ROCKETFUEL BLOCKCHAIN, INC. - Quarter Report: 2022 June (Form 10-Q)

UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 10-Q

For the transition period from            to          

Commission file number: 033-17773-NY

ROCKETFUEL BLOCKCHAIN, INC.

(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in its Charter)

(424) 256-8560

(Registrant’s Telephone Number, including Area Code)

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

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 past 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, a smaller reporting company or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer”, “smaller reporting company” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act:

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

Number of shares of issuer’s common stock outstanding at August 18, 2022: 28,698,632.

ROCKETFUEL BLOCKCHAIN, INC.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

PART I FINCANCIAL INFORMATION

Item 1 Consolidated Financial Statements

ROCKETFUEL BLOCKCHAIN, INC.

Consolidated Balance Sheets

(Unaudited)

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements  

ROCKETFUEL BLOCKCHAIN, INC.

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS

(Unaudited)

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements

ROCKETFUEL BLOCKCHAIN, INC.

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY

For the Three Month Periods Ended June 30, 2021 and 2022

(Unaudited)

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements

ROCKETFUEL BLOCKCHAIN, INC.

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS

(Unaudited)

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements

ROCKETFUEL BLOCKCHAIN, INC.

NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

JUNE 30, 2022

(UNAUDITED)

1. Business

We (or the “Company”) provide cryptocurrency and other check-out and payment systems that securely automate and simplify the way online payment and shipping information is received by merchants from their customers. Our “one click” checkout solution is modeled on the “buy now” button on leading eCommerce sites. Our check-out systems are designed to enhance customers’ data protection, enabling consumers to pay for goods and services using cryptocurrencies or by direct transfers from their bank accounts without exposing spending credentials such as credit card data. At the same time, our check-out systems are designed to increase the speed, security and ease of use for both customers and merchants and include a merchant portal that provides detailed transactions and metrics about payments received by the merchant. Our system also includes a customer portal where shoppers are able to track their payments, configure payment defaults and connect with various cryptocurrency exchanges and banks to facilitate payment to merchants. Merchants are able to integrate a unique pop-up user interface that allows customers to pay directly from their eCommerce checkout page with no need to redirect to another website or web page.

Our corporate headquarters are located in San Francisco, California.

On May 12, 2022, the Company incorporated a wholly owned subsidiary, RocketFuel (BVI) Ltd., in the British Virgin Islands. The subsidiary is formed to be the issuer of digital tokens in connection with our planned loyalty program. On May 17, 2022, the Company incorporated another wholly owned subsidiary, RocketFuel A/S, in Denmark. This subsidiary will engage in our B2B cross border settlement program. The subsidiary received a Virtual Asset Services Provider (VASP) license in July 2022, allowing it to offer a variety of crypto-based services in the EU. Both subsidiaries have not commenced commercial operations as of June 30, 2022.

2. Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

Other than as discussed herein, our significant accounting policies are described in Note 2 to the audited financial statements as of March 31, 2022 which are included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K as filed with the SEC on July 15, 2022.

Basis of Presentation

The accompanying unaudited financial statements have been prepared in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (“U.S. GAAP”) for interim financial information pursuant to Rule 8-03 of Regulation S-X. Accordingly, these unaudited financial statements do not include all of the information and disclosures required by U.S. GAAP for complete financial statements. In the opinion of management, the accompanying unaudited financial statements include all adjustments (consisting only of normal recurring adjustments), which we consider necessary, for a fair presentation of those financial statements. The results of operations for the three months ended June 30, 2022 and cash flows for the three months ended June 30, 2022 may not necessarily be indicative of results that may be expected for any succeeding quarter or for the entire fiscal year. The March 31, 2022 balance sheet included herein was derived from the audited financial statements included in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K as of that date. These unaudited financial statements should be read in conjunction with our audited financial statements as of March 31, 2022 as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) on July 15, 2022.

Principles of Consolidation

The accompanying consolidated financial statements include the accounts of the Company and its wholly-owned subsidiaries in accordance with consolidation accounting guidance. The Company’s subsidiaries consist of RocketFuel Blockchain Company (RBC) (incorporated in Nevada), RocketFuel A/S (incorporated in Denmark), and RocketFuel (BVI) (incorporated in the British Virgin Islands), the latter two of which were incorporated during the quarter ended June 30, 2022. All intercompany balances and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation.

Use of Accounting Estimates

The preparation of these consolidated financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP requires management to make estimates and judgments, which are evaluated on an ongoing basis, and that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the consolidated financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting periods. Management bases its estimates on historical experience and on various other assumptions that it believes are reasonable under the circumstances, the results of which form the basis for making judgments about the carrying values of assets and liabilities and the amounts of revenues and expenses that are not readily apparent from other sources. Actual results could differ from those estimates and judgments.

Cash and Cash Equivalents

Cash includes cash on hand. We consider all highly-liquid, temporary cash investments with a maturity date of three months or less to be cash equivalents.

Restricted Cash

In relation to the Company’s incorporation of a subsidiary in Denmark, a cash deposit of $55,956 was made into an escrow account controlled by a legal firm. This cash is not available to fund immediate or general business use until it is released from escrow into an operating cash account of the Denmark subsidiary. Until this release occurs, the cash is restricted in nature and is separately disclosed on the Company’s consolidated balance sheet and consolidated statement of cash flows.

ROCKETFUEL BLOCKCHAIN, INC.

NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

JUNE 30, 2022

(UNAUDITED)

Software Development Costs

The Company accounts for software development costs in accordance with ASC 350-40. Research and development costs are expensed as incurred, except for certain costs which are capitalized in connection with the development of its internal-use software and website. These capitalized costs are primarily related to the application software that is hosted by the Company and accessed by its customers through the Company’s website. In addition, the Company capitalizes certain general and administrative costs related to the customization and development of our internal business systems. Costs incurred in the preliminary stages of development are expensed as incurred. Once an application has reached the development stage, internal and external costs, if direct and incremental, are capitalized until the software is substantially complete and ready for its intended use. Capitalization ceases upon completion of all substantial testing performed to ensure the product is ready for its intended use. The Company also capitalizes costs related to specific upgrades and enhancements of internal-use software when it is probable that the expenditures will result in additional functionality. Maintenance and training costs are expensed as incurred. Capitalized internal use software costs are recorded as part of property and equipment and are amortized on a straight-line basis over an estimated useful life of two years.

Property and Equipment

Property and equipment are stated at cost. Depreciation of property and equipment is calculated using the straight-line method over the estimated useful lives of the assets, which is three years for the Company. Maintenance and repairs are charged to operations as incurred. Significant improvements are capitalized and depreciated over the useful life of the assets. Gains or losses on disposition or retirement of property and equipment are recognized in operating expenses.

The Company reviews the carrying value of property and equipment for impairment whenever events and circumstances indicate that the carrying value of an asset may not be recoverable from the estimated future cash flows expected to result from its use and eventual disposition. In cases where undiscounted expected future cash flows are less than the carrying value, an impairment loss is recognized equal to an amount by which the carrying value exceeds the fair value of the related assets. The factors considered by management in performing this assessment include current operating results, trends and prospects, the manner in which the property is used, the effects of obsolescence, demand, competition, and other economic factors.

Revenue Recognition

During March 2021 we commenced commercial operations. Our revenues will be generated from (i) fees charged in connection with the implementation of our blockchain technology; and (ii) ongoing daily transactional fees derived as a negotiated percentage of the transactional revenues earned by our merchant customers.

Our revenue recognition policy follows the guidance from Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) 606, “Revenue Recognition,” and Accounting Standards Update No. 2014-09 Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606) which provides guidance on the recognition, presentation, and disclosure of revenue in consolidated financial statements. We determine revenue recognition through the following steps: (i) identification of the contract, or contracts, with a customer; (ii) identification of the performance obligations in the contract; (iii) determination of the transaction price; (iv) allocation of the transaction price to the performance obligations in the contract and (v) recognition of revenue when a performance obligation is satisfied. Collectability is assessed based on a number of factors, including the creditworthiness of a client, the size and nature of a client’s website and transaction history. Amounts billed or collected in excess of revenue recognized are included as deferred revenue. An example of this deferred revenue would be arrangements where clients request or are required by us to pay in advance of delivery.

Earnings (Loss) Per Share

Earnings (loss) per share is computed by dividing net income (loss) by the weighted average number of common shares outstanding during the reporting period. Diluted earnings per share is computed similar to basic earnings per share, except the weighted average number of common shares outstanding are increased to include additional shares from the assumed exercise of share options, if dilutive. The dilutive effect, if any, of convertible instruments or warrants is calculated using the treasury stock method. There are no outstanding dilutive instruments as the outstanding convertible instruments, stock options and warrants would be anti-dilutive if converted or exercised for the three months ended June 30, 2022 and 2021.

The following table summarizes the securities that were excluded from the diluted per share calculation because the effect of including these potential shares was antidilutive due to the Company’s net loss position even though the exercise price could be less than the average market price of the common shares:

 Schedule of Anti-dilutive Securities Excluded from Diluted Per Share Calculation

ROCKETFUEL BLOCKCHAIN, INC.

NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

JUNE 30, 2022

(UNAUDITED)

Stock-based Compensation

The Company applies the provisions of ASC 718, Compensation - Stock Compensation, (“ASC 718”) which requires the measurement and recognition of compensation expense for all stock-based awards made to employees, including employee stock options, in the statements of operations.

For stock options issued to employees and members of the Board of Directors (the “Board) for their services, the Company estimates the grant date fair value of each option using the Black-Scholes option pricing model. The use of the Black-Scholes option pricing model requires management to make assumptions with respect to the expected term of the option, the expected volatility of the common stock consistent with the expected life of the option, risk-free interest rates and expected dividend yields of the common stock. For awards subject to service-based vesting conditions, including those with a graded vesting schedule, the Company recognizes stock-based compensation expense equal to the grant date fair value of stock options on a straight-line basis over the requisite service period, which is generally the vesting term. Forfeitures are recorded as they are incurred as opposed to being estimated at the time of grant and revised.

Pursuant to Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) 2018-07, Compensation – Stock Compensation (Topic 718): Improvements to Non-employee Share-Based Payment Accounting, the Company accounts for stock options issued to non-employees for their services in accordance with ASC 718. The Company uses valuation methods and assumptions to value the stock options that are in line with the process for valuing employee stock options noted above.

Income Taxes

We are required to file federal and state income tax returns in the United States. The preparation of these tax returns requires us to interpret the applicable tax laws and regulations in effect in such jurisdictions, which could affect the amount of tax paid by us. In consultation with our tax advisors, we base our tax returns on interpretations that are believed to be reasonable under the circumstances. The tax returns, however, are subject to routine reviews by the various federal and state taxing authorities in the jurisdictions in which we file tax returns. As part of these reviews, a taxing authority may disagree with respect to the income tax positions taken by us (“uncertain tax positions”) and, therefore, may require us to pay additional taxes. As required under applicable accounting rules, we accrue an amount for our estimate of additional income tax liability, including interest and penalties, which we could incur as a result of the ultimate or effective resolution of the uncertain tax positions. We account for income taxes using the asset and liability method. Under the asset and liability method, deferred tax assets and liabilities are recognized for the future tax consequences attributed to differences between the financial statement carrying amounts of existing assets and liabilities and their respective tax bases. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are measured using enacted tax rates expected to apply to taxable income in the years in which those temporary differences and carry-forwards are expected to be recovered or settled. The effect on deferred tax assets and liabilities of a change in tax rates is recognized in income in the period that includes the enactment date. A valuation allowance is established when necessary to reduce deferred tax assets to amounts expected to be realized.

