UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
FORM
(Mark One)
REGISTRATION STATEMENT PURSUANT TO SECTION 12(b) OR 12(g) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934 |
or
ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934 |
For the fiscal year ended
or
TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934 |
or
SHELL COMPANY REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934 |
Date of event requiring this shell company report
For the transition period from _____________________ to _____________________
Commission file number:
(Exact name of Registrant as specified in its charter)
n/a
(Translation of Registrant’s name into English)
(Jurisdiction of incorporation or organization)
(Address of principal executive offices)
C/O Greg Lavelle,
Puglisi & Associates
Telephone:
Email:
(Name, Telephone, E-mail and/or Facsimile number and Address of Company Contact Person)
Securities registered or to be registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act.
Title of each class | Name of each exchange on which registered | |
The |
Securities registered or to be registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act: None
Securities for which there is a reporting obligation pursuant to Section 15(d) of the Act: None
Indicate the number of outstanding shares of each of the issuer’s classes of capital or common stock as of the close of the period covered by the Annual Report: As of December 31, 2021, there were
Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act.
| ☐ Yes ☒ |
If this report is an annual or transition report, indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.
| ☐ Yes ☒ |
Note – Checking the box above will not relieve any registrant required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 from their obligations under those Sections.
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 ☒ |
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).
| ☒ |
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, or an emerging growth company. See definition of “large accelerated filer, “accelerated filer,” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.
Large accelerated filer ☐ | Accelerated filer ☐ | ☒ |
|
| Emerging growth company |
If an emerging growth company that prepares its financial statements in accordance with U.S. GAAP, 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.
† The term “new or revised financial accounting standard” refers to any update issued by the Financial Accounting Standards Board to its Accounting Standards Codification after April 5, 2012.
Indicate by check mark which basis of accounting the registrant has used to prepare the financial statements included in this filing:
U.S. GAAP ☐ |
|
| Other ☐ |
If “Other” has been checked in response to the previous question, indicate by check mark which financial statement item the registrant has elected to follow. ☐ Item 17 ☐ Item 18
If this is an Annual Report, indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act).
(APPLICABLE ONLY TO ISSUERS INVOLVED IN BANKRUPTCY PROCEEDINGS DURING THE PAST FIVE YEARS)
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has filed all documents and reports required to be filed by Sections 12, 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 subsequent to the distribution of securities under a plan confirmed by a court. ☐ Yes ☐ No
A BRIEF GLOSSARY
To aid in the understanding the entities, acquisitions, products, services and certain other concepts referred to in this Annual Report, the following non-exhaustive glossary of terms is provided:
AI is an abbreviation of Artificial Intelligence and refers to technology that enables machine learning, specifically in the case of Genius Group where our Genie virtual assistant is able to recommend personalized steps for each student based on Genie learning the personal strengths, passions, purpose, preferences and level of each student through their inputs on our Edtech platform.
Certification refers to the digital courses on our GeniusU platform that faculty members take in order to be certified to mentor students on GeniusU, and to be able to add their own courses and products to GeniusU.
City Leader refers to our Mentors who host monthly events in their city to support the Students and Mentors in their local area.
E-Square refers to E-Squared Education Enterprises (Pty) Ltd, a South African private limited company and one of the IPO Acquisitions as defined below.
Edtech is an abbreviation of Educational Technology and refers to technology designed to improve the effectiveness, efficiency and experience of the education process. Genius Group is focused on growing as an Edtech group with the ability to scale rapidly and operate globally.
Education Angels refers to Education Angels in Home Childcare Limited, a New Zealand private limited company and one of the IPO Acquisitions as defined below.
Genius Group (or the Group) refers to the entire group of companies within Genius Group, which include the four companies in the Pre-IPO Group and, following the closing of their acquisitions, the four IPO Acquisitions as defined below.
Entrepreneurs Institute refers to Wealth Dynamics Pte Ltd, a Singapore private limited company and one of the companies in the Pre-IPO Group.
Entrepreneur Resorts refers to Entrepreneur Resorts Limited, a Seychelles public listed company on the Seychelles Merj Stock Exchange (Ticker: ERL). Entrepreneur Resorts was acquired by Genius Group in 2020.
Genius Group Ltd refers specifically to the holding company, Genius Group Limited, the Singapore public limited company which owns the other companies in the Group. Prior to a corporate name change in July 2019, it was known as GeniusU Pte Ltd. For the avoidance of doubt, references in this Annual Report to Genius Group Ltd with respect to periods prior to its July 2019 name change should be understood as references to the company as operated under its previous name.
GeniusU Ltd refers to the company formed in August 2019 under the corporate name GeniusU Pte Ltd, and subsequently converted to a public company, GeniusU Ltd in May 2021 (as distinct from its parent Genius Group Ltd, the current Group holding company, which until July 2019 used the name GeniusU Pte Ltd).
GeniusU, when used without any corporate suffix or otherwise not as part of a corporate name, refers to the Edtech platform including website, mobile app, AI system, data and software system under the GeniusU brand.
IASB refers to International Accounting Standards Board.
IFRS refers to International Financial Reporting Standards as issued by IASB.
IPO refers to the initial public offering of our ordinary shares that was consummated on April 14, 2022.
IPO Acquisitions refers to the four companies that we plan to acquire following our IPO. As of May 13, 2022, the acquisitions of Education Angels and Property Investors Network have closed and the acquisitions of E-Square and University of Antelope Valley are pending.
Mentor refers to our faculty members who have taken and passed Certifications on GeniusU.
microcamp refers to courses that are a combination of digital content on our GeniusU Edtech platform and live in-person courses conducted with our Mentors.
microdegree refers to the digital courses on our GeniusU Edtech platform. These are a combination of video, audio and text-based learning with assessments and exercises that students can take in their own time, on their own or with the guidance of our faculty.
microschool refers to the scheduled, live digital courses on our GeniusU Edtech platform. These are similar in format to microdegrees but differ in that they are conducted live together with other students and the guidance of our faculty, with live interaction, feedback and challenge-based presentations, competitions and awards.
Partners refer to all individuals who are creating, marketing delivering or hosting courses on GeniusU and PIN, and all faculty members delivering courses in all other Group companies.
Pre-IPO Group refers to the four companies which were already operating as a group in 2020 prior to our IPO on 14 April 2022, namely Genius Group Ltd, GeniusU Ltd, Entrepreneurs Institute and Entrepreneur Resorts.
Property Investors Network (or PIN) refers to Property Investors Network Ltd combined with its sister company Mastermind Principles Limited, a United Kingdom (“U.K.”) private limited company and one of the IPO Acquisitions as defined above.
students refer to all individuals who have registered for courses in our Group companies. This is further divided into Free Students, who have registered for free courses, and Paying Students, who have registered and paid for courses.
University of Antelope Valley (or UAV) refers to University of Antelope Valley, Inc., a California corporation and one of the IPO Acquisitions as defined above.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
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ITEM 1. IDENTITY OF DIRECTORS, SENIOR MANAGEMENT AND ADVISERS | 6 |
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ITEM 11. QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK | 145 |
ITEM 12. DESCRIPTION OF SECURITIES OTHER THAN EQUITY SECURITIES | 145 |
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ITEM 14. MATERIAL MODIFICATIONS TO THE RIGHTS OF SECURITY HOLDERS AND USE OF PROCEEDS | 146 |
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B. Management’s Annual Report on Internal Control over Financial Reporting | 146 |
C. Attestation Report of the Registered Public Accounting Firm | |
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ITEM 16D. EXEMPTIONS FROM THE LISTING STANDARDS FOR AUDIT COMMITTEES | 148 |
ITEM 16E. PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES BY THE ISSUER AND AFFILIATED PURCHASERS | 148 |
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ITEM 16I. DISCLOSURE REGARDING FOREIGN JURISDICTIONS THAT PREVENT INSPECTIONS | 149 |
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150 |
CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
This Annual Report contains forward-looking statements regarding our current expectations or forecasts of future events. All statements other than statements of historical facts contained in this Annual Report, including statements regarding our future results of operations and financial position, business strategy, the GeniusU Platform, technology development plans, research and development costs, timing and likelihood of success, as well as plans and objectives of management for future operations are forward-looking statements. Many of the forward-looking statements contained in this Annual Report can be identified by the use of forward-looking words such as “anticipate,” “believe,” “could,” “expect,” “should,” “plan,” “intend,” “estimate,” “will” and “potential,” among others.
Forward-looking statements appear in a number of places in this Annual Report and include, but are not limited to, statements regarding our intent, belief or current expectations. Forward-looking statements are based on our management’s beliefs and assumptions and on information currently available to our management. Such statements are subject to risks and uncertainties, and actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied in the forward-looking statements due to various factors, including, but not limited to, those identified under “Item 3. Key Information—D. Risk Factors.” These forward-looking statements include:
● | our ability to compete in the highly competitive markets in which we operate, and potential adverse effects of this competition; |
● | our ability to maintain revenues if our products and services do not achieve and maintain broad market acceptance, or if we are unable to keep pace with or adapt to rapidly changing technology, evolving industry standards and changing regulatory requirements; |
● | uncertainty, downturns and changes in the markets we serve; |
● | our expectations regarding the size of the global education market, Edtech market and the various geographic and demographic markets that our group of companies serve; |
● | our competitiveness in the marketplace in relation to existing and new competitors in the marketplace; |
● | our commercialization strategy, including our plans to acquire education companies, to combine them in a global curriculum and Edtech platform, and to digitize and distribute our courses globally; |
● | our belief that we will be able to drive commercialization of our GeniusU Edtech platform through the growth of our A.I., and technology development; |
● | our ability to integrate effectively our Pre-IPO Companies and IPO Acquisitions in order to expand their product range and improve their financial performance; |
● | the willingness of our Partners, Mentors and Students to adopt GeniusU as their Edtech platform of choice; |
● | our ability to effectively manage our anticipated growth; |
● | the timing, scope or likelihood of regulatory submissions, filings, approvals, authorizations or clearances; |
● | our ability to repay or service our debt obligations and meet the financial covenants related to such debt obligations; |
● | our ability to enforce our intellectual property rights and to operate our business without infringing, misappropriating, or otherwise violating the intellectual property rights and proprietary technology of third parties; |
● | our ability to develop effective internal controls over financial reporting; |
● | our ability to attract, motivate and retain qualified employees, including members of our senior management team; |
● | the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, including mitigation efforts and economic effects, on any of the foregoing or other aspects of our business or operations; |
● | the effects of the Russia-Ukraine Conflict, including mitigation efforts and economic effects, on any of the foregoing or other aspects of our business or operations; |
● | our expectations regarding the time during which we will be an emerging growth company under the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012 (the “JOBS Act”) and a foreign private issuer; |
● | the future trading price of common shares and impact of securities analysts’ reports on these prices; |
● | our ability to fully derive anticipated benefits from existing or future acquisitions, joint ventures, investments or dispositions; |
● | exchange rate fluctuations and volatility in global currency markets; |
● | potential adverse tax consequences resulting from the international scope of our operations, corporate structure and financing structure; and |
● | increased risks resulting from our international operations. |
1
These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this Annual Report and are subject to a number of risks, uncertainties and assumptions described under the sections of this Annual Report titled “Item 3. Key Information—D. Risk Factors” and “Item 5. Operating and Financial Review and Prospects” and elsewhere in this Annual Report. Because forward-looking statements are inherently subject to risks and uncertainties, some of which cannot be predicted or quantified and some of which are beyond our control, you should not rely on these forward-looking statements as predictions of future events. The events and circumstances reflected in our forward-looking statements may not be achieved or occur and actual results could differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. Moreover, we operate in an evolving environment. New risk factors and uncertainties may emerge from time to time, and it is not possible for management to predict all risk factors and uncertainties. Except as required by applicable law, we do not plan to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements contained herein, whether as a result of any new information, future events, changed circumstances or otherwise.
In addition, statements that “we believe” and similar statements reflect our beliefs and opinions on the relevant subject. These statements are based upon information available to us as of the date of this Annual Report, and while we believe such information forms a reasonable basis for such statements, such information may be limited or incomplete, and our statements should not be read to indicate that we have conducted an exhaustive inquiry into, or review of, all potentially available relevant information. These statements are inherently uncertain and investors are cautioned not to unduly rely upon these statements.
SUMMARY OF RISK FACTORS
The following is a summary of certain, but not all, of the risks that could adversely affect our business, operations and financial results. If any of the risks actually occur, our business could be materially impaired, the trading price of our common shares could decline, and you could lose all or part of your investment.
Risks Related to Our Business and Industry (All Group companies)
➢ | We are a global business subject to complex economic, legal, political, tax, foreign currency and other risks associated with international operations, which risks may be difficult to adequately address. |
➢ | Our growth strategy anticipates that we will create new products, services, and distribution channels and expand existing distribution channels. If we are unable to effectively manage these initiatives, our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows would be adversely affected. |
➢ | Our growth may have a negative effect on the successful expansion of our business, on our people management, and on the increase in complexity of our software and platforms. |
➢ | If our growth rate decelerates significantly, our prospects and financial results would be adversely affected, preventing us from achieving profitability. |
➢ | We may be unable to recruit, train and/or retain qualified teachers, Mentors, and other skilled professionals. |
➢ | Our business may be materially adversely affected if we are not able to maintain or improve the content of our existing courses or to develop new courses on a timely basis and in a cost-effective manner. |
➢ | Failure to attract and retain students to enroll in our courses and programs, and to maintain tuition levels, may have a material adverse impact on our business and prospects. |
➢ | If student performance falls or parent and student satisfaction declines, a significant number of students may not remain enrolled in our programs, and our business, financial condition and results of operations will be adversely affected. |
➢ | Our curriculum and approach to instruction may not achieve widespread acceptance, which would limit our growth and profitability. |
➢ | The continued development of our brand identity is important to our business. If we are not able to maintain and enhance our brand, our business and operating results may suffer. |
➢ | If our partnerships are unable to maintain educational quality, we may be adversely affected. |
➢ | There is significant competition in the market segments that we serve, and we expect such competition to increase; we may not be able to compete effectively. |
2
➢ | The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly negatively impacted segments of our business and may continue to do so. |
➢ | Our business and operations may be adversely affected by economic uncertainty and volatility in the financial markets, including as a result of the military conflict in Ukraine. |
➢ | Our business may be materially adversely affected by a general economic slowdown or recession. |
➢ | We may be sued for infringement of the intellectual property rights of others and such actions would be costly to defend, could require us to pay damages and could limit our ability or increase our costs to use certain technologies in the future. |
➢ | We cannot assure you that we will not be subject to liability claims for any inaccurate or inappropriate content in our training programs, which could cause us to incur legal costs and damage our reputation. |
➢ | We may be subject to legal liability resulting from the actions of third parties, including independent contractors and teachers, which could cause us to incur substantial costs and damage our reputation. |
➢ | We may not have sufficient insurance to protect ourselves against substantial losses. |
Risks Related to Our Business and Industry (Specific to Pre-IPO Group)
➢ | We are a growing company with a limited operating history. If we fail to achieve further marketplace acceptance for our products and services, our business, financial condition and results of operations will be adversely affected. |
➢ | Our Edtech platform is technologically complex, and potential defects in our platforms or in updates to our platforms could be difficult or even impossible to fix. |
➢ | System disruptions, capacity constraints and vulnerability from security risks to our online computer networks could impact our ability to generate revenues and damage our reputation, limiting our ability to attract and retain students. |
➢ | Our current success and future growth depend on the continued acceptance of the Internet and the corresponding growth in users seeking educational services on the Internet. |
➢ | We are susceptible to the illegal or improper use of our content, Edtech and platform (whether from students, teachers, Mentors, management personnel and other employees, or third parties), or other forms of misconduct, which could expose us to liability and damage our business and brand. |
➢ | We may be unable to manage and adapt to changes in technology. |
➢ | We must monitor and protect our Internet domain names to preserve their value. |
➢ | The long-term success of our campuses is highly dependent on our ability to effectively identify and secure appropriate sites for new resorts and cafes. |
➢ | Increases in labor costs, labor shortages, and any difficulties in attracting, motivating, and retaining well- qualified employees within the hospitality industry could have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations for our resorts and cafes. |
Risks Related to Our Business and Industry (Specific to IPO Acquisitions)
➢ | If we default on a payment on the note payable that is part of the purchase consideration for UAV, the ownership and control of UAV will revert to the sellers. |
➢ | We are pursuing the IPO Acquisitions and may pursue other strategic acquisitions or investments. The failure of an acquisition or investment (including but not limited to the IPO Acquisitions) to be completed or to produce the anticipated results, or the inability to fully integrate an acquired company, could harm our business. |
➢ | The continued success of our IPO Acquisitions depends initially on the value of the local brands of each of the companies and how we integrate those brands with Genius Group and GeniusU, which may be materially adversely affected by changes in current and prospective students’ perceptions post-acquisition. |
➢ | Growing the certified education courses offered by our IPO Acquisitions could be difficult for us. |
3
➢ | Our IPO Acquisitions are subject to uncertain and varying laws and regulations, and any changes to these laws or regulations may materially adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. |
➢ | Regulatory changes that affect the timing of government-sponsored student aid payments or receipt of government-sponsored financial aid could materially adversely affect our liquidity. |
➢ | The changing public perception and changes to government policies with respect to private schools may have a materially adverse impact on our IPO Acquisitions and our overall plans to expand in the early learning, primary school, secondary school and university markets. |
➢ | The poor performance or reputation of other early learning schools or the industry as a whole could tarnish the reputation of our IPO Acquisition, Education Angels, which could have a negative impact on its business. |
➢ | Changes in the demand for childcare and workplace solutions, which may be negatively affected by demographic trends and economic conditions, including unemployment rates, may affect Education Angels. |
➢ | The expansion of Education Angels, into certain markets including the United States may be negatively impacted by increased competition based on changes in government regulation and benefit programs. |
➢ | Our IPO Acquisition, E-Square, may be negatively affected by the economic and political conditions in South Africa. |
➢ | Public perception and regulatory changes in the primary school and secondary school systems in countries that E-Square may expand to may have a materially adverse impact on the company. |
➢ | Our growth plans for E-Square and our plans to expand into the primary school and high school markets will be a complex and lengthy process where future success is not assured. |
➢ | If we cannot maintain student enrollments and maintain tuition levels in our IPO Acquisition, UAV, the university’s results of operations may be materially adversely affected. |
➢ | The reputation of UAV may be negatively influenced by the actions of other for-profit and private universities. |
➢ | The university and vocational college market is very competitive, and we may not be able to achieve our growth plans with UAV. |
➢ | If the graduates of UAV are unable to obtain professional licenses or certifications required for employment in their chosen fields of study, the university’s reputation may suffer and we may face declining enrollments and revenues or be subject to student litigation. |
➢ | If the graduates of UAV to not meet possible future standards of “gainful employment,” this may negatively affect the university’s reputation and access to government funding. |
➢ | Growing the online academic programs of UAV on the GeniusU Edtech platform could be difficult for us. |
➢ | If for-profit universities and colleges, which offer online education alternatives different from ours, perform poorly, it could tarnish the reputation of online education as a whole, which could impair UAV’s ability to grow its business. |
➢ | Our growth plans for UAV and our plans to expand into the university and vocational college market in the United States and globally is a complex and lengthy process, exposing us to risks inherent in international growth. |
➢ | The course content of our IPO Acquisition, PIN, requires ongoing updating based on the current government regulations and market conditions of the property market. |
➢ | The wide range of differences between the property markets in different countries may make it challenging for PIN to achieve its global expansion plan. |
➢ | The reputation of PIN may be negatively influenced by the actions of other property investing training companies and courses. |
Risks Related to Investing in a Foreign Private Issuer or a Singapore Company
➢ | As a foreign private issuer, we are permitted to follow certain home country corporate governance practices in lieu of certain requirements under the NYSE American listing standards. This may afford less protection to holders of our ordinary shares than U.S. regulations. |
➢ | We are a foreign private issuer and, as a result, we are not subject to U.S. proxy rules and are instead subject to the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”) reporting obligations that, to some extent, are more lenient and less detailed than those for a U.S. issuer. |
4
➢ | We may lose our foreign private issuer status, which would then require us to comply with the Exchange Act’s domestic reporting regime and cause us to incur additional legal, accounting and other expenses. |
➢ | We are a Singapore incorporated company, and it may be difficult to enforce a judgment of U.S. courts for civil liabilities under U.S. federal securities laws against us, our directors or officers in Singapore. |
➢ | We are incorporated in Singapore, and our shareholders may have more difficulty in protecting their interests than they would as shareholders of a corporation incorporated in the United States. |
➢ | We are subject to the laws of Singapore, which differ in certain material respects from the laws of the United States. |
➢ | Singapore take-over laws contain provisions that may vary from those in other jurisdictions. |
➢ | Subject to the general authority to allot and issue new ordinary shares provided by our shareholders, the Singapore Companies Act and our constitution, our directors may allot and issue new ordinary shares on terms and conditions and for such purposes as may be determined by our Board of Directors (“Board”) in its sole discretion. |
➢ | We may be or become a passive foreign investment company, which could result in adverse U.S. federal income tax consequences to U.S. Holders. |
➢ | Singapore taxes may differ from the tax laws of other jurisdictions. |
➢ | Tax authorities could challenge the allocation of income and deductions among our subsidiaries, which could increase our overall tax liability. |
Risks Related to Ownership of Ordinary Shares
➢ | In the future, our ability to raise additional capital to expand our operations and invest in our business may be limited, and our failure to raise additional capital, if required, could impair our business. |
➢ | Our share price may be volatile, and the market price of our ordinary shares may drop. |
➢ | We have broad discretion over the use of proceeds we received in our IPO and may not apply the proceeds in ways that increase the value of our ordinary shares. |
➢ | A significant portion of our total outstanding shares may be sold into the public market in the near future, which could cause the market price of our ordinary shares to drop significantly, even if our business is doing well. |
➢ | If securities or industry analysts do not publish or cease publishing research or reports about us, our business, or our market, or if they change their recommendations regarding our ordinary shares adversely, our share price and/or trading volume could decline. |
➢ | We may not pay dividends on our ordinary shares in the future and, consequently, the investors’ ability to achieve a return on their investment will depend on appreciation in the price of our ordinary shares. |
➢ | We currently report our financial results under IFRS, which differs in certain significant respects from U.S. GAAP. |
➢ | We are an emerging growth company within the meaning of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), and if we take advantage of certain exemptions from disclosure requirements available to emerging growth companies, this could make our securities less attractive to investors and may make it more difficult to compare our performance with other public companies. |
➢ | We incur significantly increased costs and devote substantial management time as a result of operating as a public company. |
➢ | If we fail to maintain an effective system of internal control over financial reporting in the future, we may not be able to accurately report our financial condition, results of operations or cash flows, which may adversely affect investor confidence. |
➢ | If we are not able to comply with the applicable continued listing requirements or standards of the NYSE American, the NYSE American could delist our ordinary shares. |
5
PART I
Item 1. Identity of Directors, Senior Management and Advisers
Not applicable.
