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 (FEE REQUIRED)
 
For the fiscal year ended September 30, 2018
 
 TRANSACTION REPORT UNDER SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934 (NO FEE REQUIRED)
 
For the transaction period from ________ to ________
 
Commission File number               000-30262    
KNOW LABS, INC.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in charter)
 
  Nevada
 90-0273142
 (State or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization)
 (I.R.S. Employer Identification No.)
 
 
 
 
  500 Union Street, Suite 810, Seattle, Washington USA
  98101
 (Address of principal executive offices) 
 (Zip Code)
 
 
206-903-1351
 
 
 (Registrant's telephone number, including area code)
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
N/A
 
 
 (Former name, address, and fiscal year, if changed since last report)
 
  
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 and posted on its corporate Web site, if any, every Interactive Data File required to be submitted and posted 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 and post such files).  Yes   No
 
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer”, “smaller reporting company”, and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2
 
Large accelerated filer
Accelerated filer
Non-accelerated filer (Do not check if a smaller reporting company)
Smaller reporting company
Emerging growth company
 
 
 
If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. 
 
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act).   Yes   No
 
As of March 31, 2018 (the last business day of our most recently completed second fiscal quarter), based upon the last reported trade on that date, the aggregate market value of the voting and non-voting common equity held by non-affiliates (for this purpose, all outstanding and issued common stock minus stock held by the officers, directors and known holders of 10% or more of the Company’s common stock) was $1,029,906.
 
The number of shares of common stock, $.001 par value, issued and outstanding as of December 21, 2018: 17,531,522 shares
 
1
 
 
TABLE OF CONTENTS
 
 
 
Page
PART 1
 
 3
 
 
 
ITEM 1.
Description of Business
 3
 
 
 
ITEM 1A.
Risk Factors
 8
 
 
 
ITEM 1B
Unresolved Staff Comments
 17
 
 
 
ITEM 2.
Properties
 18
 
 
 
ITEM 3.
Legal Proceedings
 18
 
 
 
ITEM 4.
Mine Safety Disclosures
 18
 
 
 
ITEM 5 Other Information
 18
   
 
PART II
 
 19
 
 
 
ITEM 5.
Market for Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities
 19
 
 
 
ITEM 6.
Selected Financial Data
 24
 
 
 
ITEM 7.
Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
 24
 
 
 
ITEM 7A.
Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk
 29
 
 
 
ITEM 8.
Financial Statements and Supplementary Data
 29
 
 
 
ITEM 9.
Changes in and Disagreements with Accountants on Accounting and Financial Disclosure
 29
 
 
 
ITEM 9A.
Controls and Procedures
 29
 
 
 
ITEM 9B.
Other Information
 30
 
 
 
PART III
 
 31
 
 
 
ITEM 10.
Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance
 31
 
 
 
ITEM 11.
Executive Compensation
 34
 
 
 
ITEM 12.
Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Stockholder Matters
 40
 
 
 
ITEM 13.
Certain Relationships and Related Transactions, and Director Independence
 41
 
 
 
ITEM 14.
Principal Accounting Fees and Services
 44
 
 
 
PART IV
 
 46
 
 
 
ITEM 15.
Exhibits, Financial Statement Schedules
 46
 
 
 
 
SIGNATURES
 48
 
 
 
2
 
 
PART I
 
DISCLOSURE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
 
The following discussion, in addition to the other information contained in this report, should be considered carefully in evaluating us and our prospects. This report (including without limitation the following factors that may affect operating results) contains forward-looking statements (within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended ("Securities Act") and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended ("Exchange Act") regarding us and our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects. Words such as "expects," "anticipates," "intends," "plans," "believes," "seeks," "estimates" and similar expressions or variations of such words are intended to identify forward-looking statements, but are not the exclusive means of identifying forward-looking statements in this report. Additionally, statements concerning future matters such as revenue projections, projected profitability, growth strategies, development of new products, enhancements or technologies, possible changes in legislation and other statements regarding matters that are not historical are forward-looking statements.
 
Forward-looking statements in this report reflect the good faith judgment of our management and these statements are based on facts and factors as we currently understand them. Forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties and actual results and outcomes may differ materially from the results and outcomes discussed in the forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause or contribute to such differences in results and outcomes include, but are not limited to, those discussed below in “Risk Factors” and in "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations," as well as those discussed elsewhere in this report. Readers are urged not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this report. We undertake no obligation to revise or update any forward-looking statements in order to reflect any event or circumstance that may arise after the date of this report.
 
ITEM 1.    DESCRIPTION OF BUSINESS
 
BACKGROUND AND CAPITAL STRUCTURE
 
Know Labs, Inc., formerly Visualant, Incorporated, was incorporated under the laws of the State of Nevada in 1998. Since 2007, we have been focused primarily on research and development of proprietary technologies which can be used to authenticate and diagnose a wide variety of organic and non-organic substances and materials. Our Common Stock trades on the OTCQB Exchange under the symbol “KNWN.”
 
BUSINESS
 
We are focused on the development, marketing and sales of a proprietary technologies which are capable of uniquely authenticating or diagnosing almost any substance or material using electromagnetic energy to create, record and detect the unique “signature” of the substance. We call these our “ChromaID™” and “Bio-RFID™” technologies.
 
Overview
 
Historically, the Company focused on the development of our proprietary ChromaID technology. Using light from low-cost LEDs (light emitting diodes) we map the color of substances, fluids and materials and with our proprietary processes we can authenticate, identify and diagnose based upon the color that is present. The color is both visible to us as humans but also outside of the humanly visible color spectrum in the near infra-red and near ultra-violet and beyond. Our ChromaID scanner sees what we like to call “Nature’s Color Fingerprint.” Everything in nature has a unique color identifier and with ChromaID we can see it, and identify, authenticate and diagnose based upon the color that is present. Our ChromaID scanner is capable of uniquely identifying and authenticating almost any substance or liquid using light to create, record and detect its unique color signature. We will continue to develop and enhance our ChromaID technology and extend its capacity. More recently, we have focused upon extensions and new inventions that are derived from and extend beyond our ChromaID technology. We call this technology Bio-RFID. The rapid advances made with our Bio-RFID technology in our laboratory have caused us to move quickly in to the commercialization phase of our Company as we work to create revenue generating products for the marketplace. We will also, as resources permit, pursue licensing opportunities with third parties who have ready applications for our technologies.
 
In 2010, we acquired TransTech Systems, Inc. as an adjunct to our business. TransTech is a distributor of products for employee and personnel identification and authentication. TransTech has historically provided substantially all of the Company’s revenues. The financial results from our TransTech subsidiary have been diminishing as vendors of their products increasingly move to the Internet and direct sales to their customers. While it does provide our current revenues it is not central to our current focus as a Company. Moreover, we have written down any goodwill associated with its historic acquisition. We continue to closely monitor this subsidiary.
 
 
 
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The Know Labs Technology
 
We have internally and under contract with third parties developed proprietary platform technologies to uniquely authenticate or diagnose almost any material and substance. Our technology utilizes electromagnetic energy at various points along the electromagnetic spectrum to perform analytics which allow the user to identify, authenticate and diagnose depending upon the application and the unique field of use. The Company’s proprietary platform technologies are called ChromaID and Bio-RFID.
 
The ChromaID patented technology utilizes light at the photon (elementary particle of light) level through a series of emitters and detectors to generate a unique signature or “fingerprint” from a scan of almost any solid, liquid or gaseous material. This signature of reflected or transmitted light is digitized, creating a unique ChromaID signature. Each ChromaID signature is comprised of from hundreds to thousands of specific data points.
 
The ChromaID technology looks beyond visible light frequencies to areas of near infra-red and ultraviolet light and beyond that are outside the humanly visible light spectrum. The data obtained allows us to create a very specific and unique ChromaID signature of the substance for a myriad of authentication, verification and diagnostic applications.
 
Traditional light-based identification technology, called spectrophotometry, has relied upon a complex system of prisms, mirrors and visible light. Spectrophotometers typically have a higher cost and utilize a form factor (shape and size) more suited to a laboratory setting and require trained laboratory personnel to interpret the information. The ChromaID technology uses lower cost LEDs and photodiodes and specific electromagnetic frequencies resulting in a more accurate, portable and easy-to-use solution for a wide variety of applications. The ChromaID technology not only has significant cost advantages as compared to spectrophotometry, it is also completely flexible is size, shape and configuration. The ChromaID scan head can range in size from endoscopic to a scale that could be the size of a large ceiling-mounted florescent light fixture.
 
In normal operation, a ChromaID master or reference scan is generated and stored in a database. We call this the ChromaID Reference Library. The scan head can then scan similar materials to identify, authenticate or diagnose them by comparing the new ChromaID digital signature scan to that of the original or reference ChromaID signature or scan result. Over time, we believe the ChromaID Reference Libraries can become a significant asset of the Company, providing valuable information in numerous fields of use. The Reference Libraries for Bio-RFID will have a similar promise regarding their utility and value.
 
The Company’s latest technology platform is called Bio-RFID. Working in our lab over the past year, we have developed extensions and new inventions derived in part from our ChromaID technology which we refer to as Bio-RFID technology. While we are in the early stages of the development of this technology, we have recently announced that we have successfully been able to non-invasively ascertain blood glucose levels. We are building the internal and external development team necessary to commercialize this newly discovered technology as well as make additional patent filings covering the intellectual property created with these new inventions. The first applications of our Bio-RFID technology will be in a product we call the UBAND™. The first UBAND product will be marketed as a real time calorie counter. It is a wearable product which will be worn on the wrist and communicate with a smart phone device via Bluetooth connectivity. It will provide the user with real time information on their caloric consumption from carbohydrates.
 
We have recently announced the results of laboratory-based comparison testing between our Bio-RFID technology and the leading continuous glucose monitors from Abbott Labs (Freestyle Libre®) and DexCom (G5®). These results provide evidence of a high degree of correlation between our Bio-RFID based technology and the current industry leaders. Our technology is fundamentally differentiated from these industry leaders as it is completely non-invasive.
 
We expect to begin the process of obtaining US Food and Drug Administration approval of our non-invasive continuous blood glucose monitoring device during calendar year 2019. We are unable to estimate the time necessary for such approval nor the likelihood of success in that endeavor.
 
ChromaID and Bio-RFID: Foundational Platform Technologies
 
Our ChromaID and Bio-RFID technologies provide a platform upon which a myriad of applications can be developed. As platform technologies, they are analogous to a smartphone, upon which an enormous number of previously unforeseen applications have been developed. ChromaID and Bio-RFID technologies are “enabling” technologies that bring the science of electromagnetic energy to low-cost, real-world commercialization opportunities across multiple industries. The technologies are foundational and, as such, the basis upon which the Company believes a significant business can be built.
 
As with other foundational technologies, a single application may reach across multiple industries. The ChromaID technology can, for example effectively differentiate and identify different brands of clear vodkas that appear identical to the human eye. By extension, this same technology can identify pure water from water with contaminants present. It can provide real time detection of liquid medicines such as morphine that have been adulterated or compromised. It can detect if jet fuel has water contamination present. It could determine when it is time to change oil in a deep fat fryer. These are but a few of the potential applications of the ChromaID technology based upon extensions of its ability to identify different clear liquids.
 
 
 
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Similarly, the Bio-RFID technology can non-invasively identity the presence and quantity of glucose in the human body. By extension, there may be other molecular structures which this same technology can identity in the human body which, over time, the Company will focus upon. They may include the monitoring of drug usage or the presence of illicit drugs. They may also involve identifying hormones and various markers of disease.
 
The cornerstone of a company with a foundational platform technology is its intellectual property. We have pursued an active intellectual property strategy and have been granted 12 patents. We currently have 20 patents pending. We possess all right, title and interest to the issued patents. Ten of the pending patents are licensed exclusively to us in perpetuity by our strategic partner, Allied Inventors.
 
Our Patents and Intellectual Property.
 
We believe that our 12 patents, 20 patent applications, three registered trademarks, and our trade secrets, copyrights and other intellectual property rights are important assets. Our issued patents will expire at various times between 2027 and 2033. The duration of our trademark registrations varies from country to country. However, trademarks are generally valid and may be renewed indefinitely as long as they are in use and/or their registrations are properly maintained.
 
The issued patents cover the fundamental aspects of the Know Labs ChromaID technology and a growing number of unique applications ranging, to date, from invisible bar codes to tissue and liquid analysis. We have filed patents on Bio-RFID technology and will continue to expand the Company’s patent portfolio over time through internal development efforts as well as through licensing opportunities with third parties.
 
Additionally, significant aspects of our technology are trade secrets which may not be disclosed through the patent filing process. We intend to be diligent in maintaining our trade secrets.
 
The patents that have been issued to Know Labs and their dates of issuance are:
 
On August 9, 2011, we were issued US Patent No. 7,996,173 B2 entitled “Method, Apparatus and Article to Facilitate Distributed Evaluation of Objects Using Electromagnetic Energy,” by the United States Office of Patents and Trademarks. The patent expires August 24, 2029.
 
On December 13, 2011, we were issued US Patent No. 8,076,630 B2 entitled “System and Method of Evaluating an Object Using Electromagnetic Energy” by the United States Office of Patents and Trademarks. The patent expires November 7, 2028.
 
On December 20, 2011, we were issued US Patent No. 8,081,304 B2 entitled “Method, Apparatus and Article to Facilitate Evaluation of Objects Using Electromagnetic Energy” by the United States Office of Patents and Trademarks. The patent expires July 28, 2030.
 
On October 9, 2012, we were issued US Patent No. 8,285,510 B2 entitled “Method, Apparatus, and Article to Facilitate Distributed Evaluation of Objects Using Electromagnetic Energy” by the United States Office of Patents and Trademarks. The patent expires July 31, 2027.
 
On February 5, 2013, we were issued US Patent No. 8,368,878 B2 entitled “Method, Apparatus and Article to Facilitate Evaluation of Objects Using Electromagnetic Energy by the United States Office of Patents and Trademarks. The patent expires July 31, 2027.
 
On November 12, 2013, we were issued US Patent No. 8,583,394 B2 entitled “Method, Apparatus and Article to Facilitate Distributed Evaluation of Objects Using Electromagnetic Energy by the United States Office of Patents and Trademarks. The patent expires July 31, 2027.
 
On November 21, 2014, we were issued US Patent No. 8,888,207 B2 entitled “Systems, Methods, and Articles Related to Machine-Readable Indicia and Symbols” by the United States Office of Patents and Trademarks. The patent expires February 7, 2033. This patent describes using ChromaID to see what we call invisible bar codes and other identifiers.
 
On March 23, 2015, we were issued US Patent No. 8,988,666 B2 entitled “Method, Apparatus, and Article to Facilitate Evaluation of Objects Using Electromagnetic Energy” by the United States Office of Patents and Trademarks. The patent expires July 31, 2027.
 
On May 26, 2015, we were issued US Patent No. 9,041,920 B2 entitled “Device for Evaluation of Fluids using Electromagnetic Energy” by the United States Office of Patents and Trademarks. The patent expires March 12, 2033. This patent describes a ChromaID fluid sampling devices.
 
On April 19, 2016, we were issued US Patent No. 9,316,581 B2 entitled “Method, Apparatus, and Article to Facilitate Evaluation of Substances Using Electromagnetic Energy” by the United States Office of Patents and Trademarks. The patent expires March 12, 2033. This patent describes an enhancement to the foundational ChromaID technology.
 
 
5
 
 
On April 18, 2017, we were issued US Patent No. 9,625,371 B2 entitled “Method, Apparatus, and Article to Facilitate Evaluation of Substances Using Electromagnetic Energy.” The patent expires July 2027. This patent pertains to the use of ChromaID technology for the identification and analysis of biological tissue. It has many potential applications in medical, industrial and consumer markets.
 
On April 4, 2018, we were issued US Patent No. 9,869,636 B2, entitled “Device for Evaluation of Fluids Using Electromagnetic Energy.” The patent expires approximately April 2033. This patent pertains to the use of ChromaID technology for evaluating and analyzing fluids such as those following through an IV drip in a hospital or water, for example.
 
We continue to pursue a patent strategy to expand our unique intellectual property in the United States and other countries.
 
Joint Development Agreements and Product Strategy
 
We are currently undertaking internal development work on potential products for the consumer marketplace. This development work was being performed through our Consulting Agreement with Blaze Clinical, and Phillip A. Bosua, who served as our Chief Product Officer. In his current role as Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Bosua continues to lead these efforts. As these products take form over the coming months, we will make appropriate product announcements.
 
We also will continue to engage with partners through licensing our technology in various fields of use, entering in to joint venture agreements to develop specific applications of our technology, and in certain specific instances develop our own products for the marketplace.
 
We have deployed our ChromaID development kit to a number of potential joint venture partners and customers around the world. There are strong indications of interest in deploying our technology in a wide variety of applications involving identification, authentication and diagnostics. Currently we are focusing our current efforts on productizing our Bio-RFID technology as we move it out of the research laboratory and in to the marketplace.
 
Research and Development
 
Our current research and development efforts are primarily focused improving our Bio-RFID technology, extending its capacity and developing new and unique applications for the technology. As part of this effort, we conduct on-going laboratory testing to ensure that application methods are compatible with the end-user and regulatory requirements, and that they can be implemented in a cost-effective manner. We are also actively involved in identifying new applications. Our current internal team along with outside consultants have considerable experience working with the application of our technologies and their application. We engage third party experts as required to supplement our internal team. We believe that continued development of new and enhanced technologies is essential to our future success. We incurred expenses of $570,514 and $79,405 for the year ended September 30, 2018 and 2017, respectively, on development activities. On July 6, 2017, we entered into a Consulting Agreement with Phillip A. Bosua, our Chief Product Officer to lead our development efforts. He has continued in that role with expanded responsibilities upon his appointment as Chief Executive Officer on April 19, 2018.
 
RECENT DEVELOPMENTS
 
We have the following recent developments:
 
Merger with RAAI Lighting, Inc.
 
On April 10, 2018, we entered into an Agreement and Plan of Merger with 500 Union Corporation, a Delaware corporation and a wholly owned subsidiary of the Company, and RAAI Lighting, Inc., a Delaware corporation. Pursuant to the Merger Agreement, we have acquired all the outstanding shares of RAAI’s capital stock through a merger of Merger Sub with and into RAAI (the “Merger”), with RAAI surviving the Merger as a wholly owned subsidiary of the Company.
 
Under the terms of the Merger Agreement, each share of RAAI common stock issued and outstanding immediately before the Merger (1,000 shares) were cancelled and we issued 2,000,000 shares of our common stock. As a result, we issued 2,000,000 shares of its common stock to Phillip A. Bosua, formerly the sole stockholder of RAAI. The consideration for the Merger was determined through arms-length bargaining by the Company and RAAI. The Merger was structured to qualify as a tax-free reorganization for U.S. federal income tax purposes. As a result of the Merger, the Company received certain intellectual property, related to RAAI.
 
Appointment of Director
 
On April 10, 2018, the Board increased the size of the Board from three to four members and Phillip A. Bosua was appointed as a member of the Board. Mr. Bosua’s term of office expire at the next annual meeting of our stockholders. On May 24, 2018, the Board of Directors increased the size of the Board from four to five members and appointed (Ret.) Admiral William Owens as a member of the Board. Admiral Owen’s term of office expires at the next annual meeting of our stockholders.
 
 
 
6
 
 
Appointment of Officer
 
On April 10, 2018, we appointed Mr. Bosua as Chief Executive Officer of the Company, replacing Ronald P. Erickson, who remains Chairman of the Company. Mr. Erickson has been a director and officer of Know Labs since April 2003. He was appointed as our CEO and President in November 2009 and as Chairman of the Board in February 2015. Previously, Mr. Erickson was our President and Chief Executive Officer from September 2003 through August 2003 and was Chairman of the Board from August 2004 until May 2011.
 
Phillip A. Bosua was appointed the Company’s CEO on April 10, 2018. Previously, Mr. Bosua served as our Chief Product Officer since August 2017. We entered into a Consulting Agreement with Mr. Bosua’s company, Blaze Clinical on July 7, 2017. From September 2012 to February 2015, Mr. Bosua was the founder and Chief Executive Officer of LIFX Inc. (where he developed and marketed an innovative “smart” light bulb) and from August 2015 until February 2016 was Vice President Consumer Products at Soraa (which markets specialty LED light bulbs). From February 2016 to July 2017, Mr. Bosua was the founder and CEO of RAAI, Inc. (where he continued the development of his smart lighting technology). From May 2008 to February 2013 he was the Founder and CEO of LimeMouse Apps, a leading developer of applications for the Apple App Store.
 
