SOBR Safe, Inc. [SOBR] Filings

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

Form 10-K

☒   ANNUAL REPORT UNDER SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2023

OR

☐   TRANSITION REPORT UNDER SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the transition period from_____________ to _____________.

Commission file number 000-53316

Registrant’s telephone number, including area code (844) 762-7723

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

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act: None

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act. Yes ☐   No ☒

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Act. Yes ☐   No ☒

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. Yes ☒   No ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§ 232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit such files) Yes ☒   No ☐

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

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

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

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

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

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

Aggregate market value of the voting and non-voting stock held by non-affiliates as of June 30, 2023: $31,525,769 as based on last reported sales price of such stock $1.71 on June 30, 2023. The voting stock held by non-affiliates on that date consisted of 13,904,022 shares of common stock.

Applicable Only to Registrants Involved in Bankruptcy Proceedings During the Preceding Five Years:

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has filed all documents and reports required to be filed by Sections 12, 13 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act of 1934 subsequent to the distribution of securities under a plan confirmed by a court. Yes ☐ No ☐

Applicable Only to Corporate Registrants:

Indicate the number of shares outstanding of each of the registrant’s classes of common stock, as of the latest practicable date. As of March 29, 2024, there were 20,007,465 shares of common stock, $0.00001 par value, issued and outstanding.

Documents Incorporated by Reference

List hereunder the following documents if incorporated by reference and the Part of the Form 10-K (e.g., Part I, Part II, etc.) into which the document is incorporated:(1) Any annual report to security holders; (2) Any proxy or information statement; and (3) Any prospectus filed pursuant to rule 424(b) or (c) of the Securities Act of 1933. The listed documents should be clearly described for identification purposes (e.g., annual report to security holders for fiscal year ended December 24, 1980). None. 

SOBR Safe, Inc.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

PART I

Special Note Regarding Forward Looking Statements

This Annual Report includes forward‑looking statements within the meaning of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the “Exchange Act”). These statements are based on management’s beliefs and assumptions, and on information currently available to management. Forward‑looking statements include the information concerning possible or assumed future results of operations of the Company set forth under the heading “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.” Forward‑looking statements also include statements in which words such as “expect,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “plan,” “believe,” “estimate,” “consider,” or similar expressions are used.

Forward‑looking statements are not guarantees of future performance. They involve risks, uncertainties, and assumptions. The Company’s future results and shareholder values may differ materially from those expressed in these forward‑looking statements. Readers are cautioned not to put undue reliance on any forward‑looking statements.

ITEM 1 – BUSINESS

Corporate History

On September 19, 2011, we, Imagine Media, Ltd., a Delaware corporation, acquired approximately 52% of the outstanding shares of TransBiotec, Inc. (“TBT”), a California corporation, from TBT’s directors in exchange for 124,439 shares of our common stock. In January 2012, our Board of Directors amended our Certificate of Incorporation changing our name from Imagine Media, Ltd. to TransBiotec, Inc., and we acquired approximately 45% of the remaining outstanding shares of TBT in exchange for 109,979 shares of our common stock. With the acquisitions in September 2011 and January 2012 of TBT common stock, we own approximately 99% of the outstanding shares of TBT. As a result of the acquisitions, TBT’s business is our business, and, unless otherwise indicated, any references to “we” or “us” include the business and operations of TBT.

On March 9, 2020, our Board of Directors approved the amendment to our Certificate of Incorporation and stockholders holding 52.24% of our then outstanding voting stock approved an amendment to our Certificate of Incorporation. The Certificate of Amendment to our Certificate of Incorporation was for the purpose of, among other things, changing our name from “TransBiotec, Inc.” to “SOBR Safe, Inc.” The Certificate of Amendment to our Certificate of Incorporation became effective with the State of Delaware on April 24, 2020.

At the open of market on April 28, 2022, our 1-for-3 reverse split of our common stock went effective with the OTC Markets. As a result, all common stock share amounts, as well as share amounts and exercise and conversion prices in derivative security instruments have been adjusted to reflect the reverse stock split.

Pursuant to approval of an application with the Nasdaq Captial Market (“Nasdaq”) to up list our common stock to their exchange under the ticker symbol “SOBR,” our common stock began trading and quoted on the Nasdaq on May 16, 2022. Prior to this up list to the Nasdaq, our common stock was quoted on the “OTCQB” tier of the OTC Markets under the ticker symbol “SOBR.”

Our corporate offices are located at 6400 South Fiddlers Green Circle, Suite 1400, Greenwood Village, Colorado 80111, telephone number (844) 762-7723.

Business Overview

General

We provide non-invasive technology to quickly and humanely identify the presence of alcohol in individuals. These technologies are integrated within our robust and scalable data platform, producing statistical and measurable user and business data. Our mission is to save lives, increase productivity, create significant economic benefits and positively impact behavior. To that end, we developed the scalable, patent-pending SOBRsafe™ software platform for non-invasive alcohol detection and identity verification, a solution that has current and potential applications in:

We are now in commercial production and sale of our SOBRcheck™ solution. We have executed customer agreements and have had revenue since the first quarter 2022.

Our second device, the wearable wristband SOBRsure™, utilizes the same SOBRsafe™ hardware/software platform. The wearable band is in commercial production and became available for sale in late September 2023 with initial revenues being generated in October 2023.

Design, manufacturing, quality testing and distribution for all SOBRsafe™ devices takes place in the United States.

SOBRcheck™

SOBRcheck™ is our stationary identification and alcohol monitoring product. When installed, SOBRcheck™ enables a rapid, hygienic biometric finger scan to authenticate ID and determine the presence or absence of alcohol. The SOBRcheck™ product provides the administrator with real-time results, delivered securely, to more efficiently manage their existing substance abuse policy. Our device is meant to be a specific point in time, quick test for the presence of alcohol, with the results to be used as a complementary data source in support of the organization’s alcohol policies. If alcohol is detected by the device, then our customers follow up in accordance with its own policies, which could include additional tests via a blood test or breathalyzer (we will not provide these devices). We may gather de-identified information regarding Pass/Fail tests for use in studies or other revenue generating opportunities, and will  not include any specific data about an individual user.

SOBRsure™

Our transdermal, alcohol-detecting, fitness-style wearable band, SOBRsure™, contains our SOBRsafe™ technology for ongoing, real-time alcohol monitoring and GPS tracking.

Our SOBRcheck™ revenue model consists of two components: a one-time purchase price per device and a recurring monthly SaaS fee per user or flat rate fee per user range. We employ a similar model for the wearable band SOBRsure™: a one-time purchase price per device and a monthly per user subscription fee.

We believe our device portfolio approach could yield a substantial repository of user data – a potentially monetizable asset for statistical analytics. The opportunity to collect data points over time could enable the development of business and insurance liability benchmarking, and through AI, powerful guidance for perpetual safety improvement (and associated cost savings capture). By demonstrating substance-free environments, organizations could deliver a data-driven argument for lowering insurance premiums. We could potentially partner with insurance providers to mandate use of the SOBRsafe™ devices and/or technology.

Competitive Advantages

We are a leading provider of preventative transdermal (touch-based) alcohol detection systems in the U.S. market by seeking to proactively eliminate the presence of alcohol in zero-tolerance environments, and not simply punish the offender post-accident or other violation. We have entered the behavioral health and judicially-mandated market and most companies we consider to be our primary competitors, like SCRAM, BACtrack, Soberlink and others are primarily focused on breathalyzers for breath alcohol concentration (BrAC) measurement, or locking ankle monitors.

Our SOBRcheck™ device is a patent-pending, touch-based identity verification and alcohol detection solution. A user places two fingers on the device’s sensors for which one compares biometric data points from the finger to confirm identity, while the other senses alcohol released through humidity and/or perspiration emitted from the pores of the fingertip. The touch-based device connects to the SOBRsafe™ software solution to collect, present and communicate data collected to prescribed parties.

Our SOBRsure™ device is a patent-pending, fitness-style wearable band with an alcohol detection solution intended for discrete, low-profile and voluntary use. The wearable band is a device which includes a contained sensor which senses alcohol released through humidity and/or perspiration emitted from the pores of the skin. The wearable band connects to a mobile device via Bluetooth communication where the SOBRsafe™ mobile application collects and transmits collected data to the SOBRsafe™ software solution. The SOBRsure™ device provides passive, real-time alcohol insights to administrators, clinicians, parents and more, and also includes device removal and service interruption notifications.

Marketing

We have developed a marketing plan that includes 1) consumer e-commerce solutions and enhancements 2) affiliate partners, 3) brand ambassadors and social media influencers, 4) online paid advertising, 5) search engine optimization (SEO) and search engine marketing (SEM) 6) alcohol detection/testing channel partners, 7) territorial sales agents, 8) direct sales, 9) trade shows, 10) public relations, 11) advocacy group alignment, 12) ongoing brand development and 13) continuous pursuit of cutting-edge technologies for future integration.

As of December 31, 2023, we have engaged and signed six channel partners to augment our sales and marketing efforts, serving six business customers with SOBRsafe™ devices and services, and completed commercial sales of the SOBRsure™ device.

Intellectual Property

We possess the following patent and pending patent applications related to our SOBRsafe™ system and related devices:

We are currently applying for the related patents to convert our Provisionals as part of our patent defense strategy.

We applied for trademarks related to the SOBRsafe™ system, SOBRcheck™ and SOBRsure™, and “SOBR” as standard characters with no specific formatting.

Government Regulation

As we utilize a unique “Pass/Fail” methodology that simply alerts to the presence of alcohol (as opposed to measuring a discrete BrAC) – information that may be used at the discretion of the employer (or counselor, parent, etc.) – we do not believe we will be subject to any government regulation in the targeted alcohol detection markets including Behavioral Health, Justice, Alcohol Rehabilitation, Consumer, Facility & Fleet, or Young Driver markets. In the Judicial market, regulations vary significantly by state; some states only allow for the use of certain methodologies like breath or urine, while others do not specify and there exists no regulated barrier to entry for a transdermal solution.

Human Capital Resources and Employees

As of March 29, 2024, there are a total of 14 full time employees, including Company officers Chairman/Chief Executive Officer/Secretary, David Gandini, and Chief Financial Officer, Christopher Whitaker. The employee base primarily operates from our corporate offices located in Greenwood Village, Colorado. Employees who operate remotely from our corporate offices primarily consist of territorial sales and business development representatives. The remainder of our workforce consists of professional consultants in supporting roles due to the size and nature of our business.

Oversight and Management

Our executive officers are tasked with leading our organization in managing employment-related matters, including recruiting and hiring, onboarding and training, compensation planning and talent management and development. We are committed to providing team members with the training and resources necessary to continually strengthen their skills. Our executive team is responsible for periodically reviewing development and training programs, diversity efforts, business ethics and compliance training, team member benefit programs and initiatives, including healthcare and other benefits, as well as our management development and succession planning practices. Management periodically reports to the Board and the Compensation Committee regarding our human capital measures and results that guide how we attract, compensate, retain and develop a workforce to enable our business strategies.

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

We believe that a diverse workforce is critical to our success, and we continue to monitor and improve the application of our hiring, retention, compensation and advancement processes for women and underrepresented populations across our workforce, including persons of color, veterans and LGBTQ+ to enhance our inclusive and diverse culture. We continue to invest in recruiting diverse talent.

