RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS |
9 Months Ended |
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Sep. 30, 2025 | |
| Related Party Transactions [Abstract] | |
| RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS |
NOTE 10 – RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS
Gemini
On July 13, 2025, the Company entered into a Strategic Digital Assets Services Agreement with Gemini NuStar, LLC (“Gemini”) (the “Gemini Agreement”), pursuant to which Gemini will provide non-discretionary execution and digital asset-related informational services. These services may include market commentary, protocol updates, or other general insights as directed by the Company. Gemini does not act as an advisor, fiduciary, or investment manager to the Company, and all trading and investment decisions remain solely under the Company’s control. In connection with the Gemini Agreement, upon the closing of the Private Placement, the Company issued a warrant to Gemini to purchase up to 901,542 shares of common stock, discussed further in Note 11.
Also on July 13, 2025, the Company entered into a Custodial Services Agreement (together with the Gemini Agreement, the “Gemini Agreements”) with Gemini Trust Company, LLC (“Gemini Trust”), pursuant to which the Company has engaged Gemini Trust to provide custody services of the Company’s digital asset holdings. The Company pays a monthly custodial fee as a percentage of the digital assets held in the Company’s custodial accounts at Gemini at month end. For the three and nine months ended September 30, 2025, the Company has recognized custodial fee expense of $628,815.
Mr. Rohan Chauhan, a member of the Company’s board of directors (the “Board”), is the Director of Strategy at Gemini.
Board of Directors
On July 17, 2025, in connection with the Private Placements, the Company’s four existing independent members of the Board prior to the Private Placements received an aggregate payment from the Company of $600,000 in cash, with each individual amount based on their board tenure as payment for equity awards that could not be issued previously as part of their compensation for being on the Company’s Board. Each existing independent director also received a grant of stock options from the Company’s 2025 Stock Plan to purchase the Company’s common stock at $10 per share with a ten-year term, regardless of service being provided and only forfeitable in the event board service is terminated for cause as defined in the stock option agreements (the “Forfeiture Clause”). These stock options vest in 20% installments based upon the achievement of milestones tied to the daily VWAP of the Company’s common stock trading price with the first 20% vesting at $10 and each installment increasing in $5 increments, and all stock options fully vesting if the daily VWAP reaches $30 (the “Applicable Vesting Schedule”). These stock options are not exercisable until the 2025 Stock Plan and shares to be issued under the 2025 Stock Plan are approved by the Company’s stockholders (the “Approval Requirement”). These board members collectively purchased shares of the Company’s common stock for $600,000 in the Private Placements.
In connection with the Private Placements, the Board elected Ryan Lane, Ian Read, Rohan Chauhan and Matthew Homer to serve on the Board until director elections are held at the Company’s next stockholder meeting. In connection with the appointment of each of Messrs. Read, Homer and Chauhan as directors, each: (a) signed an offer letter with the Company pursuant to which they each will be entitled to an annual fee of $40,000 plus a $10,000 fee for any committees on which they serve, both of which will be paid quarterly; and (b) was granted stock options from the Company’s 2025 Stock Plan to purchase the Company’s common stock at $ per share with a -year term, and subject to the Forfeiture Clause. These stock options vest in accordance with the Applicable Vesting Schedule and are subject to the Approval Requirement.
In connection with the Private Placements, Mr. Lane was also appointed to serve as both Chairman of the Board and Co-Chief Executive Officer (“Co-CEO”) of the Company. Mr. Lane signed an employment agreement with the Company, dated July 17, 2025, and his annual salary is $225,000. Mr. Lane was also paid a signing bonus of $225,000 and was granted stock options from the Company’s 2025 Stock Plan to purchase the Company’s common stock at $ per share with a -year term, and subject to the Forfeiture Clause. These stock options vest in accordance with the Applicable Vesting Schedule and are subject to the Approval Requirement. Mr. Lane is a founder and principal of Empery Asset Management LP (“EAM”), an investor in the Company, and will continue to provide services to EAM while also being employed by the Company. Mr. Lane also purchased shares of the Company’s common stock for $1 million and funds controlled by EAM purchased shares of the Company’s common stock for $25 million in the Private Placements. As of September 30, 2025, funds controlled by EAM own shares of the Company’s common stock, and the following warrants to purchase the Company’s common stock i) prefunded warrants with an exercise price of $0.00001, ii) prefunded warrants with an exercise price of $0.00008, iii) warrants with an exercise price of $16.00, iv) warrants with an exercise price of $1,856.00.
All Board members, other than Mr. Lane and Mr. John Kim, also Co-CEO and director, receive an annual fee of $40,000 payable quarterly plus an additional fee of $10,000 for each committee of the Board on which each director serves, if any.
