NextTrip (NTRP) 10-K2024 FY Annual report

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

FORM 10-K

or

Commission file number: 001-38015

NEXTTRIP, INC.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

3900 Paseo del Sol

Santa Fe, New Mexico 87507

(Address of principal executive offices)

(954) 526-9688

(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code):

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

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the 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 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 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. (Check one):

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 has filed a report on and attestation to its management’s assessment of the effectiveness of its internal control over financial reporting under Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (15 U.S.C. 7262(b)) by the registered public accounting firm that prepared or issued its audit report. ☐

If securities are registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act, indicate by check mark whether the financial statements of the registrant included in the filing reflect the correction of an error to previously issued financial statements. ☐

Indicate by check mark whether any of those error corrections are restatements that required a recovery analysis of incentive-based compensation received by any of the registrant’s executive officers during the relevant recovery period pursuant to §240.10D-1(b). ☐

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

Based on the closing price of the registrant’s common stock as reported on The NASDAQ Capital Market, the aggregate market value of the Registrant’s common stock held by non-affiliates on June 30, 2023 (the last business day of the registrant’s most recently completed second fiscal quarter) was approximately $3,725,594. Shares of common stock held by directors and executive officers and any ten percent or greater stockholders and their respective affiliates have been excluded from this calculation, because such stockholders may be deemed to be “affiliates” of the registrant. This is not necessarily determinative of affiliate status for other purposes.

The number of outstanding shares of the registrant’s common stock as of August 31, 2024 was 1,388,641.

Documents incorporated by reference: None

NEXTTRIP, INC.

FORM 10-K — FISCAL YEAR ENDED FEBRUARY 29, 2024

TABLE OF CONTENTS

DISCLOSURE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This Report, including any documents which may be incorporated by reference into this Report, contains “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. All statements other than statements of historical fact are forward-looking statements for purposes of these provisions, including, but not limited to, statements regarding our expectations about development and commercialization of our technology, any projections of revenues or statements regarding our anticipated revenues or other financial items, any statements of the plans and objectives of management for future operations, any statements concerning proposed new products or services, any statements regarding future economic conditions or performance, and any statements of assumptions underlying any of the foregoing. All forward-looking statements included in this document are made as of the date hereof and are based on information available to us as of such date. We assume no obligation to update any forward-looking statement. In some cases, forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of terminology such as “may,” “will,” “expects,” “plans,” “anticipates,” “intends,” “believes,” “estimates,” “potential,” or “continue,” or the negative thereof or other comparable terminology. Although we believe that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements contained herein are reasonable, there can be no assurance that such expectations or any of the forward-looking statements will prove to be correct, and actual results could differ materially from those projected or assumed in the forward-looking statements. Future financial condition and results of operations, as well as any forward-looking statements are subject to inherent risks and uncertainties, including any other factors referred to in our press releases and reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”). All subsequent forward-looking statements attributable to the Company or persons acting on its behalf are expressly qualified in their entirety by these cautionary statements. Certain factors that may have a direct bearing on our operating results are described under “Risk Factors” and elsewhere in this Report.

PART I

ITEM 1. BUSINESS.

The Company:

NextTrip, Inc. (the “Company,” “NextTrip,” “we,” “us” and “our”) is an innovative technology company that is building next generation solutions to power the travel industry. NextTrip, through its subsidiaries, provides travel technology solutions with sales originating in the United States, leisure travel, business travel, groups travel, media and tech. We connect people to new places and discoveries by utilizing digital media engagement, seasoned planning expertise, and unique inventory to curate custom vacations and business travel across the globe. Our proprietary booking engine, branded as NXT2.0, provides travel distributors and consumers access to a sizeable inventory.

Our vision is to drive the evolution of the travel industry by merging advanced digital solutions with personalized travel services. Our core technology – a fully integrated travel booking platform – focuses on untapped and underserved sectors of the travel industry, intending to capture new markets. We expect that our future growth will be accelerated by interactive technology, immersive media and unparalleled travel industry expertise.

We believe NextTrip will revolutionize the travel industry by combining advanced digital technologies with personalized travel services. Our mission is to become the premier travel, media, and lifestyle brand, inspiring and empowering individuals to explore the world. Through our brands, including NextTrip Vacations, Travel Magazine, and Compass.TV, we aim to create a unique ecosystem that reduces dependency on traditional marketing methods, where major travel companies spend billions to attract customers.

Our strategy focuses on both the Media and Travel divisions working together to draw users into our ecosystem by offering the following benefits:

Our ecosystem is built on four key pillars:

By integrating the NextTrip booking platform across all our media platforms, we will enable users to research and book travel seamlessly from any of our offerings. Our ecosystem will encompass leisure travel, wellness travel, business travel, alternative lodging, and innovative technology and media solutions. We will engage with consumers throughout the entire travel planning journey, from initial research to post-travel, offering robust product options and preferred rates in top global destinations. We believe that NextTrip stands apart from other travel companies, providing users with the tools to create personalized vacation packages and travel solutions, resulting in a more rewarding experience than traditional pre-packaged offerings. This ensures a thriving and growing ecosystem that drives both travel transactions and targeted advertising revenue while supporting consumers on their travel journeys—truly a next-generation travel company.

Organizational History

Historical Monaker Group Business

NextTrip’s travel business was the principal business of NextPlay NextPlay Technologies, Inc. (“NextPlay”) (then, Monaker Group, Inc. (“Monaker”)) until June 30, 2020, when Monaker entered into a share exchange transaction with HotPlay Enterprise Limited (“HotPlay”), resulting in HotPlay becoming a wholly owned subsidiary of Monaker and HotPlay’s business becoming the principal business of Monaker. Prior to this share exchange, the primary focus of Monaker had been its travel business, which included the sale of vacation rentals, and in particular, ALRs, to consumers through its proprietary booking engine. To support its travel offerings, Monaker introduced travelmagazine.com, featuring travel and lifestyle content to appeal to travelers researching destinations and planning future vacations. In January 2023, NextPlay spun the NextTrip business out to its founders to separate it from NextPlay’s primary business.

COVID-era Transition and Technology Development

The spread of the COVID-19 virus globally beginning in January 2020 severely impacted our business. Beginning in March 2020, many U.S. states and foreign countries began issuing “stay-at-home” orders and closed their borders to interstate and international travel. Such restrictions on travel, together with other measures implemented by governments around the world, severely restricted the level of economic activity around the world and had an unprecedented effect on the global travel industry. The public’s ability to travel was severely curtailed through border closures, mandated travel restrictions and limited operations of hotels, airlines, and additional voluntary or mandated closures of travel-related businesses from December 2019 through the beginning of 2022 (and beyond in some jurisdictions). Measures implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic led to unprecedented levels of temporary and permanent business closures, cancellations and limited new travel bookings, having a severe negative impact on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Due to the significant decrease in demand for the travel related services provided by us during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, we shifted our focus to developing and enhancing our program offerings. For example, we began to develop our online media platform -TravelMagazine.com allowing consumers to research future travel options as well as enhancing the functionality of our booking engines, including developing a booking engine platform that allows customers to book packaged vacations and wellness programs along with the development of a platform to arrange and manage business travel.

Acquisition of Bookit.com Asset

Following NextTrip’s separation from NextPlay, our team focused on the continued technological development of its booking platform. As part of this development, we acquired a travel platform in June 2022 to help power our proprietary NXT2.0 booking technology. Previously, this technology powered the Bookit.com business, a well-established online leisure tour operator generating over $400 million in annual sales as recently as 2019 (pre-pandemic). As part of the acquisition of the assets of Bookit.com, we were not only able to acquire a proven technology platform that could be integrated with our core travel sectors, but we were also able to secure the database with millions of past travelers and opt-in consumers.

Since 2022, and the acquisition of the Bookit.com business, we have been focused on the holistic development and integration of the NXT2.0 technology platform, which serves as a base for current and future technology projects as well as proprietary system enhancements. This integration includes re-engaging with and re-negotiating more than 250 contracts with hotel, airline, and cruise suppliers, and securing unique product inventory of more than 3 million lodging, air and tour product suppliers at exceptional rates to over 2,100 destinations in 200+ countries worldwide.

Through this strategic offering, we will focus on key areas of opportunity in the travel sector and drive enhanced booking conversion rates. Our proprietary technology, when combined with media, product offerings and customer service, provides a unique lane to serve mid-to luxury travelers.

Recent Developments

Acquisition by Sigma Additive Solutions, Inc.; Name Change

In December 2023, Sigma Additive Solutions, Inc. (“Sigma”) acquired 100% of the outstanding equity interests in NextTrip, which resulted in NextTrip becoming a wholly-owned subsidiary of a public company and the principal business of the Company moving forward. To align the new business with NextTrip’s travel-focused business model, the Company recently changed its name to “NextTrip, Inc.”

Acquisition of Promethean FAST TV Exclusive License

We recently entered into a perpetual license agreement with Promethean TV, Inc. (“Promethean”), the owner and developer of the Ignite TV interactive video platform used for driving engagement and commerce. This license will form the basis for our Free Ad-supported streaming TV (FAST) channel – Compasss.TV allowing for targeted advertising via video overlays, allowing the viewer to purchase travel from their screen. This integrated technology is intended to boost engagement with customers driving ad-supported revenue and travel transactions.

Our Fully Integrated Travel Booking Platform

We have established a direct-to-consumer presence though a number of websites, powered by the NXT2.0 booking platform. Today, the primary leisure platform is hosted on nexttrip.com and the media platform is hosted on travelmagazine.com.

NextTrip sells travel services to leisure and corporate customers across these websites. Our primary focus is our current offerings of scheduling, pricing and availability information for booking reservations for airlines, hotels, rental cars, as well as other travel products such as transfers, sightseeing tours, shows and event tickets. NextTrip sells these travel services both individually and as components of dynamically assembled packaged travel vacations and trips. In addition, we provide content that presents travelers with information about travel destinations, maps and other travel details.

Our online travel publication, travelmagazine.com, provides travelers around the world with inspiration for future vacation destinations and trips. The publication offers written articles, videos, and podcasts. The website is expected to be supported by advertising and allow for research and booking of vacation products.

Travel Products and Services

We are building an ecosystem with technology and product offerings that will include leisure travel, wellness travel, business travel, alternative lodging, technology and media solutions. We engage with consumers and distributors throughout the travel planning journey from initial research through post-travel. Through direct relationships, we have established robust product offerings and preferred rates across the top destinations world-wide. Our primary product offerings are as follows:

Products and Services for Travelers

Search Tools and Ability to Compare. Our online marketplace nexttrip.com provides travelers with the tools to search for and filter several travel products including air, accommodations, activities, and transportation based on various criteria, such as destination, travel dates, type of property, number of travelers, amenities, price, or keywords.

Traveler Login. Travelers are able to create accounts on our website(s) that give them access to their booking activity through the website. Members will also have access to special rates and discounts on the NextTrip product.

Travel Blog. Travel guides, videos and pictures as well as travel articles can be accessed through travelmagazine.com.

Security. We use a combination of technology and human review to evaluate the content of listings and to screen for inaccuracies or fraud with the goal of providing only accurate and trustworthy information to travelers. NextTrip is Payment Card Industry compliant to ensure the safety and security of its customer credit card data.

Communication. Travelers who create an account on our websites will receive regular communications, including notices about places of interest, special offers, new listings, and an email newsletter. The newsletter will be available to any traveler who agrees to receive it and offers introductions to new destinations and properties, as well as tips and useful information when traveling.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic arose, we have primarily focused on developing our booking engine and establishing relationships with suppliers to increase the size of our instantly bookable inventory. The booking engine has produced little revenue to date because of, among other reasons, the efforts that have been taken to integrate the NextTrip travel platforms with the Bookit.com technology since its acquisition in the summer of 2022. The new platform was launched in beta in May 2023 with a limited number of hotel properties in Mexico and the Caribbean. We have expanded our distribution since launch to include over one million hotel properties worldwide and have completed a full launch of the leisure travel website in May 2024.

Key Revenue Drivers

NextTrip’s fully integrated travel booking platform serves as the foundation of our revenue-generating business. The platform contains a robust booking engine with merchandising capabilities that drive increased conversions and higher per revenue transactions. We plan to leverage the bookit.com foundational travel database consisting of 6 million customers to further drive revenues. Those revenues consist primarily of commissions and bookings but are expanding to include affiliate commerce, advertising and sponsored content (via Compass.TV and Travel Magazine).

In addition, as the booking platform expands, it establishes an opportunity for product expansion and revenue from technology licensing, including white-labeling key technology. A monthly software-as-a-service (SaaS) model is being established around key technology developments and innovative platforms, including turn-key booking solutions, product management and targeted audience offerings.

Advancing Travel: Future Research & Development Driving Growth

As we expand the reach of our booking platforms, including to different underserved areas of the travel industry, we plan to focus on future technologies to drive growth by investing in research and development.

Compass.TV

As Free Ad-Supported Streaming TV (FAST) gains momentum globally, we are in the process of developing Compass.TV, with a targeted launch in the fall of 2024. Our innovative travel channel is being developed in conjunction with our perpetual license with Promethean discussed above. With over 200 hours of relevant travel content secured, Compass.TV intends to utilize artificial intelligence (AI) to personalize content, convert blogs and articles to video, and empower users to create custom travel channels. Integration with the NextTrip Concierge desk will enable seamless booking and assistance.

NextTrip recognizes the pivotal role of video in promoting travel sales and engagement, hence our focus on incorporating video across platforms. To maximize effectiveness, NextTrip has entered into the license with Promethean enabling targeted advertising and transactional capabilities without interrupting content. The Company has also established strategic partnerships for content, distribution and technology with key players in the FAST space. This will enhance and accelerate the growth of our user base and enhance the opportunity for revenue generation from the platform.

Travel Magazine

We are transforming our Travel Magazine website into a social media platform catering to all things travel. The site was re-launched mid-2024, and features enhanced media capabilities and targeted advertising using the Promethean solution. A private consumer section called “MyBucketList,” is targeted for release in the fall of 2024 and will feature connectivity to booking engines, AI travel planner assist and AI-driven content creation.

My Bucket List

With My Bucket List, NextTrip is building a technology solution catered to travelers to build and share their own travel bucket list with personalized suggestions, booking support and local insights.

Technology and Infrastructure

Our websites are hosted using cloud services distributed globally across multiple regions. Our systems architecture has been designed to manage increases in traffic through additional computing power without making software changes. Our cloud services provide our online marketplace with scalable and redundant Internet connectivity and redundant power and cooling to our hosting environments. We use security methods to ensure the integrity of our networks and protection of confidential data collected and stored on our servers, and we have developed and use internal policies and procedures to protect the personal information of travel suppliers and customers using our websites that we collect and use as part of our normal operations. Access to our networks, and the servers and databases, on which confidential data is stored, is protected by industry standard firewall and encryption technology. Physical access to our servers and related equipment is secured by limiting access to the data center to operations personnel only.

Competition

The U.S. travel market is highly competitive and rapidly evolving. The markets are dominated by a few key distributors, which has caused suppliers to look for viable alternatives that would diversify their business mix.

Our competition, which is strong and increasing, includes online and offline travel companies that target leisure and corporate travelers, including travel agencies, tour operators, travel supplier direct websites and their call centers, consolidators and wholesalers of travel products and services, large online portals and search websites, certain travel metasearch websites, mobile travel applications, social media websites, as well as traditional consumer eCommerce and group buying websites. These companies include Expedia, Booking.com, TripAdvisor, Sabre Corp., and TravelZoo. In some cases, competitors are offering more favorable terms and improved interfaces to suppliers and travelers, which make competition increasingly difficult. We also face competition for customer traffic on internet search engines and metasearch websites, which impacts our customer acquisition and marketing costs.

Seasonality

We experience seasonal fluctuations in the demand for our travel products and services. For example, traditional leisure travel bookings are generally the highest in the first three quarters as travelers plan and book their spring, summer and winter holiday travel. The number of bookings typically decreases in the fourth quarter. Because revenue for most of our travel products is recognized when the travel takes place rather than when it is booked, revenue typically lags bookings by several weeks to several months. As a result, although travel bookings through NextTrip’s platforms tend to be highest from the period from January to June, moderate from July through September and low from October through December, the majority of revenue is recognized in the summer months (June, July, and August), and during the winter holidays (November and December).

Intellectual Property

Our intellectual property includes the content of our websites, registered domain names, registered and unregistered trademarks, business plan, business strategies and trade secrets, proprietary and acquired software platforms and related assets, licensed software platforms, and customer and third-party supplier lists. We believe that our intellectual property is an essential asset of our business and that our registered domain names and our technology infrastructure will give us a competitive advantage in the online market and arrangements with attractions and tour operators. We rely on a combination of trademark, copyright and trade secret laws in the United States, as well as contractual provisions, to protect our proprietary technology and our brands. We also rely on copyright laws to protect the appearance and design of our sites and applications. We have registered numerous Internet domain names related to our business in order to protect our proprietary interests.

Regulation

Our ability to provide our services and any future services is affected by legal regulations of governments and regulatory authorities around the world, many of which are evolving and subject to revised interpretations. Violations of any laws or regulations could result in fines, penalties, and criminal sanctions against us, our officers or employees, and prohibitions on how or where we conduct our business, which could damage our reputation, brands, global expansion efforts, ability to attract and retain employees and business partners, business, and operating results. Even if we comply with these laws and regulations, doing business in certain jurisdictions or violations of these laws and regulations by the parties with which we conduct business runs the risk of harming our reputation and our brands. Regulations that impact our business or our industry include:

● Data Protection and Privacy: We have policies and a global governance framework to comply with privacy laws that apply to our business, meet evolving stakeholder expectations, and support business innovation and growth. In the European Union, the General Data Protection Regulation (the “GDPR”) imposes significant compliance obligations and costs. In the United States, the California Consumer Privacy Act (the “CCPA”) and the California Privacy Rights Act (“CPRA”) impose privacy requirements and rights for consumers in California that will result in additional compliance complexity, risks, and costs. Other U.S. states and jurisdictions globally have adopted or may adopt similar data protection regulations. Some data protection and privacy laws afford consumers a private right of action against companies like ours for certain statutory violations.

● Regulation of the Travel Industry: Our business is impacted by travel-related regulations such as local regulation of the use of alternative accommodations. Local jurisdictions around the world have instituted a variety of measures to address the issues of “overtourism” and the impact of tourism on the climate. As our business evolves, we expect to become subject to existing and new regulations. For example, some parts of our business are already subject to certain requirements of the US Department of Transportation (DOT), and as our offerings continue to diversify and expand, we may become subject to additional requirements of regulatory agencies across the world.