Workplace Safety and Health

A vital part of our business is providing our workforce with a safe, healthy and sustainable working environment. We focus on implementing change through workforce observation and feedback channels to recognize risk and continuously improve our processes. 

Available Information

 As a public company, we are required to file our annual reports on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K, proxy statements on Schedule 14A and other information (including any amendments) with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”). The SEC maintains an Internet site that contains reports, proxy and information statements, and other information regarding issuers that file electronically with the SEC. You can find our SEC filings at the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov.

 Our Internet address is www.sobrsafe.com. Information contained on our website is not part of this Annual Report. Our SEC filings (including any amendments) are also made available free of charge on www.sobrsafe.com, as soon as reasonably practicable after we electronically file such material with, or furnish it to, the SEC.

ITEM 1A. – RISK FACTORS.

As a smaller reporting company, we are not required to provide a statement of risk factors. However, we believe this information may be valuable to our shareholders for this filing. We reserve the right to not provide risk factors in our future filings. Our primary risk factors and other considerations include:

We have a limited operating history and historical financial information upon which you may evaluate our performance.

You should consider, among other factors, our prospects for success in light of the risks and uncertainties encountered by companies that, like us, are in their early stages of development. We may not successfully address these risks and uncertainties or successfully implement our existing and new products. If we fail to do so, it could materially harm our business and impair the value of our common stock. Even if we accomplish these objectives, we may not generate positive cash flows or profits. We were incorporated in Delaware on August 10, 2007. Our business to date has focused on developing and improving our technologies, potential products, filing patents, and hiring management and staff personnel. Unanticipated problems, expenses and delays are frequently encountered in establishing a new business and developing new products. These include, but are not limited to, inadequate funding, lack of consumer acceptance, competition, product development, and inadequate sales and marketing. The failure by us to meet any of these conditions would have a materially adverse effect upon us and may force us to reduce or curtail operations. No assurance can be given that we can or will ever operate profitably.

We may not be able to meet our future capital needs.

To date, we have generated limited revenue. Our future capital requirements will depend on many factors, including our ability to develop our products, generate cash flow from operations, and competing market developments. Our ability to achieve future profitability is dependent on a variety of factors, many of which are outside of our control. Failure to achieve profitability or sustain profitability, if achieved, may require us to raise additional financing, which could have a material negative impact on the market value of our Common Stock. Any equity financings will result in dilution to our then-existing stockholders. Sources of debt financing may result in high interest expense. Any financing, if available, may be on unfavorable terms.

If we cannot obtain achieve or sustain profitability or additional funding, our technology and product development and commercialization efforts may be reduced or discontinued and we may not be able to continue operations.

We have experienced recurring net losses since inception, and as of December 31, 2023, had an accumulated deficit of $87,765,981. We believe that we will continue to incur substantial operating expenses in the foreseeable future as we continue to invest to develop and expand technology and product offerings and attract new customers. These efforts may prove more expensive than we anticipate, and we may not succeed in obtaining the net revenue and operating margins necessary to offset these expenses. Accordingly, we may not be able to achieve profitability, and we may incur significant losses for the foreseeable future.

Development of our technology and our product development efforts are highly dependent on the amount of cash and cash equivalents on hand combined with our ability to raise additional capital to support our future operations through one or more methods, including but not limited to, issuing additional equity or debt.

In addition, we may also raise additional capital through additional equity offerings and licensing our future products in development. While we will continue to explore these potential opportunities, there can be no assurances that we will be successful in raising sufficient capital on terms acceptable to us, or at all, or that we will be successful in licensing our future products.

Our business plan, which is focused on the development and commercialization of alcohol detection devices, is dependent upon our SOBRSafe™ technology. If that technology proves to be ineffective at detecting alcohol in person’s system through secretions from their skin it would significantly impact our business.

Our business is dependent upon our SOBRSafe™ technology. Our business plan calls for us to develop and commercialize alcohol detection devices based on our SOBRSafe™ technology. In the event that our technology proves to be ineffective at detecting alcohol in person’s system through secretions from their skin, it would significantly impact our business.

Our quarterly and annual operating results may fluctuate significantly and may not fully reflect the underlying performance of our business. This makes our future operating results difficult to predict and could cause our operating results to fall below expectations or any guidance we may provide.

Our quarterly and annual results of operations, including our revenue, profitability and cash flow, may vary significantly in the future, and period-to-period comparisons of our operating results may not be meaningful. Accordingly, the results of any one quarter or period should not be relied upon as an indication of future performance. Our quarterly and annual operating results may fluctuate significantly as a result of a variety of factors, many of which are outside our control and, as a result, may not fully reflect the underlying performance of our business. Such fluctuations in quarterly and annual operating results may decrease the value of our common stock. Because our quarterly operating results may fluctuate, period-to-period comparisons may not be the best indication of the underlying results of our business and should only be relied upon as one factor in determining how our business is performing. These fluctuations may occur due to a variety of factors, many of which are outside of our control, including, but not limited to:

The cumulative effects of these factors could result in large fluctuations and unpredictability in our quarterly and annual operating results. If our assumptions regarding the risks and uncertainties we face, which we use to plan our business, are incorrect or change due to circumstances in our business or our markets, or if we do not address these risks successfully, our operating and financial results could deviate materially from our expectations and our business could suffer.

This variability and unpredictability could also result in our failure to meet the expectations of industry or financial analysts or investors for any period. If our revenue or operating results fall below the expectations of analysts or investors or below any forecasts we may provide to the market, it will negatively affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Because we face intense competition, we may not be able to operate profitably in our markets.

The market for our products is highly competitive and is becoming more so, which could hinder our ability to successfully market our products. We may not have the resources, expertise or other competitive factors to compete successfully in the future. We expect to face additional competition from existing competitors and new market entrants in the future. Many of our competitors have greater name recognition and more established relationships in the industry than we do. As a result, these competitors may be able to:

If our products do not gain market acceptance, prospects for our sales revenue may be affected.

We intend to use the SOBR Safe™ technology in various platforms in the preventative, probation management, fleet & facility, alcohol rehabilitation and young drivers’ markets. Currently, most alcohol sensing devices are breath analyzers and ankle bracelets employed in the judicially-mandated market where the use is usually required by law as a punishment for committing a crime. We will be asking companies and institutions that have an interest in monitoring whether their employees or contractors have alcohol in their systems due to their job responsibilities (such as fleet and school bus drivers, factory machinists, forklift operators, etc.), to adopt a new requirement that their employees or contractors must abide in order to remain employed. While we believe this will be attractive to many companies and industries, we must achieve some level of market acceptance to be successful. If we are unable to achieve market acceptance, our investors could lose their entire investment.

If critical components become unavailable or contract manufacturers delay their production, our business will be negatively impacted.

We currently stay ahead of supply chain issues by utilizing multiple sources, but if for reasons out of our control parts are not available, it could impact customer contracts and revenue.

We currently outsource supply chain and manufacturing of the SOBRcheck™ device to third-party manufacturers. The stability of component supply will be crucial to maintaining our manufacturing process. Due to the fact we currently manufacture the device utilizing in part, “off the shelf” parts and components, some of our critical devices and components being supplied by certain third-party manufacturers, we may be unable to acquire necessary amounts of key components at competitive prices.

We have selected these particular manufacturers based on their ability to consistently produce these products according to our requirements in an effort to obtain the best quality product at the most cost-effective price. However, the loss of all or one of these suppliers or delays in obtaining shipments would have an adverse effect on our operations until an alternative supplier could be found, if one may be located at all. If we get to that stage of growth, such loss of manufacturers could cause us to breach any contracts we have in place at that time and would likely cause us to lose sales.

If our contract manufacturers fail to meet our requirements for quality, quantity and timeliness, our business growth could be harmed.

We currently outsource the manufacturing of devices utilizing the SOBRsafe™ alcohol detection system to several contract manufacturers. These manufacturers will procure all of the raw materials for us and provide all necessary facilities and labor to manufacture our products. If these companies were to terminate their agreements with us without adequate notice or fail to provide the required capacity and quality on a timely basis, we would be delayed in our ability or unable to process and deliver our products to our customers.

Our products could contain defects or they may be installed or operated incorrectly, which could reduce sales of those products or result in claims against us.

Although we have quality assurance practices in place to ensure good product quality, defects still may be found in the future in our future products.

End-users could lose their confidence in our products and/or our company if they unexpectedly use defective products or use our products improperly. This could result in loss of revenue, loss of profit margin, or loss of market share.

We have limited experience manufacturing our products in large-scale commercial quantities, and we face a number of manufacturing risks that may adversely affect our manufacturing abilities which could delay, prevent or impair our growth.

Our growth strategy depends on our ability to manufacture our current and future products in sufficient quantities and on a timely basis to meet customer demand. We outsource with United States based third party manufacturing companies. If any of our manufacturing facilities suffer damage, or a force majeure event, such damage or event could materially impact our ability to operate, which could materially and adversely affect our business and financial performance.

We are also subject to numerous other risks relating to our manufacturing capabilities, including:

These risks are likely to be exacerbated by our limited experience with our current products and manufacturing processes. As demand for our products increases, we will have to invest additional resources to purchase components, sub-assemblies and materials, hire and train employees and enhance our manufacturing processes. If we fail to increase our production capacity efficiently, we may not be able to fill customer orders on a timely basis, our sales may not increase in line with our expectations and our operating margins could fluctuate or decline. In addition, although some future products may share product features, components, sub-assemblies and materials with our existing products, the manufacture of these products may require modification of our current production processes or unique production processes, the hiring of specialized employees, the identification of new suppliers for specific components, sub-assemblies and materials or the development of new manufacturing technologies. It may not be possible for us to manufacture these products at a cost or in quantities sufficient to make these products commercially viable or to maintain current operating margins, all of which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

               We rely on third party intellectual property licenses and agreements to provide and facilitate the basis for and production of our patent-pending technology including our manufactured SOBRcheck^TM and SOBRsure^TM devices.

               We have limited control over our third-party business partners and contract manufacturers who rely on intellectual property and patents of other parties to supply primary components for our devices. This presents potential manufacturing supply and reliability, quality compliance, and intellectual property infringement risks or expiry of exclusive rights to the intellectual property. Further, there is no assurance components or changes to the intellectual property rights will meet our quality requirements to ensure quality and reliability of our devices.

               Should our third-party business partners and contract manufacturers not maintain exclusive rights to the intellectual property or should the content of the patents change, this could impact the effectiveness of our current device designs and impair our ability to produce quality products.

Because our technology is innovative and disruptive, we may require additional time to enter the market due to the need to further discover the profile companies within our target markets.

Our products are new to the marketplace. As a result, we will need time to penetrate our target markets by further developing the profile companies that could benefit the most from our products and technology. If we are not successful in discovering these companies it could greatly slow our growth and adversely impact our financial condition.

We are currently selling our products through direct sales and distributors, and will need time to develop relationships in order to secure customers and grow revenue.

Any failure to maintain and grow our direct sales force and distributor network could harm our business. The members of our direct sales force are adequately trained and possess technical expertise, which we believe is critical in driving the awareness and adoption of our products. The members of our U.S. sales force are at-will employees. The loss of these personnel to competitors, or otherwise, could materially harm our business. If we are unable to retain our direct sales force personnel or replace them with individuals of comparable expertise and qualifications, or if we are unable to successfully employ such expertise in replacement personnel, our product sales, revenues and results of operations could be materially harmed. 

