UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

SCHEDULE 14A

Proxy Statement Pursuant to Section 14(a) of

the Securities Exchange Act of 1934

ToughBuilt Industries, Inc.

(Name of Registrant as Specified In Its Charter)

(Name of Person(s) Filing Proxy Statement, if other than the Registrant)

ToughBuilt Industries, Inc.

25371 Commercentre Drive, Suite 200

Lake Forest, CA 92630

April __, 2019

To the Shareholders of ToughBuilt Industries, Inc.:

You are cordially invited to attend the 2019 Annual Meeting of Shareholders (the “Annual Meeting”) of ToughBuilt Industries, Inc., a Nevada corporation (the “Company”), to be held at 4:00 PM local time on June 7, 2019, at the Company’s corporate offices at the address listed above to consider and vote upon the following proposals:

THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF THE COMPANY UNANIMOUSLY RECOMMENDS A VOTE “FOR” APPROVAL OF THE ABOVE EIGHT PROPOSALS.

Pursuant to the provisions of the Company’s bylaws, the board of directors of the Company (the “Board”) has fixed the close of business on April __, 2019 as the record date for determining the shareholders of the Company entitled to notice of, and to vote at, the Annual Meeting or any adjournment thereof. Accordingly, only shareholders of record at the close of business on April __, 2019 are entitled to notice of, and shall be entitled to vote at, the Annual Meeting or any postponement or adjournment thereof.

Please review in detail the attached notice and proxy statement for a more complete statement of matters to be considered at the Annual Meeting.

Your vote is very important to us regardless of the number of shares you own. Whether or not you are able to attend the Annual Meeting in person, please read the proxy statement and promptly vote your proxy via the internet, by telephone or, if you received a printed form of proxy in the mail, by completing, dating, signing and returning the enclosed proxy in order to assure representation of your shares at the Annual Meeting. Granting a proxy will not limit your right to vote in person if you wish to attend the Annual Meeting and vote in person.

NOTICE OF ANNUAL MEETING OF SHAREHOLDERS

The 2019 annual meeting of shareholders (the “Annual Meeting”) of ToughBuilt Industries, Inc. (the “Company”) will be held at the Company’s corporate offices at 25371 Commercentre Drive, Suite 200, Lake Forest, CA 92630, on June 7, 2019, beginning at 4:00 PM local time. At the Annual Meeting, the holders of the Company’s outstanding common stock will act on the following matters:

Shareholders of record at the close of business on April __, 2019 are entitled to notice of and to vote at the 2019 Annual Meeting and any postponements or adjournments thereof.

It is hoped you will be able to attend the 2019 Annual Meeting, but in any event, please vote according to the instructions on the enclosed proxy as promptly as possible. If you are able to be present at the 2019 Annual Meeting, you may revoke your proxy and vote in person.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

TOUGHBUILT INDUSTRIES, INC.

25371 Commercentre Drive, Suite 200

Lake Forest, CA 92630

ANNUAL MEETING OF SHAREHOLDERS

To Be Held June 7, 2019

PROXY STATEMENT

The Board of Directors of ToughBuilt Industries, Inc. (the “Company”) is soliciting proxies from its shareholders to be used at the 2019 Annual Meeting of shareholders (the “Annual Meeting”) to be held at the Company’s offices at 25371 Commercentre Drive, Suite 200, Lake Forest, CA 92630, on June 7, 2019, beginning at 4:00 PM local time. and at any postponements or adjournments thereof. This proxy statement contains information related to the Annual Meeting. This proxy statement and the accompanying form of proxy are first being sent to shareholders on or about May __, 2019.

ABOUT THE ANNUAL MEETING

Why am I receiving this proxy statement?

You are receiving this proxy statement because you have been identified as a shareholder of the Company as of the record date which our Board has determined to be April __, 2019, and thus you are entitled to vote at the Company’s 2019 Annual Meeting. This document serves as a proxy statement used to solicit proxies for the 2019 Annual Meeting. This document and the Appendixes hereto contain important information about the 2019 Annual Meeting and the Company and you should read it carefully.

Who is entitled to vote at the 2019 Annual Meeting?

Only shareholders of record as of the close of business on the record date will be entitled to vote at the 2019 Annual Meeting. As of the close of business on the record date, there were ______ shares of our common stock issued and outstanding and entitled to vote. Each common stock shareholder is entitled to one vote for each share of our common stock held by such shareholder on the record date on each of the proposals presented in this proxy statement.

May I vote in person?

If you are a shareholder of the Company and your shares are registered directly in your name with the Company’s transfer agent, VCorp, you are considered, with respect to those shares, the shareholder of record, and the proxy materials and proxy card, attached hereto as Appendix C, are being sent directly to you by the Company. If you are a shareholder of record, you may attend the 2019 Annual Meeting to be held on June 7, 2019, and vote your shares in person, rather than signing and returning your proxy.

If your shares of common stock are held by a bank, broker or other nominee, you are considered the beneficial owner of shares held in “street name,” and the proxy materials are being forwarded to you together with a voting instruction card by such bank, broker or other nominee. As the beneficial owner, you are also invited to attend the 2019 Annual Meeting. Since a beneficial owner is not the shareholder of record, you may not vote these shares in person at the 2019 Annual Meeting unless you obtain a proxy from your broker issued in your name giving you the right to vote the shares at the 2019 Annual Meeting.

Photo identification may be required (a valid driver’s license, state identification or passport). If a shareholder’s shares are registered in the name of a broker, trust, bank or other nominee, the shareholder must bring a proxy or a letter from that broker, trust, bank or other nominee or their most recent brokerage account statement that confirms that the shareholder was a beneficial owner of shares of stock of the Company as of the Record Date. Since seating is limited, admission to the meeting will be on a first-come, first-served basis.

Cameras (including cell phones with photographic capabilities), recording devices and other electronic devices will not be permitted at the meeting.

If my Company shares are held in “street name” by my broker, will my broker vote my shares for me?

Generally, if shares are held in street name, the beneficial owner of the shares is entitled to give voting instructions to the broker or nominee holding the shares. If the beneficial owner does not provide voting instructions, the broker or nominee can still vote the shares with respect to matters that are considered to be “routine,” but not with respect to “non-routine” matters, as discussed further below. Your broker will not be able to vote your shares of common stock without specific instructions from you for “non-routine” matters.

If your shares are held by your broker or other agent as your nominee, you will need to obtain a proxy form from the institution that holds your shares and follow the instructions included on that form regarding how to instruct your broker or other agent to vote your shares.

What are “broker non-votes”?

If you hold shares beneficially in street name and do not provide your broker with voting instructions, your shares may constitute “broker non-votes.” “Broker non-votes” occur on a matter when a broker is not permitted to vote on that matter without instructions from the beneficial owner and instructions are not given. These matters are referred to as “non-routine” matters. Since brokers are permitted to vote on “routine” matters without instructions from the beneficial owner, “broker non-votes” do not occur with respect to “routine” matters.

Proposal 1, to elect five directors, Proposal 4, to approve the issuance of securities in one or more non-public offerings where the maximum discount at which securities will be offered will be equivalent to a discount of 20% below the market price of our common stock, as required by and in accordance with Nasdaq Marketplace Rule 5635(d), Proposal 5, to approve any change of control that could result from the potential issuance of securities in the non-public offerings following approval of Proposal No. 4, as required by and in accordance with Nasdaq Marketplace Rule 5635(b), Proposal 6, to approve an amendment to the Company’s 2018 Equity Incentive Plan to eliminate the performance-based compensation exception to the deductibility limitations under Section 162(m) of the Internal Revenue Code and to include any individual who was our then current or former named executive officers as a “covered employee,” such that payments to former employees will be subject to the deduction limitations thereunder and Proposal 8 to transact such other business as may be properly brought before the 2019 Annual Meeting and any adjournments thereof are “non-routine matters.”

Proposal 2 to authorize an increase in authorized shares, Proposal 3 to grant the Board of Directors the discretionary authority to effect a reverse stock split (the “Reverse Split Proposal”) of the Company’s common stock and Proposal 7 to ratify the appointment of Marcum LLP, as the Company’s independent registered certified public accountant for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2019, are “routine” matters.

The determination of “routine” and “non-routine” matters is determined by brokers and those firms responsible to tabulate votes cast by beneficial owners of shares held in street name and other nominees. Firms casting such votes have generally been guided by rules of the New York Stock Exchange when determining if proposals are considered “routine” or “non-routine”. When a matter to be voted on is the subject of a contested solicitation, banks, brokers and other nominees do not have discretion to vote your shares with respect to any proposal to be voted on.

How do I cast my vote if I am a shareholder of record?

If you are a shareholder with shares registered in your name with the Company’s transfer agent, VCorp, on the record date, you may vote in person at the 2019 Annual Meeting or vote by proxy by fax at ____________________ OR EMAIL: _________ or internet at _______ or by mail. Whether or not you plan to attend the 2019 Annual Meeting, please vote as soon as possible to ensure your vote is counted. You may still attend the 2019 Annual Meeting and vote in person even if you have already voted by proxy. For more detailed instructions on how to vote using one of these methods, please see the form of proxy card attached to this Schedule 14A and the information below.

How do I cast my vote if I am a beneficial owner of shares registered in the name of any broker or bank?

If you are a beneficial owner of shares registered in the name of your broker, bank, dealer or other similar organization, you should have received a proxy card and voting instructions with these proxy materials from that organization rather than from the Company. Simply complete and mail the proxy card to ensure that your vote is counted. Alternatively, you may vote by telephone or over the internet as instructed by your broker or other agent. To vote in person at the 2019 Annual Meeting, you must obtain a valid proxy from your broker or other agent. Follow the instructions from your broker or other agent included with these proxy materials or contact your broker or bank to request a proxy form.

What constitutes a quorum for purposes of the 2019 Annual Meeting?

The presence at the meeting, in person or by proxy, of the holders of at least a majority of the issued and outstanding shares entitled to vote are present or represented by proxy at the Annual Meeting permitting the conduct of business at the meeting. On the record date, there were _______ shares of Common Stock and 0 shares of preferred stock issued and outstanding and entitled to vote. Accordingly, the holders of _______ shares eligible to vote must be present at the 2019 Annual Meeting to have a quorum. Proxies received but marked as abstentions or broker non-votes, if any, will be included in the calculation of the number of votes considered to be present at the meeting for purposes of a quorum. Your shares will be counted toward the quorum at the 2019 Annual Meeting only if you vote in person at the meeting, you submit a valid proxy or your broker, bank, dealer or similar organization submits a valid proxy.

Can I change my vote?

Yes. Any shareholder of record voting by proxy has the right to revoke their proxy at any time before the polls close at the 2019 Annual Meeting by sending a written notice stating that they would like to revoke his, her or its proxy to the Corporate Secretary of the Company; by providing a duly executed proxy card bearing a later date than the proxy being revoked; or by attending the 2019 Annual Meeting and voting in person. Attendance alone at the 2019 Annual Meeting will not revoke a proxy. If a shareholder of the Company has instructed a broker to vote its shares of common stock that are held in “street name,” the shareholder must follow directions received from its broker to change those instructions.

Who is soliciting this proxy – Who is paying for this proxy solicitation?

We are soliciting this proxy on behalf of our Board of Directors. The Company will bear the costs of and will pay all expenses associated with this solicitation, including the printing, mailing and filing of this proxy statement, the proxy card and any additional information furnished to shareholders. In addition to mailing these proxy materials, certain of our officers and other employees may, without compensation other than their regular compensation, solicit proxies through further mailing or personal conversations, or by telephone, facsimile or other electronic means. We will also, upon request, reimburse banks, brokers, nominees, custodians and fiduciaries for their reasonable out-of-pocket expenses for forwarding proxy materials to the beneficial owners of our stock and to obtain proxies.

What vote is required to approve each item?

The following votes are required to approve each proposal:

Will My Shares Be Voted If I Do Not Return My Proxy Card?

If your shares are registered in your name or if you have stock certificates, they will not be voted if you do not return your proxy card by mail or vote at the Annual Meeting. If your broker cannot vote your shares on a particular matter because it has not received instructions from you and does not have discretionary voting authority on that matter, or because your broker chooses not to vote on a matter for which it does have discretionary voting authority, this is referred to as a “broker non-vote.” The New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”) has rules that govern brokers who have record ownership of listed company stock (including stock such as ours that is listed on The Nasdaq Capital Market) held in brokerage accounts for their clients who beneficially own the shares. Under these rules, brokers who do not receive voting instructions from their clients have the discretion to vote uninstructed shares on certain matters (“routine matters”), but do not have the discretion to vote uninstructed shares as to certain other matters (“non-routine matters”). Under NYSE interpretations, Proposals 2, 3 and 7 are routine matters.

If your shares are held in street name and you do not provide voting instructions to the bank, broker or other nominee that holds your shares the bank, broker or other nominee has the authority, even if it does not receive instructions from you, to vote your unvoted shares for Proposals 2, 3 and 7 but does not have authority to vote your unvoted shares on any of the other proposals submitted to shareholders for a vote at the Annual Meeting. We encourage you to provide voting instructions. This ensures your shares will be voted at the Annual Meeting in the manner you desire.

Can I access these proxy materials on the Internet?

Yes. The Notice of Annual Meeting, this proxy statement and the Appendixes hereto (including the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2018, attached as Appendix B hereto) are available for viewing, printing, and downloading at https://ir.toughbuilt.com/. All materials will remain posted on https://ir.toughbuilt.com/ at least until the conclusion of the meeting.

What should I do if I receive more than one set of voting materials?

You may receive more than one set of voting materials, including multiple copies of this proxy statement and multiple proxy cards or voting instruction cards. For example, if you hold your shares in more than one brokerage account, you may receive a separate voting instruction card for each brokerage account in which you hold shares. If you are a shareholder of record and your shares are registered in more than one name, you will receive more than one proxy card. Please vote your shares applicable to each proxy card and voting instruction card that you receive.

