As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on December 7, 2009

Registration No. 333-160417

 

UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549

 

 

 

 

Amendment No. 6

to

Form S-1

 

REGISTRATION STATEMENT
UNDER
THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933

 

 

 

 

VUZIX CORPORATION

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

 

 

75 Town Centre Drive
Rochester, NY 14623
(585) 359-5900
(Address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code, of registrant’s principal executive offices)

 

 

 

 

Copies to:

 

 

Approximate date of commencement of proposed sale to the public:  As soon as practicable after the effective date of this registration statement.

 

If any of the securities being registered on this form are to be offered on a delayed or continuous basis pursuant to Rule 415 under the Securities Act, check the following box.  þ

 

If this form is filed to register additional securities for an offering pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering.  o

 

If this form is a post-effective amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462(c) under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering.  o

 

If this form is a post-effective amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462(d) under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering.  o

 

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

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Registrant hereby amends this Registration Statement on such date or dates as may be necessary to delay its effective date until the Registrant shall file a further amendment that specifically states that this Registration Statement shall thereafter become effective in accordance with Section 8(a) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or until the Registration Statement shall become effective on such date as the Commission, acting pursuant to said Section 8(a), may determine.

 

 

EXPLANATORY NOTES

 

This Registration Statement contains a prospectus relating to an offering of shares of our common stock, warrants and common stock acquirable upon exercise of warrants in the United States, together with separate prospectus pages relating to an offering of shares of our common stock, warrants and common stock acquirable upon exercise of warrants in Canada. The U.S. prospectus and the Canadian prospectus will be identical in all material respects. The complete U.S. prospectus is included herein and is followed by those pages to be used solely in the Canadian prospectus. Each of the alternate pages for the Canadian prospectus included in this registration statement has been labeled “Alternate Page for Canadian Prospectus.”

 

 

(Subject to Completion) Dated December 7, 2009

 

PRELIMINARY PROSPECTUS

 

Vuzix Corporation

 

 

Minimum Offering of Cdn$6,000,000

Up to 50,000,000 Units

(each consisting of one share of common stock and one half of one common stock purchase warrant)

 

This is the initial public offering of our securities. We are offering for sale up to 50,000,000 units at a price between Cdn$0.15 and Cdn$0.25 per unit, on a best efforts basis. Each unit consists of one share of our common stock and one-half of one common stock purchase warrant. Each whole warrant entitles its holder to purchase one share of our common stock at a price of 150% of the initial public offering price per unit at any time for up to 36 months after the closing of this offering. The shares of common stock and warrants underlying the units will be issued separately. Our units are being concurrently offered to the public in Canada by our Canadian agents. Our agents are not purchasing any of the offered units. The agents must sell the number of units that will result in us receiving the minimum gross proceeds (Cdn$6,000,000) if any are sold. The agents are required to use their best efforts to sell the maximum number of units offered (50,000,000 units). The funds received in payment for the units sold in this offering will be deposited into a non-interest bearing escrow account and held until the closing of the offering. The offering will close as soon as practicable after the minimum gross proceeds have been raised. If the minimum gross proceeds are not raised within 90 days of the date of this prospectus, all funds will be returned to investors promptly without interest or deduction of fees. There is currently no public market through which our securities may be sold, and you may not be able to resell any securities you purchase under this prospectus. The TSX Venture Exchange (TSX-V) has conditionally approved the listing of our common stock and warrants under the symbols “VZX” and “VZX.WT”, respectively. Listing of our common stock and warrants will be subject to fulfilling all of the requirements of the TSX-V.

 

Our business and an investment in our securities involve significant risks. These risks are described under the caption “Risk Factors” beginning on page 8 of this prospectus.

 

Neither the SEC nor any other securities commission or regulatory authority has approved or disapproved of these securities or has passed upon the accuracy or adequacy of this prospectus. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.

 

If we raise the minimum proceeds from this offering (Cdn$6.0 million) by selling 30,000,000 units at Cdn$0.20 per unit (the midpoint of our estimated initial public offering price range), we estimate that the net proceeds to us from the offering, after agents commissions, would be approximately Cdn$5.52 million or Cdn$0.184 per unit. If we sell the maximum number of units we are offering (50,000,000 units) at Cdn$0.25 per unit (the maximum of our estimated initial public offering price range), we would receive gross proceeds of Cdn$12.5 million and estimate that the net proceeds to us, after agents commissions, would be approximately Cdn$11.5 million or Cdn$0.23 per unit.

 

The public offering price for units offered in the United States is payable in US dollars, and the public offering price for units offered in Canada and elsewhere outside the United States is payable in Canadian dollars, except as may otherwise be agreed by the agents. The US dollar amount of the public offering price will be US$ l  (the equivalent of the Canadian dollar amount based on the closing buying rate of the Bank of Canada on the date immediately prior to the effective date of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part) and, for purposes of determining whether we have received minimum gross proceeds of Cdn$6,000,000, will be translated into Canadian dollar equivalents at the US-Canadian dollar exchange rate prevailing at the date of determination.

 

 

CANACCORD ADAMS INC.

 

The date of this prospectus is          , 2009.

 

TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

 

 

Through and including          , 2009 (the 40th day after the date of this prospectus), all dealers effecting transactions in units or shares of our common stock, whether or not participating in this offering, may be required to deliver a prospectus. This is in addition to a dealer’s obligation to deliver a prospectus when acting as an underwriter with respect to an unsold allotment or subscription.

 

PROSPECTUS SUMMARY

	•	We have incurred net losses since our inception and if we continue to incur net losses in the foreseeable future the market price of our common stock may decline.
	•	We have depended on defense related engineering contracts and product orders from two customers for the majority of our sales and our revenues would be materially reduced if we are unable to obtain sales from government contracts or if either of our two significant customers reduce or delay orders from us.
	•	If management continues to own a significant percentage of our outstanding common stock, management may prevent other stockholders from influencing significant corporate decisions.
	•	We do not manufacture our own microdisplays, one of the key components of our Video Eyewear products, and we may not be able to obtain the microdisplays we need.
	•	If we fail to develop new products and adapt to new technologies, our business and results of operations may be materially adversely affected.
	•	If microdisplay-based personal displays do not gain some reasonable level of acceptance in the market for mobile displays, our business strategy may fail.
	•	We may incur substantial costs or lose important rights as a result of litigation or other proceedings relating to our products, patents and other intellectual property rights.

	•	Purchasers of our units will experience immediate and substantial dilution as a result because their common stock will be worth less on a net tangible book value basis than the amount they invested.

	•	improve our brand name recognition;
	•	develop products for large markets;
	•	broaden and develop strategic relationships and partnerships;
	•	expand market awareness for virtual display solutions;
	•	maintain and exploit any cost advantage our technology can provide us;
	•	extend our proprietary technology leadership; and
	•	establish multiple revenue sources.

Securities offered by Vuzix		Up to 50,000,000 units; each unit consisting of one share of our common stock, par value $0.001 per share, and one half of one common stock purchase warrant.
		Up to 84,375,000 shares of our common stock.(1)
		Up to 25,000,000 common stock purchase warrants. Each whole warrant will entitles its holder to purchase one share of our common stock at a price of 150% of the initial public offering price per unit at any time for 36 months after the closing of this offering.
Minimum gross proceeds		Cdn$6,000,000
Escrow Agreement		Pursuant to an escrow agreement that we will enter into with the agents and JP Morgan Chase Bank, National Association, as escrow agent, the funds

		received by the agents in payment for the units sold in this offering will be deposited into non-interest bearing escrow accounts and held until the closing of the offering. US funds and Canadian funds received in payment for the units will be held in segregated escrow accounts. The closing of the offering shall occur at the offices of Wildeboer Dellelce LLP, our Canadian counsel, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada as soon as practicable after the minimum gross proceeds have been raised. For purposes of determining whether we have received minimum gross proceeds of Cdn$6,000,000, US dollars received in payment for the units will be translated into the Canadian dollar equivalent at the US-Canadian dollar exchange rate prevailing at the date of determination.
Common stock to be outstanding after this offering		Between 272,410,169 shares (assuming minimum gross proceeds of Cdn$6,000,000 at the initial public offering price of Cdn$0.15 per unit) and 282,510,169 shares (assuming the sale of the maximum number of units offered (50,000,000 units).(2)
Agent Compensation		As consideration for their services, the Canadian agents will receive: (i) a commission equal to 8% of the gross proceeds of the offering; (ii) options entitling the Canadian agents to purchase that number of shares of our common stock and warrants equal to 12.5% of the aggregate number of shares of our common stock and warrants sold under the offering, at the offering price per share and warrant, for a period of 12 months from the closing date; and (iii) a non-refundable due diligence fee of Cdn$15,000. The Canadian agents will also be reimbursed for their reasonable fees and expenses including the reasonable legal fees and disbursements of legal counsel to the agents. Canaccord Adams Inc. and any US selling agents that the Canadian agents may appoint will be paid cash selling commissions not to exceed 6% of the gross proceeds of the offering in the United States and options entitling the US selling agents to purchase that number of shares of our common stock and warrants sold in the United States under the offering equal to 8% of the aggregate number of shares of our common stock and warrants at the initial public offering price for a period of 12 months from the closing date. The commission paid to US selling agents will be paid by the Canadian agents from their commissions and the options issued to the US selling agents will be assigned by the Canadian agents from their options. This prospectus covers the sale of the shares of our common stock and warrants issuable upon exercise of the agents’ options.
		In consideration of certain fiscal advisory services rendered by the Canadian agents to us pursuant to a fiscal advisory fee agreement between us and the Canadian agents, we have agreed to issue to the Canadian agents at the closing of this offering, in payment of a fiscal advisory fee, that number of shares of our common stock equal to 1.0% of our common stock issued and outstanding immediately upon the closing of the offering, which number is not expected to exceed 2,797,130 shares of our common stock. The issuance of these shares to the Canadian agents is not covered by this prospectus. These shares will be subject to resale restrictions under applicable United States and Canadian securities legislation and a contractual lock-up agreement for one year. See “Underwriting — Fiscal Advisory Fee Agreement.”

Use of proceeds		The minimum gross proceeds to us from the offering will be Cdn$6,000,000 and we estimate that the net proceeds to us from such amount, after payment of agents’ commissions and offering-related expenses, would be approximately Cdn$4,777,000. Assuming the sale of the maximum number of units

		offered (50,000,000 units) and an initial public offering price of Cdn$0.25 per unit (the maximum of our estimated initial public offering price range), we would receive gross proceeds of Cdn$12,500,000 and we estimate that the net proceeds to us from such amount, after payment of agents’ commissions and offering-related expenses, would be approximately Cdn$10,757,000. We expect to use $1,236,000 of the net proceeds of this offering to repay outstanding indebtedness, including accrued interest. The indebtedness to be repaid includes $215,500 in principal amount plus interest payable to our President and Chief Executive Officer. We intend to use the remainder of the net proceeds from this offering for new product development and tooling expenses; for research and development expenses; capital expenditures; selling, marketing, general and administrative expenses; possible acquisitions of businesses, technologies or other assets; and general corporate purposes. For additional information see “Use of Proceeds.”

Risk Factors		See “Risk Factors” beginning on page 8 and other information included in this prospectus for a discussion of factors you should carefully consider before deciding to invest in our securities.

(1)		Consists of up to (i) 50,000,000 shares included in the units; (ii) 25,000,000 shares issuable upon exercise of the common stock purchase warrants included in the units; and (iii) up to 6,250,000 shares issuable upon exercise of the options issued to the agents as compensation and up to an additional 3,125,000 shares issuable upon exercise of common stock purchase warrants issuable upon exercise of the options issued to the agents as compensation.
(2)		Includes (i) up to 2,797,130 shares issued to the agents in payment of a fiscal advisory fee; (ii) up to 7,148,982 shares issuable upon conversion of 168,500 outstanding shares of our Series C 6% Convertible Preferred Stock (Series C Preferred Stock), together with all accrued and unpaid dividends thereon through September 30, 2009, at the rate of $0.2917 per share; and (iii) up to 2,295,130 shares issuable upon conversion of $75,000 in aggregate principal amount of convertible promissory notes outstanding, together with all accrued and unpaid interest thereon through September 30, 2009. Does not include (i) up to 15,304,554 shares issuable upon exercise of options granted under our 2007 Amended and Restated Stock Option Plan; (ii) any of the shares described in footnote (1) above other than those described in clause (i) of footnote (1); (iii) up to 1,200,000 shares issuable upon exercise of options under our 2009 option plan that we intend to grant to our four new non-employee directors at the closing of this offering; (iv) up to 4,867,283 shares issuable upon exercise of outstanding warrants; and (v) up to 2,683,409 shares issuable upon conversion of a $500,000 convertible promissory note outstanding, together with all accrued and unpaid interest thereon through September 30, 2009 which is expected to be out-of-the-money and repaid out of the proceeds from this offering.

		Three Months Ended September 30,								Nine Months Ended September 30,
Statement of Operations Data		2009				2008				2009				2008
		(Unaudited)				(Unaudited)				(Unaudited)				(Unaudited)
Sales		$	2,838,461			$	2,391,142				7,920,548			$	7,199,123
Cost of Sales			1,846,632				1,784,761				5,068,493				5,143,499
Gross Margin			991,829				606,381				2,852,055				2,055,624
Operating Expenses
Research and development			645,172				769,365				1,591,070				2,730,346
Selling and marketing			509,788				409,185				1,485,828				1,342,442
General and administrative			548,931				578,629				1,539,660				1,551,259
Depreciation and amortization			101,256				121,185				407,600				368,577
Total operating expenses			1,805,147				1,878,364				5,024,158				5,992,624
Profit (Loss) from operations			(813,318	)			(1,271,983	)			(2,172,103	)			(3,937,000	)
Interest and other income (expense)			3				15				63				181
Foreign exchange (loss) gain			(7,065	)			(7,063	)			(12,034	)			(7,097	)
Interest expense			(67,547	)			(60,522	)			(189,643	)			(159,541	)
Tax (expense) benefit			31,516				(850	)			29,740				(4,500	)
Total tax and other income (expense)			(43,093	)			(68,420	)			(171,874	)			(170,957	)
Net (Loss)		$	(856,411	)		$	(1,340,403	)			(2,343,977	)		$	(4,107,957	)
Income (loss) per share:
Basic and fully diluted*			(0.0040	)			(0.0065	)			(0.0110	)		$	(0.0205	)
Weighted average common shares outstanding:
Basic and fully diluted*			220,268,927				210,989,038				220,046,705				203,673,777

		Year Ended December 31,
Statement of Operations Data		2008				2007				2006
		(Restated)				(Restated)				(Restated)
Sales		$	12,489,884			$	10,146,379			$	9,538,308
Cost of Sales			8,788,905				6,783,473				5,767,550
Gross Margin			3,700,979				3,362,906				3,770,758
Operating Expenses
Research and development			3,366,518				2,365,412				1,279,239
Selling and marketing			2,128,625				1,920,164				1,191,800
General and administrative			2,299,685				1,718,627				1,560,278
Depreciation and amortization			510,133				374,078				276,989
Total operating expenses			8,304,961				6,378,281				4,308,306
Profit (Loss) from operations			(4,603,982	)			(3,015,375	)			(537,548	)
Interest and other income (expense)			188				2,549				313
Foreign exchange (loss) gain			(24,216	)			—				—
Interest expense			(260,977	)			(241,692	)			(179,019	)
Legal settlement			—				96,632				—
Tax (expense) benefit			(5,212	)			98,372				(3,700	)
Total tax and other income (expense)			(290,217	)			(44,139	)			(182,406	)
Net (Loss)		$	(4,894,199	)		$	(3,059,514	)		$	(719,954	)
Income (loss) per share:
Basic and fully diluted*		$	(0.0240	)		$	(0.0176	)		$	(0.0047	)
Weighted average common shares outstanding:
Basic and fully diluted*			207,710,498				185,263,660				173,254,715

*		All outstanding warrants, options, and convertible debt are anti-dilutive, therefore basic and diluted earnings per share are the same for all periods.

		Year Ended December 31,												Nine Months Ended September 30,
Cash Flow Data		2008				2007				2006				2009				2008
														(Unaudited)				(Unaudited)
Cash flows provided by (used in) operating activities		$	(1,285,449	)		$	(3,295,900	)		$	120,053			$	(833,426	)		$	(1,711,658	)
Cash flows (used in) investing activities			(549,804	)			(316,743	)			(479,236	)			(250,796	)			(451,849	)
Cash flows provided by financing activities			2,289,116				3,408,328				874,569				448,768				2,028,476

		As of December 31,												As of September 30,
Balance Sheet Data		2008				2007				2006				2009				2008
														(Unaudited)				(Unaudited)
Cash and cash equivalents		$	818,719			$	364,856			$	569,171			$	183,265			$	229,825
Working Capital (deficiency)			(1,846,289	)			966,658				69,766				(3,523,267	)			(1,566,029	)
Total Assets			6,221,897				6,967,254				5,013,263				4,550,261				6,112,024
Long-Term Liabilities			1,754,379				2,014,476				1,980,476				1,952,585				1,617,676
Accumulated (deficit)			(14,687,276	)			(9,691,977	)			(6,531,363	)			(17,107,078	)			(13,875,759	)
Total Stockholders’ equity (deficit)			(2,089,942	)			423,236				(603,954	)			(4,121,930	)			(1,629,383	)

 

An investment in our securities involves a high degree of risk. You should carefully consider the risks described below, together with all of the other information included in this prospectus, before making an investment decision. If any of the following risks actually occurs, our business, financial condition or results of operations could suffer. In that case, the market value of our securities could decline, and you may lose all or part of your investment.

 

RISKS RELATED TO OUR BUSINESS

 

Because we have a limited operating history in the Video Eyewear industry, there is a limited amount of past experience upon which to evaluate our business and prospects.

 

We were formed in 1997 to develop and sell virtual reality and other personal display technology and products. Since our inception the majority of our sales have been derived from the sale of night vision display drive electronics and from research and development contracts with suppliers to the US government and others. In 2003, we discontinued our original virtual reality product line to focus on Video Eyewear products. Since that time, the market for Video Eyewear products has developed more slowly than we anticipated. Although we sold our first monocular Video Eyewear products in 2003 and our first binocular Video Eyewear products in February 2005, since 2003 we have continued to earn the majority of our revenues from defense related engineering contracts. Accordingly, there is a limited amount of Video Eyewear-related experience upon which to evaluate our business and prospects, and a potential investor should consider the challenges, expenses, delays and other difficulties involved in the development of our business, including the continued development of our technology and the achievement of market acceptance for products using our technology.

 

We have incurred net losses since our inception and if we continue to incur net losses in the foreseeable future the market price of our common stock may decline.

 

We incurred annual net losses of $4,894,199 in 2008, $3,059,514 in 2007 and $719,954 in 2006 and net losses of $2,343,977 and $4,107,957 for the nine-month periods ended September 30, 2009 and 2008, respectively. We had an accumulated deficit of $17,107,078 as of September 30, 2009.

 

We may not achieve or maintain profitability in the future. In particular, we expect that our expenses relating to sales and marketing and product development and support, as well as our general and administrative costs, will increase, requiring us to increase sales in order to achieve and maintain profitability. If we do not achieve and maintain profitability, our financial condition will be materially and adversely affected. We would eventually be unable to continue our operations unless we were able to raise additional capital. We may not be able to raise any necessary capital on commercially reasonable terms or at all. If we fail to achieve or maintain profitability on a quarterly or annual basis within the timeframe expected by investors, the market price of our common stock may decline.

 

We have depended on defense related engineering contracts and two customers for sales and our revenues would be materially reduced if we are unable to continue to obtain sales from government contracts or if either of our two significant customers reduce or delay orders from us.

 

Since inception, the majority of our sales have been derived from the sale of night vision display drive electronics to two suppliers to the US government. Sales of night vision display drive electronics to these customers amounted to 51%, 14% and 42% of our sales in 2008, 2007 and 2006, respectively, and 47% and 51% for the nine-month periods ended September 30, 2009 and 2008, respectively. We have no long-term contracts with these customers. A significant reduction or delay in orders from either of our significant customers would materially reduce our revenue and cash flow and adversely affect our ability to achieve or maintain profitability in the future.

 

The next largest source of revenues has been sales directly to the US Department of Defense, primarily for engineering programs. Such sales amounted to 12%, 54% and 27% of our sales in 2008, 2007 and 2006, respectively, and 6% and 7% for the nine-month periods ended September 30, 2009 and 2008, respectively. We have no long-term contracts with the US government for engineering services. We plan to submit proposals for additional development contract funding. However, development contract funding is subject to legislative

authorization and, even if funds are appropriated, such funds may be withdrawn based on changes in government priorities.

 

Together, these two groups of customers accounted for 63%, 68% and 69% of our sales in 2008, 2007 and 2006, respectively, and for 53% and 58% of our sales in the nine-month periods ended September 30, 2009 and 2008. We may not be successful in obtaining new government contracts or in receiving further night vision display electronics orders. Our inability to obtain sales from government contracts could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and would likely cause us to delay or slow our growth plans, resulting in lower net sales and adversely affect our liquidity and profitability.

 

Because our US government defense contracts and subcontracts are subject to procurement laws and regulations, we may not receive all of the revenues we anticipate receiving under those contracts and subcontracts.

 

Generally, US government contracts are subject to procurement laws and regulations. Some of the our contracts are governed by the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR), which lays out uniform policies and procedures for acquiring goods and services by the US government, and agency-specific acquisition regulations that implement or supplement the FAR. For example, the Department of Defense implements the FAR through the Defense Federal Acquisition Regulations (DFAR).

 

The FAR also contains guidelines and regulations for managing a contract after award, including conditions under which contracts may be terminated, in whole or in part, at the government’s convenience or for default. If a contract is terminated for the convenience of the government, a contractor is entitled to receive payments for its allowable costs and, in general, the proportionate share of fees or earnings for the work done. If a contract is terminated for default, the government generally pays for only the work it has accepted. These regulations also subject us to financial audits and other reviews by the government of our costs, performance, accounting and general business practices relating to our government contracts, which may result in adjustment of our contract-related costs and fees.

 

Our US government contract and subcontract orders are funded by government budgets that are proposed by the President of the United States and reviewed and approved by the Congress. Funds allocated to government agencies are administered by the Executive Office of the President. There are two primary risks associated with this process. First, the process may be delayed or disrupted because of congressional schedules, negotiations over funding levels for programs or unforeseen national or world events. Second, funding for multi-year contracts can be changed in future appropriations. Either of these events could affect the allocation, timing, schedule and program content of our government contracts and subcontracts.

 

Our lack of long-term purchase orders and commitments from our customers may lead to a rapid decline in our sales and profitability.

 

All of our significant consumer division customers issue purchase orders solely in their own discretion, often only two to four weeks before the requested date of shipment. Our customers are generally able to cancel orders (without penalty) or delay the delivery of products on relatively short notice. In addition, our customers may decide not to purchase products from us for any reason. Any of our current customers may stop purchasing our products in the future. If those customers do not continue to purchase our products, our sales volume and profitability could decline rapidly with little or no warning whatsoever.

 

We cannot rely on long-term purchase orders or commitments to protect us from the negative financial effects of a decline in demand for our products. The limited certainty of product orders can make it difficult for us to forecast our sales and allocate our resources in a manner consistent with our actual sales. Moreover, our expense levels are based in part on our expectations of future sales and, if our expectations regarding future sales are inaccurate, we may be unable to reduce costs in a timely manner to adjust for sales shortfalls. Furthermore, because we depend on a small number of customers for the vast majority of our sales, the ramifications of these risks is greater than if we had a greater number of customers. As a result of our lack of long-term purchase orders and purchase commitments, we may experience a rapid decline in our sales and profitability.

If either of the two customers on whom we depend fails to pay us amounts owed in a timely manner, we could suffer a significant decline in cash flow and liquidity which, in turn, could cause us to fail to pay our liabilities and purchase adequate inventory to sustain or expand our sales volume.

 

Our accounts receivable represented approximately 30%, 53% and 53% of our total current assets as of December 31, 2008, 2007 and 2006, respectively, and 26% and 23% as of September 30, 2009 and 2008, respectively. As of September 30, 2009, our two major customers represented 40% of our total accounts receivable. As a result of the substantial amount and concentration of our accounts receivable, if any of our major customers fails to pay us amounts owed in a timely manner, we could suffer a significant decline in cash flow and liquidity which could adversely affect our ability to pay our liabilities and to purchase inventory to sustain or expand our current sales volume and adversely affect our ability to continue our business.

 

In addition, our business is characterized by long periods for collection from our customers and short periods for payment to our suppliers, the combination of which may cause us to have liquidity problems. We experience an average accounts settlement period ranging from one month to as high as three months from the time we deliver our products to the time we receive payment from our customers. In contrast, we typically need to place certain deposits and advances with our suppliers on a portion of the purchase price. Because our payment cycle is considerably shorter than our receivable collection cycle, we may experience working capital shortages. Working capital management, including prompt and diligent billing and collection, is an important factor in our results of operations and liquidity. System problems, industry trends, our customers’ liquidity problems or payment practices or other issues may extend our collection period, which would adversely impact our liquidity, our ability to pay our liabilities and to purchase inventory to sustain or expand our current sales volume, and adversely affect our ability to continue our business.

 

Our future growth and profitability may be adversely affected if our marketing initiatives are not effective in generating sufficient levels of brand awareness.

 

Since inception, the majority of our sales have been derived from the sale of night vision display electronics and from research and development contracts with suppliers to, or directly to the US government and other customers. Our long-term business plan contemplates that we will transition our business so that the majority of our sales are earned from consumer products sales. In connection with this transition, we are engaged in a variety of marketing initiatives intended to promote sales of our consumer products. Our future growth and profitability from our consumer products will depend in large part upon the effectiveness and efficiency of these marketing efforts, including our ability to:

 

 

Our planned marketing expenditures may not result in increased total sales or generate sufficient levels of product and brand name awareness. We may not be able to manage our marketing expenditures on a cost-effective basis.

 

The current decline and any future decline in general economic conditions could lead to reduced consumer demand for our products and otherwise have an adverse effect on our liquidity and profitability.

 

We believe that purchases of our consumer Video Eyewear products are dependent upon levels of discretionary spending by our customers. This means that our financial performance will be sensitive to changes in overall

economic conditions that affect consumer spending. Consumer spending habits are affected by, among other things, prevailing economic conditions, levels of employment, salaries and wage rates, consumer confidence and consumer perception of economic conditions. As widely reported, general worldwide economic conditions have experienced a downturn due to, among other things, slower economic activity, concerns about inflation, decreased consumer confidence, reduced corporate profits and capital spending, and adverse business conditions. This can impact us through reduced sales, elongated selling cycles, delays in product implementation and increased competitive margin pressure. We are unable to accurately predict the likely duration and severity of the current disruption in financial markets and adverse economic conditions in the United States and other countries. The continuation of this downturn, the further deterioration of economic conditions in the United States or key international economies or uncertainty as to the economic outlook could reduce discretionary spending or cause a shift in consumer discretionary spending to other products. Any of these factors would likely cause us to delay or slow our growth plans, result in lower net sales and adversely affect our liquidity and profitability. Similarly, the tightening of credit markets may adversely affect our supplier base and increase the potential for one or more of our suppliers to experience financial distress or bankruptcy, which could materially and adversely affect our business.

 

If we fail to accurately forecast seasonal demand for our consumer Video Eyewear products, our results of operations for the entire fiscal year may be materially adversely affected.

 

Historically, a high percentage of our consumer Video Eyewear product annual sales have been attributable to the winter holiday selling season. Like many manufacturers of consumer electronics products, we must make merchandising and inventory decisions for the winter holiday selling season well in advance of actual sales. Further compounding this forecasting are other fluctuations in demand for the consumer electronics products that work with our Video Eyewear products, often due to the same seasonal influences, as well as technological advances and new models which are often introduced later in the calendar year. Inaccurate projections of demand or deviations in the demand for our products may cause large fluctuations in both our fourth quarter results and could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations for the entire fiscal year. We expect that our fourth quarter sales of consumer products will remain dependent on our performance during the winter holiday selling season.

 

Our Video Eyewear products require ongoing research and development and we may experience technical problems or delays and may not have the funds necessary to continue their development which could lead our business to fail.

 

Our research and development efforts remain subject to all of the risks associated with the development of new products based on emerging and innovative technologies, including, for example, unexpected technical problems or the possible insufficiency of funds for completing development of these products. If we experience technical problems or delays, further improvements in our products and the introduction of future products could be delayed, and we could incur significant additional expenses and our business may fail.

 

We anticipate that we will require additional funds and further US government engineering services contracts to maintain our current levels of expenditure for research and development of new products and technologies, and to obtain and maintain patents and other intellectual property rights in these technologies, the timing and amount of which are difficult to forecast. Our cash on hand after the successful completion of this offering coupled with the possibility of further negative cash flow from operations may not be sufficient to meet all of our future needs. We have no commitment for additional funds. Any funds we need may not be available on commercially reasonable terms or at all. If we cannot obtain any necessary additional capital when needed, we might be forced to reduce our research and development efforts which would materially and adversely affect our business. If we attempt to raise capital in an offering of shares of our common stock, preferred stock, convertible securities or warrants, or if we engage in acquisitions involving the issuance of such securities, our then-existing stockholders’ interests will be diluted.

We depend on advances in technology by other companies and if those advances do not materialize, some of our products may not be successfully commercialized and our anticipated new products could be delayed or cancelled.

 

We rely on and will continue to rely on technologies (including microdisplays) that are developed and produced by other companies. The commercial success of certain of our planned future products will depend in part on advances in these and other technologies by other companies. We may, from time to time, contract with and support companies developing key technologies in order to accelerate the development of them for our specific uses. Such activities might not result in useful technologies or components for us.

 

If we fail to develop new products and adapt to new technologies, our business and results of operations may be materially adversely affected.

 

The market for our products is characterized by rapid changes in products, designs and manufacturing process technologies. Our success depends to a large extent on our ability to develop and manufacture new products and technologies to match the varying requirements of different customers and groups in order to establish a competitive position and become profitable. Furthermore, we must adapt our products and processes to technological changes and emerging industry standards and practices on a cost-effective and timely basis. Our failure to accomplish any of the above could harm our business and operating results.

 

Consumer electronics products are subject to rapid technological changes. Companies within the consumer electronics industry are continuously developing new products with increased performance and functionality. This puts pricing pressure on existing products and constantly threatens to make them, or causes them to be, obsolete. During the last two fiscal years, we sold one product below cost after introducing new product models and as a result incurred a negative gross margin of approximately 20% or approximately $28,000 in negative margin. As our unit sales increase, our ability to manage and mitigate future clearance discounting activities may be harder and greater sales with negative margins could increase. Our typical product life cycle is relatively short, generating lower average selling prices as the cycle matures. With cost reductions in component design and increased manufacturing volumes we have not faced significant margin erosion as we introduce new models of our Video Eyewear products. If we fail to accurately anticipate the introduction of new technologies, we may possess significant amounts of obsolete inventory that can only be sold at substantially lower prices and gross margins than we anticipated. In addition, if we fail to accurately anticipate the introduction of new technologies, we may be unable to compete effectively due to our failure to offer products most demanded by the marketplace. If any of these failures occur, our sales, profit margins and profitability will be adversely affected.

 

If microdisplay-based personal displays do not gain some reasonable level of acceptance in the market for mobile displays, our business strategy may fail.

 

The mobile display market is dominated by displays larger than one-inch, based on direct view liquid crystal display (LCD) and organic light emitting display (OLED) technology. A number of companies have made and continue to make substantial investments in, and are conducting research to improve characteristics of, small direct view LCDs. Many of the leading manufacturers of these larger direct view LCDs, including LG Electronics, Royal Philips Electronics, Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., Sony Corporation and Sharp Corporation, are large, established companies with global marketing capabilities, widespread brand recognition and extensive financial resources. Advances in LCD and OLED technology or other technologies may overcome their current limitations and permit them to remain or become more attractive technologies for personal viewing applications, which could limit the potential market for our Video Eyewear technology and cause our business strategy to fail.

 

It is difficult to assess or predict with any certainty the potential size, timing and viability of market opportunities for our microdisplay-based Video Eyewear products or their market acceptance. Market acceptance of Video Eyewear technology will depend, in part, upon consumer acceptance of near-to-eye displays and upon microdisplay technology providing benefits comparable to or greater than those provided by alternative direct view display technology at a competitive price. If consumers fail to accept near-to-eye displays in the numbers we anticipate or as soon as we anticipate, the sales of our Video Eyewear products and our results of operations would be adversely affected and our business strategy may fail.

There are a number of competing providers of microdisplay-based personal display technology and we may fail to capture a substantial portion of the personal display market.

 

In addition to competing with direct view displays, we also compete with microdisplay-based personal display technologies that have been developed by other companies. Our primary personal display competitors include DaeYang Co., Ltd., Ilixco Inc., MyVu Corporation (MyVu), Carl Zeiss, Inc. (Zeiss), 5DT Inc., eMagin Corporation (eMagin), Kopin Corporation (Kopin), Lumus Ltd. (Lumus) and Kaiser Electro Optics Inc. (Kaiser). Additionally, at recent technology exhibitions Sony and Brother International Corporation have demonstrated personal display glasses that look like sunglasses. Most of our microdisplay-based competitors have greater financial, marketing, distribution and technical resources than we do. Certain of these competing microdisplay-based technologies entered the marketplace prior to us. Moreover, our competitors may succeed in developing new microdisplay-based personal display technologies that are more affordable or have more or more desirable features than our technology. If our products are unable to capture a substantial portion of the personal display market, our business strategy may fail.

 

Our business and products are subject to government regulation and we may incur additional compliance costs or, if we fail to comply with applicable regulations, may incur fines or be forced to suspend or cease operations.

 

Our products must comply with certain requirements of the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) regulating electromagnetic radiation in order to be sold in the US and with comparable requirements of the regulatory authorities of the European Union (EU) and other jurisdictions in order to be sold in those jurisdictions. We are also subject to various governmental regulations related to toxic, volatile, and other hazardous chemicals used in connection with parts of our manufacturing process, including the Restriction of Certain Hazardous Substances Directive (RoHS) issued by the EU effective July 1, 2006. This directive restricts the distribution of products within the EU that exceed very low maximum concentration values of certain substances, including lead.

 

We believe that all our current consumer products comply with the regulations of the jurisdictions in which they are sold. Our failure to comply with these regulations in the future could result in the imposition of fines or in the suspension or cessation of our operations in the applicable jurisdictions. Additional regulations applicable to our business may be enacted in the United States or other jurisdictions in the future. Compliance with regulations enacted in the future could substantially increase our cost of doing business or otherwise have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and our business.

 

Our products will likely experience rapidly declining unit prices and we may not be able to offset that decline with production cost decreases or higher unit sales.

 

In the markets in which we expect to compete, prices of established products tend to decline significantly over time. In order to maintain our profit margins over the long term, we believe that we will need to continuously develop product enhancements and new technologies that will either slow price declines of our products or reduce the cost of producing and delivering our products. While we anticipate many opportunities to reduce production costs over time, we may not be able to reduce our production costs. We expect to attempt to offset the anticipated decrease in our average selling price by introducing new products, increasing our sales volumes or adjusting our product mix. If we fail to do so, our results of operations will be materially and adversely affected.

 

If we cannot obtain and maintain appropriate patent and other intellectual property rights protection for our technology, our business will suffer.

 

The value of our personal display and related technologies is dependent on our ability to secure and maintain appropriate patent and other intellectual property rights protection. We intend to continue to aggressively pursue additional patent protection for our new products and technology. Although we own many patents covering our technology that have already been issued, we may not be able to obtain additional patents that we apply for, or that any of these patents, once issued, will give us commercially significant protection for our technology, or will be found valid if challenged. Moreover, we have not obtained patent protection for some of our technology in all foreign countries in which our products might be manufactured or sold. In any event, the patent laws and

enforcement regimes of other countries may differ from those of the United States as to the patentability of our personal display and related technologies and the degree of protection afforded.

 

Any patent or trademark owned by us may be challenged and invalidated or circumvented. Patents may not issue from any of our pending or future patent applications. Any claims and issued patents or pending patent applications may not be broad or strong enough and may not be issued in all countries where our products can be sold or our technologies can be licensed to provide meaningful protection against any commercial damage to us. Further, others may develop technologies that are similar or superior to our technologies, duplicate our technologies or design around the patents owned by us. Effective intellectual property protection may be unavailable or limited in certain foreign countries. Despite our efforts to protect our proprietary rights, unauthorized parties may attempt to copy or otherwise use aspects of our processes and devices that we regard as proprietary. Policing unauthorized use of our proprietary information and technology is difficult and our efforts to do so may not prevent misappropriation of our technologies. In the event that our intellectual property protection is insufficient to protect our intellectual property rights, we could face increased competition in the market for our products and technologies, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

We may become engaged in litigation to protect or enforce our patent and other intellectual property rights or in International Trade Commission proceedings to abate the importation of goods that would compete unfairly with our products. In addition, we may have to participate in interference or reexamination proceedings before the US Patent and Trademark Office, or in opposition, nullification or other proceedings before foreign patent offices, with respect to our patents or patent applications. All of these actions would place our patents and other intellectual property rights at risk and may result in substantial costs to us as well as a diversion of management attention. Moreover, if successful, these actions could result in the loss of patent or other intellectual property rights protection for the key technologies on which our business strategy depends.

 

In addition, we rely in part on unpatented proprietary technology, and others may independently develop the same or similar technology or otherwise obtain access to our unpatented technology. To protect our trade secrets, know-how and other proprietary information, we require employees, consultants, financial advisors and strategic partners to enter into confidentiality agreements. These agreements may not provide meaningful protection for our trade secrets, know-how or other proprietary information in the event of any unauthorized use, misappropriation or disclosure of those trade secrets, know-how or other proprietary information. In particular, we may not be able to fully or adequately protect our proprietary information as we conduct discussions with potential strategic partners. If we are unable to protect the proprietary nature of our technology, it will harm our business.

 

Despite our efforts to protect our intellectual property rights, intellectual property laws afford us only limited protection. A third party could copy or otherwise obtain information from us without authorization. Accordingly, we may not be able to prevent misappropriation of our intellectual property or to deter others from developing similar products or services. Further, monitoring the unauthorized use of our intellectual property is difficult. Litigation may be necessary to enforce our intellectual property rights or to determine the validity and scope of the proprietary rights of others. Litigation of this type could result in substantial costs and diversion of resources, may result in counterclaims or other claims against us and could significantly harm our results of operations. In addition, the laws of some foreign countries do not protect our proprietary rights to the same extent as do the laws of the United States.

 

As is commonplace in technology companies, we employ individuals who were previously employed at other technology companies. To the extent our employees are involved in research areas that are similar to those areas in which they were involved at their former employers, we may be subject to claims that such employees or we have, inadvertently or otherwise, used or disclosed the alleged trade secrets or other proprietary information of the former employers. Litigation may be necessary to defend against such claims. Litigation of this type could result in substantial costs to us and divert our resources.

 

We also depend on trade secret protection through confidentiality and license agreements with our employees, subsidiaries, licensees, licensors and others. We may not have agreements containing adequate protective provisions in every case, and the contractual provisions that are in place may not provide us with adequate protection in all circumstances. The unauthorized reproduction or other misappropriation of our intellectual property could diminish the value of our brand, competitive advantages or goodwill and result in decreased sales.

We may incur substantial costs or lose important rights as a result of litigation or other proceedings relating to our products, patents and other intellectual property rights.

 

In recent years, there has been significant litigation involving patents and other intellectual property rights in many technology-related industries. Until recently, patent applications were retained in secrecy by the US Patent and Trademark Office until and unless a patent was issued. As a result, there may be US patent applications pending of which we are unaware that may be infringed by the use of our technology or a part thereof, thus substantially interfering with the future conduct of our business. In addition, there may be issued patents in the United States or other countries that are pertinent to our business of which we are not aware. We and our customers could be sued by other parties for patent infringement in the future. Such lawsuits could subject us and them to liability for damages or require us to obtain additional licenses that could increase the cost of our products, which might have an adverse affect on our sales.

 

In addition, in the future we may assert our intellectual property rights by instituting legal proceedings against others. We may not be able to successfully enforce our patents in any lawsuits we may commence. Defendants in any litigation we may commence to enforce our patents may attempt to establish that our patents are invalid or are unenforceable. Any patent litigation could lead to a determination that one or more of our patents are invalid or unenforceable. If a third party succeeds in invalidating one or more of our patents, that party and others could compete more effectively against us. Our ability to derive sales from products or technologies covered by these patents could be adversely affected.

 

Whether we are defending the assertion of third party intellectual property rights against our business as a result of the use of our technology, or we are asserting our own intellectual property rights against others, such litigation can be complex, costly, protracted and highly disruptive to our business operations by diverting the attention and energies of management and key technical personnel. As a result, the pendency or adverse outcome of any intellectual property litigation to which we are subject could disrupt business operations, require the incurrence of substantial costs and subject us to significant liabilities, each of which could severely harm our business.

 

Plaintiffs in intellectual property cases often seek injunctive relief. Any intellectual property litigation commenced against us could force us to take actions that could be harmful to our business and thus to our sales, including the following:

 

 

If we are forced to take any of the foregoing actions, we may be unable to manufacture and sell products that incorporate our technology at a profit or at all. Furthermore, the measure of damages in intellectual property litigation can be complex, and is often subjective or uncertain. If we were to be found liable for infringement of proprietary rights of a third party, the amount of damages we might have to pay could be substantial and is difficult to predict. Decreased sales of our products incorporating our technology would adversely affect our sales. Any necessity to procure rights to the third party technology might cause us to negotiate the royalty terms of the third party license which could increase our cost of production or, in certain cases, terminate our ability to build some of our products entirely.

 

If we fail to renew, register or otherwise protect our trademarks, the value of our brand names may decline and we may be unable to use those names in certain geographical areas.

 

We believe our copyrights and trademarks are critical to our success. We rely on trademark, copyright and other intellectual property laws to protect our proprietary rights. If we fail to properly register and otherwise protect our trademarks, service marks and copyrights, we may lose our rights, or our exclusive rights, to them. In that case, our ability to effectively market and sell our products and services could suffer, which could harm our business.

Our business and results of operations may suffer if there are, or if users claim there are, negative effects on eyesight from the long-term use of our products.

 

The personal display products that we currently market or may introduce and market in the future are new and utilize new technology. While virtual display technology has been in use over the past 25 years, sales to the general public have been limited. Extensive and continual viewing of any display, including standard computer monitors, for hours each day has the potential to negatively affect eyesight. Accordingly, it is possible that prolonged use of our products may adversely affect a user’s eyesight. We design our products with these considerations in mind to attempt to minimize any potential negative impact. We warn users that extensive daily use without appropriate rest periods may cause eye fatigue that could result in temporary or permanent damage (in much the same way that a computer monitor manufacturers now warn users about long-term computer use). Despite our efforts, we may be unable to overcome this risk and such risk could result in claims against us by users of our products. Any such claims, whether or not we are ultimately held liable for them, could diminish the value of our brand, competitive advantages or goodwill and may result in decreased sales and we could incur significant expense in defending against any such claims. In addition, if we are ultimately held liable for any such claims, the resulting liabilities may have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

Product liability claims, whether or not we are ultimately held liable for them, could have a material adverse affect on our business and results of operations.

 

Our business may expose us to product liability claims. Although no such claims have been brought against us to date, and to our knowledge no such claim is threatened or likely, we may face liability to product users for damages resulting from the design or manufacture of our products. Any such claims, whether or not we are ultimately held liable for them, could diminish the value of our brand, competitive advantages or goodwill and result in decreased sales and we could incur significant expense in defending against any such claims. While we plan to obtain and maintain product liability insurance coverage, product liability claims made against us may exceed coverage limits or fall outside the scope of such coverage. Also, insurance may not be available at commercially reasonable rates or at all. We do not have any such product liability insurance in effect.

 

Our results of operations may suffer if we are not able to successfully manage our increasing exposure to foreign exchange rate risks.

 

A substantial majority of our sales and cost of components are denominated in US dollars. As our business grows both our sales and production costs may increasingly be denominated in other currencies. Where such sales or production costs are denominated in other currencies, they are converted to US dollars for the purpose of calculating any sales or costs to us. Our sales may decrease as a result of any appreciation of the US dollar against these other currencies. The proceeds of this offering will be denominated in Canadian dollars and any substantial appreciation of the US dollar against the Canadian dollar during this offering may materially adversely affect our liquidity and capital resources.

 

The majority of our current expenditures are incurred in US dollars and many of our components come from countries that currently peg their currency against the US dollar. If the US dollar depreciates versus these foreign currencies, additional US dollars will be required to fund our purchases of these components.

 

Although we do not currently enter into currency option contracts or engage in other hedging activities, we may do so in the future. We can not assure you that we will undertake any such hedging activities or that, if we do so, they will be successful in reducing the risks to us of our exposure to foreign currency fluctuations.

Due to our significant level of international operations, we are subject to international operational, financial, legal and political risks.

 

A substantial part of our operations are expected to be outside of the United States and many of our customers and suppliers have some or all of their operations in countries other than the United States. Risks associated with our doing business outside of the United States include:

 

 

Any of these factors could harm our own, our suppliers’ and our customers’ international operations and businesses and impair our and their ability to continue expanding into international markets.

 

We may lose the services of key management personnel and may not be able to attract and retain other necessary personnel.

 

Changes in our management could have an adverse effect on our business. This is especially an issue while our staff is small. We are dependent upon the active participation of several key management personnel, including Paul J. Travers, our President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO). We do not carry key person life insurance on any of our senior management or other key personnel other than our CEO. While we have some life insurance coverage on our CEO, we do not believe it would be sufficient to completely protect us against losses we may suffer if his services were to become unavailable to us in the future. Our Chief Financial Officer, Grant Russell, a Canadian citizen, currently has his principal residence in Vancouver, Canada and a second residence in Rochester, New York. If he becomes unable to legally travel to and work in the United States, his ability to perform some of his duties could be materially adversely affected.

 

We must hire highly skilled technical personnel as employees and as independent contractors in order to develop our products. As of the date of this prospectus we have 55 full-time employees. The competition for highly skilled technical, managerial and other personnel is intense and we may not be able to retain or recruit such personnel. Our recruiting and retention success is substantially dependent on our ability to offer competitive salaries and benefits to our employees. We must compete with companies that possess greater financial and other resources than we do and that may be more attractive to potential employees and contractors. To be competitive, we may have to increase the compensation, bonuses, stock options and other fringe benefits offered to employees in order to attract and retain such personnel. The costs of retaining or attracting new personnel may have a material adverse effect on our business and operating results. If we fail to attract and retain the technical and managerial personnel we need to be successful, our business, operating results and financial condition could be materially adversely affected.

 

Our failure to effectively manage growth could harm our business.

 

We have rapidly and significantly expanded the number and types of products we sell, and we will endeavor to further expand our product portfolio. We must regularly introduce new products and technologies, enhance existing products, and effectively stimulate customer demand for new products and upgraded versions of our existing products.

This expansion of our products places a significant strain on our management, operations and engineering resources. Specifically, the areas that are strained most by our growth include the following:

 

 

Our facilities and information systems and those of our key suppliers could be damaged as a result of disasters or unpredictable events, which could have an adverse effect on our business operations.

 

We operate the vast majority of our business from three locations in the Rochester, New York area. We also rely on third party manufacturing plants in China and third party logistics, sales and marketing facilities in other parts of the world to provide key components of our Video Eyewear products and services necessary for our operations. If major disasters such as earthquakes, fires, floods, wars, terrorist attacks, computer viruses, transportation disasters or other events occur in any of these locations, or our information systems or communications network or those of any of our key component suppliers breaks down or operates improperly as a result of such events, our facilities or those of our key suppliers may be seriously damaged, and we may have to stop or delay production and shipment of our products. We may also incur expenses relating to such damages. If production or shipment of our products or components is stopped or delayed or if we incur any increased expenses as a result of damage to our facilities, our business, operating results and financial condition could be materially adversely affected.

 

We generally do not have long-term contracts with our customers and therefore we may not be able to accurately forecast inventory requirements and sales.

 

Our business is operated on the basis of short-term purchase orders and engineering contracts that typically do not exceed 12 months in duration. We cannot guarantee that we will be able to obtain long-term contracts in the future. The purchase orders that we receive can often be cancelled or revised without penalty. In the absence of a backlog of orders that can only be canceled with penalty, we plan production on the basis of internally generated forecasts of demand, which makes it difficult to accurately forecast inventory requirements and sales. Large supply line commitments and large inventories of various components will be required to support our business and provide reasonable order fulfillment for customers. If we fail to accurately forecast operating requirements, our business may suffer and the value of your investment in us may decline.

 

Terrorism and the uncertainty of future terrorist attacks or war could reduce consumer confidence which could adversely affect our operating results.

 

Terrorist acts or acts of war may cause damage or disruption to our facilities, information systems, vendors, employees and customers, which could significantly harm our sales and results of operations. In the future, fears of war or additional acts of terrorism may have a negative effect on consumer confidence or consumer discretionary spending patterns, as well as have an adverse effect on the economy in general. This impact may be particularly

harmful to our business because we expect to rely heavily on discretionary consumer spending and consumer confidence levels.

 

RISKS RELATED TO MANUFACTURING

 

We do not manufacture our own microdisplays, one of the key components of our Video Eyewear products, and we may not be able to obtain the microdisplays we need.

 

We do not currently own or operate any manufacturing facilities for microdisplays, one of the key components in our Video Eyewear products. We currently purchase almost all of the microdisplays used in our products from Kopin and eMagin. Kopin accounts for approximately 95% of our microdisplays by unit volume. We estimate that products incorporating Kopin microdisplays will account for approximately 56% of our sales in 2009 and products incorporating eMagin microdisplays will account for approximately 19% of our sales in 2009. Our relationships with both Kopin and eMagin generally are on a purchase order basis and neither supplier has a contractual obligation to provide adequate supply or acceptable pricing on a long-term basis. Both Kopin and eMagin could discontinue sourcing merchandise for us at any time. If Kopin or eMagin were to discontinue their relationships with us, or discontinue providing specific products to us, and we are unable to contract with a new supplier that can meet our requirements, or if Kopin or eMagin or such other supplier were to suffer a disruption in their production, we could experience disruption of our inventory flow, a decrease in sales and the possible need to redesign our products. Any such event could disrupt our operations and have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

Certain other components and services necessary for the manufacture of our products are available from only a limited number of sources, and other components and services are only available from a single source.

 

Our inability to obtain sufficient quantities of high quality components or services on a timely basis could result in future manufacturing delays, increased costs and ultimately in reduced or delayed sales or lost orders which could materially and adversely affect our operating results.

 

The consumer electronics industry is subject to significant fluctuations in the availability of components. If we do not properly anticipate the need for critical components, we may be unable to meet the demands of our customers and end-users.

 

The availability of certain of the components that we require to produce our Video Eyewear products may decrease. As the availability of components decreases, the cost of acquiring those components ordinarily increases. High growth product categories have experienced chronic shortages of components during periods of exceptionally high demand. If we do not properly anticipate the need for or procure critical components, we may pay higher prices for those components, our gross margins may decrease and we may be unable to meet the demands of our customers and end-users, which could reduce our competitiveness, cause a decline in our market share and have a material adverse effect on our results of operations.

 

Unanticipated disruptions in our operations or slowdowns by our suppliers, distributors and shipping companies could adversely affect our ability to deliver our products and service our customers.

 

Our ability to provide high quality customer service, process and fulfill orders and manage inventory depends on the efficient, timely and uninterrupted performance of our manufacturing and distribution facilities and our management information systems and the facilities and systems of our third party suppliers, distributors and shipping companies.

 

Any material disruption or slowdown in the operation of our manufacturing and distribution facilities or our management information systems, or comparable disruptions or slowdowns suffered by our principal suppliers, distributors or shippers could cause delays in our ability to receive, process and fulfill customer orders and may cause orders to be canceled, lost or delivered late, goods to be returned or receipt of goods to be refused. If any of these events occur, our sales and operating results could be materially and adversely affected.

If we acquire any companies or technologies in the future, they could prove difficult to integrate, disrupt our business, dilute stockholder value or have an adverse effect on our results of operations.

 

We intend to expand our business primarily through internal growth, but from time to time we may consider strategic acquisitions. Any future acquisition would involve numerous risks including:

 

 

Additionally, to finance an acquisition we may incur substantial amounts of indebtedness, which would affect our balance sheet and results of operations, or we may issue a substantial number of shares of our common stock, which may be dilutive to our stockholders. If we make acquisitions in the future, acquisition-related accounting charges may affect our balance sheet and results of operations. We may not be successful in addressing these risks or any other problems encountered in connection with any acquisitions.

 

RISKS RELATING TO THIS OFFERING

 

There is currently no trading market for our securities and if an established trading market does not develop holders of our common stock and warrants may not be able to resell their securities at or near the offering price or at any price.

 

Our securities are not currently listed or quoted on any national securities exchange or national quotation system. The TSX-V has conditionally approved the listing of our common stock and warrants under the symbols “VZX” and “VZX.WT”, respectively. Listing of our common stock and warrants will be subject to fulfilling all of the requirements of the TSX-V, including, in the case of the warrants, distribution of the warrants to at least 100 public security holders. Neither the TSX-V nor any other exchange or quotation system may permit our common stock or warrants to be listed and traded. Even if our common stock or warrants are accepted for listing on the TSX-V, the TSX-V has continuing listing requirements and we may not be able to comply with those requirements and maintain our listing. If our common stock and warrants are not listed on the TSX-V, we may seek to have them quoted on the OTC Bulletin Board of the US Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc. (FINRA). The OTC Bulletin Board is an inter-dealer, over-the-counter market that provides significantly less liquidity and transparency than the TSX-V. Therefore, prices for securities traded solely on the OTC Bulletin Board may be difficult to obtain and holders of our common stock and warrants may be unable to resell their securities at or near their original offering price or at any price.

 

Purchasers of our units may not be able to exercise their warrants if we cannot maintain a current prospectus relating to the common stock underlying the warrants.

 

The warrants included in the units may be exercised only if at the time of exercise (i) a prospectus relating to the issuance of the shares of our common stock underlying the warrants is then current and (ii) those shares are registered or qualified for sale or exempt from registration or qualification under the securities laws of the states in which the holders of the warrants reside. The issuance of the shares of our common stock underlying the warrants is covered by this prospectus but we may not be able to keep this prospectus or any other prospectus we file with the SEC covering the issuance of those shares current. We intend to apply to register or qualify the issuance of those shares in California, Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and Virginia but we may not be able to maintain those registrations or qualifications. If we are not able to do so and no exemption from registration is available, the holders of the warrants will not able to exercise their warrants and they will expire unexercised. We have no obligation to compensate the holders if they are not able to exercise their warrants because we have failed to maintain the effectiveness of a registration statement filed with the

SEC or the registration or qualification filed with any state. If the warrants expire unexercised, the purchasers of units will have effectively paid the entire initial public offering price per unit for one share of our common stock.

 

Purchasers of our units may not be able to resell their shares of common stock or warrants at or near the offering price because the offering price for our units may not be indicative of their fair market value.

 

The offering price range for our units was determined in the context of negotiations between us and the agents. Accordingly, the offering price may not be indicative of the fair market value of our company or the fair market value of our common stock or the warrants included in the units. We are making no representations that the offering price of our units under this prospectus bears any relationship to our assets, book value, net worth or any other recognized criteria of our value. If an established trading market for our common stock or warrants develops, the prevailing prices in that market may be substantially less than the original offering price.

 

The market price of our common stock and warrants may decline because of the number of shares of our common stock eligible for future sale in the public marketplace.

 

The price of our common stock and warrants could decline if there are substantial sales of our common stock in the public market after this offering. Based on the number of shares of our common stock outstanding as of the date of this prospectus after pro-forma adjustments, upon completion of this offering the number of shares of our common stock outstanding will be between 272,410,169 (assuming that we receive the minimum gross proceeds from this offering (Cdn$6,000,000) at an initial public offering price of Cdn$0.15 (the minimum of our estimated initial public offering price range)) and 282,510,169 (assuming that we sell the maximum number of units offered under this prospectus). All of the shares sold in this offering will be freely tradable without restriction or further registration under the Securities Act, except for any of those shares held by our “affiliates,” as that term is defined in Rule 144 under the Securities Act, whose sales would be subject to the volume and manner of sale limitations of Rule 144 described below. In addition, 134,836,808 shares of our common stock currently outstanding, or between approximately 47% and 49% of our common stock outstanding after this offering depending on the number of units sold, may be resold at any time, subject to the lock-up agreements and TSX-V escrow arrangements and seed share resale restrictions described below. Our executive officers and directors currently own 82,987,672 shares, or approximately 29% of our common stock outstanding after this offering, which are eligible for resale subject to the volume and manner of sale limitations of Rule 144 and subject to the lock-up agreements and TSX-V escrow arrangements described below. The remaining 2,444,447 shares of our common stock currently outstanding, or approximately 0.9% of our common stock outstanding after this offering, are “restricted” under Rule 144 and are eligible for sale under the provisions of Rule 144. See “Shares Eligible for Future Resale.”

 

Additionally, under our fiscal advisory fee agreement with the Canadian agents, we are obligated to issue to the Canadian agents at the closing of this offering, in payment of a fiscal advisory fee, that number of shares of our common stock equal to 1.0% of our common stock issued and outstanding immediately upon the closing of the offering. The issuance of those shares to the Canadian agents is not covered by this prospectus. The shares issued to our Canadian agents under the agreement will be subject to resale restrictions in accordance with applicable US and Canadian securities laws and contractual resale restrictions for a period of one year following the closing of the offering under the lock-up agreements described below.

 

After this offering and the expiration of the lock-up periods, the holders of an aggregate of 31,764,437 shares of our common stock will have rights, subject to some conditions, to require us to include their shares in registration statements that we may file for ourselves or other stockholders. We also intend to register for resale all shares of common stock that we have issued and may issue under our option plans. Once we register these shares, subject to any lock-up restrictions, if any, they can be freely sold in the public market. Furthermore, our agents may, at their discretion and at any time without notice, release all or any portion of the securities from the restrictions on sale imposed by lock-up agreements. Due to these factors, sales of a substantial number of shares of our common stock in the public market could occur at any time. These sales, or the perception in the market that the holders of a large number of shares are able to or intend to sell shares, could reduce the market price of our common stock. See “Dilution.”

Purchasers of our units may not be able to resell their shares of common stock or warrants at or above the initial public offering price because the market price of our common stock and warrants may be highly volatile.

 

Prior to this offering, there has been no public market for our securities. The TSX-V has conditionally approved the listing of our common stock and warrants under the symbols “VZX” and “VZX.WT”, respectively. Listing of our common stock and warrants will be subject to fulfilling all of the requirements of the TSX-V, including distribution of the warrants to a minimum number of public security holders. An active trading market for our common stock and warrants may not develop following this offering. You may not be able to sell your common stock or warrants quickly or at the market price if trading in our common stock or warrants is not active.

 

The market for our common stock and warrants will likely be characterized by significant price volatility when compared to more established issuers and we expect that it will continue to be so for the foreseeable future. The market prices of our common stock and warrants are likely to be volatile for a number of reasons. First, our common stock and warrants are likely to be sporadically and/or thinly traded. As a consequence of this lack of liquidity, the trading of relatively small quantities of common stock or warrants may disproportionately influence their prices in either direction. The price of the common stock could, for example, decline precipitously if even a relatively small number of shares are sold on the market without commensurate demand, as compared to a market for shares of an established issuer which could better absorb those sales without adverse impact on its share price. Secondly, we are a speculative or “risky” investment due to our small amount of sales and lack of profits to date and uncertainty of future market acceptance for our current and potential products or engineering services. As a consequence of this enhanced risk, more risk-adverse investors may, under the fear of losing all or most of their investment in the event of negative news or lack of progress, be more inclined to sell their common stock or warrants on the market more quickly and at greater discounts than would be the case with the securities of an established issuer. We cannot make any predictions or projections as to what the prevailing market prices for our securities will be at any time or as to what effect the sale of our securities or the availability of our securities for sale at any time will have on the prevailing market price.

 

Purchasers of our units will experience immediate and substantial dilution because their securities will be worth less on a net tangible book value basis than the amount they invested.

 

The price that will be paid by investors in this offering for our units will be significantly higher than the net tangible book value per share of our common stock. Purchasers of our units will experience immediate and substantial dilution of between $(0.1411) assuming that we receive the minimum gross proceeds from this offering (Cdn$6,000,000) at an initial public offering price of Cdn$0.15 (the minimum of our estimated initial public offering price range) based on the sale of 40,000,000 units and $(0.2156) assuming that we sell the maximum number of units offered under this prospectus (50,000,000 units) at an initial public offering price of Cdn$0.25 (the maximum of our estimated initial public offering price range). In addition, a majority of our outstanding options, warrants, convertible debt and convertible preferred stock may be exercised for or converted into shares of our common stock at prices that are below the expected purchase price paid by investors in this offering. In connection with this offering, we will issue warrants as part of the units and agent options exercisable to purchase that number of shares of our common stock and warrants equal to 12.5% of the aggregate number of shares of our common stock and warrants sold under the offering, at the initial public offering price per share and warrant, for a period of 12 months from the closing date. To the extent that these outstanding options, warrants, convertible debt or convertible preferred stock are exercised or converted, there may be further dilution to investors. In addition, under our fiscal advisory fee agreement with the Canadian agents, we are obligated to issue to the Canadian agents at the closing of this offering, in payment of a fiscal advisory fee of 1.0% of our common stock issued and outstanding immediately upon the closing of the offering, which will further dilute investors. Accordingly, in the event we are liquidated, investors may not receive the full amount of their investment. See “Dilution.”

 

If management continues to own a significant percentage of our outstanding common stock management may prevent other stockholders from influencing significant corporate decisions.

 

Our officers and directors currently own approximately 38% of the outstanding shares of our common stock. Following the completion of this offering, our executive officers and directors will own between approximately 31% (assuming that we receive the minimum gross proceeds from this offering (Cdn$6,000,000) at an initial public

offering price of Cdn$0.15 (the minimum of our estimated initial public offering price range) and approximately 29% (assuming that we sell the maximum number of units offered under this prospectus (50,000,000 units)) of the outstanding shares of our common stock. As a result, our management will exercise significant control over matters requiring stockholder approval, including the election of our board of directors, the approval of mergers and other extraordinary transactions, as well as the terms of any of these transactions. This concentration of ownership could have the effect of delaying or preventing a change in our control or otherwise discouraging a potential acquirer from attempting to obtain control of us, which could in turn have an adverse effect on the fair market value of our company and our common stock. The interests of these and other of our existing stockholders may conflict with the interests of our other stockholders.

 

Management will have broad discretion as to the use of the proceeds from this offering and may use the proceeds for purposes different from their current intent or not utilize the proceeds effectively.

 

While we intend to use the net proceeds of this offering to fund capital expenditures, sales and marketing efforts and research and development, repay bank and certain other borrowings, and for general corporate purposes, including working capital, we will have broad discretion to adjust the application and allocation of the net proceeds in order to address changed circumstances and opportunities. The success of our operations that are influenced by capital expenditures, research and development and working capital allocations will be substantially dependent upon the discretion and judgment of our management with respect to the application and allocation of the net proceeds of this offering. Our management will have broad discretion as to the application of the net proceeds and could use them for purposes other than those contemplated at the time of this offering. Moreover, our management may use the net proceeds for corporate purposes that may not lead to profitability or increase the fair market value of our company or our common stock.

 

Changes in the US-Canadian dollar exchange rate may cause investors purchasing units in US funds to pay more per unit than investors purchasing units in Canadian funds and therefore realize a lower return on their investment.

 

The public offering price for units offered in the United States is payable in US dollars, and the public offering price for units offered in Canada and elsewhere outside the United States is payable in Canadian dollars, except as may otherwise be agreed by the agents. The US dollar amount of the public offering price will be US$    l     (the equivalent of the Canadian dollar amount based on the closing buying rate of the Bank of Canada on the date immediately prior to the effective date of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part). US funds and Canadian funds received in payment for the units will be held in segregated escrow accounts. For purposes of determining whether we have received minimum gross proceeds of Cdn$6,000,000, US dollars received in payment for the units will be translated into the Canadian dollar equivalent at the then prevailing US-Canadian dollar exchange rate. If the value of the Canadian dollar with respect to the US dollar declines between the date immediately prior to the effective date of the registration statement and the closing date, then investors who paid for units in US funds will have paid more per unit than the investors who paid in Canadian dollars. Assuming no future changes in the exchange rate to their advantage, this would cause investors who paid for units in US funds to realize a lower return on their investment.

 

It may be difficult for us to attract or retain qualified officers and directors because of the rules and regulations that we will be subject to as a public company.

 

As a public company, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (Sarbanes-Oxley) and the related rules and regulations of the SEC, as well as the rules and regulations of applicable Canadian securities regulators and the rules of the TSX-V (if our listing application is accepted), will require us to implement additional corporate governance practices and adhere to a variety of reporting requirements and complex accounting rules. Among other things, we will be subject to rules regarding the independence of the members of our board of directors and committees of the board and their experience in finance and accounting matters and certain of our executive officers will be required to provide certifications in connection with our quarterly and annual reports filed with the SEC and applicable Canadian securities regulators. The perceived increased personal risk associated with these rules may deter qualified individuals from accepting these positions. Accordingly, we may be unable to attract and retain qualified officers and directors. If

we are unable to attract and retain qualified officers and directors, our business and our ability to obtain or maintain the listing of our shares of common stock on a stock exchange could be adversely affected.

 

If we fail to implement and maintain an effective system of internal controls, we may not be able to accurately report our financial results or prevent fraud and may fail to comply with SEC rules and the rules and regulations of applicable Canadian securities regulators.

 

We must implement and maintain effective internal financial controls for us to provide reliable and accurate financial reports and effectively prevent fraud. Implementation and maintenance of effective internal financial controls will depend on the effectiveness of our financial reporting and data systems and controls. We expect these systems and controls to become increasingly complex to the extent that our business grows. To effectively manage this growth, we will need to continue to improve our operational, financial and management controls and our reporting systems and procedures. We cannot be certain that these measures will ensure that we design, implement and maintain adequate controls over our financial processes and reporting in the future. Any failure to implement required new or improved controls, or difficulties encountered in their implementation or operation, could harm our operating results or cause us to fail to meet our financial reporting obligations. Inferior internal controls could also cause investors to lose confidence in our reported financial information, which could have a negative effect on the market price of our common stock and our access to capital.

 

Rules adopted by the SEC pursuant to Section 404 of Sarbanes-Oxley require annual assessment of our internal control over financial reporting, and attestation of this assessment by our independent registered public accountants. Under the SEC rules currently in effect, both the management assessment of our internal control over financial reporting and the attestation of management’s assessment by our independent registered public accountants will first apply to our annual report for the 2010 fiscal year. The standards governing management’s assessment of internal control over financial reporting are new and complex, and require significant documentation, testing and possible remediation to meet the detailed standards. In addition, the attestation process by our independent registered public accountants is new and we may encounter problems or delays in completing the implementation of any requested improvements and receiving an attestation of our assessment by our independent registered public accountants. If we cannot assess our internal control over financial reporting as effective, or our independent registered public accountants are unable to provide an unqualified attestation report on such assessment, investors could lose confidence in our reported financial information, which could have a negative effect on the market price of our common stock and our access to capital.

 

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, disclosure of management’s assessment of our internal control over financial reporting, or disclosure of our independent registered public accounting firm’s attestation to our report on management’s assessment of our internal control over financial reporting may have a negative effect on the market price of our common stock and our access to capital.

 

The additional expenses that we will incur as a public company, and the time our management will be required to devote to new compliance initiatives, may have a material adverse affect on our business and results of operations.

 

As a public company, we will incur significant legal, accounting and other expenses that we did not incur as a private company. In addition, Sarbanes-Oxley and the related rules and regulations of the SEC, as well as the rules and regulations of applicable Canadian securities regulators and the rules of the TSX-V (if our listing application is accepted), impose various requirements on public companies, including requiring changes in corporate governance practices. Our management and other personnel will need to devote a substantial amount of time to these compliance initiatives. Moreover, these rules and regulations will increase our legal and financial compliance costs and will make some activities more time-consuming and costly. For example, we expect these new rules and regulations to make it more difficult and more expensive for us to obtain director and officer liability insurance, and we may be required to incur substantial costs to maintain the same or similar coverage. Compliance with Section 404 of Sarbanes-Oxley will also require that we incur substantial accounting expenses and expend significant management efforts.

If our common stock is considered a “penny stock” it will be subject to additional sale and trading regulations that may make it more difficult to sell.

 

Our common stock, which is not currently listed or quoted on any national securities exchange or national quotation system, may be considered to be a “penny stock” if it does not qualify for one of the exemptions from the definition of “penny stock” under Rule 3a51-1 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (Exchange Act). Our common stock may be a “penny stock” if it meets one or more of the following conditions (i) the stock trades at a price less than $5.00 per share; (ii) it is not traded on a “recognized” national exchange; (iii) it is not quoted on the NASDAQ Capital Market, or even if so, has a price less than $5.00 per share; or (iv) is issued by a company that has been in business less than three years with net tangible assets less than $5,000,000.

 

The principal result or effect of being designated a “penny stock” is that US securities broker-dealers participating in sales of our common stock will be subject to the “penny stock” regulations set forth in Rules 15g-2 through 15g-9 promulgated under the Exchange Act. For example, Rule 15g-2 requires broker-dealers dealing in penny stocks to provide potential investors with a document disclosing the risks of penny stocks and to obtain a manually signed and dated written receipt of the document at least two business days before effecting any transaction in a penny stock for the investor’s account. Moreover, Rule 15g-9 requires broker-dealers in penny stocks to approve the account of any investor for transactions in such stocks before selling any penny stock to that investor. This procedure requires the broker-dealer to (i) obtain from the investor information concerning his or her financial situation, investment experience and investment objectives; (ii) reasonably determine, based on that information, that transactions in penny stocks are suitable for the investor and that the investor has sufficient knowledge and experience as to be reasonably capable of evaluating the risks of penny stock transactions; (iii) provide the investor with a written statement setting forth the basis on which the broker-dealer made the determination in (ii) above; and (iv) receive a signed and dated copy of such statement from the investor, confirming that it accurately reflects the investor’s financial situation, investment experience and investment objectives. Compliance with these requirements may make it more difficult and time consuming for holders of our common stock to resell their shares to third parties or to otherwise dispose of them in the market or otherwise.

 

Because we do not intend to pay dividends on our common stock, our stockholders will only realize a return (or recovery of a portion of their initial investment) on their investment upon the sale of their shares.

 

We have never declared or paid any cash dividends on our common stock. We currently intend to retain our future earnings, if any, to finance the operation and growth of our business and do not expect to pay any cash dividends.

 

Our certificate of incorporation, by-laws and Delaware law may discourage takeovers and business combinations that our stockholders might consider in their best interests.

 

Provisions in our certificate of incorporation and by-laws may delay, defer, prevent or render more difficult a takeover attempt that our stockholders might consider in their best interests. Even in the absence of a takeover attempt, the existence of these provisions may adversely affect the market value of our common stock if they are viewed as discouraging takeover attempts in the future. See “Description of Capital Stock” for additional information on the anti-takeover measures applicable to us.

 

Provisions in the amended and restated certificate of incorporation and amended and restated bylaws that will be in effect immediately after the closing of this offering, as well as provisions of Delaware law, could make it more difficult for a third party to acquire us, even if doing so would benefit our stockholders. Our proposed amended and restated certificate of incorporation and bylaws:

 

 

 

 

 

The amendment of any of these provisions would require approval by the holders of at least two thirds of our voting stock then outstanding, voting together as a single class.

 

In addition, we may become subject to Section 203 of the Delaware General Corporation Law, which generally prohibits a Delaware corporation from engaging in any of a broad range of business combinations with an interested stockholder for a period of three years following the date on which the stockholder became an interested stockholder. This provision could have the effect of delaying or preventing a change of control, whether or not it is desired by or beneficial to our stockholders.

 

If we issue new shares of preferred stock your rights as a holder of our common stock or warrants may be materially adversely affected.

 

As of the date of this prospectus, we are authorized to issue up to 6,745,681 shares of preferred stock. Immediately after the closing of this offering, the number of shares of preferred stock we are authorized to issue will be reduced to 5,000,000 shares. The designations, rights and preferences of our preferred stock may be determined from time-to-time by our board of directors. Accordingly, our board of directors is empowered, without shareholder approval, to issue one or more series of preferred stock with dividend, liquidation, conversion, voting or other rights superior to those of the holders of our common stock. For example, an issuance of shares of preferred stock could:

 

 

168,500 shares of our Series C Preferred Stock were outstanding as of the date of this prospectus. We have agreed with the agents to use our best efforts to cause all of the outstanding shares of our Series C Preferred Stock, together with all dividends accrued and unpaid thereon, to be converted into common stock prior to the effective time of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part.

 

Purchasers of our units in this offering may be diluted if we raise additional funds.

 

Our operations to date have consumed substantial amounts of cash, and we expect our capital and operating expenditures to increase in the next few years. We believe that our existing capital resources and anticipated cash flow from planned operations, together with the net proceeds of this offering (assuming that we raise the minimum gross proceeds from this offering (Cdn$6,000,000), should be adequate to satisfy our cash requirements for the next 12 months. However, we may need significant additional capital before that time. Any additional required financing may not be available on acceptable terms or at all. If we raise additional funds by issuing equity securities or convertible debt securities, further dilution to existing stockholders may result. If adequate funds are not available, our business, financial condition and results of operations and the market price of our common stock would be materially adversely affected.

We may not be able to meet our liquidity needs or to access capital when necessary because of adverse capital and credit market conditions.

 

We have historically relied on private placements of equity and debt to fund our operating losses and capital expenditure. During the past 12 months, the capital and credit markets experienced extreme volatility and disruption. Disruptions, uncertainty or volatility in the capital and credit markets may limit our ability to access the capital necessary to operate and grow our business. Adverse capital and credit market conditions may force us to delay raising capital or bear an unattractive cost of capital which could significantly reduce our financial flexibility. Our results of operations, financial condition, cash flows and capital position and the market value of our common stock could be materially adversely affected by disruptions in the financial markets.

 

If we sell additional shares of our common stock or preferred stock, we may not be able to fully utilize our net operating loss carryforwards and certain other tax attributes.

 

As of September 30, 2009, we had net operating loss carryforwards of approximately $14,300,000 million for Federal and state income tax purposes. Under Section 382 of the Internal Revenue Code, if a corporation undergoes an “ownership change,” the corporation’s ability to use its pre-change net operating loss carryforwards and other pre-change tax attributes to offset its post-change income may be limited. An ownership change is defined for these purposes as a greater than 50% change in its equity ownership by value over a three-year period. We may also experience ownership changes in the future as a result of this offering or subsequent changes in our stock ownership.

 

All references to Vuzix, the “company,” “we,” “us” and “our” are references to Vuzix Corporation.

 

Unless otherwise indicated, all references to “dollars,” “US$,” or “$” in this prospectus are to United States dollars and all references to “Cdn$” are to Canadian dollars. Unless otherwise indicated, all Canadian dollar values have been translated to US dollars, or vice versa, using a convenience translation of US$1.00 = Cdn$1.0579, the closing buying rate of the Bank of Canada on December 4, 2009.

 

This prospectus contains various company names, product names, trade names, trademarks and service marks, all of which are the properties of their respective owners.

 

Unless otherwise indicated, all references to “GAAP” in this prospectus are to United States generally accepted accounting principles.

 

We completed a 1-for-7 reverse stock split of our common stock in June 2007 and an 8-for-1 split of our common stock in July 2008. All share numbers and amounts per share in this prospectus have been retroactively adjusted to give effect to these changes.

 

Information contained on our websites, including www.vuzix.com, shall not be deemed to be part of this prospectus or incorporated herein by reference and should not be relied upon by prospective investors for the purposes of determining whether to purchase the units offered hereunder.

 

You should rely only on the information contained in this prospectus. We have not, and the agents have not, authorized any other person to provide you with different information. If anyone provides you with different or inconsistent information, you should not rely on it. We are not, and the agents are not, making an offer to sell these securities in any jurisdiction where the offer or sale is not permitted. You should assume that the information appearing in this prospectus is accurate only as of the date on the front cover of this prospectus. Our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects may have changed since that date.

 

For investors outside the United States, neither we nor any of our agents have done anything that would permit this offering or possession or distribution of this prospectus in any jurisdiction where action for that purpose is required, other than in the United States and certain provinces of Canada. You are required to inform yourself about and to observe any restrictions relating to this offering and the distribution of this prospectus.

 

This prospectus includes market and industry data that has been obtained from third party sources, including industry publications, as well as industry data prepared by our management on the basis of its knowledge of and experience in the industries in which we operate (including our management’s estimates and assumptions relating to those industries based on that knowledge). Management’s knowledge of such industries has been developed through its experience and participation in those industries. Although our management believes such information to be reliable, neither we nor our management have independently verified any of the data from third party sources referred to in this prospectus or ascertained the underlying economic assumptions relied upon by such sources. In addition, the agents have not independently verified any of the industry data prepared by management or ascertained the underlying estimates and assumptions relied upon by management. Furthermore, references in this prospectus to any publications, reports, surveys or articles prepared by third parties should not be construed as depicting the complete findings of the entire publication, report, survey or article. The information in any such publication, report survey or article is not incorporated by reference in this prospectus.

 

This prospectus contains, in addition to historical information, forward-looking statements. These statements are based on our management’s beliefs and assumptions and on information currently available to our management. The forward-looking statements are contained principally under the headings “Prospectus Summary,” “Risk Factors,” “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations,” “Use of Proceeds” and “Business.” Forward-looking statements include statements concerning:

 

 

All statements in this prospectus that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements. We may, in some cases, use terms such as “anticipates,” “believes,” “could,” “estimates,” “expects,” “intends,” “may,” “plans,” “potential,” “predicts,” “projects,” “should,” “will,” “would” or similar expressions that convey uncertainty of future events or outcomes to identify forward-looking statements.

 

The outcome of the events described in these forward-looking statements are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause our actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performances or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. These important factors include our financial performance and the other important factors we discuss in greater detail in “Risk Factors.” You should read these factors and the other cautionary statements made in this prospectus as applying to all related forward-looking statements wherever they appear in this prospectus. Given these factors, you should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. Also, forward-looking statements represent our management’s beliefs and assumptions only as of the date on which the statements are made. We undertake no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law. You should read this prospectus and the documents that we reference in this prospectus and have filed as exhibits to the registration statement, of which this prospectus is a part, completely and with the understanding that our actual future results may be materially different from what we currently expect.