In order to generate future growth, we will continue to identify and recruit qualified sales and marketing professionals. Training them on our products and on our internal policies and procedures requires significant time, expense and attention. It can take several months or more before a sales representative is fully trained and productive. Our sales force may subject us to higher fixed costs than those of companies with competing products, placing us at a competitive disadvantage. Our business may be harmed if our efforts to expand and train our sales force do not generate a corresponding increase in product sales and revenue, and our higher fixed costs may slow our ability to reduce costs in the face of a sudden decline in demand for our products. Any failure to hire, develop and retain talented sales personnel, to achieve desired productivity levels in a reasonable period of time to reduce fixed costs, could have material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Our ability to increase our customer base and achieve broader market acceptance of our products will depend, to a significant extent, on our ability to expand our sales and marketing efforts. Our business may be harmed if these efforts and expenditures do not generate a corresponding increase in revenue. If we fail to successfully promote our products in a cost-effective manner, we may fail to attract or retain the market acceptance necessary to realize a sufficient return on our promotional efforts, or to achieve broad adoption of our products.

 We need to ensure strong product performance and reliability to maintain and grow our business.

We need to maintain and, if needed, improve the performance and reliability of our products to achieve our profitability objectives. Poor product performance and reliability could lead to customer dissatisfaction, adversely affect our reputation and revenues, and increase our service and distribution costs and working capital requirements. In addition, our SOBRsafe™ technology, and the software and hardware incorporated into our SOBRcheck™ and SOBRsure™ devices may contain errors or defects, especially when first introduced and while we have made efforts to test this software and hardware extensively, we cannot assure that the software and hardware, or software and hardware developed in the future, will not experience errors or performance problems.

Our internal computer systems, or those used by our contractors or consultants, may fail or suffer security breaches, and such failure could negatively affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We depend on our information technology systems for the efficient functioning of our business, including the manufacture, distribution and maintenance of our products, as well as for accounting, data storage, compliance, purchasing, inventory management and other related functions. We do not have redundant information technology in all aspects of our systems at this time. Despite the implementation of security and back-up measures, our internal computer, server, and other information technology systems as well as those of our third-party consultants, contractors, suppliers, and service providers, may be vulnerable to damage from physical or electronic break-ins, accidental or intentional exposure of our data by employees or others with authorized access to our networks, computer viruses, malware, ransomware, supply chain attacks, natural disasters, terrorism, war, telecommunication and electrical failure, denial of service, and other cyberattacks or disruptive incidents that could result in unauthorized access to, use or disclosure of, corruption of, or loss of sensitive, and/or proprietary data, including personal information, including health-related information, and could subject us to significant liabilities and regulatory and enforcement actions, and reputational damage. Additionally, theft of our intellectual property or proprietary business information could require substantial expenditures to remedy. Such theft could also lead to loss of intellectual property rights through disclosure of our proprietary business information, and such loss may not be capable of remedying. If we or our third-party consultants, contractors, suppliers, or service providers were to suffer an attack or breach, for example, that resulted in the unauthorized access to or use or disclosure of personal information, we may have to notify consumers, partners, collaborators, government authorities, and the media, and may be subject to investigations, civil penalties, administrative and enforcement actions, and litigation, any of which could harm our business and reputation. The COVID-19 pandemic has generally increased the risk of cybersecurity intrusions. Our reliance on internet technology and the number of our employees who are working remotely may create additional opportunities for cybercriminals to exploit vulnerabilities. For example, there has been an increase in phishing and spam emails as well as social engineering attempts from “hackers” hoping to use the recent COVID-19 pandemic to their advantage. Furthermore, because the techniques used to obtain unauthorized access to, or to sabotage, systems change frequently and often are not recognized until launched against a target, we may be unable to anticipate these techniques or implement adequate preventative measures. We may also experience security breaches that may remain undetected for an extended period. To the extent that any disruption or security breach were to result in a loss of, or damage to, our data or systems or data or systems of our commercial partners, or inappropriate or unauthorized access to or disclosure or use of confidential, proprietary, or other sensitive, personal, or health information, we could incur liability and suffer reputational harm. Failure to maintain or protect our information technology systems effectively could negatively affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. 

 If we are unable to recruit and retain qualified personnel, our business could be harmed.

Our growth and success highly depend on qualified personnel. Competition in the industry could cause us difficulty in recruiting or retaining a sufficient number of qualified technical personnel, which could harm our ability to develop new products. If we are unable to attract and retain necessary key talents, it would harm our ability to develop competitive products and retain good customers and could adversely affect our business and operating results.

We may be unable to adequately protect our proprietary rights.

We currently have one “use” patent covering the SOBRsafe™ alcohol detection system and/or the SOBR devices and two provisional patents pending with the United States Patent and Trademark Office. These patents are not specific to the components, but rather the overall solution provided by the SOBR devices. Our ability to compete partly depends on the superiority, uniqueness and value of our intellectual property. To protect our proprietary rights, we will rely on a combination of patent, copyright and trade secret laws, confidentiality agreements with our employees and third parties, and protective contractual provisions. Despite these efforts, any of the following occurrences may reduce the value of our intellectual property:

We may become involved in lawsuits to protect or enforce our patents that would be expensive and time consuming.

In order to protect or enforce our patent rights, we may initiate patent litigation against third parties. In addition, we may become subject to interference or opposition proceedings conducted in patent and trademark offices to determine the priority and patentability of inventions. The defense of intellectual property rights, including patent rights through lawsuits, interference or opposition proceedings, and other legal and administrative proceedings, would be costly and divert our technical and management personnel from their normal responsibilities. An adverse determination of any litigation or defense proceedings could put our pending patent applications at risk of not being issued.

Furthermore, because of the substantial amount of discovery required in connection with intellectual property litigation, there is a risk that some of our confidential information could be compromised by disclosure during this type of litigation. For example, during the course of this kind of litigation, confidential information may be inadvertently disclosed in the form of documents or testimony in connection with discovery requests, depositions or trial testimony. This disclosure could have a material adverse effect on our business and our financial results. 

The internal controls we utilize to produce reliable financial reports provide no assurance that we will, at all times, in the future be able to report that our internal controls over financial reporting are effective. If we develop material weaknesses in our internal controls, we may not be able to report our financial results accurately or timely or to detect fraud, which could have a material adverse effect on our business.

An effective internal control environment is necessary for us to produce reliable financial reports and is an important part of our effort to prevent financial fraud. There are inherent limitations on the effectiveness of internal controls, including collusion, management override, and failure of human judgment. In addition, control procedures are designed to reduce rather than eliminate business risks. If we fail to maintain an effective system of internal controls we may be unable to produce reliable, timely financial reports or prevent fraud, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, including subjecting us to sanctions or investigation by regulatory authorities, such as the Securities and Exchange Commission. Any such actions could result in an adverse reaction in the financial markets due to a loss of confidence in the reliability of our financial statements, which could cause the market price of our common stock to decline or limit our access to capital.

We are required to periodically evaluate the effectiveness of the design and operation of our internal controls over financial reporting. In the past we have identified material weaknesses in our internal controls. As of December 31, 2022, the specific weaknesses our management identified include: (i) we do not have sufficient segregation of duties within our accounting functions, and (ii) we have not documented all our internal controls. Enhancements, modifications, and changes to our internal controls during fiscal 2023 were necessary in order to eliminate these weaknesses. Based on these evaluations, we conclude in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2023, our internal controls to produce reliable financial reports are operating effectively. See “Internal Control Over Financial Reporting”, herein.

 We may be dependent on outside advisors to assist us.

In order to supplement the business experience of management, we may employ accountants, technical experts, appraisers, attorneys or other consultants or advisors. The selection of any such advisors will be made by management and without any control from shareholders. Additionally, it is anticipated that such persons may be engaged by us on an independent basis without a continuing fiduciary or other obligation to us.

We are subject to the significant influence of one of our current stockholders, and their interests may not always coincide with those of our other stockholders.

Gary Graham and Cord Carpenter currently beneficially own approximately 12.4% and 5.0%, respectively, of our outstanding common stock. As a result, These stockholders are able to significantly influence all matters requiring approval by our stockholders, including the election of directors and the approval of mergers or other business combination transactions. Because the interests of Mr. Graham may not always coincide with those of our other stockholders, such stockholder may influence or cause us to take actions with which our other stockholders disagree.

Our management has discretion as to how to use any proceeds from the sale of securities.

We reserve the right to use the funds obtained from the sale of our securities for purposes our management deems to be in the best interests of the company and our stockholders in order to address changed circumstances or opportunities. As a result of the foregoing, our success will be substantially dependent upon the discretion and judgment of management with respect to application and allocation of the net proceeds from the sale of our securities.

The issuance of additional common stock and/or the resale of our issued and outstanding common stock could cause substantial dilution to investors.

Our Certificate of Incorporation authorize the issuance of up to 100,000,000 shares of common stock and 25,000,000 shares of preferred stock. Our Board of Directors has the authority to issue additional shares of common stock and to issue options and warrants to purchase shares of our common stock without shareholder approval. Future issuances of common stock could represent further substantial dilution to investors. In addition, the Board of Directors could issue large blocks of voting stock to fend off unwanted tender offers or hostile takeovers without further stockholder approval.

Our common stock has been thinly traded and we cannot predict the extent to which a trading market will develop.

Our common stock is listed on Nasdaq. Our common stock is thinly traded compared to larger more widely known companies. Thinly traded common stock can be more volatile than common stock trading in an active public market. We cannot predict the extent to which an active public market for our common stock will develop or be sustained.

We may not be able to maintain our listing on the Nasdaq, which could have a material adverse effect on us and our stockholders.

We may not be able to maintain our listing on the Nasdaq, which could have a material adverse effect on us and our stockholders. The standards for continued listing on Nasdaq include, among other things, that the minimum bid price for the listed securities may not fall below $1.00 for a period in excess of 30 consecutive business days and stockholders’ equity maintain a minimum value of at least $2,500,000.

During the months of October 2023 and November 2023, our common stock traded at levels below $1.00 per share in excess of the 30-business day requirement. On November 15, 2023, we received a deficiency letter from the Listing Qualifications Department (the “Staff”) of the Nasdaq notifying us that, for the preceding 30 consecutive business days, the closing bid price of our common stock remained below the minimum $1.00 per share requirement for continued inclusion on Nasdaq. In accordance with the Nasdaq Listing Rules, we have been provided an initial period of 180 calendar days, or until May 13, 2024 (the “Compliance Date”), to regain compliance with the Bid Price Requirement. If at any time before the Compliance Date the closing bid price of our common stock is at least $1.00 for a minimum of ten consecutive business days, the Staff will provide us with written confirmation of compliance with the Bid Price Requirement.

If we do not regain compliance with the Bid Price Requirement by the Compliance Date, we may be eligible for an additional 180 calendar day compliance period. To qualify, we would then be required to meet the continued listing requirement for market value of publicly held shares and all other initial listing standards for Nasdaq, with the exception of the Bid Price Requirement, and would need to provide written notice of its intention to cure the deficiency during the additional 180 calendar day compliance period, which compliance could be achieved by effecting a reverse stock split, if necessary.

