8. Commitments and Contingencies

Contingencies

The Company is subject to claims and legal proceedings that arise in the ordinary course of business. Such matters are inherently uncertain, and there can be no guarantee that the outcome of any such matter will be decided favorably to the Company or that the resolution of any such matter will not have a material adverse effect upon the Company’s financial statements. The Company currently has no pending claims or legal proceedings.

In September 2020, the Company signed an engagement letter (the “Benchmark Agreement”) with The Benchmark Company LLC (“Benchmark”) to act as the lead or managing underwriter in connection with the Company’s planned IPO. In connection with this agreement the Company agreed to pay a nonaccountable expense allowance to Benchmark equal to 1.0% of the gross proceeds received in the Company’s planned IPO. In addition to the non-accountable expense allowance, the Company has also agreed to pay or reimburse the underwriters for certain of the underwriters’ out-of-pocket expenses relating to the offering, including all reasonable fees and expenses of the underwriters’ outside legal counsel, and background checks, which shall not exceed in the aggregate $132,500.

In March 2021, the Benchmark Agreement was terminated. Concurrent with the termination, the Company signed an advisory services agreement pursuant to which the Company will pay Benchmark $150,000 upon the closing of the planned IPO, and Benchmark provided advisory services with respect to the public offering. The Company paid the $150,000 advisory fee in July 2021.

Indemnifications

In the normal course of business, the Company enters into contracts and agreements that contain a variety of representations and warranties and provide for general indemnifications, including for losses suffered or incurred by the indemnified party, in connection with any trade secret, copyright, patent or other intellectual property infringement claim by any third party with respect to its technology. The term of these indemnification agreements is generally perpetual any time after the execution of the agreement. The Company’s exposure under these agreements is unknown because it involves claims that may be made against the Company in the future, but that have not yet been made. To date, the Company has not paid any claims or been required to defend any action related to its indemnification obligations.

The Company believes that the likelihood of conditions arising that would trigger these indemnities is remote and, historically, the Company had not made any significant payment under such indemnification provisions. Accordingly, the Company has not recorded any liabilities relating to these agreements. However, the Company may record charges in the future as a result of these indemnification obligations.

Additionally, the Company has agreed to indemnify its directors and officers for certain events or occurrences while the director or officer is, or was serving, at the Company’s request in such capacity. The indemnification period covers all pertinent events and occurrences during the director’s or officer’s service.

Employee Benefit Plan

In December 2021, the Company implemented a 401K Plan which covers all eligible employees of the Company (the “401K Plan”). Employer matching contributions are immediately 100% vested. The Company’s 401K Plan provides that the Company match each participant's contribution at 100% up to 4% of the employee’s eligible compensation. Company contributions to the 401K Plan totaled approximately $0 and $6,000 for the years ended December 31, 2020 and 2021, respectively.