How can I find out the results of the voting at the Annual Meeting?

Preliminary voting results will be announced at the Annual Meeting. Final voting results will be published in a Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission within four business days of the 2019 Annual Meeting.

What interest do officers and directors have in matters to be acted upon?

No person who has been a director or executive officer of the Company at any time since the beginning of our fiscal year, and no associate of any of the foregoing persons, has any substantial interest, direct or indirect, in any matter to be acted upon, other than Proposal No. 1, the election of the nominees as directors set forth herein.

Who can provide me with additional information and help answer my questions?

If you would like additional copies, without charge, of this proxy statement or if you have questions about the proposals being considered at the 2019 Annual Meeting, including the procedures for voting your shares, you should contact ________, the Company’s ______, by telephone at _________.

Householding of Annual Disclosure Documents

The SEC previously adopted a rule concerning the delivery of annual disclosure documents. The rule allows us or brokers holding our shares on your behalf to send a single set of our annual report and proxy statement to any household at which two or more of our shareholders reside, if either we or the brokers believe that the shareholders are members of the same family. This practice, referred to as “householding,” benefits both shareholders and us. It reduces the volume of duplicate information received by you and helps to reduce our expenses. The rule applies to our annual reports, proxy statements and information statements. Once shareholders receive notice from their brokers or from us that communications to their addresses will be “householded,” the practice will continue until shareholders are otherwise notified or until they revoke their consent to the practice. Each shareholder will continue to receive a separate proxy card or voting instruction card.

Those shareholders who either (i) do not wish to participate in “householding” and would like to receive their own sets of our annual disclosure documents in future years or (ii) who share an address with another one of our shareholders and who would like to receive only a single set of our annual disclosure documents should follow the instructions described below:

MANAGEMENT

Directors and Executive Officers

The names, positions and ages of our directors and executive officers as of the date of this proxy statement are as follows:

Directors serve until the next annual meeting and until their successors are elected and qualified. Officers are appointed to serve for one year until the meeting of the Board of Directors following the annual meeting of shareholders and until their successors have been elected and qualified.

Michael Panosian, Co-Founder, President, CEO and Director

Mr. Panosian co-founded our Company in 2012 and has been our CEO, President and director since inception. In 2008, Mr. Panosian co-founded Pandun, Inc., a manufacturer and distributor of tools and tool accessories in Asia, and served as its CEO until 2012. Mr. Panosian has over 16 years of extensive experience in innovation, design direction, product development, brand management, marketing, merchandising, sales, supply chain and commercialization experience in the hardware industry. He has launched several product projects spanning several fields. Mr. Panosian has deep knowledge of doing business in China where he managed a team of over 350 engineers, industrial designers and marketing professionals while stationed in Suzhou with his team for 4 years. Mr. Panosian is a graduate of Northrop University in Aerospace engineering with numerous specializations; he holds numerous patents and trademarks that are shared with some of his colleagues at our Company and other development teams.

Joshua Keeler, Co-Founder, Vice-President Research & Development

As the Vice-President Research & Development at our Company, Mr. Keeler is responsible for all product development. Mr. Keeler co-founded our Company in 2012 and works directly with Mr. Panosian in bringing innovative ideas to market. Mr. Keeler is a graduate of Art Center College of Design with a BS in Industrial Design. Mr. Keeler has over 12 years of product development experience, working on projects spanning several fields, including: automotive, personal electronics, sporting goods and a wide expanse of tools. From 1999 to 2000 he was co-owner and vice-president of Oracle Industrial Design, Co., a private company specializing in industrial design and product development. From August 2000 to April 2004, Mr. Keeler worked for Positec Power Tool Co., a private company in Suzhou, China, designing and creating a large innovation library of numerous power tool concepts. From August 2005 to April 2008, Mr. Keeler was the chief designer for Harbinger International, Inc. From August 2008 to April 2012, he was chief designer for Pandun Inc, specializing in innovative tools and supporting products. He has lived in China and has extensive experience working directly with manufacturers to get designs into production. Mr. Keeler has been nominated by the Board as a Director to stand for election at our 2019 Annual Meeting to take the seat currently held by our Chief Financial Officer, Manu Ohri.

Zareh Khachatoorian, Chief Operating Officer and Secretary

Mr. Khachatoorian has over 30 years of experience in the realms of corporate purchasing, product development, merchandising and operations. Prior to joining ToughBuilt in January 2016, Mr. Khachatoorian was the President of Mount Holyoke Inc. in Northridge California, starting in May 2014. Mr. Khachatoorian led Mount Holyoke Inc. in the servicing of its entire import and distribution operations. From August 2008 to April 2014, Mr. Khachatoorian served as the Vice President of Operations at Allied International (“Allied”) in Sylmar, California. At Allied, Mr. Khachatoorian was responsible for the management of overseas and domestic office employees and departments involved in the areas of procurement and purchasing, inventory management, product development, engineering, control and quality assurance, and other related areas. Mr. Khachatoorian holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Industrial Systems Engineering from the University of Southern California. Additionally, Mr. Khachatoorian has been credited as the inventor or co-inventor of more than twenty issued patents, as well as several pending patents with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). Mr. Khachatoorian is fluent in Armenian and Farsi.

Manu Ohri, Chief Financial Officer and Director

Mr. Ohri has over 30 years of hands-on experience in financial management and business leadership and working with board of directors and financial institutions. Mr. Ohri has assisted several public companies in the areas of compliance with US and international financial accounting and reporting standards, investor relations, mergers and acquisitions, strategic planning, team-building and project management. Since January 2017, Mr. Ohri has been our Chief Financial Officer and a member of our Board of Directors. From January 2010 to December 2016, Mr. Ohri worked as a management consultant and independent business advisor providing consulting services to privately-held and publicly traded companies. From January 2007 to December 2009, Mr. Ohri served as the Chief Financial Officer and a member of the Board of Directors of a publicly listed full service financial media company, focused on developing tools and applications that enabled retail investors to collaborate directly with publicly traded companies. From May 2002 to December 2006, Mr. Ohri served as the Chief Financial Officer and a member of the Board of Directors of a publicly traded international telecom operator and enabler/systems integrator to the multi-media industry in the USA, Europe, Asia Pacific and the Middle East, providing traditional telecom, voice over internet protocol, media streaming services, including billing and collections primarily to the business-to-business community within the global telecommunications market. Mr. Ohri is a Certified Public Accountant and Chartered Global Management Accountant with over seven years of experience with Deloitte, LLP and PriceWaterhouseCoopers, LLP. Mr. Ohri earned Master’s Degree in Business Administration from the University of Detroit. Mr. Ohri is not restanding for election as a Director at our 2019 Annual Meeting.

Independent Directors

The names, positions and ages of our independent directors (as defined by NASDAQ and SEC rules), all became directors as of November 14, 2019, are as follows:

Robert Faught, Director

As a global senior executive and CEO, Mr. Faught held leadership positions for Fortune 500 companies including Comcast, and Phillips/Lucent. He was the founder and CEO of SmartHome Ventures, a home automation company servicing retail, utility, insurance and telephony distribution channels and their customers. In these leadership roles, he led the development and implementation of the strategic vision throughout the organization, recruited senior talent, led leadership development and oftentimes, oversaw a realignment of senior roles where some executives were outplaced. At Faught Associates, he offers consulting, executive search, leadership development and outplacement to bring an exceptional leadership and performance direction that provides growth and internal development. From January 2014 to January 2016 he was the President and Chief Executive Officer of SmartHome Ventures and has served on its Board since January 2016. The Board has determined that Mr. Faught is suitable as a director due to his long standing leadership roles with Fortune 500 companies.

Paul Galvin, Director

Paul M. Galvin was appointed as a director and the Chief Executive Officer of SG Blocks, Inc. upon consummation of the reverse merger among CDSI Holdings Inc., CDSI Merger Sub, Inc., SG Blocks, and certain stockholders of SG Blocks on November 4, 2011 (the “Merger”). Mr. Galvin is a founder of SGBlocks, LLC, the predecessor entity of SGB. He has served as the Chief Executive Officer of SGB and its predecessor entity since 2008. Mr. Galvin has been a managing member of TAG Partners, LLC (“TAG”), an investment partnership formed for the purpose of investing in SGB, since October 2007. Mr. Galvin brings over 20 years of experience developing and managing real estate, including residential condominiums, luxury sales, and market rate and affordable rental projects. Prior to his involvement in real estate, he founded a non-profit organization that focused on public health, housing, and child survival, where he served for over a decade in a leadership position. During that period, Mr. Galvin designed, developed, and managed emergency food and shelter programs through New York City’s Human Resources Administration and other federal and state entities. Mr. Galvin holds a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from LeMoyne College and a Master’s Degree in Social Policy from Fordham University. He was formerly an adjunct professor at Fordham University’s Graduate School of Welfare. Mr. Galvin previously served for 10 years on the Sisters of Charity Healthcare System Advisory Board and six years on the board of directors of SentiCare, Inc. In 2011, the Council of Churches of New York recognized Mr. Galvin with an Outstanding Business Leadership Award. The Company believes he is well suited to sit on its Board due to Mr. Galvin’s pertinent experience, qualifications, attributes, and skills which include his managerial experience and the knowledge and experience he has attained in the real estate industry.

Frederick D. Furry, Director

Mr. Furry is currently the CFO at Luminance Holdco, Inc. and Subsidiaries. Luminance is a private-equity backed designer, custom manufacturer, and distributor of lighting hardware, fixtures, lamps, ceiling fans, lamp parts, and plumbing parts. Headquartered in Los Angeles, California, Luminance has distribution centers located in California, New York, Texas, and Illinois and a wholly-owned foreign enterprise located in Dongguan, China. Prior to Luminance, from 2016 to 2018, Mr. Furry was the CFO at Cunico Corporation, a closely-held, mid-sized manufacturing company based in Long Beach, California. Cunico provides specialty fittings and parts to the US Navy, primarily for nuclear submarines and aircraft carriers. From 2011 to 2015, Mr. Furry was the CFO and COO at Biolase (NASDAQ:BIOL). Biolase is a high-tech, medical device manufacturer of dental lasers located in Irvine, California, that sells its products directly in North America and certain international markets and distributes its products in over 60 international markets. As COO, Mr. Furry initiated the turnaround of failing business and restructured several aspects of the business.

From 1998 to 2010, Mr. Furry was at Windes, a regional public accounting firm based in Southern California, where he served as an Audit Partner and worked with over 25 public and private companies in the middle market with revenues ranging from $20 million to $600 million.

During his 20-year tenure in public accounting, Mr. Furry helped his clients with countless complex technical issues and transactions, including four IPOs, three reverse mergers, well over a dozen M&A transactions, and several leveraged ESOPs.

Mr. Furry has a Master’s of Business Administration degree and a Bachelor’s of Science in Business Administration from the University of California, Riverside and is a Certified Public Accountant (inactive). Mr. Furry’s long experience with public companies and as a financial executive are qualifications which make him an ideal Board member for the Company.

Involvement in Legal Proceedings

To the best of our knowledge, during the past ten years, none of the following occurred with respect to a present or former director or executive officer of our Company: (1) any bankruptcy petition filed by or against such person or any business of which such person was a general partner or executive officer either at the time of the bankruptcy or within two years prior to that time; (2) any conviction in a criminal proceeding or being subject to a pending criminal proceeding (excluding traffic violations and other minor offenses); (3) being subject to any order, judgment or decree, not subsequently reversed, suspended or vacated, of any court of any competent jurisdiction, permanently or temporarily enjoining, barring, suspending or otherwise limiting his involvement in any type of business, securities or banking activities; (4) being found by a court of competent jurisdiction (in a civil action), the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) or the Commodities Futures Trading Commission to have violated a federal or state securities or commodities law, and the judgment has not been reversed, suspended or vacated; and (5) being the subject of, or a party to, any federal or state judicial or administrative order, judgment, decree or finding, not subsequently reversed, suspended or vacated, relating to an alleged violation of any federal or state securities or commodities law or regulation, law or regulation respecting financial institutions or insurance companies or law or regulation prohibiting mail or wire fraud or fraud in connection with any business entity; or (6) being the subject of, or a party to, any sanction or order, not subsequently reversed, suspended or vacated, of any self-regulatory organization (as defined in Section 3(a)(26) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended), any registered entity (as defined in Section 1(a)(29) of the Commodity Exchange Act, as amended), or any equivalent exchange, association, entity or organization that has disciplinary authority over its members or associated persons.

Corporate Governance

The business and affairs of our Company are managed under the direction of the Board of Directors.

Term of Office

Directors serve until the next annual meeting and until their successors are elected and qualified. Officers are appointed to serve for one year until the meeting of the Board of Directors following the annual meeting of shareholders and until their successors have been elected and qualified.

Director Independence

We use the definition of “independence” of The NASDAQ Stock Market to make this determination. We are not yet listed on NASDAQ, and although we use its definition of “independence,” its rules are inapplicable to us until such time as we become listed on NASDAQ. NASDAQ Listing Rule 5605(a)(2) provides that an “independent director” is a person other than an officer or employee of our Company or any other individual having a relationship which, in the opinion of the Board of Directors, would interfere with the exercise of independent judgment in carrying out the responsibilities of a director. The NASDAQ rules provide that a director cannot be considered independent if:

Under the following three NASDAQ director independence rules a director is not considered independent: (a) NASDAQ Rule 5605(a)(2)(A), a director is not considered to be independent if he or she also is an executive officer or employee of the corporation, (b) NASDAQ Rule 5605(a)(2)(B), a director is not consider independent if he or she accepted any compensation from our Company in excess of $120,000 during any period of twelve consecutive months within the three years preceding the determination of independence, and (c) NASDAQ Rule 5605(a)(2)(D), a director is not considered to be independent if he or she is a partner in, or a controlling shareholder or an executive officer of, any organization to which our Company made, or from which our Company received, payments for property or services in the current or any of the past three fiscal years that exceed 5% of the recipient’s consolidated gross revenues for that year, or $200,000. Under such definitions, Messrs. Faught, Furry and Galvin are independent directors.