At December 31, 2023, our stockholders’ equity was below the Nasdaq minimum Stockholders’ Equity Requirement of $2,500,000. At the date of this filing, we have not received a deficiency letter from the Staff of the Nasdaq regarding this listing requirement. Upon notification of deficiency by the Staff, we will have 45 days to submit a plan to regain compliance with this Nasdaq listing standard. Staff may extend this deadline for up to an additional five calendar days upon good cause shown and may request such additional information from us as is necessary to make a determination regarding whether to grant such an extension. If the plan is accepted, Nasdaq can grant an extension of up to 180 calendar days from the date of notification to evidence compliance. We are currently evaluating opportunities to increase our stockholders’ equity including but not limited to capital financing and debt conversion inducement options.

If the closing bid price of our common stock or the value of our stockholders’ equity were to fail to meet Nasdaq’s respective minimum requirements within the prescribed periods, or if we otherwise fail to meet any other applicable requirements of Nasdaq and we are unable to regain compliance, Nasdaq may make a determination to delist our common stock. The delisting of our common stock from Nasdaq could negatively impact us by (i) reducing the liquidity and market price of our common stock; (ii) reducing the number of investors willing to hold or acquire our common stock, which could negatively impact our ability to raise equity financing; (iii) impacting our ability to use a registration statement to offer and sell freely tradable securities, thereby preventing or limiting us from accessing the public capital markets; and (iv) impairing our ability to provide equity incentives to our employees.

There can be no assurance that we will regain compliance or otherwise maintain compliance with any of the other listing requirements. Nonetheless, we intend to monitor the closing bid price of our common stock and may, if appropriate, consider available options, including a reverse stock split, to regain compliance with the Bid Price Requirement, and evaluating capital financing and debt conversion inducement options to gain compliance with the Stockholders’ Equity Requirement.

Future sales of our common stock in the public market could lower the price of our common stock and impair our ability to raise funds in future securities offerings.

Future sales of a substantial number of shares of our common stock in the public market, or the perception that such sales may occur, could adversely affect the then prevailing market price of our common stock and could make it more difficult for us to raise funds in the future through a public offering of its securities.

The market price of our common stock may be volatile and may be affected by market conditions beyond our control.

The market price of our common stock is subject to significant fluctuations in response to, among other factors:

In addition, if the market for stocks in our industry, or the stock market in general, experience a loss of investor confidence, the market price of our common stock could decline for reasons unrelated to our business, financial condition or results of operations. If any of the foregoing occurs, it could cause the price of our common stock to fall and may expose us to lawsuits that, even if unsuccessful, could be costly to defend and a distraction to the board of directors and management.

ITEM 1B – UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS

None.

ITEM 1C – CYBERSECURITY

We have a cross-departmental approach to addressing cybersecurity risk, including input from employees and our Board of Directors (the “Board”). The Board, Audit Committee, and senior management devote significant resources to cybersecurity and risk management processes to adapt to the changing cybersecurity landscape and respond to emerging threats in a timely and effective manner. Assessing, identifying, and managing cybersecurity related risks are integrated into our overall enterprise risk management (ERM) process. We have a set of Company-wide policies and procedures outlined in our Employee Handbook that directly or indirectly relate to cybersecurity risks. These policies go through an internal review process and are approved by appropriate members of management.

The Company’s EVP of Technology is responsible for developing and implementing our information security program and reporting on cybersecurity matters to the Board. Our EVP of Technology has over two decades of experience as a senior executive in technology-driven enterprises with expertise across cybersecurity, compliance, manufacturing process engineering, database architecture, interface programming and more.

The Company assesses the cybersecurity preparedness of third-party vendors by obtaining SOC 1 or SOC 2 reports. If a third-party vendor is not able to provide a SOC 1 or SOC 2 report, we take additional steps to assess their cybersecurity preparedness and assess our relationship on that basis. Our assessment of risks associated with the use of third-party providers is part of our overall cybersecurity risk management framework.

The Board and Audit Committee participates in discussions with management regarding cybersecurity risks and performs a review at least annually of the Company’s cybersecurity program. This includes discussions of management’s actions to identify and detect threats, as well as planned actions in the event of a response or recovery situation.

We are subject to cyber incidents and will continue to be exposed to cyber incidents in the normal course of our business. Although, such risks have not materially affected us, including our business strategy, financial condition, results of operations, or cash flows. The extensive approach we take to cybersecurity may not be successful in preventing or mitigating a cybersecurity incident that could have a material adverse effect on us. See Item 1A – Risk Factors for a discussion of cybersecurity risks.

ITEM 2 – PROPERTIES

Our corporate office, consisting of approximately 5,000 square feet, is located at 6400 S. Fiddlers Green Circle, Suite 1400, Greenwood Village, Colorado 80111. We lease our office space under the terms of a commercial lease dated July 31, 2023. The lease is for thirty-nine months and we pay $16,714 per month. We do not own our own manufacturing facility and outsource with third party manufacturing companies for our device manufacturing and product distribution.

ITEM 3 ‑ LEGAL PROCEEDINGS

On December 6, 2006, Orange County Valet and Security Patrol, Inc. filed a lawsuit against us in Orange County California State Superior Court for Breach of Contract in the amount of $11,164. A default judgment was taken against us in this matter. In mid-2013 we learned the Plaintiffs perfected the judgment against us, but we have not heard from the Plaintiffs as of December 31, 2023. In the event we pay any money related to this lawsuit, IDTEC, LLC agreed, in connection with us closing the asset purchase transaction with IDTEC, to pay the amount for us in exchange for shares of our common stock.

On January 22, 2024, the Company was named as a party to a complaint filed in Oakland County Court, Michigan by a former employee. The case was initially filed in the 6^th Judicial District Circuit of Michigan. However, on February 15, 2024, the case was removed to the Federal Courts. The former employee is claiming breach of contract, unlawful termination and promissory estoppel. The Company has denied these claims.

In the ordinary course of business, we are from time to time involved in various pending or threatened legal actions. The litigation process is inherently uncertain and it is possible that the resolution of such matters might have a material adverse effect upon our financial condition and/or results of operations. However, in the opinion of our management, other than as set forth herein, matters currently pending or threatened against us are not expected to have a material adverse effect on our financial position or results of operations.

ITEM 4 – MINE SAFETY DISCLOSURES

Not Applicable.

PART II

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

Our Common Stock is listed on the Nasdaq Capital Market under the symbol “SOBR”.

Holders

At December 31, 2023, there were 18,594,570 shares of Common Stock outstanding and approximately 3,550 stockholders of record.

Equity Compensation Plan Information

For information regarding securities authorized for issuance under equity compensation plans, see Part III, Item 12 - "Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Stockholder Matters."

Recent Sales of Unregistered Securities

 Other than the following, no unregistered securities were issued during the fiscal year that were not previously reported in a Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q or Current Report on Form 8-K.

On June 8, 2023, we issued 150,000 shares of our common stock for Restricted Stock Units that vested during 2023. The issuance of these securities was exempt from registration pursuant to Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act of 1933. The investors are sophisticated, familiar with our operations, and there was no general solicitation or advertising.

On May 10, 2023, noteholders elected to convert a total of $341,999 (the “Conversion Amount”) pertaining to the 2023 Debt Offering into 150,000 shares of the Company’s common stock at $2.28 per share. The issuance of these securities was exempt from registration pursuant to Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act of 1933. The investors are sophisticated, familiar with our operations, and there was no general solicitation or advertising.

On April 1, 2023, we issued 35,000 shares of our common stock for Restricted Stock Units that vested during 2023. The issuance of these securities was exempt from registration pursuant to Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act of 1933. The investor is sophisticated, familiar with our operations, and there was no general solicitation or advertising.

On March 9, 2023, the Company entered into a Debt Offering pursuant to a Purchase Agreement (the “Agreement”) and Registration Rights Agreement with institutional investors. The Debt Offering closed on March 9, 2023. The Debt Offering includes 15% Original Issue Discount Convertible Notes (the “Notes”) and Common Stock Purchase Warrants (the “Warrants”). Aegis Capital Corp. acted as sole placement agent for the Debt Offering. Under the terms of the Agreement, the Company received $3,000,000 from the Purchasers and in exchange issued the Notes in principal amounts of $3,529,412 and Warrants to purchase up to 386,998 shares of the Company’s common stock. The Notes are convertible voluntarily by the Purchaser at any time the principal amounts are outstanding into shares of our common stock, at a conversion price $2.28. The Notes are due March 10, 2025, and accrue interest quarterly at 5% per annum. The accrued interest is payable by way of inclusion in the convertible amount. The Warrants are exercisable at any time through March 9, 2028, into shares of the Company’s common stock at an exercise price of $2.52 per share. The Company received approximately $2,500,000 of net proceeds from the Debt Offering after offering related costs. The issuance of these securities was exempt from registration pursuant to Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act of 1933. The investor is accredited, familiar with our operations, and there was no general solicitation or advertising.

On January 1, 2023, the Company entered into a six-month agreement with a consultant to provide investor services and in exchange issued 225,000 shares of restricted common stock and 225,000 warrants to purchase common stock of the Company at an exercise price of $1.35 per warrant. The warrants expire three years from the date of issuance. On February 16, 2023, the Company issued 225,000 common shares in exchange for 225,000 shares of restricted common stock. The issuance of these securities was exempt from registration pursuant to Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act of 1933. The investor is accredited, familiar with our operations, and there was no general solicitation or advertising.

On September 28, 2022, we entered into a PIPE Offering pursuant to a Securities Purchase Agreement with institutional investors for aggregate gross proceeds of approximately $6 million, before deducting fees to Aegis Capital Corp., the exclusive placement agent in the PIPE Offering, and other expenses payable by the Company. Pursuant to the PIPE Offering, which closed on September 30, 2022, we issued 1,925,677 Non Pre-Funded Units and 2,128,378 Pre-funded Units at a purchase price of $1.48 per unit priced at-the-market under Nasdaq rules. The Prefunded Units were sold at the same price less the Prefunded Warrant exercise price of $0.001.

On September 30, 2022, pursuant to the Adjustment terms of the March 2022 Armistice Warrant and the September 2021 Armistice Warrant, as a result of entering into the PIPE Offering, we issued an aggregate 1,750,225 warrants the (the “Armistice Warrants”) consisting of (i) 1,400,180 warrants pursuant to the Adjustment terms under the September 2021 Armistice Warrant, and (ii) 350,045 warrants pursuant to the Adjustment terms of March 2022 Armistice Warrant. The issuance of these securities was exempt from registration pursuant to Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act of 1933. The investor is accredited, familiar with our operations, and there was no general solicitation or advertising.

Each Non Prefunded Unit and Prefunded Unit consists of one share of common stock (or common stock equivalent) and one non-tradable Non Prefunded exercisable for one common stock at a price of $1.35 subject to adjustments pursuant to the Non Prefunded Warrant Agreement. Each Prefunded Unit consists of one share of common stock and one non-tradable Prefunded Warrant exercisable for one common stock at a price of $1.35 less the Prefunded Warrant exercise price of $0.001 pursuant to the Prefunded Warrant Agreement. The Non Prefunded Warrants have a term of seven years from the issuance date and the Prefunded Warrants expire until the Prefunded Warrants are exercised in full. The issuance of these securities was exempt from registration pursuant to Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act of 1933. The investors are accredited, familiar with our operations, and there was no general solicitation or advertising.

