Brand Engagement Network Inc.: Form 10-Q for the period ended Mar 31, 2025

The following discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations should be read in conjunction with our audited financial statements and the notes related thereto which are included elsewhere in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q (this “Report”). Unless the context otherwise requires, all references in this section to “we,” “us,” “our,” the “Company” or “BEN” refer to Brand Engagement Network Inc., a Delaware corporation. The following discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations should be read in conjunction with our audited consolidated financial statements and related notes thereto included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2024 (“2024 Annual Report”) and with the unaudited consolidated financial statements and related notes thereto presented in this Report.

Overview

We are an emerging provider of conversational artificial intelligence (“AI”) assistants, with the purpose of transforming engagement and analytics for businesses through our security-focused, multimodal communication and human-like AI assistants. Our AI assistants are built on proprietary natural language processing, anomaly detection, multisensory awareness, sentiment and environmental analysis, as well as real-time individuation and personalization capabilities. We believe these powerful tools will empower businesses to elevate customer experiences, optimize cost management and supercharge operational efficiency. Our platform is designed to configure, train and operate AI assistants that engage with professionals and consumers through multiple channels, boosting customer experience and providing instant personalized assistance for consumers in the automotive and healthcare markets.

We still hold significant intellectual property in the form of a patent portfolio that we believe will be a cornerstone of our artificial intelligence solutions for certain industries that we expect to target, including the automotive, healthcare, and financial services industries.

Recent Events

The Cataneo Purchase Agreement

On October 29, 2024, Company entered into a Share Purchase and Transfer Agreement with Christian Unterseer, in his individual capacity (“Unterseer”), CUTV GmbH, a limited liability company incorporated under the laws of the Federal Republic of Germany (“CUTV”), and CUNEO AG, a stock corporation incorporated under the laws of the Federal Republic of Germany (“Cuneo” and together with Unterseer and CUTV, the “Sellers”) (as amended by the Addendum, the "Purchase Agreement") pursuant to which the Sellers have agreed to sell all of the outstanding equity interests of Cataneo GmbH, a limited liability company incorporated under the laws of the Federal Republic of Germany (“Cataneo”) to the Company for an aggregate purchase price of $19.5 million, consisting of (i) $9.0 million in cash (the "Cash Consideration") and (ii) 4,200,000 shares of the Company's Common Stock at an agreed upon value of $2.50 per share (“Equity Consideration,” collectively with the Cash Consideration, the “Consideration Shares”) (the transactions governed by the Purchase Agreement, the “Acquisition”), subject to customary adjustments. Prior to the closing of the Acquisition (the “Cataneo Closing Date”), the Sellers may elect to convert a portion of the Equity Consideration to cash for up to $3.0 million at a price per share of $2.50 (the “Cash Election”). Additionally, an aggregate of 400,000 shares of Common Stock issued as part of the Equity Consideration shall be subject to an escrow arrangement for a period of one year (the "Escrow Period") following Cataneo Closing Date (the “Escrow Shares”). The Escrow Shares may be utilized to offset certain claims, fines, penalties, outstanding debts or other costs owed by the Sellers following the Cataneo Closing Date. Thirty days prior to the end of the Escrow Period, certain of the Sellers shall have the right, but not the obligation, to cause the Company to repurchase their portion of the Escrow Shares at a price per share of $2.50.

The Purchase Agreement contains customary representations, warranties and covenants, as well as indemnification provisions subject to specified limitations. Among other things, the Sellers have agreed, subject to certain exceptions, to cause Cataneo to conduct its business in the ordinary course, consistent with past practice, from the date of the Purchase Agreement until the Cataneo Closing Date and not to take certain actions prior to the Cataneo Closing Date without the prior written consent of the Company.

The transaction is expected to close in the first half of 2025 and is subject to conditions, including, (i) the making of the Cash Election, (ii) the initiation of the process to register for resale the Equity Consideration, (iii) written confirmation that the Company has not received any delisting notice or similar notification affecting its listing status with the Nasdaq Stock Market LLC (“Nasdaq”), (iv) the execution by one or several of the Company's major stockholders of a personal guarantee of the Agreed Share Value (as defined therein) for a period of one year following the Cataneo Closing Date (the “Personal Guarantee”), (v) the obtaining of joint approval of the terms of the financing of the cash purchase price of the Acquisition by the Company and the Sellers, (vi) the receipt of customary third-party approvals and the release of the Sellers from customary bank guarantees, securities and indemnities, and (vii) the Company's board of directors' approval of the Company's due diligence investigation (collectively, the “Closing Conditions”). The Company intends to finance the transaction through third-party financing, which may take the form of debt or equity.

The Purchase Agreement contains certain customary termination rights, as amended and described below, for the Company and the Sellers, including the right to terminate the Purchase Agreement if (i) not all of the Closing Conditions have been satisfied by January 29, 2025 (which has been extended as described below), (ii) a party has not performed all of its Closing Actions (as defined therein) within ten business days of the Cataneo Closing Date, or (iii) the registration process of the Equity Consideration has not been initiated prior to the Cataneo Closing Date to the satisfaction of the Sellers. Notwithstanding any termination right, any party may seek specific performance of the other parties to the Purchase Agreement. In the event the Purchase Agreement is terminated by the Sellers by virtue of the failure of the Company to deliver the Personal Guarantee, the Sellers shall be entitled to a termination fee of approximately $0.4 million.

