EquityNet Risk Factors


Every investor (“Investor”) should be aware that an investment in a single company or multiple companies on the EquityNet platform involves a high degree of risk. The following risk factors are not intended as a substitute for professional legal, tax or financial advice. These risks factors are non-exhaustive and are intended to highlight certain risks associate with investing in securities (equity) that are not registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Such investments are highly speculative and should not be made by anyone who cannot afford to risk their entire capital contribution. In addition to these risks, you should carefully consider the specific information and risks disclosed by an issuer issuing the securities (referred to herein as the "Company").

  1. Small Business Investment Risk. Investors May, and Frequently Do, Lose All of Their Investment. Investments in Companies involve a high degree of risk. Financial and operating risks confronting Companies are significant. While targeted returns should reflect the perceived level of risk in any investment situation, such returns may never be realized and/or may not be adequate to compensate an Investor for risks taken. Loss of an Investor’s entire investment is possible and can easily occur. Moreover, the timing of any return on investment is highly uncertain.

    The Company's management may be inexperienced and investors may not be able to evaluate the Company’s operating history. Small businesses may also depend heavily upon a single customer, supplier, or employee whose departure would seriously damage the company’s profitability. The demand for the company’s product may be seasonal or be impacted by the overall economy, or the company could face other risks that are specific to its industry or type of business. The Company may also have difficulty competing against larger companies who can negotiate for better prices from suppliers, produce goods and services on a large scale more economically, or take advantage of bigger marketing budgets. Furthermore, a small business could face risks from lawsuits, governmental regulations, and other potential impediments to growth.
  2. The Company is not subject to Sarbanes-Oxley regulations and may lack the financial controls and procedures of public companies. The Company may not have the internal control infrastructure that would meet the standards of a publicly-held company, including the requirements of the Sarbanes Oxley Act of 2002. As a privately-held (non-public) Company, the Company is currently not subject to the Sarbanes Oxley Act of 2002, and its financial and disclosure controls and procedures reflect its status as a development stage, non-public company. There can be no guarantee that there are no significant deficiencies or material weaknesses in the quality of the Company’s financial and disclosure controls and procedures. If it were necessary to implement such financial and disclosure controls and procedures, the cost to the Company of such compliance could be substantial and could have a material adverse effect on the Company’s results of operations.
  3. Lack of Information for Monitoring and Valuing Companies. The Investor may not be able to obtain all information it would want regarding a particular Company on a timely basis or at all. It is possible that the Investor may not be aware on a timely basis of material adverse changes that have occurred with respect to certain of its investments. As a result of these difficulties, as well as other uncertainties, an Investor may not have accurate information about a Company's current value.
  4. State and Federal Security Laws. The securities being offered have not been registered under the Securities Act of 1933 (the "Securities Act"), in reliance, among other exemptions, on the exemptive provisions of Section 4(2) of the Securities Act and Regulation D under the Securities Act. Similar reliance has been placed on apparently available exemptions from securities registration or qualification requirements under applicable state securities laws. No assurance can be given that any offering currently qualifies or will continue to qualify under one or more of such exemptive provisions due to, among other things, the adequacy of disclosure and the manner of distribution, the existence of similar offerings in the past or in the future, or a change of any securities law or regulation that has retroactive effect. If, and to the extent that, claims or suits for rescission are brought and successfully concluded for failure to register any offering or other offerings or for acts or omissions constituting offenses under the Securities Act, the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, or applicable state securities laws, the Company could be materially adversely affected, jeopardizing the Company’s ability to operate successfully. Furthermore, the human and capital resources of the Company could be adversely affected by the need to defend actions under these laws, even if the Company is ultimately successful in its defense.

    Compliance with the criteria for securing exemptions under federal securities laws and the securities laws of the various states is extremely complex, especially in respect of those exemptions affording flexibility and the elimination of trading restrictions in respect of securities received in exempt transactions and subsequently disposed of without registration under the Securities Act or state securities laws.
  5. Absence of Liquidity and Public Markets. There has been no public or private market for the Company's securities, and there can be no assurance that any such market would develop in the foreseeable future. There is therefore no assurance that the securities can be resold at all, or near the offering price. An Investor will be required to represent that it is acquiring such securities for investment and not with a view to distribution or resale, that it understands that the securities are not freely transferable and, in any event, that it must bear the economic risk of an investment in the securities for an indefinite period of time because the securities have not been registered under the Act or applicable state Blue Sky or securities laws. The securities cannot be resold unless they are subsequently registered or an exemption from registration is available.

    There is no active trading market for the securities being offered and no market may develop in the foreseeable future for any of such securities. Further, there can be no assurance that the Company will ever consummate a public offering of any of the Company’s securities. Accordingly, investors must bear the economic risk of an investment in the securities for an indefinite period of time. Even if an active market develops for such securities, Rule 144 promulgated under the Securities Act ("Rule 144"), which provides for an exemption from the registration requirements under the Securities Act under certain conditions, requires, among other conditions, for resales of securities acquired in a non-public offering without having to satisfy such registration requirements, a six-month holding period following acquisition of and payment in full for such securities assuming the issuer of such securities has filed periodic reports with the SEC under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the "Exchange Act") for a period of 90 days prior to the proposed sale. If the issuer of such securities has not made such filings, such securities will be subject to a one-year holding period before they can be resold under Rule 144. There can be no assurance that the Company will fulfill any reporting requirements in the future under the Exchange Act or disseminate to the public any current financial or other information concerning the Company, as is required by Rule 144 as part of the conditions of its availability.

    Accordingly, an Investor should be prepared to hold the securities acquired in such offerings indefinitely and cannot expect to be able to liquidate any or all of their investment even in case of an emergency. In addition, any proposed transfer must comply with restrictions on transfer imposed by the Company and by federal and state securities laws. The Company may permit the transfer of such securities out of a subscriber’s name only when his or her request for transfer is accompanied by an opinion of counsel reasonably satisfactory to the Company that neither the sale nor the proposed transfer results in a violation of the Securities Act or any applicable state securities or "blue sky" laws.

    THERE CAN BE NO ASSURANCE THAT THE COMPANY WILL EVER FILE A REGISTRATION STATEMENT TO REGISTER SUCH SECURITIES, THAT SUCH REGISTRATION STATEMENT WILL BECOME EFFECTIVE, OR THAT ONCE EFFECTIVE, SUCH EFFECTIVENESS WILL BE MAINTAINED.
  6. Tax Risks. Tax risks relating to investments in Companies can be difficult to address and complicated. You should consult your tax advisor for information about the tax consequences of purchasing equity securities of a Company.
  7. Withholding and Other Taxes. The structure of any investment in a Company may not be tax efficient for any particular Investor, and no Company guarantees that any particular tax result will be achieved. In addition, tax reporting requirements may be imposed on Investors under the laws of the jurisdictions in which Investors are liable for taxation. Investors should consult their own professional advisors with respect to the tax consequences to them of an investment in a Company under the laws of the jurisdictions in which the Investors and/or the Company are liable for taxation.
  8. The Company may not have audited financial statements nor is it required to provide investors with any annual audited financial statements or quarterly unaudited financial statements. The Company may not have audited financial statements or audited balance sheets reviewed by outside auditors. In addition, the Company is not required to provide investors in the offering with financial information concerning the Company to which the investors may use in analyzing an investment in the Company. Therefore, your decision to make an investment in the Company must be based upon the information provided to the investors in its private placement documents without financial statement information and therefore, the limited information provided herewith with which investors will make an investment decision may not completely or accurately represent the financial condition of the company. Furthermore, as a non-reporting SEC company, the Company is not required to provide you with annual audited financial statements or quarterly unaudited financial statements.
  9. The Securities will not be registered, and no one has passed upon either the adequacy of the disclosure contained herein or the fairness of the terms of the offering. No governmental agency has reviewed the offerings posted on this Site and no state or federal agency has passed upon either the adequacy of the disclosure contained herein or the fairness of the terms of any offering. The exemptions relied upon for such offerings are significantly dependent upon the accuracy of the representations of the Investors to be made to the Company in connection with the offering. In the event that any such representations prove to be untrue, the registration exemptions relied upon by the Company in selling the securities might not be available and substantial liability to the Company would result under applicable securities laws for rescission or damages.
  10. Forward Looking Statements. The information available to Investors may contain "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements can be identified by the fact that they do not relate strictly to historical or current facts. Forward-looking statements often include words such as "anticipates," "estimates," "expects," "projects," "intends," "plans," "believes" and words and terms of similar substance in connection with discussions of future operating or financial performance. Examples of forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding: (i) the adequacy of a Company’s funding to meet its future needs, (ii) the revenue and expenses expected over the life of the Company, (iii) the market for a company’s goods or services, or (iv) other similar matters.

    Each Company’s forward-looking statements are based on management's current expectations and assumptions regarding the Company’s business and performance, the economy and other future conditions and forecasts of future events, circumstances and results. As with any projection or forecast, forward-looking statements are inherently susceptible to uncertainty and changes in circumstances. The Company’s actual results may vary materially from those expressed or implied in its forward-looking statements. Important factors that could cause the Company’s actual results to differ materially from those in its forward-looking statements include government regulation, economic, strategic, political and social conditions and the following factors:
    • changes in consumer behavior;
    • recent and future changes in technology, services and standards;
    • changes in the plans, initiatives and strategies of the third parties that are necessary or important to the Company’s success;
    • changes in a Company’s plans, initiatives and strategies, and consumer acceptance thereof;
    • competitive pressures, including as a result of changes in technology;
    • the Company's ability to deal effectively with economic slowdowns or other economic or market difficulties;
    • the failure to meet earnings expectations;
    • changes in tax, federal communication and other laws and regulations;
    • changes in U.S. GAAP or other applicable accounting policies;
    • the adequacy of the Company's risk management framework;
    • the impact of terrorist acts, hostilities, natural disasters (including extreme weather) and pandemic viruses;
    • increased volatility or decreased liquidity in the capital markets, including any limitation on the Company’s ability to access the capital markets for debt securities, refinance its outstanding indebtedness or obtain equity, debt or bank financings on acceptable terms;
    • a disruption or failure of the Company's or its vendors' network and information systems or other technology on which the Company's businesses rely;
    • other risks and uncertainties which may or may not be specifically discussed in materials provided to Investors; and
    • changes in foreign exchange rates and in the stability and existence of foreign currencies.
    Any forward-looking statement made by a Company speaks only as of the date on which it is made. Companies are under no obligation to, and generally expressly disclaim any obligation to, update or alter their forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, subsequent events or otherwise.

    The foregoing risks do not purport to be a complete explanation of all the risks involved in acquiring equity securities in a Company. Each Investor is urged to seek its own independent legal and tax advice and read the relevant investment documents before making a determination whether to invest in a Company.
  11. The Company may not pay dividends for the foreseeable future. Unless otherwise specified in the offering documents and subject to state law, you are not entitled to receive any dividends on your interest in the Company. Accordingly, any potential investor who anticipates the need for current dividends or income from an investment should not purchase any of the securities offered on the Site.
  12. The Company's growth relies on market acceptance. While the Company believes that there will be significant customer demand for its products/services, there is no assurance that there will be broad market acceptance of the Company’s offerings. There also may not be broad market acceptance of the Company’s offerings if its competitors offer products/services which are preferred by prospective customers. In such event, there may be a material adverse effect on the Company’s results of operations and financial condition, and the Company may not be able to achieve its goals.
  13. Lack of Control. Because the Company's founders, directors and executive officers may be among the Company's largest stockholders, they can exert significant control over the Company's business and affairs and have actual or potential interests that may depart from those of subscribers in the offering.

    The Company's founders, directors and executive officers may own or control a significant percentage of the Company. Additionally, the holdings of the Company's directors and executive officers may increase in the future upon vesting or other maturation of exercise rights under any of the options or warrants they may hold or in the future be granted or if they otherwise acquire additional interest in the Company. The interests of such persons may differ from the interests of the Company’s other stockholders, including purchasers of securities in the offering. As a result, in addition to their board seats and offices, such persons will have significant influence over and control all corporate actions requiring stockholder approval, irrespective of how the Company's other stockholders, including purchasers in the offering, may vote, including the following actions:
    • to elect or defeat the election of the Company’s directors;
    • to amend or prevent amendment of the Company’s Certificate of Incorporation or By laws;
    • to effect or prevent a merger, sale of assets or other corporate transaction; and
    • to control the outcome of any other matter submitted to the Company’s stockholders for vote.
    Such persons' ownership may discourage a potential acquirer from making a tender offer or otherwise attempting to obtain control of the Company, which in turn could reduce the Company’s stock price or prevent the Company’s stockholders from realizing a premium over the Company’s stock price.
  14. The Company's management may have broad discretion in how the Company use the net proceeds of an offering. Unless the Company has agreed to a specific use of the proceeds from an offering, the Company’s management will have considerable discretion over the use of proceeds from their offering. You may not have the opportunity, as part of your investment decision, to assess whether the proceeds are being used appropriately.

By using this website and the associated tools, you acknowledge that the risk and rating metrics are objective computer-generated metrics, are in no way subjective, and are not tailored to your specific investment or risk criteria, use, or need. You further agree to indemnify and hold-harmless EquityNet Inc. and all partners and affiliates from any loss or harm by using the ratings and risk metrics. Investment decisions should not be made in reliance of these metrics; their entire purpose is to serve as a sorting tool.

These risks factors are non-exhaustive. These risk factors are not intended as a substitute for professional legal, tax or financial advice.