On August 3, 2022, in exchange for a settlement of a general mutual release of employment and application claims we issued to a prior employee a warrant for 10,000 shares of our common stock at an exercise price of $4.25 per share which expires August 3, 2025. The issuance of these securities was exempt from registration pursuant to Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act of 1933. The investor is accredited, familiar with our operations, and there was no general solicitation or advertising.

On June 7, 2022, we issued 16,666 shares of our common stock for restricted stock units that vested in connection with our uplist to Nasdaq. The issuance of these securities was exempt from registration pursuant to Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act of 1933. The investor is accredited, familiar with our operations, and there was no general solicitation or advertising.

On June 7, 2022, and June 29, 2022, we issued 300,000 and 500,000 shares of our common stock, respectively, for professional services. The issuance of these securities was exempt from registration pursuant to Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act of 1933. The investors were accredited, familiar with our operations, and there was no general solicitation or advertising.

On March 30, 2022, in connection with a Waiver Agreement we entered into with Armistice Capital Master Fund Ltd. the holder of an 18% Original Issue Discount Convertible Debenture in the principal amount of $3,048,780.50, we issued a second common stock purchase warrant, or the March 2022 Armistice Warrant to purchase up to 101,626 additional shares of our common stock expiring March 29, 2029, and extended the Termination Date of the September 2021 Armistice Warrant for 406,504 shares of our common from September 28, 2026 to September 28, 2028. The issuance of these securities was exempt from registration pursuant to Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act of 1933. The investor is accredited, familiar with our operations, and there was no general solicitation or advertising.

On March 3, 2022, we issued 7,917 shares of our common stock under the terms of a $47,500 convertible note payable dated March 6, 2020, with interest at 5%, due March 6, 2022 and convertible at $6 per share. The issuance of these securities was exempt from registration pursuant to Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act of 1933. The investor is sophisticated, familiar with our operations, and there was no general solicitation or advertising.

On March 1, 2022, we entered into Share Exchange Agreements with David Gandini, one of our officers and directors, and Gary Graham, our largest shareholder, to exchange 333,334 and 666,667 shares of our common stock into 1,000,000 shares and 2,000,000 shares of our Series B Preferred Stock, respectively. These stock exchanges of common stock for preferred stock were done as conditions of our planned underwritten offering and planned listing on Nasdaq. The shares of our Series B Convertible Preferred Stock have liquidation preference over our common stock, receive dividends in pari passu with our common stockholders, are convertible into shares of our common stock on a 3-for-1 basis, and vote on an “as converted” basis. The issuance of these securities was exempt from registration pursuant to Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act of 1933. The investors are sophisticated, familiar with our operations, and there was no general solicitation or advertising.

On January 12, 2022, we issued 16,667 shares of our common stock for Restricted Stock Units that vested during 2021. The issuance of these securities was exempt from registration pursuant to Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act of 1933. The investor is sophisticated, familiar with our operations, and there was no general solicitation or advertising.

On January 10, 2022, in connection with hiring Mr. Wenzel we entered into an Executive Employment Agreement with Mr. Wenzel. Under the terms of his Employment Agreement, Mr. Wenzel will serve as our Chief Financial Officer until January 1, 2024, unless he is terminated pursuant to the termination provisions set forth in his agreement. Under the terms of his Employment Agreement, Mr. Wenzel will perform services for us that are customary and usual for a chief financial officer of a company, in exchange for: (i) an annual base salary of $175,000, (ii) incentive stock options under our 2019 Equity Incentive Plan to acquire 66,667 shares of our common stock, at an exercise price of $7.755, which is equal to 110% of the fair market value of our common stock on January 10, 2022 (the date the options were eligible to be issued under Mr. Wenzel’s Employment Agreement), with the stock options to vest in 8 equal quarterly installments of 8,334 shares during the two-year term of the Employment Agreement, with a ten year term, and (iii) 16,667 Restricted Stock Units under our 2019 Equity Incentive Plan, which will vest upon the end of any relevant lockup period involving Company securities owned by Mr. Wenzel after we uplist to a national exchange (NASDAQ, NYSE, etc.). The issuance of these securities was exempt from registration pursuant to Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act of 1933. The investor is sophisticated, familiar with our operations, and there was no general solicitation or advertising.

Preferred Stock

 On March 1, 2022, the Board of Directors approved the designation of 3,000,000 shares of the Company’s Preferred Stock as “Series B Convertible Preferred Stock”.  The 3,000,000 Series B Convertible Preferred Stock shares were issued in exchange for 333,333 shares of the Company’s common stock held by the Company’s CEO David Gandini and 666,667 shares of the Company’s common stock held by IDTEC SPV, LLC, an entity controlled by a beneficial owner of the Company.  The Company entered into the Share Exchange Agreements to provide certain changes to its capital structure in connection with the planned underwriting offering and listing on Nasdaq. The rights and preferences of the Series B Convertible Preferred Stock are as follows: (a) dividends shall not be mandatory or cumulative, (b) liquidation preference over the Company’s common stock, (c) each three shares of Series B Convertible Preferred Stock shall be convertible, at the option of the holder, beginning on the date that is six months from the date the Holder acquired the shares of Series B Convertible Preferred Stock, and without the payment of additional consideration by the holder , into one share of common stock, (d) no redemption rights by the Company, (e) no call rights by the Company, and (f) each share of Series B Convertible Preferred Stock will vote on an “as converted” basis.

Dividend Policy

We have never issued any dividends to our common stockholders and do not expect to pay any stock dividend or any cash dividends on our common stock in the foreseeable future. We currently intend to retain our earnings, if any, for use in our business. Any dividends declared on our common stock in the future will be at the discretion of our Board of Directors and subject to any restrictions that may be imposed by our lenders.

Transfer Agent

 Our Transfer Agent and Registrar for our Common Stock is Equiniti Trust Company, located at 1110 Centre Pointe Curve, Suite 101, Mendota Heights, Minnesota 55120.

Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities

 Not applicable.

ITEM 6 – [RESERVED]

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

Disclaimer Regarding Forward Looking Statements

Our Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations contains not only statements that are historical facts, but also statements that are forward-looking. Forward-looking statements are, by their very nature, uncertain and risky. These risks and uncertainties include international, national and local general economic and market conditions; demographic changes; our ability to sustain, manage, or forecast growth; our ability to successfully make and integrate acquisitions; raw material costs and availability; new product development and introduction; existing government regulations and changes in, or the failure to comply with, government regulations; adverse publicity; competition; the loss of significant customers or suppliers; fluctuations and difficulty in forecasting operating results; changes in business strategy or development plans; business disruptions; the ability to attract and retain qualified personnel; the ability to protect technology; and other risks that might be detailed from time to time in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Although the forward-looking statements in this Annual Report reflect the good faith judgment of our management, such statements can only be based on facts and factors currently known by them. Consequently, and because forward-looking statements are inherently subject to risks and uncertainties, the actual results and outcomes may differ materially from the results and outcomes discussed in the forward-looking statements. You are urged to carefully review and consider the various disclosures made by us in this report and in our other reports as we attempt to advise interested parties of the risks and factors that may affect our business, financial condition, and results of operations and prospects.

Overview

We provide non-invasive technology to quickly and humanely identify the presence of alcohol in individuals. These technologies are integrated within our robust and scalable data platform, producing statistical and measurable user and business data. Our mission is to save lives, increase productivity, create significant economic benefits and positively impact behavior. To that end, we developed the scalable, patent-pending SOBRsafe™ software platform for non-invasive alcohol detection and identity verification, a solution that has current and potential applications in:

Our SOBRcheck™ device is a patent-pending, touch-based identity verification and alcohol detection solution. A user places two fingers on the device’s sensors for which one compares biometric data points from the finger to confirm identity, while the other senses alcohol released through the pores of the fingertip. The touch-based device connects to the SOBRsafe™ software solution to collect, present and communicate data collected to prescribed parties. The SOBRcheck™ device has been in commercial production since the first quarter of 2022 and we have executed customer agreements.

Our SOBRsure™ device is a patent-pending, fitness-style wearable band with an alcohol detection solution intended for discrete, low-profile and voluntary use providing real-time alcohol monitoring and GPS tracking. The wearable band is a device which includes a contained sensor which senses alcohol released through the pores of the skin. The wearable band connects to a mobile device via Bluetooth communication where the SOBRsafe™ mobile application collects and transmits collected data to the SOBRsafe™ software solution. The SOBRsure™ device provides passive, real-time alcohol insights to administrators, clinicians, parents and more, and also includes device removal and service interruption notifications. The SOBRsure™ is in commercial production and became available for sale in late September 2023.

 Our SOBRsafe™ technology can also be deployed across numerous additional devices for various uses; among those we are currently exploring include possible integrations with existing telematics systems, and it could be licensed by non-competitive third parties.

Design, manufacturing, quality testing and distribution for all SOBRsafe™ devices will take place in the United States.

Recent Developments

During the year ended December 31, 2023, we accomplished the following:

Business Outlook and Challenges

Our products continue to gain awareness and recognition through trade shows, media exposure, social media and product demonstrations. To generate sales, we have a three-part strategy: 1) direct sales, 2) distributors and 3) licensing & integration. We currently employ four highly experienced sales professionals. We have signed six channel partners actively introducing our solutions to established drug and alcohol testing buyers. Finally, initial licensing & integration discussions are underway, and we anticipate hiring an expert in this field in 2024 to formulate and execute a global expansion plan.

We anticipate that our outsourced manufacturers can adequately support an increase in sales for the foreseeable future. We expect that we will need to continue to evolve our products and software to meet diverse customer requirements across varied markets.

Since inception in August 2007, we have generated significant losses from operations and anticipate that we will continue to generate significant losses for the foreseeable future.

Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates

Our consolidated financial statements are prepared in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles. The preparation of our audited consolidated financial statements and related disclosures require our management to make estimates and judgments that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities, disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the audited consolidated financial statements, and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reported period. We base such estimates on historical experience, known trends and events and various other factors that are believed to be reasonable under the circumstances, the results of which form the basis for making judgments about the carrying value of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. We evaluate our estimates and assumptions on an ongoing basis. Our actual results may differ from these estimates under different assumptions and conditions.

As part of the process of preparing our financial statements, we are required to estimate our provision for income taxes. Significant management judgment is required in determining our provision for income taxes, deferred tax assets and liabilities, tax contingencies, unrecognized tax benefits, and any required valuation allowance, including taking into consideration the probability of the tax contingencies being incurred. Management assesses this probability based upon information provided by its tax advisers, its legal advisers and similar tax cases. If later our assessment of the probability of these tax contingencies changes, our accrual for such tax uncertainties may increase or decrease. Our effective tax rate for annual and interim reporting periods could be impacted if uncertain tax positions that are not recognized are settled at an amount which differs from our estimates.

Some of our accounting policies require higher degrees of judgment than others in their application. These include share-based compensation and contingencies and areas such as revenue recognition, allowance for doubtful accounts, valuation of inventory and intangible assets, and impairments.

While our significant accounting policies are described in more detail in the notes to our audited consolidated financial statements appearing elsewhere in this annual report on Form 10-K, we believe that the following accounting policies are those most critical to the judgments and estimates used in the preparation of our consolidated financial statements.

