SOFT SofTech Inc (CE)

ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS

Our business is subject to numerous risks. We caution you that the following important factors, among others, could cause our actual results to differ materially from those expressed in forward-looking statements made by us or on our behalf in filings with the SEC, press releases, communications with investors and oral statements. Any or all of our forward-looking statements in this report, our Annual Report on Form 10-K and in any other public statements we make may turn out to be wrong. They can be affected by inaccurate assumptions we might make or by known or unknown risks and uncertainties. Any factors mentioned in the discussion below will be important in determining future results. Consequently, no forward-looking statement can be guaranteed. Actual future results may differ materially from those anticipated in forward-looking statements. We undertake no obligation to update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. You are advised, however, to consult any further disclosure we make in our reports filed with the SEC.

Risks Related to SofTech Following the Sale of the PLM Business

Over the last two fiscal years, the PLM Business we propose to sell to Essig has been responsible for the majority of our revenue and has reduced our losses incurred in the development of HomeView and the operations of SofTech Srl.

The PLM Business was responsible for a majority of our consolidated revenue in fiscal 2016. This has been the case since we sold the CADRA Business in October 2013. We will retain SofTech Srl, our subsidiary in Italy that is a value added reseller of CAD and PLM technologies and services. However, that entity has incurred operating losses for three consecutive fiscal years. HomeView, our newly released data management solution for the residential property market, is a pre-revenue technology. HomeView and other new product ideas that the management team has interest in pursuing as described in the patent filings over the last few years are speculative in that the products are still in development and the management team may not have the depth of experience required to be successful in those new markets. If we are unable to generate revenue from our remaining businesses or from other sources following the closing of the sale of the PLM Business (the “Asset Sale”), our financial condition will be materially adversely affected and ultimately we may be unable to maintain our operations.

We have discretion in the use of the net proceeds from the Asset Sale and may not use them effectively.

If the Asset Sale is consummated, the cash purchase price for the PLM Business will be paid directly to the Company. Our management will have discretion in the application of the net proceeds from the Asset Sale and could spend the proceeds in ways that do not improve our results of operations or enhance the value of our common stock. The failure by our management to apply these funds effectively could result in financial losses that could have a material adverse effect on our business and cause the price of our common stock to decline. Pending their use, we may invest the net proceeds in a manner that does not produce income or that loses value. We currently intend to utilize the net proceeds from the sale of the PLM Business to launch the HomeView product and for other working capital purposes. The Company’s Board of Directors will also continue to evaluate other activities aimed at enhancing shareholder value, including potentially share buybacks, dividends, merger, acquisitions and/or other targeted investments.

Additionally, following the closing of the Asset Sale, certain shareholders of the Company have a contractual right to require the Company to repurchase from them up to an aggregate of 70,000 shares of common stock, at an aggregate repurchase price of $490,000, or $7.00 per share, upon the exercise by such shareholders of such put right. Mr. Robert Anthonyson, an executive officer and director of the Company, holds 30,000 of those shares. Such put rights will be exercisable in the second quarter of fiscal years 2017 (with respect to 60,000 of such shares) and 2018 (with respect to 10,000 of such shares). If such put rights are exercised, we may use a portion of the net proceeds to satisfy our repurchase obligations.

We will continue to incur the expenses of complying with public company reporting requirements following the closing of the Asset Sale.

After the Asset Sale, we will continue to be required to comply with the applicable reporting requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), even though compliance with such reporting requirements is economically burdensome and will represent an even greater percentage of our expenses post-closing as we will be a significantly smaller company following the sale of the PLM Business. We intend to evaluate the merits of remaining a public company after evaluating the market’s reaction to the transaction, the opportunities for HomeView, potential partnerships, merger and/or acquisition opportunities and other pertinent factors.

27

Our HomeView business is somewhat dependent on certain employees who we expect will be hired by Essig in connection with the Asset Sale.