On February 6, 2025, the Company and the Sellers entered into that certain Addendum to Share Purchase and Transfer Agreement (the “Addendum I”), pursuant to which the parties amended certain provisions of the Purchase Agreement to provide the parties additional time to prepare for and close the Acquisition. More specifically, the Addendum I amends the Purchase Agreement to, among other things: (i) provide that the Company pay to Mr. Unterseer, as authorized recipient of the Sellers $0.35 million as a partial down payment ("Initial Down Payment") on the Cash Consideration by February 13, 2025, which amount was paid in full on February 12, 2025 and temporarily suspend Sellers' right to withdraw from the Purchase Agreement until February 28, 2025, unless the Company fails to pay the Initial Down Payment; (ii) provide for additional temporary suspensions of Sellers' right to withdraw for two successive one-month periods through April 30, 2025, dependent upon the Company's payment each month of a down payment of $0.10 million to Mr. Unterseer, as authorized recipient of the Sellers (each an “Additional Down Payment”), with each Additional Down Payment to be credited toward the Cash Consideration to be owed by the Company, which amounts were paid in full as of May 30, 2025; (iii) add a requirement of Sellers to use their best efforts to coordinate and to cause Cataneo to work with the Company and the Company's financial advisors towards the implementation of the percentage of completion method of accounting for past and current customer projects; (iv) provide that Sellers' agree to rescind Sellers' previous notification to exercise their right (the “Election Right”) to receive the Equity Consideration in the amount of $3.0 million in cash instead of Consideration Shares as set forth in the Purchase Agreement, provided that the Sellers' may re-exercise such Election Right prior to the Closing of the Acquisition; (v) waive Sellers' right to approve the terms of the financing of the transaction; and (vi) provide that if the Purchase Agreement were to be terminated upon the Company's failure to pay or the expiration of April 30, 2025, or for other reasons the Company withdraws from the Purchase Agreement pursuant to the early termination provisions of the Purchase Agreement or should the Purchase Agreement terminate before Closing, Seller's agree to set-off under certain circumstances any claims Sellers may have pursuant to such early termination provisions of the Purchase Agreement against the Initial Down Payment and any Additional Down Payment; however, the remainder of the Initial Down Payment and any Additional Down Payment will not be repayable to the Company by Sellers. As of May 30, 2025, the Company has paid an aggregate of $550,000 towards the Cash Consideration to be owed by the Company.

On May 26, 2025, the Company and the Sellers entered into that certain Addendum II to Share Purchase and Transfer Agreement (the “Addendum II”), pursuant to which the parties further amended certain provisions of the Purchase Agreement to provide the parties additional time to prepare for and close the Acquisition. More specifically, the Addendum II amends the Purchase Agreement to, among other things, provide for additional temporary suspensions of Sellers’ right to withdraw until June 30, 2025.

Financing Registration Statements

The Company has primarily financed its operations through a series of securities purchase agreements, promissory notes, and other equity and debt financings with affiliates and non-affiliates (“Financing Arrangements”). Pursuant to the respective transaction documents, the Company filed multiple resale registration statements on Form S-1 (“Financing Registration Statements”) with respect to the Common Stock, warrants, and Common Stock underlying warrants sold or to be sold under certain of these Financing Arrangements. However, these Financing Registration Statements became stale on March 31, 2025, the date of the filing of our 2024 Annual Report, because the financial statements included in the Financing Registration Statements did not meet the SEC’s currency requirements as of March 31, 2025. Subsequent to March 31, 2025, and until we file post-effective amendments to the Financing Registration Statements with the SEC, in the event (i) the Company issues any warrants or Common Stock and (ii) any of the Company’s outstanding warrants are exercised, each under the applicable Financing Arrangement, the issuance and resale, respectively, of these securities would not be considered registered under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and instead any resale would be saleable under the provisions of Rule 144 of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended. See “Liquidity and Capital Resources—Capital Resources and Available Liquidity” for additional details on our Financing Arrangements.

Yorkville Promissory Note

On November 11, 2024, the Company issued a non-convertible unsecured promissory note (the “Yorkville Promissory Note”) in the aggregate original principal amount of approximately $1.7 million to YA II PN, Ltd. (“Yorkville”). The Yorkville Promissory Note does not bear interest, subject to a potential increase of the interest rate to 18.0% per annum upon the occurrence of certain events of default as described in the Promissory Note. The Promissory Note matured on March 11, 2025, and was issued at an original issue discount of 10%. As of March 31, 2025, the Company is in default on the Yorkville Promissory Note and there remains an unpaid and outstanding balance of $416,667. On May 28, 2025, the Company received a written notice of default from Yorkville. As of the date of this filing, Company management is in the process of negotiating with Yorkville and Yorkville has not initiated any further actions against the Company.

Cohen Convertible Note

On April 12, 2024, the Company issued a convertible promissory note to J.V.B. Financial Group, LLC, acting through its Cohen & Company Capital Markets division in the principal amount of $1.9 million (the “Cohen Convertible Note”), to settle outstanding invoices totaling $1.9 million related to investment banking services rendered to the Company in connection with its merger with Prior BEN and DHC (as defined in Note C to our Notes to Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements) (the merger, the “Business Combination”). Beginning on October 14, 2024, interest began accruing at the fixed rate of 8% per annum on the outstanding principal amount until the Cohen Convertible Note is paid in full. Interest is payable monthly in cash or in-kind at the election of the Company. The Company may prepay the Cohen Convertible Note in whole or in part at any time or from time to time without penalty or premium. The Company may be required to prepay all or a portion of the Cohen Convertible Note upon the consummation of certain capital raising activities as described therein. During the three months ended March 31, 2025, $380,000 of the Cohen Convertible Note converted into, and the Company issued, 316,666 shares of Common Stock at $1.20 per share. The Cohen Convertible Note matured on March 14, 2025. As of March 31, 2025, the Company is in default on the Cohen Convertible Note and there remains an unpaid and outstanding balance of $760,000. As of the date of this filing, Company management is in the process of negotiating with Cohen and Cohen has not initiated any actions against the Company.

Warrant Exercise and Reload Agreement

On January 13, 2025, the Company entered into that certain Warrant Exercise and Reload Agreement (the “January Warrant Exercise Agreement”) with certain investors (the “Purchasers”). Pursuant to the August SPA (as defined below), the Purchasers previously purchased 110,000 shares of Common Stock, and the Company issued the contribution warrant (the “Contribution Warrant”) to purchase up to 960,000 shares of Common Stock at an exercise price of $5.00 per share in exchange for certain holders of Common Stock contributing 1,185,000 shares of Common Stock into an escrow account maintained in connection with the August SPA, of which 1,075,000 shares of Common Stock remain in such escrow account (the “Escrow Shares”).

