9. Convertible debt and Promissory Notes- ReShape

 

Convertible Debt

 

Commencing in October 2020 through February 2024, the Company began raising money through the issuance of a compulsorily convertible promissory note (the “Promissory Note”) pursuant to a Subscription Agreement (the “Subscription Agreement”). The Promissory Note was issued as part of a private placement (the “Offering”) for the sale of up to $1,982,000 of secured convertible promissory notes (collectively, the “Promissory Notes”) for a period of three years. The Promissory Notes bear interest at a rate of eight percent (8%) per annum, on a non-compounding basis, and are due and payable on the earlier of (i) the date upon which the Promissory Notes are converted into equity securities of the Company, or (ii) at maturity in three (3) years (“Maturity Date”). Significant conversion terms of the Promissory Notes are as follows:

 

a) In the event that the Company issues and sells shares of its equity securities (“Equity Securities”) to investors (the “Investors”) prior to the Maturity Date in an equity financing with total proceeds to the Company of not less than $10,000,000 (excluding the conversion of the Promissory Notes or other convertible securities issued for capital raising purposes (e.g., Simple Agreements for Future Equity) (a “Qualified Financing”), then the outstanding principal amount of this Note and any unpaid accrued interest shall automatically convert in whole without any further action by the Holder into Equity Securities sold in the Qualified Financing at a conversion price equal to the cash price per share paid for Equity Securities by the Investors in the Qualified Financing multiplied by 0.75 in some notes or 0.8 in some other notes; provided, that if such Qualified Financing is also a Deemed Liquidation Event (as defined in VTI’s Certificate of Incorporation, as amended, restated, and otherwise in effect from time to time, the (“Certificate of Incorporation”), shall govern with respect to the conversion of this Note. The issuance of Equity Securities upon the conversion of this Note shall be upon and subject to the same terms and conditions applicable to Equity Securities sold in the Qualified Financing. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if the conversion price of the Notes as determined pursuant to the foregoing (the “Conversion Price”) is less than the price per share at which Equity Securities are issued in the Qualified Financing, the Company may, solely at its option, elect to convert the Promissory Note into shares of a newly created series of preferred stock having the identical rights, privileges, preferences and restrictions as Equity Securities issued in the Qualified Financing, and otherwise on the same terms and conditions, other than with respect to (if applicable): (i) the per share liquidation preference and the conversion price for purposes of price-based anti-dilution protection, which will equal the Conversion Price; and (ii) the per share dividend, which will be the same percentage of the Conversion Price as applied to determine the per share dividends of the Investors in the Qualified Financing relative to the purchase price paid by the Investors. For the avoidance of doubt, such newly created series of preferred stock described in the preceding sentence shall be pari passu with the Equity Securities issued in the Qualified Financing.

b) If the Company consummates a transaction that is a Deemed Liquidation Event (as defined in the Certificate of Incorporation) while the Promissory Note remains outstanding, then the outstanding principal amount of the Promissory Note and any unpaid accrued interest shall, immediately prior to the closing of such Deemed Liquidation Event, automatically convert in whole without any further action by the holder of the Promissory Note into shares of a newly created series of preferred stock (“New Senior Preferred Stock”) at a conversion price equal to the Original Issue Price (as defined in the Certificate of Incorporation) for the most senior series of preferred stock of the Company outstanding at such time (the “New Senior Preferred Conversion Price”). The New Senior Preferred Stock shall have the identical rights, privileges, preferences and restrictions as the most senior series of preferred stock of the Company outstanding at the time of such conversion, other than with respect to: (i) the per share liquidation preference, which shall be equal to two (2) times in some notes three (3) times in the other notes the New Senior Preferred Conversion Price; (ii) the conversion price for purposes of price-based anti-dilution protection, which will equal the New Senior Preferred Conversion Price; and (iii) the per share dividend, which will be the same percentage of the New Senior Preferred Conversion Price as applied to determine the per share dividends of the holders of the most senior series of preferred stock of the Company outstanding at such time relative to the Original Issue Price for such shares. For the avoidance of doubt, the New Senior Preferred Stock shall be senior to the most senior series of preferred stock of the Company outstanding at such time and shall be pari passu with all other securities into which compulsory convertible notes issued by the Company convert.

 

c) If the Promissory Note has not otherwise been converted pursuant to the above, then, effective as of the Maturity Date, all outstanding principal and accrued and unpaid interest under the Promissory Note shall be automatically converted into Series D Preferred Stock, at a conversion price equal to the New Senior Preferred Conversion Price.

 

During 2023 and through September 2025, certain of the Promissory Notes reached their maturity date and were extended by an additional year. In connection with such extension, the conversion rate was amended from 0.80 to 0.75, and the liquidation preference was amended from three times to two times. All other terms remained the same. The Company accounted for such extension as a modification of the debt instrument. In August 2024, two of the Promissory Notes with an aggregate principal plus accrued interest of $ 434,077 were converted into 22 shares of Series D Preferred stock at $19,450 per share. All other noteholders whose Promissory Notes reached their initial maturity date agreed to the extension terms as noted above.