Revenue Recognition

The Company enters contracts with customers and generates revenue through various combinations of software products and services which include the sale of cloud-based software solutions, detection and data collection hardware devices, and cloud-based data reporting and analysis services. Depending on the combination of products and services detailed in the respective customer contract, the identifiable components may be highly interdependent and interrelated with each other such that each is required to provide the substance of the value of SOBR’s offering and accounted for as a combined performance obligation, or the specific components may be generally distinct and accounted for as separate performance obligations. Revenue is recognized when control of these software products and/or services are transferred to the customer in an amount that reflects the consideration the Company expects to be entitled in exchange for these respective services and devices.

Revenue is recognized in conjunction with guidance provided by Accounting Standards Codification Topic 606, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (“ASC 606”) issued by the Financial Accounting Standards Board. The Company determines revenue recognition through five steps outlined in ASC 606 which include (1) the identification of the contract or contracts with a customer, (2) identification of individual or combined performance obligations contained in the contract, (3) determination of the transaction price detailed within the contract, (4) allocation of the transaction price to the specific performance obligations, and (5) finally, recognition of revenue as the Company’s performance obligations are satisfied according to the terms of the contract.

Allowance for Doubtful Accounts 

Customer accounts are monitored for potential credit losses based upon management’s assessment of expected collectability and the allowance for doubtful accounts is reviewed periodically to assess the adequacy of the allowance. In making this assessment, management takes into consideration any circumstances of which the Company is aware regarding a customer’s inability to meet its financial obligations to the Company, and any potential prevailing economic conditions and their impact on the Company’s customers.

Valuation of Inventory

Inventory is comprised primarily of component parts and finished products. We periodically make judgments and estimates regarding the future utility and carrying value of our inventory. The carrying value of our inventory is periodically reviewed and impairments, if any, are recognized when the expected future benefit from our inventory is less than carrying value.

Financial Instruments

An entity is required to maximize the use of observable inputs and minimize the use of unobservable inputs when measuring fair value. The fair value hierarchy is based on the level of independent, objective evidence surrounding the inputs used to measure fair value. A financial instrument’s categorization within the fair value hierarchy is based upon the lowest level of input that is significant to the fair value measurement.

The Company’s financial instruments consist primarily of cash, accounts receivable, accounts payable, accrued expenses, accrued interest payable, notes payable, related party payables, convertible debentures, and other payables. The fair value of our derivative liabilities is determined based on “Level 3” inputs. We believe that the recorded values of all of our other financial instruments approximate their current fair values because of their nature and respective maturity dates or durations.

Beneficial Conversion Features

As discussed under “Recently Adopted Accounting Standard” in Note 1, the Company adopted ASU 2020-06 effective January 1, 2023, which, among other things, eliminated the beneficial conversion feature model applicable to certain convertible instruments. Prior to the adoption of ASU 2020-06, a beneficial conversion feature existed on the date a convertible note is issued when the fair value of the underlying common stock to which the note is convertible into is in excess of the remaining unallocated proceeds of the note after first considering the allocation of a portion of the note proceeds to the fair value of the warrants, if related warrants have been granted. The intrinsic value of the beneficial conversion feature was recorded as a debt discount with a corresponding amount to additional paid-in capital. The debt discount was amortized to interest expense over the life of the note using the effective interest method.

Derivative Instruments

The Company evaluates its financial instruments to determine if such instruments are derivatives or contain features that qualify as embedded derivatives. The classification of derivate instruments, including whether such instruments should be recorded as liabilities or as equity, is evaluated at the end of each reporting period. Derivative instrument liabilities are classified in the balance sheet as current or non-current based on whether net-cash settlement of the derivative instrument could be required within twelve months of the balance sheet date. For derivative financial instruments that are accounted for as liabilities, the derivative instruments are initially recorded at their fair values and are then re-valued at each reporting date, with changes in the fair value reported in the audited consolidated statements of operations under other income (expense). The company had no derivative instruments as of December 31, 2023.

Impairment of Long-Lived Assets

Long-lived assets and identifiable intangibles held for use are reviewed for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount may not be recoverable. If the sum of undiscounted expected future cash flows is less than the carrying amount of the asset or if changes in facts and circumstances indicate, an impairment loss is recognized and measured using the asset’s fair value.

Stock-based Compensation

The Company uses the fair-value based method to determine compensation for all arrangements under which employees and others receive shares of stock or equity instruments (warrants, options and restricted stock units). The fair value of each warrant and option is estimated on the date of grant using the Black-Scholes options-pricing model that uses assumptions for expected volatility, expected dividends, expected term, and the risk-free interest rate. The Company has not paid dividends historically and does not expect to pay them in the future. Expected volatilities are based on weighted averages of the historical volatility of the Company’s common stock estimated over the expected term of the awards. The expected term of awards granted is derived using the “simplified method” which computes expected term as the average of the sum of the vesting term plus the contract term as historically the Company had limited activity surrounding its awards. The risk-free rate is based on the U.S. Treasury yield curve in effect at the time of grant for the period of the expected term. The grant date fair value of a restricted stock unit equals the closing price of our common stock on the trading day of the grant date. 

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

New pronouncements issued for future implementation are discussed in Note 1 to our financial statements.

Effects of Inflation

We do not believe that inflation has had a material impact on our business, revenue or operating results during the periods presented. However, continued increases in inflation could have an adverse effect on our results of future operations, financial position, and liquidity in 2024.

The following discussion:

Results of Operations for the Year Ended December 31, 2023 Compared to the Year Ended December 31, 2022

Summary of Results of Operations

 Operating Loss; Net Loss

Our net loss decreased by $2,140,209 from $12,354,930 to $10,214,721 for the year ended December 31, 2022 compared to the year ended December 31, 2023, respectively. The change in our operating loss and net loss for the year ended December 31, 2023, compared to the prior year, is primarily a result of decreases in stock-based compensation expense, research and development, and interest expense, offset by decreases in one-time gains on debt extinguishment and fair value adjustments for derivatives, and an increase in general and administrative expense. Amortization of beneficial conversion features associated with certain debt issuances were eliminated upon adoption of ASU 2020-06 effective January 1, 2023. The changes are detailed below.

Revenue

We progressed to commercial production, launch and sale of our first SOBRsure™ devices being delivered for use started in October 2023 and our first SOBRcheck™ devices being delivered for use started in January 2022. Both the SOBRcheck™ and SOBRsure™ devices are used in conjunction with our SOBRsafe™ software solution. We have executed customer agreements, invoiced customers and recognized revenue of $157,292 and $35,322 during the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022. 

Gross Profit

The cost of goods sold for the year ended December 31, 2023 was $94,942 resulting in a gross profit of $62,350 and a gross margin of 39.6%, compared to cost of goods sold for the year ended December 31, 2022 of $19,315 and a gross margin of 45.3%. Due to the limited history of generating revenue, the gross profit and gross margin for the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022 may not be indicative of future planned or actual performance of the Company, its product lines or services.

General and Administrative Expenses

General and administrative expenses increased by $326,722, from $6,024,001 for the year ended December 31, 2022 to $6,350,723 for the year ended December 31, 2023, primarily due to increases in employee payroll and benefits expense, insurance expense and other general and administrative expenses, offset by a reduction in professional services and consulting expenses.

Stock-Based Compensation Expense

We had stock-based compensation expense of $2,245,871 for the year ended December 31, 2023 compared to $3,008,395 for the year ended December 31, 2022. The stock-based compensation expense in 2023 was related to the issuance of our common stock and restricted stock units as compensation to certain directors and employees. The decrease in stock-based compensation expense can be attributed to a reduction in the issuance of stock options and restricted stock units from the prior year and the expiration of vesting periods for which the expense is recognized.

Research and Development

Research and development decreased by $380,751 to $1,016,302 for the year ended December 31, 2023, compared to $1,397,053 for the year ended December 31, 2022. The decrease in research and development can be attributed to the finalization of our SOBRsure^TM wearable device during the year ended December 31, 2023 as compared to the finalization of the SOBRcheck^TM device and SOBRsafe ^TM software platform, and the initial design, development and testing efforts for the SOBRsure^TM device during the year ended December 31, 2022.

Other Income (Expense), net

Other income was $216,211 for the year ended December 31, 2023, compared to $230,414 for the year ended December 31, 2022. Other income in 2023 consists primarily of interest earned from investing excess cash in a money market account and other income in 2022 consists primarily of federal payroll tax refunds from prior years.

Gain (loss) on Extinguishment of Debt, net

A loss on extinguishment of debt, net was $26,125 for the year ended December 31, 2023, compared to a gain of $245,105 for the year ended December 31, 2022. The loss in 2023 is due to early payoff of notes scheduled to mature during the year. On May 19, 2022, pursuant to an arrangement with the Convertible Debenture holder, the principal balance of the Debenture in default of $3,048,781, was paid in full satisfying all amounts due and accrued under the default, including penalty, damages and interest provisions of the agreement. The Company was not required to pay the penalty, damages and interest provision of the agreement, thus a gain on extinguishment of debt of $1,109,105 was recorded during the year ended December 31, 2022. This gain has been offset by a loss on extinguishment of debt of $864,000 related to the fair value of the original warrants issued and extended for an additional two-year period in conjunction with the Convertible Debenture which was in default.

Gain (loss) on Fair Value Adjustment – Derivatives, net

Fair value adjustment – derivatives, net was a gain of $1,040,000 for the year ended December 31, 2022, compared to none for the year ended December 31, 2023 which was related to a financial instrument issued in September 2021 that contained an embedded derivative liability component. Upon completing a cash payment of $3,048,781 for the principal balance of the Convertible Debenture on May 19, 2022, the voluntary and automatic conversion features associated with the derivative liability no longer existed and the fair value of the derivative liability as of that date was adjusted to zero.

Interest Expense

Interest expense decreased by $2,652,746 from $3,457,007 for the year ended December 31, 2022, to $804,261 for the year ended December 31, 2023. This decrease is primarily attributable to a one-time debt default penalty of $914,634 related to the Convertible Debenture as well as a decrease of amortization of debt discounts due to beneficial conversion features of $1,518,610 during the year ended December 31, 2022.

Liquidity and Capital Resources for the Year Ended December 31, 2023 Compared to the Year Ended December 31, 2022

Introduction

During the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, the Company has incurred recurring losses from operations. Future capital requirements will depend on many factors, including the Company’s ability to sell and develop products, generate cash flow from operations, and assess competing market developments. The Company may need additional capital in the future. Our cash on hand as of December 31, 2023, was $2,790,147 and our current normalized monthly operating cash flow burn rate is approximately $425,000.

Management believes that cash balances and positive working capital at December 31, 2023 do not provide adequate operating capital for operating activities for the next twelve months after the date these financial statements are issued. However, management believes actions presently being taken to generate product and services revenues, and positive cash flows, in addition to the Company’s plans and ability to access capital sources and implement additional expense reduction tactics to preserve working capital, provide the opportunity for the Company to continue as a going concern as of December 31, 2023. These plans are contingent upon the actions to be performed by the Company and these conditions have not been met on or before December 31, 2023. As such, substantial doubt about the entity’s ability to continue as a going concern has not been alleviated as of December 31, 2023.  

Our cash, current assets, total assets, current liabilities, and total liabilities as of December 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022, are as follows:

Our current assets and total assets decreased as of December 31, 2023, as compared to December 31, 2022, primarily due to use of cash to support our negative cash flow from operations.

