Risk Factors - VBIX

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$VBIX Risk Factor changes from 00/03/17/22/2022 to 00/03/21/25/2025

ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS The shares of our Common Stock are highly speculative in nature, involve a high degree of risk and should be purchased only by persons who can afford to lose their entire amount invested in the Common Stock. Accordingly, prospective investors should carefully consider, along with other matters referred to herein, the following risk factors in evaluating our business before purchasing any shares of Common Stock. If any of the following risks actually occurs, our business, financial condition or operating results could be materially adversely affected. In such case, you may lose all or part of your investment. You should carefully consider the risks described below and the other information in this Prospectus before investing in our Common Stock. Summary Risk Factors Our business is subject to numerous risks and uncertainties, including those highlighted in the section titled “Risk Factors” immediately following this prospectus summary. These risks include, among others, the following: 31 Risks Associated with Our Business and Industry Risks Related to our Competition Risks Related to our Intellectual Property 32 Risks Related to Data Protection Regulation Risks Related to Our Common Stock Risks Related to our Operations in Israel 33 Risks Associated with Our Business and Industry Our success depends, in part, upon the continued demand of digital advertising as an integral part of corporate marketing and internal communications plans and the continued growth and acceptance of digital content as effective alternatives to traditional offline marketing products and services. We provide digital advertising platforms. Our revenues are derived from the sale of our platforms. If the demand for digital advertising does not continue to grow or customers do not embrace our platforms, this could have a material adverse effect on our business and financial condition. If the demand for video advertising does not continue to grow or customers do not embrace our platform, this could have a material adverse effect on our business and financial condition. Our success also depends, in part, on our ability to compete for a share of available advertising/marketing expenditures as more traditional offline and emerging media companies continue to enter the digital advertising market, as well as on the continued growth and acceptance of digital advertising generally. Our success also depends, in part, on our ability to compete for a share of available video advertising/marketing expenditures as more traditional offline and emerging media companies continue to enter the online advertising/marketing market, as well as on the continued growth and acceptance of online advertising generally. If for any reason digital advertising is not perceived as effective (relative to traditional advertising), web browsers, software programs and/or other applications that limit or prevent advertising from being displayed become commonplace and/or the industry fails to effectively manage click fraud, the market for digital advertising will be negatively impacted. If for any reason online advertising is not perceived as effective (relative to traditional advertising), web browsers, software programs and/or other applications that limit or prevent advertising from being displayed become commonplace and/or the industry fails to effectively manage click fraud, the market for online advertising will be negatively impacted. Any lack of growth in the market for digital advertising could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. Any lack of growth in the market for online advertising/marketing (particularly for paid listings) could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. Online platform updates, including operating systems, search engines, browsers and social media might affect our ability to generate revenues, temporarily or permanently. We comply with certain guidelines promulgated by online platforms for the use of the respective brands and services. Online platforms may unilaterally update their policies and guidelines, which could, in turn, require modifications to, or prohibit and/or render obsolete certain of our advertising solutions, products, services and practices, which could be costly to address or otherwise have an adverse effect on our business, our financial condition and results of operations. Noncompliance with platforms’ guidelines, whether by us or by third parties we work with, if not cured, could result in such online platforms’ suspension of some or all of their services to us, or to the websites of third parties we work with, or the reimbursement of funds paid to us, or the imposition of additional restrictions on our advertising abilities or the termination of certain advertising agreements with our customers. Should the providers of internet browsers, advertisement platforms and Search Engines further regulate, constrain or limit our ability to offer advertising services, or materially change their guidelines, technology or the way they operate, our ability to generate revenue from advertising could be significantly reduced. As we provide our services through the internet, we are reliant on our ability to work with the different internet browsers, search engines and advertisement platforms. If Microsoft, Google, Apple, Facebook or other companies that provide internet browsers, advertisement platforms and search engines, effectively further restrict, discourage or otherwise hamper companies, like us, from offering or advertising services, this would continue to cause a material adverse effect on our revenue and our financial results. Large and established internet and technology companies, such as Google, Facebook and Amazon, play a substantial role in the digital advertising market and may significantly harm our ability to operate in this industry. Risks Related to our Competition Large and established internet and technology companies, such as Google and Facebook, play a substantial role in the digital advertising market and may significantly impair our ability to operate in this industry. Google, Facebook and Amazon are substantial players in the digital advertising market and account for a large portion of the digital advertising budgets, along with other smaller players. Such high concentration causes us to be subject to any unilateral changes they may make with respect to advertising on their respective platforms, which may be more lucrative than alternative methods of advertising or partnerships with other publishers that are not subject to such changes. Furthermore, we could have limited ability to respond to, and adjust for, changes implemented by such players. Furthermore, we could have limited ability to respond to, and adjust for, changes implemented by large market participants. 34 These companies, along with other large and established internet and technology companies, may also leverage their power to make changes to their web browsers, operating systems, platforms, networks or other products or services in a way that impacts the entire digital advertising marketplace. These companies, along with other large and established Internet and technology companies, may also leverage their power to make changes to their web browsers, operating systems, platforms, networks or other products or services in a way that impacts the entire digital advertising marketplace. Such changes could affect our revenues as it will be required to make technological changes and business adjustments, which might cause the retirement of certain products and services or changes in their profitability. This, together with other advertisement-blocking technologies incorporated in or compatible with leading internet browsers and operating systems, could impact our advertising business (as well as those of our competitors). These changes could materially impact the way we do business, and if we or our advertisers and third parties we work with are unable to quickly and effectively adjust and provide solutions to those changes, there could be an adverse effect on our revenue and performance. The use of third-party software solutions for the purpose of blocking ads and / or alerts may cause our business to suffer. Digital advertising may be blocked by third-party providers. As a result, we may lose both existing and potential new customers and our ability to generate revenue will be negatively impacted. We depend on supply sources to provide us with advertising inventory in order for us to deliver advertising campaigns in a cost-effective manner. We rely on a diverse set of publishers including direct publishers, advertising exchange platforms, social networks and other platforms, that aggregate advertising inventory, to provide us with high-quality digital advertising inventory on which we deliver ads, collectively referred to as “supply sources”. The future growth of our advertising business will depend, in part, on our ability to maintain, expand and further develop successful business relationships in order to increase the network of our supply sources. Our supply sources typically make their advertising inventory available to us on a non-exclusive basis and are not required to provide any minimum amounts of advertising inventory to us or to provide us with a consistent supply of advertising inventory, at any predetermined price or through real time bidding. Supply sources often maintain relationships with various sources of demand that compete with us, and it is easy for supply sources to quickly shift their advertising inventory among these demand sources, or to shift inventory to new demand sources, without notice or accountability. Supply sources may also seek to change the terms at which they offer inventory to us, or they may allocate their advertising inventory to our competitors who offer more favorable economic terms, better solutions and advanced technology. Supply sources may also elect to sell all, or a portion, of their advertising inventory directly to advertisers and agencies, or they may develop their own competitive offerings, which could diminish the demand for our solutions. In addition, significant supply sources within the industry may enter into exclusivity arrangements with our competitors, which could limit our access to a meaningful supply of inventory. As a result of all of these factors, our supply sources may not supply us with sufficient amounts of high-quality digital advertising inventory in order for us to fulfill the demands of our advertising customers. Because of these factors, we seek to expand and diversify our supply sources; nonetheless, if our supply sources terminate or reduce our access to their advertising inventory, increase the price of inventory or place significant restrictions on the sale of their advertising inventory, or if platforms or exchanges terminate our access to them and we are unsuccessful in establishing or maintaining our relationships with supply sources on commercially reasonable terms, we may not be able to replace this with inventory from other