Vivakor, Inc. - Quarter Report: 2023 March (Form 10-Q)

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 10-Q

☒ QUARTERLY REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE

ACT OF 1934

For the Quarterly Period Ended March 31, 2023

or

☐ TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE

ACT OF 1934

For the Transition Period from _________ to _________

Commission file number: 000-41286

VIVAKOR, INC.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

(949) 281-2606

(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)

(Former name, former address and former fiscal year, if changed since last report)

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 preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. Yes ☒   No ☐

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

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, or a small reporting company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” a “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 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities 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 July 20, 2023, there were 18,064,838 shares of the registrant’s common stock outstanding.

VIVAKOR, INC.

FORM 10-Q

FOR THE QUARTERLY PERIOD ENDED MARCH 31, 2023

TABLE OF CONTENTS

EXPLANATORY NOTE

On February 14, 2022, we effected a 1-for-30 reverse split of our authorized and outstanding shares of common stock (the “Reverse Stock Split”) via the filing of a certificate of change with the Nevada Secretary of State, which was filed simultaneously with the close of an underwritten public offering of our common stock and the commencement of the trading of our common stock on the Nasdaq Capital Market, LLC (see, Part II, Item 5 “Other Information”). As a result of the Reverse Stock Split, all authorized and outstanding common stock, preferred stock, and per share amounts in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, including, but not limited to, the consolidated financial statements and footnotes included herein, have been adjusted to reflect the Reverse Stock Split for all periods presented.

PART I - FINANCIAL INFORMATION

ITEM 1. FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

VIVAKOR, INC.

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS

See accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements

VIVAKOR, INC.

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS

(UNAUDITED)

See accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements

VIVAKOR, INC.

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CHANGES IN STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY

See accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements

VIVAKOR, INC.

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS

(UNAUDTED)

See accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements

VIVAKOR, INC.

NOTES TO THE CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

Note 1. Basis of Presentation

On February 14, 2022, we effected a 1-for-30 reverse split of our outstanding shares of common stock (the “Reverse Stock Split”) via the filing of a certificate of change with the Nevada Secretary of State which was effective at the commencement of trading of our Common Stock. No fractional shares of the Company’s common stock were issued as a result of the Reverse Stock Split. Any fractional shares resulting from the Reverse Stock Split will be rounded up to the nearest whole share. All issued and outstanding common stock, preferred stock, and per share amounts in the consolidated financial statements and footnotes included herein have been retroactively adjusted to reflect this reverse stock split for all periods presented.

COVID-19

On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization (“WHO”) declared the COVID-19 outbreak to be a global pandemic. In addition to the devastating effects on human life, the pandemic had a negative ripple effect on the global economy, leading to disruptions and volatility in the global financial markets. Most U.S. states and many countries issued policies intended to stop or slow the spread of the disease.

In March 2020 we temporarily suspended operations in Kuwait and Utah due to COVID-19 government restrictions. Utah and Kuwait have since resumed site preparations for operations. Additionally, we continue to experience supply chain disruptions related to building our Remediation Processing Centers (“RPC”), completing certain refurbishment, and in relation to our other operations.

Interim Financial Information

The accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements were prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“U.S. GAAP”) for interim financial information and pursuant to the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”). Certain information and disclosures normally included in consolidated financial statements prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP have been condensed or omitted. Accordingly, these condensed consolidated financial statements should be read in conjunction with the audited consolidated financial statements and the related notes for the year ended December 31, 2022. The unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements have been prepared on a basis consistent with that used to prepare the audited annual consolidated financial statements and include, in the opinion of management, all adjustments, consisting of normal and recurring items, necessary for the fair presentation of the condensed consolidated financial statements. The operating results for the three months ended March 31, 2023 are not necessarily indicative of the results expected for the full year ending December 31, 2023.

Long Lived Assets

The Company reviews the carrying values of its long-lived assets for possible impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount may not be recoverable. If the expected future cash flow from the use of the asset and its eventual disposition is less than the carrying amount of the asset, an impairment loss is recognized and measured using the fair value of the related asset. During the three months ended March 31, 2023, the operations were limited due to supply and personnel limitations. Subsequent to March 31, 2023, the Company entered into an agreement to move the Vernal plant to Kuwait to service the contract with DIC for a scaled up RPC, as the Vernal plant was not producing product toward the off-take agreement, which has further delayed scaled operations. The Company evaluated these events and determined that there is no trigger event, and therefore there was no impairment incurred during the three months ended March 31, 2023. There can be no assurance that market conditions will not change or demand for the Company’s services will continue, which could result in impairment of long-lived assets in the future.

Intangible Assets and Goodwill:

We account for intangible assets and goodwill in accordance with ASC 350 “Intangibles-Goodwill and Other” (“ASC 350”). We assess our intangible assets in accordance with ASC 360 “Property, Plant, and Equipment” (“ASC 360”). Impairment testing is required when events occur that indicate an asset group may not be recoverable (“triggering events”). As detailed in ASC 360-10-35-21, the following are examples of such events or changes in circumstances (sometimes referred to as impairment indicators or triggers): (a) A significant decrease in the market price of a long-lived asset (asset group) (b) A significant adverse change in the extent or manner in which a long-lived asset (asset group) is being used or in its physical condition. (c) A significant adverse change in legal factors or in the business climate that could affect the value of a long-lived asset (asset group), including an adverse action or assessment by a regulator (d) An accumulation of costs significantly in excess of the amount originally expected for the acquisition or construction of a long-lived asset (asset group) (e) A current-period operating or cash flow loss combined with a history of operating or cash flow losses or a projection or forecast that demonstrates continuing losses associated with the use of a long-lived asset (asset group) (f) A current expectation that, more likely than not, a long-lived asset (asset group) will be sold or otherwise disposed of significantly before the end of its previously estimated useful life. The term more likely than not refers to a level of likelihood that is more than 50 percent. We performed an analysis and assessed no triggering event has occurred, and no impairment for the three months ended March 31, 2023.

Revenue Recognition

In August 2022, we acquired Silver Fuels Delhi, LLC and White Claw Colorado City, LLC, from which approximately 99% of the Company’s revenue is derived. For the three months ended March 31, 2023, our sales consist of storage services and the sale of crude oil or like products. For the three months ended March 31, 2023, disaggregated revenue by customer type was as follows: $11,123,530 in crude oil sales and $3,580,601 in product related to natural gas liquids sales.

Related Party Revenues

We sell sale of crude oil or like products and provide storage services to related parties under long-term contracts. We acquired these contracts in our August 1, 2022 acquisition of Silver Fuels Delhi, LLC and White Claw Colorado City, LLC. These contracts were entered into in the normal course of our business. Our revenue from related parties for the three months ended March 31, 2023 was $4,350,405.

Major Customers and Concentration of Credit Risk

The Company has two major customers, which account for approximately 98% and 100% of the balance of accounts receivable as of March 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022.

Advertising Expense

Advertising costs are expensed as incurred. The Company did not incur advertising expense for the three months ended March 31, 2023 and 2022.

Net Income/Loss Per Share

Basic net income (loss) per share is calculated by subtracting any preferred interest distributions from net income (loss), all divided by the weighted-average number of common shares outstanding for the period, without consideration for common stock equivalents. Diluted net income (loss) per common share is computed by dividing the net income (loss) by the weighted-average number of common share equivalents outstanding for the period determined using the treasury stock method if their effect is dilutive. Potential dilutive instruments as of March 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022 include the following: convertible notes payable convertible into approximately 14,560 shares of common stock, stock options granted to current or previous employees of 1,421,760 shares of common stock, stock options granted to Board members or consultants of 395,139 shares of common stock. The Company also has a warrant outstanding to purchase 80,000 shares of common stock as of March 31, 2023.