Family Relationships

There are no family relationships among any of our officers or directors.

Board Committees

Our Board of Directors has an Audit Committee, a Compensation Committee and a Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee, each comprised entirely of independent directors and none of which met in 2018.

Audit Committee

Our Audit Committee is comprised of three individuals, each of whom is an independent director and at least one of whom is an “audit committee financial expert,” as defined in Item 407(d)(5)(ii) of Regulation S-K.

Our Audit Committee oversees our corporate accounting, financial reporting practices and the audits of financial statements. For this purpose, the Audit Committee does have a charter (which is reviewed annually) and perform several functions. The Audit Committee performs the following:

Compensation Committee

Our Compensation Committee is comprised of three individuals, each of whom is an independent director, all effective as of the date of our initial listing on NASDAQ.

The Compensation Committee does review or recommend the compensation arrangements for our management and employees and also assist our Board of Directors in reviewing and approving matters such as company benefit and insurance plans, including monitoring the performance thereof. The Compensation Committee has a charter (which is reviewed annually) and perform several functions.

The Compensation Committee does have the authority to directly engage, at our expense, any compensation consultants or other advisers as it deems necessary to carry out its responsibilities in determining the amount and form of employee, executive and director compensation.

Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee

Our Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee is comprised of three individuals, each of whom is an independent director.

The Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee is charged with the responsibility of reviewing our corporate governance policies and with proposing potential director nominees to the Board of Directors for consideration. This committee has the authority to oversee the hiring of potential executive positions in our Company. The Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee has a charter (which will be reviewed annually) and performs several functions.

Director Independence

Our Board of Directors has reviewed the materiality of any relationship that each of our directors has with us, either directly or indirectly. Based on this review, our Board of Directors has determined that Frederick Furry, Paul Galvin and Robert Faught are “independent directors” as defined in the NASDAQ Listing Rules and Rule 10A-3 promulgated under the Exchange Act. As such, all three independent directors serves on all three of our standing Board committees, with Frederick Furry as Chair of the Audit Committee, Paul Galvin as Chair of the Compensation Committee and Robert Faught as Chair of the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee.

Code of Ethics

We have adopted a written code of business conduct and ethics that applies to our directors, officers and employees, including our principal executive officer, principal financial officer, principal accounting officer or controller, or persons performing similar functions. Following the consummation of this offering, we will post a current copy of the code on our website, www.toughbuilt.com. In addition, we intend to post on our website all disclosures that are required by law or the listing standards of NASDAQ concerning any amendments to, or waivers from, any provision of the code. The reference to our website address does not constitute incorporation by reference of the information contained at or available through our website, and you should not consider it to be a part of this prospectus.

Indemnification of Officers and Directors

Chapter 78 of the Nevada Revised Statutes (NRS) provides that a corporation may indemnify any person who was or is a party or is threatened to be made a party to any threatened, pending or completed action, suit or proceeding whether civil, criminal, administrative or investigative (other than an action by or in the right of the corporation) by reason of the fact that he is or was a director, officer, employee or agent of the corporation, or is or was serving at the request of the corporation as a director, officer, employee or agent of another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise, against expenses (including attorneys’ fees), judgments, fines and amounts paid in settlement actually and reasonably incurred by him in connection with such action, suit or proceeding if he is not liable pursuant to NRS Section 78.138 or acted in good faith and in a manner he reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of the corporation, and, with respect to any criminal action or proceeding, had no reasonable cause to believe his conduct was unlawful. NRS Chapter 78 further provides that a corporation similarly may indemnify any such person serving in any such capacity who was or is a party or is threatened to be made a party to any threatened, pending or completed action or suit by or in the right of the corporation to procure a judgment in its favor by reason of the fact that he is or was a director, officer, employee or agent of the corporation or is or was serving at the request of the corporation as a director, officer, employee or agent of another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise, against expenses (including attorneys’ fees) actually and reasonably incurred in connection with the defense or settlement of such action or suit if he is not liable pursuant to NRS Section 78.138 or acted in good faith and in a manner he reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of the corporation and except that no indemnification shall be made in respect of any claim, issue or matter as to which such person shall have been adjudged to be liable to the corporation unless and only to the extent that the court or other court of competent jurisdiction in which such action or suit was brought shall determine upon application that, despite the adjudication of liability but in view of all of the circumstances of the case, such person is fairly and reasonably entitled to indemnity for such expenses which the court or other court of competent jurisdiction shall deem proper.

Our bylaws provide that we may indemnify our officers, directors, employees, agents and any other persons to the maximum extent permitted by the NRS.

Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act may be permitted to directors, officers or persons controlling us pursuant to the foregoing provisions, we have been informed that in the opinion of the Commission such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and is therefore unenforceable.

Section 16(a) Beneficial Ownership Reporting Compliance

We do not intend to report compliance thereunder in our proxy statement.

EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION

The following table summarizes compensation of our named executive officers, as of December 31, 2017 and 2018.

Summary Compensation Table

(1) Includes $116,000 of salary deferred

(2) Includes $109,600 of salary deferred

(3) Includes $18,000 of salary deferred

(4) Includes $25,000 of salary deferred

(5) Comprised of car allowance.

Employment and Related Agreements

Except as set forth below, we currently have no other written employment agreements with any of our officers and directors. The following is a description of our current executive employment agreements:

Agreements with Our Named Executive Officers

We have entered into written employment agreements with each of our named executive officers, as described below. Each of our named executive officers has also executed our standard form of confidential information and invention assignment agreement.

Employment Agreement with Michael Panosian

We entered into an employment agreement with Mr. Panosian on January 3, 2017 that governs the terms of his employment with us as President and Chief Executive Officer. Under the terms of this agreement, Mr. Panosian received a “sign-on-bonus’ of $50,000. The term of the agreement is for five years and Mr. Panosian is entitled to an annual base salary of $350,000 beginning on January 1, 2017 and increasing by 10% each year commencing on January 1, 2018. Mr. Panosian was also granted a stock option to purchase 125,000 shares of the Company’s common stock at an exercise price of $10.00 per share. The employment agreement also entitles Mr. Panosian to, among other benefits, the following compensation: (i) eligibility to receive an annual cash bonus at the sole discretion of the Board and as determined by the Compensation Committee commensurate with the policies and practices applicable to other senior executive officers of the Company; (ii) an opportunity to participate in any stock option, performance share, performance unit or other equity based long-term incentive compensation plan commensurate with the terms and conditions applicable to other senior executive officers and (iii) participation in welfare benefit plans, practices, policies and programs provided by the Company and its affiliated companies (including, without limitation, medical, prescription, dental, disability, employee life, group life, accidental death and travel accident insurance plans and programs) to the extent available to our other senior executive officers.

Employment Agreement with Josh Keeler

We entered into an employment agreement with Mr. Keeler on January 3, 2017 that governs the terms of his employment with us as Vice President of Research & Development. Under the terms of this agreement, Mr. Keeler received a “sign-on-bonus’ of $35,000. The term of the agreement is for five years and Mr. Keeler is entitled to an annual base salary of $250,000 beginning on January 1, 2017 and increasing by 10% each year commencing on January 1, 2018. The employment Agreement also entitles Mr. Keeler to, among other benefits, the following compensation: (i) eligibility to receive an annual cash bonus at the sole discretion of the Board and as determined by the Compensation Committee commensurate with the policies and practices applicable to other senior executive officers of the Company; (ii) an opportunity to participate in any stock option, performance share, performance unit or other equity based long-term incentive compensation plan commensurate with the terms and conditions applicable to other senior executive officers and (iii) participation in welfare benefit plans, practices, policies and programs provided by the Company and its affiliated companies (including, without limitation, medical, prescription, dental, disability, employee life, group life, accidental death and travel accident insurance plans and programs) to the extent available to our other senior executive officers.

Potential Payments to Messrs. Panosian and Keeler upon Termination or Change in Control

Pursuant to the employment agreements, regardless of the manner in which Messrs. Panosian and Mr. Keeler’s service terminates, each executive officer is entitled to receive amounts earned during his term of service, including salary and other benefits. In addition, each of them is eligible to receive certain benefits pursuant to his agreement with us described above.

The Company is permitted to terminate the employment of Mr. Panosian and Mr. Keeler for the following reasons: (1) death or disability, (2) Termination for Cause (as defined below) or (3) for no reason.

Each such officer is permitted Termination for Good Reason (as defined below) of such officer’s employment. In addition, each such officer may terminate his or her employment upon written notice to the Company 90 days prior to the effective date of such termination.

In the event of such officer’s death during the employment period or a termination due to such officer’s disability, such officer or his or her beneficiaries or legal representatives shall be provided the sum of (a) an amount equal to two times the officer’s then prevailing base salary and (b) the bonus that would have been payable to such officer subject to any performance conditions and (c) certain other benefits provided for in the employment agreement.

In the event of such officer’s Termination for Cause by the Company or the termination of such officer’s employment as a result of such officer’s resignation other than a Termination for Good Reason, such officer shall be provided certain benefits provided in the employment agreement and payment of all accrued and unpaid compensation and wages, but such officer shall have no right to compensation or benefits for any period subsequent to the effective date of termination.

Under the employment agreements, “Cause” means: such officer willfully engages in an act or omission which is in bad faith and to the detriment of the Company, engages in gross misconduct, gross negligence, or willful malfeasance, in each case that causes material harm to the Company, breaches this Agreement in any material respect, habitually neglects or materially fails to perform his duties (other than any such failure resulting solely from such officer’s physical or mental disability or incapacity) after a written demand for substantial performance is delivered to such officer which identifies the manner in which the Company believes that such officer has not performed his duties, commits or is convicted of a felony or any crime involving moral turpitude, uses drugs or alcohol in a way that either interferes with the performance of his duties or compromises the integrity or reputation of the Company, or engages in any act of dishonesty involving the Company, disclosure of Company’s confidential information not required by applicable law, commercial bribery, or perpetration of fraud; provided, however, that such officer shall have at least forty-five (45) calendar days to cure, if curable, any of the events which could lead to his termination for Cause.

Under the employment agreements, “Termination for Good Reason” means any of the following that are undertaken without the officer’s express written consent: (i) the assignment to such officer of principal duties or responsibilities, or the substantial reduction of such officer’s duties and responsibilities, either of which is materially inconsistent with such officer’s position as President and Chief Executive Officer of the Company and Director of design and Development, respectively; (ii) a material reduction by the Company in such officer’s annual Base Salary, except to the extent the salaries of other executive employees of the Company and any other controlled subsidiary of the Company are similarly reduced; (iii) such officer’s principal place of business is, without his consent, relocated by a distance of more than thirty (30) miles from the center of Glendale, California; or (iv) any material breach by the Company of any provision of this Agreement.

Involuntary Termination other than for Cause, Death or Disability or Voluntary Termination for Good Reason Following a Change of Control. If, within twenty-four (24) months following a Change of Control, the officer’s employment is terminated involuntarily by the Company other than for Cause, death, or Disability or by such officer pursuant to a Voluntary Termination for Good Reason, and such officer executes and does not revoke a general release of claims against the Company and its affiliates in a form acceptable to the Company, then the Company shall provide such officer with, among other benefits, a lump sum payment in the amount equal to four times such officer’s then prevailing base salary in the case of Mr. Panosian and three times such officer’s then prevailing base salary in the case of Mr. Keeler, plus the officer’s target for the annual short term incentive portion of the corporate bonus program for such year as in effect immediately prior to such termination, in addition to any other earned but unpaid base salary or vacation pay due through the date of such termination, as well as a pro rata portion of the executive’s annual short term incentive portion of the corporate bonus program for such year (if any) and a pro rata portion of the executive’s long term incentive portion of the corporate bonus program (if any).

Employment Agreement with Zareh Khachatoorian

We entered into an employment agreement with Mr. Khachatoorian on January 3, 2017 that governs the terms of his employment with us as Chief Operating Officer and Secretary. The term of the agreement is for three years and Mr. Khachatoorian is entitled to an annual base salary of $180,000 beginning on January 1, 2017 and increasing by 10% each year commencing on January 1, 2018. The employment Agreement also entitles Mr. Khachatoorian to, among other benefits, the following compensation: (i) eligibility to receive an annual cash bonus at the sole discretion of the Board and as determined by the Compensation Committee commensurate with the policies and practices applicable to other senior executive officers of the Company; (ii) an opportunity to participate in any stock option, performance share, performance unit or other equity based long-term incentive compensation plan commensurate with the terms and conditions applicable to other senior executive officers and (iii) participation in welfare benefit plans, practices, policies and programs provided by the Company and its affiliated companies (including, without limitation, medical, prescription, dental, disability, employee life, group life, accidental death and travel accident insurance plans and programs) to the extent available to our other senior executive officers.

The Company is permitted to terminate the employment of Mr. Khachatoorian for the following reasons: (1) death or disability, (2) Termination for Cause (as defined above) or (3) for no reason. In the event of Mr. Khachatoorian’s (i) death or disability, or (ii) Termination for Cause by the Company, Mr. Khachatoorian or his beneficiaries or legal representatives shall be entitled to payment for all accrued and unpaid compensation and wages and in addition pay to Mr. Khachatoorian a sum equivalent to one month’s salary, but shall have no right to compensation or benefits for any period subsequent to the effective date of his death or disability.

In the event of the termination of Mr. Khachatoorian’s employment for Good Reason, he shall be provided certain benefits listed in the employment agreement and payment of all accrued and unpaid compensation and wages, but executive shall have no right to compensation or benefits for any period subsequent to the effective date of termination.