supply sources that satisfy our requirements in a timely and cost-effective manner. Further, any significant change to applicable laws, regulations or industry practices regarding the collection, use, retention, security or disclosure of data, or their interpretation, or any changes regarding the manner in which the consent of users or other data subjects for the collection, use, retention or disclosure of such data must be obtained, could increase our costs and require us to modify our services and features, possibly in a material manner, which we may be unable to complete, and may limit our ability to store and process user data or develop new services and features. If any of these happen, our revenue could decline or our cost of acquiring inventory could increase, which, in turn, could lower our operating margins and materially adversely affect our advertising business. Reliance upon our top customers may adversely affect our revenue and operating results. Our top ten customers represented approximately 79% and 65% of our consolidated revenue for the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively on a pro forma basis. It is likely that we will depend on a relatively small number of customers for a significant portion of our revenue in the future. If a top customer fails to pay us, cash flow from operations would be impacted and our operating results and financial condition could be harmed. Additionally, if we were to lose a material customer, we may not be able to offer our services at similar utilization or pricing levels and such loss could have an adverse effect on our business until the services are offered at similar utilization or pricing levels. 35 Our Search Platform depends heavily upon revenue generated from the material agreement with our Gix Major Customer, and any adverse change in that agreement could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. We are highly dependent on the material agreement with our Gix Major Customer. If this material agreement is terminated or substantially amended (not on favorable terms), we would experience a material decrease in our revenue from our Search Platform or the profits it generates and would be forced to seek alternative customers, at less competitive terms or accelerate the business we have with the current Search Engines. There are few companies in the market that provide internet search and search advertising services with whom we can directly engage with in the same manner which we are engaged with our Gix Major Customer. Such companies are substantially the only participants in western markets, and competitors do not offer as much coverage through sponsored links or searches. We may divert our operations and user traffic to other third-party partners which provide search feed to Search Engines, however we cannot guarantee that we will be successful. If we fail to quickly locate, negotiate and finalize alternative arrangements or otherwise expedite current operations we have with such alternative search providers, or if we do, but the alternatives do not provide for terms that are as favorable as those currently provided and utilized, we would experience a material reduction in our revenue and, in turn, our business, financial condition and results of operations would be adversely affected. Reliance upon material suppliers may adversely affect our revenue and operating results. We are dependent on certain material suppliers and service providers for some of the services we render. In certain cases, we rely on a single supplier and/or service provider for the services we offer our customers. In most cases we do not have long term contracts with these suppliers, and even in the cases where we do the contracts include significant qualifications that would make it extremely difficult for us to force the supplier or service provider to provide us with their services, should they choose not to do so. We are therefore subject to the risk that these third-parties we work with will not be able or willing to continue to provide us with services that meet our specifications, quality standards and delivery schedules. Factors that could impact these third parties’ willingness and ability to continue to provide us with the required services include disruption at or affecting their facilities, such as work stoppages or natural disasters, adverse weather or other conditions that affect their supply, their financial conditions and / or deterioration in our relationships with these third parties. In addition, we cannot be sure that we will be able to provide the services we need on satisfactory terms. Any increase in costs could reduce our revenues and harm our gross margins. In addition, any loss of a material supplier and/or service provider may permanently cause a change in one or more of our services that may not be accepted by our customers or cause us to eliminate that product altogether. We may not be able to receive credit facility to fund our operations, on favorable terms, or at all. We generally finance our operations primarily through a combination of cash flow generated from operations and borrowings under our credit facilities, loans, and through credit with our vendors. Our ability to access capital through our existing credit facilities and raise additional capital by expanding our credit facilities on economically favorable terms (including available borrowing line and the rate of interest charged thereunder) or at all, or if we are in violation of our financial covenants in the future and do not receive a waiver, depends on our ability to stay in compliance with the Financing Agreement. The Financing Agreement poses certain limitations, as explained elsewhere in this Annual Report. In addition, and as a result of the decrease in the Company’s revenues, our financial performance has been negatively impacted, which may affect the terms on which we are able to obtain credit facilities and loans. If adequate capital is not available at the time we need it, we may have to curtail future growth or change our expansion plans, which could have a material adverse effect on us. 36 If borrowing under our existing credit facilities is reduced, or otherwise becomes unavailable, or we are unable to arrange substitute financing facilities or other sources of capital, our ability to fund our operations would be impaired, which would have a material adverse effect on our results of operations. We may be unable to pay our obligations when they become due, including under the Financing Agreement. We have financed our acquisitions principally through the raising of debt, credit facilities, and our operations through credit with our vendors. Our ability to continue our operations and to pay our obligations, including under the Financing Agreement and credit facilities (as described elsewhere in this Annual Report), when they become due is contingent upon obtaining additional financing. In addition, during August 2024, we renegotiated the terms of the Financing Agreement and entered into the Fourth Addendum to the Financing Agreement. The availability of the credit facilities to Gix Media is subject to us successfully raising additional capital and depositing at least $2,000,000 with Gix Media. If the Company, Cortex and Gix Media cannot maintain compliance with the terms and covenant of the Financing Agreement, or if we are unable to obtain sufficient amounts of additional capital, we may be required to reduce the scope of our planned operations, and/or consider reductions in personnel costs or other operating costs, in addition to the measures currently contemplated pursuant to the Financing Agreement. Our success is dependent on the preferences of consumers, internet users and advertisers. Our services rely on the digital devices used by consumers and users. To the extent that users change their consumption habits, or to the extent that traffic does not grow, our activities might decrease and our business operations might be harmed. A change in advertisers’ preferences could also affect our operations. Advertisers might change their preferences relating to their willingness to work with certain technologies and certain advertising platforms, which might reduce our activities and harm our business operations. We may not be able to retain and attract programmatic advertisers, and the associated payments received from such programmatic advertisers’ ads on websites which have been categorized as “Made for Advertising” may be adversely affected. Certain recent developments relating to publishers that are categorized by a number of programmatic advertisers as “Made for Advertising” (MFA) sites, including decisions made by leading media programmatic advertisers to prioritize different media categories and implement publishing restrictions in connection with MFA, have negatively impacted Cortex’s business and operations. In connection with the foregoing, a significant customer of Cortex has decided to stop advertising on Cortex’s sites. Additional advertising customers of Cortex may opt to stop advertising on Cortex’s sites, which will impact Cortex’s, and as a result thereof, the Company’s current and future revenue streams and results of operations. The foregoing issues could lead to decreased advertiser interest in Cortex’s sites, potentially resulting in lower bids for ad space, and as a result thereof, lower revenues from Cortex’s business, and decrease in the Company’s results of operation. A loss of the services of our technology vendors could adversely affect the execution of our business strategy. Should some of our technology vendors terminate their relationship with us, our ability to continue the development of some of our platforms could be adversely affected, until such time that we find adequate replacement for these vendors, or until such time that we can continue the development on our own. 37 The report of our independent registered public accounting firm contains an explanatory paragraph regarding substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern, which could prevent us from obtaining new financing on reasonable terms or at all. The report of our independent registered public accounting firm on our audited consolidated financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2024, contains an explanatory paragraph regarding substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern. Our audited consolidated financial statements do not include any adjustments that might result from the outcome of the uncertainty regarding our ability to continue as a going concern. This going concern opinion could materially limit our ability to raise additional funds through the issuance of equity or debt securities or otherwise. Further reports on our consolidated financial statements may include an explanatory paragraph with respect to our ability to continue as a going concern. Until we can generate significant recurring cash flow, we expect to satisfy our future cash needs through debt or equity financing. We cannot be certain that additional funding will be available to us on acceptable terms, if at all. If funds are not available, we may be required to delay or reduce the scope of our operations. Global