In assessing the realization of deferred tax assets, management considers whether it is more likely than not that some portion or all of the deferred tax assets will be realized. The ultimate realization of deferred tax assets is dependent upon the generation of future taxable income during the periods in which those temporary differences become deductible. Management considers the scheduled reversal of deferred tax liabilities, projected future taxable income and tax planning strategies in making this assessment.

Impact of COVID-19 on Our Business

The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted, and may continue to result, in significant economic disruption despite progress made in the development and distribution of vaccines. It has already disrupted global travel, supply chains and the labor market and adversely impacted global commercial activity. Considerable uncertainty still surrounds COVID-19, the evolution of its variants, its potential long-term economic effects, as well as the effectiveness of any responses taken by government authorities and businesses and of various efforts to inoculate the global population. The travel restrictions, limits on hours of operations and/or closures of non-essential businesses, and other efforts to curb the spread of COVID-19 have significantly disrupted business activity globally and there is uncertainty as to when these disruptions will fully subside.

Significant uncertainty continues to exist concerning the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our customers’ and prospects’ business and operations in future periods. Although our total revenues for the three months ended June 30, 2022 were not materially impacted by COVID- 19, we believe our revenues may be negatively impacted in future periods until the effects of the pandemic have fully subsided and the current macroeconomic environment has substantially recovered. The uncertainty related to COVID-19 may also result in increased volatility in the financial projections we use as the basis for estimates and assumptions used in our financial statements. We have adapted our operations to meet the challenges of this uncertain and rapidly evolving situation, including establishing remote working arrangements for our employees, limiting non-essential business travel, and cancelling or shifting our customer, employee, and industry events to a virtual-only format for the foreseeable future. We have not received any government assistance from various relief packages available in countries where we operate.

Effects of the COVID-19 pandemic that may negatively impact our business in future periods include, but are not limited to: limitations on the ability of our customers to conduct their business, purchase our products and services, and make timely payments; curtailed consumer spending; deferred purchasing decisions; delayed consulting services implementations; labor shortages and decreases in product licenses revenues driven by channel partners. We will continue to actively monitor the nature and extent of the impact to our business, operating results, and financial condition.

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

From time to time, new accounting pronouncements are issued by the Financial Accounting Standards Board or other standard setting bodies that may have an impact on our accounting and reporting. We believe that such recently issued accounting pronouncements and other authoritative guidance for which the effective date is in the future either will not have an impact on our accounting or reporting or that such impact will not be material to our financial position, results of operations and cash flows when implemented.

3. Going Concern

Our consolidated financial statements have been presented on the basis that we are a going concern, which contemplates the realization of assets and satisfaction of liabilities in the normal course of business. We incorporated our business on January 12, 2018, the date of our inception, and commenced commercial operations in March 2021. During the three months ended June 30, 2022 and 2021, we reported a net loss of $948,728 and $1,204,591, respectively, which included as a component of general and administrative expenses in the statements of operations a non-cash stock-based compensation charge of $291,382 and $316,896, respectively, and cash flows used in operating activities during the three months ended June 30, 2022 and 2021 of $974,067 and $876,340, respectively. These factors, among others, raise substantial doubt about the ability of the Company to continue as a going concern. The consolidated financial statements do not include any adjustments that might result from the outcome of this uncertainty.

We will require additional financing to continue to develop our product and execute on our business plan. However, there can be no assurances that we will be successful in raising the additional capital necessary to continue operations and execute on our business plan. During the year ended March 31, 2022, we raised $882,500 through the exercise by certain investors of common stock purchase warrants and completed a public offering of 6,666,667 shares of Common Stock and accompanying warrants to purchase 6,666,667 shares of Common Stock and raised approximately $4.4 million in proceeds, net of the issuance costs. We have used and plan to continue using the net proceeds of the public offering and warrant exercise to recruit key management and operational personnel, to retain software and blockchain developers and to develop our blockchain based check-out solution. Management believes the funding from the public offering, the exercise of the common stock purchase warrant, and the growth strategy actions executed and planned for execution could contribute to our ability to mitigate any substantial doubt as to our ability to continue as a going concern.

4. Property, Plant & Equipment

The Company’s property, plant and equipment assets are comprised of the following:

Schedule of Property Plant And Equipment

ROCKETFUEL BLOCKCHAIN, INC.

NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

JUNE 30, 2022

(UNAUDITED)

Capitalized software development costs represent the costs incurred during the development stage, when direct and incremental internal and external costs, are capitalized until the software is substantially complete and ready for its intended use. The Company also capitalizes costs related to specific upgrades and enhancements of internal-use software when it is probable that the expenditures will result in additional functionality.

Depreciation and amortization expenses amount to $87,081 and $nil for the three months ended June 30, 2022 and 2021, respectively.

5. Related Party Transactions

During the three months ended June 30, 2022 and 2021, our chief financial officer was affiliated with legal counsel who provided us with general legal services (the “Affiliate”). We recorded legal fees paid to the Affiliate of $58,058 and $24,160 for the three months ended June 30, 2022 and 2021, respectively. As of June 30, 2022 and March 31, 2022, we had $47,679 and $11,277, respectively, payable to the Affiliate.

6. Deferred Revenue

We enter into certain contracts typically having initial one-year terms which define the scope of services to be provided. These contracts can include agreed-upon setup fees during the initial one-year term, which setup fees are recorded as deferred revenue and amortized ratably over the initial one-year term. During the three months ended June 30, 2022 and 2021, we recorded revenues of $8,132 and $2,500, respectively. Deferred revenue was $11,292 and $15,073 as of June 30, 2022 and March 31, 2022, respectively.