 

In July 2024, the Company began offering investors the opportunity to participate in a private placement offering, providing the investors the right to purchase shares of its common stock, bridge notes and warrants and other equity rights in VTI and VTL, some of which are dependent upon the completion of the Merger (the “Concurrent Financing”). An aggregate of 34 investors agreed to participate in such Concurrent Financing through the date of the Merger, for an aggregate of approximately $7.3 million, of which approximately $ 659,542 was received before closing of the Merger, in the form of bridge notes in VTI and VTL (the “Bridge Notes”). The Bridge Notes had similar terms to the Promissory Notes, except for a one-year term and were convertible at a 30% discount to the Merger valuation.

 

The fair value amount of the Promissory Notes and Bridge Notes and accrued interest is summarized as follows:

 

   December 31,   December 31, 
   2025   2024 
Current portion        
Conversion rate at 70% of Merger Valuation  $
       -
   $487,206 
Conversion rate at 75% of Qualified Financing   
-
    3,102,204 
Total  $
-
   $3,589,410 

The Company has elected to record the Promissory Notes and Bridge Notes at fair value. Changes in the fair value of the Convertible Notes for the years ended December 31, 2025 and 2024 are summarized as follows:

 

   Year ended   Year ended 
   December 31,
2025
   December 31,
2024
 
Balance, beginning of the period  $3,589,410   $2,930,888 
Additional notes issued   191,253    667,009 
Interest accrued   130,659    186,657 
Change in fair value   150,673    238,931 
Reclassification of accrued interest related to VTL notes to accrued expense   (3,746)   
-
 
Conversion of notes and accrued interest to shares   (4,058,249)   (434,077)
Total  $
-
   $3,589,410 

  

In connection with the Merger, all of the Promissory Notes and Bridge Notes were converted into 534,850 and 86 shares of common stock of VTI and VTL, respectively. Since the terms of the conversion were as specified in the original Promissory Notes and Bridge Notes agreement and the debt was not modified or extinguished, pursuant to ASC 470-20-40-4 (as amended by ASU 2020-06), there is no recognition of any additional interest expense upon conversion.

 

Promissory Notes – ReShape (“Reshape Notes”)

 

VTI entered into a note payable with Reshape for $400,000, of which payments under such note were received in several instalments from April 16, 2025 to June 5, 2025. The note bears interest at 8% per annum, was senior to any existing promissory or bridge notes, and matured on December 31, 2025. On June 28, 2025, the Company borrowed an additional $200,000 from Reshape pursuant to the same terms. The Reshape Notes were cancelled at the date of the Merger; however, the outstanding principal and interest were a part of the calculation of the relative shares of common stock of the Company retained by former Reshape shareholders at the Merger date. Changes in the fair value of the Reshape Notes for the year ended December 31, 2025, are summarized as follows:

 

   Year ended 
   December 31,
2025
 
Balance, beginning of the period  $- 
Borrowings   600,000 
Change in fair value   (181,184)
Elimination of promissory notes due to Merger   (418,816)
Total  $
-
 

 

Overall Debt

 

Interest expense on the above debt instruments was $130,659 and $186,247 for the years ended December 31, 2025 and 2024, respectively.

 

The fair value of the Promissory Notes, Bridge Notes, and Reshape Notes, and Reshape Notes is classified within Level 3 of the fair value hierarchy, using the inputs below to calculate the fair value. The Company used a probability-weighted scenario analysis to determine the fair value of the convertible notes. The risk-free rate used in the analysis is based on the yield on a U.S. government zero-coupon bond, interpolated for the period that corresponds to the time to liquidity as at the valuation date, for the years ended December 31, 2025 and 2024 are as follows:

 

   December 31,
2025
  December 31,
2024
Adjusted Interest rate  4.41% to 4.45%  4.16% to 4.40%
       
Time to Financing Date  1-3 months  6-8 months

Historical Timeline

Fiscal YearFiled
2025Mar 18, 2026Showing above
2024Apr 4, 2025
2022Apr 17, 2023
2021Apr 8, 2022
2020Mar 12, 2021

About Debt Disclosures

Debt disclosures detail a company's borrowing structure — the types of instruments, interest rates, maturity schedule, and covenant restrictions that define its financial obligations and flexibility. This section is essential for assessing refinancing risk, interest rate exposure, and the margin of safety against financial distress.

Key signals: the maturity schedule reveals concentration risk — large maturities within 1-2 years during tight credit markets can force dilutive refinancing or asset sales. Compare the fair value of debt against carrying amount to gauge whether the market views the company's credit risk differently than the balance sheet suggests. Watch covenant compliance disclosures for tightening cushions, especially leverage and interest coverage ratios. Variable-rate debt exposure quantifies sensitivity to interest rate changes. Secured versus unsecured mix affects recovery rates and future borrowing capacity. Compare net debt-to-EBITDA against industry peers and covenant limits to assess financial health.