pandemics may negatively impact the global economy in a significant manner for an extended period of time, and also adversely affect our business and operating results. The COVID-19 pandemic may negatively impact the global economy in a significant manner for an extended period of time, and also adversely affect our business and operating results. The outbreak of a global pandemic, may result in a widespread health crisis that may adversely affect businesses, economies and financial markets worldwide, and as a result placing constraints on the operations of businesses, decreased consumer mobility and activity, and significant economic volatility in international capital markets. The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in a widespread health crisis that has adversely affected businesses, economies and financial markets worldwide, placed constraints on the operations of businesses, decreased consumer mobility and activity, and caused significant economic volatility in the United States, Israel and international capital markets. For example, during the years 2020-2021, the COVID-19 pandemic caused an economic recession, high unemployment rates and other disruptions, both in the United States, Israel and the rest of the world. While the COVID-19 pandemic has not adversely affected our business, an outbreak of other global pandemics and any of these impacts, including the prolonged continuation of these impacts, could in the future, adversely affect our business and operating results and heighten many of the other risks described in these “Risk Factors. The COVID-19 pandemic has not yet currently adversely affected our business, however, any of these impacts, including the prolonged continuation of these impacts, could in the future, adversely affect our business and operating results and heighten many of the other risks described in these “Risk Factors. ” Risks Related to our Competition Large and established internet and technology companies, such as Google and Facebook, play a substantial role in the digital advertising market and may significantly impair our ability to operate in this industry. Google is a substantial player in the digital advertising market along with other players such as Microsoft. In addition, a small number of social network companies, such as Facebook, account for a large portion of digital advertising budgets. The high concentration of power among Google, Facebook and some other large market participants causes us to be subject to any unilateral changes they may make with respect to advertising on their respective platforms, which may be more lucrative than alternative methods of advertising or partnerships with other publishers that are not subject to such changes. Furthermore, we could have limited ability to respond to, and adjust for, changes implemented by large market participants. These companies, along with other large and established Internet and technology companies, may also leverage their power to make changes to their web browsers, operating systems, platforms, networks or other products or services in a way that impacts the entire digital advertising marketplace. If we fail to comply or adopt to such changes, on the same level as our competitors, it may harm our ability to compete effectively in our market and operate in our market. The digital advertising market is highly competitive. The advertising/marketing industry is highly competitive. If we cannot compete effectively in this market, our revenues are likely to decline. We face intense competition in the marketplace. We operate in a dynamic market that is subject to rapid development and introduction of new technologies, products and solutions, changing branding objectives, evolving customer demands and industry guidelines, all of which affect our ability to remain competitive. There are a large number of companies and advertising technology companies that offer products or services similar to ours and that compete with us for finite advertising budgets. There is also a large number of niche companies that are competitive with us, as they provide a subset of the services that we provide. Some of our existing and potential competitors may be better established, benefit from greater name recognition, may offer solutions and technologies that we do not offer or that are more evolved than ours, and may have significantly more financial, technical, sales and marketing resources than we do. In addition, some competitors, particularly those with a larger and more diversified revenue base and a broader offering, may have greater flexibility than we do to compete aggressively on the basis of price and other contract terms as well as respond to market changes. Additionally, companies that do not currently compete with us in this space may change their services to be competitive if there is a revenue opportunity, and new or stronger competitors may emerge through consolidations or acquisitions. If our platforms are not perceived as competitively differentiated or we fail to develop adequately to meet market evolution, we could lose customers and market share or be compelled to reduce our prices and harm our operational results. If our platform is not perceived as competitively differentiated or we fail to develop adequately to meet market evolution, we could lose customers and market share or be compelled to reduce our prices and harm our operational results. 38 Our implementation and use of artificial intelligence technologies may not be successful, which may impair our ability to compete effectively, result in reputational harm and have an adverse effect on our business. We use artificial intelligence technologies throughout our business and are making investments to continuously improve our use of such technologies. For example, we use artificial intelligence technologies to translate articles from English into multiple languages on our Content Platform. As with many technological innovations, there are significant risks and challenges involved in developing, maintaining and deploying these technologies and there can be no assurance that the usage of such technologies will always enhance our products or services or be beneficial to our business, including to our efficiency or profitability. In addition, the market for artificial intelligence technologies is rapidly evolving and remains unproven in many industries, including our own. We cannot be sure that the market will continue to grow or that it will grow in ways we anticipate. We are in varying stages of development of our systems which utilize artificial intelligence, and we may not be successful in our ongoing development of these technologies in the face of novel and evolving technical, reputational and market factors. The development, maintenance and operation of our artificial intelligence technologies is expensive and complex, and may involve unforeseen difficulties including material performance problems, undetected defects or errors. We may encounter technical obstacles, and it is possible that we may discover additional problems that may prevent our technologies from operating properly, which could adversely affect our business, customer relationships and reputation. We face significant competition from other companies in our industry in relation to the development and deployment of artificial intelligence technologies. Those other companies may develop artificial intelligence technologies that are similar or superior to ours and/or are more cost-effective and/or quicker to develop and deploy. If we cannot develop, offer or deploy new artificial intelligence technologies as effectively, as quickly and/or as cost-efficiently as our competitors, we could experience a material adverse effect on our operating results of operation, customer relationships and growth. Risks Related to our Intellectual Property If we cannot enforce and protect our intellectual property rights, our business could be adversely affected. 10 Risks Related to our Intellectual Property If we cannot enforce and protect our intellectual property rights, our business could be adversely affected. We rely on patents, copyright, trademark, domain name and trade secret laws in the United States and similar laws in other countries, as well as licenses and other agreements with our employees, and other parties, to establish and maintain our intellectual property rights in the technology, products and services used in our operations. These laws and agreements may not guarantee that our intellectual property rights will be protected and our intellectual property rights could be challenged or invalidated. Amendments to or interpretations of U.S. patent laws or new rulings around U.S. patent laws may adversely impact our ability to protect our new technologies, content, products and services and to defend against claims of patent infringement. In addition, such intellectual property rights may not be sufficient to permit us to take advantage of current industry trends or otherwise to provide competitive advantages, which could result in costly redesign efforts, discontinuance of offerings, decreased traffic and associated revenue or otherwise adversely affect our business. 39 We may in the future be subject to claims of intellectual property infringement that could adversely affect our business. We may in the future be, subject to claims of intellectual property infringement that could adversely affect our business. Many companies (including patent holding companies) and individuals own patents, copyrights, trademarks, and trade secrets and frequently enter into litigation based on allegations of infringement or other violations of intellectual property rights. As we develop and offer our platforms through various distribution channels we may experience an increase in the number of intellectual property claims against us. As we develop and offer our platform through various distribution channels we may experience an increase in the number of intellectual property claims against us. These claims, whether meritorious or not, may result in litigation, may be time-consuming and costly to resolve, and may require expensive changes in our methods of doing business. These intellectual property infringement claims may require us to enter into royalty or licensing agreements on unfavorable terms or to incur substantial monetary liability. Additionally, these claims may result in us being enjoined preliminarily or permanently from further use of certain intellectual property or may require us to cease or significantly alter certain of our operations. Additionally, these claims may result in our being enjoined preliminarily or permanently from further use of certain intellectual property or may require us to cease or significantly alter certain of our operations. Some of our commercial agreements may require us to indemnify third parties against intellectual property infringement claims, which may require us to use substantial resources to defend against or settle such claims or, potentially, to pay damages. These third parties may also discontinue the use of our platforms, as a result of injunctions or otherwise, which could result in loss of revenues and adversely impact our