 

This offering is subject to us raising minimum gross proceeds of Cdn$6,000,000 (or approximately US$ l  million). If we raise the minimum gross proceeds from this offering we estimate that the net proceeds to us, after payment of agents’ commissions and offering expenses, would be approximately Cdn$4,770,000. Assuming that we sell the maximum number of units offered (50,000,000 units) at Cdn$0.25 per unit (the maximum of our estimated initial public offering price range), we would receive gross proceeds of Cdn$12,500,000 (or approximately US$ l  million) and estimate that the net proceeds to us, after payment of agents’ commissions and offering expenses, would be approximately Cdn$10,757,000.

 

Assuming that we receive the estimated maximum amount of the proceeds from this offering, we plan to use approximately $1,236,000 of the net proceeds from this offering to repay the outstanding principal amounts of and interest accrued on our lines of credit and notes payable. The indebtedness we plan to repay includes $215,500 in principal amount plus interest payable to Paul J. Travers, our President and Chief Executive Officer, under a revolving loan agreement that we entered into with Mr. Travers in October 2008. Our indebtedness to Mr. Travers has been incurred since October 2008 and was incurred to fund our working capital requirements. This indebtedness bears interest at the annual rate of 12.0% and is payable on demand. The indebtedness under our lines of credit bears interest at annual rates ranging from 4.25% to 7.5% and is payable on demand. $500,000 in principal amount of the indebtedness we plan to repay from the proceeds of the offering was due and payable on January 31, 2009 and currently bears interest at the annual rate of 18.0%. $200,000 in principal amount of indebtedness that we plan to repay from the proceeds of the offering bears interest at an annual rate of 18.0% and $150,000 was due and payable on October 31, 2009 and the remaining $50,000 is due November 24, 2009. As of the date of this prospectus none of the holders of the loans due October 31, 2009 has demanded payment of these loans. We borrowed this $200,000 from three individual lenders (including $50,000 from Mr. Paul Churnetski, our Vice President of Quality Assurance and the beneficial owner of approximately 9% of our issued and outstanding common stock) to finance part of our working capital investment for a defense order that is currently in process and we intend to repay those loans out of revenues from that defense order if this offering does not close prior to the maturity date. Prior to the closing of this offering, we may borrow up to an additional $200,000 from one or more individual lenders on the same terms and conditions. We may not be able to borrow these additional funds on the same terms, or at all. We may not receive sufficient proceeds from this offering to repay any of this indebtedness.

 

We intend to use the remainder of the net proceeds from this offering for:

 

 

We intend to continue our development and tooling of new products that leverage our advancements in our optics and electronics technology. We believe that these new technologies, if successfully implemented, will result in significant performance improvements in our products and as a result increase our overall customer demand. Assuming that we receive the estimated maximum amount of the proceeds from this offering, our current development plans by product line are as follows:

 

 

Among the capital expenditures that we propose to finance from the proceeds of this offering over the next 18 months are the expansion of our manufacturing facilities and the purchase of engineering equipment and computer hardware and software. Among the sales and marketing expenditures that we propose to finance from the proceeds of this offering over the next 18 months is the purchase of new point of purchase (POP) display systems to show case our new products at retail outlets that we expect to carry our new products as they are released. The amounts of the proceeds from the offering that we propose to use for the purposes described above will depend on the proceeds from the offering. The table below sets forth the amount of the proceeds from this offering that we propose to use for (1) the purchase of computers and equipment; (2) new product tooling; (3) new product engineering and design; (4) general research and development; (5) the purchase of POP display systems; and (6) working capital purposes depending on the gross proceeds from the offering over the range from Cdn$6,000,000 (or approximately US$ l  million) (the minimum gross proceeds of the offering) to Cdn$12,500,000 (or approximately US$ l  million) (the gross proceeds that we would receive upon the sale of 50,000,000 units (the maximum number of units offered under this prospectus) at Cdn$0.25 (the maximum of our estimated initial public offering price range). This table does not set forth all possibilities. Regardless of the number of units sold, we expect to incur offering expenses estimated at approximately Cdn$743,000 for legal, accounting, printing, and other costs in connection with this offering. We may not receive sufficient proceeds from this offering to undertake all these new product development and tooling programs, capital expenditures, sales and marketing efforts and ongoing research and accordingly we will have to reduce the speed and number of our new product development plans and the number of new products under development. We may also use a portion of the net proceeds to acquire businesses, technologies or other assets. We have no agreements or arrangements with respect to any acquisitions at the present time. There is no guarantee that we will be successful at selling any of the securities being offered in this prospectus. Accordingly, the actual amount of proceeds we will raise in this offering, if any, may differ.

 

 

 

 

Although we intend to use the proceeds from the offering as set forth above, the actual amount that we spend in connection with each intended use of the proceeds may vary significantly from the amounts specified above and will be dependent on a number of factors, including those referenced under “Risk Factors”.

 

Notwithstanding the foregoing, we cannot specify with certainty the uses for the net proceeds to be received upon the completion of this offering. Our management will have broad discretion as to how to spend and invest

between the approximately US$1,804,000 and US$5,332,000 in possible unallocated general working capital as shown in the table above. Investors will be relying on the judgment of our management regarding the application of these proceeds. You will not have the opportunity to evaluate the economic, financial or other information on which we base our decisions on how to use these proceeds. The timing and amount of our actual expenditures will be based on many factors, including cash flows (used for) or from operations, available technology advances and the growth of our business. The funds may not be fully used for a significant period following the closing of the offering. Pending the uses described above, we intend to invest the net proceeds from this offering in short-term, investment grade, interest bearing securities. We cannot predict whether the proceeds invested will yield a favorable return.

 

We have agreed with Mr. Travers and Grant Russell, our Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, that we will pay them deferred compensation in the aggregate amount of $445,096, plus interest at the annual rate of 8.0%, and $209,208 in aggregate principal amount, plus interest at the annual rate of 8.0%, in repayment of loans made to us more than five years ago by those officers to finance our operations, either in one lump sum on or before the first anniversary of the closing of this offering from the proceeds of the exercise of the warrants included in the units and the warrants issuable upon exercise of the agents’ compensation options if and when at least 50% of those warrants are exercised or otherwise in 12 equal monthly installments beginning on the first anniversary of the closing of this offering until paid in full. Any additional proceeds from any exercise of the warrants included in the units and the warrants issuable upon exercise of the agents’ compensation options will be used for working capital. If all of these warrants were to be exercised, we would receive additional funds ranging in total of approximately Cdn$4,500,000 to Cdn$9,375,000. These warrants may not be exercised before they expire 36 months after the closing.

 

We have never declared or paid any cash dividends on our common stock. We currently intend to retain all available funds and any future earnings to support our operations and finance the growth and development of our business. We do not intend to pay cash dividends on our common or preferred stock for the foreseeable future. Any future determination related to dividend policy will be made at the discretion of our board of directors. Additionally, our lines of credit prohibit us from paying cash dividends at any time at which any amount remains outstanding under the lines. Although the outstanding principal amounts of and interest accrued on our lines of credit will be paid in full from the proceeds of this offering we expect that we will draw down on the lines of credit from time to time after this offering. We are not subject to any restrictions that would prevent us from paying a dividend except for the restrictions under our lines of credit and restrictions under TSX-V policies, our certificate of incorporation and bylaws and the Delaware General Corporation Law.

 

The following table sets forth our cash and cash equivalents and our capitalization as of September 30, 2009:

 

 

 

You should read the information in this table together with our consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes and “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” appearing elsewhere in this prospectus.

 

 

 

 

The number of shares of common stock to be outstanding immediately after this offering is based on the number of shares outstanding as of September 30, 2009 and excludes:

 

 

In consideration of certain fiscal advisory services rendered by the Canadian agents to us pursuant to a fiscal advisory fee agreement between us and the Canadian agents, we have agreed to issue to the Canadian agents at the closing of this offering, in payment of a fiscal advisory fee 1.0% of our common stock issued and outstanding immediately upon the closing of the offering. The issuance of these shares to the Canadian agents is not covered by this prospectus. These shares will be issued pursuant to exemptions from the registration requirements of applicable United States and Canadian securities laws and subject to resale restrictions under those laws and a lock-up agreement for one year. See “Underwriting — Fiscal Advisory Fee Agreement.”

 

Consolidated Capitalization

 

Except as disclosed in the table above, there have been no material changes in our share and loan capital since December 31, 2008.

 

If you invest in our units in this offering, your ownership interest will be diluted to the extent of the difference between the initial public offering price per unit and the pro forma net tangible book value per share of our common stock after this offering. The historical net tangible book value of our common stock as of September 30, 2009 was a deficit of approximately $(6,534,000), or $(0.0296) per share, based on the number of shares outstanding as of September 30, 2009. Historical net tangible book value per share is determined by dividing the number of outstanding shares of our common stock into our total tangible assets, or total assets less intangible assets, less our total liabilities and less the carrying value of our total convertible preferred stock. Investors participating in this offering will incur immediate, substantial dilution. Our pro forma net tangible book value as of September 30, 2009 was a deficit of approximately $(4,320,000), or approximately $(0.0200) per share. Pro forma net tangible book value per share represents the amount of our total tangible assets less our total liabilities, divided by the pro forma number of shares of our common stock outstanding after giving effect to the conversion of all outstanding shares of our Series C Preferred Stock, together with all dividends accrued and unpaid thereon, into 7,148,982 shares of our common stock and $75,000 in aggregate principal amount of convertible promissory notes, together with all interest accrued and unpaid thereon, into 2,295,130 shares of our common stock upon completion of this offering.

 

The following table sets forth our pro forma as adjusted net tangible book value as of September 30, 2009 assuming the sale of (i) 40,000,000 units at an initial public offering price of Cdn$0.15 per unit (the minimum of our estimated initial public offering price range) resulting in gross proceeds of Cdn$6,000,000 (or approximately US$ l  million) (the minimum gross proceeds to us of this offering); (ii) 40,000,000 units at an initial public offering price of Cdn$0.20 per unit (the midpoint of our estimated initial public offering price range) resulting in gross proceeds of Cdn$8,000,000; (iii) 50,000,000 units at an initial public offering price of Cdn$0.20 per unit (the midpoint of our estimated initial public offering price range) resulting in gross proceeds of Cdn$10,000,000; and (iv) the sale of 50,000,000 units (the maximum number of units offered under this prospectus) at an initial public offering price of Cdn$0.25 per unit (the maximum of our estimated initial public offering price range) resulting in gross proceeds of Cdn$12,500,000 (or approximately US$ l  million), and after deducting estimated underwriting commissions and offering expenses of between Cdn$1,223,000 and Cdn$1,743,000, and the issuance of up to 2,797,130 shares of our common stock to the Canadian agents in payment of a fiscal advisory fee:

 

 

The following table summarizes, on a pro forma as adjusted basis as of September 30, 2009, the differences between the number of shares of common stock purchased from us, the total consideration and the average price per share paid by existing stockholders and by investors participating in this offering, after deducting estimated underwriting discounts and commissions and offering expenses of between Cdn$1,223,000 and Cdn$1,743,000, assuming the sale of the number of units at the initial public offering prices specified below and the issuance of the

corresponding number of shares of our common stock to the Canadian agents pursuant to our fiscal advisory fee agreement with the Canadian agents:

 

 

The discussion and table above assume no exercise of the agents’ compensation options or any other options or warrants outstanding on the date of this prospectus. If the agents’ compensation options are exercised in full, the number of shares of common stock held by existing stockholders will be reduced to 78.8% of the total number of shares of common stock to be outstanding after this offering, and the number of shares of common stock held by investors participating in this offering will be increased to 288,760,169 shares or 19.5% of the total number of shares of common stock outstanding after this offering.

 

In consideration of certain fiscal advisory services rendered by the Canadian agents to us pursuant to a fiscal advisory fee agreement between us and the Canadian agents, we have agreed to issue to the Canadian agents at the closing of this offering, in payment of a fiscal advisory fee, that number of shares of our common stock equal to 1.0% of our common stock issued and outstanding immediately upon the closing of the offering. The table above assumes that we will issue the maximum number of shares issuable to the Canadian agents under the fiscal advisory fee agreement. The issuance of these shares to the Canadian agents is not covered by this prospectus. These shares will be issued pursuant to exemptions from the registration requirements of applicable United States and Canadian securities laws and subject to resale restrictions under these laws and a lock-up agreement for one year. See “Underwriting — Fiscal Advisory Fee Agreement.”

 

The share data in the table above is based on the number of shares outstanding as of September 30, 2009 and excludes:

 

 

 

To the extent that any of these options or warrants are exercised, new options are issued under our equity incentive plans or we issue additional shares of common stock in the future, there will be further dilution to investors participating in this offering.

 

Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk

 

Foreign Currency Exchange Risk

 

In 2008, approximately 92% of our total sales were comprised of sales to customers in the United States and 8% were comprised of sales to customers outside the United States. Of our sales received in 2008 from customers outside of the United States, 95% were paid in currencies other than US dollars. Therefore, our results could be negatively affected by such factors as changes in foreign currency exchange rates, trade protection measures and changes in regional or worldwide economic or political conditions. We also buy many components manufactured in other countries in transactions denominated in US dollars. The domestic currencies of some of those suppliers fluctuate with the US dollar. As a result, changes in the cost of our components can occur with each new purchase. A decrease in the value of the US dollar against our supplier’s domestic currencies could negatively and materially affect our manufacturing costs. A 10% change in the value of the US dollar relative to each of the foreign currencies in which our sales are denominated would have resulted in a change in our sales of no more than 2%. Historically, we have not tried to reduce our exposure to exchange rate fluctuations by engaging in hedging activities.

