As filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on July 15, 2011
U.S. SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
FORM S-1
REGISTRATION STATEMENT UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933
VU1 CORPORATION
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
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(State or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization) | | (Primary Standard Industrial Classification Code Number) | | (I.R.S. Employer Identification Number) |
469 Seventh Avenue, Suite 356
New York, New York 10018
Tel: (212) 359-9503
(Address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code, of registrant’s principal executive offices)
Scott C. Blackstone, Ph.D.
President and Chief Executive Officer
Vu1 Corporation
469 Seventh Avenue, Suite 356
New York, New York 10018
Tel: (212) 359-9503
(Name, address, including zip code, and telephone number,
including area code, of agent for service)
Copy to:
Spencer G. Feldman, Esq.
Greenberg Traurig, LLP
MetLife Building
200 Park Avenue – 15th Floor
New York, New York 10166
Tel: (212) 801-9200; Fax: (212) 801-6400; E-mail: feldmans@gtlaw.com
Approximate date of commencement of proposed sale to the public: As soon as practicable after the effective date of this registration statement.
If any of the securities being registered on this Form are to be offered on a delayed or continuous basis pursuant to Rule 415 under the Securities Act of 1933, check the following box. þ
If this Form is filed to register additional securities for an offering pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering. ¨
If this Form is a post-effective amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462(c) under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering. If this Form is a post-effective amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462(d) under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering.
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, or a smaller reporting company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer” and “smaller reporting company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act. (Check one):
Large Accelerated Filer | ¨ | Accelerated Filer | ¨ |
Non-accelerated Filer | ¨ | Smaller Reporting Company | þ |
CALCULATION OF REGISTRATION FEE
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Title of each class of securities to be registered | | Amount to be registered (1) | | | Proposed maximum offering price per unit (2) | | | Proposed maximum aggregate offering price | | | Amount of registration fee | |
Common Stock (3) | | | 7,486,815 | | | | 0.405 | | | $ | 3,032,160 | | | $ | 352.03 | |
Common Stock (4) | | | 4,267,486 | | | | 0.405 | | | $ | 1,728,332 | | | $ | 200.66 | |
Total Registration Fee | | | 11,754,301 | | | | 0.405 | | | $ | 4,760,492 | | | $ | 552.69 | |
(1) | This registration statement shall also cover any additional shares of common stock that shall become issuable by reason of any stock dividend, stock split, recapitalization or other similar transaction effected without the receipt of consideration that results in an increase in the number of the outstanding shares of common stock. |
(2) | Estimated solely for the purpose of calculating the registration fee pursuant to Rule 457(c) under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, based upon the average of the high and low prices of the registrant’s common stock on the OTC Bulletin Board on July 13, 2011. |
(3) | Represents shares of common stock issuable upon conversion of convertible debentures at a conversion price of $0.55 per share. |
(4) | Represents shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of warrants at an exercise price of $0.65 per share. |
THE REGISTRANT HEREBY AMENDS THIS REGISTRATION STATEMENT ON SUCH DATE OR DATES AS MAY BE NECESSARY TO DELAY ITS EFFECTIVE DATE UNTIL THE REGISTRANT SHALL FILE A FURTHER AMENDMENT WHICH SPECIFICALLY STATES THAT THIS REGISTRATION STATEMENT SHALL THEREAFTER BECOME EFFECTIVE IN ACCORDANCE WITH SECTION 8(a) OF THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933, AS AMENDED, OR UNTIL THE REGISTRATION STATEMENT SHALL BECOME EFFECTIVE ON SUCH DATE AS THE COMMISSION, ACTING PURSUANT TO SAID SECTION 8(a), MAY DETERMINE.
The information in this prospectus is not complete and may be changed. Our selling stockholders may not sell these securities until the registration statement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission is effective. This prospectus is not an offer to sell these securities, and we are not soliciting offers to buy these securities in any state where the offer or sale is not permitted.
PRELIMINARY PROSPECTUS
SUBJECT TO COMPLETION, DATED JULY 15, 2011
11,754,301 Shares
Common Stock
This prospectus relates to the sale of up to 11,754,301 shares of our common stock by the selling stockholders listed in this prospectus. These shares consist of 7,486,815 shares of common stock issuable upon conversion of original issue discount convertible debentures due June 22, 2013 (referred to as the convertible debentures) and 4,267,486 shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of warrants. The shares offered by this prospectus may be sold by the selling stockholders from time to time in the over-the-counter market or other national securities exchange or automated interdealer quotation system on which our common stock is then listed or quoted, through negotiated transactions or otherwise at market prices prevailing at the time of sale or at negotiated prices.
We are registering these shares following our June 2011 private placement. The distribution of the shares by the selling stockholders is not subject to any underwriting agreement. We will receive none of the proceeds from the sale of the shares by the selling stockholders, except upon exercise of the warrants. We will bear all expenses of registration incurred in connection with this offering, but all selling and other expenses incurred by the selling stockholders will be borne by them.
Our common stock is quoted on the OTC Bulletin Board under the symbol VUOC.OB. The high and low bid prices for shares of our common stock on July 13, 2011, were $0.41 and $0.40 per share, respectively, based upon bids that represent prices quoted by broker-dealers on the OTC Bulletin Board. These quotations reflect inter-dealer prices, without retail mark-up, mark-down or commissions, and may not represent actual transactions.
The selling stockholders may be deemed, and any broker-dealer executing sell orders on behalf of the selling stockholders will be considered, “underwriters” within the meaning of the Securities Act of 1933. Commissions received by any broker-dealer will be considered underwriting commissions under the Securities Act of 1933.
An investment in these securities involves a high degree of risk.
Please carefully review the section titled “Risk Factors” beginning on page 4.
NEITHER THE SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION NOR ANY STATE SECURITIES COMMISSION HAS APPROVED OR DISAPPROVED OF THESE SECURITIES OR PASSED UPON THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THIS PROSPECTUS. ANY REPRESENTATION TO THE CONTRARY IS A CRIMINAL OFFENSE.
The date of this prospectus is _________, 2011
In considering the acquisition of the common stock described in this prospectus, you should rely only on the information contained in this prospectus. We have not authorized anyone to provide you with information different from that contained in this prospectus.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
PROSPECTUS | |
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PROSPECTUS SUMMARY | 1 |
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RISK FACTORS | 4 |
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CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS | 11 |
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WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION | 11 |
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USE OF PROCEEDS | 12 |
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MARKET FOR OUR COMMON STOCK AND RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS | 12 |
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MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS | 14 |
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MANAGEMENT | 27 |
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PRINCIPAL STOCKHOLDERS | 35 |
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SELLING STOCKHOLDERS | 39 |
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PLAN OF DISTRIBUTION | 44 |
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DESCRIPTION OF SECURITIES | 46 |
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SHARES AVAILABLE FOR FUTURE SALE | 49 |
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LEGAL MATTERS | 51 |
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EXPERTS | 51 |
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INTEREST OF NAMED EXPERTS AND COUNSEL | 51 |
PROSPECTUS SUMMARY
You should read the following summary together with the more detailed information contained elsewhere in this prospectus, including the section titled “Risk Factors,” regarding us and the common stock being sold in this offering. Unless the context otherwise requires, when we refer to “our company,” “we,” “us” or “our,” we are referring to Vu1 Corporation, the issuer of this prospectus.
Overview
We design, develop and manufacture mercury-free light bulbs using our proprietary Electron Stimulated Luminescence™, or ESL, lighting technology. Our ESL light bulbs use cathode-ray tube technology in which accelerated electrons stimulate phosphor to create light, making the surface of our bulbs glow in a highly energy-efficient manner and with a warm white natural light. In December 2010, we released our first commercial product, the R30 reflector light bulb (a direct replacement for the 65-watt incandescent flood bulb), which we believe will capture a growing share of the general illumination market in 2011 and over the next several years. We believe that this is because our current and planned ESL light bulbs offer potential advantages over competing lighting technologies on account of increased energy efficiency, longer product lifetime, environmentally safer and toxic-free, superior light quality and lower purchase price as a percentage of the bulb’s extended lifetime. We also believe that our ESL light bulbs have the potential to replace traditional incandescent light bulbs, compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) and solid-state light emitting diodes (LEDs) in the future because of these competitive advantages. Our technology, intellectual property position and manufacturing capability should enable us to share in the revenues from the worldwide general lighting products market as our current and planned ESL light bulbs enter mainstream consumer and other markets.
Our primary growth strategy is to accelerate the introduction of our light bulbs into the commercial and residential general illumination market with the goal of obtaining widespread marketplace adoption within the next two years. In support of this objective, we are pursuing a multi-channel sales, marketing and distribution strategy, which includes efforts to establish business relationships with “big box” retailers, electrical and lighting distributors and municipal utilities, some of whom are currently evaluating our light bulbs for resale to their customers. We also intend to outsource our online order facility to an e-commerce fulfillment service provider to enable consumers to more efficiently buy our products and review our product catalog.
In addition to our R30 reflector light bulb, which received certification from Underwriters Laboratories Inc. (UL®)last October, we are currently developing our version of the standard Edisonian A19 screw-in light bulb (and its European equivalent, the A60 bulb) for anticipated release in the second half of 2011. In June 2011, we submitted our A19 bulb to UL for certification. We are also developing an R40 flood light bulb for the United States commercial market and a smaller R25 light bulb for the European market to be used in recessed lighting fixtures. According to Strategies Unlimited, an independent research firm, the worldwide lighting market currently accounts for approximately $90 billion in annual sales.
We believe a significant contributing factor to our prospects are government regulations mandating the use of energy-efficient lighting, including the elimination of the production of traditional incandescent light bulbs in Europe by 2012 and in the United States by 2014, and regulations restricting the use of hazardous substances such as the mercury contained in CFLs. We believe these developments disrupt the well-entrenched lighting industry of past decades and, given the energy conservation and eco-friendly characteristics of our ESL light bulbs, create significant opportunities for us to introduce our products into the market in place of incandescent bulbs, as well as CFLs and LEDs.
We conduct our ESL light bulb development and manufacturing activities at our facility in the Czech Republic, which is operated by our Sendio s.r.o. subsidiary. At this 75,000 square-foot facility, we currently have one active production line with the capacity to produce up to 6.8 million light bulbs per year, with planned future expansion capacity on the same site to add further production lines with an estimated additional 10 million bulb annual capacity per line. We are also seeking strategic partners to manufacture specialized components of our products. Through our internal development efforts in the Czech Republic, we own 11 issued and pending U.S. patents (together with numerous counterparts filed in various foreign countries), and have accumulated over the past five years a substantial amount of technical know-how relating to our ESL technology.
As of July 13, 2011, we employed a team of 55 research scientists, engineers and laboratory technicians concentrating on technology development and innovation.
Our executive officers and directors have significant experience in developing and executing a “go-to-market” business model in a competitive, high growth industry. In addition, our management team has assembled highly-skilled technical personnel in Europe and the United States to conduct ongoing research and development of new light bulbs and next-generation technologies.
Corporate Information
We were incorporated under the laws of the State of California in August 1996 under the name of Telegen Corporation. In 2007, we began research and product development on our lighting technology and, in May 2008, changed our name to Vu1 Corporation to better reflect this business focus. Our principal executive offices are located at 469 Seventh Avenue, Suite 356, New York, New York 10018, and our telephone number is (212) 359-9503. Our Internet website address is http://www.vu1.com. The information on our website is not incorporated by reference into this prospectus, and you should not consider it part of this prospectus.
About this Offering
This prospectus relates to the public offering, which is not being underwritten, of up to 11,754,301 shares of our common stock by the selling stockholders listed in this prospectus. These shares consist of 7,486,815 shares of common stock issuable upon conversion of convertible debentures and 4,267,486 shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of warrants. The shares offered by this prospectus may be sold by the selling stockholders from time to time in the over-the-counter market or other national securities exchange or automated interdealer quotation system on which our common stock is then listed or quoted, through negotiated transactions or otherwise at market prices prevailing at the time of sale or at negotiated prices. We will receive none of the proceeds from the sale of the shares by the selling stockholders, except upon exercise of the warrants. We will bear all expenses of registration incurred in connection with this offering, but all selling and other expenses incurred by the selling stockholders will be borne by them.
The shares of common stock being offered by this prospectus relate to convertible debentures and warrants issued in our June 2011 private placement. At the closing, we completed a private placement to 11 institutional accredited investors of convertible debentures, receiving gross proceeds of $3,500,000. Each convertible debenture was issued at a price equal to 85% of its principal amount. The convertible debentures mature two years after the date of their issuance and do not bear regularly scheduled interest. Investors may convert their convertible debentures into shares of our common stock at any time and from time to time on or before the maturity date, at a conversion price of $0.55 per share. As part of the private placement, the investors were also issued five-year warrants to purchase up to 3,743,409 shares of our common stock at an exercise price of $0.65 per share. Rodman & Renshaw, LLC, the placement agent for the private placement, was issued five-year warrants to purchase up to 524,077 shares of our common stock at an exercise price of $0.65 per share. For a more detailed discussion regarding the private placement, please see “Selling Stockholders - June 2011 Private Placement” in this prospectus.
The number of shares being offered by this prospectus represents approximately 10.6% of our outstanding shares of common stock (assuming the exercise of the warrants included in the number of shares covered by this prospectus) as of July 13, 2011.
THE OFFERING
Common stock being offered by the selling stockholders: | | |
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· | Number of shares that may be issued upon conversion of convertible debentures | | 7,486,815 shares. |
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· | Number of shares that may be issued upon exercise of warrants | | 4,267,486 shares. |
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Total | | 11,754,301 shares. |
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Common stock outstanding (1) | | 110,884,900 shares. |
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Use of proceeds | | We will receive none of the proceeds from the sale of the shares by the selling stockholders, except cash for the warrant exercise price upon exercise of the warrants, which would be used for working capital. |
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OTC Bulletin Board symbol | | VUOC.OB |
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Risk factors | | Investing in our common stock involves a high degree of risk. Please refer to the section “Risk Factors” before making an investment in our stock. |
(1) | As of July 13, 2011. Does not include shares of common stock that are reserved for issuance pursuant to outstanding warrants, stock options and other convertible securities. |
SUMMARY FINANCIAL INFORMATION
The summary financial information set forth below is derived from and should be read in conjunction with our consolidated financial statements, including the notes to the financial statements, appearing at the end of this prospectus.
| | | | | Three Months Ended March 31, | |
| | 2010 | | | 2009 | | | 2011 | | | 2010 | |
| | | | | | | | (unaudited) | |
Consolidated Statement of Operations Data: | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Revenues | | | - | | | | - | | | | - | | | | - | |
Net (loss) income | | $ | (4,626,250 | ) | | $ | (7,582,690 | ) | | $ | (1,240,178 | ) | | $ | 62,780 | |
Weighted average shares outstanding - basic | | | 90,735,085 | | | | 85,669,639 | | | | 108,285,637 | | | | 86,080,621 | |
Weighted average shares outstanding - diluted | | | 90,735,085 | | | | 85,669,639 | | | | 108,285,637 | | | | 86,806,696 | |
Loss per share – basic and diluted | | $ | (0.05 | ) | | $ | (0.09 | ) | | $ | (0.01 | ) | | $ | 0.00 | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Consolidated Balance Sheet Data (at end of period): | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Working capital (deficit) | | $ | (499,359 | ) | | $ | (531,892 | ) | | $ | 711,776 | | | $ | (851,712 | ) |
Total assets | | $ | 1,768,929 | | | $ | 1,873,026 | | | $ | 3,052,681 | | | $ | 1,689,260 | |
Total liabilities | | $ | 729,895 | | | $ | 4,054,926 | | | $ | 2,342,705 | | | $ | 3,698,402 | |
Total stockholders’ equity (deficit) | | $ | 1,039,034 | | | $ | (2,181,900 | ) | | $ | 709,976 | | | $ | (1,989,142 | ) |
RISK FACTORS
An investment in our common stock involves a high degree of risk. You should carefully consider the following material risks, together with the other information contained in this prospectus, before you decide to buy our common stock. If any of the following risks actually occur, our business, results of operations and financial condition would likely suffer. In these circumstances, the market price of our common stock could decline, and you may lose all or part of your investment.
Risks Related to Our Business
We have historically been a research and development company. We have a limited operating history with minimal revenue to date, so it may be difficult to evaluate our business and prospects. We also received a going concern qualification in our 2010 audit.
We have been primarily engaged during the last six years in the research and development of our lighting products, and have incurred significant operating losses. We have only recently commenced commercial manufacturing. During 2009, 2010 and the first quarter of 2011, we had no revenues. We currently depend on third-party financing to fund our operations. We have a very limited operating history upon which an investor can evaluate our business and prospects, and we may never be successful or achieve profitability. Peterson Sullivan, LLP, our independent registered public accounting firm, in its opinion on our financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2010, raised substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern due to our net losses and negative cash flows from operations and other factors.
We need significant additional financing in the fourth quarter of 2011. If we cannot obtain needed financing, we may have to curtail our operations.
Our cash of approximately $1.9 million as of July 13, 2011 is not sufficient to support our operations through 2011, and we expect to need additional financing by October, 2011. During 2010, we continued to incur operating losses as we continued development expenditures on our light bulb technology, pursued product production and sought to establish marketing and sales and distribution capabilities. Our ability to implement our business plan in 2011 and our future operations will be significantly impaired or delayed if we are unable to secure financing in the amounts and at the times needed to fund our working capital. We may seek to obtain funds through equity or debt financings, as well as through strategic financial partners. Such financing may not be available to us, or may only be available on financially unattractive terms or in insufficient amounts. If we are unable to obtain sufficient cash to continue to fund operations or if we are unable to locate a strategic partner, we may be forced to curtail or cease operations. Our independent registered public accounting firm added an explanatory paragraph to its opinion on our 2010 financial statements stating that there was substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern.
We have incurred historical losses and, as a result, may not be able to generate profits, support our operations or establish a return on invested capital, which can have a detrimental effect on the long-term capital appreciation of our stock.
We incurred losses in 2010 of $4.6 million and had an accumulated deficit of $70.5 million as of December 31, 2010. During the first quarter of 2011, we incurred losses of $1.2 million and our accumulated deficit increased to $71.7 million as of March 31, 2011. We cannot predict when or whether we will ever generate a profit or otherwise establish a return on invested capital. We may never be profitable. Our business strategies may not be successful and we may never generate significant revenues or profitability, in any future fiscal period or at all.
We have a number of technology issues to resolve before we will be able to successfully manufacture a full line of commercially viable products.
Although we have completed initial engineering and obtained UL certification of our initial R30 light bulb, further development work and third-party testing will be necessary before the technology can be deployed and we can commence production of a full line of lighting products. Specifically, we are continuing to work on our standard Edisonian A19 screw-in light bulb, including obtaining acceptable life and output specifications. If we are unable to solve current and future technology issues, we will not be able to manufacture a full line of commercially viable products. In addition, if we encounter difficulty in solving technology issues, our research and development costs could increase substantially and our development and production schedules could be significantly delayed.
We have no experience manufacturing our ESL light bulbs on a large scale, commercial basis.
Our future operating results will depend on our ability to manufacture our products. To do so, we will have to develop manufacturing processes and the manufacturing capability that will allow us to produce high volumes of products at commercially viable yields. Although we have developed manufacturing processes, we have no experience in manufacturing our products on a large scale, commercial basis. We do not know whether the processes we have developed or our manufacturing capabilities will be capable of supporting large-scale manufacturing, or whether we will be able to develop the other processes necessary for large-scale manufacturing of light bulbs that meet the requirements for cost, schedule, quality, engineering, design, production standards and volume requirements. Because we have limited experience with manufacturing our products, we may not be able to establish manufacturing capacity at a reasonable cost, maintain the quality of our products as production increases or develop the administrative and operational infrastructure necessary to support expanded operations. If we fail to develop or obtain the necessary manufacturing capabilities, or if we fail to achieve volume production of our products with competitive yields at acceptable costs, it will significantly alter our business plans and could have a material adverse effect on our business, prospects, financial condition and results of operations.
We have experienced significant delays in executing our business plan, and further delays will reduce the likelihood that we will be able to manufacture products or generate sufficient revenue to stay in business.
We have previously experienced significant delays in executing our business plan. These delays are attributable to a number of factors, including:
| · | unanticipated difficulties and increased expenses in developing our technology, |
| · | unanticipated difficulties in our manufacturing processes and |
| · | our inability to obtain funding in a timely manner. |
In the future, we may experience delays caused by these and other factors. Our business must be viewed in light of the problems, expenses, complications and delays frequently encountered in connection with the development of new technologies, products, markets and operations. If we are unable to anticipate or manage challenges confronting our business in a timely manner, we may be unable to continue our operations.
We must fulfill our obligation under the real estate purchase agreement for the Sendio facility. If we cannot pay the balance of the purchase price, we may lose our manufacturing facility.
Under the purchase agreement for our Sendio manufacturing facility in the Czech Republic, Sendio is required to make significant payments totaling approximately $9.0 million by June 30, 2013. We currently do not have the funds to pay the balance of the purchase price, and we will need to obtain additional financing to fulfill our payment obligation under the purchase agreement. If we are unable to obtain the financing, we will need to negotiate with the landlord to extend the closing date of the building purchase or extend the lease beyond its current term of June 30, 2013.
We must successfully develop, introduce, manufacture, market and sell lighting products and manage our operating expenses, all while trying to deal with many events that may occur which are beyond our control.
To be a viable business, we must successfully develop, introduce, manufacture, market and sell products and manage our operating expenses. Many of our lighting products are still in development and are subject to the risks inherent in the development of technology products, including unforeseen delays, expenses, patent challenges and complications frequently encountered in the development and commercialization of technology products, the dependence on and attempts to apply new and rapidly changing technology, consumer resistance to changing from traditional practices and the competitive environment of the industry. Many of these events are beyond our control, such as unanticipated development requirements, delays and difficulties with obtaining third-party certification, efforts to repeal prior laws preventing manufacturers from making less efficient light bulbs, delays in submitting documentation for and being granted patents and manufacturing problems. Our success also depends on our ability to maintain high levels of employee utilization, manage our production costs, sales and marketing costs and general and administrative expenses, and otherwise execute on our business plan. We may not be able to effectively and efficiently manage our development and growth. Any inability to do so could increase our expenses and negatively impact our results of operations.
We rely heavily on a few consultants and employees, the loss of whom could have a material adverse effect on our business, operating results and financial condition.
Our future success will depend in significant part upon the continued services of our executive officers and directors and certain key consultants, and our ability to attract, assimilate and retain highly qualified technical, managerial and sales and marketing personnel when needed. Competition for quality personnel is intense, and there can be no assurance that we can retain our existing key personnel or that we will be able to attract, assimilate and retain such employees in the future when needed. The loss of key personnel or the inability to hire, assimilate or retain qualified personnel in the future could have a material adverse effect on our business.
We rely on outside suppliers to manage certain key business processes, and any failure to perform will negatively affect our business.
We have outsourced certain of our key business processes. In September 2010, we retained Integrated Sales Solutions II, LLC to help develop our sales, marketing and distribution strategies and channels. In April 2011, we entered into an agreement with Hamlin Consulting, LLC to advise and assist us in defining logistics, warehousing, finished good requirements, distribution, packaging, merchandising and support for our ESL bulbs. If any of these service providers fail to perform at a satisfactory level, our business development will be negatively affected and delayed, and our reputation may be harmed.
Our future operating results are difficult to predict; thus, the future of our business is uncertain.
Due to our limited operating history and the significant development and manufacturing objectives that we must achieve to be successful, our quarterly and annual operating results are difficult to predict and are expected to vary significantly from period to period. In addition, the amount and duration of losses will be extended if we are unable to develop and manufacture our products in a timely manner. Factors that could inhibit our product development and manufacturing and future operating results include:
| · | failure to solve existing or future technology-related issues in a timely manner, |
| · | failure to obtain sufficient financing when needed, |
| · | failure to secure key manufacturing or other strategic partnerships and |
| · | competitive factors, including the introduction of new products, product enhancements and the introduction of new or improved technologies by our competitors, the entry of new competitors into the lighting markets and pricing pressures. |
We face currency risks associated with fluctuating foreign currency valuations.
With operations in the Czech Republic through our Sendio subsidiary, Sendio’s accounts, which primarily consist of lease payments, compensation and other R&D and administrative expenses, are denominated in the Czech Koruna (CZK) and the Euro. An increase in the value of the CZK and Euro in relation to the U.S. dollar would have an adverse effect on our operating expenses. In addition, we may engage in business in other countries, particularly in the European Union, and our operating results will be subject to fluctuations in the value of those currencies against the U.S. dollar. In addition, the financial statements for our Czech subsidiary are denominated in the CZK; accordingly, on a consolidated financial statement reporting basis, these numbers are translated into U.S. dollars and are affected by currency conversion rates. To date, we have not entered into foreign currency contracts or other currency-related derivatives to mitigate the potential impact of foreign currency fluctuations.
Risks Related to Our Industry
Our ability to manufacture products will depend on the continuous supply and availability of raw materials and our business will be susceptible to shortages, unavailability and price fluctuations.
The principal raw materials that we use in manufacturing our light bulbs include glass, electronic components and other required materials. Our business will be adversely affected by any impairment in the supply of these raw materials or by price increases. Although we have identified suppliers for these materials, we do not have supply agreements in place for raw materials, and we will be subject to risk of fluctuations in supply and price. In addition, while we believe that in many instances there are alternative suppliers for these components, replacement suppliers may not be available. If we are unable to secure sufficient quantities of the materials we need to manufacture our light bulbs, if we encounter delays or contractual or other difficulties in our relationships with suppliers, or if we cannot find replacement suppliers at an acceptable cost, then the manufacture of our light bulbs may be disrupted, which would increase our costs, delay our production schedule and have a material adverse effect on our business.
Because we are smaller and have fewer financial resources than most of our competitors, we may not be able to successfully compete in the very competitive lighting industry.
The lighting industry is very competitive and we expect this competition to continue to increase. The general illumination market segment within the lighting industry is dominated by a number of well-funded multi-national companies such as General Electric Company, Phillips Electronics NV and Osram Sylvania, that have established products and are developing new products that compete with our current and planned products. We may not be able to compete effectively against these or other competitors, most of whom have substantially greater financial resources and operating experience than we do. Many of our current and future competitors may have advantages over us, including:
| · | well established products that dominate the market, |
| · | longer operating histories, |
| · | established customer bases, |
| · | substantially greater financial resources, |
| · | well established and significantly greater technical, research and development, manufacturing, sales and marketing resources, capabilities and experience and |
| · | greater name recognition. |
Our current and potential competitors have established, and may continue to establish in the future, cooperative relationships among themselves or with third parties that would increase their market dominance and negatively impact our ability to compete with them. In addition, competitors may be able to adapt more quickly than we can to new or emerging technologies and changes in customer needs, or to devote more resources to promoting and selling their products. If we fail to adapt to market demands and to compete successfully with existing and new competitors, our results of operations could be materially adversely affected. The market for lighting technology is changing rapidly and there can be no assurance that we will be able to compete, especially in light of our limited resources. There can be no assurance that any of our current or planned products can compete successfully on a cost, quality or market acceptance basis with competitors’ products and technologies.
We depend on our intellectual property. If we are unable to protect our intellectual property, we may be unable to compete and our business may fail.
Our success and ability to develop our technology and create products and become competitive depend to a significant degree on our ability to protect our proprietary technology, particularly any patentable material. We rely on a combination of trade secret and other intellectual property law, nondisclosure agreements and other protective measures to preserve our rights to our technology. In addition, any intellectual property protection we seek may not preclude competitors from developing products similar to ours. In addition, the laws of certain foreign countries do not protect intellectual property rights to the same extent as do the laws of the United States.
We do not currently have sufficient available resources to defend a lawsuit challenging our intellectual property rights or to prosecute others who may be infringing our rights. Accordingly, even if we have strong intellectual property rights and patent rights, we may not be able to afford to engage in the necessary litigation to enforce our rights.
We compete in industries where competitors pursue patent prosecution worldwide and patent litigation is customary. At any given time, there may be one or more patent applications filed or patents that are the subject of litigation, which, if granted or upheld, could impair our ability to conduct our business without first obtaining licenses or granting cross-licenses, which may not be available on commercially reasonable terms, if at all. We have several patent applications pending in the United States and internationally and we expect to file additional patent applications; however, none of these patents may ever be issued. We do not perform worldwide patent searches as a matter of custom and, at any given time, there could be patent applications pending or patents issued that may have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Other parties may assert intellectual property infringement claims against us, and our products may infringe on the intellectual property rights of third parties. Intellectual property litigation is expensive and time consuming and could divert management’s attention from our business and could result in the loss of significant rights. If there is a successful claim of infringement, we may be required to develop non-infringing technology or enter into royalty or license agreements which may not be available on acceptable terms, if at all. In addition, we could be required to cease selling any of our products that infringe on the intellectual property rights of others. Successful claims of intellectual property infringement against us may have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. Even successful defense and prosecution of patent suits is costly and time consuming.
We rely in part on unpatented proprietary technology, and others may independently develop the same or similar technology or otherwise obtain access to our unpatented technology. To protect our trade secrets and other proprietary information, we require employees, consultants, advisors and strategic partners to enter into confidentiality agreements. These agreements may not provide meaningful protection for our trade secrets, know-how or other proprietary information in the event of any unauthorized use, misappropriation or disclosure of those trade secrets, know-how or other proprietary information. In particular, we may not be able to protect our proprietary information as we conduct discussions with potential strategic partners. If we are unable to protect the proprietary nature of our technologies, it may have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Our lighting products are subject to extensive regulation, compliance with which is expensive and time consuming.
Our current and planned commercial products are and will be subject to extensive regulation, both in the United States and internationally. Compliance with these laws and regulations is expensive and requires significant management time. Failure to comply with applicable laws and regulations could have a material adverse effect on our business.
Failure to obtain and maintain industry certification for our products could cause an erosion of our current competitive strengths.
We are designing our products to be UL or ETL (an Intertek listed mark for product compliance to North American safety standards) compliant and intend to seek Energy Star certification, as well as appropriate certifications in the European Union and in other countries. UL or ETL compliance certification is a key standard in the lighting industry, and if we fail to obtain or maintain this standard we may not have any market interest for our products. We may not obtain this certification or we may be required to make changes to our light bulbs, which would delay our commercialization efforts and would negatively harm our business and our results of operations.
Rapid technological changes and evolving industry standards could result in our products becoming obsolete and no longer in demand.
The lighting industry is characterized by rapid technological change and evolving industry standards and is highly competitive with respect to timely product innovation. The introduction of products embodying new technology and the emergence of new industry standards can render existing products and technologies obsolete and unmarketable. Our success will depend in part on our ability to successfully develop commercial applications for our technology, anticipate and respond to technology developments and changes in industry standards, and obtain market acceptance on any products we introduce. We may not be successful in the development of our technology, and we may encounter technical or other serious difficulties in our development or commercialization efforts that would materially adversely affect our results of operations.
Risks Related to our Securities and this Offering
Our management and SAM Special Opportunities Fund, L.P. own a substantial amount of our stock and are capable of influencing our affairs.
As of July 13, 2011, our executive officers and directors (and their respective affiliates) beneficially owned approximately 27% of our outstanding common stock, with SAM Advisors, LLC, an investment advisor controlled by William B. Smith, our Chairman, beneficially owning approximately 18.6% of our outstanding common stock. As a result, these shareholders substantially influence our management and affairs and, if acting together, control most matters requiring the approval by our shareholders including the election of directors, any merger, consolidation or sale of all or substantially all of our assets and any other significant corporate transactions. The concentration of ownership may delay or prevent a change of control at a premium price.
Our common stock is thinly traded, which may impair your ability to sell your shares at a later time.
The trading volume of our common stock is thin. Therefore, there may not be a large number of potential purchasers ready to buy shares whenever a shareholder desires to sell. The public stock markets generally, and our shares specifically, are volatile and unpredictable. There can be no assurance that shareholders will be able to dispose of their shares at the time they desire to do so or at the desired selling price.
Our articles of incorporation contain authorized, unissued preferred stock which, if issued, may inhibit a takeover at a premium price that may be beneficial to you.
Our articles of incorporation allow us to issue up to 10,000,000 shares of preferred stock without further stockholder approval and upon such terms and conditions, and having such rights, preferences, privileges and restrictions as the board of directors may determine. The rights of the holders of common stock will be subject to, and may be adversely affected by, the rights of holders of any preferred stock that may be issued in the future. In addition, the issuance of preferred stock could have the effect of making it more difficult for a third party to acquire control of, or of discouraging bids for control of our company. This could limit the price that certain investors might be willing to pay in the future for shares of common stock. We have no current plans to issue any shares of preferred stock.
Shares eligible for future sale may adversely affect the market price of our common stock, as the future sale of a substantial amount of our stock in the public market may depress the price of our common stock.
From time to time, certain of our stockholders may be eligible to sell all or some of their shares of common stock by means of ordinary brokerage transactions in the open market pursuant to Rule 144 under the Securities Act, subject to certain limitations. In general, pursuant to Rule 144, a stockholder who is not affiliated with us and has satisfied a six-month holding period may sell its shares without restriction. An affiliate of our company may also, under certain circumstances, sell within any three-month period a number of shares which does not exceed 1% of the then outstanding shares of common stock following the six-month holding period. Any substantial sale of common stock pursuant to Rule 144 or pursuant to any resale prospectus may have an adverse effect on the market price of our common stock.
Any future equity-based financings will dilute our stockholders.
We will need to raise additional financing by October 2011. If we raise funds through the issuance of equity, equity-linked or debt securities, these securities may have rights, preferences or privileges senior to those of the rights of the common stock. The sale of additional equity or convertible debt securities could result in substantial dilution to stockholders in terms of their percentage ownership and voting interest in our company.
Our common stock is considered a “penny stock” and may be difficult to sell.
Our common stock is subject to certain rules and regulations relating to “penny stock.” A “penny stock” is generally defined as any equity security that has a price less than $5.00 per share and that is not quoted on a national securities exchange. Being a penny stock generally means that any broker who wants to trade in our shares (other than with established clients and certain institutional investors) must comply with certain “sales practice requirements,” including delivery to the prospective purchaser of the penny stock a risk disclosure document describing the penny stock market and the risks associated with it. These penny stock rules make it more difficult for broker-dealers to recommend our common stock and, as a result, our stockholders may have difficulty in selling their shares in the secondary trading market. This lack of liquidity may also make it more difficult for us to raise capital in the future through the sale of our equity securities.
We do not intend to pay cash dividends on our common stock, so any return on investment must come from appreciation.
We have never declared or paid any cash dividends on our common stock and do not intend to pay cash dividends in the foreseeable future. We intend to invest all future earnings, if any, to fund our growth. Therefore, any investment return in our common stock must come from increases in the trading price of our common stock.
CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
Included in this prospectus are “forward-looking” statements, as well as historical information. Although we believe that the expectations reflected in these forward-looking statements are reasonable, we cannot assure you that the expectations reflected in these forward-looking statements will prove to be correct. Our actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in forward-looking statements as a result of certain factors, including matters described in the section titled “Risk Factors.” Forward-looking statements include those that use forward-looking terminology, such as the words “anticipate,” “believe,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “may,” “project,” “plan,” “will,” “shall,” “should” and similar expressions, including when used in the negative. Although we believe that the expectations reflected in these forward-looking statements are reasonable and achievable, these statements involve risks and uncertainties and no assurance can be given that actual results will be consistent with these forward-looking statements. Actual results may be materially different than those described in this prospectus. Important factors that could cause our actual results, performance or achievements to differ from these forward-looking statements include the factors described in the “Risk Factors” section and elsewhere in this prospectus.
All forward-looking statements attributable to us are expressly qualified in their entirety by these and other factors. Except as required by U.S. federal securities laws, we undertake no obligation to update or revise these forward-looking statements, whether to reflect events or circumstances after the date initially filed or published, to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events or otherwise.
WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION
We have filed a registration statement on Form S-1 with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, or the SEC, to register the shares of our common stock being offered by this prospectus. In addition, we file annual, quarterly and current reports, proxy statements and other information with the SEC. You may read and copy any reports, statements or other information that we file at the SEC’s public reference facilities at 100 F Street, N.E., Washington, D.C. 20549. Please call the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330 for further information regarding the public reference facilities. The SEC maintains a website, http://www.sec.gov that contains reports, proxy statements and information statements and other information regarding registrants that file electronically with the SEC, including us. Our SEC filings are also available to the public from commercial document retrieval services. Information contained on our website should not be considered part of this prospectus.
You may also request a copy of our filings at no cost by writing or telephoning us at:
Vu1 Corporation
469 Seventh Avenue, Suite 356
New York, New York 10018
Attention: Scott C. Blackstone, Ph.D.
President and Chief Executive Officer
Tel: (212) 359-9503
USE OF PROCEEDS
This prospectus relates to shares of our common stock that may be offered and sold from time to time by the selling stockholders who will receive all of the proceeds from the sale of the shares. We will not receive any proceeds from the sale of shares of common stock in this offering, except upon the exercise of outstanding warrants. We could receive up to $2,773,866 in cash for the warrant exercise price upon exercise of the warrants held by selling stockholders. We expect to use the proceeds received from the exercise of the warrants, if any, for working capital and general corporate purposes. We will bear all expenses of registration incurred in connection with this offering, but all commissions, selling and other expenses incurred by the selling stockholders to underwriters, agents, brokers and dealers will be borne by them. We estimate that our expenses in connection with the filing of the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part will be approximately $50,000.
MARKET FOR OUR COMMON STOCK AND RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS
Market Information
Our shares of common stock are currently traded in the over-the-counter market and quoted on the OTC Bulletin Board under the symbol VUOC.OB.
The following table sets forth the high and low bid or closing prices for our common stock for the periods indicated as reported by the OTC Bulletin Board:
| | Year ended December 31, | |
Quarter | | 2009 | | | 2010 | | | 2011 | |
| | High | | | Low | | | High | | | Low | | | High | | | Low | |
First | | $ | 1.13 | | | $ | 0.70 | | | $ | 0.69 | | | $ | 0.31 | | | $ | 0.62 | | | $ | 0.44 | |
Second | | $ | 1.41 | | | $ | 0.70 | | | $ | 0.51 | | | $ | 0.19 | | | $ | 0.50 | | | $ | 0.35 | |
Third (through July 13, 2011) | | $ | 0.91 | | | $ | 0.40 | | | $ | 0.55 | | | $ | 0.30 | | | $ | 0.46 | | | $ | 0.395 | |
Fourth | | $ | 0.80 | | | $ | 0.47 | | | $ | 0.90 | | | $ | 0.40 | | | $ | - | | | $ | - | |
See the cover page of this prospectus for a recent bid price of our common stock as reported by the OTC Bulletin Board.
Over-the-counter bid prices represent prices quoted by broker-dealers in the over-the-counter market. The quotations reflect inter-dealer prices, without retail mark-up, mark-down or commissions, and may not represent actual transactions.
As of July 13, 2011, there were 110,884,900 shares of our common stock outstanding and approximately 750 holders of record of our common stock. However, we believe that there are significantly more beneficial holders of our common stock as many beneficial holders hold their stock in “street name.”
This prospectus covers 11,754,301 shares of our common stock offered for sale by the selling stockholders, which consists of 7,486,815 shares of common stock issuable upon conversion of convertible debentures and 4,267,486 shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of warrants.
Dividend Policy
We do not expect to pay a dividend on our common stock in the foreseeable future. The payment of dividends on our common stock is within the discretion of our board of directors, subject to our certificate of incorporation. We intend to retain any earnings for use in our operations and the expansion of our business. Payment of dividends in the future will depend on our future earnings, future capital needs and our operating and financial condition, among other factors.
Equity Compensation Plan Information
There are 17,567,490 shares of common stock reserved for issuance under our 2007 Stock Compensation Plan. The following table provides information as of July 13, 2011, with respect to the shares of common stock that may be issued under our plan.
Equity Compensation Plan Information
| | Number of shares of common stock to be issued upon exercise of outstanding options, warrants and rights (a) | | | Weighted-average exercise price of outstanding options, warrants and rights (b) | | | Number of securities remaining available for future issuance under equity compensation plans (excluding securities reflected in column (a)) (c) | |
Equity compensation plans approved by security holders | | | 6,838,829 | | | $ | 0.58 | | | | - | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | |
Equity compensation plans not approved by security holders | | | 2,657,315 | | | $ | 0.41 | | | | 8,071,346 | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | |
Total | | | 9,496,144 | | | $ | 0.53 | | | | 8,071,346 | |
MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF
FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
The following discussion and analysis should be read in conjunction with our consolidated financial statements and notes thereto appearing later in this prospectus. Except for historical information, the following discussion contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. See “Risk Factors” and “Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements.”
Our independent registered public accounting firm has issued a “going concern” statement in its report on our financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2010, stating that we had a net loss and negative cash flows from operations in fiscal 2010, and that we have an accumulated deficit. Accordingly, those conditions raise substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern. Our consolidated financial statements do not include any adjustments that might result from this going-concern uncertainty. See Note 3 in our Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements.
Overview
We are focused on developing, manufacturing and selling a line of mercury-free, energy efficient light bulbs based on our proprietary light-emitting technology. For the past several years, we have primarily focused our efforts on research and product development for our Electron Stimulated Luminescence™ (ESL) technology. In 2007, we formed Sendio s.r.o. in the Czech Republic as a wholly-owned subsidiary for continued development of our light bulbs, and to design the manufacturing processes required for commercialization and manufacturing. During 2010, we continued our development work on the technology to refine the prototype with the miniaturization of the electronics and improvements to the efficiency of the bulbs and the design and implementation of the processes required to manufacture our light bulbs. During the second quarter of 2010, we submitted our initial light bulb for safety certification to Underwriters Laboratories Inc. (UL®) and, in October 2010, we received UL certification. Our efforts are presently focused on our initial products, the R30 and A19 sized light bulbs. We are currently supporting initial production of the R30 bulb. During the second quarter of 2011, we submitted our A19 bulb to UL for certification. The commercial viability of our ESL technology will largely depend on these results, the ability to manufacture our product at commercially feasible levels, market acceptance of the product and other factors noted in the “Risk Factors” section of this prospectus. During 2009, 2010 and the first quarter of 2011, we had no revenues.
As noted above, our independent registered public accounting firm has issued a “going concern” statement in its report on our financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2010, stating that we had a net loss and negative cash flows from operations in fiscal 2010, and that we have an accumulated deficit. Accordingly, those conditions raise substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern. Our consolidated financial statements do not include any adjustments that might result from this going-concern uncertainty.
On June 22, 2011, we completed a private placement of our convertible debentures to 11 institutional investors, receiving gross proceeds of $3,500,000. Each convertible debenture was issued at a price equal to 85% of its principal amount. The convertible debentures mature two years after the date of their issuance and do not bear regularly scheduled interest. Investors may convert their convertible debentures into shares of our common stock at any time and from time to time on or before the maturity date, at a conversion price of $0.55 per share. The convertible debentures will mandatorily convert at our option into shares of our common stock at the conversion price, if the closing bid price for the common stock exceeds $1.50 per share for a period of 10 consecutive trading days, provided that such underlying shares have been fully registered for resale with the SEC. We also issued to the investors five-year common stock purchase warrants to purchase up to 3,743,409 shares of our common stock at an exercise price of $0.65 per share. The warrants may be exercised on a cashless basis at any time after the earlier of (i) one year after the date of their issuance or (ii) the completion of the applicable holding period required by Rule 144 in the event the underlying shares have not been fully registered for resale with the SEC. We are using the net proceeds of the June 2011 private placement for our working capital and capital expenditure requirements.
On February 9, 2011, we completed a private placement to eight institutional accredited investors of 4,911,112 shares of our common stock at a purchase price of $0.45 per share, for gross proceeds of $2,210,000. As part of the private placement, the investors were issued five-year warrants to purchase up to 4,911,112 shares of our common stock at an initial exercise price of $0.60 per share. The net proceeds from the private placement, following the payment of offering-related expenses, were used by us for our capital expenditure requirements and for working capital and other general corporate purposes. In January 2011, we raised approximately $402,000 from a small group of investors through the private sale of our common stock and warrants.
We will need to raise additional capital through debt or equity financings by October, 2011 to support our operations. We have entered into an agreement to purchase the facility presently leased by Sendio in the Czech Republic. We are using this facility to develop our ESL technology and manufacturing processes. We will need additional funding to complete the purchase of this building.
Our anticipated expenditures related to our operations in 2011 will primarily depend on personnel costs and additional equipment needs for continued development of our line of light bulbs and the manufacturing processes. In addition, we anticipate we will incur substantial costs related to the planned large-scale production in 2011 related to purchases of raw materials and supplies, marketing, sales and distribution-related costs, and increased administrative costs. An overall estimate of our capital expenditures is primarily dependent upon the success of our development and manufacturing results for our initial bulb, and as such cannot be presently estimated. Any additional capital expenditures will be dependent upon our ability to obtain additional financing.
Our anticipated costs in 2011 for the completion of our line of light bulbs cannot be reasonably estimated due to the inherent uncertainty of the research and feasibility of the manufacturing processes. There can be no assurance that this development process will be successful or, if successful, that the technology will find a market and achieve sales that can sustain our operations without additional funding.
Our emphasis on the development of our planned products, the additional manufacturing processes required and commercial manufacturing, distribution, marketing and branding and the development of sales channels surrounding our light bulbs will command management’s primary attention during 2011. It will also comprise the primary use of our financial resources. In 2011, our success will depend on our ability to develop our planned products that meet industry standards, obtain commercial manufacturing, generate market awareness and acceptance of our planned products, protect our technology through patents and trade secrets, and obtain additional funding to finance our operations. If we are unable for technological, financial, competitive or other reasons to successfully take these steps, our business and operations will be adversely affected.
Results of Operations
Three Months ended March 31, 2011 and 2010
Revenues
We had no revenues for the three months ended March 31, 2011 and 2010.
Research and Development Expenses
For the three months ended March 31, 2011 and 2010, we were involved in two projects to develop and commercialize our proprietary technology in our R30 and A19 sized light bulbs. For the comparable quarters, research and development expenses were comprised primarily of salary, rent, technical consulting expenses, supplies and travel, and other costs of the research and manufacturing development related operations in the Czech Republic through our wholly-owned subsidiary, Sendio. Research and development expenses increased approximately $50,000 to $569,000 for the three months ended March 31, 2011 compared to $519,000 for the three months ended March 31, 2010. The increase was related to an increase in salaries and attendant costs and materials and overhead costs related to the increased activity related to manufacturing development operations.
General and Administrative Expenses
General and administrative expenses for the three months ended March 31, 2011 and 2010 were comprised of share based compensation expenses, professional and legal fees, consulting expenses, insurance, travel and general corporate related overhead and office expenses. General and administrative expenses increased by approximately $527,000 to $828,000 for the three months ended March 31, 2011 compared to $301,000 for the three months ended March 31, 2010. Non-cash charges related to share based compensation expenses increased $406,000 to $426,000 relating primarily to stock options issued to our directors, an officer and our former Chief Executive Officer for the three months ended March 31, 2011 compared to $20,000 for the three months ended March 31, 2010. The remaining increase was due to increased salaries and attendant costs, increased travel costs and increased consulting fees.
Marketing Expenses
Marketing expenses for the three months ended March 31, 2011 and 2010 were comprised of consulting fees and office related expenses. Marketing expenses increased by approximately $115,000 to $184,000 for the three months ended March 31, 2011 compared to $69,000 for the three months ended March 31, 2010. This increase was due primarily to increases in consulting fees related to public relations, channel development and packaging costs for the quarter ended March 31, 2011.
Other Income and Expense
Other income and expense for the three months ended March 31, 2011 was comprised of interest income, interest expense and derivative valuation gain. Interest income was $46 for the three months ended March 31, 2011 compared to $2 for the three months ended March 31, 2010. The increase was due to higher average cash balances.
Interest expense for the three months ended March 31, 2011 decreased $222,000 to $1,000 compared to $223,000 for the three months ended March 31, 2010. Interest expense relates to Sendio’s loan and capital lease obligations as discussed in Notes 7 and 8 in our Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements. Interest expense for the three months ended March 31, 2010 also included amortization of discount and prepaid interest on the convertible notes of $222,000, for which no current year amount exists.
Derivative valuation gain results from embedded derivative financial instruments that are required to be measured at fair value. Derivative valuation gain amounted to approximately $341,000 during the three months ended March 31, 2011 and relates to the derivative warrant liability as discussed in Note 6. Derivative valuation gain was $1,138,000 for the three months ended March 31, 2010 and related to the convertible debt outstanding in 2010.
The changes in the fair value of our derivatives are significantly influenced by changes in our trading stock price and changes in interest rates in the public markets. We value our derivative warrant liability using the Black Scholes valuation method. We valued our derivative financial instruments related to convertible debt outstanding in 2010 using the Monte Carlo Simulation Technique, MCST. MCST was selected because this technique embodies all of the types of inputs that we expect market participants would consider in determining the fair value of equity linked derivatives embedded in hybrid debt agreements. Those inputs include equity-related inputs, as well as credit risks, interest risks and redemption behaviors. Changes in these inputs will affect the carrying value of our derivative liabilities and, therefore, the amount of derivative valuation gain (loss) that we are required to record.
Years ended December 31, 2010 and 2009
No Revenues
We recognized no revenues in either of fiscal 2010 or 2009.
Research and Development Expenses
For the years ended December 31, 2010 and 2009, we were involved in a single project to develop and commercialize our proprietary technology. In October 2010, we received certification from UL on our R30 size bulb for the United States and Canada. In addition, during the fourth quarter, we initiated the application of our technology to the A19 size bulb. Research and development expenses decreased approximately $881,000 to $2,077,000 for the year ended December 31, 2010 compared to $2,958,000 for the year ended December 31, 2009. For the years ended December 31, 2010 and 2009, research and development expenses consisted primarily of rent, salaries and related costs, plant utility and operating costs, technical consulting expenses and stock compensation expense. Salary and related costs decreased approximately $359,000 to $1,001,000 in fiscal 2010 compared to $1,360,000 in fiscal 2009 primarily due to reductions in the number of salaried employees during the 2010. Technical consulting expenses decreased approximately $457,000 to $33,000 in fiscal 2010 compared to $490,000 in fiscal 2009 primarily due to reduced use of consultants resulting from the shift of the development processes to the Sendio facility and staff. Rent expense increased approximately $48,000 to $407,000 in fiscal 2010 compared to $359,000 in fiscal 2009. Also included in research and development expense is a non-cash charge for compensation expense of $91,000 for fiscal 2010 and $224,000 for fiscal 2009 resulting from our issuance of common stock to a vendor and issuances of stock and options to purchase common stock under our 2007 Stock Incentive Plan.
We anticipate that our development efforts will continue in 2011 on the R30 bulb and the A19 bulb. We also intend to develop additional bulb sizes as resources allow.
General and Administrative Expenses
General and administrative expenses for the years ended December 31, 2010 and 2009 consisted of compensation expenses related to stock and options issuances, consulting expenses, salaries and related costs, professional and legal fees, insurance, travel, rents, general and corporate related overheads and office expenses. General and administrative expenses decreased by approximately $8,000 to $2,345,000 for the year ended December 31, 2010 compared to $2,353,000 for the year ended December 31, 2009. In fiscal 2010, non-cash stock compensation expenses increased $584,000 to $941,000 in fiscal 2010 compared to $357,000 in fiscal 2009 resulting from the issuance of common stock and options to purchase common stock. Salary and related costs decreased approximately $338,000 to $391,000 in fiscal 2010 compared to $729,000 in fiscal 2009 primarily due to reductions in the number of salaried employees during 2010. Consulting expenses decreased $47,000 to $313,000 in fiscal 2010 compared to $360,000 in fiscal 2009. The decrease is due to decreased activity and use of consultants in fiscal 2010. Other operating expenses comprised of travel, professional and legal fees, rent and general corporate overheads decreased $278,000 to $556,000 in fiscal 2010 compared to $834,000 in fiscal 2009. The decrease is primarily due to lower travel and general corporate overheads in fiscal 2010.
Marketing Expenses
Marketing expenses for the years December 31, 2010 and 2009 were comprised of salaries and related costs, sales and marketing consulting fees, market research and channel development fees, conference fees and office related expenses. Marketing expenses decreased by approximately $49,000 to $365,000 for the year ended December 31, 2010 compared to $414,000 for the year ended December 31, 2009. This decrease was due primarily to decreases in salaries and related expenses partially offset by increases in consulting fees related to public relations and channel development for the year ended December 31, 2010 when compared to the prior year.
Other Income
Other income and expense for the years ended December 31, 2010 and 2009 was comprised of interest income, interest expense, other income, loss on extinguishment of debt and derivative valuation gain or loss. Interest income was approximately $14 for fiscal 2010 compared to $3,000 for fiscal 2009. The decrease was due to lower average cash balances during fiscal 2010. Interest expense increased $984,000 in fiscal 2010 to $1,240,000 compared to $256,000 in fiscal 2009. Interest expense was primarily related to the interest and amortization of discount and loan costs on the convertible notes, Sendio’s loan and capital lease obligations as discussed in Notes 7, 9, 10 and 11 in our Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements. Included in interest expense was discount amortization of $693,000 and $114,000 and amortization of loan costs of $28,000 and $2,000 for fiscal 2010 and 2009, respectively, related to the convertible notes. Also included in interest expense was the fair value of a warrant of $19,125 issued pursuant to the short-term note payable, as discussed in Note 9 in our Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements.
Loss on extinguishment of debt for the year ended December 31, 2010 of $216,000 pertains to the exchange of a note with a face value of $360,350 and warrants to purchase 450,438 shares of common stock in exchange for $344,134 of unpaid, accrued interest through August 1, 2010 payable to Full Spectrum, as discussed in Note 7 in our Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements. There was no amount for fiscal 2009.
The following table summarizes the effect on our statement of operations related to derivative financial instruments for fiscal 2010 and 2009:
| | Year Ended December 31, | |
| | 2010 | | | 2009 | |
Day one derivative losses | | $ | - | | | $ | 1,315,516 | |
Fair value changes | | | (1,578,851 | ) | | | 289,404 | |
Total derivative valuation (gain) loss | | $ | (1,578,851 | ) | | $ | 1,604,920 | |
The changes in the fair value of our derivatives are significantly influenced by changes in our trading stock price and changes in interest rates in the public markets. Further, certain elements of the fair value techniques require us to make estimates about the outcome of certain events, such as defaults. We value our derivative financial instruments using the Monte Carlo Simulation Technique. MCST was selected because this technique embodies all of the types of inputs that we expect market participants would consider in determining the fair value of equity link derivatives embedded in hybrid debt agreements. Those inputs included equity-related inputs, as well as credit risks, interest risks and redemption behaviors. Changes in these inputs will affect the carrying value of our derivative liabilities and, therefore, the amount of derivative valuation gain (loss) that we are required to record.
Liquidity and Capital Resources
Our cash was approximately $1.9 million as of July 13, 2011.
On June 22, 2011, we completed a private placement of our convertible debentures to 11 institutional investors, receiving gross proceeds of $3,500,000. Each convertible debenture was issued at a price equal to 85% of its principal amount. The convertible debentures mature two years after the date of their issuance and do not bear regularly scheduled interest. Investors may convert their convertible debentures into shares of our common stock at any time and from time to time on or before the maturity date, at a conversion price of $0.55 per share. The convertible debentures will mandatorily convert at our option into shares of our common stock at the conversion price, if the closing bid price for the common stock exceeds $1.50 per share for a period of 10 consecutive trading days, provided that such underlying shares have been fully registered for resale with the SEC. We also issued to the investors five-year common stock purchase warrants to purchase up to 3,743,409 shares of our common stock at an exercise price of $0.65 per share. The warrants may be exercised on a cashless basis at any time after the earlier of (i) one year after the date of their issuance or (ii) the completion of the applicable holding period required by Rule 144 in the event the underlying shares have not been fully registered for resale with the SEC. We are using the net proceeds of the June 2011 private placement for our working capital and capital expenditure requirements.
On February 9, 2011, we completed a private placement to eight institutional accredited investors of 4,911,112 shares of our common stock at a purchase price of $0.45 per share, for gross proceeds of $2,210,000. As part of the private placement, the investors were issued five-year warrants to purchase up to 4,911,112 shares of our common stock at an initial exercise price of $0.60 per share. The net proceeds from the private placement, following the payment of offering-related expenses, were used by us for our capital expenditure requirements and for working capital and other general corporate purposes. In January 2011, we raised approximately $402,000 from a small group of investors through the private sale of our common stock and warrants, including $67,000 of accounts payable converted.
As of December 31, 2010, we had $2,000 of short-term debt, which matured and was repaid in May 2011.
We do not anticipate that our existing cash will be sufficient to fund our operations and anticipated capital expenditures for the next twelve months. We anticipate that, with our cash on hand and the proceeds from the June 2011 private placement described above, we will be able to fund our operations through October 2011.
We expect to continue to seek additional financing in 2011 to fund our operations, research and product development and manufacturing activities, through one or more debt or equity financings. Our efforts to raise sufficient capital may not be successful, and even if we are able to obtain additional financing, the terms of any such financing may be unfavorable to us and may be highly dilutive to existing stockholders.
If we are unable to obtain sufficient cash to continue to fund operations or if we are unable to locate a strategic partner, we may be forced to curtail or cease operations. Any inability to obtain additional cash as needed would have a material adverse effect on our financial position, results of operations and our ability to continue in existence. Our independent registered public accounting firm added an explanatory paragraph to its opinion on our 2010 financial statements stating that there was substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern.
Contractual Obligations
The following is a summary of our contractual payment obligations for operating leases as of December 31, 2010:
Impact of Inflation
We expect to be able to pass inflationary increases for raw materials and other costs on to our customers through price increases, as required, and do not expect inflation to be a significant factor in our business.
Seasonality
Although our operating history is limited, we do not believe our products are seasonal.
Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements
We have no off-balance sheet arrangements.
Critical Accounting Estimates and Policies
The discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations are based upon our financial statements, which have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States. The preparation of these financial statements requires the use of estimates that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities and expenses. We evaluate our estimates on an ongoing basis and base our estimates on historical experience and on various assumptions that we believe to be reasonable under the circumstances at that time. The discussion below is intended as a brief discussion of some of the judgments and uncertainties that can impact the application of these policies and the dollar amounts reported on our financial statements. Actual results may differ from these estimates under different assumptions or conditions. We believe that the following critical accounting policy affects our more significant estimates used in the preparation of our financial statements and is important to the understanding of our results of operations. This is not a complete list of all of our accounting policies, and there may be other accounting policies that are significant your understanding of our company. For a detailed discussion on the application of these and our other accounting policies, see Note 2 in our Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements included in this prospectus.
Share-Based Payments
We account for share-based compensation expense to reflect the fair value of share-based awards measured at the grant date. This expense is recognized over the requisite service period and is adjusted each period for anticipated forfeitures. We estimate the fair value of each share-based award on the date of grant using the Black-Scholes option valuation model. The Black-Scholes option valuation model incorporates assumptions as to stock price volatility, the expected life of options, a risk-free interest rate and dividend yield.
Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk
Market risk is the risk of loss to future earnings, to fair values or to future cash flows that may result from changes in the price of a financial instrument. The value of a financial instrument may change as a result of changes in interest rates, exchange rates, commodity prices, equity prices and other market changes.
The functional currency of Sendio in the Czech Republic is the Czech Koruna (CZK). However, the accompanying financial statements have been expressed in U.S. dollars, which is our functional currency. The accompanying consolidated balance sheets have been translated into U.S. dollars at the exchange rates prevailing at each balance sheet date. The accompanying consolidated statements of operations have been translated using the average exchange rates prevailing during the periods of each statement. The exchange rate of the CZK against the U.S. dollar (or any other currency) nonetheless may fluctuate and be affected by, among other things, changes in the political and economic conditions in the Czech Republic and the European Union.
Fluctuations in exchange rates may affect our financial results reported in U.S. dollar terms without giving effect to any underlying change in our business or results of operations.
Fluctuations in exchange rates may also affect our balance sheet. For example, to the extent that we need to convert U.S. dollar into CZK for our operations, appreciation of the CZK against the U.S. dollar would have an adverse effect on the CZK amount that we receive from the conversion. Conversely, if we decide to convert our CZK into U.S. dollars, appreciation of the U.S. dollar against the CZK would have a negative effect on the U.S. dollar amount available to us.
We have not used any forward contracts or currency borrowings to hedge our exposure to foreign currency exchange risk, but we may consider the use of such contracts in the future.
BUSINESS
Our Company
We design, develop and manufacture mercury-free light bulbs using our proprietary Electron Stimulated Luminescence™, or ESL, lighting technology. Our ESL light bulbs use cathode-ray tube technology in which accelerated electrons stimulate phosphor to create light, making the surface of our bulbs glow in a highly energy-efficient manner and with a warm white natural light. In December 2010, we released our first commercial product, the R30 reflector light bulb (a direct replacement for the 65-watt incandescent flood bulb). In the fourth quarter of 2010, we began developing the standard Edisonian A19 screw-in bulb, which was submitted to Underwriters Laboratories Inc. (UL®) in June 2011. We believe these bulbs will capture a growing share of the general illumination market in 2011 and over the next several years. We believe that this is because our current and planned ESL light bulbs offer potential advantages over competing lighting technologies on account of increased energy efficiency, longer product lifetime, environmentally safer and toxic-free, superior light quality and lower purchase price as a percentage of the bulb’s extended lifetime. We also believe that our ESL light bulbs have the potential to replace traditional incandescent light bulbs, compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) and solid-state light emitting diodes (LEDs) in the future because of these competitive advantages. Our technology, intellectual property position and manufacturing capability should enable us to share in the revenues from the worldwide general lighting products market as our current and planned ESL light bulbs enter mainstream consumer and other markets.
Products
During late 2009, we transitioned our U.S. development efforts to the Czech Republic and focused on the application of ESL technology on the requirements of our initial product, an R30 sized light bulb. The R30 size bulb is used primarily in lighting fixtures that are recessed in the ceiling of commercial and residential buildings and are commonly referred to as “recessed can fixtures.” We continued our development work on the technology to refine the prototype with the miniaturization of the electronics and improvements to the efficiency of the bulb and the design and implementation of the processes required for manufacturing the bulb. During the second quarter of 2010, we submitted the R30 bulb for safety certification to UL and, in October 2010, we received such certification. We are continuing to refine the size of the bulb, further miniaturize the electronics, and improve the manufacturing processes to enable us to produce the bulb at commercially viable levels.
During the fourth quarter of 2010, we began developing our version of the standard Edisonian A19 screw-in light bulb (and its European equivalent, the A60 bulb). This bulb size is used in ordinary household lamps and non-recessed ceiling fixtures. In December 2010, we successfully developed a working prototype of this bulb size. We are continuing to refine the prototype with the miniaturization of the electronics and improvements to the efficiency of the bulb. In June 2011, we submitted our A19 bulb to UL for safety certification. We are also developing an R40 flood light bulb for the United States commercial market and a smaller R25 light bulb for the European market to be used in recessed lighting fixtures.
The key design features of our current and planned light bulbs are that they are energy efficient, fully dimmable, illuminate immediately when switched on and have a color quality that is warm and similar to incandescent light. Our light bulbs do not contain mercury, a feature which will ease disposal.
We are continuing to refine the design of our planned products to maximize their efficiency, and we expect there will be adjustments to our current designs. We may not be able to successfully develop the full feature set for our planned light bulb, obtain the necessary certifications or commercially manufacture our planned product.
Our emphasis on the development of our planned product, the additional manufacturing processes required and commercial manufacturing, distribution, marketing and branding and the development of sales channels surrounding our light bulb will command management’s primary attention during fiscal 2011. It will also comprise the primary use of our limited financial resources. In 2011, our success will depend on our ability to obtain commercial manufacturing levels for the R30 and A19 bulbs, generate market awareness and acceptance of our current and planned products, protect our technology through patents and trade secrets, develop our planned products to meet industry standards and obtain additional funding to finance our operations. If we are unable for technological, financial, competitive or other reasons to successfully meet these factors, our business and operations will be materially adversely affected.
Overview of the Lighting Market
Traditional incandescent light bulbs are inefficient because they convert only about 5% of the energy they consume into visible light, with the rest emerging as heat. CFLs use excited gases, or plasmas, to achieve a higher energy conversion efficiency of about 20%. However, the color rendering index, or CRI, of most fluorescent bulbs – in other words, how good their color is compared to an ideal light source – is inferior to that of an incandescent bulb. CFLs also pose environmental concerns because they have historically contained mercury. By avoiding the heat and plasma-producing processes of incandescent bulbs and CFLs, LEDs can have substantially higher energy conversion efficiencies. Current LEDs are very small in size (about one square millimeter) and are extremely bright. Having been developed in the 1980s, they are already employed in various specialty lighting products, such as traffic lights, billboards, replacements for neon lighting and as border or accent lighting. However, the high operating temperatures and intense brightness of LEDs may make them less desirable for general illumination and diffuse lighting applications.
The key design features of our light bulb, on the other hand, are that it is energy efficient, fully dimmable, illuminates immediately when switched on and has a color quality that is warm and similar to incandescent light. In addition, our light bulb does not contain mercury, a feature which will ease disposal. If our efforts are successful, we believe that our lighting products could begin to be used for applications currently addressed by incandescent bulbs, CFLs and LEDs.
We believe a significant contributing factor to our prospects are government regulations mandating the use of energy-efficient lighting, including the elimination of the production of traditional incandescent light bulbs in Europe by 2012 and in the United States by 2014, and regulations restricting the use of hazardous substances such as the mercury contained in CFLs. We believe these developments disrupt the well-entrenched lighting industry of past decades and, given the energy conservation and eco-friendly characteristics of our ESL light bulbs, create significant opportunities for us to introduce our products into the market in place of incandescent bulbs, as well as CFLs and LEDs.
Our Competitive Strengths
We believe our position in the lighting market is the direct result of our technological innovation. We have built an intellectual property portfolio around our ESL technology, and are working diligently to scale-up our manufacturing capabilities and to launch our lighting products into the marketplace. Our key competitive strengths include:
Proprietary Technology. Through our internal development efforts in the Czech Republic, we own 11 issued and pending U.S. patents (together with numerous counterparts filed in various foreign countries), and have accumulated over the past four years a substantial amount of technical know-how relating to our ESL technology.
Manufacturing Capability. We conduct our ESL light bulb development and manufacturing activities at our facility in the Czech Republic, which is operated by our Sendio s.r.o. subsidiary. At this 75,000 square-foot facility, we currently have one active production line with the capacity to produce up to 6.8 million light bulbs per year, with planned future expansion capacity on the same site to add further production lines with an estimated additional 10 million bulb annual capacity per line. We are also seeking strategic partners to manufacture our products.
Experienced Management and Scientific Advisory Team. Our executive officers and directors have significant experience in developing and executing a “go-to-market” business model in a competitive, high growth industry. In addition, our management team has assembled highly-skilled technical personnel in Europe and the United States to conduct ongoing research and development of new light bulbs and next-generation technologies.
Our Growth Strategy
Our primary growth strategy is to accelerate the introduction of our light bulbs into the commercial and residential general illumination market with the goal of obtaining widespread marketplace adoption within the next two years. In support of this objective, we are pursuing a multi-channel sales, marketing and distribution strategy, which includes efforts to establish business relationships with “big box” retailers, electrical and lighting distributors and municipal utilities, some of whom are currently evaluating our light bulbs for resale to their customers. We also intend to outsource our online order facility to an e-commerce fulfillment service provider to enable consumers to more efficiently buy our products and review our product catalog.
In addition to our R30 reflector light bulb, which received UL certification last October, we are currently developing our version of the standard Edisonian A19 screw-in light bulb (and its European equivalent, the A60 bulb) for anticipated release in the second half of 2011. In June 2011, our A19 bulb was submitted to UL for certification. We are also developing an R40 flood light bulb for the United States commercial market and a smaller R25 light bulb for the European market to be used in recessed lighting fixtures. According to Strategies Unlimited, an independent research firm, the worldwide lighting market currently accounts for approximately $90 billion in annual sales
Target Markets and Customers
We are initially targeting the US R30/R40 reflector light bulb market. According to recent reports, the U.S. residential market is comprised of 800 million recessed can lights with over 140 million bulbs sold per year (“CFL Market Profile,” U.S. Department of Energy, March 2009 and “A Review of the Reflector Compact Fluorescent Lamps Technology Procurement Program: Conclusions and Results,” Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, May 2008). We intend to target the A19 standard Edisonian screw-in bulb market when our technology is ready for mass production.
Significant lighting market drivers are size, shape, cost, brightness, color rendering, mercury free, dimming capability and energy efficiency. We are directing our product development efforts with awareness of these features. Distribution in this market segment is primarily through distributors (typically regional) or directly from manufacturers to larger retailers.
Intellectual Property, Patents and Proprietary Rights
We are developing the necessary documentation, and we have applied for patent protection on our proprietary light-emitting technology. We have filed a total of 11 U.S. patent applications and related international patent filings, and we expect to apply for additional patent protection on our technology and our manufacturing processes both domestically and internationally in the future. We believe that our technology has unique aspects that are patentable; however, there can be no assurances that any patent will be issued or, if issued, that it will be defensible.