business. These third parties may also discontinue the use of our platform, as a result of injunctions or otherwise, which could result in loss of revenues and adversely impact our business. Additionally, we may be exposed to liability or substantially increased costs if a commercial partner does not honor its contractual obligation to indemnify us for intellectual property infringement claims made by third parties or if any amounts received are not adequate to cover our liabilities or the costs associated with defense of such claims. The occurrence of any of these events could adversely affect our business. Patent terms may be inadequate to protect our competitive position for an adequate amount of time. Patents have a limited lifespan. In the United States, if all maintenance fees are timely paid, the natural expiration of a patent is generally 20 years from its earliest U.S. non-provisional or international patent application filing date. Various extensions may be available, but the life of a patent, and the protection it affords, is limited. Even if patents covering our products are obtained, once the patent life has expired, we may be open to competition from competitive products, including generics. As a result, our patent portfolio may not provide us with sufficient rights to exclude others from commercializing products similar or identical to ours. Risks Related to Data Protection Regulation We may not be able to protect our systems, technology and infrastructure from cyberattacks. Risks Related to Cyber and Data Collection We may not be able to protect our systems, technology and infrastructure from cyberattacks. We rely on information technology systems to operate and manage our business and to process, maintain, and safeguard information, including information related to our customers, partners, and personnel. This information is stored and managed within our internal information technology infrastructure or, in certain instances, on platforms maintained by third-party service providers. These systems, whether operated internally or externally, may be subject to attacks by perpetrators of malicious technology-related events, such as the use of botnets, malware or other destructive or disruptive software, distributed denial of service attacks, phishing, attempts to misappropriate user information and other similar malicious activities. The incidence of events of this nature (or any combination thereof) is on the rise worldwide. Since the beginning of the war between Israel and Hamas which began on October 7, 2023, Israeli and Israeli associated companies have become more frequently the target of cyberattacks. As such, the risk of a cyberattack against our platforms may become heightened. While we continuously develop and maintain systems designed to detect and prevent events of this nature from impacting our platforms, we have invested and continue to invest heavily in these efforts. While we continuously develop and maintain systems designed to detect and prevent events of this nature from impacting our platform, we have invested (and continue to invest) heavily in these efforts. These efforts are costly and require ongoing monitoring and updating as technologies change and efforts to overcome preventative security measures become more sophisticated. Any event of this nature that we experience could damage our systems, technology and infrastructure, prevent us from providing our services, compromise the integrity of our services, damage our reputation and/or be costly to remedy, as well as subject us to investigations by regulatory authorities, fines and/or litigation that could result in liability to third parties. 40 A failure in our technology infrastructure may adversely affect our business and financial condition and disrupt our customers’ businesses. We utilize “Cloud” servers, which are not immune to failures and is not without substantial risk, particularly at a time when businesses of almost every kind are finding themselves subject to an ever-expanding range of privacy, data collection and processing and cybersecurity laws and regulations, document retention requirements, and other standards of accountability. Such failures and risks, if materialized, could affect our activities, including its ad space-purchasing and processing capabilities. Our business depends on our ability to collect and use data, and any limitation on the collection and use of this data could significantly diminish the value of our platforms and cause us to lose customers and revenue. 11 Our business depends on our ability to collect and use data, and any limitation on the collection and use of this data could significantly diminish the value of our platform and cause us to lose customers and revenue. Our services receive, collect, store, analyze, process, transfer and use certain data about the identification of devices across websites and applications and user interactions with those devices for various purposes for our Search and Digital Platform, such as serving relevant ads and measuring the effectiveness of ads. Our ability to access and utilize such data is crucial to the success of our business and operations. Our ability to access and utilize such data is crucial. Such ability to either collect or use data could be restricted by new laws or regulations. Our ability to either collect or use data could be restricted by new laws or regulations. We are subject to numerous federal, state, local, and international laws, directives and regulations regarding privacy, data protection, and data security and the collection, storing, sharing, processing, transferring, disclosure requirements and protection of personal data. We are subject to numerous federal, state, local, and international laws, directives and regulations regarding privacy, data protection, and data security and the collection, storing, sharing, use, processing, transfer, disclosure and protection of personal information and other data, the scope of which are changing, subject to differing interpretations, and may be inconsistent among jurisdictions or conflict with other legal and regulatory requirements. The scope of these regulations is changing, subject to differing interpretations, and may be inconsistent among jurisdictions or conflict with other legal and regulatory requirements. For example, we collect, use, maintain and otherwise process certain data about our customers (including, without limitation, customers’ clients or users), partners, candidates and employees, consultants, vendors and service providers, leads and consumers. Our ability to collect, use, maintain or otherwise process personal data has been, and could be further restricted by existing and new laws and regulations relating to privacy and data collection and protection. These laws and regulations generally define personal data to include location data and online identifiers, which are commonly used and collected parameters in digital advertising and, among other things, impose stringent user consent requirements and permit data subjects to request we discontinue using certain data. In addition, some countries are considering or have enacted legislation requiring local storage and processing of data that could increase the cost and complexity of delivering our services. European supervisory authorities have been very active in terms of enforcing data protection rules, including with respect to cookie-related matters. Regulation of cookies and similar technologies, and any decline of cookies or similar online tracking technologies as a means to identify and potentially target individuals, may lead to broader restrictions and impairments on our business activities, may negatively impact our efforts to understand users, and, as a result of us being able to process less data, make our automated decisioning process less accurate. For example, we may need to adapt our advertising solution to a “cookie-less” environment and introduce alternative solutions which may not provide the targeting capabilities provided by cookies Recent state privacy laws and regulations issued pursuant to those laws address and expand on requirements for honoring browser-based or similar technical signals for consumers to opt out of the sale and the use of personal data for targeted advertising purposes. If use of the “Global Privacy Control” or similar signals is adopted by many Internet users or if such a standard is imposed by even more states or by federal or foreign legislation or is agreed upon by standard setting groups, we may have to change our business practices, our clients may reduce their use of our platform and related offerings, and our business, financial condition and results of operations could be adversely affected. In addition, we may be required to implement physical, administrative and technological security measures that differ from those we have now, such as different data access controls or encryption technology. Any limitation on our ability to collect and utilize data, including personal data, would make it more difficult for us to be able to optimize ad placement for the benefit of our advertisers and publishers, which could render our solutions less valuable and potentially result in loss of clients and a decline in revenue. 41 Regulations, legislation, or self-regulation developments relating to privacy, data collection and protection and internet advertising, and uncertainties regarding the application or interpretation of existing or newly adopted laws and regulations, could harm our business and subject us to significant legal liability for non-compliance. The regulatory framework for privacy, data protection and data security worldwide is, and is likely to remain for the foreseeable future, uncertain and complex, and it is possible that actual or alleged obligations may be interpreted and applied in a manner that we do not anticipate or that is inconsistent from one jurisdiction to another and may conflict with other legal obligations or with our practices. However, the regulatory framework for privacy, data protection and data security worldwide is, and is likely to remain for the foreseeable future, uncertain and complex, and it is possible that these or other actual or alleged obligations may be interpreted and applied in a manner that we do not anticipate or that is inconsistent from one jurisdiction to another and may conflict with other legal obligations or our practices. Further, any significant change to applicable laws, regulations or industry practices regarding the collection, use, retention, security or disclosure of data, or their interpretation, or any changes regarding the manner in which the consent of users or other data subjects for the collection, use, retention or disclosure of such data must be obtained, could increase our costs and require us to modify our services and features, possibly in a material manner, which we may be unable to complete, and may limit our ability to store and process user data or develop new services and features. If we were found in violation of any applicable laws or regulations relating to privacy, data protection or security, our business may be materially and adversely affected and we would likely have