7. Stockholders’ Equity

Cancellations of Stock:

On October 6, 2021, we entered into a contract with one customer having a one-year term from the date of execution that provided for the issuance of 10,000 shares of our common stock valued at $1.00 per share in consideration of being an early adopter of our blockchain technology. In March 2022, in settlement of a customer dispute, we repurchased the 10,000 shares of stock issued in October 2021 for $3,000. During the three months ended June 30, 2022, the 10,000 shares were cancelled.

On June 7, 2022, we entered into a settlement agreement in the legal proceedings with Joseph Page, our former director and chief technology officer, as defendant, whereunder Page surrendered 3,600,394 shares of the Company’s common stock. In connection with this settlement, we recognized a gain of $540,059, calculated based on the Company’s share price of $0.15 per share on the date of settlement of the legal proceedings. This gain was recorded in other income for the three months ended June 30, 2022 in the accompanying consolidated statements of operations. Immediately after these shares were transferred to the Company, the 3,600,394 shares were cancelled and we recorded cancellation of these treasury shares for the three months ended June 30, 2022.

As of June 30, 2022, and March 31, 2022, we had 28,364,689 shares and 31,965,083 shares of our common stock outstanding, respectively.

Warrants:

As of June 30, 2022, the total outstanding warrants to purchase of the Company’s common stock were 10,665,982 with a weighted average exercise price of $0.84. There were no new warrants issued during the three months ended June 30, 2022. As of June 30, 2022 and March 31, 2022, the weighted average remaining contractual terms were 3.86 and 4.11 years, respectively.

8. Stock- Based Compensation 

Stock Option Plan:

On August 8, 2018, the Board and stockholders holding a majority of our voting power approved the RocketFuel Blockchain, Inc., 2018 Plan, which plan enables us to make awards that qualify as performance-based compensation. Under the terms of the 2018 Plan, the options will (i) be incentive stock options, (ii) have an exercise price equal to the fair market value per share of our common stock on the date of grant as determined by an independent valuation by a qualified appraiser, (iii) have a term of 10 years, (iv) vest and become exercisable pursuant to the terms set forth in the grantees stock option agreement, (v) be subject to the exercise, forfeiture and termination provisions set forth in the 2018 Plan and (vi) otherwise be evidenced by and subject to the terms of our standard form of stock option agreement. We initially reserved 2,000,000 shares of our common stock for issuance in connection with awards under the plan. On September 15, 2020 and March 18, 2021, our board of directors unanimously resolved to amend the 2018 Plan to increase the number of shares of our common stock available for grant to 4,000,000 shares and 6,000,000 shares, respectively. On May 10, 2022, the Board has approved a plan to increase the number of shares to 8,000,000 for 2018 plan. As of June 30, 2022 and March 31, 2022, there were 2,176,198 and 393,987 shares, respectively, of our common stock available for grant pursuant to the 2018 Plan. 

ROCKETFUEL BLOCKCHAIN, INC.

NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

JUNE 30, 2022

(UNAUDITED)

Service-Based Stock Option Grants

In determining the fair value of the service-based options during the three months ended June 30, 2022, we utilized the Black-Scholes pricing model utilizing the following assumptions:

Schedule of Share-based Payment Award, Stock Options, Valuation Assumptions

Activity under the 2018 Plan for all service-based stock options for the three months ended June 30, 2022 are as follows:

Schedule of Stock Option Activity 

The aggregate intrinsic value in the table above represents the total pre-tax intrinsic value (the difference between the closing price of the common stock on June 30, 2022 of $0.16 and the exercise price of each in-the-money option) that would have been received by the option holders had all option holders exercised their options on June 30, 2022. There were no service-based stock options exercised under the 2018 Plan for the three months ended June 30, 2022 and 2021.

For the three months ended June 30, 2022 and 2021, we recorded stock-based compensation expense for service-based stock options pursuant to the 2018 Plan in the amount of $264,235 and $291,492, respectively. As of June 30, 2022 and March 31, 2022, we had $3,015,293 and $3,336,948 of unrecognized stock-based compensation cost related to service-based stock options, respectively.

Performance-Based Stock Option Grants

We also granted performance-based options pursuant to the 2018 Plan to Rohan Hall, our chief technology officer, which are exercisable into 600,000 shares of our common stock subject to certain designated milestones. On March 18, 2021, our Board of Directors determined that Mr. Hall earned all of the performance-based options effective February 1, 2021. The Board of Directors also entered into a resolution whereby 75,000 shares of our common stock underlying the performance-based options would vest immediately and 525,000 shares of our common stock underlying the performance-based option would vest ratably over a 48-month period with the first vesting date being February 1, 2021.

ROCKETFUEL BLOCKCHAIN, INC.

NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

JUNE 30, 2022

(UNAUDITED)

In determining the fair value of the performance-based options granted to Mr. Hall on September 14, 2020 and earned effective February 1, 2021, we utilized the Black-Scholes pricing model utilizing the following assumptions:

Schedule of Share-based Payment Award, Stock Options, Valuation Assumptions

Activity under the 2018 Plan for all performance-based stock options for the three months ended June 30, 2022 is as follows:

Schedule of Stock Option Activity

The aggregate intrinsic value in the table above represents the total pre-tax intrinsic value (the difference between the closing price of the common stock on June 30, 2022 of $0.16 and the exercise price of each in-the-money option) that would have been received by the option holders had all option holders exercised their options on June 30, 2022. There were no performance-based stock options exercised under the 2018 Plan for the three months ended June 30, 2022 and 2021.

For the three months ended June 30, 2022 and 2021, we recorded stock-based compensation expense for performance-based stock options pursuant to the 2018 Plan in the amount of $27,147 and $25,404, respectively. As of June 30, 2022 and March 31, 2022, we had $288,016 and $315,164 of unrecognized stock-based compensation cost related to performance-based stock options, respectively. There were no performance-based stock options exercised under the 2018 Plan for the three months ended June 30, 2022 and 2021.