We protect our intellectual property rights through a combination of trademark, copyright, trade secret laws and other methods of restricting disclosure, and requiring our independent consultants, strategic vendors and suppliers to sign non-disclosure agreements as well as an assignment of inventions agreements when appropriate.
Raw Materials and Supplies
Development and production of our light bulbs will require certain raw materials, including glass, electronics, coatings, certain chemicals and chemical compounds, plastic and packaging. We have identified key targeted suppliers for these raw materials and we have entered into discussions with several of them regarding supply arrangements. Currently, we do not have dedicated supply agreements with all suppliers. We anticipate that most of our raw material purchases will not be pursuant to a supply agreement but will be by purchase order. In addition, we are continuing to identify alternative suppliers for our raw material and specialized component needs. We believe that we will be able to obtain the supplies used in our development process from a number of vendors.
Research and Development
We have spent an aggregate of approximately $5.03 million during fiscal 2010 and 2009 and an additional $0.6 million in the first quarter of 2011 in our development efforts. In addition, we have acquired manufacturing equipment for approximately $0.1 million.
Manufacturing
We conduct our ESL light bulb development and manufacturing activities at our facility in the Czech Republic, which is operated by our Sendio s.r.o. subsidiary. At this 75,000 square-foot facility, we have estimated the existing production line to have an annual capacity of up to 6.8 million bulbs once all manufacturing processes are completely developed. In addition, we have planned future expansion capacity to add further production lines with an estimated additional 10 million bulb annual capacity per line. Before we can initiate large-scale manufacturing at this facility, we anticipate that we will need to obtain and install additional equipment. For more information about our manufacturing facility, see “Facilities” below.
Marketing, Sales and Distribution
During 2010, we continued our marketing initiatives to determine our initial marketing strategy and research and to begin branding and corporate positioning issues. Our marketing efforts have included market research to determine market size, competition, product features, consumer attitudes, pricing, certifications, government agencies, grants, target channels and retailers, branding and creation of initial marketing collateral. We have also had strategic and pre-contractual meetings with certain retailers and potential channel and distribution partners to determine levels of interest in our light bulb and the underlying technology. We believe that the results of these meetings were positive but no agreements have been entered into.
During 2010, we also initiated our efforts to sell our bulbs directly to consumers through an online order facility at our company’s corporate website. We began shipping orders through this facility in March 2011. We intend to make further enhancements during 2011 to our website including an online secure merchant storefront for bulb orders.
In early 2011, we also selected a vendor to assist us with the specific packaging and display design requirements of “big box” retailers.
Twenty states have enacted Conservation Improvement Programs (“CIP”). Through a CIP, electric and natural gas utilities are required to invest a portion of their state revenues in projects designed to reduce their customers' consumption of electricity and natural gas, and to generally improve resource efficiency. One form of CIP investment is conducting “give-aways” of energy efficient lighting products. Alternatively, some states provide cash rebates to light bulb manufacturers, stores or directly to the consumer. We have met with a number of utilities and utility groups to determine interest in the promotion of ESL energy efficient bulbs. We believe that the results of these meetings were positive but no agreements have been entered into.
In September 2010, we entered into an agreement with Integrated Sales Solutions II, LLC (“ISS”) to enhance our capabilities in designing and establishing sales strategy and distribution channels with retail, electrical utilities, electrical distributors and government agencies. In April 2011, we entered into an agreement with Hamlin Consulting, LLC to advise and assist us in defining logistics, warehousing, finished good requirements, distribution, packaging, merchandising and support for our ESL bulbs. We work closely with ISS and Hamlin Consulting to develop programs aimed at further developing these channels and potential distribution partnerships. ISS and Hamlin Consulting are owned by Billy K. Hamlin, a director of our company.
Our technology has been featured on the Discovery Channel website, Popular Science website, CNET website and on the New York Times website.
Government Regulation and Industry Certification
In October 2010, we obtained safety certification from UL for our R30 light bulb. This certification enables us to sell our bulbs in the United States and Canada. In June 2011, we submitted our A19 bulb to UL for certification.
Any commercial light bulb product that we develop in the future will require certifications from an independent third party testing laboratory prior to their sale. There is presently no Energy Star® certification standard for our product. However, we are in discussion with Energy Star® in relations to its new self certification system which will be available later this year. In addition, we may be subject to other certifying agencies and other regulatory approvals. The approvals and certifications required will be determined based upon the market that we enter. We are designing our light bulbs to meet the standards for certification from independent third party laboratories, and we intend to submit an application to the appropriate testing laboratory once we have completed the necessary development and manufacturing processes required to obtain certification. We cannot predict whether we will obtain certification from an independent third party testing laboratory or any other regulatory agency.
Competition
This market segment is highly competitive and traditionally dominated by several large competitors such as General Electric Company, Philips Electronics NV and Osram Sylvania. These entities possess far more substantial financial, human and other resources than we do. There also are hundreds of small manufacturers of low-end products – many inexpensive and often poor performing CFL bulbs. Many companies are now developing products utilizing LED technology. As energy efficient technologies are adopted, it is likely that the industry will continue to be dominated by large competitors who will often outsource manufacturing to smaller companies. Research will continue on incandescent type technologies such as halogen infrared reflecting. Abandoned technologies such as induction lighting may temporarily re-emerge. Over the last four years in meetings with electric utilities, U.S. Department of Energy consultants, electrical distributors and major retailers, we have not identified any competitors with a similar technology to ESL.
Environmental Compliance
We will be subject to certain environmental requirements and laws in the Czech Republic that have been identified related to our manufacturing processes. We have obtained the necessary permits required for the current development operations of the facility in the Czech Republic. We may be subject to additional environmental requirements in the future.
Employees
As of July 13, 2011, we had 56 full-time employees in the Czech Republic through our Sendio subsidiary, plus 1 full-time employee in the United States. We have routinely used consultants in our U.S. operations and strategic vendors on a work-for-hire contract basis. None of our employees are subject to a collective bargaining agreement and we consider relations with employees to be good.
Facilities
Our corporate headquarters, consisting of approximately 200 square feet, are located in New York, New York, which we lease on a month-to-month basis for total rent of $1,320 per month.
Our manufacturing facility and research and development laboratories are located in Olomouc in the Czech Republic. We occupy the entire 75,000 square-foot facility. We presently pay approximately $38,000 per month in rent under a lease that extends through June 2013. In 2008, we entered into a purchase agreement with the landlord to acquire the building and property at which this facility is located for approximately $9.0 million on June 30, 2013. We will need to obtain additional financing to fulfill our payment obligation under the purchase agreement.
Legal Proceedings
We are not involved in any pending or threatened legal proceedings.
MANAGEMENT
Directors and Executive Officers
The following table sets forth the names and ages of our directors and executive officers, and their positions with us, as of July 13, 2011:
Name | | Age | | Title |
| | | | |
William B. Smith | | 43 | | Chairman of the Board |
| | | | |
Scott C. Blackstone, Ph.D. | | 59 | | President and Chief Executive Officer |
| | | | |
Matthew DeVries | | 49 | | Chief Financial Officer |
| | | | |
Philip G. Styles | | 56 | | Vice President of Manufacturing and Director |
| | | | |
Billy K. Hamlin | | 61 | | Director |
| | | | |
Charles Hunt, Ph.D. | | 57 | | Director |
| | | | |
Gregory Owens Jr. | | 31 | | Director |
| | | | |
Duncan Troy | | 52 | | Director |
| | | | |
Mark W. Weber | | 54 | | Director |
The principal occupations for the past five years (and, in some instances, for prior years) of each of our directors and executive officers are as follows:
William B. Smith was elected to our board of directors in November 2010 and elected chairman in January 2011. Mr. Smith is the Founder and has been the Chief Executive Officer of Smith Asset Management, Inc. since 1997. Mr. Smith has also been the President and Chief Executive Officer since 2004 of SAM Advisors, LLC, a money management firm spun off from Smith Asset Management, Inc., specializing in distressed public debt and equities trading at discounts to intrinsic value, as well as special situation investments. In addition, Mr. Smith is the founder and has been the Managing Member of SAM Capital Partners, LLC, the General Partner of SAM Special Opportunities Fund, LP (our largest stockholder) since 2009.
As the Chairman and our company’s largest stockholder (through entities controlled by him), Mr. Smith leads the board and guides the company. Mr. Smith brings a deep background in technology companies through his portfolio investments, and extensive experience in mergers and acquisitions and capital markets transactions.
Scott C. Blackstone, Ph.D. was appointed to the positions of President and Chief Executive Officer on April 27, 2011. Blackstone brings more than 30 years of electronics manufacturing and lighting industry experience to Vu1. Dr. Blackstone currently serves as the Chairman of the Board of Apollo Systems Inc., a manufacturer of print inspection products that he joined in 2006. He previously served as the Chief Executive Officer of Advanced Luminescence, Inc., a lighting technology company focused on carbon nanotube field emission technology that he co-founded in 2005, and as a managing partner of Great Bay Ventures LLC, an investment firm specializing in providing advisory and capital-raising support for growth-stage technology companies that he co-founded in 2003. Dr. Blackstone also previously acted as the Chairman of Biode Corp., a developer of sensors for industrial process control that he joined in 2004, and Chairman of KCI Research, a designer of modeling tools for online trading that he co-founded in 2001. Dr. Blackstone founded in 1992 and was the Chief Executive Officer of BCO Technologies plc, a supplier of integrated circuit wafers used for fabricating micromechanical optical devices for optical communications applications. As its Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Blackstone took the company public in the United Kingdom in 1997 and later negotiated the sale of the company to Analog Devices, Inc. in 2000. Dr. Blackstone continued to work with Analog Devices after the sale, leading its optical microelectromechanical effort, through 2003. Dr. Blackstone has published more than 50 papers and holds over ten patents. Dr. Blackstone received an undergraduate degree in electrical engineering from Cornell University and a Ph.D. in electrical engineering from IMEC in Belgium.
Matthew DeVries has served as our Chief Financial Officer since October 2006. Mr. DeVries has been an independent financial consultant since 2001, providing public and privately-held corporations financial assistance and has coordinated audits and supervised the preparation and filing of public disclosure documents for corporations in his consulting practice.
Philip G. Styles has served as our Vice President of Manufacturing from September 2007 to July 2010 and from April 2011 to date, and has been a member of our board of directors since July 2010. He previously served as our Chief Executive Officer from October 2010 to April 2011 and our Chief Operating Officer from July 2010 to October 2011. Mr. Styles has over 20 years experience in manufacturing operations. Mr. Styles worked for Sony Corporation from 1993 to September 2007 in various technical and managerial positions in production engineering. He has also held several other senior management positions in manufacturing, including leading a joint venture manufacturing operation between LG Electronics and Royal Philips Electronics in the Czech Republic.
Mr. Styles’ 20+ years of experience in manufacturing, as well as day-to-day operational leadership of our manufacturing operations, and in-depth knowledge of our current and planned lighting products make him well qualified as a member of our board.
Billy K. Hamlin was elected to our board of directors in October 2010. Mr. Hamlin is presently the Chief Executive Officer of Skyward Enterprises, LLC, a global business consulting firm, since August 2009. Skyward puts the world’s top manufacturing capacity directly working with tier-one global retailers. Since June 2010, Mr. Hamlin has also been the Chief Executive Officer of Integrated Sales Solutions II, LLC, a consulting agency offering a wide array of services to manufacturers to successfully introduce hard-line products to the vertical markets of hardware/home improvement and club/mass market. Mr. Hamlin is the Chief Executive Officer of Foregolf since October 2009 a start-up simulator company focused on the golf industry. He is also the Chairman of the Advisory Board of Unique Home Designs (since July 2010) and Parkland Plastics (since August 2010) and the President of the Board of Trustees for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, Georgia Chapter, since July 2007. Mr. Hamlin was the founder of The PGA Tour Superstore in May 2002 to November 2009, which comprised ten ‘Big Box’ concept stores of more than 60,000 square feet of golfing merchandise. Mr. Hamlin worked in positions of increasing responsibility with The Home Depot, Inc. beginning in November 1985, where he held the titles of Executive Vice President of Merchandising & Marketing and Group President until his retirement in January 2000.
Mr. Hamlin has extensive knowledge of retailing and merchandising new products and concepts in particular, making his input invaluable to our board’s discussions of our company’s growth strategy and strategic partnerships.
Charles Hunt, Ph.D. was elected to our board of directors in October 2006. Dr. Hunt holds B.S.E.E. and M.S.E.E. degrees from the University of Utah and a Ph.D. in electrical engineering from Cornell University. He has been at the University of California at Davis since 1986, where he is presently a Professor with multiple appointments and a visiting Professor of Electronics in the Faculty of Physics of the University of Barcelona. Dr. Hunt is a Senior Member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, and is author or co-author of more than 120 refereed publications and eight books, and holds 12 patents. From 1997 to 2004, he served as editor of the journal, Solid-State Electronics.
Dr. Hunt brings 25 years of scientific knowledge in technology product development in the electronic and electrical industries, making his insights invaluable to the board.
Gregory Owens Jr. was elected to our board of directors in July 2010. Mr. Owens has been the Senior Vice President at Smith Asset Management, Inc. and a Portfolio Manager for SAM Advisors, LLC since February 2008. Prior to that, Mr. Owens was a Portfolio Manager and Financial Advisor at Citigroup Capital Markets from December 2003 to February 2008.
Mr. Owens’ experience as a portfolio manager and investment advisor, as well as his knowledge of the current capital markets business environment, make him well qualified as a member of our board.
Duncan Troy was elected to our board of directors in February 2004, and served as our Chairman of the Board from May 2004 to July 2008, and from July 2010 to January 2011. Mr. Troy was a former Telegen advisory board member and is a current director of the following U.K. based companies: Private Equity III Limited, a U.K. investment vehicle (from September 1996 to date) and SMS Lottome Limited, a U.K. cell phone lottery and gaming company (from March 2004 to date).
Mr. Troy’s nearly 30 years of service as a board member and investor in many early-stage and growth companies make him well qualified as a member of our board.
Mark W. Weber was elected to our board of directors in June 2005. Mr. Weber has been a marketing consultant, strategic planner and senior business advisor to financial services companies, technology companies and emerging growth companies since 1988. Mr. Weber has been involved in raising private capital and launching start up, emerging growth technology companies and new banks over the past 20 years. Since 1988, he has been the President of Weber Marketing Group, the 12th largest marketing agency in Washington State and a national provider of marketing consulting and branding services to financial services and technology companies across the United States Mr. Weber was a founder and board member of Pacifica Bank from 1998 to 2005. Pacifica Bank was a SEC-registered business bank sold in 2005 to United Bank California. Mr. Weber also served as chairman of the board’s compensation committee at Pacifica from 2002 to 2005. Mr. Weber served as an advisory board member of several technology and emerging growth companies between 1990 and 2001. He has been on the Board of Trustees of the Noemi Fund, part of Agros International, since 2003.
Mr. Weber’s experience in launching, marketing and branding technology and emerging growth companies make him well qualified to be a member of our board.
Our directors serve until the next annual meeting of stockholders and until their successors are elected and qualified. Our officers serve at the discretion of the board of directors. There are no arrangements or understandings among any of our directors or officers. There are no family relations among any of our directors or officers.
Additional Information about our Board and its Committees
We continue to monitor the rules and regulations of the SEC regarding “independent” directors. Our board of directors has determined that Duncan Troy and Mark W. Weber are the members of our board of directors who qualify as “independent” directors under the Nasdaq Stock Market’s definition of independence.
During 2010, all of our directors attended at least 75% of all meetings during the periods for which they served on our board, and all of the meetings held by committees of the board on which they served.
Our entire board of directors currently functions as the audit committee. We do not currently have an “audit committee financial expert” serving on our board, but we intend to identify such an expert board member during 2011.
In 2008, we established a compensation committee of our board of directors. The compensation committee’s duties are to review the salary and benefit policies of our company, including compensation of executive officers and grants of stock options, and to recommend to the full board the approval of those matters. During fiscal 2010 and to date, the compensation committee of our board has consisted of Duncan Troy and Mark W. Weber, both of whom are independent directors.
We do not have a nominations or corporate governance committee of our board of directors.
Indebtedness of Directors and Executive Officers
None of our directors or executive officers or their respective associates or affiliates is indebted to us.
Family Relationships
There are no family relationships among our directors and executive officers.
Legal Proceedings
As of July 13, 2011, there is no material proceeding to which any of our directors, executive officers, affiliates or stockholders is a party adverse to us.
Code of Ethics
In March 2011, we adopted a Code of Ethics and Business Conduct that applies to all of our executive officers, directors and employees. The Code of Ethics and Business Conduct codifies the business and ethical principles that govern all aspects of our business. Our Code of Ethics and Business Conduct is posted on our website at http://www.vu1.com and we will provide a copy without charge to any stockholder who makes a written request for a copy.
Committee Interlocks and Insider Participation
No member of our board of directors is employed by us or our subsidiaries, except for Philip G. Styles.
Section 16(a) Beneficial Ownership Reporting Compliance
Section 16(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, requires our officers and directors and persons who own more than 10% of our common stock to file reports of ownership on Form 3 and changes in ownership on Form 4 or 5 with the SEC. Such officers, directors, and 10% stockholders are also required by SEC rules to furnish us with copies of all Section 16(a) reports they file.
We believe that our officers, directors, and 10% stockholders complied with their Section 16(a) filing obligations during the year ended December 31, 2010, with the following exceptions:
| · | Mark Weber, a director, did not file a Form 4 to report a purchase of common stock upon the exercise of warrants. |
| · | Charles Hunt, a director, did not file a Form 4 to report an issuance of common stock upon the conversion of accounts payable. |
| · | Duncan Troy, a director, did not file Form 4’s to report an exercise of options and a sale of common stock. |
| · | R. Gale Sellers, a former officer and director, did not file Form 4’s to report a grant of options, the purchase of convertible notes through Full Spectrum Capital, LLC and the conversion of the convertible notes into our common stock, as well as the issuance of shares and options upon the conversion of certain salary and accounts payable, and to report the transfer of common stock in settlement of a loan. |
| · | Richard Herring, a former officer and director, did not file a Form 4 to report an issuance of common stock upon the conversion of accounts payable. |
Executive Compensation
The following table provides information about the compensation paid to, earned or received during the last two fiscal years ended December 31, 2010 and 2009 by (a) all persons serving as principal executive officer during 2010, and (b) our two other most highly compensated executive officers whose total compensation exceeded $100,000 in fiscal 2010, as follows (collectively, the “Named Executive Officers”):
| · | Philip G. Styles, our former Chief Executive Officer (principal executive officer); |
| · | R. Gale Sellers, our former Chief Executive Officer (principal executive officer); |
| · | Matthew DeVries, Chief Financial Officer (principal financial officer); and |
| · | T. Ron Davis, our former Chief Marketing Officer. |
The table does not include information for Scott C. Blackstone, Ph.D., our current President and Chief Executive Officer, who joined our company in April 2011.
SUMMARY COMPENSATION TABLE
Name and Principal Position | | Year | | Salary ($) | | | Bonus ($) | | | Stock Awards ($) | | | Option Awards ($) | | | Non-Equity Incentive Plan Compensation ($) | | | Nonqualified Deferred Compensation Earnings ($) | | | All Other Compensation ($) | | | Total ($) | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Philip Styles Former Chief Executive Officer, Vice | | 2010 | | | 130,452 | | | | - | | | | 3,450 | | | | 247,785 | | | | - | | | | - | | | | 18,239 | | | | 399,926 | |
President of Manufacturing (1) | | 2009 | | | 96,000 | | | | - | | | | 3,450 | | | | 63,270 | | | | - | | | | - | | | | 18,239 | | | | 180,959 | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Richard Sellers Former Chief Executive Officer, Principal | | 2010 | | | 240,000 | | | | - | | | | - | | | | 426,200 | | | | - | | | | - | | | | - | | | | 666,200 | |
Executive Officer (2) | | 2009 | | | 157,107 | | | | - | | | | - | | | | - | | | | - | | | | - | | | | - | | | | 157,107 | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Matthew DeVries Chief | | 2010 | | | 84,900 | | | | - | | | | - | | | | - | | | | - | | | | - | | | | - | | | | 84,900 | |
Financial Officer (3) | | 2009 | | | 89,750 | | | | - | | | | - | | | | - | | | | - | | | | - | | | | - | | | | 89,750 | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
T. Ron Davis Chief Marketing | | 2010 | | | 67,500 | | | | - | | | | - | | | | - | | | | - | | | | - | | | | - | | | | 67,500 | |
Officer (4) | | 2009 | | | 180,000 | | | | - | | | | - | | | | 63,270 | | | | - | | | | - | | | | - | | | | 243,270 | |
| (1) | On October 4, 2010, the board of directors appointed Mr. Styles as our Chief Executive Officer and entered into a one-year employment agreement as of that date. A total of $34,452 of his salary for 2010 was converted into 67,552 shares of our common stock based on a price of $0.51 per share, representing the closing market price for our common stock as of the date of Mr. Styles’ employment agreement. Stock awards of $3,450 for 2010 and 2009 are comprised of the fair value of 15,000 shares of our common stock issued from our 2007 Stock Compensation Plan to Mr. Styles on December 17, 2007, which vested during each fiscal year based on the closing market price of $0.23 per share as of the date of issuance. We recognized the fair value of option awards in our consolidated financial statements for fiscal 2010 and 2009 with a fair value totaling $247,785 and $63,270, respectively. These amounts do not reflect the actual amounts that may be realized. The 2010 amount is comprised of the fair value of a fully vested ten-year option to purchase 300,000 shares of common stock at an exercise price of $0.43 per share awarded on July 9, 2010 with a fair value of $127,860, and the vested portion of a ten-year option to purchase our common stock issued on October 4, 2010 at an exercise price of $0.51 per share. The total fair value of this option was $497,416, of which $119,925 was vested at December 31, 2010. The 2009 amount is comprised of the fair value of a fully vested ten-year option to purchase 100,000 shares of common stock at an exercise price of $0.65 per share awarded on December 30, 2009. The fair values of the options were computed using the Black Scholes method with the assumptions as detailed in Note 12 in our Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements. All other compensation for fiscal 2010 and 2009 is comprised of the value of rent of $7,360 for an apartment in the Czech Republic and $10,879 paid for an automobile. |
| (2) | Mr. Sellers converted his 2010 annual salary of $240,000 into a ten-year option to purchase 558,140 shares of our common stock at an exercise price of $0.43 per share based on the closing market price of our common stock on July 8, 2010, the date his employment agreement was approved by our board of directors. Also on July 8, 2010, we issued ten-year options to purchase 1,000,000 shares of common stock at an exercise price of $0.43 per share. We recognized the fair value of the option award in our consolidated financial statements for fiscal 2010 with a fair value totaling $426,200 relating to this option. This amount does not reflect the actual amount that may be realized. On December 30, 2009, the board of directors awarded total compensation in the amount of $140,000 to Mr. Sellers for his service as our Chief Executive Officer. Mr. Sellers converted $70,000 of this award into ten-year options to purchase 107,692 shares of common stock at an exercise price of $0.65 per share valued at $68,397. The remaining $70,000 was converted into 137,255 shares of common stock and a fair value of $70,000 based on the closing market price on the date of conversion of October 4, 2010 of $0.51 per share. A total of $18,970 was paid in cash for Mr. Sellers’ services as Chief Executive Officer and President. The fair values of the options were computed using the Black Scholes method with the assumptions as detailed in Note 12 in our Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements. Mr. Sellers resigned as an officer and as a director on September 30, 2010 and January 20, 2011, respectively. |
| (3) | Mr. DeVries’ compensation is comprised of consulting fees paid in cash. |
| (4) | Mr. Davis’ compensation is comprised of salary paid in cash of $67,500 and $138,750 and unpaid amounts of $8,040 and $41,250 for fiscal 2010 and 2009, respectively. On September 25, 2010, Mr. Davis exercised options to purchase 150,000 shares of common stock at an exercise price of $0.23 per share and received 36,795 shares of our common stock at a price of $0.40 per share in settlement of the total unpaid amount of $49,290. On December 30, 2009, we issued ten-year options to purchase 100,000 shares of common stock at an exercise price of $0.65 per share valued at $63,270. The fair value of the option was computed using the Black Scholes method with the assumptions as detailed in Note 12 in our Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements. Mr. Davis resigned as an officer in May 2010. |
The following table summarizes equity awards outstanding at December 31, 2010 for each of the executive officers named in the Summary Compensation Table above:
| | Option Awards | | | Stock Awards | |
Name | | Number of Securities Underlying Unexercised Options (#) Exciseable | | | Number of Securities Underlying Unexercised Options (#) Unexerciseable | | | Equity Incentive Plan Awards: Number of Securities Underlying Unexercised Unearned Options (#) | | | Option Exercise Price ($) | | | Option Expiration Date | | | Number of Shares or Units of Stock That Have Not Vested (#) | | | Market Value of Shares or Units of Stock That Have Not Vested ($) | | | Equity Incentive Plan Awards: Number of Unearned Shares, Units or Other Rights That Have Not Vested (#) | | | Equity Incentive Plan Awards: Market or Payout Value of Unearned Shares, Units or Other Rights That Have Not Vested ($) | |
Philip Styles | | | 241,096 | | | | 758,904 | | | | — | | | $ | 0.51 | | | 10/3/2020 | | | | — | | | | — | | | | — | | | | — | |
Philip Styles | | | — | | | | — | | | | — | | | | — | | | — | | | | 347,131 | | | $ | 177,037 | | | | — | | | | — | |
Philip Styles | | | 300,000 | | | | — | | | | — | | | $ | 0.43 | | | 7/8/2020 | | | | — | | | | — | | | | — | | | | — | |
Philip Styles | | | 100,000 | | | | — | | | | — | | | $ | 0.65 | | | 12/29/2019 | | | | — | | | | — | | | | — | | | | — | |
R. Gale Sellers | | | 1,000,000 | | | | — | | | | — | | | $ | 0.43 | | | 7/8/2020 | | | | — | | | | — | | | | — | | | | — | |
R. Gale Sellers | | | 558,140 | | | | — | | | | — | | | $ | 0.43 | | | 7/8/2020 | | | | — | | | | — | | | | — | | | | — | |
R. Gale Sellers | | | 250,000 | | | | — | | | | — | | | $ | 0.38 | | | 11/15/2017 | | | | — | | | | — | | | | — | | | | — | |
R. Gale Sellers | | | 125,000 | | | | — | | | | — | | | $ | 0.23 | | | 12/16/2017 | | | | — | | | | — | | | | — | | | | — | |
R. Gale Sellers | | | 260,625 | | | | — | | | | — | | | $ | 1.00 | | | 9/8/2018 | | | | — | | | | — | | | | — | | | | — | |
R. Gale Sellers | | | 107,692 | | | | | | | | | | | $ | 0.65 | | | 12/29/2019 | | | | — | | | | — | | | | — | | | | — | |
Richard Herring | | | 250,000 | | | | — | | | | — | | | $ | 0.38 | | | 11/15/2017 | | | | — | | | | — | | | | — | | | | — | |
Richard Herring | | | 150,000 | | | | — | | | | — | | | $ | 0.23 | | | 12/16/2017 | | | | — | | | | — | | | | — | | | | — | |
Richard Herring | | | 310,625 | | | | — | | | | — | | | $ | 1.00 | | | 9/8/2018 | | | | — | | | | — | | | | — | | | | — | |
Richard Herring | | | 42,308 | | | | — | | | | — | | | $ | 0.65 | | | 12/29/2019 | | | | — | | | | — | | | | — | | | | — | |
T. Ron Davis | | | 205,313 | | | | — | | | | — | | | $ | 1.00 | | | 5/31/2013 | | | | — | | | | — | | | | — | | | | — | |
T. Ron Davis | | | 100,000 | | | | — | | | | — | | | $ | 0.65 | | | 5/31/2013 | | | | — | | | | — | | | | — | | | | — | |
Matthew DeVries | | | 50,000 | | | | — | | | | — | | | $ | 0.23 | | | 12/16/2012 | | | | — | | | | — | | | | — | | | | — | |
Matthew DeVries | | | 180,313 | | | | — | | | | — | | | $ | 1.00 | | | 9/8/2018 | | | | — | | | | — | | | | — | | | | — | |
Employment Agreements
Blackstone Employment Agreement. On April 27, 2011, as part of becoming our President and Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Blackstone entered into a three-year employment agreement with us. Pursuant to the employment agreement, Dr. Blackstone will devote substantially all of his professional time and attention to our business and will be based in New York.
The employment agreement provides that Dr. Blackstone will receive an annual base salary of $245,000. Dr. Blackstone will also be entitled to receive an annual performance incentive bonus based on the success of our financial results as determined by our board. We have also agreed to issue Dr. Blackstone stock options to purchase 2,216,129 shares of common stock at an exercise price of $0.391 per share, the closing market price on his first day of employment, and vesting over the term of his employment, in accordance with our Incentive Compensation Plan.
The employment agreement provides for termination by us or Dr. Blackstone at any time on not less than 30 days written notice, or by us immediately upon an act of fraud, dishonesty or misconduct by Dr. Blackstone or a material breach by him of his obligations to us. In the event Mr. Blackstone’s contract is terminated by us without cause he will be entitled to compensation for six months.
The employment agreement also contains covenants (a) restricting him from engaging in any activities competitive with our business during the term of his employment agreement and for a period of one year thereafter, (b) prohibiting him from disclosure of confidential information regarding our company at any time, and (c) confirming that all intellectual property developed by him and relating to our business constitutes our sole and exclusive property.
Styles Employment Agreement. On October 4, 2010, we executed an Executive Employment Agreement with Philip G. Styles. The agreement provides for a salary of $240,000 per year effective as of that date. In addition, we granted a ten-year option to purchase 1,000,000 shares of our common stock at an exercise price of $0.51 per share vesting ratably through October 3, 2011. The grant was made from the 2007 Stock Compensation Plan and pursuant to our standard form of stock option agreement. The exercise price for the stock option grant was set at the closing market price of our common stock on the OTC Bulletin Board on October 4, 2010, the date that the board approved the contract. Mr. Styles is paid his monthly annual salary of approximately $8,000, and the remaining monthly amount of $12,000 is being converted into common stock at a price of $0.51 per share, which represents the price of our common stock on the date his employment agreement was approved by our board of directors. Mr. Styles resigned as our Chief Executive Officer effective April 27, 2011, but continues as our Vice President of Manufacturing and a member of our board. We agreed that the stock options previously issued to Mr. Styles continue to vest on their original terms through October 3, 2011. Sellers Employment Agreement. On July 9, 2010, we executed an Executive Employment Agreement with our former Chief Executive Officer and Director, R. Gale Sellers. The agreement provided for a salary of $240,000 per year effective January 1, 2010. In addition, we granted a ten-year option to purchase 1,000,000 shares of our common stock at an exercise price of $0.43 per share vesting 500,000 shares upon the execution of the contract with the remaining 500,000 options vesting ratably through December 31, 2010. The grant was made from the 2007 Stock Compensation Plan and pursuant to our standard form of stock option agreement. The exercise price for the stock option grant was set at the closing market price of our common stock on the OTC Bulletin Board on July 9, 2010, the date that the board approved the contract. Mr. Sellers resigned as our Chief Executive Officer effective September 30, 2010, and our board agreed to honor the terms of the annual salary and stock options until December 31, 2010.
We do not have agreements with any of our other Named Executive Officers providing for payments, whether from resignation, retirement or other termination of employment, resulting from a change of control.
Director Compensation
Non-employee Director Compensation. Non-employee directors currently receive no cash compensation for serving on our board of directors, other than reimbursement of all reasonable expenses for attendance at board and board committee meetings. Under our 2007 Stock Compensation Plan, non-employee directors are entitled to receive stock options to purchase shares of common stock or restricted stock grants. During the year ended December 31, 2010, no options to purchase shares of stock were granted to the non-employee directors for their service on the board.
Employee Director Compensation. Directors who are employees of our company receive no compensation for services provided in that capacity, but are reimbursed for out-of-pocket expenses in connection with attendance at meetings of our board and its committees.
The table below summarizes the compensation we paid to non-employee directors for the year ended December 31, 2010:
Director Compensation
Name | | Fees Earned or Paid in Cash ($) | | | Stock Awards ($) | | | Option Awards ($) | | | Non-Equity Incentive Plan Compensation ($) | | | Nonqualified Deferred Compensation Earnings ($) | | | All Other Compensation ($) | | | Total ($) | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Duncan Troy (1) | | | 38,633 | | | | - | | | | - | | | | - | | | | - | | | | - | | | | 38,633 | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Billy K. Hamlin (2) | | | - | | | | 150,000 | | | | - | | | | - | | | | - | | | | - | | | | 150,000 | |
(1) | Amount is comprised of fees paid to Mr. Troy for service as a director of Sendio, our subsidiary. |
(2) | On November 5, 2010, we issued 250,000 shares of common stock to Mr. Hamlin for service as a director at a price of $0.60 and a fair value of $150,000 based on the closing market price on the date of issuance. |
PRINCIPAL STOCKHOLDERS
The following table sets forth information regarding the number of shares of our common stock beneficially owned on July 13, 2011, by:
| · | each person who is known by us to beneficially own 5% or more of our common stock, |
| · | each of our directors and executive officers, and |
| · | all of our directors and executive officers as a group. |
Beneficial ownership is determined in accordance with the rules of the SEC and generally includes voting or investment power with respect to securities. Shares of our common stock which may be acquired upon exercise of stock options or warrants which are currently exercisable or which become exercisable within 60 days after the date indicated in the table are deemed beneficially owned by those holders. Subject to any applicable community property laws, the persons or entities named in the table above have sole voting and investment power with respect to all shares indicated as beneficially owned by them.