to change our business practices and potentially the services and features available. In addition, these laws and regulations could impose significant costs on us and could constrain our ability to use and process data in manners that may be commercially desirable. In addition, if a breach of data security were to occur or to be alleged to have occurred, if any violation of laws and regulations relating to privacy, data protection or data security were to be alleged, or if we had any actual or alleged defect in our safeguards or practices relating to privacy, data protection, or data security, our solutions may be perceived as less desirable and our business, prospects, financial condition and results of operations could be materially and adversely affected, which could be costly and cause reputational harm. Any failure or perceived failure by us to comply with our posted privacy policies, our privacy-related obligations to users or other third parties, or any other legal obligations or regulatory requirements relating to privacy, data protection or data security may result in governmental investigations or enforcement actions, litigation, claims or public statements against us by consumer advocacy groups or others and could result in significant liability, cause our users to lose trust in us, and otherwise materially and adversely affect our reputation and business. Furthermore, the costs of compliance with, and other burdens imposed by, the laws, regulations, other obligations and policies that are applicable to the businesses of our users may limit the adoption and use of and reduce the overall demand for our services. Additionally, if third parties we work with violate applicable laws, regulations or contractual obligations, such violations may put our users’ data at risk, could result in governmental investigations or enforcement actions, fines, litigation, claims, or public statements against us by consumer advocacy groups or others and could result in significant liability, cause our users to lose trust in us and otherwise materially and adversely affect our reputation and business. Additionally, if third parties we work with violate applicable laws, regulations or contractual obligations, such violations may put our users’ data at risk, could result in governmental investigations or enforcement actions, fines, litigation, claims, or public statements against us by consumer advocacy groups or others and could result in significant liability, cause our users to lose trust in us and otherwise materially and adversely affect our reputation and business. Further, public scrutiny of, or complaints about, technology companies or their data handling or data protection practices, even if unrelated to our business, industry or operations, may lead to increased scrutiny of technology companies, including us, and may cause government agencies to enact additional regulatory requirements, or to modify their enforcement or investigation activities, which may increase our costs and risks. It is possible that these laws and regulations may be interpreted and applied in a manner that is inconsistent with our data collection, use, preservation and other processing practices or that it may be argued that our practices do not comply with certain countries’ privacy and data collection and protection laws and regulations. Due to rapid changes in technology and the inconsistent interpretations of privacy and data collection and protection laws and regulations, we may be required to materially change the way we conduct business. The challenges imposed by the ongoing need to remain compliant with such laws and regulations, as well the need to implement any changes required based on newly introduced laws and regulations, may slow our growth, and if we are not able to cope with these challenges as effectively as other companies, we will be competitively disadvantaged. 42 Compliance with such existing and new laws and regulations can be costly and can delay, or impede the development of new services, any and failure or perceived failure to comply with such laws and regulations could result in negative publicity, increase our operating costs, require significant management time and attention and subject us to inquiries or investigations, litigation (including class actions), claims, or other remedies, including penalties, fines, sanctions and criminal and civil liabilities, or demands or orders that we modify or cease existing business practices, each of which could materially affect our operating results and our business. Moreover, concerns about our collection, use, sharing, handling and other processing of data or other privacy related matters, even if unfounded, could harm our reputation and operating results. We rely on third-party Internet, mobile, and other products and services to deliver our mobile and web applications to users, and any disruption of, or interference with, our use of those services could adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations, and customers. Our services continuing and uninterrupted performance is critical to our success. Our services are dependent on the performance and reliability of internet, mobile, and other infrastructure services that are not under our control. For example, we currently host our services and support our operations using a third-party provider of cloud infrastructure services. While we have engaged reputable vendors to provide these products or services, we do not have control over the operations of the facilities or systems used by our third-party providers. These facilities and systems may be vulnerable to damage or interruption from natural disasters, cybersecurity attacks, human error, terrorist attacks, power outages, pandemics, and similar events or acts of misconduct. In addition, any changes in one of our third-party service provider’s service levels may adversely affect our ability to meet the requirements of our customers. While we believe we have implemented reasonable backup and disaster recovery plans, we expect that in the future we may experience interruptions, delays and outages in service and availability from time to time due to a variety of factors, including infrastructure changes, human or software errors, website hosting disruptions, capacity constraints, or external factors beyond our control. Sustained or repeated system failures would reduce the attractiveness of our platforms and services. It may become increasingly difficult to maintain and improve our performance, especially during peak usage times, as we expand our platforms and service offerings. Any negative publicity or user dissatisfaction arising from these disruptions could harm our reputation and brand, may adversely affect the usage of our offerings, and could harm our business, financial condition and results of operation. As the regulatory framework for artificial intelligence evolves, including with respect to unintentional bias and discrimination, our business, financial condition, and results of operations may be adversely affected. Our business increasingly relies on artificial intelligence technologies. The legislative and regulatory framework for this technology is rapidly evolving, and we may not always be able to anticipate how to respond to these laws or regulations. Many federal, state and foreign government bodies and agencies have introduced or are currently considering additional laws and regulations governing the use of such technologies. There is also an increase in litigation in a number of jurisdictions, including the United States, relating to the development, security and use of artificial intelligence. For example, on May 17, 2024, Colorado enacted the Colorado AI Act. The Colorado AI Act creates duties for developers and for those that deploy AI. There is a specific focus on bias and discrimination. The Act will go into effect on February 1, 2026. Federal artificial intelligence legislation has also been introduced in the U.S. Senate. Such additional regulations may impact our ability to develop, use and commercialize artificial intelligence and machine learning technologies in the future. Furthermore, in October 2023, President Biden issued the Executive Order on Safe, Secure and Trustworthy Artificial Intelligence (“The Order”) with the goal of promoting the “safe, secure, and trustworthy development and use of artificial intelligence in the United States.” The Order established certain new standards for the training, testing and cybersecurity of sophisticated artificial intelligence models, and instructed other federal agencies to promulgate additional regulations. Even though The Order was rescinded by President Trump on January 20, 2025, it may still indicate a trend towards federal AI regulation, which could increase our potential liability and adversely affect our business. 43 The most comprehensive legislation passed in the area of AI in the European Union is the EU Artificial Intelligence Act (the “EU AI Act”), effective from February 2, 2025, with different provisions becoming gradually applicable on different dates. The EU AI Act contains a list of prohibited practices, classifies certain AI systems as high risk, depending on the level of risk they pose, includes transparency obligations for providers and deployers of certain AI systems, and includes obligations and requirements around general-purpose AI models and general-purpose AI systems. For example, fines for noncompliance include fines of the higher of €35,000,000 or up to 7 percent of a company’s total worldwide annual turnover for non-compliance with prohibited AI practices, or the higher of €7,500,000 or up to 1 percent of a company’s total worldwide annual turnover for the supply of incorrect, incomplete, or misleading information to notified bodies and national competent authorities in certain contexts. Noncompliance with the EU AI ACT could also result in other consequences such as loss of business opportunities or reputational damage. It is possible that the adoption of new laws and regulations in other jurisdictions, or the interpretation of existing laws and regulations, may affect the operation of our platforms and services and the way in which we use artificial intelligence, including with respect to how we train our models, unintentional bias and discrimination. Failure to comply with such laws or regulations could subject us to legal or regulatory liability. Further, the cost of complying with such laws or regulations could be significant and would increase our operating expenses, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. Risks Related to Our Common Stock Shares of Common Stock issuable upon the conversion of warrants may substantially increase the number of shares of Common Stock available for sale in the public market and depress the price of our Common Stock. As of December 31, 2024, we had outstanding: (i) Class J Warrants exercisable to purchase 32,584 shares of Common Stock at an exercise price of $53. As of December 31, 2021, we had outstanding: (i) Class J Warrants exercisable to purchase 3,649,318 shares of Common Stock at an exercise price of $0. 