In March 2025, the Company entered into a consulting agreement with ThankYou Studios, an entity owned by Orn Olason, a member of the Company's Board. ThankYou Studios completed a marketing and brand assessment for the Company and the total fees were $45,000.
Existing Officers
Chief Executive Officer
On January 30, 2024, John Kim, formerly an independent board member of the Company, signed an employment agreement with the Company to become the CEO effective February 3, 2024. Mr. Kim’s salary was $800,000 and he had an annual bonus of $250,000. Mr. Kim would also receive 5% of the gross proceeds or other consideration if the Company completes a sale of substantially all of its assets or otherwise enters into a change of control transaction. Mr. Kim would also be entitled to an equity award equal to 10% of the Company’s fully diluted equity, subject to stockholder approval. The Company’s stockholders approved stock options to purchase 180,375 shares of the Company’s common stock at $4.56 per share at the annual stockholders’ meeting held on May 30, 2025. These stock options are fully vested and expire on May 30, 2035.
The above employment agreement was terminated upon execution of a new employment agreement in conjunction with the Private Placements, following which Mr. Kim became Co-CEO and remained on the Board. His annual salary under the new employment agreement is $225,000 and he received a bonus of $225,000 payable upon signing of the new employment agreement with no further bonuses due to Mr. Kim. Mr. Kim was granted stock options from the Company’s 2025 Stock Plan to purchase the Company’s common stock at $ per share with a -year term, and subject to the Forfeiture Clause. These stock options vest in accordance with the Applicable Vesting Schedule and are subject to the Approval Requirement. Mr. Kim also agreed to modify his previously granted stock options in May 2025 to increase the exercise price from $4.56 to $ per share upon completion of the Private Placements. Mr. Kim also purchased shares of the Company’s common stock for $225,000 in the Private Placements.
Chief Financial Officer
On January 30, 2024, Greg Endo, the Company’s Chief Financial Officer, signed a new employment agreement with the Company. Mr. Endo’s salary was increased to $300,000 and he would have an annual bonus of up to 50% of his salary as determined by the compensation committee of the Board. The Board approved the full amount of Mr. Endo’s 2024 bonus. Mr. Endo had agreed to a reduction of his salary to $238,500 through the end of 2024. On August 23, 2024, the compensation committee of the Board resolved that effective August 16, 2024, Mr. Endo’s annual salary would be restored to $300,000. Mr. Endo would also receive 5% of the gross proceeds or other consideration if the Company completes a sale of substantially all of its assets or otherwise enters into a change of control transaction. Mr. Endo would also be entitled to an equity award equal to 4% of the Company’s fully diluted equity, subject to stockholder approval. The Company’s stockholders approved a grant to Mr. Endo of stock options to purchase 72,150 shares of the Company’s common stock at $4.56 per share at the annual stockholders’ meeting held on May 30, 2025. These stock options are fully vested and expire on May 30, 2035.
The above employment agreement was terminated upon execution of a new employment agreement in conjunction with the Private Placements. Mr. Endo remains as the Company’s Chief Financial Officer and his annual salary under the new employment agreement is $300,000 and he received a bonus of $150,000 payable upon signing of the new employment agreement with no further bonuses due to Mr. Endo. Mr. Endo was granted stock options from the Company’s 2025 Stock Plan to purchase the Company’s common stock at $ per share with a -year term, and subject to the Forfeiture Clause. These stock options vest in accordance with the Applicable Vesting Schedule and are subject to the Approval Requirement. Mr. Endo also agreed to modify his previously granted stock options to increase the exercise price from $4.56 to $ per share upon completion of the Private Placements. Mr. Endo also purchased shares of the Company’s common stock for $200,000 in the Private Placements.
The Company accrued the above-mentioned bonuses payable to Mr. Kim and Mr. Endo under their employment agreements prior to the Private Placements in accrued liabilities as of December 31, 2024, and these were paid in April 2025. The bonuses payable upon signing of the new employment agreements were paid in July 2025.
Other Executive Officer Appointments
In connection with the Private Placements, the Board appointed Timothy Silver and Brett Director to serve on the Company’s management team. Mr. Silver serves as Chief Operating Officer and Mr. Director serves as Vice President of Legal. Mr. Silver and Mr. Director signed employment agreements, and their annual salaries are $150,000 and $200,000, respectively. Mr. Silver and Mr. Director were also granted and inducement stock options, respectively, to purchase the Company’s common stock at $ per share with a -year term, subject to the Forfeiture Clause. These stock options vest in accordance with the Applicable Vesting Schedule. Mr. Silver and Mr. Director are also employees of EAM and will continue to provide services to EAM while also being employees of the Company. Mr. Silver purchased shares of the Company’s common stock for $25,000 and Mr. Director purchased shares of the Company’s common stock for $100,000 in the Private Placements.
Former Employees
On January 13, 2024, the Company’s former Chief Executive Officer (“CEO”), Jordan Davis, resigned his employment with the Company effective February 2, 2024. The Company entered into a 30-day consulting agreement with Mr. Davis and paid him $12,500.
On February 23, 2024, Katherine Hale resigned her position as Chief Marketing Officer. Ms. Hale was provided a severance amount of $112,500 which was paid out in three monthly installments beginning in March 2024.
In December 2022, the Company entered into an employment agreement with Christian Okonsky, one of the Company’s founders and former Chairman of the Board, whereby Mr. Okonsky became an employee on January 2, 2023 as Chief Technology Officer with an annual salary of $170,000 and healthcare and other benefits that are also provided to all Company employees. Mr. Okonsky informed the Company on January 27, 2024 that he would resign his employment and forfeit his salary and benefits effective February 1, 2024.
In March 2024, the Company entered into a consulting agreement with Mr. Okonsky pursuant to which he was entitled to a monthly fee of $5,000 and payment of 1% of the gross proceeds from any merger, sale or change of control transaction (“Change of Control Payment”) (as determined by the Board) entered into by the Company for a period of up to 6 months following the termination of the consulting agreement. The consulting agreement had a 24 month term and was cancellable by either party with 30 days notice. This consulting agreement terminates any remaining provisions of a prior consulting agreement entered into in March 2021 with Pink Possum, an entity controlled by Mr. Okonsky, with the exception of the four ten-year warrants with an exercise price of $1,416,960 which remain outstanding. On September 9, 2024, Mr. Okonsky resigned from the Board of the Company. The consulting agreement was amended and the monthly fee was amended to $8,333 per month for twelve months and the Change of Control Payment was eliminated. In March 2025, the Company and Mr. Okonsky entered into an agreement to terminate the consulting agreement and the Company paid Mr. Okonsky $38,000.
Highbridge Consultants, LLC
On August 28, 2020, the Company entered into a consulting agreement (the “Highbridge Consulting Agreement”) with Highbridge Consultants, LLC (“Highbridge”), an entity controlled by Mr. Adrian James, a co-founder of the Company, pursuant to which Mr. James provided the Company with services in exchange for warrants. The Highbridge warrants were fully exercised on a cashless basis in 2021.
In addition, pursuant to the Highbridge Consulting Agreement, upon the occurrence of a Fundamental Transaction (as defined below) for an aggregate gross sales price of $100 million or more, the entity will receive a cash payment equal to 1% of such gross sales price. For the purposes of the Highbridge Consulting Agreement, “Fundamental Transaction” means any of the following: (i) a consolidation or merger involving the Company if the holders of the voting securities of the Company that are outstanding immediately prior to the consummation of such consolidation or merger do not, immediately after the consummation of such consolidation or merger, hold voting securities that collectively possess at least a majority of the voting power of all the outstanding securities of the surviving entity of such consolidation or merger or such surviving entity’s parent entity; (ii) a transfer or issuance (in a single transaction or series of related transactions) by one or more of the Company and its stockholders to one person or to any group of persons acting in concert, of shares of the Company’s capital stock then collectively possessing 50% or more of the voting power of all then outstanding shares of the Company’s capital stock (computed on an as-converted to common stock basis); or (iii) any sale, license, lease, assignment or other disposition of all or substantially all of the assets of the Company. Furthermore, commencing upon the completion of the Company’s initial public offering of the shares of our common stock, if the Company’s market capitalization exceeds $300 million for a period of 21 consecutive trading days, the entity will receive an additional cash payment equal to $15 million; provided that the Company will have the right, in its sole discretion, to make the foregoing $15 million payment by the issuance of shares of the Company’s common stock. The foregoing amounts will be payable to the entity if the above milestones occur any time prior to the ten year anniversary of the original Highbridge Consulting Agreement, or August 28, 2030.
New York Office Lease
On August 28, 2025, the Company entered into an assignment and assumption of a lease agreement with EAM whereby the Company agreed to assume half of the lease obligation of the New York City office lease of EAM since three of EAM’s executives and one additional employee became Company employees in conjunction with the Private Placement as these individuals will continue to work in the New York City office. The Company, EAM and the landlord for the facility entered into a Consent to Assignment Agreement whereby the Company and EAM are jointly and severally liable for payment of the rent to the landlord. In the event that either EAM or the Company do not make their respective payments, then the other entity will be liable for the full rent payment to the landlord and the paying entity can seek recourse from the non-paying entity under the contribution agreement between them. The Company’s portion of its lease obligation to the landlord is $9,617 per month through June 2029,subject to adjustment for changes in property taxes assessed to the landlord on the facility. EAM signed an extension with the landlord of the lease beyond June 2029. The Company will have the option to opt out of this lease extension by providing EAM notice on or prior to June 1, 2029.
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