Certain employees of our PLM Business who we expect will be hired by Essig in connection with the Asset Sale have provided their expertise to the development and launch of HomeView. Essig has agreed to make those employees available to us on a part-time basis for a 12-month transition period following the closing of the Asset Sale at agreed-upon rates. These functions provided by these employees include quality assurance testing of the code, customer support and marketing.

There can be no assurance that this arrangement will be satisfactory in that it is possible that employees’ loyalty gets directed primarily or exclusively to their employer or those employees either do not accept employment with Essig or leave the employ of Essig following the closing of the Asset Sale.

Risks Related to the Asset Purchase Agreement

The announcement and pendency of the Asset Sale, whether or not consummated, may adversely affect our business.

The announcement and pendency of the Asset Sale, whether or not consummated, may adversely affect the trading price of our common stock, our business and/or our relationships with customers, partners, suppliers and employees. In addition, pending the completion of the Asset Sale, our management’s focus and attention and employee resources may be diverted from operational matters during the pendency of the Asset Sale.

In the event that the Asset Sale is not completed, the announcement of the termination of the Asset Purchase Agreement may also adversely affect the trading price of our common stock, our business or our relationships with customers, partners, suppliers and employees.

The Buyer is not assuming any of the excluded liabilities under the Asset Purchase Agreement.

Under the Asset Purchase Agreement, Buyer is not assuming all of the liabilities associated with the PLM Business. Certain liabilities will remain with SofTech post-closing. For example, Buyer is only assuming customer support obligations and obligations for performance under the certain assigned contracts that arise after the closing, and is not assuming liability for any obligation or breach by SofTech occurring or arising prior to the closing. While the Company believes that it has adequately accrued for these liabilities or is adequately insured against certain of the risks associated with such excluded liabilities, there can be no assurances that additional expenditures will not be incurred in resolving these liabilities.

The Asset Purchase Agreement may expose us to contingent liabilities.

We have agreed to indemnify the Buyer for certain breaches of representations, warranties or covenants made by us in the Asset Purchase Agreement. Significant indemnification claims by the Buyer could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Under the Asset Purchase Agreement, we may potentially earn up to two contingent payments, but there can be no guarantee we will earn such payments.

Under the Asset Purchase Agreement, the Company will earn two additional contingent payments if the revenue of the PLM Business in the first 12-month period following the closing of the Asset Sale equals at least $3.2 million and if the revenue in the second 12-month period following the closing of the Asset Sale equals at least $3.75 million. In each period the additional payment would equal $75,000 plus 12.5% of the amount in excess of the minimum revenue threshold for each period plus $75,000. For example, if the revenue of the PLM Business for the first 12-month period is $3.5 million, the contingent payment due would be $103,125 calculated as $75,000 plus 12.5% times $3.5 million less $3.275 million. There can be no assurance that the revenue generated by the PLM Business will at least equal the minimum revenue threshold in each period or that we would earn any of the contingent payments.

28

Risks Related to Our Business

We will need additional capital to continue to develop and launch our HomeView™ technology and product.

We will require additional capital to support the ongoing development and launch of our HomeView technology and product. There can be no assurance that the capital needed will be available or if the terms will be reasonable. If the Company is unable to raise the necessary capital, its plans for maximizing the return on the capital invested in the new product and for establishing a new revenue source may be materially negatively impacted.

Our ability to use our federal and state net operating loss carryforwards (“NOLs”) to reduce taxable income generated in the future could be substantially limited or eliminated.

As of May 31, 2016, we had approximately $22 million of federal NOLs available to offset future taxable income, which expire in varying amounts beginning in 2022, if unused. We may not generate taxable income in time to use these NOLs prior to their expiration, and the Internal Revenue Service may not agree with the amount or timing of prior losses, thereby limiting the value of our NOLs. Furthermore, our ability to use our NOLs is subject to an annual limitation due to ownership changes that may have occurred or that could occur in the future, as determined by Section 382 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, as well as similar state regulations. Depending on the actual amount of any limitation on our ability to use our NOLs, our future taxable income could be subject to federal and/or state income tax, creating federal and/or state income tax liabilities. We previously maintained a tax benefits preservation plan with respect to our NOLs, which expired in February 2015.

We are dependent on key personnel whose loss could impair our operations, our product development or our sales efforts.

We are a small company especially for one that is publicly held. While we enjoy the benefit of a very experienced, long-tenured employee group, we are dependent on many of those employees for the familiarity, expertise and unique insight they have developed with our products that would be extremely difficult and time consuming to replace. The loss of services of any of our key personnel could make it difficult for us to meet important objectives, such as timely and effective product introductions and financial goals.

We may be sued for infringing on the intellectual property rights of others.

Third parties may assert that we are employing their proprietary technology without authorization. There can be no assurance that we do not or will not infringe on the patent or proprietary rights of others. Parties making claims against us may be able to obtain injunctive or other equitable relief that could effectively block our ability to further develop, commercialize and sell products, and such claims could result in the award of substantial damages against us. In the event of a successful claim of infringement against us, we may be required to pay damages and obtain one or more licenses from third parties. We may not be able to obtain these licenses at a reasonable cost, if at all. In that event, we could encounter delays in product introductions while we attempt to develop alternative methods or products or be required to cease offering affected products and our operating results would be harmed.

Our sales and operations are globally dispersed, which exposes us to additional operating and compliance risks.

We sell and deliver software and services, and maintain support operations in multiple countries whose laws and practices differ from one another. For the fiscal years ended May 31, 2016 and 2015, North America accounted for approximately 79% and 81%, Europe for approximately 22% and 19% and Asia for approximately zero percent of our revenue. Managing these geographically dispersed operations requires significant attention and resources to ensure compliance with laws. Accordingly, while we maintain a compliance program, we cannot guarantee that an employee, agent or business partner will not act in violation of our policies or U.S. or other applicable laws. Such violations can lead to civil and/or criminal prosecutions, substantial fines and the revocation of our rights to continue certain operations and also cause business and reputation loss.

29

We are obligated to maintain proper and effective internal control over financial reporting. We may not complete our analysis of our internal control over financial reporting in a timely manner, or these internal controls may not be determined to be effective, which may adversely affect investor confidence in our company and, as a result, the value of our common stock.

In December 2011, we filed a Form 8-A with the SEC in connection with the effectiveness of our registration statement (333-174818), subjecting us again to the reporting requirements under the Exchange Act. As a public company, we are required, pursuant to Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, to furnish a report by management on, among other things, the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting. This assessment includes disclosure of any material weaknesses identified by our management in our internal control over financial reporting. We may not be able to remediate future material weaknesses, or to complete our 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 our internal control over financial reporting, we will be unable to assert that our internal controls are effective. If we are unable to assert that our internal control over financial reporting is effective, we could lose investor confidence in the accuracy and completeness of our financial reports, which would have a material adverse effect on the price of our common stock.

Because we are a relatively small company, the requirements of being a public company, including compliance with the reporting requirements of the Exchange Act and the requirements of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, may strain our resources, increase our costs and distract management; and we may be unable to comply with these requirements in a timely or cost-effective manner.

As a public company, we need to comply with certain laws, regulations and requirements, certain corporate governance provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and related regulations of the SEC. If we list our securities on an exchange, the exchange will impose additional requirements on listed companies, including enhanced corporate governance practices. For example, the NASDAQ listing requirements require that listed companies satisfy certain corporate governance requirements relating to independent directors, audit committees, distribution of annual and interim reports, shareholder meetings, shareholder approvals, solicitation of proxies, conflicts of interest, shareholder voting rights and codes of business conduct. Complying with the SEC statutes, regulations and requirements will occupy a significant amount of time of our board of directors and management and could increase our costs and expenses.

From time to time we may make acquisitions. The failure to successfully integrate future acquisitions could harm our business, financial condition and operating results.

As a part of our business strategy, we have in the past and may make acquisitions in the future. We may also make significant investments in complementary companies, products or technologies. Acquisitions present many risks, and we may not realize the financial and strategic goals that were contemplated at the time of any transaction. We cannot provide assurance that we will be able to successfully integrate any business, products, technologies or personnel that we may acquire in the future, and our failure to do so could harm our business, financial condition and operating results.

Weakness in the United States and international economies may continue to adversely affect our business.

The past few years have been characterized by fluctuating global economic conditions. Because we market, sell and license our products throughout the world, in addition to the ongoing adverse effects on our business of continued weakness in the U.S. economy, we could be significantly affected by continuing weak economic conditions in foreign and domestic markets that could reduce demand for our products.

Risks Related to the Market for our Common Stock

Our stock price has been and is likely to continue to be volatile, and an investment in our common stock could decline in value.

Since the Recapitalization Transaction, the closing stock price has ranged from a low price of $1.00 per share to a high price of $4.95 per share. A contributing factor to the price fluctuation is the low average daily volume, which over the last three fiscal years has averaged fewer than 1,000 shares per day. Given the lack of market makers in the stock and the low demand, a shareholder’s attempt to sell a large number of shares relative to the average daily volume in a short period of time will likely have a material negative impact on the share price.

30

Our common stock may be considered “penny stock”, further reducing its liquidity.

Our common stock may be considered “penny stock”, which will further reduce the liquidity of our common stock. Trading in penny stocks is limited because broker-dealers are required to provide their customers with disclosure documents prior to allowing them to participate in transactions involving the common stock. These disclosure requirements are burdensome to broker-dealers and may discourage them from allowing their customers to participate in transactions involving our common stock, thereby further reducing the liquidity of our common stock.

Penny stocks are equity securities with a market price below $5.00 per share other than a security (i) that is registered on a national exchange or included for quotation on the NASDAQ system, (ii) whose issuer has net tangible assets of more than $2,000,000 if it has been in continuous operation for greater than three years, or net tangible assets of more than $5,000,000 if it has been in continuous operation for less than three years or (iii) whose issuer has average revenue of at least $6,000,000 for the last three fiscal years.

Rules promulgated by the Securities and Exchange Commission under Section 15(g) of the Exchange Act require broker-dealers engaging in transactions in penny stocks, to first provide to their customers a series of disclosures and documents including:

·

a standardized risk disclosure document identifying the risks inherent in investment in penny stocks;

·

all compensation received by the broker-dealer in connection with the transaction;

·

current quotation prices and other relevant market data; and

·

a monthly account statement reflecting the fair market value of the securities.

These rules also require that a broker-dealer obtain financial and other information from a customer, determine that transactions in penny stocks are suitable for such customer and deliver a written statement to such customer setting forth the basis for this determination.

A small number of shareholders own a large number of shares thereby potentially exerting significant influence over us.

As of August 24, 2016, the three members of our board of directors beneficially owned approximately 35.7% of our outstanding shares and two other shareholders together beneficially own approximately 33.5% of outstanding shares. This concentration of ownership could significantly influence all matters requiring shareholder approval and could delay, deter or prevent a change in control of the Company or other business combinations that might otherwise be beneficial to our other shareholders. Accordingly, this concentration of ownership may harm the market price of our common stock. In addition, the interest of our significant shareholders may not always coincide with the interest of the Company’s other shareholders. In deciding how to vote on such matters, they may be influenced by interests that conflict with our other shareholders.

Our stock is thinly traded, so you may be unable to sell at or near ask prices or at all.

The shares of our common stock are traded on the OTC Bulletin Board. Shares of our common stock are thinly traded, meaning that the number of persons interested in purchasing our common stock at or near ask prices at any given time may be relatively small or non-existent. This situation is attributable to a number of factors, including the fact that we are a small company that is relatively unknown to stock analysts, stockbrokers, institutional investors and others in the investment community who generate or influence sales volume. Even in the event that we come to the attention of such persons, they would likely be reluctant to follow an unproven company such as ours or purchase or recommend the purchase of our shares until such time as we become more seasoned and viable. As a consequence, our stock price may not reflect an actual or perceived value of the business. Also, there may be periods of several days or more when trading activity in our shares is minimal or non-existent, as compared to a seasoned issuer that has a large and steady volume of trading activity that will generally support continuous sales without an adverse effect on share price. A broader or more active public trading market for our common shares may not develop or if developed, may not be sustained. Due to these conditions, you may not be able to sell your shares at or near ask prices or at all if you need money or otherwise desire to liquidate your shares.

31

We do not presently intend to pay any cash dividends or repurchase any shares of our common stock.

We do not presently intend to pay any cash dividends on our common stock. Any payment of future dividends will be at the discretion of the board of directors and will depend on, among other things, our earnings, financial condition, capital requirements, level of indebtedness, statutory and contractual restrictions applying to the payment of dividends, and other considerations that our board of directors deems relevant. Cash dividend payments in the future may only be made out of legally available funds and, if we experience substantial losses, such funds may not be available. Accordingly, you may have to sell some or all of your common stock in order to generate cash flow from your investment.

We are a “smaller reporting company” and the reduced disclosure requirements applicable to us may make our common stock less attractive to investors.

We are currently a “smaller reporting company”, meaning that we are not an investment company, an asset-backed issuer, or a majority-owned subsidiary of a parent company that is not a smaller reporting company and have a public float of less than $75 million and annual revenues of less than $50 million during the most recently completed fiscal year. Smaller reporting companies are able to provide simplified executive compensation disclosures in their filings; are exempt from the provisions of Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act requiring that independent registered public accounting firms provide an attestation report on the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting; and have certain other decreased disclosure obligations in their SEC filings, including, among other things, only being required to provide two years of audited financial statements in annual reports. We have taken advantage of some of these reduced disclosure obligations, and thus the information we provide shareholders may be different from what you might receive from other public companies in which you hold shares.

Risks Related to the CADRA Sale

A portion of the purchase price was deferred and we may not receive those payments.

Up to $750,000 of the total purchase price from the CADRA Sale is based on the revenues generated by the CADRA business during the three-year period following the asset sale. Specifically, the Company will be paid earn-out payments equal to 10% of CADRA revenue generated by Mentor up to the $750,000 maximum. Through May 31, 2016 we have received a total of $527,000 of the maximum earn-out payments for the revenue recorded by Mentor through January 31, 2016.  The Company is due one additional earn-out payment based on CADRA revenues generated between February 1, 2016 and October 31, 2016 (the “Remaining Earn-Out Period”). Mentor has broad discretion to operate its post-closing business, and may choose to do so in a manner which may or may not result in the payment of all of the CADRA earn-out payments.

CADRA royalty payments were recorded at the transaction date based on fair value of the expected royalty payments as described in the financial statements. As of August 31, 2016, the Company estimated the fair value of the one remaining future payment at $130,000 which is subject to adjustment each fiscal quarter based on an independent third party valuation. There can be no assurance that the Company will receive all of the royalty payments it has recorded on its balance sheet as of August 31, 2016. If the actual CADRA revenue results are lower than the forecasted results the Company may have to adjust the royalty asset through a charge to earnings.

Mentor did not assume any of the excluded liabilities under the Asset Purchase Agreement.

Under the Asset Purchase Agreement, Mentor did not assume all of the liabilities associated with the CADRA business. Certain liabilities remained with the Company post-closing. For example, Mentor only assumed customer support obligations related to certain assigned contracts and obligations for performance under contracts that arise after the closing, and did not assume liability for any obligation or breach by the Company that occurred or arose prior to the closing. While the Company believes that it has adequately accrued for these liabilities or is adequately insured against certain of the risks associated with such excluded liabilities, there can be no assurances that additional expenditures will not be incurred in resolving these liabilities.