76 per share of Common Stock; (ii) Class K Warrants exercisable to purchase 32,584 shares of Common Stock, at an exercise price of $89.48 per share of Common Stock; and (ii) Class K Warrants exercisable to purchase 3,649,318 shares of Common Stock, at an exercise price of $0. 60 per share of Common Stock; (iii) 2023 Warrants exercisable to purchase 120,000 shares of Common Stock, at an exercise price of $2.48 per share of Common Stock; and (ii) Class K Warrants exercisable to purchase 3,649,318 shares of Common Stock, at an exercise price of $0. 00 per share of Common Stock; (iv) June 2024 Facility Warrants exercisable to purchase 183,679 shares of Common Stock at an exercise price of $1.48 per share of Common Stock; and (ii) Class K Warrants exercisable to purchase 3,649,318 shares of Common Stock, at an exercise price of $0. 00 per share of Common Stock; (v) a June 2024 Lead Lender Warrant exercisable to purchase 50,000 shares of Common Stock at an exercise price of $1.00 per share of Common Stock; (vi) a June 2024 Lead Lender Fee Warrant exercisable to purchase 5,296,610 shares of Common Stock at an exercise price of $0.472 per share of Common Stock; (vii) PIPE Warrants exercisable to purchase 385,332 shares of Common Stock at an exercise price of $1.48 per share of Common Stock; and (ii) Class K Warrants exercisable to purchase 3,649,318 shares of Common Stock, at an exercise price of $0. 00 per share of Common Stock; (vii) First July 2024 Facility Warrants exercisable to purchase 300,000 shares of Common Stock at an exercise price of $1.00 per share of Common Stock; (viii) First July 2024 Facility Fee Warrant exercisable to purchase 250,000 shares of Common Stock at an exercise price of $1.00 per share of Common Stock and (ix) Second July 2024 Facility Warrants exercisable to purchase 360,000 shares of Common Stock at an exercise price of $1.00 per share of Common Stock. To the extent any of these warrants are exercised and any additional warrants are issued and subsequently exercised, there will be further dilution to our stockholders. Until the warrants expire, these warrant holders will have an opportunity to profit from any increase in the market price of our Common Stock without assuming the risks of ownership. Holders of options and warrants may exercise these securities at a time when we could obtain additional capital on terms more favorable. The exercise price of the warrants will dilute the voting interest of the owners of presently outstanding shares of Common Stock by adding a substantial number of additional shares of our Common Stock. We have reserved shares of Common Stock for issuance upon the exercise of the warrants and may increase the shares reserved for these purposes in the future. 44 The shares of our Common Stock, which are issuable upon the exercise of any outstanding warrants may be sold in the public market pursuant to Rule 144, if applicable. The shares of our Common Stock, which are issuable upon the exercise of any outstanding warrants may be sold in the public market pursuant to Rule 144, if applicable. The sale of our Common Stock issued or issuable upon the exercise of the warrants and options described above, or the perception that such sales could occur, may adversely affect the market price of our Common Stock. We are subject to compliance with securities law, which exposes us to potential liabilities, including potential rescission rights. We have offered and sold our Common Stock to investors pursuant to certain exemptions from the registration requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Act”) as well as those of various state securities laws. The basis for relying on such exemptions is factual; that is, the applicability of such exemptions depends upon our conduct and that of those persons contacting prospective investors and making the offering. We have not received a legal opinion to the effect that any of our prior offerings were exempt from registration under any federal or state law. Instead, we have relied upon the operative facts as the basis for such exemptions, including information provided by investors themselves. If any prior offering did not qualify for such exemption, an investor would have the right to rescind its purchase of the securities if it so desired. It is possible that if an investor should seek rescission, such investor would succeed. A similar situation prevails under state law in those states where the securities may be offered without registration in reliance on the partial preemption from the registration or qualification provisions of such state statutes. If investors were successful in seeking rescission, we would face severe financial demands that could adversely affect our business and operations. Additionally, if we did not in fact qualify for the exemptions upon which it has relied, we may become subject to significant fines and penalties imposed by the SEC and state securities agencies. Additionally, if we did not in fact qualify for the exemptions upon which it has relied, we may become subject to significant fines and penalties imposed by the U. The availability of a large number of authorized but unissued shares of Common Stock may, upon their issuance, lead to dilution of existing stockholders. We are authorized to issue 490,000,000 shares of Common Stock, of which, as of December 31, 2024, 5,296,945 shares of Common Stock were outstanding. Additional shares of Common Stock may be issued by our Board of Directors without further stockholder approval. Additional shares of Common Stock may be issued by our board of directors without further stockholder approval. The issuance of large numbers of shares, possibly at below market prices, is likely to result in substantial dilution to the interests of other stockholders. In addition, issuances of large numbers of shares of Common Stock may adversely affect the market price of our Common Stock. Our Certificate of Incorporation authorizes 10,000,000 shares of preferred stock, par value $0.0001 per share of which none were issued and outstanding as of December 31, 2024. The Board of Directors is authorized to provide for the issuance of these unissued shares of preferred stock in one or more series, and to fix the number of shares and to determine the rights, preferences and privileges thereof. The board of directors is authorized to provide for the issuance of these unissued shares of preferred stock in one or more series, and to fix the number of shares and to determine the rights, preferences and privileges thereof. Accordingly, the Board of Directors may issue preferred stock which may convert into large numbers of shares of common stock and consequently lead to further dilution of other stockholders. Accordingly, the board of directors may issue preferred stock which may convert into large numbers of shares of common stock and consequently lead to further dilution of other stockholders. We have never paid cash dividends and do not anticipate doing so in the foreseeable future. 14 We have never paid cash dividends and do not anticipate doing so in the foreseeable future. We have never declared or paid cash dividends on our Common Shares. We currently plan to retain any earnings to finance the growth of our business rather than to pay cash dividends. Payments of any cash dividends in the future will depend on our financial condition, results of operations and capital requirements, as well as other factors deemed relevant by our Board of Directors. Our Common Stock is subject to the “Penny Stock” rules of the SEC and the trading market in our stock is limited, which makes transactions in our stock cumbersome and may reduce the value of an investment. The SEC has adopted Rule 15g-9 which establishes the definition of a “penny stock,” for the purposes relevant to us, as any equity security that has a market price of less than $5.00 per share or with an exercise price of less than $5.00 per share, subject to certain exceptions. For any transaction involving a penny stock, unless exempt, the rules require: 45 ●That a broker or dealer approve a person’s account for transactions in penny stocks; and ●The broker or dealer receives from the investor a written agreement to the transaction, setting forth the identity and quantity of the penny stock to be purchased. In order to approve a person’s account for transactions in penny stocks, the broker or dealer must: ●Obtain financial information and investment experience objectives of the person; and ●Make a reasonable determination that the transactions in penny stocks are suitable for that person and the person has sufficient knowledge and experience in financial matters to be capable of evaluating the risks of transactions in penny stocks. The broker or dealer must also deliver, prior to any transaction in a penny stock, a disclosure schedule prescribed by the SEC relating to the penny stock market, which, in highlight form: ●Sets forth the basis on which the broker or dealer made the suitability determination; and ●That the broker or dealer received a signed, written agreement from the investor prior to the transaction. Generally, brokers may be less willing to execute transactions in securities subject to the “penny stock” rules. This may make it more difficult for investors to dispose of our Common Stock and cause a decline in the market value of our Common Stock. Disclosure also has to be made about the risks of investing in penny stocks in both public offerings and in secondary trading and about the commissions payable to both the broker-dealer and the registered representative, current quotations for the securities and the rights and remedies available to an investor in cases of fraud in penny stock transactions. Finally, monthly statements have to be sent disclosing recent price information for the penny stock held in the account and information on the limited market in penny stocks. Our Common Stock is quoted on the OTC Markets, Pink Tier and is thinly traded, and as a result the sale of your holding may take a considerable amount of time. On November 7, 2022, the OTC Markets Group downgraded the quotation of our Common Stock from the OTCQB Markets to the OTC Markets, Pink Tier. Although on September 13, 2024, we submitted an application to uplist to the Nasdaq, the timing of the Nasdaq uplisting process will depend on a variety of factors, including, but not limited to, overall market conditions. No assurance can be given that our application will be approved or that a trading market will develop. The shares of our Common Stock are thinly-traded meaning that the number of persons interested in purchasing our Common Stock at or near bid prices at any given time may be relatively small or non-existent. The shares of our Common Stock are thinly-traded on the OTCQB Market, meaning that the number of persons interested in purchasing our Common Stock at or near bid prices at any given time may be relatively small or non-existent. This situation is attributable to a number of factors, including the fact that we are a small company that is relatively unknown to stock analysts, stock brokers, institutional investors and others in the investment community that generate or influence sales volume. As a consequence, there may be periods of several days or more when trading activity in our