9. Commitments and Contingencies

Legal Proceedings

Other than as set forth below, we are not the subject of any pending legal proceedings; and to the knowledge of management, no proceedings are presently contemplated against us by any federal, state or local governmental agency. Further, to the knowledge of management, no director or executive officer is party to any action in which any has an interest adverse to us.

On October 8, 2020, we filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California against Joseph Page, our former director and chief technology officer. On January 13, 2021, the case was transferred to the U.S. District Court for the District of Nevada, Las Vegas Division. The causes of action include securities fraud under Federal and California law; fraud, breach of fiduciary duty, negligent misrepresentation and unjust enrichment under California law; and violation of California Business and Professions Code §17200 et seq.

On May 29, 2019, Mr. Page resigned from our board. After his resignation, we retained independent patent counsel to review our patent applications. In connection with this review, we discovered certain deficiencies in some of the applications and in their assignments to us. We determined that all of the applications had been abandoned. Based on this review, we decided to refile three of our applications with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, which we did in May 2020. It is our belief that the three newly filed patent applications cover and/or disclose the same subject matter as we disclosed in the five original patent applications. In this case, our rights may be subject to any intervening patent applications made after the dates of the original applications. In the lawsuit, we were alleging that Mr. Page was aware of the abandonments when he assigned the patents to RocketFuel Blockchain Company (“RBC”), a private corporation that he controlled, and that he failed to disclose to us the abandonments when the Company acquired RBC in exchange for shares of the Company’s Common Stock. Mr. Page filed an answer denying the Company’s claims and asserted cross- and counterclaims against the Company and several of the Company’s shareholders alleging breach of contract and fraud. In September 2021, Mr. Page voluntarily dismissed all of the counterclaims against the shareholders.

ROCKETFUEL BLOCKCHAIN, INC.

NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

JUNE 30, 2022

(UNAUDITED)

On June 7, 2022, RBC entered into a settlement agreement in the legal proceedings between the Company as plaintiff, and Joseph Page as defendant, whereunder Page surrendered 3,600,394 shares of the Company’s common stock, and kept 1,500,000 shares. Mr. Page represents and warrants that he has not filed or assisted anyone else in filing any patent applications that would preempt or infringe upon the Company’s patent applications. Plaintiff and defendant have each released their claims against each other and covenanted not to sue the other, including related parties and stakeholders, with the exclusion of current or future claims against EGS. The parties agreed to a Stipulated Dismissal of the Action with Prejudice filed with the court. In connection with this settlement, we recognized a gain of $540,059, calculated based on the Company’s share price of $0.15 per share on the date of settlement of the legal proceedings. This gain was recorded in other income for the three months ended June 30, 2022 in the accompanying consolidated statements of operations (see Note 7).

On March 2, 2021, we filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York against Ellenoff Grossman & Schole LLP (“EGS”) for negligence and legal malpractice, breach of contract and breach of fiduciary duty. EGS had represented RBC prior to the Business Combination and represented us after the closing of the Business Combination through August 2019. In the litigation against Mr. Page, he has alleged that he provided information to an EGS partner that the patent applications had been abandoned and that EGS failed to inform RBC and us of the fact. We are seeking damages and the return of legal fees previously paid.

At the date of this report, the Company is unable to estimate the probability of success or dollar amount of rulings in the March 2, 2021 case against EGS, and as a result, has not accrued any potential benefit to the Company’s balance sheet. Attorney fees related to these proceedings are expensed as incurred.

10. Subsequent Events

We evaluated all events or transactions that occurred after the balance sheet date through the date when we issued these financial statements and, other than the matters discussed below, we did not have any other material recognizable subsequent events during this period.

We entered into a marketing service agreement on July 20, 2022 with a certain marketing firm whereby the marketing firm provides various marketing services for us. In connection with this agreement, we issued 333,943 shares in consideration for the performance of the services by this firm. 

Item 2. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations

Forward-Looking Statements

This Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q contains certain statements that are “forward-looking” within the meaning of the federal securities laws. These forward-looking statements and other information are based on our beliefs as well as assumptions made by us using information currently available.

The words “anticipate,” “believe,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “will,” “should” and similar expressions, as they relate to us, are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Such statements reflect our current views with respect to future events and are subject to certain risks, uncertainties and assumptions, and are not guaranties of future performance. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those described herein as anticipated, believed, estimated, expected, intended or using other similar expressions. We are making investors aware that such forward-looking statements, because they relate to future events, are by their very nature subject to many important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contemplated by the forward-looking statements contained in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ from our predictions include, without limitation:

Although we have sought to identify the most significant risks to our business, we cannot predict whether, or to what extent, any of such risks may be realized, nor can there be any assurance that we have identified all possible issues which we might face. For all of these reasons, the reader is cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements contained herein, which speak only as of the date hereof. We assume no responsibility to update any forward-looking statements as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise except as required by law. We urge readers to review carefully the risk factors described in this Quarterly Report and in our annual report filed on Form 10-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on July 15, 2022. You can read these documents at www.sec.gov.

Overview

Our Business

We provide payment and check-out systems enabling shoppers on e-commerce sites to pay using cryptocurrencies and direct bank transfers. Currently our payment and check-out systems focus on B2C applications; we are currently developing B2B capabilities that will among other things enable businesses to receive payments on their invoices in cryptocurrencies. Our check-out systems are based upon blockchain technology and are designed to reduce costs and increase speed, security and ease of use. We believe that users of our systems enjoy a seamless check-out experience compared to current online shopping solutions, and that merchants will realize cost savings and other advantages over credit-card based payment systems.