Item 2. Offer Statistics and Expected Timetable
Not applicable.
Item 3. Key Information
A.Selected financial data
The following tables set forth summary combined pro forma financial data and audited summary consolidated financial data for the periods and as of the dates indicated. The summary combined unaudited pro forma financial data below includes the consolidated financials of all companies in the Genius Group, including the Pre-IPO Group and the IPO Acquisitions as if they were operating as one group in the periods indicated. The pro forma financials for 2021 include the audited financial data of the Pre-IPO Group together with the audited financial data of University of Antelope Valley and Property Investors Network, which are both deemed significant acquisitions, and the unaudited financial data of Education Angels and E-Square, which are below the threshold of significant acquisitions. Following the IPO on 14 April 2022, the acquisitions of Education Angels and Property Investors Network have closed and the acquisition of E-Square and University of Antelope Valley are pending.
The summary income data for the years ended December 31, 2020 and 2021 and the summary balance sheet data as of December 31, 2020 and 2021 for the Pre-IPO Group are derived from the audited consolidated financial statements included in this Annual Report. Our audited consolidated financial statements have been prepared in U.S. dollars and in accordance with IFRS, as issued by the IASB.
6
Genius Group is made up of eight companies (taking into account the IPO Acquisitions) that have varying financial performance. For this reason, you should read the summary combined pro forma financial data in conjunction with our audited consolidated financial statements and related notes beginning on page F-1 of this Annual Report, and “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” included elsewhere in this Annual Report. Our historical results do not necessarily indicate our expected results for any future periods.
Genius Group |
| Pre-IPO Group | ||||
Pro forma | Audited Financials | |||||
Year Ended | Year Ended | |||||
December 31, | December 31, | |||||
2021 | 2021 | 2020 | ||||
| (USD 000’s) |
| (USD 000’s) | (USD 000’s) | ||
Sales | 28,569 | 12,778 |
| 7,634 | ||
Cost of goods sold | (15,886) | (10,021) | (4,134) | |||
Gross profit (Loss) | 12,683 | 2,757 | 3,500 | |||
Other Operating Income | 343 | 324 | 11 | |||
Operating Expenses |
| (17,292) |
| (7,250) |
| (6,192) |
Operating profit (Loss) |
| (4,266) |
| (4,169) |
| (2,681) |
Other income |
| 1,143 |
| — |
| 412 |
Other Expense |
| (1,350) |
| (449) |
| (854) |
Net Income (Loss) Before Tax |
| (4,473) |
| (4,618) |
| (3,123) |
Tax Expense |
| (186) |
| 129 |
| (69) |
Net Income (Loss) After Tax |
| (4,659) |
| (4,489) |
| (3,192) |
Other Comprehensive Income |
| 230 |
| 230 |
| 2,129 |
Total Income (Loss) |
| (4,429) |
| (4,259) |
| (1,063) |
Net income per share, basic and diluted |
| (0.25) |
| (0.28) |
| (0.25) |
Weighted-average number of shares outstanding, basic and diluted |
| 18,347,602 |
| 16,155,810 |
| 12,575,605 |
Genius Group |
| Pre-IPO Group | ||||
Pro forma | Audited Financials | |||||
Year Ended | Year Ended | |||||
December 31, | December 31, | |||||
2021 | 2021 | 2020 | ||||
| (USD 000’s) |
| (USD 000’s) |
| (USD 000’s) | |
Summary Balance Sheet Data: |
|
|
| |||
Total current assets | 30,663 | 6,496 | 4,937 | |||
Total non-current assets | 52,014 | 11,099 | 12,021 | |||
Total Assets | 82,677 | 17,595 | 16,958 | |||
Total current liabilities |
| 19,355 |
| 7,140 |
| 5,379 |
Total non-current liabilities |
| 23,720 |
| 2,469 |
| 3,873 |
Total Liabilities |
| 43,076 |
| 9,609 |
| 9,252 |
Total Shareholders’ Equity |
| 39,601 |
| 7,986 |
| 7,706 |
Total Liabilities and Shareholders’ Equity |
| 82,677 |
| 17,595 |
| 16,958 |
Non-IFRS Financial Measures — Adjusted EBITDA
We have included Adjusted EBITDA in this Annual Report because it is a key measure used by our management and board of directors to understand and evaluate our core operating performance and trends, to prepare and approve our annual budget and to develop short- and long-term operational plans. In particular, the exclusion of certain expenses in calculating Adjusted EBITDA can provide a useful measure for period-to-period comparisons of our core business. Non-IFRS financial measures are not a substitute for IFRS financial measures.
7
We calculate Adjusted EBITDA as Net loss for the period plus income taxes and social contribution plus/ minus net finance result plus depreciation and amortization plus/minus share-based compensation expenses plus bad debt provision. Share-based compensation expenses and bad debt provision are included in General and administrative expenses in the Consolidated Statements of Operations.
Genius Group |
| Pre-IPO Group | ||||
Pro forma | Audited Financials | |||||
Year Ended | Year Ended | |||||
December 31, | December 31, | |||||
2021 | 2021 | 2020 | ||||
| (USD 000’s) |
| (USD 000’s) |
| (USD 000’s) | |
Net Income (Loss) | (4,659) | (4,489) | (3,192) | |||
Tax Expense | 186 | (129) | 69 | |||
Interest Expense, net | 1,342 | 450 | 854 | |||
Depreciation and Amortization | 2,120 | 1,575 | 1,571 | |||
Goodwill Impairments |
| — |
| — |
| — |
Stock Based Compensation |
| 294 |
| 294 |
| 399 |
Bad Debt Provision |
| 969 |
| (39) |
| 162 |
Adjusted EBITDA |
| 252 |
| (2,338) |
| (137) |
Key Business Metrics
Education segment — Genius Group (including IPO Acquisitions)
Year ended December 31, 2021
| University |
|
|
|
|
| |||||||
of | Property | ||||||||||||
Antelope | Investors | Education | |||||||||||
| GeniusU |
| Valley |
| Network |
| Angels |
| E-Square |
| Total | ||
Number of students | 2,663,745 | 3,102 | 157,599 | 732 | 450 | 2,825,628 |
| ||||||
Number of Free Students | 2,626,384 | — | 142,131 | — | 15 | 2,768,530 |
| ||||||
Number of Paying Students | 37,361 | 3,102 | 30,792 | 732 | 435 | 72,422 |
| ||||||
Number of Partners |
| 10,217 |
| 238 |
| 604 |
| 312 |
| 43 |
| 11,414 | |
Number of countries of operation |
| 191 |
| 1 |
| 52 |
| 1 |
| 1 |
| 191 | |
Marketing Spend |
| 873,628 |
| 110,036 |
| 118,756 |
| 6,074 |
| 31,434 |
| 1,139,928 | |
Education Revenue |
| 9,677,513 |
| 9,038,605 |
| 5,091,984 |
| 942,474 |
| 717,677 |
| 25,468,253 | |
Revenue from New Paying Students |
| 3,446,952 |
| 2,259,651 |
| 2,097,629 |
| 239,102 |
| 377,811 |
| 7,377,236 | |
New Students |
| 863,225 |
| 281 |
| 26,488 |
| 102 |
| 232 |
| 890,328 | |
New Paying Students |
| 3,441 |
| 281 |
| 6,372 |
| 102 |
| 229 |
| 10,425 | |
Conversion rate |
| 0.40 | % | 100.00 | % | 24.06 | % | 100.00 | % | 98.71 | % | 1.17 | % |
Average Acquisition Cost per New Paying Student |
| 253.89 |
| 391.59 |
| 18.64 |
| 59.55 |
| 137.27 |
| 109.35 | |
Average Annual Revenue per New Paying Student |
| 1,001.73 |
| 8,041.46 |
| 329.19 |
| 2,344.14 |
| 1,649.83 |
| 707.65 | |
Net Income (Loss) margin |
| (22.61) | % | (6.90) | % | 31.42 | % | (5.65) | % | 14.51 | % | (4.56) | % |
Adjusted EBITDA margin |
| (15.98) | % | 2.81 | % | 44.72 | % | (5.22) | % | 15.10 | % | 4.10 | % |
8
Year ended December 31, 2020
| University |
|
|
|
|
| |||||||
of | Property | ||||||||||||
Antelope | Investors | Education | |||||||||||
| GeniusU |
| Valley |
| Network |
| Angels |
| E-Square |
| Total | ||
Number of students | 1,800,520 | 2,821 | 131,111 | 630 | 546 | 1,935,628 |
| ||||||
Number of Free Students | 1,766,600 | — | 106,691 | — | — | 1,873,291 |
| ||||||
Number of Paying Students | 33,920 | 2,821 | 24,420 | 630 | 546 | 62,337 |
| ||||||
Number of Partners |
| 9,399 |
| 214 |
| 570 |
| 270 |
| 43 |
| 10,496 | |
Number of countries of operation |
| 191 |
| 1 |
| 52 |
| 1 |
| 1 |
| 191 | |
Marketing Spend |
| 576,028 |
| 175,141 |
| 287,694 |
| 34,708 |
| 78,586 |
| 1,152,157 | |
Education Revenue |
| 5,618,210 |
| 10,078,158 |
| 4,598,750 |
| 1,068,204 |
| 827,675 |
| 22,190,997 | |
Revenue from New Paying Students |
| 1,809,457 |
| 2,418,758 |
| 1,603,998 |
| 534,102 |
| 287,890 |
| 6,654,205 | |
New Students |
| 247,388 |
| 559 |
| 27,353 |
| 210 |
| 270 |
| 275,780 | |
New Paying Students |
| 3,450 |
| 559 |
| 3,277 |
| 210 |
| 270 |
| 7,766 | |
Conversion rate |
| 1.39 | % | NA |
| 11.98 | % | NA |
| NA |
| 2.81 | % |
Average Acquisition Cost per New Paying Student |
| 121.91 |
| 313.31 |
| 148.82 |
| 165.28 |
| 291.06 |
| 154.10 | |
Average Annual Revenue per New Paying Student |
| 524.48 |
| 4,327 |
| 489.47 |
| 2,543 |
| 1,066 |
| 857 | |
Net Income (Loss) margin |
| 1.90 | % | 17.91 | % | 22.89 | % | 19.17 | % | 23.16 | % | 15.14 | % |
Adjusted EBITDA margin |
| 24.38 | % | 21.29 | % | 45.17 | % | 23.36 | % | 28.35 | % | 27.38 | % |
Campus segment – Entrepreneur Resorts
Year Ended December 31, 2021
| Café |
| Central |
| Resort |
| Total |
| |
Revenue |
| 158,877 |
| 1,244,227 |
| 1,697,646 |
| 3,100,750 | |
No of Location |
| 2 |
| 1 |
| 3 |
| 6 | |
No of Seats/Room |
| 141 |
| 177 |
| 49 |
| 367 | |
Utilization |
| 27 | % | 33 | % | 24 | % | 28 | % |
Total Orders |
| 23,122 |
| 69,634 |
| 3,634 |
| 96,390 | |
Revenue Per Order |
| 6.87 |
| 17.87 |
| 467.16 |
| 32.17 |
Year Ended December 31, 2020
| Café |
| Central |
| Resort |
| Total |
| |
Revenue |
| 342,238 |
| 500,629 |
| 1,172,699 |
| 2,015,566 | |
No of Location |
| 2 |
| 1 |
| 3 |
| 6 | |
No of Seats/Room |
| 141 |
| 177 |
| 49 |
| 367 | |
Utilization |
| 20 | % | 24 | % | 26 | % | 24 | % |
Total Orders |
| 37,185 |
| 36,182 |
| 8,538 |
| 81,905 | |
Revenue Per Order |
| 9.2 |
| 13.84 |
| 137.35 |
| 24.61 |
9
B.Capitalization and indebtedness
Not applicable.
C.Reasons for the offer and use of proceeds
Not applicable.
D.Risk Factors
Investing in our ordinary shares is highly speculative and involves a significant degree of risk. You should carefully consider the following risks, as well as other information contained in this Annual Report, before making an investment in our Company. The risks discussed below could materially and adversely affect our business, prospects, financial condition, results of operations, cash flows, ability to pay dividends and the trading price of our ordinary shares. Additional risks and uncertainties not currently known to us or that we currently deem to be immaterial may also materially and adversely affect our business, prospects, financial condition, results of operations, cash flows and ability to pay dividends, and you may lose all or part of your investment.
Risks Related to Our Business and Industry (All Group Companies)
We are a global business subject to complex economic, legal, political, tax, foreign currency and other risks associated with international operations, which risks may be difficult to adequately address.
In 2019, 2020 and 2021, over 90% of our revenues from the Pre-IPO Group were generated from operations outside of the United States. When including the IPO Acquisitions, over 50% of our pro forma revenues for Genius Group for these same periods were generated from operations outside of the United States. Our GeniusU Edtech platform has students in 200 countries, each of which is subject to complex business, economic, legal, political, tax and foreign currency risks. As we continue to expand our international operations with our IPO Acquisitions, we may have difficulty managing and administering a globally dispersed business and we may need to expend additional funds to, among other things, staff key management positions, obtain additional information technology infrastructure and successfully implement relevant course and program offerings for a significant number of international markets, which may materially adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Additional challenges associated with the conduct of our business overseas that may materially adversely affect our operating results include:
➢ | the large scale and diversity of our operational institutions present numerous challenges, including difficulty in staffing and managing foreign operations as a result of distance, language, legal, labor relations and other differences; |
➢ | each of our programs and services are subject to unique business risks and challenges including competitive pressures and diverse pricing environments at the local level; |
➢ | difficulty maintaining quality standards consistent with our brands and with local accreditation requirements; |
➢ | fluctuations in exchange rates, possible currency devaluations and currency controls, inflation and hyperinflation; |
➢ | difficulty selecting and monitoring partners in different jurisdictions; |
➢ | compliance with a wide variety of domestic and foreign laws and regulations; |
➢ | expropriation of assets by governments; |
➢ | political elections and changes in government policies; |
➢ | changes in tax laws, assessments or enforcement by taxing authorities in different jurisdictions; |
➢ | difficulty protecting our intellectual property rights overseas due to, among other reasons, the uncertainty of laws and enforcement in certain countries relating to the protection of intellectual property rights; |
➢ | lower levels of availability or use of the Internet, through which our online programs are delivered; |
10
➢ | limitations on the repatriation and investment of funds, foreign currency exchange restrictions and inability to transfer cash back to the United States without taxation; |
➢ | potential economic and political instability the countries in which we operate, including student unrest; or |
➢ | business interruptions from acts of terrorism, civil disorder, labor stoppages, public health risks, crime and natural disasters, particularly in areas in which we have significant operations. |
Our success in growing our business profitably will depend, in part, on the ability to anticipate and effectively manage these and other risks related to operating in various countries. Any failure by us to effectively manage the challenges associated with the maintenance or expansion of our international operations could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Our growth strategy anticipates that we will create new products, services, and distribution channels and expand existing distribution channels. If we are unable to effectively manage these initiatives, our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows would be adversely affected.
As we create new products, services, and distribution channels and expand our existing distribution channels, we expect to face challenges distinct from those we currently encounter, including:
➢ | The challenge of tailoring new products and services to new technologies as they develop, including artificial intelligence, augmented reality and virtual reality; |
➢ | Additional local competition as we localize our products and services to different countries, cultures and languages, each with new, local distribution channels; |
➢ | Changing student habits as new distribution channels for learning content are developed globally; and |
➢ | Unpredictable market behavior as the education market develops new distribution channels for learning outside the traditional school system, including via online courses and virtual learning. |
Our failure to manage these new distribution channels, or any new distribution channels we pursue, may have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.
Our growth may have a negative effect on the successful expansion of our business, on our people management, and on the increase in complexity of our software and platforms.
We are currently experiencing a period of significant expansion and are facing a number of expansion related issues, such as the acquisition and retention of experienced and talented personnel, cash flow management, corporate culture and internal controls, among others. These issues and the significant amount of time spent on addressing them may result in the diversion of our management’s attention from other business issues and opportunities.
We anticipate that these expansion related issues will increase with our IPO Acquisitions and future growth. In addition, we believe that our corporate culture and values are critical to our success, and we have invested a significant amount of time and resources building them. If we fail to preserve our corporate culture and values, our ability to recruit, retain and develop personnel and to effectively implement our strategic plans may be harmed.
We must constantly update our software and platforms, enhance and improve our billing and transaction and other business systems, and add and train new software designers and engineers, as well as other personnel to help us with the increased use of our platforms and the new solutions and features we regularly introduce.
This process is time intensive and expensive and may lead to higher costs in the future. Furthermore, we may need to enter into relationships with various strategic partners, such as online service providers and other third parties necessary to our business. The increased complexity of managing multiple commercial relationships could lead to execution problems that can affect current and future revenue, and operating margins.
11
We cannot assure you that our current and planned platforms, systems, products, procedures and controls, personnel and third-party relationships will be adequate to support our future operations. In addition, our current expansion has placed a significant strain on management and on our operational and financial resources, and this strain is expected to continue. Our failure to manage growth effectively could harm our business, results of operations and financial condition.
If our growth rate decelerates significantly, our prospects and financial results would be adversely affected, preventing us from achieving profitability.
We believe that our growth depends on a number of factors, including, but not limited to, our ability to:
➢ | Integrate the IPO Acquisitions into the Group; |
➢ | Continue to introduce our products and services to new markets; |
➢ | Provide high-quality support to students and partnerships using our products and services; |
➢ | Expand our business and increase our market share; |
➢ | Compete with the products, services, offers, prices and incentives offered by our competitors; |
➢ | Develop new products, services, offerings and technologies; |
➢ | Identify and acquire or invest in businesses, products, offerings or technologies that we believe may be able to complement or expand our platform; and |
➢ | Increase the positive perception of our brands. |
We may not be successful in achieving the above objectives. Any slowdown in the demand from students, teachers, Mentors, and partnerships for our products and services caused by changes in customer preferences, failure to maintain our brands, inability to expand our portfolio of products or services, changes in the global economy, taxes, competition or other factors may lead to a decrease in revenue or growth and our financial results and future prospects could be negatively affected. We expect that we will continue to incur significant expenses as a result of our efforts to continue growing, and if we cannot increase our revenue at a faster rate than the increase in our expenses, we will not be able to achieve profitability.
We may be unable to recruit, train and/or retain qualified teachers, Mentors, and other skilled professionals.
Effective teachers and Mentors are critical to maintaining the quality of our learning system and curriculum and assisting students with their lessons. The educational content and materials we provide are a combination of content developed in-house, by our teachers, and our Mentors. Teachers and Mentors must have strong interpersonal communications skills to be able to effectively instruct students, especially in virtual settings. They must also possess the technical skills to use our technology-based learning systems and be willing to publish their content on our platform.
Our requirement for teachers at all levels will increase once all the IPO Acquisitions are completed. There is a limited pool of qualified individuals with these specialized attributes. We must also provide continuous training to teachers and Mentors so that they can stay abreast of changes in student demands, academic standards and other key trends necessary to teach online effectively. We may not be able to recruit, train and retain enough qualified teachers and Mentors to keep pace with our growth while maintaining consistent teaching quality and robust platform content.
Shortages of qualified teachers or Mentors, or decreases in the quality of our instruction or the amount and quality of educational content we can produce and offer as a result, whether actual or perceived, would have an adverse effect on our business.
Our success also depends in large part on our senior management and key personnel as well as in general upon highly trained finance, technical, recruiting and marketing professionals in order to operate our business, increase revenues from our existing products and services and to launch new product offerings. If any of these employees leave us and we fail to effectively manage a transition to new personnel, or if there is a shortage in the number of people with the requisite skills or we fail to attract and retain qualified and experienced professionals on acceptable terms, our business, financial conditions and results of operations could be adversely affected.
12
Our business may be materially adversely affected if we are not able to maintain or improve the content of our existing courses or to develop new courses on a timely basis and in a cost-effective manner.
We continually seek to maintain and improve the content of our existing courses and develop new courses in order to meet changing market needs. Revisions to our existing courses and the development of new courses may not be accepted by existing or prospective students in all instances. If we cannot respond effectively to market changes, our business may be materially adversely affected. Even if we are able to develop acceptable new courses, we may not be able to introduce these new courses as quickly as students require or as quickly as our competitors are able to introduce competing courses. If we do not respond adequately to changes in market requirements, our ability to attract and retain students could be impaired and our financial results could suffer. This applies to all of our Pre-IPO Group companies and IPO Acquisitions.
Establishing new courses or modifying existing courses also may require us to make investments in specialized personnel and capital expenditures, increase marketing efforts and reallocate resources away from other uses. We may have limited experience with the subject matter of new courses and may need to modify our systems and strategy. If we are unable to increase the number of students, offer new courses in a cost-effective manner or otherwise manage effectively the operations of newly established courses, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be materially adversely affected.
Failure to attract and retain students to enroll in our courses and programs, and to maintain tuition levels, may have a material adverse impact on our business and prospects
The success of our business depends primarily on the number of student enrollments in the courses and programs we offer on our platform microschools, and events, and the amount of our course and program fees. As a result, our ability to attract students to enroll in our courses and programs is critical to the continued success and growth of our business. This, in turn, will depend on several factors, including, among others, our ability to develop new educational programs and enhance existing educational programs to respond to the changes in market trends, student demands and government policies, to maintain our consistent and high teaching quality, to market our programs successfully to a broader prospective student base, to develop additional high-quality educational content, sites and availability of our platform and to respond effectively to competitive market pressures.
If our students or their parents perceive that our education quality deteriorated due to unsatisfying learning experiences, which may be subject to a number of subjective judgments that we have limited influence over, our overall market reputation may diminish, which in turn may affect our word-of-mouth referrals and ultimately our student enrollment. In addition, the expansion of our offering of courses and services may not succeed due to competition, our failure to effectively market our new courses and services (whether due to defects in our marketing tools and/or failure to adjust our strategy in order to meet the needs of current and potential customers), maintain the quality of our courses and services, or other factors. We may be unable to develop and offer additional educational content on commercially reasonable terms and in a timely manner, or at all, to keep pace with changes in market trends and student demands. If we are unable to control the rate of student attrition, which can be affected by various factors outside our control such as students’ personal circumstances and local socioeconomic factors, our overall enrollment levels are likely to decline or if we are unable to charge tuition rates that are both competitive and cover our rising expenses, our business, financial condition, cash flows and results of operations may be materially adversely affected.
If student performance falls or parent and student satisfaction declines, a significant number of students may not remain enrolled in our programs, and our business, financial condition and results of operations will be adversely affected.
The success of our business depends on a family’s decision to have their child continue his or her education through our programs. This decision is based on many factors, including student achievement and parent and student satisfaction. We expect that, as our enrollments increase and the portion of students that have not used our learning system for multiple years increases, the average performance of all students using our learning system may decrease, even if the individual performance of other students improves over time. Additionally, parent and student satisfaction may decline as not all parents and students are able to devote the substantial time and energy necessary to complete our curriculum. A student’s satisfaction may also suffer if his or her relationship with the virtual school teacher does not meet expectations. If a student’s performance or satisfaction declines, students may decide not to remain enrolled in one or more of our programs, financial condition and results of operations will be adversely affected.
13
Our curriculum and approach to instruction may not achieve widespread acceptance, which would limit our growth and profitability.
Our curriculum and approach to instruction are based on students learning how to “create a job” rather than “get a job.” The goal of this approach is to make students entrepreneurs. This approach, however, is not accepted by all students, academics and educators, who may favor more traditional and formalistic methods, along with more traditional course offerings and curriculums. Accordingly, some students, academics and educators are opposed to the principles and methodologies associated with our approach to learning and have the ability to negatively influence the market for our products and services.
The continued development of our brand identity is important to our business. If we are not able to maintain and enhance our brand, our business and operating results may suffer.
Expanding brand awareness is critical to attracting and retaining students, teachers, and Mentors, and for serving additional jurisdictions. We believe that the quality of our curriculum and management services has contributed significantly to the success of our brand. As we continue to increase enrollments and extend our geographic reach, maintaining quality and consistency across all of our services and products may become more difficult to achieve, and any significant and well-publicized failure to maintain this quality and consistency will have a detrimental effect on our brand. We cannot provide assurances that our new sales and marketing efforts will be successful in further promoting our brand in a competitive and cost-effective manner. If we are unable to further enhance our brand recognition and increase awareness of our products and services, or if we incur excessive sales and marketing expenses, our business and results of operations could be adversely affected.
Each of our companies has worked hard to establish the value of its individual brand. Brand value may be severely damaged, even by isolated incidents, particularly if the incidents receive considerable negative publicity. There has been a marked increase in use of social media platforms, including weblogs (blogs), social media websites, and other forms of Internet-based communications that allow individuals access to a broad audience of interested persons. We believe students and prospective teachers and Mentors value readily available information about our companies and programs and often act on such information without further investigation or authentication, and without regard to its accuracy. Social media platforms and devices immediately publish the content their subscribers and participants post, often without filters or checks on the accuracy of the content posted. Information concerning our Company and our programs may be posted on such platforms and devices at any time. Information posted may be materially adverse to our interests, it may be inaccurate, and it may harm our performance and prospects.
The risk of damage or dilution of brand identity potentially increases during acquisitions, and this risk may increase once we have completed the IPO Acquisitions and may increase during the post-acquisition process of integration and expansion.
If our partnerships are unable to maintain educational quality, we may be adversely affected.
Our partnerships with institutions, such as universities, and other educational providers and their students are regularly assessed and classified under the terms of applicable educational laws and regulations. If the partnerships or students receive lower scores from year to year on any of their assessments, or if there is any drop in the acceptance rates of students into prestigious universities, we may be negatively affected by perceptions of a decline in the educational quality of our content and Edtech platform, which could adversely affect our reputation and, as a result, our operating results and financial condition.
14
There is significant competition in the market segments that we serve, and we expect such competition to increase; we may not be able to compete effectively.
Education markets around the world are competitive and dynamic. We face varying degrees of competition from several discrete education providers because our learning system integrates many of the elements of the education development and delivery process, including curriculum development, teacher training and support, lesson planning, testing and assessment, and school performance and compliance management. We compete most directly with companies that provide online curriculum and support services. Additionally, we expect increased competition from for-profit post-secondary and supplementary education providers that have begun to offer virtual high school curriculum and services. In certain jurisdictions and states where we currently serve virtual public schools, we expect intense competition from existing providers and new entrants. Our competitors may adopt similar curriculum delivery, school support and marketing approaches, with different pricing and service packages that may have greater appeal in the market. Both public and private not-for-profit institutions with whom we currently or may in the future compete may have instructional and support resources superior to those in the for-profit sector, and public institutions can offer substantially lower tuition prices or other advantages that we cannot match. If we are unable to successfully compete for new business, acquire more companies, or maintain current levels of academic achievement and community interest, our revenue growth and operating margins may decline. Price competition from our current and future competitors could also result in reduced revenues, reduced margins or the failure of our product and service offerings to achieve or maintain more widespread market acceptance.
We may also face direct competition from publishers of traditional educational materials that are substantially larger than we are and have significantly greater financial, technical and marketing resources. As a result, they may be able to devote more resources to develop products and services that are superior to our platform and technologies. We may not have the resources necessary to acquire or compete with technologies being developed by our competitors, which may render our online delivery format less competitive or obsolete.
Our future success will depend in large part on our ability to maintain a competitive position with our curriculum and our technology, as well as our ability to increase capital expenditures to sustain the competitive position of our product. We cannot assure you that we will have the financial resources, technical expertise, marketing, distribution or support capabilities to compete effectively.
The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly negatively impacted segments of our business and may continue to do so.
The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the global economy and has negatively impacted large populations including people and businesses, some of which have been and are being directly or indirectly involved with the operation of our Company, products, and services. The economic impact of COVID-19 is still ongoing and there are many risks from COVID-19 that are negatively impacting economies and healthcare providers in the countries where we do business, and the education industry as a whole. At this time, we have identified the following COVID-19 related risks that have negatively affected our Company’s operations and financial results and may continue to do so:
➢ | Local government-imposed restrictions negatively impact the ability of our resorts, cafes and locations to operate; |
➢ | International travel restrictions affect our ability to attract international students to our retreats and events, and to attract our faculty members to our certification programs; |
➢ | Government-imposed restrictions also negatively impact some of our IPO Acquisition companies from keeping their schools, colleges or university open, and to operate physical summer camps; |
➢ | Health concerns affect the willingness or ability of some of our students and faculty to attend physical events; and |
➢ | The economic impact of the pandemic affects the ability of some of our students and teachers to purchase and pay for our courses, products and services. |
Please refer to the “Business Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic” section elsewhere in this Annual Report for specific details of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our Company to date, both negative and positive, together with what we expect the pandemic’s future impact to be, and how we have responded and continue to respond to COVID-19 related uncertainties.
15
Our business and operations may be adversely affected by economic uncertainty and volatility in the financial markets, including as a result of the military conflict in Ukraine.
Our business and results of operations may be adversely affected by various factors that could cause economic uncertainty and volatility in the financial markets, many of which are beyond our control. Our business could be impacted by, among other things, downturns in the financial markets or in economic conditions, increases in oil prices, inflation, increases in interest rates, supply chain disruptions, declines in consumer confidence and spending, and geopolitical instability, such as the military conflict in the Ukraine. We cannot at this time fully predict the likelihood of one or more of the above events, their duration or magnitude or the extent to which they may negatively impact our business.
Our business may be materially adversely affected by a general economic slowdown or recession.
Many countries around the world have recently experienced reduced economic activity, increased unemployment, and substantial uncertainty about their financial services markets and, in some cases, economic recession. These events may reduce the demand for our programs among students, which could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows. These adverse economic developments also may result in a reduction in the number of jobs available to our graduates and lower salaries being offered in connection with available employment which, in turn, may result in declines in our placement and retention rates. Any general economic slowdown or recession that disproportionately impacts the countries in which our companies and programs operate could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.
We may be sued for infringement of the intellectual property rights of others, and such actions would be costly to defend, could require us to pay damages and could limit our ability or increase our costs to use certain technologies in the future.
Companies in the Internet, technology, education, curriculum and media industries own large numbers of patents, copyrights, trademarks and trade secrets and frequently enter into litigation based on allegations of infringement or other violations of intellectual property rights. As we grow, the likelihood that we may be subject to such claims also increases. Regardless of the merits, intellectual property claims are often time- consuming and expensive to litigate or settle. In addition, to the extent claims against us are successful, we may have to pay substantial monetary damages or discontinue any of our products, services or practices that are found to be in violation of another party’s rights. We also may have to seek a license and make royalty payments to continue offering our products and services or following such practices, which may significantly increase our operating expenses.
We cannot assure you that we will not be subject to liability claims for any inaccurate or inappropriate content in our training programs, which could cause us to incur legal costs and damage our reputation.
We develop the content for our training programs ourselves or through partnerships with third parties. We cannot assure you that there will be no inaccurate or inappropriate materials included in our training programs or the materials we obtain from our third-party partners. In addition, our mock examination questions designed internally based on our understanding of the relevant examination requirements may be investigated by the regulatory authorities. Therefore, we may face civil, administrative or criminal liability if an individual or corporate, governmental or other entity believes that the content of any of our training programs violate any laws, regulations or governmental policies or infringes upon its legal rights. Even if such claim were not successful, defending it may cause us to incur substantial costs including the time and attention of our management. Moreover, any accusation of inaccurate or inappropriate content could lead to significant negative publicity, which could harm our reputation and future business prospects.
We may be subject to legal liability resulting from the actions of third parties, including independent contractors and teachers, which could cause us to incur substantial costs and damage our reputation.
We may be subject, directly or indirectly, to legal claims associated with the actions of our independent contractors, teachers, and Mentors. In the event of accidents or injuries or other harm to students, we could face claims alleging that we were negligent, provided inadequate supervision or were otherwise liable for their injuries. Additionally, we could face claims alleging that our independent curriculum contractors or teachers infringed the intellectual property rights of third parties. A liability claim against us or any of our independent contractors, teachers, or Mentors could adversely affect our reputation, enrollment and revenues. Even if unsuccessful, such a claim could create unfavorable publicity, cause us to incur substantial expenses and divert the time and attention of management.
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We may not have sufficient insurance to protect ourselves against substantial losses.
We have insurance policies to provide coverage against certain potential risks, such as property damage and personal injury, as well as director and officer insurance for our management team. However, we cannot guarantee that our insurance coverage will always be available or will be sufficient to cover possible claims for these risks. In addition, there are certain types of risk that might not be covered by our policies, such as war, acts of nature, force majeure or interruption of certain activities. Moreover, we might be obliged to pay fines and other penalties in the event of delays in product delivery, and such penalties are not covered by our insurance policies. Additionally, we may not be able to renew our current insurance policies under the same terms or at all. Risks not covered by our insurance policies or the inability to renew policies on favorable terms or at all could adversely affect our business and financial condition.
Risks Related to Our Business and Industry (Specific to Pre-IPO Group)
We are a growing company with a limited operating history, and a history of operational losses. If we fail to achieve further marketplace acceptance for our products and services, our business, financial condition and results of operations will be adversely affected.
We began enrolling students on our Edtech platform in 2015. As a result, we have only a limited operating history upon which you can evaluate our business and prospects. There can be no assurance that we will reduce our operational losses or achieve profitability as a group in the near future, or that our products and services will achieve further marketplace acceptance. Our marketing efforts may not generate a sufficient number of student enrollments to sustain our business plan; our capital and operating costs may exceed planned levels; and we may be unable to develop and enhance our service offerings to meet the demands of our students and community to the extent that such demands and preferences change. If we are not successful in managing our business and operations, our financial condition and results of operations will be adversely affected.
Our Edtech platform is technologically complex, and potential defects in our platforms or in updates to our platforms can be difficult or even impossible to fix.
Our Edtech platform is a technically complex product, and, when first introduced to new communities or when upgraded through new versions, may contain software or hardware defects that are difficult to detect and correct. The existence of defects and delays in correcting them can have adverse effects, such as, cancellation of subscriptions, delays in the receipt of payment, poor functioning of our platforms and their content, failure to acquire new students, teachers, or Mentors, or misuse of our platforms by third parties.
We test new versions and upgrades to our Edtech platform, but we cannot assure that all defects related to platform updates can be identified before, or even after a new version of our platforms are made available. The correction of defects can be time-consuming, expensive and difficult. Errors and security breaches of our products could expose us to product liability claims and damage our reputation, which could have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
System disruptions, capacity constraints and vulnerability from security risks to our online computer networks could impact our ability to generate revenues and damage our reputation, limiting our ability to attract and retain students.
The performance and reliability of our technology infrastructure is critical to our reputation and ability to attract and retain students, teachers, Mentors, and our community. Any sustained system error or failure, or a sudden and significant increase in bandwidth usage, could limit access to our learning system, and therefore, damage our ability to generate revenues. Our computer networks may also be vulnerable to unauthorized access, computer hackers, computer viruses and other malware, and other security problems.
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Moreover, we host our products and serve our students, teachers, and Mentors from a third-party data center facility, the security, facilities management and communications infrastructure of which we do not control. While we are developing a risk mitigation plan, such a plan may not be able to prevent a significant interruption in the operation of this facility or the loss of school and operational data due to a natural disaster, fire, power interruption, act of terrorism or other unanticipated catastrophic event, or arising from other financial, technical or operational difficulties encountered by our third-party vendor. Any such significant interruption, including one caused by our failure to successfully expand or upgrade our systems or manage our transition to utilizing the expansions or upgrades, could reduce our ability to manage our network and technological infrastructure and provide uninterrupted service, or be the occasion of loss or theft of important customer data, any of which could result in liability, business interruption, lost sales, enrollment terminations and reputational harm to us.
Our current success and future growth depend on the continued acceptance of the Internet and the corresponding growth in users seeking educational services on the Internet.
Our business relies in part on the Internet for its success. A number of factors could inhibit the continued acceptance of the Internet, or the commercial viability of the Internet’s material role in our business model, and adversely affect our profitability, including:
➢ | Inadequate Internet infrastructure; |
➢ | Security and privacy concerns; |
➢ | The unavailability of cost-effective Internet service and other technological factors; and |
➢ | Changes in U.S. or foreign government regulation of Internet use, which may relate to issues such as online privacy, copyrights, trademarks and service marks, sales taxes, fair business practices, and requirements that online education institutions qualify to do business as foreign corporations or be licensed in one or more jurisdictions where they have no physical location or other presence. |
If Internet use decreases, if the number of Internet users seeking educational services on the Internet does not increase, or if we become subject to material additional costs as a result of regulatory changes affecting online education businesses, our business may not grow as planned.
We are susceptible to the illegal or improper use of our content, Edtech and platform (whether from students, teachers, Mentors, management personnel and other employees, or third parties), or other forms of misconduct, which could expose us to liability and damage our business and brand.
Our content, Edtech and platform are susceptible to unauthorized use, software license violations, copyright violations and unauthorized copying and distribution, theft, employee fraud and other similar infractions and violations. Because we do not have full control over how even authorized users will use our online platforms to communicate, such platforms may be misused for improper, malicious, objectionable or illegal purposes. Such occurrences (whether originating from students, teachers, Mentors, management personnel and other employees, or third parties) can harm our business and consequently negatively affect our operating results. We could be required to expend significant additional resources to deter, police against and combat improper use of our content, Edtech and platform, and still may be unsuccessful in preventing such occurrences or identifying those responsible for any such misuse. Any failure to adequately protect against any such illegal or improper use of our content, Edtech and platform could expose us to liability or reputational harm and could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Our brand image, reputation, business and results of operations may also be adversely affected by other forms of illegal or improper activities of our management personnel and other employees, such as intentionally failing to comply with government regulations, engaging in deceptive business and marketing practices, improper use of personal or sensitive information, or violations of anticorruption or similar laws. The precautions we take to prevent and detect such activities may not be effective in preventing or mitigating them. Even where such activities are unrelated to our business or the services provided by our management personnel or other employees to us, they may harm our brands and reputation.
We may be unable to manage and adapt to changes in technology.
We will need to respond to technological advances and emerging industry standards in a cost-effective and timely manner in order to remain competitive. The need to respond to technological changes may require us to make substantial, unanticipated expenditures. There can be no assurance that we will be able to respond successfully to technological change.
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We must monitor and protect our Internet domain names to preserve their value.
We own a wide range of domain names including our Edtech platform, www.geniusu.com (information contained on, or available through, such website does not constitute part of, and is not deemed incorporated by reference into, this Annual Report). Third parties may acquire substantially similar domain names that decrease the value of our domain names and trademarks and other proprietary rights which may hurt our business. The regulation of domain names in the United States and foreign countries is subject to change.
Governing bodies could appoint additional domain name registrars or modify the requirements for holding domain names. Governing bodies could also establish additional “top-level” domains, which are the portion of the Web address that appears to the right of the “dot,” such as “com,” “gov,” or “org.” As a result, we may not maintain exclusive rights to all potentially relevant domain names in the United States or in other countries in which we conduct business.
The long-term success of our campuses is highly dependent on our ability to effectively identify and secure appropriate sites for new resorts and cafes.
One of our challenges in the growth of our Entrepreneur Resorts locations is locating and securing an adequate supply of suitable new resort and cafe sites. Competition for desirable sites is intense, and other restaurant and retail concepts that compete for those sites may have economic models that permit them to bid more aggressively for sites than we can. There is no guarantee that a sufficient number of suitable sites will be available in desirable areas or on terms that are acceptable to us in order to achieve our growth plan or meet our economic objectives in new or existing geographic markets. Our ability to identify, secure, and open new restaurant sites also depends on other factors, many of which are likely to be more challenging if the COVID-19 pandemic continues.
Increases in labor costs, labor shortages, and any difficulties in attracting, motivating, and retaining well- qualified employees within the hospitality industry could have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations for our resorts and cafes.
Labor is a significant component in the cost of operating our entrepreneur resorts and cafes. If we face labor shortages, particularly due to recent labor shortages in the hospitality industry as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, increased labor costs because of increased competition for employees, higher employee turnover rates, inefficiency in scheduling our employees, increases in local minimum wage, or other employee benefits costs (including costs associated with health insurance coverage), our operating expenses could increase and our growth could be negatively impacted. Our success depends in part upon our ability to attract, motivate, and retain a sufficient number of well-qualified resort and cafe operators and management personnel, as well as a sufficient number of other qualified employees, including customer service and kitchen staff, to align with our expansion plans and multi-channel approach. Because of the busy nature of our restaurants, it is critical that we have a high level of labor productivity and if we do not maintain high engagement or deployment in our restaurants (including in new restaurants and in new markets), it could have an adverse effect on our business.
Risks Related to Our Business and Industry (Specific to IPO Acquisitions)
If we default on a payment on the note payable that is part of the purchase consideration for UAV, the ownership and control of UAV will revert to the sellers.
In accordance with the amendment to the Stock Purchase Agreement signed on March 24, 2022 with UAV, the purchase consideration includes a note payable of $17 million with payments over three years plus interest at 5%. If we default on any of the annual payments, and fail to rectify within 60 days, the sellers have the option to repurchase all of the shares of UAV for $1 and, if they exercise this option, they will take immediate control of the operations, finances and governance of UAV, and ownership of UAV will revert to the sellers.
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Following the completion of the IPO Acquisitions, we may pursue other strategic acquisitions or investments. The failure of an acquisition or investment (including but not limited to the IPO Acquisitions) to be completed or to produce the anticipated results, or the inability to fully integrate an acquired company, could harm our business.
We may from time to time, as opportunities arise or economic conditions permit, acquire or invest in complementary companies or businesses as part of our strategy to expand our operations, including through acquisitions or investments that may be material in size and/or of strategic relevance. The success of an acquisition or investment will depend on our ability to make accurate assumptions regarding the valuation, operations, growth potential, integration and other factors related to that business. We cannot assure you that our acquisitions or investments will produce the results that we expect at the time we enter into or complete a given transaction.
Any acquisition or investment involves a series of risks and challenges that could adversely affect our business, including due to a failure of such acquisition to contribute to our commercial strategy or improve our image. We may be unable to generate the expected returns and synergies on our investments. In addition, the amortization of acquired intangible assets could decrease our net profit and potential dividends. We may face challenges in integrating acquired companies, which may result in the diversion of our capital and our management’s attention from other business issues and opportunities. We may be unable to create and implement uniform and effective controls, procedures and policies, and we may incur increased costs for integrating systems, people, distribution methods or operating procedures.
We may also be unable to integrate technologies of acquired businesses or retain key customers, executives and staff of the businesses acquired. In particular, we may face challenges in integrating staff working across different geographies and that may be accustomed to different corporate cultures, which would result in strained relations among existing and new personnel. We could also face challenges in negotiating favorable collective bargaining agreements with unions due to differences in the negotiating procedures used in different regions. Finally, we may pursue acquisitions where we acquire a majority stake in such acquisition, but with significant minority investors, or we may become minority investors in certain operations, wherein our ability to effectively control and manage the business may be limited. If we are unable to manage growth through acquisitions, our business and financial condition could be materially adversely affected.
In addition, in connection with any future acquisition, we may face liabilities for contingencies related to, among others, (1) legal and/or administrative proceedings of the acquired company, including civil, regulatory, labor, tax, social security, environmental and intellectual property proceedings, and (2) financial, reputational and technical problems including those related to accounting practices, disclosures in financial statements and internal controls, as well as other regulatory issues. These contingencies may not have been identified prior to the acquisition and may not be sufficiently indemnifiable under the terms of the relevant acquisition agreement, which could have an adverse effect on our business and financial condition. Even if contingencies are indemnifiable under the relevant acquisition agreement, the agreed levels of indemnity may not be sufficient to cover actual contingencies as they materialize.
The continued success of our IPO Acquisitions depends initially on the value of the local brands of each of the companies and how we integrate those brands with Genius Group and GeniusU, which may be materially adversely affected by changes in current and prospective students’ perceptions post-acquisition.
Each of our IPO Acquisitions has worked hard to establish the value of their individual brands. A merger or acquisition is a significant event in any company’s history, which may cause concern or trigger potentially negative commentary or criticism whether by staff members, students or local communities. The perception of the changes and improvements we intend to implement with each IPO Acquisition may have unintended consequences which impact on the current brand value and reputation of each IPO Acquisition. This may be materially adverse to our interests, it may be inaccurate, and it may harm our performance, prospects and business.
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Growing the certified education courses offered by our IPO Acquisitions could be difficult for us.
We anticipate significant future growth from online courses we offer to students on GeniusU, integrating with our IPO Acquisitions. The expansion of our existing online programs, the creation of new online programs and the development of new fully online or hybrid programs may not be accepted by students or our partners, or by government regulators or accreditation agencies. In addition, our efforts may be materially adversely affected by increased competition in the online education market or because of problems with the performance or reliability of our online program infrastructure. There is also increasing development of certified online programs by traditional schools universities, both in the public and private sectors, which may have more consumer acceptance than programs we develop, because of lower pricing or greater perception of value of their degrees in the marketplace, which may materially adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Our IPO Acquisitions are subject to uncertain and varying laws and regulations, and any changes to these laws or regulations may materially adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Three of our IPO Acquisitions are regulated to varying degrees and in different ways in each of the countries in which we operate an institution: Education Angels, E-Square and UAV have licenses, approvals, authorizations, or accreditations from various governmental authorities and accrediting bodies. These licenses, approvals, authorizations, and accreditations must be renewed periodically, usually after an evaluation of the institution by the relevant governmental authorities or accrediting bodies. These periodic evaluations could result in limitations, restrictions, conditions, or withdrawal of such licenses, approvals, authorizations or accreditations, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. In addition, once licensed, approved, authorized or accredited, some of our institutions may need approvals for new campuses or to add new degree programs.
All of these regulations and their applicable interpretations are subject to change based on changing rules and regulations over time in each country where we operate. Changes in applicable regulations may cause a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Regulatory changes that affect the timing of government-sponsored student aid payments or receipt of government-sponsored financial aid could materially adversely affect our liquidity.
Two of our IPO Acquisitions, Education Angels and UAV, receive funding from the New Zealand and US Government, respectively. Education Angels receives funding from the New Zealand Government for 50% of educator fees based on approval by the New Zealand Ministry of Education. Students at UAV may qualify for financial aid funding through state and federal agencies. The majority of financial aid available to UAV students is provided by the Federal Government and referred to as Title IV Aid. This includes the Federal Pell Grant, Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (FSEOG), Federal Work-Study (FWS), Federal Direct Loan Program, and Parent Loans for Undergraduate Students (PLUS). Also, students may be eligible to participate in institutional or private loan programs that enable students to contribute to his/her education while in college, and the university is also eligible to participate in several state agency programs.
Should the governments in these countries, or in the countries of future acquisitions, change regulations that impact the timing or receipt of government-sponsored student aid, this could materially adversely affect our liquidity as well as our business and results of operations, and in turn affect our enrolment numbers.
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The changing public perception and changes to government policies with respect to private schools may have a materially adverse impact on our IPO Acquisitions and our overall plans to expand in the early learning, primary school, secondary school and university markets.
The views taken by students, parents and the government on private schools vary from country to country and change over time. China imposed restrictions on education companies that operated private tuition centers and Edtech companies providing private tutors in 2021. This included a broad ban on private companies that teach the Chinese school curriculum from making profits, raising capital or going public. While China’s actions against private education institutions did not directly impacted our Pre-IPO Group or IPO Acquisitions, as less than 1% of group revenues is generated from Chinese students, it is an indication of the negative impact a country can impose on private education and there is a risk that other countries may follow a similar path. For example, the Indian government has expressed concern about the rapid growth of for- profit, private education in the country. While this has not yet led to any restrictive regulations, it has resulted in India’s largest private Edtech startups setting up a self-regulatory industry group to draw up a code of conduct to present to the government.
In the United States, the Biden Administration has indicated that it wants higher scrutiny of for-profit colleges and universities to ensure higher standards are met in order to qualify for government funding. While there has not yet been any concrete actions taken by the government in this regard, should such actions be taken and imposed, this may materially adversely affect the revenues of our IPO Acquisition, UAV, in the event the university is not able to meet any new standards imposed. Any other such restrictions imposed in the future by governments in the countries where we plan to expand to with our IPO Acquisitions, or any negative changes in public perception towards for-profit education companies in contrast to non-profit schools may negatively affect our IPO Acquisitions’ and Genius Group’s business, financial condition and results of operation.
The poor performance or reputation of other early learning schools or the industry as a whole could tarnish the reputation of our IPO Acquisition, Education Angels, which could have a negative impact on its business.
With reference specifically to our IPO Acquisition, Education Angels, the company operates in a sector which does not have the same level of oversight as Primary, Secondary and Tertiary education. For example, in most countries, including the U.S., license requirements to operate a child care business vary from state to state, while education standards during early learning are relatively relaxed when compared to the accreditation and other standards required of primary schools, high schools and universities.
Similarly, while educators at primary school, high school and university must be qualified as faculty, the standards within early learning are more relaxed, with some childcare workers or assistants in the industry having few qualifications. This may result in poor performance of some early learning operators, or in the early learning industry as a whole suffering from a poor reputation, and this in turn my cause a material adverse effect on Education Angels’ business and our ability to expand our early learning operations in certain countries or states.
Changes in the demand for childcare and workplace solutions, which may be negatively affected by demographic trends and economic conditions, including unemployment rates, may affect our IPO Acquisition, Education Angels.
The target market for our IPO Acquisition, Education Angels, is dual-income families or working single parents who are seeking an early learning solution for their child that includes childcare. Different countries have different funding programs for early learning and childcare, but in most cases the parents are required to pay for some or all childcare services. As a result, Education Angels is and will continue to be dependent on this demographic segment to maintain and grow revenues. Changes in demographic trends, including the number of dual-income or working single parent families in the workforce, inflation, personal disposable income and birth rates may impact the demand for Education Angels’ services.
Further, a deterioration of general economic conditions, including rising unemployment, may adversely impact the demand for our services due to the tendency of out-of-work parents to diminish or discontinue utilization of our services. Such changes could materially and adversely affect Education Angels’ business and operating results.
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The expansion of our IPO Acquisition, Education Angels, into certain markets including the United States may be negatively impacted by increased competition based on changes in government regulation and benefit programs.
Countries from time to time change regulations with respect to childcare and early learning and while this may have a positive impact on our IPO Acquisition, Education Angels, it may also have a negative impact. For example, in the U.S., President Biden has recently proposed publicly funded universal preschool for all three- and four-year-olds in partnerships with the states. The initial legislative drafts of the President’s proposal for a new federally funded preschool program allow private, for-profit entities to be eligible for participation, but do not mandate such participation. It is unclear how the proposed legislation will progress in the current political and fiscal climate, or how the states would implement the programs. Public programs such as this have the ability to either expand or shrink Education Angels’ ability to serve children in a country such as the U.S. The amount of public funding, the rates paid for early education programs, our eligibility to be a provider and the terms and conditions of the programs could have either a positive or negative effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
For example, in the U.S., federal, state or local childcare and early education benefit programs relying primarily on subsidies in the form of tuition assistance or tax credits could provide us with opportunities for expansion in new or existing markets. However, a federal, state or local universal benefit such as preschool, if offered primarily or exclusively through public schools or non-profit entities, could reduce the demand for private home-based education services and negatively impact the financial and operational model that we plan to expand with Education Angels. If such programs were to significantly expand or our participation is reduced, it could have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations.
Our IPO Acquisition, E-Square, may be negatively affected by the economic and political conditions in South Africa.
Our IPO Acquisition, E-Square, operates in Port Elizabeth, South Africa, and relies on the ongoing economic health and political stability of that country. In recent years South Africa has been affected by a weak economy and political instability. This deterioration in conditions was compounded by the COVID-19 pandemic. There has been an improvement in the current stability of the government and the country is expecting to register economic growth of 5% in 2021. However, these conditions may further deteriorate. Such deterioration of general economic conditions, including rising inflation and unemployment, may decrease demand for E-Square’s courses and services as parents opt for lower cost alternatives. Such changes could materially and adversely affect E-Square’s business and operating results.
Public perception and regulatory changes in the primary school and secondary school systems in countries that E-Square may expand to may have a materially adverse impact on the company.
The primary school and second school systems in countries where we plan to expand the courses and programs of our IPO Acquisition, E-Square, are undergoing changes in public perception together with regulatory changes. For example, in the United Kingdom, government funding of schools has dropped 8% in the last decade and public confidence in the high school exam system dropped during the COVID-19 Pandemic after the government abolished all exams in 2020 and replaced them with teacher assessments.
In August 2020 the government then used computer algorithms to reject 39% of teacher recommendations and downgrade student marks, and this decision was in itself then overturned with the government reverting back to teacher assessments. Such mismanagement and the resulting negative impact experienced by students and parents can lead to a negative perception and mistrust of the education system as a whole.
While countries such as the United States may not have experienced mismanagement on the scale of the United Kingdom, there are signs that there is increasing mistrust of the current primary school and high school system by parents, with discontent ranging from the conduct of school boards and the policies of school districts to the content and the quality of education provided. The possible negative public perception of the primary school and secondary school system as a whole can be seen as an opportunity for companies that can provide a superior offering to parents and students, but it also can be a risk that may adversely affect E-Square’s ability to expand into markets where all schools, including new entrants, are appealing to a skeptical market with a low level of trust.
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Our growth plans for our IPO Acquisition, E-Square, and our plans to expand into the primary school and high school markets will be a complex and lengthy process where future success is not assured.
We believe that the growth of our Pre-IPO Group has been supported by our strategy of focusing on adult entrepreneur training where government regulation and curriculum requirements are far more relaxed than in the primary school and high school sectors. We believe the main reason that there has not been a well- known and well-branded new global curriculum developed and accepted internationally since the International Baccalaureate system in 1968 is the complex combination of government regulations, accreditations and curriculum standards that must be met across multiple countries, together with the varying expectations of parents, students, employers, colleges and universities as to what these schools must deliver.
We have a staged growth plan which we explain in the “Our Genius Curriculum” section in this Annual Report, in which we plan to begin by providing E-Square’s courses as supplementary courses to the existing school system, delivered on the GeniusU platform, and in which we view our aspiration of delivering our Genius Curriculum as a potential replacement option to the existing primary school and high school system in countries we expand to, similar to how E-Square operates in South Africa, as a longer term goal. However, this plan may be more complex and lengthy than we anticipate and based on the obstacles we face in the future as we expand globally the future success of E-Square’s growth is not assured.
If we cannot maintain student enrollments and maintain tuition levels in our IPO Acquisition, UAV, the university’s results of operations may be materially adversely affected.
Our IPO Acquisition, UAV, has historically been dependent on students from the Lancaster Valley and Greater Los Angeles area for enrolments. We plan to expand on the student base by both attracting students globally to attend UAV and to deliver UAV’s courses on the GeniusU platform. We are, however, planning for UAV to maintain its current student enrollment and tuition levels through the same methods it has employed historically.
As a result, our strategy for growth and profitability of UAV depends, in part, upon maintaining and these historic levels. Attrition rates are often due to factors outside our control. Students sometimes face financial, personal or family constraints that require them to drop out of university. They also are affected by local economic and social. In addition, our ability to attract and retain students to UAV may require us to discount tuition from published levels, and may prevent us from increasing tuition levels at a rate consistent with inflation and increases in our costs.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, in the financial year 2020 and the first six months of 2021, UAV saw a decline in its revenue. If we are unable to control the rate of student attrition, our overall enrollment levels are likely to decline or if we are unable to charge tuition rates that are both competitive and cover our rising expenses, our business, financial condition, cash flows and results of operations may be materially adversely affected.
The reputation of our IPO Acquisition, UAV, may be negatively influenced by the actions of other for-profit and private universities.
In recent years, there have been a number of regulatory investigations and civil litigation matters targeting post-secondary for-profit education institutions in the United States. These investigations and lawsuits have alleged, among other things, deceptive trade practices, false claims against the United States and noncompliance with state and DOE regulations. These allegations have attracted adverse media coverage and have been the subject of federal and state legislative hearings and investigations in the United States and in other countries. Allegations against the post-secondary for-profit and private education sectors may affect general public perceptions of for-profit and private educational institutions, including UAV, in a negative manner. Adverse media coverage regarding other for-profit or private educational institutions or regarding us directly or indirectly could damage our reputation, reduce student demand for our programs, materially adversely affect our revenues and operating profit or result in increased regulatory scrutiny.
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The university and vocational college market is very competitive, and we may not be able to achieve our growth plans with UAV.
The university and vocational college markets, both in the United States and around the world, are highly fragmented and are very competitive and dynamic. Currently our IPO Acquisition, UAV, competes with traditional public and private colleges and universities and other proprietary institutions, including those that offer online professional-oriented programs. Many of these institutions are larger, more widely known and have more established reputations than UAV. Some of our competitors in both the public and private sectors may have greater financial and other resources than we have and have operated in their markets for many years.
We also anticipate potential competition from Edtech companies that prioritize open access education to students at university or certification level. A number of these providers have been formed recently to provide online curriculum from leading academics at little or no cost to the student. If this new modality is successful, it could disrupt the economics of the current education model (both for-profit and not-for-profit institutions). Other competitors may include large, well-capitalized companies that may pursue a strategy similar to ours of acquiring or establishing for-profit institutions.
Public institutions receive substantial government subsidies, and public and private not-for-profit institutions have access to government and foundation grants, tax-deductible contributions and other financial resources generally not available to for-profit institutions. Accordingly, public and private not-for-profit institutions may have instructional and support resources superior to those in the for-profit sector, and public institutions can offer substantially lower tuition prices or other advantages that we cannot match.
Any of these large, well-capitalized competitors may make it more difficult for us to expand UAV as part of our growth strategy. They may also be able to charge lower tuitions or attract more students, which would adversely affect our growth and the profitability of UAV. There is also an increased ability of traditional universities to offer online programs and we expect competition to increase as the online market matures. This may create greater pricing or operating pressure on us, which could have a material adverse effect on UAV’s enrollments, revenues and profit margins. We may not be able to compete successfully against current or future competitors and may face competitive pressures that could have a material adverse effect on UAV’s business and the financial condition and results of operations for UAV and the operations of Genius Group focused on the university sector.
If the graduates of our IPO Acquisition, UAV, are unable to obtain professional licenses or certifications required for employment in their chosen fields of study, the university’s reputation may suffer and we may face declining enrollments and revenues or be subject to student litigation.
UAV’s students require or desire professional licenses or certifications after graduation to obtain employment in their chosen fields. Their success in obtaining such qualifications depends on several factors, including the individual merits of the student, whether the institution and the program were approved by the relevant government or by a professional association, whether the program from which the student graduated meets all governmental requirements and whether the institution is accredited. If one or more governmental authorities refuses to recognize UAV’s graduates for professional qualifications in the future based on factors relating to us or our programs, the potential growth of our programs would be negatively affected, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. In addition, we could be exposed to litigation that would force us to incur legal and other expenses that could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
If the graduates of UAV do not meet possible future standards of “gainful employment”, this may negatively affect the university’s reputation and access to government funding.
The Biden Administration has recently expressed interest in reinstating the “Gainful Employment Rule” as a measure to hold universities and colleges accountable for both the employment and earnings of graduating students. The Gainful Employment Rule was first issued in 2014 and was designed to ensure that career- education programs leave their graduates with debts that are affordable relative to their actual incomes. It distinguishes between programs that provide affordable training that leads to well-paying jobs and those that do not, based on the debt-to-income ratios of their graduates.
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This rule was rescinded by the previous US administration in 2019. The Biden Administration has proposed to reimpose the rule as a measure by which the government may assess whether a university or college qualifies for federal funding. While no specifics have yet been agreed or proposed, if such a rule was imposed, it would require all higher education institutions, including UAV, to provide the government with information on completion rates, debt and other trends by program, with the possibility that government funding may become restricted should thresholds not be met. In the event that UAV were to fall below any threshold set, this may negatively affect the university’s reputation or ability to access government funding, which in term could have a material adverse effect on UAV’s business, financial conditions and results of operation.
Growing the online academic programs of UAV on GeniusU could be difficult for us.
After we have completed the acquisition of UAV, we anticipate significant future growth from online courses we offer to students. The expansion of our existing online programs, the creation of new online programs and the development of new fully online or hybrid programs may not be accepted by students or employers, or by government regulators or accreditation agencies. In addition, our efforts may be materially adversely affected by increased competition in the online education market or because of problems with the performance or reliability of our online program infrastructure. There is also increasing development of online programs by traditional universities, both in the public and private sectors, which may have more consumer acceptance than programs we develop, because of lower pricing or greater perception of value of their degrees in the marketplace, which may materially adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
If for-profit universities and colleges, which offer online education alternatives different from ours, perform poorly, it could tarnish the reputation of online education as a whole, which could impair UAV’s ability to grow its business.
For-profit universities, many of which provide course offerings predominantly online, are under intense regulatory and other scrutiny, which has led to media attention that has sometimes portrayed that sector in an unflattering light. Some for-profit online school operators have been subject to governmental investigations alleging the misuse of public funds, financial irregularities, and failure to achieve positive outcomes for students, including the inability to obtain employment in their fields.
These allegations have attracted significant adverse media coverage and have prompted legislative hearings and regulatory responses. These investigations have focused on specific companies and individuals, and even entire industries in the case of recruiting practices by for-profit higher education companies. Even though we believe we can educate students and partners on our unique differences and culture that sets us apart from these companies, this negative media attention may nevertheless add to skepticism about online higher education generally, including our solutions.
The precise impact of these negative public perceptions on our current and future business is difficult to discern. If these few situations, or any additional misconduct, cause all Edtech and online learning programs to be viewed by the public or policymakers unfavorably, we may find it difficult to grow UAV or attract additional students for UAV’s programs. In addition, this perception could serve as the impetus for more restrictive legislation, which could limit our future business opportunities. Moreover, allegations of abuse of federal financial aid funds and other statutory violations against for-profit higher education companies could negatively impact our opportunity to succeed due to increased regulation and decreased demand. Any of these factors could negatively impact our ability to grow UAV and the university and vocational college segment of our business.
Our growth plans for UAV and our plans to expand into the university and vocational college market in the United States and globally is a complex and lengthy process, exposing us to risks inherent in international growth.
One element of our growth strategy for UAV is to expand our international operations and establish a worldwide student base. We cannot guarantee that our expansion efforts into international markets will be successful. The challenges in expanding the UAV model include the complexity of converting elements of UAV’s degree courses and certification courses into a suitable form on the GeniusU Edtech platform, the need to gain accreditation and licenses in the various states and countries where this is required, and our ability to attract enough suitably qualified faculty to deliver the courses both online and on campus.
We have a staged growth plan for UAV which we explain in the “Our Genius Curriculum” section in this Annual Report, in which we aim to grow gradually within the university and college sector through a gradual, staged process to ensure we overcome these challenges effectively as we grow. However, this plan may be more complex and lengthier than we anticipate and based on the obstacles we face in the future as we expand globally the future success of UAV’s growth is not assured.
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The course content of our IPO Acquisition, PIN, requires ongoing updating based on the current government regulations and market conditions of the property market.
The course content delivered by the Pre-IPO Group has historically been focused on entrepreneur skills, and while the courses are refreshed annually, the majority of the leadership, sales, marketing, team development and financial management skills that are taught remain relevant from one year to the next. Our IPO Acquisition, PIN, has thrived by running courses and events where students can learn the most current strategies that property investors are applying effectively to build their property portfolio. These strategies tend to be more dynamic based on changing market trends, interest rates, financing opportunities and changes in government policies, incentives and restrictions.
While this has historically been an opportunity for PIN, as its locally-based city event model led by experienced property investors has enabled it to deliver more relevant, up-to-date training and information than nationally delivered property investing courses, this requirement to continually update and localize course content is a risk to the growth of PIN. If the company fails to innovate or maintain its relevance in its course content, this may negatively affect the company’s financial conditions and results of operation.
The wide range of differences between the property markets in different countries may make it challenging for PIN to achieve its global expansion plan.
While PIN has an online student base that is in 52 countries, it has historically operated its events and city-based investor communities only in the United Kingdom. This has been partly due to its focus on the United Kingdom market, and partly due to the complexities of providing specific, practical market knowledge of the property markets in different countries. Our plan is to expand PIN’s locally-based model to countries throughout the world with our GeniusU Edtech platform and global community. This plan is dependent on us replicating PIN’s success in attracting locally-based property investors and professionals who are willing to share their expertise, experience and opportunities in the countries we expand to. This may be more complex or take more time than we anticipate, which in turn may negatively affect our expansion plans and our results of operation.
The reputation of PIN may be negatively influenced by the actions of other property investing training companies and courses.
In recent years, there have been a number of regulatory investigations and civil litigation matters targeting unethical or unprofessional training companies or individuals providing advice on property investing or property trading. These have occurred in the United Kingdom, the United States and other countries.
These investigations and lawsuits have alleged, among other things, deceptive trade practices, false claims and unregulated financial advice. These allegations have attracted adverse media coverage and have been the subject of federal and state legislative hearings and investigations in the United States and in other countries. Allegations against this investment education sector and the actions of certain companies in this sector may affect general public perceptions towards the sector in a negative manner. Adverse media coverage regarding other training companies or regarding PIN directly or indirectly could damage our reputation, reduce student demand for our programs, materially adversely affect our revenues and operating profit or result in increased regulatory scrutiny.
In the event that the acquisitions of either or both E-Square and UAV are not completed, this may materially adversely affect our future business growth, financial condition and results of operations.
The collection and completion of the closing items related to the acquisitions of two of the Post-IPO Acquisitions, E-Square and UAV, are currently in process. While we have no current reason to believe that both of these acquisitions will not be consummated in the near future, in the event that either or both of these acquisitions are not completed, this may materially adversely affect our future business growth, financial condition and results of operations.
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Risks Related to Investing in a Foreign Private Issuer or a Singapore Company
As a foreign private issuer, we are permitted to follow certain home country corporate governance practices in lieu of certain requirements under the NYSE American listing standards. This may afford less protection to holders of our ordinary shares than U.S. regulations.
As a foreign private issuer whose ordinary shares are listed on the NYSE American, we are permitted to follow certain home country corporate governance practices in lieu of certain requirements under the NYSE American listing standards. A foreign private issuer must disclose in its Annual Reports filed with the SEC each requirement under the NYSE American listing standards with which it does not comply, followed by a description of its applicable home country practice. Our home country practices in Singapore may afford less protection to holders of our ordinary shares. We may rely on exemptions available under the NYSE American listing standards to a foreign private issuer and follow our home country practices in the future, and as a result, you may not be provided with the benefits of certain corporate governance requirements of the NYSE American listing standards. As of the time of our listing on the NYSE American, we intend to rely on such an exemption with respect to our quorum requirement for shareholder meetings, such that we will not be in compliance with the NYSE American’s standard of a quorum of at least 33 1∕3% of shares issued and outstanding and entitled to vote.
As a foreign private issuer, we are not subject to U.S. proxy rules and are subject to Exchange Act reporting obligations that, to some extent, are more lenient and less detailed than those of a U.S. issuer.
We report under the Exchange Act as a foreign private issuer. Because we qualify as a foreign private issuer under the Exchange Act, we will be exempt from certain provisions of the Exchange Act that are applicable to U.S. public companies, including: the sections of the Exchange Act regulating the solicitation of proxies, consents or authorizations in respect of a security registered under the Exchange Act; the sections of the Exchange Act requiring insiders to file public reports of their share ownership and trading activities and liability for insiders who profit from trades made in a short period of time; and the rules under the Exchange Act requiring the filing with the SEC of quarterly reports on Form 10-Q containing unaudited financial and other specified information, or current reports on Form 8-K, upon the occurrence of specified significant events. In addition, we will not be required to provide as detailed disclosure as a U.S. registrant, particularly in the area of executive compensation. It is possible that some investors may not be as interested in investing in our ordinary shares as the securities of a U.S. registrant that is required to provide more frequent and detailed disclosure in certain areas, which could adversely affect our share price.
We may lose our foreign private issuer status, which would then require us to comply with the Exchange Act’s domestic reporting regime and cause us to incur additional legal, accounting and other expenses.
In order to maintain our current status as a foreign private issuer, either (1) a majority of our ordinary shares must be either directly or indirectly owned of record by non-residents of the United States or (2) (a) a majority of our executive officers or directors must not be U.S. citizens or residents, (b) more than 50 percent of our assets cannot be located in the United States and (c) our business must be administered principally outside the United States. If we lost this status, we would be required to comply with the Exchange Act reporting and other requirements applicable to U.S. domestic issuers, which are more detailed and extensive than the requirements for foreign private issuers. We may also be required to make changes in our corporate governance practices in accordance with various SEC rules and the NYSE American listing standards. The regulatory and compliance costs to us under U.S. securities laws if we are required to comply with the reporting requirements applicable to a U.S. domestic issuer may be higher than the cost we would incur as a foreign private issuer. As a result, we expect that a loss of foreign private issuer status would increase our legal and financial compliance costs. We also expect that if we were required to comply with the rules and regulations applicable to U.S. domestic issuers, it would make it more difficult and expensive for us to obtain director and officer liability insurance. These rules and regulations could also make it more difficult for us to attract and retain qualified Board members.
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We are a Singapore incorporated company and it may be difficult to enforce a judgment of U.S. courts for civil liabilities under U.S. federal securities laws against us, our directors or officers in Singapore.
We are incorporated under the laws of the Republic of Singapore, and certain of our directors are residents outside the United States. Moreover, a significant portion of our consolidated assets are located outside of the United States. Although we are incorporated outside the United States, we have agreed to accept service of process in the United States through our agent designated for that purpose. Nevertheless, because a majority of the consolidated assets owned by us are located outside of the United States, any judgment obtained in the United States against us may not be enforceable within the United States.
There is no treaty in force between the United States and Singapore providing for the reciprocal recognition and enforcement of judgments in civil and commercial matters and a final judgment for the payment of money rendered by any federal or state court in the United States based on civil liability, whether or not predicated solely upon the federal securities laws, would, therefore, not be automatically enforceable in Singapore. There is uncertainty as to whether judgments of courts in the United States based upon the civil liability of the federal securities laws of the United States would be recognized or enforceable in Singapore. In addition, holders of book-entry interests in our shares (for example, where such shareholders hold our shares indirectly through the Depository Trust Company) will be required to be registered shareholders as reflected in our register of members in order to have standing to bring a shareholder action and, if successful, to enforce a foreign judgment against us, our directors or our executive officers in the Singapore courts.
The administrative process of becoming a registered shareholder could result in delays prejudicial to any legal proceedings or enforcement action. Consequently, it may be difficult for investors to enforce against us, our directors or our officers in Singapore judgments obtained in the United States which are predicated upon the civil liability provisions of the federal securities laws of the United States.
We are incorporated in Singapore and our shareholders may have more difficulty in protecting their interests than they would as shareholders of a corporation incorporated in the United States.
Our corporate affairs are governed by our constitution and by the laws governing companies incorporated in Singapore. The rights of our shareholders and the responsibilities of our Board members under Singapore law may be different from those applicable to a corporation incorporated in the United States in material respects. Principal shareholders of Singapore companies do not owe fiduciary duties to minority shareholders, as compared, for example, to controlling shareholders in corporations incorporated in Delaware. Our public shareholders may have more difficulty in protecting their interests in connection with actions taken by our management, our Board members or our principal shareholders than they would as shareholders of a corporation incorporated in the United States.
In addition, only persons who are registered as shareholders in our register of members are recognized under Singapore law as shareholders of our Company. Only registered shareholders have legal standing to institute shareholder actions against us or otherwise seek to enforce their rights as shareholders. Investors in our shares who are not specifically registered as shareholders in our register of members (for example, where such shareholders hold shares indirectly through the Depository Trust Company) are required to become registered as shareholders in our register of members in order to institute or enforce any legal proceedings or claims against us, our directors or our executive officers relating to shareholder rights. Holders of book-entry interests in our shares may become registered shareholders by exchanging their book-entry interests in our shares for certificated shares and being registered in our register of members. Such process could result in administrative delays which may be prejudicial to any legal proceeding or enforcement action.
We are subject to the laws of Singapore, which differ in certain material respects from the laws of the United States.
As a company incorporated under the laws of the Republic of Singapore, we are required to comply with the laws of Singapore, certain of which are capable of extra-territorial application, as well as our constitution. In particular, we are required to comply with certain provisions of the SFA, which prohibit certain forms of market conduct and information disclosures, and impose criminal and civil penalties on corporations, directors and officers in respect of any breach of such provisions. In addition, the Singapore Code on Take-overs and Mergers (the “Singapore Take-over Code”), specifies, among other things, certain circumstances in which a general offer is to be made upon a change in control of a Singapore-incorporated public company, and further specifies the manner and price at which voluntary and mandatory general offers are to be made.
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The laws of Singapore and of the United States differ in certain significant respects. The rights of our shareholders and the obligations of our directors and officers under Singapore law may be different from those applicable to a company incorporated in the State of Delaware in material respects, and our shareholders may have more difficulty and less clarity in protecting their interests in connection with actions taken by our management, members of our board of directors or our controlling shareholders than would otherwise apply to a company incorporated in the State of Delaware. See “Comparison of Shareholder Rights” for a discussion of certain differences between Singapore and Delaware corporation law.
In addition, the application of Singapore law, in particular, the Companies Act 1967 of Singapore (the “Singapore Companies Act”), may, in certain circumstances, impose more restrictions on us, our shareholders, directors and officers than would otherwise be applicable to a company incorporated in the State of Delaware. For example, the Singapore Companies Act requires a director to act with a reasonable degree of diligence in the discharge of the duties of his office and, in certain circumstances, imposes criminal liability for specified contraventions of particular statutory requirements or prohibitions. In addition, pursuant to the provisions of the Singapore Companies Act, shareholders holding 10% or more of the total number of paid-up shares as at the date of the deposit carrying the right of voting at general meetings (disregarding paid-up shares held as treasury shares) may by depositing a requisition, require our directors to convene an extraordinary general meeting. If our directors do not within 21 days after the date of deposit of the requisition proceed to convene a meeting, the requisitioning shareholders, or any of them representing more than 50% of the total voting rights represented of all of them, may proceed to convene such meeting, and we will be liable for the reasonable expenses incurred by such requisitioning shareholders. We are also required by the Singapore Companies Act to deduct corresponding amounts from fees or other remuneration payable by us to such of the directors as are in default.
Singapore take-over laws contain provisions that may vary from those in other jurisdictions.
The Singapore Take-over Code applies to, among others, corporations with a primary listing of their equity securities in Singapore. While the Singapore Take-over Code is drafted with, among others, listed public companies in mind, unlisted public companies with more than 50 (fifty) shareholders and net tangible assets of S$5.0 million or more, must also observe the letter and spirit of the general principles and rules of the Singapore Take-over Code, wherever this is possible and appropriate. Public companies with a primary listing overseas may apply to Securities Industry Council (“SIC”) to waive the application of the Singapore Take-over Code. As at the date of this Annual Report, no application has been made to SIC to waive the application of the Singapore Take-over Code in relation to us.
In this regard, the Singapore Take-over Code contains certain provisions that may possibly delay, deter or prevent a future take-over or change in control of us. Under the Singapore Take-over Code, except with the consent of the SIC, any person acquiring an interest, whether by a series of transactions over a period of time or not, either on his own or together with parties acting in concert with him, in 30% or more of our voting shares is required to extend a take-over offer for all remaining voting shares in accordance with the procedural and other requirements under the Singapore Take-over Code. Except with the consent of the SIC, such a take-over offer is also required to be made if a person holding between 30% and 50% (both inclusive) of our voting shares, either on his own or together with parties acting in concert with him, acquires additional voting shares representing more than 1% of our voting shares in any six-month period. While the Singapore Take-over Code seeks to ensure an equality of treatment among shareholders in take-over or merger situations, its provisions could substantially impede the ability of our shareholders to benefit from a change of control and, as a result, may adversely affect the market price of our ordinary shares and the ability to realize any benefits from a potential change of control.
Subject to the general authority to allot and issue new ordinary shares provided by our shareholders, the Singapore Companies Act and our constitution, our directors may allot and issue new ordinary shares on terms and conditions and for such purposes as may be determined by our Board in its sole discretion.
Under Singapore law, we may only allot and issue new shares with the prior approval of our shareholders in a general meeting. Subject to the general authority to allot and issue new ordinary shares provided by our shareholders, the provisions of the Singapore Companies Act and our constitution, we may allot and issue new ordinary shares on such terms and conditions and for such purposes as may be determined by our Board in its sole discretion. Any additional issuances of new ordinary shares may dilute our shareholders’ percentage ownership interests in our ordinary shares and/or adversely impact the market price of our ordinary shares.
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We may be or become a passive foreign investment company, which could result in adverse U.S. federal income tax consequences to U.S. Holders.
The rules governing passive foreign investment companies (“PFICs”) can have adverse effects for U.S. federal income tax purposes. The tests for determining PFIC status for a taxable year depend upon the relative values of certain categories of assets and the relative amounts of certain kinds of income. The determination of whether we are a PFIC, which must be made annually after the close of each taxable year, depends on the particular facts and circumstances (such as the valuation of our assets, including goodwill and other intangible assets) and may also be affected by the application of the PFIC rules, which are subject to differing interpretations. The fair market value of our assets is expected to relate, in part, to (a) the market price of our ordinary shares and (b) the composition of our income and assets, which will be affected by how, and how quickly, we spend any cash that is raised in any financing transaction. Moreover, our ability to earn specific types of income that we currently treat as non-passive for purposes of the PFIC rules is uncertain with respect to future years. Because the value of our assets for purposes of determining PFIC status will depend in part on the market price of our ordinary shares, which may fluctuate significantly. We do not expect to be a PFIC for our current taxable year or in the foreseeable future. However, there can be no assurance that we will not be considered a PFIC for any taxable year.
If we are a PFIC, a U.S. Holder (defined below) would be subject to adverse U.S. federal income tax consequences, such as ineligibility for any preferred tax rates on capital gains or on actual or deemed dividends, interest charges on certain taxes treated as deferred, and additional reporting requirements under U.S. federal income tax laws and regulations. A U.S. Holder may in certain circumstances mitigate adverse tax consequences of the PFIC rules by filing an election to treat the PFIC as a qualified electing fund (“QEF”) or, if shares of the PFIC are “marketable stock” for purposes of the PFIC rules, by making a mark-to- market election with respect to the shares of the PFIC. We do not intend to comply with the reporting requirements necessary to permit U.S. Holders to elect to treat us as a QEF. If a U.S. Holder makes a mark- to-market election with respect to its ordinary shares, the U.S. Holder is in its U.S. federal taxable income an amount reflecting any year end increase in the value of its ordinary shares. For purposes of this discussion, a “U.S. Holder” is a beneficial owner of ordinary shares that is for U.S. federal income tax purposes: (i) an individual who is a citizen or resident of the United States; (ii) a corporation (or other entity taxable as a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes) created or organized in or under the laws of the United States, any state thereof or the District of Columbia; (iii) an estate the income of which is subject to U.S. federal income taxation regardless of its source; or (iv) a trust (a) if a court within the U.S. can exercise primary supervision over its administration, and one or more U.S. persons have the authority to control all of the substantial decisions of that trust, or (b) that was in existence on August 20, 1996, and validly elected under applicable Treasury Regulations to continue to be treated as a domestic trust.
Investors should consult their own tax advisors regarding all aspects of the application of the PFIC rules to the ordinary shares.
Singapore taxes may differ from the tax laws of other jurisdictions.
Prospective investors should consult their tax advisors concerning the overall tax consequences of purchasing, owning and disposing of our shares. Singapore tax law may differ from the tax laws of other jurisdictions, including the United States.
Tax authorities could challenge the allocation of income and deductions among our subsidiaries, which could increase our overall tax liability.
We are organized in Singapore, and we currently have subsidiaries in the United States, United Kingdom, New Zealand, South Africa, and Indonesia. As we grow our business, we expect to conduct increased operations through our subsidiaries in various jurisdictions. If two or more affiliated companies are located in different jurisdictions, the tax laws or regulations of each country generally will require transactions between those affiliated companies to be conducted on terms consistent with those between unrelated companies dealing at arm’s length, and appropriate documentation generally must be maintained to support the transfer prices. We maintain our transfer pricing policies to be compliant with applicable transfer pricing laws, but our transfer pricing procedures are not binding on applicable tax authorities.
If tax authorities were to successfully challenge our transfer pricing, there could be an increase in our overall tax liability, which could adversely affect our financial condition, results of operations and cash flows. In addition, the tax laws in the jurisdictions in which we operate are subject to differing interpretations.
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Tax authorities may challenge our tax positions, and if successful, such challenges could increase our overall tax liability. In addition, the tax laws in the jurisdictions in which we operate are subject to change. We cannot predict the timing or content of such potential changes, and such changes could increase our overall tax liability, which could adversely affect our financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.
Risks Related to Ownership of Ordinary Shares
In the future, our ability to raise additional capital to expand our operations and invest in our business may be limited, and our failure to raise additional capital, if required, could impair our business.
While we currently anticipate that our available funds will be sufficient to meet our cash needs for at least the next 24 months, we may need or elect to seek, additional financing at any time. Our ability to obtain financing will depend on, among other things, our development efforts, business plans, operating performance and condition of the capital markets at the time we seek financing. If we need or elect to raise additional funds, we may not be able to obtain additional debt or equity financing on favorable terms, if at all. If we raise additional equity financing, our shareholders may experience significant dilution of their ownership interests and the per-share value of our ordinary shares could decline. If we engage in additional debt financing, we may be required to accept terms that further restrict our ability to incur additional indebtedness and force us to maintain specified liquidity or other ratios and limit the operating flexibility of our business. If we need additional capital and cannot raise it on acceptable terms, we may not be able to, among other things:
➢ | Fund our operating capital requirements as we grow; |
➢ | Continue to grow by acquiring companies; |
➢ | Retain the leadership team and staff required; |
➢ | Repay our liabilities as they come due; and |
➢ | Make the necessary investments in our Edtech platform. |
Our share price may be volatile, and the market price of our ordinary shares may drop below the price you pay.
Market prices for securities of newly-public companies have historically been particularly volatile in response to various factors, some of which are beyond our control. As a result of this volatility, you may not be able to sell your ordinary shares at or above the price you pay for your shares. Some of the factors that may cause the market price for our ordinary shares to fluctuate include:
➢ | Actual or anticipated fluctuations in our key operating metrics, financial condition and operating results; |
➢ | Loss of current long-term contracts; |
➢ | Actual or anticipated changes in our growth rate; |
➢ | Competitors developing more advanced technology attracting our customers; |
➢ | Our announcement of actual results for a fiscal period that are lower than projected or expected or our announcement of revenue or earnings guidance that is lower than expected; |
➢ | Changes in estimates of our financial results or recommendations by securities analysts; |
➢ | Changes in market valuations of similar companies; |
➢ | Changes in our capital structure, such as future issuances of securities or the incurrence of debt; |
➢ | Announcements by us or our competitors of significant products or services, contracts, acquisitions or strategic alliances; |
➢ | Regulatory developments in Singapore, the United States or other countries; |
➢ | Actual or threatened litigation involving us or our industry; |
➢ | Additions or departures of key personnel; |
➢ | General trends in the education industry as a whole; |
➢ | Share price and volume fluctuations attributable to inconsistent trading volume levels of our shares; |
➢ | Further issuances of ordinary shares by us; |
➢ | Sales or ordinary shares by our shareholders; |
➢ | Repurchases of ordinary shares; and |
➢ | Changes in general economic, industry and market conditions. |
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In addition, the stock market in general, and the market for education companies in particular, has experienced extreme price and volume fluctuations that have often been unrelated or disproportionate to the operating performance of those companies. Securities class action litigation has often been instituted against companies following periods of volatility in the overall market and in the market price of a company’s securities. This litigation, if instituted against us, could result in very substantial costs, divert our management’s attention and resources, and harm our business, operating results and financial condition. In addition, recent fluctuations in the financial and capital markets have resulted in volatility in securities prices.
We have broad discretion over the use of proceeds we received in our IPO and may not apply the proceeds in ways that increase the value of your investment.
Our management has broad discretion in the application of the net proceeds from our recent IPO and, as a result, you will have to rely upon the judgment of our management with respect to the use of these proceeds. Our management may spend a portion or all of the net proceeds in ways that not all shareholders approve of or that may not yield a favorable return. The failure by our management to apply these funds effectively could harm our business.
A significant portion of our total outstanding shares may be sold into the public market in the near future, which could cause the market price of our ordinary shares to drop significantly, even if our business is doing well.
The price of our ordinary shares could decline if there are substantial sales of our ordinary shares, particularly sales by our directors, executive officers and significant shareholders, or if there is a large number of shares of our ordinary shares available for sale. All of the ordinary shares sold in our IPO are currently available for sale in the public market. Substantially all of our remaining outstanding ordinary shares are currently restricted from resale as a result of market standoff and “lock-up” agreements.
Boustead Securities, LLC may, at its discretion, permit our shareholders to sell shares prior to the expiration of the restrictive provisions contained in those lock-up agreements. The market price of our ordinary shares could decline as a result of the sale of a substantial number of ordinary shares in the public market or the perception in the market that the holders of a large number of shares intend to sell their shares.
If securities or industry analysts do not publish or cease publishing research or reports about us, our business, or our market, or if they change their recommendations regarding our ordinary shares adversely, our share price and/or trading volume could decline.
The trading market for our ordinary shares will be influenced by the research and reports that industry or securities analysts may publish about us, our business, our market or our competitors. Securities and industry analysts do not currently, and may never, publish research on us. If no securities or industry analysts commence coverage of our Company, our share price and trading volume would likely be negatively impacted. If any of the analysts who may cover us adversely change their recommendation regarding our shares, or provide more favorable relative recommendations about our competitors, our share price would likely decline. If any of the analysts who may cover us were to cease coverage or fail to regularly publish reports on us, we could lose visibility in the financial markets, which in turn could cause our share price or trading volume to decline.
We may not pay dividends on our ordinary shares in the future and, consequently, your ability to achieve a return on your investment will depend on appreciation in the price of our ordinary shares.
We do not currently expect to pay cash dividends on our ordinary shares. Any future dividend payments are within the absolute discretion of our Board and will depend on, among other things, our results of operations, working capital requirements, capital expenditure requirements, financial condition, level of indebtedness, contractual restrictions with respect to payment of dividends, business opportunities, anticipated cash needs, provisions of applicable law and other factors that our Board may deem relevant. Consequently, your ability to achieve a return on your investment will depend on appreciation in the price of our ordinary shares.
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We currently report our financial results under IFRS, which differs in certain significant respects from U.S. GAAP.
Currently we report our financial statements under IFRS. There have been and there may in the future be certain significant differences between IFRS and U.S. GAAP, including differences related to revenue recognition, share-based compensation expense, income tax and earnings per share. As a result, our financial information and reported earnings for historical or future periods could be significantly different if they were prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP. In addition, we do not intend to provide a reconciliation between IFRS and U.S. GAAP unless it is required under applicable law. As a result, you may not be able to meaningfully compare our financial statements under IFRS with those companies that prepare financial statements under U.S. GAAP.
We are an emerging growth company within the meaning of the Securities Act, and if we take advantage of certain exemptions from disclosure requirements available to emerging growth companies, this could make our securities less attractive to investors and may make it more difficult to compare our performance with other public companies.
We are an “emerging growth company” within the meaning of the Securities Act, as modified by the JOBS Act, and we may take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not emerging growth companies including, but not limited to, not being required to comply with the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in our periodic reports and proxy statements, and exemptions from the requirements of holding a nonbinding advisory vote on executive compensation and shareholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved. As a result, our shareholders may not have access to certain information they may deem important. We could be an emerging growth company for up to five years, although circumstances could cause us to lose that status earlier, including if the market value of our ordinary shares held by non-affiliates exceeds $700 million as of any December 31 before that time, in which case we would no longer be an emerging growth company as of the following December 31. We cannot predict whether investors will find our securities less attractive because we will rely on these exemptions. If some investors find our securities less attractive as a result of our reliance on these exemptions, the trading prices of our securities may be lower than they otherwise would be, there may be a less active trading market for our securities and the trading prices of our securities may be more volatile.
Further, Section 102(b)(1) of the JOBS Act exempts emerging growth companies from being required to comply with new or revised financial accounting standards until private companies (that is, those that have not had a Securities Act registration statement declared effective or do not have a class of securities registered under the Exchange Act) are required to comply with the new or revised financial accounting standards.
The JOBS Act provides that a company can elect to opt out of the extended transition period and comply with the requirements that apply to non-emerging growth companies but any such an election to opt out is irrevocable. We have elected not to opt out of such extended transition period, which means that when a standard is issued or revised and it has different application dates for public or private companies, we, as an emerging growth company, can adopt the new or revised standard at the time private companies adopt the new or revised standard. This may make comparison of our financial statements with another public company which is neither an emerging growth company nor an emerging growth company which has opted out of using the extended transition period difficult or impossible because of the potential differences in accountant standards used.
We incur significantly increased costs and devote substantial management time as a result of operating as a public company.
As a public company, we incur significant legal, accounting, and other expenses that we did not incur as a private company. For example, we are subject to the reporting requirements of the Exchange Act and are required to comply with the applicable requirements of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and the Dodd-Frank Act, as well as rules and regulations subsequently implemented by the SEC and NYSE American including the establishment and maintenance of effective disclosure and financial controls and changes in corporate governance practices. Compliance with these requirements increases our legal and financial compliance costs and makes some activities more time consuming and costly.
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The Exchange Act requires, among other things, that we file annual and current reports with respect to our business and results of operations. We incur significant expenses and devote substantial management effort toward ensuring compliance with the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes- Oxley Act, which will increase when we are no longer an “emerging growth company,” as defined by the JOBS Act. We may need to hire additional accounting and financial staff with appropriate public company experience and technical accounting knowledge. We cannot predict or estimate the amount of additional costs we may incur as a result of becoming a public company or the timing of such costs. As a result, management’s attention may be diverted from other business concerns, which could adversely affect our business and results of operations.
In addition, changing laws, regulations and standards relating to corporate governance and public disclosure are creating uncertainty for public companies, increasing legal and financial compliance costs and making some activities more time consuming. These laws, regulations and standards are subject to varying interpretations, in many cases due to their lack of specificity, and as a result, their application in practice may evolve over time as regulatory and governing bodies provide new guidance. These factors could result in continuing uncertainty regarding compliance matters and higher costs necessitated by ongoing revisions to disclosure and governance practices. We will continue to invest resources to comply with evolving laws, regulations and standards, and this investment may result in increased general and administrative expenses and a diversion of management’s time and attention from revenue-generating activities to compliance activities. If our efforts to comply with new laws, regulations and standards differ from the activities intended by regulatory or governing bodies due to ambiguities related to their application and practice, regulatory authorities may initiate legal proceedings against us, and our business could be adversely affected.
As a result of disclosure of information as a public company, our business and financial condition have become more visible, which may result in threatened or actual litigation, including by competitors and other third parties. If the claims are successful, our business operations and financial results could be adversely affected, and even if the claims do not result in litigation or are resolved in our favor, these claims, and the time and resources necessary to resolve them, could divert the resources of our management and adversely affect our business operations and financial results. These factors could also make it more difficult for us to attract and retain qualified colleagues, executive officers and Board members.
Operating as a public company makes it more difficult and more expensive for us to obtain director and officer liability insurance on the terms that we would like. As a result, it may be more difficult for us to attract and retain qualified people to serve on our Board, our Board committees or as executive officers.
If we fail to maintain an effective system of internal control over financial reporting in the future, we may not be able to accurately report our financial condition, results of operations or cash flows, which may adversely affect investor confidence.
The Sarbanes-Oxley Act requires, among other things, that we maintain effective internal control over financial reporting and disclosure controls and procedures. We are required, under SOX 404, to perform system and process evaluations and testing of internal controls over financial reporting to allow management to report annually on the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting. This assessment requires disclosure of any material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting identified by management. SOX 404 also generally requires an attestation from our independent registered public accounting firm on the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting. However, for as long as we remain an emerging growth company (“EGC”), we intend to take advantage of the exemption permitting it not to comply with the independent registered public accounting firm attestation requirement.
At the time when we are no longer an EGC, our independent registered public accounting firm may issue a report that is adverse in the event it is not satisfied with the level at which we control are documented, designed or operating. Remediation efforts may not enable us to avoid a material weakness in the future.
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Compliance with SOX 404 requires the incurrence of substantial accounting expense and consumes significant management efforts. We may not be able to complete evaluation, testing and any required remediation in a timely fashion. During the evaluation and testing process, if we identify one or more material weaknesses in internal control over financial reporting, we will be unable to assert that our internal control over financial reporting is effective. We cannot assure you that there will not be material weaknesses or significant deficiencies in our internal control over financial reporting in the future. Any failure to maintain internal control over financial reporting could severely inhibit its ability to accurately report financial condition, results of operations or cash flows. If we are unable to conclude that internal control over financial reporting is effective, or if our independent registered public accounting firm determines we have a material weakness or significant deficiency in internal control over financial reporting, it could lose investor confidence in the accuracy and completeness of our financial reports, the market price of our ordinary shares could decline, and we could be subject to sanctions or investigations by the NYSE American, the SEC or other regulatory authorities. Failure to remedy any material weakness in internal control over financial reporting, or to implement or maintain other effective control systems required of public companies, could also restrict future access to the capital markets.
If we are not able to comply with the applicable continued listing requirements or standards of the NYSE American, the NYSE American could delist our ordinary shares.
Our ordinary shares are listed on the NYSE American. In order to maintain that listing, we must satisfy minimum financial and other continued listing requirements and standards, including those regarding director independence and independent committee requirements, minimum shareholders’ equity, minimum share price, and certain corporate governance requirements. There can be no assurances that we will be able to comply with the applicable listing standards. If the NYSE American were to delist our ordinary shares, it would be more difficult for our shareholders to dispose of our ordinary shares and more difficult to obtain accurate price quotations on our ordinary shares. Our ability to issue additional securities for financing or other purposes, or otherwise to arrange for any financing we may need in the future, may also be materially and adversely affected if our ordinary shares are not listed on a national securities exchange.
Item 4. Information on the Company
A.History and development of the Company.
Our Company
We believe that we are a world leading entrepreneur Edtech and education group based on student numbers with a student base of 2.7 million students at the end of 2021. Our mission is to disrupt the current education model with a student-centered, lifelong learning curriculum that prepares students with the leadership, entrepreneurial and life skills to succeed in today’s market.
To help achieve our mission, we have recently completed an IPO on NYSE American, on April 14, 2022. We will grow from a Pre-IPO Group of four companies to a post IPO Group of eight companies, once the four IPO Acquisitions close.
Our Pre-IPO Group includes our holding company, Genius Group Ltd, our Edtech platform, GeniusU Ltd, and two companies that were acquired: Entrepreneurs Institute in 2019 and Entrepreneur Resorts in 2020.
The entrepreneur education system of our Pre-IPO Group has been delivered virtually and in-person, in multiple languages, locally and globally mainly via our GeniusU Edtech platform to adults seeking to grow their entrepreneur and leadership skills. Our partners and community are global with an average of 7,500 new students joining our GeniusU platform each week in 2021. Our City Leaders have been conducting our events (physically or virtually) in over 100 cities and over 2,500+ faculty members have been operating their microschools using our online tools.
We are now expanding our education system to age groups beyond our adult audience, to children and young adults. The four IPO Acquisitions are our first step towards this. They include: Education Angels, which provides early learning in New Zealand for children from 0-5 years old; E-Square, which provides primary and secondary school education in South Africa; University of Antelope Valley, which provides vocational certifications and university degrees in California, USA; and Property Investors Network, which provides property investment courses and events in England, UK.
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Our plan is to combine their education programs with our current education programs and Edtech platform as part of one lifelong learning system, and we have selected these acquisitions because they already share aspects of our Genius Curriculum and our focus on entrepreneur education.
The four IPO Acquisitions would have added $15.8 million in revenue to the Group in the year ended December 31, 2021, which represents 55% of the $28.6 million pro forma Group revenue during this period, while the Pre-IPO Group generated $12.8 million. This represents a 68% growth year-on-year in Pre-IPO Group revenues compared to $7.6 million in the year ended December 31, 2021.
In coming years, we plan to continue the growth of our Group through a combination of organic growth of our Edtech platform together with the acquisition of various education companies that we believe provide complementary programs that can be added to our Genius Curriculum. This Annual Report provides details of both our acquisition strategy together with our plans to integrate these IPO Acquisitions together with future acquisitions into our Edtech platform, “entrepreneur education” vision, Genius Curriculum and “freemium” student and partner conversion models.
We define “entrepreneur education” as personalized discovery-based learning that leads to higher levels of self-awareness, self-mastery and self-expression. We believe this in turn develops leadership and entrepreneurial skills through which students can independently create value and “create a job” rather than being dependent on a system in which they need to “get a job”. We believe these skills can be nurtured from an early age.
We also believe these skills can be learned at any age, enabling adults to reskill and upskill themselves. We describe our Genius Curriculum, together with the philosophy, principles, learning methodology, course content and delivery of our curriculum in the “Our Genius Curriculum” section below.
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We believe one of the industries most in need of disruption and upgrading is the global education and training industry, which education market intelligence firm HolonIQ forecasts to grow to $10 trillion in size by 2030. The 2020 World Economic Forum “Schools of the Future” report highlights the urgent need for a more relevant curriculum to prepare students and adults for the future. We believe that the COVID-19 crisis has put an additional spotlight on the urgent need for an updated education system that is both high-tech and high-touch.
We have built our Pre-IPO Group of entrepreneur education companies to date through organic growth and acquisitions, with a focus on adding value to each company through GeniusU, which we are developing to provide AI-driven personal recommendations and guidance for each student. Our growth has been internally funded from our entrepreneur community to date through over 500 shareholders who have collectively invested approximately $10 million in Genius Group Ltd over the last five years. Our recent IPO is part of our next step in providing liquidity and a market to our existing and future shareholders, while providing funds to support our growth plan.
On our Edtech platform, GeniusU, we are developing our Genie AI virtual assistant to give each student a personalized learning path at every stage of their education, with an intention for this to be delivered at every age from 0 to 100 years old.
Currently, our system begins by identifying the preferences and level of each of our adult students, who can then connect with other students, Mentors and faculty members based on their talents, passions and driving purpose. Students and Mentors then progress through challenge-based microschools, with credits and digital points able to be earned. GeniusU includes personal profiles for students to present themselves, dashboards to measure progress, their learning and earning metrics, communication circles to connect with other students and Mentors, and a full range of continually upgraded learning modalities and assessment tools to suit each student, delivered by a combination of global and local faculty.
With our planned integration of additional age groups, beginning with our four IPO Acquisitions, we now plan to extend our offering within our system so that 0 to 5 year old students can learn their natural way to learn and play, 6 to 12 year old students can build their life leadership and entrepreneurial skills, 13 to 21 year old students can learn how to start their business, join our global mentorship program with a small business or learn key vocational skills in our camps and competitions, and the over 21 year old students take our courses and receive mentorship for every level of business from startup to large corporations seeking an entrepreneurial edge.
We are developing this curriculum as a supplement to the existing education system, and in time we aspire to create a fully accredited replacement to the traditional U.S. school and university pathway.
We have grown and will continue to grow through a combination of organic growth and acquisition. Our organic growth is a result of attracting our students to the courses on our Edtech platform, and attracting partners and faculty who market and deliver the courses. These courses include our own wholly-owned curriculum together with courses that our partners and faculty add to our curriculum.
We also partnered and intend to continue to partner with and, where appropriate, acquire companies that have courses, faculty and communities that we believe provide a valuable addition to our Group. We plan to add their courses to GeniusU, providing a full lifelong learning pathway that can be accessed by our community globally, with the direction of our Genie AI and with the support of our global and local faculty. We plan to continue this strategy of acquiring companies and then adding value to them by combining them in one Edtech platform and curriculum, which to date has enabled us to maintain 50%+ year-on-year growth.
As of December 31, 2021, overall partnership revenues contribute 32% towards the revenue of the Education company, with the remaining 68% of revenue from our fully owned courses and curriculum. We have seen an increase in partners globally year on year and our partner growth in 2021 was 60% from 2020. As of the date of this Annual Report, we have over 1,400 events, courses and products listed on our digital platform; partners earn commissions as a result of sales processed through our platform. Due to the number of faculty and partners, together with the number of courses and products delivered on our platform, there is no one partner or product that makes up more than 5% of our revenues.
We are following a fifteen-year growth plan:
In phase one, from 2015 to 2020, our focus has been attracting adult entrepreneurs to use our entrepreneur education tools and proving our Edtech business model in countries around the world. The result of this phase is the Pre-IPO Group presented in this Annual Report.
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In phase two, from 2020 to 2025, our goal is to integrate our education tools into the existing education system through licenses, partnerships and acquisitions, with our aspiration for our entrepreneur education programs and Edtech platform becoming the programs and platform of choice by schools, colleges, universities and companies in our target markets. This IPO and the IPO Acquisitions are the first steps in this phase.
In phase three, from 2025 to 2030, our goal is to have developed a full curriculum accredited and receiving funding from government bodies in the U.S., the U.K., Europe, Asia and Australasia and seen as a viable alternative by students, parents, partner schools and companies around the world to the existing education options.
History and Corporate Structure
The origins of Genius Group began in 2002 when Singapore-based entrepreneur, Roger James Hamilton created the Wealth Dynamics system as a personality profiling tool for entrepreneurs to discover their strengths and weaknesses, and build an entrepreneurial team. Over the next decade the popularity of the tool led to Roger growing Wealth Dynamics into a global company with country licenses around the world and a community of over 250,000 entrepreneurs by 2012.
Through the global financial crisis that commenced in 2008 it became clear to Roger Hamilton, our Chief Executive Officer, and the senior management team of Wealth Dynamics that the number of entrepreneurs and small business owners around the world was growing dramatically and in need of a training system to reduce the number of business failures. According to data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, about 20% of U.S. small businesses fail within the first year. By the end of their fifth year, roughly 50% have faltered. After 10 years, only around a third of businesses have survived.
From 2012 to 2015, Genius Group developed a number of initiatives under the Entrepreneurs Institute brand. This included the Global Entrepreneur Summit and Entrepreneur Fast Track Event series, which we believe is now the largest entrepreneur seminar series hosted in 18 countries annually. It also included Talent Dynamics, a corporate version of Wealth Dynamics used by large multinationals, and a full entrepreneur system to grow from startup to the first million dollars in revenue called “The Millionaire Masterplan” which became a New York Times bestselling book in 2014.
During this period, Roger Hamilton also became the founding Chairman of the Green School in Bali. The Green School attracted global attention as a new model of schooling with its environmental and student- centered approach to learning. It won the inaugural “Greenest School in the World” award from the Center for Green Schools at the U.S. Green Building Council, and became a global case study for new models of schooling. It is used as the first example of 21st century schooling in the World Economic Forum’s 2020 white paper on The Future of Schools. The need for an education revolution based on a global, scalable high-tech, high-touch model led to the launch of GeniusU as an Edtech solution in 2015.
From 2015 to 2017, GeniusU grew rapidly from 313,000 students in the first year to 736,000 students by the third year. During this time, Entrepreneurs Institute had continued to grow and a third company under Roger Hamilton’s majority ownership, Entrepreneur Resorts Limited, had been established to expand on the successful and profitable model of providing entrepreneur retreats and co-working spaces in paradise. In August 2017, Entrepreneur Resorts consummated its initial public offering on the Seychelles TropX stock exchange, now the MERJ stock exchange, raising $3 million and acquiring Tau Game Lodge, a South African Safari Lodge to add to Entrepreneur Resorts’ property portfolio. The portfolio at that time also included Vision Villas, a Bali-based entrepreneur resort and Genius Cafe, a Bali-based entrepreneur beach club.
At the end of 2018, the one company in the Group was GeniusU Pte Ltd, which changed its name to Genius Group Ltd. This was in its third full year of operation as an Edtech company. Genius Group Ltd had grown in its first three years to 1.2 million students with revenues of $4.8 million and net loss of $0.5 million in 2018. Total assets at the end of 2018 were $1.7 million, total liabilities were $2.1 million and total shareholders’ deficit was $(0.4) million.
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At the end of 2019, Genius Group had grown to include Genius Group Ltd, GeniusU Ltd and Entrepreneurs Institute, with GeniusU Ltd formed as the new Edtech company and Entrepreneurs Institute acquired as part of the Group. Combined revenues in 2019 of the Pre-IPO Group, which includes Entrepreneur Resorts, acquired in July 2020, were $9.9 million, net loss before tax was $(1.1) million after eliminations and Adjusted EBITDA was $1.2 million. Total assets at the end of 2019 were $17.6 million, total liabilities were $12.2 million and total shareholders’ equity was $5.3 million. Our revenue growth from $4.8 million in 2018 to $9.9 million in 2019, represents a 106% year-on-year increase, with 15% organic growth and 91% growth from acquisition. These four companies make up the Pre-IPO Group, and audited financials of this Pre-IPO Group are provided below for both 2019 and 2020 as they were under common control prior to the acquisitions.
At the end of 2020, Genius Group had entered into agreements to secure the four IPO Acquisitions: Education Angels, E-Square, Property Investors Network and University of Antelope Valley. Education Angels and Property Investors Network closed with the completion of the IPO, while E-Square and University of Antelope Valley are pending closing, and therefore all four are not currently part of our consolidated audited results as they were not under our ownership during the 2021 financial year. We have provided pro forma accounts in this filing that include both the Pre-IPO Group and the four IPO Acquisitions for 2019, 2020 and 2021.
Based on pro forma financials, combined revenues in 2020 of the Pre-IPO Group and IPO Acquisitions were $24.2 million, with $15.5 million in gross profit, ($0.3) million in operating loss, ($1.0) million in net loss and $4.6 million in Adjusted EBITDA. On the Pre-IPO Group balance sheet, assets at the end of 2020 were $17.0 million, total liabilities were $9.3 million and total shareholders’ equity was $7.7 million.
The $24.2 million in pro forma revenue was the combination of $7.6 million in revenue from the Pre-IPO Group, and $16.6 million in revenue from the IPO Acquisitions. This further breaks down to the following revenue from each IPO Acquisition: University of Antelope Valley, $10.1 million revenue (41% of total); Property Investors Network, $4.6 million revenue (19% of total); Education Angels, $1.1 million revenue (5% of total); and E-Square, $0.8 million (3% of total). Total assets at the end of 2020 for the Pre-IPO Group were $17 million, total liabilities were $9.3 million and total shareholders’ equity was $7.7 million.
In 2020, during the pandemic, the Pre-IPO Group saw an 11% growth in its digital education revenue, 2% growth in its total education revenue. During the year Entrepreneur Resorts had a 55% revenue decline as it closed its locations in Singapore, South Africa and Bali, Indonesia, resulting in $7.6 million in revenue, $3.5 million in gross profit, ($3.1) million in net loss and $(0.1) million in Adjusted EBITDA for the Pre-IPO Group in 2020.
Our revenue decreased from $9.9 million in 2019 to $7.6 million in 2020, a reduction of 23%. This was largely due to the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on Entrepreneur Resorts, as discussed elsewhere in this Annual Report. When combined with the IPO Acquisitions, pro forma revenue was $24.2 million in 2020, representing a 144% year-on-year increase. This growth consisted of the 23% reduction in the Pre-IPO Group revenue from 2019 to 2020, combined with an additional 167% growth in pro forma revenue in 2020 from our four IPO Acquisitions.
At the end of 2021, we continued to grow the Group without completing any new acquisitions. Based on pro forma financials, combined revenues in the fiscal year ended December 31, 2021 were $28.6 million, with $12.7 million in gross profit, ($4.3) million in operating loss, ($4.7) million in net loss and $0.3 million in Adjusted EBITDA. Based on the pro forma Group balance sheet, assets at the end of December 2021 were $82.7 million, total liabilities were $43.1 million and total shareholders’ equity was $39.6 million.
The $28.6 million in pro forma revenue was the combination of $12.8 million in revenue from the Pre-IPO Group, and $15.8 million in pro forma revenue from the IPO Acquisitions. This further breaks down to the following revenue from each IPO Acquisition: University of Antelope Valley, $9.0 million revenue (31% of total), with a further $1.1 million of other income from government grants not included in this total; Property Investors Network, $5.1 million revenue (18% of total); Education Angels, $0.9 million revenue (3% of total); and E-Square, $0.7 million (2% of total).
Pro forma revenue grew year-on-year by 18% in the year ended December 31, 2021. The Pre-IPO Group grew by 68% and the IPO Acquisitions reduced in revenue by 5%.
The two main revenue segments of the Pre-IPO Group are made up of education revenue and campus revenue.
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Our education revenue is the combined revenue of Genius Group Ltd, GeniusU Ltd and Entrepreneurs Institute. This grew from $5.6 million in 2020 to $9.7 million in the fiscal year ended December 31, 2021.
Our campus revenue is the revenue of Entrepreneur Resorts Ltd. This increased from $2.0 million in 2020 to $3.1 million in the fiscal year ended December 31, 2021 as our campus venues began to reopen in line with easing of pandemic restrictions.
When combined with the revenue of the IPO Acquisitions, of which 100% is education revenue, our pro forma education revenue for the Group was $22.2 million in 2020 and $25.5 million in the fiscal year ended December 31, 2021, and our campus revenue for the Group was $2.0 million in 2020 and $3.1 million in the fiscal year ended December 31, 2021.
We use Adjusted EBITDA, a non-IFRS measure, in various places in this Annual Report, as described in the “Non-IFRS Financial Measures — Adjusted EBITDA” section above.
B.Business Overview
Our Mission
Our mission is to develop an entrepreneur education system that prepares students for the 21st century. We believe that the current global education system is in need of a more relevant, upgraded, student-centered curriculum that is both high-tech and high-touch. We believe that such a curriculum can be a force for good. As Nelson Mandela said, “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.”
Today, we believe that it is the entrepreneurs of the world who have the greatest power to trigger change. We see Genius Group as the global community where the entrepreneur movement meets.
For students who may struggle with the current test-focused, classroom-based, one-size-fits-all system most common in current schooling, our mission is to provide the option of a personalized, passion-focused, purpose-based, flexible system that enables them to design a life that enables them to ignite their own genius, and where earning and learning become a lifelong activity.
For parents who we believe feel trapped in a system where they are limited in flexibility of location, teachers, subjects and standards, our mission is to provide a truly global system that can be accessed online, anytime, with their choice of location, teachers, Mentors, subjects and pathways that best suit their children, their family and their personal circumstances, while connecting to the recognized accreditations for their children to succeed.
For teachers who we believe feel underappreciated and underpaid, our mission is to provide a global platform that recognizes and rewards thought leaders for the best content, courses, microschools and microdegrees, enabling the best coursework to grow globally.
For schools and colleges that are under-resourced and struggle to keep up with the increasing demands of changing global economics and an uncertain future of work, our mission is to provide a cutting-edge curriculum to enable them to prepare their students effectively to get jobs and create jobs as well as learn key life skills in partnership with our global community.
For companies that have a challenge in finding students that have the adequate leadership and technical skills to be employable, our mission is to provide company-sponsored programs that ensure a ready stream of employable students and leaders, operating globally and constantly upgraded to the needs of the times.
For governments that are under pressure to deliver an effective education with employable students with various limitations on how rapidly they can innovate within the existing system, especially given the current state of the education system due to the COVID-19 pandemic, our mission is to provide a viable alternative to the current system in partnership with the leading education institutions, business leaders and organizations seeking to solve the same issues.
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Our Genius Curriculum
Our curriculum is being created in direct response to the challenges in the current education system. We began by creating an adult-based curriculum as an addition to the existing education system. Beginning with the IPO Acquisitions, we are developing a lifelong curriculum that serves as a supplement to the existing education system, and in time we aspire to create a fully accredited replacement to the traditional U.S. school and university pathway, with an entrepreneurial alternative to the current systems offered from primary school and secondary school through to university, ongoing vocational training and entrepreneurial training.
Our Entrepreneur Education Vision
We define “entrepreneur education” as personalized discovery-based learning that leads to higher levels of self- awareness, self-mastery and self-expression. We believe this in turn develops leadership and entrepreneurial skills in which students can independently create value and “create a job” rather than being dependent on a system in which they need to “get a job”. We believe these skills can be nurtured from an early age. We also believe these skills can be learned at any age, enabling adults to reskill and upskill themselves.
Our vision is of an education system based on our definition of “entrepreneur education” above, which can be developed and delivered globally, providing personalized discovery-based learning at all ages. Each of our Pre-IPO Group companies and IPO Acquisitions share a similar vision and have been striving to deliver on this vision to varying degrees. We provide more details of this, together with the commonality and differences between the companies with respect to our Genius Curriculum below.
Our Genius Curriculum is a combination of elements that include our Entrepreneur Education Vision, 8 “Education 4.0” Pillars, our Genius Learning Methodology, our 10 Genius Principles, our C.L.E.A.R. Philosophy and our Courses, Products and Services. Each of our Pre-IPO Group companies and IPO Acquisitions share certain aspects of these elements, and our plan is to introduce further aspects of these elements as we integrate their education systems into our Genius Curriculum. Below is an explanation of each of these elements, together with our integration plans for each company.
The 8 “Education 4.0” Pillars
We believe that the problem that we are solving is that individuals from students to employees to freelancers to startup founders want to learn how to be entrepreneurial and “create a job” instead of needing to “get a job.” We believe that the current education system and online courses do not provide any recognized curriculum that can be relied upon.
This problem has been highlighted in the recent World Economic Forum white paper, on the need for a 21st century education system. They published the report in January 2020, just months before the COVID-19 pandemic began.
In the report the World Economic Forum identified eight critical characteristics in learning content and experiences that define high-quality learning in the Fourth Industrial Revolution: “Education 4.0”.
The eight critical characteristics in the World Economic Forum “Education 4.0” white paper are the same eight pillars that define our entrepreneur education curriculum:
1. | Global citizenship skills: Include content that focuses on building awareness about the wider world, sustainability and playing an active role in the global community. |
2. | Innovation and creativity skills: Include content that fosters skills required for innovation, including complex problem-solving, analytical thinking, creativity and systems analysis. |
3. | Technology skills: Include content that is based on developing digital skills, including programming, digital responsibility and the use of technology. |
4. | Interpersonal skills: Include content that focuses on interpersonal emotional intelligence, including empathy, cooperation, negotiation, leadership and social awareness. |
5. | Personalized and self-paced learning: Move from a system where learning is standardized, to one based on the diverse individual needs of each learner, and flexible enough to enable each learner to progress at their own pace. |
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6. | Accessible and inclusive learning: Move from a system where learning is confined to those with access to school buildings to one in which everyone has access to learning and is therefore inclusive. |
7. | Problem-based and collaborative learning: Move from process-based to project- and problem-based content delivery, requiring peer collaboration and more closely mirroring the future of work. |
8. | Lifelong and student-driven learning: Move from a system where learning and skills decrease over one’s lifespan to one where everyone continuously improves on existing skills and acquires new ones based on their individual needs. |
The first example that the World Economic Forum report gave of a school that is practicing these eight characteristics is the Green School in Bali. This is the school where Roger James Hamilton, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Genius Group Ltd, served as the founding Chairman of the Board for two years and oversaw the creation of the Green School curriculum. Genius Group is the evolution of this early work, and the Genius School curriculum has grown into the following critical differentiating components:
Genius School vs Traditional School
➢ | Student-based and Personalized vs Classroom-based and Standardized; |
➢ | 21st Century Leadership Skills vs Teaching to the Test; |
➢ | Collaborative vs Competitive; |
➢ | Challenge-based vs Course-based; |
➢ | Accelerated learning vs Rote learning; |
➢ | Global and flexible vs Local; |
➢ | Tech-based vs Textbook-based; and |
➢ | Multiple Mentors per challenge vs One teacher per class. |
Genius Group delivers a full entrepreneur education system which we believe has already proven to be in high demand, with over 2.6 million students across 20,345 cities already using the curriculum in camps, events, accelerators, schools and companies. The curriculum is being used by leading companies and schools around the world. The campuses range from schools to colleges, resorts and co-working offices. The calendar includes over 500 local, online events and microdegrees on our Edtech platform, GeniusU.
Our Genius Learning Methodology
Many learning methodologies are based on “Pedagogy”. Our Genius learning methodology is based on “Andragogy”. This is an important difference, as the IPO Acquisitions that we have chosen also have a shared learning methodology of Andragogy, or the potential for such a methodology to be added based on our post-acquisition growth plans. The definitions of these terms are:
Pedagogy: This word is derived from the Greek words paidi (child) + ago (guide), and refers to the science and practice of teaching and guiding a child to achieve specific outcomes in their education.
Andragogy: This word is derived from the Greek words andras (man) + ago (guide) and refers to the science and practice of how adults (and children) develop self-directed learning to guide their own development.
Andragogy is already commonly adopted as a practice by children as well as adults when they learn computer games or new applications on the internet. It is also how children and adults develop skills they are interested in such as learning a new sport, musical instrument or language, and it is the same practice that self- employed individuals, business owners and entrepreneurs use to “learn by doing”.
Our Genius learning methodology is based on ten Genius Principles and practices that we have found develop an environment of self-directed learning. GeniusU and our Genius curriculum are built on these ten principles. By delivering our curriculum by following the practices behind the principles, we have experienced a high level of student success in building self-directed learning, leadership and entrepreneurial skills such as resourcefulness, innovation and value creation.
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We believe we are attracting and retaining the level of students and partners because they see high value as much from how they are learning as what they are learning. Our IPO Acquisitions are also practicing some of these principles to varying degrees. Following the completion of our acquisitions, we plan to enhance the student experience in each of our IPO Acquisitions by introducing these principles into these companies. Below is a brief explanation of each of these ten principles.
Our 10 Genius Principles
1. | Personalized Learning: A critical part of our curriculum is the way it is designed to ignite the genius of each student by being personalized to their unique talents, passions and purpose. GeniusU takes the metaphor further with the use of an AI-powered “Genie” which we are developing to be a personal mentor to each student on the GeniusU platform, guiding them to the courses, Mentors and opportunities best suited to their personal path. Students take assessments such as the Genius Test, Passion Test and Purpose Test, or progress tests such as the Entrepreneur Quiz or Impact Test which gives both them and our Genie AI insights into the best connections, courses and pathway to recommend to them. |
2. | Challenge Based Courses: We have found that students are more engaged when the learning experience is ‘gamified’, with the ability to compete for rewards and prizes. All of the live education that takes place on GeniusU has a challenge component. For example, the Young Entrepreneur Academy ends with a competition for the best business plan submission, or the Investor Microschool ends with a competition for the best investment portfolio submission. All submissions are shared between students, providing a knowledge bank from which the community learns from each other. |
3. | Impact Focused Learning: All courses on GeniusU are also purpose driven, with students defining their future vision early on in the pathway they choose, so that they can define why they are learning the skills or competencies that they are learning and how the learning will have a direct benefit to their future. We also align the learning to global citizenship and each students’ chosen purpose that they choose to make an impact towards. This makes it easier for them to find the mentors and opportunities to work with, aligned to their purpose. |
4. | Positive Credit System: Students are rewarded with digital credits called GEMs (Genius Entrepreneur Merits) for the actions that they take during their learning and for the courses and certifications that they complete. They are then able to redeem these GEMs for discounts and specials on further learning. This is another example of gamifying the learning experience, and we have found that this also increases student engagement rates and incentivizes them to contribute more back to the community via the C.L.E.A.R. steps (see the section below on our C.L.E.A.R. Philosophy). |
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5. | Global Classroom: We have found that the most engaged learning takes place when students and faculty are able to learn with other students and faculty from multiple countries at the same time. Our events and courses will often be attended by students from over 20 countries at the same time. We have also found the most effective and active learning takes place when we combine video tuition with global Mentors (who address all students in all countries on a live course simultaneously), local hosts (who host students in a particular city or location during the breakout and feedback sessions) and Mentors who can work with students one-to-one. This combination of guidance provides a high level of variety and engagement. |
6. | Leading Learners: GeniusU is designed with a rating and recognition system that enable the best students, mentors and courses to be easily discoverable. This takes place either through our rewards and recognition system or through our ratings and ranking system. This enables the best student achievements and success stories, and the highest rated mentors and courses to be promoted via our Genie AI to the most relevant students. We believe such a system that enables the education to evolve at the pace led by the recommendations trust of the community is important to stay relevant and up-to-date in rapidly changing times. |
7. | Decentralized System: Our growth has been largely led by the momentum of our student and partner community, whereby we have largely expanded our Group based on the interests of our students and the energy of our partners. We believe the challenges of the more traditional education system is partly due to the centralized nature of how the curriculum and grading system is created. Our plan is to develop the Genius Curriculum such that it can constantly evolve and improve with the courses that rank highest replacing older courses on a year-by-year basis, with the most innovative partners and faculty being rewarded for the best new courses and products that they introduce. |
8. | Inclusive Entry: By providing free courses at entry level and enabling students and partners to begin their learning journey on GeniusU, which is itself a fully scalable Edtech platform with minimal incremental cost per student, we are able to provide inclusive entry without the need to reject any students. We believe this is an important part of a more equitable education system, in which students are driven more by the rewards of success than the fear of failure. Students can then progress to higher level programs including vocational certifications and university degrees based on achieving minimum proficiency levels as would be expected in traditional education institutions, with the support of mentors in the event that they require additional tuition and guidance. |
9. | Life and Leadership Skills: In addition to the academic skills that more traditional schools and universities focus on, an important factor of success in the Genius curriculum are life and leadership skills, and we plan to introduce these in our IPO Acquisitions. For example, providing students at University of Antelope Valley with additional entrepreneurial, financial literacy, communication and technology skills. We believe this is an important responsibility of our education system and we have experienced a far higher demand for these skills from adult learners than additional academic skills. |
10. | Lifelong Learning: The final principle, of lifelong learning, is a principle that is already embraced by most leaders, business owners and entrepreneurs today. However most academic institutions do not provide easy access to a structured lifelong learning pathway. We are building an expectation with our students that they can build an ongoing learning pathway with Genius Group which can serve them at every level of their lifelong learning journey, and that they can continually return, get recommendations from Genie and add to their learning profile on GeniusU. We believe we will also benefit from a long-term relationship with our students as a result of this principle. |
Our C.L.E.A.R. Philosophy
An important additional element in our learning methodology is our “C.L.E.A.R. Philosophy”. This is in reference to how we have designed GeniusU and Genie to focus on five daily actions that we recommend students to take. These five actions and sections within GeniusU are Connect, Learn, Earn, Act and Review, and they form the acronym C.L.E.A.R.
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Students earn GEMs for taking actions in each of these five areas, and our partners and faculty use these five areas to design their own circles, courses and products on GeniusU. Following the completion of the IPO Acquisitions, we will also be integrating our “C.L.E.A.R. Philosophy” and structure to our IPO Acquisitions, combining our methodology of how students are learning with the content of what they are learning.
The reason that we believe that these five areas are so important in mastering in self-directed learning is because it provides the necessary scaffolding for relevant and contextual learning that is often missing in traditional education:
➢ | CONNECT: The first step we recommend students to take is to connect to the right mentors, students and community that align with their own passions and purpose. One of the best ways to master something new is spend time with others who have already mastered it. Each course and product on GeniusU has a circle (which is an online group with a discussion area, access to the course or product and a knowledge library to support students) and a way to connect to the students and mentors that can be of greatest benefit to support each student. Genie recommends the best actions to take daily to connect, and students can explore the Connect Page to connect with the best circles, students, mentors and companies. There are also circles for each city, country and industry on GeniusU, each managed by partners and Mentors who have the tools to add new circles. |
➢ | LEARN: The second step we recommend students to take once they have made the right connections is to take a learning step in the circle they are in or with the partners or Mentors they have chosen. Genie recommends the best actions to take daily to learn based on courses in progress or new courses to take. Students can also explore the Learn Page to view all assessments, courses, events and articles. |
➢ | EARN: The third step we recommend students to take is to earn either with GEMs or financially using their new-found resources of whom they know and what they know. This may be leaving a review, connecting with new students or Mentors, or sharing their learning. It may also be joining a partnership or apprenticeship with others in the community. Students can also explore the Earn Page to view all employment opportunities, partnerships, memberships and certifications. |
➢ | ACT: The fourth step we recommend students to take is to put their learning into action. GeniusU operates as an active ecosystem in which many leaders, business owners and entrepreneurs find the talent, partners or investors they are seeking. Genie recommends the best actions to take based on the student. Students can also explore the Act Page to view all current joint venture or investment opportunities to take or challenges to join. |
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➢ | REVIEW: The fifth step we recommend students to take is to review the results of the previous four steps. This is at the core of our philosophy of learning by doing, with constant testing, measuring and reviewing. Genie recommends the items for the student to review based on the connections, learning, earning and action steps the student has taken. The student can also explore the Review Page to connect back to the C.L.E.A.R. steps the student has taken previously. |
Improving on the strength of the data mining and artificial intelligence that inform our Genie AI is an important focus for us, as is integrating the courses and communities of our partners, faculty and IPO Acquisitions into our C.L.E.A.R. Philosophy.
Our Companies, Present and Future
Prior to their acquisitions, the Pre-IPO Group companies all shared a common vision of an entrepreneur education system based on our definition personalized discovery-based learning leading to higher levels of self-awareness, self-mastery and self-expression, which in turn could develop leadership and entrepreneurial skills enabling students to independently create value and “create a job” rather than being dependent on a system in which they need to “get a job”. Our IPO Acquisitions share a similar vision.
While the companies have a shared vision, the Pre-IPO Group companies had various common aspects of our Genius Curriculum’s 8 pillars, our Genius learning Methodology, our 10 Genius Principles, our C.L.E.A.R. Philosophy as described above, while having differing courses, products and services. The IPO Acquisition companies also share common aspects of our Genius Curriculum as described above, and also have differing course, products and services as described in the section below.
Based on these commonalities and differences, below is a summary of the present state and future plans of these aspects of the Genius Curriculum within each of our Group companies:
GENIUSU LTD: As the Edtech Platform, GeniusU is designed with our Genius Curriculum in mind and has been developed to provide our students and partners a consistent experience of all aspects of the Genius Curriculum. Our plan is to continue to develop and deliver this experience with respect to our Genius Curriculum in the following ways:
➢ | Entrepreneur Education Vision: Based on our definition of “entrepreneur education” as personalized discovery-based learning that leads to higher levels of self-awareness, self-mastery and self-expression, our course builders and certifications on GeniusU are designed to ensure the courses delivered include these aspects of personalized discovery-based learning. This is explained in more detail in the “Our Courses, Products and Services” section below. |
➢ | 8 “Education 4.0” Pillars: The combination of a global classroom, online delivery and personalized mentoring in challenge-based courses ensures all 8 of the “Education 4.0” pillars described above are practiced and experienced by both our students and our partners. |
➢ | Genius Learning Methodology: The combination of the quizzes, personalized learning profiles and personalized course recommendations provided by our AI Genie ensure students can follow a personalized discover-based learning path based on “andragogy” rather than a prescriptive “pedagogy”. Our plan is for the students of our IPO Acquisitions to have similar tools to follow their own personalized discover-based learning path. |
➢ | 10 Genius Principles: GeniusU has been designed with all 10 Principles in mind. For example, Personalized Learning is designed into the student experience with our AI Genie, our microschool courses are designed as challenge-based courses, and our tests and reports are designed to question and measure impact focused learning. We plan to continue to develop the technology and measure the success of GeniusU by the extent to which it achieves these 10 principles. |
➢ | C.L.E.A.R. Philosophy: GeniusU has also been designed to direct and reward students to practice our C.L.E.A.R. Philosophy of learning through doing, with each course having actions to take for a student to connect, learn, earn, act and review, and for these actions to be rewarded with our GEM credit system. We plan to ensure the course delivered on GeniusU and by our Genius Group companies also align to this philosophy, through the design of their courses to include direction and reward for all five aspects. |
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ENTREPRENEURS INSTITUTE: We see Entrepreneurs Institute is an example of how a training company with entrepreneur education content can improve once it becomes a part of Genius Group and transfers its courses onto GeniusU:
➢ | Entrepreneur Education Vision: Entrepreneurs Institute shared a similar entrepreneur education vision to GeniusU, but was limited in scale by the delivery of training in-person prior to the acquisition by Genius Group. After the acquisition, Entrepreneurs Institute could expand on its vision as it began to attract students and partners from around the world via GeniusU. |
➢ | 8 “Education 4.0” Pillars: The training courses delivered by Entrepreneurs Institute focused on developing skills in some of the “Education 4.0” pillars, including global citizenship, creativity, technology, interpersonal skills, and included collaborative and personalized learning. However, as an event-based training company focused on adult learners, it did not address the pillars of accessible and lifelong learning. After the acquisition, the company has been able to address all three areas, with its courses being available globally and delivered in a more personalized form, while also attracting partners delivering at all age levels. For further details of the company’s courses please refer to the section below. |
➢ | Genius Learning Methodology: Students in Entrepreneurs Institute developed their own personalized discovery-based learning path based on “andragogy”. Since the acquisition, the ability of students and partners to follow personalized paths with the aid of technology has enabled the company to develop more effective personalized, scalable learning paths. |
➢ | 10 Genius Principles: Entrepreneurs Institute followed a number of Genius Principles prior to acquisition. These included personalized learning, challenge-based courses, global classroom, leading learners and leadership skills. After the acquisition, the company was able to introduce the additional principles that enabled greater self-directed learning and greater global growth – by introducing a positive credit system, decentralized system, inclusive entry and a lifelong learning pathway with the tools available on GeniusU. |
➢ | C.L.E.A.R. Philosophy: Entrepreneurs Institute did not follow the C.L.E.A.R. Philosophy prior to acquisition. Connecting and learning were both important parts of the learning process. However, it was only after acquisition that the company began introducing to students a process to earn, act and review, resulting in more case studies, success stories and repeat students and partners. |
ENTREPRENEUR RESORTS: Entrepreneur Resorts has a different revenue model from the education companies in the Group, and it complements the education companies by providing location-based campuses that link local mentors and partners to local students while hosting courses delivered via GeniusU and generating income from food, drink and accommodation. By providing venues for the delivery of Genius Group courses, the company practices the same elements of the Genius Curriculum.
➢ | Entrepreneur Education Vision: As with Entrepreneurs Institute, prior to acquisition Entrepreneur Resorts also shared a similar entrepreneur education vision to GeniusU, but limited to each venue’s location. After the acquisition, Entrepreneur Resorts is expanding on that vision with partners and course content growing via GeniusU. |
➢ | 8 “Education 4.0” Pillars: Entrepreneur Resorts was originally established to provide venues for Entrepreneurs Institute, and so shared the same focus on developing skills in some of the “Education 4.0” pillars, including global citizenship, creativity, technology, interpersonal skills, and included collaborative and personalized learning. It also did not address the pillars of accessible and lifelong learning. After the acquisition, the company was challenged by government restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic. As our venues have been reopening, the company has plans to address these pillars as it has expanded its course calendar in the different venues. |
➢ | Genius Learning Methodology: The students who attend courses at Entrepreneur Resorts venues do developed their own personalized discovery-based learning path based on “andragogy”. Since the acquisition, the growth of students, partners and courses on GeniusU has enabled the company’s venues to grow its reputation in delivering discovery-based and challenge-based courses. |
➢ | 10 Genius Principles: Entrepreneur Resorts was also similar to Entrepreneurs Institute in the Genius Principles it was following prior to acquisition, including personalized learning, challenge- based courses, global classroom, leading learners and leadership skills. Also similar to Entrepreneurs Institute, after the acquisition, the company also now has the tools to introduce the Genius Principles of a positive credit system, decentralized system, inclusive entry and a lifelong learning pathway, with plans to include these, post-pandemic. |
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➢ | C.L.E.A.R. Philosophy: Entrepreneur Resorts also focused on the first two elements of the C.L.E.A.R. Philosophy, connecting and learning, in its events prior to the acquisition. Now that the venues will be hosting more courses and conferences delivered partly on GeniusU and partly with in-person faculty partners and community partners, the company plans to introduce the other elements of the CL.E.A.R. Philosophy. |
EDUCATION ANGELS: While it may appear unusual for an early learning company’s curriculum to be seen as entrepreneurial, based on our definition of Entrepreneur Education being personalized discovery- based learning, we see Education Angels’ curriculum as being entrepreneurial in nature. The original founder of Entrepreneurs Institute was inspired by Green School’s entrepreneurial approach to education in a similar way to Genius Group Ltd.’s CEO Roger Hamilton, and has been a long term student and partner of Genius Group Ltd, utilizing the following elements of the Genius Curriculum in the development of the Education Angels’ current curriculum:
➢ | Entrepreneur Education Vision: Education Angels shares a similar vision of equipping parents and young children with early learning tools and programs to create a personalized, discovery- based learning experience for both parents and their children. Our plan is to expand on this vision through the additional adult and family programs we will be introducing, that provide each family member with a relevant, personalized learning path. |
➢ | 8 “Education 4.0” Pillars: Education Angels was established to provide an “Education 4.0” learning system for young children. The programs and courses that they deliver, together with the personalized delivery of in-home childcare and education professionals, are designed to foster growth in all 8 of the “Education 4.0” pillars. We have completed the acquisition of Education Angels and are scaling the Education Angels programs as explained in the “Courses, Products and Services” section below. |
➢ | Genius Learning Methodology: The Education Angels system is based on the “Andragogy” methodology of self-directed learning and “learning by doing”, with educators beginning with the personal character, traits and passions of the parents and children, and providing a learning environment for the children to learn through interaction and discovery. We plan to extend this “Andragogy” approach by introducing the gamification elements explained within our 10 Genius Principles, and by providing parents and teachers with our tools on GeniusU. |
➢ | 10 Genius Principles: As Education Angels has developed within one country with a traditional enrolment model and in-home education delivery, it has been limited in the Genius Principles it has been practicing, with 2 of the 10 Genius Principles being part of its current learning system: Personalized learning and life skills. Our plan is to integrate the other Genius Principles into the Education Angels system as we introduce parent courses and online quizzes and courses with GEM rewards globally. |
➢ | C.L.E.A.R. Philosophy: Education Angels has also not been utilizing the C.L.E.A.R. philosophy. We plan to begin to integrate the C.L.E.A.R. philosophy post-acquisition by integrating it with our planned parent courses as detailed below. |
E-SQUARE: E-Square was established to deliver an entrepreneurial education for primary school and secondary school students, with opportunities for them to launch their own companies and learn technology and vocational skills. Their stated mission is: “To produce self-motivated individuals who are ready to compete in a global business or Corporate Environment or even better becoming self-motivated successful Entrepreneurs. The company and its team were referred to Genius Group Ltd by our entrepreneur community in South Africa as a recommended addition to our Genius Curriculum, and this led to the current acquisition. E-Square already shares various elements of the Genius Curriculum:
➢ | Entrepreneur Education Vision: E-Square shares a similar vision of empowering students to learn through a personalized, discovery-based process where they gain the entrepreneurial, vocational and leadership skills to be able to “create a job” instead of “get a job”. Their mobile based online system enables teachers to manage personalized learning pathways for each student whether they are in class or learning remotely. After the acquisition is closed we plan to expand this system through GeniusU to the families in our global community who want their children to follow a similar system as part of their primary or secondary school education. We believe that the combination of E-Square’s current tools, together with our GeniusU platform and our shared vision, will enable us to reach children and primary and secondary school level globally. |
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➢ | 8 “Education 4.0” Pillars: E-Square has used the 8 “Education 4.0” pillars as a framework for the development of their curriculum and the courses they deliver to their students. This means all 8 pillars are already integrated into their curriculum: Global citizenship, innovation, technology and interpersonal skills; Personalized, accessible, collaborative and student-driven learning. We plan to expand the lifelong learning aspect by providing high school students with a pathway to further learning either through university or through apprenticeship within our global entrepreneur community. |
➢ | Genius Learning Methodology: While primary and secondary school require a level of pedagogy in order for students to pass the standardized tests required to achieve a high school diploma, E-Square is also practicing a degree of self-directed and self-paced learning by providing students with options they can choose from that are relevant to their passions and path. In this way, they have already introduced a degree of discovery-based learning principles of andragogy to combine with the current pedagogy. We plan to expand these discovery-based options with the courses and personalized learning tools we will deliver on GeniusU. These will also include credits towards their education, together with multiple exits from high school, including university, vocational training or starting a business. We believe this will result in an increasingly personalized, gamified and discovery-based approach to our Genius curriculum for school students. |
➢10 Genius Principles:Similar to Education Angels, E-Square has been following a limited number of the Genius Principles, and also plans to embrace them all post-acquisition. The current Genius Principles they do practice include leadership skills, personalized learning, and impact focused learning.
➢ | C.L.E.A.R. Philosophy: E-Square has also not currently been utilizing the C.L.E.A.R. philosophy. We plan to begin to integrate the C.L.E.A.R. philosophy post-acquisition as we add E-Square courses on GeniusU. |
University of Antelope Valley: UAV was originally established by two entrepreneurs to provide vocational training in the medical field. This has since developed into an accredited university offering both vocational certifications and academic degree programs while maintaining a vision of entrepreneurial education where the end goal is not graduation, but creating productive leaders within the community. UAV already share the following aspects of the Genius Curriculum:
➢ | Entrepreneur Education Vision: UAV’s mission statement reads “The University of Antelope Valley offers higher education that enables students to achieve their academic, career, and personal goals, thereby allowing them to become valuable assets to their communities.” The university shares Genius Group Ltd.’s entrepreneur education vision and the faculty and staff are ready to implement the various elements of the Genius Curriculum post-acquisition. These elements are detailed below, and they include expanding on our common vision of personalized, self-directed education through the courses and programs we plan to introduce, including the student-led courses, summits and festivals detailed in the “Courses, Products and Services” section below. |
➢ | 8 “Education 4.0” Pillars: UAV has not been practicing all 8 “Education 4.0” pillars, mainly as their focus in recent years has been in achieving the benchmarks necessary for a U.S. university to compete with other traditional education. This includes ensuring high pass marks in academic courses and achieving the metrics set by accrediting bodies. Some of these pillars have been introduced by the staff, including innovation and technology skills and collaborative learning. Post- acquisition, we plan to integrate the other “Education 4.0” pillars into UAV’s courses with a focus on the first courses being integrated on GeniusU. |
➢ | Genius Learning Methodology: UAV has been following more of a pedagogical approach in the delivery of its certification and degree programs, whereby students are required to follow the same course content towards standardized testing. However, UAV also attracts students as a result of its student-led learning and experiences, including its sports and extra-curricular programs, and corporate partnerships and placements. Our plan is to introduce to UAV students a more andragogical approach in which they can take free or paid courses outside of or additional to a full-time degree program as part of their learning journey, with these courses adding to their education credits, with each student using GeniusU to deliver a more personalized, gamified, engaging learning journey using the 10 Genius Principles and C.L.E.A.R. philosophy. |