Employment Agreement with Manu Ohri

We entered into an employment agreement with Mr. Ohri on January 3, 2017 that governs the terms of his employment with us as Chief Financial Officer of the Company. The term of the agreement is for three years and Mr. Ohri is entitled to an annual base salary of $250,000 beginning on January 1, 2017 and increasing by 10% each year commencing on January 1, 2018. The employment agreement also entitles Mr. Ohri to, among other benefits, the following compensation: (i) eligibility to receive an annual cash bonus at the sole discretion of the Board and as determined by the Compensation Committee commensurate with the policies and practices applicable to other senior executive officers of the Company; (ii) an opportunity to participate in any stock option, performance share, performance unit or other equity based long-term incentive compensation plan commensurate with the terms and conditions applicable to other senior executive officers and (iii) participation in welfare benefit plans, practices, policies and programs provided by the Company and its affiliated companies (including, without limitation, medical, prescription, dental, disability, employee life, group life, accidental death and travel accident insurance plans and programs) to the extent available to our other senior executive officers.

The Company is permitted to terminate the employment of Mr. Ohri for the following reasons: (1) death or disability, (2) Termination for Cause (as defined above) or (3) for no reason. In the event of Mr. Ohri’s (i) death or disability, or (ii) Termination for Cause by the Company, Mr. Ohri or his beneficiaries or legal representatives shall be entitled to payment for all accrued and unpaid compensation and wages and in addition pay to Mr. Ohri a sum equivalent to one month’s salary, but shall have no right to compensation or benefits for any period subsequent to the effective date of his death or disability.

In the event of the termination of Mr. Ohri’s employment for Good Reason, he shall be provided certain benefits listed in the employment agreement and payment of all accrued and unpaid compensation and wages, but executive shall have no right to compensation or benefits for any period subsequent to the effective date of termination.

Outstanding Equity Awards at December 31, 2018

ToughBuilt Industries, Inc.

Outstanding Equity Awards

December 31, 2018

2018 Equity Incentive Plan - Grant of options

(1) The shares subject tp each stock option vest over a three (3) year period, with 25% of the shares subject to the option vested on the grant date and 25% of the shares subject to the option vesting on each anniversary of the grant date.

2016 Stock Option Plan

On July 16, 2016, our Board of Directors and a majority of the holders of our then outstanding shares of our common stock adopted our 2016 Equity Incentive Plan, which we refer to as the Plan. There are currently 875,000 shares of common stock issued or reserved for issuance under the Plan. There are no options or other awards issued which do not fall under the Plan.

The purpose of our Plan is to attract and retain directors, officers, consultants, advisors and employees whose services are considered valuable, to encourage a sense of proprietorship and to stimulate an active interest of such persons in our development and financial achievements. The Plan will be administered by the Compensation Committee of our Board of Directors, once established, or by the full board, which may determine, among other things, the (a) terms and conditions of any option or stock purchase right granted, including the exercise price and the vesting schedule, (b) persons who are eligible to receive options and stock purchase rights and (c) the number of shares to be subject to each option and stock purchase right. The types of equity awards that may be granted under the Plan are: (i) incentive stock options (“ISOs”) and non-incentive stock options (“Non-ISOs”); (ii) share appreciation rights (“SARs”); (iii) restricted shares, restricted share units (which are shares granted after certain vesting conditions are met) and unrestricted shares; (iv) deferred share units; and (v) performance awards.

2018 Equity Incentive Plan

Effective July 1, 2018, the Board of Directors adopted the 2018 Equity Incentive Plan (the “2018 Plan”). This 2018 Plan was adopted in addition to the existing 2016 Stock Equity Incentive. The awards per 2018 Plan may be granted through June 30, 2023 to the Company’s employees, consultants, directors and non-employee directors. The maximum number of shares of our common stock that may be issued under the 2018 Plan is 1,000,000 shares, which amount will be (a) reduced by awards granted under the 2018 Plan, and (b) increased to the extent that awards granted under the 2018 Plan are forfeited, expire or are settled for cash (except as otherwise provided in the 2018 Plan). No employee will be eligible to receive more than 200,000 shares of common stock in any calendar year under the 2018 Plan pursuant to the grant of awards. On September 12, 2018, the Board of Directors approved to increase the number of shares of common stock reserved for future issuance under this Plan from 1,000,000 shares to 2,000,000 shares. On September 14, 2018, 1,000,000 shares of common stock underlying awards under the 2018 Plan have been granted to the employees and officers 25% vesting immediately on the date of grant and 25% vesting each year thereafter on the anniversary of the grant date.

In connection with the administration of our Plans, our Compensation Committee will:

Our Compensation Committee will: (i) interpret our Plans; and (ii) make all other determinations and take all other action that may be necessary or advisable to implement and administer our Plans. The Plans provide that in the event of a change of control event, the Compensation Committee or our Board of Directors shall have the discretion to determine whether and to what extent to accelerate the vesting, exercise or payment of an award.

In addition, our Board of Directors may amend our Plans at any time. However, without shareholder approval, our Plan may not be amended in a manner that would:

Awards previously granted under the Plans may not be impaired or affected by any amendment of the Plans, without the consent of the affected grantees.

ToughBuilt Industries, Inc.

Equity Compensation Plan Information

December 31, 2018

Non-Employee Director Remuneration Policy

Our Board of Directors has adopted the following non-employee director remuneration policy:

Stock and Option Awards

Each of our non-employee directors may receive up to 50,000 options to purchase shares of common stock (which we refer to as the Annual Director Options) for each fiscal year. The Annual Director Options will be confirmed (together with the exercise price for such options) at the first meeting of our Board of Directors for each fiscal year and shall vest quarterly in arrears. Annual Director Options shall have ten year term and shall be issued under the Plan.

Compensation Committee Review

The Compensation Committee shall, if it deems necessary or prudent in its discretion, reevaluate and approve in January of each such year (or in any event prior to the first board meeting of such fiscal year) the cash and equity awards (amount and manner or method of payment) to be made to non-employee directors for such fiscal year. In making this determination, the Compensation Committee shall utilize such market standard metrics as it deems appropriate, including, without limitation, an analysis of cash compensation paid to independent directors of our peer group.

The Compensation Committee shall also have the power and discretion to determine in the future whether non-employee directors should receive annual or other grants of options to purchase shares of common stock or other equity incentive awards in such amounts and pursuant to such policies as the Compensation Committee may determine utilizing such market standard metrics as it deems appropriate, including, without limitation, an analysis of equity awards granted to independent directors of our peer group.

Participation of Employee Directors; New Directors

Unless separately and specifically approved by the Compensation Committee in its discretion, no employee director of our Company shall be entitled to receive any remuneration for service as a director (other than expense reimbursement as per prevailing policy).

New directors joining our Board of Directors shall be entitled to a prorated portion (based on months to be served in the fiscal year in which they join) of cash and stock options or other equity incentive awards (if applicable) for the applicable fiscal year at the time they join the board.

Director Compensation

Our independent directors were compensated as follows in 2018. No policy has yet been set for 2019.

Directors Compensation

December 31, 2018

SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS AND MANAGEMENT

In computing the number and percentage of shares beneficially owned by a person, shares that may be acquired by such person within 60 days of the date of April 16, 2019 are counted as outstanding, while these shares are not counted as outstanding for computing the percentage ownership of any other person. Unless otherwise indicated, the principal address of each of the persons below is c/o ToughBuilt Industries, Inc., 25371 Commercentre Drive, Suite 200, Lake Forest, CA 92630 .

CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS

We have adopted a written related-person transactions policy that sets forth our policies and procedures regarding the identification, review, consideration and oversight of “related-party transactions.” For purposes of our policy only, a “related-party transaction” is a transaction, arrangement or relationship (or any series of similar transactions, arrangements or relationships) in which we and any “related party” are participants involving an amount that exceeds $120,000.

Transactions involving compensation for services provided to us as an employee, consultant or director are not considered related-person transactions under this policy. A related party is any executive officer, director or a holder of more than five percent of our common stock, including any of their immediate family members and any entity owned or controlled by such persons.

At present, while the policy has been established, our Board of Directors does not yet include any independent members and therefore no one has been appointed to the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee. As a result, our Chief Financial Officer, Manu Ohri, must present information regarding a proposed related-party transaction to our Board of Directors. Under the policy, where a transaction has been identified as a related-party transaction, Mr. Ohri must present information regarding the proposed related-party transaction to our Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee, once the same is established, for review. The presentation must include a description of, among other things, the material facts, the direct and indirect interests of the related parties, the benefits of the transaction to us and whether any alternative transactions are available. To identify related-party transactions in advance, we rely on information supplied by our executive officers, directors and certain significant shareholders. In considering related-party transactions, our Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee will take into account the relevant available facts and circumstances including, but not limited to:

The Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee shall then make a recommendation to the Board, which will determine whether or not to approve of the related party transaction, and if so, upon what terms and conditions. In the event a director has an interest in the proposed transaction, the director must recuse himself or herself from the deliberations and approval.

Other than as disclosed below, during the last two fiscal years, there have been no related party transactions.

On March 4, 2014, Mr. Panosian made cash advances of $12,500 to the Company for its working capital requirements. Advances made by Mr. Panosian were unsecured, non-interest bearing and due on demand without specific repayment terms. The advances were repaid in full by the Company in multiple payments during the three months ended March 31, 2016.

On April 26, 2016, September 1, 2016 and October 5, 2016, Mr. Ohri loaned our Company an aggregate of $130,000. Pursuant to the terms of the promissory notes, the loans were to be repaid on or before December 31, 2016, with interest at 10% per annum payable monthly. The loans were repaid on October 18, 2016. In May 2017, we executed three unsecured promissory notes with Mr. Ohri totaling $400,000, bearing an interest rate of 10% per annum, due on demand or before June 1, 2018. On June 1, 2018, the maturity date of these promissory notes was extended to September 1, 2018. On August 30, 2018, the maturity date of these promissory notes was further extended to September 30, 2018. On September 30, 2018, the maturity date of these notes was extended to the third business day following the date of consummation of the Company’s initial public offering at which time $200,000 of the principal amount of the notes shall be repaid in cash and the balance shall be paid in shares of common stock of the Company at a conversion price equal to the per Unit price of the public offering.

On May 10, 2016, Mr. Khachatoorian loaned our Company an aggregate of $170,000. Pursuant to the terms of the Promissory Note, the loan was to be repaid on or before December 31, 2016, with interest at 10% per annum payable monthly. The loan was repaid on October 18, 2016.

The Company engaged an independent consultant in December 2015 at $7,000 per month, for a one-year term, renewable annually, to consult with the officers and employees of the Company concerning matters relating to the management, business development and marketing of the Company, and generally any matters arising out of the business affairs of the Company. This agreement has been extended verbally on a month to month basis at $7,000 per month.

Our general counsel was engaged by the Company from February 2016 to March 2017 to manage our legal and corporate governance affairs, and he was paid $62,000 for his services.

Compensation Committee Interlocks and Insider Participation

None of our executive officers serves as a member of the Board or compensation committee of any other entity that has one or more of its executive officers serving as a member of our Board.

SECTION 16(a) BENEFICIAL OWNERSHIP REPORTING COMPLIANCE

Section 16(a) of the Exchange Act requires our officers and directors, and persons who own more than 10% of a registered class of our equity securities, to file reports of ownership and changes in ownership with the SEC. We are not providing disclosure on this point.

REPORT OF AUDIT COMMITTEE

The current members of the Audit Committee are Mr. Galvin, Mr. Faught and Mr. Furry, as Chairman.

The Audit Committee of the Board, which consists entirely of directors who meet the required independence and experience requirements of Rule 10A-3 promulgated under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and the rules of the Nasdaq Stock Market, has furnished the following report:

The Audit Committee assists the Board in overseeing and monitoring the integrity of the Company’s financial reporting process, its compliance with legal and regulatory requirements and the quality of its internal and external audit processes. The role and responsibilities of the Audit Committee are set forth in a written charter adopted by the Board, which is available on our website at www.toughbuilt.com. The Audit Committee is responsible for the appointment, oversight and compensation of our independent public accountant. The Audit Committee reviews with management and our independent public accountant our annual financial statements on Form 10-K and our quarterly financial statements on Forms 10-Q. In fulfilling its responsibilities for the financial statements for fiscal year 2018, the Audit Committee took the following actions:

Based on the Audit Committee’s review of the audited financial statements and discussions with management and our independent public accountant, the Audit Committee recommended to the Board that the audited financial statements be included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2018 for filing with the SEC.

THE AUDIT COMMITTEE:

Frederick D. Furry (Chair)

The foregoing Audit Committee Report does not constitute soliciting material and shall not be deemed filed or incorporated by reference into any other filing of our company under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), or the Exchange Act, except to the extent we specifically incorporate this Audit Committee Report by reference therein.

PROPOSAL NO. 1

THE ELECTION OF DIRECTORS

General

Five directors are to be elected at this Annual Meeting to serve until the 2020 annual meeting of shareholders or until a successor has been elected and qualified. Unless otherwise instructed, the persons named in the accompanying proxy intend to vote the shares represented by the proxy for the election of the nominees listed below. Although it is not contemplated that the nominees will decline or be unable to serve as directors, in such event, proxies will be voted by the proxy holder for such other persons as may be designated by the Board, Election of the directors requires a plurality of the votes cast at the Annual Meeting.

The following table sets forth the nominees for the Board of Directors. See “Management” for a description of the directors as of the Record Date.

Nominee for Director

Vote Required

The affirmative vote of a majority of votes cast for this proposal is required to approve the election of directors until the 2020 annual meeting of shareholders and until their respective successors have been duly elected and qualified, or until such director’s earlier resignation, removal or death.

Independence

The Board believes all directors except Mr. Panosian and Mr. Keeler meet the definition of independence.

THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS RECOMMENDS A VOTE “FOR” PROPOSAL NO. 1.

PROPOSAL NO. 2

INCREASE IN AUTHORIZED SHARES

General

The Board of Directors has approved a proposal to amend the Company’s Certificate of Incorporation to increase the number of authorized shares of the Company’s Common Stock from 100 million to 200 million.

The Board of Directors believes it is in the best interest of the Company to increase the number of authorized shares of Common Stock in order to give the Company greater flexibility in considering and planning for future corporate needs, including, but not limited to, stock dividends, grants under equity compensation plans, stock splits, financings, potential strategic transactions, including mergers, acquisitions, and business combinations, as well as other general corporate transactions. The Board of Directors believes that additional authorized shares of Common Stock will enable the Company to take timely advantage of market conditions and favorable financing and acquisition opportunities that become available to the Company without the delay and expense associated with convening a special meeting of the Company’s stockholders.

The Company has no current plan, commitment, arrangement, understanding or agreement regarding the issuance of the additional shares of Common Stock that will result from the Company’s adoption of the proposed amendment. Except as otherwise required by law or by a regulation of the New York Stock Exchange, the newly authorized shares of Common Stock will be available for issuance at the discretion of the Board of Directors (without further action by the stockholders) for various future corporate needs, including those outlined above. While adoption of the proposed amendment would not have any immediate dilutive effect on the proportionate voting power or other rights of the Company’s existing stockholders, any future issuance of additional authorized shares of the Company’s Common Stock may, among other things, dilute the earnings per share of the Common Stock and the equity and voting rights of those holding Common Stock at the time the additional shares are issued.

In addition to the corporate purposes mentioned above, an increase in the number of authorized shares of the Company’s Common Stock may make it more difficult to, or discourage an attempt to, obtain control of the Company by means of a takeover bid that the Board of Directors determines is not in the best interest of the Company and its stockholders. However, the Board of Directors does not intend or view the proposed increase in the number of authorized shares of the Company’s Common Stock as an anti-takeover measure and is not aware of any attempt or plan to obtain control of the Company.

Any newly authorized shares of the Company’s Common Stock will be identical to the shares of Common Stock now authorized and outstanding. The proposed amendment will not affect the rights of current holders of the Company’s Common Stock, none of whom have preemptive or similar rights to acquire the newly authorized shares.

Vote Required

The affirmative vote of a majority of issued and outstanding shares of common stock of the Company as of is needed to approve the increase in authorized shares.

THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS RECOMMENDS A VOTE “FOR” PROPOSAL NO. 2.

PROPOSAL NO. 3:

APPROVAL OF GRANT TO THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS THE DISCRETIONARY AUTHORITY TO EFFECT A REVERSE STOCK SPLIT OF THE COMPANY’S COMMON STOCK

We are seeking shareholder approval to grant the Board discretionary authority to amend the Company’s Articles of Incorporation to effect a reverse stock split of the issued and outstanding shares of our Common Stock, par value $0.0001 per share, such split to combine a whole number of outstanding shares of our Common Stock in a range of not less than two (2) shares and not more than ten (10) shares, into one (1) share of Common Stock at any time prior to December 31, 2021 (the “Reverse Split Proposal”).

The amendments will not change the number of authorized shares of Common Stock, preferred stock, or the relative voting power of our shareholders. Because the number of authorized shares will not be reduced, the number of authorized but unissued shares of our Common Stock will materially increase and will be available for reissuance by the Company. The reverse stock split, if effected, would affect all of our holders of Common Stock uniformly.

The Board unanimously approved, and recommended seeking shareholder approval of this Reverse Split Proposal, on April 17, 2019.

Even if the shareholders approve the Reverse Split Proposal, we reserve the right not to effect any reverse stock split if the Board does not deem it to be in the best interests of our shareholders. The Board believes that granting this discretion provides the Board with maximum flexibility to act in the best interests of our shareholders. If this Reverse Split Proposal is approved by the shareholders, the Board will have the authority, in its sole discretion, without further action by the shareholders, to effect a reverse stock split.

The Board’s decision as to whether and when to effect the reverse stock split will be based on a number of factors, including prevailing market conditions, existing and expected trading prices for our Common Stock, actual or forecasted results of operations, and the likely effect of such results on the market price of our Common Stock.

The reverse stock split is not being proposed in response to any effort of which we are aware to accumulate our shares of Common Stock or obtain control of the Company, nor is it a plan by management to recommend a series of similar actions to our Board or our shareholders.

There are certain risks associated with a reverse stock split, and we cannot accurately predict or assure the reverse stock split will produce or maintain the desired results (See “Certain Risks Associated with a Reverse Stock Split”). However, our Board believes that the benefits to the Company and our shareholders outweigh the risks and recommends that you vote in favor of granting the Board the discretionary authority to effect a reverse stock split.

Reasons for the Reverse Stock Split

The primary purpose for effecting the reverse stock split, should the Board of Directors choose to effect one, would be to increase the per share price of our Common Stock. The Board of Directors believes that, should the appropriate circumstances arise, effecting the reverse stock split would, among other things, help us to:

Improve the Perception of Our Common Stock as an Investment Security - We believe that the overall decline in the price of digital assets we generate and volatility of digital asset prices in general in the industry in which we operate, is a significant contributing factor in the decline in the price of our Common Stock. Our Board of Directors unanimously approved the discretionary authority to effect a reverse stock split as one potential means of increasing the share price of our Common Stock to improve the perception of our Common Stock as a viable investment security including in connection with potential acquisition transactions. Lower-priced stocks have a perception in the investment community as being risky and speculative, which may negatively impact not only the price of our Common Stock, but also our market liquidity.

Appeal to a Broader Range of Investors to Generate Greater Investor Interest in the Company - An increase in our stock price may make our Common Stock more attractive to investors. Brokerage firms may be reluctant to recommend lower-priced securities to their clients. Many institutional investors have policies prohibiting them from holding lower-priced stocks in their portfolios, which reduces the number of potential purchasers of our Common Stock. Investment funds may also be reluctant to invest in lower-priced stocks. Investors may also be dissuaded from purchasing lower-priced stocks because the brokerage commissions, as a percentage of the total transaction, tend to be higher for such stocks. Moreover, the analysts at many brokerage firms do not monitor the trading activity or otherwise provide coverage of lower-priced stocks. Giving the Board of Directors the ability to effect a reverse stock split, and thereby increase the price of our Common Stock, would give the Board the ability to address these issues if it is deemed necessary.

Certain Risks Associated with a Reverse Stock Split

Even if a reverse stock split is effected, some or all of the expected benefits discussed above may not be realized or maintained. The market price of our Common Stock will continue to be based, in part, on our performance and other factors unrelated to the number of shares outstanding.

The reverse stock split will reduce the number of outstanding shares of our Common Stock without reducing the number of shares of available but unissued Common Stock, which will also have the effect of increasing the number of authorized but unissued shares. The issuance of additional shares of our Common Stock may have a dilutive effect on the ownership of existing shareholders.

Principal Effects of a Reverse Stock Split

If our shareholders approve this Reverse Split Proposal and the Board of Directors elects to effect a reverse stock split, our issued and outstanding shares of Common Stock would decrease at a rate of approximately one share of Common Stock for every two (2) shares to ten (10) shares of Common Stock currently outstanding depending on the amount of the reverse stock split. The reverse stock split would be effected simultaneously for all of our Common Stock, and the exchange ratio would be the same for all shares of Common Stock. The reverse stock split would affect all of our shareholders uniformly and would not affect any shareholder’s percentage ownership interests in the Company, except to the extent that it results in a shareholder receiving cash in lieu of fractional shares. The reverse stock split would not affect the relative voting or other rights that accompany the shares of our Common Stock, except to the extent that it results in a shareholder receiving cash in lieu of fractional shares. Common Stock issued pursuant to the reverse stock split would remain fully paid and non-assessable. The reverse stock split would not affect our securities law reporting and disclosure obligations, and we would continue to be subject to the periodic reporting requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”). We have no current plans to take the Company private. Accordingly, a reverse stock split is not related to a strategy to do so.

In addition to the change in the number of shares of Common Stock outstanding, a reverse stock split would have the following effects:

Increase the Per Share Price of our Common Stock - By effectively condensing a number of pre-split shares into one share of Common Stock, the per share price of a post-split share is generally greater than the per share price of a pre-split share. The amount of the initial increase in per share price and the duration of such increase, however, is uncertain. If appropriate circumstances exist, the Board may utilize the reverse stock split as part of its plan to maintain the required minimum per share price of the Common Stock under the NASDAQ listing standards noted above.

Increase in the Number of Shares of Common Stock Available for Future Issuance - By reducing the number of shares outstanding without reducing the number of shares of available but unissued Common Stock, a reverse stock split will increase the number of authorized but unissued shares. The Company may also use authorized shares in connection with the financing of future mergers or acquisitions.

The following table contains approximate information relating to our common stock, based on share information as of April 16, 2019 :

Although a reverse stock split would not have any dilutive effect on our shareholders, a reverse stock split without a reduction in the number of shares authorized for issuance would reduce the proportion of shares owned by our shareholders relative to the number of shares authorized for issuance, giving our Board an effective increase in the authorized shares available for issuance, in its discretion. Our Board from time to time may deem it to be in the best interests of the Company and our shareholders to enter into transactions and other ventures that may include the issuance of shares of our Common Stock. If our Board authorizes the issuance of additional shares subsequent to the reverse stock split described above, the dilution to the ownership interest of our existing shareholders may be greater than would occur had the reverse stock split not been effected. Many stock issuances not involving equity compensation do not require shareholder approval, and our Board generally seeks approval of our shareholders in connection with a proposed issuance only if required at that time.

Required Adjustment to Currently Outstanding Securities Exercisable or Convertible into Shares of our Common Stock - A reverse stock split would effect a reduction in the number of shares of Common Stock issuable upon the exercise or conversion of our outstanding stock options, warrants, preferred stock and convertible notes in proportion to the reverse stock split ratio. Additionally, the exercise price of outstanding options, warrants, preferred stock and conversion price of our convertible notes would increase, likewise in proportion to the reverse stock split ratio.

Require Adjustments to Number of Shares of Common Stock Available for Future Issuance under our Incentive Plan - In connection with any reverse split, our Board would also make a corresponding reduction in the number of shares available with respect to shares available for grant granted under our 2018 Equity Incentive Plan so as to avoid the effect of increasing the value of options and shares previously granted.

In addition, a reverse stock split may result in some shareholders owning “odd lots” of less than 100 shares of Common Stock, which may be more difficult to sell and may cause those holders to incur greater brokerage commissions and other costs upon sale.

Authorized Shares of Common Stock

The Reverse Stock Split Proposal will not change the number of authorized shares of Common Stock but will increase the number of authorized shares available for future issuance for corporate needs such as equity financing, mergers or acquisitions, retirement of outstanding indebtedness, stock splits and stock dividends, employee benefit plans, or other corporate purposes as may be deemed by the Board to be in the best interests of the Company and its shareholders. The Board believes the increase in available shares for future issuance is appropriate to fund the future operations of the Company. It will also provide the Company with greater flexibility to respond quickly to advantageous business opportunities However, we may from time to time explore opportunities to make acquisitions through the use of stock. As a result, the Company’s current number of authorized shares of Common Stock may enable the Company to better meet its future business needs.

We believe that the current amount of authorized Common Stock will make a sufficient number of shares available, should the Company decide to use its shares for one or more of such previously mentioned purposes or otherwise. The current capital will provide the Board with the ability to issue additional shares of stock without further vote of the shareholders of the Company, except as provided under Nevada corporate law or under the rules of any national securities exchange on which shares of stock of the Company are then listed.

Procedure for Effecting Reverse Stock Split and Exchange of Stock Certificates

If the Reverse Split Proposal is approved by our shareholders, our Board, in its sole discretion, will determine whether such an action is in the best interests of the Company and our shareholders, taking into consideration the factors discussed above. If our Board believes that a reverse stock split is in our best interests and the best interest of our shareholders, our Board will then implement the reverse stock split.

We would then file a certificate of amendment to our Articles of Incorporation with the Secretary of the State of Nevada at such time as our Board of Directors had determined as the appropriate effective time for the reverse stock split to effect the reverse split. The certificate of amendment would add a new provision providing that holders of our Common Stock immediately prior to the filing of the amendment will receive one share of Common Stock for each number of shares selected by the Board. A copy of the proposed amendment is attached to this proxy statement as Appendix A and is considered a part of this proxy statement. Upon the filing of the certificate of amendment, and without any further action on the part of the Company or our shareholders, the issued shares of Common Stock held by shareholders of record as of the effective date of the reverse stock split would be converted into a lesser number of shares of Common Stock calculated in accordance with the reverse stock split ratio of not less than one-for-two (1:2) or not more than one-for-ten (1:10), as selected by our Board and set forth in the certificate of amendment.

For example, if a shareholder presently holds 100 shares of our Common Stock, he or she would hold 50 shares of Common Stock following a one-for-two reverse stock split, or 10 shares of Common Stock following a one-for-ten reverse stock split, in each case with an additional amount of cash in lieu of fractional shares as described below under “-Fractional Shares.” Beginning on the effective date of the split, each certificate representing pre-split shares would be deemed for all corporate purposes to evidence ownership of post-split shares.

As soon as practicable after the effective date of the reverse stock split, shareholders would be notified that the reverse stock split had been effected.

Effect on Beneficial Holders (i.e., Shareholders Who Hold in “Street Name”)

Upon the reverse stock split, we intend to treat Common Stock held by shareholders in “street name,” through a bank, broker or other nominee, in the same manner as shareholders whose shares are registered in their own names. Banks, brokers or other nominees will be instructed to effect the reverse stock split for their customers holding Common Stock in “street name.” However, these banks, brokers or other nominees may have different procedures than registered shareholders for processing the reverse stock split. If you hold shares of Common Stock with a bank, broker or other nominee and have any questions in this regard, you are encouraged to contact your bank, broker or other nominee.

Effect on Registered “Book-Entry” Holders (i.e., Shareholders That are Registered on the Transfer Agent’s Books and Records but do not Hold Certificates)

Some of our registered holders of Common Stock may hold some or all of their shares electronically in book-entry form with our transfer agent. These shareholders do not have stock certificates evidencing their ownership of Common Stock. They are, however, provided with a statement reflecting the number of shares registered in their accounts. If a shareholder holds registered shares in book-entry form with our transfer agent, no action needs to be taken to receive post-reverse stock split shares or fractional shares, if applicable. If a shareholder is entitled to post-reverse stock split shares, a transaction statement will automatically be sent to the shareholder’s address of record indicating the number of shares (including fractional shares) of Common Stock held following the reverse stock split.

Effect on Certificated Shares

Upon the reverse stock split our transfer agent will act as our exchange agent and assist holders of Common Stock in implementing the exchange of their certificates.

Commencing on the effective date of a reverse stock split, shareholders holding shares in certificated form will be sent a transmittal letter by our transfer agent. The letter of transmittal will contain instructions on how a shareholder should surrender his or her certificates representing Common Stock (“Old Certificates”) to the transfer agent in exchange for certificates representing the appropriate number of whole post-reverse stock split Common Stock, as applicable (“New Certificates”). No New Certificates will be issued to a shareholder until that shareholder has surrendered all Old Certificates, together with a properly completed and executed letter of transmittal, to the transfer agent. No shareholder will be required to pay a transfer or other fee to exchange Old Certificates. The letter of transmittal will contain instructions on how you may obtain New Certificates if your Old Certificates have been lost. If you have lost your certificates, you will have to pay any surety premium and the service fee required by our transfer agent.

Until surrendered, we will deem outstanding Old Certificates held by shareholders to be canceled and only to represent the number of whole shares to which these shareholders are entitled.

Any Old Certificates submitted for exchange, whether because of a sale, transfer or other disposition of shares, will automatically be exchanged for New Certificates.

Shareholders should not destroy any stock certificates and should not submit any certificates until requested to do so by the transfer agent. Shortly after the reverse stock split the transfer agent will provide registered shareholders with instructions and a letter of transmittal for converting Old Certificates into New Certificates. Shareholders are encouraged to promptly surrender Old Certificates to the transfer agent (acting as exchange agent in connection with the reverse stock split) in order to avoid having shares become subject to escheat laws.

Fractional Shares

No fractional shares will be issued in connection with the reverse stock split. Shareholders of record who otherwise would be entitled to receive fractional shares will have their shares rounded up to the nearest whole share.

Shareholders should be aware that, under the escheat laws of the various jurisdictions where shareholders may reside, where we are domiciled, and where the funds will be deposited, sums due for fractional interests that are not timely claimed after the effective date of the reverse stock split may be required to be paid to the designated agent for each such jurisdiction, unless correspondence has been received by us or the exchange agent concerning ownership of such funds within the time permitted in such jurisdiction. Thereafter, shareholders otherwise entitled to receive such funds will have to seek to obtain them directly from the state to which they were paid.

Accounting Matters

The par value of our Common Stock would remain unchanged at $0.0001 per share, if a reverse stock split is effected.

The Company’s shareholders’ equity in its consolidated balance sheet would not change in total. However, the Company’s stated capital (i.e., $0.0001 par value times the number of shares issued and outstanding), would be proportionately reduced based on the reduction in shares of Common Stock outstanding. Additional paid in capital would be increased by an equal amount, which would result in no overall change to the balance of shareholders’ equity.

Additionally, net income or loss per share for all periods would increase proportionately as a result of a reverse stock split since there would be a lower number of shares outstanding. We do not anticipate that any other material accounting consequences would arise as a result of a reverse stock split.

A reduction in stated capital will, under Nevada law, create a corresponding increase in paid-in surplus (i.e., the excess of net assets over stated capital), and the Company may make distributions, such as the payment of dividends, up to the amount of its surplus provided that the distribution does not cause it to become insolvent, and subject to the limitations of its debt financing agreements.

Potential Anti-Takeover Effect

Even though a potential reverse stock split would result in an increased proportion of unissued authorized shares to issued shares, which could, under certain circumstances, have an anti-takeover effect (for example, by permitting issuances that would dilute the stock ownership of a person seeking to effect a change in the composition of the Board or contemplating a tender offer or other transaction for the combination of us with another company), the Reverse Split Proposal is not being proposed in response to any effort of which we are aware to accumulate shares of our Common Stock or obtain control of us, nor is it part of a plan by management to recommend a series of similar amendments to our Board and our shareholders.

No Appraisal Rights

Our shareholders are not entitled to appraisal rights with respect to a reverse stock split, and we will not independently provide shareholders with any such right.

Federal Income Tax Consequences of a Reverse Stock Split

The following discussion is a summary of certain U.S. federal income tax consequences of the reverse stock split to the Company and to shareholders that hold shares of Common Stock as capital assets for U.S. federal income tax purposes. This discussion is based upon provisions of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”), the Treasury regulations promulgated under the Code, and U.S. administrative rulings and court decisions, all as in effect on the date hereof and all of which are subject to change, possibly with retroactive effect, and differing interpretations. Changes in these authorities may cause the U.S. federal income tax consequences of the reverse stock split to vary substantially from the consequences summarized below.

This summary does not address all aspects of U.S. federal income taxation that may be relevant to shareholders in light of their particular circumstances or to shareholders who may be subject to special tax treatment under the Code, including, without limitation, dealers in securities, commodities or foreign currency, persons who are treated as non−U.S. persons for U.S. federal income tax purposes, certain former citizens or long−term residents of the United States, insurance companies, tax−exempt organizations, banks, financial institutions, small business investment companies, regulated investment companies, real estate investment trusts, retirement plans, persons that are partnerships or other pass−through entities for U.S. federal income tax purposes, persons whose functional currency is not the U.S. dollar, traders that mark−to−market their securities, persons subject to the alternative minimum tax, persons who hold their shares of Common Stock as part of a hedge, straddle, conversion or other risk reduction transaction, or who acquired their shares of Common Stock pursuant to the exercise of compensatory stock options, the vesting of previously restricted shares of stock or otherwise as compensation. If a partnership or other entity classified as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes holds shares of Common Stock, the tax treatment of a partner thereof will generally depend upon the status of the partner and upon the activities of the partnership. If you are a partner in a partnership holding shares of the Company’s common stock, you should consult your tax advisor regarding the tax consequences of the reverse stock split.

The Company has not sought and will not seek an opinion of counsel or a ruling from the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) regarding the federal income tax consequences of the reverse stock split. The state and local tax consequences of the reverse split may vary as to each shareholder, depending on the jurisdiction in which such shareholder resides. This discussion should not be considered as tax or investment advice, and the tax consequences of the reverse stock split may not be the same for all shareholders. Shareholders should consult their own tax advisors to know their individual federal, state, local and foreign tax consequences.

Tax Consequences to the Company. We believe that the reverse stock split will constitute a reorganization under Section 368(a)(1)(E) of the Internal Revenue Code. Accordingly, we should not recognize taxable income, gain or loss in connection with the reverse stock split. In addition, we do not expect the reverse stock split to affect our ability to utilize our net operating loss carryforwards.

Tax Consequences to Shareholders. Shareholders should not recognize any gain or loss for U.S. federal income tax purposes as a result of the reverse stock split, except to the extent of any cash received in lieu of a fractional share of Common Stock (which fractional share will be treated as received and then exchanged for cash). Each shareholder’s aggregate tax basis in the Common Stock received in the reverse stock split, including any fractional share treated as received and then exchanged for cash, should equal the shareholder’s aggregate tax basis in the Common Stock exchanged in the reverse stock split. In addition, each shareholder’s holding period for the Common Stock it receives in the reverse stock split should include the shareholder’s holding period for the Common Stock exchanged in the reverse stock split.

In general, a shareholder who receives cash in lieu of a fractional share of Common Stock pursuant to the reverse stock split should be treated for U.S. federal income tax purposes as having received a fractional share pursuant to the reverse stock split and then as having received cash in exchange for the fractional share and should generally recognize capital gain or loss equal to the difference between the amount of cash received and the shareholder’s tax basis allocable to the fractional share. Any capital gain or loss will generally be long term capital gain or loss if the shareholder’s holding period in the fractional share is greater than one year as of the effective date of the reverse stock split. Special rules may apply to cause all or a portion of the cash received in lieu of a fractional share to be treated as dividend income with respect to certain shareholders who own more than a minimal amount of common stock (generally more than 1%) or who exercise some control over the affairs of the Company. Shareholders should consult their own tax advisors regarding the tax effects to them of receiving cash in lieu of fractional shares based on their particular circumstances.

Interests of Directors and Executive Officers

Our directors and executive officers have no substantial interests, directly or indirectly, in the matters set forth in this Reverse Split Proposal except to the extent of their ownership of shares of our Common Stock.

Reservation of Right to Abandon Reverse Stock Split

We reserve the right to abandon a reverse stock split without further action by our shareholders at any time before the effectiveness of the filing with the Secretary of the State of Nevada of the certificate of amendment to our Articles of Incorporation, even if the authority to effect a reverse stock split has been approved by our shareholders at the 2019 Annual Meeting. By voting in favor of a reverse stock split, you are expressly also authorizing the Board to delay, not to proceed with, and abandon, a reverse stock split if it should so decide, in its sole discretion, that such action is in the best interests of the shareholders.

Voting by Proxyholder

Your proxyholder (one of the persons named on your proxy card) will vote your common stock in accordance with your instructions. Unless you give specific instructions to the contrary, your common stock will be voted for Proposal No. 3, the Reverse Split Proposal.

Required Vote; Recommendation of Board of Directors

The affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of the outstanding shares of the Company’s common stock as of the record date for the 2019 Annual Meeting is required for approval of the amendments of the Company’s articles of incorporation to effect the reverse stock split.

Proposal 3 is considered a “routine” matter. With respect to “routine” matters, a bank, brokerage firm, or other nominee has the authority (but is not required) under the rules governing self-regulatory organizations, or the SRO rules, including NASDAQ, to vote its clients’ shares if the clients do not provide instructions. When a bank, brokerage firm, or other nominee votes its clients’ shares on routine matters without receiving voting instructions, these shares are counted both for establishing a quorum to conduct business at the meeting and in determining the number of shares voted FOR, AGAINST or ABSTAINING with respect to such routine matters.

With respect to “non-routine” matters, a bank, brokerage firm, or other nominee is not permitted under the SRO rules to vote its clients’ shares if the clients do not provide instructions. The bank, brokerage firm, or other nominee will so note on the voting instruction form, and this constitutes a “broker non-vote.” “Broker non-votes” will be counted for purposes of establishing a quorum to conduct business at the meeting, but not for determining the number of shares voted FOR, AGAINST, ABSTAINING or WITHHELD FROM with respect to such non-routine matters.

Because Proposal 3, to approve the Reverse Split Proposal is considered a “routine” matter, there will be no broker non-votes with respect to this proposal, and brokers, banks or other nominees may vote uninstructed shares on a discretionary basis.

Recommendation of the Board of Directors

THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS RECOMMENDS A VOTE “FOR” PROPOSAL NO. 3 TO GRANT THE BOARD DISCRETIONARY AUTHORITY TO EFFECT A REVERSE STOCK SPLIT.

PROPOSAL NO. 4

APPROVAL OF ISSUANCE OF SECURITIES IN ONE OR MORE NON-PUBLIC OFFERINGS WHERE THE MAXIMUM DISCOUNT AT WHICH SECURITIES WILL BE OFFERED WILL BE EQUIVALENT TO A DISCOUNT OF 20% BELOW THE MARKET PRICE OF OUR COMMON STOCK, IN ACCORDANCE WITH NASDAQ MARKETPLACE RULE 5635(d)

Our common stock is currently listed on the Nasdaq Capital Market and, as such, we are subject to Nasdaq Marketplace Rules. Nasdaq Marketplace Rule 5635(d) (“Rule 5635(d)”) requires us to obtain shareholder approval prior to the issuance of our common stock in connection with certain non-public offerings, issued below the “minimum price” for the Company’s common stock as defined in NASDAQ Rule 5635(d), involving the sale, issuance or potential issuance by the Company of Common Stock (and/or securities convertible into or exercisable for Common Stock) equal to 20% or more of the Common Stock outstanding before the issuance. Shares of our common stock issuable upon the exercise or conversion of warrants, options, debt instruments, preferred stock or other equity securities issued or granted in such non-public offerings will be considered shares issued in such a transaction in determining whether the 20% limit has been reached, except in certain circumstances such as issuing warrants that are not exercisable for a minimum of six months and have an exercise price that exceeds market value. We may effectuate the approved offerings or transactions in one or more transactions, subject to the limitations herein.

We may seek to raise additional capital to implement our business strategy and enhance our overall capitalization. We have not determined the particular terms for such prospective offerings. Because we may seek additional capital that triggers the requirements of Rule 5635(d), we are seeking shareholder approval now, so that we will be able to move quickly to take full advantage of any opportunities that may develop in the equity markets.

We hereby submit this Proposal No. 4 to our shareholders for their approval of the potential issuance of shares of our common stock, or securities convertible into our common stock, in one or more non-public capital-raising transactions, or offerings, subject to the following limitations:

The issuance of shares of our common stock, or other securities convertible into shares of our common stock, in accordance with any offerings would dilute, and thereby reduce, each existing shareholder’s proportionate ownership in our common stock. The shareholders do not have preemptive rights to subscribe to additional shares that may be issued by the Company in order to maintain their proportionate ownership of the Common Stock.

The issuance of shares of Common Stock in one or more non-public offerings could have an anti-takeover effect. Such issuance could dilute the voting power of a person seeking control of the Company, thereby deterring or rendering more difficult a merger, tender offer, proxy contest or an extraordinary corporate transaction opposed by the Company.

The Board has not yet determined the terms and conditions of any offerings. As a result, the level of potential dilution cannot be determined at this time, but as discussed above, we may not issue more than 50,000,000 shares of Common Stock in the aggregate pursuant to the authority requested from shareholders under this proposal (subject to adjustment for any reverse stock split). It is possible that if we conduct a non-public stock offering, some of the shares we sell could be purchased by one or more investors who could acquire a large block of our common stock. This would concentrate voting power in the hands of a few shareholders who could exercise greater influence on our operations or the outcome of matters put to a vote of shareholders in the future.