Name and Address of Beneficial Owner (1) | | Amount and Nature of Beneficial Owner (2) | | | Percent of Class (3) | |
SAM Special Opportunity Fund | | | 20,636,405 | (4) | | | 18.6 | % |
SAM Advisors, LLC | | | 20,636,405 | (4) | | | 18.6 | % |
William B. Smith | | | 20,636,405 | (4) | | | 18.6 | % |
111 Broadway Suite 808 | | | | | | | | |
New York, New York 10006 | | | | | | | | |
Richard G. Sellers | | | 17,064,117 | (5) | | | 15.4 | % |
Polymer Holdings, Ltd. | | | 15,713,503 | (6) | | | 14.2 | % |
Broomhill Road | | | | | | | | |
Stonehaven, UK AB39 2NH | | | | | | | | |
Duncan Troy | | | 2,715,334 | (7) | | | 2.4 | % |
Mark W. Weber | | | 1,958,668 | (8) | | | 1.8 | % |
Philip G. Styles | | | 1,700,950 | (9) | | | 1.5 | % |
Charles Hunt, Ph. D. | | | 1,202,990 | (10) | | | 1.1 | % |
Matthew DeVries | | | 755,313 | (11) | | | 0.7 | % |
Billy K. Hamlin | | | 750,000 | (12) | | | 0.7 | % |
Scott C. Blackstone | | | 273,221 | (13) | | | 0.2 | % |
Gregory Owens Jr. | | | 20,636,405 | (4) | | | 18.6 | % |
| | | | | | | | |
All directors and officers as a group (9 persons) | | | 29,992,881 | (14) | | | 27.0 | % |
(1) | Unless otherwise indicated, the address of each person is c/o Vu1 Corporation, 469 Seventh Avenue, Suite 356, New York, New York 10018. |
(2) | Unless otherwise indicated, includes shares owned by a spouse, minor children and relatives sharing the same home, as well as entities owned or controlled by the named person. Also includes shares if the named person has the right to acquire those shares within 60 days after July 13, 2011, by the exercise or conversion of any warrant, stock option or other convertible securities. Unless otherwise noted, shares are owned of record and beneficially by the named person. |
(3) | The calculation in this column is based upon 110,884,900 shares of common stock outstanding on July 13, 2011. The shares of common stock underlying warrants and stock options are deemed outstanding for purposes of computing the percentage of the person holding them but are not deemed outstanding for the purpose of computing the percentage of any other person. |
(4) | Consists of 7,084,139 shares of common stock and warrants to purchase 3,542,069 shares of common stock at an exercise price of $0.75 per share held by SAM Special Opportunity Fund, LP, an investment partnership advised by SAM Advisors, LLC, and 10,010,197 shares of common stock held by SAM Advisors, LLC, a money management firm. Mr. Smith, our Chairman of the Board, is President and Chief Executive Officer of SAM Advisors, LLC. Mr. Owens is a Portfolio Manager at SAM Advisors, LLC. |
(5) | Includes a fully-vested option to purchase 250,000 shares of common stock at an exercise price of $0.38 per share, a fully-vested option to purchase 125,000 shares of common stock at an exercise price of $0.23 per share, a fully-vested option to purchase 260,625 shares of common stock at an exercise price of $1.00 per share, a fully-vested option to purchase 107,692 shares of common stock at an exercise price of $0.65 per share, a fully-vested option to purchase 1,558,140 share of common stock at an exercise price of $0.43 per share, a warrant to purchase 2,680,205 shares of common stock at an exercise price of $0.75 per share and a warrant to purchase 66,500 shares of common stock at an exercise price of $1.00 per share. Mr. Sellers has pledged an aggregate of 4,750,000 shares of common stock as collateral for personal loans. |
(6) | Includes warrants to purchase 1,876,386 shares of common stock at an exercise price of $0.75 per share. |
(7) | Includes a fully-vested option to purchase 150,000 shares of common stock at an exercise price of $1.00 per share, a fully-vested option to purchase 50,000 shares of common stock at an exercise price of $0.65 per share, a fully-vested option to purchase 200,000 shares of common stock at an exercise price of $0.52 per share and 933,334 shares of common stock held by Private Equity III Ltd., an investment entity of which Mr. Troy is a Director. In addition, 750,000 shares of common stock of Mr. Troy’s are held by a lender as collateral for personal loans. |
(8) | Includes a fully-vested option to purchase 250,000 shares of common stock at an exercise price of $0.38 per share, a fully-vested option to purchase 150,000 shares of common stock at $1.00 per share, fully-vested options to purchase 75,000 shares of common stock at an exercise price of $0.65 per share, fully-vested options to purchase 175,000 shares of common stock at an exercise price of $0.52 per share and 23,418 shares of common stock held by Weber Marketing Group, Inc., a corporation wholly owned by Mr. Weber. |
(9) | Includes a fully-vested option to purchase 100,000 shares of common stock at an exercise price of $0.65 per share, a fully-vested option to purchase 300,000 shares of common stock at an exercise price of $0.43 per share and a fully-vested option to purchase 931,507 shares of common stock at an exercise price of $0.51 per share. |
(10) | Includes a fully-vested option to purchase 250,000 shares of common stock at an exercise price of $0.38 per share, a fully-vested option to purchase 125,000 shares of common stock at an exercise price of $0.23 per share, a fully-vested option to purchase 50,000 shares of common stock at an exercise price of $0.65 per share, a fully-vested options to purchase 240,000 shares of common stock at an exercise price of $1.00 per share and a fully-vested options to purchase 75,000 shares of common stock at an exercise price of $0.52 per share. |
(11) | Includes a fully-vested option to purchase 50,000 shares of common stock at an exercise price of $0.23 per share, fully-vested options to purchase 180,313 shares of common stock at an exercise price of $1.00 per share and fully-vested options to purchase 175,000 shares of common stock at an exercise price of $0.52 per share. |
(12) | Includes 250,000 shares owned by Integrated Sales Solutions II, LLC, a company wholly owned by Mr. Hamlin. |
(13) | Includes a fully-vested option to purchase 273,221 shares of common stock at an exercise price of $0.391 per share. |
(14) | Consists of William B. Smith, Scott C. Blackstone, Ph.D., Duncan Troy, Mark W. Weber, Philip G. Styles, Billy K. Hamlin, Charles Hunt, Ph.D., Gregory Owens Jr. and Matthew DeVries. |
CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED TRANSACTIONS
Related Party Transactions
The following is a summary description of all transactions during fiscal 2010 and to date, and any currently proposed transactions, between us and any of our related parties. All ongoing and any future related party transactions have been and will be made or entered into on terms that are no less favorable to us than those that may be obtained from an unaffiliated third party. In addition, any future related party transactions must be approved by a majority of the disinterested members of our board of directors. If a related person proposes to enter into such a transaction with us, such proposed transaction must be reported to us, in advance.
From January 13, 2010 to September 27, 2010, SAM Special Opportunity Fund, LP (“SAM”), an investment partnership advised by SAM Advisors, LLC, advanced an aggregate of $1,601,980 (including $72,089 of prepaid interest) as described in Note 7 in our Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements appearing later in this prospectus. William B. Smith, our Chairman of the Board, is President and Chief Executive Officer of SAM Advisors, LLC. Gregory Owens Jr., a member of our board of directors, is a Portfolio Manager at SAM Advisors, LLC and a Managing Director of SAM.
From February 22, 2010 to September 24, 2010, Full Spectrum Capital, LLC (“Full Spectrum”) advanced an aggregate of $1,710,295 (including $76,923 of prepaid interest) as described in Note 7 in our Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements. Mr. Sellers, our former Chief Executive Officer and director, is the managing director of Full Spectrum.
On September 13, 2010, we exchanged a note with a face value of $360,350 (including $16,216 of prepaid interest) and warrants to purchase 450,438 shares of common stock in exchange for $344,134 of unpaid, accrued interest through August 1, 2010 payable to Full Spectrum, as described in Note 7 in our Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements.
On September 27, 2010, SAM converted its note payable and related accrued interest totaling $2,833,655 into 7,084,138 shares of our common stock, as described in Note 7 in our Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements.
On September 27, 2010, Full Spectrum converted its note payable and related accrued interest, net of prepaid interest totaling $3,346,463, into 8,366,157 shares of our common stock, as described in Note 7 in our Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements.
On September 21, 2010, we issued 47,990 shares of common stock to Charles Hunt, Ph.D., a director, and 99,758 shares of common stock to Richard Herring, a former director, as discussed in Note 12 in our Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements.
On November 18, 2010, we issued 300,000 shares of common stock to Duncan Troy, the then Chairman of our Board, pursuant to the exercise of an option to purchase common stock, as discussed in Note 12 in our Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements.
On November 4, 2010, we issued 137,255 shares of common stock to R. Gale Sellers, our former Chief Executive Officer and director, and 250,000 shares of common stock to Billy K. Hamlin, a member of our board of directors, as discussed in Note 12 in our Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements.
In September 2010, we entered into an agreement with Integrated Sales Solutions II, LLC (“ISS”) to enhance our capabilities in designing and establishing sales strategy and distribution channels with retail, electrical utilities, electrical distributors and government agencies. In April 2011, we entered into a six-month agreement with Hamlin Consulting, LLC to advise and assist us in defining logistics, warehousing, finished good requirements, distribution, packaging, merchandising and support for our ESL bulbs. The total fees due under the agreement are $120,000. We work closely with ISS and Hamlin Consulting to develop programs aimed at further developing these channels and potential distribution partnerships. ISS and Hamlin Consulting are owned by Billy K. Hamlin, a director of our company. During 2011, we have paid $72,000 through June 30, 2011 to ISS. During 2010, we paid $104,250 to ISS. Except as otherwise disclosed herein, none of our directors, executive officers, greater than five percent stockholders, or any associate or affiliate thereof had any material interest, direct or indirect, in any transaction with us during the year ended December 31, 2010 and to date.
Director Independence
Two members of our board of directors, Duncan Troy and Mark W. Weber, were considered “independent” within the meaning of the listing standards of the Nasdaq Stock Market.
Our board of directors does not have a separate audit committee, but the entire board performs the duties of the audit committee. Directors William B. Smith, Philip G. Styles, Gregory Owens Jr., Billy K. Hamlin and Charles Hunt, Ph.D. do not currently qualify as independent directors within the meaning of the listing standards of the Nasdaq Stock Market.
SELLING STOCKHOLDERS
June 2011 Private Placement
On June 22, 2011, pursuant to a Securities Purchase Agreement, dated as of June 16, 2011, with 11 institutional investors, we completed a private placement of our original issue discount convertible debentures (referred to as the convertible debentures), receiving gross proceeds of $3,500,000. Each convertible debenture was issued at a price equal to 85% of its principal amount. The convertible debentures mature two years after the date of their issuance and do not bear regularly scheduled interest. Investors may convert their convertible debentures into shares of our common stock at any time and from time to time on or before the maturity date, at a conversion price of $0.55 per share.
The convertible debentures will mandatorily convert at our option into shares of our common stock at the conversion price, if the closing bid price for the common stock exceeds $1.50 per share for a period of 10 consecutive trading days, provided that such underlying shares have been fully registered for resale with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).
The convertible debentures are unsecured, general obligations of our company, and rank pari passu with our other unsecured and unsubordinated liabilities. The convertible debentures are not redeemable or subject to voluntary prepayment by us prior to maturity. The convertible debentures are identical for all of the investors except for principal amount.
The investors agreed not to convert their convertible debentures or exercise their warrants, and we will not be permitted to require a mandatory conversion, to the extent such conversion, exercise or issuance would result in beneficial ownership of more than 4.99% of our outstanding shares at such time.
As part of the financing, we also agreed not to undertake a reverse or forward stock split or reclassification of our common stock until the one-year anniversary of the closing date, except with the consent of a majority in interest of the holders or in connection with an up-listing of our common stock onto a trading market other than the OTC Bulletin Board.
We also issued to the investors five-year common stock purchase warrants to purchase up to 3,743,409 shares of our common stock at an exercise price of $0.65 per share. The warrants may be exercised on a cashless basis at any time after the earlier of (i) one year after the date of their issuance or (ii) the completion of the applicable holding period required by Rule 144 in the event the underlying shares have not been fully registered for resale with the SEC. The warrants are not callable. Neither the warrants nor the convertible debentures contain a provision for anti-dilution adjustments in the event of a subsequent equity financing at a price less than the respective warrant exercise price or convertible debenture conversion price.
We intend to use the net proceeds of the private placement for our working capital and capital expenditure requirements.
The financing transaction was completed through a private placement to unaffiliated institutional accredited investors and was exempt from registration pursuant to Section 4(2) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended. Pursuant to a Registration Rights Agreement, dated as of June 16, 2011, with the investors, we agreed to file this shelf registration statement covering the resale of the shares of common stock issuable upon the conversion of the convertible debentures and exercise of the warrants within 30 days after the date of the Securities Purchase Agreement, use our best efforts to cause the shelf registration statement to be declared effective within 90 days after the date of the Securities Purchase Agreement (or 120 days in the event of a “full review” by the SEC), and keep the shelf registration statement effective until the underlying shares have been sold or may be sold without volume or manner of sale restrictions pursuant to Rule 144 under the Securities Act of 1933. The securities offered in the private placement have not been registered under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and may not be offered or sold in the United States absent registration or an applicable exemption from registration requirements. Rodman & Renshaw LLC acted as the exclusive placement agent for the private placement. At closing, we paid a cash placement fee of $245,000 and issued warrants to purchase 524,077 shares of our common stock at an exercise price of $0.65 per share to Rodman & Renshaw for acting in this capacity.
Selling Stockholder Table
The following table sets forth:
| · | the name of the selling stockholders, |
| · | the number of shares of common stock beneficially owned by the selling stockholders as of July 13, 2011, |
| · | the maximum number of shares of common stock that may be offered for the account of the selling stockholders under this prospectus, and |
| · | the amount and percentage of common stock that would be owned by the selling stockholders after completion of the offering, assuming a sale of all of the common stock that may be offered by this prospectus. |
Except as noted above and elsewhere in this prospectus, the selling stockholders have not, within the past three years, had any position, office or other material relationship with us.
None of the selling stockholders is a broker-dealer regulated by the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc. (Finra) or is an affiliate of such a broker-dealer, except as noted in footnotes (16) and (17) below.
Beneficial ownership is determined under the rules of the SEC. The number of shares beneficially owned by a person includes shares of common stock underlying warrants, stock options and other derivative securities to acquire our common stock held by that person that are currently exercisable or convertible within 60 days after July 13, 2011. The shares issuable under these securities are treated as outstanding for computing the percentage ownership of the person holding these securities, but are not treated as outstanding for the purposes of computing the percentage ownership of any other person.
| | Beneficial Ownership Prior to this | | | Shares Registered in | | | Following this Offering | |
Name | | Offering (1), (2) | | | this Offering (2), (3) | | | Number of Shares (2) | | | Percent (2)(4) | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | |
Highbridge International, LLC (5) | | | 10,861,718 | | | | 6,417,272 | | | | 4,444,446 | | | | 3.9 | % |
HCP Opportunity Fund, LP (6) | | | 2,134,336 | | | | 802,158 | | | | 1,332,178 | | | | 1.2 | % |
The Cascade Fund LLLP (7) | | | 355,864 | | | | 320,864 | | | | 35,000 | | | | * | |
Brio Capital L.P. (8) | | | 882,375 | | | | 882,375 | | | | 0 | | | | - | |
Cranshire Capital, L.P. (9) | | | 996,609 | | | | 721,943 | | | | 274,666 | | | | * | |
Freestone Advantage Partners, L.P. (10) | | | 213,549 | | | | 80,215 | | | | 133,334 | | | | * | |
Anson Investments Master Fund LP (11) | | | 320,864 | | | | 320,864 | | | | 0 | | | | - | |
Hudson Bay Master Fund Ltd. (12) | | | 240,648 | | | | 240,648 | | | | 0 | | | | - | |
Bristol Investment Fund, Ltd. (13) | | | 654,198 | | | | 320,864 | | | | 333,334 | | | | * | |
Iroquois Master Fund, Ltd. (14) | | | 320,864 | | | | 320,864 | | | | 0 | | | | - | |
| | Beneficial Ownership Prior to this | | | Shares Registered in | | | Following this Offering | |
Name | | Offering (1), (2) | | | this Offering (2), (3) | | | Number of Shares (2) | | | Percent (2)(4) | |
Rockmore Investment Master Fund Ltd. (15) | | | 1,024,380 | | | | 802,158 | | | | 222,222 | | | | * | |
Rodman & Renshaw, LLC (16) | | | 763,880 | | | | 471,669 | | | | 292,211 | | | | * | |
Noam Rubinstein (17) | | | 86,786 | | | | 52,408 | | | | 34,378 | | | | * | |
| | | | | | | 11,754,301 | | | | | | | | | |
* | Less than 1% of outstanding shares of common stock. |
(1) | Beneficial ownership as of July 13, 2011, for all selling stockholders based upon information provided by the selling stockholders or otherwise known to us. Beneficial ownership is reported without regard to the beneficial ownership limitations (further discussed in footnote 2 below) applicable to the common stock or the warrants held by the selling stockholders. |
(2) | The number of shares and the percentage in the applicable column includes shares of common stock and shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of our warrants. The agreement with respect to which these stockholders purchased our common stock and warrants contains a limitation of 9.9% (a so-called “blocker”) on the number of shares such stockholders may beneficially own at any time. The 9.9% ownership limitation, however, does not prevent a stockholder from selling some of its holdings and then receiving additional shares. In this way, a stockholder could sell more than the 9.9% ownership limitation while never holding more than this limit. The number of shares and the percentage, as the case may be, in this column does not reflect the 9.9% ownership limitation. |
(3) | Assumes the sale of all shares of common stock registered pursuant to this prospectus, although the selling stockholders are under no obligation known to us to sell any shares of common stock at this time. |
(4) | Based on 110,884,900 shares of common stock outstanding on July 13, 2011, not including shares issuable upon exercise of our warrants. The shares issuable under stock options, warrants and other convertible securities to acquire our common stock that are exercisable or convertible currently or within 60 days after July 13, 2011 are treated as if outstanding for computing the percentage ownership of the person holding these securities, but are not treated as outstanding for purposes of computing the percentage ownership of any other person. Unless otherwise indicated, also includes shares owned by a spouse, minor children, by relatives sharing the same home, and entities owned or controlled by the named person. |
(5) | Of the shares being registered, represents 4,278,181 shares of common stock issuable upon conversion of convertible debentures and 2,139,091 shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of warrants issued to Highbridge International, LLC in the June 2011 private placement. Mark Vanacore is the Managing Director of Highbridge International, which is the registered holder of the securities. Mr. Vanacore, as the Managing Director of Highbridge International, has sole voting and dispositive power of the securities owned by Highbridge International offered under this prospectus. Highbridge International also owns 2,222,223 outstanding shares of common stock and warrants to purchase 2,222,223 shares of common stock, which it purchased in our February 2010 private placement. |
(6) | Of the shares being registered, represents 534,772 shares of common stock issuable upon conversion of convertible debentures and 267,386 shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of warrants issued to HCP Opportunity Fund, LP in the June 2011 private placement. Jason Hammerman is the Managing Member of HCP Opportunity Fund, which is the registered holder of the securities. Mr. Hammerman, as the Managing Member of HCP Opportunity Fund, has sole voting and dispositive power of the securities owned by HCP Opportunity Fund offered under this prospectus. HCP Opportunity Fund also owns 643,289 outstanding shares of common stock and warrants to purchase 688,889 shares of common stock, which it purchased in our February 2010 private placement. |
(7) | Of the shares being registered, represents 213,909 shares of common stock issuable upon conversion of convertible debentures and 106,955 shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of warrants issued to The Cascade Fund LLLP in the June 2011 private placement. Charles Bernard is the manager of the general partner of The Cascade Fund, which is the registered holder of the securities. Mr. Bernard, as the manager of the general partner of The Cascade Fund, has sole voting and dispositive power of the securities owned by The Cascade Fund offered under this prospectus. The Cascade Fund also owns 35,000 shares of our common stock. |
(8) | Of the shares being registered, represents 588,250 shares of common stock issuable upon conversion of convertible debentures and 294,125 shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of warrants issued to Brio Capital L.P in the June 2011 private placement. Shaye Hirsch is the Managing Partner of Brio Capital, which is the registered holder of the securities. Mr. Hirsch, as the Managing Partner of Brio Capital, has sole voting and dispositive power of the securities owned by Brio Capital offered under this prospectus. |
(9) | Of the shares being registered, represents 481,295 shares of common stock issuable upon conversion of convertible debentures and 240,648 shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of warrants issued to Cranshire Capital L.P. (“Cranshire”) in the June 2011 private placement. Downsview Capital, Inc. (“Downsview”) is the general partner of Cranshire and consequently has voting control and investment discretion over securities held by Cranshire. Mitchell P. Kopin, President of Downsview, has voting control over Downsview. As a result of the foregoing, each of Mr. Kopin and Downsview may be deemed to have beneficial ownership (as determined under Section 13(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended) of the shares of common stock beneficially owned by Cranshire. Cranshire also owns 214,666 outstanding shares of common stock and warrants to purchase 60,000 shares of common stock, which it purchased in our February 2011 private placement. |
(10) | Of the shares being registered, represents 53,477 shares of common stock issuable upon conversion of convertible debentures and 26,738 shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of warrants issued to Freestone Advantage Partners, L.P. (“Freestone”) in the June 2011 private placement. Downsview Capital, Inc. (“Downsview”) is the investment manager for a managed account of Freestone and consequently has voting control and investment discretion over securities held in such account. Mitchell P. Kopin, President of Downsview, has voting control over Downsview. As a result, each of Mr. Kopin and Downsview may be deemed to have beneficial ownership (as determined under Section 13(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended) of the shares held in such account which are being registered hereunder. Freestone also owns 66,667 outstanding shares of common stock and warrants to purchase 66,667 shares of common stock, which it purchased in our February 2011 private placement. |
(11) | Of the shares being registered, represents 213,909 shares of common stock issuable upon conversion of convertible debentures and 106,955 shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of warrants issued to Anson Investments Master Fund LP in the June 2011 private placement. Moez Kassam is the Director of Anson Investments Master Fund, which is the registered holder of the securities. Mr. Kassam, as the Director of Anson Investments Master Fund, has sole voting and dispositive power of the securities owned by Anson Investments Master Fund offered under this prospectus. |
(12) | Of the shares being registered, represents 160,432 shares of common stock issuable upon conversion of convertible debentures and 80,216 shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of warrants issued to Hudson Bay Master Fund Ltd. in the June 2011 private placement. Hudson Bay Capital Management LP, the investment manager of Hudson Bay Master Fund, has voting and investment power over these securities. Sander Gerber is the managing member of Hudson Bay Capital GP LLC, which is the general partner of Hudson Bay Capital Management LP. Mr. Gerber disclaims beneficial ownership over these securities. |
| Of the shares being registered, represents 213,909 shares of common stock issuable upon conversion of convertible debentures and 106,954 shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of warrants issued to Bristol Investment Fund, Ltd. (“Bristol”) in the June 2011 private placement. Bristol Capital Advisors, LLC (“BCA”) is the investment advisor to Bristol. Paul Kessler is the manager of BCA and, as such, has voting and investment control over the securities held by Bristol. Mr. Kessler disclaims beneficial ownership of these securities. Bristol also owns warrants to purchase 333,334 shares of common stock, which it purchased in our February 2011 private placement. |
(14) | Of the shares being registered, represents 213,909 shares of common stock issuable upon conversion of convertible debentures and 106,955 shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of warrants issued to Iroquois Master Fund, Ltd. (“IMF”) in the June 2011 private placement. Iroquois Capital Management L.L.C. (“Iroquois Capital”) is the investment manager of IMF. Consequently, Iroquois Capital has voting control and investment discretion over securities held by IMF. As managing members of Iroquois Capital, Joshua Silverman and Richard Abbe make voting and investment decisions on behalf of Iroquois Capital in its capacity as investment manager to IMF. As a result of the foregoing, Mr. Silverman and Mr. Abbe may be deemed to have beneficial ownership (as determined under Section 13(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended) of the securities held by IMF. Notwithstanding the foregoing, Mr. Silverman and Mr. Abbe disclaim such beneficial ownership. |
(15) | Of the shares being registered, represents 534,772 shares of common stock issuable upon conversion of convertible debentures and 267,386 shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of warrants issued to Rockmore Investment Master Fund Ltd. (“Rockmore Master Fund”) in the June 2011 private placement. Rockmore Capital, LLC (“Rockmore Capital”) serves as the investment manager to Rockmore Master Fund and in such capacity has investment discretion to vote and dispose of these securities. Bruce T. Bernstein and Brian Daly, as officers of Rockmore Capital, are responsible for the portfolio management decisions of Rockmore Master Fund and may be deemed to have investment discretion over these securities. Each of Rockmore Capital and Messrs. Bernstein and Daly, disclaims beneficial ownership of these securities. Rockmore Master Fund also owns warrants to purchase 222,222 shares of common stock, which it purchased in our February 2011 private placement. |
(16) | Rodman & Renshaw, LLC, a subsidiary of Rodman & Renshaw Capital Group, Inc., was the placement agent in our June 2011 private placement. Rodman & Renshaw, LLC is a member of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority. John J. Borer III is the Senior Managing Director and Head of Investment Banking of Rodman & Renshaw, which is the registered holder of the warrant. Mr. Borer, as the Senior Managing Director and Head of Investment Banking of Rodman & Renshaw, has sole voting and dispositive power of the securities owned by Rodman & Renshaw offered under this prospectus. Rodman & Renshaw also owns a warrant to purchase 292,211 shares of common stock, which it received for acting as the placement agent in our February 2011 private placement. |
(17) | Rodman & Renshaw, LLC transferred warrants to Noam Rubinstein, Managing Director, Investment Banking of Rodman & Renshaw, LLC, following our June 2011 private placement. Mr. Rubinstein is an affiliate of a broker-dealer regulated by Finra. See Note (16) above. Mr. Rubinstein also owns a warrant to purchase 34,378 shares of common stock, which he received from Rodman & Renshaw for services in connection with our February 2011 private placement. |
PLAN OF DISTRIBUTION
Each selling stockholder of the securities and any of their pledgees, assignees and successors-in-interest may, from time to time, sell any or all of their securities covered by this prospectus on the principal trading market or any other stock exchange, market or trading facility on which the securities are traded or in private transactions. These sales may be at fixed or negotiated prices. A selling stockholder may use any one or more of the following methods when selling securities:
| 1. | ordinary brokerage transactions and transactions in which the broker dealer solicits purchasers; |
| 2. | block trades in which the broker dealer will attempt to sell the securities as agent but may position and resell a portion of the block as principal to facilitate the transaction; |
| 3. | purchases by a broker dealer as principal and resale by the broker dealer for its account; |
| 4. | an exchange distribution in accordance with the rules of the applicable exchange; |
| 5. | privately negotiated transactions; |
| 6. | settlement of short sales entered into after the effective date of the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part; |
| 7. | in transactions through broker dealers that agree with the Selling Stockholders to sell a specified number of such securities at a stipulated price per security; |
| 8. | through the writing or settlement of options or other hedging transactions, whether through an options exchange or otherwise; |
| 9. | a combination of any such methods of sale; or |
| 10. | any other method permitted pursuant to applicable law. |
The selling stockholders may also sell securities under Rule 144 under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, if available, rather than under this prospectus.
Broker-dealers engaged by the selling stockholders may arrange for other brokers dealers to participate in sales. Broker-dealers may receive commissions or discounts from the selling stockholders (or, if any broker dealer acts as agent for the purchaser of securities, from the purchaser) in amounts to be negotiated, but, except as set forth in a supplement to this prospectus, in the case of an agency transaction not in excess of a customary brokerage commission in compliance with FINRA Rule 2440; and in the case of a principal transaction a markup or markdown in compliance with FINRA IM-2440.
In connection with the sale of the securities or interests therein, the selling stockholders may enter into hedging transactions with broker-dealers or other financial institutions, which may in turn engage in short sales of the securities in the course of hedging the positions they assume. The selling stockholders may also sell securities short and deliver these securities to close out their short positions, or loan or pledge the securities to broker-dealers that in turn may sell these securities. The selling stockholders may also enter into option or other transactions with broker-dealers or other financial institutions or create one or more derivative securities which require the delivery to such broker-dealer or other financial institution of securities offered by this prospectus, which securities such broker-dealer or other financial institution may resell pursuant to this prospectus (as supplemented or amended to reflect such transaction).
The selling stockholders and any broker-dealers or agents that are involved in selling the securities may be deemed to be “underwriters” within the meaning of the Securities Act in connection with such sales. In such event, any commissions received by such broker-dealers or agents and any profit on the resale of the securities purchased by them may be deemed to be underwriting commissions or discounts under the Securities Act. Each selling stockholder has informed us that it does not have any written or oral agreement or understanding, directly or indirectly, with any person to distribute the securities. In no event shall any broker-dealer receive fees, commissions and markups which, in the aggregate, would exceed 8%.
We are required to pay all legal, accounting, registration, printing and related fees and expenses incurred by us incident to the registration of the securities. We have agreed to indemnify the selling stockholders against losses, claims, damages and liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act, in connection with any misrepresentation made by us in this prospectus.
Because selling stockholders may be deemed to be “underwriters” within the meaning of the Securities Act, they will be subject to the prospectus delivery requirements of the Securities Act including Rule 172 thereunder. In addition, any securities covered by this prospectus which qualify for sale pursuant to Rule 144 under the Securities Act may be sold under Rule 144 rather than under this prospectus. The selling stockholders have advised us that there is no underwriter or coordinating broker acting in connection with the proposed sale of the resale securities by the selling stockholders.
We agreed to keep this prospectus effective until the earlier of (i) the date on which the securities may be resold by the selling stockholders without registration and without regard to any volume or manner-of-sale limitations by reason of Rule 144, without the requirement for us to be in compliance with the current public information under Rule 144 under the Securities Act or any other rule of similar effect or (ii) all of the securities have been sold pursuant to this prospectus or Rule 144 under the Securities Act or any other rule of similar effect. The resale securities will be sold only through registered or licensed brokers or dealers if required under applicable state securities laws. In addition, in certain states, the resale securities covered hereby may not be sold unless they have been registered or qualified for sale in the applicable state or an exemption from the registration or qualification requirement is available and is complied with.
Under applicable rules and regulations under the Exchange Act, any person engaged in the distribution of the resale securities may not simultaneously engage in market making activities with respect to the common stock for the applicable restricted period, as defined in Regulation M, prior to the commencement of the distribution. In addition, the selling stockholders will be subject to applicable provisions of the Exchange Act and the rules and regulations thereunder, including Regulation M, which may limit the timing of purchases and sales of securities of the common stock by the selling stockholders or any other person. We will make copies of this prospectus available to the selling stockholders and have informed them of the need to deliver a copy of this prospectus to each purchaser at or prior to the time of the sale (including by compliance with Rule 172 under the Securities Act).
DESCRIPTION OF SECURITIES
Our authorized capital stock consists of 210,000,000 shares, of which 200,000,000 shares are designated as common stock and 10,000,000 shares are designated as preferred stock. As of July 13, 2011, there were issued and outstanding:
| · | 110,884,900 shares of common stock, |
| · | warrants to purchase 18,438,609 shares of common stock at a weighted average exercise price of $0.69 per share, |
| · | stock options to purchase 9,496,144 shares of common stock at a weighted average exercise price of $0.53 per share, and |
| · | Convertible debentures to acquire 7,486,815 shares of common stock. |
The following summary of the material provisions of our common stock, warrants, articles of incorporation and by-laws is qualified by reference to the provisions of our certificate of incorporation and by-laws and the forms of warrant included or incorporated by reference as exhibits to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part.
Common Stock
All shares of our common stock have equal voting rights and, when validly issued and outstanding, have one vote per share in all matters to be voted upon by the stockholders. Cumulative voting in the election of directors is not allowed, which means that the holders of more than 50% of the outstanding shares can elect all the directors if they choose to do so and, in such event, the holders of the remaining shares will not be able to elect any directors. The affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of the shares of common stock present or represented at a stockholders meeting is required to elect directors and to take other corporate actions. Holders of our common stock are entitled to receive ratably such dividends, if any, as may be declared by our board of directors out of legally available funds. However, the current policy of our board of directors is to retain earnings, if any, for the operation and expansion of the company. Upon liquidation, dissolution or winding-up, the holders of our common stock are entitled to share ratably in all of our assets which are legally available for distribution, after payment of or provision for all liabilities and the liquidation preference of any outstanding preferred stock. The holders of our common stock have no preemptive, subscription, redemption or conversion rights. All issued and outstanding shares of common stock are, and the common stock reserved for issuance upon exercise of our stock options and warrants will be, when issued, fully-paid and non-assessable.
Preferred Stock
Our certificate of incorporation authorizes the issuance of up to 10,000,000 shares of “blank check” preferred stock with designations, rights and preferences as may be determined from time to time by our board of directors. No preferred shares are currently issued or outstanding.
Convertible Debentures
On June 22, 2011, we issued original issue discount convertible debentures (referred to as the convertible debentures). Each convertible debenture was issued at a price equal to 85% of its principal amount. The convertible debentures mature two years after the date of their issuance and do not bear regularly scheduled interest. Investors may convert their convertible debentures into shares of our common stock at any time and from time to time on or before the maturity date, at a conversion price of $0.55 per share.
The convertible debentures will mandatorily convert at our option into shares of our common stock at the conversion price, if the closing bid price for the common stock exceeds $1.50 per share for a period of 10 consecutive trading days, provided that such underlying shares have been fully registered for resale with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).
The convertible debentures are unsecured, general obligations of our company, and rank pari passu with our other unsecured and unsubordinated liabilities. The convertible debentures are not redeemable or subject to voluntary prepayment by us prior to maturity. The convertible debentures are identical for all of the investors except for principal amount.
The investors agreed not to convert their convertible debentures or exercise their warrants, and we will not be permitted to require a mandatory conversion, to the extent such conversion, exercise or issuance would result in beneficial ownership of more than 4.99% of our outstanding shares at such time.
Events of default under the convertible debentures include:
| • | failure to pay principal or any liquidated damages on any convertible debenture when due; |
| • | failure to perform other covenants under the Debenture that is not cured five trading days after notice by holders; |
| • | default under the other financing documents, subject to any grace or cure period provided in the applicable agreement, document or instrument; |
| • | certain events of bankruptcy or insolvency of our company or any significant subsidiary; |
| • | any default by our company or any subsidiary under any instrument in excess of $150,000 that results in such obligation becoming due and payable prior to maturity; |
| • | we become party to a change of control transaction, or dispose of greater than 50% of our assets; and |
| • | failure to deliver common stock certificates to a holder prior to the tenth trading day after a convertible debenture conversion date. |
Upon an event of default, the outstanding principal amount of the convertible debentures shall become immediately due and payable to the holders of the convertible debentures.
The convertible debentures contain various covenants that limit our ability to:
| • | incur additional indebtedness, other than permitted indebtedness as defined in the convertible debenture; |
| • | incur specified liens, other than permitted liens as defined in the convertible debenture; |
| • | amend our certificate of incorporation or by-laws in a material adverse manner to the holders; and |
| • | repay or repurchase more than a de minimus number of shares of our common stock. |
We also agreed not to undertake a reverse or forward stock split or reclassification of our common stock until the one-year anniversary of the closing date, except with the consent of a majority in interest of the holders or in connection with an up-listing of our common stock onto a trading market other than the OTC Bulletin Board.
The convertible debentures do not contain a provision for anti-dilution in the event of a subsequent equity financing at a price less than the convertible debentures conversion price. Warrants
June 2011 Private Placement. We issued to the investors in the June 2011 private placement five-year common stock purchase warrants to purchase up to 3,743,409 shares of our common stock at an exercise price of $0.65 per share. The warrants may be exercised on a cashless basis at any time after the earlier of (i) one year after the date of their issuance or (ii) the completion of the applicable holding period required by Rule 144 in the event the underlying shares have not been fully registered for resale with the SEC. The warrants are not callable. The warrants do not contain a provision for anti-dilution adjustments in the event of a subsequent equity financing at a price less than the warrant exercise price.
February 2011 Private Placement. We issued to the investors in the February 2011 private placement five-year warrants to purchase up to 4,911,112 shares of our common stock at an initial exercise price of $0.60 per share. The shares of common stock underlying these warrants have been previously registered with the SEC and therefore the warrants may not be exercised on a cashless-exercise basis by investors so long as the registration statement covering the shares underlying the warrants remains effective. If we issue any shares of common stock, preferred stock, stock options, warrants or convertible securities at a price less than $0.60 per share (subject to certain excluded stock issuances in connection with employee stock option grants and for mergers and acquisitions), then the exercise price will be automatically reduced to such lower price, provided that the exercise price of the warrants may not be adjusted to less than $0.45 per share. In June 2011, the exercise price of these warrants was reduced to equal the $0.55 conversion price per share of the convertible debentures issued in the June 2011 private placement.
Trading Information
Our shares of common stock are currently quoted in the over-the-counter market on the OTC Bulletin Board. Our convertible debentures and warrants will not be registered or listed for trading.
Transfer Agent
The transfer agent and registrar for our common stock is American Stock Transfer & Trust Company, LLC, 6201 15th Avenue, Brooklyn, New York 11219. We serve as the transfer agent and registrar for our convertible debentures and warrants.
Anti-Takeover Law, Limitations of Liability and Indemnification
Anti-Takeover Law. Provisions of the California General Corporation Law and our articles of incorporation and by-laws may delay, defer or prevent a change of control of our company and/or limit the price that certain investors may be willing to pay in the future for shares of our common stock.
California Corporations Code. Under the California General Corporation Law, most business combinations, including mergers, consolidations and sales of substantially all of the assets of a corporation, must be approved by the vote of the holders of at least a majority of the outstanding shares of common stock and any other affected class of stock of a California corporation. The articles or by-laws of a California corporation may, but are not required to, set a higher standard for approval of such transactions. The California General Corporation Law also provides certain restrictions on business combinations involving interested parties.
Advance Notice Provisions for Shareholder Nominations and Shareholder Proposals. Nominations for directors may be made by the board of directors or by any holder of record of any outstanding class of capital stock of our company entitled to vote for the election of directors. Nominations for directors, other than those approved by the board of directors, shall be made in writing and shall be delivered or mailed to the secretary of our company not less than 14 days nor more than 50 days prior to the scheduled date of the meeting; provided, that if less than 21 days’ notice of the meeting is given to the shareholders, such nominations shall be mailed or delivered to the secretary of our company not later than the close of business on the 7th day following the day on which notice of the meeting was mailed to the shareholders.
Blank Check Preferred Stock. Subject to certain limitations, our board of directors has the authority to designate the rights and preferences of, and issue one or more series of, preferred stock without shareholder approval. The issuance of shares of preferred stock, or the issuance of rights to purchase such shares, could be used to discourage an unsolicited acquisition proposal.
Limited Liability and Indemnification
Section 317 of the California General Corporation Law authorizes a court to award, or a corporation’s board of directors to grant, indemnity to directors and officers who are parties or are threatened to be made parties to any proceeding (with certain exceptions) by reason of the fact that the person is or was an agent of the corporation, against expenses, judgments, fines, settlements and other amounts actually and reasonably incurred in connection with the proceeding if that person acted in good faith and in a manner the person reasonably believed to be in the best interests of the corporation.
Our board of directors has resolved to indemnify the officers and directors of our company to the fullest extent permitted by Section 317 of the California General Corporation Law, and Article V of our articles of incorporation and Article VI of our by-laws authorize the registrant to provide for indemnification of officers and directors to the same extent. This indemnification limits the personal monetary liability of directors in performing their duties on behalf of the registrant, to the extent permitted by the California General Corporation Law, and permits the registrant to indemnify its directors and officers against certain liabilities and expenses, to the extent permitted by the California General Corporation Law. In addition, the registrant maintains a directors’ and officers’ liability insurance policy that insures its directors and officers against certain liabilities, including certain liabilities under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended.
Additionally, we have entered into indemnification agreements with each of our directors and senior executive officers. The indemnification agreements provide each of the indemnitees with, among other things, indemnification against liabilities relating to their service as directors and officers of our company and the advancement of expenses under certain circumstances, in each case to the fullest extent permitted by law. The indemnification agreements also require us to take commercially reasonable efforts to purchase and maintain one or more policies of directors’ and officers’ liability insurance to cover liabilities asserted against, or incurred by, the indemnitees.
Insofar as indemnification for liabilities under the Securities Act may be permitted to directors, officers or persons controlling us pursuant to the above provisions, we have been informed that, in the opinion of the SEC, such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and is, therefore, unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification against such liabilities (other than the payment of expenses incurred or paid by a director, officer or controlling person in the successful defense of any action, suit or proceeding) is asserted by such director, officer or controlling person in connection with the securities being registered, we will, unless in the opinion of our counsel the matter has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to a court of appropriate jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by us is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue.
SHARES AVAILABLE FOR FUTURE SALE
As of July 13, 2011, we had 110,884,900 shares of common stock outstanding, not including shares issuable upon exercise of our warrants, stock options and other convertible securities. All shares sold in this offering will be freely tradeable without restriction or further registration under the Securities Act, unless they are purchased by our “affiliates,” as that term is defined in Rule 144 promulgated under the Securities Act.
The outstanding shares of our common stock not included in this prospectus will be available for sale in the public market as follows:
Public Float
Of our outstanding shares, 29,992,881 shares are beneficially owned by executive officers, directors and affiliates. The remaining 80,892,019 shares constitute our public float. Rule 144
In general, under Rule 144, as currently in effect, a person who has beneficially owned shares of our common stock for at least six months, including the holding period of prior owners other than affiliates, is entitled to sell his or her shares without any volume limitations; an affiliate, however, can sell such number of shares within any three-month period as does not exceed the greater of:
| · | 1% of the number of shares of our common stock then outstanding, which equaled 1,108,849 shares as of July 13, 2011, or |
| · | the average weekly trading volume of our common stock, assuming our shares are then traded on a national securities exchange, during the four calendar weeks preceding the filing of a notice on Form 144 with respect to that sale. |
Sales under Rule 144 are also subject to manner-of-sale provisions, notice requirements and the availability of current public information about us. In order to effect a Rule 144 sale of our common stock, our transfer agent will require an opinion from legal counsel. We may charge a fee to persons requesting sales under Rule 144 to obtain the necessary legal opinions.
As of July 13, 2011, 104,427,318 shares of our common stock are available for sale under Rule 144.
LEGAL MATTERS
Greenberg Traurig, LLP, New York, New York, will pass upon the validity of the shares of common stock offered by this prospectus as our legal counsel.
EXPERTS
The financial statements of Vu1 Corporation as of December 31, 2010 and 2009 and for the years then ended have been audited by Peterson Sullivan LLP, independent registered public accounting firm, to the extent and for the periods set forth in their report appearing elsewhere in this prospectus and are included in reliance upon such report given upon the authority of that firm as experts in auditing and accounting.
INTEREST OF NAMED EXPERTS AND COUNSEL
No expert or counsel named in this prospectus as having prepared or certified any part of this prospectus or having given an opinion upon the validity of the securities being registered or upon other legal matters in connection with the registration or offering of the common stock was employed on a contingency basis, or had, or is to receive, in connection with the offering, a substantial interest, direct or indirect, in the registrant or any of its parents or subsidiaries. Nor was any such person connected with the registrant or any of its parents or subsidiaries as a promoter, managing or principal underwriter, voting trustee, director, officer, or employee.
Index to Consolidated Financial Statements
Vu1 Corporation and Subsidiaries
Annual Financial Statements | Page |
| |
Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm | F-2 |
| |
Consolidated Balance Sheets at December 31, 2010 and 2009 | F-3 |
| |
Consolidated Statements of Operations for the Years Ended December 31, 2010 and 2009 | F-4 |
| |
Consolidated Statements of Stockholders’ Equity (Deficit) for the Years Ended December 31, 2010 and 2009 | F-5 |
| |
Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows for the Years Ended December 31, 2010 and 2009 | F-6 |
| |
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements | F-7 |
| |
Unaudited Quarterly Financial Statements | |
| |
Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets at March 31, 2011 and December 31, 2010 (Unaudited) | F-28 |
| |
Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations for the Three Months Ended March 31, 2011 and 2010 (Unaudited) | F-29 |
| |
Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows for the Three Months Ended March 31, 2011 and 2010 (Unaudited) | F-30 |
| |
Notes to Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements (Unaudited) | F-31 |
REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM
To the Board of Directors
Vu1 Corporation
New York, New York
We have audited the accompanying consolidated balance sheets of Vu1 Corporation and Subsidiaries as of December 31, 2010 and 2009, and the related consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss, stockholders' equity (deficit), and cash flows for the years then ended. These consolidated financial statements are the responsibility of the Company's management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on these consolidated financial statements based on our audits.
We conducted our audits in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States). Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement. The Company has determined that it is not required to have, nor were we engaged to perform, an audit of its internal control over financial reporting. Our audit included consideration of internal control over financial reporting as a basis for designing audit procedures that are appropriate in the circumstances, 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. An audit includes examining, on a test basis, evidence supporting the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. An audit also includes assessing the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall financial statement presentation. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.
In our opinion, the consolidated financial statements referred to above present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of Vu1 Corporation and Subsidiaries as of December 31, 2010 and 2009, and the results of their operations and their cash flows for the years then ended, in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States.
The accompanying consolidated financial statements have been prepared assuming the Company will continue as a going concern. As discussed in Note 3 to the consolidated financial statements, the Company incurred a net loss of $4,626,250, and it had negative cash flows from operations of $3,529,351 in 2010. In addition, the Company had an accumulated deficit of $70,499,569 at December 31, 2010. These factors raise substantial doubt about the Company's ability to continue as a going concern. Management's plans regarding those matters are also described in Note 3. The consolidated financial statements do not include any adjustments that might result from the outcome of this uncertainty.
/s/ PETERSON SULLIVAN LLP
Seattle, Washington
March 31, 2011
Vu1 CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS
DECEMBER 31, 2010 AND 2009
| | DECEMBER 31, | |
| | 2010 | | | 2009 | |
ASSETS | | | | | | |
Current assets | | | | | | |
Cash | | $ | 119,619 | | | $ | 366,303 | |
Tax refund receivable | | | 37,847 | | | | 30,938 | |
Prepaid expenses | | | 63,878 | | | | 205,725 | |
Total current assets | | | 221,344 | | | | 602,966 | |
| | | | | | | | |
Non-current assets | | | | | | | | |
Equipment, net of accumulated depreciation of $238,632 and $150,015, respectively | | | 286,043 | | | | 133,544 | |
Construction in process | | | 261,771 | | | | 472,708 | |
Deposit on building purchase | | | 999,771 | | | | 635,387 | |
Loan costs | | | - | | | | 28,421 | |
Total assets | | $ | 1,768,929 | | | $ | 1,873,026 | |
| | | | | | | | |
LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY (DEFICIT) | | | | | | | | |
Current liabilities | | | | | | | | |
Accounts payable | | $ | 515,128 | | | $ | 528,503 | |
Accrued payroll | | | 198,201 | | | | 343,723 | |
Accrued interest | | | - | | | | 136,880 | |
Short term loan payable | | | - | | | | 116,340 | |
Loan payable, current portion | | | 2,167 | | | | 4,485 | |
Capital lease obligation, current portion | | | 5,207 | | | | 4,927 | |
Total current liabilities | | | 720,703 | | | | 1,134,858 | |
Long-term liabilities | | | | | | | | |
Long-term convertible note payable, net of discount of $0 and $2,892,343, respectively | | | - | | | | 50,848 | |
Embedded derivative liability | | | - | | | | 2,853,011 | |
Loan payable, net of current portion | | | - | | | | 2,214 | |
Capital lease obligation, net of current portion | | | 9,192 | | | | 13,995 | |
Total liabilities | | | 729,895 | | | | 4,054,926 | |
| | | | | | | | |
Stockholders' equity (deficit) | | | | | | | | |
Vu1 Corporation's stockholders' equity (deficit) | | | | | | | | |
Preferred stock, $1.00 par value; 10,000,000 shares authorized; no shares issued and outstanding | | | - | | | | - | |
Common stock, no par value; 200,000,000 shares authorized; 104,992,350 and 86,152,246 shares issued and outstanding, respectively | | | 71,597,111 | | | | 63,681,363 | |
Accumulated deficit | | | (70,499,569 | ) | | | (65,873,319 | ) |
Accumulated other comprehensive income | | | 37,547 | | | | 106,111 | |
Total Vu1 Corporation's stockholders' equity (deficit) | | | 1,135,089 | | | | (2,085,845 | ) |
Non-controlling interest | | | (96,055 | ) | | | (96,055 | ) |
Total stockholders' equity (deficit) | | | 1,039,034 | | | | (2,181,900 | ) |
Total liabilities and stockholders' equity (deficit) | | $ | 1,768,929 | | | $ | 1,873,026 | |
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements. Vu1 CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS AND COMPREHENSIVE LOSS
FOR THE YEARS ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2010 AND 2009
| | Years ended December 31, | |
| | 2010 | | | 2009 | |
| | | | | | |
Operating expenses | | | | | | |
Research and development | | $ | 2,076,584 | | | $ | 2,957,848 | |
General and administrative | | | 2,345,028 | | | | 2,353,021 | |
Marketing | | | 364,773 | | | | 413,502 | |
Total operating expenses | | | 4,786,385 | | | | 5,724,371 | |
| | | | | | | | |
Loss from operations | | | (4,786,385 | ) | | | (5,724,371 | ) |
| | | | | | | | |
Other income (expense) | | | | | | | | |
Interest income | | | 14 | | | | 2,570 | |
Interest expense | | | (1,239,759 | ) | | | (255,969 | ) |
Other income | | | 36,902 | | | | - | |
Loss on extinguishment of debt | | | (215,873 | ) | | | - | |
Derivative valuation gain (loss) | | | 1,578,851 | | | | (1,604,920 | ) |
| | | | | | | | |
Total other income (expense) | | | 160,135 | | | | (1,858,319 | ) |
| | | | | | | | |
Loss before provision for income taxes | | | (4,626,250 | ) | | | (7,582,690 | ) |
| | | | | | | | |
Provision for income taxes | | | - | | | | - | |
| | | | | | | | |
Net loss | | $ | (4,626,250 | ) | | $ | (7,582,690 | ) |
| | | | | | | | |
Other comprehensive loss: | | | | | | | | |
Foreign currency translation adjustments | | | (68,564 | ) | | | (30,786 | ) |
| | | | | | | | |
Comprehensive loss | | $ | (4,694,814 | ) | | $ | (7,613,476 | ) |
| | | | | | | | |
Basic and diluted: | | | | | | | | |
Loss per share | | $ | (0.05 | ) | | $ | (0.09 | ) |
Weighted average shares outstanding | | | 90,735,085 | | | | 85,669,639 | |
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.
Vu1 CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY (DEFICIT)
FOR THE YEARS ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2010 AND 2009
| | Vu1 Corporation Stockholders | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | Accumulated | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | Other | | | | | | | |
| | Common Stock | | | Subscription | | | Accumulated | | | Comprehensive | | | Non-Controlling | | | | |
| | Shares | | | Amount | | | Receivable | | | Deficit | | | Income | | | Interest | | | Total | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Balance December 31, 2008 | | $ | 85,691,892 | | | $ | 61,165,545 | | | $ | (131,800 | ) | | $ | (58,290,629 | ) | | $ | 136,987 | | | $ | (96,055 | ) | | $ | 2,784,048 | |
Collection of subscription receivable | | | - | | | | - | | | | 131,800 | | | | - | | | | - | | | | - | | | | 131,800 | |
Issuance of stock for services | | | 452,604 | | | | 266,459 | | | | - | | | | - | | | | - | | | | - | | | | 266,459 | |
Issuance of warrant for services | | | - | | | | 48,735 | | | | - | | | | - | | | | - | | | | - | | | | 48,735 | |
Share-based compensation | | | 54,000 | | | | 444,920 | | | | - | | | | - | | | | - | | | | - | | | | 444,920 | |
Issuance of convertible notes | | | - | | | | 1,755,704 | | | | - | | | | - | | | | - | | | | - | | | | 1,755,704 | |
Forfeited grants of common stock | | | (46,250 | ) | | | - | | | | - | | | | - | | | | - | | | | - | | | | - | |
Net loss | | | - | | | | - | | | | - | | | | (7,582,690 | ) | | | - | | | | - | | | | (7,582,690 | ) |
Foreign currency translation adjustments | | | - | | | | - | | | | - | | | | - | | | | (30,876 | ) | | | - | | | | (30,876 | ) |
Balance December 31, 2009 | | | 86,152,246 | | | | 63,681,363 | | | | - | | | | (65,873,319 | ) | | | 106,111 | | | | (96,055 | ) | | | (2,181,900 | ) |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Issuance of warrant for services | | | - | | | | 6,722 | | | | - | | | | - | | | | - | | | | - | | | | 6,722 | |
Issuance of warrant for interest | | | - | | | | 19,125 | | | | - | | | | - | | | | - | | | | - | | | | 19,125 | |
Share-based compensation | | | 430,762 | | | | 881,691 | | | | - | | | | - | | | | - | | | | - | | | | 881,691 | |
Issuance of convertible notes | | | - | | | | 664,775 | | | | - | | | | - | | | | - | | | | - | | | | 664,775 | |
Issuance of options for payables | | | - | | | | 120,000 | | | | - | | | | - | | | | - | | | | - | | | | 120,000 | |
Issuance of stock for payables | | | 518,121 | | | | 226,689 | | | | - | | | | - | | | | - | | | | - | | | | 226,689 | |
Issuance of stock upon exercise of options | | | 450,000 | | | | 148,500 | | | | - | | | | - | | | | - | | | | - | | | | 148,500 | |
Conversion of notes | | | 15,450,296 | | | | 4,747,771 | | | | - | | | | - | | | | - | | | | - | | | | 4,747,771 | |
Issuance of units of stock and warrants for cash | | | 940,800 | | | | 470,400 | | | | - | | | | - | | | | - | | | | - | | | | 470,400 | |
Issuance of stock for services | | | 250,000 | | | | 150,000 | | | | - | | | | - | | | | - | | | | - | | | | 150,000 | |
Issuance of stock upon exercise of warrants | | | 800,125 | | | | 480,075 | | | | - | | | | - | | | | - | | | | - | | | | 480,075 | |
Net loss | | | - | | | | - | | | | - | | | | (4,626,250 | ) | | | - | | | | - | | | | (4,626,250 | ) |
Foreign currency translation adjustments | | | - | | | | - | | | | - | | | | - | | | | (68,564 | ) | | | - | | | | (68,564 | ) |
Balance December 31, 2010 | | | 104,992,350 | | | $ | 71,597,111 | | | $ | - | | | $ | (70,499,569 | ) | | $ | 37,547 | | | $ | (96,055 | ) | | $ | 1,039,034 | |
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.
Vu1 CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS
FOR THE YEARS ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2010 AND 2009
| | Years Ended December 31, | |
| | 2010 | | | 2009 | |
Cash flows from operating activities: | | | | | | |
| | | | | | |
Net loss | | $ | (4,626,250 | ) | | $ | (7,582,690 | ) |
Adjustments to reconcile net loss to net cash flows from operating activities: | | | | | | | | |
Depreciation | | | 90,262 | | | | 96,972 | |
Share-based compensation | | | 881,691 | | | | 444,920 | |
Issuance of warrant for services | | | 6,722 | | | | 48,735 | |
Issuance of warrant for interest | | | 19,125 | | | | - | |
Amortization of discount and prepaid interest on long-term convertible note | | | 692,526 | | | | 113,514 | |
Amortization of loan costs | | | 28,421 | | | | 1,579 | |
Issuances of common stock for services | | | 150,000 | | | | 266,459 | |
Derivative valuation (gain) loss | | | (1,578,851 | ) | | | 1,604,920 | |
Loss on extinguishment of debt | | | 215,873 | | | | - | |
Changes in assets and liabilities: | | | | | | | | |
Tax refund receivable | | | (7,455 | ) | | | 2,384 | |
Prepaid expenses | | | 9,731 | | | | (55,846 | ) |
Accounts payable | | | 355,285 | | | | 249,169 | |
Accrued interest | | | 353,550 | | | | - | |
Accrued payroll | | | (119,981 | ) | | | 174,566 | |
Net cash flows from operating activities | | | (3,529,351 | ) | | | (4,635,318 | ) |
| | | | | | | | |
Cash flows from investing activities: | | | | | | | | |
Purchases of equipment and construction in process | | | (45,124 | ) | | | (50,088 | ) |
Deposits on building purchase | | | (372,259 | ) | | | (407,414 | ) |
Net cash flows from investing activities | | | (417,383 | ) | | | (457,502 | ) |
| | | | | | | | |
Cash flows from financing activities: | | | | | | | | |
Proceeds from sales of units of common stock and warrants | | | 470,400 | | | | 131,800 | |
Proceeds from issuance of convertible note payable and warrants | | | 2,819,089 | | | | 2,780,747 | |
Proceeds from short term loan | | | - | | | | 113,408 | |
Proceeds from exercise of warrants | | | 480,075 | | | | - | |
Proceeds from exercise of options | | | 114,000 | | | | - | |
Payment on short term loan | | | (112,145 | ) | | | - | |
Payments on note payable | | | (4,323 | ) | | | (3,431 | ) |
Payments on capital lease obligations | | | (3,986 | ) | | | (3,986 | ) |
Net cash flows from financing activities | | | 3,763,110 | | | | 3,018,538 | |
| | | | | | | | |
Effect of exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents | | | (63,060 | ) | | | (46,024 | ) |
| | | | | | | | |
Net change in cash and cash equivalents | | | (246,684 | ) | | | (2,120,306 | ) |
| | | | | | | | |
Cash and cash equivalents, beginning of period | | | 366,303 | | | | 2,486,609 | |
| | | | | | | | |
Cash and cash equivalents, end of period | | $ | 119,619 | | | $ | 366,303 | |
| | | | | | | | |
Cash paid for interest | | $ | 206,001 | | | $ | 3,995 | |
| | | | | | | | |
Schedule of Non-cash Financing Activity: | | | | | | | | |
Conversion of notes payable to common stock | | $ | 4,747,771 | | | $ | - | |
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.
Vu1 CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
NOTE 1 - BUSINESS AND ORGANIZATION
All references in these consolidated financial statements to “we,” “us,” “our,” and the “Company” are to Vu1 Corporation, Sendio, s.r.o., our Czech subsidiary, and our inactive subsidiary Telisar Corporation unless otherwise noted or indicated by its context.
We are focused on developing, manufacturing and selling a line of mercury free, energy efficient light bulbs based on our proprietary light-emitting technology. For the past several years, we have primarily focused on research and development efforts for our technology and the related manufacturing processes.
In September 2007, we formed Sendio, s.r.o. (“Sendio”) in the Czech Republic as a wholly-owned subsidiary for the purpose of operating a research and development and manufacturing facility.
We have one inactive subsidiary, Telisar Corporation, a California corporation and 66.67% majority-owned subsidiary.
NOTE 2 - SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES
Principles of Consolidation
The consolidated financial statements include the accounts of Vu1 and all of its wholly-owned and controlled subsidiaries. All significant intercompany transactions and balances have been eliminated in consolidation.
Translating Financial Statements
The functional currency of Sendio is the Czech Koruna (CZK). The accounts of Sendio contained in the accompanying consolidated balance sheets as of December 31, 2010 and 2009 have been translated into United States dollars at the exchange rate prevailing as of those dates. Translation adjustments are included in “Accumulated Other Comprehensive Loss,” a separate component of stockholders’ equity. The accounts of Sendio in the accompanying consolidated statements of operations for the years ended December 31, 2010 and 2009 have been translated using the average exchange rates prevailing for the respective periods. Sendio recorded an aggregate of $5,049 and $4,710 of foreign currency transaction gain as an offset to general and administrative expense in the accompanying statements of operations for the years ended December 31, 2010 and 2009, respectively.
Use of Estimates
The preparation of financial statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities, disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from those estimates.
Cash and Cash Equivalents
For purposes of the statements of cash flows, we consider all investments purchased with original maturities of three months or less to be cash equivalents. At December 31, 2009, we had cash of $46,170 in excess of federally insured limits in effect as of that date.
Equipment
Equipment is comprised of equipment used in the testing and development of the manufacturing process of our light bulbs and is stated at cost. We provide for depreciation using the straight-line method over the estimated useful lives of three to fifteen years. Expenditures for maintenance and repairs are charged to operations as incurred while renewals and betterments are capitalized. Gains or losses on the sale of equipment are reflected in the statements of operations. Net book value of assets in the U.S. and Czech Republic were as follows:
| | Year Ended December 31, | |
| | 2010 | | | 2009 | |
United States | | $ | 5,454 | | | $ | 11,155 | |
Czech Republic | | | 280,589 | | | | 122,389 | |
| | $ | 286,043 | | | $ | 133,544 | |
Construction in Process
Construction in process is comprised of assets to be used in the operations in the Czech Republic not in service as of December 31, 2010 and 2009. These assets, when placed in service will be reclassified to equipment and depreciated over their estimated useful lives.
Income Taxes
We recognize the amount of income taxes payable or refundable for the current year and recognize deferred tax assets and liabilities for the future tax consequences attributable to differences between the financial statement amounts of certain assets and liabilities and their respective tax bases. Deferred tax assets and deferred tax liabilities are measured using enacted tax rates expected to apply to taxable income in the years those temporary differences are expected to be recovered or settled. A valuation allowance is required when it is less likely than not that we will be able to realize all or a portion of our deferred tax assets.
FASB ASC 740-10-25 clarifies the accounting for uncertain tax positions and requires that an entity recognizes in the consolidated financial statements the impact of a tax position, if that position is more likely than not of being sustained upon examination, based on the technical merits of the position. Recognized income tax positions are measured at the largest amount that is greater than 50% likely of being realized. Changes in recognition or measurement are reflected in the period in which the change in judgment occurs. The Company has elected to classify interest and penalties related to unrecognized tax benefits, if and when required, as part of income tax expense in the consolidated statements of operations.
Long-Lived Assets
Long-lived assets are reviewed for impairment when events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount may not be recoverable. Recoverability of assets to be held and used is measured by comparison of the carrying amount of an asset to future net cash flows expected to be generated by the asset. If such assets are considered to be impaired, the impairment to be recognized is measured by the amount that the carrying amount of the assets exceeds the fair value of the assets. Assets to be disposed of are reported at the lower of the carrying amount or fair value less costs to sell. Management reviewed the assets during the fourth quarter of 2010 and determined no impairment was deemed necessary.
Fair Value of Financial Instruments
Financial instruments consist of cash, receivables, payables and accrued liabilities, derivative financial instruments, loans payable and convertible debt. The fair value of our cash, receivables, payables and accrued liabilities and loans payable are carried at historical cost; their respective estimated fair values approximate their carrying values.
Derivative financial instruments, as defined in ASC 815 “Accounting for Derivative Financial Instruments and Hedging Activities” consist of financial instruments or other contracts that contain a notional amount and one or more underlying (e.g. interest rate, security price or other variable), require no initial net investment and permit net settlement. Derivative financial instruments may be free-standing or embedded in other financial instruments. We generally do not use derivative financial instruments to hedge exposures to cash-flow, market or foreign-currency risks. However, the conversion feature in our convertible promissory notes is not afforded equity classification because it embodies risks not clearly and closely related to the host contract. As required by ASC 815-10, these features are required to be bifurcated and carried as derivative liabilities, at fair value, in our financial statements.
We carry our long term convertible debt at historical cost. The fair value of our convertible debt in its hybrid form is determined, for disclosure purposes only, based upon its forward cash flows, at credit risk adjusted rates, plus the fair value of the conversion feature. As of December 31, 2009, the fair value of our face value $2,943,191 convertible notes amounted to approximately $5,472,000.
Fair Value Measurements
ASC 820 “Fair Value Measurements” defines fair value, establishes a framework for measuring fair value in generally accepted accounting principles, and expands disclosures about fair value measurements. This hierarchy prioritizes the inputs into three broad levels. Level 1 inputs are quoted prices (unadjusted) in active markets for identical assets or liabilities. Level 2 inputs are quoted prices for similar assets and liabilities in active markets or inputs that are observable for the asset or liability, either directly or indirectly through market corroboration, for substantially the full term of the financial instrument. Level 3 inputs are unobservable inputs based on our own assumptions used to measure assets and liabilities at fair value. A financial asset or liability’s classification within the hierarchy is determined based on the lowest level input that is significant to the fair value measurement. Significant fair value measurements resulted from the application of ASC 815 to our convertible promissory note and warrant financing arrangements and ASC 718-10 for our share-based payment arrangements.
Non-Controlling Interest
Non-controlling interest represents the equity of the 33.3% non-controlling shareholders of Telisar Corporation. The subsidiary had no operations during 2010 and 2009.
Revenue Recognition
Revenues are recognized when (a) persuasive evidence of an arrangement exists, (b) delivery has occurred and no significant obligations remain, (c) the fee is fixed or determinable and (d) collection is determined to be probable. We have not recognized any revenues in the accompanying financial statements.
Research and Development Costs
For financial reporting purposes, all costs of research and development activities performed internally or on a contract basis are expensed as incurred. For the years ended December 31, 2010 and 2009, research and development expenses were comprised primarily of technical consulting expenses, salaries and related benefits and overheads, rent and operational costs related to the development of the production line. Also included in research and development for the year ended December 31, 2010 and 2009 were non-cash stock compensation charges of $90,585 and $223,591, respectively, for the issuance of shares of common stock and options to consultants and employees.
Share-Based Payments
We account for share-based compensation expense to reflect the fair value of share-based awards measured at the grant date. This expense is recognized over the requisite service period and is adjusted each period for anticipated forfeitures. We estimate the fair value of each share-based award on the date of grant using the Black-Scholes option valuation model. The Black-Scholes option valuation model incorporates assumptions as to stock price volatility, the expected life of options, a risk-free interest rate and dividend yield. On October 26, 2007, our Board of Directors approved the Vu1 Corporation 2007 Stock Incentive Plan (“Stock Incentive Plan”). A total of 10,000,000 shares of our common stock were authorized for issuance under the plan. The Plan was approved by our stockholders on May 22, 2008. See Note 12.
Comprehensive income includes all changes in equity (net assets) during a period from non-owner sources. Other comprehensive income presented in the accompanying consolidated financial statements consists of foreign currency translation adjustments.
Loss Per Share
We calculate basic loss per share by dividing loss available to common stockholders by the weighted-average number of shares of common stock outstanding, excluding unvested stock. Diluted loss per share is computed similar to basic loss per share except that the denominator is increased to include the number of additional shares of common stock that would have been outstanding if the potential common shares, including unvested stock, had been issued and if the additional common shares were dilutive.
The following potentially dilutive common shares are excluded from the computation of diluted net loss per share for all periods presented because the effect is anti-dilutive:
| | Year Ended December 31, | |
| | 2010 | | | 2009 | |
Warrants | | | 8,654,483 | | | | 10,541,113 | |
Convertible debt | | | - | | | | 7,357,976 | |
Stock options | | | 6,655,015 | | | | 4,796,875 | |
Unvested stock | | | 347,131 | | | | 71,625 | |
| | | | | | | | |
Total potentially dilutive securities | | | 15,656,629 | | | | 22,767,589 | |
NOTE 3 - GOING CONCERN MATTERS
The accompanying financial statements have been prepared in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States which contemplate our continuation as a going concern. For the year ended December 31, 2010, we had a net loss of $4,626,250 and we had negative cash flows from operations of $3,529,351. In addition, we had an accumulated deficit of $70,499,569 at December 31, 2010. These factors raise substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern.
Recovery of our assets is dependent upon future events, the outcome of which is indeterminable. Our attainment of profitable operations is dependent upon obtaining adequate financing and achieving a level of sales adequate to support our cost structure. In addition, realization of a significant portion of the assets in the accompanying balance sheet is dependent upon our ability to meet our financing requirements and the success of our plans to sell our product. The financial statements do not include any adjustments relating to the recoverability and classification of recorded asset amounts or amounts and classification of liabilities that might be necessary should we be unable to continue in existence.
On February 8, 2011, we raised gross proceeds of $2,210,000 in a private placement of our common stock and warrants to certain institutional investors. See Note 14.
NOTE 4 – TAX REFUND RECEIVABLE
Tax refund receivable represents the 19% value added tax receivable from the government of the Czech Republic. No allowance for doubtful accounts has been provided as we believe the amounts are fully collectible.
NOTE 5 - RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS
From January 13, 2010 to September 27, 2010, SAM Special Opportunity Fund, LP, an investment partnership advised by SAM Advisors, LLC advanced an aggregate of $1,601,980 (including $72,089 of prepaid interest) as described in Note 7. William B. Smith, the chairman of our board of directors, is President and CEO of SAM Advisors, LLC. Gregory Owens Jr., a member of our board of directors, is a Portfolio Manager at SAM Advisors, LLC and a Managing Director of SAM Special Opportunity Fund, LP.
From February 22, 2010 to September 24, 2010, Full Spectrum Capital, LLC (“Full Spectrum”) advanced an aggregate of $1,710,295 (including $76,923 of prepaid interest) as described in Note 7. R. Gale Sellers, then a director and Chief Executive Officer, is the managing director of Full Spectrum.
On September 13, 2010, we exchanged a Note with a face value of $360,350 (including $16,216 of prepaid interest) and warrants to purchase 450,438 shares of common stock in exchange for $344,134 of unpaid, accrued interest through August 1, 2010 payable to Full Spectrum as described in Note 7.
On September 27, 2010, SAM Special Opportunity Fund, L.P. converted their Note Payable and related accrued interest totaling $2,833,655 into 7,084,138 shares of our common stock as described in Note 7.
On September 27, 2010, Full Spectrum converted their Note Payable and related accrued interest, net of prepaid interest totaling $3,346,463 into 8,366,157 shares of our common stock as described in Note 7.
On September 21, 2010, we issued 47,990 shares of common stock to Charles Hunt, a director and 99,758 shares of common stock to Richard Herring, a former director as discussed in Note 12.
On November 18, 2010, we issued 300,000 shares of common stock to a Duncan Troy, the Chairman of our Board of Directors pursuant to the exercise of an option to purchase common stock as discussed in Note 12.
On November 4, 2010, we issued 137,255 shares of common stock to R. Gale Sellers, our former Chief Executive Officer and former director and 250,000 shares of common stock to Billy K. Hamlin, a member of our Board of Directors as discussed in Note 12.
During 2010, we paid $104,250 to Integrated Sales Solutions II, LLC, (“ISS”) which became a related party to us upon the appointment of Billy K. Hamlin to our board of directors in October, 2010. Mr. Hamlin is the Chief Executive Officer of ISS.
From June 8, 2009 to December 30, 2009, Full Spectrum Capital, LLC (“Full Spectrum”) advanced an aggregate of $1,711,515 (including $77,018 of prepaid interest) as described in Note 7. R. Gale Sellers, then a director and Chief Executive Officer, is the managing director of Full Spectrum.
On December 30, 2009, R. Gale Sellers and Richard Herring, both directors and officers converted a total of $97,500 of unpaid compensation into ten-year options to purchase 150,000 shares of common stock at an exercise price of $0.65 per share as more fully described in Note 12.
NOTE 6 - COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES
Sendio Facility Operating Lease and Purchase Agreement
On May 28, 2008, Sendio entered into a lease contract for certain facilities located in the city of Olomouc in the Czech Republic (the “Lease”). We intend to utilize the facilities to continue our assessment of the feasibility of manufacturing of our energy efficient, mercury free line of light bulbs. The Lease term was one year, effective from July 1, 2008 and terminated on June 30, 2009. The rent for the one year term was CZK 10,000,000, plus mandatory VAT. The rent, after the reduction for amounts paid by other tenants, was payable monthly in the amount of CZK 455,310 for each month from January through June 2009. On May 29, 2008, Sendio paid a deposit of CZK 4,000,000 to the landlord. Effective December 9, 2008 Sendio entered into an agreement (the “Purchase Agreement”) to purchase the facilities in the Lease from the landlord. The purchase price for the Premises is CZK 179,000,000 (approximately $9.0 million USD) (the “Purchase Price”) and the scheduled closing date for ownership transfer anticipated in the Purchase Agreement was July 1, 2009. The deposit Sendio paid on May 29, 2008 under the Lease for CZK 4,000,000 was considered an advance on the Purchase Price. We have recorded this amount as a non-current asset as a deposit on building purchase in the accompanying balance sheets as of December 31, 2010 and 2009. The remaining balance of the Purchase Price was payable by means of an escrow account, with payments totaling CZK 175,000,000 originally scheduled to be made to an escrow account in installments, all of which were due June 30, 2009.
Also, effective December 9, 2008, as additional inducement for the landlord to enter into the Purchase Agreement, Vu1 entered into a Deed of Guarantee with the landlord under which it guaranteed up to CZK 13,500,000 of the CZK 175,000,000 aggregate payments by Sendio under the Purchase Agreement. The guarantee expires upon full payment by Sendio of this amount.
Sendio did not make the first payment of CZK 11,000,000 due on February 28 and, on March 3, 2009, Sendio and the landlord of the building premises in the Czech Republic amended the payment terms under the Purchase Agreement (“Amendment No. 1”). Under Amendment No. 1, Sendio paid CZK 1,000,000 into the escrow account on March 10, 2009 and deferred the payment under the original payment schedule. Sendio did not make the payments under the revised payment schedule, and we entered into negotiations with the seller to revise the terms of the Purchase Agreement.
Pursuant to these negotiations, Sendio obtained month to month extensions for each month of the lease pursuant to these ongoing negotiations and Sendio agreed to pay CZK 722,556 per month for rent and CZK 645,834 per month for an escrow payment for July through November 2009.
On December 2, 2009, Sendio executed a new lease agreement (the “New Lease Agreement”) for its existing office and manufacturing facilities in the Czech Republic. The New Lease Agreement commenced on December 1, 2009 and specifies annual rent of CZK 13,365,000 plus applicable VAT taxes (CZK 1,113,750 per month), less amounts paid by existing tenants in the building. The present rent is CZK 719,556 per month after offset of the amounts paid by existing tenants and will increase should the existing tenants vacate the premises by the amount paid by the vacating tenant. The New Lease Agreement expires on June 30, 2011. Sendio is responsible for utilities, maintenance and certain other costs as defined in the lease.
In addition, on December 2, 2009, Sendio executed an amendment to the purchase agreement (“Amendment No. 2”) for the facilities. Under Amendment No. 2, Sendio agreed to payments of the remaining purchase price of CZK 170,770,830 as follows:
| · | Payment of CZK 2,167,668 to the escrow account related to the purchase of the building. This payment was made by Sendio. |
| · | Payments totaling CZK 12,270,846 payable in 19 monthly installments beginning December 1, 2009 of CZK 645,834 through June 30, 2011 into the escrow account. If any required installment is not made timely as defined in the agreement, the seller is entitled to claim a contractual fine of 60% per year on the past-due amount. |
| · | Payment of the remaining purchase price of CZK 156,332,316 into the escrow account on or prior to June 30, 2011. If any required installment is not made timely as defined in the agreement, the seller is entitled to claim a contractual fine of 36% per year on the past-due amount. |
Under the Amendment No. 2, the seller specifically waived any claims for contractual penalties, damages or other costs arising out of any defaults by Sendio under the purchase agreement occurring prior to November 30, 2009. However, in the event of future breaches or claims under the purchase agreement by Sendio, Amendment No. 2 provides that the seller may be able to claim contractual penalties of CZK 17,500,000 for defaults prior to June 30, 2009. Amendment No. 2 also specifies that the seller has the right to withdraw from the purchase agreement and impose contractual fines in the aggregate amount of up to CZK 26,000,000 (which amount includes the CZK17,500,000 for defaults prior to June 30, 2009 described above) in the event that Sendio does not make any installment payment timely. The seller has the right to collect these from amounts deposited in escrow.
Other Operating Leases
In February 2009, we entered into a five month lease for our office space in Seattle, Washington. Monthly rent was $1,530. Upon the conclusion of the lease term the lease became month to month on the same terms. This lease was terminated by its terms in November, 2010.
On November 1, 2010, we entered into a six month lease agreement for office space for our corporate headquarters located in New York City, New York. Monthly rental payments are $1,320 under the lease.
Total rent expense was $474,329 and $431,649 for the years ended December 31, 2010 and 2009, respectively.
The future payments under New York lease and our Sendio operating lease, net of amounts presently paid by other tenants at the Sendio facility as of December 31, 2010, are as follows:
2011 | | | 231,508 | |
Total | | $ | 231,508 | |
Investment Banking Agreements
On February 18, 2010, we entered into a Financial Advisory and Investment Banking Services Agreement to assist us with our fundraising efforts. We paid $20,000 as an advisory fee at the inception of the agreement. In addition, the agreement specifies compensation for the placement of equity securities of 8% of any gross proceeds plus warrants equal to 8% of common shares issued or issuable in any financing from investors identified by the investment banker. In addition, if the investment banker moves to conduct a syndicated offering with other brokers, an additional 2% of gross proceeds for a management fee and 3% of gross proceeds will be due for a non accountable expense allowance plus warrants equal to 5% of common shares issued or issuable in such financing.
The agreement also specifies compensation of 6% of gross proceeds with 6% warrant coverage for any mezzanine debt financing and 1.5% of gross proceeds for senior debt with no warrant coverage. The agreement terminated on June 30, 2010. The obligation for payment of fees and warrants as specified above survives for one year subsequent to the termination of the agreement for any amounts raised from investors identified and contacted by the investment banker. No amounts are presently due under this agreement.
On March 10, 2010, we entered into an Investment Banking Agreement to assist us with our fundraising efforts, which expired in June, 2010. The Agreement specifies compensation of 7% of any gross proceeds plus warrants equal to 7% of the number of common shares issued or issuable upon conversion in any financing transaction from investors identified by the investment banker. In addition, the investment banker has a right of first refusal under certain circumstances for a period of 18 months following the termination of the agreement under certain circumstances as defined in the agreement. The obligation for payment of these fees and warrants survives for one year subsequent to the termination of the agreement for any amounts raised from investors identified and contacted by the investment banker. No amounts are presently due under this agreement.
In March 2009, we signed an exclusive investment banking agreement with an investment banker to assist us with our fundraising efforts. During the term of the agreement and for one year after its termination, upon the closing of a transaction from investors introduced by the investment bank, we will pay the investment bank financing fees ranging from 5% to 7% of the value of the transaction as defined in the agreement. This agreement was terminated on December 31, 2009. As of December 31, 2010, we have no further liability under this agreement. No fees were paid to the investment banker under this agreement.
NOTE 7 – CONVERTIBLE NOTES PAYABLE
On June 8, 2009, Vu1 issued a Secured Convertible Grid Promissory Note to Full Spectrum as amended August 31, 2009 and amended and restated November 19, 2009. On November 19, 2009 we entered into a new Secured Convertible Grid Promissory Note with SAM Special Opportunity Fund, L.P. (collectively, the “Notes”). The Notes provided that Full Spectrum and SAM Special Opportunity Fund, L.P. may make one or more loans to Vu1, at such times and in such amounts as determined by Full Spectrum or SAM Special Opportunity Fund, L.P. in its sole discretion, but not to exceed $7 million. Principal amounts under the Notes were convertible at any time into shares of our common stock at a price of $0.40 per share and were secured by all of our assets. The Note also provided that in conjunction with each advance under the Notes, we would issue three-year warrants to purchase common stock at an exercise price of $0.75 per share equal to 50% of the shares into which each advance was convertible. The Notes bore interest at 18% which was payable in quarterly installments beginning February 1, 2010. We had granted to both lenders a first priority security interest in our assets as collateral security for repayment of their Notes. The Notes were due on June 30, 2011.
Full Spectrum is an LLC that is managed by R. Gale Sellers, an executive officer and director of Vu1. SAM Special Opportunity Fund, L.P. is advised by SAM Advisors, LLC. William B. Smith, the chairman of our board of directors, is President and CEO of SAM Advisors, LLC. Gregory Owens Jr., a member of our board of directors, is a Portfolio Manager at SAM Advisors, LLC and a Managing Director of SAM Special Opportunity Fund, LP.
The holders of the Notes retained out of each advance made to us an amount equal to one interest payment (three months’ accrued interest) (the “Interest Prepayment”), to be applied either to the final quarterly payment of interest due under the Notes, or as payment of accrued and unpaid interest upon an event of default or prepayment of the Notes. The amount retained as interest was treated as a component of the face value of the Notes and as prepaid interest, subject to amortization.
From June 8, 2009 to September 27, 2010, we received advances from Full Spectrum and SAM Special Opportunity Fund, L.P. under their Notes summarized as follows:
| | Issuances | | | | | | | |
| | Year Ended | | | Nine Months Ended | | | Pre-Conversion Balances at | | | Balance | |
| | December 31, | | | September 30, | | | September 27, | | | December 31, | |
| | 2009 | | | 2010 | | | 2010 | | | 2009 | |
Notes | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Face value, 18% per annum, secured convertible grid promissory notes, due June 30, 2011 | | $ | 2,943,191 | | | $ | 3,312,275 | | | $ | 6,255,466 | | | $ | 2,943,191 | |
Original issue discount, resulting from the allocation of basis to warrants and compound embedded derivatives | | | (2,943,191 | ) | | | (2,154,076 | ) | | | (5,097,267 | ) | | | (2,943,191 | ) |
Amortization of original issue discount using the effective interest method | | | 381,172 | | | | 325,099 | | | | 706,271 | | | | 50,848 | |
Carrying values at September 27, 2010 | | $ | 381,172 | | | $ | 1,483,298 | | | $ | 1,864,470 | | | $ | 50,848 | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Linked Common Shares | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Notes | | | 7,357,976 | | | | 8,280,687 | | | | 15,638,663 | | | | | |
Warrants | | | 3,678,989 | | | | 4,140,344 | | | | 7,819,333 | | | | | |
Total | | | 11,036,965 | | | | 12,421,031 | | | | 23,457,996 | | | | | |
The Notes contained a down round provision that enabled the Note holders to convert to our common stock at the lesser of $0.40 per share or the per share price of any future convertible debt or equity offering approved by the Board of Directors. The down round provision required bifurcation of the embedded conversion options and classification in derivative liabilities at fair value because they are no longer considered indexed to the Company’s common stock. We carried the derivative liabilities at fair value, with charges or credits to income for changes in fair value, until the Notes were settled through conversion as described below. The terms of the Notes provided for capitalization of three month’s interest which was treated as a component of the face value of the Notes and a prepaid interest, subject to amortization. The following is a summary of our accounting for the Full Spectrum and SAM Special Opportunity Fund, L.P. Notes:
| | Year ended December 31, | |
| | 2010 | | | 2009 | |
Face value | | $ | 3,312,275 | | | $ | 2,943,191 | |
Proceeds in cash | | | 2,819,089 | | | | 2,810,747 | |
Accrued interest extinguished | | | 344,134 | | | | - | |
Initial allocation: | | | | | | | | |
Prepaid interest | | | (149,052 | ) | | | (132,443 | ) |
Notes payable | | | 1,158,199 | | | | 694 | |
Beneficial conversion | | | - | | | | 551,469 | |
Warrants | | | 664,775 | | | | 1,204,233 | |
Derivative liabilities | | | 1,705,174 | | | | 2,034,576 | |
Day one loss | | | - | | | | (847,782 | ) |
Extinguishment of obligations | | | (215,873 | ) | | | - | |
| | $ | 3,163,223 | | | $ | 2,810,747 | |
On September 13, 2010, we exchanged a Note with a face value of $360,350 (including $16,216 of prepaid interest) and warrants to purchase 450,438 shares of common stock in exchange for $344,134 of unpaid, accrued interest through August 1, 2010 payable to Full Spectrum. This transaction was accounted for as an extinguishment of obligations wherein the fair value of the notes and warrants, amounting to $437,253 and $138,970, respectively, were exchanged for the carrying value of the obligation, and the difference of $215,873 was recorded as loss on extinguishment of debt in the accompanying consolidated statement of operations for the year ended December 31, 2010.
Information and significant assumptions embodied in our valuations (including equivalent amounts across ranges of simulations resulting from the calculations) of the derivative instrument for the issuances are shown in the following table:
| | Year ended December 31, | |
| | 2010 | | | 2009 | |
Trading market price | | | $0.19-$0.59 | | | | $0.51-$0.91 | |
Expected life (years) | | | 0.85 - 1.25 | | | | 1.24 - 1.73 | |
Equivalent volatility | | | 88.7% - 145.3% | | | | 97.0% - 122.2% | |
Risk adjusted yield | | | 8.4% - 9.7% | | | | 9.7% - 12.0% | |
Risk adjusted interest rate | | | 15.1%-18.0% | | | | 14.4%-18.0% | |
The warrants issued in conjunction with the Full Spectrum and SAM Special Opportunity Fund, L.P. Notes have strike prices of $0.75 and terms of three years from the issuance date. Warrants achieved equity classification because they met all of the requisite criteria and conditions therefor. However, the initial accounting requires allocation of proceeds among the Notes and their warrants based upon relative fair values. The estimated fair value of the warrants reflected in the table above represent the relative fair values of the warrants, derived by allocating the proceeds to the warrants and Notes based upon their respective fair values. Fair values of warrants were calculated using the Black-Scholes option pricing model with the following assumptions:
| | Year ended December 31, | |
| | 2010 | | | 2009 | |
Trading market price | | | $0.29-$0.59 | | | | $0.51-$0.91 | |
Expected dividend | | | — | | | | — | |
Expected life in years | | | 3.0 | | | | 3.0 | |
Volatility | | | 97.2%-162.0% | | | | 122.7%-172.8% | |
Risk free rate | | | 0.6%-1.7% | | | | 1.2%-2.0% | |
The following table shows the cumulative advances from June 8, 2009 to September 27, 2010, (i) the net amount of cash received on advances and interest converted made by Full Spectrum and SAM Special Opportunity Fund, L.P. under their respective notes, (ii) the outstanding principal amount of each note, (iii) the total number of shares of common stock into which the notes are convertible (assuming a conversion rate of $0.40 per share) and (iv) the total number of warrants issued to Full Spectrum and SAM Special Opportunity Fund, L.P. For each cash advance made under either note, the lender retains the Interest Prepayment, to be applied by the lender to the final quarterly payment of interest due under the note, or as payment of accrued and unpaid interest upon an event of default or prepayment of the note; accordingly, the outstanding principal amount for each note is calculated as the sum of the total amount of cash advances, plus the Interest Prepayments and retained expenses.
| | Advances and Interest Converted | | | Total Principal | | | Conversion Shares | | | Warrants | |
Full Spectrum | | $ | 3,267,829 | | | $ | 3,421,810 | | | | 8,554,525 | | | | 4,277,264 | |
SAM | | | 2,706,141 | | | | 2,833,655 | | | | 7,084,138 | | | | 3,542,069 | |
| | $ | 5,973,970 | | | $ | 6,255,465 | | | | 15,638,663 | | | | 7,819,333 | |
On September 27, 2010, Full Spectrum and SAM Special Opportunity Fund, L.P. converted their convertible grid promissory notes, along with all related accrued interest, net of prepaid interest through that date into 15,450,296 shares of our unregistered common stock. The conversion was made in accordance with the original terms and conditions of the underlying contracts, without modification or adjustment. We accounted for the conversion by initially adjusting the embedded derivatives to fair value and adjusting amortization of the original issue discount and prepaid interest to the conversion date. The carrying values associated with the notes (as reflected in the table below) was then aggregated and reclassified to stockholders’ equity.
The carrying value on the date of conversion consisted of the following components:
Convertible notes payable | | | (1,864,470 | ) |
Embedded derivative liability | | | (2,979,334 | ) |
Prepaid interest | | | 242,150 | |
Accrued interest | | | (146,117 | ) |
| | | (4,747,771 | ) |
Information and significant assumptions embodied in our valuation on the date of conversion (including equivalent amounts across ranges of simulations resulting from the calculations) of the derivative instrument for the issuances are shown in the following table:
| | September 27, 2010 | |
Trading market price | | $ | 0.40 | |
Expected life (years) | | | 0.60 - 0.86 | |
Equivalent volatility | | | 158.62 | % |
Risk adjusted yield | | | 7.79 | % |
Risk adjusted interest rate | | | 18.00 | % |
NOTE 8 – DERIVATIVE FINANCIAL INSTRUMENTS
Derivative financial instruments represent the embedded conversion features in our Notes that required bifurcation from the host debt agreements. Derivative financial instruments are classified as liabilities and carried at fair value, with changes reflected in the statement of operations. The following table summarizes the components of changes in our derivative financial instruments during 2009 and 2010:
| | Amount | |
Balance at June 8, 2009 (first date of issuance) | | $ | — | |
Modifications and issuances: | | | | |
Derivatives recognized upon modification of Notes, discussed in Note 7 | | | 529,031 | |
Derivatives recognized upon issuance of post-modification Notes | | | 2,034,576 | |
Unrealized fair value changes, included in income | | | 289,404 | |
Balance at December 31, 2009 | | | 2,853,011 | |
Derivatives recognized upon issuance | | | 1,705,174 | |
Unrealized fair value changes, included in income | | | (1,578,851 | ) |
Conversion | | | (2,979,334 | ) |
Balance at December 31, 2010 | | $ | - | |
The following table summarizes the effect on our consolidated statements of operations related to derivative financial instruments:
| | Year Ended December 31, | |
| | 2010 | | | 2009 | |
Day one derivative losses | | $ | - | | | $ | 1,315,516 | |
Fair value changes | | | (1,578,851 | ) | | | 289,404 | |
Total derivative valuation (gain) loss | | $ | (1,578,851 | ) | | $ | 1,604,920 | |
We value our derivative financial instruments using a Monte Carlo Simulation Technique (“MCST”) using Level 3 inputs. The MCST was selected because this technique embodies all of the types of inputs that we expect market participants would consider in determining the fair value of equity linked derivatives embedded in hybrid debt agreements. Those inputs include equity-related inputs, as well as credit risks, interest risks and redemption behaviors. The following table summarizes the significant inputs and equivalent amounts across ranges of simulations resulting from the calculations:
| | Year ended December 31, | |
| | 2010 | | | 2009 | |
Trading market price | | $ | 0.19-$0.59 | | | $ | 0.51-$0.91 | |
Expected life (years) | | | 0.85 - 1.25 | | | | 1.24 - 1.73 | |
Equivalent volatility | | | 88.7% - 145.3 | % | | | 97.0% - 122.2 | % |
Risk adjusted yield | | | 8.4% - 9.7 | % | | | 9.7% - 12.0 | % |
Risk adjusted interest rate | | | 15.1%-18.0 | % | | | 14.4%-18.0 | % |
NOTE 9 – SHORT TERM LOAN PAYABLE
On November 3, 2009, we issued a 10% note payable to an investor for cash in the amount of GBP 70,000 (approximately $113,000) secured by certain assets of Sendio. On May 1, 2010, we issued three year warrants to purchase 75,000 shares of our common stock at an exercise price of $0.38 per share to the investor as compensation for extending the due date of the loan. The fair value of the warrant of $19,125 was recognized as interest expense in the accompanying condensed consolidated statement of operations for the year ended December 31, 2010. The fair value of the warrant was determined using the following assumptions: market price - $0.38, volatility – 111.0%, risk free interest rate – 1.51%. On June 3, 2010, the due date of the note and accrued interest was extended to August 31, 2010. On September 1, 2010, the due date of the note was further extended to November 30, 2010. On November 18, 2010, we paid the 10% note payable in cash in the amount of GBP 70,000 (approximately $113,000) and all related accrued interest.
NOTE 10 – LOAN PAYABLE
On May 15, 2008, Sendio entered into a three-year note payable for the purchase of a vehicle. The note bears interest at a rate of 24.5% and is payable in 36 equal monthly installments of principal and interest of approximately $575 plus mandatory VAT and insurance. The note is secured by the vehicle.
NOTE 11 – CAPITAL LEASE OBLIGATION
On May 30, 2008, Sendio entered into a five-year lease agreement for the purchase of certain equipment. The capital lease obligation bears interest at a rate of 7.7% and requires payments of principal and interest of approximately $630 plus mandatory VAT and insurance over the 60-month term of the lease. The assets acquired under the capital lease obligation are being depreciated over the five-year term of the lease.
NOTE 12 - STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY
Preferred Stock
Our Amended and Restated Articles of Incorporation allows us to issue up to 10,000,000 shares of preferred stock without further stockholder approval and upon such terms and conditions, and having such rights, preferences, privileges, and restrictions as the Board of Directors may determine. No preferred shares are currently issued and outstanding.
Common Stock Issuances
During the year ended December 31, 2010, we completed the following:
On September 9, 2010, we issued 12,222 shares of common stock to a former employee at a price of $0.45 per share based on the market price as of that date in settlement of $5,500 of unpaid consulting fees.
On September 21, 2010, we issued 150,000 shares of common stock to a former employee at a price of $0.40 per share based on the market price as of that date in settlement of $60,000 of unpaid salary.
On September 21, 2010, we issued 47,990 shares of common stock to Charles Hunt, a director at a price of $0.40 per share based on the market price as of that date in settlement of $19,196 of unpaid consulting fees.
On September 21, 2010, we issued 99,758 shares of common stock to Richard Herring, a former director at a price of $0.40 per share based on the market price as of that date in settlement of $39,903 of unpaid consulting fees.
On September 25, 2010, we issued 36,975 shares of common stock to a former employee at a price of $0.40 per share in settlement of $14,790 of unpaid salary and expenses. On the same date, the employee exercised a $0.23 per share option to purchase common stock in settlement of unpaid salary in the amount of $34,500 and we issued 150,000 shares of common stock.
On September 27, 2010, we issued 15,450,296 shares of common stock upon the conversion of the Notes and related accrued interest as described in Note 7.
On November 4, 2010, we issued 50,000 shares of common stock to two employees of Sendio at a price of $0.51 per share based on the closing market price as of that date and a fair value of $25,500. A total of 33,922 shares were issued in settlement of $17,300 of unpaid wages and 16,078 shares were issued in settlement of $8,200 of bonus compensation.
Also, on November 4, 2010, we issued 137,255 shares of common stock to R. Gale Sellers, our former Chief Executive Officer and a director, at a price of $0.51 per share based on the closing market price as of that date and a fair value of $70,000 in settlement of unpaid 2009 salary in the same amount.
During October 2010, we issued 800,125 shares of common stock in exchange for cash proceeds of $480,075 related to the exercise of warrants at an exercise price of $0.60 per share.
On November 4, 2010, we issued 250,000 shares of common stock with a fair value of $150,000 based on the closing market price of $0.60 as of that date to Billy K. Hamlin for service as a member of our Board of Directors.
On November 18, 2010, we issued 300,000 shares of common stock to a Duncan Troy, the Chairman of our Board of Directors, pursuant to the exercise of an option to purchase common stock at an exercise price of $0.38 per share in exchange for cash in the amount of $114,000.
From October 14, 2010 to December 31, 2010, we sold 470,400 Units at a subscription price of $1.00 per Unit for net proceeds of $470,400 in our Unit Private Placement. Each Unit consists of two shares of common stock and a two-year warrant to purchase one share of common stock at an exercise price of $1.00 per share. A total of 940,800 shares of common stock and two-year warrants to purchase 470,400 shares of common stock at an exercise price of $1.00 were issued. The net proceeds were allocated based on the relative fair values of the common stock and the warrants on the dates of issuance. The allocated fair value of the warrants was $127,748 and the balance of the proceeds of $342,652 was allocated to the common stock.
The fair value of the warrants issued in our Unit Private Placement was calculated using the Black-Scholes Option Pricing Model with the following assumptions:
Closing market price of common stock | | $ | 0.60 to $0.80 | |
Estimated volatility | | 121.6% to 158.5 | % |
Risk free interest rate | | 0.54% to 1.02 | % |
Expected dividend rate | | | | |
Expected life | | 2 years | |
We made the following common stock awards for the year ended December 31, 2010 from the 2007 Stock Compensation Plan:
On October 4, 2010, we issued 470,588 shares of common stock to Philip Styles, our former Chief Executive Officer, at price of $0.51 per share based on the closing market price for our common stock as of that date. The shares are issued pursuant to his employment agreement, which provides for the vesting of these shares as his annual salary of $240,000 is earned but unpaid. During 2010, Mr. Styles converted $34,452 of his salary into 67,552 shares of common stock, and 55,905 shares were forfeited. A total of 347,131 shares remain unvested.
During the year ended December 31, 2009, we completed the following:
| · | In January and February 2009, we collected net proceeds of $131,800 pursuant to subscription agreements for 164,750 units in a private placement of units of our common stock and warrants. Each unit consists of two shares of common stock and a two-year warrant to purchase one share of common stock at an exercise price of $0.60 per share. A total of 329,500 shares of common stock and warrants to purchase 164,750 shares of common stock at an exercise price of $0.60 per share were issued. |
| · | On May 5, 2009, we entered into an engagement letter with a vendor pursuant to which we issued 75,000 shares of common stock valued at $71,250 based on the closing market price as of that date of $0.95 per share. The fair value was recognized as general and administrative expense on the date of issuance. |
| · | On September 30, 2009, we issued 44,800 shares of common stock to an employee upon their termination for services valued at $22,400. |
| · | On December 3, 2009, we issued 158,750 shares of common stock valued at $103,188 or $0.65 per share based on the closing market price for our common stock as of that date to three vendors as compensation for services. |
| · | On December 3, 2009, we issued 174,054 shares of common stock at a price of $0.40 per share to six vendors in settlement of past due accounts payable totaling $69,622. |
We made the following common stock awards for the year ended December 31, 2009 from the 2007 Stock Compensation Plan:
| · | On January 2, 2009, we issued 100,000 shares of common stock to an employee valued at $110,000 or $1.10 per share based on the closing market price as of that date. The shares did not vest and the stock was returned to the Plan. |
| · | On December 18, 2009, we granted 54,000 shares of common stock to employees for services valued at $34,020 or $0.63 per share based on the closing market price for our common stock as of that date. The shares vested upon issuance. |
Warrant Issuances and Exercises
2010 Warrants Issued
We issued three-year warrants to purchase 2,137,870 shares of common stock at an exercise price of $0.75 per share to Full Spectrum, which is managed by R. Gale Sellers, a director and former Chief Executive Officer. In addition we issued three-year warrants to purchase 2,002,474 shares of common stock at an exercise price of $0.75 per share to SAM Special Opportunity Fund, L.P. These warrants were issued pursuant to advances and extinguishment of interest made under their respective Notes as discussed in Note 7.
Also, during 2010, we issued two-year warrants to purchase 470,400 shares of common stock at an exercise price of $1.00 in conjunction with our Unit Private Placement as described above.
As discussed in Note 9, on May 1, 2010, we issued three year warrants to purchase 75,000 shares of our common stock at an exercise price of $0.38 per share to the investor as an inducement to extend the due date of the loan.
2010 Warrants Exercised
During October 2010, we issued 800,125 shares of common stock in exchange for cash proceeds of $480,075 related to the exercise of warrants at an exercise price of $0.60 per share.
2009 Warrants Issued
On January 27, 2009, we issued a two-year warrant to a vendor to purchase 25,000 shares of common stock at an exercise price of $1.00 per share based on the closing market price as of that date. The warrants vested monthly over the period of service from January to May 2009. The value of the warrants of $15,876 was calculated using the Black Scholes method and the following assumptions: volatility of 127.3%, risk free interest rate of 0.87% and an estimated life of two years.
During January and February 2009, we issued warrants to purchase 164,750 shares of common stock at an exercise price of $0.60 per share pursuant to subscription agreements receivable at December 31, 2008 for 164,750 Units under a private placement of stock and warrants as described above. The warrants expired two years from the date of the subscription agreements.
On March 17, 2009, we issued a three-year warrant to a vendor to purchase 150,000 shares of common stock at an exercise price of $0.75 per share based on the closing market price as of that date. A total of 75,000 warrants vest over the one year life of the agreement, with the remaining warrants vesting upon the achievement of certain performance milestones. The value of the warrants of $79,163 was calculated using the Black Scholes method and the following assumptions: volatility of 119.0%, risk free interest rate of 1.45% and an estimated life of three years. The performance milestones had not been achieved at December 31, 2009. We recognized a total of $6,722 and $32,859 of expense during the years ended December 31, 2010 and 2009, respectively pertaining to the vested portion of these warrants. At December 31, 2010, there is $39,582 of unrecognized expense that will be recognized upon the achievement of the performance milestones.
We issued three-year warrants to purchase 3,678,989 shares of common stock at an exercise price of $0.75 per share in conjunction with the Convertible Notes Payable discussed in Note 7.
A summary of activity related to our warrants as of December 31, 2010 is presented below.
| | Number of Shares | | | Exercise price range | | | Weighted Average Exercise Price | | | Weighted Average Remaining Contractual Term (Years) | |
Outstanding, December 31, 2008 | | | 6,522,374 | | | $ | 0.60 to $1.15 | | | $ | 0.60 | | | | |
Granted | | | 4,018,739 | | | $ | 0.60 to $1.00 | | | $ | 0.75 | | | | |
Exercised | | | - | | | | - | | | | - | | | | |
Forfeited | | | - | | | | - | | | | - | | | | |
Outstanding, December 31, 2009 | | | 10,541,113 | | | $ | 0.60 to $1.15 | | | $ | 0.66 | | | | 1.5 | |
Granted | | | 4,685,744 | | | $ | 0.38 to $1.00 | | | $ | 0.77 | | | | | |
Exercised | | | (800,125 | ) | | $ | 0.60 | | | $ | 0.60 | | | | | |
Forfeited | | | (5,772,249 | ) | | $ | 0.60 to $1.15 | | | $ | 0.60 | | | | | |
Outstanding, December 31, 2010 | | | 8,654,483 | | | $ | 0.38 to $1.00 | | | $ | 0.76 | | | | 2.1 | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Exercisable, December 31, 2010 | | | 8,579,483 | | | $ | 0.38 to $1.00 | | | $ | 0.76 | | | | 2.1 | |
The following table summarizes our outstanding warrants as of December 31, 2010:
| | | | | | Weighted-Average | | | | |
Exercise | | | Warrants | | | Remaining Contractual | | | Number | |
Price | | | Outstanding | | | Life (Years) | | | Exercisable | |
$ | 0.38 | | | | 75,000 | | | | 2.3 | | | | 75,000 | |
$ | 0.60 | | | | 114,750 | | | | 0.1 | | | | 114,750 | |
$ | 0.75 | | | | 7,969,333 | | | | 2.1 | | | | 7,894,333 | |
$ | 1.00 | | | | 495,400 | | | | 1.8 | | | | 495,400 | |
| | | | | 8,654,483 | | | | 2.1 | | | | 8,579,483 | |
Stock and Stock Options Issued Pursuant to the 2007 Stock Incentive Plan
On October 26, 2007, our Board of Directors approved our 2007 Stock Incentive Plan. A total of 10,000,000 shares of our common stock were authorized for issuance under the plan. The Stock Incentive Plan allows us to grant stock or stock option awards to our employees, directors, officers, consultants, agents, advisors and independent contractors and subsidiaries, for up to an aggregate of 10,000,000 shares of common stock. The Stock Incentive Plan is administered by our Board of Directors and Compensation Committee, who can determine the size and type of award granted, purchase price, vesting schedule and expiration date of any stock or options grant. All grants of shares and the shares underlying options are for restricted common stock and are issued at the closing market price of our common stock on the date of grant.
A summary of activity related to grants of common stock under the 2007 Stock Incentive Plan as of December 31, 2010 is presented below:
| | Number of Shares | | | Grant Date Fair Value | |
Outstanding, December 31, 2008 | | | 2,203,500 | | | $ | 0.23 to $1.14 | |
Granted | | | 154,000 | | | $ | 0.63 to $1.10 | |
Forfeited | | | (146,250 | ) | | $ | 0.23 to $1.10 | |
Outstanding, December 31, 2009 | | | 2,211,250 | | | $ | 0.23 to $1.14 | |
Granted | | | 470,588 | | | $ | 0.51 | |
Forfeited | | | (63,030 | ) | | $ | 0.51 | |
Outstanding, December 31, 2010 | | | 2,618,808 | | | $ | 0.23 to $1.14 | |
| | | | | | | | |
Vested, December 31, 2010 | | | 2,271,677 | | | $ | 0.23 to $1.14 | |
.
