WHY DOES DNALABS NEED MY PERSONAL INFORMATION WHEN I INVEST?
We wish we didn’t have to ask for your private information but being qualified by the SEC to sell stock to the general public comes with some legal responsibilities and requirements. As an investor, we hope you understand that following these rules is very important to all of us at DNALabs to make sure we can grow into the company we all want to be, with you along for the ride, without any problems from governmental authorities. That’s the responsible thing to do to protect all of us, and you as an investor. Here’s what we need from you in addition to the information you would have to give any online company (like Amazon or Facebook) to open an account, and why we have to collect it or you cannot legally become an investor in our company, as much as we wish you could! Your date of birth and social security number or other national ID number. Securities laws require our broker-dealer (Dalmore Group LLC) to verify your identity and to do certain compliance tests behind the scenes when you apply to invest. The only way they can verify you are who you say you are is by checking these two things. Your income and net worth. If you’re not an accredited investor (earn $200,000 per year or a net worth minus your primary residence of more than $1M), by federal law we cannot allow you to invest more than 10% of the higher of your annual income and net worth. While none of us think the government should distinguish between possible investors based on wealth, this is the way the law was written that allows us to sell you stock in the first place if you are not an accredited investor. Just so you know, for 80 years before this 2015 law – you were generally not allowed to invest in an early stage private company like ours at all, unless you could prove you were an accredited investor. The personal information you provide to us will be provided in an encrypted manner, and we do what is reasonable within the limitations of the existing computer and online world to protect that information. We take your privacy seriously and will not distribute or sell your private information to anyone, other than regulatory bodies that require it or people like our broker-dealer who need it to do what is required under securities laws. However, like every other company in the world, we are subject to possible criminal acts like someone who attempts to hack our systems. We cannot ever (nor can anyone else) 100% guarantee that such criminal acts or hacking will never occur, but we take commercially reasonable steps, like any responsible company, to prevent that from happening.
HOW MUCH DOES IT COST TO INVEST IN DNALABS?
It costs $9.00 per share, with a minimum investment of $225 for 25 shares.
WHAT DO I GET FOR MY INVESTMENT?
For every $9.00 you invest you get one share of ownership in our company, our brands, any new products or acquisitions we make in the future, and any profits we make. You actually own part of this company, just like we do.
HOW DO I GET A RETURN ON MY INVESTMENT?
You’re investing at an early stage in our company. Just like early stage investments made by venture capitalists, investment banks and private equity firms, you are investing now to hold on to your equity for the foreseeable future while we grow the company. You are investing with the hope that as we grow the company, your investment becomes worth more as the company gets bigger. We plan to reinvest any profits to help the company grow, and while we do not have any immediate plans to pay a dividend to our shareholders during that time, but it is possible we may do so in the future depending on the company’s needs at that time. Our goal is to grow the company with your help, and to eventually either be acquired by a bigger company, or to “go public” with an IPO. If either of those things happen, you could get paid a return on your investment, just like all of us. In the meantime, you can sell your shares, but you will have to find a purchaser yourself as our shares will not be listed on any exchange, so there is no open marketplace for your stock.
WHAT IS CROWDFUNDING?
Some people refer to the way we are raising capital (and how we allow you to invest!) as “crowdfunding.” Put simply: crowdfunding is raising funds from a crowd of people. The term might be new, but the concept is not – if you’ve ever thrown in $5 toward an office party, you have witnessed crowdfunding in action. The term “crowdfunding” generally applies to using the internet as a means of raising money online by collecting (relatively) small amounts of money from a large number of people.
WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN REWARDS AND EQUITY CROWDFUNDING?
If you give someone money on a rewards-based crowdfunding site, you are either making a donation or purchasing a product that doesn’t exist yet. If you give someone money like what we are doing at DNALabs, you are investing in the company and will own part of that company.
