UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

 

FORM 10-K

 

(mark one)

 

☒  Annual Report Pursuant To Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934

 

For the fiscal year ended September 30, 2018

 

or

 

☐ Transition Report Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934

 

For the transition period from _______________ to _______________

 

Commission file number 001-35527

 

MYnd Analytics, Inc.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

 

Delaware 87-0419387
(State or other jurisdiction (I.R.S. Employer
of incorporation or organization) Identification No.)

 

26522 La Alameda, Suite 290

 Mission Viejo, CA 92691

(Address of Principal Executive Offices)(Zip Code)

 

(949) 420-4400

(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)

 

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

 

Title of each class Name of each exchange on which registered
Common Stock, $0.001 par value The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC
Warrants to Purchase Common Stock The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC

 

Securities registered under Section 12(g) of the Exchange Act:

 

None

 

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act.

Yes     ☐                       No      ☒

 

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Act. 

Yes     ☐                       No      ☒

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. 

Yes     ☒                       No      ☐

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit such files).

Yes     ☒                       No      ☐

 

Indicate by check mark if disclosure of delinquent filers pursuant to Item 405 of Regulation S-K (§229.405 of this chapter) is not contained herein, and will not be contained, to the best of registrant’s knowledge, in definitive proxy or information statements incorporated by reference in Part III of this Form 10-K or any amendment to this Form 10-K.       ☐

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company.  See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer” “smaller reporting company” and "emerging growth company" in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.

 

Large accelerated filer       ☐ Accelerated filer
Non-accelerated filer         ☐ Smaller reporting company
  Emerging growth company

 

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act.     ☐

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Act.) Yes     ☐          No      ☒

 

The aggregate market value of the voting and non-voting common stock held by non-affiliates of the registrant on March 31, 2018, the last business day of the registrant's most recently completed second fiscal quarter was $5,193,530 (calculated based on the price at which the registrant's common stock was last sold on that date).

 

As of December 10, 2018, the registrant had 7,555,004 shares of common stock, $0.001 par value, issued and outstanding.  

 

 

 

 

MYND ANALYTICS, INC.

 

2018 FORM 10-K ANNUAL REPORT

 

TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

PART I   2
ITEM 1. Business 3
ITEM 1A. Risk Factors 15
ITEM 1B. Unresolved Staff Comments 40
ITEM 2. Properties 41
ITEM 3. Legal Proceedings 42
ITEM 4. Mine Safety Disclosures 43
     
PART II   44
ITEM 5. Market for Registrant’s Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities 44
ITEM 6. Selected Financial Data 46
ITEM 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations 46
ITEM 7A. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk 60
ITEM 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data 61
ITEM 9. Changes in and Disagreements with Accountants on Accounting and Financial Disclosure 91
ITEM 9A. Controls and Procedures 91
ITEM 9B. Other Information 93
     
PART III   94
ITEM 10. Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance 94
ITEM 11. Executive Compensation 101
ITEM 12. Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Stockholder Matters 108
ITEM 13. Certain Relationships and Related Transactions, and Director Independence 111
ITEM 14. Principal Accountant Fees and Services 112
     
PART IV   113
ITEM 15. Exhibits, Financial Statement Schedules 113
ITEM 16. Form 10-K Summary 114

 

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PART I

 

CAUTIONARY STATEMENT REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

 

This Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2018, including the sections entitled “Risk Factors,” “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” and “Business,” contain certain “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, that include information relating to future events, future financial performance, strategies, expectations, competitive environment, regulation and availability of resources.  These forward-looking statements include, without limitation, statements regarding: proposed new products or services; our statements concerning litigation or other matters; statements concerning projections, predictions, expectations, estimates or forecasts for our business, financial and operating results and future economic performance; statements of management’s goals and objectives; trends affecting our financial condition, results of operations or future prospects; our financing plans or growth strategies; and other similar expressions concerning matters that are not historical facts.  Words such as “may,” “will,” “should,” “could,” “would,” “predicts,” “potential,” “continue,” “expects,” “anticipates,” “future,” “intends,” “plans,” “believes” and “estimates” and similar expressions, as well as statements in future tense, identify forward-looking statements.

 

Forward-looking statements should not be read as a guarantee of future performance or results and will not necessarily be accurate indications of the times at, or by which, that performance or those results will be achieved. Forward-looking statements are based on information available at the time they are made and/or management’s good faith belief as of that time with respect to future events and are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual performance or results to differ materially from those expressed in or suggested by the forward-looking statements. Important factors that could cause these differences include, but are not limited to:

 

our need for immediate additional funding to support our operations and capital expenditures;

 

our ability to successfully maintain listing of our shares of common stock on the Nasdaq Capital Market;

 

our history of operating losses;

 

our inability to gain widespread acceptance of our PEER Reports;

 

our inability to prevail in convincing the United States Food and Drug Administration (the “FDA”), that our rEEG or PEER Online service does not constitute a medical device and should, therefore, not be subject to regulations;

 

the possible imposition of fines or penalties by the FDA for alleged violations of its rules and regulations;

 

our subsidiary in telebehavioral health may be harmed by evolving governmental regulation;

 

our telebehaviorial health subsidiary's business model requires work with affiliated professional entities not owned by the Company;

 

our telebehaviorial health subsidiary may require an expanded and maintained network of certified professionals;

 

our revenue and prospects for profitability may be harmed;

 

our business may be subject to additional regulations in the future that could increase our compliance costs;

 

our operating results may fluctuate significantly and our stock price could decline or fluctuate if our results do not meet the expectation of analysts or investors;

 

our inability to achieve greater and broader market acceptance of our products and services in existing and new market segments;

 

any negative or unfavorable media coverage;

 

our inability to generate and commercialize additional products and services;

 

our inability to comply with the substantial and evolving regulation by state and federal authorities, which could hinder, delay or prevent us from commercializing our products and services;

 

our inability to successfully compete against existing and future competitors;

 

delays or failure in clinical trials;

 

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any losses we may incur as a result of litigation;

 

our inability to manage and maintain the growth of our business;

 

our inability to protect our intellectual property rights;

 

employee relations;

 

possible security breaches;

 

possible medical liability claims;

 

possible personal injury claims in the future; and

 

our limited trading volume. 

 

Additional risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause our actual results, performance or achievements to be different from those expressed or implied in our written or oral forward-looking statements may be found under “Risk Factors” contained in this Annual Report.

 

Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made. You should not put undue reliance on any forward-looking statements. We assume no obligation to update forward-looking statements to reflect actual results, changes in assumptions or changes in other factors affecting forward-looking information, except to the extent required by applicable securities laws.  If we do update one or more forward-looking statements, no inference should be drawn that we will make additional updates with respect to those or other forward-looking statements.

 

ITEM 1. The Business

 

Introduction

 

MYnd Analytics, Inc. (the “Company” or "MYnd") employs a clinically validated scalable technology platform to support personalized care for mental health patients. The Company utilizes its patented machine learning, artificial intelligence, data analytics platform for the delivery of telebehavioral health services and its PEER predictive analytics product offering. On November 13, 2017, the Company acquired Arcadian Telepsychiatry Services LLC ("Arcadian"), which manages the delivery of telepsychiatry and telebehavioral health services through a nationwide network of licensed and credentialed psychiatrists, psychologists and master's-level therapists. The Company is commercializing its PEER predictive analytics tool to help physicians reduce trial and error treatment in mental health. MYnd's patented, clinically validated technology platform ("PEER Online") utilizes complex algorithms to analyze electroencephalograms ("EEGs") to generate Psychiatric EEG Evaluation Registry (“PEER”) Reports to predict individual responses to a range of medications prescribed for the treatment of behavioral disorders including depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder (“PTSD”) and other non-psychotic disorders.

 

The Company entered into an equity purchase agreement (the “Agreement”) with Arcadian and Mr. Robert Plotkin, pursuant to which the Company acquired all of the issued and outstanding membership interests (the “Equity Interests”) of Arcadian from Mr. Plotkin. In consideration for the Equity Interests, the Company entered into an employment agreement with Mr. Plotkin, pursuant to which the Company will continue to employ Mr. Plotkin as the CEO of Arcadian for an annual salary of $215,000, and granted him 35,000 options to purchase common stock of the Company. In addition, the Company entered into the Guaranty (as described below). 

 

In connection with the Agreement, Arcadian entered into the Side Agreement and Seed Capital Amendment with Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Southeastern Pennsylvania ("BFTP"), pursuant to which BFTP waived its rights (a) to an equity conversion contemplated by the existing funding agreements (as they may be amended, supplemented or otherwise modified from time to time, the “BFTP Loan Documents”) between Arcadian and BFTP, under which BFTP has loaned Arcadian, as of August 31, 2017, the aggregate principal amount of $700,000 and upon which an aggregate of $85,496 of interest had then accrued (collectively, the “Loan Amount”) and (b) to act as an observer to Arcadian's board. Under the Side Agreement and Seed Capital Amendment, Arcadian acknowledged and reaffirmed all of BFTP’s claims, encumbrances granted by Arcadian to BFTP, and BFTP’s other rights, interests and remedies pursuant to the BFTP Loan Documents and otherwise. The effectiveness of the Side Agreement and Seed Capital Amendment are conditioned upon (i) Arcadian making a one-time payment to BFTP of $175,000 as payment for the redemption and cancellation of two warrants to purchase equity interests in Arcadian and (ii) the Company entering into a guaranty with respect to Arcadian's obligations (including the Loan Amount) to BFTP under the BFTP Loan Documents, as amended by the Side Agreement and Seed Capital Amendment. Upon satisfaction of the foregoing conditions, the aforementioned BFTP rights will be waived and the BFTP warrants will be cancelled. The Side Agreement and Seed Capital Amendment further provide that following the closing of the transactions contemplated by the Agreement, the Company will be obligated to complete all financial reporting to BFTP required under the BFTP Loan Documents. 

 

In addition, the Company executed an absolute, unconditional, irrevocable and continuing guaranty and suretyship (the “Guaranty”) in favor of BFTP, pursuant to which it unconditionally guaranteed the prompt payment and performance, when due, of all loans (including the Loan Amount), advances, debts, liabilities, obligations, covenants and duties owing by Arcadian to BFTP under the BFTP Loan Documents. Under the Guaranty, if Arcadian defaults under any obligation under the BFTP Loan Documents, the Company will be required to pay the amount then due to BFTP. The Guaranty contains representations, warranties, covenants, conditions, events of default and indemnities that are customary for agreements of this type.

 

The Market for Telebehavioral Health and Predictive Healthcare

 

Telebehavioral health services involve the use of video conferencing equipment to conduct real time mental health consultations between a clinician and patient including individuals living in underserved areas or those with limited access to services. Over eighty-nine million Americans live in federally designated Mental Health Professional Shortage Areas. Two-thirds of US primary care physicians report not having adequate access to psychiatric care for their patients. Arcadian facilitates on-demand telebehavioral health services to expedite assessment, diagnosis, treatment, and disposition of patients in a wide variety of settings.

 

Analysts have identified predictive healthcare as one of the fastest-growing markets in healthcare, particularly, healthcare startups using advanced machine learning algorithms for medical imaging and diagnostics, remote patient monitoring, and risk prediction. The global healthcare analytics market is expected to reach USD $42.8 billion by 2024, according to a report by Grand View Research, Inc. Efforts to reduce the spiraling healthcare costs are facilitating the usage of healthcare analytics. Additionally, the benefits of healthcare analytics include the improvement of patient access to customized care, the furthering of transparent operations to enable better public oversight, and innovation in patient care delivery and services.

 

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The Challenge and the Opportunity

 

The American Psychiatric Association estimates that between $26 billion and $48 billion could be saved annually through effective integration of medical and behavioral health services. Traditional in-person patient encounters for behavioral health are hampered by relative shortages of behavioral health clinicians, especially in areas of the country where there is the greatest need. Arcadian’s customers are payers, health plans, Employee Assistance Programs ("EAPs"), and provider groups. With the benefit of the MYnd technology platform, Arcadian is positioned to capitalize on the need for behavioral health services, overcoming gaps in care access, while supporting healthcare organizations nationwide.

 

Psychotropic medications have become the dominant treatment for mild to severe behavioral disorders with greater than 400% growth in the prescription of antidepressant medications over the last two decades. However, recent research has emerged challenging the assumption of efficacy of strategies for prescribing psychotropic medications for the treatment of mild to severe behavioral disorders, finding that these medications often do not work or lose their efficacy over time.

 

Currently, due to the lack of objective neurophysiological data available to physicians of brain function, physicians regularly make prescribing decisions based on incomplete symptomatic factors. To address this unmet medical need, we offer our PEER Online technology to analyze an individual's digital Quantitative EEG (“QEEG”), correlating the individual’s QEEG features with medication outcomes in our proprietary database of over 11,000 unique patients to predict the efficacy of psychotropic medications by class and individual medication. The output of this analysis - the PEER Report - has been used as adjunctive information by physicians for over a decade on patients suffering from behavioral disorders including depression, anxiety disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorder ("OCD"), bipolar disorder, PTSD, addiction and eating disorders, including anorexia.

 

The Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act (MHPAEA) requires health plans to ensure parity between medical/surgical benefits and mental health/substance use disorder (MH/SUD) benefits. Specifically, plans must offer parity in both numerical or “quantitative” financial requirements or treatment limits (e.g., cost sharing and day or visit limits) and “non-quantitative” treatment limits. This legislation drove a substantial increase in reimbursement transparency: plan administrators must now provide detailed criteria for medical necessity determinations relating to MH/SUD, including prior authorization requirements, determinations that a treatment is experimental, methods for reimbursing providers, step-therapy programs, and restrictions based on geographic location or facility type.

 

Further, key conditions of the 21st Century Cures Act have recently required the Departments of Labor, Treasury, and Health and Human Services to strengthen their enforcement of the MHPAEA, requiring audits and enforcement actions for any health insurer or group health plan that has violated MHPAEA at least five times.

 

Milliman Global Actuaries recently released a report on mental health utilization from 2008-13, the period in which the initial Parity regulations were implemented. For commercial health plans, outpatient visits increased by 19.5% for mental health care compared to only 2% for medical-surgical treatments; professional services increased by 9.1% for mental health versus 3.1% for medical-surgical care. In summary, the practical effect of these regulations is that mental health care visits have increased significantly, and we believe that current procedures with existing reimbursement codes such as EEG will be increasingly reimbursed by payers.

 

Arcadian Telepsychiatry Services LLC

 

Arcadian Telepsychiatry Services LLC, our wholly owned subsidiary acquired in November 2017, manages the delivery of telebehavioral health services through a multi-state network of licensed and credentialed psychiatrists, psychologists and other behavioral health therapists ("Providers"). Although many companies provide broad telehealth services within the U.S., only a few companies have a primary focus on telepsychiatry and telebehavioral health. Arcadian’s business model is unique, because it has access to a broad network of licensed behavioral health professionals exclusively focused on telepsychiatry and telebehavioral health. These Providers collectively offer a full suite of behavioral health and wellness services, including short-term (urgent), medium-term (rehabilitation) and long-term (management) behavioral care.

  

Arcadian’s telehealth service delivery model is optimized to deliver behavioral health care anytime and anywhere, offering unprecedented access to behavioral health services. All technology for scheduling and videoconferencing is accessible through a secure portal, creating a seamless experience for the patient, referring physician, and Arcadian provider. The Providers' services include initial and follow-up psychiatric evaluations and diagnoses, medication prescribing and monitoring, urgent on-call evaluations, forensic and legal evaluations, individual and family counseling (e.g., grief, behavior problems, job loss) and drug and alcohol abuse rehabilitation counseling. Arcadian also arranges for services through Employee Assistance Programs (teleEAP) that many employers include as part of their employee benefits packages.

 

Arcadian contracts for most of its Providers' services through contracts (each a "Service Agreement") with the Providers. Neither the Company nor Arcadian has an ownership interest in any Provider, nor any employment relationships with any Provider. All Providers are required to maintain proper state licensing, credentialing and malpractice insurance. In a typical Service Agreement, Arcadian provides certain management and administrative services in support of the Providers' non-medical functions and the Providers provide telebehavioral health services.

 

Arcadian and its Providers currently have contracts with 32 insurance companies, human capital management corporations (i.e., EAP benefits), outpatient diagnostic and treatment centers, drug and alcohol rehabilitation centers (outpatient and residential), community behavioral health clinics, treatment and rehabilitation centers, corrections facilities, and post-acute care centers. Arcadian is exploring expansion opportunities by providing services to emergency departments, schools (K-12 and college) and large employers. Arcadian's contracts span from Pennsylvania to California and North Dakota to Louisiana and Texas.

 

Commercial Strategy

 

We plan to drive adoption of our technology and secure sustained profitability through the following plan:

 

1.Continue integration of Arcadian's business into MYnd's technology platform to enable scalable growth and achieve incremental growth through the integration of the MYnd offering with the Arcadian network. We are continuing the integration of Arcadian functions that support scheduling, clinical management and billing operations with the MYnd operating platform to ensure operational efficiency and scalable growth. By doing so, we believe we will have a unique platform which both improves access to and efficacy of behavioral health treatments.

 

2.Commercialize PEER through direct marketing to payers, providers and patients. MYnd has implemented a multi-prong strategy to increase patient and provider awareness of the PEER platform involving direct sales, social media and call centers.

 

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3.Continue to pursue military and veterans’ engagements in the US and globally. Due to the high visibility of mental and emotional disorders in their organizations, the military and veterans’ administration possess the ability to sustain demand and need for intervention. We intend to continue the pursue relationships with the military of the United States, Canada and other countries, to improve the condition of those serving and veterans. We have submitted an application for a federal supply schedule solicitation with the Department of Veterans Affairs which, if granted, would provide the Company with a five year General Services Administrative contract with all agencies of the Federal government. The Company has commenced a clinical trial with the Canadian Armed Forces, which will provide both NATO and Health Canada (Canada's single payer system) experience with our PEER technology. It will also increase the size of our data base, and potentially result in PEER being adopted as a standard of care by Health Canada.

 

4.Identify and implement strategic opportunities to capitalize on the MYnd technology platform. The Company anticipates that recognition of the utility of the MYnd technology platform will follow with increasing market adoption. Accordingly, we will pursue strategic partnerships, licensing and distribution opportunities with global enterprise customers who provide electronic medical records, prescribing tools, and other large scale clinical management functions. In addition, the Company may evaluate and pursue other strategic opportunities that could prove to be beneficial to the Company's business.

  

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PEER Report and PEER Online Database

 

 

 

A PEER Report is a personalized report for a patient which is generated after the patient receives an EEG. An EEG is a painless, non-invasive test that records the brain's electrical activity and provides a basis for comparison against others within the PEER database. MYnd utilizes AI, machine learning and data analytics in order to inform therapeutic regimens, thereby improving patient outcomes and reducing healthcare costs. The PEER Reports use data from EEG tests, outcomes and machine learning to identify endophenotypic markers of drug response. This big data approach has allowed MYnd to generate a large clinical registry and database of predictive algorithms from more than 11,000 unique patients with psychiatric or addictive problems and 40,000 clinical outcomes.

 

The PEER Outcomes Database consists of physician-provided assessments of the clinical long-term outcomes of patients and their associated medications. The clinical outcomes of patients are recorded using an industry-standard outcome rating scale, the Clinical Global Impression-Improvement scale (“CGI-I”). The CGI-I allows a clinician to rate how much the patient’s illness has improved or worsened relative to a baseline state. A patient’s illness is compared to change over time and rated as: very much improved, much improved, minimally improved, no change, minimally worse, much worse, or very much worse. The format of the data is standardized and that standard is enforced at the time of capture by a software application. Outcome data is input into the database by the treating physician or their office staff. Each physician has access to their patient data through the software tool that captures the clinical outcome data.

 

We consider the information contained in the PEER Online database to be a valuable trade secret and are diligent about protecting such information. The PEER Online database is stored on a secure server to which only a limited number of employees have access.

 

Competitive Advantages of MYnd Technology Platform

 

MYnd technologies utilizes what is believed to be the largest database of longitudinal patient outcomes, collected from our subscribing physicians and patients over more than a decade. Because our data platform "learns", it supports physicians in personalizing treatment of patients. PEER offers practical advantages to physicians and patients, including:

 

Scalable and Applicable to Other Services - Our products are built on a secure, HIPAA-compliant Force.com platform which is inherently scalable, i.e. services can be ordered and delivered to any physician with a web browser. The platform is capable of distributing point-of-care data to physicians for new drugs, non-pharmacological treatments, and other findings that are timely and clinically important for clinicians.

 

Clinical utility - PEER results are available same-day and provide objective, actionable data to support treating physicians.

 

Machine learning - A core attribute of the PEER Registry approach is that it “learns”, using machine learning algorithms to improve the accuracy of recommendations as outcomes are added to the database.

 

Higher Efficacy - Findings presented at the Military Health Services Research Symposium in August 2016 included pooled results from all four randomized trials of PEER, with an average 47% improvement (mean change from baseline) for PEER-guided treatments, compared to only 16% average improvement in the standard of care group. In other words, physicians with PEER information in our study had three times higher medication efficacy than physicians treating as usual without the benefit of PEER.

  

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Pharmacogenomics - Currently, we believe that the most proven targets for pharmacogenomics are in the liver - a CYP450 drug metabolism - which apply to less than 15% of Americans. Conversely, PEER is based on functional brain activity and therefore, is more broadly applicable.

 

Clinical Results and Independent Validation

 

PEER has abundant literature showing (1) it affects treatment management decisions, (2) the decisions result in ‘strong’ effects on established measures of effectiveness (>3- fold more than what has been reported by FDA and Cochrane review groups on effects of drugs without benefit of PEER), (3) improved quality of life scores, (4) safety comparable to existing treatment regimens, (5) generalizability to many settings across many types of patients, and (6) substantial cost offsets.

 

In the 2017 PEER Report Dossier prepared by John Hornberger of Cedar Associates LLC and a Stanford Health Policy Adjunct Affiliate it is stated that "EEG is a well-standardized clinical tool that has been used for decades. As such, the processes for ordering and performing EGG are established and seamless. PEER represents the next logical enhancement, which is to link the automated, quantitative EEG findings with phenotypes (in this case, with drug response in patients with TRD) using the world’s largest clinical repository. The four randomized trials met the essential criteria of showing that PEER increases response rates; because of the strength of randomization, it leads to strong inference that the effect found in the studies were authentic, not due to a confounding factor. Also, the effect was large enough that relatively modest sample were sufficient to demonstrate the effect was very unlikely (less than 1% risk) of being due to random chance alone. In addition, more than 45 studies have shown the feasibility of a well-validated and useful EEG-clinical repository platform to work across many settings and for many types of patients with depression. Due to the high cost of non-response in depression, and the strong effect found in controlled, prospective trials of PEER, use of PEER at its recommended list price represents a substantial cost-saving opportunity for health plans, especially those facing renewed efforts by employers and government agencies to provide and document readily more affordable, value-based care."

 

Marketing and Sales

 

The Company will pursue aggressively the expansion of its Arcadian telebehavioral health network, by increasing the number of contracted payors and providers and its geographic reach. The Company will continue to focus marketing efforts on the geographies where there might be fewer available therapists as it continues to develop Arcadian's network. The Company will rely upon its in-house marketing staff to continue to market Arcadian services to insurance companies, EAPs and community behavioral health centers.

 

The Company will actively pursue cross sales of Arcadian managed care and health system clients. The Company will continue to market paid pilot programs such as the Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield pilot, while it campaigns for coverage determinations from large health plans and health systems.

 

The Company also plans to bring this platform to primary care providers, currently the main locus of treatment for behavioral disorders and a physician group that deals every day with the limited access to behavioral health specialists and the poor efficacy of current treatments.

 

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Competition

 

While the telehealth market is in an early stage of development, it is competitive, and we expect it to attract increased competition, which could make it difficult for us to succeed. We currently face competition in the telehealth industry for our solution from a range of companies, including specialized software and solution providers that offer similar solutions, often at substantially lower prices, and that are continuing to develop additional products and becoming more sophisticated and effective. Competition from specialized software and solution providers, health plans and other parties will result in continued pricing pressures, which are likely to lead to price declines, which, in turn, could negatively impact our sales, profitability and market share.

 

Some of our competitors may have greater name recognition, including Teladoc, MDLive, Doctor on Demand and American Well, longer operating histories and significantly greater resources than we do. Further, our current or potential competitors may be acquired by third parties with greater available resources. As a result, our competitors may be able to respond more quickly and effectively than we can to new or changing opportunities, technologies, standards or customer requirements and may have the ability to initiate or withstand substantial price competition. In addition, current and potential competitors have established, and may in the future establish, cooperative relationships with vendors of complementary products, technologies or services to increase the availability of their solutions in the marketplace. Accordingly, new competitors or alliances may emerge that have greater market share, a larger customer base, more widely adopted proprietary technologies, greater marketing expertise, greater financial resources and larger sales forces than we have, which could put us at a competitive disadvantage. Our competitors could also be better positioned to serve certain segments of the telehealth market, which could create additional price pressure. In light of these factors, even if our solution is more effective than those of our competitors, current or potential clients may accept competitive solutions in lieu of purchasing our solution. If we are unable to successfully compete in the telehealth market, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be materially adversely affected.

 

Although we are not aware of any company that offers a service directly comparable to PEER Online services, several companies having greater financial and other resources than the Company have suggested that they may be pursuing similar strategies, including Assurerx, Genomind, Verily, IBM Corporation and Google. All of these companies have reported developing either a genomic-based test strategy or other AI analysis of the health metrics to aid treatment.

 

Intellectual Property

 

Covering The Use Of The PEER Online Database

 

We have 20 issued patents, of which seven are in the U.S., at least one of which covers the process of using the data presented in our PEER Online service. Our patents will expire between January 2018 and April 2023 and cover QEEG (quantitative electrophysiology). We have been issued patents in the following countries and regions: Canada (three patents), Europe (two patents), Australia (three patents), Mexico (two patents), Japan (two patents) and Israel (one patent). We also have filed multiple additional patent applications for our technology in the U.S., Europe and Canada.

 

One US patent approval was for a distinctly new patent estate, covering internet transmission of neurometric information. This new allowance under its basic methods patent portfolio, patent number 8,239,013, covers remote or web-based transmission of neurometric data.

 

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During 2009 and 2011, we were awarded additional process patents for use of PEER Online technology in drug discovery, including clinical trial and drug efficacy studies. In addition, we successfully defended our patents by requesting reexamination of a patent issued to Aspect Medical (acquired by Covidien, plc.), resulting in a reduction and narrowing of claims awarded under the previously issued Aspect Medical patents.

 

Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation

 

MYnd has filed patent applications in the U.S. and Canada related to the Company's acquisition of patient responsivity data for Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (“TMS”). This would be the Company's first application for a neurometric predictor of a non-drug therapy. The Company anticipates using this methodology to help physicians better understand which patients may positively respond to TMS for treating depression. The U.S. and Canadian patent applications are entitled “Method for Assessing the Susceptibility of a Human Individual Suffering from a Psychiatric or Neurological Disorder to Neuromodulation Treatment.”

 

TMS is a non-invasive outpatient procedure that uses magnetic fields to stimulate areas of the brain thought to control mood. TMS is sometimes used as an alternative treatment for patients who have failed one or more antidepressants for the treatment of depression. While treatment periods vary by patient, a typical treatment regimen generally involves 20 to 30 treatments over a four to six week period. TMS responsivity data, which is based on QEEG, helps physicians learn how patients with similar EEG patterns responded to TMS, thereby enabling them to more effectively guide patients most likely to benefit from this treatment and reduce expenditures on patients for whom TMS is not likely to be an effective solution for their depression.

 

Trademarks

 

“rEEG”, “PEER Online” (web-based software application), “PEER Online” (web-based services), and “MYnd Analytics” (word mark) are registered trademarks of the Company in the United States. We will continue to expand our brand names and our proprietary trademarks worldwide as our operations expand.

 

Government Regulation

 

Arcadian

 

The healthcare industry, including behavioral healthcare, is extensively regulated at both the state and federal levels. The laws and rules on the practice of behavioral healthcare and telehealth continue to evolve, and the Company will devote significant resources to monitoring these developments. As the applicable laws and rules change, Arcadian must conform its business processes from time to time to be in compliance with these changes.

 

Provider Licensing, Corporate Practice Restrictions, Certification and Scope of Practice

 

The practice of health care professions, including the provision of behavioral health services, is subject to various federal, state and local certification and licensing laws, regulations and approvals, relating to, among other things, the adequacy of health care, the practice of medicine and other health professions (including the provision of remote care and cross-coverage practice), equipment, personnel, operating policies and procedures and the prerequisites for prescribing medication. In addition, the provision of health care services through any kind of clinic, facility, storefront or other location open to the public is often subject to state clinic licensure laws akin to those that health facilities like hospitals, surgery centers and urgent care clinics must obtain and maintain. The Company does not operate or promote any physical place to obtain healthcare and therefore does not believe it is subject to any clinic licensure requirements, but the application of some of these laws to the Company and telehealth is unclear and subject to differing interpretation.

 

Some states have enacted regulations specific to providing services to patients via telehealth. Such regulations include informed consent requirements that some states require providers to obtain from their patients before providing telehealth services. Behavioral health professionals who provide professional services using telehealth modalities must, in most instances, hold a valid license to practice the applicable health profession in the state in which the patient is located. In addition, certain states require a physician providing telepsychiatry to be physically located in the same state as the patient. Arcadian requires each Provider to put in place procedures to ensure that the Provider is in compliance with all applicable laws and regulations. Nevertheless, any failure to comply with these laws and regulations could result in civil or criminal penalties against Arcadian.

 

Corporate Practice; Fee-Splitting

 

Arcadian contracts with Providers to help make their psychiatric, psychological and other behavioral health services available to customers. In addition, Arcadian provides a wide range of services to Providers, and the Providers pay Arcadian for those services. These contractual relationships are subject to various state laws, including those in New York, Texas and California, that prohibit professionals from sharing a portion of their professional fees with nonprofessionals (i.e., fee-splitting) and prohibit the practice of medicine or another health profession by lay entities or persons (i.e., corporate practice restrictions) and are intended to prevent unlicensed persons from interfering with or influencing a professional's judgment.

 

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State corporate practice and fee-splitting laws vary from state to state and are not consistent among states. In addition, these requirements are subject to broad powers of interpretation and enforcement by state regulators and the courts. may apply to Arcadian if a Provider is licensed there. Accordingly, administrative and management services provided by Arcadian to the Providers, such as scheduling, contracting, setting rates and the hiring and management of clinical personnel, may be considered an element of the practice of a health profession under certain state corporate practice doctrines. Decisions and activities may be viewed by regulatory authorities or other parties, including the Providers, as violating these fee-splitting and the corporate practice restrictions on of the health profession. An adverse finding with respect to fee-splitting and corporate practice restrictions could lead to judicial or administrative action against Arcadian or its Providers, civil or criminal penalties, receipt of cease and desist orders from state regulators, loss of Provider licenses, or the need to revise Service Agreements all in ways that may interfere with Arcadian’s business, cause other materially adverse consequences and may cause a substantial disruption to Arcadian’s business model.

  

Federal and State Fraud and Abuse Laws

 

Federal and State Anti-Kickback Statutes

 

The Company must comply with the federal and state anti-kickback statutes. The federal Anti-Kickback Statute is broadly worded and prohibits the knowing and willful offer, payment, solicitation or receipt of any form of remuneration in return for, or to induce, (i) the referral of a person covered by Medicare, Medicaid or other federal governmental programs, (ii) the furnishing or arranging for the furnishing of items or services reimbursable under Medicare, Medicaid or other federal governmental programs or (iii) the purchasing, leasing or ordering or arranging or recommending purchasing, leasing or ordering of any item or service reimbursable under Medicare, Medicaid or other federal governmental programs. Certain federal courts have held that the federal Anti-Kickback Statute can be violated if “one purpose” of a payment is to induce referrals. In addition, a person or entity does not need to have actual knowledge of this statute or specific intent to violate it to have committed a violation, making it easier for the government to prove that a defendant had the requisite state of mind or “scienter” required for a violation. Moreover, the government may assert that a claim including items or services resulting from a violation of the federal Anti-Kickback Statute constitutes a false or fraudulent claim for purposes of the False Claims Act, as discussed below. Violations of the federal Anti-Kickback Statute may result in exclusion from Medicare, Medicaid or other federal governmental programs as well as civil and criminal penalties, including fines of $50,000 per violation and three times the amount of the unlawful remuneration. Imposition of any of these remedies could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

State anti-kickback statutes require compliance independent of the federal Anti-Kickback Statute. Some state anti-kickback statutes prohibit the same conduct as the federal Anti-Kickback Statute, but may apply the prohibition broadly to all payor-reimbursed services, not just those that are federally funded. Other state anti-kickback statutes are limited to Medicaid services, while still others apply only to patient referrals and not to actions that involve “arranging or recommending” healthcare items or services.  Very few state anti-kickback statutes have the extensive safe harbors and regulatory guidance of the federal Anti-Kickback Statute, making interpretation of the scope of the statutes more uncertain than the federal Anti-Kickback Statute.  Like the federal Anti-Kickback Statute, violations of most state anti-kickback laws are subject to criminal sanctions. Accordingly, the Company must analyze and ensure that it complies with state anti-kickback statutes whenever it commences operations in a new state. Any violation of state anti-kickback laws, therefore, could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

Physician Self-Referral Laws

 

There is a federal physician self-referral prohibition, commonly known as the Stark Law, which prohibits a physician from referring Medicare patients to an entity providing “designated health services” if the physician or a member of such physician’s immediate family has a “financial relationship” with the entity, unless an exception applies. We do not believe the Company’s operations, including those of Arcadian, implicate the Stark Law, because neither the Company nor Arcadian nor the Providers acting pursuant to the Services Agreements offer or provide any services that would be considered designated health services under the Stark Law. As with the anti-kickback laws, however, physician self-referral prohibitions exist at the state level and, like the Stark Law, apply civil penalties to violations of their terms. These state physician self-referral laws are often similar to the Stark Law, but may apply to different services than the Stark Law and may have different exceptions. The Company does not believe it is noncompliant with any state physician self-referral laws, but these laws are often vague, subject to amendment and lacking in court precedent or regulatory guidance. It is possible, therefore, that now or in the future the Company could be found to be out of compliance with one or more state physician self-referral laws. Any such noncompliance could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

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Federal and State False Claims Statutes

 

Both federal and state government agencies have continued civil and criminal enforcement efforts as part of numerous ongoing investigations of healthcare companies and their executives and managers. Although there are a number of civil and criminal statutes that can be applied to healthcare providers, a significant number of these investigations involve the federal False Claims Act. These investigations can be initiated not only by the government, but also by a private party asserting direct knowledge of fraud. These “qui tam” whistleblower lawsuits may be initiated against any person or entity alleging such person or entity has knowingly or recklessly presented, or caused to be presented, a false or fraudulent request for payment from the federal government, or has made a false statement or used a false record to get a claim approved. In addition, the improper retention of an overpayment for 60 days or more is also a basis for a False Claim Act action, even if the claim was originally submitted appropriately. Penalties for False Claims Act violations include fines ranging from $5,500 to $11,000 for each false claim, plus up to three times the amount of damages sustained by the federal government. A False Claims Act violation may provide the basis for exclusion from government-funded healthcare programs.

 

In addition, some states have laws similar to the False Claims Act. The scope of these laws and the interpretations of them vary from state to state and are enforced by state courts and regulatory authorities, each with broad discretion. Some state false claims laws apply to claims for health care or services submitted to any third-party payor, including commercial insurers, not just those reimbursed by a government-funded healthcare program. A determination of liability under such state false claims laws could result in fines and penalties and restrictions on the Company’s ability to operate in these jurisdictions and have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

Other Healthcare Anti-Fraud Laws

 

The federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, as amended by the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act, or HITECH, and their implementing regulations, collectively referred to as HIPAA, established several separate crimes for making false or fraudulent claims to insurance companies and other governmental payors of healthcare services. Under HIPAA, these two additional federal crimes are: “Healthcare Fraud” and “False Statements Relating to Healthcare Matters.” The Healthcare Fraud statute, 18 U.S.C. § 1347, prohibits knowingly and willfully executing or attempting to execute a scheme or artifice to defraud any healthcare benefit program, including private payors, or obtaining by means of false or fraudulent pretenses, representations or promises any of the money of the healthcare benefit program in connection with the delivery of, or payment for, healthcare benefits, items or services. A violation of this statute may result in fines, imprisonment or exclusion from government-sponsored healthcare programs.  The False Statements Relating to Healthcare Matters statute, 18 U.S.C. § 1035, prohibits knowingly and willfully falsifying, concealing or covering up a material fact by any trick, scheme or device, making any materially false, fictitious or fraudulent statement or representation, or making or using any materially false writing or document knowing that it contains any materially false, fictitious, or fraudulent statement or entry, in connection with the delivery of or payment for healthcare benefits, items or services. A violation of this statute may result in fines or imprisonment. This statute could be used by the government to assert criminal liability if a healthcare provider knowingly fails to refund an overpayment. These provisions target some of the same conduct in the submission of claims to private payors as the federal False Claims Act covers in connection with governmental health programs.

 

In addition, the federal Civil Monetary Penalties Law imposes civil administrative sanctions for, among other violations, inappropriate billing of services to federally funded healthcare programs and employing or contracting with individuals or entities who are excluded from participation in federally funded healthcare programs. Moreover, a person who offers or transfers to a Medicare or Medicaid beneficiary any remuneration, including waivers of co-payments and deductible amounts (or any part thereof) that the person knows or should know is likely to influence the beneficiary’s selection of a particular provider, practitioner or supplier of Medicare or Medicaid payable items or services may be liable for civil monetary penalties of up to $10,000 for each wrongful act. Moreover, in certain cases, providers who routinely waive copayments and deductibles for Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries can also be held liable under the federal Anti-Kickback Statute and civil False Claims Act, which can impose additional penalties associated with the wrongful act.

 

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Any violation of these other healthcare fraud laws could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

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State and Federal Health Information Privacy and Security Laws

 

There are numerous U.S. federal and state laws and regulations related to the privacy and security of personally identifiable information, or PII, including health information. In particular, HIPAA establishes privacy and security standards that limit the use and disclosure of protected health information, or PHI, and requires the implementation of administrative, physical, and technical safeguards to ensure the confidentiality, integrity and availability of individually identifiable health information in electronic form. Arcadian’s Providers and some of its clients are all regulated as covered entities under HIPAA. Since the effective date of the HIPAA Omnibus Final Rule on September 23, 2013, HIPAA’s requirements are also directly applicable to the independent contractors, agents and other “business associates” of covered entities that create, receive, maintain or transmit PHI in connection with providing services to covered entities. Arcadian is a business associate under these requirements.

 

Violations of HIPAA may result in civil and criminal penalties. The civil penalties range from $100 to $50,000 per violation, with a cap of $1.5 million per year for violations of the same standard during the same calendar year. However, a single breach incident can result in violations of multiple standards. HIPAA also contains a breach notification rule. Under the breach notification rule, covered entities must notify affected individuals without unreasonable delay in the case of a breach of unsecured PHI, which may compromise the privacy, security or integrity of the PHI. In addition, notification must be provided to the HHS and the local media in cases where a breach affects more than 500 individuals. Breaches affecting fewer than 500 individuals must be reported to HHS on an annual basis. The regulations also require business associates of covered entities to notify the covered entity of breaches by the business associate.

 

State attorneys general also have the right to prosecute HIPAA violations committed against residents of their states. Although HIPAA does not create a private right of action that would allow individuals to sue in civil court for a HIPAA violation, its standards have been used as the basis for the duty of care in state civil suits, such as those for negligence or recklessness in misusing personal information. In addition, HIPAA mandates that HHS conduct periodic compliance audits of HIPAA covered entities and their business associates for compliance. It also tasks HHS with establishing a methodology whereby harmed individuals who were the victims of breaches of unsecured PHI may receive a percentage of the Civil Monetary Penalty fine paid by the violator. In light of the HIPAA Omnibus Final Rule, recent enforcement activity, and statements from HHS, we expect increased federal and state privacy and security enforcement efforts.

 

Many states also have laws that protect the privacy and security of sensitive and personal information, including health information. These laws may be similar to or even more protective than HIPAA and other federal privacy laws. Where state laws are more protective than HIPAA, Arcadian must comply with the state laws, in addition to HIPAA. In certain cases, it may be necessary to modify Arcadian's planned operations and procedures to comply with these more stringent state laws. Not only may some of these state laws impose fines and penalties upon violators, but also some, unlike HIPAA, may afford private rights of action to individuals who believe their personal information has been misused.

 

In addition to HIPAA, state health information privacy and state health information privacy laws, Arcadian may be subject to other state and federal privacy laws, including laws that prohibit unfair privacy and security practices and deceptive statements about privacy and security and laws that place specific requirements on certain types of activities, such as data security and texting.

 

In recent years, there have been a number of publicized data breaches involving the improper use and disclosure of PII and PHI. Many states have responded to these incidents by enacting laws requiring holders of personal information to maintain safeguards and to take certain actions in response to a data breach, such as providing prompt notification of the breach to affected individuals and state officials. In addition, under HIPAA and pursuant to the related contracts that we enter into with our business associates, we must report breaches of unsecured PHI to our contractual partners following discovery of the breach. Notification must also be made in certain circumstances to affected individuals, federal authorities and others.

 

Any violation of HIPAA or state privacy laws, therefore, could result in civil or even criminal liability, subject us to significant monetary fines, require us to restructure our operations and otherwise have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

FDA Regulation

 

The PEER Outcome database is registered with the United States Food and Federal Drug Administration ("FDA") and the State of California as a Class I Exempt Device within the category of Medical Device Data System.

 

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We currently intend to continue marketing as a cloud-based neurometric information service branded as PEER Online ("neurometric services"), under our Class I registration, while we continue to pursue the military trial and consider submission of a Class II device premarket notification. If we continue to market PEER Online and the FDA determines that we should be subject to further FDA regulation, it could seek enforcement action against us based upon a position that our PEER Online product represents a Class II medical device, as a result of which we could be forced to cease our marketing activities and pay fines and penalties. In August 2012, the FDA reviewed the study protocol to use our PEER Interactive Product, which is substantially similar to the PEER Online product, and determined that the Walter Reed PEER Trial was considered a Non-Significant Risk ("NSR") clinical trial and did not require an Investigational Device Exemption.

 

In addition to the foregoing, federal and state laws and regulations relating to the sale of our neurometric services are subject to future changes, as are administrative interpretations of regulatory agencies. In the event that federal and state laws and regulations change, we may need to incur additional costs to seek government approvals for the sale of our neurometric services.

 

Employees

 

As of September 30, 2018, our operation has twenty–one full-time employees. We believe that our relations with our employees are good. None of our employees belong to a union.

 

Corporate Background

 

The Company was incorporated in Delaware on March 20, 1987, under the name Age Research, Inc. Prior to January 16, 2007, the Company (then called Strativation, Inc.) existed as a “shell company” with nominal assets whose sole business was to identify, evaluate and investigate various companies to acquire or with which to merge. On January 16, 2007, we entered into an Agreement and Plan of Merger with CNS Response, Inc., a California corporation formed on January 11, 2000 (“CNS California”), and CNS Merger Corporation, a California corporation and our wholly-owned subsidiary (“MergerCo”) pursuant to which we agreed to acquire CNS California in a merger transaction wherein MergerCo would merge with and into CNS California, with CNS California being the surviving corporation (the “Merger”). On March 7, 2007, the Merger closed, CNS California became our wholly-owned subsidiary, and on the same date we changed our corporate name from Strativation, Inc. to CNS Response, Inc.

 

At the meeting of shareholders of CNS Response, Inc. held on October 28, 2015, the shareholders approved a proposal to change the Company’s name to MYnd Analytics, Inc. The Company’s charter was amended on November 2, 2015.

 

The Company actively operates its businesses through MYnd Analytics, Inc. (California) (formerly called CNS Response, Inc. (California) until November 22, 2017) and, until September 30, 2012, also operated the Neuro-Therapy Clinic, Inc. (“NTC”), which was acquired as a wholly-owned subsidiary in January 2008, when it was the Company’s largest customer.

 

Our current address is 26522 La Alameda, Suite 290, Mission Viejo, California 92691. Our telephone number is (949) 420-4400 and we maintain a website at www.MYndAnalytics.com. The reference to our web address does not constitute incorporation by reference of the information contained at this site.

 

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ITEM 1A. Risk Factors

 

INVESTING IN MYND ANALYTICS, INC. INVOLVES A HIGH DEGREE OF RISK.  YOU SHOULD CAREFULLY CONSIDER THE FOLLOWING RISK FACTORS AND ALL OTHER INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THIS REPORT BEFORE PURCHASING OUR COMMON STOCK. THE RISKS AND UNCERTAINTIES DESCRIBED BELOW ARE NOT THE ONLY ONES FACING US. ADDITIONAL RISKS AND UNCERTAINTIES THAT WE ARE UNAWARE OF, OR THAT WE CURRENTLY DEEM IMMATERIAL, ALSO MAY BECOME IMPORTANT FACTORS THAT AFFECT US. IF ANY OF THE FOLLOWING RISKS OCCUR, OUR BUSINESS, FINANCIAL CONDITION OR RESULTS OF OPERATIONS COULD BE MATERIALLY AND ADVERSELY AFFECTED. IN THAT CASE, THE TRADING PRICE OF OUR COMMON STOCK COULD DECLINE, AND YOU MAY LOSE SOME OR ALL OF THE MONEY YOU PAID TO PURCHASE OUR COMMON STOCK.

 

Risks Related to Our Company

 

We need immediate additional funding to support our operations and capital expenditures, which may not be available to us. This lack of availability could result in the cessation of our business. Our recurring net losses and negative cash flows from operations raise substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern.

 

We have not generated significant revenues or become profitable, may never do so and may not generate sufficient working capital to cover costs of operations. Our recurring net losses and negative cash flows from operations raise substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern. Historically, we have been unable to pay other obligations as they become due and have been in arrears on paying certain of our larger creditors. We have a history of insolvency that requires us to immediately secure additional funds to continue our operations. Until we can generate a sufficient amount of revenues to finance our operations and capital expenditures, we are required to finance our cash needs primarily through public or private equity offerings, debt financings, borrowings or strategic collaborations. As of September 30, 2018, we had approximately $3.3 million in cash and cash equivalents on hand. We will therefore need additional funds to continue our operations and will need substantial additional funds before we can increase demand for our telebehavioral health services and PEER solution offering.

 

As of September 30, 2018, the Company has issued purchase notices to Aspire Capital under a common stock purchase agreement with Aspire Capital dated as December 6, 2016 (the "First Purchase Agreement") to purchase an aggregate of 1,180,000 shares of common stock, at a per share price of $2.00, resulting in gross cash proceeds of approximately $2.4 million. As of September 30, 2018, the Company has issued purchase notices to Aspire Capital under the second common stock purchase agreement with Aspire Capital dated as of May 15, 2018 (the "Second Purchase Agreement") to purchase an aggregate of 884,671 shares of common stock, resulting in gross cash proceeds of approximately $1.9 million. On November 26, 2018, the Company received shareholder approval to remove the exchange cap under the Second Purchase Agreement in compliance with the applicable listing rules of the Nasdaq Stock Market. Pursuant to Nasdaq Listing Rule 5635(d), shareholder approval is required prior to the issuance of securities in connection with a transaction other than a public offering involving the sale, issuance or potential issuance by the Company of common stock (or securities convertible into or exercisable common stock) equal to 20% or more of the common stock outstanding before the issuance for less than the greater of book or market value of the stock. Following receipt of shareholder approval, the Company may issue an additional $8.1 million, up to an aggregate of $10 million, of common stock to Aspire Capital under the Second Purchase Agreement. The issuance of shares of common stock that were issued from time to time to Aspire Capital under the First and Second Purchase Agreement were exempt from registration under the Securities Act, pursuant to the exemption for transactions by an issuer not involving any public offering under Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act.

 

When we elect to raise additional funds or additional funds are required, we may raise such funds from time to time through public or private equity offerings, debt financings, corporate collaboration and licensing arrangements or other financing alternatives, as well as through sales of common stock to Aspire Capital under the First Purchase Agreement or Second Purchase Agreement. Additional equity or debt financing or corporate collaboration and licensing arrangements may not be available on acceptable terms, if at all. If we are unable to raise additional capital in sufficient amounts or on terms acceptable to us, we will be prevented from pursuing acquisition, licensing, development and commercialization efforts and our ability to generate revenues and achieve or sustain profitability will be substantially harmed.

  

We are currently exploring additional sources of capital; however, we do not know whether additional funding will be available on acceptable terms, or at all, especially given the economic conditions that currently prevail. Furthermore, any additional equity funding will likely result in significant dilution to existing stockholders, and, if we incur additional debt financing in the future, a substantial portion of our operating cash flow may be dedicated to the payment of principal and interest on such indebtedness, thus limiting funds available for our business activities. If adequate funds are not available, it would have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and/or results of operations and could cause us to be required to cease operations. Our financial statements include an opinion of our auditors that our recurring net losses and negative cash flows from operations raise substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern.

 

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Our independent registered public accounting firm has expressed substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern.

 

We have experienced significant net losses and sustained negative cash flows from operations. In the twelve months ended September 30, 2018, we incurred a net loss of $10.3 million and used cash for operating activities of $9.0 million. We had an accumulated deficit of $85.2 million as of September 30, 2018. We expect to experience further significant net losses in 2018 and the foreseeable future. These factors raise substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern for at least the next twelve months from the date of the issuance of the financial statements. As of and for the year ended September 30, 2018, our independent registered public accounting firm has included an explanatory paragraph in their audit report raising substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern. Our consolidated financial statements do not include any adjustments that may result from the outcome of this uncertainty. If we are unable to obtain adequate funding from this proposed offering or in the future, or if we are unable to grow our revenue substantially to achieve and sustain profitability, amongst other factors, we may not be able to continue as a going concern, and our shareholders may lose some or all of their investment in us. 

  

We have a history of operating losses and we have never been profitable.

 

Since our inception, we have incurred significant operating losses. As of September 30, 2018, our accumulated deficit was approximately $85.2 million. On November 13, 2017, we acquired Arcadian, a telepsychiatry and telebehavioral health company. Arcadian also has a history of significant operating losses, which represent a further obstacle to our goal of achieving profitability.

 

Our future capital requirements will depend on many factors, such as the risk factors described in this section, including our ability to maintain our existing cost structure and to execute our business and strategic plans, including the successful integration of the PEER solution offering with the Arcadian network. Even if we achieve profitability, we may be unable to maintain or increase profitability on a quarterly or annual basis.

 

Risks Related to Our Business-Telebehavioral Health

 

Our telebehavioral health business could be adversely affected by new state actions relating to healthcare services and telemedicine providers, which could restrict our ability to provide the full range of our services in certain states.

 

Our ability to conduct business in each state is dependent upon the state's treatment of telehealth under each state's laws, rules and policies governing the practice of medicine and other health care professions, which are subject to changing political, regulatory and other influences. Some state professional boards have established new rules or interpreted existing rules in a manner that limits or restricts our ability to conduct our business as currently conducted in other states, and it is possible that the laws and rules governing the practice of telehealth in one or more states may change in a similar manner in the future. Many states have imposed different, and, in some cases, additional, standards regarding the provision of services via telehealth. These standards often relate to particular modalities of telecommunication that are permitted or prohibited, meaning that a system the Company has established in some states may not satisfy regulatory requirements in others. State laws are also in flux regarding the licensure required to provide services via telehealth. By way of example, certain state Medicaid programs may cover behavioral health treatment provided by psychiatric nurse practitioners, but not clinical social workers. Others provide that certain services can be provided via telehealth by a clinical social worker, but not a licensed mental health counselor. Finally, both federal and state laws impose strict standards on using telehealth to prescribe certain classes of controlled substances that can be commonly used to treat behavioral health disorders. Recently passed federal legislation will also allow for controlled substances to be prescribed in emergency situations to treat substance use disorder, and if that change results in further abuse of controlled substances instead of curbing their abuse as intended, there could be negative ramifications for the entire telebehavioral health industry. The unpredictability of this regulatory landscape means that sudden changes in policy regarding standards of care and reimbursement are possible. If this were to happen, and we were unable to adapt our business model accordingly, our operations in such states could be disrupted, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. Federal law prohibits prescribing controlled substances without a prior in-person examination unless one of a number of narrow exceptions is met, and certain states impose further restrictions which prohibit prescribing certain classes of controlled substances via telemedicine altogether.

 

Our telebehavioral health business is dependent on our relationships with affiliated professional entities, which we do not own, to provide physician services, and our business would be adversely affected if those relationships were disrupted.

 

There is a risk that state authorities in some jurisdictions may find that our contractual relationships with our affiliated physicians, psychologists and other behavioral health professionals ("Providers") violate laws prohibiting the corporate practice of medicine and certain other health professions. These laws generally prohibit the practice of medicine and certain other health professions by lay persons or entities and are intended to prevent unlicensed persons or entities from interfering with or inappropriately influencing the clinician's professional judgment. The professions subject to corporate practice restrictions and the extent to which each state considers particular actions or contractual relationships to constitute improper influence of professional judgment vary across the states and are subject to change and evolving interpretations by state boards of medicine and other health professions and state attorneys general. As such, we must monitor our compliance with laws in every jurisdiction in which we operate on an ongoing basis and we cannot guarantee that subsequent interpretation of the corporate practice laws will not further circumscribe our business operations. State corporate practice restrictions also often impose penalties on health professionals for aiding a corporate practice violation, which could discourage clinicians from participating in our network of providers. Any difficulty securing clinicians to participate in our network could impair our ability to provide telebehavioral health services and could have a material adverse effect on our business.

 

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Corporate practice restrictions exist in some form, whether by statute, regulation, professional board or attorney general guidance, or case law, in at least 42 states, though the broad variation between state application and enforcement of the doctrine makes establishing an exact count difficult. Because of the prevalence of corporate practice restrictions on medicine and psychology in particular, including in the states where we predominantly conduct our business, we contract for provider services through services agreements rather than employ Providers. We expect that these relationships will continue, but we cannot guarantee that they will. A material change in our relationship with the Providers, whether resulting from a dispute among the entities, a change in government regulation, or the loss of these affiliations, could impair our ability to provide telebehavioral health services and could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

Evolving government regulations may require increased costs or adversely affect our results of operations.

 

In a regulatory climate that is uncertain, our operations may be subject to direct and indirect adoption, expansion or reinterpretation of various laws and regulations. Compliance with these future laws and regulations may require us to change our practices at an undeterminable and possibly significant initial monetary and annual expense. These additional monetary expenditures may increase future overhead, which could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations.

 

We have identified what we believe are the areas of government regulation that, if changed, would be costly to us. These include: rules governing the practice of telehealth; including the remote prescribing of controlled substance; licensure standards for behavioral health professionals; laws limiting the corporate practice of medicine and other professions; clinic licensure laws requiring health facilities to obtain a clinic license; fraud and abuse; reimbursement and false claims statutes and regulations governing the submission of health care claims; cybersecurity and privacy laws; laws and rules relating to the distinction between independent contractors and employees; and tax and other laws encouraging employer-sponsored health insurance. There could be laws and regulations applicable to our business that we have not identified or that, if changed, may be costly to us, and we cannot predict all the ways in which implementation of such laws and regulations may affect us.

 

In the states in which we operate, we believe we are in compliance with all applicable regulations, but, because of the uncertain regulatory environment, certain states may determine that we are in violation of their laws and regulations. If we must remedy such violations, we may be required to modify our services and solutions in such states in a manner that undermines our solution’s attractiveness to patients or providers. We may become subject to fines or other penalties or, if we determine that the requirements to operate in compliance in such states are overly burdensome, we may elect to terminate our operations in such states. In each case, our revenue may decline and our business, financial condition and results of operations could be materially adversely affected.

 

Additionally, the introduction of new services may require us to comply with additional, yet undetermined, laws and regulations. Compliance may require restructuring our relationships with Providers, increasing our security measures and expending additional resources to monitor developments in applicable rules and ensure compliance. The failure to adequately comply with these future laws and regulations may delay or possibly prevent some of our solutions or services from being offered, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

The telebehavioral health market is immature and volatile, and if it does not develop, if it develops more slowly than we expect, if it encounters negative publicity or if our solution does not drive patient engagement, the growth of our business will be harmed.

 

The telebehavioral health market is relatively new and unproven, and it is uncertain whether it will achieve and sustain high levels of demand, consumer acceptance and market adoption. Our success will depend to a substantial extent on the willingness of our patients to use, and to increase the frequency and extent of their utilization of, our solutions, as well as on our ability to demonstrate the value of telebehavioral health to employers, health plans, government agencies and other purchasers of healthcare. Negative publicity concerning our solutions or the telebehavioral health market as a whole could limit market acceptance of our solutions. Enforcement activity throughout the telehealth industry is on the rise, after the Medicare program published findings in April 2018 that more than 30% of claims filed failed to satisfy Medicare reimbursement standards, and the Department of Justice recently issued an indictment alleging that several individuals and companies participated in a billion-dollar telemedicine fraud conspiracy. As telehealth utilization and investment continue to rise, it would not be surprising for enforcement actions to increase in kind. Such activity could certainly produce negative publicity regarding public and patient confidence in telehealth, which could negatively impact our business. If our patients and providers do not perceive the benefits of our solutions, or if our solutions do not drive patient engagement, then our market may not develop at all, or it may develop more slowly than we expect. Similarly, individual and healthcare industry concerns or negative publicity regarding patient confidentiality and privacy in the context of telehealth could limit market acceptance of our healthcare services. If any of these events occurs, it could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations.

 

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A significant portion of Arcadian's revenue comes from a limited number of clients, the loss of which would have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

Historically, Arcadian has relied on a limited number of clients for a substantial portion of its total revenue. We rely on Arcadian's reputation and recommendations from key clients to promote our solution to potential new clients. In addition, mergers and acquisitions involving our clients could lead to cancellation or non-renewal of our contracts with those clients or by the acquiring or combining companies, thereby reducing the number of our existing and potential clients and patients.

 

Our business and growth strategy depend on our ability to maintain and expand a network of qualified providers. If we are unable to do so, our future growth would be limited and our business, financial condition and results of operations would be harmed.

 

Our success is dependent upon our continued ability to maintain a network of qualified providers. If we are unable to recruit and retain board-certified Providers as needed to render telebehavioral health services in a given state, whether that requires psychiatrists, psychologists or master's level therapists, it would have a material adverse effect on our business and ability to grow and would adversely affect our results of operations. In any particular market, Providers could demand higher payments or take other actions that could result in higher medical costs, extra income, e.g., only permitting clinicians with higher levels of licensure who demand higher payment rates to provide telebehavioral health services, less attractive service for our clients or difficulty meeting regulatory or accreditation requirements. Our ability to develop and maintain satisfactory relationships with Providers also may be negatively impacted by other factors not associated with us, such as changes in Medicare and/or Medicaid reimbursement levels and other pressures on healthcare providers and consolidation activity among hospitals, physician groups and the Providers. The failure to maintain or to secure new cost-effective provider contracts may result in a loss of or inability to grow our membership base, higher costs, healthcare provider network disruptions, less attractive service for our clients and/or difficulty in meeting regulatory or accreditation requirements, any of which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

Our telebehavioral health business may give rise to medical liability claims against us, which could cause us to incur significant expenses and may require us to pay significant damages if not covered by insurance.

 

Our telebehavioral health business entails the risk of malpractice and professional liability claims against both our Providers and us. Although we and our Providers carry insurance covering malpractice and professional liability claims in amounts that we believe are appropriate in light of the risks attendant to our business, successful malpractice or professional liability claims could result in substantial damage awards that exceed the limits of our and our Providers' insurance coverage. The Providers each carry professional liability insurance covering $1 million per claim and $3 million in the aggregate for themselves, and we separately carry a general insurance policy covering $1 million per claim and $3 million in the aggregate. In addition, professional liability insurance is expensive and insurance premiums may increase significantly in the future, particularly as we expand our services. As a result, adequate professional liability insurance may not be available to our providers or to us in the future at acceptable costs or at all.

 

Any claims made against us that are not fully covered by insurance could be costly to defend against, result in substantial damage awards against us and divert the attention of our management and our Providers from our operations, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. In addition, any claims may adversely affect our business or reputation.

 

If our new applications and services are not adopted by our partners or patients, or if we fail to innovate and develop new applications and services that are adopted by our patients, our revenue and results of operations will be adversely affected.

 

Our longer-term results of operations and continued growth will depend on our ability successfully to develop and market new applications and services that patients want and are willing to purchase. In addition we will invest significant resources in research and development to enhance our solution and introduce new high-quality applications and services. If patients are not willing to make additional payments for such new applications, or if new patients do not value such new applications, it could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. If we are unable to predict user preferences or if our industry changes, or if we are unable to modify our solution and services on a timely basis, patients may not patronize us or the Providers. Our results of operations would also suffer if our innovations were not responsive to the needs patients, appropriately timed with market opportunity or effectively brought to market.

 

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If our arrangements with Providers or our partners are found to violate state laws prohibiting the corporate practice of medicine and other professions or fee-splitting, our business, financial condition and our ability to operate in those states could be adversely impacted.

 

The laws of many states, including states in which our partners may be located prohibit us from exercising control over the medical judgments or decisions of psychiatrists and certain other providers and from engaging in certain financial arrangements, such as splitting professional fees with behavioral health professionals. These laws and their interpretations vary from state to state and are enforced by state courts and regulatory authorities, each with broad discretion. We enter into agreements with certain of our providers pursuant to which they render professional medical services. In addition, we may enter into contracts with our providers to deliver professional services in exchange for fees. These contracts include management services agreements with our affiliated physician organizations pursuant to which the physician organizations reserve exclusive control and responsibility for all aspects of the practice of medicine and the delivery of medical services. Although we seek to comply with applicable state prohibitions on the corporate practice of medicine and fee splitting, state officials who administer these laws or other third parties may successfully challenge our existing organization and contractual arrangements. If such a claim were successful, we could be subject to civil and criminal penalties and could be required to restructure or terminate the applicable contractual arrangements. A determination that these arrangements violate state statutes, or our inability to successfully restructure our relationships with our providers to comply with these statutes, could eliminate clients located in certain states from the market for our services, as well as complicate our efforts to secure qualified clinicians to participate in our network. Either outcome could have a materially adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

If our providers are characterized as employees, we would be subject to employment and withholding liabilities.

 

We structure our relationships with the Providers in a manner that we believe results in an independent contractor relationship, not an employee relationship. An independent contractor is generally distinguished from an employee by his or her degree of autonomy and independence in providing services. A high degree of autonomy and independence is generally indicative of a contractor relationship, while a high degree of control is generally indicative of an employment relationship. Although we believe that the Providers are properly characterized as independent contractors, tax or other regulatory authorities may in the future challenge our characterization of these relationships. If such regulatory authorities or state, federal or foreign courts were to determine that our providers are employees, and not independent contractors, we would be required to withhold income taxes, to withhold and pay Social Security, Medicare and similar taxes and to pay unemployment and other related payroll taxes. We would also be liable for unpaid past taxes and subject to penalties. As a result, any determination that the Providers are our employees could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

Certain state tax authorities may assert that we have a state nexus and seek to impose state and local income taxes which could adversely affect our results of operations.

 

We are currently licensed to operate our telebehavioral health business in four states and file state income tax returns in four states. There is a risk that certain state tax authorities where we do not currently file a state income tax return could assert that we are liable for state and local income taxes based upon income or gross receipts allocable to such states. States are becoming increasingly aggressive in asserting a nexus for state income tax purposes. We could be subject to state and local taxation, including penalties and interest attributable to prior periods, if a state tax authority successfully asserts that our activities give rise to a nexus. Such tax assessments, penalties and interest may adversely affect our results of operations.

 

Our sales and implementation cycle can be long and unpredictable and requires considerable time and expense, which may cause our results of operations to fluctuate.

 

The sales cycle for our solutions from initial contact with a potential lead to contract execution and implementation, varies widely by client. Some of our clients undertake a significant and prolonged evaluation process, including to determine whether our services meet their unique healthcare needs, which frequently involves evaluation of not only our solutions but also an evaluation of those of our competitors, which has in the past resulted in extended sales cycles. Our sales efforts involve educating our clients about the use, technical capabilities and potential benefits of our solution. Moreover, our large enterprise clients often begin to deploy our solutions on a limited basis, but nevertheless demand extensive configuration, integration services and pricing concessions, which increase our upfront investment in the sales effort with no guarantee that these clients will deploy our solutions widely enough across their organization to justify our substantial upfront investment. It is possible that in the future we may experience even longer sales cycles, more complex client needs, higher upfront sales costs and less predictability in completing some of our sales as we continue to expand our direct sales force, expand into new territories and market additional applications and services. If our sales cycle lengthens or our substantial upfront sales and implementation investments do not result in sufficient sales to justify our investments, it could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

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The telehealth market is competitive, and if we are not able to compete effectively, our business, financial condition and results of operations will be harmed.

 

While the telehealth market is in an early stage of development, it is competitive and we expect it to attract increased competition, which could make it difficult for us to succeed. We currently face competition in the telehealth industry for our solutions from a range of companies, including specialized software and solution providers that offer similar solutions, often at substantially lower prices, and that are continuing to develop additional solutions and becoming more sophisticated and effective. Competition from specialized software and solution providers, health plans and other parties will result in continued pricing pressures, which is likely to lead to price declines in certain solution segments, which could negatively impact our sales, profitability and market share.

 

Some of our competitors may have greater name recognition, longer operating histories and significantly greater resources than we do. Further, our current or potential competitors may be acquired by third parties with greater available resources. As a result, our competitors may be able to respond more quickly and effectively than we can to new or changing opportunities, technologies, standards or customer requirements and may have the ability to initiate or withstand substantial price competition. In addition, current and potential competitors have established, and may in the future establish, cooperative relationships with vendors of complementary solutions, technologies or services to increase the availability of their solutions in the marketplace. Accordingly, new competitors or alliances may emerge that have greater market share, a larger customer base, more widely adopted proprietary technologies, greater marketing expertise, greater financial resources and larger sales forces than we have, which could put us at a competitive disadvantage. Our competitors could also be better positioned to serve certain segments of the telehealth market, which could create additional price pressure. In light of these factors, even if our solutions are more effective than those of our competitors, current or potential clients may accept competitive solutions in lieu of purchasing our solutions. If we are unable to successfully compete in the telehealth market, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be materially adversely affected.

 

We are subject to evolving and expensive corporate governance regulations and requirements. Management has determined that there is a material weakness in our internal controls and procedures under the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board or PCAOB. Our failure to adequately adhere to these requirements or the failure or circumvention of our internal controls and procedures could seriously harm our business.

 

Because we are a publicly traded company we are subject to certain federal, state and other rules and regulations, including applicable requirements of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. Compliance with these evolving regulations is costly and requires a significant diversion of management time and attention, particularly with regard to our disclosure controls and procedures and our internal control over financial reporting. Faulty judgments, simple errors or mistakes, or the failure of our personnel to adhere to established controls and procedures may make it difficult for us to ensure that the objectives of the control system are met. A failure of our controls and procedures to detect other than inconsequential errors or fraud could seriously harm our business and results of operations.

 

As of September 30, 2018, management assessed the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting based on the criteria for effective internal control over financial reporting, and determined that there continues to be a material weakness in our internal controls and procedures. The matter involving internal controls and procedures that our management considered to be a material weakness under the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board was a lack of a sufficient complement of personnel with a level of accounting expertise and an adequate supervisory review structure that is commensurate with our financial reporting requirements. Management has been continuing, since September 30, 2017, to attempt to remedy the material weakness, but has been unable to identify sufficient personnel or to implement adequate improvements. A material weakness is a significant deficiency, or combination of significant deficiencies, that results in more than a remote likelihood that a material misstatement of the annual or interim financial statements will not be prevented or detected. Failure to provide effective internal controls may cause investors to lose confidence in our financial reporting and may negatively affect the price of our common stock. Moreover, effective internal controls are necessary to produce accurate, reliable financial reports and to prevent fraud. If deficiencies in our internal controls over financial reporting continue, these deficiencies may negatively impact our business and operations.

 

Taxing authorities may successfully assert that we should have collected or in the future should collect sales and use or similar taxes which could adversely affect our results of operations.

 

We do not collect sales and use and similar taxes in any states based on our belief that our services are not subject to such taxes in any state. Sales and use and similar tax laws and rates vary greatly from state to state. Certain states in which we do not collect such taxes may assert that such taxes are applicable, which could result in tax assessments, penalties and interest with respect to past services, and we may be required to collect such taxes for services in the future. Such tax assessments, penalties and interest or future requirements may adversely affect our results of operations.

 

Economic uncertainties or downturns in the general economy or the industries in which our clients operate could disproportionately affect the demand for our telebehavioral health solution and negatively impact our results of operations.

 

General worldwide economic conditions have experienced significant downturns during the last ten years, and market volatility and uncertainty remain widespread, making it potentially very difficult for our clients and us to accurately forecast and plan future business activities. During challenging economic times, our clients may have difficulty gaining timely access to sufficient credit or obtaining credit on reasonable terms, which could impair their ability to make timely payments to us and adversely affect our revenue. If that were to occur, our financial results could be harmed. Further, challenging economic conditions may impair the ability of our clients to pay for the applications and services they already have purchased from us and, as a result, our write-offs of accounts receivable could increase. We cannot predict the timing, strength or duration of any economic slowdown or recovery. If the condition of the general economy or markets in which we operate worsens, our business could be harmed.

 

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Risks Related to Our Business-Predictive Medicine (PEER)

 

If our PEER Reports do not gain widespread market acceptance, we may not be able to achieve the level of sales required for growth, and our business, financial condition and results of operations would be harmed.

 

We have developed a methodology that aids psychiatrists and other physicians in selecting appropriate and effective medications for patients with certain behavioral or addictive disorders based on physiological traits of the patient’s brain and information contained in a proprietary database that has been developed over approximately the last twenty-five years. We began selling reports, referred to as rEEG Reports, based on our methodology in 2000; these reports have since been rebranded as PEER Reports. To date, we have not received widespread market acceptance of the usefulness of our PEER Reports in helping psychiatrists and other physicians inform their treatment strategies for patients suffering from behavioral and/or addictive disorders and we currently rely on a limited number of employees to market and promote our PEER Reports. To grow our business, we will need to develop and introduce new sales and marketing programs and clinical education programs to promote the use of our PEER Reports by psychiatrists and other physicians and hire additional employees for this purpose which we are in the process of doing. If we do not implement these new sales and marketing and education programs in a timely and successful manner, we may not be able to achieve the level of market awareness and sales required to expand our business, which could also negatively impact our stock price, financial condition and results of operations.

 

Our PEER Reports may not be as effective as we believe them to be, which could limit or prevent us from growing our revenues. If the results of our clinical trials are not significant, we may not be able to continue to fund our development efforts.

 

Our belief in the efficacy of our PEER Online technology is based on a finite number of successful studies. Such results may not be statistically significant in future studies and may not be indicative of the long-term future efficacy of the information we provide. Controlled scientific studies, including those that have already been announced and that are planned for the future, may yield results that are unfavorable or demonstrate that our services, including our PEER Reports, are not clinically useful. While we have not experienced such problems to date, if the initially indicated results cannot be successfully replicated or maintained over time, utilization of services based on our PEER Online technology, including the delivery of our PEER Reports, may not increase as we anticipate, which would harm our operating results and stock price. In addition, if we fail to upgrade our PEER Online database to account for new medications that are now available on the market, psychiatrists and other physicians may be less inclined to utilize our services if they believe that our reports only provide information about older treatment options, which would further harm our operating results and stock price. In August of 2016, we commenced enrolling patients into a new clinical trial. The trials are designed as a double-blind trial for military patients with a primary diagnosis of depression and other psychological comorbidity.  We do not know whether the ultimate results of the trial will be successful.  There are many factors beyond our control that could affect the success of the trials, including difficulty in registering more subjects, failures of investigators to follow the proper protocol, and external factors affecting patient health, among others.  If we fail to receive significant positive results for these trials, doctors may not be willing to use our services and our ability to generate revenue and to continue the PEER Online program, if at all, could be limited.

 

The FDA believes that rEEG and, potentially, our PEER Online service, constitute a medical device, which is subject to regulation by the FDA. The FDA has informed us that our marketing of our rEEG services without prior approval or re-classification by the FDA constitutes a violation of the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act. We believe that our PEER Online service is a class 1 medical device, subject to minimal FDA oversight. As we continue to market our PEER Online service, there is risk that the FDA will determine that the service is a device that requires premarket clearance, commence an enforcement action against us.

 

Since April of 2008, we have been engaged in discussions with the FDA regarding its position that our rEEG service and its successor, now called PEER Online, constitute a medical device which is subject to regulation by the FDA. On April 10, 2008, we received correspondence from the FDA in which the FDA indicated it believed, based in part on the combination of certain marketing statements it read on our website, together with the delivery of our rEEG Reports, that we were selling a software product to aid in diagnosis, which constituted a “medical device” requiring pre-market approval or 510(k) clearance by the FDA pursuant to the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act (the “Act”), which we contested.

 

Based upon written guidance from the FDA’s Center for Devices and Radiological Health (“Center”), we chose to submit an application to obtain 510(k) clearance for our rEEG service, without waiving our right to continue to take the position that our services do not constitute a medical device. We sought review of our rEEG service based upon its equivalence to predicate devices that already have FDA clearance which appeared to represent a sound mechanism to reduce regulatory risks.

 

 21

 

 

The Company successfully registered its PEER Outcome database as a Class I Exempt Device within the category of Medical Device Data System, Section 860.6310. The Company continued its engagement with Center staff over the potential for a regulatory pathway for PEER Online as a Class II medical device, based on the Center’s recommendation that military use of PEER Online move forward under an Investigational Device Exemption (“IDE”) to provide additional data to support a successful 510(k) filing.

 

The Company is proceeding with two clinical trials based substantially on the Walter Reed PEER Trial protocol in an effort to replicate and expand the result achieved during the Walter Reed PEER Trial. One clinical trial with the Canadian Armed Forces commenced enrollment of patients in August of 2016. A second clinical trial with a large provider group has been through the training phase of the trial and is expected to commence enrolling patients in the next few months. At this time we cannot predict the results or the success of any of these trials. We can offer no assurances that the FDA will not insist on pre-market approval in the future, or that the data, which will be included in our future submissions to the FDA, do not raise any important new issues that could materially affect the safety or effectiveness of our PEER service. The inability to enroll sufficient subjects or the receipt of inconclusive results from our new clinical trials would have a material adverse effect on our ability to expand our operations. We currently intend to continue marketing as a non-device cloud-based neuromeric service branded as PEER Reports, under our Class I registration, while we pursue the additional clinical trials and consider submission of a Class II device premarket application in the future. If we continue to market our PEER Reports and the FDA determines that we should be subject to further FDA regulation as a Class II medical device, it could seek enforcement action against us based upon its position that our PEER Reports constitute a medical device as a result of which we could be forced to cease our marketing activities and pay fines and penalties, which would have a material adverse impact on us.

 

In addition to the foregoing, federal and state laws and regulations relating to the sale of our neurometic services are subject to future changes, as are administrative interpretations of regulatory agencies. If federal and state laws and regulations change, we may need to incur additional costs to seek government approvals for the sale of our neurometic services.

 

If government and third-party payors fail to provide coverage and adequate payment rates for treatments that are guided by our PEER Reports, our revenue and prospects for profitability will be harmed.

 

Our future revenue growth will depend in part upon the availability of reimbursement from third-party payors for psychiatrists and other physicians who use our PEER Reports to guide the treatment of their patients. Such third-party payors include government health programs such as Medicare and Medicaid, managed care providers, private health insurers and other organizations. These third-party payors are increasingly attempting to contain healthcare costs by demanding price discounts or rebates and limiting both coverage on which procedures they will pay for and the amounts that they will pay for new procedures. As a result, they may not cover or provide adequate payment for treatments that are guided by our PEER Reports, which will discourage psychiatrists and other physicians from utilizing the information services we provide. We may need to conduct studies in addition to those we have already announced to demonstrate the cost-effectiveness of treatments that are guided by our solutions and services to such payors’ satisfaction. Such studies might require us to commit a significant amount of management time and financial and other resources. Adequate third-party reimbursement might not be available to enable us to realize an appropriate return on investment in research and product development and the lack of such reimbursement could have a material adverse effect on our operations and could adversely affect our revenues and earnings.

 

Although state Medicaid programs and commercial insurers are increasingly paying for healthcare services provided via telehealth, including telebehavioral health, reimbursement by the Medicare program remains limited. Medicare reimbursement is an important consideration for any provider of healthcare services in the United States, as Medicare accounted for twenty percent (20%) of all health expenditures in the United States in 2016, and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services expect that figure to rise annually through at least 2025. It is uncertain if and when Medicare might adopt telehealth reimbursement standards that allow for reimbursement of telebehavioral health services generally. If Medicare does not loosen its telehealth reimbursement standards, our telehealth services may not be reimbursable by Medicare and there could be a material adverse effect on our ability to provide services to a significant portion of the American population, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

Billing complexities associated with obtaining payment or reimbursement for our tests may negatively affect our revenue, cash flow and profitability.

 

The Company derives revenue from the PEER Report process, which includes the EEG, the QEEG, and the PEER Report, for which we bill on a fee-for-service basis, including reimbursements by third-party payors, such as Medicare, Medicaid and other governmental payor programs, hospitals, private insurance plans and managed care organizations and direct payments from individual patients. Billing for PEER Report testing services is generally highly complex. We conduct our own internal billing and work closely with third-party providers to ensure accuracy of billing, timely collections, and resolution of appeals and billing discrepancies.

 

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Depending on our billing arrangement with each third-party payor and applicable law, we are often obligated to bill in the specific manner prescribed by the various payors, each of which may have different requirements. Among the potential factors complicating our billing of third-party payors are:

 

disputes among payors regarding which party is responsible for payment;

 

disparity in coverage among various payors;

 

different process, information, technical and billing requirements among payors; and

 

incorrect or missing billing information. 

 

We also face risks in our collection efforts, including potential write-offs of doubtful accounts and long collection cycles for accounts receivable.

 

Additionally, from time to time, payors change processes that may affect timely payment. These changes may result in uneven cash flow or impact the timing of revenue recognized with these payors. With respect to payments received from governmental programs, factors such as a prolonged government shutdown could cause significant regulatory delays or could result in attempts to reduce payments made to us by government healthcare programs. These billing complexities, and the related uncertainty in obtaining payment for PEER Report testing services, could negatively affect our revenue, cash flow and profitability. In addition, increases in write-offs of doubtful accounts, delays in receiving payments or potential retroactive adjustments and penalties resulting from audits by payors could adversely affect our business, results of operations and financial condition.

 

Changes in laws, regulations, payor policies or contracting arrangements with payors may adversely affect coverage or reimbursement for PEER Report services, which may decrease our revenue and adversely affect our results of operations and financial condition.

 

Governmental payors, as well as private insurers, and other private payors have implemented and will continue to implement measures to control the cost, utilization and delivery of healthcare services, including laboratory services. Congress has from time to time considered and implemented changes to laws and regulations governing healthcare service providers, including specialized diagnostic service providers. These changes have adversely affected and may in the future adversely affect coverage for laboratory services, including the PEER Report and PGx testing services we provide. We also believe that healthcare professionals may not use the PEER Report if third-party payors do not provide adequate coverage and reimbursement for them.

 

Reimbursement to healthcare providers, such as specialized analytic service providers, are subject to continuing change in policies by governmental payors, such as Medicare and Medicaid, private insurers, including managed care organizations, and other private payors, such as hospitals and private medical groups.

 

As a Medicare-participating independent diagnostic testing facility based in California, we bill Noridian Healthcare Solutions, or Noridian, the Medicare Administrative Contractor, or MAC, for California, and are subject to Noridian’s local coverage and reimbursement policies. Reductions in coverage could decrease our average Medicare reimbursement rate per sample.

 

The provision of health care services through any kind of clinic, facility, storefront or other location open to the public is often subject to state clinic licensure laws akin to those that health facilities like hospitals, surgery centers and urgent care clinics must obtain and maintain. The Company does not operate or promote any physical place to obtain healthcare and therefore does not believe it is subject to any clinic licensure requirements, but the application of some of these laws to the Company and telehealth is unclear and subject to differing interpretation given the Company's status for Medicare purposes as an independent diagnostic testing facility.

 

In addition, reimbursement from governmental payors is subject to statutory and regulatory changes, retroactive rate adjustments and administrative rulings, and other policy changes, all of which could materially decrease the range of services for which we are reimbursed or the reimbursement rates paid for PEER Report services.

 

Finally, some private insurers and other third-party payors link their rates to Medicare’s reimbursement rates, and a reduction in Medicare reimbursement rates for PEER Report services could result in a corresponding reduction in the reimbursements we receive from such third-party payors. Any reductions in reimbursement levels for the PEER Report would decrease our revenue and adversely affect our results of operations and financial condition.

 

 23

 

 

Operating as a non-contracting provider with certain payors may adversely affect our results of operations and financial condition, and contracting with those payors may be disadvantageous to us.

 

We are currently considered to be an out-of-network or “non-contracting provider” by a number of third-party payors because we have not entered into a specific contract to provide PEER Report services to their insured patients at specified rates of reimbursement. We are generally subject to reimbursement as a non-contracting provider. As a non-contracting provider, many payors pay us a smaller percentage of our charges that they recognize to be reasonable, and expect us to collect greater coinsurance or copayments from patients. Rather than collecting these higher coinsurance and copayment amounts from these patients, when permitted by law to do so, we may, if permissible under applicable law, instead choose to charge them only the lower coinsurance and copayments amounts that would have applied to them if we had been contracted with their payor, which results in decreased revenues. In instances where we may be prohibited by law from treating these patients as if we were in-network, thus requiring these patients to pay higher coinsurance or copayments to us, our customers may decide to reduce or avoid prescribing PEER Report services for such patients, which could adversely affect our results of operations and financial condition.

 

Should any of the third-party payors with whom we are not contracted insist that we enter into a contract for the PEER Report services we provide, the resulting contract may contain pricing and other terms that are materially less favorable to us than the terms under which we currently operate. If revenue from a particular payor grows, there is heightened risk that such a third-party payor will insist that we enter into contractual arrangements that contain such terms. If we refuse to enter into a contract with such a third-party payor, they may refuse to cover and reimburse for PEER Report services, which may lead to a decrease in report volume and a corresponding decrease in our revenues. If we contract with such a third-party payor, although our report volume may increase as a result of the contract, our revenue per report under the contractual agreement and gross margin may decrease. The overall net result of contracting with third-party payors may adversely affect our business, results of operations and financial condition.

 

Regulations relating to the sale of our PEER Reports are constantly changing and in the future, our business may be subject to additional regulations that will increase our compliance costs.

 

Federal, state and foreign laws and regulations relating to the sale of our PEER Reports are subject to future changes, as are administrative interpretations of regulatory agencies. If we fail to comply with applicable federal, state or foreign laws or regulations, we could be subject to enforcement actions, including injunctions that would prevent us from conducting our business, withdrawal of clearances or approvals and civil and criminal penalties. If federal, state, and foreign laws and regulations change, we may need to incur additional costs to seek government approvals, in addition to the clearance from the FDA if we so chose, to sell or market our PEER Online service. There is no guarantee that we will be able to obtain such approvals in a timely manner or at all, and as a result, our business would be significantly harmed.

 

Our business practices may be found to constitute illegal fee-splitting or violate corporate practice restrictions, which may lead to penalties and adversely affect our business.

 

Many states, including California, in which our principal executive offices are located, and where we and our Providers operate, have laws that prohibit a general corporation as opposed to a professional corporation, from practicing medicine and certain other healthcare professions such as psychology, exercising control over medical judgments or decisions of behavioral health professionals, or engaging in certain arrangements, such as employment or fee-splitting, with professionals. We have addressed strong corporate practice state prohibitions through management services agreements with Providers under which the Providers are paid directly by payors for professional services and the Providers pay us under the management services agreements for our non-clinical services. Although we calibrate these management fees to comply with fee-splitting statutes, in many states those fee-splitting statutes are ambiguous and therefore could be used to challenge our arrangements with the Providers. If asserted, such claims could subject us to civil and criminal penalties and substantial legal costs, could result in our contracts being found legally invalid and unenforceable, in whole or in part, or could result in us being required to restructure our contractual arrangements, all with potentially adverse consequences to our business and our stockholders.

 

If we do not maintain and expand our relationships in the psychiatric and physician community, our growth will be limited and our business could be harmed. If psychiatrists and other physicians do not recommend and endorse our solutions and services, we may be unable to increase our sales, and in such instances, our profitability would be harmed.

 

Our relationships with psychiatrists and other physicians are critical to the growth of our neurometic Services business. We believe that these relationships are based on the quality and ease of use of our PEER Reports, our commitment to the behavioral health market, our marketing efforts and our presence at tradeshows. Any actual or perceived diminution in our reputation or the quality of our PEER Reports, or our failure or inability to maintain our commitment to the behavioral health market and our other marketing and solution promotion efforts could damage our current relationships, or prevent us from forming new relationships, with psychiatrists and other physicians and cause our growth to be limited and our business to be harmed.

 

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To sell our PEER Reports, psychiatric professionals must recommend and endorse them. We may not obtain the necessary recommendations or endorsements from this community. Acceptance of our PEER Reports depends on educating psychiatrists and other physicians as to the benefits, clinical efficacy, ease of use, revenue opportunity and cost-effectiveness of our PEER Reports and on training the medical community to properly understand and utilize our PEER Reports. If we are not successful in obtaining the recommendations or endorsements of psychiatrists and other physicians for our PEER Reports, we may be unable to increase our sales and profitability.

 

Negative publicity or unfavorable media coverage of our PEER technology could damage our reputation and harm our operations.

 

If the marketplace perceives our PEER Reports as not offering the benefits which we believe they offer, we may receive significant negative publicity. This publicity may result in litigation and increased regulation and governmental review. If we were to receive such negative publicity or unfavorable media attention, whether warranted or unwarranted, our ability to market our PEER Reports would be adversely affected, we may be required to change our solutions and services and become subject to increased regulatory burdens and we may be required to pay large judgments or fines and incur significant legal expenses. Any combination of these factors could further increase our cost of doing business and adversely affect our financial position, results of operations and cash flows.

 

If we do not successfully generate additional solutions and services from our patented methodology and proprietary database, or if such solutions and services are developed but not successfully commercialized, then we could lose revenue opportunities.

 

The current focus of our predictive medicine business is the sale of PEER Reports to psychiatrists and other physicians based on our PEER Online methodology and proprietary database. If we do not successfully generate additional solutions and services from our patented methodology and proprietary database, or if such solutions and services are developed but not successfully commercialized, then we could lose revenue opportunities.

 

Our industry is highly competitive and our PEER solutions may not be able to compete successfully, which could result in price reductions and decreased demand for our solutions.

 

The healthcare industry, in general, and behavioral health treatment services in particular, are highly competitive. If we are unable to convince physicians, psychiatrists and patients of the efficacy of our solutions and services, individuals seeking treatment for behavioral health disorders may seek alternative treatment methods, including non-medication-based therapies, which could negatively impact our sales of PEER Reports and our profitability.

 

If we conduct clinical trials, we cannot predict whether we will encounter problems that will cause us or regulatory authorities to delay or suspend our clinical trials or delay the analysis of data from our completed or ongoing clinical trials. In addition, we cannot provide assurance that we will be successful in reaching the endpoints in these trials, or if we are, that the FDA or other regulatory agencies will accept the results.

 

Any of the following factors, among others, could delay the completion of clinical trials, or result in a failure of these trials to support our business, which would have an adverse effect on our business:

 

delays or the inability to obtain required approvals from institutional review boards or other governing entities at clinical sites selected for participation in our clinical trials;

 

delays in enrolling patients and volunteers into clinical trials;

 

lower than anticipated retention rates of patients and volunteers in clinical trials;

 

negative results from clinical trials for any of our potential solutions; and

 

failure of our clinical trials to demonstrate the efficacy or clinical utility of our potential solutions. 

 

If we determine that the costs associated with attaining regulatory approval of a solution exceed the potential financial benefits or if the projected development time line is inconsistent with our determination of when we need to get the product to market, we may choose to stop a clinical trial and/or development of a solution.

 

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We may not be able to adequately protect our intellectual property, which is the core of our predictive medicine (PEER) business.

 

We consider the protection of our intellectual property to be important to our business prospects. We currently have twenty issued patents in the United States, Australia, Canada, Europe, Israel, Japan and Mexico and we have also filed multiple additional patent applications in the United States and in multiple foreign jurisdictions.

 

In the future, if we fail to file patent applications in a timely manner, fail to pay applicable maintenance fees on issued patents, or if we elect not to file a patent application because of the costs associated with patent prosecution, we may lose patent protection that we may have otherwise obtained. The loss of any proprietary rights which are obtainable under patent laws may result in the loss of a competitive advantage over present or potential competitors, with a resulting decrease in revenues and profitability for us.

 

With respect to the applications we have filed, there is no guarantee that the applications will result in issued patents, and further, any patents that issue may be too narrow in scope to adequately protect our intellectual property and provide us with a competitive advantage. Competitors and others may design around aspects of our technology, or alternatively, may independently develop similar or more advanced technologies that fall outside the scope of our claimed subject matter, but that can be used in the treatment of behavioral health disorders.

 

In addition, even if we are issued additional patents covering our solutions, we cannot predict with any degree of certainty, whether or not we will be able to enforce our proprietary rights and whether our patents will provide us with adequate protection against competitors. We may be forced to engage in costly and time-consuming litigation or reexamination proceedings to protect our intellectual property rights and our opponents in such proceedings may have and be willing to expend, substantially greater resources than we are able to expend. In addition, the results of such proceedings may result in our patents being invalidated or reduced in scope. These developments could cause a decrease in our operating income and reduce our available cash flow, which could harm our business and cause our stock price to decline.

 

We also utilize processes and technology that constitute trade secrets, such as our PEER Online database, and we must implement appropriate levels of security for those trade secrets to secure the protection of applicable laws, which we may not do effectively. In addition, the laws of many foreign countries do not protect proprietary rights as fully as the laws of the United States.

 

While we have not had any significant issues to date, the loss of any of our trade secrets or proprietary rights, which may be protected under the foregoing intellectual property safeguards may result in the loss of our competitive advantage over present and potential competitors.

 

Certain of our patents will expire in the near future, and we may have difficulties protecting our proprietary rights and technology and we may not be able to ensure their protection.

 

We currently have 20 issued patents, of which seven are in the U.S., one of which covers the process involved in our PEER Online service. Our patents will expire between July 2019 and April 2023 and cover QEEG (quantitative electrophysiology); at which point we can no longer enforce our rights under these patents against third parties to prevent them from developing processes and commercializing solutions similar or identical to ours. Because our efforts to achieve broader market acceptance of our PEER Online service may take a substantial period of time, our patents may expire or provide only a short period of protection, if any, following such broader market acceptance. This could expose us to substantially more competition and have a material adverse impact on our business and our ability to commercialize or license our technology and solutions. Our asset is our PEER Online Database and we will continue to encrypt and protect it.

 

We depend heavily upon secure access to, and secure transfer of, data via the internet in exchanging data with customers. Any security breaches could result in unauthorized access to sensitive patient data, our intellectual property and other confidential business information. We use third-party data centers and any damage to, or failure of, our central analytical database could adversely affect our ability to provide our services. For any of the foregoing or related reasons, customers may curtail or stop using our services and we may incur significant legal and financial exposure and liabilities.

 

We depend heavily on secure access to, and secure transfer of data via the internet in the generation of our PEER Reports and other data exchange with our customers. We rely on services provided by third parties to store, transmit and process data in our central neurometic database. Security breaches could expose us to a risk of losing data and result in litigation and possible liability. Security measures taken by us or by such third party service providers may be breached as a result of third party action, including intentional misconduct by computer hackers, employee error, malfeasance, fraud or otherwise, during transfer or processing of data or at any time and result in someone obtaining unauthorized access to sensitive patient information, our intellectual property, other confidential business information, or our information technology systems. Because the techniques used to obtain unauthorized access, or to sabotage systems, change frequently and generally are not recognized until launched against a target, we or our third-party service providers may be unable to anticipate these techniques or to implement adequate preventative measures. Any security breach could result in a loss of confidence in the security of our service, damage to our reputation, disruption to our business, and could lead to legal liability and severely curtail future revenue.

 

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In addition, any damage to, or failure of, our central neurometic database and the server on which it resides could result in interruptions in our ability to provide PEER Reports. Interruptions in our service may reduce our revenue, cause PEER Network providers to terminate their relationship with us and adversely affect our ability to attract new physicians to the PEER Network. Our business will also be harmed if our customers and potential customers believe our service is unreliable.

 

Because our service is complex and cloud-based we rely on third-party data centers to store the data in our central neurometic database, our data and processes may be corrupted at some future time resulting in erroneous, defective or ineffective reports, which could result in unanticipated downtime in our service for PEER Network providers, resulting in harm to our reputation and our business. We do not control the operation of these facilities. While we take precautions (data redundancy, back-up and disaster recovery plans) to prevent service interruptions, our data centers are vulnerable to damage or interruption from human error, intentional bad acts, pandemics, earthquakes, hurricanes, floods, fires, war, terrorist attacks, power losses, hardware failures, systems failures, communications failures and similar events. The occurrence of a natural disaster or an act of terrorism, vandalism or other misconduct, resulting in a decision to close the facilities without adequate notice or other unanticipated problems could result in lengthy interruptions in the availability of our central neurometic database. Since many physicians rely on our service to assist in treating their patients, any errors, defects, disruptions in service or other performance problems with our service could hurt our reputation and hurt the reputation of the physicians in our PEER Network. If that occurs, physicians could elect to terminate their relationship with us, or delay or withhold payment to us. We could lose future revenues or customers may make warranty or other claims against us, which could result in an increase in our provision for doubtful accounts, an increase in collection cycles for accounts receivable or the expense and risk of litigation and a reduction in revenue.

 

Security breaches, damages or failures of the sort described above would adversely affect our ability to market our PEER Reports. In addition, we may be required to change our products and services and become subject to increased regulatory burdens and we may be required to pay large judgments or fines and incur significant legal expenses.

 

In the future we could be subject to personal injury claims due to adverse events from treatment facilitated through the use of our PEER reports, which could result in substantial liabilities that may exceed our insurance coverage.

 

All significant medical treatments and procedures, including treatment that is facilitated through the use of our PEER Reports, can involve the risk of serious adverse events up to and including death. Our PEER Reports generally require psychiatrists and other physicians to titrate patients off of psychotropic medications before receiving an EEG. The titration process and the removal of medications from patients risk potentially serious health consequences. Although we have no clinical involvement, it is possible that we could be named as defendants in any malpractice claim involving a patient harmed during the titration process or during a period in which the patient ceases the use of medications. Although we have not been the subject of any personal injury claims for patients treated by providers using our PEER Reports, our business entails an inherent risk of claims for personal injuries, which are subject to the attendant risk of substantial damage awards. We cannot control whether individual physicians and psychiatrists will properly select patients, apply the appropriate standard of care, or conform to our procedures in determining how to treat their patients. A significant source of potential liability is negligence or alleged negligence by physicians treating patients with the aid of the PEER Reports that we provide. There can be no assurance that a future claim or claims will not be successful or, including the cost of legal defense, will not exceed the limits of available insurance coverage.

 

We currently have general liability and medical professional liability insurance coverage for up to $3 million per year for personal injury claims. We may not be able to maintain adequate liability insurance, in accordance with standard industry practice, with appropriate coverage based on the nature and risks of our business, at acceptable costs and on favorable terms. Insurance carriers are often reluctant to provide liability insurance for new healthcare services companies and products due to the limited claims history for such companies and products. In addition, based on current insurance markets, we expect that liability insurance will be more difficult to obtain and that premiums will increase over time and as the volume of patients treated by physicians that are guided by our PEER Reports increases. In the event of litigation, regardless of its merit or eventual outcome, or an award against us during a time when we have no available insurance or insufficient insurance, we may sustain significant losses of our operating capital which may substantially reduce stockholder equity in the company.

 

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Risks Related to Our Business-General

 

We conduct business in a heavily regulated industry and if we fail to comply with these laws and government regulations, we could incur penalties or be required to make significant changes to our operations or experience adverse publicity, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.

 

The healthcare industry is heavily regulated and closely scrutinized by federal, state and local governments. Comprehensive statutes and regulations govern the manner in which Providers provide and bill for services and collect reimbursement from governmental programs and private payors, our contractual relationships, our marketing activities and other aspects of our operations. Of particular importance are the following laws and rules:

 

Provider Licensing and Corporate Practice Restrictions. Behavioral health professionals who provide their professional services using telehealth modalities must, in most instances, hold a valid license to practice their health profession in the state in which the patient is located. In addition, certain states require a physician providing telepsychiatry to be physically located in the same state as the patient. Corporate practice restrictions prohibit general business corporations, such as us, from practicing medicine and other health professions subject to corporate practice restrictions, controlling clinical decisions or, in some cases, receiving payment for professional services subject to a corporate practice restriction. State corporate practice laws vary from state to state and are not consistent among states. These requirements are subject to broad powers of interpretation and enforcement by state regulators and may apply to an entity even though it is not located in that state if a Provider is licensed there;

 

Federal and State Anti-Kickback Statutes. The federal Anti-Kickback Statute prohibits the knowing and willful offer, payment, solicitation or receipt of any bribe, kickback, rebate or other remuneration for referring an individual, or in return for ordering, leasing, purchasing or recommending or arranging for the ordering, purchasing or leasing of items or services covered, in whole or in part, by any federal healthcare program, such as Medicare or Medicaid. A person or entity does not need to have actual knowledge of the statute or specific intent to violate it to have committed a violation. In addition, the government may assert that a claim including items or services resulting from a violation of the federal Anti-Kickback Statute constitutes a false or fraudulent claim for purposes of the False Claims Act. State anti-kickback statutes require compliance independent of the federal Anti-Kickback Statute. Some state anti-kickback statutes prohibit the same conduct as the federal Anti-Kickback Statute, but may apply the prohibition broadly to all payor-reimbursed services, not just those that are federally-funded. Very few state anti-kickback statutes have the extensive safe harbors and regulatory guidance of the federal Anti-Kickback Statute, making interpretation of the scope of the statutes more uncertain than the federal Anti-Kickback Statute;

 

Physician Self-Referral Laws. There is a federal physician self-referral prohibition, commonly known as the Stark Law, which prohibits a physician from referring Medicare patients to an entity providing "designated health services" if the physician or a member of such physician's immediate family has a "financial relationship" with the entity, unless an exception applies. We do not believe the Company's operations, including those of Arcadian, implicate the Stark Law, because neither the Company nor Arcadian nor the Providers acting pursuant to the Services Agreements offer or provide any services that would be considered designated health services under the Stark Law. As with the anti-kickback laws, however, physician self-referral prohibitions exist at the state level and which, like the Stark Law, apply civil penalties to violations of their terms. These state physician self-referral laws are often similar to the Stark Law, but may apply to different services than the Stark Law and may have different exceptions. The Company does not believe it is noncompliant with any state physician self-referral laws, but these laws are often vague, subject to amendment and lacking in court precedent or regulatory guidance. It is possible, therefore, that now or in the future the Company could be found to be out of compliance with one or more state physician self-referral laws. Any such noncompliance could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations;

 

Federal and State False Claims Statutes. The federal False Claims Act imposes civil and criminal liability on individuals or entities that knowingly submit false or fraudulent claims for payment to the government or knowingly make, or cause to be made, a false statement to have a false claim paid, including qui tam or whistleblower suits. Some states have laws similar to the False Claims Act. The scope of these laws and the interpretations of them vary from state to state and are enforced by state courts and regulatory authorities, each with broad discretion. Some state fraud and abuse laws apply to items or services reimbursed by any third-party payor, including commercial insurers, not just those reimbursed by a government funded healthcare program;

 

Other Healthcare Anti-Fraud Laws. The criminal healthcare fraud provisions of HIPAA and related rules that prohibit knowingly and willfully executing a scheme or artifice to defraud any healthcare benefit program or falsifying, concealing or covering up a material fact or making any material false, fictitious or fraudulent statement in connection with the delivery of or payment for healthcare benefits, items or services. Similar to the federal Anti-Kickback Statute, a person or entity does not need to have actual knowledge of the statute or specific intent to violate it to have committed a violation;

 

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Beyond HIPAA, additional risks include reassignment of payment rules that prohibit certain types of billing and collection practices in connection with claims payable by Medicare or Medicaid programs; and

 

a provision of the Social Security Act that imposes criminal penalties on healthcare providers who fail to disclose or refund known overpayments.

 

Finally, in the operations of our Company and our Providers, we must comply with additional restrictions, including the following:

 

Reassignment Rules. Payment reassignment rules prohibit certain types of billing and collection practices in connection with claims payable by the Medicare or Medicaid programs;

 

Debt Collection Laws. Laws that regulate debt collection practices may be applied to our debt collection practices;

 

Refund Disclosures. A provision of the Social Security Act imposes criminal penalties on healthcare providers who fail to disclose or refund known overpayments;

 

Billing Requirements. Federal and state laws prohibit providers from billing and receiving payment from Medicare and Medicaid for services unless the services are medically necessary, adequately and accurately documented, and billed using codes that accurately reflect the type and level of services rendered; and

 

Certification and Accreditation Requirements. Federal and state laws and policies that require healthcare providers to maintain licensure, certification or accreditation to enroll and participate in the Medicare and Medicaid programs, to report certain changes in their operations to the agencies that administer these programs.

 

Because of the breadth of these laws and the narrowness of the statutory exceptions and safe harbors available, it is possible that some of our business activities could be subject to challenge under one or more of such laws. Achieving and sustaining compliance with these laws may prove costly. Failure to comply with these laws and other laws can result in civil and criminal penalties such as fines, damages, overpayment recoupment loss of enrollment status and exclusion from the Medicare and Medicaid programs. The risk of our being found in violation of these laws and regulations is increased by the fact that many of them have not been fully interpreted by the regulatory authorities or the courts, and their provisions are sometimes open to a variety of interpretations. Our failure to accurately anticipate the application of these laws and regulations to our business or any other failure to comply with regulatory requirements could create liability for us and negatively affect our business. Any action against us for violation of these laws or regulations, even if we successfully defend against it, could cause us to incur significant legal expenses, divert our management’s attention from the operation of our business and result in adverse publicity.

 

To enforce compliance with the federal laws, the U.S. Department of Justice and the OIG, continue to increase their scrutiny of healthcare providers, which has led to a number of investigations, prosecutions, convictions and settlements in the healthcare industry. Dealing with investigations can be time- and resource-consuming and can divert management’s attention from the business. Any such investigation or settlement could increase our costs or otherwise have an adverse effect on our business. In addition, because of the potential for large monetary exposure under the federal False Claims Act, which provides for treble damages and mandatory minimum penalties of $5,500 to $11,000 per false claim or statement, healthcare providers often resolve allegations without admissions of liability for significant and material amounts to avoid the uncertainty of treble damages that may be awarded in litigation proceedings. Such settlements often contain additional compliance and reporting requirements as part of a consent decree, settlement agreement or corporate integrity agreement. Given the significant size of actual and potential settlements, it is expected that the government will continue to devote substantial resources to investigating healthcare providers’ compliance with the healthcare reimbursement rules and fraud and abuse laws.

 

The laws, regulations and standards governing the provision of healthcare services may change significantly in the future. We cannot assure you that any new or changed healthcare laws, regulations or standards will not materially adversely affect our business. We cannot assure you that a review of our business by judicial, law enforcement, regulatory or accreditation authorities will not result in a determination that could adversely affect our operations.

 

In addition, the FDA regulates development, testing, labeling, manufacturing, marketing, promotion, distribution, record-keeping and reporting requirements for prescription drugs. Compliance with laws and regulations enforced by the FDA and other regulatory agencies may be required in relation to future products or services developed or used by us, in addition to the regulatory process and dialogue in which we are now engaged with the FDA (for more information, please see the risk factor entitled “The FDA believes that rEEG and, potentially, our PEER Online service, constitute a medical device, which is subject to regulation by the FDA. As we continue to market our PEER Online service, there is risk that the FDA will commence an enforcement action against us. The FDA has informed us that our marketing of our rEEG services without prior approval or re-classification by the FDA constitutes a violation of the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act”). Failure to comply with applicable laws and regulations may result in various adverse consequences, including withdrawal of our products and services from the market, or the imposition of civil or criminal sanctions.

 

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The impact of healthcare reform legislation and other changes in the healthcare industry and in healthcare spending on us is currently unknown, but may adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

Our revenue is dependent on the healthcare industry and could be affected by changes in healthcare spending and policy. The healthcare industry is subject to changing political, regulatory and other influences. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act or PPACA made major changes in how healthcare is delivered and reimbursed, and increased access to health insurance benefits to the uninsured and underinsured population of the United States.

 

The PPACA, among other things, increased the number of individuals with Medicaid and private insurance coverage, implemented reimbursement policies that tie payment to quality, facilitated the creation of accountable care organizations that may use capitation and other alternative payment methodologies, strengthened enforcement of fraud and abuse laws and encouraged the use of information technology. The future of the PPACA is uncertain and the PPACA remains in a state of near-constant change. Several of these changes require implementing regulations which have not yet been drafted or have been released only as proposed rules.

 

Such changes in the regulatory environment may also result in changes to our payor mix that may affect our operations and revenue.

 

In addition, certain provisions of the PPACA authorize voluntary demonstration projects, which include the development of bundling payments for acute, inpatient hospital services, physician services and post-acute services for episodes of hospital care. Further, the PPACA may adversely affect payors by increasing medical costs generally, which could have an effect on the industry and potentially impact our business and revenue as payors seek to offset these increases by reducing costs in other areas. The full impact of these changes on us cannot be determined at this time.

 

We expect that additional state and federal healthcare reform measures will be adopted in the future, any of which could limit the amounts that federal and state governments and other third-party payors will pay for healthcare products and services, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

There may be adverse consequences if the independent contractor status of Arcadian’s providers is successfully characterized as employee status.

 

We have independent contractor relationships with our providers rather than employee relationships. An independent contractor is generally distinguished from an employee by his or her degree of autonomy and independence in providing services. Our providers must be afforded independence over their actions and judgment while providing medical services. If a federal or state authority or court enacts legislation or adopts regulations or adopts an interpretation that changes the manner in which employees and independent contractors are classified or makes any adverse determination with respect to some or all of our independent contractors, we could incur significant costs in complying with such laws, regulations or interpretations, including, in respect of tax withholding, social security payments and recordkeeping, or we could be held liable for the actions of such independent contractors. As a result, we could be required to modify our business model. All of the above, individually or in the aggregate could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. In addition, there is the risk that we may be subject to significant monetary liabilities arising from fines or judgments as a result of any such actual or alleged non-compliance with federal, state or local tax or employment laws.

 

The emergence of new technologies may require us to expend significant resources in order to remain competitive.

 

The U.S. healthcare industry is massive, has a number of large market participants with conflicting agendas, is subject to significant government regulation and is currently undergoing significant change. Changes in our industry, for example, away from high-deductible health plans, or the emergence of new technologies as more competitors enter our market, could result in our solution being less desirable or relevant.

 

If healthcare benefits trends shift or entirely new technologies are developed that replace existing solutions, our existing or future solutions could be rendered obsolete and our business could be adversely affected. In addition, we may experience difficulties with software development, industry standards, design or marketing that could delay or prevent our development, introduction or implementation of new applications and enhancements.

 

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Any future litigation against us could be costly and time-consuming to defend.

 

We may become subject, from time to time, to legal proceedings and claims that arise in the ordinary course of business such as claims in connection with commercial disputes or employment claims made by our current or former associates. Litigation may result in substantial costs and may divert management’s attention and resources, which may substantially harm our business, financial condition and results of operations. Insurance may not cover such claims, may not provide sufficient payments to cover all of the costs to resolve one or more such claims and may not continue to be available on terms acceptable to us. A claim brought against us that is uninsured or underinsured could result in unanticipated costs, thereby reducing our revenue and leading analysts or potential investors to reduce their expectations of our performance, which could reduce the market price of our stock.

 

We may be subject to regulatory and investigative proceedings, which may find that our policies and procedures do not fully comply with complex and changing healthcare regulations.

 

While we have established policies and procedures that we believe will be sufficient to ensure that we operate in substantial compliance with applicable laws, regulations and requirements, the criteria are often vague and subject to change and interpretation. We may become the subject of regulatory or other investigations or proceedings, and our interpretations of applicable laws and regulations may be challenged. The defense of any such challenge could result in substantial cost and a diversion of management’s time and attention. Thus, any such challenge could have a material adverse effect on our business, regardless of whether it ultimately is successful. If we fail to comply with any applicable laws, or a determination is made that we have failed to comply with these laws, our financial condition and results of operations could be adversely affected.

 

Failure to comply with the Federal Trade Commission Act or similar state laws could result in sanctions or limit the claims we can make.

 

Our promotional activities and materials, including advertising to consumers and physicians, and materials provided to third parties for their use in promoting our products and services, are regulated by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) under the FTC Act, which prohibits unfair and deceptive acts and practices, including claims which are false, misleading or inadequately substantiated. The FTC typically requires competent and reliable scientific tests or studies to substantiate express or implied claims that a product or service is effective. If the FTC were to interpret our promotional materials as making express or implied claims that our products and services are effective for the treatment of mental illness, it may find that we do not have adequate substantiation for such claims. Failure to comply with the FTC Act or similar laws enforced by state attorneys general and other state and local officials could result in administrative or judicial orders limiting or eliminating the claims we can make about our products and services, and other sanctions including fines.

 

Our use and disclosure of personally identifiable information, including health information, is subject to federal and state privacy and security regulations, and our failure to comply with those regulations or to adequately secure the information we hold could result in significant liability or reputational harm and, in turn, a material adverse effect on our client base, membership base and revenue.

 

Numerous state and federal laws and regulations govern the collection, dissemination, use, privacy, confidentiality, security, availability and integrity of personally identifiable information, including protected health information. These laws and regulations include HIPAA . HIPAA establishes a set of basic national privacy and security standards for the protection of protected health information, or PHI, by health plans, healthcare clearinghouses and certain healthcare providers, referred to as covered entities, and the business associates with whom such covered entities contract for services, which includes us.

 

HIPAA requires healthcare providers like us to develop and maintain policies and procedures with respect to PHI that is used or disclosed, including the adoption of administrative, physical and technical safeguards to protect such information. HIPAA also implemented the use of standard transaction code sets and standard identifiers that covered entities must use when submitting or receiving certain electronic healthcare transactions, including activities associated with the billing and collection of healthcare claims.

 

HIPAA imposes mandatory penalties for certain violations. Penalties for violations of HIPAA and its implementing regulations start at $100 per violation and are not to exceed $50,000 per violation, subject to a cap of $1.5 million for violations of the same standard in a single calendar year. However, a single breach incident can result in violations of multiple standards. HIPAA also authorizes state attorneys general to file suit on behalf of their residents. Courts will be able to award damages, costs and attorneys’ fees related to violations of HIPAA in such cases. While HIPAA does not create a private right of action allowing individuals to sue us in civil court for violations of HIPAA, its standards have been used as the basis for duty of care in state civil suits such as those for negligence or recklessness in the misuse or breach of PHI.

 

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In addition, HIPAA mandates that the Secretary of Health and Human Services, or HHS conduct periodic compliance audits of HIPAA covered entities or business associates for compliance with the HIPAA Privacy and Security Standards. It also tasks HHS with establishing a methodology whereby harmed individuals who were the victims of breaches of unsecured PHI may receive a percentage of the Civil Monetary Penalty fine paid by the violator.

 

HIPAA further requires that patients be notified of any unauthorized acquisition, access, use or disclosure of their unsecured PHI that compromises the privacy or security of such information, with certain exceptions related to unintentional or inadvertent use or disclosure by employees or authorized individuals. HIPAA specifies that such notifications must be made “without unreasonable delay and in no case later than 60 calendar days after discovery of the breach.” If a breach affects 500 patients or more, it must be reported to HHS without unreasonable delay, and HHS will post the name of the breaching entity on its public web site. Breaches affecting 500 patients or more in the same state or jurisdiction must also be reported to the local media. If a breach involves fewer than 500 people, the covered entity must record it in a log and notify HHS at least annually.

 

Numerous other federal and state laws protect the confidentiality, privacy, availability, integrity and security of personally identifiable information, or PII, including PHI. These laws in many cases are more restrictive than, and may not be preempted by, the HIPAA rules and may be subject to varying interpretations by courts and government agencies, creating complex compliance issues for us and our clients and potentially exposing us to additional expense, adverse publicity and liability.

 

New health information standards, whether implemented pursuant to HIPAA, congressional action or otherwise, could have a significant effect on the manner in which we must handle healthcare related data, and the cost of complying with standards could be significant. If we do not comply with existing or new laws and regulations related to PHI, we could be subject to criminal or civil sanctions.

 

Because of the extreme sensitivity of the PII we store and transmit, the security features of our technology platform are very important. If our security measures, some of which are managed by third parties, are breached or fail, unauthorized persons may be able to obtain access to sensitive client and patient data, including HIPAA PHI. As a result, our reputation could be severely damaged, adversely affecting client and patient confidence. Patients may curtail their use of or stop using our services or our client base could decrease, which would cause our business to suffer. In addition, we could face litigation, damages for contract breach, penalties and regulatory actions for violation of HIPAA and other applicable laws or regulations and significant costs for remediation, notification to individuals and for measures to prevent future occurrences. Any potential security breach could also result in increased costs associated with liability for stolen assets or information, repairing system damage that may have been caused by such breaches, incentives offered to clients or other business partners in an effort to maintain our business relationships after a breach and implementing measures to prevent future occurrences, including organizational changes, deploying additional personnel and protection technologies, training employees and engaging third-party experts and consultants. While we maintain insurance covering certain security and privacy damages and claim expenses in the amount of $100,000 per claim, we may not carry insurance or maintain coverage sufficient to compensate for all liability and in any event, insurance coverage would not address the reputational damage that could result from a security incident.

 

We outsource important aspects of the storage and transmission of client and patient information, and thus rely on third parties to manage functions that have material cyber-security risks. We attempt to address these risks in part by requiring outsourcing subcontractors who handle client and patient information to sign business associate agreements contractually requiring those subcontractors to adequately safeguard personal health data to the same extent that applies to us. However, we cannot assure you that these contractual measures and other safeguards will adequately protect us from the risks associated with the storage and transmission of client and patients’ proprietary and protected health information.

 

We also publish statements to patients that describe how we handle and protect personal information. If federal or state regulatory authorities or private litigants consider any portion of these statements to be untrue, we may be subject to claims of deceptive practices, which could lead to significant liabilities and consequences, including, without limitation, costs of responding to investigations, defending against litigation, settling claims and complying with regulatory or court orders.

 

We also send short message service, or SMS text messages to potential end users who are eligible to use our service through certain customers and partners. While we obtain consent from or on behalf of these individuals to send text messages, federal or state regulatory authorities or private litigants may claim that the notices and disclosures we provide, form of consents we obtain or our SMS texting practices, are not adequate. These SMS texting campaigns are potential sources of risk for class action lawsuits and liability for our company. Numerous class-action suits under federal and state laws have been filed in the past year against companies who conduct SMS texting programs, with many resulting in multi-million dollar settlements to the plaintiffs. Any future such litigation against us could be costly and time-consuming to defend.

 

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We may be subject to healthcare anti-fraud initiatives, which may lead to penalties and adversely affect our business.

 

State and federal governments are devoting increased attention and resources to anti-fraud initiatives against healthcare providers, taking an expansive definition of fraud that includes receiving fees in connection with a healthcare business that is found to violate any of the complex regulations described above. Although to our knowledge we have not been the subject of any anti-fraud investigations, if such a claim were made defending our business practices could be time consuming and expensive, and an adverse finding could result in substantial penalties or require us to restructure our operations, which we may not be able to do successfully.

 

Our operating results may fluctuate significantly and our stock price could decline or fluctuate if our results do not meet the expectation of analysts or investors.

 

Management expects that we will experience substantial variations in our operating results from quarter to quarter. We believe that the factors which influence this variability of quarterly results include, without limitation:

 

the use of and demand for telebehavioral health services and our PEER Reports, and other solutions and/or services that we may offer in the future that are based on our patented methodology;

 

inconclusive or negative result from our clinical trials;

 

our inability to enroll patients into our clinical trials;

 

the effectiveness of new marketing and sales programs;

 

turnover among our employees;

 

changes in management;

 

the introduction of solutions or services that are viewed in the marketplace as substitutes for the services we provide;

 

communications published by industry organizations or other professional entities in the psychiatric and physician community that are unfavorable to our business;

 

the introduction of regulations which impose additional costs on or impede our business; and

 

the timing and amount of our expenses, particularly expenses associated with the marketing and promotion of our services, the training of physicians and psychiatrists in the use of our PEER Reports and research and development.

 

As a result of fluctuations in our revenue and operating expenses that may occur, management believes that period-to-period comparisons of our results of operations are not a good indication of our future performance. It is possible that in some future quarter or quarters, our operating results will be below the expectations of securities analysts or investors. In that case, our common stock price could fluctuate significantly or decline.

 

Our ability to use our net operating losses to offset future taxable income may be subject to certain limitations.

 

In general, under Section 382 of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, or the Code, a corporation that undergoes an “ownership change” is subject to limitations on its ability to utilize its pre-change net operating losses, or NOLs, to offset future taxable income. A Section 382 “ownership change” generally occurs if one or more stockholders or groups of stockholders who own at least 5% of our stock increase their ownership by more than 50 percentage points over their lowest ownership percentage within a rolling three-year period. Similar rules may apply under state tax laws. As of September 30, 2018, the Company had Federal net operating loss carryforwards of approximately $60.2 million and State net operating loss carryforwards of approximately $33.8 million. The Company has not undertaken a comprehensive analysis to determine whether or not a change of control has occurred. Both the Federal and State net operating loss carryforwards will begin to expire in 2022 and 2023 respectively. Our ability to utilize net operating loss carryforwards may be limited due to changes in ownership, as defined in the Internal Revenue Code.

 

In addition, future changes in our stock ownership, some of which are outside of our control, could result in an ownership change under Section 382 of the Code, further limiting our ability to utilize NOLs arising prior to such ownership change in the future. There is also a risk that due to regulatory changes, such as suspensions on the use of NOLs, or other unforeseen reasons, our existing NOLs could expire or otherwise be unavailable to offset future income tax liabilities. We have recorded a full valuation allowance against the deferred tax assets attributable to our NOLs.

 

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We may fail to successfully manage and maintain the growth of our business, which could adversely affect our results of operations.

 

As we continue expanding our commercial operations, this expansion could place significant strain on our management, operational and financial resources. To manage future growth, we will need to continue to hire, train, and manage additional employees, particularly a specially-trained sales force to market our PEER Reports.

 

Confidentiality agreements with employees, licensees and others may not adequately prevent disclosure of trade secrets and other proprietary information.

 

In order to protect our proprietary technology and processes, we rely in part on confidentiality provisions in our agreements with employees, licensees, treating physicians, psychiatrists and behavioral health professionals. These agreements may not effectively prevent disclosure of confidential information and may not provide an adequate remedy in the event of unauthorized disclosure of confidential information. Moreover, policing compliance with our confidentiality agreements and nondisclosure agreements and detecting unauthorized use of our technology is difficult and we may, therefore, be unable to determine whether piracy of our technology has actually occurred. In addition, others may independently discover our trade secrets and proprietary information. Costly and time-consuming litigation could be necessary to enforce and determine the scope of our proprietary rights and failure to obtain or maintain trade secret protection could adversely affect our competitive business position.

 

The liability of our directors and officers is limited.

 

The applicable provisions of the Delaware General Corporation Law and our Certificate of Incorporation and By-laws limit the liability of our directors to us and our stockholders for monetary damages for breaches of their fiduciary duties, with certain exceptions, and for other specified acts or omissions of such persons. In addition, the applicable provisions of the Delaware General Corporation Law and of our Certificate of Incorporation and Bylaws, as well as indemnification agreements we have entered into with our directors, and officers, provide for indemnification of such persons under certain circumstances. In the event we are required to indemnify any of our directors or any other person, our financial strength may be harmed, which may in turn lower our stock price.

 

If we do not retain our senior management and other key employees, we may not be able to successfully implement our business strategy.

 

Our future success depends on the ability, experience and performance of our senior management and our key professional personnel. Our success therefore depends to a significant extent on retaining the services of George Carpenter, our Chief Executive Officer, our senior product development and clinical managers and others. Because of their ability and experience, if we lose one or more of the members of our senior management or other key employees, our ability to successfully implement our business strategy could be seriously harmed. While we believe our relationships with our executives are good and do not anticipate any of them leaving in the near future, the loss of the services of any of our senior management could have a material adverse effect on our ability to manage our business. We do not carry key-man life insurance on any of our key employees.

 

If we do not attract and retain skilled personnel, we may not be able to expand our business.

 

Our solutions and services are based on a complex database of information. Accordingly, we require skilled medical, scientific and administrative personnel to sell and support our solutions and services. Our future success will depend largely on our ability to continue to hire, train, retain and motivate additional skilled personnel, particularly sales representatives who are responsible for customer education and training and customer support. If we are not able to attract and retain skilled personnel, we will not be able to continue our development and commercialization activities.

 

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Our senior management’s limited recent experience managing a publicly traded company may divert management’s attention from operations and harm our business.

 

Our management team has relatively limited experience managing a publicly traded company and complying with federal securities laws, including compliance with recently adopted disclosure requirements on a timely basis. Our management will be required to design and implement appropriate programs and policies in responding to increased legal, regulatory compliance and reporting requirements, and any failure to do so could lead to the imposition of fines and penalties and harm our business.

 

The estimates of market opportunity and forecasts of market growth included in this Form 10-K may prove to be inaccurate, and even if the market in which we compete achieves the forecasted growth, our business could fail to grow at similar rates, if at all.

 

Market opportunity estimates and growth forecasts are subject to significant uncertainty and are based on assumptions and estimates that may not prove to be accurate. The estimates and forecasts in this Form 10-K relating to the size and expected growth of the telehealth and predictive medicine markets may prove to be inaccurate. Even if the markets in which we compete meet our size estimates and forecasted growth, our business could fail to grow at similar rates, if at all.

 

Risks Related To An Investment In Our Common Stock

 

Although our shares of common stock are now listed on the NASDAQ Capital Market, we currently have a limited trading volume, which results in higher price volatility for, and reduced liquidity of, our common stock.

 

Although our shares of common stock are now listed on the NASDAQ Capital Market under the symbol “MYND,” trading volume in our common stock has been limited and an active trading market for our shares of common stock may never develop or be maintained. Our average trading volume of the last ninety days has been 262,270 shares. The absence of an active trading market increases price volatility and reduces the liquidity of our common stock. As long as this condition continues, the sale of a significant number of shares of common stock at any particular time could be difficult to achieve at the market prices prevailing immediately before such shares are offered.

 

If we cannot continue to satisfy NASDAQ’s continuing listing criteria, NASDAQ may subsequently delist our Common Stock, particularity given recent notice that our stockholder equity is below the required level” is hereby amended as follows:

 

NASDAQ requires us to meet certain financial, public float, bid price and liquidity standards on an ongoing basis in order to continue the listing of our Common Stock. Generally, we must maintain a minimum amount of stockholders equity (generally $2.5 million) and a minimum number of holders of our securities (generally 300 round lot holders). If we fail to meet any of the continuing listing requirements, our Common Stock may be subject to delisting. If our Common Stock is delisted and we are not able to list our Common Stock on another national securities exchange, we expect our securities would be quoted on an over-the-counter market. If this were to occur, our stockholders could face significant material adverse consequences, including limited availability of market quotations for our Common Stock and reduced liquidity for the trading of our securities. In addition, we could experience a decreased ability to issue additional securities and obtain additional financing in the future. There can be no assurance that an active trading market for our Common Stock will develop or be sustained. We may choose to raise additional capital in order to increase our stockholders’ equity in order to meet the NASDAQ continued listing standards. Any additional equity financings may be financially dilutive to, and will be dilutive from an ownership perspective to our stockholders, and such dilution may be significant based upon the size of such financing. Additionally, we cannot assure that such funding will be available on a timely basis, in needed quantities, or on terms favorable to us, if at all.

 

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On February 23, 2018, the Company received a letter from The Nasdaq Stock Market (“Nasdaq”) indicating that the Company was not compliant with the minimum stockholders’ equity requirement under Nasdaq Listing Rule 5550(b)(1) for continued listing on The Nasdaq Capital Market because the Company’s stockholders’ equity, as reported in the Company’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the period ended December 31, 2017, was below the required minimum of $2.5 million. Further, as of February 22, 2018, the Company did not meet the alternative compliance standards relating to the market value of listed securities or net income from continuing operations. This notice of noncompliance has had no immediate impact on the continued listing or trading of the Company’s common stock on The Nasdaq Capital Market. The Company did increase the stockholders' equity in response to the above.

 

On May 9, 2018, the Company received a letter from Nasdaq granting the Company an extension through August 22, 2018 to regain compliance with Listing Rule 5550(b). As of June 30, 2018, the Company had stockholders' equity in excess of $2.5 million and believes that it continues to be in compliance through the current date. The Company achieved compliance through a variety of factors, including through improved revenue, certain cost cutting measures and, primarily, through the sale of securities under the First Purchase Agreement and Second Purchase Agreement. The Company regained compliance at June 30, 2018 and remains compliant through its fiscal year ended September 30, 2018.

 

If and when a larger trading market for our common stock develops, the market price of our common stock is likely to be highly volatile and subject to wide fluctuations, and you may be unable to resell your shares at or above the price at which you acquired them.

 

The market price of our common stock is likely to be highly volatile and could be subject to wide fluctuations in response to a number of factors that are beyond our control, including, but not limited to:

 

quarterly variations in our revenues and operating expenses;

 

developments in the financial markets and worldwide or regional economies;

 

announcements of innovations or new products, solutions or services by us or our competitors;

 

announcements by the government relating to regulations that govern our industry;

 

significant sales of our common stock or other securities in the open market;

 

variations in interest rates;

 

changes in the market valuations of other comparable companies; and

 

changes in accounting principles.

 

In the past, stockholders have often instituted securities class action litigation after periods of volatility in the market price of a company’s securities. If a stockholder were to file any such class action suit against us, we would incur substantial legal fees and our management’s attention and resources would be diverted from operating our business to respond to the litigation, which could harm our business.

 

Recent and future sales of securities by us in equity or debt financings could result in substantial dilution to our existing stockholders and have a material adverse effect on our earnings.

 

Recent and future sales of common stock or derivative securities by us in private placements or public offerings could result in substantial dilution to our existing stockholders. In addition, our business strategy may include expansion through internal growth, by acquiring complementary businesses, by acquiring or licensing additional solutions and services, or by establishing strategic relationships with targeted customers and suppliers. In order to do so, or to finance the cost of our other activities, we may issue additional equity securities that could dilute our stockholders’ stock ownership. We may also assume additional debt and incur impairment losses related to goodwill and other tangible assets if we acquire another company and this could negatively impact our earnings and results of operations.

 

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The sale of our common stock to Aspire Capital may cause substantial dilution to our existing stockholders and the sale of the shares of common stock acquired by Aspire Capital could cause the price of our common stock to decline.

 

Pursuant to the terms of the First Purchase Agreement and Second Purchase Agreement, we have registered for sale the Commitment Shares that we have issued and additional shares that we have already, or may in the future, sell to Aspire Capital under the First Purchase Agreement and Second Purchase Agreement. It is anticipated that the shares thereby registered will be sold over a period of up to approximately thirty months from the date of the related prospectus. The number of shares ultimately offered for sale by Aspire Capital under such prospectus will be dependent upon the number of shares we elect to sell to Aspire Capital under the First Purchase Agreement and Second Purchase Agreement. Depending on a variety of factors, including market liquidity of our common stock, the sale of shares under the Purchase Agreement may cause the trading price of our common stock to decline.

 

As of September 30, 2018, the Company has issued purchase notices to Aspire Capital under the First Purchase Agreement to purchase an aggregate of 1,180,000 shares of common stock, at a per share price of $2.00, resulting in gross cash proceeds of approximately $2.4 million. As of September 30, 2018, the Company has issued purchase notices to Aspire Capital under the Second Purchase Agreement to purchase an aggregate of 884,671 shares of common stock, resulting in gross cash proceeds of approximately $1.9 million. On November 26, 2018, the Company received shareholder approval to remove the exchange cap under the Second Purchase Agreement in compliance with the applicable listing rules of the Nasdaq Stock Market. Pursuant to Nasdaq Listing Rule 5635(d), shareholder approval is required prior to the issuance of securities in connection with a transaction other than a public offering involving the sale, issuance or potential issuance by the Company of common stock (or securities convertible into or exercisable common stock) equal to 20% or more of the common stock outstanding before the issuance for less than the greater of book or market value of the stock. Following receipt of shareholder approval, the Company may issue an additional $8.1 million, up to an aggregate of $10 million, of common stock to Aspire Capital under the Second Purchase Agreement. The issuance of shares of common stock that were issued from time to time to Aspire Capital under the First and Second Purchase Agreement were exempt from registration under the Securities Act, pursuant to the exemption for transactions by an issuer not involving any public offering under Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act.

 

Sales by Aspire Capital of shares acquired pursuant to the First Purchase Agreement and Second Purchase Agreement under an effective registration statement, may result in dilution to the interests of other holders of our common stock. The sale of a substantial number of shares of our common stock by Aspire Capital, or anticipation of such sales, could cause the trading price of our common stock to decline or make it more difficult for us to sell equity or equity-related securities in the future at a time and at a price that we might otherwise desire. However, we have the right under the First Purchase Agreement and Second Purchase Agreement to control the timing and amount of sales of our shares to Aspire Capital.

 

Were our common stock to be considered penny stock, and therefore subject to the penny stock rules, U.S. broker-dealers may be discouraged from effecting transactions in shares of our common stock.

 

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) has adopted a number of rules to regulate “penny stock” that may restrict transactions involving shares of our common stock. Such rules include Rules 3a51-1, 15g-1, 15g-2, 15g-3, 15g-4, 15g-5, 15g-6, 15g-7, and 15g-9 under the Securities and Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. These rules may have the effect of reducing the liquidity of penny stocks. “Penny stocks” generally are equity securities with a price of less than $5.00 per share (other than securities registered on certain national securities exchanges or quoted on the NASDAQ Stock Market if current price and volume information with respect to transactions in such securities is provided by the exchange or system). Our securities have in the past constituted “penny stock” within the meaning of the rule. Were our common stock to again be considered “penny stock” and therefore become subject to the penny stock rules, the additional sales practice and disclosure requirements imposed upon U.S. broker-dealers may discourage such broker-dealers from effecting transactions in shares of our common stock, which could severely limit the market liquidity of such shares and impede their sale in the secondary market.

 

A U.S. broker-dealer selling a penny stock to anyone other than an established customer or “accredited investor” (generally, an individual with net worth in excess of $1,000,000 or an annual income exceeding $200,000, or $300,000 together with his or her spouse) must make a special suitability determination for the purchaser and must receive the purchaser’s written consent to the transaction prior to sale, unless the broker-dealer or the transaction is otherwise exempt. In addition, the penny stock regulations require the U.S. broker-dealer to deliver, prior to any transaction involving a penny stock, a disclosure schedule prepared in accordance with SEC standards relating to the penny stock market, unless the broker-dealer or the transaction is otherwise exempt. A U.S. broker-dealer is also required to disclose commissions payable to the U.S. broker-dealer and the registered representative and current quotations for the securities. Finally, a U.S. broker-dealer is required to submit monthly statements disclosing recent price information with respect to the penny stock held in a customer’s account and information with respect to the limited market in penny stocks.

 

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Stockholders should be aware that, according to SEC, the market for penny stocks has suffered in recent years from patterns of fraud and abuse. Such patterns include (i) control of the market for the security by one or a few broker-dealers that are often related to the promoter or issuer; (ii) manipulation of prices through prearranged matching of purchases and sales and false and misleading press releases; (iii) “boiler room” practices involving high-pressure sales tactics and unrealistic price projections by inexperienced sales persons; (iv) excessive and undisclosed bid-ask differentials and markups by selling broker-dealers; and (v) the wholesale dumping of the same securities by promoters and broker-dealers after prices have been manipulated to a desired level, resulting in investor losses. Our management is aware of the abuses that have occurred historically in the penny stock market. Although we do not expect to be in a position to dictate the behavior of the market or of broker-dealers who participate in the market, management will strive within the confines of practical limitations to prevent the described patterns from being established with respect to our securities in the event our common stock were to again be considered a penny stock and therefore become subject to penny stock rules.

 

Other than a dividend of warrants each exercisable for one share of common stock that was distributed on July 27, 2017, we have not paid dividends in the past and do not expect to pay dividends for the foreseeable future, and any return on investment may be limited to potential future appreciation on the value of our common stock.

 

We currently intend to retain any future earnings to support the development and expansion of our business and do not anticipate paying cash dividends in the foreseeable future. Our payment of any future dividends will be at the discretion of our board of directors after taking into account various factors, including without limitation, our financial condition, operating results, cash needs, growth plans and the terms of any credit agreements that we may be a party to at the time. To the extent we do not pay dividends, our stock may be less valuable because a return on investment will only occur if and to the extent our stock price appreciates, which may never occur. In addition, investors must rely on sales of their common stock after price appreciation as the only way to realize their investment, and if the price of our stock does not appreciate, then there will be no return on investment. Investors seeking cash dividends should not purchase our common stock.

 

The rights of the holders of common stock may be impaired by the potential issuance of preferred stock.

 

Our certificate of incorporation gives our board of directors the right to create new series of preferred stock. As a result, the board of directors may, without stockholder approval, issue preferred stock with voting, dividend, conversion, liquidation or other rights which could adversely affect the voting power and equity interest of the holders of common stock. Preferred stock, which could be issued with the right to more than one vote per share, could be utilized as a method of discouraging, delaying or preventing a change of control. The possible impact on takeover attempts could adversely affect the price of our common stock. Although we have no present intention to issue any additional shares of preferred stock or to create any new series of preferred stock, we may issue such shares in the future.

 

Our officers, directors and principal stockholders can exert significant influence over us and may make decisions that are not in the best interests of all stockholders.

 

Our officers, directors and principal stockholders (greater than 5% stockholders) collectively control approximately 30.14% of our issued and outstanding common stock and 46.47% on a fully diluted basis (after giving effect to the full conversion of the Preferred Series A shares). As a result, these stockholders are able to affect the outcome of, or exert significant influence over, all matters requiring stockholder approval, including the election and removal of directors and any change in control. This concentration of ownership of our common stock could have the effect of delaying or preventing a change of control of us or otherwise discouraging or preventing a potential acquirer from attempting to obtain control of us. This, in turn, could have a negative effect on the market price of our common stock. It could also prevent our stockholders from realizing a premium over the market prices for their shares of common stock. Moreover, the interests of this concentration of ownership may not always coincide with our interests or the interests of other stockholders, and accordingly, they could cause us to enter into transactions or agreements that we would not otherwise consider.

 

Transactions involving our common stock engaged in by our largest stockholders, directors or executive officers may have an adverse effect on the price of our stock.

 

Our officers, directors and principal stockholders (greater than 5% stockholders) collectively control approximately 30.14% of our issued and outstanding common stock and 46.47% on a fully diluted basis (after giving effect to the full conversion of the Preferred Series A shares). Subsequent sales of our shares by these stockholders could have the effect of lowering our stock price. The perceived risk associated with the possible sale of a large number of shares by these stockholders, or the adoption of significant short positions by hedge funds or other significant investors, could cause some of our stockholders to sell their stock, thus causing the price of our stock to decline. In addition, actual or anticipated downward pressure on our stock price due to actual or anticipated sales of stock by our directors or officers could cause other institutions or individuals to engage in short sales of our common stock, which may further cause the price of our stock to decline.

 

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From time to time our directors and executive officers may sell shares of our common stock on the open market. These sales will be publicly disclosed in filings made with the SEC. In the future, our directors and executive officers may sell a significant number of shares for a variety of reasons unrelated to the performance of our business. Our stockholders may perceive these sales as a reflection on management’s view of the business and result in some stockholders selling their shares of our common stock. These sales could cause the price of our stock to drop.

 

Anti-takeover provisions may limit the ability of another party to acquire us, which could cause our stock price to decline.

 

Delaware law contains provisions that could discourage, delay or prevent a third party from acquiring us, even if doing so may be beneficial to our stockholders, which could cause our stock price to decline. In addition, these provisions could limit the price investors would be willing to pay in the future for shares of our common stock.

 

Non-U.S. investors may have difficulty effecting service of process against us or enforcing judgments against us in courts of non-U.S. jurisdictions.

 

We are a company incorporated under the laws of the State of Delaware. All of our directors and officers reside in the United States. It may not be possible for non-U.S. investors to effect service of process within their own jurisdictions upon our company and our directors and officers. In addition, it may not be possible for non-U.S. investors to collect from our company, its directors and officers, judgments obtained in courts in such non-U.S. jurisdictions predicated on non-U.S. legislation.

 

If securities or industry analysts do not publish or cease publishing research or reports about us, our business or our market, or if they change their recommendations regarding our stock adversely, our stock price and trading volume could decline.

 

The trading market for our common stock will be influenced by the research and reports that industry or securities analysts may publish about us, our business, our market or our competitors. If any of the analysts who may cover us change their recommendation regarding our stock adversely, or provide more favorable relative recommendations about our competitors, our stock price would likely decline. If any analyst who may cover us were to cease coverage of our company or fail to regularly publish reports on us, we could lose visibility in the financial markets, which in turn could cause our stock price or trading volume to decline.

 

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ITEM 1B. Unresolved Staff Comments

 

Not applicable.

 

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ITEM 2. Properties

 

Lease Commitments

 

The Company is a party to four leases, three are for office space located in Mission Viejo and Laguna Hills, California which house the corporate headquarters and neurometric business. The total lease payments per month are $10,666. The two leases for office space located in Mission Viejo and Laguna Hills have been renewed through February 28, 2020 and the total lease payments per month will be $8,411 beginning February 1, 2019. As of November 30, 2018, the third lease for a small annex office in Laguna Hills has been terminated.

 

The Company has one three-year lease for office space in Tysons, Virginia. As of June 1, 2018, the Company has sublet the premises under the Tysons, Virginia office space lease. The master lease period expires on September 30, 2020. The rent through September 30, 2018 is prorated at $2,508 per month; for the subsequent 12 months the rent is prorated at $2,576 per month; and for the remaining twelve months the rent will be prorated at $2,647 per month. The subtenant is paying approximately seventy seven percent of the master lease payment for the fourteen months ending on September 30, 2019 and has an option to renew for the final lease year.

 

On April 30, 2018 the Company terminated its month to month tenancy for the premises located at 420 Lexington Avenue, Suite 300, New York, New York 10170.

 

Arcadian Services' business has office space located in Fort Washington, PA. The lease period expires on February 28, 2020. The rent is currently $3,312 per month and will increase to $3,410 per month on March 1, 2019 for the remainder of the lease.

 

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ITEM 3. Legal Proceedings

 

The Company is not currently party to any legal proceedings, the adverse outcome of which, in the Company’s management’s opinion, individually or in the aggregate, would have a material adverse effect on the Company’s results of operations or financial position.

 

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ITEM 4. Mine Safety Disclosures.

 

Not applicable.

 

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PART II

 

ITEM 5. Market for Registrant’s Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities

 

Common Stock

 

Our common stock has been listed on The NASDAQ Capital Market under the symbol “MYND” since July 14, 2017. Prior thereto, our common stock was quoted under the symbol "MYAN" (and previously "CNSO") on the OTCQB marketplace.

 

 The following table sets forth, for the periods indicated, the high and low bid information for our common stock as determined from sporadic quotations on the OTCQB marketplace (prior to July 14, 2017) and the high and low sales prices of our common stock as reported on the NASDAQ Capital Market (subsequent to July 14, 2017). The OTCQB marketplace quotations reflect inter-dealer prices, without retail mark-up, mark-down or commission and may not necessarily represent actual transactions.

 

   High   Low 
Fiscal Year Ended September 30, 2017          
First Quarter  $9.89   $6.00 
Second Quarter  $9.25   $5.90 
Third Quarter  $7.00   $5.75 
Fourth Quarter  $6.71   $3.39 
           
Fiscal Year Ended September 30, 2018          
First Quarter  $5.05   $2.80 
Second Quarter  $3.69   $1.15 
Third Quarter  $4.08   $1.20 
Fourth Quarter  $2.78   $1.16 

 

On December 10, 2018, the closing sales price of our common stock as reported on The NASDAQ Capital Market was 1.27 per share.  As of December 6, 2018, there were 274 record holders of our common stock.  The number of holders of record is based on the actual number of holders registered on the books of our transfer agent and does not reflect holders of shares in “street name” or persons, partnerships, associations, corporations or other entities identified in security position listings maintained by depository trust companies.

 

Dividend Rights

 

Holders of our preferred stock are entitled to receive cash dividends in preference to the holders of our common stock, payable out of funds legally available when, as and if declared by the Board. Other than the warrant dividend described in the following paragraph we have not paid or declared cash distributions or other dividends on our common or preferred stock and we do not intend to pay cash dividends on our common or preferred stock in the foreseeable future.  We currently intend to retain all earnings, if and when generated, to finance our operations.  The declaration of cash dividends in the future will be determined by the board of directors based upon our earnings, financial condition, capital requirements and other relevant factors.

 

On July 13, 2017, the Company declared a special dividend of warrants to purchase shares of the Company’s common stock to record holders of Common Stock as of such date. Warrants to purchase 2,539,061 shares of Common Stock were distributed pro rata to all holders of common stock on the record date. These warrants will be exercisable (in accordance with their terms) to purchase one share of common stock, at an exercise price of $5.25 per share. The warrants will become exercisable commencing not less than 12 months following their July 27, 2017 distribution date and will expire five years thereafter.

 

The dividend warrant has an exercise price of $5.25 and expires on July 26, 2022. We estimated the fair value of the dividend warrant at issuance date to be $16,375,394 using the Black-Scholes option valuation model with the following assumptions: market price of the stock of $6.55 per share, time to maturity of 5 years, volatility of 211.6%, zero expected dividend rate and risk-free rate of 1.89%. These warrants qualify for equity treatment. The allocation of the fair value of these warrants was included in additional paid-in capital on the consolidated balance sheet. The Company also recognized a dividend related to the dividend warrants as every shareholder was entitled to receive one warrant for every share of common stock for no consideration given. Accordingly, the Company recognized a $16,375,394 dividend at closing.

 

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Securities Authorized For Issuance Under Equity Compensation Plans

 

For information relating to the Securities Authorized for Issuance under Equity Compensation Plans, please see "Item 12. Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management Related Stockholders Matters."

 

Recent Sales of Unregistered Securities

 

The information required to be disclosed pursuant to Item 701 of Regulation S-K is incorporated herein by reference to our Company’s current reports on Form 8-K.

 

None of the sales of securities referred to in such section was registered under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”).  Each of the purchasers represented to us that he/she/it was an “accredited investor” as that term is defined in Regulation D under the Securities Act.  In addition, no general solicitation or advertising was used in connection with the sales.  In making the sales without registration under the Securities Act, the Company relied upon the exemptions from registration contained in Sections 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act, and in Regulation D promulgated under the Securities Act.

 

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ITEM 6. Selected Financial Data

 

Not applicable.

 

ITEM 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations

 

The following discussion should be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes provided under Part II, Item 8 of this annual report on Form 10-K.  This discussion summarizes the significant factors affecting the consolidated operating results, financial condition and liquidity and cash flows of MYnd Analytics, Inc. for the fiscal years ended September 30, 2018 and 2017.  Except for historical information, the matters discussed in this Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations are “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements are subject to risks and uncertainties and are based on the beliefs and assumptions of our management as of the date hereof based on information currently available to our management. Use of words such as “believes,” “expects,” “anticipates,” “intends,” “plans,” “estimates,” “should,” “forecasts,” “goal,” “likely” or similar expressions, indicate a forward-looking statement. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions. Actual results may differ materially from the forward-looking statements we make. See “Risk Factors” elsewhere in this annual report on Form 10-K for a discussion of certain risks associated with our business.  We disclaim any obligation to update forward-looking statements for any reason.

 

Overview

 

MYnd Analytics, Inc. (“MYnd,” “CNS,” “we,” “us,” “our,” or the “Company”), formerly known as CNS Response Inc., is a predictive analytics company that has developed a decision support tool to help physicians reduce trial and error treatment in mental health and provide more personalized care to patients. The Company employs a clinically validated scalable technology platform to support personalized care for mental health patients. The Company utilizes its patented machine learning, artificial intelligence, data analytics platform for the delivery of telebehavioral health services and its PEER predictive analytics product offering. On November 13, 2017, the Company acquired Arcadian, which manages the delivery of telepsychiatry and telebehavioral health services through a nationwide network of licensed and credentialed psychiatrists, psychologists and master's-level therapists. The Company is commercializing its PEER predictive analytics tool to help physicians reduce trial and error treatment in mental health. MYnd's patented, clinically validated technology platform ("PEER Online") utilizes complex algorithms to analyze electroencephalograms ("EEGs") to generate Psychiatric EEG Evaluation Registry (“PEER”) Reports to predict individual responses to a range of medications prescribed for the treatment of behavioral disorders including depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, PTSD and other non-psychotic disorders.

 

Going Concern Uncertainty

 

The accompanying consolidated financial statements have been prepared in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”), which contemplate continuation of the Company as a going concern. The Company has a limited operating history and its operations are subject to certain problems, expenses, difficulties, delays, complications, risks and uncertainties frequently encountered in the operation of a business with a limited operating history. These risks include the ability to obtain adequate financing on a timely basis, if at all, the failure to develop or supply technology or services to meet the demands of the marketplace, the failure to attract and retain qualified personnel, competition within the industry, government regulation and the general strength of regional and national economies.

 

The Company’s recurring net losses and negative cash flows from operations raise substantial doubt about its ability to continue as a going concern. During the twelve months ended September 30, 2018, the Company incurred a net loss of 10.3 million and used $9.0 million of net cash in operating activities. As of September 30, 2018, the Company’s accumulated deficit was $85.2 million. In connection with these consolidated financial statements, management evaluated whether there were conditions and events, considered in the aggregate, that raised substantial doubt about the Company’s ability to meet its obligations as they become due for the next twelve months from the date of issuance of these financial statements. Management assessed that there were such conditions and events, including a history of recurring operating losses, and negative cash flows from operating activities.

 

If the Company raises additional funds by issuing additional equity or convertible debt securities, the fully diluted ownership percentages of existing stockholders will be reduced. In addition, any equity or debt securities that the Company would issue may have rights, preferences or privileges senior to those of the holders of its common stock.

 

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To date, the Company has financed its cash requirements primarily from equity financings.  The Company will need to raise funds immediately to continue its operations and increase demand for its services. Until it can generate sufficient revenues to meet its cash requirements, which it may never do, the Company must continue to finance future cash needs primarily through public or private equity offerings, debt financings or strategic collaborations. The Company’s liquidity and capital requirements depend on several factors, including the rate of market acceptance of its services, the future profitability of the Company, the rate of growth of the Company’s business and other factors described elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ending 2017.  The Company continues to explore additional sources of capital, but there is substantial doubt as to whether any financing arrangement will be available in amounts and on terms acceptable to the Company to permit it to continue operations. The accompanying condensed consolidated financial statements do not include any adjustments that might be necessary if the Company is unable to continue as a going concern.

 

Compliance with Nasdaq Continued Listing Requirement

 

On February 23, 2018, the Company received a letter from The Nasdaq Stock Market ("Nasdaq") indicating that the Company was not compliant with the minimum stockholders' equity requirement under Nasdaq Listing Rule 5550(b)(1) for continued listing on The Nasdaq Capital Market because the Company's stockholders' equity, as reported in the Company's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the period ended December 31, 2017, was below the required minimum of $2.5 million. Further, as of February 22, 2018, the Company did not meet the alternative compliance standards relating to the market value of listed securities or net income from continuing operations.

 

The Company achieved compliance with Listing Rule 5550(b) through a variety of factors, including through improved revenue, certain cost cutting measures and, primarily, through the sale of securities under the First Purchase Agreement and Second Purchase Agreement. The Company regained compliance with Listing Rule 5550(b) at June 30, 2018 and remains compliant through its fiscal year ending September 30, 2018. No assurance can be given that the Company will continue to maintain compliance with Listing Rule 5550(b).

 

Financial Operations Overview

 

Revenues

 

Our neurometric services revenues are derived from the sales of PEER Reports and services of Electroencephalographs (EEG) and Quantitative Electroencephalographs (qEEG). Physicians and Customers are generally billed upon delivery of a PEER Report. The customer's insurance is billed for EEG and qEEG services. The Company also derives revenue from its subsidiary Arcadian Services who manages the delivery of telepsychiatry and telebehavioral health services which are delivered directly to patients.

 

Cost of Revenues

 

Cost of revenues are for services and represent the cost of direct labor, the costs associated with external processing, analysis and consulting services necessary to generate the revenues.

 

Research and Product Development

 

Research and product development expenses are associated with our neurometric and telepsychiatry services and primarily represent costs incurred to design and conduct clinical studies, to recruit patients into the studies, to add data to our database, to improve analytical techniques and advance application of the methodology. We charge all research and development expenses to operations as they are incurred.

 

Sales and Marketing

 

For our neurometric and telepsychiatry services, our selling and marketing expenses consist primarily of personnel, media, support and travel costs to inform user organizations and consumers of our products and services. Additional marketing expenses are the costs of advertising, educating physicians, laboratory personnel, other healthcare professionals regarding our products and services.

 

General and Administrative

 

Our general and administrative expenses consist primarily of personnel, occupancy, legal, audit, consulting and administrative support costs.

 

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Critical Accounting Policies and Significant Judgments and Estimates

 

This management’s discussion and analysis of financial condition and results of operations is based on our consolidated financial statements, which have been prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP. The preparation of these consolidated financial statements requires management to make estimates and judgments that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities and expenses and the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements, as well as revenues and expenses during the reporting periods. We evaluate our estimates and judgments on an ongoing basis. We base our estimates on historical experience and on various other factors we believe are reasonable under the circumstances, the results of which form the basis for making judgments about the carrying value of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. Actual results could therefore differ materially from those estimates under different assumptions or conditions.

 

Our significant accounting policies are described in Note 2 to our Consolidated Financial Statements included elsewhere in this report. We believe the following critical accounting policies reflect our more significant estimates and assumptions used in the preparation of our consolidated financial statements.

 

Revenue Recognition

 

Revenues for our Neurometric Service product are recognized when a PEER Report is delivered to a Client-Physician. Revenues for our Telepsychiatry services are recognized in the month the services are delivered by the physician.

 

Stock-based Compensation Expense

 

Stock-based compensation expense, which is a non-cash charge, results from stock option grants and restricted share awards. Compensation for option is measured at the grant date based on the calculated fair value of the award. We recognize stock-based compensation expense on a straight-line basis over the vesting period of the underlying option. The amount of stock-based compensation expense expected to be amortized in future periods may decrease if unvested options are subsequently cancelled or may increase if future option grants are made.

 

Long-Lived Assets and Intangible Assets

 

Property and equipment and intangible assets are reviewed for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate the carrying value of the assets may not be recoverable. If the Company determines that the carrying value of the asset is not recoverable, a permanent impairment charge is recorded for the amount by which the carrying value of the long-lived or intangible asset exceeds its fair value. Intangible assets with finite lives are amortized on a straight-line basis over their useful lives of ten years.

 

Costs for software developed for internal use are accounted for through the capitalization of those costs incurred in connection with developing or obtaining internal-use software. Capitalized costs for internal-use software are included in intangible assets in the consolidated balance sheet. Capitalized software development costs are amortized over three years. Costs incurred during the preliminary project along with post-implementation stages of internal use computer software development and costs incurred to maintain existing product offerings are expensed as incurred. The capitalization and ongoing assessment of recoverability of development costs require considerable judgment by management with respect to certain external factors, including, but not limited to, technological and economic feasibility and estimated economic life. The Company will begin amortizing the software over its estimated economic life once it has been placed into service.

 

Derivative accounting for convertible debt and warrants

 

The Company evaluates all of its agreements to determine if such instruments have derivatives or contain features that qualify as embedded derivatives. For derivative financial instruments that are accounted for as liabilities, the derivative instrument is initially recorded at its fair value and is then re-valued at each reporting date, with changes in the fair value reported in the consolidated statements of operations. For stock-based derivative financial instruments, the Company uses a weighted average Black-Scholes option pricing model to value the derivative instruments at inception and on subsequent valuation dates. The classification of derivative instruments, including whether such instruments should be recorded as liabilities or as equity, is evaluated at the end of each reporting period. Derivative instrument liabilities are classified in the balance sheet as current or non-current based on whether or not net-cash settlement of the derivative instrument could be required within 12 months of the balance sheet date. As of September 30, 2018, the Company had no financial instruments that contain embedded derivative features.

 

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Financial Operations Overview for the Fiscal Year Ended September 30, 2018 and 2017

 

MYnd Analytics is focused on research and the commercialization of its PEER Reports through its Neurometric Services, as well as providing telehealth service through scheduling and videoconferencing which is accessed through a secure portal.

 

The following table presents consolidated statement of operations data for each of the periods:

 

Revenues

 

   Fiscal Year ended September 30, 
   2018   2017   Change 
Neurometric Services  $263,700   $128,500   $135,200 
Telepsychiatry Services   1,051,800        1,051,800 
Total Revenues  $1,315,500   $128,500   $1,187,000 

  

The increase was primarily due to increased sales of PEER reports, as well as the company retaining a professional medical insurance billing company and sales generated from Arcadian Services during the fiscal year ended September 30, 2018. 

 

Cost of Revenues

 

   Fiscal Year ended September 30, 
   2018   2017   Change 
Neurometric Services  $131,200   $53,500   $77,700 
Telepsychiatry Services   696,200        696,200 
Total Cost of Revenues  $827,400   $53,500   $773,900 

  

Cost of revenues increased during the fiscal year ended September 30, 2018, primarily due to our acquisition of Arcadian Services and labor cost to service our telepsychiatry revenue.

 

Research Expenses

 

Research expenses consist of payroll expenses, (including stock-based compensation), consulting fees, travel expenses, conference fees, and other miscellaneous costs listed as following:

 

   Fiscal Year ended September 30, 
   2018   2017   Change 
Research Expenses  $231,500   $123,900   $107,600 
                

Research expenses consist of payroll costs (including stock-based compensation), consulting fees, travel, conference and other miscellaneous costs which were as follows:

 

    Fiscal Year ended September 30,  
  Key Expense Categories   2018       2017       Change  
(1) Salaries and benefit costs $ (49,000 )   $ 11,000     $ (60,000 )
(2) Consulting fees 269,800     103,500     166,300  
(3) Other miscellaneous costs 10,700     9,400     1,300  
  Total Research Expenses $ 231,500     $ 123,900     $ 107,600  

 

Comparing the fiscal year ended September 30, 2018, with the corresponding period in 2017:

 

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(1)Salary and benefit costs decreased for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2018, primarily due to the reversal of our bonus accrual and the department not meeting specified metrics;

 

(2)Consulting costs increased for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2018, primarily consisting of costs under a consulting agreement with our Medical Officer to assist with the training of clinical trial investigators allowing them to participate in trials, and consult with other physicians in the use and interpretation of our PEER Report; additionally, on November 13, 2017 we entered into two consulting agreements for medical directors to provide consulting services for the telepsychiatry business;

 

(3)Other miscellaneous costs for the 2018 and 2017 periods were substantially unchanged.

 

Product Development Expenses

 

   Fiscal Year ended September 30, 
   2018   2017   Change 
Product Development Expenses  $1,146,000   $1,237,200   $(91,200)
                

Product Development expenses consist of payroll costs (including stock-based compensation), consulting fees, system development costs, conference, travel and miscellaneous costs which were as follows:

 

    Fiscal Year ended September 30,  
  Key Expense Categories   2018       2017       Change  
(1) Salaries and benefit costs $ 534,700     $ 803,800     $ (269,100 )
(2) Consulting fees 400,200     203,000     197,200  
(3) System development costs 133,300     146,700     (13,400 )
(4) Conference and travel 21,100     32,500     (11,400 )
(5) Other miscellaneous costs 56,700     51,200     5,500  
  Total Product Development Expenses $ 1,146,000     $ 1,237,200     $ (91,200 )

 

Comparing the fiscal year ended September 30, 2018, with the corresponding period in 2017:

 

(1)Salaries and benefits decreased by $269,100 for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2018, primarily due to a reduction in stock-based compensation recognized and a reduction in the number of staff members during the fiscal year of 2018;

 

(2)Consulting fees increased by $197,200 for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2018, primarily due to the cost of services in relation to the upgrade of the Company's cloud based sales platform and for a data science project to improve the Company's algorithms for the production of an enhanced PEER report;

 

(3)System development and maintenance costs decreased by $13,400 for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2018, primarily due to decreased time spent by our contract system programmers for work on quality management initiatives, research support, transitioning to file sharing, and media management;

 

(4)Conference and travel costs decreased by $11,400 for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2018, primarily due to a reduction in costs relating to attendance at conferences and related travel made during the period of 2018; and

 

(5)Other miscellaneous costs increased slightly by $5,500 for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2018.

  

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Sales and Marketing  Expenses

 

  Fiscal Year ended September 30,  
    2018       2017       Change  
Sales and Marketing Expenses $ 1,617,900     $ 1,226,700     $ 391,200  
                       

Sales and marketing expenses consist of payroll and benefit costs, advertising and marketing expenses, consulting fees, and miscellaneous expenses as further set forth below.

 

    Fiscal Year ended September 30,  
  Key Expense Categories   2018       2017       Change  
(1) Salaries and benefit costs $ 795,700     $ 543,200     $ 252,500  
(2) Consulting fees 298,900     422,700     (123,800 )
(3) Advertising and marketing costs 248,600     152,000     96,600  
(4) Conferences and travel costs 64,900     19,800     45,100  
(5) Other miscellaneous costs 209,800     89,000     120,800  
  Total Sales and Marketing Expenses $ 1,617,900     $ 1,226,700     $ 391,200  


Comparing the fiscal year ended September 30, 2018, with the same period in 2017:

 

(1)Salaries and benefits for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2018 increased by $252,500 from the 2017 period, primarily due to increased sales and marketing expenses, offset by a decreased in stock-based compensation expenses;

 

(2)Consulting fees for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2018 decreased by $123,800, primarily due to decreases in the number of marketing consultants.

 

(3)Advertising and marketing expenses for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2018 increased by $96,600, primarily due to social media advertising;

 

(4)Conference and travel expenditures for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2018 increased by $45,100, primarily due to increased travel expenses for the sales staff; and

 

(5)Miscellaneous expenditures for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2018 increased by $120,800, primarily due to the Company opening PEER Centers in New York and Washington DC. Additional costs were incurred for rent and office supplies.

 

General and administrative Expenses

 

  Fiscal Year ended September 30,  
    2018       2017       Change  
General and Administrative Expenses $ 7,737,600     $ 4,590,800     $ 3,146,800  
                       

General and administrative expenses consist of payroll and benefit costs, (including stock based compensation), legal fees, patent costs, other professional and consulting fees, general administrative and occupancy costs, dues and subscriptions, conference fees, and travel expenses as set forth below.

 

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    Fiscal Year ended September 30,
  Key Expense Categories   2018       2017     Change
(1) Salaries and benefit costs $ 3,198,700     $ 2,451,800     $ 746,900  
(2) Transaction fees 438,600         438,600  
(3) Consulting fees 1,178,800     590,100     588,700  
(4) Legal fees 437,800     408,800     29,000  
(5) Other professional fees 502,700     210,800     291,900  
(6) Patent costs 105,700     114,500     (8,800 )
(7) Marketing and investor relations costs 374,300     173,000     201,300  
(8) Conference and travel costs 131,800     172,300     (40,500 )
(9) Dues & subscriptions fees 218,300     115,300     103,000  
(10) Computer & web services 157,100         157,100  
(11) General admin and occupancy costs 993,800     354,200     639,600  
  Total General and Administrative Expenses $ 7,737,600     $ 4,590,800     $ 3,146,800  

 

(1)Salaries and benefit expenses for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2018 increased by $746,900 from the 2017 period. This increase was primarily due to an increase of $680,000 in salaries which were related to the acquisition of Arcadian telepsychiatry management and staff; increased payroll, bonus and related benefits of $142,000 related to our historical operations, offset by a decreased in stock-based compensation of $50,000;

 

(2)Transaction fees in relation to Arcadian acquisition were $438,600 for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2018;

 

(3)Consulting fees for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2018 increased by $588,700, primarily due to increased directors' fees, and related operational and consulting fees;

 

(4)Legal fees for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2018 increased by $29,000, primarily due to increased legal fees associated with fund raising activities and general legal costs;

 

(5)Other professional fees for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2018 increased by $291,900, primarily due to increased audit fees of $218,000, and other consulting fees;

 

(6)Patent costs for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2018 decreased by $8,800 primarily due to less volume of patent and trademark applications and maintenance costs;

 

(7)Marketing and investor relations costs for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2018 increased by $201,300 as we engaged a public relations firms to enhance the Company's presence in the media;

 

(8)Conference and travel costs decreased by $40,500 for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2018, primarily due to a reduction in the number of conferences attended and less travel;

 

(9)Dues and subscription costs for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2018 increased by $103,000 for additional licenses for our Salesforce platform;

 

(10)Computer and web services increased by $157,100 for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2018 consisting of CTO services related to our telepsychiatry business and cloud hosting fees; and

 

(11)General administrative and occupancy costs increased by $639,600 for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2018. The increase was primarily due to increased Delaware franchise taxes at $236,000, increased depreciation of fixed assets and amortization of intangible asset purchased.

 

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Other income (expense)

 

  Fiscal Year ended September 30,  
    2018       2017       Change  
Interest (expense), net $ (86,300 )   $ (6,600 )   $ (79,700 )
                       

Interest expense for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2018 increased by $79,700, primarily due to the interest expense associated with debt acquired with the Arcadian acquisition.

 

Net Loss

 

  Fiscal Year ended September 30,  
    2018       2017       Change  
Net Loss $ (10,333,100 )   $ (7,112,800 )   $ (3,220,300 )
                       

 

Our net loss was $10.3 million for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2018, compared to the approximately $7.1 million for the same period ended September 30, 2017, primarily due to above mentioned increased salaries, payroll, and cost related to the acquisition of Arcadian telepsychiatry.

 

Liquidity and Capital Resources

 

The accompanying consolidated financial statements have been prepared in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”), which the contemplate continuation of the Company as a going concern.

 

Since our inception, we have never been profitable and we have generated significant losses. The Company has a limited operating history and its operations are subject to expenses, difficulties, delays, complications, risks and uncertainties frequently encountered in the operation of a business with a limited operating history. These risks include the ability to obtain adequate financing on a timely basis, if at all, the failure to develop or supply technology or services to meet the demands of the marketplace, the failure to attract and retain qualified personnel, competition within the industry, government regulation and the general strength of regional and national economies.

 

As of September 30, 2018, we had an accumulated deficit of approximately $85.2 million compared to our accumulated deficit as of September 30, 2017, of approximately $75.6 million. Our management expects that with our proposed clinical trials, sales and marketing and general and administrative costs, our expenditures will continue to grow and, as a result, we will need to generate significant product revenues to achieve profitability. The Company continues to explore additional sources of capital but there is substantial doubt as to whether any financing arrangement will be available in amounts and on terms acceptable to the Company to permit it to continue operations.

 

As September 30, 2018, we had $3.3 million in cash and cash equivalents and a working capital surplus of approximately $2.3 million. This is compared to our cash position of $5.4 million in cash and cash equivalents as of September 30, 2017, and a capital surplus of $4.1 million. The decrease in cash and cash equivalents was primarily due to less proceeds from financing activities and increased cash used in operations in 2018 compared to 2017.

 

The Company has been funded through multiple rounds of private placements, primarily from members of our Board or our affiliates.

 

On March 29, 2018, the Company sold an aggregate of 1,050,000 shares for $2.00 per Unit, each consisting of one share of newly-designated Series A Preferred Stock, par value $0.001 per share and one Warrant to purchase one share of Common Stock, par value $0.001 per share for $2.34 per share in a private placement to three affiliates of the Company, for gross proceeds of $2.1 million. The private placement closed on March 29, 2018.

 

On September 21, 2018, the Company entered into definitive agreements with George C. Carpenter IV, President and Chief Executive Officer, Robin L. Smith, Chairman, as well as John Pappajohn, and Peter Unanue, each a director of the Company, and entities affiliated with Michal Votruba, a member of the Board of Directors of MYnd Analytics and Director of Life Sciences for the European-based RSJ-Gradus fund, relating to a private placement of an aggregate of 459,458 units for $1.85 per unit, with each unit consisting of one share of common stock and one common stock purchase warrant to purchase one share of Common Stock for $2.00 per share.

 

As of September 30, 2018, the Company has issued purchase notices to Aspire Capital under the First Purchase Agreement to purchase an aggregate of 1,180,000 shares of common stock, at a per share price of $2.00, resulting in gross cash proceeds of approximately $2.4 million. As of September 30, 2018, the Company has issued purchase notices to Aspire Capital under the Second Purchase Agreement to purchase an aggregate of 884,671 shares of common stock, resulting in gross cash proceeds of approximately $1.9 million. On November 26, 2018, the Company received shareholder approval to remove the exchange cap under the Second Purchase Agreement in compliance with the applicable listing rules of the Nasdaq Stock Market. Pursuant to Nasdaq Listing Rule 5635(d), shareholder approval is required prior to the issuance of securities in connection with a transaction other than a public offering involving the sale, issuance or potential issuance by the Company of common stock (or securities convertible into or exercisable common stock) equal to 20% or more of the common stock outstanding before the issuance for less than the greater of book or market value of the stock. Following receipt of shareholder approval, the Company may issue an additional $8.1 million, up to an aggregate of $10 million, of common stock to Aspire Capital under the Second Purchase Agreement. The issuance of shares of common stock that were issued from time to time to Aspire Capital under the First Purchase Agreement and Second Purchase Agreement were exempt from registration under the Securities Act, pursuant to the exemption for transactions by an issuer not involving any public offering under Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act.

 

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As a result of the receipt of additional capital during 2018, the Company significantly reduced its outstanding accounts payable. In addition, the Company took several steps to reduce its expenses, including but not limited to reducing certain personnel.

 

Working Capital, Going Concern, Operating Capital and Capital Expenditure Requirements

 

We had approximately $3.3 million in cash and cash equivalents as of September 30, 2018, compared to $5.4 million of cash and cash equivalents as of September 30, 2017.

 

Our recurring net losses and negative cash flows from operations raise substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern. Management's assessment of substantial doubt of going concern is based on current estimates and assumptions regarding our programs and business needs. Actual working capital requirements could differ materially from the above working capital projection. We may explore strategic opportunities including partnerships, licensing and acquisitions of other entities, assets or products. If we are unable to continue to identify sources of capital, we may be required to limit our activities, to terminate programs or terminate operations temporarily or permanently.

 

Our ability to successfully raise sufficient funds through the sale of equity securities, when needed, is subject to many risks and uncertainties and even if we are successful, future equity issuances would result in dilution to our existing stockholders. Our risk factors are described under the heading “Risk Factors” in Part I Item 1A and elsewhere in our Annual Report on Form 10-K and in other reports we file with the SEC.

 

The amount of capital we will need to conduct our operations and the time at which we will require such capital may vary significantly depending upon a number of factors, such as:

 

the amount and timing of costs we incur in connection with our clinical trials and product development activities, including enhancements to our PEER Online database and costs we incur to further validate the efficacy of our technology;

 

whether we can receive sufficient business revenues from Arcadian Services to adequately cover our costs;

 

the amount and timing of costs we incur in connection with the expansion of our commercial operations, including our sales and marketing efforts;

 

whether we incur additional consulting and legal fees in our efforts in conducting Non-Significant Risk trials within FDA requirements, which will enable us to obtain a 510(k) clearance from the FDA;

 

if we expand our business by acquiring or investing in complimentary businesses; and

 

our continuing access to funding from Aspire Capital.

 

During the twelve months ended September 30, 2018, the Company completed multiple financing transactions and drew down on its Equity Line of Credit with Aspire, resulting in total cash proceeds of $7.2 million. As a result of the receipt of additional capital, the Company significantly reduced its outstanding accounts payable. In addition, the Company took several steps to reduce its expenses, including but not limited to reducing certain personnel.

 

Sources of Liquidity

 

Since our inception, substantially all of our operations have been financed from equity and debt financings.

 

The Aspire Capital Equity Lines of Credit

 

On December 6, 2016, the Company, entered into the First Purchase Agreement with Aspire Capital which provides that, upon the terms and subject to the conditions and limitations set forth therein, Aspire Capital was committed to purchase up to an aggregate of $10.0 million of shares of the Company’s common stock over the 30-month term of the First Purchase Agreement. For details of the First Purchase Agreement financing see "Private Placement Transactions - The Aspire Capital Equity Line” below.

  

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From April 3, 2018 to May 7, 2018 the Company sold 1,180,000 shares of common stock to Aspire Capital under the First Purchase Agreement and received total proceeds of $2.4 million.

 

On May 15, 2018, the Company, entered into the Second Purchase Agreement with Aspire Capital which provides that, upon the terms and subject to the conditions and limitations set forth therein, Aspire Capital is committed to purchase up to an aggregate of $10.0 million of shares of the Company’s common stock over the 30-month term of the Second Purchase Agreement. For details of the Purchase Agreement financing see "Private Placement Transactions―The Aspire Capital Equity Line” below.

 

On June 11, 2018, Aspire Capital purchased 222,222 shares of Common Stock, at a per share price of $2.25, resulting in gross proceeds to the Company of $500,000.

 

On September 17, 2018, Aspire Capital purchased 662,449 shares of Common Stock, at a per share price of $2.11, resulting in gross proceeds to the Company of $1.4 million.

 

Public Offering

 

In July 2017, the Company completed an underwritten public offering of its common stock and warrants, raising gross proceeds of approximately $8.79 million. In the offering, the Company sold 1,675,000 shares of Common Stock and accompanying warrants to purchase up to 1,675,000 shares of Common Stock (the “Warrants”), at a combined public offering price of $5.25 per share and accompanying Warrant, for a total offering size of $8,793,750. The Warrants were immediately exercisable for one share of common stock at an exercise price of $5.25 per share, and will expire five years after the issuance date. In connection with the offering, the Company granted the representative of the underwriters a 45-day option to purchase up to 251,250 additional shares of Common Stock and/or Warrants to cover over-allotments, if any. On August 24, 2017 the underwriters exercised their option and purchased 213,800 common stock warrants for $0.01 per warrant.

 

Private Placement of Series A Preferred Stock with warrant

 

On March 29, 2018, the Company sold an aggregate of 1,050,000 units for $2.00 per Unit, each consisting of one share of newly-designated Series A Preferred Stock, par value $0.001 per share and one warrant to purchase one share of Common Stock, par value $0.001 per share for $2.34 per share in a private placement to three affiliates of the Company, for gross proceeds of $2.1 million. The private placement closed on March 29, 2018.

 

On April 30, 2018, the Company entered into the First Amended Subscription Agreement for Shares of Series A Preferred Stock and Common Stock Purchase Warrants (the “Amended Agreement”) with John Pappajohn and Mary Pappajohn (each an “Investor”, and collectively the “Investors”), which provides for the issuance, as of the date of the Original Agreement, of an aggregate of 500,000 Shares of Series A-1 Convertible Preferred Stock, par value $0.001 per share (“Series A-1 Convertible Preferred Stock”), in lieu of the same number of Shares of Series A Convertible Preferred Stock that the Company had originally agreed to issue to the Investors. The Series A-1 Convertible Preferred Stock will have substantially the same rights and preferences as the Shares of Series A Preferred Stock, except that the Shares of Series A-1 Convertible Preferred Stock are non-voting and cannot be converted into Common Stock by an Investor if, as a result of such conversion, such Investor would beneficially own greater than 19.9% of the outstanding shares of Common Stock. Additionally, the Warrants were amended to provide that they would not be exercisable by an investor if, following any such exercise, such Investor would beneficially own greater than 19.9% of the outstanding shares of Common Stock. Shares of the Company’s Series A and Series A-1 Preferred Stock will be entitled to receive cash dividends at the rate of five percent (5.00%) of the Original Series A and Series A-1 Issue Price per annum, payable out of funds legally available therefore. Dividends will only payable when and if declared or upon certain events.

 

The Warrants will be exercisable for a period of five years for an exercise price of $2.34. The exercise price is subject to adjustment for stock splits, stock dividends, combinations or similar events. The Warrants may not be exercised on a cashless basis.

 

For more details, please refer to the “Private Placement of A Preferred Stock with Warrant” section of Note 6. Stockholders’ Equity to the Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements.

 

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Private Placement with Directors and Management

 

On September 21, 2018, the Company entered into definitive agreements with George C. Carpenter IV, President and Chief Executive Officer, Robin L. Smith, Chairman, as well as John Pappajohn, and Peter Unanue, each a director of the Company, and entities affiliated with Michal Votruba, a member of the Board of Directors of MYnd Analytics and Director of Life Sciences for the European-based RSJ-Gradus fund, relating to a private placement of an aggregate of 459,458 units for $1.85 per unit, with each unit consisting of one share of common stock and one common stock purchase warrant to purchase one share of Common Stock for $2.00 per share.

  

Cash Flows

 

Net cash used in operating activities was approximately $9.0 million for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2018, compared to approximately $4.8 million for the same period in 2017. The $4.2 million net increase in cash used for operations was primarily due to: consulting fees increased by approximately $1.1 million, salaries increased by $1.0 million, marketing and investor relations increased by $0.3 million, and transaction cost of $0.4 million, the remaining relates to other operating costs.

 

During the fiscal year ended September 30, 2018, the Company spent approximately $0.4 million in investing activities, including $55,200 for the purchase of office equipment and $306,600 related to the acquisition of Arcadian Services. During the fiscal year ended September 30, 2017, the Company spent $479,500 in investing activities, including $127,900 in the purchase of computer equipment and expenditures on our Patient Reported Outcomes application and $190,000 investment in Arcadian.

 

Net Cash provided by financing activities for the fiscal year September 30, 2018 were approximately $7.2 million, consisting of $2.0 million of net proceeds received from private placements of equity from three accredited investors, who are affiliated with the Company; $0.9 million proceeds received from issuance of common stock; and $4.3 million gross proceeds from issuance purchase notices to Aspire Capital. Net Cash provided by financing activities for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2017 were approximately $10.4 million. In July 2017, the Company completed an underwritten public offering of its Common Stock and warrants, raising net proceeds of approximately $7.5 million; $3.0 million cash proceeds received from private placements of equity from 13 accredited investors, of which five are affiliated with the Company.

 

Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements

 

We have no off-balance sheet arrangements or financing activities with special purpose entities.

 

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Private Placement Transactions

 

The Aspire Capital Equity Credit Lines

 

On December 6, 2016, the Company, entered into the First Purchase Agreement with Aspire Capital which provided that, upon the terms and subject to the conditions and limitations set forth therein, Aspire Capital was committed to purchase up to an aggregate of $10.0 million of shares of the Company’s common stock over the 30-month term of the First Purchase Agreement. In consideration for entering into the First Purchase Agreement, concurrently with the execution of the First Purchase Agreement, the Company issued to Aspire Capital 80,000 shares of the Company’s common stock. See Note 7. Stockholders’ Equity”, Consolidated Financial Statements for additional detail.

 

Under the First Purchase Agreement, after the SEC declared effective the registration statement referred to above, on any trading day selected by the Company on which the closing sale price of its Common Stock was equal or greater than $0.50 per share, the Company had the right, in its sole discretion, to present Aspire Capital with a purchase notice, directing Aspire Capital (as principal) to purchase up to 50,000 shares of Common Stock per business day, up to $10.0 million of the Company’s common stock in the aggregate at a per share purchase price equal to the lesser of:

 

a) the lowest sale price of Common Stock on the purchase date; or

 

b) the arithmetic average of the three (3) lowest closing sale prices for Common Stock during the twelve (12) consecutive trading days ending on the trading day immediately preceding the purchase date.

 

The Company had the right, in its sole discretion, to present Aspire Capital with a volume-weighted average price purchase notice (each, a “VWAP Purchase Notice”) directing Aspire Capital to purchase an amount of stock equal to up to 30% of the aggregate shares of Common Stock traded on its principal market on the next trading day (the “VWAP Purchase Date”), subject to a maximum number of shares the Company may determine. The purchase price per share pursuant to such VWAP Purchase Notice was generally 95% of the volume-weighted average price for Common Stock traded on its principal market on the VWAP Purchase Date.

 

The purchase price was to be adjusted for any reorganization, recapitalization, non-cash dividend, stock split, or other similar transaction occurring during the period(s) used to compute the Purchase Price. The Company could deliver multiple Purchase Notices and VWAP Purchase Notices to Aspire Capital from time to time during the term of the Purchase Agreement, so long as the most recent purchase has been completed.

 

The First Purchase Agreement provides that the Company and Aspire Capital would not affect any sales under the First Purchase Agreement on any purchase day selected where the closing sale price of the Company’s common stock was less than $0.50. There are no trading volume requirements or restrictions under the First Purchase Agreement, and the Company could control the timing and amount of sales of Common Stock to Aspire Capital. Aspire Capital had no right to require any sales by the Company, but was obligated to make purchases from the Company as directed by the Company in accordance with the First Purchase Agreement. There were no limitations on use of proceeds, financial or business covenants, restrictions on future fundings, rights of first refusal, participation rights, penalties or liquidated damages in the First Purchase Agreement. In consideration for entering into the First Purchase Agreement, concurrently with the execution of the First Purchase Agreement, the Company issued to Aspire Capital 80,000 shares of Common Stock (the “First Commitment Shares”). The First Purchase Agreement was terminated and replaced by the Second Purchase Agreement on May 15, 2018. Aspire Capital had agreed that neither it nor any of its agents, representatives and affiliates shall engage in any direct or indirect short-selling or hedging of Common Stock during any time prior to the termination of the First Purchase Agreement. Any proceeds from the Company receives under the First Purchase Agreement were used for working capital and general corporate purposes.

 

As of September 30, 2018, the Company had issued purchase notices to Aspire Capital under the First Purchase Agreement to purchase an aggregate of 1,180,000 shares of common stock, at a per share price of $2.00, resulting in gross cash proceeds of approximately $2.4 million. The issuance of shares of common stock that were issued from time to time to Aspire Capital under the First Purchase Agreement were exempt from registration under the Securities Act, pursuant to the exemption for transactions by an issuer not involving any public offering under Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act.

 

The Second Purchase Agreement with Aspire Capital

 

On May 15, 2018 the Company, entered into the Second Purchase Agreement with Aspire Capital which provides that, upon the terms and subject to the conditions and limitations set forth therein, Aspire Capital is committed to purchase up to an aggregate of $10.0 million of shares of the Company’s common stock over the 30-month term of the Second Purchase Agreement. In consideration for entering into the Second Purchase Agreement, concurrently with the execution of the Second Purchase Agreement, the Company issued to Aspire Capital 250,000 shares of the Company’s common stock (the "Second Commitment Shares"). See Note 6. Stockholders’ Equity, Consolidated Financial Statements for additional detail.

 

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Under the Second Purchase Agreement, after the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) declared effective the registration statement referred to above, on any trading day selected by the Company on which the closing sale price of its Common Stock is equal or greater than $0.50 per share, the Company has the right, in its sole discretion, to present Aspire Capital with a purchase notice, directing Aspire Capital (as principal) to purchase up to 50,000 shares of Common Stock per business day, up to $10.0 million of the Company’s common stock in the aggregate at a per share purchase price equal to the lesser of:

 

a) the lowest sale price of Common Stock on the purchase date; or

 

b) the arithmetic average of the three (3) lowest closing sale prices for Common Stock during the twelve (12) consecutive trading days ending on the trading day immediately preceding the purchase date.

 

The Company has the right, in its sole discretion, to present Aspire Capital with a volume-weighted average price purchase notice (each, a “VWAP Purchase Notice”) directing Aspire Capital to purchase an amount of stock equal to up to 30% of the aggregate shares of Common Stock traded on its principal market on the next trading day (the “VWAP Purchase Date”), subject to a maximum number of shares the Company may determine. The purchase price per share pursuant to such VWAP Purchase Notice is generally 95% of the volume-weighted average price for Common Stock traded on its principal market on the VWAP Purchase Date.

 

The purchase price will be adjusted for any reorganization, recapitalization, non-cash dividend, stock split, or other similar transaction occurring during the period(s) used to compute the Purchase Price. The Company may deliver multiple Purchase Notices and VWAP Purchase Notices to Aspire Capital from time to time during the term of the Second Purchase Agreement, so long as the most recent purchase has been completed.

 

The Second Purchase Agreement provides that the Company and Aspire Capital will not effect any sales under the Second Purchase Agreement on any purchase day selected where the closing sale price of the Company’s common stock is less than $0.50. There are no trading volume requirements or restrictions under the Second Purchase Agreement, and the Company will control the timing and amount of sales of Common Stock to Aspire Capital. Aspire Capital has no right to require any sales by the Company, but is obligated to make purchases from the Company as directed by the Company in accordance with the Second Purchase Agreement. There are no limitations on use of proceeds, financial or business covenants, restrictions on future fundings, rights of first refusal, participation rights, penalties or liquidated damages in the Second Purchase Agreement. In consideration for entering into the Second Purchase Agreement, concurrently with the execution of the Second Purchase Agreement, the Company issued to Aspire Capital 250,000 shares of Common Stock (the “Commitment Shares”). The Second Purchase Agreement may be terminated by the Company at any time, at its discretion, without any cost to the Company. Aspire Capital has agreed that neither it nor any of its agents, representatives and affiliates shall engage in any direct or indirect short-selling or hedging of Common Stock during any time prior to the termination of the Second Purchase Agreement. Any proceeds from the Company receives under the Second Purchase Agreement are expected to be used for working capital and general corporate purposes.

 

On June 11, 2018, Aspire Capital purchased 222,222 shares of Common Stock, at a per share price of $2.25, resulting in gross proceeds to the Company of $500,000.

 

On September 17, 2018, Aspire Capital purchased 662,449 shares of Common Stock, at a per share price of $2.11, resulting in gross proceeds to the Company of $1.4 million.

 

As of September 30, 2018, the Company has issued purchase notices to Aspire Capital under the Second Purchase Agreement to purchase an aggregate of 884,671 shares of common stock, resulting in gross cash proceeds of approximately $1.9 million. The issuance of shares of common stock that were issued from time to time to Aspire Capital under the First Purchase Agreement and the Second Purchase Agreement were exempt from registration under the Securities Act, pursuant to the exemption for transactions by an issuer not involving any public offering under Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act.

 

The Company has issued purchase notices under the Equity Line of Credit to Aspire Capital for the total number of shares subject to the registration statement covering the resale of shares under the Second Purchase Agreement subject to the exchange cap under the Second Purchase Agreement. On November 26, 2018, the Company received shareholder approval to remove the Exchange Cap in compliance with the applicable listing rules of the Nasdaq Stock Market. Pursuant to Nasdaq Listing Rule 5635(d), shareholder approval is required prior to the issuance of securities in connection with a transaction other than a public offering involving the sale, issuance or potential issuance by the Company of common stock (or securities convertible into or exercisable common stock) equal to 20% or more of the common stock outstanding before the issuance for less than the greater of book or market value of the stock. Accordingly, the Company will file a registration statement registering the resale of the remaining shares in excess of the Exchange Cap under the Second Purchase Agreement.

 

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Private Placement of Series A Preferred Stock with Common Stock Warrant

 

On March 29, 2018, the Company sold an aggregate of 1,050,000 shares for $2.00 per Unit, each consisting of one share of newly-designated Series A Preferred Stock, par value $0.001 per share and one warrant to purchase one share of common stock, par value $0.001 per share for $2.34 per share in a private placement to three affiliates of the Company, for gross proceeds of $2.1 million ("the Financing"). The private placement closed on March 29, 2018.

 

On April 30, 2018, the Company entered into the First Amended Subscription Agreement for Shares of Series A Preferred Stock and Common Stock Purchase Warrants (the “Amended Agreement”) with John Pappajohn and Mary Pappajohn (each an “Investor”, and collectively the “Investors”), which provides for the issuance, as of the date of the Original Agreement, of an aggregate of 500,000 Shares of Series A-1 Convertible Preferred Stock, par value $0.001 per share (“Series A-1 Convertible Preferred Stock”), in lieu of the same number of Shares of Series A Convertible Preferred Stock that the Company had originally agreed to issue to the Investors. The Series A-1 Convertible Preferred Stock will have substantially the same rights and preferences as the Shares of Series A Preferred Stock, except that the Shares of Series A-1 Convertible Preferred Stock are non-voting and cannot be converted into Common Stock by an Investor if, as a result of such conversion, such Investor would beneficially own greater than 19.9% of the outstanding shares of Common Stock. Additionally, the Warrants were amended to provide that they would not be exercisable by an Investor if, following any such exercise, such Investor would beneficially own greater than 19.9% of the outstanding shares of Common Stock.

 

Shares of the Company’s Series A and Series A-1 Preferred Stock will be entitled to receive cash dividends at the rate of five percent (5.00%) of the Original Series A and Series A-1 Issue Price per annum, payable out of funds legally available therefor. Dividends will only payable when and if declared or upon certain events.

 

The Warrants will be exercisable for a period of five years for an exercise price of $2.34. The exercise price is subject to adjustment for stock splits, stock dividends, combinations or similar events. The Warrants may not be exercised on a cashless basis.

 

In connection with the Financing, the Company also entered into the Registration Rights Agreement with the investors, requiring the Company to register the resale of the shares of Common Stock underlying the preferred stock and the Warrants. Under the Registration Rights Agreement, the Majority Holders may by a written Demand Notice to the Company commencing six (6) months from the closing date, request the Company to effect the registration of all or part of the registrable securities owned by such Majority Holders and their respective affiliates on a Registration Statement on Form S-3. The Company has agreed to use its reasonable best efforts to cause such registration and/or qualification to be complete as soon as practicable, but in no event later than sixty (60) days, after receipt of the Demand Notice.

 

The shares of Series A and Series A-1 Preferred Stock were offered and sold in reliance upon the exemption from the registration requirements of the Securities Act, set forth under Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act and Rule 506 of Regulation D promulgated under the Securities Act, relating to sales by an issuer not involving any public offering and in reliance on similar exemptions under applicable state laws. Each purchaser represented that it is an accredited investor and that it acquired the Series A and Series A-1 Preferred Stock and Warrants for investment purposes only and not with a view to any resale, distribution or other disposition of such securities in violation of the United States federal securities laws.

 

The Company used the proceeds of the Financing for general corporate purposes.

 

These private placements were made pursuant to an exemption from registration afforded by Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act, and Regulation D thereunder.

 

Private Placement with Directors and Management

 

On September 21, 2018, the Company entered into definitive agreements with George C. Carpenter IV, President and Chief Executive Officer, Robin L. Smith, Chairman, as well as John Pappajohn, and Peter Unanue, each a director of the Company, and entities affiliated with Michal Votruba, a member of the Board of Directors of MYnd Analytics and Director of Life Sciences for the European-based RSJ-Gradus Fund, relating to a private placement of an aggregate of 459,458 shares for $1.85 per unit, with each unit consisting of one share of Common Stock and one Common Stock Purchase Warrant to purchase one share of Common Stock for $2.00 per share.

 

 59

 

 

These private placements were made pursuant to an exemption from registration afforded by Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act, and Regulation D thereunder.

 

Contractual Obligations and Commercial Commitments

 

Lease Commitments

 

The Company is a party to four leases, three are for office space located in Mission Viejo and Laguna Hills, California which house the corporate headquarters and neurometric business. The total lease payments per month are $10,666. The two leases for office space located in Mission Viejo and Laguna Hills have been renewed through February 28, 2020 and the total lease payments per month will be $8,411 beginning on February 1, 2019. As of November 30, 2018 the third lease for a small annex office in Laguna Hills has been terminated.

 

The Company has one three-year lease for office space in Tysons, Virginia. As of June 1, 2018, the Company has sublet the premises under the Tysons, Virginia office space lease. The master lease period expires on September 30, 2020. The rent through September 30, 2018 was prorated at $2,508; for the subsequent 12 months the rent is prorated at $2,576; and for the remaining twelve months the rent will be prorated at $2,647. The subtenant is paying approximately seventy seven percent of the master lease payment for the fourteen months ending on September 30, 2019 and has an option to renew for the final lease year.

 

On April 30, 2018 the Company terminated its month to month tenancy for the premises located at 420 Lexington Avenue, Suite 300, New York, New York 10170.

 

Arcadian Services' business has office space located in Fort Washington, PA. The lease period expires on February 28, 2020. The rent is currently $3,312 and will increase to $3,410 on March 1, 2019 for the remainder of the lease.

 

Contractual Obligations

 

The following table summarizes our commitments to settle contractual obligations as of September 30, 2018:

                               
Contractual Obligations     2019       2020       2021     Total  
Debt obligations (1)   $     $     $ 810,100     $ 810,100  
Operating lease obligations (2)   114,000     48,800           $ 162,800  
    $ 114,000     $ 48,800     $ 810,100     $ 972,900  

 

(1)Debt obligations include the principal amount of the note payable owed to Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Southeastern Pennsylvania, as well as interest payments to be made under the note payable. The note payable matures in 2021. Please see Note 4 of the notes to our consolidated financial statements for more information of the terms of the notes payable. The debt obligation balance excludes $112,300 of debt discount on our balance sheet and shown net of our debt obligations.

 

(2)Operating leases include total future minimum rent payments under non-cancelable operating lease agreements as described in note 11 of our consolidated financial statements included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

 

ITEM 7A. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk.

 

Not applicable

 

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ITEM 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data

 

Index to financial statements

 

  Page
   
Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm 62
   
Consolidated Balance Sheets as of September 30, 2018 and 2017 63
   
Consolidated Statements of Operations for the Fiscal Years Ended September 30, 2018 and 2017 64
   
Consolidated Statements of Changes in Equity for the Fiscal Years Ended September 30, 2018 and 2017 65
   
Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows for the Fiscal Years Ended September 30, 2018 and 2017 66
   
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements 67

 

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REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM

 

To the Stockholders and Board of Directors of

MYnd Analytics, Inc.

 

Opinion on the Financial Statements

 

We have audited the accompanying consolidated balance sheets of MYnd Analytics, Inc. (the “Company”) as of September 30, 2018 and 2017, the related consolidated statements of operations, equity and cash flows for each of the two years in the period ended September 30, 2018, and the related notes (collectively referred to as the “financial statements”). In our opinion, the financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Company as of September 30, 2018 and 2017 and the results of its operations and its cash flows for each of the two years in the period ended September 30, 2018, in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.

 

Explanatory Paragraph - Going Concern

 

The accompanying financial statements have been prepared assuming that the Company will continue as a going concern. As more fully described in Note 1, the Company has incurred significant losses and negative cash flows from operations and needs to raise additional funds to meet its obligations and sustain its operations. These conditions raise substantial doubt about the Company's ability to continue as a going concern. Management's plans in regard to these matters are also described in Note1. The financial statements do not include any adjustments that might result from the outcome of this uncertainty.

 

Basis for Opinion

 

These financial statements are the responsibility of the Company's management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the Company's financial statements based on our audits. We are a public accounting firm registered with the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) ("PCAOB") and are required to be independent with respect to the Company in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.

 

We conducted our audits in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audits to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement, whether due to error or fraud. The Company is not required to have, nor were we engaged to perform, an audit of its internal control over financial reporting. As part of our audits we are required to obtain an understanding of internal control over financial reporting but not for the purpose of expressing an opinion on the effectiveness of the Company's internal control over financial reporting. Accordingly, we express no such opinion.

 

Our audits included performing procedures to assess the risks of material misstatement of the financial statements, whether due to error or fraud, and performing procedures that respond to those risks. Such procedures included examining, on a test basis, evidence regarding the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. Our audits also included evaluating the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the financial statements. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.

 

/s/ Marcum LLP

Marcum LLP

 

We have served as the Company’s auditor since 2017.

 

Costa Mesa, CA

 

December 11, 2018

 

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MYND ANALYTICS, INC.

 

CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS

 

   September 30, 
   2018   2017 
ASSETS        
CURRENT ASSETS:          
Cash and cash equivalents  $3,254,700   $5,449,000 
Accounts receivable, net   63,300    6,500 
Prepaid insurance   57,900    57,200 
Note receivable - related party       159,500 
         
Prepaid expenses and other current assets   134,700    22,000 
Total current assets   3,510,600    5,694,200 
Property and equipment, net   110,800    120,700 
Intangible assets, net   116,500    60,200 
Investment in Arcadian       195,900 
Goodwill   1,386,800     
Other assets   27,100    25,100 
TOTAL ASSETS  $5,151,800   $6,096,100 
           
LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY:          
CURRENT LIABILITIES:          
Accounts payable (including $30,350 and $36,200 to related parties as of September 30, 2018, and 2017, respectively)  $346,900   $736,900 
Accrued liabilities   268,900    55,200 
Accrued compensation   175,400    466,000 
Accrued compensation – related parties   209,300    204,600 
Accrued interest and other   3,900    3,900 
Deferred revenue   159,700    45,900 
Current portion of note payable       31,500 
Current portion of capital lease   1,300    1,300 
Total current liabilities   1,165,400    1,545,300 
           
LONG-TERM LIABILITIES          
Long-term borrowing, net   587,700     
Accrued interest on long-term borrowing   110,100     
Long term portion of capital lease   2,100    3,400 
Total long-term liabilities   699,900    3,400 
TOTAL LIABILITIES   1,865,300    1,548,700 
STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY:          
Preferred stock, $0.001 par value; 15,000,000 authorized; 1,500,000 shares of Series A Preferred Stock and 500,000 shares of Series A-1 authorized; 550,000 shares of Series A Preferred Stock and 500,000 shares of Series A-1 issued and outstanding as of September 30, 2018; No shares of Preferred stock issued and outstanding as of September 30, 2017; aggregate liquidation preference of $1,968,750 as of September 30, 2018   1,100     
Common stock, $0.001 par value; 250,000,000 shares and 500,000,000 shares authorized as of September 30, 2018 and September 30, 2017 respectively, 7,407,254 and 4,299,311 shares issued and outstanding as of September 30, 2018 and September 30, 2017, respectively;   7,400    4,300 
           
Additional paid-in capital   89,257,700    80,189,700 
Accumulated deficit   (85,245,300)   (75,646,600)
Total controlling interests   4,020,900    4,547,400 
           
Non-controlling interest   (734,400)    
           
Total stockholders’ equity  $3,286,500   $4,547,400 
           
TOTAL LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY  $5,151,800   $6,096,100 

 

See Accompanying Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements

 

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MYND ANALYTICS, INC.

 

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS

 

   For the years ended
September 30
 
   2018   2017 
REVENUES          
Neurometric services  $263,700   $128,500 
Telepsychiatry services   1,051,800     
Total revenues   1,315,500    128,500 
           
Cost of revenue:          
Neurometric services   131,200    53,500 
Telepsychiatry services   696,200     
    827,400    53,500 
           
Gross Margin   488,100    75,000 
           
OPERATING EXPENSES          
Research   231,500    123,900 
Product development   1,146,000    1,237,200 
Sales and marketing   1,617,900    1,226,700 
General and administrative   7,737,600    4,590,800 
Total operating expenses   10,733,000    7,178,600 
           
OPERATING LOSS   (10,244,900)   (7,103,600)
           
OTHER INCOME (EXPENSE):          
Interest expense, net   (86,300)   (6,600)
Total other income (expense)   (86,300)   (6,600)
LOSS BEFORE PROVISION FOR INCOME TAXES   (10,331,200)   (7,110,200)
Provision for income taxes   1,900    2,600 
NET LOSS  $(10,333,100)  $(7,112,800)
           
Net loss attributable to noncontrolling interest   (734,400)    
           
Net Loss attributable to MYnd Analytics, Inc.   (9,598,700)   (7,112,800)
           
BASIC AND DILUTED LOSS PER SHARE  $(1.86)  $(2.52)
           
WEIGHTED AVERAGE SHARES OUTSTANDING:          
Basic and Diluted   5,199,566    2,817,415 

 

See Accompanying Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements

 

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MYND ANALYTICS, INC.

 

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CHANGES IN EQUITY

 

                   Additional       Sub-total MYnd         
   Common Stock   Preferred Stock   Paid-in   Accumulated   Stockholders'   Noncontrolling   Total 
   Shares   Amount   Shares   Amount   Capital   Deficit   Equity   Interest   Equity 
Balance at September 30, 2016   1,941,061   $1,900        $   $67,467,400   $(68,533,800)  $(1,064,500)  $   $(1,064,500)
                                              
Stock-based compensation                   2,086,000        2,086,000        2,086,000 
Stock issued for private placement of shares   477,000    500            2,980,800        2,981,300        2,981,300 
Stock issued for purchase agreement to Aspire Capital   20,000                145,000        145,000        145,000 
Commitment shares issued to Aspire Capital   80,000    100            (100)                
Stock issued to vendor for services   26,250                173,000        173,000        173,000 
Restricted stock compensation   79,000    100             (100)                
Common stock issued to Arcadian   1,000                5,900        5,900        5,900 
Common stock - public Offering   1,675,000    1,700            7,480,400        7,482,100        7,482,100 
Offering costs - legal fees Arcadian                    (148,600)       (148,600)       (148,600)
Net loss                         (7,112,800)   (7,112,800)       (7,112,800)
Balance at September 30, 2017   4,299,311   $4,300       $   $80,189,700   $(75,646,600)  $4,547,400   $   $4,547,400 
                                              
Stock-based compensation                   1,588,300        1,588,300        1,588,300 
Proceeds from issuance of preferred stock           1,050,000    1,100    2,036,000        2,037,100        2,037,100 
Stock issued to Aspire Capital   2,314,671    2,310            4,257,900        4,260,210        4,260,210 
Issuance of common stock   183,814    175            80,300        80,475        80,475 
Stock issued for private placement of shares   459,458    460            849,500        849,960        849,960 
Stock issued to vendor for services   115,000    120            201,800        201,920        201,920 
Proceeds from option exercise   35,000    35            54,200        54,235        54,235 
Net loss                            (9,598,700)   (9,598,700)   (734,400)   (10,333,100)
Balance at September 30, 2018   7,407,254   $7,400    1,050,000   $1,100   $89,257,700   $(85,245,300)  $4,020,900   $(734,400)  $3,286,500 

  

See Accompanying Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements

 

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MYND ANALYTICS, INC.

 

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS

 

   For the years ended
September 30
 
   2018   2017 
OPERATING ACTIVITIES:          
Net loss  $(10,333,100)  $(7,112,800)
Adjustments to reconcile net loss to net cash used in operating activities:          
Depreciation and amortization   117,900    48,700 
Change in provision for doubtful accounts   800     
Stock based compensation   1,588,300    2,086,000 
Non-cash common stock issued to vendors for services   201,920    173,000 
Accretion of debt discount and non-cash interest expense   82,300     
Changes in operating assets and liabilities:          
Accounts receivable   (500)   (1,400)
Prepaid expenses and other assets   (91,500)   (12,100)
Accounts payable and accrued liabilities   (432,700)   301,500 
Deferred revenue   113,800     
Deferred compensation   (285,900)   (275,000)
Net cash used in operating activities   (9,038,680)   (4,792,100)
INVESTING ACTIVITIES:          
Purchase of property and equipment   (55,200)   (127,900)
Investment in Arcadian       (190,000)
Payment for acquisition of business, net of cash acquired   (306,600)    
Loan Advance – Plotkin       (159,500)
Purchase of intangible assets       (2,100)
Net cash used in investing activities   (361,800)   (479,500)
FINANCING ACTIVITIES:          
Principal payments on capital lease   (2,600)   (1,200)
Principal payments on long-term debt   (37,000)    
Principal payments on note payable   (36,200)   (56,200)
Proceeds from Aspire Capital purchase agreements   4,260,210    145,000 
Proceeds from sale of preferred stock and common stock warrants   2,037,100     
Proceeds from sale of common stock   930,435    2,981,300 
Proceeds from public offering       7,482,100 
Proceeds from stock options exercised   54,235     
Deferred offering costs       (148,600)
Net cash provided by financing activities   7,206,180    10,402,400 
NET INCREASE (DECREASE) IN CASH   (2,194,300)   5,130,800 
CASH- BEGINNING OF YEAR   5,449,000    318,200 
CASH- END OF YEAR  $3,254,700   $5,449,000 
SUPPLEMENTAL DISCLOSURE OF CASH FLOW INFORMATION:          
Cash paid during the period for:          
Interest  $8,200   $6,600 
Income taxes  $1,900   $2,600 
Non-cash financing and investing activities          
Long-term borrowings assumed in business combination  $651,700     
Commitment shares issued to Aspire Capital as offering cost  $795,000   $708,000 
Investment in Arcadian 1,000 shares at $5.90 per share of common stock  $   $5,900 

 

See Accompanying Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements

 

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MYND ANALYTICS, INC.

 

NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

 

1.NATURE OF OPERATIONS

 

Organization, Nature of Operations and Going Concern Uncertainty

 

MYnd Analytics, Inc. (“MYnd,” “CNS,” “we,” “us,” “our,” or the “Company”), formerly known as CNS Response Inc., is a predictive analytics company that has developed a decision support tool to help physicians reduce trial and error treatment in mental health and provide more personalized care to patients. The Company employs a clinically validated scalable technology platform to support personalized care for mental health patients. The Company utilizes its patented machine learning, artificial intelligence, data analytics platform for the delivery of telebehavioral health services and its PEER predictive analytics product offering. On November 13, 2017, the Company acquired Arcadian, which manages the delivery of telepsychiatry and telebehavioral health services through a nationwide network of licensed and credentialed psychiatrists, psychologists and master's-level therapists. The Company is commercializing its PEER predictive analytics tool to help physicians reduce trial and error treatment in mental health. MYnd's patented, clinically validated technology platform ("PEER Online") utilizes complex algorithms to analyze electroencephalograms ("EEGs") to generate Psychiatric EEG Evaluation Registry (“PEER”) Reports to predict individual responses to a range of medications prescribed for the treatment of behavioral disorders including depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, PTSD and other non-psychotic disorders.

 

Going Concern Uncertainty

 

The accompanying consolidated financial statements have been prepared in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”), which contemplate continuation of the Company as a going concern. The Company's operations are subject to certain problems, expenses, difficulties, delays, complications, risks and uncertainties frequently encountered in the operation of a business. These risks include the ability to obtain adequate financing on a timely basis, if at all, the failure to develop or supply technology or services to meet the demands of the marketplace, the failure to attract and retain qualified personnel, competition within the industry, government regulation and the general strength of regional and national economies.

 

The Company’s recurring net losses and negative cash flows from operations raise substantial doubt about its ability to continue as a going concern. During the twelve months ended September 30, 2018, the Company incurred a net loss of $10.3 million and used $9.0 million of net cash in operating activities. As of September 30, 2018, the Company’s accumulated deficit was $85.2 million. In connection with these consolidated financial statements, management evaluated whether there were conditions and events, considered in the aggregate, that raised substantial doubt about the Company’s ability to meet its obligations as they become due for the next twelve months from the date of issuance of these financial statements. Management assessed that there were such conditions and events, including a history of recurring operating losses, and negative cash flows from operating activities.

 

If the Company raises additional funds by issuing additional equity or convertible debt securities, the fully diluted ownership percentages of existing stockholders will be reduced. In addition, any equity or debt securities that the Company would issue may have rights, preferences or privileges senior to those of the holders of its common stock.

 

To date, the Company has financed its cash requirements primarily from equity financings.  The Company will need to raise funds immediately to continue its operations and increase demand for its services. Until it can generate sufficient revenues to meet its cash requirements, which it may never do, the Company must continue to finance future cash needs primarily through public or private equity offerings, debt financings or strategic collaborations. The Company’s liquidity and capital requirements depend on several factors, including the rate of market acceptance of its services, the future profitability of the Company, the rate of growth of the Company’s business and other factors described elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.  The Company continues to explore additional sources of capital, but there is substantial doubt as to whether any financing arrangement will be available in amounts and on terms acceptable to the Company to permit it to continue operations. The accompanying consolidated financial statements do not include any adjustments that might be necessary if the Company is unable to continue as a going concern.

 

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2.SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES

 

Basis of Presentation

 

The accompanying consolidated financial statements of the Company have been prepared pursuant to the rules and regulations of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) and are in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.

 

Basis of Consolidation

 

The audited consolidated financial statements include the results of MYnd, its wholly owned subsidiary, Arcadian Telepsychiatry Services LLC ("Arcadian Services"), two professional associations, Arcadian Telepsychiatry PA (“Texas PA”) which is incorporated in Texas and Arcadian Telepsychiatry Florida P.A. (“Florida PA”) which is incorporated in Florida, and two professional corporations, Arcadian Telepsychiatry P.C. (“ Pennsylvania PC”) which is incorporated in Pennsylvania and Arcadian Telepsychiatry of California, P.C. (“California PC”) which is incorporated in California collectively “the Arcadian Entities.”

 

Arcadian Services is party to Management Services Agreements by and among it and the Arcadian Entities pursuant to which each entity provides services to Arcadian Services. Each entity is established pursuant to the requirements of its respective domestic jurisdiction governing the corporate practice of medicine. All intercompany balances and transactions have been eliminated upon consolidation.

 

Segments

 

We view our operations and manage our business as one operating segment.

 

Variable Interest Entities (VIE)

 

On November 13, 2017, Arcadian Services entered into a management and administrative services agreement with Texas PA and with Pennsylvania PC, for an initial fixed term of 20 years. In accordance with relevant accounting guidance, Texas PA and Pennsylvania PC are determined to be a Variable Interest Entity (“VIE”) as MYnd is the primary beneficiary with the ability to direct the activities (excluding clinical decisions) that most significantly affect Texas PA’s and Pennsylvania PC’s economic performance through its majority representation of the Texas PA and Pennsylvania PC; therefore, Texas PA and Pennsylvania PC are consolidated by MYnd. On January 19, 2018, Arcadian Services entered into a management and administrative services agreement with California PC, for an initial fixed term of 20 years. In accordance with relevant accounting guidance, California PC is determined to be a VIE and MYnd is the primary beneficiary with the ability to direct the activities (excluding clinical decisions) that most significantly affect California PC’s economic performance through its majority representation of California PC; therefore, California PC is consolidated by MYnd. On March 27, 2018, Arcadian Services entered into a management and administrative services agreement with Florida PA, for an initial fixed term of 20 years. In accordance with relevant accounting guidance, Florida PA is determined to be a VIE and MYnd is the primary beneficiary with the ability to direct the activities (excluding clinical decisions) that most significantly affect Florida PA’s economic performance through its majority representation of Florida PA; therefore, Florida PA is consolidated by MYnd.

 

The Company holds a variable interest in the entities which contract with physicians and other health professionals in order to provide telepsychiatry services to Arcadian Services. The entities are considered variable interest entities since they do not have sufficient equity to finance their activities without additional financial support. An enterprise having a controlling financial interest in a VIE must consolidate the VIE if it has both power and benefits, that is, it has (1) the power to direct the activities of a VIE that most significantly impact the VIE’s economic performance (power) and (2) the obligation to absorb losses of the VIE that potentially could be significant to the VIE or the right to receive benefits from the VIE that potentially could be significant to the VIE (benefits). The Company has the power and rights to control all activities of the entities and funds and absorbs all losses of the VIE.

 

Use of Estimates

 

The preparation of the consolidated financial statements requires management to make estimates and judgments that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenue and expense, and related disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities. On an ongoing basis, the Company evaluates its estimates, including those related to revenue recognition, doubtful accounts, intangible assets, income taxes, valuation of equity instruments, accrued liabilities, contingencies and litigation. The Company bases its estimates on historical experience and on various other assumptions that are believed to be reasonable under the circumstances, the results of which form the basis for making judgments about the carrying values of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. Actual results may differ materially from these estimates.

 

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Cash and Cash Equivalents

 

The Company considers all liquid instruments purchased with a maturity of three months or less to be cash equivalents. The Company deposits its cash with major financial institutions and may at times exceed the federally insured limit of $250,000.  At September 30, 2018 cash exceeds the federally insured limit by $3.0 million.  The Company believes that the risk of loss is minimal. To date, the Company has not experienced any losses related to cash deposits with financial institutions.

 

Debt Instruments

 

Debt instruments are initially recorded at fair value, with coupon interest and amortization of debt issuance discounts recognized in the statement of operations as interest expense at each period end while such instruments are outstanding.

 

Fair Value of Financial Instruments

 

Financial Accounting Standards Board, or FASB, Accounting Standards Codification, or ASC, ASC 825-10 - Recognition and Measurement of Financial Assets and Financial Liabilities defines financial instruments and requires disclosure of the fair value of financial instruments held by the Company. The Company considers the carrying amount of cash, accounts receivable, other receivables, accounts payable and accrued liabilities, to approximate their fair values because of the short period of time between the origination of such instruments and their expected realization.

 

The Company also analyzes all financial instruments with features of both liabilities and equity under ASC 480-10, ASC 815-10 and ASC 815-40.

 

The FASB has established a framework for measuring fair value using generally accepted accounting principles. That framework provides a fair value hierarchy that prioritizes the inputs to valuation techniques used to measure fair value. The hierarchy gives the highest priority to unadjusted quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities (level 1 measurements) and the lowest priority to unobservable inputs (level 3 measurements). The three levels of the fair value hierarchy are described as follows:

 

Level I inputs to the valuation methodology are quoted prices for identical assets or liabilities in active markets;

 

Level II inputs to the valuation methodology include:

 

quoted prices for similar assets and liabilities in active markets;

 

Quoted prices for identical or similar assets or liabilities in inactive markets;

 

Inputs other than quoted prices that are observable for the asset or liability;

 

Inputs that are derived principally from or corroborated by observable market data by correlation or other means;

 

If the asset or liability has a specified (contractual) term, the level 2 input must be observable for substantially the full term of the asset or liability.

 

Level III inputs to the valuation methodology are unobservable and significant to the fair value measurement.

 

The asset or liability’s fair value measurement level within the fair value hierarchy is based on the lowest level of any input that is significant to the fair value measurement. Valuation techniques used must maximize the use of observable inputs and minimize the use of unobservable inputs.

  

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Accounts Receivable

 

The Company estimates the collectability of customer receivables on an ongoing basis by reviewing past-due invoices and assessing the current creditworthiness of each customer.  Allowances are provided for specific receivables deemed to be at risk for collection which as of September 30, 2018 and 2017 are $1,800 and $1,000 respectively.

 

Property and Equipment

 

Property and Equipment, which are recorded at cost, consist of office furniture and equipment, which are depreciated, over their estimated useful lives on a straight-line basis.  The useful lives of these assets is estimated to be between three and five years.  Depreciation expense on furniture and equipment for the twelve months ended September 30, 2018 and 2017 was $60,300 and $19,700 respectively.  Accumulated depreciation at September 30, 2018 and 2017 was $149,200 and $84,200, respectively.

 

Long-Lived Assets

 

As required by ASC 350-30 - Intangibles — Goodwill and other, the Company reviews the carrying value of its long-lived assets at least annually or whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the historical cost-carrying value of an asset may no longer be recoverable. The Company assesses recoverability of the carrying value of the asset by estimating the future undiscounted net cash flows expected to result from the asset, including eventual disposition. If the future net cash flows are less than the carrying value of the asset, an impairment loss is recorded equal to the difference between the asset’s carrying value and fair value. No impairment loss was recorded for the years ended September 30, 2018 and 2017.

 

Intangible Assets

 

Costs for software developed for internal use are accounted for through the capitalization of those costs incurred in connection with developing or obtaining internal-use software. Capitalized costs for internal-use software are included in intangible assets in the consolidated balance sheet. Capitalized software development costs are amortized over three years. Costs incurred during the preliminary project along with post-implementation stages of internal use computer software development and costs incurred to maintain existing product offerings are expensed as incurred. The capitalization and ongoing assessment of recoverability of development costs require considerable judgment by management with respect to certain external factors, including, but not limited to, technological and economic feasibility and estimated economic life.

 

At September 30, 2018, the Company had $101,700 in capitalized software development costs. Amortization for the twelve months ended September 30, 2018 and 2017 was $29,000 and $29,000, respectively.  Accumulated amortization was $70,400 and $39,300 at September 30, 2018 and 2017, respectively.

 

On November 13, 2017, the Company acquired customer relationships and tradename intangibles in connection with the Arcadian Services acquisition of which $109,000 were recorded at fair value and are being amortized over an estimated useful life of four years on a straight-line basis. Amortization for the twelve months ended September 30, 2018 and 2017 was $23,800 and none, respectively.  Accumulated amortization was $23,800 and $0 at September 30, 2018 and 2017, respectively.

 

The expected amortization of the intangible assets, as of September 30, 2018, for each of the next four years is as follows:

 

For the year ended September 30,   Intangible assets 
2019   $54,200 
2020    29,400 
2021    29,400 
2022    3,500 
Total   $116,500 
        

Goodwill

 

Goodwill represents the excess of the aggregate purchase price paid over the fair value of the net assets acquired in our business combinations. Goodwill is not amortized and is tested for impairment at least annually or whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying value may not be recoverable. Events or changes in circumstances that could trigger an impairment review include a significant adverse change in business climate, an adverse action or assessment by a regulator, unanticipated competition, a loss of key personnel, significant changes in the manner of our use of the acquired assets or the strategy for our overall business, significant negative industry or economic trends, or significant underperformance relative to expected historical or projected future results of operations. The Company has the option to first assess qualitative factors to determine whether the existence of events or circumstances leads to a determination that it is more likely than not that the fair value of a reporting unit is less than its carrying value, including goodwill. If, after assessing the totality of events or circumstances, the Company determines that it is not more likely than not that the fair value of a reporting unit is less than its carrying amount, additional impairment testing is not required. The Company tests for goodwill impairment annually on September 30.

 

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The Company performed a qualitative goodwill assessment at September 30, 2018 and concluded there was no impairment based on consideration of a number of factors, including the improvement in the Company’s key operating metrics over the prior year, improvement in the strength of the general economy and the Company’s continued execution against its overall strategic objectives.

 

Based on the foregoing, the Company determined that it was not more likely than not that the fair value of its reporting unit is less than its carrying amount and therefore that no further impairment testing was required.

 

Accrued Compensation

 

Accrued compensation consists of accrued vacation pay, accrued compensation granted by the Board but not paid, and accrued pay due to staff members.

 

Accrued compensation – related parties consists of accrued vacation pay, accrued bonuses granted by the Board but not paid for officers and directors.

 

Deferred Revenue

 

Deferred revenue represents cash collected in advance of services being rendered but not earned as of September 30, 2018 and 2017. This represents a philanthropic grant for the payment of PEER Reports ordered in a clinical trial for a member of the U.S. Military, a veteran or their family members, the cost of which is not covered by other sources. On August 1, 2017, the Company entered into a Research Study Funding Agreement with Horizon Healthcare Services, Inc. dba Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey and its subsidiaries (collectively "Horizon") and Cota, Inc. ("Cota"). On February 6, 2018, Horizon prepaid for part of the study, $125,000 and the Company paid Cota $15,000 out of this payment for its services under the Study. These deferred revenue grant funds total $159,700 and $45,900 as of September 30, 2018 and 2017, respectively.

 

Revenues

 

The Company derives substantially all of its revenue from neurometric and telepsychiatry services. The Company recognizes revenues in accordance with ASC 605, and accordingly revenue is recognized when persuasive evidence of an arrangement exists, delivery has occurred, the fee is fixed or determinable, collectability is reasonably assured and acceptance criteria, if any, have been met. If any of these criteria are not met, revenue recognition is deferred until such time that all of the criteria are met. The Company’s neurometric and telepsychiatry services are recognized in the month the services are delivered by the physician.

 

Research

 

The Company charges research and development expenses to operations as incurred.

 

Advertising Expenses

 

The Company charges all advertising expenses to operations as incurred. For the year ended September 30, 2018 and 2017 advertising expenses were $248,600 and $152,000, respectively.

 

Stock-Based Compensation

 

The Company accounts for awards to employees in accordance with ASC 718, Compensation-Stock Compensation. For stock options issued to employees and directors we use the Black-Scholes option valuation model for estimating fair value at the date of grant. For stock options issued for services rendered by non-employees, we recognize compensation expense in accordance with the requirements of ASC 505-50, Equity, or ASC 505-50, as amended. Non-employee option grants that do not vest immediately upon grant are recorded as an expense over the vesting period. At the end of each financial reporting period prior to performance, the value of these options, as calculated using the Black-Scholes option valuation model, is determined, and compensation expense recognized or recovered during the period is adjusted accordingly. Since the fair value of options granted to non-employees is subject to change in the future, the amount of the future compensation expense is subject to adjustment until the common stock options or warrants are fully vested.

 

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Warrants

 

From time to time, the Company has issued warrants to purchase shares of common stock. These warrants have been issued in connection with the Company’s financing transactions. The Company’s warrants are subject to standard anti-dilution provisions applicable to shares of our common stock. The Company estimates the fair value of warrants using the Black-Scholes option valuation model with the following assumptions: market prices of the stock, time to maturity, volatility, zero expected dividend rate and risk free rate all at the date of the warrant issuance.

 

Income Taxes

 

The Company accounts for income taxes under the asset and liability method.  Deferred tax assets and liabilities are recognized for future tax consequences attributable to differences between the financial statement carrying amounts of existing assets and liabilities and their respective tax bases.  Deferred tax assets and liabilities are measured using enacted tax rates expected to apply to taxable income in the years in which the temporary differences are expected to be recovered or settled.  The effect on deferred tax assets and liabilities of a change in tax rates is recognized in income in the period that includes the enactment date.  Valuation allowances are recorded, when necessary, to reduce deferred tax assets to the amount expected to be realized.

 

On December 22, 2017, President Trump signed into law new legislation that significantly revises the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, or the Code. The newly enacted federal income tax law, among other things, contains significant changes to corporate taxation, including reduction of the corporate tax rate from a top marginal rate of 35 percent to a flat rate of 21 percent, limitation of the tax deduction for interest expense to 30 percent of adjusted earnings (except for certain small businesses), limitation of the deduction for net operating losses to 80 percent of current-year taxable income and elimination of net operating loss carrybacks, one time taxation of offshore earnings at reduced rates regardless of whether they are repatriated, immediate deductions for certain new investments instead of deductions for depreciation expense over time, and modifying or repealing many business deductions and credits.

 

As a result of the implementation of certain provisions of FASB ASC 740, Income Taxes, which clarifies the accounting and disclosure for uncertainty in tax positions, the Company has analyzed filing positions in each of the federal and state jurisdictions where required to file income tax returns, as well as all open tax years in these jurisdictions.  We have identified U.S. Federal and California as our major tax jurisdictions.  Generally, we remain subject to Internal Revenue Service examination of our 2013 through 2016 U.S. federal income tax returns, and remain subject to California Franchise Tax Board examination of our 2012 through 2016 California Franchise Tax Returns.  We have certain tax attribute carryforwards which will remain subject to review and adjustment by the relevant tax authorities until the statute of limitations closes with respect to the year in which such attributes are utilized.

 

We believe that our income tax filing positions and deductions will be sustained on audit and do not anticipate any adjustments that will result in a material change to our financial position.  Therefore, no reserves for uncertain income tax positions have been recorded pursuant to ASC 740.  Our policy for recording interest and penalties associated with income-based tax audits is to record such items as a component of income taxes.

 

Noncontrolling Interest

 

The Company consolidates entities in which the Company has a controlling financial interest. The Company consolidates subsidiaries in which the Company holds, directly or indirectly, more than 50% of the voting rights, and VIEs for which the Company is the primary beneficiary. Noncontrolling interests represent third-party equity ownership interests in the Company’s consolidated entities. The amount of net loss attributable to noncontrolling interests for the year ended September 30, 2018 and 2017 was $734,400 and $0, respectively.

 

Earnings (Loss) per Share

 

Basic and diluted earnings (loss) per share is presented in conformity with the two-class method. Under the two-class method, basic net loss per share is computed by dividing income (loss) available to common stockholders by the weighted average common shares outstanding during the period. Net loss per share is calculated as the net loss less the current period preferred stock dividends. Diluted earnings (loss) per share takes into account the potential dilution that could occur if securities or other contracts to issue Common Stock were exercised and converted into Common Stock.

  

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

 

Apart from the below-mentioned recent accounting pronouncements, there are no new accounting pronouncements that are currently applicable to the Company.

 

In May 2014, the FASB issued ASU No. 2014-09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers, as amended, which requires an entity to recognize the amount of revenue to which it expects to be entitled for the transfer of promised goods or services to customers, or the new revenue standard. The new revenue standard also includes Subtopic 340-40, Other Assets and Deferred Costs - Contracts with Customers, which discusses the deferral of incremental costs of obtaining a contract with a customer. The new revenue standard is effective for annual periods beginning after December 15, 2017. The standard permits the use of either a full retrospective or modified retrospective transition method.

 

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The Company will adopt the new revenue standard as of October 1, 2018, using the modified retrospective transition method applied to those contracts which were not completed as of that date. Upon adoption, we will recognize the cumulative effect of adopting this guidance as an adjustment to our opening balance of accumulated deficit. Prior periods will not be retrospectively adjusted.

 

We do not expect the new revenue standard to have a material impact on our revenue upon adoption. Also, we do not expect the new standard to have a material impact as it relates to the deferral of incremental costs of obtaining contracts. The Company is in the process of implementing the necessary changes to its accounting policies, processes, internal controls and information systems that will be required to meet the new revenue standard’s reporting and disclosure requirements.

 

In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-02, Leases (Topic 842). This ASU requires that a lessee recognize lease assets and lease liabilities for those leases classified as operating leases. The guidance is effective for interim and annual periods beginning after December 15, 2018. The Company is currently evaluating the impact of adoption of this standard to its financial statements.

 

In March 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-09, Improvements to Employee Share-Based Payment Accounting. This ASU simplifies several aspects of the accounting for share-based payment transactions, including the income tax consequences, accounting for forfeitures, and classification of awards as either equity or liabilities, and classification on the statement of cash flows. The guidance is effective for interim and annual periods beginning after December 15, 2016, with early adoption permitted. The guidance will be applied prospectively, retrospectively, or by means of a cumulative-effect adjustment to equity as of the beginning of the period in which the guidance is adopted, dependent upon the specific amendment that is adopted within the ASU. The adoption of this new guidance did not have a material effect on the consolidated results of operations, cash flows, and financial position. The Company adopted the guidance on October 1, 2017 and chose to prospectively apply the guidance in its financial statements.

 

In January 2017, the FASB issued ASU 2017-01, Business Combinations (Topic 805): Clarifying the Definition of a Business. This guidance narrows the definition of a business. This standard provides guidance to assist entities with evaluating when a set of transferred assets and activities is a business. This guidance is effective for interim and annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2017, and early adoption is permitted. This guidance must be applied prospectively to transactions occurring within the period of adoption. The Company adopted ASU 2017-01 on October 1, 2017, and prospectively applied ASU 2017-01 as required with no impact on its consolidated financial position, results of operations or cash flows.

 

In January 2017, the FASB issued ASU 2017-04, Intangibles-Goodwill and Other (Topic 350): Simplifying the Test for Goodwill Impairment. This guidance eliminates Step 2 from the goodwill impairment test, instead requiring an entity to recognize a goodwill impairment charge for the amount by which the goodwill carrying amount exceeds the reporting unit’s fair value. This guidance is effective for interim and annual goodwill impairment tests in fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2019, and early adoption is permitted. This guidance must be applied on a prospective basis. The Company adopted ASU 2017-04 in the first quarter of 2018, and prospectively applied ASU 2017-04 as required with no impact on its consolidated financial position, results of operations or cash flows.

 

In May 2017, the FASB issued ASU 2017-9, “Compensation – Stock Compensation (Topic 718): Scope of Modification Accounting,” to provide clarity and reduce both diversity in practice and cost complexity when applying the guidance in Topic 718 to a change to the terms and conditions of a stock-based payment award. ASU 2017-9 also provides guidance about the types of changes to the terms or conditions of a share-based payment award that require an entity to apply modification accounting in accordance with Topic 718. For all entities, including emerging growth companies, the standard is effective for annual periods beginning after December 15, 2017, and for interim periods therein. Early adoption is permitted. The Company adopted the guidance on October 1, 2017 and there was no impact on the financial statements.

 

In July 2017, the FASB issued a two-part ASU 2017-11, I. Accounting for Certain Financial Instruments With Down Round Features and II. Replacement of the Indefinite Deferral for Mandatorily Redeemable Financial Instruments of Certain Nonpublic Entities and Certain Mandatorily Redeemable Noncontrolling Interests with a Scope Exception (“ASU 2017-11”). ASU 2017-11 amends guidance in FASB ASC 260, Earnings Per Share, FASB ASC 480, Distinguishing Liabilities from Equity, and FASB ASC 815, Derivatives and Hedging. The amendments in Part I of ASU 2017-11 change the classification analysis of certain equity-linked financial instruments (or embedded features) with down round features. The amendments in Part II of ASU 2017-11 re-characterize the indefinite deferral of certain provisions of Topic 480 that now are presented as pending content in the Codification, to a scope exception. Those amendments do not have an accounting effect. ASU 2017-11 is effective for public business entities for fiscal years, and interim periods within those fiscal years, beginning after December 15, 2018. Early adoption is permitted. The Company adopted ASU 2017-11 ended October 1, 2017, and retrospectively applied ASU 2017-11 as required with no impact on its consolidated financial position or results of operations.

 

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In June 2018, the FASB issued ASU 2018-07, Improvements to Nonemployee Share-Based Payment Accounting (Topic 718). The amendments in this Update expand the scope of Topic 718 to include share based payment transactions for acquiring goods and services from nonemployees. An entity should apply the requirements of Topic 718 to nonemployee awards except for specific guidance on inputs to an option pricing model and the attribution of cost (that is, the period of time over which share-based payment awards vest and the pattern of cost recognition over that period). The amendments specify that Topic 718 applies to all share-based payment transactions in which a grantor acquires goods or services to be used or consumed in a grantor’s own operations by issuing share-based payment awards. The amendments also clarify that Topic 718 does not apply to share-based payments used to effectively provide (1) financing to the issuer or (2) awards granted in conjunction with selling goods or services to customers as part of a contract accounted for under Topic 606, Revenue from Contracts with Customers. The amendments in this Update are effective for public business entities for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2018, including interim periods within that fiscal year. The Company is currently evaluating the impact of adoption of this standard to its financial statements.

 

3.       ACCOUNTS RECEIVABLE, NET

 

Accounts receivable, net, is as follows:

 

    September 30,       September 30,  
    2018       2017  
Accounts receivable $ 65,100     $ 7,500  
Allowance for doubtful accounts (1,800 )   (1,000 )
Accounts receivable, net $ 63,300     $ 6,500  

 

4.       LONG - TERM BORROWINGS AND OTHER NOTES PAYABLE

 

Debt assumed from Arcadian Services

 

As a result of the acquisition of Arcadian Services, the Company guaranteed Arcadian Services' then outstanding debt obligations totaling $700,000 owed to Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Southeastern Pennsylvania ("BFTP"). The maturity date for the debt is September 30, 2021 and interest accrues at an 8% annual rate. Unpaid interest was $110,100 as of September 30, 2018. The Company recorded the debt at its fair value and recorded a discount of $112,300 as of September 30, 2018 attributable to the difference between the market interest rate and the stated interest rate on the debt. Interest expense related to the accretion of debt discount for the twelve months ended September 30, 2018 was $32,800.

 

A balloon payment of $700,000 plus interest will be made on the scheduled maturity date of September 30, 2021.

 

Other Notes Payable

 

Note Payable - finance company, principal is payable over thirty-six equal payments of $1,200 through May 8, 2018. Interest is payable monthly on the unpaid balance at 19% per annum. The outstanding balance was paid in full on May 8, 2018.

 

Loan payable to a vendor, principal payments of $5,000 per month, together with interest computed at 6% per annum.  The outstanding balance was paid in full on May 8, 2018.

 

5. ACQUISITION

 

The Company accounted for the acquisition of Arcadian Services using the acquisition method of accounting for business combinations under ASC 805, Business Combinations. The total purchase price is allocated to the tangible and identifiable intangible assets acquired and liabilities assumed based on their estimated fair values as of the acquisition date.

 

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Fair value estimates are based on a complex series of judgments about future events and uncertainties and rely heavily on estimates and assumptions. The judgments used to determine the estimated fair value assigned to each class of assets acquired and liabilities assumed, as well as asset lives and the expected future cash flows and related discount rates, can materiality impact our results of operations. Significant inputs used for the model included the amount of cash flows, the expected period of the cash flows and the discount rates. The finalization of the purchase accounting assessment may result in a change in the fair value of the debt assumed and intangible assets, which may have a material impact on our results of operations and financial position.

 

On November 13, 2017, the Company acquired Arcadian Services. The purchase price, including the value of the indebtedness and payables of Arcadian Services, is $1,339,600 based upon a deemed acquisition of all of the assets and liabilities of Arcadian Services, including the equity interests in Arcadian Services. The aggregate purchase price consists of (i) initial investment in Arcadian of $195,900 (ii) $317,000 of forgiveness of a note receivable with the primary member of Arcadian (iii) assumption by Arcadian Services of subordinated debt (“Arcadian Note”) with a fair value of $555,000, plus accrued interest of $96,700 (iv) $175,000 payment for the redemption and cancellation of two warrants to purchase equity interests in Arcadian Services. The Arcadian Note bears interest at an annual rate of 8% and matures on September 30, 2021.

 

The following table summarizes the allocation of the purchase consideration and the estimated fair value of the assets acquired and the liabilities assumed for the acquisition of Arcadian Services made by the Company:

 

Assets acquired:  
Cash $ 25,900  
Accounts receivable 57,100  
Other assets 24,000  
Intangibles 109,000  
Goodwill 1,386,800  
Total assets acquired $ 1,602,800  
   
Liabilities assumed  
Accounts payable $ 147,700  
Accrued other liabilities 108,700  
Notes payable 6,800  
Total liabilities assumed $ 263,200  
   
Net assets acquired $ 1,339,600  
   
Consideration paid:  
Initial investment in Arcadian Services 195,900  
Long-term debt 555,000  
Accrued interest 96,700  
Payment on warrant outstanding 175,000  

Forgiveness of loan in relation of acquisition

317,000  
Total consideration $ 1,339,600  
   

The weighted average useful life of all identified acquired intangible assets is 3.9 years. The useful lives for trade names and customer relationships are 1.0 years and 4.0 years. Identifiable intangible assets with definite lives are amortized over the period of estimated benefit using the straight-line method and the estimated useful lives of one to four years. The straight-line method of amortization represents the Company’s best estimate of the distribution of the economic value of the identifiable intangible assets.

 

As a result of the acquisition, the Company recorded $1,386,800 of goodwill. The goodwill balance is primarily attributed to the anticipated synergies from the acquisition and expanded market opportunities with respect to the integration of Arcadian Services' products with the Company's other solutions. The Company believes that the factors listed above support the amount of goodwill recorded as a result of the purchase price paid.

 

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For the year ended September 30, 2018, the Company incurred transaction costs of $438,600 and $0 in connection with the Arcadian Services acquisition, which were expensed as incurred and included in general and administrative expenses within the accompanying consolidated statements of operations.

 

Unaudited Pro Forma Financial Information

 

The following unaudited pro forma statement of operations data presents the combined results of operations for the years ended September 30, 2018 and 2017 as if the acquisition of Arcadian Telepsychiatry Services LLC had taken place on October 1, 2016.

 

The unaudited pro forma financial information includes the effects of certain adjustments, including the amortization of acquired intangibles and the associated tax effect and the elimination of the Company’s and the acquiree’s non-recurring acquisition related expenses.

 

The unaudited pro forma information presented does not purport to be indicative of the results that would have been achieved had the acquisitions been consummated at October 1, 2016 nor of the results which may occur in the future. The pro forma adjustments are based upon available information and certain assumptions that the Company believes are reasonable.

 

Pro Forma   Years Ended September 30,
      2018       2017  
Revenues   $ 1,460,800     $ 1,154,500  
Net income (loss)   $ (10,558,000 )   $ (7,894,700 )
Basic and diluted loss per share:   $ (2.03 )   $ (2.80 )
         
weighted shares outstanding:   5,199,566     2,817,415  

 

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6.        STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY

 

The Aspire Capital Equity Line

 

On December 6, 2016, the Company, entered into the first common stock purchase agreement (the “First Purchase Agreement”) with Aspire Capital Fund, LLC (“Aspire Capital”) which provided that, upon the terms and subject to the conditions and limitations set forth therein, Aspire Capital was committed to purchase up to an aggregate of $10.0 million of shares of the Company’s Common Stock over the 30-month term of the First Purchase Agreement. Concurrently with entering into the First Purchase Agreement, the Company also entered into a registration rights agreement with Aspire Capital (the “Registration Rights Agreement”), pursuant to which the Company maintained an effective registration statement registering the sale of the shares of Common Stock that were issued to Aspire under the First Purchase Agreement. Under the First Purchase Agreement, on any trading day selected by the Company on which the closing sale price of its Common Stock is equal to or greater than $0.50 per share, the Company had the right, in its sole discretion, to present Aspire Capital with a purchase notice, directing Aspire Capital (as principal) to purchase up to 50,000 shares of Common Stock per business day, up to $10.0 million of the Company’s common stock in the aggregate at a per share purchase price equal to the lesser of:

 

a)the lowest sale price of Common Stock on the purchase date; or
b)the arithmetic average of the three (3) lowest closing sale prices for Common Stock during the twelve (12) consecutive trading days ending on the trading day immediately preceding the purchase date.

 

In addition, on any date on which the Company submitted a purchase notice to Aspire Capital in an amount equal to 50,000 shares, and the closing sale price of its Common Stock is equal to or greater than $0.50 per share, the Company also had the right, in its sole discretion, to present Aspire Capital with a volume-weighted average price purchase notice (each, a “VWAP Purchase Notice”) directing Aspire Capital to purchase an amount of stock equal to up to 30% of the aggregate shares of Common Stock traded on its principal market on the next trading day (the “VWAP Purchase Date”), subject to a maximum number of shares the Company may determine. The purchase price per share pursuant to such VWAP Purchase Notice is generally 95% of the volume-weighted average price for Common Stock traded on its principal market on the VWAP Purchase Date.

 

The purchase price was subject to adjustment for any reorganization, recapitalization, non-cash dividend, stock split, or other similar transaction occurring during the period(s) used to compute the First Purchase Price. The Company could deliver multiple Purchase Notices and VWAP Purchase Notices to Aspire Capital from time to time during the term of the Purchase Agreement, so long as the most recent purchase has been completed.

 

The First Purchase Agreement provided that the Company and Aspire Capital would not effect any sales under the First Purchase Agreement on any purchase date where the closing sale price of the Company’s common stock was less than $0.50. There were no trading volume requirements or restrictions under the First Purchase Agreement, and the Company could control the timing and amount of sales of Common Stock to Aspire Capital. Aspire Capital had no right to require any sales by the Company, but was obligated to make purchases from the Company as directed by the Company in accordance with the First Purchase Agreement. There were no limitations on use of proceeds, financial or business covenants, restrictions on future fundings, rights of first refusal, participation rights, penalties or liquidated damages in the First Purchase Agreement. In consideration for entering into the First Purchase Agreement, concurrently with the execution of the First Purchase Agreement, the Company issued to Aspire Capital 80,000 shares of Common Stock (the “First Commitment Shares”). The First Purchase Agreement was terminated and replaced by the Second Purchase Agreement on May 15, 2018. Aspire Capital has agreed that neither it nor any of its agents, representatives and affiliates shall engage in any direct or indirect short-selling or hedging of Common Stock during any time prior to the termination of the First Purchase Agreement. Any proceeds the Company receives under the First Purchase Agreement are expected to be used for working capital and general corporate purposes. The Company cannot request Aspire to purchase more than $100,000 per business day.

 

As of September 30, 2018, the Company has issued purchase notices to Aspire Capital under the First Purchase Agreement to purchase an aggregate of 1,180,000 shares of common stock, at a per share price of $2.00, resulting in gross cash proceeds of approximately $2.4 million. The issuance of shares of common stock that were issued from time to time to Aspire Capital under the First Purchase Agreement were exempt from registration under the Securities Act, pursuant to the exemption for transactions by an issuer not involving any public offering under Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act.

 

The Second Purchase Agreement with Aspire Capital

 

On May 15, 2018, the Company, entered into the Second Purchase Agreement with Aspire Capital under substantially the same terms, conditions and limitations as the First Purchase Agreement. Pursuant to the Second Purchase Agreement, Aspire Capital is committed to purchase up to an aggregate of $10.0 million of shares of the Company’s Common Stock over 80 the 30-month term of the Second Purchase Agreement. Concurrently with entering into the Second Purchase Agreement, the Company also entered into a registration rights agreement with Aspire Capital (the “Registration Rights Agreement”), pursuant to which the Company maintains an effective registration statement registering the sale of the shares of Common Stock that have and may be issued to Aspire under the Second Purchase Agreement. Under the Second Purchase Agreement, on any trading day selected by the Company on which the closing sale price of its Common Stock is equal to or greater than $0.50 per share, the Company has the right, in its sole discretion, to present Aspire Capital with a purchase notice, directing Aspire Capital (as principal) to purchase up to 50,000 shares of Common Stock per business day, up to $10.0 million of the Company’s common stock in the aggregate at a per share purchase price equal to the lesser of:

 

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a) the lowest sale price of Common Stock on the purchase date; or

 

b) the arithmetic average of the three (3) lowest closing sale prices for Common Stock during the twelve (12) consecutive trading days ending on the trading day immediately preceding the purchase date.

 

In addition, on any date on which the Company submits a purchase notice to Aspire Capital in an amount equal to 50,000 shares, and the closing sale price of its Common Stock is equal to or greater than $0.50 per share, the Company also has the right, in its sole discretion, to present Aspire Capital with a volume-weighted average price purchase notice (each, a “VWAP Purchase Notice”) directing Aspire Capital to purchase an amount of stock equal to up to 30% of the aggregate shares of Common Stock traded on its principal market on the next trading day (the “VWAP Purchase Date”), subject to a maximum number of shares the Company may determine. The purchase price per share pursuant to such VWAP Purchase Notice is generally 95% of the volume-weighted average price for Common Stock traded on its principal market on the VWAP Purchase Date.

 

The purchase price will be adjusted for any reorganization, recapitalization, non-cash dividend, stock split, or other similar transaction occurring during the period(s) used to compute the Purchase Price. The Company may deliver multiple Purchase Notices and VWAP Purchase Notices to Aspire Capital from time to time during the term of the Second Purchase Agreement, so long as the most recent purchase has been completed.

 

The Second Purchase Agreement provides that the Company and Aspire Capital will not effect any sales under the Second Purchase Agreement on any purchase date where the closing sale price of the Company’s common stock is less than $0.50. There are no trading volume requirements or restrictions under the Second Purchase Agreement, and the Company will control the timing and amount of sales of Common Stock to Aspire Capital. Aspire Capital has no right to require any sales by the Company, but is obligated to make purchases from the Company as directed by the Company in accordance with the Second Purchase Agreement. There are no limitations on use of proceeds, financial or business covenants, restrictions on future fundings, rights of first refusal, participation rights, penalties or liquidated damages in the Second Purchase Agreement. In consideration for entering into the Second Purchase Agreement, concurrently with the execution of the Second Purchase Agreement, the Company issued to Aspire Capital 2,500,000 shares of Common Stock (the “ Second Commitment Shares”). The Second Purchase Agreement may be terminated by the Company at any time, at its discretion, without any cost to the Company. Aspire Capital has agreed that neither it nor any of its agents, representatives and affiliates shall engage in any direct or indirect short-selling or hedging of Common Stock during any time prior to the termination of the Second Purchase Agreement. Any proceeds from the Company receives under the Second Purchase Agreement are expected to be used for working capital and general corporate purposes. The Company cannot request Aspire to purchase more than $300,000 per business day.

 

As of September 30, 2018, the Company has issued purchase notices to Aspire Capital under the Second Purchase Agreement to purchase an aggregate of 884,671 shares of common stock, resulting in gross cash proceeds of approximately $1.9 million. The issuance of shares of common stock that were issued from time to time to Aspire Capital under the Second Purchase Agreement were exempt from registration under the Securities Act, pursuant to the exemption for transactions by an issuer not involving any public offering under Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act.

 

Shareholder Approval for Removal of Exchange Cap

 

The Second Purchase Agreement previously restricted the amount of shares that may be sold to Aspire Capital thereunder to 1,134,671 shares of Common Stock (the "Exchange Cap"). On November 26, 2018, the Company received shareholder approval to remove the Exchange Cap in compliance with the applicable listing rules of the Nasdaq Stock Market. Pursuant to Nasdaq Listing Rule 5635(d), shareholder approval is required prior to the issuance of securities in connection with a transaction other than a public offering involving the sale, issuance or potential issuance by the Company of common stock (or securities convertible into or exercisable common stock) equal to 20% or more of the common stock outstanding before the issuance for less than the greater of book or market value of the stock. Following receipt of shareholder approval, the Company may issue an additional $8.1 million, up to an aggregate of $10 million, of common stock to Aspire Capital under the Second Purchase Agreement.

 

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Common and Preferred Stock

 

As of September 30, 2017, the Company is authorized to issue 515,000,000 shares of stock of which 500,000,000 are common stock, and 15,000,000 shares were preferred shares. As of September 30, 2018, the Company is authorized to issue 265,000,000 shares of stock of which 250,000,000 are common stock, and 15,000,000 shares were preferred shares, with a par value of $0.001 per shares are blank-check preferred stock which the Board is expressly authorized to issue without stockholder approval, for one or more series of preferred stock and, with respect to each such series, to fix the number of shares constituting such series and the designation of such series, the voting powers, if any, of the shares of such series, and the preferences and relative, participating, optional or other special rights, if any, and any qualifications, limitations or restrictions thereof, of the shares of such series. The powers, preferences and relative, participating, optional and other special rights of each series of preferred stock, and the qualifications, limitations or restrictions thereof, if any, may differ from those of any and all other series at any time outstanding.

 

Private Placement with Directors and Management

 

        On September 21, 2018, the Company entered into definitive agreements with George C. Carpenter IV, President and Chief Executive Officer, Robin L. Smith, Chairman, as well as John Pappajohn, and Peter Unanue, each a director of the Company, and entities affiliated with Michal Votruba, a member of the Board of Directors of MYnd Analytics and Director of Life Sciences for the European-based RSJ-Gradus fund, relating to a private placement of an aggregate of 459,458 units for $1.85 per unit, with each unit consisting of one share of common stock and one common stock purchase warrant to purchase one share of Common Stock for $2.00 per share.

 

Stock-Option Plans

 

2006 Stock Incentive Plan

 

On August 3, 2006, CNS California adopted the CNS California 2006 Stock Incentive Plan (the “2006 Plan”). The 2006 Plan provides for the issuance of awards in the form of restricted shares, stock options (which may constitute incentive stock options (ISO) or non-statutory stock options (NSO), stock appreciation rights and stock unit grants to eligible employees, directors and consultants and is administered by the Board. A total of 3,339 shares of stock were ultimately reserved for issuance under the 2006 Plan. As of September 30, 2018, zero options were exercised and there were 1,445 option shares outstanding under the amended 2006 Plan. The outstanding options have exercise prices to purchase shares of Common Stock ranging from $2,400 to $3,300 per share.

 

2012 Omnibus Incentive Compensation Plan

 

On March 22, 2012, our Board approved the MYnd Analytics, Inc. 2012 Omnibus Incentive Compensation Plan (the “2012 Plan”), and reserved 1,667 shares of stock for issuance under the 2012 plan. On December 10, 2012, the Board approved the amendment of the 2012 Plan to increase the shares authorized for issuance from 1,667 shares to 27,500 shares. On March 26, 2013, the Board further approved the amendment of the 2012 Plan to increase the shares authorized for issuance from 27,500 shares to 75,000 shares. The 2012 Plan, as amended, was approved by our stockholders at the 2013 annual meeting held on May 23, 2013.

 

On April 5, 2016, the Board approved a further amendment of the 2012 Plan to increase the Common Stock authorized for issuance from 75,000 shares to 200,000 shares.

 

On September 22, 2016 the Board amended the 2012 Plan to: (i) increase the total number of shares of Common Stock available for grant under the 2012 Plan from 200,000 shares to an aggregate of 500,000 shares, (ii) add an "evergreen" provision which, on January 1st of each year through 2022, automatically increases the number of shares subject to the 2012 Plan by the lesser of: (a) a number equal to 10% of the shares of Common Stock authorized under the 2012 Plan as of the preceding December 31st, or (b) an amount, or no amount, as determined by the Board, but in no event may the number of shares of Common Stock authorized under the 2012 Plan exceed 885,781 and (iii) increase the annual individual award limits under the 2012 Plan to 100,000 shares of Common Stock, subject to adjustment in accordance with the 2012 Plan. Per the above mentioned “evergreen” provision, an additional 50,000 shares were automatically allocated for distribution under the 2012 Plan as of January 1, 2017.

 

At the 2017 Annual Meeting of Stockholders of MYnd Analytics, Inc. (“the Company”), held on August 21, 2017 (the “2017 Annual Meeting”), the holders of the Company’s common stock voted to amend the Company’s 2012 Omnibus Incentive Compensation Plan (the "2012 Plan") to increase: (i) the total number of shares of common stock, par value $0.001 per share ("Common Stock"), available for grant under the 2012 Plan (subject to the overall limits described in clause (ii) below) from 550,000 shares to an aggregate of 975,000 shares; (ii) the aggregate limitation on authorized shares available for grant under the 2012 Plan, following any increases pursuant to the evergreen provision, from 885,781 shares to 1,570,248 shares and (iii) the annual individual award limits under the 2012 Plan to 150,000 shares of Common Stock (subject to adjustment in accordance with the 2012 Plan);

 

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At the 2018 Annual Meeting of Stockholders of the Company, held on April 4, 2018, the holders of the Company's common stock voted to amend the 2012 Plan to increase (i) the total number of shares of Common Stock available for grant under the 2012 Plan (subject to the overall limit described in clause (ii) below) from 1,072,500 shares to an aggregate of 1,500,000 shares and (ii) the aggregate limitation on the authorization shares available for grant under the 2012 Plan, following any increases pursuant to the evergreen provision, from 1,570,248 shares to 2,200,000 shares.

 

At the Special Meeting of Stockholders of the Company, held on November 26, 2018, the holders of the Company's common and preferred stock voted to (i) amend the 2012 Plan to eliminate the annual individual award limits under the 2012 Plan and (ii) amend 2012 Plan to increase: (a) the total number of shares of common stock, par value $0.001 per share (“Common Stock”), available for grant under the 2012 Plan (subject to the overall limits described in clause (b) below) from 1,500,000 shares to an aggregate of 2,250,000 shares and (b) the aggregate limitation on authorized shares available for grant under the 2012 Plan, following any increases pursuant to the evergreen provision (the “Evergreen Provision”), from 2,200,000 shares to 2,950,000 shares.

 

Chairman Agreements and Amendments

 

On July 14, 2017, the Company entered into a Chairman Services Agreement (the “Agreement”) with Robin L. Smith, M.D., the Chairman of the Company’s board of directors (the “Board”). Pursuant to the Agreement, Dr. Smith is entitled to receive the following equity awards: (a) on the Effective Date, a grant of 25,000 shares of restricted stock (vesting immediately) under the 2012 Plan; (b) on the Effective Date, options to purchase 75,000 shares of Common Stock under the Plan; and (c) on the date of the Company’s 2017 annual meeting of stockholders, an award of options to purchase 50,000 shares of Common Stock (the “2017 Option Award”) was granted. In addition, at each annual meeting of stockholders of the Company thereafter beginning in 2018 during the Term, Dr. Smith will be entitled to receive a grant of 25,000 shares of restricted stock (vesting immediately) under the Plan and options to purchase 75,000 shares of Common Stock under the Plan. Other than the 2017 Option Award, all options granted under the Agreement will vest 1/3 on the date of grant, 1/3 on the six month anniversary of the date of grant and 1/3 on the twelve month anniversary of the date of grant. The 2017 Option Award will vest on December 1, 2018. Pursuant to the Agreement, all options owned by Dr. Smith will remain exercisable for a period of 10 years from the date of grant, even if Dr. Smith is no longer with the Company.

 

On April 24, 2018, the Company and Dr. Smith agreed to amend the Chairman Services Agreement, dated as of July 14, 2017 (the "Chairman Amendment") to provide that Dr. Smith’s annual compensation for the 2018 calendar year would be reduced from $300,000 to $250,000. This change was retroactive to January 1st. Further, pursuant to the Chairman Amendment, Dr. Smith was granted an option on April 16, 2018 to purchase 50,000 shares of common stock under the Company's 2012 Plan, which will not be terminated if Dr. Smith is no longer affiliated with the Company. The options granted under the Chairman Amendment will vest on the date of the grant.

 

Agreement with Maxim Group LLC

 

On April 2, 2018, the Company entered into an Advisory Agreement with Maxim Group LLC ("Maxim") for general financial advisory and investment banking services. Maxim's compensation under the agreement was 100,000 shares of the Company's Common Stock, payable in one payment of 50,000 shares of Common Stock and five monthly payments of 10,000 shares of Common Stock from April through August 2018. The shares of Common Stock will have unlimited piggyback registration rights and the same rights afforded other holders of the Company’s Common Stock. Compensation expense under this agreement was $162,300 and was recorded as general and administrative expenses in the consolidated statement of operations for the year ended September 30, 2018.

 

Amendment to Chief Executive Officer's Agreement

 

On April 19, 2018, the Company and George C. Carpenter, IV, the Chief Executive Officer of the Company, entered into an amendment to his Employment Agreement, dated as of September 7, 2007 (the “CEO Amendment"), pursuant to which Mr. Carpenter's annual salary as reduced from $270,000 to $206,250. This change is retroactive to April 13, 2018. Further, pursuant to the CEO Amendment, Mr. Carpenter was granted 34,380 restricted shares of common stock under the 2012 Plan. The shares granted under the CEO Amendment will vest quarterly. If the employee’s relationship with the Company is terminated, the above grant will be prorated. On or before December 31, 2018, the parties will review this modification to determine if the above salary reduction adjustment will be renewed.

 

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As of September 30, 2018, options to purchase 802,492 shares of Common Stock were outstanding under the 2012 Plan with exercise prices ranging from $1.55 to $600, with a weighted average exercise price of $4.39. Additionally, 406,564 restricted shares of Common Stock have been issued under the 2012 Plan, leaving 290,944 shares of Common Stock available to be awarded.

 

Stock-based compensation expense is generally recognized over the employees’ or service provider’s requisite service period, generally the vesting period of the award. Stock-based compensation expense included in the accompanying statements of operations for the years ended September 30, 2018 and 2017 is as follows:

 

  September 30,
  2018   2017
  Stock-based
compensation
Expense non-
Restricted
Shares
Stock-based
compensation
Expense
Restricted
Shares
  Stock-based
compensation
Expense non-
Restricted
Shares
Stock-based
compensation
Expense
Restricted
Shares
Research $   $     $ 10,900   $  
Product development 20,000   16,400     360,600    
Sales and marketing 3,400       175,300    
General and administrative 1,034,800   513,700     647,200   892,000  
Total $ 1,058,200   $ 530,100     $ 1,194,000   $ 892,000  

 

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Total unrecognized compensation expense was $185,537 as of September 30, 2018. The following table sets forth the Company’s unrecognized stock-based compensation expense, net of estimated forfeitures, by type of award and the weighted-average period over which that expense is expected to be recognized:

 

  September 30
  2018   2017
Type of Award: Unrecognized
Expense,
Weighted
average
Recognition
Period (in
years)
  Unrecognized
Expense
Weighted
average
Recognition Period (in years)
Stock Options $ 126,509   0.96   $ 860,915   3.54
Restricted Stock $ 59,028   0.55   $ 205,858   1.00
Total $ 185,537   0.83   $ 1,066,773   3.05

 

A summary of stock option activity is as follows:

 

  Number of
Shares
    Weighted
Average 
Exercise
Price
 

Weighted-

Average

Remaining

Contractual

Term (in years) 

 

Intrinsic Value

Outstanding at September 30, 2016 223,120     $ 50.98     6.63     $ 819,137  
Granted 334,000     4.85          
Exercised              
Forfeited (3,037 )   1,335.06          
Outstanding at September 30, 2017 554,083     $ 16.14     6.63     $ 7,425  
Granted 468,000     2.01     —         
Exercised (35,000 )   1.55          
Forfeited or expired (183,146 )   8.19          
Outstanding at September 30, 2018 803,937     $ 10.13     8.75     $ 7,500  
                         

 There are 531,604 shares of options vested and 272,333 unvested as of September 30, 2018; there are 249,284 shares of options vested and 304,799 unvested as of September 30, 2017.

 

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Following is a summary of the status of options outstanding at September 30, 2018:

 

Exercise
Price ($)
Number
of Shares
  Expiration
Date
  Weighted Average
Exercise Price ($)
2012 Omnibus Incentive Compensation Plan          
$ 1.55   250,000     4/2028   1.55  
1.99   50,000     4/2028   1.99  
2.35   10,000     6/2028   2.35  
2.98   10,000     5/2028   2.98  
3.60   54,000     09/2027   3.60  
3.74   5,000     12/2027   3.74  
3.88   20,000     11/2027   3.88  
3.96   35,000     11/2027   3.96  
4.10   5,000     08/2027   4.10  
4.16   50,000     08/2027   4.16  
4.33   75,000     07/2027   4.33  
5.10   7,750     04/2026   5.10  
5.90   18,000     03/2027   5.90  
6.00   174,000     09/2026   6.00  
9.44   22,307     12/2022 – 01/2023   9.44  
11.00   6,250     08/2025   11.00  
50.00   9,518     03/2023 – 01/2025   50.00  
52.00   625     07/2024   52.00  
$600.00     42     03/2022   600.00  
Sub-Total   802,492     Weighted Average   $ 4.39  
2006 Stock Incentive Plan        
$ 2,400.00   144     03/2019 – 07/2020   $ 2,400.00  
2,820.00   51     03/2021   2,820.00  
$ 3,300.00   1,250     03/2020   $ 3,300.00  
 

Sub-Total

 

 

1,445     Weighted Average   $ 3,193.37
  Total   803,937     Weighted Average   $ 10.13  

 

Following is a summary of the status of restricted shares outstanding at September 30, 2018:

 

        Weighted     
        Average     
        Grant     
    Number of   Date Fair     
      Shares   Value   Amount 
 Outstanding at September 30, 2016    143,750   $6.13   $881,250 
 Granted    79,000    3.83    302,650 
 Forfeited             
 Outstanding at September 30, 2017    222,750   $5.31   $1,183,900 
 Granted    183,814    2.62    480,862 
 Forfeited             
 Outstanding at September 30, 2018    406,564   $4.09   $1,664,762 

 

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The range of Black-Scholes option-pricing model assumption inputs for all the valuation dates are in the table below:

 

   September 30, 2017 through 
   to September 30, 2018 
   Low   High 
Annual dividend yield   %   %
Expected life (years)   5    5 
Risk-free interest rate   1.14%   2.94%
Expected volatility   194.36%   210.39%

 

   September 30, 2016 through 
   to September 30, 2017 
   Low   High 
Annual dividend yield   %   %
Expected life (years)   5    5 
Risk-free interest rate   1.14%   1.93%
Expected volatility   196.77%   234.54%

 

Expected Dividend Yield. The Company has never declared or paid any cash dividends and does not presently plan to pay cash dividends in the foreseeable future.

 

Expected Life. The Company elected to utilize the “simplified” method for “plain vanilla” options to value stock option grants. Under this approach, the weighted-average expected life is presumed to be the average of the vesting term and the contractual term.

 

Expected Volatility. The expected volatility rate used to value stock option grants is based on the historical volatilities of the Company's common stock.

 

Risk-free Interest Rate. The risk-free interest rate assumption was based on U.S. Treasury Bill instruments that had terms consistent with the expected term of the Company’s stock option grants.

 

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The warrant activity for the years ending September 30, 2018 and 2017, is described as follows:

 

  Number of
Shares
    Weighted
Average 
Exercise
Price
 
Outstanding at September 30, 2016 7,160     $ 50.41  
Granted 4,561,861     5.27  
Exercised      
Expired (1,349 )   185.61  
Forfeited      
Outstanding at September 30, 2017 4,567,672     $ 5.30  
Granted 1,509,458     2.24  
Exercised      
Expired/ Forfeited (1,256 )   48.07  
Outstanding at September 30, 2018 6,075,874     $ 4.53  

 

Following is a summary of the status of warrants outstanding at September 30, 2018:

 

Exercise
Price
Number
of Shares
  Expiration
Date
  Weighted Average
Exercise Price
2.00   459,458   (1 ) 9/21/2028   2.00  
2.34   1,050,000   (2 ) 03/2023   2.34  
5.25   2,539,061   (3 ) 07/2022   5.25  
5.25   1,675,000   (4 ) 07/2022   5.25  
5.25   213,800   (5 ) 07/2022   5.25  
6.04   134,000   (6 ) 07/2022   6.04  
10.00   4,000     06/2021   10.00  
55.00   555     06/2018 – 03/2019   55.00  
Total   6,075,874         $ 4.53  
                     

 

(1)On September 21, 2018, the Company entered into definitive agreements with George C. Carpenter IV, President and Chief Executive Officer, Robin L. Smith, Chairman, as well as John Pappajohn, and Peter Unanue, each a director of the Company, and entities affiliated with Michal Votruba, a member of the Board of Directors of MYnd Analytics and Director of Life Sciences for the European-based RSJ-Gradus fund, relating to a private placement of an aggregate of 459,458 units for $1.85 per unit, with each unit consisting of one share of Common Stock and one Common Stock Purchase Warrant to purchase one share of Common Stock for $2.00 per share. The closing price per share of the Common Stock on the Nasdaq Stock Market on September 20, 2018 was $1.72 per share. 

 

(2)On March 29, 2018, the Company sold an aggregate of 1,050,000 units for $2.00 per Unit each consisting of one share of newly-designated Series A Preferred Stock, and one warrant for $2.34 per share in a private placement to three affiliates of the Company, for gross proceeds of $2.1 million. The private placement closed on March 29, 2018. The closing price per share of the Common Stock on the Nasdaq Stock Market on March 29, 2018 was $1.19 per share.

 

(3)On July 13, 2017, the Company declared a special dividend of warrants to purchase shares of the Company’s common stock to record holders of Common Stock as of such date. Warrants to purchase 2,539,061 shares of Common Stock were distributed pro rata to all holders of common stock on the record date. These warrants will be exercisable (in accordance with their terms) to purchase one share of common stock, at an exercise price of $5.25 per share. The warrants will become exercisable commencing not less than 12 months following their July 27, 2017 distribution date and will expire five years thereafter.

 

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(4)On July 19, 2017, the Company issued 1,675,000 shares of Common Stock and accompanying Warrants to purchase up to 1,675,000 shares of Common Stock in connection with an underwritten public offering.

 

(5)On August 23, 2017, the Company issued 213,800 common stock warrants to underwriters as part of the overallotment attributed to the July 2017 underwritten public offering.

 

(6)As part of the underwritten public offering on July 19, 2017, the Company issued 134,000 common stock warrants to the underwriters as part of the services performed by them in connection with the underwritten public offering.

 

At September 30, 2018, there were warrants outstanding to purchase 6,075,874 shares of the Company’s Common Stock. The exercise prices of the outstanding warrants range from $2.00 to $55 with a weighted average exercise price of $4.53. The warrants expire at various times starting November 2018 through September 2028.

 

7.       CONVERTIBLE PREFERRED STOCK

 

On March 29, 2018, the Company sold an aggregate of 1,050,000 units for $2.00 per Unit, each consisting of one share of newly-designated Series A Preferred Stock, par value $0.001 per share and one Warrant to purchase one share of Common Stock, par value $0.001 per share for $2.34 per share in a private placement to three affiliates of the Company, for gross proceeds of $2.1 million (the “Financing”). The closing price per share of the Common Stock on the Nasdaq Stock Market on March 29, 2018 was $1.19 per share.

 

The Warrants will be exercisable for a period of five years for an exercise price of $2.34. The exercise price is subject to adjustment for stock splits, stock dividends, combinations or similar events. The Warrants may not be exercised on a cashless basis.

 

John Pappajohn and Peter Unanue, directors of the Company, purchased $1,000,000 and $100,000 of the Units, respectively. Mary Pappajohn, the spouse of John Pappajohn, purchased $1,000,000 of the Units.

 

On April 30, 2018, the Company entered into the First Amended Subscription Agreement for Shares of Series A Preferred Stock and Common Stock Purchase Warrants (the “Amended Agreement”) with John Pappajohn and Mary Pappajohn (each an “Investor”, and collectively the “Investors”), which provides for the issuance, as of the date of the Original Agreement, of an aggregate of 500,000 Shares of Series A-1 Convertible Preferred Stock, par value $0.001 per share (“Series A-1 Convertible Preferred Stock”), in lieu of the same number of Shares of Series A Convertible Preferred Stock that the Company had originally agreed to issue to the Investors. The Series A-1 Convertible Preferred Stock will have substantially the same rights and preferences as the Shares of Series A Preferred Stock, except that the Shares of Series A-1 Convertible Preferred Stock are non-voting and cannot be converted into Common Stock by an Investor if, as a result of such conversion, such Investor would beneficially own greater than 19.9% of the outstanding shares of Common Stock. Additionally, the Warrants were amended to provide that they would not be exercisable by an Investor if, following any such exercise, such Investor would beneficially own greater than 19.9% of the outstanding shares of Common Stock.

 

Dividends.

Shares of the Series A and Series A-1 Preferred Stock will be entitled to receive cash dividends at the rate of five percent (5.00%) of the Original Series A and Series A-1 Issue Price per annum, payable out of funds legally available therefor. Such dividends shall (i) accrue on shares of Series A and Series A-1 Preferred Stock from the date of issuance of such shares, (ii) be cumulative, and (iii) be payable only (A) when, as and if declared by the Board of Directors, (B) upon the occurrence of a Liquidation Event or a Deemed Liquidation Event (whether or not such dividends have been declared) and (C) “in kind” upon a conversion of the Series A Preferred Stock. The value of Common Stock for purposes of determining shares issuable upon a payment in kind shall not be less than the original issue price of the Series A Preferred Stock.

 

At September 30, 2018 and 2017, the amount of undeclared cumulative dividends totaled $49,200 and $0, respectively.

  

Voting Rights.

Each holder of a share of Series A Preferred Stock shall have the right to one vote for each share of Common Stock into which such Series A Preferred Stock could then be converted (with any fractional share determined on an aggregate conversion basis being rounded down to the nearest whole share). The holders shall be entitled to vote as a class on certain significant or corporate actions. Holders of shares of Series A-1 Preferred Stock do not have any voting rights.

 

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Rank.

With respect to distributions upon a Liquidation Event (as defined below), the Series A and Series A-1 Preferred Stock shall rank senior to the Common Stock and to each other class of the Company’s capital stock existing now or hereafter created that are not specifically designated as ranking senior to the Series A Preferred Stock.

 

Liquidation Preference.

In the event of any voluntary or involuntary liquidation, dissolution or winding-up of the Company or such subsidiaries the assets of which constitute all or substantially all of the assets of the business of the Company and its subsidiaries, taken as a whole (“Liquidation Event”), the holders of shares of Series A and Series A-1 Preferred Stock shall be entitled to receive, prior and in preference to any distribution in such Liquidation Event to the holders of any junior securities, including the Common Stock, by reason of their ownership thereof, an amount per share equal to the Series A and Series A-1 Liquidation Preference for each outstanding share of Series A and Series A-1 Preferred Stock then held by them. After the payment or setting apart of payment of the full preferential amounts required to be paid to the holders of shares of Series A and Series A-1 Preferred Stock, the remaining assets and funds legally available for distribution to the Company’s stockholders shall be distributed among the holders of the shares of Common Stock ratably on a per-share basis.

 

Consolidation; Merger.

A (i) consolidation or merger of the Company with or into any other entity in which the stockholders of the Company immediately prior to such transaction do not own a majority of the voting capital stock of the surviving entity, (ii) sale, lease, transfer, exclusive license, conveyance or disposition of all or substantially all of the assets of the Company, or (iii) the effectuation by the Company of a transaction or series of related transactions in which more than 50% of the voting power of the Company is disposed of (each of (i), (ii) and (iii), a “Deemed Liquidation Event”), will each be deemed to be a Liquidation Event within the meaning of the Certificate of Designation, unless elected otherwise by vote of the Required Holders. Any securities to be delivered to the stockholders pursuant to a Deemed Liquidation Event will be valued at fair market value.

 

Conversion.

Each Holder of shares of Series A Preferred Stock shall have the right (the “Conversion Right”), at any time and from time to time, at such holder’s option, to convert all or any portion of such holder’s shares of Series A Preferred Stock into fully paid and non-assessable shares of Common Stock. Upon a holder’s election to exercise its Conversion Right, each share of Series A Preferred Stock for which the Conversion Right is exercised shall be converted into such number of shares of Common Stock as is determined by dividing the Original Purchase Price by the conversion price for the Series A Preferred Stock at the time in effect. Series A-1 Preferred stock cannot be converted into Common Stock by an Investor if, as a result of such conversion, such Investor would beneficially own greater than 19.9% of the outstanding shares of Common Stock. Additionally, the Warrants were amended to provide that they would not be exercisable by an Investor if, following any such exercise, such Investor would beneficially own greater than 19.9% of the outstanding shares of Common Stock.

 

In connection with the Financing, the Company also entered into a registration rights agreement (the “Registration Rights Agreement”) with the investors, requiring the Company to register the resale of the shares of Common Stock underlying the preferred stock and the Warrants. Under the Registration Rights Agreement, holders of a majority of the registrable securities then outstanding (the “Majority Holders”) may by a written Demand Notice to the Company (a “Demand Notice”) commencing six (6) months from the closing date, request the Company to effect the registration of all or part of the registrable securities owned by such Majority Holders and their respective affiliates on a Registration Statement on Form S-3. The Company has agreed to use its reasonable best efforts to cause such registration and/or qualification to be complete as soon as practicable, but in no event later than sixty (60) days, after receipt of the Demand Notice.

 

The shares of Series A and Series A-1 Preferred Stock were offered and sold in reliance upon the exemption from the registration requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), set forth under Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act and Rule 506 of Regulation D promulgated under the Securities Act, relating to sales by an issuer not involving any public offering and in reliance on similar exemptions under applicable state laws. Each purchaser represented that it is an accredited investor and that it acquired the Series A Preferred Stock and Warrants for investment purposes only and not with a view to any resale, distribution or other disposition of such securities in violation of the United States federal securities laws.

 

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8.       INCOME TAXES

 

The following is a reconciliation of the provision (benefit) for income taxes to the amount compiled by applying the statutory federal income tax rate to profit (loss) before income taxes is as follows for the years ended September 30, 2018 and 2017.

 

   2018   2017 
Federal income tax (benefit) at statutory rates   24.25%   34.0%
Stock-based compensation   (0.22)%   (3.46)%
Rate change   (81.08)%    
Change in valuation allowance   58.95%   (29.29)%
True-ups and other adjustments   (0.09)%   (1.27)%
State tax benefit   (1.82)%   (0.02)%
Total   (0.02)%   (0.04)%

 

The provision for income taxes consisted of the following for the years ended September 30, 2018 and 2017:

 

   2018   2017 
Current:          
Federal:  $   $ 
State:   1,900    2,600 
Deferred:          
Federal:   129,700    2,082,900 
State:   (246,500)   (840,600)
Change in valuation allowance   (116,800)   (1,242,300)
Total   1,900    2,600 

 

   2018   2017 
Current:          
Federal:  $   $ 
State:   1,900    2,600 
Total current   1,900    2,600 
Deferred:          
Federal:   (5,819,600)   2,082,900 
State:   (246,500)   (840,600)
Total deferred
   (6,066,100)   1,242,300 
Change in valuation allowance   6,066,100    (1,242,300)
Total  $1,900   $2,600 

 

In accordance with U.S. GAAP as determined by ASC 740, Income Taxes, the Company is required to record the effects of tax law changes in the period enacted. As the Company has a September 30th fiscal year end, its U.S. federal corporate income tax rate will be blended in fiscal 2018, resulting in a statutory federal rate of approximately 24% (three months at 34% and nine months at 21%), and will be 21% for subsequent fiscal years. The Company remeasured its existing deferred tax assets and liabilities at the rate the Company expects to be in effect when those deferred taxes will be realized (24% if in 2018 or 21% thereafter) and recorded a one-time deferred tax expense of approximately $8.4 million during the year ended September 30, 2018.

 

Temporary differences between the financial statement carrying amounts and bases of assets and liabilities that give rise to significant portions of deferred taxes relate to the following at September 30, 2018 and 2017:

 

   2018   2017 
Deferred income tax assets:          
Net operating loss carryforward  $13,921,773   $19,024,793 
Deferred interest, consulting and compensation liabilities   2,850,840    3,850,567 
Deferred income tax assets – other   155,517    118,793 
    16,928,130    22,994,153 
Deferred income tax liabilities—other        
Deferred income tax asset—net before valuation allowance   16,928,130    22,994,153 
Valuation allowance   (16,928,130)   (22,994,153)
Deferred income tax asset—net  $   $ 

 

As of September 30, 2018, the Company had gross Federal net operating loss carryforwards of approximately $60.2 million and State gross net operating loss carryforwards of approximately $33.8 million. Both the Federal and State net operating loss carryforwards will begin to expire in 2022 and 2023 respectively. Our ability to utilize net operating loss carryforwards may be limited in the event that a change in ownership, as defined in the Internal Revenue Code, occurs in the future.

 

The Company has placed a valuation allowance against the deferred tax assets in excess of deferred tax liabilities due to the uncertainty surrounding the realization of such excess tax assets. Management periodically evaluates the recoverability of the deferred tax assets and the level of the valuation allowance. At such time as it is determined that it is more likely than not that the deferred tax assets are realizable, the valuation allowance will be reduced accordingly.

 

The Company’s estimate of the potential outcome of any uncertain tax position is subject to management’s assessment of relevant risks, facts, and circumstances existing at that time. The Company believes that it has adequately provided for these matters. However, the Company’s future results may include favorable or unfavorable adjustments to its estimates in the period the audits are resolved, which may impact the Company’s effective tax rate. The Company does not believe that it is reasonably possible that the total amount of unrecognized tax benefits will significantly increase or decrease in the next 12 months. As of September 30, 2018, the Company’s tax filings are generally subject to examination in major tax jurisdictions for years ending on or after September 30, 2014. The Company does not accrue for potential interest and penalties attributed to uncertain tax positions as it is not material.

 

9.       RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS

 

DCA Agreement

 

On September 25, 2013, the Board approved a consulting agreement effective May 1, 2013, for marketing services provided by Decision Calculus Associates ("DCA"), an entity operated by Mr. Carpenter’s spouse, Jill Carpenter. Effective August 2015, DCA was engaged at a fee of $10,000 per month. From August 2015 through February 2017, DCA has been paid $170,000. The DCA contract was renewed at $3,000 a month effective March 1, 2017. The Company incurred fees of $31,000 and $$57,000 for the years ended September 30, 2018 and 2017, respectively. On May 1, 2018, the Company amended the agreement with DCA to reduce the monthly fee to $2,000 a month. The amendment provides for a term of one year with a 30 day termination clause.

 

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Hooper Holmes Agreement

 

In 2016, we entered into an agreement with Hooper Holmes Inc, for which Dr. Smith, our Chairman of the Board, became an advisory member of its board as of March 16, 2017, and in which Mr. Pappajohn, our director, has participated in equity raises to become the beneficial owner of a greater than 10% interest. Hooper Holmes performs EEGs nationwide to patients who wish to obtain a PEER report. The Company paid $110,100 and $20,300 for these services during the years ended September 30, 2018 and 2017, respectively.

 

Sale of Preferred Shares

 

On March 29, 2018, the Company sold an aggregate of 1,050,000 shares for $2.00 per Unit, each consisting of one share of newly-designated Series A Preferred Stock or Series A-1 Preferred Stock, par value $0.001 per share and one Warrant to purchase one share of Common Stock, par value $0.001 per share for $2.34 per share in a private placement to three affiliates of the Company, John And Mary Pappajohn and Peter Unanue, for gross proceeds of $2.1 million. The private placement closed on March 29, 2018.

 

Private Placement with Directors and Management

 

On September 21, 2018, the Company entered into definitive agreements with George C. Carpenter IV, President and Chief Executive Officer, Robin L. Smith, Chairman, as well as John Pappajohn, and Peter Unanue, each a director of the Company, and entities affiliated with Michal Votruba, a member of the Board of Directors of MYnd Analytics and Director of Life Sciences for the European-based RSJ-Gradus fund, relating to a private placement of an aggregate of 459,458 units for $1.85 per unit, with each unit consisting of one share of common stock and one common stock purchase warrant to purchase one share of Common Stock for $2.00 per share.

 

10.       LOSS PER SHARE

 

Basic earnings (loss) per share is computed by dividing income (loss) available to common stockholders less the current period preferred stock dividend by the weighted average common shares outstanding during the period. Diluted earnings (loss) per share takes into account the potential dilution that could occur if securities or other contracts to issue Common Stock were exercised and converted into Common Stock.

 

A summary of the net income (loss) and shares used to compute net income (loss) per share for the fiscal years ended September 30, 2018 and 2017 is as follows:

 

   2018   2017 
Net Loss for computation of basic and diluted net loss per share:          
Net loss attributable to MYnd Analytics, Inc.  $(9,598,700)  $(7,112,800)
Preferred stock dividends   (49,200)    
   $(9,647,900)  $(7,112,800)
           
Basic and Diluted net loss per share:          
Basic net loss per share  $(1.86)  $(2.52)
Basic and Diluted weighted average shares outstanding   5,199,566    2,817,415 
           
Anti-dilutive common equivalent shares not included in the computation of dilutive net loss per share:          
Warrants   6,075,874    957,198 
Restricted common stock   406,564    4,500 
Options   803,937    359,704 

 

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11.       COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENT LIABILITIES

 

Litigation

 

The Company is not currently party to any legal proceedings, the adverse outcome of which, in the Company’s management’s opinion, individually or in the aggregate, would have a material adverse effect on the Company’s results of operations or financial position.

 

Lease Commitments

 

The Company is a party to four leases, three are for office space located in Mission Viejo and Laguna Hills, California which house the corporate headquarters and neurometric business. The total lease payments per month are $10,666. The two leases for office space located in Mission Viejo and Laguna Hills have been renewed through February 28, 2020 and the total lease payments per month will be $8,411 beginning February 1, 2019. As of November 30, 2018, the third lease for a small annex office in Laguna Hills has been terminated.

 

The Company has one three-year lease for office space in Tysons, Virginia. As of June 1, 2018, the Company has sublet the premises under the Tyson, Virginia office space lease. The master lease period expires on September 30, 2020. The rent through September 30, 2018 was prorated at $2,508 per month; for the subsequent 12 months the rent is prorated at $2,576 per month; and for the remaining twelve months the rent will be prorated at $2,647 per month. The subtenant is paying approximately seventy seven percent of the master lease payment for the fourteen months ending on September 30, 2019 and has an option to renew for the final lease year.

 

Arcadian Services' business has office space located in Fort Washington, PA. The lease period expires on February 28, 2020. The rent is currently $3,312 per month and will increase to $3,410 per month on March 1, 2019 for the remainder of the lease.

 

   Payments due by fiscal year 
Contractual Obligations  2019   2020   Total 
Operating Lease Obligations  $114,000   $48,800   $162,800 
Total  $114,000   $48,800   $162,800 

 

12.       SIGNIFICANT CUSTOMERS

 

For the fiscal year ended September 30, 2018, four customers accounted for 29% of Neurometric Services revenue and three customers accounted for 35% of accounts receivable at September 30, 2018.

 

For the fiscal year ended September 30, 2017, four customers accounted for 50% of Neurometric Services revenue and three customers accounted for 72% of accounts receivable at September 30, 2017. 

 

13.       SUBSEQUENT EVENTS

 

Special Meeting of Stockholders

 

At the Special Meeting of Stockholders of the Company, held on November 26, 2018 ("Special Meeting 2018") the holders of the Company’s common and preferred stock voted to (i) amend the 2012 Plan to eliminate the annual individual award limits under the 2012 Plan and (ii) amend 2012 Plan to increase: (a) the total number of shares of common stock, par value $0.001 per share (“Common Stock”), available for grant under the 2012 Plan (subject to the overall limits described in clause (b) below) from 1,500,000 shares to an aggregate of 2,250,000 shares and (b) the aggregate limitation on authorized shares available for grant under the 2012 Plan, following any increases pursuant to the evergreen provision (the “Evergreen Provision”), from 2,200,000 shares to 2,950,000 shares.

 

In addition, to the above, the Company received shareholder approval to remove the exchange cap under the Second Purchase Agreement in compliance with the applicable listing rules of the Nasdaq Stock Market. Pursuant to Nasdaq Listing Rule 5635(d), shareholder approval is required prior to the issuance of securities in connection with a transaction other than a public offering involving the sale, issuance or potential issuance by the Company of common stock (or securities convertible into or exercisable common stock) equal to 20% or more of the common stock outstanding before the issuance for less than the greater of book or market value of the stock. Following receipt of shareholder approval, the Company may issue an additional $8.1 million, up to an aggregate of $10 million, of common stock to Aspire Capital under the Second Purchase Agreement.

 

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Share Grants to Directors

 

On October 8, 2018, the Compensation Committee and the Board granted to Director Votruba 144,000 restricted shares of common stock under the 2012 Plan for efforts expended as a Board member to explore and identify licensing and other opportunities for the Company in Europe. Mr. Votruba is a representative of RSJ and has agreed to assign to RSJ the benefit of all options and restricted shares granted to him in connection with his service as a member of the Board of Directors. On October 8, 2018, the Board granted (i) 30,000 restricted shares under the 2012 Plan to each of John Pappajohn and Peter Unanue, Members of the Board and (ii) 45,000 restricted shares under the 2012 Plan to Geoffrey Harris, who serves as the Audit Committee chairperson, these shares will vest quarterly.

 

Option Grants to the Chairman, Executive Officers and Other Employees

 

On October 8, 2018, the Board granted an option to Dr. Robin Smith, the Chairman of the Board to purchase 48,000 shares of Common Stock. On the same date, the Board granted options to purchase 48,000 and 30,000 shares to each of George Carpenter, the President and Chief Executive Officer and Donald D’Ambrosio, the Chief Financial Officer, respectively, and options to purchase an aggregate of 100,500 shares to other employees and consultants. All of the above options will vest upon certain milestones being met and were subject to the shareholder approval which was granted on November 26, 2018 at the Special Meeting of Shareholders.

 

On December 3, 2018, options were granted to purchase 30,000 and 26,500 shares of Company common stock to each of George Carpenter, the President and Chief Executive Officer and Donald D’Ambrosio, the Chief Financial Officer, respectively, and options to purchase an aggregate of 46,758 shares of Company common stock were granted to other employees.  One-third of the options granted vested on December 3, 2018 and one-third will vest on each of December 3, 2019 and December 3, 2020.

  

Leases

 

In October and November of 2018, the Company renewed the office space leases in Mission Viejo and Laguna Hills, California until February 28, 2020. The total lease payments per month will be $8,411 beginning February 1, 2019. As of November 30, 2018, the third lease for a small annex office in Laguna Hills has been terminated.

  

Item 9. Changes in and Disagreements with Accountants on Accounting and Financial Disclosure

 

None.

 

Item 9A. Controls and Procedures

 

Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures

 

Our management conducted an evaluation, with the participation of our President and Chief Executive Officer, who is our principal executive officer, and our Chief Financial Officer, who is our principal financial and accounting officer, of the effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the "Exchange Act")) as of the end of the period covered by this annual report on Form 10-K. Based upon that evaluation, our President and Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer concluded that as a result of the material weakness in our internal control over financial reporting described below, our disclosure controls and procedures were not effective as of September 30, 2018.

 

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Management’s Annual Report on Internal Control over Financial Reporting

 

Management is responsible for the preparation of our financial statements and related information. Management uses its best judgment to ensure that the financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, our financial position and results of operations in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles.

 

Management is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting as defined in the Exchange Act. These internal controls are designed to provide reasonable assurance that the reported financial information is presented fairly, that disclosures are adequate and that the judgments inherent in the preparation of financial statements are reasonable. There are inherent limitations in the effectiveness of any system of internal controls including the possibility of human error and overriding of controls. Consequently, an effective internal control system can only provide reasonable, not absolute, assurance with respect to reporting financial information.

  

Under the supervision of management, including our President and Chief Executive Officer and our Chief Financial Officer, following the end of the fiscal year ended September 30, 2018, we conducted an evaluation of the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting based on the criteria set forth in Internal Control - Integrated Framework issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission ("COSO") (2013 framework). Based on that evaluation, our management concluded that our internal control over financial reporting was not effective as of September 30, 2018 for the reasons discussed below.

 

A material weakness is a deficiency or a combination of deficiencies in internal control over financial reporting such that there is a reasonable possibility that a material misstatement of the annual or interim consolidated financial statements will not be prevented or detected on a timely basis.  Management identified the following material weakness in its assessment of the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting as of September 30, 2018.  The Company did not maintain effective controls over certain aspects of the financial reporting process because we lacked a sufficient complement of personnel with a level of accounting expertise and an adequate supervisory review structure that is commensurate with our financial reporting requirements. This material weakness resulted in, among other things, our failure to include all necessary disclosures in the draft financial statements provided to our outside auditing firm. The Company recognizes that as it has engaged in significant expansion during 2018, it requires additional personnel with knowledge and experience to assist in the preparation, review and completion of its financial statements and other reports required under the rules and regulations of the SEC. The Company intends to hire additional employees with experience preparing reports for filing with the SEC and will continue to work with outside experts who can assist in the review and analysis of its financial reports before such drafts are delivered to its auditors for review and who can also assist in the evaluation and remediation of its internal controls over financial reporting. The Company does not believe that the material weakness has resulted in any material inaccuracies in the financial statements included in its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended September 30, 2018 or any prior periods.

 

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Management’s Plan for Remediation

 

We are continuing to develop a remediation plan outlining the steps and resources necessary to address each material weakness and will implement a program to address these weaknesses. The Company has hired outside consultants in order to enhance our written documentation of internal control policies and procedures. We continue to add employees and consultants to address segregation of duties and we will continue to broaden the scope of our accounting and realign responsibilities in our financial and accounting review functions. We are also in the process of implementing additional financial reporting controls to ensure proper review and supervision occurs over the financial reporting process.

 

The actions that we are taking, and will be taking, are subject to ongoing senior management review, as well as Audit Committee oversight. Although we plan to complete this remediation process as quickly as possible, we cannot at this time estimate how long it will take. As we continue to evaluate and work to improve our internal control over financial reporting, management may execute additional measures to address potential deficiencies or modify the remediation actions described above. Management will continue to review and make necessary changes to the overall design of our internal controls.

 

Our management, including our President and Chief Executive Officer and our Chief Financial Officer, does not expect that our disclosure controls and procedures or our internal controls will prevent all error and all fraud. A control system, no matter how well conceived and operated, can provide only reasonable, not absolute, assurance that the objectives of the control system are met. Further, the design of a control system must reflect the fact that there are resource constraints and the benefits of controls must be considered relative to their costs. Due to the inherent limitations in all control systems, no evaluation of controls can provide absolute assurance that all control issues and instances of fraud, if any, within our Company have been detected.

 

This annual report on Form 10-K does not include an attestation report of our registered public accounting firm regarding internal control over financial reporting. Management’s report was not subject to attestation by the Company’s registered public accounting firm pursuant to rules of the Commission that permit us to provide only management’s report in this annual report on Form 10-K.

  

Changes in Internal Controls over Financial Reporting

 

Other than the material weakness in our internal control over financial reporting described above, there was no change in our internal control over financial reporting identified in connection with the evaluation required by Rules 13a-15(d) and 15d-15(d) of the Exchange Act that occurred during the fourth quarter of the fiscal year ended September 30, 2018 that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.

 

Item 9B. Other Information

 

On December 3, 2018, options were granted to purchase 30,000 and 26,500 shares of Company common stock to each of George Carpenter, the President and Chief Executive Officer and Donald D’Ambrosio, the Chief Financial Officer, respectively, and options to purchase an aggregate of 46,758 shares of Company common stock were granted to other employees.  One-third of the options granted vested on December 3, 2018 and one-third will vest on each of December 3, 2019 and December 3, 2020.

  

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PART III

 

Item 10. Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance.

 

The following table sets forth the name, age and position of each of our directors and executive officers as of September 30, 2018.

 

Name   Age   Position
Robin L. Smith, M.D.   54   Chairman of the Board
Geoffrey E. Harris   56   Director
John Pappajohn   90   Director
Peter Unanue   51   Director
Michal Votruba   53   Director
George C. Carpenter IV   60   President and Chief Executive Officer
Donald D'Ambrosio   55   Chief Financial Officer

 

Directors

 

Robin L. Smith M.D., Chairman of the Board of Directors

 

Robin L. Smith, M.D. joined our Board of Directors as its Chairman on August 20, 2015. Dr. Robin L. Smith is a global thought leader in the regenerative medicine industry, one of the fastest growing segments of modern-day medicine.  She received her M.D. from Yale University and an M.B.A. from the Wharton School of Business. During her tenure as CEO of the Caladrius Biosciences, Inc. (formerly NeoStem Inc.) (NASDAQ: CLBS), which she led from 2006 to 2015, she pioneered the company’s innovative business model, combining proprietary cell therapy development with a successful contract development and manufacturing organization. Dr. Smith raised over $200 million, completing six acquisitions and one divestiture while the company won an array of industry awards and business recognition including a first-place ranking in the Tri-State region (for two years in a row), and eleventh place nationally, on Deloitte’s Technology Fast 500™, and Frost & Sullivan’s North American Cell Therapeutics Technology Innovation Leadership Award.

 

In 2007, Dr. Smith founded The Stem for Life Foundation (SFLF), a nonpartisan, 501(c)(3) educational organization devoted to fostering global awareness of the potential for regenerative medicine to treat and cure a range of deadly diseases and debilitating medical conditions, as opposed to merely treating their symptoms. In 2010, in order to bring the charity’s mission to a global audience, Dr. Smith forged a historic, first-of-its-kind partnership with the Vatican. As part of this relationship, the Vatican and SFLF collaborate to create high-profile initiatives that help catalyze interest and development of cellular therapies that could ultimately reduce human suffering on a global scale. Dr. Smith has served as Chairman of the Board and President of the Stem for Life Foundation since its inception and is expanding its mission further under the Cura brand (Cura Foundation).

 

Dr. Smith was appointed as Clinical Associate Professor, Department of Medicine at the Rutgers, New Jersey Medical School in 2017. She maintains is coauthor of Cells Are the New Cure (2017) and The Healing Cell: How the Greatest Revolution in Medical History Is Changing Your Life (2013). She is a winner of the 2014 Brava! Award, which recognizes top women business leaders in the Greater New York area. Dr. Smith was also a finalist for the 2014 EY Entrepreneur of the Year Award for the New York area, recognizing entrepreneurs who demonstrate excellence and success in the areas of innovation, financial performance, and personal commitment to their businesses and communities. In April 2016, Pope Francis awarded Dr. Smith Dame Commander with Star Pontifical Equestrian Order of Saint Sylvester Pope and Martyr. Dr. Smith was awarded the Lifetime Achievement in Healthcare and Science Award by The National Museum of Catholic Art & Library in May 2017.

 

In addition, Dr. Smith has extensive experience serving in executive and board level capacities for various medical enterprises and healthcare-based entities. She currently serves on the Board of Directors of Rockwell Medical (NASDAQ: RMTI). She is on the Boards of Directors of Prolung DX, BioXcel Corporation, and Signal Genetics. She is co-chairman of the Life Science advisory board on gender diversity. She is Vice President and member of the Board of Directors of the Science and Faith STOQ Foundation in Rome and serves on Sanford Health’s International Board and the Board of Overseers at the NYU Langone Medical Center in NYC. She previously served on the Board of Trustees of the NYU Langone Medical Center and is a past Chairman of the Board of Directors for the New York University Hospital for Joint Disease.

 

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As a business leader, entrepreneur, doctor and philanthropist, Dr. Smith is uniquely positioned to lead the global healthcare industry into the cellular future, where the cells of our bodies will stand as the foundation for a wide array of cures.

 

Geoffrey E. Harris, Director

 

Geoffrey E. Harris joined our Board of Directors on July 30, 2015. Mr. Harris is a portfolio manager and managing partner at c7 Advisors, a money management and healthcare advisory firm focused on small-to-middle market healthcare companies. Prior to his position with c7 Advisors, Mr. Harris served as Managing Director and co-head of the Cantor Fitzgerald Healthcare Investment Banking Group from 2011 to 2014, and was a Healthcare Investment Banker with Gleacher & Company from 2009 to 2011. Mr. Harris has over thirty years combined experience as a healthcare analyst and portfolio manager for healthcare companies. Mr. Harris graduated from MIT's Sloan School of Management with an MS in Finance Management. Mr. Harris serves as a director on the boards of Cancer Genetics, Inc. (NASDAQ: CGIX) a molecular diagnostics company, and two privately held companies, Connect RN, a healthcare workforce management company, and PointRight, a healthcare data analytics company. Mr. Harris also serves on the Audit Committee of Cancer Genetics, Inc. Mr. Harris was selected to serve on our Board of Directors for his significant healthcare, finance and transactional experience. Furthermore, his financial, analytical and audit committee experience make him well suited to Chair our Audit Committee.

 

John Pappajohn, Director

 

John Pappajohn joined our Board of Directors on August 26, 2009. Since 1969, Mr. Pappajohn has been the President and sole owner of Pappajohn Capital Resources, a venture capital firm, and President and sole owner of Equity Dynamics, Inc., a financial consulting firm, both located in Des Moines, Iowa. Mr. Pappajohn currently serves as Chairman of the Board of Cancer Genetics, Inc. (NASDAQ: CGIX), a molecular diagnostics company. Mr. Pappajohn was chosen to serve as a director of our company because of his unparalleled experience serving as a director of more than 40 public companies and the substantial insight he has gained into the life sciences and healthcare industries by actively investing in the industries for more than 40 years, and by founding and supporting several public healthcare companies.

 

Peter Unanue, Director

 

Peter Unanue joined our Board of Directors on September 19, 2017. Mr. Unanue has over 25 years of senior business experience, leveraging data and applied sciences to enhance business operations. Mr. Unanue currently serves as Executive Vice President of Goya Foods, Inc., one of the leading food companies in the U.S. with over a billion dollars in annual sales. While at Goya, Mr. Unanue oversaw the nationwide expansion of the company's facilities, managed distribution and logistics, consolidated redundant operations resulting in significant cost savings, and led the implementation of new software and technology to streamline and enhance operations and profitability. Mr. Unanue has held key operational and analytic roles with Merck Medco Health Solutions, Baxter Healthcare and Growmark, Inc. He currently serves on the boards of the Meadowlands Regional Chamber of Commerce, the Meadowlands Regional "2040 Foundation," and is a Council of Regents Member at Felician University and St Thomas Aquinas College. He was also an employer trustee for a local UFCW Health and Welfare Fund. He is the recipient of numerous awards and is a regular speaker on various topics including supply chain management. Mr. Unanue holds a Master of Science in operations research from George Washington University and a Bachelor of Science from St. Thomas Aquinas College. Mr. Unanue was selected to serve on the Board of Directors because of his years in operations and analytics as well as his previous board experience for other companies.

  

Michal Votruba, Director

 

Michal Votruba joined our Board of Directors on July 30, 2015. Since 2013, Mr. Votruba has been the Director of the Gradus/RSJ Life Sciences Fund, the largest dedicated fund in Central Europe with a portfolio of companies in Europe and the United States. Since 2010, he has served as a member of the board of PrimeCell Therapeutics a.s. as the Director of Global Business Development overseeing the expansion of the largest regenerative medicine company operating in Central Europe. In 2009, the Czech Academy of Sciences solicited Mr. Votruba's expertise for the first successful privatization project of the Institute of Experimental Medicine in Prague: the newly created protocol established a precedent for future privatization projects in the Czech Republic. Mr. Votruba graduated as a Clinical Psychiatrist from the Medical Faculty of Charles University in Prague in 1989. Shortly thereafter, he emigrated from Czechoslovakia and developed his professional career in Canada and the USA. Since 2005, Mr. Votruba combined his theoretical and clinical experience in the field of Competitive Intelligence serving the global pharmaceutical industry for eight years as an industry analyst advising senior leaders of companies including Amgen, Novartis, Eli Lilly, Allergan, EMD, Serono and Sanofi. Mr. Votruba brings valuable expertise to the Board of Directors as a clinical psychiatrist and broad experience in the international marketing of innovative medical technologies.

 

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Executive Officers

 

George C. Carpenter IV, President and Chief Executive Officer

 

George C. Carpenter IV has been serving as our Chief Executive Officer since April 10, 2009, served as our President from October 1, 2007 until April 10, 2009 and was reappointed our President on April 29, 2011. As President until 2009, Mr. Carpenter's primary responsibility involved developing strategy and commercializing our PEER technology. Mr. Carpenter also served as a director from April 2009 until November 2012. From 2002 until he joined MYnd Analytics in October 2007, Mr. Carpenter was the President and CEO of WorkWell Systems, Inc., a national physical medicine firm that manages occupational health programs for Fortune 500 employers. Prior to his position at WorkWell Systems, Mr. Carpenter founded and served as Chairman and CEO of Core, Inc., a company focused on integrated disability management and work-force analytics. He served in those positions from 1990 until Core was acquired by Assurant, Inc. in 2001. From 1984 to 1990, Mr. Carpenter was a Vice President of Operations with Baxter Healthcare, served as a Director of Business Development and as a strategic partner for Baxter's alternate site businesses. Mr. Carpenter began his career at Inland Steel where he served as a Senior Systems Consultant in manufacturing process control. Mr. Carpenter holds an M.B.A. in Finance from the University of Chicago and a B.A. with Distinction in International Policy & Law from Dartmouth College.

 

Donald D'Ambrosio, Chief Financial Officer

 

Donald E. D’Ambrosio was appointed to the position of Chief Financial Officer on March 31, 2017. Prior to joining MYnd Analytics, from 1996 to 2007 Mr. D’Ambrosio served as Senior Vice President, Controller and, ultimately, Chief Financial Officer of BNC Mortgage, Inc. (NASDAQ: BNCM). As BNC’s CFO Mr. D’Ambrosio played a key role in the company’s IPO, raising $35 million, and its listing on the NASDAQ on March 10, 1998 which was underwritten by CIBC Oppenheimer and Piper Jaffray, Inc. Subsequently, Mr. D’Ambrosio was also intimately involved in taking the company private through a $52 million management acquisition by Lehman Brothers. Mr. D’Ambrosio played a key role in BNC Mortgage Inc’s acquisition of certain assets and liabilities and the origination platform of America’s Lender, Inc.  From 2007 through to February 2017 Mr. D’Ambrosio founded and built Oxygen Funding, Inc., an asset-based lending company that specialized in providing working capital to small businesses, where he served as its President, CEO and CFO. Oxygen Funding grew to fund over $100 million of client receivables. Mr. D’Ambrosio was a featured speaker for the Small Business Association and a writer for the Commercial Factor magazine. Mr. D’Ambrosio holds a Bachelor of Business Administration degree with an emphasis in accounting from Temple University. Mr. D’Ambrosio 's skills and experiences as a Chief Financial Officer along with his IPO and NASDAQ up-listing experience make him an asset to the Company.

  

Board Composition, Committees and Director Independence

 

Our Board of Directors currently consists of five members: Robin L. Smith, M.D., Geoffrey E. Harris, John Pappajohn, Michal Votruba and Peter Unanue. All members were elected at our annual meeting of stockholders held on April 4, 2018. All members will serve until our next annual meeting or until his or her successor is duly elected and qualified.

 

Our board has determined that all of our board members are independent directors in accordance with the listing requirements of the NASDAQ Capital Market, except for Dr. Robin L. Smith, M.D., our Chairman of the Board. The NASDAQ independence definition includes a series of objective tests, including that the board member is not, and has not been for at least three years, one of our employees and that neither the board member nor any of his family members has engaged in various types of business dealings with us. In addition, as required by NASDAQ rules, our board has made a subjective determination as to each independent director that no relationships exist, which, in the opinion of our board, would interfere with the exercise of independent judgment in carrying out the responsibilities of a board member. In making these determinations, our board reviewed and discussed information provided by the members of the board and us with regard to each board member’s business and personal activities and relationships as they may relate to us and our management. There are no family relationships among any of the members of our board or our executive officers. In addition, all members of the audit committee meet the independence requirements contemplated by Rule 10A-3 under the Exchange Act.

 

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Board Committees

 

Our Board of Directors established an audit committee and a compensation committee at a Board meeting held on March 3, 2010, and a governance and nominations committee at a Board meeting held on March 22, 2012. Each committee has its own charter, which is available on our website at www.myndanalytics.com. Information contained on our website is not incorporated herein by reference. Each of the Board committees has the composition and responsibilities described below.

 

Audit Committee

 

We have a separately designated standing audit committee established in accordance with Section 3(a)(58)(A) of the Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the "Exchange Act"). Geoffrey Harris (Chair), John Pappajohn, and Michal Votruba are the members of the audit committee. The audit committee is composed of members who are "independent" within the meaning of Rule 10A-3 under the Exchange Act and the NASDAQ Stock Market Rules. Our Board has determined that Mr. Harris serves as the "audit committee financial expert," as such term is defined in Item 407(d)(5) of Regulation S-K. In his roles as Audit Committee Chair of another public company, as Managing Partner of a money management and healthcare advisory firm, as a senior investment banker, portfolio manager and health care research analyst, Mr. Harris has gained over 34 years of experience analyzing the financial statements of public companies, assessing the use of accounting methods employed by those companies and the financial acumen of their management.

 

The audit committee oversees our accounting and financial reporting processes and oversees the audit of our financial statements and the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting. The specific functions of this committee include:

 

selecting and recommending to our Board of Directors the appointment of an independent registered public accounting firm and overseeing the engagement of such firm;

 

approving the fees to be paid to the independent registered public accounting firm;

 

helping to ensure the independence of our independent registered public accounting firm;

 

overseeing the integrity of our financial statements;

 

preparing an audit committee report as required by the SEC to be included in our annual proxy statement;

 

reviewing major changes to our auditing and accounting principles and practices as suggested by our company's independent registered public accounting firm, internal auditors (if any) or management;

 

reviewing and approving all related party transactions; and

 

overseeing our compliance with legal and regulatory requirements.

 

Compensation Committee

 

Our compensation committee assists the Board of Directors in the discharge of its responsibilities relating to the compensation of the Board of Directors and our executive officers. John Pappajohn (Chair), Geoffrey Harris and Peter Unanue are the members of our compensation committee. The Board has determined that they are "independent" within the meaning of the NASDAQ Stock Market Rules and both members qualify as "non-employee directors" under Rule 16b-3 of the Exchange Act.

 

The committee's compensation-related responsibilities include:

 

assisting our Board of Directors in developing and evaluating potential candidates for executive positions and overseeing the development of executive succession plans;

 

reviewing and approving, on an annual basis, the corporate goals and objectives with respect to compensation for our chief executive officer;

 

reviewing, approving and recommending to our Board of Directors on an annual basis the evaluation process and compensation structure for our other executive officers;

 

providing oversight of management's decisions concerning the performance and compensation of other company officers, employees, consultants and advisors;

 

reviewing our incentive compensation and other stock-based plans and recommending changes in such plans to our Board of Directors as needed, and exercising all the authority of our Board of Directors with respect to the administration of such plans;

 

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reviewing and recommending to our Board of Directors the compensation of independent directors, including incentive and equity-based compensation; and

 

selecting, retaining and terminating such compensation consultants, outside counsel and other advisors as it deems necessary or appropriate.

 

Governance and Nominations Committee

 

The purpose of the governance and nominations committee is to recommend to the Board nominees for election as directors and persons to be elected to fill any vacancies on the Board, develop and recommend a set of corporate governance principles and oversee the performance of the Board. Michal Votruba (Chair), John Pappajohn, and Geoffrey Harris are the members of our governance and nominations committee. The Board has determined that the members of the committee are "independent" within the meaning of the NASDAQ Stock Market Rules.

 

The committee's responsibilities include:

 

Selecting director nominees. The governance and nominations committee recommends to the Board of Directors nominees for election as directors at any meeting of stockholders and nominees to fill vacancies on the Board. The governance and nominations committee would consider candidates proposed by stockholders and will apply the same criteria and follow substantially the same process in considering such candidates as it does when considering other candidates. The governance and nominations committee may adopt, at its discretion, separate procedures regarding director candidates proposed by our stockholders. Director recommendations by stockholders must be in writing, include a resume of the candidate's business and personal background and include a signed consent that the candidate would be willing to be considered as a nominee to the Board and, if elected, would serve. Such recommendation must be sent to the Company's Secretary at the Company's executive offices. When it seeks nominees for directors, our governance and nominations committee takes into account a variety of factors including (a) ensuring that the Board, as a whole, is diverse and consists of individuals with various and relevant career experience, relevant technical skills, industry knowledge and experience, financial expertise (including expertise that could qualify a director as a "financial expert," as that term is defined by the rules of the SEC), local or community ties and (b) minimum individual qualifications, including strength of character, mature judgment, familiarity with the company's business and industry, independence of thought and an ability to work collegially. The Company is of the view that the continuing service of qualified incumbents promotes stability and continuity in the Board room, contributing to the ability of the Board of Directors to work as a collective body, while giving the Company the benefit of the familiarity and insight into the Company's affairs that its directors have accumulated during their tenure. Accordingly, the process of the governance and nominations committee for identifying nominees reflects the Company's practice of re-nominating incumbent directors who continue to satisfy the committee's criteria for membership on the Board of Directors, whom the committee believes continue to make important contributions to the Board of Directors and who consent to continue their service on the Board of Directors. The Board has not adopted a formal policy with respect to its consideration of diversity and does not follow any ratio or formula to determine the appropriate mix; rather, it uses its judgment to identify nominees whose backgrounds, attributes and experiences, taken as a whole, will contribute to the high standards of Board service. The governance and nominations committee may adopt, and periodically review and revise as it deems appropriate, procedures regarding director candidates proposed by stockholders.

 

Reviewing requisite skills and criteria for new Board members and Board composition. The governance and nominations committee reviews with the entire Board of Directors, on an annual basis, the requisite skills and criteria for Board candidates and the composition of the Board as a whole.

 

Hiring of search firms to identify director nominees. The governance and nominations committee has the authority to retain search firms to assist in identifying Board candidates, approve the terms of the search firm's engagement, and cause the Company to pay the engaged search firm's engagement fee.

 

Selection of committee members. The governance and nominations committee recommends to the Board of Directors, on an annual basis, the directors to be appointed to each committee of the Board of Directors.

 

Evaluation of the Board of Directors. The governance and nominations committee will oversee an annual self-evaluation of the Board of Directors and its committees to determine whether it and its committees are functioning effectively.

 

Development of Corporate Governance Guidelines. The governance and nominations committee will develop and recommend to the Board a set of corporate governance guidelines applicable to the Company.

 

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The governance and nominations committee may delegate any of its responsibilities to subcommittees as it deems appropriate. The governance and nominations committee is authorized to retain independent legal and other advisors, and conduct or authorize investigations into any matter within the scope of its duties.

 

Committee Memberships and Meetings

 

The following table below sets forth the current membership of each Committee:

 

Name of Director   Audit Committee   Compensation 
Committee
 

Governance and

Nominations 

Robin L. Smith, M.D.            
Geoffrey E. Harris   Chair   Member   Member
John Pappajohn   Member   Chair   Member
Michal Votruba   Member       Chair
Peter Unanue       Member    

 

Board Meetings

 

During the fiscal year ended September 30, 2018, the Board held fifteen meetings. the Audit Committee held five meetings, the Compensation Committee held two meetings, and the Governance and Nominations Committee held two meetings.  Each incumbent director attended 75% or more of the total number of meetings of the Board and the Board Committees of which they were a member during the period they served as a director in fiscal year 2018.

 

The Company has not yet established a policy with respect to Board members' attendance at its annual meetings. All incumbent directors attended this year's annual meeting.

 

Board Leadership Structure

 

To assure effective and independent oversight of management, our Board of Directors operates with the roles of Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board separated in recognition of the differences between these two roles in the management of the Company. The Chairman of the Board is a non-management role.

 

Our Board of Directors believes that this leadership structure provides the most effective leadership model for our Company. By permitting more effective monitoring and objective evaluation of the Chief Executive Officer's performance, this structure increases the accountability of the Chief Executive Officer. A separation of the Chief Executive Officer and Chairman roles also prevents the former from controlling the Board's agenda and information flow, thereby reducing the likelihood that the Chief Executive Officer would abuse his power.

 

Board Oversight of Risk Management

 

Our Board of Directors believes that overseeing how management manages the various risks we face is one of its most important responsibilities to the Company's stakeholders. Our Board believes that, in light of the interrelated nature of the Company's risks, oversight of risk management is ultimately the responsibility of the full Board; however, it has delegated this responsibility to the audit committee with respect to financial risk. The audit committee meets before each quarterly filing on Form 10-Q or the annual filing on Form 10-K with management and the independent registered public accounting firm to review the Company's major financial risk exposures and the steps taken to monitor and control such exposures. Our Board meets regularly to discuss the strategic direction and the issues and opportunities facing our Company. Throughout the year, our Board provides guidance to management regarding our strategy and helps to refine our plans to implement our strategy. The involvement of the Board in setting our business strategy is critical to the determination of the types and appropriate levels of risk undertaken by the Company.

 

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Stockholder Communications

 

Interested parties may communicate with any and all members of our Board of Directors by transmitting correspondence addressed to one or more directors by name at the address appearing on the cover page of this annual report on Form 10-K. Communications from our stockholders to one or more directors will be collected and organized by our Corporate Secretary and will be forwarded to the Chairman of the Board of Directors or to the identified director(s) as soon as practicable. If multiple communications are received on a similar topic, the Corporate Secretary may, at his or her discretion, forward only representative correspondence. The Chairman of the Board of Directors will determine whether any communication addressed to the entire Board of Directors should be properly addressed by the entire Board of Directors or a committee thereof. If a communication is sent to the Board of Directors or a Committee, the Chairman of the Board of Directors or the Chairman of that committee, as the case may be, will determine whether a response to the communication is warranted.

 

Conflicts of Interest

 

We are not aware of any current conflicts of interest between our officers and directors, and us.  However, certain potential conflicts of interests may arise in the future.

 

From time to time, one or more of our affiliates may form or hold an ownership interest in and/or manage other businesses both related and unrelated to the type of business that we own and operate or may own and operate in the future. These persons may continue to form, hold an ownership interest in and/or manage additional other businesses which may compete with ours with respect to operations, including financing and marketing, management time and services and potential customers. These activities may give rise to conflicts between or among our interests and other businesses with which our affiliates are associated. Our affiliates are in no way prohibited from undertaking such activities, and neither we nor our stockholders will have any right to require participation in such other activities.

 

Further, because we may transact business with some of our officers, directors and affiliates, as well as with firms in which some of our officers, directors or affiliates have a material interest, potential conflicts may arise between the respective interests of us and these related persons or entities. We believe that such transactions will be effected on terms at least as favorable to us as those available from unrelated third parties.

 

Section 16(a) Beneficial Ownership Reporting Compliance

 

Section 16(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, requires our directors and executive officers and the holders of more than 10% of our Common Stock to file with the Securities and Exchange Commission initial reports of ownership and reports of changes in ownership of our equity securities. Based solely on our review of the copies of the forms received by us and written representations from certain reporting persons that they have complied with the relevant filing requirements, we believe that, during the fiscal year ended September 30, 2018, all of our executive officers, directors and the holders of 5% or more of our Common Stock complied with all Section 16(a) filing requirements, except for: (1) George Carpenter who did not timely file two Form 4s reporting two transactions; (2) Robin Smith, who did not timely file two Form 4s reporting two transactions; and (3) Donald D'Ambrosio who did not timely file a Form 4 reporting two transactions.

 

Code of Ethics

 

Our Board of Directors has adopted a Code of Conduct and Ethics (the "Code of Conduct") which constitutes a "code of ethics" as defined by applicable SEC rules and a "code of conduct" as defined by applicable NASDAQ rules. We require all employees, directors and officers, including our principal executive officer and principal financial officer to adhere to the Code of Conduct in addressing legal and ethical issues encountered in conducting their work. The Code of Conduct requires that these individuals avoid conflicts of interest, comply with all laws and other legal requirements, conduct business in an honest and ethical manner and otherwise act with integrity and in our best interest. The Code of Conduct contains additional provisions that apply specifically to our Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer and other finance department personnel with respect to full and accurate reporting. The Code of Conduct is available on our website at www.myndanalytics.com. The Company will post any amendments to the Code of Conduct, as well as any waivers that are required to be disclosed by the rules of the SEC on such website.

 

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Item 11. Executive Compensation

 

Compensation Structure

 

Overview of Compensation Practices

 

Our executive compensation program is administered by the compensation committee.

 

Compensation Philosophy

 

Generally, we compensate our executive officers with a compensation package that is designed to drive Company performance to maximize stockholder value while meeting our needs and the needs of our executives. The following are objectives we consider:

 

Alignment — to align the interests of executives and stockholders through equity-based compensation awards;

 

Retention — to attract, retain and motivate highly qualified, high performing executives to lead our growth and success; and

 

Performance — to provide, when appropriate, compensation that is dependent upon the executive's achievements and the Company's performance.

 

In order to achieve the above objectives, our executive compensation philosophy is guided by the following principles:

 

Rewards under incentive plans are based upon our short-term and longer-term financial results and increasing stockholder value;

 

Executive pay is set at sufficiently competitive levels to attract, retain and motivate highly talented individuals who are necessary for us to achieve our goals, objectives and overall financial success;

 

Compensation of an executive is based on such individual's role, responsibilities, performance and experience; and

 

Annual performance of the Company and the executive are taken into account in determining annual bonuses with the goal of fostering a pay-for-performance culture.

 

Compensation Elements

 

We compensate our executives through a variety of components, which may include a base salary, annual performance-based incentive bonuses, equity incentives, and benefits and perquisites, in order to provide our executives with a competitive overall compensation package. The mix and value of these components are impacted by a variety of factors, such as responsibility level, individual negotiations and performance and market practice. The purpose and key characteristics for each component are described below.

 

Base Salary

 

Base salary provides executives with a steady income stream and is based upon the executive's level of responsibility, experience, individual performance and contributions to our overall success, as well as negotiations between the Company and such executive officer. Competitive base salaries, in conjunction with other pay components, enable us to attract and retain talented executives. The Board typically sets base salaries for our executives at levels that it deems to be competitive, with input from our Chief Executive Officer.

 

Annual Incentive Bonuses

 

Annual incentive bonuses are a variable performance-based component of compensation. The primary objective of an annual incentive bonus is to reward executives for achieving corporate and individual goals and to align a portion of total pay opportunities for executives to the attainment of our Company's performance goals. Annual incentive awards, when provided, act as a means to recognize the contribution of our executive officers to our overall financial, operational and strategic success.

 

Equity Incentives

 

Equity incentives are intended to align executive and stockholder interests by linking a portion of executive pay to long-term stockholder value creation and financial success over a multi-year period. Equity incentives may also be provided to our executives to attract and enhance the retention of executives and to facilitate stock ownership by our executives. The Board considers individual and Company performance when determining long-term incentive opportunities.

 

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Health and Welfare Benefits

 

The executive officers participate in health and welfare and paid time-off benefits which we believe are competitive in the marketplace. Health and welfare and paid time-off benefits help ensure that we have a productive and focused workforce.

 

Severance and Change of Control Arrangements

 

We do not have a formal plan for severance or separation pay for our employees, but we typically include a severance provision in the employment agreements of our executive officers that have written employment agreements with us. Generally, such provisions are triggered in the event of involuntary termination of the executive without cause or in the event of a change in control. Please see the description of our employment agreements with George Carpenter and Donald D'Ambrosio.

 

Certain stock option awards certificates under the 2012 Plan provide that options to grantees shall become fully vested upon a change of control of the Company, as defined therein.

 

Other Benefits

 

In order to attract and retain highly qualified executives, we may provide our executive officers with automobile allowances, consistent with current market practices.

 

Accounting and Tax Considerations

 

We consider the accounting and tax implications of all aspects of our executive compensation strategy and, so long as doing so does not conflict with our general performance objectives described above, we strive to achieve the most favorable accounting and tax treatment possible to the Company and our executive officers.

 

Process for Setting Executive Compensation; Factors Considered

 

When making pay determinations for named executive officers, the Board considers a variety of factors including, among others: (1) actual Company performance as compared to pre-established goals, (2) individual executive performance and expected contribution to our future success, (3) changes in economic conditions and the external marketplace, (4) prior years' bonuses and long-term incentive awards, and (5) in the case of executive officers, other than Chief Executive Officer, the recommendation of our Chief Executive Officer, and in the case of our Chief Executive Officer, his negotiations with our Board. No specific weighting is assigned to these factors nor are particular targets set for any particular factor. Ultimately, the Board uses its judgment and discretion when determining how much to pay our executive officers and sets the pay for such executives by element (including cash versus non-cash compensation) and in the aggregate, at levels that it believes are competitive and necessary to attract and retain talented executives capable of achieving the Company's long-term objectives.

 

Summary Compensation Table-Fiscal Years Ended September 30, 2018 and September 30, 2017

 

The following table provides disclosure concerning all compensation paid for services to us in all capacities for our fiscal years ending September 30, 2018 and 2017 provided by (i) each person serving as our principal executive officer ("PEO") or acting in a similar capacity during our fiscal year ended September 30, 2018; (ii) our two most highly compensated executive officers other than our PEO who were serving as executive officers on September 30, 2018 and whose total compensation exceeded $100,000 and (iii) up to two additional individuals for whom disclosure would have been provided under (ii) but for the fact that the individual was not serving as an executive officer as of September 30, 2018. The persons covered by (i), (ii), and (iii) of the preceding sentence are collectively referred to as the "named executive officers" in this section.

 

Name and

Principal

Position

 

Fiscal Year

Ended

September

30,

 

Salary

($) (1) 

 

 

Bonus

($) (2) 

 

  Stock Awards
 ($) (3)
 

Option

Awards
($) (3)/(4) 

 

 

All Other

Compensation ($) (5)

 

 

Total

($)

 

George C. Carpenter IV   2018   238,125         127,300     102,900         468,325  
(President and Chief Executive Officer)   2017   270,000     25,000             21,035     316,035  
Donald D'Ambrosio   2018   215,015         29,700     27,200     16,835     288,750  
(Chief Financial Officer)   2017   117,296     20,000         104,600     8,289     250,185  

 

(1)Salaries for the fiscal years ended September 30, 2018 and 2017 which were accrued and paid as follows:

 

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Mr. Carpenter’s salary for fiscal year 2018 and 2017 was $238,125 and $270,000, respectively, all of which was paid out.

 

Mr. D’Ambrosio's salary for fiscal year 2018 was 215,015. Pro-rated salary for fiscal year 2017 (based on actual number of days employed) was $117,296. Mr. D'Ambrosio joined the Company as its Chief Financial Officer effective March 31, 2017.

 

(2)On September 18, 2017, the Compensation Committee approved cash Management Bonuses for Mr. Carpenter and D’Ambrosio in the amounts of $25,000 and $20,000 respectively. On March 31, 2017, the Compensation Committee approved a signing bonus of $8,959 for Mr. D'Ambrosio.

 

(3)On November 13, 2017, the Board granted Mr. Carpenter to purchase 7,500 shares of Common Stock, vested immediately at $3.96 per share.

 

On April 19, 2018, the Board granted Mr. Carpenter to purchase 34,380 shares of Common Stock, vesting quarterly at $2.10 per share. As of September 30, 2018, options to purchase 8,595 of such shares are vested.

 

On May 25, 2018, the Board granted Mr. Carpenter to purchase 11,205 shares of Common Stock, vested immediately at $2.27 per share.

 

On April 4, 2018, the Board granted Mr. Carpenter options to purchase 100,000 shares of Common Stock. 20% of the options vested on the date of grant and remainder will vest in 8%-10% increments upon the achievement of various performance-based milestones. The options are exercisable at $1.55 per share. As of September 30, 2018, options to purchase 32,000 of such shares were forfeited.

 

(4)On November 13, 2017, the Board granted Mr. D'Ambrosio to purchase 7,500 shares of Common Stock, vested immediately at $3.96 per share.

 

On April 4, 2018, the Compensation Committee of the Board granted options to Mr. D'Ambrosio to purchase 18,000 shares of the Company's common stock, which will vest in 25% increments upon the achievement of various performance-based milestones. The options are exercisable at $1.55 per share. As of September 30, 2018, options to purchase 13,500 of such shares are vested.

 

On March 14, 2017, Mr. D'Ambrosio was granted an option to purchase 18,000 shares of Common Stock valued at $104,600 using the Black Scholes Model, at an exercise price of $5.9 per share with options to purchase 15,000 shares vesting in equal monthly installments over 36 months from March 31, 2017, and options to purchase the remaining 3,000 shares vesting upon the achievement of a performance-based metric which has been met. The vesting of such grants is also subject to acceleration upon the occurrence of certain pre-determined events.

 

(5)Relates to healthcare insurance premiums and Health Savings Account contributions paid on behalf of executive officers of the Company for fiscal years 2018 and 2017, respectively.

 

For Mr. Carpenter health care benefits were $0 and $21,035 for fiscal year 2018 and 2017, respectively.

 

For Mr. D’Ambrosio health care benefits were $16,835 and $8,289 for fiscal year 2018 and 2017, respectively.

 

Narrative Disclosure to Summary Compensation Table 

 

Please refer to the footnotes to the "Summary Compensation Table" above for a description of the components of "Stock Awards" and "All Other Compensation" received by the named executive officers.

 

The following are summaries of employment agreements that we have entered into with respect to our named executive officers. These summaries include, where applicable, a description of all payments the Company is required to make to such named executive officers at, following or in connection with the resignation, retirement or other termination of such named executive officers, or a change in control of our company or a change in the responsibilities of such named executive officers following a change in control.

 

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Employment Agreements

 

George Carpenter

 

On October 1, 2007, we entered into an employment agreement with George Carpenter pursuant to which Mr. Carpenter began serving as our President. During the period of his employment, Mr. Carpenter received a base salary of no less than $180,000 per annum, which was subject to upward adjustment at the discretion of the Chief Executive Officer or our Board of Directors. Mr. Carpenter is entitled to four weeks’ vacation per annum, health and dental insurance coverage for himself and his dependents, and other fringe benefits that we offer our employees from time to time.

 

On April 19, 2018, the Company and George C. Carpenter, IV, the Chief Executive Officer of the Company, entered into an amendment to his Employment Agreement, dated as of September 7, 2007 (the “CEO Amendment"), pursuant to which Mr. Carpenter's annual salary was reduced from $270,000 to $206,250. This change is retroactive to April 13, 2018. Further, pursuant to the CEO Amendment, Mr. Carpenter was granted 34,380 restricted shares of common stock under the 2012 Plan. The shares granted under the CEO Amendment will vest quarterly. If the employee’s relationship with the Company is terminated, the above grant will be prorated. On or before December 31, 2018, the parties will review this modification to determine if the above salary reduction adjustment will be renewed.

 

Mr. Carpenter’s employment is on an "at-will" basis, and Mr. Carpenter may terminate his employment with us for any reason or for no reason. Similarly, we may terminate Mr. Carpenter’s employment with or without cause. If we terminate Mr. Carpenter’s employment without cause or Mr. Carpenter involuntarily terminates his employment with us (an involuntary termination includes changes, without Mr. Carpenter’s consent or pursuant to a corporate transaction, in Mr. Carpenter’s title or responsibilities so that he is no longer the President of our company), Mr. Carpenter shall be eligible to receive as severance his salary and benefits for a period equal to six months payable in one lump sum upon termination. If Mr. Carpenter is terminated by us for cause, or if Mr. Carpenter voluntarily terminates his employment, he will not be entitled to any severance.

 

Donald D’Ambrosio

 

On March 14, 2017, the Company and Mr. D'Ambrosio entered into a letter agreement of employment setting forth Mr. D'Ambrosio's compensation and certain other employment terms. Pursuant to this letter agreement, Mr. D'Ambrosio will be paid an annual base salary of $215,020, will be eligible to participate in the Company’s benefit plans, and received a signing bonus of $8,959 which was paid on March 31, 2017. In addition, pursuant to the letter agreement, Mr. D'Ambrosio was granted an option to purchase 18,000 shares of the Company's common stock at an exercise price of $5.90 per share (the closing price of the Company’s common stock on March 31, 2017), with: (i) the option to purchase 15,000 shares vesting in equal monthly installments over 36 months from March 31, 2017, and (ii) the option to purchase 3,000 shares vesting upon the Company's successful listing of its common stock on a national securities exchange. The vesting of such grants is also subject to acceleration upon the occurrence of certain pre-determined events. Pursuant to the letter agreement, Mr. D'Ambrosio's employment is "at-will", and may be terminated by either party for any reason, or no reason at all. If the Company terminates Mr. D'Ambrosio without "cause" (as defined in the agreement), or Mr. D'Ambrosio "involuntarily terminates" (as defined in the agreement) the agreement, Mr. D'Ambrosio will be entitled to receive severance in the form of salary and benefits for a period equal to one-month, with an additional month of salary for each completed year of service up to a limit of six-months, in each case, subject to Mr. D'Ambrosio providing a release of claims satisfactory to the Company. In the event the Company terminates Mr. D'Ambrosio for "cause" or Mr. D'Ambrosio voluntarily terminates his employment, Mr. D'Ambrosio will not be entitled to any severance.

 

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Outstanding Equity Awards at Fiscal Year-End------Fiscal Year Ending September 30, 2018

 

The following table presents information regarding outstanding options and restricted stocks held by our named executive officers as of September 30, 2018:

 

    Option Awards   Stock Awards
   

Number of Securities

Underlying Unexercised

Options (#)

 

Option

Exercise Price

($)

 

Option

Expiration

Date 

 

Number of

Shares of Stock

That Have Not

Vested (#) 

 

Market Value

of Shares of

Stock That

Have Not

Vested ($) 

Name   Exercisable Unexercisable                
 George Carpenter (1)   20,000   48,000     $1.55     04/04/2028        
    32,000       $6.00     09/22/2022        
    2,175       50.00     10/08/2023        
    6,125       $9.44     12/10/2022        
    667       3,300.00     03/02/2020        
                  25,785     $ 54,149  

Donald D'Ambrosio (2)

  13,500   4,500     $1.55     04/04/2028        
    10,500   7,500     $5.9     03/31/2027          
                                   

 

(1)On April 4, 2018, Mr. Carpenter was granted options to purchase 100,000 shares of Common Stock. 20% of the options vested on the date of grant and the remainder will vest upon the achievement of various performance-based milestones. The options are exercisable at $1.55 per share. As of September 30, 2018, options to purchase 32,000 shares were forfeited.

 

On September 22, 2016, Mr. Carpenter was granted options to purchase 32,000 shares of Common Stock. 25% of the options vested on the date of grant and the remainder will vest in 25% increments upon the achievement of various performance-based milestones. As of September 30, 2018, all of the options are fully vested.

 

On October 8, 2013, Mr. Carpenter was granted options to purchase 2,175 shares of Common Stock. The options are exercisable at $50.00 per share and vested evenly over 12 months starting from the date of grant. As of September 30, 2018, all of the options are fully vested.

 

On December 10, 2012, Mr. Carpenter was granted options to purchase 6,000 shares of Common Stock. The options are exercisable at $9.44 per share and vested in increments of 12.5% at the beginning of each quarter starting from the date of grant. Mr. Carpenter was also granted 125 fully vested shares of Common Stock for his prior services on the Board. These options are also exercisable at a price of $9.44 per share. As of September 30, 2018, all of the options are fully vested.

 

On March 3, 2010, Mr. Carpenter was granted options to purchase 667 shares of Common Stock. The options are exercisable at $3,300.00 per share and vested equally over 48 months starting on March 3, 2010. As of September 30, 2018, all of the options are fully vested.

 

(2)On April 4, 2018, Mr. D'Ambrosio was granted options to purchase 18,000 shares of the Company's common stock, which will vest in 25% increments upon the achievement of various performance-based milestones. The options are exercisable at $1.55 per share. As of September 30, 2018, 13,500 shares of the options are vested.

 

On March 31, 2017, Mr. D'Ambrosio was granted options to purchase 18,000 shares of the Company's common stock at an exercise price of $5.9 per share. with: (i) the option to purchase 15,000 shares vesting in equal monthly installments over 36 months from March 31, 2017, and (ii) the option to purchase 3,000 shares vesting upon the achievement of a performance-based milestone, which had been met as of September 30, 2017.

 

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Director Compensation---Fiscal Year Ending September 30, 2018

 

During our fiscal year ended September 30, 2018, non-employee directors received cash compensation, as well as grants of Common Stock, Restricted Stock and options to purchase Common Stock for their service on our Board of Directors or committees thereof. The values of the option and restricted share grants were determined using the Black-Scholes Model and the closing price of the stock on the day of grant.

 

Non-Employee Director Compensation

 

Name   Fees Earned or
Paid in Cash ($)
  Option Awards
($)
    Stock Awards
($)
    All Other
Compensation
($)
    Total ($)  
Robin Smith (1)   337,500   210,700     68,500     28,000     644,700  
John Pappajohn (2)   3,000       10,200         13,200  
Geoffrey Harris (3)   25,000               25,000  
Michal Votruba (4)   3,000       10,200         13,200  
Peter Unanue (5)   3,000         10,200         13,200  

 

(1)On July 14, 2017, the Board approved the Chairman Services Agreement (the "Agreement") with Robin L. Smith, M.D. which became effective on that date (the "Effective Date") and will remain in effect until the earlier of: (a) termination of the Agreement by mutual agreement of Dr. Smith and the Company, and (b) the eighteen (18) month anniversary of the Effective Date (the "Initial Period"); provided that the Agreement may be automatically extended for additional one year periods thereafter (such period, the "Term"). During the Term, and subject to the terms and conditions of the Agreement, Dr. Smith will provide non-exclusive advisory and management services to the Company, which may include advice and assistance concerning: strategic vision and planning; identification of growth and expansion opportunities; financial planning; and corporate partnering and business development (collectively, the "Services"). Under the Agreement, Dr. Smith is entitled to an annual cash fee of $300,000 (the "Annual Fee"), payable in equal monthly installments. For the 2017 calendar year, Dr. Smith was paid the full amount of the Annual Fee. Dr. Smith agreed to a reduction in her annual cash fee for the 2018 calendar year. In connection therewith, Dr. Smith’s annual cash fee was reduced from $300,000 to $250,000. Dr. Smith was granted an option to purchase 50,000 shares of Common Stock under the Company's 2012 Plan, which will not be terminated if Dr. Smith is no longer affiliated with the Company. On April 4, 2018, Dr. Smith was granted an option to purchase 75,000 shares of Common Stock, of which 1/3 vested immediately, 1/3 will vest 6 months from the grant date and the remaining 1/3 will vest 12 months from the grant date. The options are exercisable at $1.55 per share. On April 4, 2018, Dr. Smith was granted 25,000 restricted shares.

 

The aggregate number of option awards outstanding for Dr. Smith at September 30, 2018 was 291,250 shares. Of these, options to purchase 1,250 shares have an exercise price of $11.00 per share, options to purchase 40,000 shares have an exercise price of $6.00 per share, options to purchase 75,000 shares have an exercise price of $4.33 per share, options to purchase 50,000 shares have an exercise price of $4.16 per share, options to purchase 75,000 shares have an exercise price of $1.55 per share, options to purchase 50,000 shares have an exercise price of $1.99 per share.

 

(2)Mr. Pappajohn joined our Board on August 26, 2009.

 

The Company paid a cash Board Fee to Mr. Pappajohn of $3,000 during the twelve months ended September 30, 2018, and has determined no cash fee will be paid to members of the Board in the coming year except for the Audit Chair and the Chairman of the board.

 

On September 19, 2017, Mr. Pappajohn was granted, subject to continued Board service: (i) 12,000 restricted shares, vesting in four quarterly installments of 3,000 shares and (ii) options to purchase 12,000 shares of common stock with an exercise price of $3.60, vesting in four equal quarterly installments of 3,000 options on December 19, 2017, March 19, 2018, June 19, 2018 and September 19, 2018. The value as of the grant date for stock options is recognized over the number of days of service required for the stock option to vest in full.

 

On May 25, 2018, Mr. Pappajohn was granted 4,500 shares of restricted shares.

 

As of September 30, 2018, Mr. Pappajohn had been granted options to purchase an aggregate 14,542 shares. Of these, options to purchase 42 shares have an exercise price of $3,300.00 per share, options to purchase 1,250 shares have an exercise price of $11.00 per share, 1,250 shares have an exercise price of $9.44 per share, options to purchase 12,000 shares have an exercise price of $3.60 per share.

 

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(5)Mr. Harris joined our Board on July 20, 2015.

 

The Company paid a cash Board Fee to Mr. Harris of $25,000 during 2018, and has determined that he will receive the same amount in the coming year due to his position as Audit Chair.

 

On September 19, 2017, Mr. Harris was granted, subject to continued Board and Audit Committee service: (i) 18,000 restricted shares, vesting in four quarterly installments of 4,500 shares and (ii) options to purchase 18,000 shares of common stock with an exercise price of $3.60, vesting in four equal quarterly installments of 4,500 options on December 19, 2017, March 19, 2018, June 19, 2018 and September 19, 2018. The value as of the grant date for stock options is recognized over the number of days of service required for the stock option to vest in full.

 

At September 30, 2018, Mr. Harris had been granted options to purchase an aggregate of 19,250 shares. Of these, options to purchase 1,250 shares have an exercise price of $11.00 per share and options to purchase 18,000 shares have an exercise price of $3.60 per share.

 

(6)Mr. Votruba joined our Board on July 20, 2015.

 

The Company paid a cash Board Fee to Mr. Votruba of $3,000 during 2018, and has determined no cash fee will be paid to members of the Board in the coming year except for the Audit Chair and the Chairman of the Board.

 

On September 19, 2017, Mr. Votruba was granted, subject to continued Board service: (i) 12,000 restricted shares, vesting in four quarterly installments of 3,000 shares and (ii) options to purchase 12,000 shares of common stock with an exercise price of $3.60, vesting in four equal quarterly installments of 3,000 options on December 19, 2017, March 19, 2018, June 19, 2018 and September 19, 2018. The value as of the grant date for stock options is recognized over the number of days of service required for the stock option to vest in full.

 

On May 25, 2018, Mr. Votruba was granted 4,500 shares of restricted common stock.

 

At September 30, 2018, Mr. Votruba had been granted options to purchase an aggregate of 13,250 shares. Of these, options to purchase 1,250 shares have an exercise price of $11.00 per share and options to purchase 12,000 shares have an exercise price of $3.60 per share.

 

(7)Mr. Unanue joined our Board on September 19, 2017.

 

The Company paid a cash Board Fee to Mr. Unanue of $3,000 during 2018, and has determined no cash fee will be paid to members of the Board in the coming year except for the Audit Chair and the Chairman of the Board.

 

On September 19, 2017, Mr. Unanue was granted, subject to continued Board service: (i) 12,000 restricted shares, vesting in four quarterly installments of 3,000 shares and (ii) options to purchase 12,000 shares of common stock with an exercise price of $3.60, vesting in four equal quarterly installments of 3,000 options on December 19, 2017, March 19, 2018, June 19, 2018 and September 19, 2018. The value as of the grant date for stock options is recognized over the number of days of service required for the stock option to vest in full.

 

On May 25, 2018, Mr. Unanue was granted 4,500 restricted shares.

 

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Item 12. Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Stockholder Matters

 

The following table sets forth information regarding beneficial and other ownership of the shares of our Common Stock as of December 10, 2018:

 

Each person whom we know to be the beneficial owner of 5% or more of our outstanding Common Stock;

 

Each of our executive officers;

 

Each of our current directors; and

 

All of our executive officers and directors as a group.

 

Applicable percentage ownership interest as of December 10, 2018 is based on 7,555,004 shares of issued and outstanding Common Stock.

 

Unless otherwise indicated in the table, the persons and entities named in the table have sole voting and sole investment power with respect to the shares set forth opposite the stockholder’s name, subject to community property laws, where applicable. Beneficial ownership is determined in accordance with Rule 13d-3 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. For purposes of such calculation, shares of our Common Stock subject to options, warrants and convertible promissory notes issued by us (and convertible interest on those notes) that are currently exercisable or convertible, or exercisable or convertible within sixty days from December 10, 2018, are deemed to be outstanding and to be beneficially owned by the person holding the options, warrants or convertible promissory notes, as applicable, for the purpose of computing the percentage ownership of that person, but are not treated as outstanding for the purpose of computing the percentage ownership of any other person. Unless otherwise indicated, the address of each of the executive officers and directors and 5% or more stockholders named below is c/o MYnd Analytics, Inc., 26522 La Alameda, Suite 290, Mission Viejo, CA 92691.  There are no shares of any other class or series of stock issued and outstanding.

 

    Shares Beneficially Owned
Name of Beneficial Owner  

Number of Shares
Beneficially

Owned

 

 

Percentage of Shares

Outstanding 

 

Executive Officers and Directors:        

George Carpenter (1)

President and Chief Executive Officer

  190,087     2.49 %

Don D'Ambrosio (2)

Chief Financial Officer 

  41,584       *

Robin L. Smith (3)

Chairman of the Board of Directors

  513,315     6.49 %

John Pappajohn (4)

Director 

  1,573,757     18.90 %

Michal Votruba (5)

Director

  144,000     1.91 %

Geoffrey E. Harris (6)

Director 

  100,918     1.33 %

Peter Unanue (7)

Director

  246,727     3.20 %
Directors and officers as a group (7 persons) (8)   2,810,388     34.87 %
Non-Director 5%+ Stockholders:        

RSJ (9)

  1,694,178     20.68 %

 

* Represents beneficial ownership of less than one percent (1%) of the outstanding shares of our common stock.

 

(1)Consists of (a) 98,806 shares of common stock, (b) 70,967 shares of Common Stock issuable upon the exercise of vested and exercisable options and (c) 20,314 shares of warrants. Mr. Carpenter has been our Chief Executive Officer since April 2009 and our President since April 29, 2011.

  

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(2)Consists of (a) 7,500 shares of Common Stock, and (b) 34,084 shares of Common Stock issuable upon the exercise of vested and exercisable options. Mr. D'Ambrosio has been our Chief Financial Officer since March 31, 2017.

 

(3)Consists of (a) 161,539 shares of Common Stock and (b) 266,250 shares of Common Stock issuable upon the exercise of vested and exercisable options and (c) 85,526 shares of Common Stock issuable upon the exercise of warrants. Dr. Smith has been the Chairman of the Board since August 20, 2015.

 

(4)

Consists of (a) 802,925 shares of Common Stock and (b) 500,000 shares of Series A Preferred Stock (c) 14,542 shares of Common Stock issuable upon the exercise of vested and exercisable options and (d) 256,290 shares of Common Stock issuable upon the exercise of warrants. Of such shares of Series A Preferred Stock, 250,000 shares are owned by Mrs. Pappajohn, over which Mr. Pappajohn disclaims beneficial ownership. Does not include 500,000 shares of Series A-1 Preferred Stock which are not currently convertible into common stock or warrants to purchase 1,135,135 shares of common stock that may not be exercisable within 60 days. Mr. Pappajohn has been a member of the Board since August 26, 2009.

 

(5)Mr. Votruba is a representative of RSJ; refer to footnote (9) below, as all of his granted shares and options to purchase Common Shares are assigned to RSJ. Mr. Votruba has been a member of the Board since July 30, 2015. Mr. Votruba has agreed to assign to RSJ the benefit of all options and restricted shares granted to him in connection with his service as a member of the Board of Directors.

 

(6)Consists of (a) 52,110 shares of Common Stock and (b) 19,250 shares of Common Stock issuable upon the exercise of vested and exercisable options and (c) 29,558 shares of Common Stock issuable upon the exercise of warrants. Mr. Harris has been a member of the board since July 30, 2015.

 

(7)Consists of (a) 96,627 shares of Common Stock and (b) 50,000 shares of Preferred Stock (c) 12,000 shares of Common Stock issuable upon the exercise of vested and exercisable options and (d) 88,100 shares of Common Stock issuable upon the exercise of warrants. Mr. Unanue has been a member of the Board since September 19, 2017.

 

(8)

Consists of (a) 1,363,507 shares of Common Stock and (b) 550,000 shares of Series A Preferred Stock (c) 417,093 shares of Common Stock issuable upon the exercise of vested and exercisable options, and (d) 479,788 shares of Common Stock issuable upon the exercise of warrants. Totals for Directors and Officers do not include warrants granted to three directors and one officer in connection with a private placement transaction on September 21,2018. The Warrants will be exercisable for a period of five years commencing six months from the initial closing date of the private placement at an exercise price of $2.00 per share. The exercise price is subject to adjustment for stock splits, stock dividends, combinations or similar events. The Warrants may not be exercised on a cashless basis.

 

(9)

Consists of 1,056,474 shares of Common Stock, and (b) 13,250 shares of Common Stock issuable upon the exercise of vested and exercisable options and (c) 624,454 shares of Common Stock issuable upon the exercise of warrants. The address of RSJ is Na Florenci 2116/15, 110 00 Prague 1, Czech Republic.

 

Securities Authorized for Issuance Under Equity Compensation Plans

 

The following table sets forth certain information regarding our equity compensation plans as of September 30, 2018.

 

 

   Number of securities   Weighted-    
   to be   average    
   issued upon   exercise price of  Number of securities 
   exercise of   outstanding  remaining available for 
   outstanding options,   options, warrants  future issuance under 
   warrants and rights   and rights  equity compensation plans 
Plan Category  (a)   (b)  (c) 
2006 Equity compensation plan approved by security holders   1,445 $ 3,193   (1)
2012 Equity compensation plan approved by security holders   802,492 $ 4.39   290,944(2)
Equity compensation plans not approved by security holders           
Total   803,937   $10.13   290,944 

 

(1)The 2006 Stock Incentive Plan, as amended, has been frozen and replaced by the 2012 Plan.

 

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(2)The 2012 Plan includes an evergreen provision which, on January 1 of each year through 2022, automatically increases the number of shares subject to the 2012 Plan by the lesser of: (a) a number equal to 10% of the shares of Common Stock authorized under the 2012 Plan as of the preceding December 31 or (b) an amount, or no amount, as determined by our Board of Directors, but in no event may the number of shares of Common Stock authorized under the 2012 Plan exceed 1,570,248.

 

At the 2018 Annual Meeting of Stockholders of the Company, held on April 4, 2018 (the “2018 Annual Meeting”), the holders of the Company's common stock voted to amend the 2012 Plan to increase (i) the total number of shares of Common Stock available for grant under the 2012 Plan (subject to the overall limit described in clause (ii) below) from 1,072,500 shares to an aggregate of 1,500,000 shares and (ii) the aggregate limitation on the authorization shares available for grant under the 2012 Plan, following any increases pursuant to the evergreen provision, from 1,570,248 shares to 2,200,000 shares.

 

At the 2018 Special Meeting of Stockholders of the Company, held on November 26, 2018, the holders of the Company’s common stock and voting preferred shares voted to amend the 2012 Plan to increase: (i) the total number of shares of common stock, available for grant under the 2012 Plan (subject to the overall limits described in clause (ii) below) from 1,500,000 shares to an aggregate of 2,250,000 shares and (ii) the aggregate limitation on authorized shares available for grant under the 2012 Plan, following any increases pursuant to the evergreen provision (the “Evergreen Provision”), from 2,200,000 shares to 2,950,000 shares.

 

(3)As of September 30, 2018, options to purchase 802,492 shares of Common Stock were outstanding under the 2012 Plan, with a weighted average exercise price of $4.39.

 

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Item 13. Certain Relationships and Related Transactions, and Director Independence

 

Certain Relationships and Related Transactions

 

Except as follows in the below items, since the beginning of the Company's last fiscal year, there has not been, nor is there currently proposed, any transaction or series of similar transactions to which we are or will be a party:

 

  in which the amount involved exceeds the lesser of $120,000 or 1% of the average of our total assets at year-end for the last two completed fiscal years; and

 

  in which any director, executive officer, or other stockholder of more than 5% of our Common Stock or any member of their immediate family had or will have a direct or indirect material interest.

 

1. Private Placement to Affiliates

 

(1) On March 29, 2018, the Company sold an aggregate of 1,050,000 units for $2.00 per Unit each consisting of one share of newly-designated Series A Preferred Stock, and one warrant in a private placement to three affiliates of the Company, for gross proceeds of $2.1 million. The private placement closed on March 29, 2018. The closing price per share of the Common Stock on the Nasdaq Stock Market on March 29, 2018 was $1.19 per share. For more detail on the private placement, please refer to the “Private Placement of A Preferred Stock with Warrant" sections of Note 6. Stockholders’ Equity to the Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements.

 

(2) On September 21, 2018, the Company entered into definitive agreements with George C. Carpenter IV, President and Chief Executive Officer, Robin L. Smith, Chairman, as well as John Pappajohn, and Peter Unanue, each a director of the Company, and entities affiliated with Michal Votruba, a member of the Board of Directors of MYnd Analytics and Director of Life Sciences for the European-based RSJ-Gradus fund, relating to a private placement of an aggregate of 459,458 units for $1.85 per unit, with each unit consisting of one share of Common Stock and one Common Stock Purchase Warrant to purchase one share of Common Stock for $2.00 per share. The closing price per share of the Common Stock on the Nasdaq Stock Market on September 20, 2018 was $1.72 per share.

 

2. Transactions with Decision Calculus Associates

 

During the fiscal year ended September 30, 2018, the Company paid Decision Calculus Associates, an entity owned by Mr. Carpenter’s spouse, Jill Carpenter, $31,000 for marketing services. The consulting agreement with Decision Calculus Associates was amended as of May 1, 2018 reducing the fee to $2,000 per month.

 

3. License Agreement with RSJ, Greater than 5% Stockholder

 

The Company entered into a license agreement with RSJ, effective as of September 20, 2018, pursuant to which the Company granted RSJ a right of first refusal with respect to any agreement with any third party that includes the grant by the Company to such third party of any license or distribution rights with respect to any of the Company’s technology and/or intellectual property in Europe.

 

4. Hooper Holmes Agreement

 

In 2016, we entered into an agreement with Hooper Holmes Inc, for which Dr. Smith, our Chairman of the Board, became an advisory member of its board as of March 16, 2017, and in which Mr. Pappajohn, our director, has participated in equity raises to become the beneficial owner of a greater than 10% interest. Hooper Holmes performs EEGs nationwide to patients who wish to obtain a PEER report. The Company paid $110,100 and $20,300 for these services during the twelve months ended September 30, 2018 and 2017, respectively. Hopper Holmes has declared bankruptcy which triggers the termination of this Agreement.

 

Director Independence

The information required by Item 407(a) of Regulation S-K is incorporated herein by reference to “Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance — Board Composition, Committees and Director Independence.”

 

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Item 14. Principal Accounting Fees and Services

 

Audit Fees

 

The aggregate fees billed for professional services rendered by Marcum LLP, for professional services rendered for the audit of our annual financial statements and review of the financial statements or services that are normally provided by the accountant in connection with statutory and regulatory filings or engagements for fiscal years 2018 and 2017 were $165,100 and $81,600, respectively.

 

The aggregate fees billed for professional services rendered by Anton & Chia, LLP, for professional services rendered for the audit of our annual financial statements and review of the financial statements or services that are normally provided by the accountant in connection with statutory and regulatory filings or engagements for fiscal years 2018 and 2017 were $0 and $116,750, respectively.

 

Audit-Related Fees

 

Marcum LLP, billed the Company $222,000 and $24,420 in fees for assurance and related services related to the performance of the audit or review of our financial statements for the fiscal years ended September 30, 2018 and 2017, respectively.

 

Anton & Chia, LLP, billed the Company $28,000 and $36,750 in fees for assurance and related services related to the performance of the audit or review of our financial statements for the fiscal years ended September 30, 2018 and 2017, respectively.

 

All Other Fees

 

None.

 

Audit Committee Policies and Procedures

 

Our Audit Committee is directly responsible for interviewing and retaining our independent accountant, considering the accounting firm's independence and effectiveness, and pre-approving the engagement fees and other compensation to be paid to, and the services to be conducted by, the independent accountant. During each of the fiscal years ended September 30, 2018 and 2017, respectively, our Audit Committee pre-approved 100% of the audit services as described above.

 

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PART IV

 

Item 15. Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedules.

 

(a)1. The information required by this item is included in Item 8 of Part II of this Annual Report.

2. The information required by this item is included in Item 8 of Part II of this Annual Report.

3. Exhibits: See Exhibit Index following the signature pages to this Annual Report, which is incorporated by reference in this Item.

 

The Exhibits listed in the accompanying Exhibit Index are filed or incorporated by reference as part of this Annual Report.

 

(b)Exhibits. See Exhibit Index, which is incorporated by reference in this Item. The Exhibits listed in the accompanying Exhibit Index are filed or incorporated by reference as part of this Annual Report.

 

(c)Not applicable.

 

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Item 16. Form 10-K Summary.

 

None.

 

EXHIBIT INDEX

 

Exhibit

Number

  Description
3.1   Certificate of Incorporation, as amended. Incorporated by reference to Exhibit No. 3.1 to the Registrant’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed on February 20, 2018 (File No. 001-35527).
     
3.2   Bylaws. Incorporated by reference to Exhibit No. 3.1 to the Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed on March 28, 2012.(File No. 000-26285).
     
3.3   Form of Certificate of Designation of Preferences, Rights of the Series A Preferred Stock.  Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.1 to the Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed on April 3, 2018 (File No. 001-35527).
     
3.4   Form of Certificate of Designation of Preferences, Rights of Series A-1 Preferred Stock. Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.2 to the Registrant’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed on May 14, 2018 (File No. 001-35527).
     
4.1†   Amended and Restated 2006 Stock Incentive Plan. Incorporated by reference to Appendix A to the Registrant’s Definitive Proxy Statement on Schedule 14A filed on April 1, 2010 (File No. 000-26285)
     
4.2†   Amended and Restated 2012 Omnibus Incentive Compensation Plan. Incorporated by reference to Annex A to the Registrant’s Definitive Proxy Statement on Schedule 14A filed on November 2, 2018 (File No. 001-35527).
     
4.3   Sample Stock Certificate. Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.3 to the Registrant’s Annual Report on Form 10-K filed on December 29, 2017 (File No. 001-35527).
     
4.4   Form of Restricted Share Agreement under the MYnd Analytics, Inc. Amended and Restated 2012 Omnibus Incentive Compensation Plan.Incorporated by reference to Exhibit No. 4.4 to the Registrant's Annual Report on Form 10-K filed on December 22, 2016 (File No. 001-35527).
     
4.5   Form of ISO Stock Option Award Certificate under the MYnd Analytics, Inc. Amended and Restated 2012 Omnibus Incentive Compensation Plan.Incorporated by reference to Exhibit No. 4.5 to the Registrant's Annual Report on Form 10-K filed on December 22, 2016 (File No. 001-35527).
     
4.6   Form of NQSO Stock Option Award Certificate under the MYnd Analytics, Inc. Amended and Restated 2012 Omnibus Incentive Compensation Plan.Incorporated by reference to Exhibit No. 4.6 to the Registrant's Annual Report on Form 10-K filed on  December 22, 2016 (File No. 001-35527).
     
10.1   Form of Registration Rights Agreement, dated as of March 28, 2018, by and between the Company and the holder(s) signatory thereto. Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to the Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed on April 3, 2018. (File No. 001-35527).
     
10.2   Form of Warrant, dated as of March 29, 2018, by and between the Company and the holder signatory thereto. Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.2 to the Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed on April 3, 2018 (File No.001-35527).
     
10.3   Subscription Agreement, dated as of March 29, 2018, by and between the Company and the investor(s) signatory thereto. Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.3 to the Registrant’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed on May 14, 2018. (File No. 001-35527).

  

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10.4   Amendment No. 1 to Subscription Agreement, dated as of March 29, 2018, by and between the Company and the investor(s) signatory thereto. Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.4 to the Registrant’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed on May 14, 2018 (File No. 001-35527).
     
10.5   Amendment to Chairman Services Agreement, effective as of April 16, 2018, by and between the Company and Robin Smith. Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.5 to the Registrant’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed on May 14, 2018 (File No.001-35527).
     
10.6   Second Amendment to Chairman Services Agreement, effective as of April 24, 2018, by and between the Company and Robin Smith. Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.6 to the Registrant’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed on May 14, 2018 (File No. 001-35527).
     
10.7   Amendment to Chief Executive Officer Agreement, effective as of April 19, 2018, by and between the Company and George C. Carpenter, IV. Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.7 to the Registrant’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed on May 14, 2018 (File No. 001-35527).
     
10.8   Common Stock Purchase Agreement, dated as of May 15, 2018, by and between the Company and Aspire Capital Fund, LLC. Incorporated by reference to Exhibit No. 10.1 to the Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed on May 18, 2018 (File No. 001-35527).
     
10.9   Registration Rights Agreement, dated as of May 15, 2018, by and between the Company and Aspire Capital Fund, LLC. Incorporated by reference to Exhibit No. 4.1 to the Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed on May 18, 2018 (File No. 001-35527).
     
10.10   Chief Executive Officer Agreement, dated as of May 25, 2018, by and between the Company and George C. Carpenter, IV. Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.2 to the Registrant’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed on August 10, 2018 (File No. 001-35527).
     
10.11   Management Services Agreement, effective as of November 13, 2017, between Arcadian Telepsychiatry Services LLC and Arcadian Telepsychiatry P.C. Incorporated by reference to Exhibit No. 10.32 to the Registrant’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed on February 20, 2018 (File No. 001-35527).
     
10.12   Management Services Agreement, effective as of November 13, 2017, between Arcadian Telepsychiatry Services LLC and Arcadian Telepsychiatry PA. Incorporated by reference to Exhibit No. 10.33 to the Registrant’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed on February 20, 2018 (File No.001-35527).
     
10.13*   Subscription Agreement for Shares of Common Stock and Common Stock Purchase Warrants, dated as of September 21, 2018, by and between the Company and the investor(s) party thereto.
     
10.14*   Form of Warrant to Purchase Shares of Common Stock, dated as of September 24, 2018, by and between the Company and the holder party thereto.
     
10.15*   Agreement, by and between the Company and RSJ Investments SICAV a.s. acting in respect of its sub-fund (podfond) RSJ Gradus podfond, RSJ Investment SICAV a.s., effective as of September 20, 2018.

  

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21.1   Subsidiaries of the Registrant.  Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 21.1 to the Registrant’s Annual Report on Form 10-K filed on December 29, 2017 (File No.001-35527).
     
23.1*   Consent of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm (included in this Annual Report)
     
24.1*   Power of Attorney (included on the signature page of this Annual Report)
     
31.1*   Certification by Principal Executive Officer pursuant to Rule 13a-14(a) or 15d-14(a) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended.
     
31.2*  

Certification by Principal Financial Officer pursuant to Rule 13a-14(a) or 15d-14(a) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended.

     
32.1*   Certification of Principal Executive Officer Pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, as Adopted Pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.
     
32.2*   Certification of Principal Financial Officer Pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, as Adopted Pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.
     

101*   The following financial statements and footnotes from the MYnd Analytics, Inc. Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2018 formatted in Extensible Business Reporting Language (XBRL):
     
    101.INS XBRL Instance Document
     
    101.SCH XBRL Taxonomy Extension Schema
     
    101.CAL XBRL Taxonomy Extension Calculation Linkbase
     
    101.DEF XBRL Taxonomy Extension Definition Linkbase
     
    101.LAB XBRL Taxonomy Extension Label Linkbase
     
    101.PRE XBRL Taxonomy Extension Presentation Linkbase

 

  * Filed herewith.
  Management compensatory plan, contract or arrangement.

 

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SIGNATURES

 

Pursuant to the requirements of Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the Registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.

 

  MYND ANALYTICS, INC.
   
  By: /s/ George Carpenter
    George Carpenter
    Chief Executive Officer
   
  Date:  December 11, 2018

 

POWER OF ATTORNEY

 

The undersigned directors and officers of MYnd Analytics, Inc. do hereby constitute and appoint George Carpenter and Donald D'Ambrosio with full power of substitution and resubstitution, as their true and lawful attorneys and agents, to do any and all acts and things in their name and behalf in their capacities as directors and officers and to execute any and all instruments for them and in their names in the capacities indicated below, which said attorneys and agents, may deem necessary or advisable to enable said corporation to comply with the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and any rules, regulations and requirements of the Securities and Exchange Commission, in connection with this Annual Report on Form 10-K, including specifically but without limitation, power and authority to sign for them or any of them in their names in the capacities indicated below, any and all amendments hereto, and they do hereby ratify and confirm all that said attorneys and agents, or either of them, may lawfully do or cause to be done by virtue hereof.

 

In accordance with the Exchange Act, this report has been signed below by the following persons on behalf of the Registrant and in the capacities and on the dates indicated.

 

Signature   Title   Date
         
/s/ George Carpenter   Chief Executive Officer   December 11, 2018
George Carpenter   (Principal Executive Officer)    
         
/s/ Donald D'Ambrosio   Chief Financial Officer   December 11, 2018
Donald D'Ambrosio   (Principal Financial Officer and Principal Accounting Officer)    
         
/s/ Robin Smith MD   Chairman of the Board   December 11, 2018
Robin Smith MD        
         
/s/ John Pappajohn   Director   December 11, 2018
John Pappajohn        
         
/s/ Michal Votruba   Director   December 11, 2018

Michal Votruba

 

       
         
/s/ Geoffrey Harris   Director   December 11, 2018

Geoffrey Harris

 

       
         
/s/ Peter Unanue   Director   December 11, 2018

Peter Unanue

 

       

 

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