We cannot determine what the actual net proceeds of the offerings will be until they are completed, but as discussed above, the aggregate dollar amount of the non-public offerings will be no more than $100,000,000. If all or part of the offerings is completed, the net proceeds will be used for general corporate purposes. We currently have no arrangements or understandings regarding any specific transaction with investors, so we cannot predict whether we will be successful should we seek to raise capital through any offerings.

Vote Required

The affirmative vote of a majority of the votes cast for this proposal is required to approve the issuance of securities in one or more non-public offerings, as required by and in accordance with Nasdaq Marketplace Rule 5635(d).

THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS RECOMMENDS A VOTE “FOR” PROPOSAL NO. 4.

PROPOSAL NO. 5

APPROVAL OF ANY CHANGE OF CONTROL THAT COULD RESULT FROM THE POTENTIAL ISSUANCE OF SECURITIES IN ONE OR MORE NON-PUBLIC OFFERINGS AS AUTHORIZED BY THE SHAREHOLDERS IN PROPOSAL NO. 4, IN ACCORDANCE WITH NASDAQ MARKETPLACE RULE 5635(b)

Nasdaq Marketplace Rule 5635(b) requires us to obtain shareholder approval prior to certain issuances with respect to Common Stock or securities convertible into Common Stock which will result in a change of control of the Company. This rule does not specifically define when a change in control of a Company may be deemed to occur. However, guidance suggests that a change of control would occur, subject to certain limited exceptions, if after a transaction a person or an entity will hold 20% or more of the Company’s then outstanding capital stock. For the purpose of calculating the holdings of such person or entity, the Nasdaq Capital Market would take into account, in addition to the securities received by such person or entity in the transaction, all of the shares owned by such person or entity unrelated to the transaction and would assume the conversion of any convertible securities held by such person or entity. Since the issuance of the Acquisition Shares will significantly increase the amount of shares of Common Stock outstanding, we do not anticipate that the issuance of securities pursuant to Proposal No. 4, if authorized by the shareholders, will result in a change in control; however, we are seeking the shareholders’ approval on any change in control in accordance with Nasdaq Marketplace Rule 5635(b) in the event that potential issuance of securities in the offerings proposed in Proposal No. 1 would result in a change in control.

Shareholders should note that a change of control as described under Nasdaq Marketplace Rule 5635(b) applies only with respect to the application of such Nasdaq rule. Neither Nevada law nor our articles of incorporation or bylaws requires us to obtain shareholder approval of such change in control.

Vote Required

The affirmative vote of a majority of the votes cast for this proposal is required to approve any change of control that could result from the potential issuance of securities in the non-public offerings following approval of Proposal No. 4, as required by and in accordance with Nasdaq Marketplace Rule 5635(b).

THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS RECOMMENDS THAT YOU VOTE “FOR” PROPOSAL NO. 5.

PROPOSAL NO. 6

APPROVAL OF AMENDMENT TO THE COMPANY’S 2018 EQUITY INCENTIVE PLAN

Effective July 1, 2018, the Board of Directors adopted the 2018 Equity Incentive Plan (the “2018 Plan”). This 2018 Plan was adopted in addition to the existing 2016 Stock Equity Incentive. The awards per 2018 Plan may be granted through June 30, 2023 to the Company’s employees, consultants, directors and non-employee directors. The maximum number of shares of our common stock that may be issued under the 2018 Plan is 1,000,000 shares, which amount will be (a) reduced by awards granted under the 2018 Plan, and (b) increased to the extent that awards granted under the 2018 Plan are forfeited, expire or are settled for cash (except as otherwise provided in the 2018 Plan). No employee will be eligible to receive more than 200,000 shares of common stock in any calendar year under the 2018 Plan pursuant to the grant of awards. On September 12, 2018, the Board of Directors approved to increase the number of shares of common stock reserved for future issuance under this Plan from 1,000,000 shares to 2,000,000 shares. On September 14, 2018, 1,000,000 shares of common stock underlying awards under the 2018 Plan have been granted to the employees and officers 25% vesting immediately on the date of grant and 25% vesting each year thereafter on the anniversary of the grant date. On April 17, 2019, the Board approved an amendment (the “Amendment”) to the 2018 Plan that confirms that the 2018 Plan shall for all purposes comply with and be interpreted in accordance with the Tax Cut and Jobs Act passed in 2017, the principal effect of which is elimination of performance-based compensation exception to the deductibility limitations under Section 162(m) of the Internal Revenue Code (the “Code”) and to include any individual who was our then current or former named executive officer as a “covered employee,” such that payments to former employees will be subject to the deduction limitations thereunder and to increase the number of shares authorized for issuance under the Plan to 20,000,000. The Board is recommending and submitting the Amendments to our shareholders for approval.

Reasons for the Proposed Amendments

Commencing with our fiscal 2019 year, the performance-based compensation exception to the deductibility limitations under Section 162(m) of the Code will no longer apply and the deduction limitation under Section 162(m) of the Code will generally apply to compensation paid to any of our then current or former named executive officers.

Also, the Company will utilize the increased equity incentives to retain management, employees and directors and also to ensure that management maintains a reasonable level of equity as the Company grows and utilizes equity to raise capital and perhaps engage in acquisitions of symbiotic businesses should the opportunity arise.

Vote Required

The affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of the shares of the Company’s common stock having voting power present in person or represented by proxy at the 2019 Annual Meeting is required to approve amending the Company’s 2018 Equity Incentive Plan.

THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS RECOMMENDS THAT YOU VOTE “FOR” PROPOSAL NO. 6.

PROPOSAL NO. 7

THE RATIFICATION OF THE APPOINTMENT OF Marcum LLP AS THE COMPANY’S INDEPENDENT REGISTERED CERTIFIED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM FOR FISCAL YEAR 2018

The Board of Directors has appointed Marcum LLP (“Marcum”) as our independent registered certified public accounting firm for the fiscal year 2019 and has further directed that the selection of Marcum be submitted to a vote of shareholders at the Annual Meeting for ratification.

As described below, the shareholder vote is not binding on the Board. If the appointment of Marcum is not ratified, the Board will evaluate the basis for the shareholders’ vote when determining whether to continue the firm’s engagement, but may ultimately determine to continue the engagement of the firm or another audit firm without re-submitting the matter to shareholders. Even if the appointment of Marcum is ratified, the Board may in its sole discretion terminate the engagement of the firm and direct the appointment of another independent auditor at any time during the year if it determines that such an appointment would be in the best interests of our Company and our shareholders.

Representatives of Marcum are expected to attend the Annual Meeting, where they will be available to respond to appropriate questions and, if they desire, to make a statement.

Vote Required

The affirmative vote of the majority of the votes cast at the Annual Meeting is required for the ratification of the appointment of Marcum as the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2019.

INDEPENDENT REGISTERED CERTIFIED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM FEES AND SERVICES

During the year ended December 31, 2018 and 2017, we engaged Marcum as our independent registered accounting firm. For the year ended December 31, 2018, we incurred fees, and for the year ended December 31, 2019, we expect to incur fees, as discussed below:

Audit fees consist of fees related to professional services rendered in connection with the audit of our annual financial statements. All other fees relate to professional services rendered in connection with the review of the quarterly financial statements.

Our policy is to pre-approve all audit and permissible non-audit services performed by the independent accountants. These services may include audit services, audit-related services, tax services and other services. Under our audit committee’s policy, pre-approval is generally provided for particular services or categories of services, including planned services, project based services and routine consultations. In addition, the audit committee may also pre-approve particular services on a case-by-case basis. Our audit committee approved all services that our independent accountants provided to us in the past two fiscal years.

THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS RECOMMENDS THAT YOU VOTE “FOR” PROPOSAL NO. 7.

PROPOSAL NO. 8 - OTHER MATTERS

The Board knows of no matter to be brought before the Annual Meeting other than the matters identified in this proxy statement. However, if any other matter properly comes before the Annual Meeting or any adjournment of the meeting, it is the intention of the persons named in the proxy solicited by the Board to vote the shares represented by them in accordance with their best judgment.

SHAREHOLDER PROPOSALS FOR THE 2019 MEETING

Our bylaws provide that, for matters to be properly brought before an annual meeting, business must be either (i) specified in the notice of annual meeting (or any supplement or amendment thereto) given by or at the direction of the Board of Directors, (ii) otherwise brought before the annual meeting by or at the direction of the Board of Directors, or (iii) otherwise properly brought before the annual meeting by a shareholder.

Shareholder proposals intended for inclusion in our proxy statement relating to the next annual meeting in 2020 must be received by us no later than January 31, 2020. If the date of next year’s annual meeting is moved by more than 30 days before or after the anniversary date of this year’s Annual Meeting, then the deadline for inclusion of a shareholder proposal in our proxy materials is instead a reasonable time before we begin to print and send our proxy materials for that meeting. Any such proposal must comply with Rule 14a-8 of Regulation 14A of the proxy rules of the SEC.

Notice to us of a shareholder proposal submitted otherwise than pursuant to Rule 14a-8 also will be considered untimely if received at our principal executive offices other than during the time period set forth below and will not be placed on the agenda for the meeting. In addition to any other applicable requirements, for business to be properly brought before an annual meeting by a shareholder, the shareholder must have given timely notice thereof in writing to our secretary. To be timely, a shareholder’s notice must be delivered to the secretary at our principal executive offices not later than the close of business on the ninetieth (90th) day nor earlier than the close of business on the one hundred twentieth (120th) day prior to the first anniversary of the preceding year’s annual meeting; provided, however, that in the event that the date of the annual meeting is more than thirty (30) days before or more than seventy (70) days after such anniversary date, notice by the shareholder must be so delivered not earlier than the close of business on the one hundred twentieth (120th) day prior to such annual meeting and not later than the close of business on the later of the ninetieth (90th) day prior to such annual meeting or the tenth (10th) day following the day on which public announcement of the date of such meeting is first made by us.

ANNUAL REPORT

Upon written request to Secretary, ToughBuilt Industries, Inc. at 25371 Commercentre Drive
Suite 200 Lake Forest, CA 92630, we will provide without charge to each person requesting a copy of our 2017 Annual Report, including the financial statements filed therewith. We will furnish a requesting shareholder with any exhibit not contained therein upon specific request. In addition, this Proxy Statement, as well as our 2018 Annual Report, are available on our Internet website at www.toughbuilt.com

APPENDIX A

Certificate of Amendment

to the

Amended and Restated Articles of Incorporation

of ToughBuilt Industries, Inc.

to be filed with the Definitive 14A

APPENDIX B

ANNUAL REPORT ON FORM 10-K

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

FORM 10-K

[X] ANNUAL REPORT UNDER SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2018

[  ] TRANSITION REPORT UNDER SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the transition period from ___ until ___

Commission File Number 001-38739

TOUGHBUILT INDUSTRIES, INC.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

Registrant’s telephone number, including area code (949) 528-3100

Securities Registered under Section 12(b) of the Act

Common Stock, $0.0001 par value per share

Series A Warrants to purchase shares of common stock, par value $0.0001 per share

Class A Units, each consisting of one share of our common stock, par value $0.0001 per share, and a Series A Warrant to purchase one share our common stock and a Series B Warrant to purchase one share of our common stock

Securities Registered under Section 12(g) of the Act

None

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act. Yes [  ] No [X]

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Act. Yes [  ] No [X]

Indicate by check mark whether the issuer (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the past 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. Yes [X] No [  ]

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§ 232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit post such files). Yes [X] No [  ]

Indicate by check mark if disclosure of delinquent filers pursuant to Item 405 of Regulation S-K is not contained herein, and will not be contained, to the best of registrant’s knowledge, in definitive proxy or information statements incorporated by reference in Part III of this Form 10-K or any amendment to this Form 10-K. [X]

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, or a smaller reporting company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” and “smaller reporting company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an emerging growth company as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act of 1933 (§230.405 of this chapter) or Rule 12b-2 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (§240.12b-2 of this chapter).

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act). Yes [  ] No [X]

The aggregate market value of the 979,083 shares of voting stock held by non-affiliates of the registrant on June 30, 2018 was $0 because the registrant was not yet public, so no market existed for its common stock.

Indicate the number of shares outstanding of each of the registrant’s classes of common stock, as of the latest practicable date.

DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

None.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Information

This Report on Form 10-K, in particular Part II Item 7 “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations,” contains certain “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”). These forward-looking statements represent our expectations, beliefs, intentions or strategies concerning future events, including, but not limited to, any statements regarding our assumptions about financial performance; the continuation of historical trends; the sufficiency of our cash balances for future liquidity and capital resource needs; the expected impact of changes in accounting policies on our results of operations, financial condition or cash flows; anticipated problems and our plans for future operations; and the economy in general or the future of the defense industry, all of which were subject to various risks and uncertainties.

When used in this Report on Form 10- K and other reports, statements, and information we have filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“Commission” or “SEC”), in our press releases, presentations to securities analysts or investors, in oral statements made by or with the approval of an executive officer, the words or phrases “believes,” “may,” “will,” “expects,” “should,” “continue,” “anticipates,” “intends,” “will likely result,” “estimates,” “projects” or similar expressions and variations thereof are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. However, any statements contained in this Report on Form 10-K that are not statements of historical fact may be deemed to be forward-looking statements. We caution that these statements by their nature involve risks and uncertainties, certain of which are beyond our control, and actual results may differ materially depending on a variety of important factors.

We do not assume the obligation to update any forward-looking statement. You should carefully evaluate such statements in light of factors described in this annual report. In this Form 10-K, ToughBuilt Industries, Inc. (“ToughBuilt”) has identified important factors that could cause actual results to differ from expected or historic results. You should understand that it is not possible to predict or identify all such factors. Consequently, you should not consider any such list to be a complete list of all potential risks or uncertainties.

PART I

Item 1 Description of Business

Overview

Our company was formed on April 9, 2012 as Phalanx, Inc., under the laws of the State of Nevada and changed its name to ToughBuilt Industries, Inc. on December 29, 2015. We were formed to design, manufacture and distribute innovative tools and accessories to the building industry. We market and distribute various home improvement and construction product lines for both do it yourself (“DIY”) and professional markets under the TOUGHBUILT® brand name, within the global multibillion dollar per year tool market. All of our products are designed by our in-house design team. Since our initial launch of product sales six years ago, we have experienced significant annual sales growth from approximately $1,000,000 in 2013 to over $15,000,000 in 2018.

Since August 2013, pursuant to a Service Agreement, we have been collaborating with Belegal, a Chinese firm, whose team of experts has provided ToughBuilt with additional engineering, sourcing services and quality control support for our operations in China. Belegal assists us with supply-chain management (process and operations in China) for our operations in China, among other things, facilitating the transmission of our purchase orders to our suppliers in China, conducting “in-process” quality checking and inspection, and shipping end-products manufactured in China to their final destinations. In accordance with the agreement, we pay all of the monthly costs for payroll, overhead and other operation expenses associated with the Belegal’s activities on behalf of ToughBuilt.

Our business is currently based on development of innovative and state of the art products, primarily in tools and hardware category, with particular focus on building and construction industry with the ultimate goal of making life easier and more productive for the contractors and workers alike. Our current product line includes two major categories related to this field, with several additional categories in various stages of development, consisting of Soft Goods and Kneepads and Sawhorses and Work Products.

ToughBuilt designs and manages its product life cycles through a controlled and structured process. We involve customers and industry experts from our target markets in the definition and refinement of our product development. Product development emphasis is placed on meeting and exceeding industry standards and product specifications, ease of integration, ease of use, cost reduction, design-for manufacturability, quality and reliability.

Our mission consists, of providing products to the building and home improvement communities that are innovative, of superior quality derived in part from enlightened creativity for our end users while enhancing performance, improving well-being and building high brand loyalty.

Recent Business Developments

The following highlights recent developments in our business over the past four years:

Products

We create innovative products that help our customers build faster, build stronger and work smarter. We accomplish this by listening to what our customers wants and need and researching how professionals work, then we create tools that help them save time, save hassle and save money.

TOUGHBUILT® manufactures and distributes an array of high quality and rugged tool belts, tool bags and other personal tool organizer products. We also manufacture and distribute a complete line of knee pads for various construction applications. Our line of job-site tools and material support products consists of a full line of miter-saw and table saw stands and saw horses/job site tables and roller stands. All of our products are designed and engineered in the United States and manufactured in China and India under our quality control supervision. We do not need government approval for any of our products.

Our soft sided tool storage line is designed for a wide range of do-it-yourself and professional needs. This line of pouches and tool and accessories bags is designed to organize your tools faster and easier. Interchangeable pouches clip on and off any belt, bag ladder wall or vehicle. Our products let you carry what you want so you have it when you want it.

ToughBuilt’s wide mouth tool carry-all bags come in sizes from 12 inches to 30 inches. They all have steel reinforced handles and padded shoulder straps which allow for massive loads to be carried with ease. Rigid plastic hard-body lining protects everything inside. Double mesh pockets included inside provide complete visibility for stored items. They include a lockable zipper for added security and safety and secondary side handles for when it takes more than one to carry the load.

All of these products have innovative designs with unique features that provide extra functionality and enhanced user experience. Patented features such as our exclusive “Cliptech” mechanism incorporated in some of the products in this line are unique in these products for the industry and have distinguished the line from other similarly situated products thus we believe, increasing appeal amongst the other products of this category in the professional community and among the enthusiasts.

Soft Goods

The flagship of the product line is the Soft Goods line that consists of over 100 variations of tool pouches, tool rigs, tool belts and accessories, tools bags, totes, variety of storage solutions, and office organizers/bags for laptop/tablet/cellphones, etc. Management believes that the breadth of the line is one of the deepest in the industry and has specialized designs to suit professionals from all sectors of the industry including plumbers, electricians, framers, builders and more.

We have a selection of over 10 models of kneepads, some with revolutionary and patented design features that allow the users to interchange components to suit particular conditions of use. Management believes that these kneepads are among the best performing kneepads in the industry. Our “all terrain” knee pad protection with snapshell technology is part of our interchangeable kneepad system which helps to customize the jobsite needs. They are made with superior quality using multilevel layered construction, heavy duty webbing and abrasion-resistant PVC rubber.

Sawhorses and Work Products

The second major category consists of Sawhorses and Work Support products with their unique designs and robust construction targeted for the most discerning users in the industry. The innovative designs and construction of the more than 15 products in this category have led to the sawhorses becoming the best sellers of category everywhere they are sold. The newest additions in this category include several stands and work support products that are quickly gaining recognition in the industry and are expected to position themselves in the top tier products in a short time. Our sawhorse line, miter saw, table saw & roller stands are built to very high standards. Our sawhorse/jobsite table is fast to set up, holds 2,400 pounds, has adjustable heights, is made of all metal construction and has a compact design. These lines of products are slowly becoming the standard in the construction industry.

All of our products are designed in house with unending innovation and the highest standards to achieve features and benefits for not only the professional construction worker but also for the do-it-yourself person.

Business Strategy

Our product strategy is to develop product lines in a number of categories rather than focus on a single line of goods. This approach allows for rapid growth, wider brand recognition, and may ultimately result in increased sales and profits within an accelerated time period. We believe that building brand awareness of our current ToughBuilt lines of products will expand our share of the pertinent markets. Our business strategy includes the following key elements:

We will continue to consider other market opportunities while focusing on our customers’ specific requirements to increase sales.

Market

According to “Statista & Statistic Brain” the annual revenue in the construction industry was $1.731 trillion for 2016. There was approximately $394.6 billion in home improvement sales in the U.S. in 2018 (https://www.statista.com/statistics/239759/predicted-sales-of-home-improvement-retailers-in-the-us/). The heavy and civil engineering industry is over $260 billion with tools and hardware alone totaling over $60 billion for that same time period. In 2016, there were approximately 729,000 construction companies in the United States employing more than 7.3 million employees. In addition to the construction market, our products are marketed to the “do it yourself” and home improvement market place. The home improvement industry has fared much better in the aftermath of the Great Recession then the housing market. The U.S. housing stock of more than 130 million homes requires regular investment merely to offset normal depreciation. And many households that might have traded up to more desirable homes during the downturn decided instead to make improvements to their current homes. Meanwhile, federal and state stimulus programs encouraged homeowners and rental property owners to invest in energy-efficient upgrades that they might otherwise have deferred. Finally, many rental property owners, responding to a surge in demand from households either facing foreclosure or nervous about buying amid the housing market uncertainty, reinvested in their units.

As a result, improvement and repair spending held up well compared to residential construction spending. According to “Home Improvement – Still Growing in 2019”, on www.hiri.org, “the HIRI/IHS Markit forecast expects 5.5% growth in the home improvement products market in 2019 after a strong 6.2% in 2018.”

Total home improvement products sales are expected to increase 5.5% in 2018 to $420 billion in total sales. The Professional Market is expected to increase 6.0% in 2019 over 2018 and the Consumer Market will see a sales increase of 5.3%.

TOUGHBUILT® products are available worldwide in many major retailers ranging from home improvement and construction products and services stores to major online outlets. Currently, we have strong placement in Home Depot, Menards, Toolbank (UK), Bunning’s (Australia), Princess Auto (Canada), Dong Shin Tool PIA (S. Korea) as well as seeking to grow our sales in global markets such as Western and Central Europe, Russia and Eastern Europe, South America and the Middle East.

Retailers by region include:

United States: Home Depot, Menards, GM products, Fire Safety, Hartville Hardware, ORR, Pooley, YOW, Wesco, Buzzi, and Western Pacific Building Materials.

Canada: Princess Auto

United Kingdom: Toolbank (distribution throughout the U.K. and online selling for Europe).

France: Birck

Australia: Bunnings

New Zealand: Bunnings

Russia: VSEInstrumenti.ru

South Korea: Dong Shin Tool PIA Co., Ltd.

We are actively expanding into markets in Mexico and Latin American Countries the Middle East, the UAE and South Africa.

We are currently in product line reviews and discussions with Lowe’s, Home Depot Canada, Do It Best, True Value and other major retailers both domestically and internationally. A product line review requires the supplier to submit a comprehensive proposal which includes product offerings, prices, competitive market studies and relevant industry trends and other information. Management anticipates, within the near term, adding to its customer base up to three major retailers, along with several distributors and private retailers within six sectors and among 56 targeted countries.

Innovation and Brand Strength

Management believes that the robust capabilities at ToughBuilt eclipse those of most competitors as not every distributor or factory has the ability to quickly identify industry and end user opportunities and execute quickly to deliver winning product lines consistently. Also, in our view, most distributors and factories do not have a recognizable and reputable brand or the proven ability to reach major retailers globally to position their products and brands. We believe that we are able to take a design from concept to market within a very short period of time.

Product and Services Diversification

TOUGHBUILT® is a singular brand with a driven team that is poised to scale into a highly recognized global entity. We aim to grow ToughBuilt with several significant subsidiaries in the next few years to become the hub/platform for professionals, DIY’s (Do It Yourselfers) and passionate builders everywhere. Management anticipates that future subsidiaries will focus on licensing, gear, mobile, equipment rentals and maintenance services.

New Products

Tools

In 2018, we have ordered and launched a new line of gloves and 28 SKUs of tool belt and pouches. We also intend to launch the following tools in the fourth quarter of 2019:

Mobile Device Products

Since 2013, we have been planning, designing, engineering and sourcing the development of a new line of ToughBuilt mobile devices and accessories to be used in the construction industry and by building enthusiasts. We are planning to have our mobile device products ready to market by mid to late 2019, at which time we intend to commence marketing and selling our mobile device products to our current global customer base. We believe that increasing numbers of companies in the construction industry are requiring their employees to utilize mobile devices not just to communicate with others but to utilize the special apps that will allow the construction workers to do their job better and more efficiently. All of our mobile devices are designed and built in accordance with IP-68 and military standards level of durability and with the cooperation of Foxconn Manufacturing.

Our ruggedized mobile line of products was created to place customized technology and wide varieties of data in the palm of the building professionals and enthusiasts such as contractors, subcontractors, foreman, general laborers etc. The devices, accessories and custom apps allow the users to plan with confidence, organize faster, find labor and products faster, estimate accurately, purchase wisely, protect themselves, workers and their business, create and track invoicing faster and easier.

By the fourth quarter of 2019, we intend to launch our T.55 rugged mobile phones and earbud headphones, as well as a “T-Dock”, attachable battery, tri lens camera and tough shield cover and accessories. In the fourth quarter of 2019, we also intend to launch the following accessories: car charger, QI charger, car mounts and earbud pack, and we will look at sales in the following industries: construction, industrial, military and law enforcement and “.coms”.

In the fourth quarter of 2019, we intend to launch the following applications for our mobile phones:

Agreement with Foxconn

On October 18, 2016, we entered into a Project Statement of Work Agreement (“SOW”) with Hon Hai Precision Ind. Co., Ltd., a corporation organized under the law of Taiwan (referred to as “Foxconn”) to design, manufacture and supply to us a certain rugged mobile telephone (the “Product”). The Company will pay to Foxconn all fees and costs required to develop the Product. The Product will be developed by Foxconn to our specifications. We will submit to Foxconn written specifications, features and concepts required to be included in the Product. The specifications are subject to review and update by the parties and upon written approval by the parties such new or revised specifications will become part of the SOW. The SOW also provides dates for completion of deliverables, such as prototypes, “Beta” testing of the Product, sample assembly of the prototype and commencement of mass production of the Product. We may terminate the SOW at any time, in which case we must pay the costs for those portions of the development work completed by Foxconn up to the date of termination. The SOW is governed, construed and enforced in accordance with the laws of the State of California.

Mobile Device Market

Based upon an annual white paper published by the Mobile and Wireless Practice of Venture Development Corporation, we believe that an increasing number of companies are requiring their employees to transact business in the field and/or other non-traditional office environments. Because of this and other factors, the construction industry is accelerating its acceptance of wireless technology. We further believe that the construction industry, like other industries, will be leveraging mobile and wireless solutions to address the need for greater collaboration among a highly mobile and distributed workforce.

We believe that mobility is one of the top technology trends that construction companies are focusing on in 2018 and beyond. Mobile technology continues to have a significant impact on business, specifically with regard to business communication as this technology enhances the ability for colleagues at different locations to easily communicate, enhances customer experience through the improvement of applications and websites available to consumers to do business through their devices “at their fingertips”, and optimizes business operations as there is instant access to business functions at any time and from any location. (“Impact of Mobile Technology in Business Communication”, by John Smith, dated November 19, 2016 (https://www.business2community.com/tech-gadgets/impact-mobile-technology-business-communication-01704702).

While the construction industry has widely adopted solutions such as push to talk (PTT) telephony applications, the use of mobile and wireless data applications has been limited. IT solutions in general and mobile and wireless solutions specifically have been adopted at varying degrees within organizations and to support the various phases of construction projects. Currently the business planning, engineering and procurement operations have more effectively deployed IT solutions while actual construction operations have fallen behind in IT infrastructure and field automation solutions. The construction and engineering workforce is inherently mobile. However, construction sites have never effectively leveraged (wireless) communications networks to connect these distributed and often remote workers and their assets. Nevertheless, construction project managers require real time access to a variety of information, including real time tool inventory management, raw materials deliveries, job costing, time stamping and general project management information. The challenge, however, is the lack of network access on construction sites resulting in an information bottleneck on the job site. Buoyed by advances in wireless technologies – including coverage, performance, security and cost of ownership – we believe this is becoming an issue of the past for construction operations.

Mobile Apps

We intend to include apps on our mobile devices and are developing, with a third party applications developer, apps which will include, among other things, building codes, permitting, estimating and job listings. The purposes of the apps that are being developed include: