Total current liabilities | 14,374 | 14,481 | ||||||
| Warrant liability | 3,316 | 705 | ||||||
| TOTAL LIABILITIES | 18,518 | 16,014 | ||||||
| SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY | ||||||||
| Additional paid-in capital | 21,834 | 23,095 | ||||||
| Accumulated deficit | (20,524 | ) | (19,281 | ) | ||||
| Total shareholders’ equity | 1,976 | 4,480 | ||||||
| TOTAL LIABILITIES AND SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY | $ | 24,419 | $ | 24,419 | ||||
In January 2017, the FASB issued ASU 2017-04, Intangibles—Goodwill and Other (Topic 350): Simplifying the Test for Goodwill Impairment. This update eliminates the requirement that an entity perform a two-step test to determine the amount, if any, of goodwill impairment. In Step 1, an entity compares the fair value of a reporting unit with its carrying amount, including goodwill. If the carrying amount of the reporting unit exceeds its fair value, the entity performs Step 2 and compares the implied fair value of goodwill with the carrying amount of that goodwill for that reporting unit. An impairment charge equal to the amount by which the carrying amount of goodwill for the reporting unit exceeds the implied fair value of that goodwill is recorded, limited to the amount of goodwill allocated to that reporting unit. To address concerns over the cost and complexity of the two-step goodwill impairment test, the amendments in this ASU remove the second step of the test. An entity will apply a one-step quantitative test and record the amount of goodwill impairment as the excess of a reporting unit’s carrying amount over its fair value, not to exceed the total amount of goodwill allocated to the reporting unit. The new guidance does not amend the optional qualitative assessment of goodwill impairment. This guidance is effective for public business entities for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2019, and for interim periods within those fiscal years, early adoption is permitted.
In August 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-15, Statement of Cash Flows: Classification of Certain Cash Receipts and Cash Payments, which provides guidance on the classification of certain cash receipts and cash payments in the statement of cash flows, including those related to debt prepayment or debt extinguishment costs, contingent consideration payments made after a business combination, proceeds from the settlement of insurance claims, proceeds from the settlement of corporate-owned life insurance, and distributions received from equity method investees. This guidance is effective for public business entities for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2017, and for interim periods within those fiscal years. The guidance must be adopted on a retrospective basis and must be applied to all periods presented, but may be applied prospectively if retrospective application would be impracticable. The Company does not expect the adoption of this ASU to have a material impact on our consolidated financial statements, including. our consolidated statement of cash flows.
In June 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-13, Financial Instruments—Credit Losses: Measurement of Credit Losses on Financial Instruments, which provides guidance with respect to measuring credit losses on financial instruments, including trade receivables. This guidance eliminates the probable initial recognition threshold that was previously required prior to recognizing a credit loss on financial instruments. The credit loss estimate can now reflect an entity’s current estimate of all future expected credit losses. Under the previous guidance, an entity only considered past events and current conditions. The guidance is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2018, including interim periods within those fiscal years. The Company does not expect the adoption of this ASU to have a material impact on our consolidated financial statements.
In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-02, Leases, that requires lessees to recognize most leases on the balance sheet and provides for expanded disclosures on key information about leasing arrangements. This ASU is effective for interim and annual periods beginning after December 15, 2018, which means it will become effective for the Company on January 1, 2019 although early adoption is permitted. In transition, the Company is required to recognize and measure leases at the beginning of the earliest period presented using a modified retrospective approach. The Company is currently evaluating this ASU to determine the impact it will have on the Company’s Consolidated Financial Statements. We are currently evaluating the impact of adopting this guidance on our consolidated financial statements.
18. Reclassification:
Certain prior year amounts have been reclassified to conform to the current year presentation.
F-15
NOTE 3: FAIR VALUE MEASUREMENT
We measure certain financial assets, including cash equivalents, at fair value on a recurring basis. In accordance with FASB ASC 820-10-30, fair value is a market-based measurement that should be determined based on the assumptions that market participants would use in pricing an asset or liability. As a basis for considering such assumptions, FASB ASC 820-10-35 establishes a three-level hierarchy that prioritizes the inputs used in measuring fair value. The three hierarchy levels are defined as follows:
Level 1 — Valuations based on unadjusted quoted prices in active markets for identical assets.
Level 2 — Valuations based on observable inputs (other than Level 1 prices), such as quoted prices for similar assets at the measurement date; quoted prices in markets that are not active; or other inputs that are observable, either directly or indirectly.
Level 3 — Valuations based on inputs that are unobservable and involve management judgment and the reporting entity’s own assumptions about market participants and pricing.
The following table presents information about the Company’s warrant liabilities that are measured at fair value on a recurring basis and indicates the fair value hierarchy of the valuation techniques the Company used to determine such fair value. In general, fair values determined by Level 1 inputs use quoted prices (unadjusted) in active markets for identical assets or liabilities. Fair values determined by Level 2 inputs use data points that are observable such as quoted prices, interest rates and yield curves. Fair values determined by Level 3 inputs are unobservable data points for the asset or liability, and includes situations where there is little, if any, market activity for the asset or liability:
| Quote Prices In Active Markets | Significant Other Observable Inputs | Significant Other Unobservable Inputs | ||||||||||||||
| Description | Fair Value | (Level 1) | (Level 2) | (Level 3) | ||||||||||||
| Warrant liability at December 31, 2016 | $ | 3,316 | - | - | $ | 3,316 | ||||||||||
| Reclassification of warrants from liabilities to equity per ASU 2017-11 | $ | (2,611 | ) | - | - | $ | (2,611 | ) | ||||||||
| Revised warrant liability at December 31, 2016 | $ | 705 | - | - | $ | 705 | ||||||||||
| Warrant liability at December 31, 2017 | $ | 858 | - | - | $ | 858 | ||||||||||
The change in level 3 fair value is as follows:
| Warrant liability December 31, 2016 | $ | 705 | ||
| New warrant liabilities | - | |||
| Increase in fair value of warrant liability | 153 | |||
| Ending warrant liability as of December 31, 2017 | $ | 858 |
NOTE 4: OTHER FINANCIAL STATEMENT INFORMATION
The following table provides details of selected financial statement items:
Inventories
| December 31, | December 31, | |||||||
| 2017 | 2016 | |||||||
| Finished goods | $ | 719 | $ | 138 | ||||
| Work-in-process | 132 | 447 | ||||||
| Total inventories | $ | 851 | $ | 585 | ||||
F-16
Supplemental Cash Flow Information:
| 2017 | 2016 | |||||||
| Cash paid for interest | $ | 640 | $ | 363 | ||||
| Cash paid for taxes | $ | 5 | $ | 11 | ||||
| Non-cash Investing and Financing Activities | ||||||||
| Noncash preferred stock dividends | $ | 246 | $ | 463 | ||||
| Issuance of notes in exchange for accounts payable | $ | - | $ | 288 | ||||
| Issuance of stock upon conversion of preferred stock | $ | 2,246 | $ | 307 | ||||
| Issuance of warrants with term loan extensions | $ | 2,218 | 361 | |||||
| Issuance of stock in exchange for accounts payable | $ | - | $ | 86 | ||||
NOTE 5: GOODWILL AND OTHER INTANGIBLE ASSETS
Other intangible assets consisted of the following at December 31, 2017 and 2016 (in thousands):
| December 31, | ||||||||||||||||
| 2017 | 2016 | |||||||||||||||
| Gross | Gross | |||||||||||||||
| Carrying | Accumulated | Carrying | Accumulated | |||||||||||||
| Amount | Amortization | Amount | Amortization | |||||||||||||
| Technology platform | 2,865 | 2,568 | 4,190 | 2,433 | ||||||||||||
| Customer relationships | 2,460 | 2,093 | 2,460 | 1,404 | ||||||||||||
| Trademarks and trade names | 680 | 469 | 680 | 393 | ||||||||||||
| 6,005 | 5,130 | 7,330 | 4,230 | |||||||||||||
| Accumulated amortization | 5,130 | 4,230 | ||||||||||||||
| Impairment loss on technology platform | - | 1,065 | ||||||||||||||
| Net book value of amortizable intangible assets | 875 | 2,035 | ||||||||||||||
For the years ended December 31, 2017 and 2016, amortization of intangible assets charged to operations was $1,160 and $1,731, respectively. For the years ended December 31, 2017 and 2016 we wrote-off fully amortized intangible assets of $260 and $0, respectively.
Estimated amortization is as follows:
| Year ending December 31, 2017 | ||||
| 2018 | $ | 739 | ||
| 2019 | 76 | |||
| 2020 | 60 | |||
The Company has made comprehensive upgrades to its technology platform. Due to these upgrades, the Company evaluated the recoverability of the carrying amount of the original technology platform intangible asset at September 30, 2016. Based upon this evaluation, the Company determined that the technology platform intangible asset was impaired as its value was not recoverable and exceeded its fair value. The Company recognized an impairment loss of $1,065 in 2016.
F-17
Goodwill represents the excess of the purchase price over the fair value of net assets acquired. Goodwill is subject to an impairment review at a reporting unit level, on an annual basis as of the end of September of each fiscal year, or when an event occurs or circumstances change that would indicate potential impairment. The Company has only one reporting unit, and therefore the entire goodwill is allocated to that reporting unit.
The Company has the option to first assess qualitative factors to determine whether the existence of events or circumstances leads to a determination that it is more likely than not that the fair value of a reporting unit is less than its carrying amount. If, after assessing the totality of events or circumstances, the Company determines it is not more likely than not that the fair value of a reporting unit is less than its carrying amount, then performing the two-step impairment test is unnecessary. The Company performed its annual goodwill impairment test at September 30, 2017.
Utilizing the two-step impairment test, the Company first assessed the carrying value of goodwill at the reporting unit level based on an estimate of the fair value of the respective reporting unit. Fair value of the reporting unit was estimated using a discounted cash flow analyses consisting of various assumptions, including expectations of future cash flows based on projections or forecasts derived from analysis of business prospects and economic or market trends that may occur, specifically, the Company gave significant consideration for purchase orders expected to be completed in the fourth quarter of 2017 and orders already received or actively being negotiated for fiscal 2018. We also used these same expectations in a number of valuation models in addition to discounted cash flows, including, leveraged buy-out, trading comps and market capitalization, and ultimately determined an estimated fair value of our reporting unit based on weighted average calculations from these models. Based on the Company’s assessment, we determined that the fair value of our reporting unit exceeds its carrying value, and accordingly, the goodwill associated with the reporting unit is not considered to be impaired at September 30, 2017.
The Company updated its goodwill analysis as of December 31, 2017 using our actual fourth quarter 2017 results and updated projected 2018 results noting no impairment exists. The valuation of goodwill and intangible assets is subject to a high degree of judgment, uncertainty and complexity. Should any indicators of impairment occur in subsequent periods, the Company will perform an analysis in order to determine whether goodwill is impaired.
F-18
NOTE 6: LOANS PAYABLE
At the end of December 2016 and the beginning of January 2017, Slipstream Communications, LLC, a related party, see Note 8: Related Party Transactions, purchased all of our outstanding debt from the original debtholders. The terms of the debt have remained the same. The outstanding debt with detachable warrants are shown in the table below. Further discussion of the notes follows.
| Issuance Date | Original Principal | Additional Principal | Total Principal | Maturity Date | Warrants | |||||||||||||||
| 8/17/2016 | 3,000 | - | 3,000 | 8/17/2019 | 17,647,056 | 8.0% interest | ||||||||||||||
| 6/29/2016 | 50 | 2 | 52 | 4/10/2019 | 89,286 | 14% interest* | ||||||||||||||
| 6/13/2016 | 200 | 19 | 219 | 4/10/2019 | 357,143 | 14% interest* | ||||||||||||||
| 6/13/2016 | 250 | 14 | 264 | 4/10/2019 | 446,429 | 14% interest* | ||||||||||||||
| 5/3/2016 | 500 | 17 | 517 | 4/10/2019 | 892,857 | 14% interest* | ||||||||||||||
| 12/28/2015 | 150 | 6 | 156 | 4/10/2019 | 267,857 | 14% interest* | ||||||||||||||
| 12/28/2015 | 500 | 20 | 520 | 4/10/2019 | 892,857 | 14% interest* | ||||||||||||||
| 12/28/2015 | 600 | 24 | 624 | 4/10/2019 | 1,071,429 | 14% interest* | ||||||||||||||
| 10/26/2015 | 300 | 13 | 313 | 4/10/2019 | 535,714 | 14% interest* | ||||||||||||||
| 10/15/2015 | 150 | 7 | 157 | 4/10/2019 | 267,857 | 14% interest* | ||||||||||||||
| 10/15/2015 | 500 | 23 | 523 | 4/10/2019 | 892,857 | 14% interest* | ||||||||||||||
| 6/23/2015 | 400 | 21 | 421 | 4/10/2019 | 640,000 | 14% interest* | ||||||||||||||
| 6/23/2015 | 119 | 31 | 150 | 4/10/2019 | 935,210 | Refinanced May 20, 2015 debt, 14% interest * | ||||||||||||||
| 5/20/2015 | 465 | - | 465 | 4/10/2019 | 762,295 | 14% cash interest | ||||||||||||||
| $ | 7,184 | $ | 197 | $ | 7,381 | 25,698,847 | ||||||||||||||
| Debt discount | (1,916 | ) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Total debt | $ | 7,184 | $ | 5,465 | ||||||||||||||||
* 12% cash, 2% added to principal
Obligations under the secured convertible promissory notes are secured by a grant of collateral security in all of the tangible assets of the co-makers pursuant to the terms of an amended and restated security agreement.
Included in accrued expenses is unpaid interest of $295 on outstanding debt.
Term Notes
On December 12, 2016, we entered into a $1.0 million secured revolving promissory note pursuant to the August 17, 2016 Loan and Security Agreement with Slipstream Communications, LLC, a related party, addressed below (see Note 8), wherein we borrowed $786 with interest thereon at 8% per annum, maturing on February 1, 2017. In connection with the loan, we issued the lender a five-year warrant to purchase up to 1,542,452 shares of common stock at a per-share price of $0.28 (subject to adjustment), all pursuant to a securities purchase agreement. In connection with the secured revolving promissory note, we incurred fees aggregating $37. The fair value of the warrants on the issuance date was $136. This note was repaid on January 12, 2017.
On August 17, 2016, we entered into a Loan and Security Agreement with Slipstream Communications, LLC, a related party (see Note 8), under which we obtained a $3.0 million term loan, with interest thereon at 8% per annum, maturing on August 17, 2017 (with a one-year option for us to extend that maturity, so long as we are not then in default and we deliver additional warrants to the lender). The term loan contains certain customary restrictions including, but not limited to, restrictions on mergers and consolidations with other entities, cancellation of any debt or incurring new debt (subject to certain exceptions), and other customary restrictions. In connection with this loan, we issued the lender a five-year warrant to purchase up to 5,882,352 shares of common stock shares of Creative Realities’ common stock at a per-share price of $0.28 (subject to adjustment), all pursuant to a securities purchase agreement. The proceeds from the loan were used to (i) satisfy the obligations owed to Allied Affiliated Lending, L.P. under the Factoring Agreement, (ii) pay off certain obligations under settlement arrangements in effect as of the date hereof (see Note 8), and (iii) obtain working capital. The Loan and Security Agreement permits the lender to make additional advances of up to an additional $1.0 million. In connection with this financing transaction, we terminated the Factoring Agreement with Allied Affiliated Lending. Our principal subsidiaries — Creative Realities, Inc., Creative Realities, LLC, Conexus World Global, LLC, and Broadcast International, Inc. — were also parties to the securities purchase agreement and are co-makers of the secured convertible promissory notes. In connection with the term loan, we incurred fees aggregating $20. The fair value of the warrants on the issuance date was $361.
F-19
On August 10, 2017, Slipstream Communications, LLC extended the maturity date of the 8% senior notes to August 17, 2018. In exchange for the extension of the maturity date of the 8% senior notes, CRI provided 5,882,352 five-year warrants to purchase Company common shares. The fair value of the warrants was $1,240, which is accounted for as an additional debt discount and amortized over the remaining life of the loan.
On November 13, 2017, Slipstream Communications, LLC extended the maturity dates for the term loan to August 17, 2019. In exchange for the extension of the maturity date of the 8% senior notes, CRI provided 5,882,352 five-year warrants to purchase Company common shares. The fair value of the warrants was $976, which is accounted for as an additional debt discount and amortized over the remaining life of the loan.
See Note 11 for the Black Scholes inputs used to calculate the fair value of the warrants.
Convertible Promissory Notes
In December 2016 and January 2017, Slipstream Communications, LLC purchased all of our outstanding convertible promissory notes from the original debtholders. The terms of the notes have remained the same. Further discussion of the notes follows.
The convertible promissory notes were issued in a private placement exempt from registration under the Securities Act of 1933. Our principal subsidiaries — Creative Realities, LLC, Wireless Ronin Technologies Canada, Inc., and Conexus World Global, LLC — were also parties to the Securities Purchase Agreement and are co-makers of the secured convertible promissory notes. Obligations under the secured convertible promissory notes are secured by a grant of collateral security in all of the personal property of the co-makers pursuant to the terms of a security agreement. The secured convertible promissory notes bear interest at the rate of 14% per annum. Of this amount, 12% per annum is payable monthly in cash, and the remaining 2% per annum is payable in the form an additional principal through increases in the principal amount of the note. Upon the consummation of a change in control transaction of the company or a default, interest on the secured convertible promissory note will increase to the rate of 17% per annum. On August 10, 2017, Slipstream Communications, LLC extended the maturity date of the convertible notes to October 15, 2018. On November 13, 2017, Slipstream Communications, LLC elected to extend the maturity date of the convertible promissory notes on a rolling quarter addition basis to January 15, 2019, which is now April 10, 2019.
At any time prior to the maturity date, the holder of a promissory note may convert the outstanding principal and accrued and unpaid interest into our common stock at its conversion rate. We may not prepay the secured convertible promissory note prior to the maturity date. The secured convertible promissory note contains other customary terms. See Note 11 for the Black Scholes inputs used to calculate the fair value of the warrants.
On June 29, 2016, we entered into a secured convertible promissory note in the principal amount of $50 and an immediately exercisable five-year warrant to purchase up to 89,286 shares of the Company’s common stock at a per-share price of $0.28 (subject to adjustment). The fair value of the warrants on the issuance date was $6. This note was subsequently purchased by Slipstream Communications, LLC on December 20, 2016.
On June 13, 2016, upon receipt of an additional $300 of principal, we exchanged two short term demand notes entered into in July 2015 totaling $150 for two secured convertible promissory notes totaling a principal amount of $450 and immediately exercisable five-year warrants to purchase up to 803,572 shares of the Company’s common stock at a per-share price of $0.28 (subject to adjustment). This exchange is accounted for as a modification of the debt. The fair value of the warrants on the issuance date was $57. On December 20, 2016, $200 of this note was subsequently purchased by Slipstream Communications, LLC, the remaining $250 was already owed to Slipstream Communications, LLC.
On or about May 3, 2016, we entered into a secured convertible promissory note in the principal amount of $500,000 and an immediately exercisable five-year warrant to purchase up to 892,857 shares of the Company’s common stock at a per-share price of $0.28 (subject to adjustment). In connection with the secured convertible promissory note, we incurred commissions to a placement agent aggregating $25. The fair value of the warrants on the issuance date was $89. This note was subsequently purchased by Slipstream Communications, LLC on December 22, 2016.
F-20
NOTE 7: COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES
Structured Settlement Program
During March and December 2017, the Company settled and/or wrote off debt of $1,159 for $288 cash payment and recognized a gain of $872. This debt included $693 of payables previously recorded by our dissolved subsidiary Broadcast International, Inc, as we had exhausted all efforts to identify and settle these obligations in the first quarter of 2017.
In August 2016, the Company settled debt of $90 for $35 cash payment, resulting in a gain on debt settlement of $55. In June 2016, the Company settled debt of $614 for $123 cash payment and the issuance of 409,347 shares of the Company’s restricted common stock, fair value at conversion date of $85, and recognized a gain on debt restructuring of $406. In conjunction with this debt settlement, an additional 809,842 shares of restricted common stock were issued to investors for cash to facilitate the settlement of a portion of the $614 debt.
In March 2016, the Company issued 8.00% nonconvertible promissory notes in favor of certain general unsecured creditors in the aggregate principal amount of $288 to settle an aggregate amount of $839 of accounts payable, accrued expenses and other liabilities. The aggregate amount of payables, accrued expenses and other liabilities was subsequently revised to $796. In September 2016, the amounts previously settled with nonconvertible promissory notes were paid in cash of $249 resulting in a gain on the debt settlement of $547. No gain was previously recorded.
Litigation
In February 2016, a former vendor alleging our failure to pay outstanding invoices for approximately $335, which is included in accounts payable in the December 31, 2016 accompanying consolidated balance sheet, initiated a breach-of-contract lawsuit against us. Also in February 2016, a former vendor alleging our failure to pay outstanding invoices for approximately $51, which is included in accounts payable in the December 31, 2016 accompanying consolidated balance sheet, filed a motion for summary judgment against us. During 2017, we negotiated settlement with the vendor for $45.
The Company is involved in various legal proceedings incidental to the operations of its business. The Company believes that the outcome of all such other pending legal proceedings in the aggregate will not have a material adverse effect on its business, financial condition, liquidity, or operating results.
Leases
Future minimum lease payments under leases with initial or remaining non-cancelable lease terms in excess of one year as of December 31, 2017 are as follows:
| Year ending December 31, | Lease Obligations | |||
| 2018 | $ | 587 | ||
| 2019 | 499 | |||
| 2020 | 398 | |||
| 2021 | 61 | |||
| Total future minimum obligations | $ | 1,545 | ||
Rent expense totaled $474 and $416 for the years ended December 31, 2017 and 2016, respectively, and is included in General and Administrative expenses.
Our CEO was awarded 4,951,557 performance shares with a grant date to be determined upon certain conditions being satisfied. As December 31, 2017 those conditions had not been met and were deemed not probable to be achieved resulting in no compensation expense being recorded.
Termination benefits
On August 10, 2017, the Company announced that it was closing its New Jersey and Minnesota locations. The Company has accrued one-time termination benefits related to severance to the affected employees of $146 and will recognize the expense over the period the employees are expected to continue service to the Company.
NOTE 8: RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS
As discussed in Note 1, on September 1, 2017, our CEO received 3,198,054 shares of our common stock valued at $1,119, as part of the issuance of the ConeXus Holdback shares. During the year-ended December 31, 2017, 5,422,604 of the 8,806,906 shares of common stock were issued to the CEO upon conversion of preferred stock.
For the years-ended December 31, 2017 and 2016, the Company had sales of $3,390 and $1,344, respectively, with a related party entity that is 22.5% owned by a member of senior management. Accounts receivable due from the related party was $3,017 and $543 at December 31, 2017 and 2016, respectively.
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On November 13, 2017, Slipstream Communications, LLC, a related party investor, extended the maturity date of the term loan for which we issued to Slipstream Communications a five-year warrant to purchase up to 5,882,352 shares of common stock at a per-share price of $0.28 (subject to adjustment). The fair value of the warrants on the issuance date was $1.0 million.
On August 10, 2017, Slipstream Communications, LLC, a related party investor, extended the maturity date of the term loan for which we issued to Slipstream Communications a five-year warrant to purchase up to 5,882,352 shares of common stock at a per-share price of $0.28 (subject to adjustment). The fair value of the warrants on the issuance date was $1.2 million.
In December 2016 and January 2017, the Company’s majority shareholder and investor, Slipstream Communications LLC acquired all of the Company’s outstanding debt (see Note 6).
On December 12, 2016, we entered into a $1.0 million secured revolving promissory note pursuant to the August 17, 2016 Loan and Security Agreement with Slipstream Communications, LLC, a related party investor, with interest thereon at 8% per annum, maturing on February 1, 2017. In connection with the loan, we issued the lender a five-year warrant to purchase up to 1,542,452 shares of common stock at a per-share price of $0.28 (subject to adjustment), all pursuant to a securities purchase agreement. This note was repaid on January 12, 2017.
On August 17, 2016, we entered into a Loan and Security Agreement with Slipstream Communications, LLC, a related party investor, under which we obtained a $3.0 million term loan, with interest thereon at 8% per annum, maturing on August 17, 2018 (see Note 6). In connection with the loan, we issued the lender a five-year warrant to purchase up to 5,882,352 shares of Creative Realities’ common stock at a per share price of $0.28 (subject to adjustment).
NOTE 9: INCOME TAXES
Our gross deferred tax assets are primarily related to net federal and state operating loss carryforwards (NOLs). We have substantial NOLs that are limited in its usage by IRC Section 382. IRC Section 382 generally imposes an annual limitation on the amount of NOLs that may be used to offset taxable income when a corporation has undergone significant changes in stock ownership within a statutory testing period. We have performed a preliminary analysis of the annual NOL carryforwards and limitations that are available to be used against taxable income. The estimated federal NOL carryforward after application of the IRC Section 382 limitation is $19.3 million and foreign NOL carryforward is $7.0 million as of December 31, 2017.
The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (Tax Act) was enacted on December 22, 2017 and introduces significant changes to the U.S. income tax law. Effective in 2018, the Tax Act reduces U.S. statutory tax rates from 35% to 21%. Accordingly, we remeasured our deferred taxes as of December 31, 2017 to reflect the reduced rate that will apply in future periods when these deferred taxes are settled or realized, resulting in a one-time $0.2 million net tax benefit in 2017.
Due to the timing of the enactment and the complexity involved in applying the provisions of the Tax Act, we have made reasonable estimates of the effects and recorded provisional amounts in our financial statements as of December 31, 2017. As we collect and prepare necessary data, and interpret the Tax Act and any additional guidance issued by the Internal Revenue Service, and other standard-setting bodies, we may make adjustments to the provisional amounts. Those adjustments may materially impact our provision for income taxes and effective tax rate in the period in which adjustments are made. The accounting for the tax effects of the Tax Act will be completed in 2018.
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A summary of the deferred tax assets and liabilities is included below:
| December 31, | ||||||||
| 2017 | 2016 | |||||||
| Deferred tax assets (liabilities): | ||||||||
| Reserves | $ | 12 | $ | 35 | ||||
| Property and equipment | 80 | 171 | ||||||
| Accrued expenses | 619 | 1,034 | ||||||
| Severance | 56 | 39 | ||||||
| Non-qualified stock options | 268 | 420 | ||||||
| Net foreign carryforwards | 1,906 | 1,844 | ||||||
| Net operating loss and credit carryforwards | 6,801 | 8,054 | ||||||
| Intangibles | 605 | 907 | ||||||
| Total deferred tax assets | 10,347 | 12,504 | ||||||
| Valuation allowance | (10,896 | ) | (13,114 | ) | ||||
| Net deferred tax liabilities | $ | (549 | ) | $ | (610 | ) | ||
| Year ended December 31, | ||||||||
| 2017 | 2016 | |||||||
| Tax provision summary | ||||||||
| State income tax | $ | 21 | $ | 18 | ||||
| Deferred tax benefit, release of valuation allowance | - | (635 | ) | |||||
| Deferred tax benefit - federal | 2,382 | (1,101 | ) | |||||
| Deferred tax benefit - state | (149 | ) | (89 | ) | ||||
| Deferred tax benefit - foreign | (75 | ) | (453 | ) | ||||
| Change in valuation allowance | (2,218 | ) | 1,895 | |||||
| Tax (benefit)/expense | $ | (39 | ) | $ | (365 | ) | ||
A reconciliation of the statutory income tax rate to the effective income tax rates as a percentage of income before income taxes is as follows:
| 2017 | 2016 | |||||||
| Federal statutory rate | -34.00 | % | -34.00 | % | ||||
| State taxes | -2.44 | % | -2.75 | % | ||||
| Foreign rate differential | -0.08 | % | 3.11 | % | ||||
| Other | 3.55 | % | 1.68 | % | ||||
| Impact of Tax Act | 3.10 | % | 0 | % | ||||
| Changes in valuation allowance | -37.79 | % | 36.72 | % | ||||
| Effective tax rate | -67.66 | % | 4.80 | % | ||||
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NOTE 10: CONVERTIBLE PREFERRED STOCK
The preferred stock entitles its holders to a 6% dividend, payable semi-annually in cash or in kind through the three-year anniversary of the original issue date, and from and after such three-year anniversary in duly authorized, validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable shares of common stock. The three-year anniversary of the initial investment date occurred during the second half of 2017 for $5.2 million of the $5.5 million originally issued Convertible Preferred Stock and therefore dividends on those investments were paid via issuance of common shares as of the year-end date.
During the years ended December 31, 2017 and 2016 respectfully, the Company issued an aggregate of 245,816 and 452,224 shares of preferred stock in satisfaction of its semi-annual dividend obligation. During the years ended December 31, 2017 and 2016 respectfully, the Company issued an aggregate of 718,840 and 0 shares of common stock in satisfaction of its semi-annual dividend obligation.
The preferred stock may be converted into our common stock at the option of a holder at an initial conversion price as adjusted of $0.255 per share. Subject to certain conditions, we may call and redeem the preferred stock after three years. From and after the three-year anniversary of the date of issuance, the Company has the right (but not the obligation), upon at least 30 days prior written notice, to call some or all of the Series A Preferred Stock for redemption at any time after the common stock has had a closing price on the relevant trading market, for a period of at least 15 consecutive days, all of which must be after the three-year anniversary date of the purchase agreement, equal to at least one and one-half times the initial conversion price.
During such time as a majority of the preferred stock sold remains outstanding, holders will have the right to elect a member to our Board of Directors. The preferred stock has full-ratchet price protection in the event that we issue common stock below the conversion price, as adjusted, subject to certain customary exceptions. The warrants issued to purchasers of the preferred stock contain weighted-average price protection in the event that we issue common stock below the exercise price, as adjusted, again subject to certain customary exceptions. In the Securities Purchase Agreement, we granted purchasers of the preferred stock certain registration rights pertaining to the common shares they may receive upon conversion of their preferred stock and upon exercise of their warrants.
In 2017, 385,200 shares of Series A Convertible Preferred Stock and 1,860,561 shares of Series A-1 Convertible Preferred Stock were converted into 8,806,906 shares of common stock at the conversion rate of $0.255 per share.
In 2016, 307,500 shares of Series A Preferred Stock were converted into 1,205,882 shares of common stock at the conversion rate of $0.255 per share.
| Number of Convertible Preferred Series A | Number of Convertible Preferred Series A-1 | Shares of Common Stock Received | ||||||||||
| Q4 2017 | - | - | - | |||||||||
| Q3 2017 | 132,200 | 1,860,561 | 7,814,749 | |||||||||
| Q2 2017 | 12,750 | - | 50,000 | |||||||||
| Q1 2017 | 240,250 | - | 942,157 | |||||||||
| Q4 2016 | 132,000 | - | 517,647 | |||||||||
| Q3 2016 | 75,500 | - | 296,078 | |||||||||
| Q2 2016 | - | - | - | |||||||||
| Q1 2016 | 100,000 | - | 392,157 | |||||||||
During the quarter-ended September 30, 2017, the four holders of Series A-1 Convertible Preferred Stock (substantially similar in terms to the Company’s Convertible Preferred Stock, and issued to the shareholders of Conexus World Global LLC) converted all 1,860,561 shares of Series A-1 Convertible Preferred Stock into 7,296,318 shares of common stock. Additionally, certain accredited investors converted 132,200 shares of Series A Convertible Preferred Stock for 518,431 shares of common stock. During the quarter ended June 30, 2017, accredited investors converted 12,750 shares of Convertible Preferred Stock for 50,000 shares of common stock. During the quarter ended March 31, 2017, accredited investors converted 240,250 shares of Convertible Preferred Stock for 942,157 shares of common stock. During the three months ended December 31, September 30, and March 31, 2016, accredited investors converted 132,000, 75,500, and 100,000 shares of Convertible Preferred Stock for 517,647, 296,078 and 392,157 shares of common stock, respectively.
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NOTE 11: WARRANTS
On November 13, 2017, the Company issued a warrant to purchase 5,882,352 shares of common stock at the per share price of $0.28 (subject to adjustment) to Slipstream Communications, LLC in connection with extension of the term loan facility.
On August 10, 2017, the Company issued a warrant to purchase 5,882,352 shares of common stock at the per share price of $0.28 (subject to adjustment) to Slipstream Communications, LLC in connection with extension of the term loan facility.
On August 17, 2016, the Company issued a warrant to purchase 5,882,352 shares of common stock at the per share price of $0.28 (subject to adjustment) to Slipstream Communications, LLC in connection with extension of the term loan facility.
On June 29, 2016, the Company issued a warrant to purchase 89,286 shares of common stock at the per share price of $0.28 (subject to adjustment) pursuant to a securities purchase agreement as more fully described in Note 7, Loans Payable.
On June 13, 2016, the Company issued a warrant to purchase 803,572 shares of common stock at the per share price of $0.28 (subject to adjustment) pursuant to a securities purchase agreement as more fully described in Note 7, Loans Payable.
On May 3, 2016, the Company issued a warrant to purchase 892,857 shares common stock at the per share price of $0.28 (subject to adjustment) pursuant to a securities purchase agreement as more fully described in Note 7, Loans Payable.
On January 15, 2016, the Company issued a warrant to purchase 250,000 shares of the Company’s common stock at the per share price of $0.28 (subject to adjustment) in exchange for services rendered related to the issuance of debt on December 28, 2015. The fair value of the warrants on the issuance date was $20. The warrants were initially recorded as a liability with a discount to the debt issued to amortized over the life of the debt but were reclassified to equity as a result of retrospective application of the adoption of ASU 2017-11.
Listed below are the range of inputs used for the probability weighted Black Scholes option pricing model valuations when the warrants were issued and at December 31, 2017.
| Issuance Date | Expected Term at Issuance Date | Risk Free Interest Rate at Date of Issuance | Volatility at Date of Issuance | Stock Price at Date of Issuance | ||||
| 8/20/2014 | 5.00 | 1.50% | 96.00% | $0.63 | ||||
| 2/13/2015 | 5.00 | 1.28% | 100.00% | $0.34 | ||||
| 5/22/2015 | 5.00 | 1.28% | 107.58% | $0.29 | ||||
| 10/15/2015 | 5.00 | 1.71% | 58.48% | $0.22 | ||||
| 10/26/2015 | 5.00 | 1.71% | 60.47% | $0.21 | ||||
| 12/21/2015 | 5.00 | 1.75% | 58.48% | $0.21 | ||||
| 12/28/2015 | 5.00 | 1.75% | 58.48% | $0.16 | ||||
| 1/15/2016 | 5.00 | 1.76% | 58.48% | $0.17 | ||||
| 5/3/2016 | 5.00 | 1.25% | 51.15% | $0.21 | ||||
| 6/13/2016 | 5.00 | 1.14% | 51.12% | $0.17 | ||||
| 6/29/2016 | 5.00 | 1.01% | 48.84% | $0.17 | ||||
| 8/17/2016 | 5.00 | 1.15% | 51.55% | $0.15 | ||||
| 11/4/2016 | 5.00 | 1.66% | 47.48% | $0.16 | ||||
| 12/12/2016 | 5.00 | 1.90% | 48.54% | $0.19 | ||||
| 8/19/2017 | 5.00 | 1.81% | 64.71% | $0.35 | ||||
| 11/13/2017 | 5.00 | 2.08% | 66.24% | $0.29 |
| Remaining Expected Term at December 31, 2017 | Risk Free Interest Rate at December 31, 2017 | Volatility at December 31, 2017 | Stock Price at December 31, 2017 | |||
| 1.64 - 4.87 | 1.83% | 72.34% | $0.32 |
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A summary of outstanding debt and equity warrants is included below:
| Warrants (Equity) | Warrants (Liability) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Amount | Weighted Average Exercise Price | Weighted Average Remaining Contractual Life | Amount | Weighted Average Exercise Price | Weighted Average Remaining Contractual Life | |||||||||||||||||||
| Balance, January 1, 2016 | 12,937,902 | 1.88 | 3.90 | 6,487,500 | 0.35 | 3.64 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Warrants issued to financial advisors | 500,000 | 0.28 | 4.46 | - | - | - | ||||||||||||||||||
| Warrants issued with promissory notes | 1,785,715 | 0.28 | 4.37 | - | - | - | ||||||||||||||||||
| Warrants issued with term loan | 7,424,804 | 0.28 | 4.70 | - | - | - | ||||||||||||||||||
| Warrants expired | (1,116,359 | ) | 11.52 | - | - | - | - | |||||||||||||||||
| Balance, December 31, 2016 | 21,532,062 | 0.65 | 3.79 | 6,487,500 | 0.35 | 2.64 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Warrants issued with term loan | 11,764,704 | 0.28 | 4.75 | - | - | - | ||||||||||||||||||
| Warrants expired | (292,755 | ) | 46.68 | - | - | - | - | |||||||||||||||||
| Balance December 31, 2017 | 33,004,011 | 0.47 | 3.55 | 6,487,500 | 0.35 | 1.64 | ||||||||||||||||||
NOTE 12: STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY
On August 9, 2017, our Board of Directors authorized a program to repurchase up to 5 million shares of our outstanding common stock through August 9, 2019. The authorization allows for the repurchases to be conducted through open market or privately negotiated transactions. Shares acquired under the stock repurchase program are expected to be retired and returned to the status of authorized but unissued shares of common stock. The stock repurchase program can be suspended, modified or discontinued at any time at our discretion. During the fourth quarter of 2017, 1,185,968 shares of common stock were repurchased at an aggregate price of $149 and were immediately cancelled.
On September 1, 2017, the Company issued to the prior shareholders of ConeXus 5,631,373 shares of common stock valued at $0.35 per share for a total of $1,971 to settle the contingency of the Company in the ConeXus merger. 3,198,054 of these shares were issued to Rick Mills, a majority shareholder of ConeXus, a related party, and the CEO of Creative Realities, Inc. Since the measurement period for the business combination has expired, the issuance of the shares is recognized as a charge to operations during the year of $1.9 million.
In May 2017, the Company paid a vendor for services at a value of $500 with the issuance of 1,960,784 shares of common stock.
During 2017, accredited investors converted 2,245,511 shares of Convertible Preferred Stock in exchange for 8,806,906 shares of common stock. During 2016, accredited investors converted 307,500 shares of Convertible Preferred Stock in exchange for 1,205,882 shares of common stock. In conjunction with the structured settlement program, the Company issued 409,347 shares of its restricted common stock to creditors and 809,842 shares of stock were issued to investors (see Note 8).
A summary of outstanding options is included below:
| Weighted | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Average | Weighted | Weighted | ||||||||||||||||||
| Remaining | Average | Average | ||||||||||||||||||
| Range of Exercise | Number | Contractual | Exercise | Options | Exercise | |||||||||||||||
| Prices between | Outstanding | Life | Price | Exercisable | Price | |||||||||||||||
| $0.18 - $0.65 | 7,145,000 | 7.51 | $ | 0.28 | 3,833,956 | $ | 0.31 | |||||||||||||
| $0.66 - $0.79 | 30,000 | 6.04 | 0.79 | 30,000 | $ | 0.79 | ||||||||||||||
| $0.80 - $12.25 | 15,500 | 4.59 | 3.73 | 15,500 | $ | 3.73 | ||||||||||||||
| 7,190,500 | 7.50 | $ | 0.29 | |||||||||||||||||
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| Options | Weighted Average | |||||||
| Outstanding | Exercise Price | |||||||
| Balance, December 31, 2016 | 7,490,499 | $ | 0.29 | |||||
| Granted | - | - | ||||||
| Exercised | - | - | ||||||
| Forfeited or expired | 299,999 | 0.18 | ||||||
| Balance, December 31, 2017 | 7,190,500 | $ | 0.29 | |||||
The weighted average remaining contractual life for options exercisable is 7.50 years as of December 31, 2017.
NOTE 13: STOCK-BASED COMPENSATION
Stock Compensation Expense Information
FASB ASC 718-10 requires measurement and recognition of compensation expense for all stock-based payments including warrants, stock options, restricted stock grants and stock bonuses based on estimated fair values. Under the Amended and Restated 2006 Equity Incentive Plan, the Company reserved 1,720,000 shares for purchase by the Company’s employees and under the Amended and Restated 2006 Non-Employee Director Stock Option Plan the Company reserved 700,000 shares for purchase by the Company’s employees. There are 365,500 options outstanding under the 2006 Equity Incentive Plan. In October 2014, the Company’s shareholders approved the 2014 Stock Incentive Plan, under which 7,390,355 shares were reserved for purchase by the Company’s employees. There are 6,825,000 options outstanding under the 2014 Stock Incentive Plan.
Compensation expense recognized for the issuance of stock options for the years ended December 31, 2017 and 2016 was as follows:
| December 31, | ||||||||
| 2017 | 2016 | |||||||
| Stock-based compensation costs included in: | ||||||||
| Costs of sales | $ | 6 | $ | 1 | ||||
| Sales and marketing expense | 76 | 74 | ||||||
| General and administrative expense | 202 | 198 | ||||||
| Total stock-based compensation expense | $ | 284 | $ | 273 | ||||
At December 31, 2017, there was approximately $554 of total unrecognized compensation expense related to unvested share-based awards. Generally, this expense will be recognized over the next 1.6 years and will be adjusted for any future changes in estimated forfeitures.
Valuation Information for Stock-Based Compensation
For purposes of determining estimated fair value under FASB ASC 718-10, the Company computed the estimated fair values of stock options using the Black-Scholes model.
There were no options granted during the year ended December 31, 2017.
F-27
On November 11, 2016, the Company granted 10-year options to purchase 425,000 shares of its common stock to an employee. The options vest over 4 years and have an exercise price of $0.18. The fair value of the options on the grant date was $0.09 and was determined using the Black-Sholes model. The values set forth above were calculated using the following weighted average assumptions:
| Risk-free interest rate | 1.14% | |||
| Expected term | 6.25 years | |||
| Expected price volatility | 47.89% | |||
| Dividend yield | 0% |
The Company does not have sufficient historical information to develop reasonable expectations about future exercise patterns and post-vesting employment behavior, so we estimate the expected term of awards granted by taking the average of the vesting term and the contractual term of the awards, referred to as the simplified method. The risk-free interest rate assumption is based on observed interest rates appropriate for the term of the Company’s stock options. The Company used historical closing stock price volatility for a period of 2 years. Although the Company has historical pricing for a period equal to the expected life of the respective awards, the Company used a shorter period of time as the Company went through reorganization and was fundamentally a different company. The dividend yield assumption is based on the Company’s history and expectation of no future dividend payouts.
Our stock-based compensation expense is based on awards ultimately expected to vest and is reduced for estimated forfeitures as permitted by FASB ASU 2016-09, Stock Compensation, wherein a Company can make an entity-wide accounting policy election to either estimate the number of awards that are expected to vest or account for forfeitures when they occur. The Company applied a pre-vesting forfeiture rate of 10%.
NOTE 14: PROFIT-SHARING PLAN
We have a defined contribution 401(k) retirement plans for eligible associates. Associates may contribute up to 15% of their pretax compensation to the plan subject to IRS limitations. There are currently plans to implement an employer contribution match of 50% of employee wages up to 6%, for an effective match of 3% on April 1, 2018.
NOTE 15: SEGMENT INFORMATION AND SIGNIFICANT CUSTOMERS
Segment Information
We currently operate in one reportable segment, marketing technology solutions. Substantially all property and equipment is located at our offices in the United States. All sales for the years ended December 31, 2017 and 2016, were in the United States and Canada.
Major Customers
We had three and two customers that accounted for 63% and 71% of accounts receivable as of December 31, 2017 and 2016, respectively. We do not believe the loss of this customer will have a material adverse effect on our business. The Company had three customers that accounted for 56% and 56% of revenue for the years ended December 31, 2017 and 2016, respectively.
For the years ended December 31, 2017 and 2016, the Company had sales of $3,390 and $1,344, respectively, with a related party entity that is 22.5% owned by a member of senior management. Accounts receivable due from the related party was $3,017 and $543 at December 31, 2017 and 2016, respectively.
NOTE 16: SUBSEQUENT EVENTS
On January 16, 2018, we entered into the Third Amendment to the Loan and Security Agreement with Slipstream Communications, LLC which extended the period through which the Company could draw on the Revolver established by the Loan and Security Agreement. In conjunction with this Amendment, we entered into a $1.0 million secured revolving promissory note pursuant to the August 17, 2016 Loan and Security Agreement with Slipstream Communications, LLC, a related party, addressed below (see Note 10), wherein we borrowed $1.0 million with interest thereon at 8% per annum, maturing on January 16, 2019. In connection with the loan, we issued the lender a five-year warrant to purchase up to 1,851,851 shares of common stock at a per-share price of $0.27 (subject to adjustment), all pursuant to a securities purchase agreement. In connection with the secured revolving promissory note, we did not incur any fees.
On August 10, 2017, we announced the planned closure of our office facilities located at 22 Audrey Place, Fairfield, New Jersey 07004 which housed our previous operations center and ceased use of the facilities in February 2018. In ceasing use of these facilities, we will incur a one-time non-cash charge of $0.6 million in the first quarter of 2018 to accrue for the remaining rent under the lease term, net of anticipated subtenant rental income.
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