A summary of the status of our nonvested stock grants as of December 31, 2010 and changes during the year ended December 31, 2010 is presented below:
Nonvested Stock Grants | | Number of Shares | | | Weighted Average Grant Date Fair Value | |
Nonvested at December 31, 2009 | | | 71,625 | | | $ | 0.23 | |
Granted | | | 470,588 | | | | 0.51 | |
Forfeited | | | (63,030 | ) | | | 0.47 | |
Vested | | | (132,052 | ) | | | 0.37 | |
Nonvested at December 31, 2010 | | | 347,131 | | | $ | 0.51 | |
We recognized compensation expense related to the vested portion of outstanding share grants with a fair value of $58,812 and $50,781 for the years ended December 31, 2010 and 2009, respectively. These amounts were recognized as research and development expense or general and administrative expense based on the specific recipient of the award for the years ended December 31, 2010 and 2009, respectively. As of December 31, 2010, a total of 347,131 shares of common stock with a fair value of $177,037 are unvested. The cost is expected to be recognized ratably through October 2011. All grants were valued at the closing market price of our common stock as of the date of grant.
A summary of activity related to stock options under the 2007 Stock Incentive Plan as of December 31, 2010 is presented below:
| | Number of Shares | | | Exercise price range | | | Weighted Average Exercise Price | | | Weighted Average Remaining Contractual Term (Years) | | | Aggregate Intrinsic Value | |
Outstanding, December 31, 2008 | | | 6,071,875 | | | $ | 0.23 to $1.14 | | | $ | 0.74 | | | | | | | - | |
Granted | | | 975,000 | | | $ | 0.63 to $1.10 | | | $ | 0.71 | | | | | | | | |
Forfeited | | | (2,250,000 | ) | | $ | 0.49 to $1.14 | | | | 0.99 | | | | | | | | |
Outstanding, December 31, 2009 | | | 4,796,875 | | | $ | 0.23 to $1.00 | | | $ | 0.61 | | | | 8.3 | | | $ | 710,000 | |
Granted | | | 3,158,140 | | | $ | 0.43 to $0.51 | | | $ | 0.46 | | | | | | | | | |
Exercised | | | (450,000 | ) | | $ | 0.23 to $0.38 | | | $ | 0.33 | | | | | | | | | |
Forfeited | | | (850,000 | ) | | $ | 0.23 to $0.51 | | | $ | 0.45 | | | | | | | | | |
Outstanding, December 31, 2010 | | | 6,655,015 | | | $ | 0.23 to $1.00 | | | $ | 0.58 | | | | 8.2 | | | $ | 792,384 | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Exercisable, December 31, 2010 | | | 5,896,111 | | | $ | 0.23 to $1.00 | | | $ | 0.59 | | | | 8.0 | | | $ | 724,083 | |
The aggregate intrinsic value of the stock options fluctuates in relation to the market price of our common stock as reflected on the OTC Bulletin Board.
On July 9, 2010, we issued options to purchase 1,000,000 shares of common stock to R. Gale Sellers, our then Chief Executive Officer and director, pursuant to Mr. Sellers’ employment agreement entered into as of that date and effective January 1, 2009. The options vested 50% upon issuance, with the remaining 50% vesting monthly through December 31, 2010.
In addition, on July 9, 2010, Mr. Sellers elected to convert his entire 2010 annual salary per the employment agreement of $240,000 into 10 year options to purchase 558,140 shares of common stock. A total of $120,000 of accrued but unpaid salary was converted into 279,070 options, which vested immediately. The remaining 279,070 options vested monthly through December 31, 2010.
Also, on July 9, 2010, we issued options to purchase 600,000 shares of common stock to Philip Styles, our current President and Chief Executive Officer and director. The options vest 50% upon issuance, with the remaining 50% vesting upon the achievement of certain performance milestones through December 31, 2010. These performance goals were not met, and the option to purchase 300,000 shares of common stock expired unvested.
The options issued above have a ten-year life and an exercise price of $0.43 per share based on the closing market price as of the date of issuance. The fair value of the options issued to Mr. Sellers and Mr. Styles of $919,724 was determined using the Black-Scholes Option Pricing Model.
On October 4, 2010, we granted to Mr. Styles a ten-year option to purchase 1,000,000 shares of our common stock at an exercise price of $0.51 per share vesting monthly through October 3, 2011 pursuant to his employment agreement. The grant was made from our 2007 Stock Compensation Plan and pursuant to our standard form of stock option agreement. The fair value of the options issued to Mr. Styles of $497,416 was determined using the Black-Scholes Option Pricing Model.
The exercise price for the stock option grant was set at the closing market price of our common stock on the OTC Bulletin Board on October 4, 2010, the date that the Board of Directors approved the Executive Employment Agreement.
On September 25, 2010, we issued 150,000 shares of common stock to a former employee pursuant to the exercise of an option to purchase common stock at an exercise price of $0.23 per share in settlement of unpaid salary in the amount of $34,500.
On November 18, 2010, we issued 300,000 shares of common stock to Duncan Troy, the Chairman of our Board of Directors pursuant to the exercise of an option to purchase common stock at an exercise price of $0.38 per share in exchange for cash in the amount of $114,000.
On December 30, 2009, we issued options to R. Gale Sellers and Richard Herring, both directors and officers in lieu of a total of $97,500 of unpaid compensation. Mr. Sellers converted $70,000 of unpaid compensation into options to purchase 107,692 shares of common stock and Mr. Herring converted $22,500 of unpaid compensation into options to purchase 42,308 shares of common stock. The options have a ten year life and an exercise price of $0.65 per share.
The range of exercise prices for options outstanding and options exercisable under the 2007 Stock Incentive Plan at December 31, 2010 are as follows:
Range of Exercise Prices | | | Weighted Average Remaining Contractual Life of Options Outstanding (in years) | | | Options Outstanding | | | Options Exercisable | |
| | | | | | Number of Shares | | | Weighted Average Exercise Price | | | Number of Shares | | | Weighted Average Exercise Price | |
$ | 0.23- $0.38 | | | | 6.7 | | | | 1,450,000 | | | $ | 0.33 | | | | 1,450,000 | | | $ | 0.33 | |
$ | 0.43 - $0.65 | | | | 9.3 | | | | 3,683,140 | | | $ | 0.50 | | | | 2,924,236 | | | $ | 0.50 | |
$ | 1.00 | | | | 6.9 | | | | 1,521,875 | | | $ | 1.00 | | | | 1,521,875 | | | $ | 1.00 | |
A summary of the status of our nonvested options as of December 31, 2010 and changes during the year ended December 31, 2010 is presented below:
Nonvested options | | Number of Shares Underlying Options | | | Weighted Average Grant Date Fair Value | |
Nonvested at December 31, 2009 | | | 50,000 | | | $ | 0.63 | |
Granted | | | 3,158,140 | | | | 0.46 | |
Forfeited or expired | | | (300,000 | ) | | | 0.43 | |
Vested | | | (2,149,236 | ) | | | 0.46 | |
Nonvested at December 31, 2010 | | | 758,904 | | | $ | 0.51 | |
We recognized compensation expense of $822,879 and $394,139 related to the vested portion of these options based on their estimated grant date fair value as research and development expense, general and administrative expense or marketing expense based on the specific recipient of the award for the years ended December 31, 2010 and 2009, respectively. The estimated fair value of the options on the date of grant was calculated using the Black Scholes option pricing model and the following assumptions.
| | Years ended December 31, | |
| | 2010 | | | 2009 | |
Closing market price of common stock | | $ | 0.43 to $0.51 | | | $ | 0.63 to $1.10 | |
Estimated volatility | | 139.0% to 162.1 | % | | 113.6% to 149.1 | % |
Risk free interest rate | | 2.50% to 3.07 | % | | 0.87% to 3.80 | % |
Expected dividend rate | | | - | | | | - | |
Expected life | | 10 years | | | 5-10 years | |
As of December 31, 2010, there was a total of $377,491 of unrecognized compensation expense related to the nonvested options which is expected to be recognized ratably through October 2011.
As of December 31, 2010, the 2007 Stock Incentive Plan has 351,366 shares available for future grants of stock or options.
NOTE 13 - INCOME TAXES
The net deferred tax asset is comprised of the following:
| | December 31, | |
| | 2010 | | | 2009 | |
Net operating loss carryforwards | | $ | 19,390,966 | | | $ | 18,947,823 | |
Share-based compensation | | | 1,288,920 | | | | 1,000,327 | |
Other | | | (6,022 | ) | | | 16,736 | |
Valuation allowance | | | (20,673,864 | ) | | | (19,964,886 | ) |
Deferred Income Tax Asset | | $ | - | | | $ | - | |
Loss before income taxes is comprised of:
| | For the Years Ended December 31, | |
| | 2010 | | | 2009 | |
US Operations | | $ | 1,868,502 | | | $ | 4,463,303 | |
Czech Republic Operations | | | 2,757,748 | | | | 3,119,387 | |
| | $ | 4,626,250 | | | $ | 7,582,690 | |
The provision for income taxes differs from the amount that would result from applying the federal statutory rate for the years ended December 31, 2010 and 2009 as follows:
| | For the Years Ended December 31, | |
| | 2010 | | | 2009 | |
| | | | | | |
Net loss | | $ | 4,626,250 | | | $ | 7,582,690 | |
| | | | | | | | |
Tax at federal statutory rate (34%) | | $ | (1,572,925 | ) | | $ | (2,578,115 | ) |
Effect of lower foreign tax rate | | | 413,658 | | | | 467,904 | |
Permanent differences | | | 450,289 | | | | 679,114 | |
Change in valuation allowance | | | 708,978 | | | | 1,431,097 | |
Provision for Income Taxes | | $ | - | | | $ | - | |
As of December 31, 2010, we had net operating loss carryforwards for U.S. and Czech Republic federal income tax reporting purposes which if unused, will expire in the following years:
| | US | | | Czech Republic | |
Year | | Amount | | | Amount | |
2012 | | $ | - | | | $ | 1,387,425 | |
2013 | | | - | | | | 5,296,591 | |
2014 | | | - | | | | 2,447,321 | |
2015 | | | - | | | | 2,563,185 | |
2018 | | | 27,080,269 | | | | - | |
2019 | | | 1,745,867 | | | | - | |
2020 | | | 6,137,725 | | | | - | |
2021 | | | 5,251,175 | | | | - | |
2022 | | | 1,751,322 | | | | - | |
2023 | | | 78,281 | | | | - | |
2024 | | | 413,886 | | | | - | |
2025 | | | 508,429 | | | | - | |
2026 | | | 465,173 | | | | - | |
2027 | | | 760,272 | | | | - | |
2028 | | | 2,494,690 | | | | - | |
2029 | | | 2,121,595 | | | | - | |
2030 | | | 1,688,397 | | | | - | |
| | $ | 50,497,081 | | | $ | 11,694,522 | |
The utilization of U.S. net operating loss carryforwards may be limited due to the ownership change under the provisions of Internal Revenue Code Section 382. The fiscal years 2007 to 2010 remain open to examination to U.S. Federal authorities and other jurisdictions in the U.S. where we operate. Sendio has paid no income taxes since its inception and its fiscal years for 2007 to 2010 remain open to examination by Czech tax authorities.
NOTE 14 - SUBSEQUENT EVENTS
From January 12 to February 4, 2011, we sold 401,500 Units at a subscription price of $1.00 per Unit for net proceeds of $401,500 in our Unit Private Placement. Each Unit consists of two shares of common stock and a two-year warrant to purchase one share of common stock at an exercise price of $1.00 per share. A total of 803,000 shares of common stock and two-year warrants to purchase 401,500 shares of common stock at an exercise price of $1.00 were issued. Included in these amounts are 133,000 shares of our common stock and 66,500 warrants issued upon the conversion of accounts payable by R. Gale Sellers, our former Chief Executive Officer and a former member of our board of directors.
On February 8, 2011, we completed a private placement to eight institutional accredited investors of 4,911,112 shares of our common stock, at a purchase price of $0.45 per share, for gross proceeds of $2,210,000. As part of the private placement, the investors were issued five-year warrants to purchase 4,911,112 shares of our common stock, at an initial exercise price of $0.60 per share.
For each of the warrants, the holder will be able to exercise the warrant on a so-called cashless basis at any time following the one-year anniversary of the closing of the private placement that a registration statement covering the shares of our common stock underlying such warrants is not effective.
The net proceeds from the private placement, following the payment of offering-related expenses, will be used by us for our capital expenditure requirements and for working capital and other general corporate purposes. At the closing of the private placement, we paid Rodman & Renshaw LLC, the placement agent for the private placement, cash compensation of 7% of the gross proceeds of the private placement and a five-year warrant to purchase up to 343,778 shares of our common stock, at an initial exercise price of $0.60 per share.
We have agreed, pursuant to the terms of a registration rights agreement with the investors, to (i) file a shelf registration statement with respect to the resale of the shares of our common stock sold to the investors and shares of our common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants with the SEC on or before April 10, 2011; (ii) use our best efforts to have the shelf registration statement declared effective by the SEC as soon as possible after the initial filing, and in any event no later than 90 days after the closing date (or 150 days in the event of a review of the shelf registration statement by the SEC), and (iii) keep the shelf registration statement effective until all registrable securities may be sold under Rule 144 under the Securities Act of 1933. If we are unable to comply with any of the above covenants, we will be required to pay liquidated damages to the investors in the amount of 1.5% of the investors’ purchase price per month during such non-compliance (capped at a maximum of 10% of the purchase price), with such liquidated damages payable in cash.
The investors agreed, pursuant to the securities purchase agreement, not to engage in any short sales (as defined in the agreement) until the earlier of the effective date of the shelf registration statement referred to above or the date when the shares of our common stock sold to the investors and shares of our common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants are eligible for sale under Rule 144 under the Securities Act of 1933. We also granted the investors the right to participate in future equity financing transactions within the 12 months following the closing of the private placement and agreed to certain restrictions on our ability to sell our equity securities until 60 days after the effective date of the shelf registration statement.
On March 14, 2011, our Board of Directors increased the number of shares of our common stock were authorized for issuance under the 2007 Stock Incentive Plan from 10,000,000 to 20,000,000 and issued ten-year options to purchase a total of 625,000 shares of our common stock at an exercise price of $0.52 per share based on the closing market price as of that date.
On March 17, 2011, we issued 100,000 shares of common stock from the 2007 Stock Compensation Plan with a fair value of $51,000 based on the closing market price as of that date of $0.51 per share pursuant to the settlement of a dispute with a former consultant and employee to the Company.
Vu1 CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES |
UNAUDITED CONDSENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS |
| |
| | MARCH 31, | | | DECEMBER 31, | |
| | 2011 | | | 2010 | |
ASSETS | | | | | | |
Current assets | | | | | | |
Cash | | $ | 994,670 | | | $ | 119,619 | |
Inventory | | | 27,135 | | | | - | |
Tax refund receivable | | | 52,610 | | | | 37,847 | |
Prepaid expenses | | | 221,333 | | | | 63,878 | |
| | | | | | | | |
Total current assets | | | 1,295,748 | | | | 221,344 | |
| | | | | | | | |
Non-current assets | | | | | | | | |
Equipment, net of accumulated depreciation | | | | | | | | |
of $282,312 and $238,632, respectively | | | 281,923 | | | | 286,043 | |
Construction in process | | | 285,098 | | | | 261,771 | |
Deposit on building purchase | | | 1,189,912 | | | | 999,771 | |
Total assets | | $ | 3,052,681 | | | $ | 1,768,929 | |
| | | | | | | | |
LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY | | | | | | | | |
Current liabilities | | | | | | | | |
Accounts payable | | $ | 382,608 | | | $ | 515,128 | |
Accrued payroll | | | 195,194 | | | | 198,201 | |
Loan payable, current portion | | | 963 | | | | 2,167 | |
Capital lease obligation, current portion | | | 5,207 | | | | 5,207 | |
Total current liabilities | | | 583,972 | | | | 720,703 | |
Long-term liabilities | | | | | | | | |
Derivative warrant liability | | | 1,749,516 | | | | - | |
Capital lease obligation, net of current portion | | | 9,217 | | | | 9,192 | |
Total liabilities | | | 2,342,705 | | | | 729,895 | |
| | | | | | | | |
Stockholders' equity | | | | | | | | |
Vu1 Corporation's stockholders' equity | | | | | | | | |
Preferred stock, $1.00 par value; 10,000,000 shares | | | | | | | | |
authorized; no shares issued and outstanding | | | - | | | | - | |
Common stock, no par value; 200,000,000 shares authorized; | | | | | | | | |
110,753,952 and 104,992,350 shares issued and outstanding, respectively | | | 72,405,565 | | | | 71,597,111 | |
Accumulated deficit | | | (71,739,747 | ) | | | (70,499,569 | ) |
Accumulated other comprehensive income | | | 140,213 | | | | 37,547 | |
Total Vu1 Corporation's stockholders' equity | | | 806,031 | | | | 1,135,089 | |
Non-controlling interest | | | (96,055 | ) | | | (96,055 | ) |
Total stockholders' equity | | | 709,976 | | | | 1,039,034 | |
Total liabilities and stockholders' equity | | $ | 3,052,681 | | | $ | 1,768,929 | |
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these condensed consolidated financial statements.
Vu1 CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES
UNAUDITED CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS
AND COMPREHENSIVE INCOME (LOSS)
| | Three months ended March 31, | |
| | 2011 | | | 2010 | |
| | | | | | |
Operating expenses | | | | | | |
Research and development | | $ | 568,657 | | | $ | 518,501 | |
General and administrative | | | 828,196 | | | | 301,186 | |
Marketing | | | 183,882 | | | | 69,004 | |
Total operating expenses | | | 1,580,735 | | | | 888,691 | |
| | | | | | | | |
Loss from operations | | | (1,580,735 | ) | | | (888,691 | ) |
| | | | | | | | |
Other income (expense) | | | | | | | | |
Interest income | | | 46 | | | | 2 | |
Other income | | | - | | | | 36,590 | |
Interest expense | | | (621 | ) | | | (222,913 | ) |
Derivative valuation gain | | | 341,132 | | | | 1,137,792 | |
| | | | | | | | |
Total other income | | | 340,557 | | | | 951,471 | |
| | | | | | | | |
Income (loss) before provision for income taxes | | | (1,240,178 | ) | | | 62,780 | |
| | | | | | | | |
Provision for income taxes | | | - | | | | - | |
| | | | | | | | |
Net (loss) income | | $ | (1,240,178 | ) | | $ | 62,780 | |
| | | | | | | | |
Other comprehensive income (loss): | | | | | | | | |
Foreign currency translation adjustments | | | 102,666 | | | | (30,475 | ) |
| | | | | | | | |
Comprehensive income (loss) | | $ | (1,137,512 | ) | | $ | 32,305 | |
| | | | | | | | |
(Loss) income per share | | | | | | | | |
Basic | | $ | (0.01 | ) | | $ | 0.00 | |
Diluted | | $ | (0.01 | ) | | $ | 0.00 | |
Weighted average shares outstanding | | | | | | | | |
Basic | | | 108,285,637 | | | | 86,080,621 | |
Diluted | | | 108,285,637 | | | | 86,806,696 | |
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these condensed consolidated financial statements.
Vu1 CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES |
UNAUDITED CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS |
| |
| | Three months ended March 31, | |
| | 2011 | | | 2010 | |
Cash flows from operating activities: | | | | | | |
| | | | | | |
Net (loss) income | | $ | (1,240,178 | ) | | $ | 62,780 | |
Adjustments to reconcile net (loss) income to | | | | | | | | |
net cash flows from operating activities: | | | | | | | | |
Depreciation | | | 25,655 | | | | 23,613 | |
Share-based compensation | | | 444,701 | | | | 23,102 | |
Issuance of warrant for services | | | - | | | | 6,722 | |
Amortization of discount and prepaid interest on long-term convertible note | | | - | | | | 67,231 | |
Amortization of loan costs | | | - | | | | 4,737 | |
Derivative valuation gain | | | (341,132 | ) | | | (1,137,792 | ) |
Changes in assets and liabilities: | | | | | | | | |
Inventory | | | (26,474 | ) | | | - | |
Tax refund receivable | | | (11,488 | ) | | | (9,852 | ) |
Prepaid expenses | | | (148,695 | ) | | | (1,882 | ) |
Accounts payable | | | (27,071 | ) | | | 29,203 | |
Accrued payroll | | | (18,199 | ) | | | (23,369 | ) |
Accrued interest | | | - | | | | 101,560 | |
Net cash flows from operating activities | | | (1,342,881 | ) | | | (853,947 | ) |
| | | | | | | | |
Cash flows from investing activities: | | | | | | | | |
Purchases of equipment and construction in process | | | (2,596 | ) | | | (5,660 | ) |
Deposits on building purchase | | | (108,500 | ) | | | (103,811 | ) |
Net cash flows from investing activities | | | (111,096 | ) | | | (109,471 | ) |
| | | | | | | | |
Cash flows from financing activities: | | | | | | | | |
Proceeds from issuance of convertible notes payable and warrants | | | - | | | | 703,472 | |
Proceeds from sales of common stock and warrants | | | 2,336,901 | | | | - | |
Payments on loan payable | | | (1,341 | ) | | | (1,011 | ) |
Payments on capital lease obligations | | | (996 | ) | | | (996 | ) |
Net cash flows from financing activities | | | 2,334,564 | | | | 701,465 | |
| | | | | | | | |
Effect of exchange rate changes on cash | | | (5,536 | ) | | | (10,925 | ) |
| | | | | | | | |
Net change in cash | | | 875,051 | | | | (272,878 | ) |
| | | | | | | | |
Cash, beginning of period | | | 119,619 | | | | 366,303 | |
| | | | | | | | |
Cash, end of period | | $ | 994,670 | | | $ | 93,425 | |
| | | | | | | | |
Cash paid for interest | | $ | 621 | | | $ | 46,500 | |
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these condensed consolidated financial statements.
Vu1 CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
NOTE 1 - BUSINESS AND ORGANIZATION
General
All references in these consolidated financial statements to “we,” “us,” “our,” and the “Company” are to Vu1 Corporation, Sendio, s.r.o., our Czech subsidiary, and our inactive subsidiary Telisar Corporation unless otherwise noted or indicated by its context.
We are focused on developing, manufacturing and selling a line of mercury free, energy efficient light bulbs based on our proprietary light-emitting technology. For the past several years, we have primarily focused on research and development efforts for our technology and the related manufacturing processes.
In September 2007, we formed Sendio, s.r.o. (“Sendio”) in the Czech Republic as a wholly-owned subsidiary for the purpose of operating a research and development and manufacturing facility.
We have one inactive subsidiary, Telisar Corporation, a California corporation and 66.67% majority-owned subsidiary.
NOTE 2 – BASIS OF PRESENTATION AND SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES
Basis of Presentation
The consolidated unaudited financial statements included in this Form 10-Q have been prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles for interim financial information and with the instructions to Form 10-Q. Accordingly, these financial statements do not include all of the disclosures required by U.S. generally accepted accounting principles for complete financial statements. These consolidated unaudited interim financial statements should be read in conjunction with the audited financial statements for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2010 in our Annual Report on Form 10-K. The financial information furnished herein reflects all adjustments consisting of normal, recurring adjustments which, in the opinion of management, are necessary for a fair presentation of our financial position, the results of operations and cash flows for the periods presented. Operating results for the period ended March 31, 2011 are not necessarily indicative of results for future quarters or periods in the fiscal year ending December 31, 2011.
Principles of Consolidation
The consolidated financial statements include the accounts of Vu1 and all of its wholly-owned and controlled subsidiaries. All significant intercompany transactions and balances have been eliminated in consolidation.
Translating Financial Statements
The functional currency of Sendio is the Czech Koruna (CZK). The accounts of Sendio contained in the accompanying consolidated balance sheets as of March 31, 2011 and December 31, 2010 have been translated into United States dollars at the exchange rate prevailing as of those dates. Translation adjustments are included in “Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income,” a separate component of stockholders’ equity. The accounts of Sendio in the accompanying consolidated statements of operations for the three months ended March 31, 2011 and 2010 have been translated using the average exchange rates prevailing for the respective periods. Sendio recorded an aggregate of ($3,532) and $8,620 of foreign currency transaction (loss) gain to general and administrative expense in the accompanying statements of operations for the three months ended March 31, 2011 and 2010, respectively.
Use of Estimates
The preparation of financial statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities, disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from those estimates.
Cash and Cash Equivalents
For purposes of the statements of cash flows, we consider all investments purchased with original maturities of three months or less to be cash equivalents. At March 31, 2011 and December 31, 2010, we had cash of $550,046 and $0 in excess of federally insured limits in effect as of that date, respectively.
Inventory
Inventory is comprised of components, raw materials and packaging used for the production of our light bulbs. Inventory is stated at the lower of cost or net realizable value, computed on an average cost basis. An allowance for inventory obsolescence is provided when the market value of inventory items is lower than their cost.
Equipment
Equipment is comprised of equipment used in the manufacturing process and related testing and development of our light bulbs and is stated at cost. We provide for depreciation using the straight-line method over the estimated useful lives of three to fifteen years. Expenditures for maintenance and repairs are charged to operations as incurred while renewals and betterments are capitalized. Gains or losses on the sale of equipment are reflected in the statements of operations.
Construction in Process
Construction in process is comprised of assets to be used in the manufacturing operations in the Czech Republic not in service as of March 31, 2011 and December 31, 2010. These assets, when placed in service will be reclassified to equipment and depreciated over their estimated useful lives.
Income Taxes
We recognize the amount of income taxes payable or refundable for the current year and recognize deferred tax assets and liabilities for the future tax consequences attributable to differences between the financial statement amounts of certain assets and liabilities and their respective tax bases. Deferred tax assets and deferred tax liabilities are measured using enacted tax rates expected to apply to taxable income in the years those temporary differences are expected to be recovered or settled. A valuation allowance is required when it is less likely than not that we will be able to realize all or a portion of our deferred tax assets.
We recognize the impact of an uncertain tax position in the consolidated financial statements of a tax position, if that position is more likely than not of being sustained upon examination, based on the technical merits of the position. Recognized income tax positions are measured at the largest amount that is greater than 50% likely of being realized. Changes in recognition or measurement are reflected in the period in which the change in judgment occurs. The Company has elected to classify interest and penalties related to unrecognized tax benefits, if and when required, as part of income tax expense in the consolidated statements of operations.
Long-Lived Assets
Long-lived assets are reviewed for impairment when events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount may not be recoverable. Recoverability of assets to be held and used is measured by comparison of the carrying amount of an asset to future net cash flows expected to be generated by the asset. If such assets are considered to be impaired, the impairment to be recognized is measured by the amount that the carrying amount of the assets exceeds the fair value of the assets. Assets to be disposed of are reported at the lower of the carrying amount or fair value less costs to sell.
Fair Value of Financial Instruments
Financial instruments consist of cash, receivables, payables and accrued liabilities, derivative financial instruments and loans payable. The fair value of our cash, receivables, payables and accrued liabilities and loans payable are carried at historical cost; their respective estimated fair values approximate their carrying values.
Derivative financial instruments consist of financial instruments or other contracts that contain a notional amount and one or more underlying (e.g. interest rate, security price or other variable), require no initial net investment and permit net settlement. Derivative financial instruments may be free-standing or embedded in other financial instruments. We generally do not use derivative financial instruments to hedge exposures to cash-flow, market or foreign-currency risks. However, the warrants issued in the private placement to institutional investors as described in Notes 6 and 9 contain anti-dilution provision features that are not afforded equity classification because it embodies risks not clearly and closely related to the host contract. These features are required to be bifurcated and carried as a derivative warrant liability, at fair value, in our financial statements.
Fair Value Measurements
ASC 820 “Fair Value Measurements” defines fair value, establishes a framework for measuring fair value in generally accepted accounting principles, and expands disclosures about fair value measurements. This hierarchy prioritizes the inputs into three broad levels. Level 1 inputs are quoted prices (unadjusted) in active markets for identical assets or liabilities. Level 2 inputs are quoted prices for similar assets and liabilities in active markets or inputs that are observable for the asset or liability, either directly or indirectly through market corroboration, for substantially the full term of the financial instrument. Level 3 inputs are unobservable inputs based on our own assumptions used to measure assets and liabilities at fair value. A financial asset or liability’s classification within the hierarchy is determined based on the lowest level input that is significant to the fair value measurement. Significant fair value measurements resulted from our derivative warrant liability and our share-based payment arrangements.
Non-Controlling Interest
Non-controlling interest represents the equity of the 33.3% non-controlling shareholders of Telisar Corporation. The subsidiary had no operations for all periods presented.
Revenue Recognition
Revenues are recognized when (a) persuasive evidence of an arrangement exists, (b) delivery has occurred and no significant obligations remain, (c) the fee is fixed or determinable and (d) collection is determined to be probable. We have not recognized any revenues in the accompanying financial statements.
Research and Development Costs
For financial reporting purposes, all costs of research and development activities performed internally or on a contract basis are expensed as incurred. For the three months ended March 31, 2011 and 2010, research and development expenses were comprised primarily of technical consulting expenses, salaries and related benefits and overheads, rent, materials and operational costs related to the development of the production line.
Share-Based Payments
We account for share-based compensation expense to reflect the fair value of share-based awards measured at the grant date. This expense is recognized over the requisite service period and is adjusted each period for anticipated forfeitures. We estimate the fair value of each share-based award on the date of grant using the Black-Scholes option valuation model. The Black-Scholes option valuation model incorporates assumptions as to stock price volatility, the expected life of options, a risk-free interest rate and dividend yield. On October 26, 2007, our Board of Directors approved the Vu1 Corporation 2007 Stock Incentive Plan (“Stock Incentive Plan”). On March 14, 2011 our Board of Directors increased the number of shares of our common stock that we are authorized to issue under our 2007 Stock Incentive Plan from 10,000,000 shares to 20,000,000 shares.
Comprehensive Income
Comprehensive income includes all changes in equity (net assets) during a period from non-owner sources. Other comprehensive income presented in the accompanying consolidated financial statements consists of foreign currency translation adjustments.
Income (Loss) Per Share
We calculate basic income (loss) per share by dividing income (loss) available to common stockholders by the weighted-average number of shares of common stock outstanding, excluding unvested stock. Diluted income (loss) per share is computed similar to basic income (loss) per share except that the denominator is increased to include the number of additional shares of common stock that would have been outstanding if the potential common shares, including unvested stock, had been issued and if the additional common shares were dilutive. The following table is a reconciliation of the numerators and denominators used in the calculation of basic and diluted (loss) income per share:
| | For the Three Months | |
| | Ended March 31, | |
| | 2011 | | | 2010 | |
Net (loss) income | | $ | (1,240,178 | ) | | $ | 62,780 | |
Basic weighted-average common shares outstanding | | | 108,285,637 | | | | 86,080,621 | |
Effect of dilutive securities: | | | | | | | | |
Options | | | - | | | | 654,450 | |
Unvested Stock | | | - | | | | 71,625 | |
Diluted weighted-average common shares outstanding | | | 108,285,637 | | | | 86,806,696 | |
Basic (loss) income per share | | $ | (0.01 | ) | | $ | 0.00 | |
Diluted (loss) income per share | | $ | (0.01 | ) | | $ | 0.00 | |
The following potentially dilutive shares of common stock are excluded from the computation of diluted net income (loss) per share for all periods presented because the effect is anti-dilutive:
| | Three months ended March 31, | |
| | 2011 | | | 2010 | |
Warrants | | | 14,171,123 | | | | 11,461,888 | |
Convertible debt | | | - | | | | 9,199,526 | |
Stock options | | | 7,280,015 | | | | 4,796,875 | |
Unvested stock | | | 231,096 | | | | 71,625 | |
| | | | | | | | |
Total potentially dilutive securities | | | 21,682,234 | | | | 25,529,914 | |
NOTE 3 - GOING CONCERN MATTERS
The accompanying financial statements have been prepared in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles which contemplate our continuation as a going concern. During the three months ended March 31, 2011, we had no revenues, incurred a net loss of $1.24 million, and had negative cash flows from operations of $1.34 million. In addition, we had an accumulated deficit of $71.74 million at March 31, 2011. These factors raise substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern.
Recovery of our assets is dependent upon future events, the outcome of which is indeterminable. Our attainment of profitable operations is dependent upon our obtaining adequate debt or equity financing, developing products for commercial sale, and achieving a level of sales adequate to support our cost structure. The financial statements do not include any adjustments relating to the recoverability and classification of recorded asset amounts or amounts and classification of liabilities that might be necessary should we be unable to continue in existence.
On February 8, 2011, we raised gross proceeds of $2,210,000 in a private placement of our common stock and warrants to certain institutional accredited investors. See Note 9, “Private Placement.”
Our efforts to raise additional funds will continue during fiscal 2011 to fund our planned operations and research and development activities, through one or more debt or equity financings. We have engaged an investment banking firm to assist us in these fundraising efforts.
NOTE 4 – TAX REFUND RECEIVABLE
Tax refund receivable represents the 19% value added tax receivable from the government of the Czech Republic. No allowance for doubtful accounts has been provided as we believe the amounts are fully collectible.
NOTE 5 - COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES
Sendio Facility Operating Lease and Purchase Agreement
On May 28, 2008, Sendio entered into a lease for certain facilities located in the city of Olomouc in the Czech Republic (the “Lease”). The Lease term was one year, effective from July 1, 2008 and terminated on June 30, 2009. The rent for the one year term was CZK 10,000,000, plus mandatory VAT. The rent, after the reduction for amounts paid by other tenants, was payable monthly in the amount of CZK 455,310 for each month from January through June 2009. On May 29, 2008, Sendio paid a deposit of CZK 4,000,000 to the landlord.
Effective December 9, 2008, Sendio entered into an agreement (the “Purchase Agreement”) to purchase the Lease facilities from the landlord. The purchase price for the premises is CZK 179,000,000 (approximately US $9.0 million) (the “Purchase Price”) and the scheduled closing date for ownership transfer anticipated in the Purchase Agreement was July 1, 2009. The deposit Sendio paid on May 29, 2008 under the Lease for CZK 4,000,000 was considered an advance on the Purchase Price. We have recorded this amount as a non-current asset as a deposit on building purchase in the accompanying balance sheets as of March 31, 2011 and December 31, 2010. The remaining balance of the Purchase Price was payable by means of an escrow account, with payments totaling CZK 175,000,000 originally scheduled to be made to an escrow account in installments, all of which were due June 30, 2009.
Also, effective December 9, 2008, as additional inducement for the landlord to enter into the Purchase Agreement, we entered into a Deed of Guarantee with the landlord under which we guaranteed up to CZK 13,500,000 of the CZK 175,000,000 aggregate payments by Sendio under the Purchase Agreement. The guarantee expires upon full payment by Sendio of this amount.
Sendio did not make the first payment of CZK 11,000,000 due on February 28, 2009 and, on March 3, 2009, Sendio and the landlord of the building premises in the Czech Republic amended the payment terms under the Purchase Agreement (“Amendment No. 1”). Under Amendment No. 1, Sendio paid CZK 1,000,000 into the escrow account on March 10, 2009 and deferred the payment under the original payment schedule. Sendio did not make the payments under the revised payment schedule, and we entered into negotiations with the seller to revise the terms of the Purchase Agreement.
Pursuant to these negotiations, Sendio obtained month to month extensions for each month of the Lease pursuant to these ongoing negotiations and Sendio agreed to pay CZK 722,556 per month for rent and CZK 645,834 per month for an escrow payment for July through November, 2009.
On December 2, 2009, Sendio executed a new lease agreement (the “New Lease Agreement”) for its existing office and manufacturing facilities in the Czech Republic. The New Lease Agreement commenced on December 1, 2009 and specifies annual rent of CZK 13,365,000, plus applicable VAT taxes (CZK 1,113,750 per month), less amounts paid by existing tenants in the building. The present rent is CZK 719,556 per month after offset of the amounts paid by existing tenants and will increase should the existing tenants vacate the premises by the amount paid by the vacating tenant. The New Lease Agreement expires on June 30, 2011. Sendio is responsible for utilities, maintenance and certain other costs as defined in the New Lease Agreement.
In addition, on December 2, 2009, Sendio executed an amendment to the purchase agreement (“Amendment No. 2”) for the facilities. Under Amendment No. 2, Sendio agreed to make payments on the remaining purchase price of CZK 170,770,830 as follows:
| · | Payment of CZK 2,167,668 to the escrow account related to the purchase of the building. This payment was made by Sendio. |
| · | Payments totaling CZK 12,270,846 payable in 19 monthly installments beginning December 1, 2009 of CZK 645,834 through June 30, 2011 into the escrow account. If any required installment is not made timely as defined in the agreement, the seller is entitled to claim a contractual fine of 60% per year on the past-due amount. |
| · | Payment of the remaining purchase price of CZK 156,332,316 (approximately $9.0 million) into the escrow account on or prior to June 30, 2011. If any required installment is not made timely as defined in the agreement, the seller is entitled to claim a contractual fine of 36% per year on the past-due amount. |
Under Amendment No. 2, the seller specifically waived any claims for contractual penalties, damages or other costs arising out of any defaults by Sendio under the purchase agreement occurring prior to November 30, 2009. However, in the event of future breaches or claims under the purchase agreement by Sendio, Amendment No. 2 provides that the seller may be able to claim contractual penalties of CZK 17,500,000 for defaults prior to June 30, 2009.
Amendment No. 2 also specifies that the seller has the right to withdraw from the purchase agreement and impose contractual fines in the aggregate amount of up to CZK 26,000,000 (which amount includes the CZK 17,500,000 for defaults prior to June 30, 2009 described above) in the event that Sendio does not make any installment payment timely. The seller has the right to collect these from amounts deposited in escrow.
Other Lease Agreement
On November 1, 2010, we entered into a six-month lease agreement for office space for our corporate headquarters located in New York, New York. Monthly rental payments are $1,320 under the lease.
Total rent expense was $120,825 and $120,925 for the three months ended March 31, 2011 and 2010, respectively.
Investment Banking Agreements
On January 24, 2011, we entered into an agreement with Rodman & Renshaw, LLC to act as our exclusive placement agent for the sale of securities on February 8, 2011, as described in Note 9. The agreement specified cash compensation of 7% of the purchase price paid in an offering plus warrants equal to 7% of common shares issued or issuable under the offering on the same terms as offered to investors in the private placement. In addition, cash compensation of 7% of any proceeds from the exercise of warrants issued in conjunction with a private placement will be paid. The agreement terminates 30 days after a successful private placement. The obligation for fees and warrants survives for 18 months for proceeds raised from investors in the private placement.
On February 18, 2010, we entered into a Financial Advisory and Investment Banking Services Agreement to assist us with our fundraising efforts which terminated on June 30, 2010. The agreement specified compensation for the placement of equity securities of 8% of any gross proceeds, plus warrants equal to 8% of the shares of common stock issued or issuable in any financing from investors identified by the investment banking firm. In addition, if the investment banking firm moves to conduct a syndicated offering with other brokers, an additional 2% of gross proceeds for a management fee and 3% of gross proceeds will be due for a non-accountable expense allowance plus warrants equal to 5% of shares of common stock issued or issuable in such financing. The agreement also specified compensation of 6% of gross proceeds with 6% warrant coverage for any mezzanine debt financing and 1.5% of gross proceeds for senior debt with no warrant coverage.
The obligation for payment of fees and warrants as specified above survives until June 30, 2011 for any amounts raised from investors identified and contacted by the investment banking firm. No amounts are presently due under this agreement.
On March 10, 2010, we entered into an Investment Banking Agreement to assist us with our fundraising efforts, which expired in June 2010. The agreement specified compensation of 7% of any gross proceeds, plus warrants equal to 7% of the number of common shares issued or issuable upon conversion in any financing transaction from investors identified by the investment banking firm. In addition, the investment banking firm has a right of first refusal under certain circumstances for a period of 18 months following the termination of the agreement under certain circumstances as defined in the agreement. The obligation for payment of these fees and warrants survives for one year subsequent to the termination of the agreement for any amounts raised from investors identified and contacted by the investment banking firm. No amounts are presently due under this agreement.
NOTE 6 – DERIVATIVE WARRANT LIABILITY
On February 9, 2011, we issued five-year warrants to purchase 5,254,890 shares of our common stock at an exercise price of $0.60 per share in conjunction with the private placement described in Note 9. If we issue common stock or common stock equivalents at a price per share less than the exercise price of the warrants, the exercise price of the warrants is decreased to equal the price at which the common stock or common stock equivalents were issued. The exercise price cannot be reduced below $0.45 per share. We determined that the potential adjustment to the exercise price of the warrants exceeded the economic dilution suffered and therefore the warrants are not to be considered indexed to our common stock and caused the warrants to be a derivative liability. Derivative financial instruments are classified as liabilities and carried at fair value at each reporting date, with changes reflected in the statements of operations. The following table summarizes the components of changes in our derivative warrant liability during the three months ended March 31, 2011:
| | Three Months ended | |
| | March 31, 2011 | |
Beginning balance | | $ | - | |
Derivatives recognized upon issuance | | | 2,090,648 | |
Unrealized fair value changes, included in income | | | (341,132 | ) |
Ending balance | | $ | 1,749,516 | |
The Company uses the Black-Scholes option valuation model to measure the fair value of the warrants, and based on the following assumptions, a summary of the fair values were as follows:
| | February 9, 2011 | | | March 31, 2011 | |
Trading market price | | $ | 0.531 | | | $ | 0.47 | |
Expected life (years) | | | 5.00 | | | | 4.86 | |
Equivalent volatility | | | 102.90 | % | | | 99.50 | % |
Expected dividend rate | | | 0.00 | % | | | 0.00 | % |
Risk-free interest rate | | | 2.33 | % | | | 2.24 | % |
Fair value | | $ | 2,090,648 | | | $ | 1,749,516 | |
NOTE 7 – LOAN PAYABLE
On May 15, 2008, Sendio entered into a three-year note payable for the purchase of a vehicle. The note bears interest at a rate of 24.5% and is payable in 36 equal monthly installments of principal and interest of approximately $575 plus mandatory VAT and insurance. The note is secured by the vehicle.
NOTE 8 – CAPITAL LEASE OBLIGATION
On May 30, 2008, Sendio entered into a five-year lease agreement for the purchase of certain equipment. The capital lease obligation bears interest at a rate of 7.7% and requires payments of principal and interest of approximately $630 plus mandatory VAT and insurance over the 60-month term of the leases. The assets acquired under the capital lease obligation are being depreciated over the five-year term of the lease.
NOTE 9 – STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY
Preferred Stock
Our Amended and Restated Articles of Incorporation allow us to issue up to 10,000,000 shares of preferred stock without further stockholder approval and upon such terms and conditions, and having such rights, preferences, privileges, and restrictions as the Board of Directors may determine. No preferred shares are currently issued and outstanding.
Common Stock
Unit Offering
From January 12 to February 4, 2011, we sold 401,500 Units at a subscription price of $1.00 per Unit for net proceeds of $401,500 in our unit private placement. Each unit consisted of two shares of common stock and a two-year warrant to purchase one share of common stock at an exercise price of $1.00 per share. A total of 803,000 shares of common stock and warrants to purchase 401,500 shares of common stock at an exercise price of $1.00 were issued. Included in these amounts are 133,000 shares of our common stock and 66,500 warrants issued upon the conversion of $66,500 accounts payable to R. Gale Sellers, our former Chief Executive Officer and board member.
The net proceeds were allocated based on the relative fair values of the common stock and the warrants on the dates of issuance. The allocated fair value of the warrants was $67,776 and the balance of the proceeds of $333,724 was allocated to the common stock.
The fair value of the warrants issued in our unit private placement was calculated using the Black-Scholes option valuation model with the following assumptions:
Closing market price of common stock | | $ | 0.50 to $0.56 | |
Estimated volatility | | 105.5% to 108.7 | % |
Risk free interest rate | | 0.54% to 0.77 | % |
Expected divident rate | | | - | |
Expected life | | 2 years | |
Private Placement
On February 8, 2011, we completed a private placement to eight institutional accredited investors of 4,911,112 shares of our common stock, at a purchase price of $0.45 per share, for gross proceeds of $2,210,000. As part of the private placement, the investors were issued five-year warrants to purchase 4,911,112 shares of our common stock, at an initial exercise price of $0.60 per share.
These warrants contain a full ratchet provision which reduces the exercise price of the warrant in the event we issue common stock or common stock equivalents at a price lower than the exercise price of the warrants. The exercise price cannot be reduced below $0.45 per share. As such, the warrants have been treated as a derivative warrant liability as discussed in Note 6.
For each of the warrants, the holder will be able to exercise the warrant on a so-called cashless basis at any time following the one-year anniversary of the closing of the private placement in which a registration statement covering the shares of our common stock underlying such warrants is not effective.
The net proceeds from the private placement totaling $2,001,901, following the payment of offering-related expenses of $208,099, are being used by us for our capital expenditure requirements and for working capital and other general corporate purposes. At the closing of the private placement, we paid Rodman & Renshaw LLC, the placement agent for the private placement, cash compensation of 7% of the gross proceeds of the private placement and a five-year warrant to purchase up to 343,778 shares of our common stock, at an initial exercise price of $0.60 per share.
We have agreed, pursuant to the terms of a registration rights agreement with the investors, to file a shelf registration statement with respect to the resale of the shares of our common stock sold to the investors and shares of our common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants with the SEC on or before April 10, 2011; and to use our best efforts to have the shelf registration statement declared effective by the SEC as soon as possible after the initial filing, and in any event no later than 90 days after the closing date (or 150 days in the event of a review of the shelf registration statement by the SEC). We also agreed to keep the shelf registration statement effective until all registrable securities may be sold under Rule 144 under the Securities Act of 1933 and if we are unable to comply with this covenant, we will be required to pay liquidated damages to the investors in the amount of 1.5% of the investors’ purchase price per month during such non-compliance (capped at a maximum of 10% of the purchase price), with such liquidated damages payable in cash. We filed the registration statement on April 10, 2011 and it was declared effective on April 18, 2011. We evaluated any liability under the registration rights agreement at March 31, 2011 and determined no accrual was necessary.
The investors agreed, pursuant to the securities purchase agreement, not to engage in any short sales (as defined in the agreement) until the earlier of the effective date of the shelf registration statement referred to above or the date when the shares of our common stock sold to the investors and shares of our common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants are eligible for sale under Rule 144 under the Securities Act of 1933. We also granted the investors the right to participate in future equity financing transactions within the 12 months following the closing of the private placement and agreed to certain restrictions on our ability to sell our equity securities until 60 days after the effective date of the shelf registration statement.
Issuances of Common Stock
On March 17, 2011, we issued 100,000 shares of common stock from the 2007 Stock Compensation Plan with a fair value of $51,000 based on the closing market price as of that date of $0.51 per share pursuant to the settlement of a dispute with a former consultant and employee to the Company.
Stock and Stock Options issued and exercised pursuant to the 2007 Stock Incentive Plan
On March 14, 2011, our board of directors increased the number of shares of our common stock that we are authorized to issue under the 2007 Stock Incentive Plan from 10,000,000 shares to 20,000,000 shares.
Also, on March 14, 2011, our board of directors issued ten-year options to purchase a total of 625,000 shares of our common stock at an exercise price of $0.52 per share based on the closing market price as of that date to certain of our directors and an officer. The fair value of the options granted of $285,032 was calculated using the Black-Scholes option valuation model with the following assumptions:
Closing market price of common stock | | $ | 0.52 | |
Estimated volatility | | | 92 | % |
Risk free interest rate | | | 3.36 | % |
Expected dividend rate | | | - | |
Expected life | | 10 years | |
On October 4, 2010, we issued 470,588 shares of common stock to Philip Styles, our former Chief Executive Officer, at price of $0.51 per share based on the closing market price for our common stock as of that date. The shares were issued pursuant to his employment agreement, which provides for the vesting of these shares as his annual salary of $240,000 is earned but unpaid. During the three months ended March 31, 2011, Mr. Styles converted $36,669 of his salary into 71,900 shares of common stock, and 44,135 shares were forfeited. A total of 231,096 shares remain unvested.
We recognized compensation expense of $444,701 and $23,613 related to the vested portion of stock and stock options based on their estimated grant date fair value as research and development expense or general and administrative expense based on the specific recipient of the award for the three months ended March 31, 2011 and 2010, respectively.
Warrants
During the three months ended March 31, 2011, we issued five-year warrants to purchase 4,911,112 shares of our common stock, at an initial exercise price of $0.60 per share in a private placement as described above. We also issued two-year warrants to purchase 401,500 shares of common stock at an exercise price of $1.00 in our unit offering, described above.
During the three months ended March 31, 2011, warrants to purchase 139,750 shares of common stock with an exercise price of $0.60 per share expired unexercised.
A summary of our outstanding warrants at March 31, 2011 is as follows:
| | | | | | Weighted-Average | | | | |
Exercise | | | Warrants | | | Remaining Contractual | | | Number | |
Price | | | Outstanding | | | Life (Years) | | | Exercisable | |
$ | 0.38 | | | | 75,000 | | | | 2.1 | | | | 75,000 | |
$ | 0.60 | | | | 5,254,890 | | | | 4.9 | | | | 5,254,890 | |
$ | 0.75 | | | | 7,969,333 | | | | 1.9 | | | | 7,894,333 | |
$ | 1.00 | | | | 871,900 | | | | 1.7 | | | | 871,900 | |
| | | | | 14,171,123 | | | | 3.0 | | | | 14,096,123 | |
NOTE 10 – SUBSEQUENT EVENTS
On April 27, 2011, we issued five-year options to purchase 2,216,129 shares of our common stock at an exercise price of $0.391 per share based on the closing market price as of that date to Scott C. Blackstone, Ph.D., our new Chief Executive Officer in conjunction with his employment agreement as of that date. The options vest monthly over three years from the date of issuance.
In addition, on April 27, 2011, we agreed that the options previously issued to our former Chief Executive Officer, Philip G. Styles, will continue to vest on their original terms through October 3, 2011. Mr. Styles converted an additional $11,001 of his salary into 21,570 shares of common stock and the remaining 209,526 shares of common stock lapsed unvested.
On April 20, 2011, our board approved and we entered into a contract with Hamlin Consulting, LLC for logistics consulting services. Hamlin Consulting LLC is owned by Billy K. Hamlin, a member of our board of directors. The total of the contract is $120,000 payable in six equal monthly installments.
COMMON STOCK
Prospectus
_____ __, 2011
Until __________, 2011, all dealers that effect transactions in these securities, whether or not participating in this offering, may be required to deliver a prospectus. This is in addition to the dealers’ obligation to deliver a prospectus when acting as underwriters and with respect to their unsold allotments or subscriptions.
PART II
INFORMATION NOT REQUIRED IN PROSPECTUS
Item 13. Other Expenses of Issuance and Distribution.
Registration Fees | | $ | 553 | |
Federal Taxes | | | — | |
State Taxes | | | — | |
Legal Fees and Expenses | | | 30,000 | |
Printing and Engraving Expenses | | | 2,000 | |
Blue Sky Fees | | | 2,000 | |
Accounting Fees and Expenses | | | 10,000 | |
Miscellaneous | | | 5,447 | |
Total | | $ | 50,000 | |
Item 14. Indemnification of Directors and Officers.
Section 317 of the California General Corporation Law authorizes a court to award, or a corporation’s board of directors to grant, indemnity to directors and officers who are parties or are threatened to be made parties to any proceeding (with certain exceptions) by reason of the fact that the person is or was an agent of the corporation, against expenses, judgments, fines, settlements and other amounts actually and reasonably incurred in connection with the proceeding if that person acted in good faith and in a manner the person reasonably believed to be in the best interests of the corporation.
Our board of directors has resolved to indemnify the officers and directors of our company to the fullest extent permitted by Section 317 of the California General Corporation Law, and Article V of our articles of incorporation and Article VI of our by-laws authorize the registrant to provide for indemnification of officers and directors to the same extent. This indemnification limits the personal monetary liability of directors in performing their duties on behalf of the registrant, to the extent permitted by the California General Corporation Law, and permits the registrant to indemnify its directors and officers against certain liabilities and expenses, to the extent permitted by the California General Corporation Law. In addition, the registrant maintains a directors’ and officers’ liability insurance policy that insures its directors and officers against certain liabilities, including certain liabilities under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended.
Additionally, we have entered into indemnification agreements with each of our directors and senior executive officers. The indemnification agreements provide each of the indemnitees with, among other things, indemnification against liabilities relating to their service as directors and officers of our company and the advancement of expenses under certain circumstances, in each case to the fullest extent permitted by law. The indemnification agreements also require us to take commercially reasonable efforts to purchase and maintain one or more policies of directors’ and officers’ liability insurance to cover liabilities asserted against, or incurred by, the indemnitees.
The foregoing summaries are necessarily subject to the complete text of the California General Corporation Law, our articles of incorporation, our by-laws and the agreements referred to above, and are qualified in their entirety by reference thereto.
We have been advised that, in the opinion of the SEC, any indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act of 1933 is against public policy, as expressed in the Securities Act, and is, therefore, unenforceable.
Item 15. Recent Sales of Unregistered Securities.
From January 12 to February 4, 2011, we sold 401,500 units at a subscription price of $1.00 per unit for net proceeds of $401,500 in our unit private placement. Each unit consists of two shares of common stock and a two-year warrant to purchase one share of common stock at an exercise price of $1.00 per share. A total of 803,000 shares of common stock and two-year warrants to purchase 401,500 shares of common stock at an exercise price of $1.00 were issued. Included in these amounts are 133,000 shares of our common stock and 66,500 warrants issued upon the conversion of accounts payable by R. Gale Sellers, our former Chief Executive Officer and a former member of our board of directors.
On February 9, 2011, we completed a private placement to eight institutional accredited investors of 4,911,112 shares of our common stock at a purchase price of $0.45 per share for gross proceeds of $2,210,000. As part of the private placement, the investors were issued five-year warrants to purchase up to 4,911,112 shares of our common stock at an initial exercise price of $0.60 per share. For each of the warrants, the holder will be able to exercise the warrant on a so-called cashless basis at any time following the one-year anniversary of the closing of the private placement that a registration statement covering the shares of our common stock underlying such warrants is not effective. The net proceeds from the private placement, following the payment of offering-related expenses, are being used by us for our capital expenditure requirements and for working capital and other general corporate purposes.
At the closing of the private placement, we paid Rodman & Renshaw LLC, the placement agent for the private placement, cash compensation of 7% of the gross proceeds of the private placement and a five-year warrant to purchase up to 343,778 shares of our common stock at an initial exercise price of $0.60 per share. The terms of the placement agent's warrant are substantially identical to the warrants issued to investors in the private placement.
On March 14, 2011, we issued ten-year options to purchase a total of 625,000 shares of our common stock at an exercise price of $0.52 per share based on the closing market price as of that date.
On March 17, 2011, we issued 100,000 shares of common stock from the 2007 Stock Compensation Plan with a fair value of $51,000 based on the closing market price as of that date of $0.51 per share pursuant to the settlement of a dispute with a former consultant and employee to our company.
On June 15, 2011 we issued 250,000 shares of common stock from the 2007 Stock Compensation Plan with a fair value of $112,500 based on the closing market price as of that date of $0.45 per share to Sales Solutions II, LLC, Company owned by Billy K. Hamlin, one of our directors for services rendered.
On June 22, 2011 we issued 300,000 shares of common stock from the 2007 Stock Compensation Plan with a fair value of $135,000 based on the closing market price as of that date of $0.45 per share to Milan Gottwald pursuant to the Purchase Agreement for our facilities in the Czech Republic for services.
On June 22, 2011, we completed a private placement of our convertible debentures to 11 institutional investors, receiving gross proceeds of $3,500,000. Each convertible debenture was issued at a price equal to 85% of its principal amount. The convertible debentures mature two years after the date of their issuance and do not bear regularly scheduled interest. Investors may convert their convertible debentures into shares of our common stock at any time and from time to time on or before the maturity date, at a conversion price of $0.55 per share. The convertible debentures will mandatorily convert at our option into shares of our common stock at the conversion price, if the closing bid price for the common stock exceeds $1.50 per share for a period of 10 consecutive trading days, provided that such underlying shares have been fully registered for resale with the SEC. We also issued to the investors five-year common stock purchase warrants to purchase up to 3,743,409 shares of our common stock at an exercise price of $0.65 per share. The warrants may be exercised on a cashless basis at any time after the earlier of (i) one year after the date of their issuance or (ii) the completion of the applicable holding period required by Rule 144 in the event the underlying shares have not been fully registered for resale with the SEC. We are using the net proceeds of the June 2011 private placement for our working capital and capital expenditure requirements.
Rodman & Renshaw LLC acted as the exclusive placement agent for the June 2011 private placement. At closing, we paid a cash placement fee of $245,000 and issued warrants to purchase 524,077 shares of our common stock to Rodman & Renshaw for acting in this capacity.
The common stock and warrants issued in the February 2011 private placement, the convertible debentures and warrants issued in the June 2011 private placement and the securities issued in other transactions described above were exempt from registration under Section 4(2) of the Securities Act of 1933 as a sale by an issuer not involving a public offering or under Regulation D promulgated pursuant to the Securities Act of 1933. None of the common stock, convertible debentures or warrants, or shares of common stock underlying such convertible debentures and warrants, were registered under the Securities Act, or the securities laws of any state, and were offered and sold in reliance on the exemption from registration afforded by Section 4(2) and Regulation D (Rule 506) under the Securities Act and corresponding provisions of state securities laws, which exempts transactions by an issuer not involving any public offering. Such securities may not be offered or sold in the United States absent registration or an applicable exemption from the registration requirements and certificates evidencing such shares contain a legend stating the same.
Item 16. Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedules.
(a) The exhibits listed in the following Exhibit Index are filed as part of this registration statement.
Exhibit No. | | | | Description |
3.1A | | (1) | | Amended and Restated Articles of Incorporation of Vu1 Corporation dated June 30, 2000 |
3.1B | | (1) | | Certificate of Amendment of Articles of Incorporation dated May 19, 2008 |
3.1C | | (1) | | Certificate of Amendment of Articles of Incorporation dated August 25, 2008 |
3.2A | | (2) | | Bylaws of Vu1 Corporation |
3.2B | | (3) | | Certificate of Amendment of Bylaws effective August 6, 1997 |
4.1 | | (11) | | Form of Common Stock Purchase Warrant of Vu1 Corporation, dated February 3, 2011, for each investor. (15) |
5.1 | | ** | | Opinion of Greenberg Traurig, LLP, counsel to the registrant, as to the legality of the securities. |
10.1 | | (4) | | Vu1 Corporation 2007 Stock Incentive Plan |
10.2 | | (5) | | Form of Vu1 Corporation Stock Option Agreement |
10.4 | | (6) | | Lease Contract between Sendio s.r.o. and Milan Gottwald, dated May 28, 2008 |
10.5A | | (7) | | Purchase Agreement between Sendio s.r.o. and Milan Gottwald, dated November 25, 2008 |
10.5B | | (8) | | Business Agreement, as an annex to the Purchase Agreement, between Sendio, s.r.o and Milan Gottwald, dated March 3, 2009 |
10.6 | | (7) | | Deed of Guarantee between Vu1 Corporation and Milan Gottwald, dated November 24, 2008 |
10.7 | | (9) | | Tenancy Agreement between Sendio s.r.o. and Milan Gottwald, dated December 2, 2009 |
10.8 | | (9) | | Amendment No. 2 to the Purchase Agreement dated November 25, 2008 dated December 2, 2009 between Sendio s.r.o. and Milan Gottwald |
10.9 | | (10) | | Executive Employment Agreement effective October 4, 2010 by and between the Company and Philip Styles |
10.10 | | (11) | | Securities Purchase Agreement, dated as of February 3, 2011, between Vu1 Corporation and each purchaser identified on the signature pages thereto. |
10.11 | | (11) | | Registration Rights Agreement, dated as of February 3, 2011, between Vu1 Corporation and each of the several purchasers signatory thereto. |
10.13 | | (12) | | Vu1 Corporation 2007 Stock Incentive Plan, as amended on March 14, 2011. |
10.14 | | (13) | | Employment Agreement, dated April 27, 2011, between Vu1 Corporation and Scott C. Blackstone, Ph.D. |
10.15 | | (14) | | Form of Securities Purchase Agreement, dated as of June 15, 2011, between Vu1 Corporation and each purchaser identified on the signature pages thereto. |
10.16 | | (14) | | Form of Original Issue Discount Convertible Debenture issued June 22, 2011, by Vu1 Corporation to each of the purchasers. |
10.17 | | (14) | | Form of Common Stock Purchase Warrant issued June 22, 2011, by Vu1 Corporation to each of the purchasers. |
10.18 | | (14) | | Registration Rights Agreement, dated as of June 16, 2011, between Vu1 Corporation and each of the purchasers. |
10.19 | | (14) | | Amendment No. 1 to the Lease Contract, dated December 2, 2009 between Sendio s.r.o. and Milan Gottwald. |
10.20 | | (14) | | Amendment No. 3 to the Purchase Agreement dated November 25, 2008 between Sendio s.r.o. and Milan Gottwald. |
14.1 | | (12) | | Code of Business Conduct and Ethics |
14.2 | | (12) | | Code of Ethics for the CEO and Senior Financial Officers |
21.1 | | (12) | | List of Subsidiaries |
23.1 | | ** | | Consent of Greenberg Traurig, LLP (included in its opinion filed as Exhibit 5.1 hereto). |
23.2 | | ** | | Consent of Peterson Sullivan, LLP, independent registered public accountants. |
24.1 | | ** | | Power of Attorney (set forth on the signature page of this registration statement). |
(1) | Previously filed as an exhibit to, and incorporated herein by reference from, our Current Report on Form 8-K filed on September 15, 2008. |
(2) | Previously filed as an exhibit to, and incorporated herein by reference from, our Quarterly Report on Form 10-QSB as filed with the Commission on November 12, 1996. |
(3) | Previously filed as an exhibit to, and incorporated herein by reference from, our Annual Report on Form 10-K filed on April 15, 1998. |
(4) | Previously filed as an exhibit to, and incorporated herein by reference from, our Quarterly Report on Form 10-QSB as filed with the Commission on November 14, 2007. |
(5) | Previously filed as an exhibit to, and incorporated herein by reference from, our Current Report on Form 8-K filed on November 21, 2007. |
(6) | Previously filed as an exhibit to, and incorporated herein by reference from, our Current Report on Form 8-K filed on June 3, 2008. |
(7) | Previously filed as an exhibit to, and incorporated herein by reference from, our Current Report on Form 8-K filed on December 15, 2008. |
(8) | Previously filed as an exhibit to, and incorporated herein by reference from, our Current Report on Form 8-K filed on March 6, 2009. |
(9) | Previously filed as an exhibit to, and incorporated herein by reference from, our Current Report on Form 8-K filed on December 15, 2009. |
(10) | Previously filed as an exhibit to, and incorporated herein by reference from, our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed on November 22, 2010. |
(11) | Previously filed as an exhibit to, and incorporated herein by reference from, our Current Report on Form 8-K filed on February 11, 2011. |
(12) | Previously filed as an exhibit to, and incorporated herein by reference from, our Annual Report on Form 10-K filed on March 31, 2011. |
(13) | Previously filed as an exhibit to, and incorporated herein by reference from, our Current Report on Form 8-K filed on May 3, 2011. |
(14) | Previously filed as an exhibit to, and incorporated herein by reference from, our Current Report on Form 8-K filed on June 22, 2011. |
(b) | The financial statement schedules are either not applicable or the required information is included in the financial statements and footnotes related thereto. |
Item 17. Undertakings.
A. The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes:
(1) To file, during any period in which offers or sales are being made, a post-effective amendment to this registration statement:
(i) To include any prospectus required by Section 10(a)(3) of the Securities Act of 1933;
(ii) To reflect in the prospectus any facts or events arising after the effective date of the registration statement (or the most recent post-effective amendment thereof) which, individually or in the aggregate, represent a fundamental change in the information set forth in the registration statement. Notwithstanding the foregoing, any increase or decrease in volume of securities offered (if the total dollar value of securities offered would not exceed that which was registered) and any deviation from the low or high end of the estimated maximum offering range may be reflected in the form of prospectus filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) if, in the aggregate, the changes in volume and price represent no more than 20 percent change in the maximum aggregate offering price set forth in the “Calculation of Registration Fee” table in the effective registration statement; and
(iii) To include any material information with respect to the plan of distribution not previously disclosed in the registration statement or any material change to such information in the registration statement.
(2) That, for the purpose of determining any liability under the Securities Act of 1933, each such post-effective amendment shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.
(3) To remove from registration by means of a post-effective amendment any of the securities being registered which remain unsold at the termination of the offering.
(4) Intentionally omitted.
(5) That, for the purpose of determining liability under the Securities Act of 1933 to any purchaser:
(i) Intentionally omitted.
(ii) If the registrant is subject to Rule 430C, each prospectus filed pursuant to Rule 424(b) as part of a registration statement relating to an offering, other than registration statements relying on Rule 430B or other than prospectuses filed in reliance on Rule 430A, shall be deemed to be part of and included in the registration statement as of the date it is first used after effectiveness. Provided, however, that no statement made in a registration statement or prospectus that is part of the registration statement or made in a document incorporated or deemed incorporated by reference into the registration statement or made in a document incorporated or deemed incorporated by reference into the registration statement or prospectus that is part of the registration statement will, as to a purchaser with a time of contract of sale prior to such first use, supersede or modify any statement that was made in the registration statement or prospectus that was part of the registration statement or made in any such document immediately prior to such date of first use.
(6) That, for the purpose of determining liability of the registrant under the Securities Act of 1933 to any purchaser in the initial distribution of the securities:
The undersigned registrant undertakes that in a primary offering of securities of the undersigned registrant pursuant to this registration statement, regardless of the underwriting method used to sell the securities to the purchaser, if the securities are offered or sold to such purchaser by means of any of the following communications, the undersigned registrant will be a seller to the purchaser and will be considered to offer or sell such securities to such purchaser:
(i) Any preliminary prospectus or prospectus of the undersigned registrant relating to the offering required to be filed pursuant to Rule 424.
(ii) Any free writing prospectus relating to the offering prepared by or on behalf of the undersigned registrant or used or referred to by the undersigned registrant;
(iii) The portion of any other free writing prospectus relating to the offering containing material information about the undersigned registrant or its securities provided by or on behalf of the undersigned registrant; and
(iv) Any other communication that is an offer in the offering made by the undersigned registrant to the purchaser.
B. Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act of 1933 may be permitted to directors, officers and controlling persons of the registrant pursuant to the foregoing provisions, or otherwise, the registrant has been advised that in the opinion of the Securities and Exchange Commission such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Act and is, therefore, unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification against such liabilities (other than the payment by the registrant of expenses incurred or paid by a director, officer or controlling person of the registrant in the successful defense of any action, suit or proceeding) is asserted by such director, officer or controlling person in connection with the securities being registered, the registrant will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to a court of appropriate jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by it is against public policy as expressed in the Act and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue.
SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, the registrant has duly caused this registration statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, in the City of New York, State of New York, on July 15, 2011.
| VU1 CORPORATION |
| | |
| By: | /s/ Scott C. Blackstone, Ph.D. |
| | Scott C. Blackstone, Ph.D. |
| | President and Chief Executive Officer |
| | (principal executive officer) |
| | |
| By: | /s/ Matthew DeVries |
| | Matthew DeVries |
| | Chief Financial Officer |
| | (principal financial and accounting officer) |
POWER OF ATTORNEY
We, the undersigned officers and directors of Vu1 Corporation, hereby severally constitute and appoint William B. Smith, Scott C. Blackstone, Ph.D. and Matthew DeVries, and each of them (with full power to each of them to act alone), our true and lawful attorneys-in-fact and agents, with full power of substitution, for us and in our stead, in any and all capacities, to sign any and all amendments (including pre-effective and post-effective amendments) to this Registration Statement and all documents relating thereto, and to file the same, with all exhibits thereto, and other documents in connection therewith, with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, granting to said attorneys-in-fact and agents, and each of them, full power and authority to do and perform each and every act and thing necessary or advisable to be done in and about the premises, as full to all intents and purposes as he might or could do in person, hereby ratifying and confirming all the said attorneys-in-fact and agents, or any of them, or their substitute or substitutes may lawfully do or cause to be done by virtue hereof.
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, this registration statement has been signed by the following persons in the capacities and on the dates indicated.
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/s/ William B. Smith | | Chairman of the Board | | July 15, 2011 |
William B. Smith | | | | |
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/s/ Scott C. Blackstone, Ph.D. | | Chief Executive Officer | | July 15, 2011 |
Scott C. Blackstone, Ph.D. | | (principal executive officer) | | |
| | | | |
/s/ Matthew DeVries | | Chief Financial Officer | | July 15, 2011 |
Matthew DeVries | | (principal financial and accounting officer) | | |
| | | | |
/s/ Philip G. Styles | | Vice President of | | July 15, 2011 |
Philip G. Styles | | Manufacturing and Director | | |
| | | | |
/s/ Billy K. Hamlin | | Director | | July 15, 2011 |
Billy K. Hamlin | | | | |
| | | | |
/s/ Charles Hunt, PhD. | | Director | | July 15, 2011 |
Charles Hunt, Ph.D. | | | | |
| | | | |
/s/ Gregory Owens | | Director | | July 15, 2011 |
Gregory Owens Jr. | | | | |
| | | | |
/s/ Duncan Troy | | Director | | July 15, 2011 |
Duncan Troy | | | | |
| | | | |
/s/ Mark Weber | | Director | | July 15, 2011 |
Mark Weber | | | | |