Our current liabilities decreased as of December 31, 2023, as compared to December 31, 2022. This decrease was primarily due to the refinancing, consolidation and extension of convertible debt originally due in the second quarter of 2023 to May 2025.

Sources and Uses of Cash

Operations

Our net cash used in operating activities of $5,928,076 for the year ended December 31, 2023, as compared to net cash used in operating activities of $6,156,172 for the year ended December 31, 2022. For the year ended December 31, 2023, the net cash used in operating activities consisted primarily of our net loss of $10,214,721 offset by non-cash items including amortization of $385,464, stock-based compensation expense of $2,245,871, and amortization of debt discounts of $562,690. The net loss and non-cash items have been offset by changes in our assets and liabilities primarily from sources of cash from accrued expenses of $334,133, prepaid expenses of $655,507, and accounts payable of $382,700, balanced by uses of cash for inventory of ($127,289) and accrued interest payable of ($237,564). For the year ended December 31, 2022, the net cash used in operating activities consisted primarily of our net loss of $12,354,930 offset by non-cash items including amortization of $385,464, stock-based compensation expense of $2,295,586, amortization of debt discounts of $2,295,586, and stock issued for professional services of $864,500, offset by a change in fair value of derivative liability of ($1,040,000) and gain on extinguishment of debt of ($245,105). The net loss and non-cash items have been offset by changes in our assets and liabilities primarily from sources of cash from accrued expenses of $1,037,486, prepaid expenses of $86,238, accrued interest payable of $217,581, and other assets of $3,148, balanced by uses of cash for inventory of ($176,032), accounts payable of ($127,185), related party payables of ($80,996) and accounts receivable of ($30,322). 

Investments

We had no cash provided by or used for investing activities during the years ended December 31, 2023, and 2022.

Financing

Our net cash provided by financing activities for the year ended December 31, 2023, was $139,226, compared to $13,852,901 for the year ended December 31, 2022. For the year ended December 31, 2023, our net cash from financing activities consisted of net proceeds from notes payable – non-related parties of $3,000,001, offset by repayments of notes payable – related parties ($1,000,000), repayments of notes payable – non-related parties ($1,323,025) and payment of debt issuance costs of ($537,750). For the year ended December 31, 2022, our net cash from financing activities consisted of net proceeds from public equity offering of $8,694,363, net proceeds from private equity offering of $5,121,973, and net proceeds from the exercise of stock warrants of $3,328,143, offset by repayments of convertible debenture payable of ($3,048,781) and notes payable to non-related parties of ($242,797).

Contractual Obligations and Commitments

At December 31, 2023, the Company had contractual commitments to make payments under operating leases. Payments due under these commitments are as follows:

For additional information about our contractual commitments for these leases, see “Note 5 – Leases”  included in our Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements. 

Off Balance Sheet Arrangements

We have no off-balance sheet arrangements as of December 31, 2023, and 2022.

ITEM 7A – QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK

As a smaller reporting company, we are not required to provide the information required by this Item.

ITEM 8 ‑ FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND SUPPLEMENTARY DATA

For a list of financial statements and supplementary data filed as part of this Annual Report, see the Index to Financial Statements beginning at page F-1 of this Annual Report.

ITEM 9 ‑ CHANGES IN AND DISAGREEMENTS WITH ACCOUNTANTS ON ACCOUNTING AND FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE

(a) Dismissal of Independent Registered Public Accountant

On April 18, 2023, based on the recommendation of the Audit Committee (the “Audit Committee”) and approval of the Board of Directors of SOBR Safe, Inc., (the “Company”), the Company dismissed Macias Gini & O’Connell LLP (“MGO”) as the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm. The decision to dismiss MGO as the independent registered public accounting firm of the Company is not the result of any disagreement with MGO.

(b) Newly Appointed Independent Registered Public Accountant

On April 18, 2023, following the recommendation of the Audit Committee and approval of the Board of Directors, the Company engaged Haynie & Company (“Haynie”) as the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm for the year ending December 31, 2023, effective immediately.

ITEM 9A - CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES

(a) Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures

We carried out an evaluation, under the supervision and with the participation of our management, including our Chief Executive Officer (our Principal Executive Officer) and Chief Financial Officer (our Principal Accounting Officer), of the effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a – 15(c) and 15d – 15(e)). Based upon that evaluation, our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, who are our Principal Executive Officer and Principal Financial Officer, respectively, concluded that, as of the end of the year ended December 31, 2023, our disclosure controls and procedures were effective as of December 31, 2023.

In designing and evaluating the disclosure controls and procedures, management recognizes that there are inherent limitations to the effectiveness of any system of disclosure controls and procedures, including the possibility of human error and the circumvention or overriding of the controls and procedures. Accordingly, even effective disclosure controls and procedures can only provide reasonable assurance of achieving their desired control objectives. Additionally, in evaluating and implementing possible controls and procedures, management is required to apply its reasonable judgment.

(b) Management’s Annual Report on Internal Control Over Financial Reporting

Our management is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting. Internal control over financial reporting is defined in Rules 13a-15(c) and 15d-15(f) promulgated under the Exchange Act, as amended, as a process designed by, or under the supervision of, our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, and effected by our Board of Directors, management and other personnel, to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States and includes those policies and procedures that:

A material weakness is a deficiency, or a combination of deficiencies, in internal control over financial reporting, such that there is a reasonable possibility that a material misstatement of our annual or interim financial statements will not be prevented or detected on a timely basis. Our management assesses the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting on a quarterly basis, with the most recent assessment being conducted as of December 31, 2023. In making these assessments, our management used the criteria set forth by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO) in Internal Control-Integrated Framework issued in 2013. Based on this assessment, Management has identified no material weaknesses.

(c) Changes in Internal Control over Financial Reporting

There have been no changes in our internal control over financial reporting during the quarter ended December 31, 2023, that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting. Our process for evaluating controls and procedures is continuous and encompasses constant improvement of the design and effectiveness of established controls and procedures and the remediation of any deficiencies, which may be identified during this process.

Because of the inherent limitations of internal control over financial reporting, including the possibility of collusion or improper management override of controls, material misstatements due to error or fraud may not be prevented or detected on a timely basis. Also, projections of any evaluation of the effectiveness of the internal control over financial reporting to future periods are subject to the risk that the controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions, or that the degree of compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate.

ITEM 9B – OTHER INFORMATION

None.

ITEM 9C – DISCLOSURE REGARDING FOREIGN JURISDICTIONS THAT PREVENT INSPECTIONS

Not applicable.

PART III

ITEM 10 - DIRECTORS, EXECUTIVE OFFICERS, AND CORPORATE GOVERNANCE.

Directors and Executive Officers

The following table sets forth the names and ages of our directors, director nominees, and executive officers as of March 29, 2024, the principal offices and positions with the Company held by each person and the date such person became a director or executive officer of the Company. The executive officers of the Company are elected annually by the Board of Directors. The directors serve one-year terms until their successors are elected. The executive officers serve terms of one year or until their death, resignation, or removal by the Board of Directors. Unless described below, there are no family relationships among any of the directors and officers.

David Gandini has served as our Chief Executive Officer since October 18, 2021, and on our Board of Directors since November 2019. Mr. Gandini has been consulting regarding our business development since December 2018. Since September 2018, Mr. Gandini has also been a managing partner with First Capital Advisory Services, where he is responsible for capital creation, new business acquisition, business strategy and development, and partnership revenue generation. From 2014 to August 2017, Mr. Gandini was President of Alchemy Plastics, Inc., Englewood Colorado where he was responsible for US manufacturing, sales, and strategic partnerships. From 2001 until 2014, when the company was acquired, Mr. Gandini served as the President of IPS Denver, a bank card personalization and packaging entity where he managed the company and market transformations to become a leader in the U.S. secured gift market space with revenues of $46M. Prior to his engagement at IPS, Mr. Gandini was the Chief Operations Officer at First World Communications, a major U.S. Internet and Data Center provider, and participated in its successful IPO in 2000 raising over $200M. Previously, Mr. Gandini founded Pace Network Services providing carrier SS7 signaling to U.S. long distance providers and facilitated a successful exit to ICG Communications on the heels of co-founding Detroit based Digital Signal in the fiber optic long haul market sector where me managed a successful exit to SP Telecom.

Mr. Gandini graduated from Michigan State University with a degree in Telecommunications. He was a scholarship NCAA Division Hockey athlete, a member of the US Junior National Team, and a US Junior All American.

Christopher Whitaker has served as our Chief Financial Officer since January 2024. Prior to his appointment as Chief Financial Officer, Mr. Whitaker served as the Company’s Vice President of Finance and Accounting since February 2022. Mr. Whitaker has held various executive finance positions with large public multi-national corporations and small entrepreneurial companies throughout a progressive 30-year career that began with KPMG LLP in Denver, Colorado. Prior to joining the Company, Mr. Whitaker served as President - Americas and Vice President of Finance and Administration from February 2020 through June 2021 for North and South American operations with public, multinational corporation Elixinol, Inc. Through advancing executive roles, his responsibilities at Elixinol, Inc. included management of all financial and accounting operations, and leading marketing, sales, consumer product goods development, information technology, and human resource functions. Prior to Elixinol, Inc., Mr. Whitaker served as the Managing Director of AEGIS Financial Consulting, LLC, from January 2015 through January 2020, leading a team of consultants in providing fractional CFO and financial consulting services to a wide variety of businesses in the public and private sectors.

Mr. Whitaker has been a Certified Public Accountant since 2014. He earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting from the Metropolitan State University of Denver in December 1999.

Ford B. Fay has served as a member of our Board of Directors since June 2020 and serves as the Chairperson of the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee of our Board of Directors. Mr. Fay is currently the Director at Crown Castle International Corp., a large fiber-based telecommunications company. In this position Mr. Fay manages all aspects of Network Access Life Cycle for the company. He has held this position since 2020. From 2017 to 2020, Mr. Fay was a principal with Eagle Bay Advisors, LLC, a telecommunications consulting firm. In this position, Mr. Fay assisted clients with cost and efficiency improvements in Access Management across the life cycle spectrum of Access. From 2015 to 2017, Mr. Fay was the Vice President, Access Management for Zayo Communications. In this position Mr. Fay created and managed most aspects of offnet costs, such as, vendor selection, contracting, procurement, quoting, operationalization, vendor management, offnet ordering, offnet grooming and optimization. In this position, Mr. Fay also planned and executed the network integrations of the $1.4B acquisition of Electric Lightwave and the $350M acquisition of Canadian-based Allstream. Mr. Fay received his Bachelor of Science in Operations Research & Industrial Engineering from Cornell University, and his Master of Business Administration from University of Rochester, Simon School of Business.