Use of Estimates

The preparation of financial statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America requires management to make estimates, judgments, and assumptions that affect the amounts reported in the consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes. We believe our critical accounting estimates relate to the following: Recoverability of current and noncurrent assets, revenue recognition, stock-based compensation, income taxes, effective interest rates related to long-term debt, marketable securities, cost basis investments, lease assets and liabilities, valuation of stock used to acquire assets, derivatives, and fair values of the intangible assets and goodwill related to business combinations.

While our estimates and assumptions are based on our knowledge of current events and actions we may undertake in the future, actual results may ultimately differ from these estimates and assumptions.

Fair Value of Financial Instruments

The Company follows Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) 820, “Fair Value Measurements and Disclosures” (“ASC 820”), for assets and liabilities measured at fair value on a recurring basis. ASC 820 establishes a common definition for fair value to be applied to existing generally accepted accounting principles that requires the use of fair value measurements, establishes a framework for measuring fair value, and expands disclosure about such fair value measurements. The adoption of ASC 820 did not have an impact on the Company’s financial position or operating results but did expand certain disclosures.

ASC 820 defines fair value as the price that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date. Additionally, ASC 820 requires the use of valuation techniques that maximize the use of observable inputs and minimize the use of unobservable inputs. These inputs are prioritized below:

Level 1: Applies to assets or liabilities for which there are quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities.

Level 2: Applies to assets or liabilities for which there are inputs other than quoted prices that are observable for the asset or liability such as quoted prices for similar assets or liabilities in active markets; quoted prices for identical assets or liabilities in markets with insufficient volume or infrequent transactions (less active markets); or model-derived valuations in which significant inputs are observable or can be derived principally from, or corroborated by, observable market data.

Level 3: Applies to assets or liabilities for which there are unobservable inputs to the valuation methodology that are significant to the measurement of the fair value of the assets or liabilities.

The Company analyzes all financial instruments with features of both liabilities and equity under the Financial Accounting Standard Board’s (“FASB”) accounting standard for such instruments. Under this standard, financial assets and liabilities are classified in their entirety based on the lowest level of input that is significant to the fair value measurement. The carrying amounts reported in the consolidated balance sheets for marketable securities are classified as Level 1 assets due to observable quoted prices for identical assets in active markets. The carrying amounts reported in the consolidated balance sheets for cash, prepaid expenses and other current assets, accounts payable and accrued expenses approximate their estimated fair market values based on the short-term maturity of these instruments. The recorded values of notes payable approximate their current fair values because of their nature, rates, and respective maturity dates or durations.

Note 2. Liquidity

We have historically suffered net losses and cumulative negative cash flows from operations, and as of March 31, 2023, we had an accumulated deficit of approximately 57,704,373 $57.7 million. As of March 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022, we had a working capital deficit of approximately $6.4 million and $3.7 million, respectively. As of March 31, 2023 we had cash of approximately $2.7 million. In addition, we have obligations to pay approximately $14.1 million (of which approximately $13.2 million can be satisfied through the issuance of our common stock under the terms of the debt and $410,200 is related to PPP loans that are anticipated to be forgiven with the remainder) of debt in cash within one year of the issuance of these financial statements. Our CEO has also committed to provide credit support through December 2024, as necessary, for an amount up to $8 million to provide the Company sufficient cash resources, if required, to execute its plans for the next twelve months. These conditions raise substantial doubt about the Company's ability to continue as a going concern. We believe the liquid assets and CEO commitment give it adequate working capital to finance our day-to-day operations for at least twelve months through July 2024.

The Company has prepared the consolidated financial statements on a going concern basis. If the Company encounters unforeseen circumstances that place constraints on its capital resources, management will be required to take various measures to conserve liquidity. Management cannot provide any assurance that the Company will raise additional capital if needed.

Note 3. Accounts Receivable

Accounts receivable primarily relates to sales to trade accounts receivable of customers for crude oil and natural gas liquid products. Accounts receivable is presented as amounts due from customers less an estimated allowance for doubtful accounts. An allowance for doubtful accounts, if deemed necessary by management, is based on a review of all outstanding amounts by customer on a monthly basis. Management determines the allowance for doubtful accounts, if any, by identifying troubled accounts and by using historical experience applied to an aging of accounts, as well as the current and projected financial condition of the specific customer. As of March 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022 no allowance for doubtful accounts was deemed necessary. Trade accounts receivable are zero interest bearing. Trade accounts receivable of $1,381,436 are with a vendor of which our CEO is a beneficiary.

Note 4. Prepaid Expenses

As of March 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022, our prepaid expenses of $90,632 and $31,523 mainly consist of prepaid insurances.

Note 5. Marketable Securities

The Company owns 826,376,882 shares of common stock of Scepter Holdings, Inc. (“Scepter”), ticker: BRZL, OTC Markets., for a diluted 17% equity holding in the company. The Company accounted for such securities based on the quoted price from the OTC Markets where the stock is traded which resulted in the Company recording an unrealized gain (loss) on marketable securities of $(495,826) and $1,239,566 for the three months ended March 31, 2023 and 2022. The Company’s previous Chief Executive Officer, who resigned on October 6, 2022, had an immediate family member who sits on the board of directors of Scepter Holdings, Inc. As of March 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022 our marketable securities were valued at $1,156,928 and $1,652,754.

Note 6. Inventories

As of March 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022, inventories of $69,998 and $47,180 consist of crude oil. The crude oil is related to our oil gathering facility in Delhi, Louisiana.

Note 7. Property and Equipment

The following table sets forth the components of the Company’s property and equipment at March 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022:

For the three months ended March 31, 2023 and 2022 depreciation expense was $37,151 and $2,890. For the three months ended March 31, 2023 and 2022 capitalized interest to equipment from debt financing was $237,978 and $488,014. Equipment that is currently being manufactured is considered construction in process and is not depreciated until the equipment is placed into service. Equipment that is temporarily not in service is not depreciated until placed into service.

The operations surrounding our precious metals extraction services were temporarily suspended until recently, although due to these suspended activities and a shift in 2022 of the Company’s focus to the oil and gas industry, we have realized an impairment loss of $6,269,998 surrounding the extraction machinery for the year ended December 31, 2022.

As of December 31, 2022 we continued to pursue a test facility or third party reactor for our nano catalyst technology that facilitates chemical manufacturing, with a focus on the production of ammonia, which includes our bioreactor equipment. The Company received recent quotes for testing or building our own test facilities with new partners for this venture. After taking into consideration this new information, we noted that the newly requested capital expenditure to test and scale the business triggered an impairment loss of assets related to our ammonia synthesis assets, including our bioreactors. The impairment loss related to our bioreactors was $1,440,000 for the year ended December 31, 2022. There was no impairment loss during the three months ended March 31, 2023

Note 8. Intellectual Property, Net and Goodwill

The following table sets forth the components of the Company’s intellectual property at March 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022:

The changes in the carrying amount of goodwill are as follows:

There were no changes in goodwill for the three months ended March 31, 2023.

On August 1, 2022, the Company closed a Membership Interest Purchase Agreement, (the “MIPA”), with Jorgan Development, LLC, and JBAH Holdings, LLC, as the equity holders of Silver Fuels Delhi, LLC, a Louisiana limited liability company (“SFD”) and White Claw Colorado City, LLC, a Texas limited liability company (“WCCC”) whereby, the Company acquired all of the issued and outstanding membership interests in each of SFD and WCCC making SFD and WCCC wholly owned subsidiaries of the Company. The purchase price for the Membership Interests is approximately $32.9 million, after post-closing adjustments.

Management hired a valuation expert who performed a valuation study to calculate the fair value of the acquired assets, assumed liabilities and goodwill. Based on the valuation study, the fair values of goodwill and the acquired contracts were $12,678,108 and $19,095,420 on August 1, 2022. Amortization expense for the three months ended March 31, 2023 and 2022 was $747,369 and $372,328.

Note 9. Accounts Payable and Accrued Expenses

Accounts payable and accrued expenses consist of the following:

As of March 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022, our accounts payable are primarily made up of trade payables for the purchase of for crude oil. Trade accounts payables in the amount of $923,028 and $4,000,681 is with a vendor who our CEO is a beneficiary of. As of March 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022, $96,388 and $37,685 of accounts payable related to services rendered, which are not trade payables, with a vendor of which our CEO is a beneficiary. $20,413 of accounts payable related to services rendered, which are not trade payables, are with a vendor where our Chief Financial Officer sits on the board of the directors and is an officer.

In March 2023, the Compensation Committee reviewed the Company’s 2022 results, including, but not limited to, the progress of the Company’s historic business and certain acquisitions completed by the Company during 2022, and approved discretionary bonuses, which have been accrued as of December 31, 2022, for the Chief Financial Officer, and an acquisition consultant, in the amounts of $505,467 (included in accrued compensation) and $421,222 (included in accounts payable), respectively.

Note 10. Loans and Notes Payable

Loans and notes payable and their maturities consist of the following:

Note 11. Commitments and Contingencies

Finance Leases

We acquired Silver Fuels Delhi, LLC (SFD) and White Claw Colorado City, LLC (WCCC) in a business combination in August 2022, in which we acquired certain finance leases contracts and liabilities as described below:

On March 17, 2020, the SFD entered into two sale and leaseback transactions with Maxus Capital Group, LLC (“Maxus”). The first transaction involved the Company assigning twelve storage tanks and other equipment and the second transaction involved the Company assigning the remaining property at the oil gathering facility with the exception of land, to Maxus Future minimum lease payments for each of the next three years under the Maxus lease obligations is as follows: 2023 $369,108, 2024 $492,144, and 2025 $123,036.

On December 28, 2021, the WCCC entered into a sale and leaseback transaction with Maxus, where WCCC assigned the crude oil, natural gas liquids, condensate, and liquid hydrocarbon receipt, throughput, processing, gathering, and delivery terminal, commonly known as the China Grove Station (the “China Grove Station”), located in Colorado City, Texas to Maxus. Future minimum lease payments for each of the next four years under the Maxus lease obligation are as follows: 2023 $353,817, 2024 $471,756, 2025 $471,756, and 2026 $471,756.

The following table reconciles the undiscounted cash flows for the finance leases as of March 31, 2023 to the finance lease liability recorded on the balance sheet:

Operating Leases

Commencing on September 15, 2019, the Company entered into a five-year lease with Jamboree Center 1 & 2 LLC covering approximately 6,961 square feet of office space in Irvine, CA. Under the terms of the lease agreement, we are required to make the following monthly lease payments: Year 1 $21,927, Year 2 $22,832, Year 3 $23,737, Year 4 $24,712, Year 5 $25,686. As a condition of the lease, we were required to provide a $51,992 security deposit.

On February 1, 2022, the Company entered into a lease agreement for approximately 2,533 square feet of office and manufacturing space located in Las Vegas, Nevada. Commencing on March 1, 2022, the Company entered into a three-year lease with Speedway Commerce Center, LLC. Under the terms of the lease agreement, we are required to make the following monthly lease payments: Year 1 $1,950, Year 2 $2,028, Year 3 $2,110. As a condition of the lease, we were required to provide a $2,418 security deposit.

On March 28, 2022, the Company entered into a lease agreement for approximately 1,469 square feet of office space located in Lehi, Utah. Commencing on April 1, 2022, the Company entered into a three-year lease with Victory Holdings, LLC. Under the terms of the lease agreement, we are required to make the following monthly lease payments: Year 1 is comprised of April to May 2022 $867, June 2022 to March 2023 $3,550, Year 2 $3,657, Year 3 $3,766. As a condition of the lease, we were required to provide a $3,766 security deposit.

On April 1, 2022, the Company entered into a lease agreement for approximately 2,000 square feet of office and warehouse space located in Houston, Texas. Commencing on April 1, 2022, the Company entered into a month-to-month lease with JVS Holdings, Inc. The lease may be terminated at any time or for any reason with a 30-day written notice to terminate. The lease requires a monthly lease payment of $2,000 as long as the Company remains in the space.

On December 16, 2022, our subsidiary, VivaVentures Remediation Corp. entered into a Land Lease Agreement (the “Land Lease”) with W&P Development Corporation, under which we agreed to lease approximately 3.5 acres of land in Houston, Texas. The Land Lease is for an initial term of 126 months and may be extended for an additional 120 months at our discretion. Our monthly rent is $0 for the first three months and then at month 4 it is approximately $7,000 (based on a 50% reduction) and increases to approximately $13,000 in month 7 and then increases annually up to approximately $16,000 per month by the end of the initial term. We plan to place one or more of our RPC machines on the property, as well as store certain equipment.

The following table reconciles the undiscounted cash flows for the leases as of March 31, 2023 to the operating lease liability recorded on the balance sheet:

Employment Agreements

On October 28, 2022 we entered into an executive employment agreement with a new Chief Executive Officer, James Ballengee, which provides for annual compensation of $1,000,000 payable in shares of our common stock issued in four equal quarterly installments, priced at the volume weighted average price (VWAP) for the five trading days preceding the date of the Employment Agreement and each anniversary thereof (the “CEO Compensation”). For the first twelve months of Mr. Ballengee’s employment, we will issue him a total of 923,672 shares of our common stock, issuable 230,918 per quarter. The CEO Compensation shall be subject to satisfaction of Nasdaq rules, the provisions of the Company’s equity incentive plan and other applicable requirements and shall be accrued if such issuance is due prior to satisfaction of such requirements. Additionally, Mr. Ballengee shall be eligible for a discretionary performance bonus. The Employment Agreement may be terminated by either party for any or no reason, by providing a five days’ notice of termination. In June 2022, the Company entered into employment agreements with its previous Chief Executive Officer and its current Chief Financial Officer, which provided for annual base salaries of $375,000 and $350,000, respectively, and provided for incremental increases in their salaries upon the Company’s achievement of specific performance metrics. The Company is currently accruing substantial portions of executive base salaries (see Note 9). The employment agreements provided for the grant of stock options to the previous Chief Executive Officer and the current Chief Financial Officer to purchase up to 955,093 and 917,825 shares of the Company’s common stock, respectively, at an exercise price equal to 110% and 100% of the fair market value of the Company’s common stock on the date of grant. The previous Chief Executive Officer vested in 503,935 of these stock options before his resignation without good reason with the remainder of his stock options cancelled. The total stock options for the former Chief Executive Officer vest over two years of continuous employment, subject to acceleration if terminated without cause or resignations for good reason. The Chief Financial Officer’s agreement also provides that it is anticipated that the executive will receive bonuses for 2023 which will be determined by the Company’s Compensation Committee and Board of Directors after taking into account the general business performance of the Company, including any completed financings and/or acquisitions.

Note 12. Long-term Debt

Due to delays in achieving scaled up operations (Note 1 Long Lived Assets) the effective interest rate of these agreements range from approximately 11% to 34% for the three months ended March 31, 2023 and for the year ended December 31, 2022.

Long-term debt consists of the following:

The following table sets forth the estimated payment schedule of long-term debt as of March 31, 2023:

Note 13. Share-Based Compensation & Warrants

Options

Generally accepted accounting principles require share-based payments to employees, including grants of employee stock options, warrants, and common stock to be recognized in the income statement based on their fair values at the date of grant, net of estimated forfeitures.

The Company has granted stock-based compensation to employees, including the issuance of 1,872,918 employee stock options granted in June 2022 that were to vest over a period of two years, for which 451,158 of these options were cancelled with the resignation without cause in October 2022 of our prior Chief Executive Officer. For the three months ended March 31, 2023 and 2022, employee stock-based compensation was none and $111,528. On October 24, 2022, the previous Compensation Committee resolved to increase their compensation including the issuance of 100,000 stock options per independent board member, exercisable at $2.50 per share, vesting immediately. Non-statutory or independent Board of Director stock-based compensation was none and $427,500 for the three months ended March 31, 2023 and 2022. In 2022, the Company closed on its underwritten public offering in which the Company granted the underwriter, EF Hutton, division of Benchmark Investments, LLC (“EF Hutton”), a 45-day option to purchase up to an additional 240,000 shares of Common Stock at the public offering price per share, less the underwriting discounts and commissions, to cover over-allotments, if any. These options were not exercised and expired.

There were no other options granted during the three months ended March 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively.

The assumptions used in the Black-Scholes option pricing model to determine the fair value of the options on the date of issuance are as follows:

The following table summarizes all stock option activity of the Company for the three months ended March 31, 2023 and 2022:

As of March 31, 2023 and 2022, the aggregate intrinsic value of the Company’s outstanding options was approximately none. The aggregate intrinsic value will change based on the fair market value of the Company’s common stock.

Warrants

As of March 31, 2023 and 2022, the Company had 80,000 warrants outstanding. On February 14, 2022, the Company closed on its underwritten public offering of 1,600,000 shares of common stock, at a public offering price of $5.00 per share. In addition, the Company has issued the underwriter, EF Hutton, a 5-year warrant to purchase 80,000 shares of common stock at an exercise price equal $5.75 and were valued with a fair market value of $374,000. The impact of these warrants has no effect on stockholder’s equity, as they are considered equity-like instruments, and are considered a direct expense of the offering.

Note 14. Income Tax

The Company calculates its quarterly tax provision pursuant to the guidelines in ASC 740 Income Taxes. ASC 740 requires companies to estimate the annual effective tax rate for current year ordinary income. In calculating the effective tax rate, permanent differences between financial reporting and taxable income are factored into the calculation, and temporary differences are not. The estimated annual effective tax rate represents the Company’s estimate of the tax provision in relation to the best estimate of pre-tax ordinary income or loss. The estimated annual effective tax rate is then applied to year-to-date ordinary income or loss to calculate the year-to-date interim tax provision.

The Company recorded a provision for income taxes of $800 for the three months ended March 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively. The Company is projecting a 0.01% effective tax rate for the year ending December 31, 2023, which is primarily the result of projected provision from book loss incurred for the year offset by additional valuation allowance on the net operating losses. The Company’s effective tax rate for 2022 was 18.69% which was the result of the benefit of book income for the year.

As of December 31, 2022, the Company had estimated federal and state net operating loss (NOL) carryforwards of approximately $23.7 million. Federal NOL carryforwards begin to expire in 2028.

Note 15. Related Party Transactions

Viva Wealth Fund I, LLC (VWFI), which is managed by Wealth Space LLC, continued its private offering of up to $25,000,000 in convertible notes for the manufacture of one or more RPC machines. As of March 31, 2023, VWFI has raised $13,730,000 and the private offering has been closed. As of March 31, 2023, VWFI has paid $2,266,964 to Dzign Pro Enterprises, LLC (Dzign Pro) for engineering services related to our RPCs, site planning, and infrastructure, which entity shares a common executive with VWFI. As of March 31, 2023, VWFI also entered into a master revolving note payable to Dzign Pro in the amount of $300,000, which accrues 5% interest per annum, has a maturity date of July 14, 2024, where no payments are made prior to the maturity date unless at the option of the fund. VWFI also entered into a master revolving note payable to Van Tran Family LP, which is an affiliate of WealthSpace, LLC, the VWFI Fund Manager, in the amount of $944,500, which accrues 6% interest per annum, has a maturity date of October 11, 2023, where no payments are made prior to the maturity date unless at the option of the fund.

On June 15, 2022, we entered into a Membership Interest Purchase Agreement (the “MIPA”), with Jorgan Development, LLC, (“Jorgan”) and JBAH Holdings, LLC, (“JBAH” and, together with Jorgan, the “Sellers”), as the equity holders of Silver Fuels Delhi, LLC (“SFD”) and White Claw Colorado City, LLC (“WCCC”) whereby, at closing, which occurred on August 1, 2022, we acquired all of the issued and outstanding membership interests in each of SFD and WCCC (the “Membership Interests”), making SFD and WCCC our wholly-owned subsidiaries. The purchase price for the Membership Interests was approximately $32.9 million paid for by us with a combination of shares of our common stock, amount equal to 19.99% of the number of issued and outstanding shares of our common stock immediately prior to issuance, and secured three-year promissory notes issued by us in favor of the Sellers (the “Notes”). As of March 31, 2023 we have accrued interest of approximately $190,609 and for the three months ended March 31, 2023, we made cash payments of $1,161,540 on the Notes.

In the business combination of acquiring WCCC we also acquired WCCC’s Oil Storage Agreement with White Claw Crude, LLC (“WC Crude”), who shares a beneficiary, James Ballengee, with Jorgan and JBAH. Under this agreement, WC Crude has the right, subject to the payment of service and maintenance fees, to store volumes of crude oil and other liquid hydrocarbons at a certain crude oil terminal operated by WCCC. WC Crude is required to pay $150,000 per month even if the storage space is not used. The agreement expires on December 31, 2031. For the three months ended March 31, 2023 we have received tank storage revenue related to this contract of approximately $450,000.

In the business combination of acquiring SFD, we acquired an amended Crude Petroleum Supply Agreement with WC Crude (the “Supply Agreement”), under which WC Crude supplies volumes of Crude Petroleum to SFD, which provides for the delivery to SFD a minimum of 1,000 sourced barrels per day, and includes a guarantee that when SFD resells these barrels, if SFD does not make at least a $5.00 per barrel margin on the oil purchased from WC Crude, then WC Crude will pay to SFD the difference between the sales price and $5.00 per barrel. In the event that SFD makes more than $5.00 per barrel, SFD will pay WC Crude a profit-sharing payment in the amount equal to 10% of the excess price over $5.00 per barrel, which amount will be multiplied by the number of barrels associated with the sale. The Supply Agreement expires on December 31, 2031. For the three months ended March 31, 2023, we have made crude oil purchases from WC Crude of $11,123,530. In addition, SFD entered into a sales agreement on April 1, 2022 with WC Crude to sell a natural gas liquid product to WC Crude. SFD sells the NGL stream at cost to WC Crude. We produced and sold natural gas liquids to WC Crude in the amount of $3,580,601 for the three months ended March 31, 2023.

In the business combination of acquiring SFD and WCCC we also entered into a Shared Services Agreement with Endeavor Crude, LLC (“Endeavor”), who shares a beneficiary, James Ballengee (the Company’s CEO), with Jorgan and JBAH. Under this agreement, we have the right, but not the obligation to use Endeavor for consulting services. For the three months ended March 31, 2023, Endeavor rendered services in the amount of $74,644.

We have an existing note payable issued to Triple T, which is owned by Dr. Khalid Bin Jabor Al Thani, the 51% majority-owner of Vivakor Middle East LLC. The note is interest free, has no fixed maturity date and will be repaid from revenues generated by Vivakor Middle East LLC. As of March 31, 2023 the balance owed was $351,626. In March 2023 the parties agreed to extend the maturity date of the loan to March 10, 2024.

Note 16. Subsequent Events

On July 25, 2023, a non-affiliated investor loaned us $500,000 under the terms of a 10% Convertible Promissory Note dated July 6, 2023 (the “Investor Note”). Under the terms of the Investor Note, the loan is at a 10% per annum interest rate, matures two years from the date of issuance, and is convertible into shares of our common stock at $2.50 per share, unless such conversion would cause the investor to own more than 4.9% of our outstanding common stock.

On July 1, 2023, we hired Leslie D. Patterson to be our Vice President, Operations & Construction. In this position, Mr. Patterson is in charge of managing the development and operations for our facilities. In connection with his hiring we signed an Executive Employment Agreement with Mr. Patterson. Under the terms of the Agreement, Mr. Patterson will receive $150,000 in annual salary, shares of our common stock equal to $25,000 annually, and a one-time bonus of shares of our common stock equal to $125,000, payable on the one year anniversary of his employment. Mr. Patterson is entitled to other bonuses and benefits on par with our general employment policies.

On June 26, 2023, our subsidiary VivaVentures Remediation Corp., entered into an RPC Equipment Lease Agreement with Viva Wealth Fund I, LLC (“VWF”), under which VivaVentures Remediation Corp. agreed to lease the Remediation Processing Center (“RPC”) owned by VWF. VWF previously raised approximately $13.7 million and used the funds to have our subsidiary, RPC Design and Manufacturing, LLC, build an RPC, which we are now leasing from VWF in exchange for 25% of the gross proceeds from the RPC’s oil extraction production services, with a minimum $400,000 annual payment beginning nine months after the RPC is fully-operational as defined in the RPC Equipment Lease Agreement.

On June 20, 2023, we issued a 15% secured promissory note (the “Note”) due as described below, to Al Dali International for Gen. Trading & Cont. Co., a company organized under the laws of Kuwait (“DIC”), in the principal amount of up to $1,950,000 (the “Principal Amount”). We are using the proceeds of the Note to relocate, refurbish, and fully install our RPC currently located in Vernal, Utah to DIC’s location in Kuwait. The installation of this RPC in Kuwait will allow us to perform under the Services Agreement we signed with DIC on December 14, 2021.

As security to secure repayment of the Note, we issued DIC an option to purchase 1,000,000 shares of our common stock at an exercise price of $1.179 per share (the “Option”). At any time there are amounts due to DIC under the Note, DIC may use the amounts to purchase some or all of the shares under the Option by using the outstanding amounts as payment of the exercise price under the Option. We also granted DIC a security interest in our Trial Remediation Processing Center that is currently on-site at the DIC facility in Kuwait. Additionally, we granted DIC a security interest in the RPC.

We will repay the amounts due under the Note from the operations of the RPC. Under the terms of the Services Agreement, we are entitled to $20 per ton of material processed through the RPC from DIC. In order to repay the amounts due under the Note, DIC will deduct $12 per ton of material processed from the amounts due to us until all amounts due under the Note have been repaid.

Following an event of default, as defined in the Note, we will be subject to a penalty of $5,000 per day. Any penalties incurred under the Note will be added to the Principal Amount due and owing under the Note.

On May 25, 2023, we entered into a Consulting Agreement with Matthew Nicosia, our former Chief Executive Officer, Under the terms of the agreement, Mr. Nicosia is assisting our current Chief Executive Officer regarding transitioning certain projects Mr. Nicosia was working on to our new Chief Executive Officer, primarily those operations related to our business in Kuwait and our attempt to sell certain assets that were impaired as of December 31, 2022. The agreement is for an initial term of three-months and we are paying Mr. Nicosia a total of $25,000 in cash and $30,000 worth of our common stock.

In May 2023, we entered into a Consulting Agreement with Trent Staggs, one of our former directors. Under the terms of the agreement, Mr. Staggs is assisting us with certain permitting and reporting services related to our RPC in Utah. The agreement is for a term of four months and we are paying Mr. Staggs a total of $48,000 in cash under the terms of the agreement.

On May 23, 2023, our subsidiary White Claw Colorado City, LLC (“WCCC”), supplemented an existing Master Agreement (the “Master Agreement”) with Maxus Capital Group, LLC (“Maxus”), under which Maxus agreed to finance the build-out of our new facility located on the land leased by our subsidiary, VivaVentures Remediation Corp., in Houston, Texas. Once the facility is built-out we plan to put the RPC we lease from VWF at the location and perform oil remediation and wash plant cleaning services. We expect Maxus to fund approximately $2.2 million to finance the build-out of the Houston location in the form of a finance lease for the wash plant, and we will lease the wash plant facility financed by Maxus under the WCCC lease supplement. We expect our lease payments to Maxus under the supplement to be approximately $57,962 per month over 4 years, with an early buyout option of approximately $685,000 or lease-end option to purchase the facilities for the fair market value.

ITEM 2. MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q includes a number of forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, (the “Exchange Act”) that reflect management’s current views with respect to future events and financial performance. These statements are based upon beliefs of, and information currently available to, the Company’s management as well as estimates and assumptions made by the Company’s management. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which are only predictions and speak only as of the date hereof. When used herein, the words “anticipate,” “believe,” “estimate,” “expect,” “forecast,” “future,” “intend,” “plan,” “predict,” “project,” “target,” “potential,” “will,” “would,” “could,” “should,” “continue” or the negative of these terms and similar expressions as they relate to the Company or the Company’s management identify forward-looking statements. Such statements reflect the current view of the Company with respect to future events and are subject to risks, uncertainties, assumptions, and other factors, including the risks relating to the Company’s business, industry, and the Company’s operations and results of operations. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should the underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may differ significantly from those anticipated, believed, estimated, expected, intended, or planned.

Although the Company believes that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements are reasonable, the Company cannot guarantee future results, levels of activity, performance, or achievements. Except as required by applicable law, including the securities laws of the United States, the Company does not intend to update any of the forward-looking statements to conform these statements to actual results.

Our financial statements are prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States (“GAAP”). These accounting principles require us to make certain estimates, judgments and assumptions. We believe that the estimates, judgments and assumptions upon which we rely are reasonable based upon information available to us at the time that these estimates, judgments and assumptions are made. These estimates, judgments and assumptions can affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities as of the date of the financial statements as well as the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the periods presented. Our financial statements would be affected to the extent there are material differences between these estimates and actual results. The following discussion should be read in conjunction with our financial statements and notes thereto appearing elsewhere in this report. The forward-looking statements made in this report are based only on events or information as of the date on which the statements are made in this report. Except as required by law, we undertake no obligation to update or revise publicly any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, after the date on which the statements are made or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events. You should read this report and the documents we refer to in this report and have filed as exhibits to this report completely and with the understanding that our actual future results may be materially different from what we expect.

Although we believe that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements are reasonable, we cannot guarantee future results, levels of activity, or performance. Readers are urged to carefully review and consider the various disclosures made by us in this report and in our other reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”). We undertake no obligation to update or revise forward-looking statements to reflect changed assumptions, the occurrence of unanticipated events or changes in the future operating results over time except as required by law. We believe that our assumptions are based upon reasonable data derived from and known about our business and operations. No assurances are made that actual results of operations or the results of our future activities will not differ materially from our assumptions.

As used in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q and unless otherwise indicated, the terms “Company,” “we,” “us,” and “our” refer to Vivakor, Inc., its wholly owned and majority-owned active subsidiaries, or joint ventures (collectively, the “Company”). Intercompany balances and transactions between consolidated entities are eliminated. Vivakor has the following wholly and majority-owned subsidiaries: Silver Fuels Delhi, LLC, a Louisiana limited liability company, White Claw Colorado City, LLC, a Texas limited liability company, RPC Design and Manufacturing LLC (“RDM”), a Utah limited liability company, Vivaventures Remediation Corp., a Texas corporation, Vivaventures Management Company, Inc., a Nevada corporation, Vivasphere, Inc., a Nevada corporation, Vivaventures Oil Sands, Inc., a Utah corporation. We have a 99.95% ownership interest in Vivaventures Energy Group, Inc., a Nevada Corporation; the 0.05% minority interest in Vivaventures Energy Group, Inc. is held by a private investor unaffiliated with us. We also have an approximate 49% ownership interest in Vivakor Middle East Limited Liability Company, a Qatar limited liability company. Vivakor manages and consolidates RPC Design and Manufacturing LLC, which includes a noncontrolling interest investment from Vivaopportunity Fund, LLC, which is also managed by Vivaventures Management Company, Inc. Vivakor has common officers with and consolidates Viva Wealth Fund I, LLC.

Business Overview

Vivakor, Inc. is a socially responsible operator, acquirer and developer of technologies and assets in the oil and gas industry, as well as, related environmental solutions. Currently, our efforts are primarily focused on operating crude oil gathering, storage and transportation facilities, as well as contaminated soil remediation services.

One of our facilities sells crude oil in amounts up to 60,000 barrels per month under agreements with a large energy company. A different facility owns a 120,000 barrel crude oil storage tank near Colorado City, Texas. The storage tank is presently connected to the Lotus pipeline system and we plan to further connect the tank to major pipeline systems.

Our soil remediation services specialize in the remediation of soil and the extraction of hydrocarbons, such as oil, from properties contaminated by or laden with heavy crude oil and other hydrocarbon-based substances utilizing our Remediation Processing Centers (RPCs). Our patented process allows us to successfully recover the hydrocarbons which we believe could then be used to produce asphaltic cement and/or other petroleum-based products. We are currently focusing our soil remediation efforts on our project in Kuwait and our upcoming project in the Houston, Texas area.

Reclassifications

Certain reclassifications may have been made to prior years’ amounts to conform to the 2023 presentation.

COVID-19

On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization (“WHO”) declared the COVID-19 outbreak to be a global pandemic. In addition to the devastating effects on human life, the pandemic is having a negative ripple effect on the global economy, leading to disruptions and volatility in the global financial markets. Most U.S. states and many countries have issued policies intended to stop or slow the further spread of the disease.

In March 2020 we temporarily suspended operations in Kuwait and Utah due to COVID-19 government restrictions. Utah and Kuwait have since resumed site preparations for operations. We have experienced supply chain disruptions in building our Remediation Processing Centers (“RPC”) and completing certain refurbishment on our precious metal extraction machines. These suspensions have had a negative impact on our business and there can be no guaranty that we will not need to suspend operations again in the future as a result of the pandemic.

COVID-19 and the U.S. response to the pandemic are significantly affecting the economy. There are no comparable events that provide guidance as to the effect the COVID-19 pandemic may have in the long-term, and, as a result, the ultimate effect of the pandemic is highly uncertain and subject to change. We do not yet know the full extent of the effects on the economy, the markets we serve, our business, or our operations.

Recent Developments

DIC Note

In conjunction with our Services Agreement we signed with DIC on December 14, 2021, on June 20, 2023, we issued a 15% secured promissory note (the “Note”) due as described below, to Al Dali International for Gen. Trading & Cont. Co., a company organized under the laws of Kuwait (“DIC”), in the principal amount of up to $1,950,000 (the “Principal Amount”). We are using the proceeds of the Note to relocate, refurbish, and fully install our RPC currently located in Vernal, Utah to DIC’s location in Kuwait. The installation of this RPC in Kuwait will allow us to perform under the Services Agreement.

As security to secure repayment of the Note, we issued DIC an option to purchase 1,000,000 shares of our common stock at an exercise price of $1.179 per share (the “Option”). At any time there are amounts due to DIC under the Note, DIC may use the amounts to purchase some or all of the shares under the Option by using the outstanding amounts as payment of the exercise price under the Option. We also granted DIC a security interest in our Trial Remediation Processing Center that is currently on-site at the DIC facility in Kuwait. Additionally, we granted DIC a security interest in the RPC.

We will repay the amounts due under the Note from the operations of the RPC. Under the terms of the Services Agreement, we are entitled to $20 per ton of material processed through the RPC from DIC. In order to repay the amounts due under the Note, DIC will deduct $12 per ton of material processed from the amounts due to us until all amounts due under the Note have been repaid.

Following an event of default, as defined in the Note, we will be subject to a penalty of $5,000 per day. Any penalties incurred under the Note will be added to the Principal Amount due and owing under the Note.

VWF Lease

On June 26, 2023, our subsidiary VivaVentures Remediation Corp., entered into an RPC Equipment Lease Agreement with Viva Wealth Fund I, LLC (“VWF”), under which VivaVentures Remediation Corp. agreed to lease the Remediation Processing Center (“RPC”) owned by VWF. VWF previously raised approximately $13.7 million and used the funds to have our subsidiary, RPC Design and Manufacturing, LLC, build an RPC, which we are now leasing from VWF in exchange for 25% of the gross proceeds from the RPC’s oil extraction production services, with a minimum $400,000 annual payment beginning nine months after the RPC is fully-operational as defined in the RPC Equipment Lease Agreement.

Maxus Lease and Financing

On May 23, 2023, our subsidiary White Claw Colorado City, LLC (“WCCC”), supplemented an existing Master Agreement (the “Master Agreement”) with Maxus Capital Group, LLC (“Maxus”), under which Maxus agreed to finance the build-out of our new facility located on the land leased by our subsidiary, VivaVentures Remediation Corp., in Houston, Texas. Once the facility is built-out we plan to put the RPC we lease from VWF at the location and perform oil remediation and wash plant cleaning services. We expect Maxus to fund approximately $2.2 million to finance the build-out of the Houston location in the form of a finance lease for the wash plant, and we will lease the wash plant facility financed by Maxus under the WCCC lease supplement. We expect our lease payments to Maxus under the supplement to be approximately $57,962 per month over 4 years, with an early buyout option of approximately $685,000 or lease-end option to purchase the facilities for the fair market value.

Hiring Vice President, Operations and Construction

On July 1, 2023, we hired Leslie D. Patterson to be our Vice President, Operations & Construction. In this position, Mr. Patterson is in charge of managing the development and operations for our facilities. In connection with his hiring we signed an Executive Employment Agreement with Mr. Patterson. Under the terms of the Agreement, Mr. Patterson will receive $150,000 in annual salary, shares of our common stock equal to $25,000 annually, and a one-time bonus of shares of our common stock equal to $125,000, payable on the one year anniversary of his employment. Mr. Patterson is entitled to other bonuses and benefits on par with our general employment policies.

Consulting Agreements

On May 25, 2023, we entered into a Consulting Agreement with Matthew Nicosia, our former Chief Executive Officer, Under the terms of the agreement, Mr. Nicosia is assisting our current Chief Executive Officer regarding transitioning certain projects Mr. Nicosia was working on to our new Chief Executive Officer, primarily those operations related to our business in Kuwait and our attempt to sell some operations that we have impaired. The agreement is for an initial term of three-months and we are paying Mr. Nicosia a total of $25,000 in cash and $30,000 worth of our common stock.

In May 2023, we entered into a Consulting Agreement with Trent Staggs, one of our former directors. Under the terms of the agreement, Mr. Staggs is assisting us with certain permitting and reporting services related to our RPC in Utah. The agreement is for a term of four months and we are paying Mr. Staggs a total of $48,000 in cash under the terms of the agreement.

Convertible Promissory Note

On July 25, 2023, a non-affiliated investor loaned us $500,000 under the terms of a 10% Convertible Promissory Note dated July 6, 2023 (the “Investor Note”). Under the terms of the Investor Note, the loan is at a 10% per annum interest rate, matures two years from the date of issuance, and is convertible into shares of our common stock at $2.50 per share, unless such conversion would cause the investor to own more than 4.9% of our outstanding common stock.

Results of Operations for the Three Months ended March 31, 2023 and 2022

Revenue

For the three months ended March 31, 2023 and 2022 we realized revenues of $15,544,872 and none, respectively, representing an increase of $15,544,872 or 100%. The increase in revenue is primarily attributed to our oil and natural gas liquid sales which have been realized through the operations from SFD and WCCC, which were acquired through our business combination, which closed on August 1, 2022.

Cost of Revenue

For the three months ended March 31, 2023, our cost of revenues consisted primarily of costs associated with selling oil and natural gas liquid through the operations from our newly acquired businesses in SFD and WCCC, which were acquired through our business combination which closed on August 1, 2022.

For the three months ended March 31, 2023 and 2022 costs of revenue were $14,031,714 and none, respectively, representing an increase of $14,031,714 or 100%. The increase in the cost of revenue is primarily attributed to the cost of goods sold for our oil and natural gas liquid products realized through the operations from our newly acquired businesses in SFD and WCCC, which were acquired through our business combination, which closed on August 1, 2022.

Gross Profit and Gross Margin

For the three months ended March 31, 2023 and 2022 we realized gross profit of $1,513,158 and none, respectively, representing an increase of $1,513,158 or 100%. For the three months ended March 31, 2023, the gross profit increased in proportion to the revenue and costs of revenue related to the purchase and sale of our oil and natural gas liquid products.

Operating Expenses

For the three months ended March 31, 2023 and 2022, we realized operating expenses of $2,638,030 and $1,879,364, which represents an increase of $758,666, or 40.37%. The increase in operating expenses is attributed to the following:

For the three months ended March 31, 2023 and 2022, we realized amortization and depreciation expense of $784,520 and $375,218, which represents an increase of $409,302 or 109.08%. The increase in amortization and depreciation expense is primarily attributed to the amortization of our newly acquired contracts and depreciation from our newly acquired property, plant and equipment held by SFD and WCCC, which were acquired through our business combination, which closed on August 1, 2022.

New management and board of director compensation agreements were entered into in June 2022, October 2022, and January 2023. New compensation agreements were entered into as a result of previous executive management being significantly undercompensated prior to the underwritten public offering and uplist to Nasdaq in 2022. In order to retain management and the board of directors for the two then executives. In October 2022 our previous CEO resigned, and we entered into an employment agreement with our current CEO, where the CEO salary increased from $375,000 to $1,000,000 annually, but it is only payable in common stock of the Company. In March 2023, the Compensation Committee set the new compensation for new independent directors, which replaced recently resigned independent Board members, which included prorated annual cash payments of $50,000 ($60,000 if a committee chair), $50,000 paid in our Common Stock, and 50,000 shares of our Common Stock, which is to be granted immediately.

Interest expense

For the three months ended March 31, 2023 and 2022, we realized interest expense of $1,205,669 and $91,965, which represents an increase of $1,113,704, or 1,211.01%. The increase in interest expense is mainly attributable the $28,664,284 in notes payable issued as consideration for our newly acquired entities, SFD and WCCC, which were acquired through our business combination, which closed on August 1, 2022. The notes accrue interest of prime plus 3% on the outstanding balance of the notes.

Unrealized loss on marketable securities

For the three months ended March 31, 2023 and 2022, we reported an unrealized gain (loss) of $(495,826) and 1,239,566, which represents a decrease of $1,735,392, or 140.00%. Our marketable securities were considered to be traded on an active market and were accounted for at a fair value based on the quoted prices in the active markets resulting in aggregate unrealized gains or losses as noted above.

Cash flows

The following table sets forth the primary sources and uses of cash and cash equivalents for the three months ended March 31, 2023 and 2022 as presented below:

Liquidity and Capital Resources

We have historically suffered net losses and cumulative negative cash flows from operations and, as of March 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022, we had an accumulated deficit of approximately $57.7 million and $55.2 million. As of March 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022, we had an working capital deficit of approximately $6.44 million and $3.77 million, respectively.

As of March 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022, we had cash and cash equivalents of $2,699,919 and $3,182,793, with $204,714 and $81,607 attributed to variable interest entities, respectively.

To date we have financed our operations primarily through debt financing, private equity offerings and our working interest agreements, although on February 14, 2022, the Company closed an underwritten public offering of 1,600,000 shares of common stock, at a public offering price of $5.00 per share, for aggregate net proceeds of $6.2 million, after deducting underwriting discounts, commissions, and other offering expenses. The Company’s Common Stock began trading on the Nasdaq Capital Market under the symbol “VIVK”.

For the three months ended March 31, 2023 and 2022, our net cash used in operating activities was mainly comprised of net effect of the consolidated net loss of $2,817,167 and $726,035, our depreciation and amortization of $784,520 and $375,218, a decrease in accounts receivable of $1,191,512 and none, a decrease in accounts payable of $1,775,681 and none. For the three months ended March 31, 2023 and 2022, we were also able to issue stock for services of none and $427,500, and stock-based compensation employees of none and $111,528 in lieu of using cash. We also realized interest expense on loans and notes payable of $1,205,669 and $91,965, and an unrealized loss of $495,826 and unrealized gain of $1,239,566 on marketable securities as described above.

For the three months ended March 31, 2023 and 2022, our net cash used in investing activities was mainly attributed to our purchase of equipment of $883,819 and $206,298 related to the manufacturing of our RPCs and a wash plant facilities.

Our net cash provided by our financing activities was mainly attributed to the net effect of the following events:

For the three months ended March 31, 2023 and 2022, and we received proceeds of $2,333,797 and $427,496 related to the issuance of notes and other loans. We also received proceeds of $6,240,000 from our February 14, 2022 underwritten public offering of 1,600,000 shares of common stock. For the three months ended March 31, 2023 and 2022, we paid down notes payable by $367,727 and $114,945 and made distributions to Viva Wealth Fund I, LLC unit holders of $289,002 and $135,950.

We have historically suffered net losses and cumulative negative cash flows from operations, and as of March 31, 2023, we had an accumulated deficit of approximately $57.7 million. As of March 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022, we had a working capital deficit of approximately $6.4 million and $3.7 million, respectively. As of March 31, 2023 we had cash of approximately $2.7 million. In addition, we have obligations to pay approximately $14.1 million (of which approximately $13.2 million can be satisfied through the issuance of our common stock under the terms of the debt and $410,200 is related to PPP loans that are anticipated to be forgiven with the remainder) of debt in cash within one year of the issuance of these financial statements. Our CEO has also committed to provide credit support through December 2024, as necessary, for an amount up to $8 million to provide the Company sufficient cash resources, if required, to execute its plans for the next twelve months. These conditions raise substantial doubt about the Company's ability to continue as a going concern. We believe the liquid assets and CEO commitment give it adequate working capital to finance our day-to-day operations for at least twelve months through July 2024.

Capitalized interest on construction in process was $237,978 and $488,014 for the three months ended March 31, 2023 and 2022. There are no further existing firm obligations; however, we anticipate further construction costs of approximately $1 million in connection with our construction of our washplant facilities; and construction for each Nanosponge costs approximately $200,000, and we intend to manufacture and add a Nanosponge to our current and future RPCs.

Our ability to continue to access capital could be affected adversely by various factors, including general market and other economic conditions, interest rates, the perception of our potential future earnings and cash distributions, any unwillingness on the part of lenders to make loans to us and any deterioration in the financial position of lenders that might make them unable to meet their obligations to us. If we cannot raise capital through public or private debt financings, equity offerings, or other means, our ability to grow our business may be negatively affected. In such case, we may need to suspend site and plant construction or further acquisitions until market conditions improve.

Contractual Obligations

Our contractual obligations as of March 31, 2023 for finance lease liabilities are for the sale and leaseback of certain land, property, plant, and equipment that were acquired in the closing of our business combination, which acquired SFD and WCCC on August 1, 2022, which leases end in 2025 and 2026. Finance lease obligations as of March 31, 2023 are as follows:

Our contractual obligations as of March 31, 2023 for operating lease liabilities are for office and warehouse space, which leases end in 2024 and 2025, and a land lease which ends in 2042. Operating lease obligations as of March 31, 2023 are as follows:

Interest Rate and Market Risk

Interest rate risk is the potential for reduced net interest income and other rate-sensitive income resulting from adverse changes in the level of interest rates. We do not have variable interest rate-sensitive income agreements. We do have financing arrangements that were issued on August 1, 2022 as consideration for the business combination and acquisition of SFD and WCCC, in which the three year notes have variable interest rates based on the prime rate, which exposes us to further interest expense if the prime rate increases. We believe that the LIBOR is being phased out globally and do not have any financings with variable interest rates based on the LIBOR.

Market Risk - Equity Investments

Market risk is the potential for loss arising from adverse changes in the fair value of fixed-income securities, equity securities, other earning assets, and derivative financial instruments as a result of changes in interest rates or other factors. We own equity securities that are publicly traded. Because the fair value of these securities may fall below the cost at which we acquired them, we are exposed to the possibility of loss. Equity investments are approved, monitored, and evaluated by members of management.

Inflation

Prolonged periods of slow growth, significant inflationary pressures, volatility and disruption in financial markets, could lead to increased costs of doing business. Inflation generally will cause suppliers to increase their rates, and inflation may also increase employee salaries and benefits. In connection with such rate increases, we may or may not be able to increase our pricing to consumers. Inflation could cause both our investment and cost of revenue to increase, thereby lowering our return on investment and depressing our gross margins.

Off Balance Sheet Arrangements

None.

Critical Accounting Policies & Use of Estimates

There have been no material changes to our critical accounting policies and the use of estimates from these disclosures reported in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2022 filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on May 25, 2023.

Item 3. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk

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

Item 4. Controls and Procedures

The term “disclosure controls and procedures,” as defined in Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) under the Exchange Act, refers to controls and procedures that are 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 recorded, processed, summarized and reported, within the time periods specified in the SEC’s rules and forms. Disclosure controls and procedures 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. In designing and evaluating our disclosure controls and procedures, management recognizes that any controls and procedures, no matter how well designed and operated, can provide only reasonable assurance of achieving the desired control objectives. In addition, the design of disclosure controls and procedures must reflect the fact there are resource constraints and management is required to apply judgment in evaluating the benefits of possible controls and procedures relative to their costs.

Our management, with the participation of our Chief Executive Officer (Principal Executive Officer) and Chief Financial Officer (Principal Financial Officer and Principal Accounting Officer), evaluated the effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures pursuant to Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) under the Exchange Act. In designing and evaluating the disclosure controls and procedures, management recognizes that any controls and procedures, no matter how well designed and operated, can provide only reasonable assurance of achieving the desired control objectives. In addition, the design of disclosure controls and procedures must reflect the fact that there are resource constraints and that management is required to apply its judgment in evaluating the benefits of possible controls and procedures relative to their costs.

Based on management’s evaluation, our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer concluded that, as a result of the material weaknesses described below, as of March 31, 2023, our disclosure controls and procedures are not designed at a reasonable assurance level and are ineffective to provide reasonable assurance that information we are required to disclose in reports that we file or submit under the Exchange Act is recorded, processed, summarized, and reported within the time periods specified in SEC rules and forms, and that such information is accumulated and communicated to our management, including our Chief Executive Officer, as appropriate, to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure. The material weaknesses, which relate to internal control over financial reporting, that were identified are:

Management believes that the hiring of additional personnel who have the technical expertise and knowledge with the non-routine or technical issues we have encountered in the past will result in both proper recording of these transactions and a much more knowledgeable finance department as a whole. Since our assessment as of March 31, 2023, we have continued to hire additional external accounting staff, whom are consultants with expertise in research and technical guidance, and we are working to retain additional qualified valuation experts that report on their internal controls. We believe that these additions may provide for the remediation of these material weaknesses in 2023.

We will continue to monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures and our internal controls over financial reporting on an ongoing basis and are committed to taking further action and implementing additional enhancements or improvements, as necessary and as funds allow.

Changes in Internal Control Over Financial Reporting

As noted above, we continue to contract with additional external accounting staff in order to attempt to remediate our material weaknesses. Such changes include the addition of multiple reviewers of financial information before it is submitted for filing with the SEC. There were no other changes in our internal controls identified in connection with the evaluation required by paragraph (d) of Rule 13a-15 or 15d-15 under the Exchange Act that occurred during the three months ended March 31, 2023 that have materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.

PART II - OTHER INFORMATION

ITEM 1. LEGAL PROCEEDINGS

From time to time, we may become involved in various legal actions that arise in the normal course of business. We intend to defend vigorously against any future claims and litigation. We are not currently involved in any material disputes and do not have any material litigation matters pending.

ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS

Our business, financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows may be impacted by a number of factors, many of which are beyond our control, including those set forth in our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and in our other filings with the SEC, the occurrence of any one of which could have a material adverse effect on our actual results. There have been no material changes to the Risk Factors previously disclosed in our Annual Report on Form 10-K and our other filings with the SEC.

ITEM 2. UNREGISTERED SALES OF EQUITY SECURITIES AND USE OF PROCEEDS

None.

ITEM 3. DEFAULTS UPON SENIOR SECURITIES

None.

ITEM 4. MINE SAFETY DISCLOSURES

Not Applicable.

ITEM 5. OTHER INFORMATION

None.

ITEM 6. EXHIBITS

SIGNATURES

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