shares is minimal or non-existent, as compared to a seasoned issuer which has a large and steady volume of trading activity that will generally support continuous sales without an adverse effect on share price. In the absence of an active trading market, investors may have difficulty buying and selling or obtaining market quotations, market visibility for shares of our Common Stock may be limited, and a lack of visibility for shares of our Common Stock may have a depressive effect on the market price for shares of our Common Stock. The lack of an active market may impair your ability to sell your shares at the time you wish to sell them or at a price that you consider reasonable. The lack of an active market may also reduce the fair market value of your shares. An inactive market may also impair our ability to raise capital to continue to fund operations by selling shares. We cannot give you any assurance that a broader or more active public trading market for our Common Stock will develop or be sustained, or that current trading levels will be sustained. We cannot give you any assurance that a broader or more active public trading market for our Common Stock will develop or be sustained, or that current trading levels will be sustained. Due to these conditions, we can give you no assurance that you will be able to sell your shares at or near bid prices or at all if you need money or otherwise desire to liquidate your shares. Furthermore, because of the limited market and generally low volume of trading in our Common Stock, the price of our Common Stock could more likely be affected by broad market fluctuations, general market conditions, fluctuations in our operating results, changes in the markets’ perception of our business, and announcements made by us, our competitors, or parties with whom we have business relationships. 46 The market for penny stocks has experienced numerous frauds and abuses, which could adversely impact investors in our stock. The OTC Markets, Pink Tier securities are frequent targets of fraud or market manipulation, both because of their generally low prices and because the OTC Markets, Pink Tier reporting requirements are less stringent than those of a national securities stock exchanges such as the Nasdaq Stock Market LLC (the “Nasdaq”). Patterns of fraud and abuse include: ● Control of the market for the security by one or a few broker-dealers that are often related to the promoter or issuer; ● Manipulation of prices through prearranged matching of purchases and sales and false and misleading press releases; ● “Boiler room” practices involving high pressure sales tactics and unrealistic price projections by inexperienced sales persons; ● Excessive and undisclosed bid-ask differentials and mark-ups by selling broker-dealers; and ● Wholesale dumping of the same securities by promoters and broker-dealers after prices have been manipulated to a desired level, along with the inevitable collapse of those prices with consequent investor losses. Shares of Common Stock eligible for future sale may adversely affect the market. 15 Shares of Common Stock eligible for future sale may adversely affect the market. 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 promulgated under the Act, subject to certain limitations. In general, pursuant to amended Rule 144, non-affiliate stockholders may sell freely after six months, subject only to the current public information requirement. Affiliates may sell after six months, subject to the Rule 144 volume, manner of sale (for equity securities), current public information and notice requirements. Any substantial sales of our common stock pursuant to Rule 144 may have a material adverse effect on the market price of our Common Stock. Our share price has fluctuated significantly and could continue to fluctuate significantly. The market price for our Common Stock, as well as the prices of shares of other technology and ad-tech companies, has been volatile. The following factors may cause significant fluctuations in the market price of our Common Stock: ●negative fluctuations in our quarterly revenue and earnings or those of our competitors; ●pending sales into the market due to the sale of large blocks of shares, due to, among other reasons, the expiration of any tax-related or contractual lock-ups with respect to significant amounts of our shares of Common Stock; ●changes in our senior management; ●changes in regulations or in policies of Search Engines or other industry conditions; 47 ●mergers and acquisitions by us or our competitors; ●technological innovations; ●the introduction of new products; and ●the conditions of the securities markets, political, economic and other developments worldwide. In addition, share prices of many technology companies in general and ad-tech companies in particular fluctuate significantly for reasons that may be unrelated or disproportionate to operating results. The factors discussed above may depress or cause volatility to our share price, regardless of our actual operating results. We are required to comply with certain provisions of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 and if we fail to comply in a timely manner, our business could be harmed and our stock price could decline. We are required to comply with certain provisions of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 and if we fail to comply in a timely manner, our business could be harmed and our stock price could decline. Rules adopted by the SEC pursuant to Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 require an annual assessment of internal controls over financial reporting, and for certain issuers an attestation of this assessment by the issuer’s independent registered public accounting firm. The standards that must be met for management to assess the internal controls over financial reporting as effective are complex, and require significant documentation, testing, and possible remediation to meet the detailed standards. We expect to incur expenses and to devote resources to Section 404 compliance on an ongoing basis. We expect to incur expenses and to devote resources to Section 404 compliance on an ongoing basis. It is difficult for us to predict how long it will take or how much will it costs to complete the assessment of the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting for each year and to remediate any deficiencies in our internal control over financial reporting. It is difficult for us to predict how long it will take or costly it will be to complete the assessment of the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting for each year and to remediate any deficiencies in our internal control over financial reporting. As a result, we may not be able to complete the assessment and remediation process on a timely basis. In addition, although attestation requirements by our independent registered public accounting firm are not presently applicable to us, we could become subject to these requirements in the future, and we may encounter problems or delays in completing the implementation of any resulting changes to internal controls over financial reporting. 48 Delaware law contains provisions that could discourage, delay or prevent a change in control of our Company, prevent attempts to replace or remove current management and reduce the market price of our stock. Delaware law contains provisions that could discourage, delay or prevent a change in control of our company, prevent attempts to replace or remove current management and reduce the market price of our stock. Provisions in our Certificate of Incorporation and Bylaws may discourage, delay or prevent a merger or acquisition involving us that our stockholders may consider favorable. Provisions in our certificate of incorporation and bylaws may discourage, delay or prevent a merger or acquisition involving us that our stockholders may consider favorable. For example, our Certificate of Incorporation authorizes our Board of Directors to issue up to ten million shares of “blank check” preferred stock. For example, our certificate of incorporation authorizes our board of directors to issue up to ten million shares of “blank check” preferred stock. As a result, without further stockholder approval, the Board of Directors has the authority to attach special rights, including voting and dividend rights, to this preferred stock. As a result, without further stockholder approval, the board of directors has the authority to attach special rights, including voting and dividend rights, to this preferred stock. With these rights, preferred stockholders could make it more difficult for a third party to acquire us. We are also subject to the anti-takeover provisions of the Delaware General Corporation Law (the “DGCL”). Under these provisions, if anyone becomes an “interested stockholder,” we may not enter into a “business combination” with that person for three years without special approval, which could discourage a third party from making a takeover offer and could delay or prevent a change in control of us. An “interested stockholder” is, generally, a stockholder who owns 15% or more of our outstanding voting stock or an affiliate of ours who has owned 15% or more of our outstanding voting stock during the past three years, subject to certain exceptions as described in the DGCL. Risks Related to our Operations in Israel Conditions in Israel, including Israel’s conflicts with Hamas and other parties in the region, as well as political and economic instability, may impede our ability to operate and harm our financial results. Risks Related to our Competition Large and established internet and technology companies, such as Google and Facebook, play a substantial role in the digital advertising market and may significantly impair our ability to operate in this industry. Because all of our operations are conducted in Israel and all members of our board of directors and management as well as all of our employees and consultants, including employees of our service providers, are located in Israel, our business and operations are directly affected by economic, political, geopolitical and military conditions in Israel. Since the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948 and in recent years, armed conflicts between Israel and its neighboring countries and terrorist organizations active in the region have involved missile strikes, hostile infiltrations, terrorism against civilian targets in various parts of Israel, and recently abduction of soldiers and citizens. Following the October 7th attacks by Hamas terrorists in Israel’s southern border, Israel declared war against Hamas and since then, Israel has been involved in military conflicts with Hamas, Hezbollah, a terrorist organization based in Lebanon, and Iran, both directly and through proxies like the Houthi movement in Yemen and armed groups in Iraq and other terrorist organizations. Additionally, following the fall of the Assad regime in Syria, Israel has conducted limited military operations targeting the Syrian army, Iranian military assets and infrastructure linked to Hezbollah and other Iran-supported groups. Although certain ceasefire agreements have been reached, and some Iranian proxies have declared a halt to their attacks, there is no assurance that these agreements will be upheld, military activity and hostilities continue to exist at varying levels of intensity, and the situation remains volatile, with the potential for escalation into a broader regional conflict involving additional terrorist organizations and possibly other countries. Also, the fall of the Assad regime in Syria may create geopolitical instability in the region. 49 While our facilities have not been damaged during the current war, the hostilities with Hamas, Hezbollah, Iran and its proxies and others have caused and may continue to cause damage to private and public facilities, infrastructure, utilities, and telecommunication networks, and potentially disrupting our operations and supply chains. In addition, Israeli organizations, government agencies and companies have been subject to extensive cyber attacks. This could lead to increased costs, risks to employee safety, and challenges to business continuity, with potential financial losses. The continuation of the war has also led to a deterioration of certain indicators of Israel’s economic standing, for instance, a downgrade in Israel’s credit rating by rating agencies (such as by Moody’s, S&P Global, and Fitch). In connection with the ongoing war, several hundred thousand Israeli military reservists were drafted to perform immediate military service, and military reservists are expected to perform long reserve duty service in the coming years. As of date of this Annual Report, none of our employees or consultants in Israel have been called to reserve duty and there has been no material impact on our business from past reserve services. However, certain of our employees and consultants in Israel, in addition to employees of our service providers located in Israel, may be called, for service in the current or future wars or other armed conflicts with Hamas, as well as the other pending or future armed conflicts in which Israel is or may become engaged, and such persons may be absent for an extended period of time. As a result, our operations may be disrupted by such absences, which disruption may materially and adversely affect our business, prospects, financial condition and results of operations. Additionally, the absence of employees of our Israeli suppliers and contract manufacturers due to their military service in the current or future wars or other armed conflicts may disrupt their operations, which in turn may materially and adversely affect our ability to deliver or provide products and services to customers. Our commercial insurance does not cover losses that may occur as a result of events associated with war and terrorism. Although the Israeli government currently covers the reinstatement value of direct damages that are caused by terrorist attacks or acts of war, we cannot assure you that this government coverage will be maintained or that it will sufficiently cover our potential damages. Any losses or damages incurred by us could have a material adverse effect on our business. The global perception of Israel and Israeli companies, influenced by actions by international judicial bodies, may lead to increased sanctions and other negative measures against Israel, as well as Israeli companies and academic institutions. There is also a growing movement among countries, activists, and organizations to boycott Israeli goods, services and academic research or restrict business with Israel, which could affect business operations. If these efforts become widespread, along with any future rulings from international tribunals against Israel, they could significantly and negatively impact business operations. As of the date of this Annual Report, the Company’s revenues have not been directly negatively affected by the ongoing hostilities in the region, as the primary source of its revenues is predominantly from the U.S. or European markets, that have been not significantly impacted by the ongoing hostilities in Israel. As a result, as of the date of this Annual Report the Company’s abilities to deliver or provide products and services to its customers have not been materially affected. Finally, prior to the October 2023 war, the Israeli government pursued changes to Israel’s judicial system and has recently renewed its efforts to effect such changes. In response to the foregoing developments, certain individuals, organizations, and institutions, both within and outside of Israel, voiced concerns that such proposed changes, if adopted, may negatively impact the business environment in Israel. Such proposed changes may also lead to political instability or civil unrest. If such changes to Israel’s judicial system are pursued by the government and approved by the parliament, this may have an adverse effect on our business, results of operations, and ability to raise additional funds, if deemed necessary by our management and board of directors. Exchange rate fluctuations between foreign currencies and the U. 17 Exchange rate fluctuations between foreign currencies and the U. S. Dollar may negatively affect our earnings. Our reporting and functional currency is the U.S. dollar. Our revenues are currently primarily payable in U.S. dollars and we expect our future revenues to be denominated primarily in U.S. dollars and Euros. However, certain amount of our expenses is in NIS and as a result, we are exposed to the currency fluctuation risks relating to the recording of our expenses in U. However, certain amount of our expenses are in NIS and as a result, we are exposed to the currency fluctuation risks relating to the recording of our expenses in U. S. dollars. We may, in the future, decide to enter into currency hedging transactions. These measures, however, may not adequately protect us from material adverse effects. 50 It may be difficult to enforce a judgment of a U.S. court against us, our officers and directors or the Israeli experts named in our reports filed with the SEC in Israel or the United States, to assert U.S. securities laws claims in Israel or to serve process on our officers and directors and these experts. Our directors reside outside of the United States, and most of the assets of our directors are located outside of the United States. Therefore, a judgment obtained against us, or our directors, including a judgment based on the civil liability provisions of the U.S. federal securities laws, may not be collectible in the United States and may not be enforced by an Israeli court. It may also be difficult for you to effect service of process on our directors in the United States or to assert U.S. securities law claims in original actions instituted in Israel. Israeli courts may refuse to hear a claim based on an alleged violation of U.S. securities laws reasoning that Israel is not the most appropriate forum in which to bring such a claim. In addition, even if an Israeli court agrees to hear a claim, it may determine that Israeli law and not U.S. law is applicable to the claim. If U.S. law is found to be applicable, the content of applicable U.S. law must be proven as a fact by expert witnesses, which can be a time consuming and costly process. Certain matters of procedure will also be governed by Israeli law. There is little binding case law in Israel that addresses the matters described above. As a result of the difficulty associated with enforcing a judgment against us in Israel, you may not be able to collect any damages awarded by either a U.S. or foreign court. ITEM 1B. UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS None. Item 1C. Cybersecurity Cybersecurity Risk Management and Strategy We have developed and implemented a cybersecurity risk management program intended to protect the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of our critical systems and information. Our cybersecurity risk management program includes a cybersecurity incident response plan. We are continuously working to ensure that we satisfy generally applicable industry standards for the assessment, identification, and management of risks from cybersecurity threats that may pose a risk to our information technology systems, including from third parties with whom we work with. Our cybersecurity risk management program is integrated into our overall enterprise risk management program, and shares common methodologies, reporting channels and governance processes that apply across the enterprise risk management program to other legal, compliance, strategic, operational, and financial risk areas. As of the date of this Annual Report, the majority of the Company’s IT systems are computed using leading secure cloud platforms. Our cybersecurity risk management program includes: ●risk assessments designed to help identify material cybersecurity risks to our critical systems, information, products, services, and our broader enterprise IT environment; ●routine conduct of penetration tests on our computer systems to evaluate the security of the systems and identify weaknesses or vulnerabilities; ●employee training programs regarding cybersecurity risks and protocols; 51 ●the usage of secure software or platforms designed to protect our IT systems against cybersecurity risks, such as two-factor authentication systems, anti-virus and ransomware programs or the usage of secure cloud platforms for computing our IT systems; ●the use of external service providers, where appropriate, to assess, test or otherwise assist with aspects of our security controls; and ●a cybersecurity incident response plan that includes procedures for responding to cybersecurity incidents. We have not identified risks from known cybersecurity threats, including as a result of any prior cybersecurity incidents, that have materially affected or are reasonably likely to materially affect us, including our operations, business strategy, results of operations, or financial condition. Cybersecurity Governance Our Board of Directors considers cybersecurity risk as part of its risk oversight function and oversees management’s implementation of our cybersecurity risk management program. The Board of Directors receives regular reports from management on our cybersecurity risks. In addition, management updates the Board, as necessary, regarding any material cybersecurity incidents, as well as any incidents with lesser impact potential. Our management team, including our Chief Executive Officer, the VP R&D and Data Protection Officer of Cortex, and our external advisors, is responsible for assessing and managing our material risks from cybersecurity threats. The team has primary responsibility for our overall cybersecurity risk management program and supervises both our internal cybersecurity personnel and our retained external cybersecurity consultants. Our management team supervises efforts to prevent, detect, mitigate, and remediate cybersecurity risks and incidents through various means, which may include briefings from internal security personnel; threat intelligence and other information obtained from governmental, public or private sources, including external consultants engaged by us; and alerts and reports produced by security tools deployed in the IT environment. .