Quarterly report pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d)

Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (Policies)

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Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (Policies)
9 Months Ended
Sep. 30, 2016
Summary of Significant Accounting Policies [Abstract]  
BASIS OF PRESENTATION

Basis of Presentation

 

All amounts are presented in U.S. Dollars.

USE OF ESTIMATES

Use of Estimates

 

The preparation of financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent liabilities at dates of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenue and expenses during the periods. Actual results could differ from these estimates. The Company’s significant estimates and assumptions include the fair value of financial instruments, stock-based compensation, debt discount and the valuation allowance relating to the Company’s deferred tax assets.

INVESTMENTS

Investments

 

As of September 30, 2016, investments consisted of U.S. Treasury Bills of $1,492,309, which are classified as held-to-maturity, and Certificates of Deposit of $584,696. The Company determines the appropriate balance sheet classification of its investments at the time of purchase and evaluates the classification at each balance sheet date. All of the Company’s U.S. Treasury Bills mature within the next twelve months. Unrealized gains and losses are de minimis. As of September 30, 2016, the carrying value of the Company’s U.S. Treasury Bills approximates their fair value.

FAIR VALUE OF FINANCIAL INSTRUMENTS

Fair Value of Financial Instruments

 

The Company measures the fair value of financial assets and liabilities based on the exchange price that would be received for an asset or paid to transfer a liability (an exit price) in the principal or most advantageous market for the asset or liability in an orderly transaction between market participants on the measurement date. The Company utilizes three levels of inputs that may be used to measure fair value:

 

Level 1 - quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities

Level 2 - quoted prices for similar assets and liabilities in active markets or inputs that are observable

Level 3 - inputs that are unobservable (for example, cash flow modeling inputs based on assumptions)

 

The carrying amounts of cash, accounts payable, accrued liabilities and short-term debt approximate fair value due to the short-term nature of these instruments. The amount of long-term debt included in the accompanying condensed balance sheets approximates its fair value.

SHARE-BASED PAYMENT

Share-Based Payment

 

The Company accounts for share-based payments using the fair value method. For employees and directors, the fair value of the award is measured, as discussed below, on the grant date. For non-employees, fair value is generally valued based on the fair value of the services provided or the fair value of the equity instruments on the measurement date, whichever is more readily determinable and re-measured on each financial reporting dates until the service is complete. The Company has granted stock options at exercise prices equal to the higher of (i) the closing price of the Company’s common stock as reported on the OTCQX marketplace or (ii) the closing price of the Company’s common stock as reported by the TSX Venture Exchange on the date of grant.

 

The weighted-average fair value of options and warrants has been estimated on the date of grant using the Black-Scholes option-pricing model. The fair value of each instrument is estimated on the date of grant utilizing certain assumptions for a risk free interest rate, volatility and expected remaining lives of the awards. Since the Company has a limited history of being publicly traded, the fair value of stock-based payment awards issued was estimated using a volatility derived from an index of comparable entities. The assumptions used in calculating the fair value of share-based payment awards represent management’s best estimates, but these estimates involve inherent uncertainties and the application of management judgment. As a result, if factors change and the Company uses different assumptions, the Company’s stock-based compensation expense could be materially different in the future. In addition, the Company is required to estimate the expected forfeiture rate and only recognize expense for those shares expected to vest. In estimating the Company’s forfeiture rate, the Company analyzed its historical forfeiture rate, the remaining lives of unvested options, and the number of vested options as a percentage of total options outstanding. If the Company’s actual forfeiture rate is materially different from its estimate, or if the Company reevaluates the forfeiture rate in the future, the stock-based compensation expense could be significantly different from what the Company has recorded in the current period.

 

The weighted-average Black-Scholes assumptions are as follows:

 

    For the Three Months Ended     For the Nine Months Ended  
    September 30,     September 30,  
    2016     2015     2016     2015  
Expected life     9 years       8 years       6 years       2 years  
Risk free interest rate     1.51%       1.62%       1.25%     0.70%  
Expected volatility     79%       79%       79%     80%  
Expected dividend yield     0%       0%       0%     0%  
Forfeiture rate     0%       0%       0%     0%  

 

As of September 30, 2016, total unrecognized stock option compensation expense was $1,919,969, which will be recognized as those options vest over a period of approximately four years. The amount of future stock option compensation expense could be affected by any future option grants or by any option holders leaving the Company before their grants are fully vested.

NET LOSS PER SHARE OF COMMON STOCK

Net Loss Per Share of Common Stock

 

Basic net loss per share is computed by dividing net loss attributable to common stockholders by the weighted average number of common shares outstanding during the period.  Diluted net earnings per share reflects the potential dilution that could occur if securities or other instruments to issue common stock were exercised or converted into common stock.  Potentially dilutive securities are excluded from the computation of diluted net loss per share as their inclusion would be anti-dilutive and consist of the following:

 

    As of September 30,  
    2016     2015  
Warrants     8,056,418       7,936,391  
Options     4,652,497       3,659,083  
Totals     12,708,915       11,595,474