We are developing versions of our payment systems for use for in-store purchases and other applications. Our check-out and payment systems securely automate and simplify the way online payment and shipping information is received by merchants from their customers. Our “one click” checkout solution is modeled on the “buy now” button on leading eCommerce sites. Our check-out systems are designed to enhance customers’ data protection, enabling consumers to pay for goods and services using cryptocurrencies or by direct transfers from their bank accounts without exposing spending credentials such as credit card data. At the same time, our check-out systems are designed to increase the speed, security and ease of use for both customers and merchants and include a merchant portal that provides detailed transaction information, metrics and reports. Our systems also include a customer portal where shoppers are able to track their payments, configure payment defaults and connect with various cryptocurrency exchanges and banks to facilitate payment to merchants. Merchants are able to integrate a unique pop-up user interface that allows customers to pay directly from their ecommerce checkout page with no need to redirect to another website or web page.

Our merchant portal is updated instantly when a payment transaction is made on the merchant’s website. The merchant is notified of the transaction and can see the transaction details, including the customer that made the transaction, the transaction amount and the items purchased. This information is available to the merchant on its dashboard, where various metrics are tracked and displayed to the merchant, including information about the various cryptocurrencies that are used for payments to that merchant, the different currencies received by the merchant as payment and transaction details such as the transaction hash. In addition to various metrics, merchants are able to generate a variety of reports, and are able to configure various options, including settlement options, from their portal.

Customers of merchants that use the RocketFuel payment solution are able to track their payments in their own online portal. They are also able to track payments they made to all the merchants that are integrated with the RocketFuel payment technology within a single consolidated user portal. They are currently able to connect to their accounts on Coinbase and in the future we plan to add connectivity to Binance, Kraken, Gemini and other exchanges. Customers can also pay from any cryptocurrency wallet, such as Metamask and Electrum and are able to pay from their bank accounts as well. These customers are able to make payment with any of these payment options with 1, 2, or 3 clicks from the merchant checkout page. By default, these customers can choose from over 100 cryptocurrencies with which to pay.

Our payment user interface allows customers to easily onboard as well as to pay for merchants’ products or services with a variety of cryptocurrencies or via bank transfers. The user interface is displayed as a stand-alone popup that allows the creation of new accounts as well as payment directly from crypto exchanges, crypto wallets, and bank accounts, with no redirects to browser tabs or pages. This can be integrated as a plugin on the merchant checkout page or as a browser extension. The plugin, which we are currently developing, will come integrated with popular ecommerce platforms including WooCommerce, Shopify, Prestashop and others. The browser extension is integrated with popular browsers including Chrome, Chromium, Opera, Firefox, and Edge. The payment interface is designed for both web and mobile checkout experiences. Merchants are able to integrate the RocketFuel payment interface to their checkout page with software development kits (SDKs) that are available via the merchant portal. Application programming interfaces (APIs) are also available to the merchant for deeper integration into backend systems, ERP platforms, and other third-party platforms.

Our solution is designed to be implemented on an eCommerce site’s check-out page. The technology will also be used for different scenarios, including paying for services, paying invoices, and other payment strategies. In addition, we anticipate that a future version of our payment system will allow for advertisements in which the entire checkout process is embedded to be placed on third party websites where sales may be completely finalized. Thus, our technology will enable eCommerce strategies that can include advertisements with a fully integrated check-out process. We believe that this has never before been accomplished on any eCommerce platform. We believe that such advertisements could provide significant new sales channels to retailers that are simply not possible with legacy check-out solutions. We also believe that transactions costs on our system will be significantly less expensive than the cost of credit-card transactions.

The RocketFuel check-out solution is designed to operate identically across merchant channels with all participating merchants. eCommerce merchants are able to encode their check-out protocol to support our technology and the merchants will no longer have to administer complex check-out and payment gateways at their eCommerce websites. At the same time, consumers are able to experience enhanced data protection opportunities and significantly improved convenience.

With the RocketFuel check-out systems, consumers will no longer have to enter credit card information or shipping details every time they want to buy online. Payment and shipping information will be handled automatically. Using the RocketFuel payment solution, credit card data will no longer be shared or transmitted and exposed online. Rather, payments will be made via 100% secure cryptocurrency conveyance or direct bank transfer on the blockchain.

Our corporate headquarters are located in San Francisco, California.

Critical Accounting Policies

Our significant accounting policies are described in Note 2 to the financial statements as of March 31, 2022 which are included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K. There were no changes to our significant accounting policies during the three months ended June 30, 2022 as compared to the significant account policies described in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended March 31, 2022. Our discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations are based upon these financial statements, which have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States. The preparation of these financial statements requires us to make estimates and judgments that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenues and expenses, and related disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities. We evaluate our estimates on an on-going basis. We base our estimates on historical experience and on various other assumptions that we believe to be reasonable under the circumstances, the results of which form the basis for making judgments about the carrying values of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. In the past, actual results have not been materially different from our estimates. However, results may differ from these estimates under different assumptions or conditions.

Results of Operations

For the Three Months Ended June 30, 2022 vs June 30, 2021

Revenues

During the three months ended June 30, 2022, we recorded revenues of $8,132 as a result of transaction fees and the recognition of amortization of deferred setup fee revenues in connection with the execution of contracts with customers. During the three months ended June 30, 2021, we recorded revenues of $2,500 for similar recognition of deferred revenues.

We anticipate that future revenues will continue to be generated from (i) fees charged in connection with the implementation of our blockchain technology; and (ii) ongoing daily transactional fees derived as a negotiated percentage of the transactional revenues earned by our merchant customers.

Research and Development Expenses

Research and development expenses for the three months ended June 30, 2022 were $258,965 as compared with $326,217 for the prior year period, a decrease of $67,252. The decrease is primarily a result of a larger portion of effort of contract developers and the payroll expenses being directed toward capitalized development of and improvements in our blockchain technology software for payment processing.