● Payments: As we expand our payments services to consumers and business partners, we are subject to additional regulations, such as financial services regulations and license requirements, which has resulted in increased compliance costs and complexities, including those associated with the implementation of new or advanced internal controls. We are also subject to payment card association rules and obligations under our contracts with payment card processors, including the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard, compliance with which is complex and costly.

Facilities

Our principal executive offices are located at 3900 Paseo del Sol, Santa Fe, New Mexico 87507. The lease has a 6-month term which ends on December 31, 2024. The landlord can terminate the lease upon 30 days written notice and NextTrip can terminate the lease upon 45 days written notice.

Human Capital Resources

As of August 31, 2024, we had 14 full-time employees and 13 independent contractors, We use independent contractors and temporary personnel to supplement our workforce, particularly in the software development and technology tasks. Our employees are not represented by a labor union, and we consider our employee relations to be very good. Competition for qualified personnel in its industry has historically been intense, particularly for software engineers, developers, and other technical staff. Our human capital resources objectives include, as applicable, identifying, recruiting, retaining, incentivizing and integrating our existing and additional employees. We strive to provide competitive compensation and benefits to our employees. Our benefit programs include bonuses, stock-based compensation awards, a 401(k) plan with employer matching, healthcare and insurance benefits, flexible paid time off and other employee assistance programs.

The principal purposes of our equity incentive plans are to attract, retain and motivate selected employees, consultants and directors through the granting of stock-based compensation awards and cash-based performance bonus awards.

All employees are responsible for upholding the NextTrip Code of Ethics and Business Conduct, which is important in delivering on our strategy. We maintain a compliance hotline for the confidential reporting of any suspected policy violations or unethical business conduct on the part of our businesses, employees, officers, directors, suppliers, or customers.

Global Conflicts

Current conflicts throughout the world, including the Russia-Ukraine war and the Israel-Hamas war, could further impact the global economy, financial markets, and inflation. Due to the uncertainty around the duration or outcome of the conflicts, we cannot predict the effect on our business.

We have no sales to Russia, Ukraine, or Israel, nor do we have any assets, employees or third-party contractors in those countries.

Corporate Information

Sigma was initially incorporated as Messidor Limited in Nevada on December 23, 1985, and changed its name to Framewaves Inc. in 2001. On September 27, 2010, the name was changed to Sigma Labs, Inc. On May 17, 2022, Sigma Labs, Inc. began doing business as Sigma Additive Solutions, and on August 9, 2022, changed its name to Sigma Additive Solutions, Inc. On March 13, 2024, we changed our name to NextTrip, Inc.

Our principal executive offices are located at 3900 Paseo del Sol, Santa Fe, New Mexico 87507, and our current telephone number at that address is (954) 526-9688. Our website address is www.nexttrip.com. The Company’s annual reports, quarterly reports, current reports on Form 8-K and amendments to such reports filed or furnished pursuant to section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), and other information related to the Company, are available, free of charge, on that website as soon as we electronically file those documents with, or otherwise furnish them to, the SEC. The Company’s website and the information contained therein, or connected thereto, are not and are not intended to be incorporated into this Report.

ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS.

Our business is subject to numerous risks. We caution you that the following important factors, among others, could cause our actual results to differ materially from those expressed in statements made by us or on our behalf in filings with the SEC, press releases or communications with investors and others. Any or all of our statements in this Report and in any other public statements we make may turn out to be wrong. They can be affected by inaccurate assumptions or by known or unknown risks and uncertainties. The factors mentioned in the discussion below will be important in determining future results. Consequently, actual future results may vary materially from those anticipated in this Report or our other public statements. The occurrence of any of the events or developments described below could harm our financial condition, results of operations, business and prospects. In such an event, the market price of our securities could decline. Additional risks and uncertainties not presently known to us or that we currently deem immaterial also may have similar adverse effects on us.

Risks Related to Our Business

Our revenue is derived from the global travel industry, and a prolonged or substantial decrease in global travel, particularly air travel, could adversely affect our operating results.

Our revenue is derived from the global travel industry and would be significantly impacted by declines in, or disruptions to, travel activity, particularly air travel. Global factors over which we have no control, but which could impact our clients’ willingness to travel and, depending on the scope and duration, cause a significant decline in travel volumes include, among other things:

● widespread health concerns, epidemics or pandemics, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, the Zika virus, H1N1 influenza, the Ebola virus, avian flu, SARS or any other serious contagious diseases;

● global security concerns caused by terrorist attacks, the threat of terrorist attacks, or the precautions taken in anticipation of such attacks, including elevated threat warnings or selective cancellation or redirection of travel;

● cyber-terrorism, political unrest, the outbreak of hostilities or escalation or worsening of existing hostilities or war, such as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the military conflict in Israel, resulting sanctions imposed by the U.S. and other countries and retaliatory actions taken by sanctioned countries in response to such sanctions;

● natural disasters or severe weather conditions, such as hurricanes, flooding and earthquakes;

● climate change-related impact to travel destinations, such as extreme weather, natural disasters and disruptions, and actions taken by governments, businesses and supplier partners to combat climate change;

● the occurrence of travel-related accidents or the grounding of aircraft due to safety concerns;

● the impact of macroeconomic conditions (including inflation) and labor shortages on the cost and availability of airline travel; and

● adverse changes in visa and immigration policies or the imposition of travel restrictions or more restrictive security procedures.

Any decrease in demand for consumer or business travel could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We need additional capital, which may not be available on commercially acceptable terms, if at all, which raises questions about our ability to continue as a going concern.

As of February 29, 2024, we had $5,088,842 in total assets, $1,960,813 in total liabilities, negative working capital of $245,005 and a total accumulated deficit of $24,151,139. We had a net loss of $7,339,276 for the fiscal year ended February 29, 2024 and $5,033,496 for the fiscal year ended February 28, 2023.

We are subject to all the substantial risks inherent in the development of a new business enterprise within an extremely competitive industry. Due to the absence of a long-standing operating history and the emerging nature of the markets in which it competes, we anticipate operating losses until we can successfully implement our business strategy, which includes all associated revenue streams. Our revenue model is new and evolving, and we cannot be certain that it will be successful. The potential profitability of this business model is unproven. We may never achieve profitable operations or generate significant revenues. Our future operating results depend on many factors, including demand for our products, the level of competition, and the ability of our officers to manage our business and growth. Additional development expenses may delay or negatively impact our ability to generate profits. Accordingly, we cannot assure you that our business model will be successful or that we can sustain revenue growth, achieve or sustain profitability, or continue as a going concern.

The Company believes that, in the aggregate, it could require several millions of dollars to support and expand the marketing and development of its products, repay debt obligations, provide capital expenditures for additional equipment and development costs, payment obligations, office space and systems for managing the business, and cover other operating costs until its planned revenue streams from all products are fully implemented and begin to offset its operating costs. We estimate that we will need to raise a minimum of $5.5 million in net proceeds to continue operations for the next twelve months.

In the event the Company is unable to raise adequate funding in the future for its operations and to pay its outstanding debt obligations, the Company may be forced to scale back its business plan and/or liquidate some or all of its assets or may be forced to seek bankruptcy protection

In light of the foregoing, there is substantial doubt our ability to continue as a going concern, and the report of our registered independent public accounting firm on our financial statements as of and for the year ended February 29, 2024 contains a going concern qualification.

We are not profitable and may never become profitable.

We have incurred losses in every reporting period since we commenced business operations in 2010 and expect to continue to incur significant losses for the foreseeable future. Our net loss applicable to common stockholders for the years ended February 29, 2024 and February 28, 2023 was $7,339,276 and $5,033,496, respectively. As of February 29, 2024, our accumulated deficit was $24,151,139. There is no assurance that any revenues we generate will be sufficient for us to become profitable or to maintain profitability. Our revenues for the years ended February 29, 2024 and February 28, 2023 were $458,752 and $382,832, respectively, and our operating expenses for those periods were $5,740,577 and $4,979,766, respectively. Our current revenues are not sufficient to fund our operations. We cannot predict when, if ever, we might achieve profitability and we are not certain that we will be able to sustain profitability, if achieved. If we fail to achieve or maintain profitability, the market price of our securities is likely to be adversely affected.

We have outstanding indebtedness, which could adversely affect our business and financial condition.

Risks relating to its indebtedness include:

If distributors are unable to drive customers to our websites and/or we are unable to drive visitors to our websites, from search engines or otherwise, this could negatively impact transactions on the websites of our distributors as well as our own websites and consequently cause our travel revenue to decrease.

Many visitors find the distributors and NextTrip’s websites by searching for vacation information through Internet search engines. A critical factor in attracting visitors to NextTrip’s websites, and those of our distributors, is how prominently our distributors and NextTrip are displayed in response to search queries. Accordingly, we utilize search engine marketing, or SEM, as a means to provide a significant portion of our visitor acquisition. SEM includes both paid visitor acquisition (on a cost-per-click basis) and unpaid visitor acquisition, which is often referred to as organic search.

We plan to employ search engine optimization, or SEO, to acquire visitors. SEO involves developing NextTrip’s websites in order to rank highly in relevant search queries. In addition to SEM and SEO, we may also utilize other forms of marketing to drive visitors to our websites, including branded search, display advertising and email marketing.

The various search engine providers, such as Google and Bing, employ proprietary algorithms and other methods for determining which websites are displayed for a given search query and how highly websites rank. Search engine providers may change these methods in a way that may negatively affect the number of visitors to our distributors’ websites as well as our own websites and may do so without public announcement or detailed explanation. Therefore, the success of our SEO and SEM strategy depends, in part, on our ability to anticipate and respond to such changes in a timely and effective manner.

In addition, websites must comply with search engine guidelines and policies. These guidelines and policies are complex and may change at any time. If we or our distributors fail to follow such guidelines and policies properly, the search engine may cause our content to rank lower in search results or could remove the content altogether. If we or our distributors fail to understand and comply with these guidelines and policies and ensure their websites’ compliance, our SEO and SEM strategy may not be successful.

Unfavorable changes in, or interpretations of, government regulations or taxation of the evolving product offerings, Internet and e-commerce industries could harm our travel division operating results.

We have contracted for products in markets throughout the world, in jurisdictions which have various regulatory and taxation requirements that can affect our travel division operations or regulate the activity of travel suppliers.

Compliance with laws and regulations of different jurisdictions imposing different standards and requirements is very burdensome because each region has different regulations with respect to licensing and other requirements. Our online marketplaces are accessible by travelers in many states and foreign jurisdictions. Compliance requirements that vary significantly from jurisdiction to jurisdiction impose added costs and increased liabilities for compliance deficiencies. In addition, laws or regulations that may harm our business could be adopted, or interpreted in a manner that affects our activities, including but not limited to the regulation of personal and consumer information and real estate licensing requirements. Violations or new interpretations of these laws or regulations may result in penalties, negatively impact our operations and damage our reputation and business.

In addition, many of the fundamental statutes and regulations that impose taxes or other obligations on travel and lodging companies were established before the growth of the Internet and e-commerce, which creates a risk of these laws being used, in ways not originally intended, that could burden travel suppliers or otherwise harm our business. These and other similar new and newly interpreted regulations could increase costs for, or otherwise discourage, suppliers from partnering with NextTrip, which could harm its business and operating results.

Furthermore, as we expand or change the products and services that we offer or the methods by which we offer them, we may become subject to additional legal regulations, tax requirements or other risks. Regulators may seek to impose regulations and requirements on us even if we utilize third parties to offer the products or services. These regulations and requirements may apply to payment processing, insurance products or the various other products and services we may now or in the future offer or facilitate through our marketplace. Whether we comply with or challenge these additional regulations, our costs may increase, and our business may otherwise be harmed.

If we are not able to maintain and enhance our NextTrip brand and the brands associated with each of our websites, our reputation and business may suffer.

It is important for NextTrip to maintain and enhance its brand identity in order to attract and retain travel suppliers and customers. The successful promotion of our brands will depend largely on our marketing and public relations efforts. We expect that the promotion of our brands will require us to make substantial investments, and, as its market becomes more competitive, these branding initiatives may become increasingly difficult and expensive. In addition, we may not be able to successfully build our NextTrip brand identity without losing value associated with, or decreasing the effectiveness of, our other brand identities. If we do not successfully maintain and enhance our brands, we could lose traveler traffic, which could, in turn, cause suppliers to discontinue their distribution with us. In addition, our brand promotion activities may not be successful or may not yield revenue sufficient to offset their cost, which could adversely affect our reputation and business.

Our long-term success depends, in part, on our ability to expand traveler bases outside of the United States and, as a result, our business is susceptible to risks associated with international operations.

We have limited operating and e-commerce experience in many foreign jurisdictions and are making significant investments to build our international operations. We plan to continue our efforts to expand globally, including potentially acquiring international businesses and conducting business in jurisdictions where we do not currently operate. Managing a global organization is difficult, time-consuming and expensive and any international expansion efforts that we undertake may not be profitable in the near or long term or otherwise be successful. In addition, conducting international operations subjects the Company to risks that include:

Operating in international markets also requires significant management attention and financial resources. We cannot guarantee that our international expansion efforts in any or multiple territories will be successful. The investment and additional resources required to establish operations and manage growth in other countries may not produce desired levels of revenue or profitability and could instead result in increased costs.

The market in which we participate is highly competitive, and we may be unable to compete successfully with our current or future competitors.

The market to provide listing, search and marketing services for the travel industry is very competitive and dominated by key players, such as Expedia and Booking.com. In addition, the barriers to entry are low and new competitors may enter. All of the services that we plan to provide to travelers are provided separately or in combination by current or potential competitors. Our competitors may adopt aspects of our business model, which could reduce our ability to differentiate our services. Additionally, current or new competitors may introduce new business models or services that we may need to adopt or otherwise adapt to in order to compete, which could reduce our ability to differentiate our business or services from those of our competitors.

In addition, most of our current or potential competitors are larger and have more resources than we do. Many of our current and potential competitors enjoy substantial competitive advantages, such as greater name recognition in their markets, longer operating histories and larger marketing budgets, as well as substantially greater financial, technical and other resources. In addition, our current or potential competitors may have access to larger traveler bases. 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 distribution or traveler requirements. For all of these reasons, the Company may not be able to compete successfully against its current and future competitors.

If we are unable to introduce new or upgraded products, services or features that distributors, travelers or agents recognize as valuable, we may fail to: (i) drive additional travelers to our websites, (ii) retain existing distributors, and/or (iii) attract new distributors. Our efforts to develop new and upgraded services and products could require us to incur significant costs.

In order to attract travelers to our distributors, as well as our own online marketplace while retaining, and attracting new suppliers, we will need to continue to invest in the development of new products, services and features that both add value for travelers and suppliers and differentiate us from our competitors. The success of new products, services and features depends on several factors, including the timely completion, introduction and market acceptance of the product, service or feature. If travelers, or suppliers do not recognize the value of our new services or features, they may choose not to utilize our products or make their inventory available through our channels.

Attempting to develop and deliver these new or upgraded products, services or features involves inherent hazards and difficulties, and is costly. Efforts to enhance and improve the ease of use, responsiveness, functionality and features of our existing websites have inherent risks, and we may not be able to manage these product developments and enhancements successfully. We may not succeed in developing new or upgraded products, services or features or new or upgraded products, services or features may not work as intended or provide value. In addition, some new or upgraded products, services or features may be difficult for us to market and may also involve unfavorable pricing. Even if we succeed, we cannot guarantee that our suppliers will respond favorably.

In addition to developing our own improvements, we may choose to license or otherwise integrate applications, content and data from third parties. The introduction of these improvements imposes costs on the Company and creates a risk that it may be unable to continue to access these technologies and content on commercially reasonable terms, or at all. In the event we fail to develop new or upgraded products, services or features, the demand for our services and ultimately our results of operations may be adversely affected.

We are exposed to fluctuations in currency exchange rates.

Because we plan to conduct a significant portion of our business outside the United States, but report our results in U.S. dollars, we face exposure to adverse movements in currency exchange rates, which may cause our revenue and operating results to differ materially from expectations. In addition, fluctuation in our mix of U.S. and foreign currency denominated transactions may contribute to this effect as exchange rates vary. Moreover, as a result of these exchange rate fluctuations, revenue, cost of revenue, operating expenses and other operating results may differ materially from expectations when translated from the local currency into U.S. dollars upon consolidation. For example, if the U.S. dollar strengthens relative to foreign currencies our non-U.S. revenue would be adversely affected when translated into U.S. dollars. Conversely, a decline in the U.S. dollar relative to foreign currencies would increase our non-U.S. revenue when translated into U.S. dollars. We may enter into hedging arrangements in order to manage foreign currency exposure, but such activity may not completely eliminate fluctuations in our operating results, and there are costs associated with such hedging activities.

If we fail to protect confidential information against security breaches, or if distributors or travelers are reluctant to use our online marketplace because of privacy or security concerns, we might face additional costs, and activity on our websites could decline.

We collect and use personally identifiable information of distributors and travelers in the operation of our business. Our systems may be vulnerable to computer viruses or physical or electronic break-ins that our security measures may not detect. Anyone that is able to circumvent our security measures could misappropriate confidential or proprietary information, cause an interruption in our operations, damage our computers or those of our users, or otherwise damage our reputation and business. We may need to expend significant resources to protect against security breaches or to address problems caused by breaches. Security breaches of our systems, or the systems of third parties we rely upon, such as credit card processors, could damage our reputation and expose us to litigation and possible liability under various laws and regulations. Concern among distributors and travelers regarding our use of personal information collected on our websites could keep them from using, or continuing to use, our online marketplace.

There are risks of security breaches both on our systems and on third party systems which store our information as we increase the types of technology that we use to operate our marketplace, such as mobile applications. New and evolving technology systems and platforms may involve security risks that are difficult to predict and adequately guard against. In addition, third parties that process credit card transactions between NextTrip and travelers maintain personal information collected from them. Such information could be stolen or misappropriated, and we could be subject to liability as a result. Our distributors and travelers may be harmed by such breaches, and we may in turn be subject to costly litigation or regulatory compliance costs, and harm to our reputation and brand. Moreover, some distributors and travelers may cease using our marketplace altogether.

The laws of some states and countries require businesses that maintain personal information about their residents in electronic databases to implement reasonable measures to keep that information secure. Our practice is to encrypt all sensitive information, but we do not know whether our current practice will be challenged under these laws. In addition, under certain of these laws, if there is a breach of our computer systems and we know or suspect that unencrypted personal data has been stolen, we are required to inform any user whose data was stolen, which could harm our reputation and business. Complying with the applicable notice requirements in the event of a security breach could result in significant costs. We may also be subject to contractual claims, investigation and penalties by regulatory authorities, and claims by persons whose information was disclosed.