On April 10, 2018, we entered into an Employment Agreement with Mr. Bosua reflecting his appointment as Chief Executive Officer. The Employment Agreement is for an initial term of 12 months (subject to earlier termination) and will be automatically extended for additional 12-month terms unless either party notifies the other party of its intention to terminate the Employment Agreement. Mr. Bosua will be paid a base salary of $225,000 per year, received 500,000 shares of common stock valued at $0.33 per share and may be entitled to bonuses and equity awards at the discretion of the Board or a committee of the Board. The Employment Agreement provides for severance pay equal to 12 months of base salary if Mr. Bosua is terminated without “cause” or voluntarily terminates his employment for “good reason.”
 
On April 10, 2018, we entered into an Amended Employment Agreement for Ronald P. Erickson which amends the Employment Agreement dated July 1, 2017. The Agreement expires March 21, 2019.
 
Amendment of Equity Incentive Plan
 
On April 10, 2018, the Board approved an amendment to its 2011 Stock Incentive Plan increasing the number of shares of common stock reserved under the Incentive Plan from 93,333 to 1,200,000. On August 1, 2018, the Board approved an amendment to its 2011 Stock Incentive Plan increasing the number of shares of common stock reserved under the Incentive Plan 1,200,000 to 2,000,000.
 
Merger with Know Labs, Inc.
 
On May 1, 2018, Know Labs, Inc., a Nevada corporation incorporated on April 3, 2018, and our wholly-owned subsidiary, merged with and into the Company pursuant to an Agreement and Plan of Merger dated May 1, 2018. In connection with the merger, our Articles of Incorporation were effectively amended to change our name to Know Labs, Inc. by and through the filing of Articles of Merger. This parent-subsidiary merger was approved by us, the parent, in accordance with Nevada Revised Statutes Section 92A.180. Stockholder approval was not required. This amendment was filed with the Nevada Secretary of State and became effective on May 1, 2018.
 
Corporate Name Change and Symbol Change
 
On May 24, 2018, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (“FINRA”) announced the effectiveness of a change in our name from Know Labs Incorporated to Know Labs, Inc. and a change in our ticker symbol from VSUL to the new trading symbol KNWN which became effective on the opening of trading as of May 25, 2018. In addition, in connection with the name change and symbol change, we were assigned the CUSIP number of 499238103.
 
Closing of Financing on June 25, 2018
 
On June 25, 2018, we closed a private placement and received gross proceeds of $1,750,000 in exchange for issuing 7,000,000 shares of common stock and warrants to purchase 3,500,000 shares of common stock in a private placement to accredited investors pursuant to a series of substantially identical subscription agreements.
 
The initial exercise price of the warrants described above is $0.25 per share, subject to certain adjustments, and they expired five years after their issuance.
 
The shares and the warrants described above were issued in transactions that were not registered under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Act”) in reliance upon applicable exemptions from registration under Section 4(a)(2) of the Act and/or Rule 506 of SEC Regulation D under the Act.  
 
 
 
7
 
 
Conversion of Certain Debt to Equity
 
On June 25, 2018, we closed debt conversions and issued 605,000 shares of common stock in exchange for the conversion of $199,935 in preexisting debt owed by the Company to certain service providers, all of whom are accredited investors. These shares were issued in transactions that were not registered under the Act in reliance upon applicable exemptions from registration under Section 4(a)(2) of the Act and/or Rule 506 of SEC Regulation D under the Act.
 
On July 9, 2018, we repaid a $199,935 Business Loan Agreement with Umpqua Bank from funds previously provided by an entity affiliated with Ronald P. Erickson, our Chairman of the Board. The Company paid $27,041 and issued 800,000 shares of common stock in exchange for the conversion of this debt. Mr. Erickson is an accredited investor. These shares were issued in transactions that were not registered under the Act in reliance upon applicable exemptions from registration under Section 4(a)(2) of the Act and/or Rule 506 of SEC Regulation D under the Act.
 
THE COMPANY’S COMMON STOCK
 
Our common stock trades on the OTCQB Exchange under the symbol “KNWN.” On May 1, 2018, we filed a corporate action with FINRA to effectively change the Company’s OTC trading symbol and change our name to “Know Labs, Inc.” Our name change from Know Labs, Incorporated to Know Labs, Inc. and symbol change from VSUL to KNWN was announced by FINRA declared effective on the opening of trading as of May 25, 2018. 
 
PRIMARY RISKS AND UNCERTAINTIES
 
We are exposed to various risks related to our need for additional financing, the sale of significant numbers of our shares and a volatile market price for our common stock. These risks and uncertainties are discussed in more detail below in Part I, Item 1A. 
 
CORPORATE INFORMATION
 
We were incorporated under the laws of the State of Nevada on October 8, 1998. Our executive offices are located at 500 Union Street, Suite 810, Seattle, WA 98101. Our telephone number is (206) 903-1351 and its principal website address is located at www.knowlabs.co. The information on our website is not incorporated as a part of this Form 10-K.
 
EMPLOYEES
 
As of September 30, 2018, we had fifteen full-time employees and two consultants or consulting groups. Our senior management is located in the Seattle, Washington office.
 
WEBSITE ACCESS TO UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION REPORTS
 
We file annual and quarterly reports, proxy statements and other information with the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"). You may read and copy any document we file at the SEC's Public Reference Room at 100 F Street, N.E., Washington D.C. 20549. Please call the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330 for further information on the public reference room. The SEC maintains a website at http://www.sec.gov that contains reports, proxy and information statements and other information concerning filers. We also maintain a web site at http://www.knowlabs.co that provides additional information about our Company and links to documents we file with the SEC. The Company's charters for the Audit Committee, the Compensation Committee, and the Nominating Committee; and the Code of Conduct & Ethics are also available on our website. The information on our website is not part of this Form 10-K.
 
ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS
 
There are certain inherent risks which will have an effect on the Company’s development in the future and the most significant risks and uncertainties known and identified by our management are described below.
 
Risks Relating to the Company Generally
 
We need additional financing to support our technology development and ongoing operations, pay our debts and maintain ownership of our intellectual properties.
 
We are currently operating at a loss. We believe that our cash on hand will be sufficient to fund our operations through March 31, 2019. We need additional financing to implement our business plan and to service our ongoing operations, pay our current debts (described below) and maintain ownership of our intellectual property. There can be no assurance that we will be able to secure any needed funding, or that if such funding is available, the terms or conditions would be acceptable to us. If we are unable to obtain additional financing when it is needed, we will need to restructure our operations and/or divest all or a portion of our business.  We may seek additional capital through a combination of private and public equity offerings, debt financings and strategic collaborations. Debt financing, if obtained, may involve agreements that include covenants limiting or restricting our ability to take specific actions, such as incurring additional debt, and could increase our expenses and require that our assets secure such debt. Equity financing, if obtained, could result in dilution to our then-existing stockholders and/or require such stockholders to waive certain rights and preferences. If such financing is not available on satisfactory terms, or is not available at all, we may be required to delay, scale back, eliminate the development of business opportunities or file for bankruptcy and our operations and financial condition may be materially adversely affected.  There can there can be no assurance that we will be able to sell that number of shares, if any. 
 
 
8
 
 
We need to continue as a going concern if our business is to succeed.
 
Because of our recurring losses and negative cash flows from operations, the audit report of our independent registered public accountants on our consolidated financial statements for the year ended September 30, 2018 contains an explanatory paragraph stating that there is substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern.  Factors identified in the report include our historical net losses, negative working capital, and the need for additional financing to implement our business plan and service our debt repayments. If we are not able to attain profitability in the near future our financial condition could deteriorate further, which would have a material adverse impact on our business and prospects and result in a significant or complete loss of your investment. Further, we may be unable to pay our debt obligations as they become due, which include obligations to secured creditors. If we are unable to continue as a going concern, we might have to liquidate our assets and the values we receive for our assets in liquidation or dissolution could be significantly lower than the values reflected in our financial statements.  Additionally, we are subject to customary operational covenants, including limitations on our ability to incur liens or additional debt, pay dividends, redeem stock, make specified investments and engage in merger, consolidation or asset sale transactions, among other restrictions. In addition, the inclusion of an explanatory paragraph regarding substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern and our lack of cash resources may materially adversely affect our share price and our ability to raise new capital or to enter into critical contractual relations with third parties.
 
As of September 30, 2018, we owe approximately $2,965,632 and if we do not satisfy these obligations, the lenders may have the right to demand payment in full or exercise other remedies.
 
On March 16, 2018, we closed a Note and Account Payable Conversion Agreement with J3E2A2Z, a Washington limited partnership, Ronald P. Erickson, our Executive Chairman of the Board and a member of the Board of Directors pursuant to which (a) all $664,233 currently owing under the J3E2A2Z Notes was converted to a Convertible Redeemable Promissory Note in the principal amount of $664,233, and (b) all $519,833 of the J3E2A2Z Account Payable was converted into a Convertible Redeemable Promissory Note in the principal amount of $519,833.
 
Mr. Erickson and/or entities with which he is affiliated also have accrued compensation and interest of approximately $565,380. The Company owes Mr. Erickson, or entities with which he is affiliated, $1,749,466 as of September 30, 2018.
 
On July 9, 2018, the Company repaid a $199,935 Business Loan Agreement with Umpqua Bank from funds previously provided by an entity affiliated with Ronald P. Erickson, our Chairman of the Board. The Company paid $27,041 and issued 800,000 shares of common stock in exchange for the conversion of this debt. Mr. Erickson is an accredited investor. These shares were issued in transactions that were not registered under the Act in reliance upon applicable exemptions from registration under Section 4(a)(2) of the Act and/or Rule 506 of SEC Regulation D under the Act.
 
Including Mr. Erickson, we owe $2,255,066 under various convertible promissory notes as of September 30, 2018.
 
We owe Capital Source $145,186 under a credit facility.
 
We require additional financing, to service and/or repay these debt obligations. If we raise additional capital through borrowing or other debt financing, we may incur substantial interest expense. If and when we raise more equity capital in the future, it will result in substantial dilution to our current stockholders.
 
We have a history of operating losses and there can be no assurance that we can achieve or maintain profitability.
 
We have experienced net losses since inception. As of September 30, 2018, we had an accumulated deficit of $34,791,000 and net losses in the amount of $3,258,000 and $3,901,000 for the years ended September 30, 2018 and 2017, respectively. There can be no assurance that we will achieve or maintain profitability. If we achieve profitability in the future, we may not be able to sustain profitability in subsequent periods. Failure to become and remain profitable would impair our ability to sustain operations and adversely affect the price of our common stock and our ability to raise capital. Our operating expenses may increase as we spend resources on growing our business, and if our revenue does not correspondingly increase, our operating results and financial condition will suffer. Our ChromaID business has produced minimal revenues, and may not produce significant revenues in the near term, or at all, which would harm our ability to continue our operations or obtain additional financing and require us to reduce or discontinue our operations. You must consider our business and prospects in light of the risks and difficulties we will encounter as business with an early-stage technology in a new and rapidly evolving industry. We may not be able to successfully address these risks and difficulties, which could significantly harm our business, operating results and financial condition.
 
If the company were to dissolve or wind-up operations, holders of our common stock would not receive a liquidation preference.
 
If we were to wind-up or dissolve our company and liquidate and distribute our assets, our common stockholders would share in our assets only after we satisfy any amounts we owe to our creditors and preferred equity holders.  If our liquidation or dissolution were attributable to our inability to profitably operate our business, then it is likely that we would have material liabilities at the time of liquidation or dissolution.  Accordingly, it is very unlikely that sufficient assets will remain available after the payment of our creditors and preferred equity holders to enable common stockholders to receive any liquidation distribution with respect to any common stock.
 
 
 
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We may not be able to generate sufficient revenue from the commercialization of our ChromaID and Bio-RFID technology and related products to achieve or sustain profitability.
 
We are in the early stages of commercializing our ChromaID and Bio-RFID technology. Failure to develop and sell products based upon our ChromaID and Bio-RFID technology, grant additional licenses and obtain royalties or develop other revenue streams will have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. 
 
To date, we have generated minimal revenue from sales of our products. We believe that our commercialization success is dependent upon our ability to significantly increase the number of customers that are using our products In addition, demand for our products may not materialize, or increase as quickly as planned, and we may therefore be unable to increase our revenue levels as expected. We are currently not profitableEven if we succeed in introducing our technology and related products to our target markets, we may not be able to generate sufficient revenue to achieve or sustain profitability.
 
We currently rely in part upon external resources for engineering and product development services. If we are unable to secure an engineering or product development partner or establish satisfactory engineering and product development capabilities, we may not be able to successfully commercialize our ChromaID and Bio-RFID technology.
 
Our success depends upon our ability to develop products that are accurate and provide solutions for our customers. Achieving the desired results for our customers requires solving engineering issues in concert with them. Any failure of our ChromaID and Bio-RFID technology or related products to meet customer expectations could result in customers choosing to retain their existing methods or to adopt systems other than ours.
 
We have not historically had sufficient internal resources which can work on engineering and product development matters. We have used third parties in the past and will continue to do so. These resources are not always readily available and the absence of their availability could inhibit our research and development efforts and our responsiveness to our customers. Our inability to secure those resources could impact our ability to provide engineering and product development services and could have an impact on our customers’ willingness to use our technology.
 
We are in the early stages of commercialization and our ChromaID and Bio-RFID technology and related products may never achieve significant commercial market acceptance.
 
Our success depends on our ability to develop and market products that are recognized as accurate and cost-effective. Many of our potential customers may be reluctant to use our new technology. Market acceptance will depend on many factors, including our ability to convince potential customers that our ChromaID and Bio-RFID technology and related products are an attractive alternative to existing light-based technologies. We will need to demonstrate that our products provide accurate and cost-effective alternatives to existing light-based authentication technologies. Compared to most competing technologies, our technology is relatively new, and most potential customers have limited knowledge of, or experience with, our products. Prior to implementing our technology and related products, potential customers are required to devote significant time and effort to testing and validating our products. In addition, during the implementation phase, customers may be required to devote significant time and effort to training their personnel on appropriate practices to ensure accurate results from our technology and products. Any failure of our technology or related products to meet customer expectations could result in customers choosing to retain their existing testing methods or to adopt systems other than ours.
 
Many factors influence the perception of a system including its use by leaders in the industry. If we are unable to induce industry leaders in our target markets to implement and use our technology and related products, acceptance and adoption of our products could be slowed. In addition, if our products fail to gain significant acceptance in the marketplace and we are unable to expand our customer base, we may never generate sufficient revenue to achieve or sustain profitability.
 
Our management has concluded that we have material weaknesses in our internal controls over financial reporting and that our disclosure controls and procedures are not effective.
 
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 a company's annual or interim financial statements will not be prevented or detected on a timely basis. During the audit of our financial statements for the year ended September 30, 2018, our management identified material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting. If these weaknesses continue, investors could lose confidence in the accuracy and completeness of our financial reports and other disclosures.  
 
In addition, our management has concluded that our disclosure controls and procedures were not effective due to the lack of an audit committee “financial expert.” These material weaknesses, if not remediated, create an increased risk of misstatement of the Company’s financial results, which, if material, may require future restatement thereof. A failure to implement improved internal controls, or difficulties encountered in their implementation or execution, could cause future delays in our reporting obligations and could have a negative effect on us and the trading price of our common stock.
 
 
 
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Our services and license agreement with Allied Inventors is important to our business strategy and operations.
 
In November 2013, we entered into a five-year strategic relationship with Allied Inventors, formerly Xinova and Invention Development Management Company, a former subsidiary of Intellectual Ventures, a private intellectual property fund with over $5 billion under management. Allied Inventors owns over 40,000 IP assets and has broad global relationships for the invention of technology, the filing of patents and the licensing of intellectual property. Allied Inventors has worked to expand the reach and the potential application of the ChromaID technology and has filed ten patents based on the ChromaID technology, which it has licensed to us.
 
The amended agreement with Allied Inventors covers a number of areas that are important to our operations, including the following:
 
● The agreement requires Allied Inventors to identify and engage inventors to develop new applications of our ChromaID technology, present the developments to us for approval, and file at least ten patent applications to protect the developments;
● We received a worldwide, nontransferable, exclusive license to the licensed intellectual property developed under this agreement within the identification, authentication and diagnostics field of use;
● We received a nonexclusive and nontransferable option to acquire a worldwide, nontransferable, nonexclusive license to intellectual property held by Allied Inventors within that same field of use; and
● We granted to Allied Inventors certain licenses to our intellectual property outside the identification, authentication and diagnostics field of use.
 
Failure to operate in accordance with the Allied Inventors agreement, or an early termination or cancellation of this agreement for any reason, would have a material adverse effect on ability to execute our business strategy and on our results of operations and business.
 
If components used in our finished products become unavailable, or third-party manufacturers otherwise experience delays, we may incur delays in shipment to our customers, which would damage our business.
 
We depend on third-party suppliers for substantially all of our components and products. We purchase these products and components from third-party suppliers that serve the advanced lighting systems market and we believe that alternative sources of supply are readily available for most products and components. However, consolidation could result in one or more current suppliers being acquired by a competitor, rendering us unable to continue purchasing necessary amounts of key components at competitive prices. In addition, for certain of our customized components, arrangements for additional or replacement suppliers will take time and result in delays. We purchase products and components pursuant to purchase orders placed from time to time in the ordinary course of business. This means we are vulnerable to unanticipated price increases and product shortages. Any interruption or delay in the supply of components and products, or our inability to obtain components and products from alternate sources at acceptable prices in a timely manner, could harm our business, financial condition and results of operations.
 
While we believe alternative manufacturers for these products are available, we have selected these particular manufacturers based on their ability to consistently produce these products per our specifications ensuring the best quality product at the most cost-effective price. We depend on our third-party manufacturers to satisfy performance and quality specifications and to dedicate sufficient production capacity within scheduled delivery times. Accordingly, the loss of all or one of these manufacturers or delays in obtaining shipments could have a material adverse effect on our operations until such time as an alternative manufacturer could be found.
 
We are dependent on key personnel.
 
Our success depends to a significant degree upon the continued contributions of key management and other personnel, some of whom could be difficult to replace, including Ronald P. Erickson, our Chairman and Phil Bosua, our Chief Executive Officer. We do not maintain key person life insurance covering any of our officers. Our success will depend on the performance of our officers, our ability to retain and motivate our officers, our ability to integrate new officers into our operations, and the ability of all personnel to work together effectively as a team.  Our officers do not currently have employment agreements.  Our failure to retain and recruit officers and other key personnel could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.  Our success also depends on our continued ability to identify, attract, hire, train, retain and motivate highly skilled technical, managerial, manufacturing, administrative and sales and marketing personnel. Competition for these individuals is intense, and we may not be able to successfully recruit, assimilate or retain sufficiently qualified personnel. In particular, we may encounter difficulties in recruiting and retaining a sufficient number of qualified technical personnel, which could harm our ability to develop new products and adversely impact our relationships with existing and future customers. The inability to attract and retain necessary technical, managerial, manufacturing, administrative and sales and marketing personnel could harm our ability to obtain new customers and develop new products and could adversely affect our business and operating results.
 
We have limited insurance which may not cover claims by third parties against us or our officers and directors.
 
We have limited directors’ and officers’ liability insurance and commercial liability insurance policies. Claims by third parties against us may exceed policy amounts and we may not have amounts to cover these claims. Any significant claims would have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.  In addition, our limited directors’ and officers’ liability insurance may affect our ability to attract and retain directors and officers.
 
 
 
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Our inability to effectively protect our intellectual property would adversely affect our ability to compete effectively, our revenue, our financial condition and our results of operations.
 
We rely on a combination of patent, trademark, and trade secret laws, confidentiality procedures and licensing arrangements to protect our intellectual property rights. Obtaining and maintaining a strong patent position is important to our business. Patent law relating to the scope of claims in the technology fields in which we operate is complex and uncertain, so we cannot be assured that we will be able to obtain or maintain patent rights, or that the patent rights we may obtain will be valuable, provide an effective barrier to competitors or otherwise provide competitive advantages. Others have filed, and in the future are likely to file, patent applications that are similar or identical to ours or those of our licensors. To determine the priority of inventions, or demonstrate that we did not derive our invention from another, we may have to participate in interference or derivation proceedings in the USPTO or in court that could result in substantial costs in legal fees and could substantially affect the scope of our patent protection. We cannot be assured our patent applications will prevail over those filed by others. Also, our intellectual property rights may be subject to other challenges by third parties. Patents we obtain could be challenged in litigation or in administrative proceedings such as ex parte reexam, inter parties review, or post grant review in the United States or opposition proceedings in Europe or other jurisdictions.
 
There can be no assurance that:
 
any of our existing patents will continue to be held valid, if challenged;
patents will be issued for any of our pending applications;
any claims allowed from existing or pending patents will have sufficient scope or strength to protect us;
our patents will be issued in the primary countries where our products are sold in order to protect our rights and potential commercial advantage; or
any of our products or technologies will not infringe on the patents of other companies.
 
If we are enjoined from selling our products, or if we are required to develop new technologies or pay significant monetary damages or are required to make substantial royalty payments, our business and results of operations would be harmed.
 
Obtaining and maintaining a patent portfolio entails significant expense and resources. Part of the expense includes periodic maintenance fees, renewal fees, annuity fees, various other governmental fees on patents and/or applications due in several stages over the lifetime of patents and/or applications, as well as the cost associated with complying with numerous procedural provisions during the patent application process. We may or may not choose to pursue or maintain protection for particular inventions. In addition, there are situations in which failure to make certain payments or noncompliance with certain requirements in the patent process can result in abandonment or lapse of a patent or patent application, resulting in partial or complete loss of patent rights in the relevant jurisdiction. If we choose to forgo patent protection or allow a patent application or patent to lapse purposefully or inadvertently, our competitive position could suffer.
 
Legal actions to enforce our patent rights can be expensive and may involve the diversion of significant management time. In addition, these legal actions could be unsuccessful and could also result in the invalidation of our patents or a finding that they are unenforceable. We may or may not choose to pursue litigation or interferences against those that have infringed on our patents, or used them without authorization, due to the associated expense and time commitment of monitoring these activities. If we fail to protect or to enforce our intellectual property rights successfully, our competitive position could suffer, which could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and business.
 
Claims by others that our products infringe their patents or other intellectual property rights could prevent us from manufacturing and selling some of our products or require us to pay royalties or incur substantial costs from litigation or development of non-infringing technology.
 
In recent years, there has been significant litigation in the United States involving patents and other intellectual property rights. We may receive notices that claim we have infringed upon the intellectual property of others. Even if these claims are not valid, they could subject us to significant costs. Any such claims, with or without merit, could be time-consuming to defend, result in costly litigation, divert our attention and resources, cause product shipment delays or require us to enter into royalty or licensing agreements. Such royalty or licensing agreements, if required, may not be available on terms acceptable to us or at all. We have engaged in litigation and litigation may be necessary in the future to enforce our intellectual property rights or to determine the validity and scope of the proprietary rights of others. Litigation may also be necessary to defend against claims of infringement or invalidity by others. A successful claim of intellectual property infringement against us and our failure or inability to license the infringed technology or develop or license technology with comparable functionality could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and operating results.
 
We currently have a very small sales and marketing organization at our TransTech Systems subsidiary. If we are unable to secure a sales and marketing partner or establish satisfactory sales and marketing capabilities at the Know Labs parent Company level we may not be able to successfully commercialize our ChromaID and Bio-RFID technology.
 
Our subsidiary, TransTech Systems, has six sales and marketing employees on staff to support the ongoing sales efforts of that business. In order to commercialize products that are approved for commercial sales, we sell directly to our customers, collaborate with third parties that have such commercial infrastructure and work with our strategic business partners to generate sales. If we are not successful entering into appropriate collaboration arrangements, or recruiting sales and marketing personnel or in building a sales and marketing infrastructure, we will have difficulty successfully commercializing our ChromaID and Bio-RFID technology, which would adversely affect our business, operating results and financial condition.
 
 
 
 
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We may not be able to enter into collaboration agreements on terms acceptable to us or at all. In addition, even if we enter into such relationships, we may have limited or no control over the sales, marketing and distribution activities of these third parties. Our future revenues may depend heavily on the success of the efforts of these third parties. If we elect to establish a sales and marketing infrastructure we may not realize a positive return on this investment. In addition, we must compete with established and well-funded pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies to recruit, hire, train and retain sales and marketing personnel. Factors that may inhibit our efforts to commercialize ChromaID and Bio-RFID without strategic partners or licensees include:
 
our inability to recruit and retain adequate numbers of effective sales and marketing personnel;
 
the lack of complementary products to be offered by sales personnel, which may put us at a competitive disadvantage relative to companies with more extensive product lines; and
 
unforeseen costs and expenses associated with creating an independent sales and marketing organization.
 
Government regulatory approval may be necessary before some of our products can be sold and there is no assurance such approval will be granted.
 
Our ChromaID and Bio-RFID technology may have a number of potential applications in fields of use which will require prior governmental regulatory approval before the technology can be introduced to the marketplace. For example, we are exploring the use of our ChromaID and Bio-RFID technology for certain medical diagnostic applications, with an initial focus on the continuous monitoring of blood glucose. 
 
There is no assurance that we will be successful in developing a continuous glucose monitoring medical applications for our technology. 
 
If we were to be successful in developing a continuous glucose monitoring medical applications of our technology, prior approval by the FDA and other governmental regulatory bodies will be required before the technology could be introduced into the marketplace. 
 
There is no assurance that such regulatory approval would be obtained for a continuous glucose monitoring medical diagnostic or other applications requiring such approval.
 
The FDA can refuse to grant, delay, limit or deny approval of an application for approval of our UBA ND CGM for many reasons,
 
We may not obtain the necessary regulatory approvals or clearances to market these continuous glucose monitoring systems in the United States or outside of the United States.
 
Any delay in, or failure to receive or maintain, approval or clearance for our products could prevent us from generating revenue from these products or achieving profitability.
 
Cybersecurity risks and cyber incidents could result in the compromise of confidential data or critical data systems and give rise to potential harm to customers, remediation and other expenses, expose us to liability under HIPAA, consumer protection laws, or other common law theories, subject us to litigation and federal and state governmental inquiries, damage our reputation, and otherwise be disruptive to our business and operations.
 
Cyber incidents can result from deliberate attacks or unintentional events. We collect and store on our networks sensitive information, including intellectual property, proprietary business information and personally identifiable information of our customers. The secure maintenance of this information and technology is critical to our business operations. We have implemented multiple layers of security measures to protect the confidentiality, integrity and availability of this data and the systems and devices that store and transmit such data. We utilize current security technologies, and our defenses are monitored and routinely tested internally and by external parties. Despite these efforts, threats from malicious persons and groups, new vulnerabilities and advanced new attacks against information systems create risk of cybersecurity incidents. These incidents can include, but are not limited to, gaining unauthorized access to digital systems for purposes of misappropriating assets or sensitive information, corrupting data, or causing operational disruption. Because the techniques used to obtain unauthorized access, disable or degrade service, or sabotage systems change frequently and may not immediately produce signs of intrusion, we may be unable to anticipate these incidents or techniques, timely discover them, or implement adequate preventative measures.
 
These threats can come from a variety of sources, ranging in sophistication from an individual hacker to malfeasance by employees, consultants or other service providers to state-sponsored attacks. Cyber threats may be generic, or they may be custom-crafted against our information systems. Over the past several years, cyber-attacks have become more prevalent and much harder to detect and defend against. Our network and storage applications may be vulnerable to cyber-attack, malicious intrusion, malfeasance, loss of data privacy or other significant disruption and may be subject to unauthorized access by hackers, employees, consultants or other service providers. In addition, hardware, software or applications we develop or procure from third parties may contain defects in design or manufacture or other problems that could unexpectedly compromise information security. Unauthorized parties may also attempt to gain access to our systems or facilities through fraud, trickery or other forms of deceiving our employees, contractors and temporary staff.
 
 
 
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There can be no assurance that we will not be subject to cybersecurity incidents that bypass our security measures, impact the integrity, availability or privacy of personal health information or other data subject to privacy laws or disrupt our information systems, devices or business, including our ability to deliver services to our customers. As a result, cybersecurity, physical security and the continued development and enhancement of our controls, processes and practices designed to protect our enterprise, information systems and data from attack, damage or unauthorized access remain a priority for us. As cyber threats continue to evolve, we may be required to expend significant additional resources to continue to modify or enhance our protective measures or to investigate and remediate any cybersecurity vulnerabilities.
 
We may engage in acquisitions, mergers, strategic alliances, joint ventures and divestures that could result in final results that are different than expected.
 
In the normal course of business, we engage in discussions relating to possible acquisitions, equity investments, mergers, strategic alliances, joint ventures and divestitures. Such transactions are accompanied by a number of risks, including the use of significant amounts of cash, potentially dilutive issuances of equity securities, incurrence of debt on potentially unfavorable terms as well as impairment expenses related to goodwill and amortization expenses related to other intangible assets, the possibility that we may pay too much cash or issue too many of our shares as the purchase price for an acquisition relative to the economic benefits that we ultimately derive from such acquisition, and various potential difficulties involved in integrating acquired businesses into our operations.
 
From time to time, we have also engaged in discussions with candidates regarding the potential acquisitions of our product lines, technologies and businesses. If a divestiture such as this does occur, we cannot be certain that our business, operating results and financial condition will not be materially and adversely affected. A successful divestiture depends on various factors, including our ability to effectively transfer liabilities, contracts, facilities and employees to any purchaser; identify and separate the intellectual property to be divested from the intellectual property that we wish to retain; reduce fixed costs previously associated with the divested assets or business; and collect the proceeds from any divestitures.
 
If we do not realize the expected benefits of any acquisition or divestiture transaction, our financial position, results of operations, cash flows and stock price could be negatively impacted.
 
Our growth strategy depends in part on our ability to execute successful strategic acquisitions. We have made strategic acquisitions in the past and may do so in the future, and if the acquired companies do not perform as expected, this could adversely affect our operating results, financial condition and existing business.
 
We may continue to expand our business through strategic acquisitions. The success of any acquisition will depend on, among other things:
 
 
the availability of suitable candidates;
 
 
higher than anticipated acquisition costs and expenses;
 
 
competition from other companies for the purchase of available candidates;
 
 
our ability to value those candidates accurately and negotiate favorable terms for those acquisitions;
 
 
the availability of funds to finance acquisitions and obtaining any consents necessary under our credit facility;
 
 
the ability to establish new informational, operational and financial systems to meet the needs of our business;
 
 
the ability to achieve anticipated synergies, including with respect to complementary products or services; and
 
 
the availability of management resources to oversee the integration and operation of the acquired businesses.
 
We may not be successful in effectively integrating acquired businesses and completing acquisitions in the future. We also may incur substantial expenses and devote significant management time and resources in seeking to complete acquisitions. Acquired businesses may fail to meet our performance expectations. If we do not achieve the anticipated benefits of an acquisition as rapidly as expected, or at all, investors or analysts may not perceive the same benefits of the acquisition as we do. If these risks materialize, our stock price could be materially adversely affected.
 
We are subject to corporate governance and internal control requirements, and our costs related to compliance with, or our failure to comply with existing and future requirements could adversely affect our business.
 
We must comply with corporate governance requirements under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 and the Dodd–Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2010, as well as additional rules and regulations currently in place and that may be subsequently adopted by the SEC and the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board. These laws, rules, and regulations continue to evolve and may become increasingly stringent in the future. The financial cost of compliance with these laws, rules, and regulations is expected to remain substantial.
 
 
 
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Our management has concluded that our disclosure controls and procedures were not effective due to the lack of an audit committee “financial expert.” We expect to appoint an additional independent director to serve as Audit Committee Chairman. This director will be an “audit committee financial expert” as defined by the SEC. However, we cannot assure you that we will be able to fully comply with these laws, rules, and regulations that address corporate governance, internal control reporting, and similar matters in the future. Failure to comply with these laws, rules and regulations could materially adversely affect our reputation, financial condition, and the value of our securities.
 
The Capital Source credit facility with TransTech contains covenants that may limit our flexibility in operating our business and failure to comply with any of these covenants could have a material adverse effect on our business.
 
In December 8, 2009, we entered into the Capital Source credit facility. On December 6, 2018, Capital Source notified TransTech that the Loan and Security Agreement and Capital Source Credit Facility would be cancelled as of March 12, 2019. Effective December 12, 2018, TransTech entered into the Sixth Modification to the Loan and Security Agreement which reduced the secured credit facility to $200,000.
 
This Capital Source credit facility contains covenants that limit our ability to engage in specified types of transactions. These covenants limit our ability to, among other things:
 
 
sell, transfer, lease or dispose of certain assets;
 
 
engage in certain mergers and consolidations;
 
 
incur debt or encumber or permit liens on certain assets, except in the limited circumstances permitted under the loan and security agreements;
 
 
make certain restricted payments, including paying dividends on, or repurchasing or making distributions with respect to, our common stock; and
 
 
enter into certain transactions with affiliates.
 
A breach of any of the covenants under the Capital Source credit facility could result in a default under the Capital Source credit facility. Upon the occurrence of an event of default under the Capital Source credit facility, the lenders could elect to declare all amounts outstanding to be immediately due and payable and terminate all commitments to extend further credit. If we are unable to repay those amounts, the lenders could proceed against the collateral granted to them to secure such indebtedness. We expect to replace the credit facility by March 12, 2019.
 
Our wholly-owned TransTech subsidiary revenues are declining
 
The financial results from our TransTech subsidiary have been diminishing as vendors of their products increasingly move to the Internet and direct sales to their customers. While it does provide our current revenues, it is not central to our current focus as a Company. Moreover, we have written down any goodwill associated with its historic acquisition. We continue to closely monitor this subsidiary. We may not be able to successfully address this revenue decline, which could significantly harm our business, operating results and financial condition and result in winding down this subsidiary.
 
The exercise prices of certain warrants, convertible notes payable and the Series A, C, and D Preferred Shares may require further adjustment.
 
In the future, if we sell our common stock at a price below $0.25 per share, the exercise price of 20,000 outstanding shares of Series A Preferred Stock, 1,785,715 outstanding shares of Series C Preferred Stock, 1,016,004 outstanding shares Series D Preferred Stock that adjust below $0.25 per share pursuant to the documents governing such instruments. In addition, the conversion price of a Convertible Note Payable of $2,255,066 and the exercise price of additional outstanding warrants to purchase 13,865,286 shares of common stock would adjust below $0.25 per share pursuant to the documents governing such instruments.  
 
Risks Relating to Our Stock
 
The price of our common stock is volatile, which may cause investment losses for our stockholders.
 
The market price of our common stock has been and is likely in the future to be volatile. Our common stock price may fluctuate in response to factors such as:
 
 
Announcements by us regarding liquidity, significant acquisitions, equity investments and divestitures, strategic relationships, addition or loss of significant customers and contracts, capital expenditure commitments and litigation;
 
Issuance of convertible or equity securities and related warrants for general or merger and acquisition purposes;
 
Issuance or repayment of debt, accounts payable or convertible debt for general or merger and acquisition purposes;
 
Sale of a significant number of shares of our common stock by stockholders;
 
 
15
 
 
 
General market and economic conditions;
 
Quarterly variations in our operating results;
 
Investor and public relation activities;
 
Announcements of technological innovations;
 
New product introductions by us or our competitors;
 
Competitive activities; and
 
Additions or departures of key personnel.
 
These broad market and industry factors may have a material adverse effect on the market price of our common stock, regardless of our actual operating performance. These factors could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
 
Transfers of our securities may be restricted by virtue of state securities “blue sky” laws, which prohibit trading absent compliance with individual state laws. These restrictions may make it difficult or impossible to sell shares in those states.
 
Transfers of our common stock may be restricted under the securities or securities regulations laws promulgated by various states and foreign jurisdictions, commonly referred to as "blue sky" laws. Absent compliance with such individual state laws, our common stock may not be traded in such jurisdictions. Because the securities held by many of our stockholders have not been registered for resale under the blue sky laws of any state, the holders of such shares and persons who desire to purchase them should be aware that there may be significant state blue sky law restrictions upon the ability of investors to sell the securities and of purchasers to purchase the securities. These restrictions may prohibit the secondary trading of our common stock. Investors should consider the secondary market for our securities to be a limited one.
 
Three individual investors could have significant influence over matters submitted to stockholders for approval.
 
As of December 21, 2018, four individuals in the aggregate, assuming the exercise of all warrants to purchase common stock, hold shares representing approximately 61% of our common stock on a fully-converted basis and could be considered a control group for purposes of SEC rules. However, the agreement with one of these individuals limits his ownership to 4.99% individually. Beneficial ownership includes shares over which an individual or entity has investment or voting power and includes shares that could be issued upon the exercise of options and warrants within 60 days after the date of determination. If these persons were to choose to act together, they would be able to significantly influence all matters submitted to our stockholders for approval, as well as our officers, directors, management and affairs. For example, these persons, if they choose to act together, could significantly influence the election of directors and approval of any merger, consolidation or sale of all or substantially all of our assets. This concentration of voting power could delay or prevent an acquisition of us on terms that other stockholders may desire.
  
The sale of a significant number of our shares of common stock could depress the price of our common stock.
 
Sales or issuances of a large number of shares of common stock in the public market or the perception that sales may occur could cause the market price of our common stock to decline. As of December 21, 2018, we had 17,531,502 shares of common stock issued and outstanding, held by 122 stockholders of record. The number of stockholders, including beneficial owners holding shares through nominee names, is approximately 2,300. Each share of common stock entitles its holder to one vote on each matter submitted to the stockholders for a vote, and no cumulative voting for directors is permitted.  Stockholders do not have any preemptive rights to acquire additional securities issued by us.  As of December 21, 2018, there were options outstanding for the purchase of 2,182,668 common shares, warrants for the purchase of 15,473,398 common shares, and 4,914,071 shares of our common stock issuable upon the conversion of Series A, Series C and Series D Convertible Preferred Stock. In addition, we have an unknown number of shares (9,020,264 common shares at the current price of $0.25 per share) are issuable upon conversion of convertible debentures of $2,255,066. All of which could potentially dilute future earnings per share.   
 
Significant shares of common stock are held by our principal stockholders, other company insiders and other large stockholders. As “affiliates” of Know Labs, as defined under Securities and Exchange Commission Rule 144 under the Securities Act of 1933, our principal stockholders, other of our insiders and other large stockholders may only sell their shares of common stock in the public market pursuant to an effective registration statement or in compliance with Rule 144.
 
These options, warrants, convertible notes payable and convertible preferred stock could result in further dilution to common stock holders and may affect the market price of the common stock.
 
Future issuance of additional shares of common stock and/or preferred stock could dilute existing stockholders. We have and may issue preferred stock that could have rights that are preferential to the rights of common stock that could discourage potentially beneficially transactions to our common stockholders.
 
Pursuant to our certificate of incorporation, we currently have authorized 100,000,000 shares of common stock and 5,000,000 shares of preferred stock. To the extent that common shares are available for issuance, subject to compliance with applicable stock exchange listing rules, our board of directors has the ability to issue additional shares of common stock in the future for such consideration as the board of directors may consider sufficient. The issuance of any additional securities could, among other things, result in substantial dilution of the percentage ownership of our stockholders at the time of issuance, result in substantial dilution of our earnings per share and adversely affect the prevailing market price for our common stock.
 
 
 
16
 
 
An issuance of additional shares of preferred stock could result in a class of outstanding securities that would have preferences with respect to voting rights and dividends and in liquidation over our common stock and could, upon conversion or otherwise, have all of the rights of our common stock.  Our Board of Directors' authority to issue preferred stock could discourage potential takeover attempts or could delay or prevent a change in control through merger, tender offer, proxy contest or otherwise by making these attempts more difficult or costly to achieve.  The issuance of preferred stock could impair the voting, dividend and liquidation rights of common stockholders without their approval.
 
Future capital raises may dilute our existing stockholders’ ownership and/or have other adverse effects on our operations.
 
If we raise additional capital by issuing equity securities, our existing stockholders’ percentage ownership will be reduced and these stockholders may experience substantial dilution. We may also issue equity securities that provide for rights, preferences and privileges senior to those of our common stock. If we raise additional funds by issuing debt securities, these debt securities would have rights senior to those of our common stock and the terms of the debt securities issued could impose significant restrictions on our operations, including liens on our assets. If we raise additional funds through collaborations and licensing arrangements, we may be required to relinquish some rights to our technologies or candidate products, or to grant licenses on terms that are not favorable to us.
 
We do not anticipate paying any cash dividends on our capital stock in the foreseeable future.
 
We have never declared or paid cash dividends on our capital stock. We currently intend to retain all of our future earnings, if any, to finance the growth and development of our business, and we do not anticipate paying any cash dividends on our capital stock in the foreseeable future. In addition, the terms of any future debt agreements may preclude us from paying dividends. As a result, capital appreciation, if any, of our common stock will be your sole source of gain for the foreseeable future.
 
Anti-takeover provisions may limit the ability of another party to acquire our company, which could cause our stock price to decline.
 
Our certificate of incorporation, as amended, our bylaws and Nevada law contain provisions that could discourage, delay or prevent a third party from acquiring our company, even if doing so may be beneficial to our stockholders. In addition, these provisions could limit the price investors would be willing to pay in the future for shares of our common stock.
 
Our articles of incorporation allow for our board to create new series of preferred stock without further approval by our stockholders, which could adversely affect the rights of the holders of our common stock; our Series A Preferred Stock contains provisions that restrict our ability to take certain actions without the consent of at least 66% of the Series A Preferred Stock then outstanding.
 
Our Board of Directors has the authority to fix and determine the relative rights and preferences of preferred stock. Our Board of Directors also has the authority to issue preferred stock without further stockholder approval. As a result, our Board of Directors could authorize the issuance of a series of preferred stock that would grant to holders the preferred right to our assets upon liquidation, the right to receive dividend payments before dividends are distributed to the holders of common stock and the right to the redemption of the shares, together with a premium, prior to the redemption of our common stock. In addition, our Board of Directors could authorize the issuance of a series of preferred stock that has greater voting power than our common stock or that is convertible into our common stock, which could decrease the relative voting power of our common stock or result in dilution to our existing stockholders.
 
In addition, our articles of incorporation restrict our ability to take certain actions without the approval of at least 66% of the Series A Preferred Stock then outstanding. These actions include, among other things;
 
● authorizing, creating, designating, establishing or issuing an increased number of shares of Series A Preferred Stock or any other class or series of capital stock ranking senior to or on a parity with the Series A Preferred Stock;
 
● adopting a plan for the liquidation, dissolution or winding up the affairs of our company or any recapitalization plan (whether by merger, consolidation or otherwise);
 
● amending, altering or repealing, whether by merger, consolidation or otherwise, our articles of incorporation or bylaws in a manner that would adversely affect any right, preference, privilege or voting power of the Series A Preferred Stock; and
 
● declaring or paying any dividend (with certain exceptions) or directly or indirectly purchase, redeem, repurchase or otherwise acquire any shares of our capital stock, stock options or convertible securities (with certain exceptions).
 
ITEM 1B.  UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS
 
We are reviewing an SEC comment related to a late Form 8-K filing. The matter was previously reported in another SEC filing.
 
 
 
17
 
 
ITEM 2.     PROPERTIES
 
Corporate Offices
 
On April 13, 2017, we leased our executive office located at 500 Union Street, Suite 810, Seattle, Washington, USA, 98101. The Company leases 943 square feet and the net monthly payment is $2,672. The monthly payment increases approximately 3% each year and the lease expires on May 31, 2022.
 
Lab Facilities and Executive Offices
 
On May 1, 2018, we leased our lab facilities and executive offices located at 304 Alaskan Way South, Suite 102, Seattle, Washington, USA, 98101. We lease 2,800 square feet and the net monthly payment is $4,000. The lease expires on April 30, 2019.
 
TransTech Facilities
 
TransTech is located at 12142 NE Sky Lane, Suite 130, Aurora, OR 97002. TransTech leases a total of approximately 6,340 square feet of office and warehouse space for its administrative offices, product inventory and shipping operations. Effective December 1, 2017, TransTech leases this office from December 1, 2017 at $4,465 per month. The monthly payment increases approximately 3% each year and the lease expires on January 31, 2020. Until December 1, 2017, TransTech leased this office on a month to month basis at $6,942 per month.
 
ITEM 3.    LEGAL PROCEEDINGS
 
We may from time to time become a party to various legal proceedings arising in the ordinary course of our business. We are currently not a party to any pending legal proceeding that is not ordinary routine litigation incidental to our business.
 
ITEM 4.    MINE SAFETY DISCLOSURES
 
This item is not applicable.
 
ITEM 5. OTHER INFORMATION
 
This item is not applicable.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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PART II
 
ITEM 5.    MARKET FOR REGISTRANT’S COMMON EQUITY, RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS AND ISSUER PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES
 
Authorized Capital Stock
 
We have authorized 105,000,000 shares of capital stock, of which 100,000,000 are shares of voting common stock, par value $0.001 per share, and 5,000,000 are shares of preferred stock, par value $0.001 per share.
 
Voting Preferred Stock
 
We are authorized to issue up to 5,000,000 shares of preferred stock with a par value of $0.001.
 
Series A Preferred Stock
 
In July 2015, we sold Series A Preferred Stock to two investors for a total of $350,000. As of December 21, 2018, we had 20,000 Series A Preferred Stock issued and outstanding.
 
Each holder of outstanding shares of Series A Preferred is entitled to the number of votes equal to the number of whole shares of common stock into which the shares of Series A Preferred held by such holder are then convertible as of the applicable record date. The Series A Preferred may not be redeemed without the consent of the holder. The Company cannot amend, alter or repeal any preferences, rights, or other terms of the Series A Preferred so as to adversely affect the Series A Preferred, without the written consent or affirmative vote of the holders of at least 66% of the then outstanding shares of Series A Preferred, voting as a separate voting group, given by written consent or by vote at a meeting called for such purpose for which notice shall have been duly given to the holders of the Series A Preferred. 
 
In connection with the issuance of the Series A Preferred, we also issued (i) a Series C five-year Warrant for 2 shares of common stock and (ii) a Series D five-year Warrant for 23,334 shares of common stock. The Series A Preferred Stock and Series C and D Warrants currently have no registration rights.
 
On August 14, 2017, the price of the Series A Preferred Stock and Series C and D Warrants were adjusted to $0.25 per share pursuant to the documents governing such instruments. 
 
On September 23, 2018, a holder of Series A Preferred Stock converted 3,334 shares into 3,334 shares of common stock. In addition, the holder exercised Series C and D Warrants for 6,668 shares of common stock at $0.25 per share.
 
Series C and D Preferred Stock and Warrants
 
On August 5, 2016, we closed a Series C Preferred Stock and Warrant Purchase Agreement with Clayton A. Struve, an accredited investor for the purchase of $1,250,000 of preferred stock with a conversion price of $0.70 per share. The preferred stock has a yield of 8% and an ownership blocker of 4.99%. In addition, Mr. Struve received a five-year warrant to acquire 1,785,714 shares of common stock at $0.70 per share.
 
To determine the effective conversion price, a portion of the proceeds received by us upon issuance of the Series C Preferred Stock was first allocated to the freestanding warrants issued as part of this transaction. Given that the warrants will not subsequently be measured at fair value, we determined that the warrants should receive an allocation of the proceeds based on their relative fair value. This is based on the understanding that the FASB staff and the SEC staff believe that a freestanding instrument issued in a basket transaction should be initially measured at fair value if it is required to be subsequently measured at fair value pursuant to US generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”), with the residual proceeds from the transaction allocated to any remaining instruments based on their relative fair values. As such, the warrants were allocated a fair value of approximately $514,706 upon issuance, with the remaining $735,294 of proceeds allocated to the Series C Preferred Stock.
 
Proportionately, this allocation resulted in approximately 59% of the face amount of the Series C Preferred Stock issuance remaining, which applied to the stated conversion price of $0.70 resulted in an effective conversion price of approximately $0.41.
 
Having determined the effective conversion price, we then compared this to the fair value of the underlying Common Stock as of the commitment date, which was approximately $1.06 per share, and concluded that the conversion feature did have an intrinsic value of $0.65 per share. As such, the Company concluded that the Series C Preferred Stock did contain a beneficial conversion feature and an accounting entry and additional financial statement disclosure was required.
 
Because our preferred stock is perpetual, with no stated maturity date, and the conversions may occur any time from inception, the dividend is recognized immediately when a beneficial conversion exists at issuance. During the year ending September 30, 2016, the Company. recognized preferred stock dividends of $1.16 million on Series C preferred stock related to the beneficial conversion feature arising from a common stock effective conversion rate of $0.41 versus a current market price of $1.06 per common share.
 
 
 
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On November 14, 2016, we issued 187,500 shares of Series D Convertible Preferred Stock and a warrant to purchase 187,500 shares of common stock in a private placement to certain accredited investors for gross proceeds of $150,000 pursuant to a Series D Preferred Stock and Warrant Purchase Agreement dated November 10, 2016.
 
The warrants associated with the November 14, 2016 issuance were allocated a fair value of approximately $56,539 upon issuance, with the remaining $63,539 of net proceeds allocated to the Series D Preferred Stock. Proportionately, this allocation resulted in approximately 53% of the amount of the Series D Preferred Stock issuance remaining, which applied to the stated conversion price of $0.80 resulted in an effective conversion price of approximately $0.34. Having determined the effective conversion price, the Company then compared this to the fair value of the underlying Common Stock as of the commitment date, which was approximately $1.14 per share, and concluded that the conversion feature did have an intrinsic value of $0.80 per share. As such, we concluded that the Series D Preferred Stock did contain a beneficial conversion feature of $150,211 which was recorded as a beneficial conversion in stockholders’ equity.
 
On December 19, 2016, we issued 187,500 shares of Series D Convertible Preferred Stock and a warrant to purchase 187,500 shares of common stock in a private placement to an accredited investor for gross proceeds of $150,000 pursuant to a Series D Preferred Stock and Warrant Purchase Agreement dated December 14, 2016.
 
The warrants associated with the December 19, 2016 issuance were allocated a fair value of approximately $60,357 upon issuance, with the remaining $69,643 of net proceeds allocated to the Series D Preferred Stock. Proportionately, this allocation resulted in approximately 54% of the amount of the Series D Preferred Stock issuance remaining, which applied to the stated conversion price of $0.80 resulted in an effective conversion price of approximately $0.37. Having determined the effective conversion price, the Company then compared this to the fair value of the underlying Common Stock as of the commitment date, which was approximately $0.81 per share, and concluded that the conversion feature did have an intrinsic value of $0.44 per share. As such, we concluded that the Series C Preferred Stock did contain a beneficial conversion feature of $82,232 which was recorded as a beneficial conversion in stockholders’ equity.
 
Because our preferred stock is perpetual, with no stated maturity date, and the conversions may occur any time from inception, the dividend is recognized immediately when a beneficial conversion exists at issuance. During the year ending September 30, 2017, we recognized preferred stock dividends of $2.3 million on Series D preferred stock related to the beneficial conversion feature arising from a common stock effective conversion rate of $0.34 and $0.37 versus the original market price of $1.14 and $1.06 per common share, respectively.
 
On May 1, 2017, we issued 357,143 shares of Series D Convertible Preferred Stock and a warrant to purchase 357,143 shares of common stock in a private placement to an accredited investor for gross proceeds of $250,000 pursuant to a Series D Preferred Stock and Warrant Purchase Agreement dated May 1, 2016.
 
The initial conversion price of the Series D Shares is $0.70 per share, subject to certain adjustments. The initial exercise price of the warrant is $0.70 per share, also subject to certain adjustments. The Company also amended and restated the Certificate of Designations, resulting in an adjustment to the conversion price of all currently outstanding Series D Shares to $0.70 per share.
 
On August 14, 2017, the price of the Series C and D Preferred Stock were adjusted to $0.25 per share pursuant to the documents governing such instruments. After adjustment there were 3,108,356 shares of Series D preferred stock authorized.
 
On July 17, 2018, we filed with the State of Nevada a second Amended and Restated Certificate of Designation of Preferences, Powers, and Rights of the Series D Convertible Preferred Stock. The Amended Certificate restates the prior Certificate of Designation filed on May 8, 2017 to decrease the number of authorized Series D shares from 3,906,250 shares to 1,016,014 shares. No other amendments were made to the preferences and rights of the Series D Convertible Preferred Stock. The filing of the Amended Certificate was unanimously approved by the Board of Directors and the shareholders of Series D Convertible Preferred Stock.
 
Series F Preferred Stock
 
On August 1, 2018, we filed with the State of Nevada a Certificate of Designation establishing the Designations, Preferences, Limitations and Relative Rights of Series F Preferred Stock (the “Designation”). The Designation authorized 500 shares of Series F Preferred Stock. The Series F Preferred Stock shall only be issued to the current Board of Directors on the date of the Designation’s filing and is not convertible into common stock. As set forth in the Designation, the Series F Preferred Stock has no rights to dividends or liquidation preference and carries rights to vote 100,000 shares of common stock per share of Series F upon a Trigger Event, as defined in the Designation. A Trigger Event includes certain unsolicited bids, tender offers, proxy contests, and significant share purchases, all as described in the Designation. Unless and until a Trigger Event, the Series F shall have no right to vote. The Series F Preferred Stock shall remain issued and outstanding until the date which is 731 days after the issuance of Series F Preferred Stock (“Explosion Date”), unless a Trigger Event occurs, in which case the Explosion Date shall be extended by 183 days.
 
 
 
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Securities Subject to Price Adjustments
 
On August 14, 2017, a private placement triggered a provision in the documents governing 23,334 outstanding shares of Series A Preferred Stock, 1,785,715 outstanding shares of Series C Preferred Stock and 1,016,004 outstanding shares Series D preferred Stock, which adjusted the conversion price of such Preferred Stock to $0.25 per share. In addition, the conversion price of a Convertible Note Payables of $2,390,066 and the exercise price of outstanding warrants to purchase 9,548,741 shares of common stock were adjusted to $0.25 per share pursuant to the documents governing such instruments.
 
As of December 21, 2018, there were outstanding warrants for the purchase of 15,473,398 shares of common stock. In the future, if we sell our common stock at a price below $0.25 per share, the exercise price of 20,000 outstanding shares of Series A Preferred Stock, 1,785,715 outstanding shares of Series C Preferred Stock, 3,108,356 outstanding shares Series D Preferred Stock that adjust below $0.25 per share pursuant to the documents governing such instruments. In addition, the conversion price of a Convertible Note Payable of $2,255,066 (9,020,264 common shares at the current price of $0.25 per share) and the exercise price of additional outstanding warrants to purchase 13,865,286 shares of common stock would adjust below $0.25 per share pursuant to the documents governing such instruments.  
 
Common Stock
 
We are authorized to issue up to 100,000,000 shares of common stock with a par value of $0.001. As of September 30, 2018, we had 17,531,502 shares of common stock issued and outstanding, held by 122 shareholders of record. The number of shareholders, including beneficial owners holding shares through nominee names, is approximately 2,300. Each share of common stock entitles its holder to one vote on each matter submitted to the shareholders for a vote, and no cumulative voting for directors is permitted.  Shareholders do not have any preemptive rights to acquire additional securities issued by us.  As of September 30, 2018, there were options outstanding for the purchase of 2,182,668 common shares, warrants for the purchase of 15,473,398 common shares and 4,914,071 shares of our common stock issuable upon the conversion of Series A, Series C and Series D Convertible Preferred Stock. We have Convertible Note Payable of $2,255,066 (9,020,264 common shares at the current price of $0.25 per share). All of which could potentially dilute future earnings per share.   
 
American Stock Transfer and Trust Company is the transfer agent and registrar for our Common Stock.
 
Stock Incentive Plan
 
On March 21, 2013, an amendment to the Stock Option Plan was approved by the stockholders of the Company, increasing the number of shares reserved for issuance under the Plan to 93,333 shares. On April 10, 2018, the Board approved an amendment to its 2011 Stock Incentive Plan increasing the number of shares of common stock reserved under the Incentive Plan from 93,333 to 1,200,000. On August 7, 2018, the Board approved an amendment to its 2011 Stock Incentive Plan increasing the number of shares of common stock reserved under the Incentive Plan from 1,200,000 to 2,000,000 to common shares. On December 21, 2018, the Board approved an amendment to its 2011 Stock Incentive Plan increasing the number of shares of common stock reserved under the Incentive Plan from 2,000,000 to 2,500,000 to common shares.
 
Anti-Takeover Provisions
 
Nevada Revised Statutes
 
Acquisition of Controlling Interest Statutes.    Nevada's "acquisition of controlling interest" statutes contain provisions governing the acquisition of a controlling interest in certain Nevada corporations. These "control share" laws provide generally that any person who acquires a "controlling interest" in certain Nevada corporations may be denied certain voting rights, unless a majority of the disinterested stockholders of the corporation elects to restore such voting rights. These statutes provide that a person acquires a "controlling interest" whenever a person acquires shares of a subject corporation that, but for the application of these provisions of the Nevada Revised Statutes, would enable that person to exercise (1) one-fifth or more, but less than one-third, (2) one-third or more, but less than a majority or (3) a majority or more, of all of the voting power of the corporation in the election of directors. Once an acquirer crosses one of these thresholds, shares which it acquired in the transaction taking it over the threshold and within the 90 days immediately preceding the date when the acquiring person acquired or offered to acquire a controlling interest become "control shares" to which the voting restrictions described above apply. Our articles of incorporation and bylaws currently contain no provisions relating to these statutes, and unless our articles of incorporation or bylaws in effect on the tenth day after the acquisition of a controlling interest were to provide otherwise, these laws would apply to us if we were to (i) have 200 or more stockholders of record (at least 100 of which have addresses in the State of Nevada appearing on our stock ledger) and (ii) do business in the State of Nevada directly or through an affiliated corporation. As of September 30, 2018 we have less than 200 record stockholders. If these laws were to apply to us, they might discourage companies or persons interested in acquiring a significant interest in or control of the company, regardless of whether such acquisition may be in the interest of our stockholders.
 
 
 
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Combinations with Interested Stockholders Statutes.    Nevada's "combinations with interested stockholders" statutes prohibit certain business "combinations" between certain Nevada corporations and any person deemed to be an "interested stockholder" for two years after the such person first becomes an "interested stockholder" unless (i) the corporation's board of directors approves the combination (or the transaction by which such person becomes an "interested stockholder") in advance, or (ii) the combination is approved by the board of directors and sixty percent of the corporation's voting power not beneficially owned by the interested stockholder, its affiliates and associates. Furthermore, in the absence of prior approval certain restrictions may apply even after such two-year period. For purposes of these statutes, an "interested stockholder" is any person who is (x) the beneficial owner, directly or indirectly, of ten percent or more of the voting power of the outstanding voting shares of the corporation, or (y) an affiliate or associate of the corporation and at any time within the two previous years was the beneficial owner, directly or indirectly, of ten percent or more of the voting power of the then outstanding shares of the corporation. The definition of the term "combination" is sufficiently broad to cover most significant transactions between the corporation and an "interested stockholder". Subject to certain timing requirements set forth in the statutes, a corporation may elect not to be governed by these statutes. We have not included any such provision in our articles of incorporation.
 
The effect of these statutes may be to potentially discourage parties interested in taking control of us from doing so if it cannot obtain the approval of our Board of Directors.
 
Articles of Incorporation and Bylaws Provisions
 
Our articles of incorporation, as amended and restated, and our bylaws, as amended and restated, contain provisions that could have the effect of discouraging potential acquisition proposals or tender offers or delaying or preventing a change in control, including changes a stockholder might consider favorable. In particular, our articles of incorporation and bylaws, among other things:
 
● permit our Board of Directors to alter our bylaws without stockholder approval;
● provide that vacancies on our Board of Directors may be filled by a majority of directors in office, although less than a quorum;
● authorize the issuance of preferred stock, which can be created and issued by our Board of Directors without prior stockholder approval, with rights senior to our common stock, which may render more difficult or discourage an attempt to obtain control of us by means of a merger, tender offer, proxy contest or otherwise; and
● establish advance notice procedures with respect to stockholder proposals relating to the nomination of candidates for election as directors and other business to be brought before stockholder meetings, which notice must contain information specified in our bylaws.
 
In addition, our articles of incorporation restrict our ability to take certain actions without the approval of at least 66% of the Series A Preferred Stock then outstanding. These actions include, among other things;
 
● authorizing, creating, designating, establishing or issuing an increased number of shares of Series A Preferred Stock or any other class or series of capital stock ranking senior to or on a parity with the Series A Preferred Stock; 
● adopting a plan for the liquidation, dissolution or winding up the affairs of our company or any recapitalization plan (whether by merger, consolidation or otherwise); 
● amending, altering or repealing, whether by merger, consolidation or otherwise, our articles of incorporation or bylaws in a manner that would adversely affect any right, preference, privilege or voting power of the Series A Preferred Stock; and 
● declaring or paying any dividend (with certain exceptions) or directly or indirectly purchase, redeem, repurchase or otherwise acquire any shares of our capital stock, stock options or convertible securities (with certain exceptions).
Such provisions may have the effect of discouraging a third-party from acquiring us, even if doing so would be beneficial to our stockholders. These provisions are intended to enhance the likelihood of continuity and stability in the composition of our Board of Directors and in the policies formulated by them, and to discourage some types of transactions that may involve an actual or threatened change in control of our company. These provisions are designed to reduce our vulnerability to an unsolicited acquisition proposal and to discourage some tactics that may be used in proxy fights. We believe that the benefits of increased protection of our potential ability to negotiate with the proponent of an unfriendly or unsolicited proposal to acquire or restructure our company outweigh the disadvantages of discouraging such proposals because, among other things, negotiation of such proposals could result in an improvement of their terms.
 
However, these provisions could have the effect of discouraging others from making tender offers for our shares that could result from actual or rumored takeover attempts. These provisions also may have the effect of preventing changes in our management.
 
Market Price of and Dividends on Common Equity and Related Stockholder Matters
 
Our common stock trades on the OTCQB Exchange under the symbol “KNWN.” On May 1, 2018, we filed a corporate action with FINRA to effectively change the Company’s OTC trading symbol and change our name to “Know Labs, Inc.” Our name change from Know Labs, Incorporated to Know Labs, Inc. and symbol change from VSUL to KNWN was announced by FINRA declared effective on the opening of trading as of May 25, 2018. 
 
Trades in our common stock may be subject to Rule 15g-9 of the Exchange Act, which imposes requirements on broker/dealers who sell securities subject to the rule to persons other than established customers and accredited investors. For transactions covered by the rule, broker/dealers must make a special suitability determination for purchasers of the securities and receive the purchaser’s written agreement to the transaction before the sale.
 
 
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Period Ended
 
High
 
 
Low
 
Year Ending September 30, 2018
 
 
 
 
 
 
September 30, 2018
 $5.71 
 $0.62 
June 30, 2018
 $0.65 
 $0.24 
March 31, 2018
 $0.36 
 $0.21 
December 31, 2017
 $0.44 
 $0.20 
 
    
    
Year Ending September 30, 2017
    
    
September 30, 2017
 $0.25 
 $0.11 
June 30, 2017
 $0.70 
 $0.23 
March 31, 2017
 $0.99 
 $0.54 
December 31, 2016
 $1.44 
 $0.66 
 
As of December 18, 2018, the high and low sales price of our common stock was $4.44 per share and $2.78 per share, respectively. As of December 21, 2018, there were 17,531,502 shares of common stock outstanding held by approximately 122 stockholders of record. This number does not include approximately 2,300 beneficial owners whose shares are held in the names of various security brokers, dealers and registered clearing agencies.
 
Transfer Agent
 
Our transfer agent is American Stock Transfer & Trust Company located at 6201 15th Avenue, Brooklyn, New York 11219, and their telephone number is (800) 937-5449.
 
Dividend Policy
 
We have not previously declared or paid any cash dividends on our common stock and do not anticipate or contemplate paying dividends on our common stock in the foreseeable future. We currently intend to use all of our available funds to finance the growth and development of our business. We can give no assurances that we will ever have excess funds available to pay dividends. In addition, our articles of incorporation restrict our ability to pay any dividends on our common stock without the approval of 66% of our then outstanding Series A Preferred Stock.
 
Recent Sales of Unregistered Securities
 
During the three months ended September 30, 2018, we had the following sales of unregistered sales of equity securities:
 
We issued 71,436 shares of common stock to employees and consultants and for services during 2018. We expensed $91,438.
 
On June 25, 2018, we closed a private placement and received gross proceeds of $1,750,000 ($1,710,000 as of September 30, 2018) in exchange for issuing 7,000,000 (6,840,000 as of September 30, 2018) shares of common stock and warrants to purchase 3,500,000 (3,420,000 as of September 30, 2018) shares of common stock in a private placement to accredited investors pursuant to a series of substantially identical subscription agreements. The initial exercise price of the warrants described above is $0.25 per share, subject to certain adjustments, and they expired five years after their issuance. The shares and the warrants described above were issued in transactions that were not registered under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Act”) in reliance upon applicable exemptions from registration under Section 4(a)(2) of the Act and/or Rule 506 of SEC Regulation D under the Act.  
 
We closed debt conversions and issued 1,600,000 shares of common stock in exchange for the conversion of $464,000 in preexisting debt owed by the Company to by Ronald P. Erickson or entities and Clayton A. Struve, both of whom are accredited investors. These shares were issued in transactions that were not registered under the Act in reliance upon applicable exemptions from registration under Section 4(a)(2) of the Act and/or Rule 506 of SEC Regulation D under the Act.
 
During the three months ended September 30, 2018, we issued 158,000 shares of our common stock related to warrant exercises that were valued at $80,128.
 
On September 23, 2018, we issued 3,334 shares of our common stock related to the conversion of Series A Preferred Stock for $834.
 
 
 
23
 
 
Equity Compensation Information
 
The following table provides information as of December 21, 2018 related to the equity compensation plan in effect at that time.
 
 
(a)
(b)
(c)
 
 
 
Number of securities
 
 
 
remaining available
 
Number of securities
Weighted-average
for future issuance
 
to be issued upon
exercise price of
under equity compensation
 
exercise of outstanding
outstanding options,
plan (excluding securities
Plan Category
options, warrants and rights
warrants and rights
reflected in column (a))
Equity compensation plan
 
 
 
approved by shareholders
                                                      -
                                                      -
                                                      -
Equity compensation plans
 
 
 
not approved by shareholders
                                         2,182,668
                                                1.698
                                            317,332
Total
                                         2,182,668
                                                1.698
                                            317,332
 
ITEM 6.    SELECTED FINANCIAL DATA
 
Summary Financial Information
 
In the following table, we provide you with our selected consolidated historical financial and other data. We have prepared the consolidated selected financial information using our consolidated financial statements for the years ended September 30, 2018 and 2017. When you read this selected consolidated historical financial and other data, it is important that you read along with it the historical financial statements and related notes in our consolidated financial statements included in this report, as well as Item 7. Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.
 
(dollars in thousands)
 
 
 
Years Ended September 30,      
 
 
 
2018
 
 
2017
 
 
2016
 
 
2015
 
 
2014
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
STATEMENT OF OPERATIONS DATA:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Net revenue
 $4,303 
 $4,874 
 $6,024 
 $6,291 
 $7,983 
Cost of goods sold
  3,482 
  3,966 
  5,036 
  5,274 
  6,694 
Gross profit
  821 
  908 
  988 
  1,017 
  1,289 
Research and development expenses
  570 
  79 
  326 
  363 
  670 
General and administrative expenses
  2,509 
  3,088 
  3,355 
  2,984 
  3,180 
Impairment of goodwill
  - 
  984 
  - 
  - 
  - 
Operating (loss)
  (2,258)
  (3,243)
  (2,693)
  (2,330)
  (2,561)
Other expense
  (1,000)
  (658)
  947 
  (271)
  1,538 
Net (loss)
  (3,258)
  (3,901)
  (1,746)
  (2,601)
  (1,023)
Income taxes current benefit
  - 
  - 
  - 
  30 
  (6)
Net (loss)
  (3,258)
  (3,901)
  (1,746)
  (2,631)
  (1,017)
Noncontrolling interest
  - 
  - 
  - 
  - 
  - 
Net (loss) attributable to Visualant, Inc. and Subsidiaries common shareholders
 $(3,258)
 $(3,901)
 $(1,746)
 $(2,631)
 $(1,017)
Net (loss) per share
 $(0.38)
 $(1.01)
 $(1.22)
 $(2.33)
 $(2.33)
Weighted average number of shares
  8,630,891 
  3,844,840 
  1,428,763 
  1,131,622 
  437,049 
 
ITEM 7.    MANAGEMENT'S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS 
 
You should read the following discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations together with our financial statements and related notes appearing at the end of this prospectus. Some of the information contained in this discussion and analysis or set forth elsewhere in this prospectus, including information with respect to our plans and strategy for our business and related financing, includes forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. You should read the "Risk Factors" section of this prospectus for a discussion of important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the results described in or implied by the forward-looking statements contained in the following discussion and analysis.
 
We are focused on the development, marketing and sales of a proprietary technology which is capable of uniquely identifying and authenticating almost any substance using electromagnetic energy to create, record and detect the unique digital “signature” of the substance. We call our technology “ChromaID™” and “Bio-RFID™.”
 
 
 
 
24
 
 
Overview
 
Historically we have focused on the development of our proprietary ChromaID™ technology. Using light from low-cost LEDs (light emitting diodes) we map the color of substances, fluids and materials and with our proprietary processes we can authenticate, identify and diagnose based upon the color that is present. The color is both visible to us as humans but also outside of the humanly visible color spectrum in the near infra-red and near ultra-violet and beyond. Our ChromaID scanner sees what we like to call “Nature’s Color Fingerprint.” Everything in nature has a unique color identifier and with ChromaID we can see it, and identify, authenticate and diagnose based upon the color that is present. Our ChromaID scanner is capable of uniquely identifying and authenticating almost any substance or liquid using light to create, record and detect its unique color signature. We will continue to develop and enhance our ChromaID technology and extend its capacity. More recently, we have focused upon extensions and new inventions that are derived from and extend our ChromaID technology which we call Bio-RFID. The rapid advances made with Bio-RFID technology in our laboratory have caused us to move quickly in to the commercialization phase of our Company as we work to create revenue generating products for the marketplace. We will also, as time permits, pursue licensing opportunities with third parties who have ready applications for our technology.
 
In 2010, we acquired TransTech Systems, Inc. as an adjunct to our business. TransTech is a distributor of products for employee and personnel identification and authentication. TransTech has historically provided substantially all of the Company’s revenues. The financial results from our TransTech subsidiary have been diminishing as vendors of their products increasingly move to the Internet and direct sales to their customers. While it does provide our current revenues it is not central to our current focus as a Company. Moreover, we have written down any good will associated with its historic acquisition and we continue to monitor this subsidiary.
 
RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
 
The following table presents certain consolidated statement of operations information and presentation of that data as a percentage of change from year-to-year.
 
(dollars in thousands)
 
 
 
Years Ended September 30,    
 
 
 
2018
 
 
2017
 
 
$ Variance
 
 
% Variance
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Revenue
 $4,303 
 $4,874 
 $(571)
  -11.7%
Cost of sales
  3,482 
  3,966 
  (484)
  12.2%
Gross profit
  821 
  908 
  (87)
  -9.6%
Research and development expenses
  570 
  79 
  491 
  -621.5%
Selling, general and administrative expenses
  2,509 
  3,088 
  (579)
  18.8%
Impairment of goodwill
  - 
  984 
  (984)
  100.0%
Operating loss
  (2,258)
  (3,243)
  985 
  30.4%
Other (expense) income:
    
    
    
    
Interest expense
  (1,195)
  (377)
  (818)
  -217.0%
Other income (expense)
  25 
  (63)
  88 
  139.7%
(Loss) on change- derivative liability warrants
  - 
  (218)
  218 
  100.0%
Gain on debt settlements
  170 
  - 
  170 
  100.0%
Total other income (expense)
  (1,000)
  (658)
  (342)
  -52.0%
(Loss) before income taxes
  (3,258)
  (3,901)
  643 
  16.5%
Income taxes - current (benefit)
  - 
  - 
  - 
  0.0%
Net (loss)
 $(3,258)
 $(3,901)
 $643 
  16.5%
 
YEAR ENDED SEPTEMBER 30, 2018 COMPARED TO THE YEAR ENDED SEPTEMBER 30, 2017
 
Sales
 
Net revenue for the year ended September 30, 2018 decreased $571,000 to $4,303,000 as compared to $4,874,000 for the year ended September 30, 2017. The decrease was due to lower sales by TransTech. We have focused TransTech on maximizing profits at the lower sales level.
 
Cost of Sales
 
Cost of sales for the year ended September 30, 2018 decreased $484,000 to $3,482,000 as compared to $3,966,000 for the year ended September 30, 2017. The decrease was due to lower sales by TransTech. We have focused TransTech on maximizing profits at the lower sales level.
 
 
 
 
25
 
 
Gross profit was $821,000 for the year ended September 30, 2018 as compared to $908,000 for the year ended September 30, 2017. Gross profit was 19.1% for the year ended September 30, 2018 as compared to 18.6% for the year ended September 30, 2017. We have focused TransTech on maximizing profits at the lower sales level.
 
Research and Development Expenses
 
Research and development expenses for the year ended September 30, 2018 increased $491,000 to $570,000 as compared to $79,000 for the year ended September 30, 2017. The increase was due to expenditures related to the Consulting and Services Agreement with Phillip A. Bosua, our Chief Product Officer for product development, including the development of our Bio-RFID™ technology.
 
Selling, General and Administrative Expenses
 
Selling, general and administrative expenses for year ended September 30, 2018 decreased $579,000 to $2,509,000 as compared to $3,088,000 for the year ended September 30, 2017. 
 
The decrease primarily was due to (i) reduced payroll, bad debt and other expenses of $465,000 at TransTech; (ii) decreased corporate development expense of $425,000; (iii) decreased other corporate expenses of $217,000; and (iv) offset by increased stock based compensation expenses of $581,000 . As part of the selling, general and administrative expenses for the three months ended September 30, 2018, we recorded $198,000 of investor relation expenses and corporate development expenses.
 
Impairment of Goodwill
 
Our TransTech business is very capital intensive. We reviewed TransTech’s operations based on its overall financial constraints and determined the value has been impaired. We recorded an impairment of goodwill associated with TransTech of $984,000 during the year ended September 30, 2017.
  
Other Income (Expense)
 
Other expense for the year ended September 30, 2018 was $1,000,000 as compared to other expense of $657,000 for the year ended September 30, 2017. The other expense for the year ended September 30, 2018 included (i) interest expense of $1,195,000; offset by (ii) other income of $25,000 and (iii) gain on debt settlements of $170,000. The interest expense related a senior convertible exchangeable debenture issued on December 12, 2017 and February 28, 2018 in conjunction with a Securities Purchase Agreement dated August 14, 2017. The gain on debt settlements and forgiveness of accounts payable.
 
The other expense for the year ended September 30, 2017 included (i) change in the value of derivatives of $218,000; (ii) interest expense of $377,000; (iii) other expense of $63,000. The decrease is a result of the decline of the derivative liability as our underlying stock price has declined and conversion of interest and amortization of debt discount of $227,000.
 
Net (Loss)
 
Net loss for the year ended September 30, 2018 was $3,258,000 as compared to $3,901,000 for the year ended September 30, 2017. The net loss for the year ended September 30, 2018, included non-cash expenses of $1,935,000. The non-cash items include (i) depreciation and amortization of $133,000; (ii) issuance of capital stock for services and expenses of $440,000; (iii) stock based compensation of $291,000; (iv) conversion of interest and amortization of debt discount of $539,000; (v) conversion of accrued liabilities of $492,000; (vi) issuance of common stock for conversion of liabilities of $200,000; and (vii) other of $10,000; (viii) offset by non cash gain on accounts payable of $170,000. TransTech’s net income from operations was $49,000 for the year ended September 30, 2018 as compared to a net loss from operations of ($256,000) for the year ended September 30, 2017.
 
The net loss for the year ended September 30, 2017, included non-cash expenses of non-cash items of $2,397,000. The non-cash items include (i) depreciation and amortization of $81,000; (ii) issuance of capital stock for services and expenses of $548,000; (iii) stock based compensation of $38,000; (iv) bad debt losses and provision on loss on accounts receivable of $141,000; (v) impairment of goodwill of $984,000; (vi) loss on sale of assets $113,000; (vii) conversion of interest and amortization of debt discount of $227,000; and (viii) reclassification of derivative liability of $410,000; offset by (ix) loss on change- derivative liability warrants of $145,000.
 
We expect losses to continue as we commercialize our ChromaID™ and Bio-RFID™technology.
 
LIQUIDITY AND CAPITAL RESOURCES
 
Liquidity is the ability of a company to generate funds to support its current and future operations, satisfy its obligations, and otherwise operate on an ongoing basis. Significant factors in the management of liquidity are funds generated by operations, levels of accounts receivable and accounts payable and capital expenditures.
 
 
 
26
 
 
On June 25, 2018, we closed a private placement and received gross proceeds of $1,750,000 ($1,710,000 as of September 30, 2018) in exchange for issuing 7,000,000 (6,840,000 as of September 30, 2018) shares of common stock and warrants to purchase 3,500,000 (3,420,000 as of September 30, 2018) shares of common stock in a private placement to accredited investors pursuant to a series of substantially identical subscription agreements. The initial exercise price of the warrants described above is $0.25 per share, subject to certain adjustments, and they expired five years after their issuance. The shares and the warrants described above were issued in transactions that were not registered under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Act”) in reliance upon applicable exemptions from registration under Section 4(a)(2) of the Act and/or Rule 506 of SEC Regulation D under the Act. 
 
We had cash of approximately $934,000 and a net working capital deficit of approximately $832,000 (net of convertible notes payable and notes payable) as of September 30, 2018.  We have experienced net losses since inception and we expect losses to continue as we commercialize our ChromaID™ technology. As of September 30, 2018, we had an accumulated deficit of $34,791,000 and net losses in the amount of $3,258,000 and $3,901,000 for the years ended September 30, 2018 and 2017, respectively. We believe that our cash on hand will be sufficient to fund our operations through March 31, 2019.
 
The opinion of our independent registered public accounting firm on our audited financial statements as of and for the year ended September 30, 2018 contains an explanatory paragraph regarding substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern. Our ability to continue as a going concern is dependent upon raising capital from financing transactions.
 
We need additional financing to implement our business plan and to service our ongoing operations and pay our current debts. There can be no assurance that we will be able to secure any needed funding, or that if such funding is available, the terms or conditions would be acceptable to us. If we are unable to obtain additional financing when it is needed, we will need to restructure our operations, and divest all or a portion of our business. We may seek additional capital through a combination of private and public equity offerings, debt financings and strategic collaborations. Debt financing, if obtained, may involve agreements that include covenants limiting or restricting our ability to take specific actions, such as incurring additional debt, and could increase our expenses and require that our assets secure such debt. Equity financing, if obtained, could result in dilution to our then-existing stockholders and/or require such stockholders to waive certain rights and preferences. If such financing is not available on satisfactory terms, or is not available at all, we may be required to delay, scale back, eliminate the development of business opportunities or file for bankruptcy and our operations and financial condition may be materially adversely affected.
 
We have financed our corporate operations and our technology development through the issuance of convertible debentures, the issuance of preferred stock, the sale common stock, issuance of common stock in conjunction with an equity line of credit, loans by our Chairman and the exercise of warrants.
 
We finance our TransTech operations from operations and a Secured Credit Facility with Capital Source Business Finance Group. On June 15, 2018, TransTech entered into a Fifth Modification to the Loan and Security Agreement related to the $500,000 secured credit facility with Capital Source to fund its operations. The Modification extended the maturity to December 12, 2018. The secured credit facility provides for a prime rate interest floor for prime interest of 4.5% plus 2.5%. The eligible borrowing is based on 80% of eligible trade accounts receivable, not to exceed $500,000. The secured credit facility is collateralized by the assets of TransTech, with a guarantee by Know Labs, including a security interest in all assets of Know Labs. The remaining balance on the accounts receivable must be repaid by the time the secured credit facility expires on December 12, 2018, unless we renew by automatic extension for the next successive term. TransTech has $24,000 available as of September 30, 2018.
 
On December 6, 2018, Capital Source notified TransTech that the Loan and Security Agreement and Capital Source Credit Facility would be cancelled as of March 12, 2019.
 
Effective December 12, 2018, TransTech entered into the Sixth Modification to the Loan and Security Agreement which reduced the secured credit facility to $200,000.
 
Operating Activities
 
Net cash used in operating activities for the year ended September 30, 2018 was $1,117,000. This amount was primarily related to (i) a net loss of $3,258,000; (ii) a decrease in deferred revenue of $8,000; and (iii) a decrease in accounts payable and accrued expenses of $176,000; offset by (iv) a decrease in accounts receivable of $362,000; (v) other of $29,000; and (vi) non-cash expenses of $1,935,000. The non-cash items include (i) depreciation and amortization of $133,000; (ii) issuance of capital stock for services and expenses of $719,000; (iii) stock based compensation of $291,000; (iv) conversion of interest and amortization of debt discount of $539,000; (v) conversion of accrued liabilities of $492,000; (vi) issuance of common stock for conversion of liabilities of $200,000; and (vii) other of $10,000; (viii) offset by non cash gain on accounts payable of $170,000.
 
Investing Activities
 
Net cash used in investing activities for the year ended September 30, 2018 was $97,000. This amount was primarily related to the investment in equipment for the lab.
 
Financing Activities
 
Net cash provided by financing activities for the year ended September 30, 2018 was $2,046,000. This amount was primarily related to (i) proceeds from the issuance of common stock of $1,750,000 (ii) proceeds from convertible notes of $636,000; (iii) issuance of common stock for warrant exercises of $80,000, offset by (iv) repayment of line of credit of $220,000 and (v) repayment of note payable of $200,000.
 
 
 
27
 
 
On June 25, 2018, we closed a private placement and received gross proceeds of $1,750,000 ($1,710,000 as of September 30, 2018) in exchange for issuing 7,000,000 (6,840,000 as of September 30, 2018) shares of common stock and warrants to purchase 3,500,000 (3,420,000 as of September 30, 2018) shares of common stock in a private placement to accredited investors pursuant to a series of substantially identical subscription agreements. The initial exercise price of the warrants described above is $0.25 per share, subject to certain adjustments, and they expired five years after their issuance. The shares and the warrants described above were issued in transactions that were not registered under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Act”) in reliance upon applicable exemptions from registration under Section 4(a)(2) of the Act and/or Rule 506 of SEC Regulation D under the Act.
 
Our contractual cash obligations as of September 30, 2018 are summarized in the table below:
 
 
 
 
 
 
Less Than
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Greater Than
 
Contractual Cash Obligations
 
Total
 
 
1 Year
 
 
1-3 Years
 
 
3-5 Years
 
 
5 Years
 
Operating leases
 $227,602 
 $118,190 
 $85,914 
 $23,498 
 $- 
Convertible notes payable
  2,255,066 
  2,255,066 
  - 
  - 
  - 
Notes payable
  145,186 
  145,186 
  - 
  - 
  - 
Capital expenditures
  280,000 
  60,000 
  110,000 
  110,000 
  - 
 
 $2,907,854 
 $2,578,442 
 $195,914 
 $133,498 
 $- 
 
Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements
 
We do not have any off-balance sheet arrangements (as that term is defined in Item 303 of Regulation S-K) that are reasonably likely to have a current or future material effect on our financial condition, revenue or expenses, results of operations, liquidity, capital expenditures or capital resources.
 
CRITICAL ACCOUNTING POLICIES AND ESTIMATES
 
The application of GAAP involves the exercise of varying degrees of judgment. On an ongoing basis, we evaluate our estimates and judgments based on historical experience and various other factors that are believed to be reasonable under the circumstances.
 
Actual results may differ from these estimates under different assumptions or conditions. We believe that of our significant accounting policies (see summary of significant accounting policies more fully described in Note 2 to the financial statements set forth in this report), the following policies involve a higher degree of judgment and/or complexity:
 
Inventories – Inventories consist primarily of printers and consumable supplies, including ribbons and cards, badge accessories, capture devices, and access control components held for resale and are stated at the lower of cost or market on the first-in, first-out (“FIFO”) method.  Inventories are considered available for resale when drop shipped and invoiced directly to a customer from a vendor, or when physically received by TransTech at a warehouse location.  We record a provision for excess and obsolete inventory whenever an impairment has been identified. There is a $60,000 reserve for impaired inventory as of September 30, 2018 and 2017.
 
Fair Value Measurements and Financial Instruments  ASC Topic 820, Fair Value Measurement and Disclosures, defines fair value as the exchange price that would be received for an asset or paid to transfer a liability (an exit price) in the principal or most advantageous market for the asset or liability in an orderly transaction between market participants on the measurement date.  This topic also establishes a fair value hierarchy, which requires classification based on observable and unobservable inputs when measuring fair value.  The fair value hierarchy distinguishes between assumptions based on market data (observable inputs) and an entity’s own assumptions (unobservable inputs).  
 
Revenue Recognition – Know Labs and TransTech revenue are derived from products and services. Revenue is considered realized when the products or services have been provided to the customer, the work has been accepted by the customer and collectability is reasonably assured. Furthermore, if an actual measurement of revenue cannot be determined, we defer all revenue recognition until such time that an actual measurement can be determined. If during the course of a contract management determines that losses are expected to be incurred, such costs are charged to operations in the period such losses are determined. Revenues are deferred when cash has been received from the customer but the revenue has not been earned.
 
Stock Based Compensation – We have share-based compensation plans under which employees, consultants, suppliers and directors may be granted restricted stock, as well as options to purchase shares of our common stock at the fair market value at the time of grant. Stock-based compensation cost is measured by us at the grant date, based on the fair value of the award, over the requisite service period. For options issued to employees, we recognize stock compensation costs utilizing the fair value methodology over the related period of benefit.  Grants of stock options and stock to non-employees and other parties are accounted for in accordance with the ASC 505.
 
 
 
 
28
 
 
ITEM 7A.    QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK
 
We have no investments in any market risk sensitive instruments either held for trading purposes or entered into for other than trading purposes.
 
ITEM 8.    FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND SUPPLEMENTARY DATA
 
Reference is made to our consolidated financial statements beginning on page F-1 of this report.
 
ITEM 9.    CHANGES IN AND DISAGREEMENTS WITH ACCOUNTANTS ON ACCOUNTING AND FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE
 
Not applicable.
 
ITEM 9A. CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES
 
a) Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures
 
We conducted an evaluation, under the supervision and with the participation of our management, of the effectiveness of the design and operation of our disclosure controls and procedures. The term “disclosure controls and procedures,” as defined in Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) under the Securities and Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (“Exchange Act”), means controls and other procedures of a company that are designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed by the company in the reports it files or submits under the Exchange Act is recorded, processed, summarized and reported, within the time periods specified in the Securities and Exchange Commission's rules and forms. Disclosure controls and procedures also include, without limitation, controls and procedures designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed by a company in the reports that it files or submits under the Exchange Act is accumulated and communicated to the company's management, including its principal executive and principal financial officers, or persons performing similar functions, as appropriate, to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure. Based on this evaluation, our principal executive and principal financial officers concluded as of September 30, 2018 that our disclosure controls and procedures were not effective at the reasonable assurance level due to the material weaknesses in our internal controls over financial reporting discussed immediately below.
 
Identified Material Weakness
 
A material weakness in our internal control over financial reporting is a control deficiency, or combination of control deficiencies, that results in more than a remote likelihood that a material misstatement of the financial statements will not be prevented or detected.
 
Management identified the following material weakness during its assessment of internal controls over financial reporting:
 
Personnel: We do not employ a full time Chief Financial Officer. Our Chairman serves as interim Chief Financial Officer. We utilize a consultant to assist with our financial reporting.
 
Audit Committee: While we have an audit committee, we lack a financial expert. During 2019, the Board expects to appoint an additional independent Director to serve as Audit Committee Chairman who is an “audit committee financial expert” as defined by the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) and as adopted under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.
 
(b) Management's Report on Internal Control Over Financial Reporting.
 
Our management is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting as defined in Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.  Our internal control over financial reporting is a process designed by, or under the supervision of, our CEO and CFO, or persons performing similar functions, 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 accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (GAAP).  Our internal control over financial reporting includes those policies and procedures that: (i) pertain to the maintenance of records that, in reasonable detail, accurately and fairly reflect the transactions and disposition of the assets of the Company; (ii) provide reasonable assurance that transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in accordance with GAAP and that receipts and expenditures of the Company are being made only in accordance with authorization of management and directors of the Company; and (iii) provide reasonable assurance regarding prevention or timely detection of unauthorized acquisition, use, or disposition of the Company’s assets that could have a material effect on the financial statements.
 
Management assessed the effectiveness of the Company’s internal control over financial reporting as of September 30, 2018.  In making this assessment, management used the criteria set forth by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission in the 2013 Internal Control-Integrated Framework.  Based on its evaluation, management has concluded that the Company’s internal control over financial reporting was not effective as of September 30, 2018.
 
 
 
29
 
 
Pursuant to Regulation S-K Item 308(b), this Annual Report on Form 10-K does not include an attestation report of our company’s registered public accounting firm regarding internal control over financial reporting.
 
Because of its inherent limitations, internal control over financial reporting may not prevent or detect misstatements.  Also, projections of any evaluation of effectiveness to future periods are subject to the risk that controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions or that the degree of compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate. A control system, no matter how well designed and operated can provide only reasonable, but not absolute, assurance that the control system’s objectives will be met.  The design of a control system must reflect the fact that there are resource constraints, and the benefits of controls must be considered relative to their cost.
 
c) Changes in Internal Control over Financial Reporting
 
During the three months ended September 30, 2018, there were no changes in our internal controls over financial reporting during this fiscal quarter that materially affected, or is reasonably likely to have a materially affect, on our internal control over financial reporting.
 
ITEM 9B. OTHER INFORMATION
 
There were no disclosures of any information required to be filed on Form 8-K during the three months ended September 30, 2018 that were not filed.  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
30
 
 
PART III
 
ITEM 10.    DIRECTORS AND EXECUTIVE OFFICERS AND CORPORATE GOVERNANCE
 
The following table sets forth certain information about our current directors and executive officers:
 
Name
Age
Director/ Executive Officer
Directors-
 
 
Ronald P. Erickson
74
Chairman and Interim Chief Financial Officer (1)
Phillip A. Bosua
44
Chief Executive Officer and Director
Jon Pepper
67
Director (2)
Ichiro Takesako
59
Director
William A. Owens
78
Director (3)
 
(1) Chairman of the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee.
(2) Chairman of the Audit Committee.
(3) Chairman of the Compensation Committee.
 
All directors hold office until their successors are duly appointed or until their earlier resignation or removal.
 
Background and Business Experience
 
Ronald P. Erickson has been a director and officer of Know Labs since April 2003. He was appointed as our CEO and President in November 2009 and as Chairman of the Board in February 2015. Previously, Mr. Erickson was our President and Chief Executive Officer from September 2003 through August 2004, and was Chairman of the Board from August 2004 until May 2011. Mr. Erickson stepped down as Chief Executive Officer on April 10, 2018.
 
A senior executive with more than 30 years of experience in the high technology, telecommunications, micro-computer, and digital media industries, Mr. Erickson was the founder of Know Labs. He is formerly Chairman, CEO and Co-Founder of Blue Frog Media, a mobile media and entertainment company; Chairman and CEO of eCharge Corporation, an Internet-based transaction procession company,  Chairman, CEO and Co-founder of GlobalTel Resources, a provider of telecommunications services; Chairman, Interim President and CEO of Egghead Software, Inc. a software reseller where he was an original investor; Chairman and CEO of NBI, Inc.; and Co-founder of MicroRim, Inc. the database software developer. Earlier, Mr. Erickson practiced law in Seattle and worked in public policy in Washington, DC and New York, NY. Additionally, Mr. Erickson has been an angel investor and board member of a number of public and private technology companies.  In addition to his business activities, Mr. Erickson is Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Central Washington University where he received his BA degree. He also holds a MA from the University of Wyoming and a JD from the University of California, Davis. He is licensed to practice law in the State of Washington.
 
Mr. Erickson is our founder and was appointed as a director because of his extensive experience in developing technology companies.
 
Phillip A. Bosua was appointed a director and Chief Executive Officer of the Company on April 10, 2018. Previously, Mr. Bosua served as our Chief Product Officer since August 2017 and we entered into a Consulting Agreement on July 7, 2017. From September 2012 to February 2015, he was the founder and Chief Executive Officer of LIFX Inc. (where he developed and marketed an innovative “smart” light bulb) and from August 2015 until February 2016 was Vice President Consumer Products at Soraa (which markets specialty LED light bulbs). From February 2016 to July 2017, Mr. Bosua was the founder and CEO of RAAI, Inc. (where he continued the development of his smart lighting technology).  From May 2008 to February 2013 he was the Founder and CEO of LimeMouse Apps, a leading developer of applications for the Apple App Store.
 
Mr. Bosua was appointed as a director because of his extensive experience in developing technology companies.
 
Ichiro Takesako has served as a director since December 28, 2012. Mr. Takesako has held executive positions with Sumitomo Precision Products Co., Ltd or Sumitomo since 1983. Mr. Takesako graduated from Waseda University, Tokyo, Japan where he majored in Social Science and graduated with a Degree of Bachelor of Social Science.
 
In the past few years, Mr. Takesako has held the following executive position in Sumitomo and its affiliates:
 
June 2008:
appointed as General Manager of Sales and Marketing Department of Micro Technology Division
April 2009:
appointed as General Manager of Overseas Business Department of Micro Technology Division, in charge of M&A activity of certain business segment and assets of Aviza Technology, Inc.
July 2010:
appointed as Executive Director of SPP Process Technology Systems, 100% owned subsidiary of Sumitomo Precision Products then, stationed in Newport, Wales
August 2011:
appointed as General Manager, Corporate Strategic Planning Group
 
 
31
 
 
January 2013:
appointed as Chief Executive Officer of M2M Technologies, Inc., a company invested by Sumitomo Precision products
April 2013:
appointed as General Manager of Business Development Department, in parallel of CEO of M2M Technologies, Inc.
April 2014:
relieved from General Manager of Business Development Department and is responsible for M2M Technologies Inc. as its CEO
 
Mr. Takesako was appointed as a Director based on his position with Sumitomo and Sumitomo's significant partnership with the Company.
 
Jon Pepper has served as an independent director since April 2006. Mr. Pepper founded Pepcom in 1980, and continues as the founding partner of Pepcom, an industry leader at producing press-only technology showcase events around the country. Prior to that, Mr. Pepper started the DigitalFocus newsletter, a ground-breaking newsletter on digital imaging that was distributed to leading influencers worldwide. Mr. Pepper has been closely involved with the high technology revolution since the beginning of the personal computer era. He was formerly a well-regarded journalist and columnist; his work on technology subjects appeared in The New York Times, Fortune, PC Magazine, Men's Journal, Working Woman, PC Week, Popular Science and many other well-known publications. Pepper was educated at Union College in Schenectady, New York and the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Copenhagen.
 
Mr. Pepper was appointed as a director because of his marketing skills with technology companies. 
 
William A. Owens has served as an independent director since May 24, 2018. Mr. Owens is currently the co-founder and executive chairman of Red Bison Advisory Group, a company which identifies opportunities with proven enterprises in China, the Middle East, and the United States and creates dynamic partnerships focusing on: natural resources (oil, gas and fertilizer plants), real estate, and information and communication technology. Most recently, he was the chairman of the board of CenturyLink Telecom, the third largest telecommunications company in the United States and was on the advisory board of SAP USA. Mr. Owens serves on the board of directors at Wipro Technologies and is a director of the following private companies: Humm Kombucha, a beverage company and Versium. Mr. Owens is on the advisory board of the following private companies: Healthmine, Platform Science, Sarcos, Sierra Nevada Corporation, and Vodi. Mr. Owens is on the board of trustees at EastWest Institute, Seattle University, and an advisor to the Fiscal Responsibility Amendment (CFFRA) Association which aims to establish a balanced budget amendment to the US Constitution. He is also a member of the Council of Foreign Relations.
 
From 2007 to 2015, Mr. Owens was the Chairman and Senior Partner of AEA Investors Asia, a private equity firm located in Hong Kong, and Vice Chairman of the NYSE for Asia. Mr. Owens also served as the Chairman of Eastern Airlines. He has served on over 20 public boards including Daimler, British American Tobacco, Telstra, Nortel Networks, and Polycom. Mr. Owens was the CEO/Chairman of Teledesic LLC, a Bill Gates/Craig McCaw company bringing worldwide broadband through an extensive satellite network and prior, was the President, COO/Vice Chairman of Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC). Mr. Owens has also served on the boards of the non-for-profit organizations; Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Carnegie Corporation of New York, Brookings Institution, and RAND Corporation.
 
Mr. Owens is a four-star US Navy veteran. He was Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the second-ranking United States military officer with responsibility for reorganizing and restructuring the armed forces in the post- Cold War era. He is widely recognized for bringing commercial high-grade technology into the Department of Defense for military applications
 
Mr. Owens is a 1962 honor graduate of the United States Naval Academy with a bachelor’s degree in mathematics, bachelor’s and master’s degrees in politics, philosophy and economics from Oxford University, and a master’s degree in management from George Washington University.
 
Mr. Owen was appointed as a director because of his business skills with technology companies.
 
Family Relationships
 
There are no family relationships among our directors and executive officers.
 
Involvement in Certain Legal Proceedings
 
None of our directors or executive officers has, during the past ten years:
 
 
Had any petition under the federal bankruptcy laws or any state insolvency law filed by or against, or had a receiver, fiscal agent, or similar officer appointed by a court for the business or property of such person, or any partnership in which he was a general partner at or within two years before the time of such filing, or any corporation or business association of which he was an executive officer at or within two years before the time of such filing;
 
 
Been convicted in a criminal proceeding or a named subject of a pending criminal proceeding (excluding traffic violations and other minor offenses);
 
 
32
 
 
 
Been the subject of any order, judgment, or decree, not subsequently reversed, suspended, or vacated, of any court of competent jurisdiction, permanently or temporarily enjoining him from, or otherwise limiting, the following activities:
 
 
Acting as a futures commission merchant, introducing broker, commodity trading advisor, commodity pool operator, floor broker, leverage transaction merchant, any other person regulated by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, or an associated person of any of the foregoing, or as an investment adviser, underwriter, broker or dealer in securities, or as an affiliated person, director or employee of any investment company, bank, savings and loan association or insurance company, or engaging in or continuing any conduct or practice in connection with such activity;
 
 
 
 
Engaging in any type of business practice; or
 
 
 
 
Engaging in any activity in connection with the purchase or sale of any security or commodity or in connection with any violation of federal or state securities laws or federal commodities laws;
 
 
Been the subject of any order, judgment, or decree, not subsequently reversed, suspended, or vacated, of any federal or state authority barring, suspending, or otherwise limiting for more than 60 days the right of such person to engage in any activity described in (i) above, or to be associated with persons engaged in any such activity;
 
 
 
 
Been found by a court of competent jurisdiction in a civil action or by the SEC to have violated any federal or state securities law, where the judgment in such civil action or finding by the SEC has not been subsequently reversed, suspended, or vacated; or
 
 
 
 
Been found by a court of competent jurisdiction in a civil action or by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission to have violated any federal commodities law, where the judgment in such civil action or finding by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission has not been subsequently reversed, suspended, or vacated.
 
Board Committees
 
The Board has three standing committees to facilitate and assist the Board in the execution of its responsibilities. The committees are currently the Audit Committee, the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee, and the Compensation Committee. The Committees were formed in July 2010. The Audit and Compensation Committees are comprised solely of non-employee, independent directors. The Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee has aa management director, Ronald P. Erickson, as Chairman. Charters for each committee are available on our website at www.knowlabs.co. The discussion below describes current membership for each of the standing Board committees.
 
 
 
 
 
Nominating and
Audit
 
Compensation
 
Corporate Governance
Jon Pepper (Chairman)
 
Jon Pepper (Chairman)
 
Ron P. Erickson (Chairman)
 
 
 
 
Jon Pepper
 
Compensation Committee Interlocks and Insider Participation
 
No member of the Compensation Committee during the fiscal year ended September 30, 2018 served as an officer, former officer, or employee of the Company or participated in a related party transaction that would be required to be disclosed in this prospectus. Further, during this period, no executive officer of the Company served as:
  
 
a member of the Compensation Committee or equivalent of any other entity, one of whose executive officers served as one of our directors or was an immediate family member of a director, or served on our Compensation Committee; or
 
 
 
 
a director of any other entity, one of whose executive officers or their immediate family member served on our Compensation Committee. 
 
Code of Ethics
 
We have adopted conduct and ethics standards titled the code of ethics, which is available at www.knowlabs.co. These standards were adopted by our Board of Directors to promote transparency and integrity. The standards apply to our Board of Directors, executives and employees. Waivers of the requirements of our code of ethics or associated polices with respect to members of our Board of Directors or executive officers are subject to approval of the full board.
 
 
 
33
 
 
ITEM 11. EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION
 
Compensation Discussion and Analysis
 
Overview of Compensation Program
  
This Compensation Discussion and Analysis describes the material elements of compensation awarded to, earned by or paid to each of our executive officers named in the Compensation Table on page 37 under “Remuneration of Executive Officers” (the “Named Executive Officers”) who served during the year ended September 30, 2018. This compensation discussion primarily focuses on the information contained in the following tables and related footnotes and narrative for the last completed fiscal year. We also describe compensation actions taken after the last completed fiscal year to the extent that it enhances the understanding of our executive compensation disclosure. The principles and guidelines discussed herein would also apply to any additional executive officers that the Company may hire in the future.
 
The Compensation Committee of the Board has responsibility for overseeing, reviewing and approving executive compensation and benefit programs in accordance with the Compensation Committee’s charter.  The members of the Compensation Committee are Jon Pepper. We expect to appoint an additional independent Director to serve on the Compensation Committee by early 2019.
 
Compensation Philosophy and Objectives
 
The major compensation objectives for the Company’s executive officers are as follows:
 
 
 
 
to attract and retain highly qualified individuals capable of making significant contributions to our long-term success;
 
 
 
 
to motivate and reward named executive officers whose knowledge, skills, and performance are critical to our success;
 
 
 
 
to closely align the interests of our named executive officers and other key employees with those of its shareholders; and
 
 
 
 
to utilize incentive based compensation to reinforce performance objectives and reward superior performance.
 
Role of Chief Executive Officer in Compensation Decisions
 
The Board approves all compensation for the chief executive officer. The Compensation Committee makes recommendations on the compensation for the chief executive officer and approves all compensation decisions, including equity awards, for our executive officers. Our chief executive officer makes recommendations regarding the base salary and non-equity compensation of other executive officers that are approved by the Compensation Committee in its discretion.
 
Setting Executive Compensation
 
The Compensation Committee believes that compensation for the Company’s executive officers must be managed to what we can afford and in a way that allows for us to meet our goals for overall performance. During 2018 and 2017, the Compensation Committee and the Board compensated its Chairman of the Board and Interim Financial Officer with an annual salary of $180,000. Since April 10, 2018, the Compensation Committee and the Board compensated its Chief Executive Officer with an annual salary of $225,000. This compensation reflected the financial condition of the Company. Other Named Executive Officers were paid by us during 2018 and 2017. The Compensation Committee does not use a peer group of publicly-traded and privately-held companies in structuring the compensation packages.
 
Executive Compensation Components for the Year Ended September 30, 2018
 
The Compensation Committee did not use a formula for allocating compensation among the elements of total compensation during the year that ended on September 30, 2018. The Compensation Committee believes that in order to attract and retain highly effective people it must maintain a flexible compensation structure. For the year that ended on September 30, 2018, the principal components of compensation for named executive officers were base salary.
 
Base Salary
 
Base salary is intended to ensure that our employees are fairly and equitably compensated. Generally, base salary is used to appropriately recognize and reward the experience and skills that employees bring to the Company and provides motivation for career development and enhancement. Base salary ensures that all employees continue to receive a basic level of compensation that reflects any acquired skills which are competently demonstrated and are consistently used at work.
 
Base salaries for the Company’s named executive officers are initially established based on their prior experience, the scope of their responsibilities and the applicable competitive market compensation paid by other companies for similar positions. Mr. Erickson and Mr. Wilson were compensated as described above based on the financial condition of the Company.
 
 
 
 
34
 
 
Performance-Based Incentive Compensation
 
The Compensation Committee believes incentive compensation reinforces performance objectives, rewards superior performance and is consistent with the enhancement of stockholder value. All of the Company’s Named Executive Officers are eligible to receive performance-based incentive compensation. The Compensation Committee did not recommend or approve payment of any performance-based incentive compensation to the Named Executive Officers during the year ended September 30, 2018 based on our financial condition.
  
Ownership Guidelines
 
The Compensation Committee does not require our executive officers to hold a minimum number of our shares. However, to directly align the interests of executive officers with the interests of the stockholders, the Compensation Committee encourages each executive officer to maintain an ownership interest in the Company.
 
Stock Option Program
 
Stock options are an integral part of our executive compensation program. They are intended to encourage ownership and retention of the Company’s common stock by named executive officers and employees, as well as non-employee members of the Board. Through stock options, the objective of aligning employees’ long-term interest with those of stockholders may be met by providing employees with the opportunity to build a meaningful stake in the Company.
 
The Stock Option Program assists us by:
 
- enhancing the link between the creation of stockholder value and long-term executive incentive compensation;
 
- providing an opportunity for increased equity ownership by executive officers; and
 
- maintaining competitive levels of total compensation.
 
Stock option award levels are determined by the Compensation Committee and vary among participants’ positions within the Company. Newly hired executive officers or promoted executive officers are generally awarded stock options, at the discretion of the Compensation Committee, at the next regularly scheduled Compensation Committee meeting on or following their hire or promotion date. In addition, such executives are eligible to receive additional stock options on a discretionary basis after performance criteria are achieved.
 
Options are awarded at the closing price of our common stock on the date of the grant or last trading day prior to the date of the grant. The Compensation Committee’s policy is not to grant options with an exercise price that is less than the closing price of our common stock on the grant date.
 
Generally, the majority of the options granted by the Compensation Committee vest quarterly over two to three years or annually over five years of the 5-10-year option term. Vesting and exercise rights cease upon termination of employment and/or service, except in the case of death (subject to a one year limitation), disability or retirement. Stock options vest immediately upon termination of employment without cause or an involuntary termination following a change of control. Prior to the exercise of an option, the holder has no rights as a stockholder with respect to the shares subject to such option, including voting rights and the right to receive dividends or dividend equivalents.
 
The Named Executive Officers received stock grants and option awards during the year ended September 30, 2018.
 
Retirement and Other Benefits
 
We have no other retirement, savings, long-term stock award or other type of plans for the Named Executive Officers.
 
Perquisites and Other Personal Benefits
 
During the year ended September 30, 2018, we provided the Named Executive Officers with medical insurance. No other personal benefits were provided to these individuals. The committee expects to review the levels of perquisites and other personal benefits provided to Named Executive Officers annually.
 
Employment Agreement with Phillip A. Bosua, Chief Executive Officer
 
On April 10, 2018, we appointed Mr. Bosua as Chief Executive Officer of the Company, replacing Ronald P. Erickson, who remains Chairman of the Company. Mr. Erickson has been a director and officer of Know Labs since April 2003. He was appointed as our CEO and President in November 2009 and as Chairman of the Board in February 2015. Previously, Mr. Erickson was our President and Chief Executive Officer from September 2003 through August 2003 and was Chairman of the Board from August 2004 until May 2011.
 
 
 
35
 
 
Phillip A. Bosua was appointed the Company’s CEO on April 10, 2018. Previously, Mr. Bosua served as our Chief Product Officer since August 2017. We entered into a Consulting Agreement with Mr. Bosua’s company, Blaze Clinical on July 7, 2017. From September 2012 to February 2015, Mr. Bosua was the founder and Chief Executive Officer of LIFX Inc. (where he developed and marketed an innovative “smart” light bulb) and from August 2015 until February 2016 was Vice President Consumer Products at Soraa (which markets specialty LED light bulbs). From February 2016 to July 2017, Mr. Bosua was the founder and CEO of RAAI, Inc. (where he continued the development of his smart lighting technology). From May 2008 to February 2013 he was the Founder and CEO of LimeMouse Apps, a leading developer of applications for the Apple App Store.
 
On April 10, 2018, we entered into an Employment Agreement with Mr. Bosua reflecting his appointment as Chief Executive Officer. The Employment Agreement is for an initial term of 12 months (subject to earlier termination) and will be automatically extended for additional 12-month terms unless either party notifies the other party of its intention to terminate the Employment Agreement. Mr. Bosua will be paid a base salary of $225,000 per year, received 500,000 shares of common stock valued at $0.33 per share and may be entitled to bonuses and equity awards at the discretion of the Board or a committee of the Board. The Employment Agreement provides for severance pay equal to 12 months of base salary if Mr. Bosua is terminated without “cause” or voluntarily terminates his employment for “good reason.”
 
Employment Agreement with Ronald P. Erickson, Chairman of the Board and Interim Chief Financial Officer
 
On August 4, 2017, the Board of Directors approved an Employment Agreement with Ronald P. Erickson pursuant to which we engaged Mr. Erickson as our Chief Executive Officer through September 30, 2018.
 
Mr. Erickson’s annual compensation is $180,000. Mr. Erickson is also entitled to receive an annual bonus and equity awards compensation as approved by the Board. The bonus should be paid no later than 30 days following earning of the bonus.
 
Mr. Erickson will be entitled to participate in all group employment benefits that are offered by us to our senior executives and management employees from time to time, subject to the terms and conditions of such benefit plans, including any eligibility requirements.
 
If we terminate Mr. Erickson’s employment at any time prior to the expiration of the Term without Cause, as defined in the Employment Agreement, or if Mr. Erickson terminates his employment at any time for “Good Reason” or due to a “Disability”, Mr. Erickson will be entitled to receive (i) his Base Salary amount for one year; and (ii) medical benefits for eighteen months.
 
On April 10, 2018, we entered into an Amended Employment Agreement for Ronald P. Erickson which amends the Employment Agreement dated July 1, 2017. The Amended Employment Agreement expires March 21, 2019.
 
Tax and Accounting Implications
 
Deductibility of Executive Compensation
 
Subject to certain exceptions, Section 162(m) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the "Code") generally denies a deduction to any publicly held corporation for compensation paid to its chief executive officer and its three other highest paid executive officers (other than the principal financial officer) to the extent that any such individual's compensation exceeds $1 million. “Performance-based compensation” (as defined for purposes of Section 162(m)) is not taken into account for purposes of calculating the $1 million compensation limit, provided certain disclosure, shareholder approval and other requirements are met. We periodically review the potential consequences of Section 162(m) and may structure the performance-based portion of our executive compensation to comply with certain exceptions to Section 162(m). However, we may authorize compensation payments that do not comply with the exceptions to Section 162(m) when we believe that such payments are appropriate and in the best interests of the stockholders, after taking into consideration changing business conditions or the officer's performance.
 
Accounting for Stock-Based Compensation
 
Beginning on January 1, 2006, we began accounting for stock-based payments including its Stock Option Program in accordance with the requirements of ASC 718, “Compensation-Stock Compensation.”
 
COMPENSATION COMMITTEE REPORT
 
The Compensation Committee, composed entirely of independent directors in accordance with the applicable laws and regulations, sets and administers policies that govern the Company's executive compensation programs, and incentive and stock programs. The Compensation Committee of the Company has reviewed and discussed the Compensation Discussion and Analysis required by Item 402(b) of Regulation S-K with management and, based on such review and discussions, the Compensation Committee recommended to the Board that the Compensation Discussion and Analysis be included in this Proxy Statement.
 
THE COMPENSATION COMMITTEE
 
Jon Pepper, Chairman
 
 
 
 
36
 
 
EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION
 
REMUNERATION OF EXECUTIVE OFFICERS
 
The following table provides information concerning remuneration of the chief executive officer, the chief financial officer and another named executive officer for the fiscal years ended September 30, 2018 and 2017:
 
Summary Compensation Table
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
All
 
 
 
 
 
 
Stock
Option
Other
 
 
 
 
Salary
Bonus
Awards
Awards
Compensation
Total
Name
Principal Position
 
($)
($)
($) (4)
($)
($)
($)
Salary-
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Ronald P. Erickson (1)
Chairman of the Board and Interim Chief Financial Officer
9/30/2018
 $ 180,000
 $ -
 $ 21,000
 $ -
 $ -
 $ 201,000
 
 
9/30/2017
 $ 180,000
 $ -
 $ 34,000
 $ -
 $ -
 $ 214,000
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Phillip A. Bosua (2)
Chief Executive Officer
9/30/2018
 $ 106,095
 $ -
 $ 177,000
 $ 640,000
 $ 167,500
 $ 1,090,595
 
 
9/30/2017
 $ -
 $ -
 $ 8,500
 $ -
 $ 17,500
 $ 26,000
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Todd Martin Sames (4)
Former Executive Vice President of Business Development
9/30/2018
 $ 58,846
 $ -
 $ 21,000
 $ -
 $ -
 $ 79,846
 
 
9/30/2017
 $ 120,000
 $ -
 $ 25,500
 $ -
 $ -
 $ 145,500
 
(1) During the years ended September 30, 2018 and 2017, Mr. Erickson was compensated at a monthly salary of $15,000. As of September 30, 2017 and 2016, Mr. Erickson had accrued but unpaid salary of $120,000 and $7,500, respectively. This accrual was based on the tight cash flow of the Company and agreed to by Mr. Erickson, but there was no formal deferral agreement. There was no accrued interest paid on the unpaid salary. The 100,000 of restricted common stock was issued on January 16, 2018 to Mr. Erickson at the grant date market value of $0.21 per share.  The 200,000 of restricted common stock was issued on September 7, 2017 to Mr. Erickson at the grant date market value of $0.17 per share.  
 
(2) On April 10, 2018, we appointed Mr. Bosua as our Chief Executive Officer. During the period April 10. 2018 to September 30, 2018, Mr. Bosua was compensated at a monthly salary of $18,750. We entered into a Consulting Agreement with Mr. Bosua’s company, Blaze Clinical on July 7, 2017. We paid $167,500 during the period October 1, 2017- April 9, 2018. We paid $17,500 during the period July 7, 2017 to September 30, 2017. The 50,000 of restricted common stock was issued on February 7, 2018 to Mr. Bosua at the grant date market value of $0.24 per share.  The 500,000 of restricted common stock was issued on June 25, 2018 to Mr. Bosua at the grant date market value of $0.33 per share. The 50,000 of restricted common stock was issued on July 14, 2017 to Mr. Bosua at the grant date market value of $0.17 per share. On July 30, 2018, Mr. Bosua was awarded a stock option grant for 1,000,000 shares of our common stock that was awarded at $1.28 per share and was valued at the black scholes value of $0.64 per share.  
 
(3) February 23, 2018 was Mr. Todd Sames’s last date of employment as our Executive Vice President of Business Development. We paid $58,846 during the period October 1, 2017- February 23, 2018. During the year ended September 30, 2017, Mr. Sames was compensated at a monthly salary of $10,000. As of September 30, 2017, Mr. Sames had accrued but unpaid salary of $10,000. This accrual was based on the tight cash flow of the Company and agreed to by Mr. Sames, but there was no formal deferral agreement. There was no accrued interest paid on the unpaid salary. The 100,000 of restricted common stock was issued on January 11, 2018 to Mr. Sames at the grant date market value of $0.21 per share.  The 150,000 of restricted common stock was issued on September 7, 2017 to Mr. Sames at the grant date market value of $0.17 per share. 
 
(4) These amounts reflect the grant date market value as required by Regulation S-K Item 402(n)(2), computed in accordance with FASB ASC Topic 718.
 
 Grants of Stock Based Awards in Fiscal Year Then Ended September 30, 2018
 
The Compensation Committee approved the following performance-based incentive compensation to the Named Executive Officers during the year ended September 30, 2018.
 
 
37
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 All Other
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 All Other
 
 Option Awards; 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
   Estimated Future Payouts Under
 
 
   Estimated Future Payouts Under
 
 
 Stock Awards;
 
 
 Number of
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
   Non-Equity Incentive Plan
 
 
   Equity Incentive Plan
 
 
 Number of
 
 
 Securities
 
 
 Exercise or
 
 
 Grant Date
 
 
 
 
 Awards    
 
 
 Awards    
 
 
 Shares of
 
 
 Underlying
 
 
 Base Price of
 
 
 Fair Value of
 
 
Grant
 
 Threshold
 
 
 Target
 
 
 Maximum
 
 
 Threshold
 
 
 Target
 
 
 Maximum
 
 
 Stock or Units
 
 
 Options
 
 
 Option Awards
 
 
 Stock and
 
Name
Date
 
 ($)
 
 
 ($)
 
 
 ($)
 
  (#) 
  (#) 
  (#) 
  (#) 
  (#) 
 
 ($/Sh) (4)
 
 
 Option Awards
 
 
 
 
    
    
    
    
    
 
 
 
 
 
 
Ronald P. Erickson (1)
 
 $- 
 $- 
 $- 
  200,000 
  200,000 
  200,000 
  100,000 
  - 
 $0.170 
 $55,000 
 
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
Phillip A. Bosua (2)
 
 $- 
 $- 
 $- 
  - 
  - 
  - 
  550,000 
  1,000,000 
 $0.640 
 $817,000 
 
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
Todd Martin Sames (3)
 
 $- 
 $- 
 $- 
  - 
  - 
  - 
  100,000 
  - 
 $0.210 
 $21,000 
 
(1) The restricted common stock was issued on September 7, 2017 to Mr. Erickson at the grant date market value of $0.17 per share.  The estimated future payments include 100,000 shares to be issued on January 1, 2019 and 2020. The 100,000 of restricted common stock was issued on January 16, 2018 to Mr. Erickson at the grant date market value of $0.21 per share.  
 
(2) On April 10, 2018, we appointed Mr. Bosua as our Chief Executive Officer. The 50,000 of restricted common stock was issued on February 7, 2018 to Mr. Bosua at the grant date market value of $0.24 per share.  The 500,000 of restricted common stock was issued on June 25, 2018 to Mr. Bosua at the grant date market value of $0.33 per share.  On July 30, 2018, Mr. Bosua was awarded a stock option grant for 1,000,000 shares of our common stock that was awarded at $1.28 per share and was valued at the black scholes value of $0.64 per share. 
 
(3) February 23, 2018 was Mr. Todd Sames last date of employment as our Executive Vice President of Business Development. The 100,000 of restricted common stock was issued on January 11, 2018 to Mr. Sames at the grant date market value of $0.21 per share.  The 150,000 of restricted common stock was issued on September 7, 2017 to Mr. Sames at the grant date market value of $0.17 per share.  
 
(4) These amounts reflect the grant date market value as required by Regulation S-K Item 402(n)(2), computed in accordance with FASB ASC Topic 718.
 
Outstanding Equity Awards as of Fiscal Year Then Ended September 30, 2018
 
Our Named Executive Officers have the following outstanding equity awards as of September 30, 2018.
 
 
 
Option Awards      
 
 
 
Number of
 
 
Number of
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Securities
 
 
Securities
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Underlying
 
 
Underlying
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Unexercised
 
 
Unexercised
 
 
 Option
 
 
 
 
Options
 
 
Options
 
 
 Exercise
 
Option
 
 
Exercisable
 
 
Unexerciseable
 
 
 Price
 
Expiration
Name
  (#) 
  (#) 
 
 ($) (4)
 
Date
 
    
    
 
 
 
 
Ronald P. Erickson (1)
  - 
  - 
 $- 
 
 
    
    
    
 
Phillip A. Bosua (2)
  - 
  1,000,000 
 $1.28 
7/23/2023
 
    
    
    
 
Todd Martin Sames (3)
  - 
  - 
 $- 
 
 
Option Exercises and Stock Vested
 
Our Named Executive Officers did not have any option exercises during the year ended September 30, 2018.
 
Pension Benefits
 
We do not provide any pension benefits. 
 
Nonqualified Deferred Compensation
 
We do not have a nonqualified deferral program. 
 
38
 
 
Employment Agreements
 
We have an employment agreement with Ronald P. Erickson and Phillip A. Bosua.
 
Potential Payments upon Termination or Change in Control
 
We have the following potential payments upon termination or change in control with Ronald P. Erickson:
 
 
 
 
 
 
Early
 
 
Not For Good
 
 
Change in
 
 
 
 
Executive
 
For Cause
 
 
or Normal
 
 
Cause
 
 
Control
 
 
Disability
 
Payments Upon
 
Termination
 
 
Retirement
 
 
Termination
 
 
Termination
 
 
or Death
 
Separation
 
on 9/30/18
 
 
on 9/30/18
 
 
on 9/30/18
 
 
on 9/30/18
 
 
on 9/30/18
 
Compensation:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Base salary (1)
 $- 
 $- 
 $180,000 
 $180,000 
 $- 
Performance-based incentive
    
    
    
    
    
    compensation (2)
 $- 
 $- 
 $34,000 
 $34,000 
 $- 
Stock options
 $- 
 $- 
 $- 
 $- 
 $- 
 
    
    
    
    
    
Benefits and Perquisites:
    
    
    
    
    
Health and welfare benefits (3)
 $- 
 $- 
 $27,388 
 $27,388 
 $- 
Accrued vacation pay
 $- 
 $- 
 $42,231 
 $42,231 
 $- 
 
    
    
    
    
    
Total
 $- 
 $- 
 $283,619 
 $283,619 
 $- 
 
(1)
Reflects a salary for twelve months.
(2)
Reflects the vesting of estimated future payments includes 100,000 shares to be issued on January 1, 2019 and 2020 valued at $0.17 per share.
(3)
Reflects the cost of medical benefits for eighteen months.
 
We have the following potential payments upon termination or change in control with Phillip A. Bosua:
 
 
 
 
 
 
Early
 
 
Not For Good
 
 
Change in
 
 
 
 
Executive
 
For Cause
 
 
or Normal
 
 
Cause
 
 
Control
 
 
Disability
 
Payments Upon
 
Termination
 
 
Retirement
 
 
Termination
 
 
Termination
 
 
or Death
 
Separation
 
on 9/30/18
 
 
on 9/30/18
 
 
on 9/30/18
 
 
on 9/30/18
 
 
on 9/30/18
 
Compensation:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Base salary (1)
 $- 
 $- 
 $225,000 
 $225,000 
 $- 
Performance-based incentive
    
    
    
    
    
    compensation (2)
 $- 
 $- 
 $- 
 $- 
 $- 
Stock options
 $- 
 $- 
 $640,000 
 $640,000 
 $- 
 
    
    
    
    
    
Benefits and Perquisites:
    
    
    
    
    
Health and welfare benefits (3)
 $- 
 $- 
 $13,218 
 $13,218 
 $- 
Accrued vacation pay
 $- 
 $- 
 $- 
 $- 
 $- 
 
    
    
    
    
    
Total
 $- 
 $- 
 $878,218 
 $878,218 
 $- 
 
(1)
Reflects a salary for one year.
(2)
Reflects the vesting of 1,000,000 shares to be issued upon a change in control valued at $0.64 per share.
(3)
Reflects the cost of medical benefits for eighteen months
 
We do not have any potential payments upon termination or change in control with our other Named Executive Officers.
 
DIRECTOR COMPENSATION
 
We primarily use stock options grants to incentive compensation to attract and retain qualified candidates to serve on the Board. This compensation reflected the financial condition of the Company. In setting director compensation, we consider the significant amount of time that Directors expend in fulfilling their duties to the Company as well as the skill-level required by our members of the Board. During year then ended September 30, 2018, Ronald P. Erickson and Phillip A. Bosua did not receive any compensation for his service as a director.  The compensation disclosed in the Summary Compensation Table on page 37 represents the total compensation for Mr. Erickson and Mr. Bosua.
 
 
39
 
Compensation Paid to Board Members
 
Our independent non-employee directors are not compensated in cash.   The only compensation generally has been in the form of stock awards. There is no formal stock compensation plan for independent non-employee directors. Our non-employee directors received the following compensation during the year ended September 30, 2018.
 
 
 
Stock
 
 
Option
 
 
Other
 
 
 
 
Name
 
Awards (4)
 
 
Awards
 
 
Compensation
 
 
Total
 
Jon Pepper (1)
 $18,750 
 $- 
 $- 
 $18,750 
Ichiro Takesako (2)
  12,500 
  - 
  - 
  12,500 
William A. Owens (3)
  15,500 
  - 
  - 
  15,500 
 
    
    
    
    
Total
 $46,750 
 $- 
 $- 
 $46,750 
 
(1) The 75,000 shares of restricted common stock was issued on April 10, 2018 to Mr. Pepper at the grant date market value of $0.25 per share. 
 
(2) The 50,000 shares of restricted common stock was issued on April 10, 2018 to Mr. Takesako at the grant date market value of $0.25 per share.  
 
(3) The 50,000 of restricted common stock was issued on May 20, 2018 to Mr. Owens at the grant date market value of $0.31 per share.  
 
(4) These amounts reflect the grant date market value as required by Regulation S-K Item 402(n)(2), computed in accordance with FASB ASC Topic 718.
 
ITEM 12. SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS AND MANAGEMENT AND RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS
 
The following table sets forth certain information regarding the ownership of our common stock as of September 30, 2018 by: 
 
 
each director and nominee for director;
 
 
 
 
each person known by us to own beneficially 5% or more of our common stock;
 
 
 
 
each executive officer named in the summary compensation table elsewhere in this report; and
 
 
 
 
all of our current directors and executive officers as a group.
 
The amounts and percentages of common stock beneficially owned are reported on the basis of regulations of the SEC governing the determination of beneficial ownership of securities. Under the rules of the SEC, a person is deemed to be a “beneficial owner” of a security if that person has or shares voting power,” which includes the power to vote or to direct the voting of such security, or has or shares “investment power,” which includes the power to dispose of or to direct the disposition of such security. A person is also deemed to be a beneficial owner of any securities of which that person has the right to acquire beneficial ownership within 60 days. Under these rules more than one person may be deemed a beneficial owner of the same securities and a person may be deemed to be a beneficial owner of securities as to which such person has no economic interest.
 
Unless otherwise indicated below, each beneficial owner named in the table has sole voting and sole investment power with respect to all shares beneficially owned, subject to community property laws where applicable. The address for each person shown in the table is c/o Know Labs, Inc. 500 Union Street, Suite 810, Seattle Washington, unless otherwise indicated.
 
 
 
 Shares Beneficially Owned
 
 
 
 Amount
 
 
Percentage
 
Directors and Officers-
 
 
 
 
 
 
Ronald P. Erickson (1)
  7,889,015 
  32.6%
Phillip A. Bosua (2)
  2,917,500 
  16.6%
Jon Pepper (3)
  238,000 
  1.4%
Ichiro Takesako (4)
  150,000 
  0.9%
William A. Owens (5)
  650,000 
  3.7%
Total Directors and Officers (5 in total)
  11,844,515 
  67.6%
 
* Less than 1%.
 
(1) Reflects 1,258,085 shares of shares of common stock beneficially owned by Ronald P. Erickson or entities controlled by Mr. Erickson and warrants to purchase 1,894,666 shares of our common stock that are exercisable within 60 days, and also includes 4,736,264 shares of our common stock related to convertible debt that are exercisable within 60 days.
 
(2) Reflects 2,855,000 shares of shares of common stock beneficially owned by Phillip A. Bosua and vested stock option grants to purchase 62,500 shares of our common stock that are exercisable within 60 days.
 
(3) Reflects 238,000 shares of shares of common stock beneficially owned by Jon Pepper.
 
(4) Reflects 150,000 shares of shares of common stock beneficially owned Ichiro Takesako.
 
(5) Reflects 450,000 shares of shares of common stock beneficially owned by William A. Owens and warrants to purchase 1,894,666 shares of our common stock that are exercisable within 60 days.
 
 
40
 
 
 
 Shares Beneficially Owned
 
 Amount
Percentage
Greater Than 5% Ownership
 
 
 
 
 
Clayton A. Struve (1)
            16,763,790
50.0%
 
 Blocker at 4.99%  
 
 
 
Ronald P. Erickson (2)
               7,889,015
32.6%
 
 
 
Phillip A. Bosua (3)
               2,917,500
16.6%
 
 
 
Dale Broadrick (4)
              2,226,036
11.9%
 
(1) Reflects 800,000 shares beneficially owned by Clayton A. Struve. This total also includes 6,785,719 warrants to purchase shares of our common stock, 4,894,071 shares related to the conversion of preferred stock into our common stock and 4,284,000 shares related to the conversion of debt into our common stock. The warrants, preferred stock and convertible debt are currently priced at $0.25 per share, subject to adjustment. The address of Mr. Struve is 175 West Jackson Blvd., Suite 440, Chicago, IL 60604.   
 
(2) Reflects 1,258,085 shares of shares of common stock beneficially owned by Ronald P. Erickson or entities controlled by Mr. Erickson and warrants to purchase 1,894,666 shares of our common stock that are exercisable within 60 days, and also includes 4,736,264 shares of our common stock related to convertible debt that are exercisable within 60 days. The address of Mr. Erickson is 500 Union Street, Suite 810, Seattle, WA 98101.
 
(3) Reflects 2,855,000 shares of shares of common stock beneficially owned by Phillip A. Bosua and vested stock option grants to purchase 62,500 shares of our common stock that are exercisable within 60 days. The address of Mr. Bosua is 500 Union Street, Suite 810, Seattle, WA 98101.
 
(4)  Reflects the shares beneficially owned by Dale Broadrick. This total includes 1,113,018 shares and a total of 1,113,018 warrants to purchase shares of our common stock that are exercisable within 60 days. The address of Dale Broadrick is 3003 Brick Church Pike, Nashville, Tennessee.
 
ITEM 13. CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED TRANSACTIONS, AND DIRECTOR INDEPENDENCE
 
Related Party Transactions
 
Related party transactions for the year ended September 30, 2018 are detailed below and in the Footnotes to this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
 
Review and Approval of Related Person Transactions  
 
We have operated under a Code of Conduct for many years. Our Code of Conduct requires all employees, officers and directors, without exception, to avoid the engagement in activities or relationships that conflict, or would be perceived to conflict, with the Company’s interests or adversely affect its reputation. It is understood, however, that certain relationships or transactions may arise that would be deemed acceptable and appropriate upon full disclosure of the transaction, following review and approval to ensure there is a legitimate business reason for the transaction and that the terms of the transaction are no less favorable to the Company than could be obtained from an unrelated person.
 
The Audit Committee is responsible for reviewing and approving all transactions with related persons. The Company has not adopted a written policy for reviewing related person transactions. The Company reviews all relationships and transactions in which the Company and our directors and executive officers or their immediate family members are participants to determine whether such persons have a direct or indirect material interest. As required under SEC rules, transactions that are determined to be directly or indirectly material to the Company or a related person are disclosed.
 
Director Independence
 
The Board has affirmatively determined that Mr. Pepper, Mr. Takesako and Mr. Owens are each an independent director.  For purposes of making that determination, the Board used NASDAQ’s Listing Rules even though the Company is not currently listed on NASDAQ.
 
 
 
 
41
 
 
CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS
 
Since October 1, 2016, we have engaged in the following reportable transactions with our directors, executive officers, holders of more than 5% of our voting securities and affiliates, or immediately family members of our directors, executive officers and holders of more than 5% of our voting securities.
 
Policies and Procedures for Related Person Transactions
 
We have operated under a Code of Conduct and Ethics since December 28, 2012. Our Code of Conduct and Ethics requires all employees, officers and directors, without exception, to avoid the engagement in activities or relationships that conflict, or would be perceived to conflict, with our interests.
 
Prior to the adoption of our related person transaction policy, there was a legitimate business reason for all the related person transactions described above and we believe that, where applicable, the terms of the transactions are no less favorable to us than could be obtained from an unrelated person.
 
Our Audit Committee reviews all relationships and transactions in which we and our directors and executive officers or their immediate family members are participants to determine whether such persons have a direct or indirect material interest.
 
As required under SEC rules, transactions that are determined to be directly or indirectly material to us or a related person are disclosed.
 
CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS
 
Since October 1, 2016, we have engaged in the following reportable transactions with our directors, executive officers, holders of more than 5% of our voting securities and affiliates, or immediately family members of our directors, executive officers and holders of more than 5% of our voting securities.
 
Transactions with Clayton Struve
 
We have the following transactions with Clayton Struve:
 
Convertible Promissory Note dated September 30, 2016
 
On September 30, 2016, we entered into a $210,000 Convertible Promissory Note with Clayton A. Struve, an accredited investor of the Company, to fund short-term working capital. The Convertible Promissory Note accrued interest at a rate of 10% per annum and was due on March 30, 2017. The Note holder can convert the Note into common stock at $0.70 per share. This note was extended in the Securities Purchase Agreement, General Security Agreement and Subordination Agreement dated August 14, 2017 with a maturity date of August 13, 2018. Also, the conversion price of the Debenture was adjusted to $0.25 per share, subject to certain adjustments. The balance was increased $75,000 during the year ended September 30, 2018. On November 16, 2018, we signed Amendment 1 to Senior Secured Convertible Redeemable Notes dated September 30, 2016extending the due dates of the Note to February 27, 2019. On September 24, 2018, Mr. Struve converted $200,000 of the Note into 800,000 shares of our common stock.
 
Securities Purchase Agreement dated August 14, 2017
 
On August 14, 2017, we issued a senior convertible exchangeable debenture with a principal amount of $360,000 and a common stock purchase warrant to purchase 1,440,000 shares of common stock in a private placement to Clayton Struve for gross proceeds of $300,000 pursuant to a Securities Purchase Agreement dated August 14, 2017. The debenture accrues interest at 20% per annum and matures August 13, 2018.
 
On the same date, we entered into a General Security Agreement with the Mr. Struve, pursuant to which the Company has agreed to grant a security interest to the investor in substantially all of our assets, effective upon the filing of a UCC-3 termination statement to terminate the security interest held by Capital Source Business Finance Group in the assets of the Company. In addition, an entity affiliated with Ronald P. Erickson, out then Chief Executive Officer, entered into a Subordination Agreement with the investor pursuant to which all debt owed by us to such entity is subordinated to amounts owed by us to Mr. Struve under the Debenture (including amounts that become owing under any Debentures issued to the investor in the future).
 
The initial conversion price of the Debenture is $0.25 per share, subject to certain adjustments. The initial exercise price of the Warrant is $0.25 per share, also subject to certain adjustments.
 
As part of the Purchase Agreement, we granted the investor “piggyback” registration rights to register the shares of common stock issuable upon the conversion of the Debenture and the exercise of the Warrant with the Securities and Exchange Commission for resale or other disposition.
 
 
 
42
 
 
The Debenture and the Warrant were issued in a transaction that was not registered under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended in reliance upon applicable exemptions from registration under Section 4(a)(2) of the Act and Rule 506 of SEC Regulation D under the Act. 
 
Under the terms of the Purchase Agreement, Mr. Struve may purchase up to an aggregate of $1,000,000 principal amount of Debentures (before a 20% original issue discount) (and Warrants to purchase up to an aggregate of 250,000 shares of common stock). These securities are being offered on a “best efforts” basis by the placement agent.
 
On December 12, 2017, we closed an additional $250,000 and issued a senior convertible exchangeable debenture with a principal amount of $300,000 and a common stock purchase warrant to purchase 1,200,000 shares of common stock in a private placement dated December 12, 2017 with Mr. Struve pursuant to a Securities Purchase Agreement dated August 14, 2017.
 
On March 2, 2018, we received gross proceeds of $280,000 in exchange for issuing a senior convertible redeemable debenture with a principal amount of $336,000 and a warrant to purchase 1,344,000 shares of common stock in a private placement dated February 28, 2018 with Mr. Struve pursuant to a Securities Purchase Agreement dated August 14, 2017.
 
On November 16, 2018, we signed Amendment 1 to Senior Secured Convertible Redeemable Notes dated August 14, 2017 and December 12, 2017, extending the due dates of the Notes to February 27, 2019.
 
Series C and D Preferred Stock and Warrants
 
See Part II, for a description of Series C and D Preferred Stock and Warrants with Mr. Struve.
 
Related Party Transactions with Ronald P. Erickson
 
On September 7, 2017 Mr. Erickson was issued 200,000 of restricted common stock to at the grant date market value of $0.17 per share.  
 
On January 16, 2018 Mr. Erickson was issued 100,000 of restricted common stock on to at the grant date market value of $0.21 per share.  
 
On January 25, 2018, we entered into amendments to two demand promissory notes, totaling $600,000 with Mr. Erickson, our Chief Executive Officer and/or entities in which Mr. Erickson has a beneficial interest. The amendments extend the due date from December 31, 2017 to September 30, 2018 and continue to provide for interest of 3% per annum and a third lien on company assets if not repaid by September 30, 2018 or converted into convertible debentures or equity on terms acceptable to the Holder. On March 16, 2018, the demand promissory notes and accrued interest were converted into convertible notes payable.
 
On March 16, 2018, we entered into a Note and Account Payable Conversion Agreement pursuant to which (a) all $664,233 currently owing under the J3E2A2Z Notes was converted to a Convertible Redeemable Promissory Note in the principal amount of $664,233, and (b) all $519,833 of the J3E2A2Z Account Payable was converted into a Convertible Redeemable Promissory Note in the principal amount of $519,833 together with a warrant to purchase up to 1,039,666 shares of our common stock for a period of five years. The initial exercise price of the warrants described above is $0.50 per share, also subject to certain adjustments.
 
On July 9, 2018, we repaid a $199,935 Business Loan Agreement with Umpqua Bank from funds previously provided by an entity affiliated with Ronald P. Erickson, our Chairman of the Board. The Company paid $27,041 and issued 800,000 shares of common stock in exchange for the conversion of this debt. Mr. Erickson is an accredited investor. These shares were issued in transactions that were not registered under the Act in reliance upon applicable exemptions from registration under Section 4(a)(2) of the Act and/or Rule 506 of SEC Regulation D under the Act.
 
Mr. Erickson and/or entities with which he is affiliated also have accrued compensation, travel and interest of approximately $657,551 as of September 30, 2018.
 
Related Party Transaction with Phillip A. Bosua
 
On July 14, 2017, we issued 50,000 shares of our common stock to Phillip A. Bosua under the terms of a consulting agreement dated July 6, 2017.
 
On February 7, 2018, we issued 50,000 shares of our common stock to Phillip A. Bosua under the terms of a consulting agreement dated July 6, 2017. The fair value of the shares issued was $12,000.
 
On April 10, 2018, we issued 2,000,000 shares of our common stock to Phillip A. Bosua under the terms of the Merger Agreement with RAAI common stock. The fair value of the shares issued was $520,000.
 
 
 
43
 
 
On June 25, 2018, we issued 500,000 shares of our common stock to Phillip A. Bosua under the terms of an Employment agreement dated April 10, 2018. The fair value of the shares issued was $165,000.
 
On June 25, 2018, we closed a debt conversion with an entity controlled by Phillip A. Bosua and issued 255,000 shares of common stock in exchange for the conversion of $63,750 in preexisting debt owed by the Company to this entity. 
 
On July 30, 2018, Mr. Bosua was awarded a stock option grant for 1,000,000 shares of our common stock that was awarded at $1.28 per share and was valued at the black scholes value of $1.22 per share.
 
Stock Issuances to Named Executive Officers and Directors
 
On September 7, 2017, we issued 400,000 shares of restricted common stock to one Named Executive Officer and two directors for services during 2015-2017. The shares were issued in accordance with the 2011 Stock Incentive Plan and were valued at $0.17 per share, the market price of our common stock.
 
During January to May 2018, we issued 275,000 shares of restricted common stock to one Named Executive Officer and two directors for services during 2018. The shares were issued in accordance with the 2011 Stock Incentive Plan and were valued at $0.246 per share, the market price of our common stock.
 
Stock Option Grant Cancellations
 
During the year ended September 30, 2017, two Named Executive Officers forfeited stock option grants for 35,366 shares of common stock at $19.53 per share.
 
ITEM 14. PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTING FEES AND SERVICES
 
Audit Committee Pre-Approval Policy
 
The Audit Committee has established a pre-approval policy and procedures for audit, audit-related and tax services that can be performed by the independent auditors without specific authorization from the Audit Committee subject to certain restrictions. The policy sets out the specific services pre-approved by the Audit Committee and the applicable limitations, while ensuring the independence of the independent auditors to audit the Company's financial statements is not impaired. The pre-approval policy does not include a delegation to management of the Audit Committee’s responsibilities under the Exchange Act. During the year ended September 30, 2018, the Audit Committee pre-approved all audit and permissible non-audit services provided by our independent auditors.
 
Service Fees Paid to the Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
 
The Audit Committee engaged SD Mayer and Associates, LLP to perform an annual audit of the Company’s financial statements for the fiscal years ended September 30, 2018 and 2017. The following is the breakdown of aggregate fees paid to auditors for the Company for the last two fiscal years:
 
 
 
 Year Ended
 
 
 Year Ended
 
 
 
September 30, 2018
 
 
September 30, 2017
 
Audit fees
 $42,000 
 $41,399 
Audit related fees
  24,500 
  26,900 
Tax fees
  3,289 
  11,825 
All other fees
  - 
  17,000 
 
    
    
 
 $69,789 
 $97,124 
 
- “Audit Fees” are fees paid for professional services for the audit of our financial statements.
 
- “Audit-Related fees” are fees paid for professional services not included in the first two categories, specifically, SAS 100 reviews, SEC filings and consents, and accounting consultations on matters addressed during the audit or interim reviews, and review work related to quarterly filings.
 
- “Tax Fees” are fees primarily for tax compliance in connection with filing US income tax returns.
 
- “All other fees” for 2017 related to three year SEC review.
 
 
 
 
44
 
 
SECTION16(a) BENEFICIAL OWNERSHIP REPORTING COMPLIANCE
 
Our executive officers, directors and 10% stockholders are required under Section 16(a) of the Exchange Act to file reports of ownership and changes in ownership with the SEC. Copies of these reports must also be furnished to us.
 
Based solely on a review of copies of reports furnished to us, as of September 30, 2018 our executive officers, directors and 10% holders complied with all filing requirements except as follows:
 
Todd Martin Sames filed a Form 4 on January 11, 2018 that was required to be filed on January 15, 2018.
 
Jon Pepper filed a Form 4 on April 19, 2018 that was required to be filed on April 12, 2018.
 
Ichiro Takesako filed a Form 4 on April 19, 2018 that was required to be filed on April 12, 2018.
 
Phillip Bosua filed a Form 4 on July 10, 2018 that was required to be filed on June 27, 2018.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
45
 
 
PART IV
 
ITEM 15. EXHIBITS, FINANCIAL STATEMENT SCHEDULES
 
(a) FINANCIAL STATEMENTS:
 
The company’s financial statements, as indicated by the Index to Consolidated Financial Statements set forth below, begin on page F-1 of this Form 10-K, and are hereby incorporated by reference. Financial statement schedules have been omitted because they are not applicable or the required information is included in the financial statements or notes thereto.
 
INDEX TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
 
Title of Document