Under the January Warrant Exercise Agreement, the exercise price of 1,074,999 May Warrants (as defined below) (the “Committed Warrants”) was reduced to $1.96 per share, until May 30, 2025, after which point the exercise price for any unexercised Committed Warrants shall automatically revert back to $2.50 per share. Pursuant to the January Warrant Exercise Agreement, the Purchasers agreed to exercise the Committed Warrants for cash on a schedule set forth in the January Warrant Exercise Agreement (the “Exercise Schedule”). Upon each Committed Warrant exercised in accordance with the Exercise Schedule, the Company shall issue (i) one new warrant to purchase one share of Common Stock exercisable for a term of two years and (ii) one new warrant to purchase one share of Common Stock exercisable for a term of five years, each with an exercise price of $1.71 per share (together, the “Reload Warrants”). Upon a Purchaser's completion in full under the Warrant Exercise but no later than May 30, 2025, all remaining May Warrants issued under the May SPA held by such Purchaser shall immediately upon completion of such exercise automatically be amended to become exercisable for $1.96 per share for the remainder of their term (the “Optional Warrants”). If a Purchaser exercises an Optional Warrant by June 30, 2025, the Company shall issue to such Purchaser (i) one new warrant to purchase one share of Common Stock with an exercise price of $1.71 per share with a term of two years and (ii) one new warrant to purchase one share of Common Stock with an exercise price of $1.71 with a term of five years (the “Optional Reload Warrants”). In addition, under the January Warrant Exercise Agreement, for each share of Common Stock for which a Purchaser exercises a Committed Warrant, one Escrow Share will be released from escrow and transferred to such Purchaser, for an aggregate of up to 1,074,999 Escrow Shares among all Purchasers, rounded down to the nearest whole share. Additionally, the exercise price of the Contribution Warrant was reduced to $1.71 per share.

During the quarter ending March 31, 2025, Purchasers exercised 787,132 Committed Warrants to purchase 787,132 shares of Common Stock pursuant to the January Warrant Exercise Agreement for aggregate gross proceeds of $1.5 million, and such Purchasers were or shall be issued 787,132 shares of Common Stock, 787,132 Escrow Shares, and

1,574,264 Reload Warrants. The August SPA has been terminated with respect to such Purchasers. As of March 31 2025, the Company has experienced delays in the exercise of warrants of one Purchaser for the January 31, 2025 exercise date under the January Warrant Exercise Agreement. in an aggregate amount of $0.2 million. The Company is uncertain and cannot guarantee whether such exercises will be made. To the extent a Purchaser fails to exercise its portion of the Committed Warrants, the obligations of such Purchaser under the August SPA and such obligations of any investor under the August SPA who is not a Purchaser under the January Warrant Exercise Agreement, shall remain, and the August SPA will only terminate as to the Purchasers who have completed their January 31, 2025 exercise pursuant to the terms of the January Warrant Exercise Agreement.

AFG Subscription Agreement; Termination of Reseller Agreement

On August 19, 2023, the Company and AFG Companies Inc. (“AFG”) entered into a Reseller Agreement (the “Reseller Agreement”) providing for, among other things, AFG to act as BEN's exclusive reseller of certain products in a designated territory on certain terms and conditions. As partial consideration to AFG for such services to BEN, (i) Prior BEN issued to AFG a number of shares of Prior BEN common stock which converted into 1,750,000 shares of Common Stock and (ii) a non-transferable warrant to purchase up to 3,750,000 shares of Common Stock at a price of $10.00 per share, with AFG's right to exercise such warrant vesting based upon revenues earned from the sales of BEN products paid by AFG to BEN pursuant to the Reseller Agreement (the “Reseller Warrant”).

On September 7, 2023, the Company and AFG entered into a Subscription Agreement (the “AFG Subscription Agreement”) providing for (i) the purchase of shares of Prior BEN Common Stock in a private placement by the AFG and certain of its affiliates (the “AFG Investors”) as of immediately prior to the Closing Date, which converted into the right to receive 650,000 shares of Common Stock with an aggregate initial value of $6.5 million and (ii) the purchase of shares Common Stock in four installments commencing on March 14, 2025, with an aggregate purchase price of $26.0 million, at a purchase price per share prior to the installment purchase date that is the lesser of $10.00 and the average of the last reported sales prices of Common Stock for the twenty (20) trading days immediately preceding the applicable installment purchase date, subject to a floor price of $2.11 (the “AFG Installment Shares”).

On January 16, 2025, the Company filed a lawsuit against AFG and its Chief Executive Officer, Ralph Wright Brewer III, in the Northern District of Texas, Dallas Division alleging fraudulent misrepresentation, breach of contract, and the concealment of a ransomware attack on its own network shortly before the Reseller Agreement was executed (the “AFG Lawsuit”).

On January 17, 2025, the Company delivered a notice of termination (“Notice”) to AFG Companies, Inc. (“AFG”) terminating the Reseller Agreement. The Notice only applies to the Reseller Agreement and does not affect AFG's obligations under the Subscription Agreement; however, in light of the Notice and the AFG Lawsuit, the Company is uncertain whether AFG will fulfill its obligations under the Subscription Agreement. Accordingly, none of the information presented in this Report assumes that either the Reseller Warrant will become exercisable or that any AFG Installment Shares will be issued.

The Company remains committed to, and intends to continue developing, its automotive vertical. The Company intends to utilize additional channel partners and grow its sales team to further expand its customer base and drive revenues. The Company is finalizing preparations to launch its Automotive AI Agent, a solution that integrates with major automotive data and service platform providers and supports over 13,000 dealerships nationwide. Additionally, the Company plans to expand its efforts through pilot programs in the Midwest, stronger reseller partnerships in Mexico, and collaborations with Canadian dealership groups. Recently, the Company has secured automotive pilots using its AI agent, which the Company believes will improve lead conversions, automates scheduling tools, enhances service efficiency, and enables advanced analytics to streamline operations.

Key Factors and Trends Affecting our Business

Productions and Operations

We expect to continue to incur significant operating costs that will impact our future profitability, including research and development expenses as we introduce new products and improves existing offerings; capital expenditures for the expansion of our development and sales capacities and driving brand awareness; additional operating costs and expenses for production ramp-up; general and administrative expenses as we scale our operations; interest expense from debt financing activities; and selling and distribution expenses as we build our brand and market our products. To date, we have not yet sold any of our products beyond their pilot stage. As a result, we will require substantial additional capital to develop products and fund operations for the foreseeable future.

Revenues

We are a development stage company and have not generated any significant revenue to date.

Public Company Costs

We expect to hire additional staff and implement new processes and procedures to address public company requirements, particularly with respect to internal controls compliance and public company reporting obligations. We also expect to incur substantial additional expenses for, among other things, directors' and officers' liability insurance, director compensation and fees, listing fees, SEC registration fees, and additional costs for investor relations, accounting, audit, legal and other functions.

If we cease to become an emerging growth company, we will become subject to the provisions and requirements under Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, which will require us to undergo audits of our internal controls over financial reporting as part of our yearly financial statement audits, resulting in a significant increase in consultant and audit costs over previous levels going forward.

Components of Results of Operations

Operating expenses

General and administrative expenses

General and administrative expenses consist of employee-related expenses including salaries, benefits, and stock-based compensation as well as fees paid for legal, accounting and tax services, consulting fees and facilities costs not otherwise included in research and development expense. We have and expect to further incur significant expenses as a result of becoming a public company, including expenses related to compliance with the rules and regulations of the SEC and Nasdaq, additional insurance, investor relations and other administrative expenses and professional services.

Depreciation and amortization

Depreciation expense relates to property and equipment which consists of equipment, furniture and capitalized software. Amortization expense relates to intangible assets.

Research and development cost

Costs incurred in connection with research and development activities are expensed as incurred. These costs include rent for facilities, hardware and software equipment costs, consulting fees for technical expertise, prototyping, and testing.

Interest expense

Interest expense consists of interest on our related party note payable and short-term debt.

Interest income

Interest income consists of interest earned on our excess cash.

Change in fair value of warrant liabilities

Change in fair value of warrant liabilities reflected the non-cash charge for changes in the fair value of the warrant liability that is subject to re-measurement at each balance sheet date.

Other expenses

Other expenses primarily consists of foreign currency gains or losses as a result of exchange rate fluctuations on transactions denominated in Korean won.

Results of Operations

Comparison of the Three Months Ended March 31, 2025 and 2024

Revenues

During the three months ended March 31, 2025 and 2024, revenue was immaterial.

General and administrative expenses

General and administrative expenses for the three months ended March 31, 2025 were approximately $3.2 million, decrease of approximately $3.3 million, compared to the three months ended March 31, 2024. The decrease was primarily due transaction costs of $3.1 million incurred in connection with the Business Combination in the prior period, decreases in employee related costs of $0.8 million, partially offset by a increase in insurance of $0.2 million and $0.5 million associated with the AFG claims assignment. We have only recently begun to raise proceeds through the offering of our Common Stock and convertible notes to investors and therefore expect, in the near term at a minimum, to continue to utilize the issuance of equity based instruments as compensation to reduce our cash outlays.

Depreciation and amortization expenses

Depreciation and amortization expenses for the three months ended March 31, 2025 were approximately $0.9 million, an increase of approximately $0.8 million, compared to the three months ended March 31, 2024. The increase was primarily due to the amortization expense associated with the developed technology placed into service in the second quarter of 2024.

Research and development expenses

Research and development expenses for the three months ended March 31, 2025 were approximately $11,000, a decrease of approximately $0.2 million, compared to the three months ended March 31, 2024. The decrease in research and development expenses was primarily due to the sponsorship agreement with Korea University no longer being active and a decrease in stock compensation expense.

Change in fair value of warrant liabilities

Change in fair value of the warrant liabilities for the three months ended March 31, 2025 was approximately $0.6 million associated with the non-cash charge for changes in the fair value of the warrant liabilities that is subject to re-measurement at each balance sheet date. The change in the fair value of the warrant liabilities was minimal during the three months ended March 31, 2024.

Liquidity and Capital Resources

Capital Resources and Available Liquidity

As of March 31, 2025, our principal source of liquidity was cash of approximately $0.2 million. We have financed operations to date with proceeds from the Yorkville Promissory Note, transactions with AFG, sales of our Common Stock, the SEPA (as defined below), warrant exercises and debt issuances to related and non-related parties. As described in Note A of our unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements, we have incurred recurring losses and negative cash flows from operations since inception and had an accumulated deficit of approximately $50.6 million at March 31, 2025. We expect losses and negative cash flows to continue for the foreseeable future, primarily as a result of increased general and administrative expenses, continued product research and development and marketing efforts. Management anticipates that significant additional expenditures will be necessary to develop and expand our business, including through stock and asset acquisitions, before significant positive operating cash flows can be achieved. Our ability to continue as a going concern is dependent upon our ability to raise additional capital and to ultimately achieve sustainable revenues and profitable operations. Current available funds are insufficient to complete our business plan and as a consequence, we will need to seek additional funds, primarily through the issuance of debt or equity securities for cash to operate our business. No assurance can be given that any future financing will be available or, if available, that it will be on terms that are satisfactory to us. Even if we are able to obtain additional financing, it may contain undue restrictions on our operations, in the case of debt financing or cause substantial dilution for our stockholders, in the case of equity financing. Our history of losses, our negative cash flow from operations, our limited cash resources on hand and our dependence on our ability to obtain additional financing to fund our operations after the current cash resources are exhausted raises substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern. Our management concluded that our recurring losses from operations, and the fact that we have not generated significant revenue or positive cash flows from operations, raised substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern for the next 12 months after issuance of our financial statements. Our auditors also included an explanatory paragraph in their report to our consolidated financial statements as of and for the year ended December 31, 2024 with respect to this uncertainty.

The Company will need to raise additional capital to continue to fund operations and product research and development. The Company believes that it will be able to obtain additional working capital through equity financings, additional debt, or other arrangements to fund future operations, and it intends to raise capital through equity or debt investments in the Company by third parties, including through the SEPA or other public offerings or private placements. However, the Company's cannot conclude these are probable of being implemented or, if probable of being implemented, being in sufficient enough amounts to satisfy our contractual amounts as they presently exist that are coming due over the next 12 months as of the date of such filing.

Cohen Convertible Note

On April 12, 2024, we issued the Cohen Convertible Note, to settle outstanding invoices totaling $1.9 million related to investment banking services rendered to the Company in connection the Business Combination. Beginning on October 14, 2024, interest began accruing at the fixed rate of 8% per annum on the outstanding principal amount until the Cohen Convertible Note is paid in full. Interest is payable monthly in cash or in-kind at the election of the Company. The Company may prepay the Cohen Convertible Note in whole or in part at any time or from time to time without penalty or premium. The Company may be required to prepay all or a portion of the Cohen Convertible Note upon the consummation of certain capital raising activities as described therein. On the 14th day of each successive month commencing with January 14, 2025, the holder may convert a portion of Cohen Convertible Note to a number of shares equal to (i) up to 20% of the outstanding principal balance of the Cohen Convertible Note plus accrued interest due under the Cohen Convertible Note divided by (ii) a price per share equal to 92.75% of the arithmetic average of the Daily Volume-Weighted Average Price (“VWAP”) for the five VWAP Trading Days (as defined therein) ending on the VWAP Trading Day immediately preceding the applicable conversion date (subject to the Floor Price, as defined therein). The Cohen Convertible Note matured on March 14, 2025. As of March 31, 2025, the Company is in default on the Cohen Convertible Note and there remains an unpaid and outstanding balance of $0.8 million. As of the date of this filing, Company management is in the process of negotiating with Cohen and Cohen has not initiated any actions against the Company.

May Private Placement

On May 28, 2024, the Company entered into a Securities Purchase Agreement (the “May SPA”) with certain investors (the “May Purchasers”), pursuant to which the Company sold to the May Purchasers an aggregate of 1,980,000 shares of Common Stock and 3,960,000 warrants, consisting of 1,980,000 warrants with a term of one year (the “May One-Year Warrants”) and 1,980,000 warrants with a term of five years (the “May Five-Year Warrants” together with the May One-Year Warrants, the “May Warrants”), for aggregate proceeds consisting of $4.4 million in cash and $0.5 million through the offset of an obligation of the Company to the May Purchasers. All May Warrants were originally exercisable for shares of Common Stock at an exercise price of $2.50 per share, which was later amended under the January Warrant Exercise Agreement (described below.) Pursuant to the May SPA, 1,780,000 shares of Common Stock and May Warrants to purchase 3,560,000 shares of Common Stock were put in escrow until each May Purchaser deposited certain amounts on a monthly basis with the Company. Upon payment of each required funding, a pro rata portion of the shares of Common Stock and May Warrants in escrow are to be issued and released to the May Purchasers. During the quarter ending March 31, 2025, a total of 330,000 shares of Common Stock were issued to the May Purchasers for an aggregate gross proceeds of $750,000, As of March 31, 2025, 1,901,281 May One-Year Warrants and 1,251,587 May Five-Year Warrants are outstanding.

July Private Placement

On July 1, 2024, the Company entered into a July Securities Purchase Agreement with The Williams Family Trust (the “July SPA”) for the issuance and sale of 120,000 shares of Common Stock and 240,000 warrants, consisting of 120,000 warrants with a term of one year (the "July One-Year Warrants") and 120,000 warrants with a term of five years (the ‘July Five-Year Warrants,” together with the July One-Year Warrants, the “July Warrants”) to The Williams Family Trust for an aggregate purchase price of $0.3 million. The July Warrants are exercisable for Common Stock at a price of $2.50 per share and were immediately issued upon the closing date of July 1, 2024. As of March 31, 2025, all 240,000 warrants remain outstanding.

August Private Placement

On August 26, 2024, we consummated a series of transactions (the “August Financing”) whereby we (i) agreed to issue 1,185,000 shares of our Common Stock at a price per share of $5.00 pursuant to that certain Securities Purchase Agreement, dated August 26, 2024 (the “August SPA”) by and among the Company and certain investors signatory thereto (the “August Purchasers”), (ii) issued 960,000 warrants to purchase our Common Stock at an exercise price of $5.00 (the “August Warrants”) pursuant to that certain Warrant Purchase Agreement, dated August 26, 2024 (the “Warrant Purchase Agreement”) by and among the Company and certain purchasers signatory thereto, and (iii) facilitated the transfer of 1,185,000 shares held by DHC Sponsor, LLC (“Sponsor”) issued in connection with the Company's predecessor, DHC Acquisition Corp.'s (“DHC”) initial public offering to the August Purchasers, pursuant to that certain share assignment and lockup release agreement (the “Assignment Agreement”) with certain members of Sponsor and certain other existing stockholders and affiliates of the Company and the August Purchasers in exchange for releases from certain restrictions on transfer.

On August 30, 2024, the Company issued to the August Purchasers an aggregate of 100,000 shares of Common Stock and 960,000 August Warrants, and the August Purchasers paid an aggregate of $0.5 million in connection with the closing of the August Financing.

The remaining shares were issued to an escrow account and such shares remain in escrow until the conditions in the August SPA are satisfied. The August Purchasers are required to pay to the Company monthly cash installments in the amounts and on the dates as determined in the August SPA ending on April 5, 2025. Upon payment of each required funding, a pro rata portion of the shares of Common Stock and August Warrants in escrow are to be issued and released to the August Purchasers. If an investor fails to pay its required funding by the respective deadline, the investor's entire commitment under the August SPA will become immediately due and payable. As of March 31, 2025, the August SPA has been terminated with respect to certain August Purchasers who have exercised their portion of the Committed Warrants under the January Warrant Exercise Agreement. As of March 31, 2025, the Company has experienced delays in the exercise of warrants of one August Purchaser for the January 31, 2025 exercise date under the January Warrant Exercise Agreement. The Company is uncertain and cannot guarantee whether such exercises will be made. To the extent an August Purchaser fails to exercise its portion of the Committed Warrants, the obligations of such August Purchaser under the August SPA and such obligations of any investor under the August SPA who is not an August Purchaser under the January Warrant Exercise Agreement, shall remain, and the August SPA will only terminate as to the August Purchasers who have completed their January 31, 2025 exercise pursuant to the terms of the January Warrant Exercise Agreement. For additional information, please see "Warrant Exercise and Reload Agreement" below.

Standby Equity Purchase Agreement

On August 26, 2024 (the “SEPA Effective Date”), the Company entered into a Standby Equity Purchase Agreement (the “SEPA”) with Yorkville. Pursuant to the SEPA, the Company shall have the right, but not the obligation, to sell to Yorkville up to $50.0 million of the Company’s shares of Common Stock, at the Company’s request any time during the commitment period commencing on the SEPA Effective Date and terminating on the 36-month anniversary of the SEPA Effective Date. The shares will be issued and sold to Yorkville at a per share price equal to, at the election of the Company as specified in the relevant notice: (i) 96% of the Market Price (as defined therein) for any period commencing on the receipt of the notice by Yorkville and ending on 4:00 p.m. New York City time on the applicable notice date, and (ii) 97% of the Market Price for any three consecutive trading days commencing on the notice date. Issuances are subject to certain limitations, including that Yorkville cannot purchase any shares that would result in it beneficially owning more than 4.99% of the Company’s outstanding Common Stock at the time of an issuance or acquiring since the SEPA Effective Date under the SEPA more than 19.99% of the Company’s issued and outstanding Common Stock, as of the SEPA Effective Date. Additionally, if the total number of shares of Common Stock traded on Nasdaq during the applicable period is less than the Volume Threshold (as defined therein), then the number of shares of Common Stock issued and sold pursuant to such notice will be reduced as prescribed in the SEPA. As consideration for Yorkville’s commitment to purchase the shares of Common Stock pursuant to the SEPA, the Company paid Yorkville, (i) a structuring fee in the amount of $25,000 and (ii) a commitment fee of $0.5 million by the issuance to Yorkville of an aggregate of 280,899 shares of Common Stock. During the quarter ending March 31, 2025, the Company issued an aggregate of 1,500,000 shares of Common Stock to Yorkville pursuant to the SEPA.

Yorkville Promissory Note

On November 11, 2024, the Company issued the Yorkville Promissory Note in the aggregate original principal amount of approximately $1.7 million to Yorkville. The Yorkville Promissory Note does not bear interest, subject to a potential increase of the interest rate to 18.0% per annum upon the occurrence of certain events of default as described in the Yorkville Promissory Note. The Yorkville Promissory Note matured on March 11, 2025, and was issued at an original issue discount of 10%. As of March 31, 2025, the Company is in default on the Yorkville Promissory Note and there remains an unpaid and outstanding balance of $0.4 million. On May 28, 2025, the Company received a written notice of default from Yorkville. As of the date of this filing, Company management is in the process of negotiating with Yorkville and Yorkville has not initiated any further actions against the Company.

Warrant Exercise and Reload Agreement

On January 13, 2025, the Company entered into the January Warrant Exercise Agreement with certain Purchasers. Pursuant to the August SPA, the Purchasers previously purchased 110,000 shares of Common Stock, and the Company issued the Contribution Warrant to purchase up to 960,000 shares of Common Stock at an exercise price of $5.00 per share in exchange for certain holders of Common Stock contributing 1,185,000 shares of Common Stock into an escrow account maintained in connection with the August SPA, of which 1,075,000 shares of Common Stock remain in such escrow account as of March 31, 2025.

Under the January Warrant Exercise Agreement, the exercise price of the Committed Warrants was reduced to $1.96 per share, until May 30, 2025, after which point the exercise price for any unexercised Committed Warrants shall automatically revert back to $2.50 per share. Pursuant to the January Warrant Exercise Agreement, the Purchasers agreed to exercise the Committed Warrants for cash on the Exercise Schedule. Upon each Committed Warrant exercised in accordance with the Exercise Schedule, the Company shall issue the Reload Warrants. Upon a Purchaser's completion in full under the Warrant Exercise but no later than May 30, 2025, all remaining May Warrants issued under the May SPA held by such Purchaser shall immediately upon completion of such exercise automatically be amended to become exercisable for $1.96 per share for the remainder of their term. If a Purchaser exercises an Optional Warrant by June 30, 2025, the Company shall issue the Optional Reload Warrants. In addition, under the January Warrant Exercise Agreement, for each share of Common Stock for which a Purchaser exercises a Committed Warrant, one Escrow Share will be released from escrow and transferred to such Purchaser, for an aggregate of up to 1,074,999 Escrow Shares among all Purchasers, rounded down to the nearest whole share. Additionally, the exercise price of the Contribution Warrant was reduced to $1.71 per share.

During the quarter ending March 31, 2025, Purchasers exercised 787,132 Committed Warrants to purchase 787,132 shares of Common Stock pursuant to the January Warrant Exercise Agreement for aggregate gross proceeds of $1.5 million, and such Purchasers were or shall be issued 787,132 shares of Common Stock, 787,132 Escrow Shares, and 1,574,264 Reload Warrants. The August SPA has been terminated with respect to such Purchasers. As of March 31 2025, the Company has experienced delays in the exercise of warrants of one Purchaser for the January 31, 2025 exercise date under the January Warrant Exercise Agreement. in an aggregate amount of $0.2 million. The Company is uncertain and cannot guarantee whether such exercises will be made. To the extent a Purchaser fails to exercise its portion of the Committed Warrants, the obligations of such Purchaser under the August SPA and such obligations of any investor under the August SPA who is not a Purchaser under the January Warrant Exercise Agreement, shall remain, and the August SPA will only terminate as to the Purchasers who have completed their January 31, 2025 exercise pursuant to the terms of the January Warrant Exercise Agreement.

AFG Subscription Agreement; Termination of Reseller Agreement

On August 19, 2023, the Company and AFG entered into the Reseller Agreement providing for, among other things, AFG to act as BEN's exclusive reseller of certain products in a designated territory on certain terms and conditions. As partial consideration to AFG for such services to BEN, (i) Prior BEN issued to AFG a number of shares of Prior BEN common stock which converted into 1,750,000 shares of Common Stock and (ii) the Reseller Warrant.

On September 7, 2023, the Company and AFG entered into the AFG Subscription Agreement providing for (i) the purchase of shares of Prior BEN Common Stock in a private placement by the AFG Investors as of immediately prior to the Closing Date, which converted into the right to receive 650,000 shares of Common Stock with an aggregate initial value of $6.5 million and (ii) the purchase of shares Common Stock in four installments commencing on March 14, 2025, with an aggregate purchase price of $26.0 million, at a purchase price per share prior to the installment purchase date that is the lesser of $10.00 and the average of the last reported sales prices of Common Stock for the twenty (20) trading days immediately preceding the applicable installment purchase date, subject to a floor price of $2.11 (the “AFG Installment Shares”).

On January 17, 2025, the Company delivered the Notice to AFG terminating the Reseller Agreement. The Notice only applies to the Reseller Agreement and does not affect AFG's obligations under the Subscription Agreement; however, in light of the Notice and the AFG Lawsuit, the Company is uncertain whether AFG will fulfill its obligations under the Subscription Agreement. Accordingly, none of the information presented in this Report assumes that either the Reseller Warrant will become exercisable or that any AFG Installment Shares will be issued.

Cash Exercise of Warrants

There is no assurance that the holders of our warrants described under this section will elect to exercise for cash any or all of such warrants, especially when the trading price of our Common Stock is less than the exercise price per share of such warrants. We believe the likelihood that warrantholders will exercise their respective warrants, and therefore the amount of cash proceeds that we would receive, is dependent upon the trading price of our Common Stock. If the trading price for our Common Stock is less than the exercise price per share of a warrant, we expect that a warrantholder would not exercise their warrants. To the extent that any warrants are exercised on a “cashless basis” under certain conditions, we would not receive any proceeds from the exercise of such warrants.

As of the date of this filing, we have neither included nor intend to include any potential cash proceeds from the exercise of our warrants in our short-term or long-term liquidity sources or capital resource planning. Instead, we intend to seek additional funds, primarily through the issuance of debt or equity securities for cash to operate our business, including through the business development activities discussed above to continue to support our operations. Therefore, the availability or unavailability of any proceeds from the exercise of our warrants is not expected to affect our ability to fund our operations. We will continue to evaluate the probability of warrant exercise over the life of our warrants and the merit of including potential cash proceeds from the exercise thereof in our liquidity sources and capital resources planning.

To the extent such warrants are exercised, additional Common Stock will be issued, which will result in dilution to the holders of our Common Stock and increase the number of shares of Common Stock eligible for resale in the public market. Sales of substantial numbers of such shares in the public market could adversely affect the market price of our Common Stock, which increases the likelihood of periods when our Warrants will not be in the money prior to their expiration.

Material Cash Requirements

Our material cash requirements include the following potential and expected obligations:

Bank Loans

As of March 31, 2025, we had four loans outstanding, all of which were assumed in the acquisition of DM Lab in May 2023, totaling approximately $0.9 million. The loans carry varying interest rates ranging from 4.667% to 6.69% and have varying maturity dates ranging from January to March 2025. The loans do not have optional or mandatory redemption or conversion features. In January 2025, we obtained a waiver to extend the due dates of the short-term debt to January 2026.

Research and Development Sponsorship

In December 2023, we entered into a research and development sponsorship agreement with Korea University for total consideration of up to 528.0 million Korean won (approximately $0.4 million) from January 2024 through December

2024. We can terminate the agreement upon 30 days written notice to Korea University. The sponsorship agreement with Korea University is no longer active.

We enter into agreements in the normal course of business with various vendors, which are generally cancellable upon notice. Payments due upon cancellation typically consist only of payments for services provided or expenses incurred, including non-cancellable obligations of service providers, up to the date of cancellation.

The Cataneo Purchase Agreement

At closing of the Acquisition of Cantaneo, in addition to equity consideration, we have agreed to pay a cash purchase price of $9.0 million. We may also be required to make additional cash payments in exchange for shares of common stock paid as Equity Consideration. See “Recent Events—The Cataneo Purchase Agreement”.

Cash Flows

The following table summarizes our cash flows for the periods presented:

Operating activities

Cash used in operating activities was approximately $2.6 million during the three months ended March 31, 2025 primarily due to our net loss of approximately $3.6 million. The net loss included non-cash charges of approximately $0.8 million, which consisted of approximately $0.9 million of depreciation and amortization expense, $0.4 million in equity-based compensation expense, including the issuance of restricted shares, and non-cash interest expense, partially offset by $0.6 million gain due to the change in fair value of warrant liabilities. The net cash inflow of approximately $0.2 million from changes in our operating assets and liabilities was primarily due to an increase in accounts payable of $0.9 million, offset by an increase in prepaid expense and other current assets of $0.6 million and a decrease in operating lease liability of $0.1 million.

Cash used in operating activities was approximately $4.5 million during the three months ended March 31, 2024 primarily due to our net loss of approximately $6.9 million. The net loss included non-cash charges of approximately $2.0 million, which consisted of approximately $1.4 million of write offs of deferred financing fees, $0.4 million in equity-based compensation expense, $0.1 million of depreciation and amortization expense, and $0.1 million in changes in fair value of the warrant liabilities. The net cash outflow of approximately $0.3 million from changes in our operating assets and liabilities was primarily due to an increase in prepaid expenses and other current assets of approximately $0.8 million offset by an increase in accounts payable of approximately $0.7 million and an increase in accrued expenses of approximately $0.4 million .

Investing activities

Cash used in investing activities during the three months ended March 31, 2025 was approximately $0.1 million, which consisted primarily of capitalized internal-use software costs.

Cash used in investing activities during the three months ended March 31, 2024 was approximately $0.2 million, which consisted primarily of capitalized internal-use software costs.

Financing activities

Cash provided financing activities during the three months ended March 31, 2025 was approximately $2.8 million, which consisted of proceeds received from the sale of Common Stock and proceeds from warrant exercises.

Cash provided financing activities during the three months ended March 31, 2024 was approximately $6.3 million, which consisted of proceeds received from the sale of Common Stock.

Critical Accounting Policies

Our consolidated financial statements are prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP. The preparation of our consolidated financial statements requires us to make estimates and judgments that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities, disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the consolidated financial statements and the reported amounts of expenses during the reported period. We base our estimates on historical experience, known trends and events and various other factors that we believe to be reasonable under the circumstances, the results of which form the basis for making judgments about the carrying values of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. We evaluate our estimates and assumptions on an ongoing basis. Our actual results may differ from these estimates under different assumptions and conditions.

During the three months ended March 31, 2025, there were no material changes to our critical accounting policies and estimates from those described under the heading “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations of BEN”, found in our 2024 Annual Report.

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

See Note B to our consolidated financial statements, found in our 2024 Annual Report for a description of recent accounting pronouncements applicable to our unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements.

Off-Balance Sheet Financing Arrangements

We have no obligations, assets or liabilities that would be considered off-balance sheet arrangements as of March 31, 2025. We do not participate in transactions that create relationships with unconsolidated entities or financial partnerships, often referred to as variable interest entities, which would have been established for the purpose of facilitating off-balance sheet arrangements. We have not entered into any off-balance sheet financing arrangements, established any special purpose entities, guaranteed any debt or commitments of other entities, or purchased any non-financial assets.

Emerging Growth Company Status

We are an “emerging growth company,” as defined in the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act (“JOBS Act”). Under the JOBS Act, emerging growth companies can delay adopting new or revised accounting standards issued subsequent to the enactment of the JOBS Act until such time as those standards apply to private companies.

We expect to elect to use this extended transition period to enable us to comply with new or revised accounting standards that have different effective dates for public and private companies until the earlier of the date that we (i) are no longer an emerging growth company or (ii) affirmatively and irrevocably opts out of the extended transition period provided in the JOBS Act. As a result, our financial statements may not be comparable to companies that comply with new or revised accounting pronouncements as of public company effective dates.

As a “smaller reporting company” as defined by Rule 12b-2 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, (the “Exchange Act”) and pursuant to Item 305 of Regulation S-K, we are not required to disclose information under this section.

Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures

Under the supervision and with the participation of our management, including our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, we conducted an evaluation of the effectiveness of the design and operation of our disclosure controls and procedures as of March 31, 2025, as defined in Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) under the Exchange Act.

Disclosure controls and procedures are controls and other procedures that are designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed in our reports filed or submitted under the Exchange Act is recorded, processed, summarized and reported, within the time periods specified in the SEC’s rules and forms. Disclosure controls and procedures include controls and procedures designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed in our reports filed under the Exchange Act is accumulated and communicated to management, including our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure. Based upon the evaluation, our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer concluded that our disclosure controls were not effective as of March 31, 2025, based on the material weaknesses identified below.

Material Weakness in Internal Control over Financial Reporting

As discussed elsewhere in this Report, the Company completed the Merger on March 20, 2024. Prior to the Merger, DHC disclosed in the Risk Factors of its Form S-4/A filed on February 12, 2024, a material weakness in internal controls over financial reporting. Management has concluded this material weakness has not been remediated as an internal control deficiency was identified relating to the lack in investment of resources into accounting and reporting functions to properly account for and prepare U.S. GAAP compliant financial statements on a timely basis and to properly document risks affecting financial statements and controls in place to mitigate those risks in accordance with the requirements for a functioning internal control system, the accounting for the merger with DPL, the accounting for the extinguishment of certain liabilities through the issuance of common stock or through the exercise of warrants, the improper classification of the acquired developed technology from DM Lab as an in-process research and development asset, and the delay in obtaining valuation reports as it relates to valuing equity grants. Notwithstanding this material weakness, management has concluded that our unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements included in this Report are fairly stated in all material respects in accordance with U.S. GAAP for each of the periods presented herein.

This material weakness could result in a misstatement of account balances or disclosures that would result in a material misstatement of our annual or interim consolidated financial statements that may not be detected.

Plan for Remediation of the Material Weakness in Internal Control over Financial Reporting

In response, the Company’s management has continued implementation of a plan to remediate this material weakness. These remediation measures are ongoing and include the following; hiring a Chief Financial Officer, which was completed in the fourth quarter of 2024, and adding additional review procedures by qualified personnel over complex accounting matters, which include engaging third-party professionals with whom to consult regarding complex accounting applications.

The material weaknesses will be considered remediated once management completes the design and implementation of the measures described above and the controls operate for a sufficient period of time, and management has concluded, through testing, that these controls are effective. We believe we are making progress toward achieving the effectiveness of our internal controls and disclosure controls; however, we cannot provide any assurance that these remediation efforts will be successful or that our internal control over financial reporting will be effective as a result of these efforts.

Changes in Internal Control over Financial Reporting

Other than the changes made to the material weakness described above, there were no changes in our internal control over financial reporting identified in connection with the evaluation required by Rules 13a-15(d) and 15d-15(d) of the Exchange Act that occurred during the three months ended March 31, 2025, that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.

Limitations on the Effectiveness of Disclosure Controls and Procedures

Our management, including our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, does not expect that our disclosure controls and procedures or internal control over financial reporting will prevent all errors and all fraud. A control system, no matter how well designed and implemented, can provide only reasonable, not absolute, assurance that the control system’s objectives will be met. Further, the design of a control system must reflect the fact that there are resource constraints, and the benefits of controls must be considered relative to their costs. Because of the inherent limitations in all control systems, no evaluation of controls can provide absolute assurance that all control issues within a company are detected. The inherent limitations include the realities that judgments in decision-making can be faulty and that breakdowns can occur because of simple errors or mistakes. Controls can also be circumvented by the individual acts of some persons, by collusion of two or more people, or by management override of the controls. Because of the inherent limitations in a cost-effective control system, misstatements due to error or fraud may occur and may not be detected. Also, projections of any evaluation of effectiveness to future periods are subject to the risk that controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions or that the degree of compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate.

As of the date of this Report, there have been no material changes from the risk factors disclosed in our 2024 Annual Report. Any of these factors could result in a significant or material adverse effect on our result of operations or financial conditions. Additional risk factors not presently known to us may also impair our business or results of operations. We may disclose changes to such factors or disclose additional factors from time to time in our future filings with the SEC.