J. Steven Beabout has served as a member of our Board of Directors since August 2020 and serves as the Chairperson of the Compensation Committee of our Board of Directors. Since 2018, Mr. Beabout has been consulting with various startup companies and involved in real estate investing. From 2016-2018, Mr. Beabout was General Counsel of Tectonic, LLC, a SaaS company specializing in big data analytics and customer relationship management (CRM). In this position, Mr. Beabout was in charge of Tectonic’s legal department and negotiated deals with large companies like Coca-Cola, Anhueser-Busch and Wyndham Hotels. From 1996 to 2015, Mr. Beabout was General Counsel and a member of the strategic management team (executive vice-president) of Starz, a company listed on NASDAQ that competes with HBO and Netflix. During his time there, Mr. Beabout assisted with other key management personnel to grow the business from a start-up with $100M in losses to a multi-billion dollar public company. As part of strategic management team, Mr. Beabout was involved in the company’s strategic business decisions and as General Counsel he was responsible for all legal aspects of business, including, but not limited to, negotiation of billion dollar plus contacts with major studios (Universal, Disney and Sony), and distributors (Comcast, Time- Warner, DIRECTV, DISH Networks, Netflix, etc.), human resources and related matters, general corporate matters, post-IPO public board matters, and reviewing filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

 Noreen Butler has served as a member of our Board of Directors since October 2022. Ms. Butler’s experience combines over 12 years in senior management and recruitment, following a 7-year career in business development. She is currently the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of RubiCorp Technologies, Inc., a private ridesharing company focused on safely transporting children ages 7+ for busy families and those in need of a safe, trusted ride. Previously, Ms. Butler had been involved in several companies in real estate, biotechnology and the technology industry, holding positions including Senior Advisor, Director of Business Development and Chief Executive Officer. From 2015 through June 2016, Ms. Butler was the Director of Business Development for Frozen Egg Bank Network, a division of global fertility company Donor Egg Bank. From 2016 to 2018, she was a Senior Advisor for Cresa, an international commercial real estate company. Ms. Butler has an undergraduate degree in Communications from Pine Manor College.

 Sandy Shoemaker has served as a member of our Board of Directors since December 2021 and serves as Chairperson of the audit committee of our Board of Directors. Ms. Shoemaker retired from public accounting in June 2021 to focus on consulting with small-medium sized companies. She was a partner in the audit service area of EKS&H/Plante Moran and was involved in public accounting since 1990, serving publicly traded and privately held companies. She led the EKS&H SEC practice for several years. Ms. Shoemaker’s experience includes initial and secondary public offerings, reverse mergers, annual and quarterly audits/reviews of public companies, responses to SEC comment letters, assisting with implementation of new accounting pronouncements, business acquisitions, stock-based compensation, and internal controls. Ms. Shoemaker has provided services to companies in the various industries such as biotech, franchising, distribution, manufacturing, medical-device, restaurants and real estate industries. She also has extensive experience working with employee-owned companies. Ms. Shoemaker has numerous professional affiliations including, but not limited to, American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA), the Colorado Society of Certified Public Accountants (CSCPA), and the National Center for Employee Ownership (NCEO). Ms. Shoemaker received her B.S. in Accounting, graduating cum laude, from Missouri State University.

Term of Office

Our directors hold office until the next annual meeting or until their successors have been elected and qualified, or until they resign or are removed. Our Board of Directors appoints our officers, and our officers hold office until their successors are chosen and qualify, or until their resignation or their removal.

Family Relationships

Family relationships and other related party transactions are detailed in Item 13 – Certain Relationships and Related Transactions and Director Independence.

Involvement in Certain Legal Proceedings

Our directors and executive officers have not been involved in any legal proceedings during the past ten years that are material to an evaluation of the ability or integrity of any director, person nominated to become a director or executive officer.

Board Diversity

Our five directors come from diverse backgrounds. We comply with Nasdaq Listing Rule 5605(f), which requires Nasdaq-listed smaller reporting companies to have at least two diverse directors.

The table below provides certain highlights of the composition of our Board members and nominees as of March 29, 2024. Each of the categories listed in the table below has the meaning as it is used in Nasdaq Listing Rule 5605(f).

* Did not disclose with respect to LGBTQ+ background.

Board Meetings

Our Board of Directors held four meetings during the year ended December 31, 2023, which occurred on March 15, 2023, May 5, 2023, August 4, 2023, and November 10, 2023; and all directors attended 100% of the aggregate number of meetings of the Board and of the committees on which each of the directors served. The Board also acted by unanimous written consent eight times during the year ended December 31, 2023.

Committees

Since April 22, 2022, our Board of Directors has a designated compensation committee, consisting of Steven Beabout and Ford Fay. Our Board of Directors has a designated audit committee, consisting of Sandy Shoemaker, Steve Beabout and Ford Fay. Our Board of Directors has a nominating and corporate governance committee, consisting of Ford Fay and Steve Beabout. We also have written nominating and corporate governance, compensation, and audit committee charters.

Audit Committee Financial Expert

The Nasdaq Capital Market rules require us to have three independent audit committee members upon the listing of our Common Stock, with at least one member being an “audit committee financial expert”. Our Board of Directors has affirmatively determined that Sandy Shoemaker meets the definition of “independent director” and an “audit committee expert”, and Steve Beabout and Ford Fay qualify as “independent directors” for purposes of serving on an audit committee under Rule 10A-3 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended and Nasdaq Capital Market rules.

Compensation Committee

The Nasdaq Capital Market rules require us to have two independent compensation committee members upon the listing of our Common Stock. Our board of directors has affirmatively determined that Steve Beabout and Ford Fay meets the definition of “independent director” for purposes of serving on a compensation committee under Rule 10A-3 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended and Nasdaq Capital Market rules.

Nomination and Corporate Governance Committee

The Nasdaq Capital Market rules require us to have two independent nomination committee members upon the listing of our Common Stock. Our board of directors has affirmatively determined that Ford Fay and Steve Beabout meets the definition of “independent director” for purposes of serving on a nomination committee under Rule 10A-3 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended and Nasdaq Capital Market rules.

Code of Ethics

On April 22, 2022, our Board of Directors adopted an amended and restated code of business conduct and ethics applicable to our employees, directors and officers, in accordance with applicable U.S. federal securities laws and the corporate governance rules of Nasdaq. The code of business conduct and ethics will be publicly available on our website. Any substantive amendments or waivers of the code of business conduct and ethics or code of ethics for senior financial officers may be made only by our board of directors and is promptly disclosed as required by applicable U.S. federal securities laws and the corporate governance rules of Nasdaq. Additionally, we adopted a policy on insider trading which is publicly available on our website.

Section 16(a) Beneficial Ownership

Section 16(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 requires the Company’s directors and executive officers and persons who own more than ten percent of a registered class of the Company’s equity securities to file with the SEC initial reports of ownership and reports of changes in ownership of common stock and other equity securities of the Company. Officers, directors and greater than ten percent shareholders are required by SEC regulations to furnish the Company with copies of all Section 16(a) forms they file.

During the most recent fiscal year, to the Company’s knowledge, the following delinquencies occurred:

ITEM 11 - EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION.

The particulars of compensation paid to the following persons:

Executive Officers and Directors

The following tables set forth certain information about compensation paid, earned or accrued for services by (i) the Company’s Chief Executive Officer and (ii) all other executive officers who earned in excess of $100,000 in the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022, and 2021 (“Named Executive Officers”):

Employment Contracts

David Gandini. On January 30, 2023, we entered into an Employment Agreement with Mr. Gandini to continue to serve as our Chief Executive Officer through December 31, 2025 (the “Term”). The Term will automatically renew for additional terms of one year unless written notice not to renew is otherwise given by either Mr. Gandini or the Company.

Under the terms of the Employment Agreement, Mr. Gandini will receive an annual base salary of $300,000. For each subsequent calendar year of the Term and Renewal Terms, Mr. Gandini will receive salary adjustments as recommended by the Compensation Committee and approved by the Company’s Board of Directors (the “Board”). Mr. Gandini is also entitled to participate in the Company’s Annual Bonus Plan and any and all other incentive payments available to executives of the Company. Mr. Gandini may also be provided with regular equity grants commensurate with his role and as awarded by the Board pursuant to the Company’s 2019 Equity Incentive Plan.

 Jerry Wenzel. In connection with hiring Mr. Wenzel, we entered into an Executive Employment Agreement with Mr. Wenzel. Under the terms of his Employment Agreement, Mr. Wenzel will serve as our Chief Financial Officer until January 1, 2024, unless he is terminated pursuant to the termination provisions set forth in his agreement. Under the terms of his Employment Agreement, Mr. Wenzel will perform services for us that are customary and usual for a chief financial officer of a company, in exchange for: (i) an annual base salary of $225,000 effective January 2023, (ii) incentive stock options under our 2019 Equity Incentive Plan to acquire 66,667 shares of our common stock, at an exercise price of $8.25, which is equal to 110% of the fair market value of our common stock on January 10, 2022 (the date the options were eligible to be issued under Mr. Wenzel’s Employment Agreement), and repriced effective November 4, 2022, to an exercise price of $2.39 per share with the stock options to vest in eight equal quarterly installments of 8,334 shares during the two-year term of the Employment Agreement, with a ten year term, and (iii) 16,667 Restricted Stock Units under our 2019 Equity Incentive Plan, and vested in November 2022. On November 4, 2022, Mr. Wenzel was granted 75,000 Restricted Stock Units under our 2019 Equity Incentive Plan, that vest on June 1, 2023. On November 10, 2023, Mr. Wenzel was granted 50,000 Restricted Stock Units under our 2019 Equity Incentive Plan, that vested on November 10, 2023.

Scott Bennett. On August 17, 2021, we entered into an Executive Employment Agreement with Scott Bennett (the “Bennett Agreement”) to serve as our Executive Vice President of Business Operations beginning on October 18, 2021. Under the terms of the Bennett Agreement, Mr. Bennett performs services for us that are customary and usual for a EVP of business operations of a company, in exchange for: (i) a base salary of $175,000, (ii) incentive stock options under our 2019 Equity Incentive Plan to acquire up to 33,334 shares of our common stock at $9.21 per share (110% of fair market value on the date of grant), and repriced effective November 4, 2023, to an exercise price of $2.39 per share which options vest in equal quarterly installments overs a two year period, and (iii) 16,667 Restricted Stock Units under our 2019 Equity Incentive Stock Plan, which vested in November 2022. On November 4, 2022, Mr. Bennett was granted 50,000 Restricted Stock Units under our 2019 Equity Incentive Plan, that vest on June 1, 2023. The Bennett Agreement is for a two-year term. Effective March 15, 2023, Scott Bennet will continue as Executive Vice President of Business Operations but will no longer be an officer of the Company.

Prior to hiring Mr. Bennett as an executive officer, Mr. Bennett was granted (i) 3,334 Restricted Stock Units pursuant to a prior consulting arrangement with us, and (ii) a stock option to acquire 33,334 shares of our common stock at an exercise price of $10.14 per share under a prior employment agreement with us and repriced effective November 4, 2022, to an exercise price of $2.39 per share. The restricted stock units were issued under our 2019 Equity Plan and vested in November 2023. The stock options were also issued under our 2019 Equity Incentive Plan and vest in equal installments, monthly over a thirty-six (36) month period beginning May 17, 2021.

Director Compensation

The following table sets forth director compensation for 2023:

We have no formal plan for compensating our directors for their service in their capacity as directors, although such directors may receive restricted stock units or stock options to purchase common shares as awarded by our Board of Directors or (as to future stock options) or the Compensation Committee of our Board of Directors. Directors are entitled to reimbursement for reasonable travel and other out-of-pocket expenses incurred in connection with attendance at meetings of our Board of Directors. Our Board of Directors may award special remuneration to any director undertaking any special services on our behalf other than services ordinarily required of a director.

Outstanding Equity Awards

The following table sets forth certain information concerning outstanding stock awards held by the Named Executive Officers on December 31, 2023: