STOCK TITAN

Thumzup names Christopher Ensey to Board; Nasdaq audit committee compliant

Filing Impact
(High)
Filing Sentiment
(Neutral)
Form Type
8-K

Rhea-AI Filing Summary

Thumzup Media (TZUP) appointed Christopher Ensey to its Board, effective October 14, 2025, and named him to the audit committee. The move fills the vacancy created by Robert Haag’s resignation and restores the audit committee to three independent directors, meeting Nasdaq Listing Rule 5605(c). The company had notified Nasdaq of non-compliance on October 8 and received notice on October 9.

As part of his appointment, Mr. Ensey was granted 150,000 shares of restricted common stock under the 2025 Equity Incentive Plan, with vesting subject to the closing of Thumzup’s planned acquisition of Dogehash Technologies, Inc. under the August 18, 2025 merger agreement. The company stated there are no related party transactions involving Mr. Ensey requiring disclosure. A press release announcing the appointment was issued on October 13, 2025 and furnished as Exhibit 99.1.

Positive

  • None.

Negative

  • None.

Insights

Board appointment restores audit committee compliance; equity grant is conditional.

Thumzup Media named Christopher Ensey to the Board and audit committee, filling a vacancy and bringing the audit committee back to three independent directors, which aligns with Nasdaq Listing Rule 5605(c). The company had flagged non-compliance after a director resignation and now states compliance is restored.

The grant of 150,000 restricted shares is tied to a specific milestone: vesting occurs only upon closing of the Dogehash Technologies acquisition under the August 18, 2025 merger agreement. This links equity compensation to transaction completion rather than time-based service alone.

The immediate effect is governance continuity and listing rule compliance; any share issuance impact depends on the Dogehash deal closing. A press release was furnished on October 13, 2025 confirming the appointment.

Item 5.02 Departure of Directors or Certain Officers; Election of Directors; Appointment of Certain Officers Governance
Key personnel changes including departures, elections, or appointments of directors and executive officers.
Item 8.01 Other Events Other
Voluntary disclosure of events the company deems important to shareholders but not covered by other items.
Item 9.01 Financial Statements and Exhibits Exhibits
Financial statements, pro forma financial information, and exhibit attachments filed with this report.
false 0001853825 0001853825 2025-10-12 2025-10-12 iso4217:USD xbrli:shares iso4217:USD xbrli:shares

 

 

 

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

 

FORM 8-K

 

CURRENT REPORT

 

Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934

 

Date of report (date of earliest event reported): October 12, 2025

 

THUMZUP MEDIA CORPORATION

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

 

Nevada   001-42388   85-3651036

(State or Other Jurisdiction

of Incorporation)

 

(Commission

File Number)

 

(IRS Employer

Identification No.)

 

10557 Jefferson Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90232

(Address of principal executive offices) (Zip Code)

 

Registrant’s telephone number, including area code: (800) 403-6150

 

Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions (see General Instruction A.2. below):

 

Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425)
   
Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12)
   
Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b))
   
Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c))

 

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).

 

Emerging growth company

 

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act.

 

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

 

Title of each class   Trading Symbol(s)   Name of each exchange on which registered
Common stock, $0.001 par value   TZUP   The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC

 

 

 

 

 

 

Item 5.02 Departure of Directors or Certain Officers; Election of Directors; Appointment of Certain Officers; Compensatory Arrangements of Certain Officers.

 

On October 12, 2025, the Board of Directors (the “Board”) of Thumzup Media Corporation (the “Company”) appointed Christopher Ensey as a member of the Board effective as of October 14, 2025, to fill the vacancy created by the resignation of Robert Haag. The Board also appointed Mr. Ensey as a member of the audit committee of the Board.

 

Mr. Ensey, age 46, served as a senior technology and cybersecurity executive across multiple leading organizations from 2019 to 2024. Since 2023, Mr. Ensey has served as Chief Executive Officer of Alignment Engine, where he leads initiatives in AI/HPC datacenter design and GPU interconnect hardware, guiding company strategy, fundraising, and market positioning. Prior to this, as Founding Partner and Chief Technology Officer of Gulp Data from 2021 to 2023, Mr. Ensey developed and scaled an AI-driven data valuation platform, establishing robust enterprise partnerships and overseeing engineering. Mr. Ensey also served as Chief Technical Advisor to Gryphon Digital Mining (now American Bitcoin Mining Corp.) (NASDAQ: ABTC) from June 2021 to January 2024. From 2020 to 2021, he served as Chief Technology Officer at eMed, launching an FDA-authorized digital health platform that rapidly scaled to serve millions of users and resulted in six issued patents. As Chief Technology Officer of BlueVoyant between 2019 and 2020, Mr. Ensey managed global cybersecurity operations, directed a $45 million budget, and successfully reduced annual cloud expenditures. Mr. Ensey also served as Chief Operating Officer of Riot Blockchain, Inc. (now Riot Platforms, Inc.) (NASDAQ: RIOT) from January 2018 to September 2018, and as Interim Chief Executive Officer from September 2018 to February 2019. Mr. Ensey’s educational background includes degrees and certifications relevant to technology leadership and cybersecurity. Mr. Ensey is qualified to serve on the Board based on his extensive leadership and expertise in technology and cybersecurity.

 

Except for the grant of 150,000 shares of the Company’s restricted common stock to Mr. Ensey pursuant to the Company’s 2025 Equity Incentive Plan, the vesting of which is subject to closing of the acquisition by the Company of Dogehash Technologies, Inc. pursuant to that certain Agreement and Plan of Merger dated as of August 18, 2025 by and among the Company, TZUP Merger Sub, Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company, and Dogehash, there are no arrangements or understandings between Mr. Ensey and any other persons pursuant to which Mr. Ensey was selected as a director. In addition, there are no related party transactions involving Mr. Ensey that are reportable under Item 404(a) of Regulation S-K.

 

Item 8.01 Other Events

 

On October 13, 2025, the Company issued a press release announcing the appointment of Christopher Ensey as a member of the Company’s Board. A copy of the press release is attached hereto as Exhibit 99.1, which is incorporated herein by reference.

 

As previously disclosed, on October 8, 2025, the Company informed The Nasdaq Stock Market, LLC (“Nasdaq”) that it was not in compliance with the Nasdaq Listing Rule 5605(c) as a result of Mr. Haag’s resignation from the Company’s Board and its committees and, on October 9, 2025, the Company was notified by Nasdaq of its non-compliance. As a result of Mr. Ensey’s appointment to the Board and the audit committee of the Board, the Company currently has an audit committee composed of three independent directors as required by Nasdaq Listing Rule 5605(c).

 

Item 9.01 Financial Statements and Exhibits

 

(d) Exhibits.

 

Exhibit No.   Description
99.1   Press release dated October 13, 2025
104   Cover Page Interactive Data File (embedded within the Inline XBRL document)

 

-2-

 

 

SIGNATURE

 

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the Registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.

 

Date: October 14, 2025 THUMZUP MEDIA CORPORATION
     
  By: /s/ Robert Steele
  Name: Robert Steele
  Title: Chief Executive Officer

 

-3-

 

FAQ

What did Thumzup (TZUP) announce in this 8-K?

The company appointed Christopher Ensey to its Board effective October 14, 2025 and to the audit committee, restoring compliance with Nasdaq Rule 5605(c).

When does Christopher Ensey join Thumzup’s Board?

His appointment is effective October 14, 2025.

What equity compensation did Ensey receive at Thumzup (TZUP)?

He was granted 150,000 restricted shares under the 2025 Equity Incentive Plan; vesting is subject to closing of the Dogehash acquisition.

How does this affect Thumzup’s Nasdaq compliance?

With Ensey’s appointment, the audit committee now has three independent directors, meeting Nasdaq Listing Rule 5605(c).

Did Thumzup issue a press release about the appointment?

Yes. A press release dated October 13, 2025 was furnished as Exhibit 99.1.

What condition ties to Ensey’s restricted share grant?

Vesting is conditioned on the closing of the Dogehash Technologies, Inc. acquisition under the August 18, 2025 merger agreement.