Sites like Kickstarter, Indiegogo and GoFundMe are all rewards-based crowdfunding platforms. They allow people to raise money for a project by offering some sort of perk or reward in exchange for contributions. They are not allowed to sell ownership or equity in a business to raise funds.
DNALabs’s stock offering utilizes equity crowdfunding, which allows companies to raise money for their business by selling stock to people like you.
WHAT IS THE JOBS ACT?
The JOBS Act allows everyday people to invest at an early stage in a private company. This is something that you were generally not allowed to do until 2015. Before that, only the rich and well-connected could invest in early stage companies like DNALabs.
The U.S. Congress passed the JOBS Act with bipartisan support and the President signed the bill in April of 2012. The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) finalized the rules for “Regulation A” of the JOBS Act that went into effect on June 19, 2015. That made it legal for companies like DNALabs to sell our stock online to the general public and made it legal for anyone to invest in a company like ours, for the first time in 80 years.
WHAT IS REGULATION A?
Regulation A (also called Regulation A+, Reg A or Reg A+ and even “the Mini-IPO”) is a section of the JOBS Act. For far less than the cost and effort of a traditional IPO, companies can use Regulation A to raise up to $75 million in an online stock offering, and all investors, not just the rich and well-connected, can invest in companies like DNALabs. Regulation A changed and democratized investment in private, early stage companies, making it available for everyone.
WHAT IS AN ACCREDITED INVESTOR?
An accredited investor is someone who meets specific criteria outlined by the SEC and by federal law and is therefore eligible to participate in certain investment offerings. In order to be considered accredited, an individual must have had an income of at least $200,000 for the past two years (or $300,000 if married) or have a net worth of over $1 million not including their primary residence. Institutions such as trusts, endowments and venture funds can also be certified as accredited provided that they have more than $5 million in assets. If you want to read the exact language of the law defining the term “accredited investor” click here.
CAN I INVEST IN DNALABS IF I’M NOT ACCREDITED?
Regulation A does not require you to be accredited in order to invest in DNALabs. Accredited investors are allowed to invest more than those who are not accredited.
IS THIS INVESTMENT RISKY?
Yes. All investments are inherently risky, and early stage businesses are generally considered more high risk than established businesses. That’s why it’s so important that before you invest in any offering, you do your own due diligence so you understand not only the business and investment, but also the risk factors specific to that company. If you cannot afford to lose the money you plan to invest if things do not work out as the company hopes, you should not invest. Read and understand the documents and talk to your own advisors before you invest.
WHY IS DNALABS USING REGULATION A/EQUITY CROWDFUNDING FOR ITS STOCK OFFERING?
We want to invite our friends, colleagues, customers, fans, and anyone who likes what we are doing to be a part of our company from an early stage so you can help us grow and become not just a great company, but a community of people all pulling together to make that all happen.
HOW DO I BUY SHARES?
Visit www.InvestDNALABS.com, read through the Offering Circular, then fill out the form when you click the “Invest” button. In the online form (which is much like opening an account on Amazon or any other commerce site) we’ll ask for some additional information to identify you (as required by federal securities law) such as your SSN and date of birth. We’ve tried to make the process as simple as possible, but if you have any questions feel free to email us at invest@dnalabs.ca.
HOW MUCH DO SHARES COST?
Each share is $9.00 and the minimum investment is $225.
WHAT IS THE INVESTMENT PROCESS?
Just click on the “Invest ” button and fill in the blanks. The entire process takes about 10-15 minutes and is much like opening an account on Amazon or any other e-commerce site. We’ll ask for some additional information to identify you (as required by federal securities law) such as your SSN and date of birth. You have to electronically sign some forms to make it legal. We’ve tried to make the process as simple as possible, but if you have any questions feel free to email us at invest@dnalabs.ca.
CAN I INVEST MORE THAN ONCE?
You sure can! Just make sure you fill in the same information (name, email, address) if you do so we can combine your investments in our system.
CAN I BUY SHARES AS A GIFT FOR SOMEONE ELSE?
Yes, but the process is not quite as simple as we would all like because of some securities laws. Technically, you have to buy the shares first yourself in your name, and then give them to someone after you complete the investment process. If you have questions on how to do this, please e-mail us at invest@dnalabs.ca.
CAN I INVEST IF I’M NOT 18?
No. You must be at least 18 years old to invest.
CAN I INVEST IF I DON’T LIVE IN THE US?
Yes! This stock offering is open for anyone across the world to invest, as long as in your country and jurisdiction it is legal. We recommend consulting with a lawyer in your jurisdiction before investing in our company in case your country or situation requires specific legal or investment advice.
CAN I SELL MY SHARES AFTER I INVEST?
You can sell your shares after you invest. However, keep in mind that as DNALabs is not a publicly traded company, you’ll need to find your own buyer. DNALabs’s stock will not be listed on an exchange at this time. If you invest in our company at this early stage, you should do so with the plan to hold on to the stock for the indefinite future, and to grow with us. If you are looking to buy the stock and sell it quickly, this is not an investment for you.
IS THERE A MINIMUM AMOUNT I CAN INVEST?
Yes, the minimum investment is $225.
IS THERE A MAXIMUM AMOUNT I CAN INVEST?
There is no maximum you can invest (other than the total amount we are raising which is $9,999,999) if you are an accredited investor. If you are not an accredited investor, then you can invest no more than 10% of the greater of your annual income or net worth. When you invest, our online form does the calculations for you, so don’t worry about having to do the math yourself!
CAN I ENCOURAGE OTHER PEOPLE TO INVEST?
Yes! The more, the merrier.
WHY DO I HAVE TO GIVE MY SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER AND DATE OF BIRTH?
Federal and state securities laws require our broker-dealer to verify your identity and to do certain compliance tests behind the scenes when you apply to invest. While we would prefer to not have to ask you for this information, the broker-dealer cannot do what federal law requires them to do unless we get that information from you. As an investor in our company, we want you to understand that we take the legal aspects of our job very seriously, and that we do our best to comply with all laws that apply to us, including these.
WHY DO I HAVE TO GIVE MY INCOME AND NET WORTH?
This is a requirement of federal securities laws and of Regulation A. The law designed to ensure that people do not invest more than a certain amount, so we have to collect this information if you are not an accredited investor. As an investor in our company, we want you to understand that we take the legal aspects of our job very seriously, and that we do our best to comply with all laws that apply to us, including these.
WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO PROTECT MY INFORMATION?
The personal information you provide to us will be provided in an encrypted manner, and we do what we can within the limitations of the existing computer and online world to protect that information. We take your privacy seriously and will not distribute or sell your private information to anyone, other than regulatory bodies that require it or people like our broker-dealer who have to have it to do what is required under federal and state laws. However, please understand that we, like every other company in the world, are subject to possible criminal malfeasance or someone who attempts to hack our systems. We cannot ever (nor can anyone else) 100% guarantee that such criminal acts or hacking will never occur, but we take commercially reasonable steps, like any responsible company, to prevent that from happening.
WHAT ARE MY OPTIONS FOR PAYING FOR MY INVESTMENT?
You can pay by credit or debit card, ACH (bank payment) or wire.
CAN I GET A REFUND?
Once your shares have been issued, we cannot provide you with a refund. If you change your mind prior to the time your shares have been issued, write to us at invest@dnalabs.ca and we will do our best to work something out for you, if we can.
CAN I INVEST THROUGH MY BROKER?
No, you can only invest through our website.
CAN I INVEST THROUGH MY IRA, TRUST OR RETIREMENT ACCOUNT?
Yes, if your IRA, trust or retirement account allows it. Most self-directed IRAs and retirement accounts allow you to invest in private companies like ours, and so do most trusts, so check with them first.
WHO SHOULD I CONTACT IF I HAVE MORE QUESTIONS?
Still have questions? Hit us up at invest@dnalabs.ca and we’ll get you taken care of.
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