 

Interest Rate Risk

 

At December 31, 2008, we had unrestricted cash and cash equivalents totaling $818,719, and at December 31, 2007 we had unrestricted cash and cash equivalents totaling $364,856. These amounts were not held in interest-bearing accounts. The unrestricted cash and cash equivalents were held for working capital purposes. We do not enter into investments for trading or speculative purposes. The interest rates on our $879,208 of notes payable outstanding at December 31, 2008 are fixed at a range of between 7.5% and 12.0% and a weighted average range of approximately 10%. If market interest rates increase, the fair value of our notes payable would decrease.

 

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

 

In December 2007, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued FASB ASC 810-10-65 (formerly SFAS No. 160, Non-controlling Interests in Consolidated Financial Statements — an amendment of ARB No. 51). FASB ASC 810-10-65 establishes accounting and reporting standards for ownership interests in subsidiaries held by parties other than the parent. Specifically, FASB ASC 810-10-65 requires the presentation of non-controlling interests as equity in the Consolidated Balance Sheets, and separate identification and presentation in the Consolidated Statements of Income of net income attributable to the entity and the non-controlling interest. It also establishes accounting and reporting standards regarding deconsolidation and changes in a parent’s ownership interest. FASB ASC 810-10-65 is effective as of January 1, 2009. The provisions of FASB ASC 810-10-65 are generally required to be applied prospectively, except for the presentation and disclosure requirements, which must be applied retrospectively. The adoption of FASB ASC 810-10-65 did not have a material effect on our consolidated financial statements.

 

In December 2007, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued FASB ASC 805 (formerly SFAS 141(R), Business Combinations). FASB ASC 805 provides revised guidance for recognition and measurement of identifiable assets and goodwill acquired, liabilities assumed and any non-controlling interest in the acquiree at fair value. The statement also establishes disclosure requirements to enable the evaluation of the nature and financial effects of a business combination. FASB ASC 805 is required to be applied prospectively to business combinations for which the acquisition date is on or after January 1, 2009. The impact of the adoption of

FASB ASC 805 on our consolidated financial position and results of operations for the first three quarters of 2009 did not have a material effect on our consolidated financial statements. Any subsequent impact will be dependent on the size and nature of business combinations, if any, completed in the future.

 

We adopted, as of July 1, 2009, the Financial Accounting Standards Board’s (“FASB’s”) Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) as the source of authoritative accounting principles recognized by the FASB to be applied to nongovernmental entities in the preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP. The ASC does not change authoritative guidance. Accordingly, implementing the ASC did not change any of our accounting, and therefore, did not have an impact on our consolidated results. References to authoritative GAAP literature have been updated accordingly.

 

On January 1, 2009, we adopted the provisions of FASB ASC topic 820 Fair Value Measurements and Disclosures (formerly SFAS No. 157, Fair Value Measurements), with respect to non-financial assets and liabilities. This pronouncement defines fair value, establishes a framework for measuring fair value and expands disclosures about fair value measurements. The adoption of ASC topic 820 did not have a material impact on our consolidated financial statements.

 

On January 1, 2009, we adopted FASB ASC topic 815-40 “Determining Whether an Instrument (or Embedded Feature) is indexed to an Entity’s Own Stock” (formerly EITF 07-5). ASC topic 815-40 provides guidance on determining whether an instrument (or an embedded feature) is indexed to an entity’s own stock, which would qualify as a scope exception under prior authoritative literature FASB No. 133. “Accounting for Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities” ASC 815-40 is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2008. The adoption ASC topic 815-40 did not have a material impact on our consolidated financial statements.

 

On January 1, 2009, we adopted the provisions of FASB ASC Topic 320-10-65 (formerly FSP FAS 107-1 and APB 28-1) “Interim Disclosures about Fair Value of Financial Instruments”. This update requires fair value disclosures for financial instruments that are not currently reflected on the balance sheet at fair value on a quarterly basis. The adoption of ASC Topic 320-10-65 did not have a material impact on our consolidated financial statements.

 

On January 1, 2009, we adopted the provisions of ASC 815-10 (formerly FASB Statement 161, “Disclosures about Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities — an amendment of FASB Statement No. 133”). FASB ASC 815-10 requires enhanced disclosures about an entity’s derivative and hedging activities. FASB ASC 815-10 is effective for financial statements issued for fiscal years and interim periods beginning after November 15, 2008 with early application encouraged. The adoption of this pronouncement did not have a material impact on our consolidated financial statements.

 

In May 2009, we adopted FASB ASC topic 855, “Subsequent Events” (formerly SFAS No. 165). This Statement sets forth: (i) the period after the balance sheet date during which management of a reporting entity should evaluate events or transactions that may occur for potential recognition or disclosure in the financial statements; (ii) the circumstances under which an entity should recognize events or transactions occurring after the balance sheet date in its financial statements; and (iii) the disclosures that an entity should make about events or transactions that occurred after the balance sheet date. The adoption of ASC topic 855 did not have a material impact on our consolidated financial statements. We have evaluated the period beginning October 1, 2009 through November 16, 2009, the date our financial statements were issued, and concluded there were no events or transactions occurring during this period that required recognition or disclosure in its financial statements.

 

In June 2009, the FASB issued ASC topic 105 “Generally Accepted Accounting Principles”, (formerly Statement of Financial Standards (SFAS) No. 168, The Hierarchy of Generally Accepted Accounting Principles). ASC topic 105 contains guidance which reduces the U.S. GAAP hierarchy to two levels, one that is authoritative and one that is not. This pronouncement is effective September 15, 2009. The adoption of this pronouncement did not have a material impact on our consolidated financial statements.

 

In September 2009, the FASB issued Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) No. 2009-08, “Earnings Per Share” Amendments to Section 260-10-S99. This Codification Update represents technical corrections to Topic 260-10-S99, Earnings per Share, based on EITF Topic D-53, “Computation of Earnings Per Share for a Period that Includes a Redemption or an Induced Conversion of a Portion of a Class of Preferred Stock” and EITF Topic D-42,

The Effect of the Calculation of Earnings per Share for the Redemption or Induced Conversion of Preferred Stock goes into effect in the period that includes a redemption or induced conversion. Adoption of this new guidance did not have a material impact on our consolidated financial statements.

 

In October 2009, the FASB issued authoritative guidance on ASC 605-25 “Revenue Recognition — Multiple-Deliverable Revenue Arrangement” that will become effective beginning July 1, 2010, with earlier adoption permitted. Under the new guidance, when vendor specific objective evidence or third party evidence for deliverables in an arrangement cannot be determined, a best estimate of the selling price is required to separate deliverables and allocate arrangement consideration using the relative selling price method. The new guidance includes new disclosure requirements on how the application of the relative selling price method affects the timing and amount of revenue recognition. We believe adoption of this new guidance will not have a material impact on our consolidated financial statements.

 

The following tables present our summary financial data and should be read together with our financial statements and accompanying notes and “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” appearing elsewhere in this prospectus. The summary financial data for the years ended December 31, 2008, 2007 and 2006 are derived from our audited annual financial statements, which are included elsewhere in this prospectus. The unaudited summary financial data as of September 30, 2009 and for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2009 and 2008 have been derived from our unaudited interim financial statements, which are included elsewhere in this prospectus, and include all adjustments, consisting of normal recurring adjustments, necessary for a fair presentation of our financial position and results of operations for these periods.

 

 

 

 

 

 

You should read the following discussion and analysis of financial condition and results of operations in conjunction with the “Selected Financial and Other Data” and our financial statements and related notes appearing elsewhere in this prospectus. In addition to historical information, the following discussion and analysis includes forward looking statements that involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions. Our actual results and the timing of events could differ materially from those anticipated in these forward looking statements as a result of a variety of factors, including those discussed in “Risk Factors” and elsewhere in this prospectus. See the discussion under “Forward Looking Statements” beginning on page 28 of this prospectus.

 

Overview

 

We are engaged in the design, manufacture, marketing and sale of devices that are worn like eyeglasses and feature built-in video screens that enable the user to view video and digital content, such as movies, computer data, the Internet or video games. Our products (known commercially as Video Eyewear, but also commonly referred to as virtual displays, wearable displays, personal viewers, head mounted displays, or near-to-eye displays) are used to view high-resolution video and digital information primarily from mobile electronic devices (such as cell phones, portable media players, gaming systems and laptop computers) and from desktop computers. Our products provide the user a viewing experience that simulates viewing a large screen television or a desktop computer monitor.

 

Our Video Eyewear products feature high performance miniature display modules, low power electronics and related optical systems. We produce both monocular and binocular Video Eyewear devices that we believe are excellent solutions for many mobile computer or video viewing requirements. We focus on two markets: the consumer markets for gaming and mobile video and rugged mobile displays for defense and industrial applications. We also offer low-vision assist Video Eyewear products that are designed to assist and improve the remaining vision of many people suffering from macular degeneration.

 

Since our inception in 1997, we have derived the majority of our sales from fees paid to us under research and development contracts and related volume manufacturing services primarily of night vision display electronics as a sub-contractor to defense suppliers to the US government. Since 2005, we have devoted significant resources to the development and commercial launch of our industrial and consumer products. During 2008 and 2007, we derived 35.6 and 32.4%, respectively, of our sales from our consumer Video Eyewear products.

 

We believe our intellectual property portfolio gives us a leadership position in microdisplay electronics, ergonomics, packaging, motion tracking and optical systems.

 

Critical Accounting Policies and Significant Developments and Estimates

 

The discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations are based on our financial statements and related notes appearing elsewhere in this prospectus. The preparation of these statements in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles requires the appropriate application of certain accounting policies, many of which require us to make estimates and assumptions about future events and their impact on amounts reported in our financial statements, including the statement of operations, balance sheet, cash flow and related notes. Since future events and their impact cannot be determined with certainty, the actual results will inevitably differ from our estimates. Such differences could be material to the financial statements.

 

We believe that our application of accounting policies, and the estimates inherently required therein, are reasonable. These accounting policies and estimates are periodically reevaluated, and adjustments are made when facts and circumstances dictate a change. Historically, we have found our application of accounting policies to be appropriate, and actual results have not differed materially from those determined using necessary estimates.

 

Our accounting policies are more fully described in the notes to our financial statements included in this prospectus. In reading our financial statements, you should be aware of the factors and trends that our management

believes are important in understanding our financial performance. The critical accounting policies, judgments and estimates that we believe have the most significant effect on our financial statements are:

 

 

Valuation of Inventories

 

Inventory is stated at the lower of cost or market, with cost determined on a first-in, first-out method. Inventory includes purchased parts and components, work in process and finished goods. Provisions for excess, obsolete or slow moving inventory are recorded after periodic evaluation of historical sales, current economic trends, forecasted sales, estimated product lifecycles and estimated inventory levels. Purchasing practices, electronic component obsolescence, accuracy of sales and production forecasts, introduction of new products, product lifecycles, product support and foreign regulations governing hazardous materials are the factors that contribute to inventory valuation risks. Exposure to inventory valuation risks is managed by maintaining safety stocks, minimum purchase lots, managing product and end-of-life issues brought on by aging components or new product introductions, and by utilizing certain inventory minimization strategies such as vendor-managed inventories. The accounting estimate related to valuation of inventories is considered a “critical accounting estimate” because it is susceptible to changes from period-to-period due to the requirement for management to make estimates relative to each of the underlying factors, ranging from purchasing, to sales, to production, to after-sale support. If actual demand, market conditions or product lifecycles differ from estimates, inventory adjustments to lower market values would result in a reduction to the carrying value of inventory, an increase in inventory write-offs and a decrease to gross margins.

 

Carrying Value of Long-Lived Assets

 

If facts and circumstances indicate that a long-lived asset, including a products’ mold tooling and equipment, may be impaired, the carrying value is reviewed in accordance with FASB ASC Topic 360-10, (formerly SFAS No. 144). If this review indicates that the carrying value of the asset will not be recovered as determined based on projected undiscounted cash flows related to the asset over its remaining life, the carrying value of the asset is reduced to its estimated fair value. To date, no impairment on long-lived assets has been booked. Impairment losses in the future will be dependent on a number of factors such as general economic trends and major technology advances, and thus could be significantly different than historical results.

 

Valuation of Intangible Assets

 

We perform a valuation of intangible assets when events or circumstances indicate their carrying amounts may be unrecoverable. We have not impaired the value of certain intellectual property, such as patents and trademarks, which were valued (net of accumulated amortization) at $726,998 as of September 30, 2009, because management believes that its value is recoverable.

 

Revenue Recognition

 

Revenue from product sales is recognized in accordance with FASB ASC Topic 605, (formerly the SEC Staff Accounting Bulletin No. 104,) Revenue Recognition  Product sales represent the majority of our revenue. We recognize revenue from these product sales when persuasive evidence of an arrangement exists, delivery has occurred or services have been provided, the sale price is fixed or determinable, and collectability is reasonably