Compounding these legal risks, many states and countries have enacted different and often contradictory requirements for protecting personal information collected and maintained electronically. Compliance with these numerous and contradictory requirements is particularly difficult for us because we collect personal information from users in multiple jurisdictions. While we intend to comply fully with these laws, failure to comply could result in legal liability, cause the Company to suffer adverse publicity and lose business, traffic and revenue. If we were required to pay any significant amount of money in satisfaction of claims under these or similar laws, or if we were forced to cease our business operations for any length of time as a result of our inability to comply fully, our business, operating results and financial condition could be adversely affected.

Cyber-attacks and system vulnerabilities could lead to sustained service outages, data loss, reduced revenue, increased costs, liability claims, or harm to our competitive position.

We may experience targeted and organized malware, phishing, and account takeover attacks and other forms of attack such as ransomware, SQL injection (where a third-party attempts to insert malicious code into its software through data entry fields in its websites in order to gain control of the system) and attempts to use our websites as a platform to launch a denial-of-service attack on another party. Our existing security measures may not be successful in preventing attacks on our systems. Our existing IT business continuity and disaster recovery practices are less effective against certain types of attacks such as ransomware, which could result in our services being unavailable for an extended period of time, nullify our data, expose our payment card and personal data, or expose the Company to an extortion attempt.

Reductions in the availability and response time of our online services could cause loss of substantial business volumes during the occurrence of a cyber-attack on our systems and measures we may take to divert suspect traffic in the event of such an attack could result in the diversion of bona fide customers. These issues are more difficult to manage during any expansion of the number of places where we operate and the variety of services we offer, and as the tools and techniques used in such attacks become more advanced. We use sophisticated technology to identify cybersecurity threats; however, a cyberattack may go undetected for a period of time resulting in harm to our computer systems and the loss of data. This could result in financial penalties being imposed by the regulators and reputational harm. Our insurance policies have coverage limits and may not be adequate to reimburse us for all losses caused by security breaches. Successful attacks could result in significant interruptions in our operations, severe damage to our information technology infrastructure, negative publicity, damage our reputation, and prevent consumers from using our services during the attack, any of which could cause consumers to use the services of our competitors, which would have a negative effect on the value of our brands, market share, business, and results of operations.

If our systems cannot cope with the level of demand required to service our consumers and accommodations, we could experience unanticipated disruptions in service, slower response times, decreased customer service and customer satisfaction, and delays in the introduction of new services.

As an online business, we are dependent on the Internet and maintaining connectivity between itself and consumers, sources of Internet traffic, such as Google, and our travel service providers and restaurants. As consumers increasingly turn to mobile and other smart devices, we also depend on consumers’ access to the Internet through mobile carriers and their systems. Disruptions in internet access, especially if widespread or prolonged, could materially adversely affect our business and results of operations. While we maintain redundant systems and hosting services, it is possible that we could experience an interruption in our business, and we do not carry business interruption insurance sufficient to compensate us for all losses that may occur. We have computer hardware for operating our services located in hosting facilities around the world. We do not have a comprehensive disaster recovery plan in every geographic region in which we conduct business, and these systems and operations are vulnerable to damage or interruption from human error, misconduct, or catastrophic events. In the event of any disruption of service at such facilities or the failure by such facilities to provide our required data communications capacity, we may not be able to switch to back-up systems immediately and it could result in lengthy interruptions or delays in our services. We have taken and continue to take steps to increase the reliability and redundancy of our systems. These steps are expensive, may reduce our margins, and may not be successful in reducing the frequency or duration of unscheduled downtime.

Loss or material modification of our credit card acceptance privileges could have a material adverse effect on our business and operating results.

The loss of our credit card acceptance privileges could significantly limit the availability and desirability of our products and services. Moreover, if we fail to fully perform our contractual obligations, we could be obligated to reimburse credit card companies for refunded payments that have been contested by the cardholders. In addition, even when we are in compliance with these obligations, we bear other expenses including those related to the acceptance of fraudulent credit cards. As a result of all of these risks, credit card companies may require us to set aside additional cash reserves, may increase the transaction fees they charge us, or may even refuse to renew our acceptance privileges.

In addition, credit card networks, such as Visa, MasterCard and American Express, have adopted rules and regulations that apply to all merchants who process and accept credit cards and include the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards, or the PCI DSS. Under these rules, we are required to adopt and implement internal controls over the use, storage and security of card data. We assess our compliance with the PCI DSS rules on a periodic basis and makes necessary improvements to our internal controls. Failure to comply may subject us to fines, penalties, damages and civil liability and could prevent us from processing or accepting credit cards. However, we cannot guarantee that compliance with these rules will prevent illegal or improper use of our payment systems or the theft, loss or misuse of the credit card data.

The loss of, or the significant modification of, the terms under which we obtain credit card acceptance privileges could have a material adverse effect on our business, revenue and operating results.

We currently rely on a small number of third-party service providers to host and deliver a significant portion of our services, and any interruptions or delays in services from these third parties could impair the delivery of our services and harm our business.

We rely on third-party service providers for numerous products and services, including payment processing services, data center services, web hosting services, insurance products for customers and travelers and some customer service functions. We rely on these companies to provide uninterrupted services and to provide their services in accordance with all applicable laws, rules and regulations.

We use a combination of third-party data centers to host our websites and core services. We do not control the operation of any of the third-party data center facilities we use. These facilities may be subject to break-ins, computer viruses, denial-of-service attacks, sabotage, acts of vandalism and other misconduct. They are also vulnerable to damage or interruption from power loss, telecommunications failures, fires, floods, earthquakes, hurricanes, tornadoes and similar events. We currently do not have a comprehensive disaster recovery plan in place nor do our systems provide complete redundancy of data storage or processing. As a result, the occurrence of any of these events, a decision by our third-party service providers to close their data center facilities without adequate notice or other unanticipated problems could result in loss of data as well as a significant interruption in our services and harm to our reputation and brand.

If our third-party service providers experience difficulties and are not able to provide services in a reliable and secure manner, if they do not operate in compliance with applicable laws, rules and regulations and, with respect to payment and card processing companies, if they are unable to effectively combat the use of fraudulent payments on our websites, our results of operations and financial positions could be materially and adversely affected. In addition, if such third-party service providers were to cease operations or face other business disruption either temporarily or permanently, or otherwise face serious performance problems, we could suffer increased costs and delays until we find or develop an equivalent replacement, any of which could have an adverse impact on our business and financial performance.

If we do not adequately protect our intellectual property, our ability to compete could be impaired.

Our intellectual property includes the content of our websites, registered domain names, as well as registered and unregistered trademarks. we believe that our intellectual property is an essential asset of our business and that our domain names and our technology infrastructure currently give us a competitive advantage in the online market for travel. If we do not adequately protect our intellectual property, our brand, reputation and perceived content value could be harmed, resulting in an impaired ability to compete effectively.

To protect our intellectual property, we rely on a combination of copyright, trademark, patent and trade secret laws, contractual provisions and our user policy and restrictions on disclosure. Upon discovery of potential infringement of our intellectual property, we promptly take action we deem appropriate to protect our rights. We also enter into confidentiality agreements with our employees and consultants and seek to control access to and distribution of our proprietary information in a commercially prudent manner. The efforts we have taken to protect our intellectual property may not be sufficient or effective, and, despite these precautions, it may be possible for other parties to copy or otherwise obtain and use the content of our websites without authorization. We may be unable to prevent competitors from acquiring domain names or trademarks that are similar to, infringe upon or diminish the value of our domain names, service marks and our other proprietary rights. Even if we do detect violations and decide to enforce our intellectual property rights, litigation may be necessary to enforce our rights, and any enforcement efforts we undertake could be time-consuming, expensive, distracting and result in unfavorable outcomes. A failure to protect our intellectual property in a cost-effective and meaningful manner could have a material adverse effect on our ability to compete.

Effective trademark, copyright and trade secret protection may not be available in every country in which our offerings are available over the Internet. In addition, the legal standards relating to the validity, enforceability and scope of protection of intellectual property rights are uncertain and still evolving.

We may be subject to claims that we violated intellectual property rights of others, which are extremely costly to defend and could require us to pay significant damages and limit our ability to operate.

Companies in the Internet and technology industries, and other patent and trademark holders seeking to profit from royalties in connection with grants of licenses, own large numbers of patents, copyrights, trademarks and trade secrets and frequently enter into litigation based on allegations of infringement or other violations of intellectual property rights. There may be intellectual property rights held by others, including issued or pending patents and trademarks, that cover significant aspects of our technologies, content, branding or business methods. Any intellectual property claims against us, regardless of merit, could be time-consuming and expensive to settle or litigate and could divert management’s attention and other resources. These claims also could subject us to significant liability for damages and could result in the Company having to stop using technology, content, branding or business methods found to be in violation of another party’s rights. We might be required or may opt to seek a license for rights to intellectual property held by others, which may not be available on commercially reasonable terms, or at all. If we cannot license or develop technology, content, branding or business methods for any allegedly infringing aspect of our business, we may be unable to compete effectively. Even if a license is available, we could be required to pay significant royalties, which could increase our operating expenses. We may also be required to develop alternative non-infringing technology, content, branding or business methods, which could require significant effort and expense and be inferior. Any of these results could harm our operating results.

If the businesses and/or assets that we have acquired or invested in do not perform as expected or we are unable to effectively integrate acquired businesses, our operating results and prospects could be harmed.

Our future mergers and acquisitions, if any, will involve numerous risks, including the following:

Moreover, we rely heavily on the representations and warranties provided to us by the sellers of acquired companies and assets, including as they relate to creation, ownership and rights in intellectual property, existence of open-source software and compliance with laws and contractual requirements. If any of these representations and warranties are inaccurate or breached, such inaccuracy or breach could result in costly litigation and assessment of liability for which there may not be adequate recourse against such sellers, in part due to contractual time limitations and limitations of liability.

Failure to obtain adequate insurance coverage could put us at risk for uninsured losses.

Some or all of our customers may require insurance as a requirement to conduct business with us. Although we currently have product liability insurance, we may be unable to obtain or maintain adequate liability insurance on acceptable terms, if at all, and there is a risk that our insurance will not provide adequate coverage against our potential losses. Additionally, there are certain types of losses that may not be insurable at a cost that we can afford, and insurance may not be available at any cost with respect to certain losses. Claims or losses in excess of any insurance coverage we may obtain, or the lack of insurance coverage, could put us at risk of uninsured loss, which would have a material adverse effect on our business and financial condition.

We are dependent on key personnel, and the loss of any of these individuals could harm our business.

We depend on key industry and other personnel. The loss of any of these individuals could harm our business and significantly delay or prevent the achievement of our business objectives. In addition, our delivery of services will be labor-intensive: when we are awarded a contract, we may need to quickly hire project leaders and project management personnel. The additional staff may also create a concurrent demand for increased administrative personnel. The success of our business will require that we attract, develop, motivate and retain:

Innovative, experienced and technically proficient individuals are in great demand and are likely to remain a limited resource. We may be unable to continue to attract and retain desirable executive officers, senior managers, and technology professionals. Our inability to hire sufficient personnel on a timely basis or the loss of significant numbers of executive officers and senior managers could adversely affect our business.

Our bylaws contain provisions for indemnifying our officers and directors.

Our bylaws contain provisions with respect to the indemnification of our officers and directors against all costs, charges and expenses actually and reasonably incurred by an officer or director paid to settle an action or satisfy a judgment in a civil, criminal or administrative action or proceeding to which he or she is made a party by reason of being or having been one of our directors or officers. To the extent that our directors’ and officers’ insurance policy does not provide reimbursement for such costs, charges, expenses and other amounts, we may incur substantial expenses in satisfying our indemnification obligations.

Our operating costs could be significantly higher than we expect, and this could reduce our future profitability.

In addition to general economic conditions, market fluctuations and international risks, significant increases in operating, development and implementation costs could adversely affect us due to numerous factors, many of which are beyond our control.

Risks Related to Our Securities

The price of our securities is subject to volatility related or unrelated to our operations, which could result in substantial losses for our stockholders.

Between March 1, 2023 and February 29, 2024, the trading price of our common stock has ranged from a low of $2.42 to a high of $12.40 and could be subject to wide fluctuations in the future in response to various factors, some of which are beyond our control. These factors include those discussed previously in this “Risk Factors” section and others, such as:

In addition, the stock market, in general, may experience broad market fluctuations, which may adversely affect the market price or liquidity of our securities.

We could be subject to securities class action litigation.

Any sudden decline in the market price of our securities could trigger securities class action lawsuits against us. If any of our stockholders were to bring such a lawsuit against us, we could incur substantial costs defending the lawsuit and the time and attention of our management would be diverted from our business and operations. We also could be subject to damages claims if we are found to be at fault in connection with a decline in our market price of our securities.

Historically, there has been a limited trading market in our common stock, and you may therefore have difficulty selling your securities at a price that you determine is satisfactory.

Our common stock is listed on The Nasdaq Capital Market. Historically, there has been a limited trading market for our common stock. There is no assurance that our common stock will actively trade in the public market at or above a price that you consider acceptable. If an active market for our common stock is not maintained, it may be difficult for you to sell your shares of common stock when you wish to sell them or at a price that you consider satisfactory. An inactive trading market may also impair our ability to raise capital to continue to fund operations by selling securities and may impair our ability to acquire other companies or technologies by using our securities as consideration.

There is no assurance that we will satisfy the continued listing requirements of The Nasdaq Capital Market.

On August 17, 2023, the Company received a letter from Nasdaq notifying the Company that it no longer complied with Nasdaq Listing Rule 5550(b)(1), which requires companies listed on the Nasdaq Capital Market to maintain minimum stockholders’ equity of $2,500,000 (the “Minimum Stockholder Equity Requirement”), and did not meet the alternatives of market value of listed securities or net income from continuing operations. On October 2, 2023, the Company submitted its plan to regain compliance to Nasdaq and requested an extension to February 13, 2024 to regain compliance with the Minimum Stockholder Equity Requirement. On October 23, 2023, Nasdaq granted the requested extension and provided the Company until February 13, 2024 to demonstrate compliance.

Nasdaq further informed the Company that if the Company fails to show compliance upon filing its next periodic report with the SEC and Nasdaq, the Company may be subject to delisting.

Since submitting its plan to Nasdaq, the Company has completed the following transactions, which the Company believes has resulted in the Company regaining compliance with the Minimum Stockholder Equity Requirement:

An unaudited condensed combined pro-forma balance sheet of the Company as of September 30, 2023, which presents the combination of the financial information of the Company and NextTrip adjusted to give effect to completion of the Acquisition and the Asset Sale, is filed as Exhibit 99.3 of a Current Report on Form 8-K filed by the Company with the SEC on January 10, 2024, and reflects total stockholders’ equity of approximately $5.4 million.

On February 12, 2024, the Company filed a Current Report on Form 8-K with the SEC disclosing that the Company believes it had regained compliance with the Minimum Stockholder Equity Requirement based upon the specific transactions and events referenced above. Nasdaq will continue to monitor the Company’s ongoing compliance with Minimum Stockholder Equity Requirement and, if at the time of its next periodic report the Company does not show compliance, the Company may be subject to delisting.

On June 17, 2024, the Company received a notification letter (the “Initial Notice”) from the Listing Qualifications Department of The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC (“Nasdaq”) advising the Company that it was not in compliance with Nasdaq’s continued listing requirements under Nasdaq Listing Rule 5250(c)(1) (the “Rule”) as a result of its failure to timely file its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended February 29, 2024 (the “Form 10-K”).

On July 17, 2024, the Company received an additional notification letter (the “Additional Notice,” and together with the Initial Notice, the “Notices”) from Nasdaq stating that, because the Company has not filed its Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended May 31, 2024 (the “Form 10-Q”), and because the Company remains delinquent in filing the Form 10-K, the Company remains noncompliant with the Rule.

Neither of the Notices have an immediate effect on the listing of the Company’s common stock on the Nasdaq Capital Market, and, therefore, the Company’s listing remains fully effective.

The Notices require the Company to either file the delinquent Form 10-K and Form 10-Q with the Commission or submit a plan to regain compliance with the Rule by August 16, 2024. If Nasdaq accepts the Company’s plan, then Nasdaq may grant an exception of up to 180 calendar days from the Form 10-K’s due date, or until December 10, 2024, to regain compliance. If Nasdaq does not accept the Company’s plan, then the Company will have the opportunity to appeal that decision to a Nasdaq Hearings Panel under Nasdaq Listing Rule 5815.

On August 16, 2024, the Company submitted a plan to Nasdaq regain compliance with the Rule, including the steps the Company will take to promptly file the Form 10-Q and regain compliance. The Company has requested an extension until September 30, 2024. There can be no assurance that the Company will regain compliance with the Rule, secure an exception until September 30, 2024 to regain compliance, or maintain compliance with other Nasdaq listing requirements.

If we fail to satisfy a Nasdaq requirement for continued listing, Nasdaq could provide notice that our common stock will become subject to delisting. In such event, Nasdaq rules would permit us to appeal the decision to reject our proposed compliance plan or any delisting determination to a Nasdaq Hearings Panel. If our securities are de-listed from The Nasdaq Capital Market, our stockholders could incur material adverse consequences such as reduced liquidity for their securities and reduced market prices for their securities. Following such de-listing, we could encounter increased difficulty in issuing additional securities at an attractive price, or at all, in order to fund our operations. See also “Nasdaq Compliance” on page 6.

You may experience additional dilution as a result of future equity offerings.

In order to raise additional capital, we may sell additional shares of our common stock or other securities convertible into or exchangeable for our common stock. The price per share at which we sell additional shares of our common stock, or securities convertible or exchangeable into common stock, in future transactions may be lower than the price per share that you paid for our common stock.

We have broad discretion in the use of the net proceeds of our securities offerings and may not use them effectively.

We intend to use our cash for the development of our products and services, and to pursue a possible strategic investment or other transaction. Our management has broad discretion in the use of cash and will have the right to use our cash in ways that differ substantially from our current plans. Management may spend our cash in ways that do not improve our results of operations or enhance the value of our securities. The failure by management to apply funds effectively could result in financial losses that could have a material and adverse effect on our business and cause the market price of our securities to decline.

Our outstanding warrants may result in further dilution to our stockholders.

Certain of our outstanding warrants to purchase a total of up to approximately 486,165 shares of our common stock contain so-called full-ratchet anti-dilution adjustments in the event we sell or issue shares of common stock or common stock equivalents at an effective price less than the exercise price of such warrants, subject to certain exceptions. Of these warrants, warrants with an aggregate exercise price of $956,015 also provide for a ratable increase in the number of shares purchasable upon exercise of the warrants in the event the exercise price per share of the warrants is reduced. The anti-dilution adjustments of our outstanding warrants would be triggered by future issuances of shares of our common stock at a price per share below the then-exercise price of such warrants, which adjustments would have a further dilutive effect on our stockholders.

We do not intend to pay dividends on our common stock, and your ability to achieve a return on your investment will depend on appreciation in the market price of our securities.

We currently intend to invest our future earnings, if any, to fund our growth and not to pay any cash dividends on our common stock. Since we do not intend to pay dividends, your ability to receive a return on your investment will depend on any future appreciation in the market price of our securities. There is no assurance that our securities will appreciate in price.

If securities or industry analysts do not publish research or reports about us, or if they issue adverse or misleading opinions regarding us or our securities, the market price of our securities and their trading volume could decline.

If we do not obtain and maintain research coverage by securities and industry analysts, the market price for our securities may be adversely affected. The market price of our securities also may decline if any analyst who covers us issues an adverse or erroneous opinion regarding us, our business model, our intellectual property or our performance. If one or more analysts cease coverage of us or fail to regularly publish reports on us, we could lose visibility in the financial markets, which could cause the market price of our securities and their trading volume to decline and possibly adversely affect our ability to engage in future financings.

Sales of a substantial number of shares of our common stock in the public market could cause our stock price to fall.

As of February 29, 2024, we had 936,430 outstanding shares of common stock. Future sales of a large number of our shares or shares issuable upon exercise of our outstanding warrants and stock options, or the perception that a large number of shares may be sold, could have a material adverse effect on the trading price of our common stock.

We will incur significant costs to ensure compliance with U.S. and Nasdaq reporting and corporate governance requirements.

We incur significant costs associated with compliance with our SEC public company reporting requirements and with applicable U.S. and Nasdaq corporate governance requirements, including requirements under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. These rules and regulations may also make it more difficult and more expensive for us to obtain director and officer liability insurance and we may be required to accept reduced policy limits and coverage or incur substantially higher costs to obtain the same or similar coverage. As a result, it may be difficult for us to attract and retain qualified individuals to serve on our Board of Directors or as executive officers.

If we fail to maintain effective internal control over financial reporting, the market price of our securities may be adversely affected.

As a public reporting company, we are required to establish and maintain effective internal control over financial reporting. Failure to establish such internal control, or any failure of such internal control once established, could adversely impact our public disclosures regarding our business, financial condition or results of operations. Any failure of our internal control over financial reporting could also prevent us from maintaining accurate accounting records and discovering accounting errors and financial frauds.

Rules adopted by the SEC pursuant to Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 require annual assessment of our internal control over financial reporting. The standards that must be met for management to assess the internal control over financial reporting as effective are complex, and require significant documentation, testing and possible remediation to meet the detailed standards. We may encounter problems or delays in completing activities necessary to make an assessment of our internal control over financial reporting. If we cannot assess our internal control over financial reporting as effective, investor confidence and share value may be negatively impacted. In addition, management’s assessment of internal control over financial reporting may identify weaknesses and conditions that need to be addressed in our internal control over financial reporting or other matters that may raise concerns for investors. Any actual or perceived weaknesses and conditions that need to be addressed in our internal control over financial reporting (including those weaknesses identified in our periodic reports), or disclosure of management’s assessment of our internal control over financial reporting may have an adverse impact on the price of our securities.

Provisions in our articles of incorporation and bylaws could discourage a takeover that stockholders may consider favorable and may lead to entrenchment of management.

Our articles of incorporation and bylaws contain provisions that could delay or prevent changes in control or changes in our management without the consent of our Board of Directors. These provisions include the following:

These provisions could inhibit or prevent possible transactions that some stockholders may consider attractive.

We could issue one or more additional series of shares of preferred stock with the effect of diluting existing stockholders and impairing their voting and other rights.

Our Board of Directors is authorized to issue up to 10,000,000 shares of preferred stock and may determine the terms of future preferred stock offerings without further action by our stockholders. If we issue preferred stock, it could affect your rights or reduce the value of our outstanding common stock. In particular, specific rights granted to future holders of preferred stock may include voting rights, preferences as to dividends and liquidation, conversion, and redemption rights, sinking fund provisions, and restrictions on our ability to merge with or sell our assets to a third party. As of August 31, 2024, 63,494 shares of our preferred stock are outstanding, consisting of 316 shares of Series E Preferred Stock, 33,000 shares of Series H Preferred Stock and 30,178 shares of Series I Preferred Stock. As a result, there is a possible negative effect on the market price of our common shares resulting from the public sale or perceived sale of common shares issuable upon conversion or exercise of these securities.

ITEM 1B. UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS.

Not applicable.

ITEM 1C. CYBERSECURITY.

Risk management and strategy

Due to the size of our company, we have not yet developed robust policies and processes for assessing, identifying, and managing material risk from cybersecurity threats. We have implemented access controls with respect to our systems, which we monitor regularly and audit annually. We currently rely heavily on products and services provided by third-party suppliers to operate certain critical business systems, including without limitation, cloud-based infrastructure, encryption and authentication technology, email, and other functions. We rely on third party providers and outsourced IT services to monitor and address cybersecurity related risks, including installing software for threat protection and malware. Such third party providers are tasked with notifying management of any material risks or cybersecurity concerns that they identify, which management then assesses and may bring to our board of directors to discuss if deemed necessary or appropriate. Based on the results of our risk assessments, if deemed necessary or appropriate, we take steps to re-design, implement, and maintain reasonable safeguards to minimize identified risks; reasonably address any identified gaps in existing safeguards; and regularly monitor the effectiveness of our safeguards.

We intend to work with outside counsel and third party service providers in the near term to further develop our expertise, processes and procedures with respect to cybersecurity protection and our response plan.

To date, we have not (to our knowledge) encountered cybersecurity challenges that have materially impaired our operations or financial standing. For additional information regarding risks from cybersecurity threats, please refer to Item 1A, “Risk Factors,” in this Report.

Governance

Our management team is primarily responsible for assessing and managing our strategic risk exposures, including material risks from cybersecurity threats, with assistance from third-party service providers. Management oversees our cybersecurity process on a day-to-day basis, including those described in “Risk Management and Strategy” above. Our Board of Directors does not have a standing risk management committee, but rather administers this oversight function directly through the Board of Directors as a whole, as well as through standing committees of the Board of Directors that will address risks inherent in their respective areas of oversight.

ITEM 2. PROPERTIES.

We lease approximately 350 square feet of space at 3900 Paseo del Sol, Santa Fe, New Mexico 87507, for a monthly rent expense of approximately $550. The lease expires on December 31, 2024, and is cancelable at any time upon 45 days written notice. We believe that our facilities are suitable for our current needs.

ITEM 3. LEGAL PROCEEDINGS.

We are not currently a party to any legal proceedings. However, we may become subject to legal proceedings and claims that arise in the ordinary course of our business.

ITEM 4. MINE SAFETY DISCLOSURES.

Not Applicable.

PART II

ITEM 5. MARKET FOR REGISTRANT’S COMMON EQUITY, RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS AND ISSUER PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES.

Market Information

Our common stock trades on The NASDAQ Capital Market under the symbol “NTRP.”

Shareholders

As of August 31, 2024, there were approximately 599 holders of record of our common stock based on information provided by our transfer agent. A substantially greater number of holders of our common stock are “street name” or beneficial holders, whose shares are held by banks, brokers, and other financial institutions.

Dividends

We have not paid any dividends on our common stock to date and do not anticipate that we will pay dividends in the foreseeable future. Any payment of cash dividends on our common stock in the future will be dependent upon the amount of funds legally available, our earnings, if any, our financial condition, restrictive covenants under outstanding preferred stock, our anticipated capital requirements, and other factors that our Board of Directors deem relevant. We have paid dividends on our preferred stock pursuant to an agreement with investors and may do so in the future pursuant to future financing agreements, if any.

ITEM 6. [RESERVED]

ITEM 7. MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS.

Business Overview

NextTrip is an innovative technology company that is building next generation solutions to power the travel industry. NextTrip through its subsidiaries, provides travel technology solutions with sales originating in the United States, with a primary emphasis on accommodations, hotels, flights, wellness, and all-inclusive travel packages. Its proprietary booking engine, branded as NXT2.0, provides travel distributors access to a sizeable inventory. NextTrip’s NXT2.0 booking technology was built upon a platform acquired in June 2022, which previously powered the Bookit.com business, a well-established online leisure travel agent generating over $400 million in annual sales as recently as 2019 (pre-pandemic).

Since 2022, NextTrip has been focused on the holistic integration of the NXT2.0 technology platform, which will serve as a base for current and future technology projects as well as proprietary system enhancements. Through this strategic offering, NextTrip will focus on key areas of opportunity in the travel sector and drive enhanced booking conversion rates. NextTrip’s proprietary technology, when combined with media, product offerings and customer service, provides a unique lane to serve mid- to luxury travelers.

The spread of the COVID-19 virus globally beginning in January 2020, severely impacted NextTrip’s business. Beginning in March 2020, many U.S. states and foreign countries began issuing “stay-at-home” orders and closed their borders to interstate and international travel. Such restrictions on travel, together with other measures implemented by governments around the world, severely restricted the level of economic activity around the world and had an unprecedented effect on the global travel industry. The public’s ability to travel was severely curtailed through border closures, mandated travel restrictions and limited operations of hotels, airlines, and additional voluntary or mandated closures of travel-related businesses from December 2019 through the beginning of 2022 (and beyond in some jurisdictions). Measures implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic led to unprecedented levels of temporary and permanent business closures, cancellations and limited new travel bookings, having a severe negatively impacted on NextTrip’s business, financial condition and results of operations.

Due to the significant decrease in demand for the travel related services provided by NextTrip during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, NextTrip shifted its focus to developing and enhancing its program offerings. For example, it enhanced the functionality of its booking engines, including developing a booking engine platform that allows customers to book packaged vacations and cruises along with a platform to arrange and manage business travel.

Prior to the reverse acquisition of Sigma, NextTrip Holdings, Inc. (“NextTrip”) was a wholly owned subsidiary of NextTrip Group, LLC (“Group”), which in turn, was a wholly owned subsidiary of NextPlay Technologies, Inc. (“NextPlay”). All of the business operations of Group were conducted through its subsidiaries. On January 25, 2023, NextPlay and Group entered into an Amended and Restated Separation Agreement (“Separation Agreement”), Amended and Restated Operating Agreement (“Operating Agreement”), and Exchange Agreement (“Exchange Agreement”), together the Agreements (“Agreements”), whereby NextPlay transferred their interest in the travel business to Group. Pursuant to the Exchange Agreement, NextPlay exchanged 1,000,000 Membership Units of Group for 400,000 Preferred Units of Group, with a value of $10 per unit. Prior to the exchange for Preferred Units, Group had a payable due to NextPlay of $17,295,873, representing cash advances and payment of expenses by NextPlay on behalf of Group, while NextPlay had obligations to provide ongoing support to NextTrip. Such liability was settled by the issuance of the Preferred Units and the waiver of all of NextPlay’s ongoing support obligations except for a $1.5 million advance remaining under a promissory note and as such NextTrip recorded the payable as contributed capital.

NextTrip completed the reverse acquisition of Sigma on December 29, 2023. Sigma traded on Nasdaq as SASI which has had a name change to NextTrip, Inc. and now trades as NTRP on Nasdaq.

As per the acquisition with Sigma as noted above, the 400,000 Preferred shares will be exchanged for common shares in NextTrip, Inc. 13,001 Closing Shares were issued to NextPlay on December 29, 2023, and 486,999 Contingent Shares will be issued when and if the business milestones are achieved.

NextTrip has accounted for the reverse merger as NextTrip being the accounting acquirer and will report the financial results as such on a going forward basis. The capital section reflected in the financial statements are that of NextTrip, Inc. and the operating results are that of the accounting acquirer’s financials. All assets, liabilities and results of operations assumed in the transaction are the basis of the financial information discussed in this Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Conditions and Results of Operations, as well as the financial statements of NextTrip included elsewhere in this Report.

Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates

The preparation of financial statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported assets, liabilities, sales and expenses in the accompanying financial statements. Critical accounting policies are those that require the most subjective and complex judgments, often employing the use of estimates about the effect of matters that are inherently uncertain. By their nature, changes in these assumptions and estimates could significantly affect our financial position or results of operations. Significant accounting estimates that may materially change in the near future are revenue recognition, impairment of long-lived assets, values of stock compensation awards and stock equivalents granted as offering costs, and allowance for bad debts. Such critical accounting policies, including the assumptions and judgments underlying them, are disclosed in Note 1 to the Financial Statements included in this Annual Report. However, we do not believe that there are any alternative methods of accounting for our operations that would have a material effect on our financial statements.

The critical accounting policies and estimates addressed below reflect our most significant judgements and estimates used in the preparation of our financial statements.

Basis of Presentation and Principles of Consolidation

NextTrip’s financial statements and related disclosures are prepared pursuant to the rules and regulations of the SEC for annual financial statements, as applicable. The Financial Statements have been prepared using the accrual basis of accounting in accordance with GAAP.

The financial statements of NextTrip have been prepared on a consolidated basis with those of its wholly owned subsidiaries. All intercompany transactions and balances have been eliminated in consolidation.

Use of Estimates

The preparation of consolidated financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities as of the date of the consolidated financial statements, and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from those estimates. These differences could have a material effect on NextTrip’s future results of operations and financial position. Significant items subject to estimates and assumptions include the carrying amounts of intangible assets, depreciation and amortization.

Information about key assumptions and estimation uncertainty that has a significant risk of resulting in a material adjustment to the carrying amounts of NextTrip’s assets and liabilities within the next financial year are referenced in the notes to the financial statements as follows:

Receivables

Trade accounts receivable are recorded at the invoiced amount and do not bear interest. The allowance for doubtful accounts is the Company’s best estimate of the amount of probable credit losses in its existing accounts receivable.

The Company considers trade accounts receivable to be fully collectible; accordingly, no allowance for doubtful accounts is required. If amounts become uncollectible, they will be charged to operations when that determination is made.

Trade accounts receivable balances as of February 29, 2024 and February 28, 2023, were $34,082 and $0, respectively.

Receivables from NextPlay under the promissory note as described in NOTE 1 – Business Description and Going Concern were $2,567,665 and $1,933,908 respectively. Management has determined that, since NextPlay is in default under the terms of the promissory note, collectability of the entire related party receivable as of February 29, 2024 is uncertain, and has therefore established an allowance for doubtful accounts of $1,567,665. As of February 28, 2023, no allowance for doubtful accounts was established.

Intangible Assets

NextTrip measures separately acquired intangible assets at cost less accumulated amortization and impairment losses. NextTrip recognizes internally developed intangible assets when it has determined that the completion of such is technically feasible, and it has sufficient resources to complete the development. Subsequent expenditures are capitalized when they increase the future economic benefits of the associated asset. All other expenditures are recorded in profit or loss as incurred.

NextTrip assesses whether the life of intangible assets is finite or indefinite. NextTrip reviews the amortization method and period of use of its intangible assets at least annually. Changes in the expected useful life or period of consumption of future economic benefits associated with the asset are accounted for prospectively by changing the amortization method or period as a change in accounting estimates in profit or loss. NextTrip has assessed the useful life of its trademarks as indefinite.

The estimated useful lives for NextTrip’s finite life intangible assets are as follows:

Software Development Costs

NextTrip capitalizes internal software development costs subsequent to establishing technological feasibility of a software application in accordance with guidelines established by “ASC 985-20-25” Accounting for the Costs of Software to Be Sold, Leased, or Otherwise Marketed, requiring certain software development costs to be capitalized upon the establishment of technological feasibility. The establishment of technological feasibility and the ongoing assessment of the recoverability of these costs require considerable judgment by management with respect to certain external factors such as anticipated future revenue, estimated economic life, and changes in software and hardware technologies. Amortization of the capitalized software development costs begins when the product is available for general release to customers. Capitalized costs are amortized based on the straight-line method over the remaining estimated economic life of the product.

Impairment of Intangible Assets

In accordance with ASC 350-30-65 “Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets”, NextTrip assesses the impairment of identifiable intangible assets whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying value may not be recoverable. Factors it considers important, which could trigger an impairment review include the following:

1. Significant underperformance compared to historical or projected future operating results;

2. Significant changes in the manner or use of the acquired assets or the strategy for the overall business; and

3. Significant negative industry or economic trends.

When NextTrip determines that the carrying value of an intangible asset may not be recoverable based upon the existence of one or more of the above indicators of impairment and the carrying value of the asset cannot be recovered from projected undiscounted cash flows, NextTrip records an impairment charge. NextTrip measures any impairment based on a projected discounted cash flow method using a discount rate determined by management to be commensurate with the risk inherent to the current business model. Significant management judgment is required in determining whether an indicator of impairment exists and in projecting cash flows. Intangible assets that have finite useful lives are amortized over their useful lives.

Leases

NextTrip adopted ASU 2016-02 (Topic ASC 842) Leases, which requires a lessee to recognize a lease asset and a leases liability for operating leases arrangements greater than twelve months.

We determine if an arrangement is a lease at inception. Operating leases are included in operating lease right-of-use (“ROU”) assets, operating lease liabilities - current, and operating lease liabilities - noncurrent on the balance sheets. Finance leases are included in property and equipment, other current liabilities, and other long-term liabilities in our balance sheets.

ROU assets represent our right to use an underlying asset for the lease term and lease liabilities represent our obligation to make lease payments arising from the lease. Operating lease ROU assets and liabilities are recognized at commencement date based on the present value of lease payments over the lease term. As most of our leases do not provide an implicit rate, we generally use our incremental borrowing rate based on the estimated rate of interest for collateralized borrowing over a similar term of the lease payments at commencement date. The operating lease ROU asset also includes any lease payments made and excludes lease incentives. Our lease terms may include options to extend or terminate the lease when it is reasonably certain that we will exercise that option. Lease expense for lease payments is recognized on a straight-line basis over the lease term.

Revenue Recognition

NextTrip recognizes revenue in accordance with ASC 606 which involves identifying the contracts with customers, identifying performance obligations in the contracts, determining transactions price, allocating transaction price to the performance obligation, and recognizing revenue when the performance obligation is satisfied.

NextTrip recognizes revenue when the customer has purchased the product, the occurrence of the earlier of date of travel or the date of cancellation has expired, as satisfaction of the performance obligation, the sales price is fixed or determinable and collectability is reasonably assured. Revenue for customer travel packages purchased directly from NextTrip are recorded gross (the amount paid to NextTrip by the customer is shown as revenue and the cost of providing the respective travel package is recorded to cost of revenues).

NextTrip generates revenues from sales directly to customers as well as through other distribution channels of tours and activities at destinations throughout the world.

NextTrip controls the specified travel product before it is transferred to the customer and is therefore a principal, including but not limited to, the following:

Payments for tours or activities received in advance of services being rendered are recorded as deferred revenue and recognized as revenue at the earlier of the date of travel or the last date of cancellation (i.e., the customer’s refund privileges lapse).

From time to time, payments are made to suppliers in advance of customer bookings as required by hotels. These payments are recognized as costs of goods at the earlier of the date of travel or the last date of cancellation.

Stock-Based Compensation

We measure the compensation costs of stock-based compensation arrangements based on the grant-date fair value and recognize the costs in the financial statements over the period during which employees are required to provide services. Stock-based compensation arrangements may include stock options, grants of shares of common stock with and without restrictions, performance-based awards, share appreciation rights and employee share purchase plans. Stock-based compensation is measured on the date of grant at its fair value.

Equity instruments issued to non-employees are recorded on the basis of the grant date fair value of the instruments. In general, the measurement date is either (a) when a performance commitment, as defined, is reached or (b) the earlier of the date that (i) the non-employee performance requirement is complete or (ii) the instruments are vested. The measured value related to the instruments is recognized over a period based on the facts and circumstances of each particular grant.

The grant date fair value of stock-based compensation and other equity instruments is calculated using the Black Scholes valuation model, and requires estimates of several inputs to the model, including risk-free interest rates, dividends, and expected volatility of our stock price.

Results of Operations

Year Ended February 29, 2024 Compared to the Year Ended February 28, 2023

Revenue

During the year ended February 29, 2024, NextTrip recognized revenue of $458,752 as compared to $382,832 in the same period in 2023, an increase of $75,920, or 19.8%. The increase was a result of the continued implementation of the company’s booking engine.

Cost of Revenue

Cost of revenue for the year ended February 29, 2024, was $397,532 as compared to $354,921 for the same period in 2023, an increase of $42,611, or 12%. The increase was attributable to the increase in revenue in the year ended February 29, 2024, as compared to the same period in 2023.

Operating Expenses

Operating expenses totaled $5,740,577 for the year ended February 29, 2024, versus $4,979,766 for the year ended February 28, 2023. The increase of $760,811, or 15.3% was due to an increase in professional service fees of $806,076, an increase in depreciation and amortization of $761,524, an increase in other operating expenses of $91,838, stock based compensation of $116,512, and organization costs of $25,000. Partially offsetting these increases were a decrease in salaries and benefits of $519,809, a decrease in general and administrative expenses of $57,455, a decrease in sales and marketing expenses of $222,887, and a decrease in technology expenses of $239,988.

Salaries and Benefits

Salaries & Stock based compensation expenses were $1,604,487 for the year ended February 29, 2024, as compared to $2,124,296 for the same period in 2023. The decrease of $519,809 or 24.5% was the result of a reduction in the number of employees which was offset by the increase in professional contracted staff.

Stock Based Compensation

Stock based compensation totaled $116,512 for the year ended February 29, 2024, versus $0 for the year ended February 28, 2023. The increase was attributable to expense associated with the assumption of Sigma’s outstanding stock options upon completion of the reverse merger transaction.

Loss on Promissory Note Receivable.

The loss of $1,567,665 on the promissory note receivable for the year ended February 29, 2024 is attributable to the establishment of a reserve taken on the total outstanding balance due from NextPlay of $2,567,665. Management has determined that, since NextPlay is in default under the terms of its promissory note, collectability of the entire related party receivable as of February 29, 2024 is uncertain. As of February 28, 2023, no allowance for doubtful accounts was established.

General and Administrative Expense

General and administrative expense for the year ended February 29, 2024 was $152,106, versus $209,561, a decrease of $57,455. The decrease was primarily attributable to a reduction in rent expense of $28,000 and a decrease in medical insurance premiums due to fewer employees in fiscal 2024 as compared to fiscal 2023.

Sales and Marketing Expense

Sales and marketing expenses were $484,250 for the year ended February 29, 2024, as compared to $707,137 for the same period in 2023. The decrease of $222,887 or 31.5% was primarily related to reduced marketing costs during the booking engine enhancement upgrade.

Professional Service Fees

Professional Service Fees were $1,421,508 for the year ended February 29, 2024, as compared to $615,432 for the same period in 2023. The increase of $806,076 or 131% was the result of an increase in the number of professional contracted staff and an increase in legal costs associated with various public company filings.

Technology

Technology expenses for the year ended February 29, 2024 were $311,430, as compared to $551,418 for the year ended February 28, 2023. The decrease of $239,988, or 43.5% was primarily attributable to a decrease in website maintenance and bug fixes of $137,258, a decrease in software licensing expenses of $41,215 due to renegotiation of licensing agreements and adoption of more cost-effective solutions, a decrease of $13,420 in cloud database and networking expenses related to optimization of our cloud infrastructure, and a decrease in software hosting expenses of $83,109 due to consolidation of services. Partially offsetting these decreases was an increase in dues and subscriptions of $7,888 in new services to support the Company’s operations, and an increase of $29,341 in expenses associated with maintenance and support of the Company’s technology infrastructure.

Organization Costs

Organization costs were $25,000 for the year ended February 29, 2024, as compared to $0 for 2023. The increase is attributable to compensation expense for our directors subsequent to the reverse acquisition of Sigma on December 29, 2023.

Depreciation and Amortization

Depreciation and amortization expense for the year ended February 29, 2024, was $1,468,762 as compared to $707,238 for the same period in 2023, an increase of $761,524 or 107.6%. The increase was primarily the result of amortization of software additions during the year as well as amortizing certain software purchases, in particular the BookIt.com asset, over a shorter period due to its estimated useful life.

Other Expenses

Other expenses totaled $156,522 for the year ended February 29, 2024, as compared to $64,684 for the year ended February 28, 2023. The increase of $91,838, or 142.0% was primarily due to an increase in D&O insurance premiums.

Other Income (Expense)

Other expense was $977,480 for the year ended February 29, 2024, as compared to other expense of $81,641 for the same period in 2023. The increase of $895,839 was primarily due to the loss on the promissory note receivable of $1,567,665, partially offset by other income in the amount of $486,633 of which $479,460 was due to the reversal of accrued expenses. Such reversal was offset by the allocation of expenses to the appropriate expense accounts. Additionally, the gain on the extinguishment of liability in the amount of $166,889 resulted from the exchange of a consulting expense for the issuance of common shares.

The net loss of $14,718 on the disposal of assets was due to a reduction in goodwill of $52,310, partially offset by a gain of $37,592 on the sale of assets to Divergent, and the decrease in interest expense of $23,251 was due to the conversion of convertible notes to common shares on December 29, 2023.

Net Loss From Continuing Operations

In the year ended February 29, 2024, the net loss from continuing operations totaled $6,656,837 as compared to a net loss from continuing operations of $5,033,496 for the year ended February 28, 2023. The operating loss component increased by $727,502 in 2024, and the other loss component increased by $895,839.

Net Loss From Discontinued Operations

The net loss from discontinued operations of $675,314 for the year ended February 29, 2024 consisted primarily of expenses incurred attributable to the legacy business operations of Sigma, and were comprised of $528,930 in retention bonuses paid to former Sigma employees, salaries and benefits of $28,475, severance of $62,500 and organization and other expenses of $60,415. Partially offsetting these expenses was $5,006 in revenue related to a maintenance contract.

Net Loss Applicable to Common Shareholders

The net loss applicable to common shareholders totaled $7,339.276 for the year ended February 29, 2024, as compared to $5,033,496 for the year ended February 28, 2023. Preferred dividends were $7,125 in 2024 and $0 in 2023.

Liquidity and Capital Resources

Due to uncertainties regarding our ability to meet our current and future operating and capital expenses, there is substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern for 12 months from the date of the filing of this Annual Report, and the report of our registered independent public accounting firm on our financial statements as of and for the year ended February 29, 2024 included in Item 15 of this Annual Report contains a going concern qualification.

As of February 29, 2024, NextTrip had $323,805 in cash, an accumulated deficit of $24,151,139 and a working capital deficit of $245,005 compared to $282,475 in cash, an accumulated deficit of $16,811,863 and a working capital deficit of $2,310,654 as of February 28, 2023.

To date, NextTrip has financed its operations primarily through revenue generated from operations, the issuance of convertible debt, advances from related parties, and private placements of its securities.

On March 15, 2024, the Company’s Board of Directors approved the Company to enter into an unsecured promissory note for a line of credit with Messrs. Monaco and Kerby, the Company’s Chairman of the Board of Directors and Chief Executive Officer, respectively, for the aggregate principal amount of $500,000. Under the terms of the note, advances under the line of credit may be made at the Company’s request until May 31, 2024. The note bears an annual interest rate of 7.5% and matures on February 28, 2025, and may be prepaid by the Company at any time prior to maturity without penalty. As of April 19, 2024, the full principal amount of the note had been advanced to the Company and remains outstanding.

On April 25, 2024, the Company’s Board of Directors approved the Company to enter into a series of unsecured promissory notes with certain related parties, including investors, directors, officers and employees, who shall individually provide funds for the aggregate principal amount of $1,000,000. The notes bear an annual interest rate of 7.5% and shall mature one year from the date of each note’s execution and may be prepaid by the Company at any time prior to maturity without penalty. As of July 10, 2024, the full principal amount of $1,000,000 had been advanced to the Company and remains outstanding.

NextTrip will need to raise additional funds through equity or debt financings or other means to support its on-going operations, increase market penetration of its products, expand the marketing and development of its travel and technology driven products, provide capital expenditures for additional equipment and development costs, payment obligations, and systems for managing the business including covering other operating costs and maintaining compliance with NASDAQ listing requirements until planned revenue streams are fully implemented and begin to offset the Company’s operating costs. The Company estimates that it will require a minimum of $5.5 million to continue operations for the next twelve months.

There is no assurance as to the amount and availability of any required future financing or the terms thereof. Such financing, if in the form of equity, may be highly dilutive to our existing stockholders and may otherwise include onerous terms. If in the form of debt, such financing may include covenants and repayment obligations which may be difficult to meet and that could adversely affect our business and operations. To the extent that funds are not available to us, we may be required to delay, limit, or terminate our business and operations and lose our NASDAQ listing.

Net Cash Used in Operating Activities

Net cash used in operating activities from continuing operations during the year ended February 29, 2024, was $5,056,095 as compared to $3,792,600 during the same period in 2023, an increase of $1,263,495 or 33.3%.

During the year ended February 29, 2024, the net cash used in operating activities from continuing operations was the result of a net loss of $6,656,837, partially offset by changes in working capital of $1,400,025 and non-cash expenses of $3,000,767. The non-cash expenses were primarily comprised of depreciation and amortization of $1,468,762 and the loss of $1,567,665 on the related party receivable. Changes in working capital were driven by an increase in accounts receivable of $662,939, an increase in prepaid expenses of $281,506, an increase in security deposits of $27,167, and a decrease in accounts payable and accrued expenses of $531,367, partially offset by an increase in deferred revenue of $102,954.

Net cash used in operating activities from discontinued operations during the year ended February 29, 2024, was $675,314 as compared to $0 during the same period in 2023, and was related to wind down expenses associated with the legacy Sigma business.

As a result, total net cash used in operating activities increased by $1,938,809 during the year ended February 29, 2024, to $5,731,409 as compared to $3,792,600 during the same period in 2023, an increase of 51.1%.

During the year ended February 28, 2023, the net cash used in operating activities was the result of a net loss of $5,033,496, partially offset by changes in working capital of $521,490 and non-cash expenses of $719,406, primarily related to depreciation and amortization. Changes in working capital were driven by a decrease in accounts receivable of $5,503, a decrease in prepaid expenses of $48,796, an increase in accounts payable and accrued expenses of $533,193, a decrease in deferred revenue of $46,855 and an increase in right of use asset in the amount of $18,697.

Net Cash Provided (Used) in Investing Activities

Net cash provided by investing activities during the year ended February 29, 2024, was $980,936, which compares to net cash used by investing activities of $4,290,930 during the same period of 2023, an increase of $5,271,865. The primary causes for the increase resulted from the reverse acquisition of Sigma, which provided cash of $417,122, and the subsequent sale of Sigma’s legacy assets to a third party, which generated an additional $1,589,241 in cash. Further contributing to the increase were decreases in capitalized software development costs of $1,337,919 and a decrease in the related party promissory note of $1,933,908. These increases were partially offset by an increase in the purchases of equipment of $6,325.

Net Cash Provided by Financing Activities

NextTrip raised $4,791,804 in net proceeds during the year ended February 29, 2024, consisting of $735,037 from the issuance of convertible notes, $1,905,970 from the issuance of common shares, $1,603,500 from the issuance of preferred shares, and $547,277 from related party advances. For the year ended February 28, 2023, the Company raised $8,134,955 in net proceeds consisting of advances to the company by related parties of $4,901,452 and proceeds from the issuance of convertible notes of $3,233,503.

Inflation, changing prices and rising interest rates have had no material effect on NextTrip’s continuing operations over our two most recent fiscal years.

We have no off-balance sheet arrangements as defined in Item 303(a) of Regulation S-K.

ITEM 7A. QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK.

Not applicable.

ITEM 8. FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND SUPPLEMENTARY DATA.

The financial statements included in Item 15 are incorporated herein by reference.

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 Chief Executive Officer and our Chief Financial Officer are responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate disclosure controls and procedures, as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e), as of the end of the period covered by this Report. Disclosure controls and procedures are designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed in reports filed or submitted under the Exchange Act is recorded, processed, summarized, and reported within the time periods specified in Securities and Exchange Commission rules and forms, and to ensure that information required to be disclosed by us in such reports is accumulated and communicated to our management, including our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, where appropriate, to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure.

During the periods covered by this Form 10-K, management identified a material weakness in disclosure controls and procedures related to a lack of personnel with sufficient expertise in generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”). Specifically, the Company did not have individuals with extensive GAAP experience to adequately assess and apply GAAP requirements in the preparation and review of financial disclosures. As a result of this material weakness, management has concluded that, as of February 29, 2024 the Company’s disclosure controls and procedures were not effective.

Management’s Report on Internal Control Over Financial Reporting

Management is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting as defined in Exchange Act Rule 13a-15(f). Internal control over financial reporting is designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with GAAP. Our management, with the participation of our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, conducted an evaluation of the effectiveness of our control over financial reporting based on the framework in Internal Control-Integrated Framework issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission.

As a result of this evaluation, management identified a material weakness in internal control over financial reporting related to a lack of sufficient personnel with appropriate GAAP expertise. Specifically, due to the complexity and evolving nature of certain accounting standards under GAAP, management determined that, as of February 29,2024, the Company did not have sufficient individuals with extensive GAAP experience to adequately assess and apply these standards in a timely manner. As a result of this material weakness, management has concluded that, as of February 29, 2024, the Company’s internal control over financial reporting was not effective.

This Report does not include an attestation report of the Company’s registered independent public accounting firm regarding internal control over financial reporting, which is not required for smaller reporting companies.

Inherent Limitations on Effectiveness of Controls

Our management, including our Chief Executive Officer and our Chief Financial Officer, does not expect that our disclosure controls and procedures or our internal control over financial reporting will prevent or detect all errors and all fraud. A control system, no matter how well-designed and operated, can provide only reasonable, not absolute, assurance that the control system’s objectives will be met. 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. Further, because of the inherent limitations in all control systems, no evaluation of controls can provide absolute assurance that misstatements due to error or fraud will not occur or that all control issues and instances of fraud, if any, have been detected. The design of any system of controls is based in part on certain assumptions about the likelihood of future events, and there can be no assurance that any design will succeed in achieving its stated goals under all potential future conditions. Projections of any evaluation of the effectiveness of controls to future periods are subject to risks. Over time, controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions or deterioration in the degree of compliance with policies or procedures.

Changes in Internal Control Over Financial Reporting

As discussed elsewhere in this Report, during the quarter ended February 29, 2024, the Company completed the reverse acquisition of NextTrip and sold certain of the Company’s legacy Sigma assets to Divergent. Upon closing of the NextTrip Acquisition, NextTrip was treated as the accounting acquirer of the Company, and as a result, at closing NextTrip’s internal controls became our internal controls. On December 29, 2023, pursuant to the terms of the Share Exchange Agreement between the parties, the Chief Financial Officer of Sigma was appointed as Chief Financial Officer of the combined company. In addition, Sigma’s auditor, Haynie and Company, was appointed as auditor of the combined company.

In addition to appointing a Chief Financial Officer with extensive GAAP experience as Chief Financial Officer of the combined company, management has taken further steps since February 29, 2024, to remediate the material weakness discussed above by hiring additional personnel with GAAP expertise, in particular the Company’s Controller, and engaging external consultants with subject matter expertise as necessary. Management has also implemented several enhancements to its control over financial reporting, including, but not limited to, establishing a monthly financial closing process, implementing account reconciliations, ensuring proper segregation of duties, and implementing new financial control software. These remediation efforts were completed by the filing date of this Report.

As a result of these enhancements, management believes that the consolidated financial statements included in this Report fairly present, in all material respects, the financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows of the Company as of and for the periods presented.

ITEM 9B. OTHER INFORMATION

None.

ITEM 9C. DISCLOSURE REGARDING FOREIGN JURISDICTIONS THAT PREVENT INSPECTIONS

Not applicable.

PART III

ITEM 10. DIRECTORS, EXECUTIVE OFFICERS AND CORPORATE GOVERNANCE.

Executive Officers

The following table sets forth the name, age and position of each of our executive officers as of August 31, 2024:

William Kerby has served as our Chief Executive Officer since December 29, 2023. Mr. Kerby has over two decades of experience in the travel and media industries, and approximately a decade of experience in the financial industry. He acted as the architect of the NextTrip model, overseeing the development and operations of the Travel, Real Estate and Television Media divisions of the company. From January 25, 2023 to December 29, 2023, Mr. Kerby was the Chief Executive Officer of NextTrip Group, LLC. Mr. Kerby served as the Co-Chief Executive Officer of NextPlay Technologies, Inc. (formerly Monaker Group, Inc.) from September 16, 2021 to January 25, 2023. From July 2008 to September 16, 2021, Mr. Kerby was the Chief Executive Officer of Monaker Group, Inc. During that time, Mr. Kerby also served as Chief Executive Officer of NextPlay Media from 2009 through 2020 as well as being the CEO of the Company’s real estate holding Verus International, Inc., formerly Realbiz Media Group, Inc., from October 2012 until August 2015 and on the board of directors until April of 2016. From April 2002 to July 2008, Mr. Kerby served as the Chief Executive Officer of various media and travel entities that ultimately became part of Extraordinary Vacations Group. Operations included Cruise & Vacation Shoppes, Maupintour Extraordinary Vacations, Attaché Travel and the Travel Magazine - a TV series of 160 travel shows. From February 1999 to April 2002, Mr. Kerby founded and managed Travelbyus, a publicly- traded company on the TSX and Nasdaq Small Cap Market. The launch included an intellectually patented travel model that utilized technology-based marketing to promote its travel services and products. Mr. Kerby negotiated the acquisition and financing of 21 companies encompassing multiple tour operators, 2,100 travel agencies, media that included print, television, outdoor billboard and wireless applications and leading-edge technology in order to build and complete the Travelbyus model. The company had over 500 employees, gross revenues exceeding $3 billion and a market cap of over $900 million. From June 1989 to January 1999, Mr. Kerby founded and grew Leisure Canada – a company that included the Master Franchise for Thrifty Car Rental British Columbia, TravelPlus (a nationwide Travel Agency), Bluebird Holidays (an international tour company with operations in the U.S., Canada, Great Britain, France, South Africa and the South Pacific) and Canadian Traveler (a travel magazine). Leisure Canada was acquired in May 1998 by Wilton Properties, a Canadian company developing hotel and resort properties in Cuba. From October 1980 through June 1989, Mr. Kerby worked in the financial industry as an investment advisor. Mr. Kerby graduated from York University with a Specialized Honors Economics degree.

Lyndsey North has served as our President since July 2023. With more than 15 years of experience in leisure tour and travel technology, Ms. North is responsible for all aspects of the NextTrip leisure, business and technology products including development of the World1 Metaverse. Prior to joining NextTrip, Ms. North led the Supplier Strategy & Investment division at Apple Leisure Group (ALG). Here she lead global partnership marketing and strategic relationships across the ALG Vacations and VAX VacationAccess brands including Apple Vacations, Funjet Vacations, United Vacations, Southwest Vacations, CheapCaribbean.com, and Travel Impressions. Ms. North joined the team at The Mark Travel Corporation (TMTC) in 2003, and served in a variety of marketing and engagement capacities. Prior to the merger with ALG, Ms. North was appointed to lead the Supplier Strategy & Investment efforts for all TMTC and Trisept Solutions brands in 2014. During her tenure with the company Ms. North was involved in the development of many new business relationships and was part of the leadership team for both TMTC and Trisept Solutions. Ms. North holds a Bachelor’s degree in Marketing from Marquette University.

Frank Orzechowski has served as our Chief Financial Officer, Treasurer, principal accounting officer, principal financial officer, and Corporate Secretary since July 1, 2019. Prior to joining the Company, Mr. Orzechowski served as the Chief Financial Officer of StormHarbour Partners LP, an independent global markets and financial advisory firm since September 2013. From May 2013 to August 2013, Mr. Orzechowski served as a contract CFO for Etouches Inc., a cloud-based event management software company, to assist with financial matters in connection with that company’s planned equity financing. Prior to that, he served as President and Owner/Operator of Four-O Technologies Inc. from August 2009 to December 2012, where he successfully launched and guided operations for two Cartridge World franchise units in Connecticut. From February 2006 to July 2009, Mr. Orzechowski served as President and Chief Financial Officer of Nikko Americas Holding Company Inc., where he was responsible for managing all of the support and infrastructure for that company’s U.S. business, as well as investment manager selection and due diligence functions for its World Series Platform. Mr. Orzechowski began his career at Coopers & Lybrand in 1982, received his CPA certification in 1984 and received his Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a major in Accounting from Georgetown University in 1982.

Board of Directors and Corporate Governance

The following table sets forth the names, ages as of August 31, 2024, and certain other information regarding our directors:

(1) Member of our Audit Committee, Compensation Committee, and Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee.

Directors

Donald P. Monaco has been the Chairman of the Board of Directors since December 29, 2023. Mr. Monaco has approximately three decades of experience as an international information technology and business management consultant. Mr. Monaco is the founder and owner of Monaco Air Duluth, LLC, a full service, fixed-base operator aviation services business at Duluth International Airport in Duluth, Minnesota, serving airline, military, and general aviation customers since November 2005. Since January 2009, he has been appointed and reappointed by Minnesota Governors to serve as a Commissioner of the Metropolitan Airports Commission in Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota, and currently serves as Chairman of the Operations, Finance and Administration Committee. Mr. Monaco is also the President and Chairman of the Monaco Air Foundation, Treasurer of Honor Flight Northland, Treasurer of the Duluth Aviation Institute, and a member of the Duluth Chamber of Commerce Military Affairs Committee. Mr. Monaco previously worked as an international information technology and business management consultant with Accenture in Chicago, Illinois for 28 years, and as a partner and senior executive for 18 of such years. From August 2011 to January 2023, Mr. Monaco served as a member of the board of directors of NextPlay (known as Monaker prior to June 2020), where he served as chairman of the board of directors from August 2018 to June 2021 and as co-chairman of the board from June 2021 to December 2021. He previously served as a director at Republic Bank in Duluth, Minnesota from May 2015 until October 2019. He also served on the Verus International, Inc., formerly RealBiz Media Group, Inc., board of directors from October 2012 until April 2016, serving as chairman of the board from August 2015 to April 2016. Mr. Monaco holds Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Computer Science Engineering from Northwestern University.

Our Board of Directors believes that Mr. Monaco is qualified to serve as a member of our Board on the basis of his deep understanding of information technology, early-stage business growth strategies, and business acquisitions, as well as his background and extensive company management and leadership experience.

Jacob Brunsberg was appointed to our Board of Directors on April 1, 2022. He was appointed Senior Vice-President of Product Management and Strategic Relationships on September 20, 2021, on February 16, 2022, he was named President and Chief Operating Officer, and on April 1, 2022, he was named President and Chief Executive Officer. Prior to joining the Company, Mr. Brunsberg was a P&L leader for General Electric’s Binder Jet Technology unit, with management responsibility for strategy, development, commercialization, and overall business performance. From 2017 to 2019 he served as Sr. Managing Director of the Central Region, tasked with helping establish the US sales infrastructure for post-acquisition integration of several additive manufacturing technology companies including Concept Laser, Arcam and GEonX into the newly formed GE Additive business entity. Prior to GE, Mr. Brunsberg worked for the American Roller Company in sales leadership and product marketing positions, responsible for the development and oversight of growth strategies, focused on advanced welding, cladding, thermal spray, and powder metallurgy technologies across a number of industrial markets. Mr. Brunsberg holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Material Science and Engineering from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Our Board of Directors believes that Mr. Brunsberg is qualified to serve as a member of the board because of his experience in leading early-stage growth companies.

Salvatore Battinelli was appointed to our Board of Directors on August 16, 2017. Mr. Battinelli is currently the President and Chief Executive Officer of Bello e Preciso Co., a manufacturer and wholesaler of Italian-made fashion watches and has served in those roles since early 2017. Prior to joining Bello e Preciso Co., from 2011 to 2013, Mr. Battinelli served as Vice-President of Development and Long-Term Strategy of North American Management Corporation, a wealth management firm based in Boston, Massachusetts with over $2 billion in assets under management. From 1987 to 2011, Mr. Battinelli served as Executive Vice-President and acting Chief Executive Officer and Chief Operating Officer of Faneuil Hall Associates, Inc., a concierge boutique family office devoted to five interrelated ultra-high net-worth families. Mr. Battinelli’s primary responsibilities while at Faneuil Hall Associates included providing planning and investment advice, the management of approximately 30 asset portfolios and more than 65 individual business entities; and assisting the families in their various business ventures worldwide while working closely with law, accounting and banking functions. During his tenure at Faneuil Hall Associates, Mr. Battinelli served as an executive officer or director for certain of the family-owned entities and successfully managed several portfolio company IPOs, as well as serving as CEO and COO for Designhouse International, a Scandinavian furniture company operating out of Atlanta, Georgia, which was previously listed on NASDAQ in 1983.

From 1970 to 1974, Mr. Battinelli served as Audit Manager for Deloitte & Touche (formally Touche Ross), where he specialized in management information systems. From 2002 to 2011, Mr. Battinelli also served as the Chairman of the Board of Directors of HealthLink Europe, BV, a logistics and services company that serves the healthcare industry. Mr. Battinelli is a Certified Public Accountant and received a BS in accounting and an MBA with an emphasis in international economics and accounting, both from Babson College.

Our Board of Directors believes that Mr. Battinelli is qualified to serve as a member of the board on the basis of his deep understanding of business acquisitions and sales, as well as his background and extensive company management and integration experience.

Dennis Duitch was appointed to our Board of Directors on August 8, 2017. Mr. Duitch has served as Managing Director of Duitch Consulting Group, a private consulting company, since 2003. Prior to that time, he practiced public accounting, business management, mediation and consultancy nationally, with expertise in strategic and operations management, finance, accounting, strategic planning and business operations for a wide spectrum of companies, including technology, manufacturing and distribution, marketing, real estate, entertainment, and professional practices. He has served in executive officer roles and as a director of public and private companies, not-for-profit organizations, including as Vice-Chairman for Accountants Global Network, and as a top-level advisor for public companies, closely held businesses, families and high-wealth individuals for over thirty years.

Mr. Duitch began his career with the international CPA firm Grant Thornton in its Chicago, San Francisco and Beverly Hills offices before founding Duitch & Franklin LLP, which evolved to become one of Southern California’s largest independent CPA/Business Management/Consultancy practices, and which was acquired by a public company in 1998. He subsequently served as President for a consumer products company with direct responsibility for marketing, retail, and fulfillment operations, until forming Duitch Consulting Group in 2003 to serve clients in advisory, C-level, and board of director roles.

Mr. Duitch is a Certified Family Business and Estate Advisor, and mediator for matters including partner/shareholder agreements and disputes, business and marital property dissolution, and dysfunctional executive teams and boards of directors. He has lectured extensively in management, financial and accounting areas for the California CPA Foundation, business and professional groups, has instructed at several colleges and universities, and has authored technical articles in management and taxation for regional and national publications.

Mr. Duitch earned a B.B.A degree in Accounting from the University of Iowa and a Master of Business Administration in Finance from Northwestern University.

Our Board of Directors believes that Mr. Duitch is qualified to serve as a member of the board because of his extensive public accounting experience, which will assist the Board and the Audit Committee in addressing the numerous accounting-related issues, regulations and SEC reporting requirements to which we are subject, as well as his expertise in business management, finance and strategic planning.

Kent Summers was appointed to our Board of Directors on January 18, 2018. Mr. Summers was also appointed to serve as a member of the Company’s Audit Committee, Compensation Committee, and Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee.

Mr. Summers currently divides his time among a number of independent activities which focus on early-stage technology company formation and development strategies, and sales planning and execution needs for emerging- and mid-market technology companies located primarily in the Boston metropolitan area, including: management consultant to private and family-owned businesses; volunteer Mentor and Instructor with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Venture Mentoring Services program; regular lectures on enterprise, business-to-business sales to company founders and students enrolled at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Sloan School of Management, the Harvard MBA Program, the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, and a number of domestic and international entrepreneurship support organizations; and consultant to Fellows enrolled in the Harvard Advanced Leadership Initiative. Mr. Summers has served in those roles at various times from 2003 to the present. From 2009 to the present, Mr. Summers has served as the non-executive Chairman of CADNexus, Inc., and from 2017 to the present, as a director and Chairman of the Compensation Committee with iQ3 Connect, Inc. Mr. Summers also currently serves as Chairman, Board of Managers, Massachusetts Materials Technologies LLC.

From 2005 to 2017, Mr. Summers served as Managing Partner at Practical Computer Applications, Inc., a Boston-based database consulting and engineering services firm, where he was responsible for sales planning and execution activities. Prior to Practical Computer Applications, from 2001 to 2005, Mr. Summers provided independent merger & acquisition advisory services to support the sale of privately-owned companies. Over a prior 14-year period, Mr. Summers served in leadership roles at several software and internet start-ups, including: Chairman and CEO of Collego Corporation (acquired by MRO Software), founder and CEO of MyHelpDesk, Inc. (acquired by Support.com), founder of PCMovingVan.com (acquired by a PE firm), and Vice President of Marketing at Electronic Book Technologies, Inc. (acquired by INSO Corporation, formerly listed on Nasdaq).

Prior to the software industry, Mr. Summers served as Technology Analyst at Electronic Joint Venture Partners LLC and Associate Program Trader on the Options Trading Desk at Bear Stearns & Co. In 1986, Mr. Summers received a BA in English from the University of Houston.

Our Board of Directors believes that Mr. Summers is qualified to serve as a member of our Board on the basis of his deep understanding of early-stage business growth strategies, enterprise sales, business acquisitions, as well as his background and extensive company management and leadership experience.

Director Independence

Our Board of Directors currently consists of five members. As a result of his previous service as our Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Brunsberg is not considered an independent director. As a result of Mr. Monaco’s previous affiliation with NextTrip, Mr. Monaco is not considered an independent director. Our Board of Directors has determined that our other directors, Salvatore Battinelli, Dennis Duitch and Kent Summers, constituting a majority of our directors, are “independent” as that term is defined under Rule 5605(a)(2) of the Nasdaq marketplace rules. Pursuant to Nasdaq rules, our board must consist of a majority of independent directors.

The Nasdaq independence definition includes a series of objective tests, including that the director is not, and has not been for at least three years, one of our employees and that neither the director 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 of Directors has made a subjective determination as to Messrs. Battinelli, Duitch and Summers, our independent directors, that no relationships exist, which, in the opinion of our Board of Directors, would interfere with the exercise of independent judgment in carrying out the responsibilities of a director. In making these determinations, our Board of Directors reviewed and discussed information provided by the directors and us with regard to each director’s business and personal activities and relationships as they may relate to us and our management. There are no family relationships among any of our directors or executive officers.

Classified Board of Directors

In accordance with our amended and restated bylaws, our Board of Directors is divided into three classes with staggered, three-year terms. At each annual meeting of stockholders, the successors to directors whose terms then expire will be elected to serve from the time of election and qualification until the third annual meeting following election. Our directors are classified as follows:

Our amended and restated bylaws provide that the authorized number of directors may be changed by resolution of the Board of Directors. Any additional directorships resulting from an increase in the number of directors will be distributed among the three classes so that, as nearly as possible, each class will consist of one-third of the directors. The division of our Board of Directors into three classes with staggered three-year terms may delay or prevent a change of our management or a change in control of our Company.

Leadership Structure of the Board

Any director or our Board of Directors as a whole may be removed with or without cause at any meeting of stockholders by the affirmative vote of the holders of at least two-thirds of our outstanding voting stock entitled to vote in the election of directors. Our amended and restated bylaws provide our Board of Directors with flexibility in its discretion to combine or separate the positions of Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer. Our Board of Directors believes it is important to select the Company’s Chairman and Chief Executive Officer in the manner it considers in the best interests of the Company at any given time. Our Board of Directors believes that the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer positions may be filled by one individual or by two different individuals, as determined by our Board of Directors based on circumstances then in existence.

On April 1, 2022, our Board of Directors appointed Mr. Ruport as Chairman of the Board. Mr. Ruport resigned as chairman on December 29, 2023, pursuant to the Share Exchange agreement between NextTrip and Sigma Additive Solutions, Inc. and Donald P. Monaco was appointed to replace Mr. Ruport as Chairman of the Board concurrently therewith.

The Chairman of the Board presides at all meetings of our Board of Directors and exercises and performs such other powers and duties as may be assigned to him from time to time by the Board or prescribed by our amended and restated bylaws. The Chairman of the Board is appointed by our Board of Directors on an annual basis.

Our Board of Directors has no established policy on whether it should be led by a Chairman who is also the Chief Executive Officer, and has in the past combined the roles of Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. Our Board currently is committed to the separated roles given the circumstances of our Company. However, our Board of Directors continually evaluates our leadership structure and could, in the future, decide to combine the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer positions if it believes that doing so would serve the best interests of our Company and our stockholders.

Board Meetings and Committees

During our fiscal year ended February 29, 2024, the Board of Directors held 25 meetings, and each director attended at least 75% of the aggregate of (i) the total number of meetings of our Board of Directors held during the period he was a director and (ii) the total number of meetings held by all committees of our Board of Directors on which he served during the periods that he served.

Although we do not have a formal policy regarding attendance by members of our Board of Directors at annual meetings of stockholders, we encourage, but do not require, our directors to attend. Each of our then current directors attended our 2023 Annual Meeting of Stockholders.

Our Board of Directors has established three standing committees-audit, compensation, and nominating and corporate governance, each of which operates under a written charter that has been approved by our Board of Directors. Each committee charter has been posted on the Investors section of our website at www.sigmaadditive.com. The reference to our website address does not constitute incorporation by reference of the information contained at or available through our website, and you should not consider it to be a part of this Annual Report.

Audit Committee

The Audit Committee’s responsibilities include:

The members of our Audit Committee are Messrs. Duitch, Battinelli and Summers, and Mr. Duitch serves as the chairperson of the committee. Our Board of Directors has determined that each of Messrs. Duitch, Battinelli and Summers is an independent director under the applicable Nasdaq rules and under SEC Rule 10A-3. All members of our Audit Committee meet the requirements for financial literacy under the applicable rules and regulations of the SEC and Nasdaq. Our Board of Directors has determined that each member of our Audit Committee is an “audit committee financial expert” as defined by applicable SEC rules and has the requisite financial sophistication as defined under the applicable Nasdaq rules and regulations. The Audit Committee met four times during 2023.

Compensation Committee

The Compensation Committee’s responsibilities include:

The members of our Compensation Committee are Messrs. Duitch, Battinelli and Summers, and Mr. Battinelli serves as the chairperson of the committee. Our Board of Directors has determined that each of Messrs. Duitch, Battinelli and Summers is independent under the applicable Nasdaq rules and regulations and is a “non-employee director” as defined in Rule 16b-3 promulgated under the Exchange Act.

Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee

The Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee’s responsibilities include:

The members of our Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee are Messrs. Duitch, Battinelli and Summers, and Mr. Duitch serves as the chairperson of the committee. Our Board of Directors has determined that each of Messrs. Duitch, Battinelli and Summers is independent under the applicable Nasdaq rules and regulations.

Code of Ethics and Business Conduct

The Company has a code of ethics that applies to all employees, including the Company’s principal executive officer, principal financial officer, and principal accounting officer, as well as to the members of the Board of Directors. The code is available on our website at www.sigmaadditive.com. The Company intends to disclose any changes in, or waivers from, this code by posting such information on the same website or by filing a Form 8-K, in each case to the extent such disclosure is required by rules of the SEC or Nasdaq. The reference to our website address does not constitute incorporation by reference of the information contained at or available through our website, and you should not consider it to be a part of this Annual Report.

Considerations in Evaluating Director Nominees

Our Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee uses a variety of methods for identifying and evaluating director nominees. In its evaluation of director candidates, our Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee will consider the current size and composition of our Board of Directors and the needs of our Board of Directors and the respective committees of our Board of Directors. Some of the qualifications that our Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee considers include, without limitation, issues of character, integrity, judgment, diversity of experience, independence, area of expertise, corporate experience, length of service, potential conflicts of interest and other commitments. Nominees must also have the ability to offer advice and guidance to our Chief Executive Officer based on past experience in positions with a high degree of responsibility and be leaders in the companies or institutions with which they are affiliated. Director candidates must have sufficient time available in the judgment of our Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee to perform all board of director and committee responsibilities. Members of our Board of Directors are expected to prepare for, attend, and participate in all board of director and applicable committee meetings. Other than the foregoing, there are no stated minimum criteria for director nominees, although our Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee may also consider such other factors as it may deem, from time to time, are in our and our stockholders’ best interests.

Although our Board of Directors does not maintain a specific policy with respect to board diversity, our Board of Directors believes that our Board of Directors should be a diverse body, and our Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee considers a broad range of backgrounds and experiences. In making determinations regarding nominations of directors, our Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee may take into account the benefits of diverse viewpoints. Our Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee also will consider these and other factors as it oversees the annual Board of Director and committee evaluations. After completing its review and evaluation of director candidates, our Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee recommends to our full Board of Directors the director nominees for selection.

Stockholder Recommendations for Nominations to the Board of Directors

Our Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee will consider candidates for director recommended by stockholders so long as such recommending stockholder was a stockholder of record both at the time of giving notice and at the time of the annual meeting, and such recommendations comply with our amended and restated articles of incorporation and amended and restated bylaws and applicable laws, rules and regulations, including those promulgated by the SEC. The Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee will evaluate such recommendations in accordance with its charter, our amended and restated bylaws, our policies and procedures for director candidates, as well as the regular director nominee criteria described above. This process is designed to ensure that our Board of Directors includes members with diverse backgrounds, skills and experience, including appropriate financial and other expertise relevant to our business. Eligible stockholders wishing to recommend a candidate for nomination should contact the Secretary in writing. Our Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee has discretion to decide which individuals to recommend for nomination as directors.

Any nomination should be sent in writing to our Corporate Secretary at NextTrip, Inc., 3900 Paseo del Sol, Santa Fe, New Mexico 87507.

Role of Board in Risk Oversight Process

Risk assessment and oversight are an integral part of our governance and management processes. Our Board of Directors encourages management to promote a culture that incorporates risk management into our corporate strategy and day-to-day business operations. Management discusses strategic and operational risks at regular management meetings and conducts specific strategic planning and review sessions during the year that include a focused discussion and analysis of the risks we face. Throughout the year, senior management reviews these risks with the Board of Directors at regular board meetings as part of management presentations that focus on particular business functions, operations or strategies, and presents the steps taken by management to mitigate or eliminate such risks. Our Board of Directors does not have a standing risk management committee, but rather administers this oversight function directly through the Board of Directors as a whole, as well as through standing committees of the Board of Directors that will address risks inherent in their respective areas of oversight. In particular, our Audit Committee is responsible for overseeing our major financial risk exposures and the steps our management has taken to monitor and control these exposures. The Audit Committee also monitors compliance with legal and regulatory requirements and considers and approves or disapproves any related-person transactions. Our Nominating and Governance Committee monitors the effectiveness of our corporate governance guidelines that we may adopt or amend from time to time. Our Compensation Committee assesses and monitors whether any of our compensation policies and programs has the potential to encourage excessive risk-taking by our management.

Delinquent Section 16(a) Reports

Section 16(a) of the Exchange Act requires the Company’s executive officers and directors, and persons who own more than 10% of a registered class of the Company’s equity securities, to file reports of ownership and changes in ownership with the SEC. Executive officers, directors and greater than 10% stockholders are required by SEC regulations to furnish the Company with copies of all Section 16(a) forms they file.

The Company believes that during the fiscal year ended February 29, 2024, its executive officers, directors and greater than 10% stockholders timely filed all reports under Section 16(a).

ITEM 11. EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION

Processes and Procedures for Compensation Decisions

Our Compensation Committee is responsible for the executive compensation programs for our executive officers and reports to our Board of Directors on its discussions, decisions and other actions. Typically, our Chief Executive Officer makes recommendations to our Compensation Committee and is involved in the determination of compensation for the respective executive officers that report to him. Our Chief Executive Officer does not determine his own compensation. Our Chief Executive Officer makes recommendations to our Compensation Committee regarding short- and long-term compensation for all executive officers based on our results, an individual executive officer’s contribution toward these results and performance toward individual goal achievement. Our Compensation Committee then reviews the recommendations and other data and makes decisions (or makes recommendations to the Board) as to total compensation for each executive officer as well as each individual compensation component.

The following table sets forth compensation for services rendered in all capacities to the Company: (i) for each person who served as the Company’s Chief Executive Officer at any time during the past fiscal year, and (ii) for our two most highly compensated executive officers, other than our Chief Executive Officer, who were employed with the Company on February 29, 2024 (the foregoing executives are herein collectively referred to as the “named executive officers”).

Summary Compensation Table

Named Executive Officer Employment Agreements

William Kerby

In connection with this appointment as Chief Executive Officer of Company on December 29, 2023, the Company and Mr. Kerby entered into an employment letter agreement, dated as of December 29, 2023. Under the employment agreement, Mr. Kerby will be entitled to receive an annual base salary of $400,000, which is subject to increase (but not decrease) in the discretion of the Compensation Committee of our Board of Directors based on an annual or special case assessments of his performance and other factors. At the discretion of our Board of Directors, Mr. Kerby will also be eligible to earn a discretionary, annual fiscal end-of-year incentive bonus in an amount of up to 100% of his base annual salary. The exact amount of the incentive bonus will be dependent on the achievement of Company milestones and profitability, and such other milestones as the Board deems appropriate. Mr. Kerby will have the option of receiving some or all of his base annual salary and any incentive bonus in cash or in shares of our common stock valued for this purpose as set forth in his employment agreement and will be eligible to receive equity compensation at the discretion and in an amount to be determined by our Board of Directors.

During his employment, Mr. Kerby will be entitled to an automobile allowance of $1,500 per month and to receive all benefits under any and all deferred compensation plans, retirement plans, life, disability, health, accident and other insurance programs, and similar employee benefit plans and programs, sick leave and vacation time that the Company elects, in its sole discretion, to provide from time to time to its executive officers, and to earn four weeks of paid time off in accordance with the Company’s PTO policy.

Mr. Kerby has entered into various personal guarantees with the Airline Reporting Commission, sellers of travel, merchant providers, financial institutions, associations and service providers for the benefit of NextTrip, in consideration of which the Company agrees in his employment agreement to pay him a $2,000 per month guarantee fee for so long as the employment agreement and the guarantees remain in place. In the event Mr. Kerby resigns for “Good Reason” (as defined in the employment agreement), or his employment is terminated by the Company for any reason, the Company will immediately eliminate any and all guarantees failing which, for each month the guarantees remain in place, the monthly guarantee fee will rise to $10,000 per month after 30 days in the event the Company is unable to assume the guarantees during such 30-day period.

The term of Mr. Kerby’s employment under his employment agreement will continue from month-to-month until terminated by either party with 30 days’ prior written notice, unless sooner terminated in accordance with the terms thereof. Should the Company notice the termination of Mr. Kerby’s employment agreement (other than as a result of death, “Disability” or “Cause,” as defined therein), he will be entitled to payment of an amount equal to 12 months of his base annual salary in a lump sum payment upon termination and the continuation of his health care coverage, at the Company’s expense, for up to 12 months following the termination (collectively, the “Kerby Severance Payments”). In addition, in the event that Mr. Kerby’s agreement is terminated by the Company for any reason within 12 months from the date of closing of the Acquisition, Mr. Kerby will be entitled to receive the Kerby Severance Payments and the Contingent Shares will automatically accelerate and be issuable in full if not yet earned or issued.

Jacob Brunsberg

On September 7, 2021, we entered into an “at-will’ employment letter agreement with Jacob Brunsberg, effective as of September 20, 2021 (the “effective date”), pursuant to which Mr. Brunsberg agreed to serve as Senior Vice-President, Product Management and Strategic Relationships on an “at-will” basis. As of February 16, 2022, Mr. Brunsberg was appointed President and Chief Operating Officer, and as of April 1, 2022, Mr. Brunsberg was appointed President, Chief Executive Officer, and Principal Executive Officer of the Company. Additionally, Mr. Brunsberg was appointed to serve as a member of our Board of Directors, effective as of April 1, 2022, with a term expiring at the 2025 annual meeting of stockholders.

Under the employment letter agreement. Mr. Brunsberg is entitled to (i) an annual base salary of $200,000, which was increased to $250,000 effective February 16, 2022, and (ii) all benefits that we elect in our sole discretion to provide from time to time to our other executive officers,, and received a grant of a five-year stock option to purchase up to 100,000 shares of common stock of the Company, which has an exercise price equal to the closing price of the Company’s common stock on the effective date, and vested and became exercisable in full on the effective date. The option is on such other terms and provisions as are contained in the Company’s standard form nonqualified stock option agreement.

Additionally, during the term of his employment, Mr. Brunsberg is eligible to receive one or more bonuses relating to each fiscal year in recognition of his achievement of individual and Company goals established by the Board of Directors from time to time. However, the decision to provide any such bonuses and the amount and terms of any such bonuses is in the sole discretion of the Board of Directors. On January 24, 2022, Mr. Brunsberg was awarded a performance bonus of $19,876 for 2021. On December 29, 2023, Mr. Brunsberg resigned as President and Chief Executive Officer but remains a member of our Board of Directors.

Lyndsey North

On June 17, 2022, we entered into an “at will” employment agreement, with Lyndsey North under which she was engaged to serve as Vice President of Marketing of the Company. As of September 28, 2022, Ms. North was appointed President of the Company. Under the terms of Ms. North’s employment agreement, she was entitled to receive an annual base salary of $155,000, which was increased to $200,000 effective September 28, 2022. Pursuant to the employment agreement, Ms. North was granted 4,000 Stock Appreciation Rights (“SARs”) at an exercise price of $7.00, which will vest over a period of three years, with one-third of the award vesting each year on her employment anniversary date. At the discretion of the Board of Directors, and subject to the achievement of certain performance goals, Ms. North is also eligible for a performance bonus consisting of a cash award of up to 30% of base salary, which was increased to 50% of base salary, and a SAR award of up to 25% of base salary. Ms. North is eligible to participate in the Company’s group benefit plans, including medical, dental, and vision plans, as well as a 401K plan.

Frank D. Orzechowski

On July 1, 2019, we entered into an “at will” employment agreement, with Frank Orzechowski under which he was engaged to serve as our Chief Financial Officer, Treasurer, Principal Accounting Officer and Corporate Secretary of the Company. Under Mr. Orzechowski’s employment agreement, he was entitled to receive an annual base salary of $135,000, which was increased to $155,000 effective March 1, 2020, which was increased to $180,000 on January 1, 2021, and which was increased to $200,000 on October 1, 2021. Pursuant to the employment agreement, Mr. Orzechowski was granted (1) a stock option to purchase up to 250 shares of common stock of the Company, at an exercise price equal to $14.00 per share, which was the closing market price of the Company’s common stock on July 1, 2019 (i.e., the Effective Date), and (2) to purchase up to 6,000 shares of common stock of the Company, with an exercise price of $14.00, and will vest and become exercisable as follows: 387 shares vested and became exercisable on the one-year anniversary of the Effective Date, 900 shares vested and became exercisable on the second-year anniversary of the Effective Date, 1,413 shares will vest and become exercisable on the third-year anniversary of the Effective Date, and 3,300 shares will vest and become exercisable on the fourth-year anniversary of the Effective Date, provided, in each case, that Mr. Orzechowski remains an employee of the Company through such vesting dates. Further, Mr. Orzechowski is eligible to participate in the Company’s 2013 Equity Incentive Plan, and is eligible to receive medical and dental benefits, life insurance, short and long-term disability coverage, and to participate in the Company’s Section 125 cafeteria plan, vision plan and 401K plan.

Outstanding Equity Awards at 2024 Fiscal Year-End

The following table sets forth outstanding stock options granted under or outside of our 2013 Equity Incentive Plan and SARs under our 2020 Stock Appreciation Rights Plan that are held by our named executive officers as of February 29, 2024:

(1) On June 23, 2020, we adopted the 2020 Stock Appreciation Rights Plan. The Plan provides for incentive awards in the form of SARs payable in cash. No shares of common stock were reserved in connection with the adoption of the Plan since no shares will be issued pursuant to the Plan. Awards issued under the Plan are included in the table.

(2) On September 20, 2021, in conjunction with the hiring of Jacob Brunsberg, the Company’s current President and Chief Executive Officer, the Company granted to Mr. Brunsberg an option to purchase 5,000 shares of our common stock with an exercise price of $63.60, which was fully vested on the date of the grant. On February 16, 2022, the Company granted an option to Mr. Brunsberg to purchase up to 3,500 shares of common stock with an exercise price of $50.00, which as of February 29, 2024, was fully vested. Also on February 16, 2022, the Company granted 1,500 SARs to Mr. Brunsberg, with an exercise price of $50.00, which as of February 29, 2024, was fully vested and exercisable. On July 1, 2022, we granted Mr. Brunsberg: (i) an option to purchase up to 760 shares of our common stock with an exercise price of $50.00, which as of February 29, 2024, was fully vested; (ii) an option to purchase up to 2,490 shares of our common stock with an exercise price of $50.00, which as of February 29, 2024, was fully vested; (iii) 9,747 SARs with an exercise price of $50.00, which as of February 29, 2024, was fully vested and exercisable; and (iv) 9,098 SARs in connection with his employment retention agreement. The SARs have an exercise price of $26.00 and as of February 29, 2024, were fully vested and exercisable. On January 26, 2023, we granted Mr. Brunsberg an option to purchase up to 5,457 shares of common stock with an exercise price of $11.60, which as of February 29, 2024 was fully vested. As of February 29, 2024, all of Mr. Brunsberg’s vested options to purchase shares of our common stock were subject to an exercisability waiver until such time as we received shareholder approval to increase our authorized common shares from 1,200,000 to 250,000,000 shares. Such approval was obtained at a special meeting of stockholders on March 8, 2024.

(4) On July 1, 2019, in conjunction with the hiring of Frank Orzechowski, our Chief Financial Officer, the Company granted to Mr. Orzechowski (i) an option to purchase 13 shares of our common stock with an exercise price of $280.00, which fully vested on July 1, 2019; and (ii) an option to purchase up to 300 shares of our common stock, with an exercise price of $280.00, which as of February 29, 2024 was fully vested. On May 28, 2020, we granted Mr. Orzechowski an option to purchase 1,750 shares of our common stock under our 2013 Equity Incentive Plan in connection with his employment arrangement. The option has an exercise price of $50.00, which as of February 29, 2024 was fully vested. On June 23, 2020, pursuant to our 2020 Stock Appreciation Rights Plan, we granted Mr. Orzechowski 902 SARs. The SARs have an exercise price of $52.60 which as of February 29, 2024 were fully vested and exercisable. On August 11, 2021, we granted Mr. Orzechowski an option to purchase 2,429 shares of our common stock under our 2013 Equity Incentive Plan in connection with his employment arrangement. The option has an exercise price of $68.40 and as of February 29, 2024, 2,129 shares were fully vested, and the remaining 300 shares will vest in equal monthly installments over the next eight months. On August 11, 2021, pursuant to our 2020 Stock Appreciation Rights Plan, we granted Mr. Orzechowski 2,429 SARs. The SARs have an exercise price of $68.40 and will vest and become exercisable in three equal installments on each of the first, second, and third anniversaries of the grant date. As of February 29, 2024, 1,620 SARs were fully vested and exercisable. On July 1, 2022, we granted Mr. Orzechowski: (i) an option to purchase up to 797 shares of our common stock with an exercise price of $50.00. As of February 29, 2024, 521 were fully vested, and the remaining 276 shares will vest in equal monthly installments over the next sixteen months; (ii) an option to purchase up to 2,609 shares of our common stock with an exercise price of $50.00. As of February 29, 2024, 1,691 shares were fully vested and the remaining 918 shares will vest in equal monthly installments over the next sixteen months; (iii) 3,474 SARs with an exercise price of $50.00. As of February 29, 2024, 2,249 SARs were fully vested and exercisable, and the remaining 1,225 SARs will vest in equal monthly installments over the next sixteen months; and (iv) 4,852 SARs in connection with his employment retention agreement. The SARs have an exercise price of $26.00 and will vest and become exercisable on March 15, 2025 if Mr. Orzechowski remains an employee of the Company on that date. On January 26, 2023, we granted Mr. Orzechowski an option to purchase up to 3,711 shares of our common stock, with an exercise price of $11.60. As of February 29, 2024, 2,909 shares were fully vested, and the remaining 802 shares will vest in equal monthly installments over the next ten months. As of February 29, 2024, all of Mr. Orzechowski’s vested options to purchase shares of our common stock were subject to an exercisability waiver until such time as we received shareholder approval to increase our authorized common shares from 1,200,000 to 250,000,000 shares. Such approval was obtained at a special meeting of stockholders on March 8, 2024.

Equity Awards

We offer stock options, stock appreciation rights, and stock awards to certain of our employees, including our executive officers, as the long-term incentive component of our compensation program. We generally grant equity awards to new hires upon their commencing employment with us. Our stock options allow employees to purchase shares of our common stock at a price per share equal to the fair market value of our common stock on the date of grant and may or may not be intended to qualify as “incentive stock options” for U.S. federal income tax purposes. Our stock appreciation rights allow employees to receive a cash payment for the difference between the market price of our common stock on the date of exercise and the strike price. We sometimes also offer stock options, stock appreciation rights and stock awards to our consultants in lieu of cash. Our stock options allow consultants to purchase shares of our common stock at a price per share equal to the fair market value of our common stock on the date of grant and are not intended to qualify as “incentive stock options” for U.S. federal income tax purposes. Our stock appreciation rights allow consultants to receive a cash payment for the difference between the market price of our common stock on the date of exercise and the strike price. Stock options, stock appreciation rights, and stock awards granted to our executive officers may be subject to accelerated vesting in certain circumstances.

Retirement Plans

We maintain two qualified 401(k) plans, in which all eligible employees may participate. We make safe harbor contributions to both plans: one plan matches 100% of each participant’s contribution up to 3% of salary, and 50% of the next 2% of salary contributed, and the other plan makes a 3% non-elective contribution for all eligible participants. Safe harbor contributions are 100% vested. We may also elect, on an annual basis, to make a discretionary contribution to the plan, but have not done so to date. Our elective matches and elective contributions vest to participant accounts as follows: 20% after two years of service, and 20% per year thereafter until the participant reaches 6 years of service, at which time, employer contributions vest 100%. As a tax-qualified retirement plan, contributions to the 401(k) plans and earnings on those contributions are not taxable to the employees until distributed from the 401(k) plans.

No Tax Gross-Ups

We do not make gross-up payments to cover our executive officers’ personal income taxes that may pertain to any of the compensation paid or provided by our Company.

2023 Equity Incentive Plan

On November 19, 2023, our Board of Directors adopted the Sigma Additive Solutions, Inc. 2023 Equity Incentive Plan, which we refer to as the “2023 Plan.”

Our Board of Directors believes that the grant of options and other stock awards is an important incentive for the Company’s employees, officers and directors. Previously, we issued options and stock awards pursuant to our 2013 Equity Incentive Plan, which plan expired according to the terms thereof in March 2023.

A summary of the 2023 Plan is set forth below.

Purpose

Our Board of Directors adopted the 2023 Plan to (1) encourage selected employees, officers, directors, consultants and advisers to improve our operations and increase our profitability, (2) encourage selected employees, officers, directors, consultants and advisers to accept or continue employment or association with us, and (3) increase the interest of selected employees, officers, directors, consultants and advisers in our welfare through participation in the growth in value of our common stock. All of our current employees, directors and consultants are eligible to participate in the 2023 Plan.

Administration

The 2023 Plan is to be administered by the Board of Directors or by a committee to which administration of the 2023 Plan, or of part of thereof, is delegated by the Board of Directors. The 2023 Plan is currently administered by our Compensation Committee, which we refer to below as the “Administrator.” The Administrator is responsible for selecting the officers, employees, directors, consultants and advisers who will receive Options, Stock Appreciation Rights and Stock Awards. Subject to the requirements imposed by the 2023 Plan, the Administrator is also responsible for determining the terms and conditions of each Option and Stock Appreciation Right award, including the number of shares subject to the Option, the exercise price, expiration date and vesting period of the Option and whether the option is an Incentive Option or a Non-Qualified Option. Subject to the requirements imposed by the 2023 Plan, the Administrator is also responsible for determining the terms and conditions of each Stock Award, including the number of shares granted, the purchase price (if any), and the vesting, transfer and other restrictions imposed on the stock. The Administrator has the power, authority and discretion to make all other determinations deemed necessary or advisable for the administration of the 2023 Plan or of any award under the 2023 Plan.

The 2023 Plan is not subject to the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 and is not a qualified pension, profit sharing or bonus plan under Section 401(a) of the Internal Revenue Code.

Stock Subject to the 2023 Plan

The aggregate number of shares of common stock set aside and reserved for issuance under the 2023 Plan is 7,000,000 shares.

If awards granted under the 2023 Plan expire or otherwise terminate or are cancelled without being exercised in full, the shares of common stock not acquired pursuant to such awards will again become available for issuance under the 2023 Plan. If shares of common stock issued pursuant to awards under the 2023 Plan are forfeited to or repurchased by us, the forfeited or repurchased stock will again become available for issuance under the 2023 Plan.

If shares of common stock subject to an award are not delivered to a participant because such shares are withheld for payment of taxes incurred in connection with the exercise of an Option, or the issuance of shares under a Stock Award, or the award is exercised through a reduction of shares subject to the award (“net exercised”), then the number of shares that are not delivered will not again be available for issuance under the 2023 Plan. In addition, if the exercise price of any award is satisfied by the tender of shares of common stock to us (whether by actual delivery or attestation), the shares tendered will not again be available for issuance under the 2023 Plan.

Eligibility

All directors, employees, consultants and advisors of the Company and its subsidiaries are eligible to receive awards under the 2023 Plan. Incentive Options may only be granted under the 2023 Plan to a person who is a full-time officer or employee of the Company or a subsidiary. The Administrator will determine from time-to-time which directors, employees, consultants and advisers will be granted awards under the 2023 Plan.

Terms of Awards

Maximum Grant

The maximum number of shares of Common Stock subject to a Stock Award granted during a single Fiscal Year to any Non-Employee Director (together with any cash fees paid to such Non-Employee Director during the Fiscal Year) is not permitted to exceed a total value of $500,000. The value of the Stock Award is based on the fair value for financial reporting purposes on the grant date.

Written Agreement

Each award under the 2023 Plan will be evidenced by an agreement in a form approved by the Administrator.

Exercise Price; Base Value

The exercise price for a Non-Qualified Option or an Incentive Option may not be less than 100% of the fair market value of the Common Stock on the date of the grant of the Non-Qualified Option or Incentive Option. With respect to an Option holder who owns stock possessing more than 10% of the total voting power of all classes of our stock, the exercise price for an Incentive Option may not be less than 110% of the fair market value of the Common Stock on the date of the grant of the Incentive Option. The base value of a Stock Appreciation Right shall also be no less than 100% of the Common Stock on the date of the grant of the Stock Appreciation Right. The 2023 Plan does not specify a minimum exercise price for Stock Awards.

Vesting

Each Option, Stock Appreciation Right or Stock Award will become exercisable or non-forfeitable (that is, “vest”) under conditions specified by the Administrator at the time of grant. Vesting typically is based upon continued service as a director or employee but may be based upon any performance criteria and other contingencies that are determined by the Administrator. Shares subject to Stock Awards may be subject to specified restrictions concerning transferability, repurchase by the Company and forfeiture of the shares issued, together with such other restrictions as may be determined by the Administrator.

Expiration Date

Each Option or Stock Appreciation Right must be exercised by a date specified in the award agreement, which may not be more than ten years after the grant date. Except as otherwise provided in the relevant agreement, an Option or Stock Appreciation Right ceases to be exercisable ninety days after the termination of the holder’s employment with us.

Transfers of Options

Unless otherwise determined by the Administrator, Options are not transferable except by will or the laws of descent and distribution.

Purchase Price Payment

Unless otherwise determined by the Administrator, the purchase price of Common Stock acquired under the 2023 Plan is payable by cash or check at the time of an Option exercise or acquisition of a Stock Award. The Company does not charge participants any fees or commissions in connection with their acquisition of Common Stock under the 2023 Plan. The Administrator also has the discretion to accept the following types of payment from participants: shares of Common Stock, cash or a combination thereof.

Withholding Taxes

At the time of his or her exercise of an Option or Stock Appreciation Right, an employee is responsible for paying all applicable federal and state withholding taxes. A holder of Stock Awards is responsible for paying all applicable federal and state withholding taxes once the shares covered by the award cease to be forfeitable or at any other time required by applicable law.

Securities Law Compliance

Shares of Common Stock will not be issued pursuant to the exercise of an Option or the receipt of a Stock Award unless the Administrator determines that the exercise of the Option or receipt of the Stock Award and the issuance and delivery of such shares will comply with all relevant provisions of law, including, without limitation, the Securities Act, applicable state and foreign securities laws and the requirements of any stock exchange on which our Common Stock is traded.

Effects of Change of Control

Except as otherwise provided in an Award Agreement, in the event of a Change in Control, all outstanding Options and Stock Appreciation Rights shall become immediately exercisable with respect to 100% of the shares subject to such Options or Stock Appreciation Rights, and/or the Restricted Period shall expire immediately with respect to 100% of the outstanding shares of Restricted Stock or Restricted Stock Units.

With respect to Performance Share Awards and Cash Awards, in the event of a Change in Control, all Performance Goals or other vesting criteria will be deemed achieved at 100% of target levels and all other terms and conditions will be deemed met.

In general, a “Change of Control” means:

Other Adjustment Provisions

If the stock of the Company is changed by reason of a stock split, reverse stock split, stock dividend, recapitalization, combination or reclassification, appropriate adjustments shall be made by the Administrator, in its discretion, in (1) the number and class of shares of stock subject to the 2023 Plan and each Option and grant of Stock Awards outstanding under the 2023 Plan, and (2) the purchase price of each outstanding Option and (if applicable) Stock Award. For example, if an Option is for 1,000 shares for $20.00 per share and there is a 2-for-1 stock split, the Option would be adjusted to be exercisable for 2,000 shares at $10.00 per share.

Amendment or Termination of the Plan

The Board of Directors may at any time amend, discontinue or terminate the 2023 Plan. With specified exceptions, no amendment, suspension or termination of the Plan may adversely affect outstanding Options or Stock Appreciation Rights or the terms that are applicable to outstanding Stock Awards. No amendment, suspension or termination of the Plan requires stockholder approval unless such approval is required under applicable law or under the rules of any stock exchange on which our Common Stock is traded. Unless terminated earlier by the Board of Directors, the 2023 Plan will terminate on the tenth anniversary of the date of the 2023 Plan’s adoption by the Board.

Federal Income Tax Consequences

The following discussion is a summary of the federal income tax provisions relating to the grant and exercise of awards under the 2023 Plan and the subsequent sale of Common Stock acquired under the 2023 Plan. The tax effect of awards may vary depending upon the circumstances, and the income tax laws and regulations change frequently. This summary is not intended to be exhaustive and does not constitute legal or tax advice.

General. A recipient of an award of Options or Stock Appreciation Rights under the 2023 Plan will realize no taxable income at the time of grant if the exercise price is not less than the fair market value of our Common Stock on the date of the grant. The recipient generally will realize no taxable income at the time of a grant of a Stock Award so long as the Stock Award is not vested (that is, remains subject to forfeiture and is not transferable) and an election under Section 83(b) of the Internal Revenue Code is not made.

Non-Qualified Options. The holder of a Non-Qualified Option will recognize ordinary income at the time of the Non-Qualified Option exercise in an amount equal to the excess of the fair market value of the shares on the date of exercise over the exercise price. This taxable income will be subject to payroll tax withholding if the holder is an employee.

When a holder disposes of shares acquired upon the exercise of a Non-Qualified Option, any amount received in excess of the fair market value of the shares on the date of exercise will be treated as long-term or short-term capital gain, depending upon the holding period of the shares, and if the amount received is less than the fair market value of the shares on the date of exercise, the loss will be treated as long-term or short-term capital loss, depending upon on the holding period of the shares.

Incentive Options. The holder of an Incentive Option will not recognize taxable income upon exercise of the Incentive Option. In order to retain this tax benefit, the holder must make no disposition of the shares so received for at least one year from the date of exercise and for at least two years from the date of grant of the Incentive Option. The holder’s compliance with the holding period requirement and other applicable tax provisions will result in the realization of long-term capital gain or loss when he or she disposes of the shares, measured by the difference between the exercise price and the amount received for the shares at the time of disposition.

If a holder disposes of shares acquired by exercise of an Incentive Option before the expiration of the required holding period, the gain, if any, arising from such disqualifying disposition will be taxable as ordinary income in the year of disposition to the extent of the lesser of (1) the excess of the fair market value of the shares over the exercise price on the date the Incentive Option was exercised or (2) the excess of the amount realized over the exercise price upon such disposition. Any amount realized in excess of the fair market value on the date of exercise is treated as long-term or short-term capital gain, depending upon the holding period of the shares. If the amount realized upon such disposition is less than the exercise price, the loss will be treated as long-term or short-term capital loss, depending upon the holding period of the shares.

For purposes of the alternative minimum tax, the holder will recognize as an addition to his or her tax base, upon the exercise of an Incentive Option, an amount equal to the excess of the fair market value of the shares at the time of exercise over the exercise price. If the holder makes a disqualifying disposition in the year of exercise, the holder will recognize taxable income for purposes of the regular income tax and the holder’s alternative minimum tax base will not be additionally increased.

Stock Appreciation Rights. The holder of a Stock Appreciation Right will recognize ordinary income at the time that it is exercised in an amount equal to the excess of the fair market value of the number of shares of Common Stock as to which it is exercised on the date of exercise over their value at the date of grant. This taxable income will be subject to payroll tax withholding if the holder is an employee.

Stock Awards. The recipient of a Stock Award will recognize ordinary income when the stock vests in an amount equal to the excess of the fair market value of the shares at the time of vesting over the purchase price for the shares, if any, subject to payroll tax withholding if the holder is an employee. When the recipient sells a Stock Award that has vested, any amount received in excess of the fair market value of the shares on the date of vesting will be treated as long-term or short-term capital gain, depending upon the holding period of the shares (after vesting has occurred), and if the amount received is less than the fair market value on the date of vesting, the loss will be treated as long-term or short-term capital loss, depending on the holding period of the shares. Dividends paid on Stock Awards that have not vested and that have not been the subject of an election under Section 83(b) of the Internal Revenue Code are treated as compensation income, subject to payroll tax withholding with respect to an employee.

Section 83(b) of the Internal Revenue Code permits the recipient to elect, not more than thirty days after the date of receipt of a Stock Award, to include as ordinary income the difference between the fair market value of the Stock Award on the date of grant and its purchase price (rather than being taxed as the shares vest). If such an election is made, the holding period for long-term capital gain or loss treatment will commence on the day following the receipt of the Stock Award, dividends on the Stock Award will be treated as such and not as compensation, and the tax basis of the shares will be their fair market value at the date of grant.

Deduction for the Company. The Company will be entitled to a deduction for federal income tax purposes at the same time and in the same amount as the recipient of an award is considered to have realized ordinary income as a result of the award, assuming that the limitation under Section 162(m) of the Internal Revenue Code is not applicable. Assuming that the holder of shares received on exercise of an Incentive Option disposes of the shares after compliance with the holding period requirement described above, the Company will not be entitled to a federal income tax deduction since the holder will not have realized any ordinary income in the transaction.

Prior to the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 (“TCJA”), Section 162(m) of the Internal Revenue Code generally disallowed a tax deduction to publicly held companies for compensation paid to certain executive officers in excess of $1 million per officer in any year that did not qualify as performance-based. Under the TCJA, the performance-based exception has been repealed and the $1 million deduction limit now applies to anyone serving as the chief executive officer or the chief financial officer at any time during the taxable year and the top three other highest compensated executive officers serving at any fiscal year-end.

New Plan Benefits

Other than with respect to certain future awards that may be made to our directors as described in “Director Compensation” and the award to Mr. Brunsberg described in Note 7 to the Summary Compensation Table, the amount and timing of awards under the 2023 Plan to executive officers, other employees and directors are not determinable at this time.

2013 Equity Incentive Plan

Plan Purpose

Our Board of Directors adopted the 2013 Plan, which terminated on March 15, 2023, to (1) encourage selected employees, officers, directors, consultants and advisers to improve our operations and increase our profitability, (2) encourage selected employees, officers, directors, consultants and advisers to accept or continue employment or association with us, and (3) increase the interest of selected employees, officers, directors, consultants and advisers in our welfare through participation in the growth in value of our common stock. All of our current employees, officers, directors and consultants were eligible to participate in the 2013 Plan.

Administration

The 2013 Plan is administered by the Board or by a committee to which administration of the Plan, or of part of thereof, is delegated by the Board. The 2013 Plan is currently administered by our Compensation Committee, which we refer to below as the “Administrator.” The Administrator is responsible for selecting the officers, employees, directors, consultants and advisers who will receive Options, Stock Appreciation Rights and Stock Awards. Subject to the requirements imposed by the 2013 Plan, the Administrator is also responsible for determining the terms and conditions of each Option and Stock Appreciation Right award, including the number of shares subject to the Option, the exercise price, expiration date and vesting period of the Option and whether the option is an Incentive Option or a Non-Qualified Option. Subject to the requirements imposed by the 2013 Plan, the Administrator is also responsible for determining the terms and conditions of each Stock Award, including the number of shares granted, the purchase price (if any), and the vesting, transfer and other restrictions imposed on the stock. The Administrator has the power, authority and discretion to make all other determinations deemed necessary or advisable for the administration of the 2013 Plan or of any award under the 2013 Plan.

The 2013 Plan is not subject to the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 and is not a qualified pension, profit sharing or bonus plan under Section 401(a) of the Internal Revenue Code.

Stock Subject to the 2013 Plan

As of August 31, 2024 there were 78,887 shares previously issued or subject to outstanding awards under the 2013 Plan. The plan expired on March 15, 2023 and therefore there are no shares available for future issuance under the 2013 Plan.

Vesting

Each Option, Stock Appreciation Right or Stock Award will become exercisable or non-forfeitable (that is, “vest”) under conditions specified by the Administrator at the time of grant. Vesting typically is based upon continued service as a director or employee but may be based upon any performance criteria and other contingencies that are determined by the Administrator. Shares subject to Stock Awards may be subject to specified restrictions concerning transferability, repurchase by the Company and forfeiture of the shares issued, together with such other restrictions as may be determined by the Administrator.

Expiration Date

Each Option or Stock Appreciation Right must be exercised by a date specified in the award agreement, which may not be more than ten years after the grant date. Except as otherwise provided in the relevant agreement, an Option or Stock Appreciation Right ceases to be exercisable ninety days after the termination of the holder’s service with us.

Transfers of Options

Unless otherwise determined by the Administrator, Options are not transferable except by will or the laws of descent and distribution.

Purchase Price Payment

Unless otherwise determined by the Administrator, the purchase price of common stock acquired under the 2013 Plan is payable by cash or check at the time of an Option exercise or acquisition of a Stock Award. The Company does not charge participants any fees or commissions in connection with their acquisition of common stock under the 2013 Plan. The Administrator also has discretion to accept the following types of payment from participants:

Withholding Taxes

At the time of his or her exercise of an Option or Stock Appreciation Right, an employee is responsible for paying all applicable federal and state withholding taxes. A holder of Stock Awards is responsible for paying all applicable federal and state withholding taxes once the shares covered by the award cease to be forfeitable or at any other time required by applicable law.

Securities Law Compliance

Shares of common stock will not be issued pursuant to the exercise of an Option or the receipt of a Stock Award unless the Administrator determines that the exercise of the Option or receipt of the Stock Award and the issuance and delivery of such shares will comply with all relevant provisions of law, including, without limitation, the Securities Act of 1933 (the “Securities Act”), applicable state and foreign securities laws and the requirements of any stock exchange on which our common stock is traded.

Effects of Certain Corporate Transactions

Except as otherwise determined by the Administrator, in the event of a “corporate transaction,” all previously unexercised Options and Stock Appreciation Rights will terminate immediately prior to the consummation of the corporate transaction and all unvested Restricted Stock awards will be forfeited immediately prior to the consummation of the corporate transaction. The Administrator, in its discretion, may permit exercise of any Options or Stock Appreciation Rights prior to their termination, even if those awards would not otherwise have been exercisable, or provide that outstanding awards will be assumed or an equivalent Option or Stock Appreciation Right substituted by a successor corporation. The Administrator, in its discretion, may remove any restrictions as to any Restricted Stock awards or provide that all outstanding Restricted Stock awards will participate in the corporate transaction with an equivalent stock substituted by the successor corporation subject to the restrictions. In general, a “corporate transaction” means:

Other Adjustment Provisions