General and Administrative Expenses

General and administrative expenses for the three months ended June 30, 2022 were $1,237,954 as compared with $880,874 for the prior year period, an increase of $357,080. The increase is primarily a result of (i) an increase in legal fees of approximately $125,000 incurred in connection with business development strategies; (ii) increased payroll and recruiting expenses of approximately $192,000 incurred in connection with the hiring of certain key management and technical personnel; and (iii) an increase of approximately $33,000 in finance professional fees in designing and managing accounting systems to accommodate additional revenue stream opportunities.

Liquidity and Capital Resources

We will require additional financing in order to continue to develop our product and execute on our business plan. However, there can be no assurances that we will be successful in raising the additional capital necessary to continue operations and execute on our business plan. Any potential future sale of equity or debt securities may result in dilution to our stockholders, and we cannot be certain that additional public or private financing will be available in amounts or on terms acceptable to us, or at all. If we are required to raise additional financing, but are unable to obtain such financing, we may be required to delay, reduce the scope of, or eliminate one or more aspects of our operations or business development activities.

On June 30, 2022, we had total assets of $2,116,241 and total liabilities of $716,401. This compares to total assets of $3,110,795 and total liabilities of $513,550 on March 31, 2022. As of June 30, 2022, our assets consisted of $1,492,846 of cash and restricted cash, $1,362 of accounts receivable, $81,057 of prepaid and other current assets and $540,976 of property and equipment, net of depreciation and amortization. The decrease in assets compared to March 31, 2022 is due to the use of cash to pay for operating costs as a result of increase business activities, somewhat offset by the increase in prepaid and other current assets and the capitalization of software development costs. As of June 30, 2022, our liabilities consist of $657,430 of accounts payable and accrued expenses, $47,679 due to related parties and $11,292 of deferred revenue. The increase in liabilities compared to March 31, 2022 is largely due to increases of accounts payables and accrued expenses with a lesser increase in amounts due to a related party.

On June 30, 2022, we had working capital of $858,864 and a stockholders’ equity of $1,399,840 compared to working capital of $2,137,069 and stockholders’ equity of $2,597,245 at March 31, 2022. Working capital decreased during the three months ended June 30, 2022 largely due to cash used in operating activities to expand on the Company’s product offerings and capabilities of its software. Stockholders’ equity decreased due to the operating loss for the three-month period ended June 30, 2022, with no additional private placement funds to offset the operating loss.

As of June 30, 2022, we had cash and restricted cash of $1,492,846 as compared to $2,634,794 as of March 31, 2022.

During the three months ended June 30, 2022, we had net cash of $974,067 used in operating activities, which was composed primarily of (i) our net loss of $948,728, (ii) a gain from a legal settlement of $540,059, and (iii) increases in prepaid and other current assets of $68,707. The cash flows used in operating activities were partially offset by (i) stock-based compensation of $291,382 in connection with stock options granted pursuant to the 2018 Stock Option Plan, (ii) depreciation and amortization of $87,081, (iii) an increase in accounts payable and accrued expenses of $170,230, and (iv) an increase in a payable to a related party of $36,402. During the three months ended June 30, 2021, we had net cash of $876,340 used in operating activities, which was composed of our net loss of $1,204,591 and offset by (i) stock-based compensation of $316,896 and (ii) smaller incremental increases and decreases to accounts receivable, prepaid expenses and other current assets, accounts payable and accrued expenses, payables to related parties and deferred revenues.

During the three months ended June 30, 2022, we used cash of $167,881 for the purchase of property and equipment and the capitalization of software development costs. There were no such investments during the three-month period ended June 30, 2021.

During the three months ended June 30, 2022, we had no cash provided by financing activities, compared with $582,500 net cash provided by the issuance of common stock in connection with exercise of common stock purchase warrants during the three-month period ended June 30, 2021.

Our financial statements have been presented on the basis that we are a going concern, which contemplates the realization of assets and satisfaction of liabilities in the normal course of business. During the three months ended June 30, 2022, we reported a net loss of $948,728, which included non-cash stock-based compensation of $291,382 and $540,059 of gain from a legal settlement, and cash flows used in operating activities of $974,067. These factors, among others, raise substantial doubt about the ability of the Company to continue as a going concern. The consolidated financial statements do not include any adjustments that might result from the outcome of this uncertainty.

Commitments

We do not have any long-term commitments as of June 30, 2022.

Subsequent Events

We entered into a marketing service agreement on July 20, 2022 with a certain marketing firm whereby the marketing firm provides various marketing services for us. In connection with this agreement, we issued 333,943 shares in consideration for the performance of the services by this firm. 

Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements

As of June 30, 2022, we did not have any off-balance sheet arrangements that have, or are reasonably likely to have, a current or future material effect on our financial condition, results of operations, liquidity, capital expenditures or capital resources.

Impact of COVID-19 on Our Business

The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted, and may continue to result, in significant economic disruption despite progress made in the development and distribution of vaccines. It has already disrupted global travel, supply chains and the labor market and adversely impacted global commercial activity. Considerable uncertainty still surrounds COVID-19, the evolution of its variants, its potential long-term economic effects, as well as the effectiveness of any responses taken by government authorities and businesses and of various efforts to inoculate the global population. The travel restrictions, limits on hours of operations and/or closures of non-essential businesses, and other efforts to curb the spread of COVID-19 have significantly disrupted business activity globally and there is uncertainty as to when these disruptions will fully subside.

Significant uncertainty continues to exist concerning the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our customers’ and prospects’ business and operations in future periods. Although our total revenues for the three months ended June 30, 2022 were not materially impacted by COVID- 19, we believe our revenues may be negatively impacted in future periods until the effects of the pandemic have fully subsided and the current macroeconomic environment has substantially recovered. The uncertainty related to COVID-19 may also result in increased volatility in the financial projections we use as the basis for estimates and assumptions used in our financial statements. We have adapted our operations to meet the challenges of this uncertain and rapidly evolving situation, including establishing remote working arrangements for our employees, limiting non-essential business travel, and cancelling or shifting our customer, employee, and industry events to a virtual-only format for the foreseeable future. We have not received any government assistance from various relief packages available in countries where we operate.

Effects of the COVID-19 pandemic that may negatively impact our business in future periods include, but are not limited to: limitations on the ability of our customers to conduct their business, purchase our products and services, and make timely payments; curtailed consumer spending; deferred purchasing decisions; delayed consulting services implementations; labor shortages and decreases in product licenses revenues driven by channel partners. We will continue to actively monitor the nature and extent of the impact to our business, operating results, and financial condition.

Item 3. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk

Not applicable.

Item 4. Controls and Procedures

Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures

Based on an evaluation under the supervision and with the participation of our management, our principal executive officer and principal financial officer have concluded that our disclosure controls and procedures as defined in Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) under the Exchange Act were not effective as of June 30, 2022 to ensure that information required to be disclosed by us in reports that we file or submit under the Exchange Act is (i) recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in the SEC rules and forms and (ii) accumulated and communicated to our management, including our principal executive officer and principal financial officer, as appropriate, to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure. Based on this evaluation, our management concluded that, as of June 30, 2022, our internal controls over financial reporting were not effective.

Changes in Internal Control Over Financial Reporting

The following changes have been made in our internal control over financial reporting (as such term is defined in Rules 13a-15(f) under the Exchange Act) during the fiscal period to which this report relates that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.

We have engaged a new accountant and an independent Controller to transact and oversee the financial activities of the Company, with preparation of our public filings by an SEC Manager, each with the guidance of our SEC Director. These persons are under the purview of our CFO.

We intend to perform additional internal control improvements, beginning with written documentation of financial processes.

Inherent Limitations of the Effectiveness of Internal Controls

A control system, no matter how well conceived and operated, can provide only reasonable, not absolute, assurance that the objectives of the internal control system are met. Because of the inherent limitations of any internal control system, no evaluation of controls can provide absolute assurance that all control issues, if any, within a company have been detected.

PART II. OTHER INFORMATION

Item 1. Legal Proceedings

Other than as set forth below, we are not the subject of any pending legal proceedings; and to the knowledge of management, no proceedings are presently contemplated against us by any federal, state or local governmental agency. Further, to the knowledge of management, no director or executive officer is party to any action in which any has an interest adverse to us.

On October 8, 2020, we filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California against Joseph Page, our former director and chief technology officer. On January 13, 2021, the case was transferred to the U.S. District Court for the District of Nevada, Las Vegas Division. The causes of action include securities fraud under Federal and California law; fraud, breach of fiduciary duty, negligent misrepresentation and unjust enrichment under California law; and violation of California Business and Professions Code §17200 et seq.

On May 29, 2019, Mr. Page resigned from our board. After his resignation, we retained independent patent counsel to review our patent applications. In connection with this review, we discovered certain deficiencies in some of the applications and in their assignments to us. We determined that all of the applications had been abandoned. Based on this review, we decided to refile three of our applications with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, which we did in May 2020. It is our belief that the three newly filed patent applications cover and/or disclose the same subject matter as we disclosed in the five original patent applications. In this case, our rights may be subject to any intervening patent applications made after the dates of the original applications. In the lawsuit, we were alleging that Mr. Page was aware of the abandonments when he assigned the patents to RocketFuel Blockchain Company (“RBC”), a private corporation that he controlled, and that he failed to disclose to us the abandonments when the Company acquired RBC in exchange for shares of the Company’s Common Stock. Mr. Page filed an answer denying the Company’s claims and asserted cross- and counterclaims against the Company and several of the Company’s shareholders alleging breach of contract and fraud. In September 2021, Mr. Page voluntarily dismissed all of the counterclaims against the shareholders.

On June 7, 2022, RBC entered into a settlement agreement in the legal proceedings between the Company as plaintiff, and Joseph Page as defendant, whereunder Page surrendered 3,600,394 shares of the Company’s common stock, and kept 1,500,000 shares. Mr. Page represents and warrants that he has not filed or assisted anyone else in filing any patent applications that would preempt or infringe upon the Company’s patent applications. Plaintiff and defendant have each released their claims against each other and covenanted not to sue the other, including related parties and stakeholders, with the exclusion of current or future claims against EGS. The parties agreed to a Stipulated Dismissal of the Action with Prejudice filed with the court. In connection with this settlement, we recognized a gain of $540,059, calculated based on the Company’s share price of $0.15 per share on the date of settlement of the legal proceedings. This gain was recorded in other income for the three months ended June 30, 2022 in the accompanying consolidated statements of operations.

On March 2, 2021, we filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York against Ellenoff Grossman & Schole LLP (“EGS”) for negligence and legal malpractice, breach of contract and breach of fiduciary duty. EGS had represented RBC prior to the Business Combination and represented us after the closing of the Business Combination through August 2019. In the litigation against Mr. Page, he has alleged that he provided information to an EGS partner that the patent applications had been abandoned and that EGS failed to inform RBC and us of the fact. We are seeking damages and the return of legal fees previously paid.

At the date of this report, the Company is unable to estimate the probability success or dollar amount of rulings in the March 2, 2021 case against EGS, and as a result, has not accrued any potential benefit to the Company’s balance sheet. Attorney fees related to these proceedings are expensed as incurred.

Item 1A. Risk Factors

The Risk Factors identified in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended March 31, 2022 continue to represent the most significant risks to the Company’s future results of operations and financial conditions, without further modification or amendment.

Item 2. Unregistered Sales of Equity Securities

We had no placements or sales of the Company’s equity securities during the three-month period ended June 30, 2022.

Item 6. Exhibits

SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.