Aquaron Acquisition Corp 10-K for FY2023
Aquaron Acquisition Corp. (AQUC)
About this 10-K
Aquaron Acquisition Corp filed this 10-K on May 3, 2024, covering the fiscal year ended December 31, 2023 (FY2023).
Headline figures
Fiscal year ended December 31, 2023, as reported in this filing, compared with the same period a year earlier where the filing states it.
- Net income
- $997.92K
- up 508.2% from net income of $164.07K a year earlier
UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
FORM
For the fiscal year ended
or
For the transition period from _____________ to ________________
Commission file number:
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
| (State or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization) | (I.R.S. Employer Identification No.) |
c/o Aquaron Investments LLC (646) 970 2181 | 10022 | |
| (Address of principal executive offices) | (Zip Code) |
Registrant’s telephone
number, including area code:
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:
| Title of Each Class | Trading Symbol | Name of Each Exchange on Which Registered | ||
| The | ||||
| The | ||||
| The |
Securities registered pursuant to 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 ☐
Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not
required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act. Yes ☐
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant
(1) has filed all reports required by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 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.
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 such files).
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company,” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.
| Large accelerated filer | ☐ | Accelerated filer | ☐ |
| ☒ | Smaller reporting company | ||
| 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.
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant
has filed a report on and attestation to its management’s assessment of the effectiveness of its internal control over financial
reporting under Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (15 U.S.C. 7262(b)) by the registered public accounting firm that prepared or
issued its audit report.
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant
is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act). Yes
If securities are registered pursuant to Section
12(b) of the Act, indicate by check mark whether the financial statements of the registrant included in the filing reflect the correction
of an error to previously issued financial statements.
Indicate by check mark whether any of those error corrections are restatements that required a recovery analysis of incentive-based compensation received by any of the registrant’s executive officers during the relevant recovery period pursuant to §240.10D-1(b). ☐
On June 30, 2023, the aggregate market value
of the Registrant’s shares of common stock held by non-affiliates of the Registrant was $
The number of shares outstanding of the Registrant’s
shares of common stock as of March 31, 2024 was
DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE
AQUARON ACQUISITION CORP.
Annual Report on Form 10-K for the Fiscal Year Ended December 31, 2023
i
FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS
This Annual Report on Form 10-K contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, or the Securities Act, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, or the Exchange Act. The statements contained in this report that are not purely historical are forward-looking statements. Our forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding our or our management’s expectations, hopes, beliefs, intentions or strategies regarding the future. In addition, any statements that refer to projections, forecasts or other characterizations of future events or circumstances, including any underlying assumptions, are forward-looking statements. The words “anticipates,” “believe,” “continue,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “may,” “might,” “plan,” “possible,” “potential,” “predict,” “project,” “should,” “would” and similar expressions may identify forward-looking statements, but the absence of these words does not mean that a statement is not forward-looking. Forward-looking statements in this report may include, for example, statements about our:
| ● | ability to complete our initial business combination; |
| ● | success in retaining or recruiting, or changes required in, our officers, key employees or directors following our initial business combination; |
| ● | officers and directors allocating their time to other businesses and potentially having conflicts of interest with our business or in approving our initial business combination, as a result of which they would then receive expense reimbursements; |
| ● | potential ability to obtain additional financing to complete our initial business combination; |
| ● | pool of prospective target businesses; |
| ● | the ability of our officers and directors to generate a number of potential investment opportunities; |
| ● | potential change in control if we acquire one or more target businesses for stock; |
| ● | the potential liquidity and trading of our securities; |
| ● | the lack of a market for our securities; |
| ● | use of proceeds not held in the trust account or available to us from interest income on the trust account balance; or |
| ● | financial performance following our initial public offering. |
The forward-looking statements contained in this report are based on our current expectations and beliefs concerning future developments and their potential effects on us. There can be no assurance that future developments affecting us will be those that we have anticipated. These forward-looking statements involve a number of risks, uncertainties (some of which are beyond our control) or other assumptions that may cause actual results or performance to be materially different from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, those factors described under the heading “Risk Factors.” Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should any of our assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary in material respects from those projected in these forward-looking statements. We undertake no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as may be required under applicable securities laws and/or if and when management knows or has a reasonable basis on which to conclude that previously disclosed projections are no longer reasonably attainable.
ii
PART I
ITEM 1. BUSINESS
In this Annual Report on Form 10-K (the “Form 10-K”), references to the “Company”and “Aquaron” and to “we,” “us,” and “our” refer to Aquaron Acquisition Corp.
Introduction
Aquaron Acquisition Corp. is a blank check company formed for the purpose of entering into a merger, share exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, recapitalization, reorganization or other similar business combination with one or more businesses or entities. Our efforts to identify a target business will not be limited to a particular industry or geographic region, although we intend to focus on operating businesses in the new energy sector. We affirmatively exclude as an initial business combination target any company of which financial statements are audited by an accounting firm that the United States Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (“PCAOB”) is unable to inspect for two consecutive years beginning in 2021 and any target company with China operations consolidated through a VIE structure.
On October 6, 2022, we completed our initial public offering (“IPO”) of 5,000,000 units at an offering price of $10.00 per unit (the “Public Units’), generating gross proceeds of $50,000,000. Simultaneously with the IPO, the Company sold to its Sponsor (as defined below) 256,250 units at $10.00 per unit (the “Private Units”) in a private placement generating total gross proceeds of $2,562,500.
We granted the underwriter a 45-day option to purchase up to an additional 750,000 Units at the IPO price to cover over-allotments, if any. On October 14, 2022, the underwriters partially exercised the over-allotment option to purchase 417,180 Units (“Over-Allotment Option Units”) at $10.00 per Unit generating total gross proceeds of $4,171,800. Simultaneously with the sale of the Over-Allotment Option Units, we consummated the Private Placement of an additional 12,515 Private Units generating gross proceeds of $125,154.
A total of $54,984,377 of the net proceeds from the sale of the Units in the IPO (including the Over-Allotment Option Units) and the Private Placements on October 6, 2022 and October 14, 2022, were deposited in a trust account with Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company acting as trustee.
All of the proceeds we receive from these purchases have been placed in the trust account described above and, together with the interests earned on the funds held in the trust account and except for payment of our franchise and income taxes if any, shall not be released to us until the earlier of the completion of our initial business combination and our redemption of the shares of common stock sold in the IPO upon our failure to consummate a business combination within the required period. We are not permitted to use the proceeds placed in the trust account and the interests earned thereon to pay any excise taxes or any other similar fees or taxes in nature that may be imposed on the company pursuant to any current, pending or future rules or laws, including without limitation any excise tax due imposed under the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) of 2022 (H.R. 5376) on any redemptions or stock buybacks by the Company.
With these exceptions, expenses incurred by us may be paid prior to a business combination only from the net proceeds of our IPO not held in the trust account; provided, however, that in order to meet our working capital needs following the consummation of our IPO, if the funds not held in the trust account are insufficient, our insiders, officers and directors or their affiliates may, but are not obligated to, loan us funds, from time to time or at any time, in whatever amount they deem reasonable in their sole discretion. Each loan would be evidenced by a promissory note. The notes would either be paid upon consummation of our initial business combination, without interest, or, at the lender’s discretion, up to $600,000 of the notes may be converted upon consummation of our business combination into private units at a price of $10.00 per unit (which, for example, would result in the holders being issued units to acquire 72,000 shares of Common Stock (which includes 12,000 shares of Common Stock issuable upon exercise of rights). If we do not complete a business combination, the loans would be repaid out of funds not held in the trust account, and only to the extent available.
On February 8, 2023, the Company issued an unsecured promissory note in the aggregate principal amount of $100,000 to Aquaron Investments LLC (the “Sponsor”) in exchange for the Sponsor depositing such amount into the Company’s working capital account in order to meet our working capital needs following the consummation of our IPO.
On February 23, 2023, the Company issued unsecured promissory note in the aggregate principal amount of $140,000 to the Sponsor in exchange for the Sponsor depositing such amount into the Company’s working capital account in order to meet our working capital needs following the consummation of our IPO.
1
On June 28, 2023, the Company held a special meeting of stockholders, at which the Company’s stockholders approved (i) an amendment to the Company’s amended and restated certificate of incorporation (the “Extension Amendment”) and (ii) an amendment (the “Trust Amendment”) to the Investment Management Trust Agreement, dated October 3, 2022, by and between the Company and Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company to allow the Company to extend the business combination period for a period of 3 months from July 6, 2023 to October 6, 2023, plus an option for the Company to further extend such date to January 6, 2024, and then on a monthly basis up to four times from January 6, 2024 to May 6, 2024. In connection with the stockholders’ vote at the special meeting, an aggregate of 2,487,090 shares with redemption value of approximately $25,943,773 (or $10.43 per share) of the Company’s common stock were tendered for redemption.
On June 29, 2023, October 4, 2023, January 3, 2024, February 2, 2024, March 1, 2024, April 2, 2024 and May 2, 2024, Bestpath deposited $210,000, $210,000, $70,000, $70,000, $70,000, $70,000 and $20,000, respectively, into the Trust Account to extend the amount of time it has available to complete a business combination. Accordingly, Aquaron now has until June 6, 2024 to complete its initial business combination.
On June 30, 2023, October 3, 2023, January 3, 2024, February 2, 2024, March 1, 2024, April 8, 2024 and May 2, 2024, the Company issued the unsecured promissory notes (the “Note”) in the principal amount of $210,000, $210,000, $70,000, $70,000, $70,000, $70,000 and $20,000, respectively, to Bestpath in exchange for Bestpath depositing such amount into the Company’s trust account in order to extend the amount of time it has available to complete a business combination. The Notes does not bear interest and mature upon closing of a business combination by the Company. In addition, the Note may be converted by the holder into shares of common stock of the Company identical to the common stock issued in the Company’s IPO at a price of approximately $8.33 per share.
On February 28, 2024, we received a written notice (the “February Notice”) from the Listing Qualifications staff (the “Staff”) of Nasdaq, notifying us that it currently does not satisfy Listing Rule 5550(a)(3), which requires us to have at least 300 public holders (as defined in Listing Rule 5005(a)(36)) for continued listing on the Nasdaq Capital Market (the “Minimum Public Holders Rule”). The February Notice states that we have 45 calendar days to submit a plan to regain compliance with the Minimum Public Holders Rule. We are monitoring the number of its public holders and will consider options available to it to potentially achieve compliance. We submitted a plan to regain compliance with the Minimum Public Holders Rule on April 15, 2024. If Nasdaq accepts our plan, Nasdaq may grant us an extension of up to 180 calendar days from the date of the February Notice to evidence compliance with the Minimum Public Holders Rule. If Nasdaq does not accept our plan, we will have the opportunity to appeal the decision to the Nasdaq Hearings Panel.
On April 19, 2024, we received a written notice (the “April Notice”) from the Staff, notifying us that it currently does not satisfy Listing Rule 5250(c)(1), as a result of not having timely filed with the SEC its Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2023 (the “Form 10-K”). We have 60 calendar days from the date of the April Notice, or until June 18, 2024, to submit to Nasdaq a plan to regain compliance with the Nasdaq Listing Rule 5250(c)(1). If we submit a plan to Nasdaq and Nasdaq accepts the plan, Nasdaq can grant an exception of up to 180 calendar days from the due date of the filing of the Form 10-K, or until October 14, 2024, to regain compliance. If we do not regain compliance within the allotted compliance periods, including any extensions that may be granted by Nasdaq, Nasdaq will provide notice that our common stock will be subject to delisting. We would then be entitled to appeal that determination to a Nasdaq hearings panel.
Business Combination
Merger Agreement
On March 23, 2023, we entered into an Agreement and Plan of Merger (as amended from time to time, the “Agreement”) with (i) Bestpath IoT Technology Ltd., a Cayman Islands exempted company (“Holdco”), (ii) Bestpath Group Limited, an exempted company incorporated in Cayman Islands and a direct wholly-owned subsidiary of Holdco (“PubCo”), (iii) Bestpath Merger Sub I Limited, an exempted company incorporated in Cayman Islands and a direct wholly-owned subsidiary of PubCo (“Merger Sub 1”), (iv) Bestpath Merger Sub II Inc., a Delaware corporation and a direct wholly-owned subsidiary of PubCo (“Merger Sub 2” and, together with PubCo and Merger Sub 1, each an “Acquisition Entity” and collectively, the “Acquisition Entities”), and (v) Bestpath (Shanghai) IoT Technology Co., Ltd. (轻程（上海）物联网科技有限公司), a PRC limited liability company (“Bestpath”). All capitalized terms used herein and not defined shall have the meanings ascribed to them in the Agreement.
Pursuant to the Agreement and subject to the terms and conditions set forth therein, (i) Merger Sub 1 will merger with and into the Holdco (the “Initial Merger”) whereby the separate existence of Merger Sub 1 will cease and Holdco will be the surviving corporation of the Initial Merger and become a wholly owned subsidiary of PubCo, and (ii) following confirmation of the effective filing of the Initial Merger, Merger Sub 2 will merge with and into us (the “SPAC Merger”, and together with the Initial Merger, the “Mergers”), the separate existence of Merger Sub 2 will cease and we will be the surviving corporation of the SPAC Merger and a direct wholly owned subsidiary of PubCo.
The Mergers implies a current equity value of Bestpath at $1.2 billion prior to the closing of the Mergers (the “Closing”). As a result of the Mergers, among other things, (i) each outstanding share in Holdco shall automatically be cancelled, and in exchange for the right to receive newly issued ordinary shares in PubCo (“PubCo Ordinary Shares”) at the Holdco Exchange Ratio; (ii) each outstanding SPAC Unit will be automatically detached; (iii) each unredeemed outstanding share of our common stock will be cancelled in exchange for the right to receive one PubCo Ordinary Share, (iv) every five (5) outstanding our rights will be cancelled and cease to exist in exchange for one PubCo Ordinary Share, and (v) each SPAC UPO will automatically be cancelled and cease to exist in exchange for one (1) PubCo UPO. Each outstanding PubCo Ordinary Share will have a value at the time of the Closing of $10.00.
In addition, following the Closing, PubCo will (a) issue an aggregate of up to 15,000,000 PubCo Ordinary Shares (the “Earnout Shares”) to the Holdco’s shareholders who hold Holdco’s shares as of immediately prior to the effective time of the Initial Merger on a pro rata basis, and (b) issue an aggregate of up to 15,000,000 PubCo Ordinary Shares to eligible participants including directors, officers and employees of Bestpath under a share incentive plan to be established then (the “Earnout Incentive Plan”). The Earnout Shares and the Earnout Incentive Plan will be subject to certain milestones (based on the achievement of certain targets of consolidated revenue for the fiscal year of 2023 and 2024).
2
Representations and Warranties
In the Agreement, Bestpath and Holdco (collectively, the “Warrantors”) make certain representations and warranties (with certain exceptions set forth in Bestpath’s disclosure schedule) with respect to Holdco and Bestpath (collectively with respective subsidiaries, “Company Group”) and the Acquisition Entities, including matters relating to, among other things: (a) proper corporate organization and similar corporate matters; (b) authorization, execution, delivery and enforceability of the Agreement and other transaction documents; (c) absence of conflicts; (d) capital structure and validity of share issuance; (e) accuracy of charter documents and corporate records; (f) required consents and approvals; (g) financial information; (h) absence of certain changes or events; (i) title to assets and properties; (j) material contracts; (k) ownership of real property; (l) licenses and permits; (m) compliance with laws, including those relating to foreign corrupt practices and money laundering; (n) ownership of intellectual property; (o) customers and suppliers; (p) employment and labor matters; (q) taxes matters; (r) environmental matters; (s) brokers and finders; (t) that neither Holdco nor Bestpath is an investment company; (u) privacy and data protection; (v) no alternative transactions, (w) litigation, and (y) other customary representations and warranties.
In the Agreement, we make certain representations and warranties relating to, among other things: (a) proper corporate organization and similar corporate matters; (b) authorization, execution, delivery and enforceability of the Agreement and other transaction documents; (c) absence of conflicts; (d) litigation; (e) brokers and finders; (f) capital structure and validity of share issuance; (g) minimum trust fund amount; (h) validity of Nasdaq Stock Market listing; (i) SEC filing requirements and financial statements; (j) material contracts; (k) compliance with laws, including those relating to foreign corrupt practices and money laundering; (l) taxes matters; (m) that SPAC is not an investment company; (n) no alternative transactions, and (l) other customary representations and warranties.
Conduct Prior to Closing; Covenants
Each of Holdco, Bestpath, and SPAC has agreed to, and agreed to cause their respective subsidiaries to, use commercially reasonable efforts to, conduct their respective business only in the ordinary course consistent with past practice, prior to the Closing, and not to take certain specified actions without the prior written consent of the other party.
Bestpath also agrees that it shall:
| ● | use commercially reasonable efforts to enter into definitive agreements to raise additional investment (the “PIPE Investment”); and |
| ● | use its all commercially best efforts to duly complete a reorganization as soon as practicable in accordance with applicable laws and the Reorganization Plan attached to the Agreement, immediately after which, Bestpath will become a wholly-owned indirect subsidiary of Holdco (the “Reorganization”). |
The Agreement also contains covenants providing for:
| ● | each party providing access to their books and records and providing information relating to their respective business to the other party, its legal counsel and other representatives; |
| ● | each party having obligation to promptly notify the other party for notices and other communications it has received in relation to certain matters of the transactions contemplated under the Agreement; |
| ● | Bestpath to deliver the audited financial statements as of and for the fiscal years ended September 30, 2021 and 2022; |
| ● | Aquaron to make appropriate arrangements with respect to the funds in its trust account; |
| ● | exculpation, indemnification, advancement of expenses, and insurance arrangement in favor of directors and officers of Aquaron and Company Group; |
| ● | parties’ cooperation in making filings with the SEC; and |
| ● | that the Bestpath may, at its sole discretion, select to pay certain amounts to extend the time Aquaron has to complete a business combination under certain circumstances and if necessary. |
Conditions to Closing
General Conditions
Consummation of the transactions under this Agreement is conditioned on, among other things, (i) the absence of any applicable Law or prohibiting the transactions; (ii) the Form F-4 having been declared effective by the SEC; (iii) each of the additional agreements described in the Agreement having been entered into, provided that no less than 95% of the Closing Payment Shares shall be subject to the Bestpath’s Shareholders Lock-up Agreement (see below); (iv) the requisite approval of the shareholders of Aquaron and Holdco having been obtained; and (v) immediately after the Closing, PubCo having in excess of US$5,000,000 in net tangible assets.
3
Aquaron’s Conditions
Our obligation to consummate the Closing is conditioned upon, in addition to the conditions described in the first paragraph and among other things, the following:
| ● | Company Group complying with all of the obligations under the Agreement in all material respects; |
| ● | the Fundamental Representations of the Warrantors being true and correct in all material respects and representations of the Warrantors other than the Fundamental Representations being true and correct except to the extent that would not have a Material Adverse Effect; |
| ● | there having been no material adverse effect on the business of Bestpath; |
| ● | the requisite third party consents and governmental approvals having been obtained; and |
| ● | the Reorganization having been consummated. |
Holdco’s Conditions
The obligation of Holdco’s obligation to consummation the Closing is conditioned upon, in addition to the conditions described in the first paragraph and among other things, the following:
| ● | Aquaron complying with all of their obligations under the Agreement in all material respects; |
| ● | disregarding all materiality qualifiers, the representations and warranties of Aquaron being true and correct except to the extent that would not have a Material Adverse Effect; |
| ● | there having been no material adverse effect on Aquaron; |
| ● | Aquaron shall have completed its share redemption in accordance with the Agreement and its proxy statement; and |
| ● | Aquaron complying with the applicable reporting requirements under the Securities Act and Exchange Act. |
Termination
The Agreement may be terminated as follows:
| ● | in the event the Closing has not occurred by January 6, 2024, by Aquaron or Bestpath, provided that the party seeking to terminate this Agreement has not committed any material breach; or |
| ● | in the event Aquaron or the Bestpath has committed any material breach and such breach is not cured within fifteen (15) days following receipt of a notice of breach from the other party, the non-breaching party may terminate this Agreement by giving notice to the other party. |
The foregoing summary of the Agreement does not purport to be complete and is qualified in its entirety by reference to the actual agreement, which is filed as Exhibit 2.1 hereto.
Additional Agreements Executed in Connection With the Agreement
Bestpath Voting and Support Agreement
Concurrently with the execution of the Agreement, certain shareholders of Bestpath, representing more than fifty percent (50%) of the equity interests in Bestpath, have entered into a voting and support agreement with the Holdco, Bestpath, each of the Acquisition Entities and Aquaron, pursuant to which each such holder agrees to, among other things, vote in favor of the transactions contemplated by the Agreement.
Sponsor Voting and Support Agreement
Concurrently with the execution of the Agreement, Sponsor has entered into and delivered a support agreement, pursuant to which the Sponsor has agreed, among others, to vote in favor of the Agreement and the transactions contemplated thereunder at the SPAC Special Meeting in accordance with the Insider Letter.
4
Additional Agreements to be Executed at Closing
In addition to the Agreement, the following agreements will be entered into in connection with the Closing.
Shareholders Lock-Up Agreement
Certain Bestpath Shareholders will enter into an agreement with the PubCo, to be effective as of the Closing, pursuant to which at least ninety-five percent (95%) of the Merger Consideration Shares shall be subject to a lock-up in accordance with the terms and conditions thereunder.
Registration Rights Agreement
In connection with the transactions, PubCo shall enter into an amended and restated registration rights agreement with certain Holdco shareholders and the initial shareholders of Aquaron to provide for the registration of the PubCo Ordinary Shares.
U.S. Foreign Investment Regulations
Our Sponsor, Aquaron Investments LLC, a Delaware limited liability company, which is controlled by Mr. Yating Wang, a PRC resident and a non-U.S. person, currently owns an aggregate of 1,578,060 shares of common stock of the Company (including 268,765 shares underlying the Private Units) or 22.41% of our outstanding shares.
Controlling or non-controlling investments in U.S. businesses that produce, design, test, manufacture, fabricate or develop one or more critical technologies in one of 27 identified industries — including aviation, defense, semiconductors, telecommunications and biotechnology — are subject to a mandatory filing with the Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S. (“CFIUS”). In addition, CFIUS is an interagency committee authorized to review certain transactions involving foreign investment in the United States by foreign persons in order to determine the effect of such transactions on the national security of the United States. Because we may be considered a “foreign person” under such rules and regulations, any proposed business combination between us and a U.S. business engaged in a regulated industry or which may affect national security, we could be subject to such foreign ownership restrictions and/or CFIUS review. The scope of CFIUS was expanded by the Foreign Investment Risk Review Modernization Act of 2018 (“FIRRMA”) to include certain non-passive, non-controlling investments in sensitive U.S. businesses and certain acquisitions of real estate even with no underlying U.S. business. FIRRMA, and subsequent implementing regulations that are now in force, also subject certain categories of investments to mandatory filings. If our potential initial business combination with a U.S. business falls within the scope of foreign ownership restrictions, we may be unable to consummate a business combination with such business. In addition, if our potential business combination falls within CFIUS’s jurisdiction, we may be required to make a mandatory filing or determine to submit a voluntary notice to CFIUS, or to proceed with the initial business combination without notifying CFIUS and risk CFIUS intervention, before or after closing the initial business combination. CFIUS may decide to block or delay our initial business combination, impose conditions to mitigate national security concerns with respect to such initial business combination or order us to divest all or a portion of a U.S. business of the combined company if we had proceeded without first obtaining CFIUS clearance. The foreign ownership limitations, and the potential impact of CFIUS, may limit the attractiveness of a transaction with us or prevent us from pursuing certain initial business combination opportunities that we believe would otherwise be beneficial to us and our shareholders. As a result, the pool of potential targets with which we could complete an initial business combination may be limited and we may be adversely affected in terms of competing with other special purpose acquisition companies which do not have similar foreign ownership issues.
Moreover, the process of government review, whether by CFIUS or otherwise, could be lengthy. Because we have only limited time to complete our initial business combination, our failure to obtain any required approvals within the requisite time period may require us to liquidate. If we liquidate, our public shareholders may only receive $10.41 per share (as of the June 7, 2023), and our rights will expire worthless. This will also cause you to lose any potential investment opportunity in a target company and the chance of realizing future gains on your investment through any price appreciation in the combined company.
We are currently contemplating the Mergers with Bestpath whose businesses are substantially based in mainland China, and potentially in the future, in other markets outside the U.S. As a result, we do not expect the Mergers to result in “control” of a “U.S. business” by a “foreign person.” under the CFIUS. Additionally, we do not expect the business of Aquaron to be deemed to have a nexus to “critical technologies,” “covered investment critical infrastructure,” and/or “sensitive personal data” under the regulations administered by CFIUS. If, however, we decide not to proceed with the Mergers with Bestpath, or the Mergers is terminated or abandoned and we have to pursue an alternative business combination, or if we inadvertently concluded about CFIUS or other regulatory review on the Mergers, the significant ties to non-U.S. persons will impact us in numerous aspects as mentioned above.
5
Our Management Team
Our Chief Execute Officer, Ms. Yi Zhou, co-founded Ease Consulting in September 2019 and has served as its chief executive officer since then. She is responsible for providing consultancy services to funds including VC funds that are expanding their limited partner base in the U.S. and other countries and advise on fund-raising. Our Chief Financial Officer, Mr. Qingze Zhao is currently working at Wang & Partners Consulting where he conducts research at the corporate strategic level. Our independent directors also have company management experience in both the United States and China. For example, Ms. Yanyan Lin has been serving as the founder and chief executive officer of Bole Education Consulting Inc., a Maryland incorporated education consulting company, since July 2014. Mr. Yang Wang was a partner at Cowin Capital from February 2011 to March 2021, where he focused on various transactions predominantly in the healthcare sector. Mr. Xiaoming Ma has experience in delivering concrete business plans and executing such plans in the European renewable energy industry.
We believe that:
| ● | our team’s networks and relationships from sourcing, evaluating, due diligence, and executing transactions will provide us with a significant pipeline of opportunities; |
| ● | our team’s unique background and experience in completing a variety of large-scale domestic and cross-border transactions between the U.S. and Asia will be attractive to leading Asia based companies; and |
| ● | our team’s extensive operational and investment management experience will enable a highly focused approach to idea generation, analysis and transaction execution. |
However, none of our management team is obligated to remain with the company after an acquisition transaction, and we cannot provide assurance that the resignation or retention of our current management will be a term or condition in any agreement relating to an acquisition transaction. Moreover, despite the competitive advantages we believe we have, we remain subject to significant competition with respect to identifying and executing an acquisition transaction.
Acquisition Strategy and Criteria
Our management team intends to focus on potential acquisition targets in the new energy sector. We affirmatively exclude as an initial business combination target any company of which financial statements are audited by an accounting firm that the United States PCAOB is unable to inspect for two consecutive years beginning in 2021 and any target company with China operation consolidated through a VIE structure. We believe that our experience and networks will enable us to identify potential business combination opportunities efficiently and productively. In addition, we believe the target business will benefit from our involvement, through the potential strategic relationships we can introduce, as well as by assisting the target in areas such as intellectual property management and corporate strategy. Despite our intended focus, we may attempt to acquire a target in another industry if an attractive acquisition opportunity is identified in such other industry prior to the time we identify an acquisition opportunity within our primary industry focus and if we believe that such opportunity is in the best interest of our stockholders.
We have identified the following general criteria that we believe are important in evaluating candidates for our initial business combination.
The main ambition of our management is to create the value-added for our stockholders though our experience to shift the operating efficiency of the business while implementing the revenue-driven and/or profit-engagement strategies and gain the profits through acquisitions. Consistent with our strategy, we have identified the following general criteria and guidelines that we believe are essential in evaluating prospective target businesses. While we intend to use these criteria and guidelines in evaluating prospective businesses, we may deviate from these criteria and guidelines should we consider well-fit to do so:
| ● | Industries that are Not Heavily Regulated or Related to National Security |
We will not acquire an operating business that is highly regulated by its home country or related to national security, including companies that collect and process large amounts of public information and data, companies related to artificial intelligence, telecommunications companies, companies involved in semiconductor industries, rare natural resource companies, UAV, geological survey companies or any other enterprises that may relate to a country’s strategic reserve, resources critical to national security, human stem cells, or development or application of gene diagnosis and treatment technology.
6
| ● | Niche Deal Size |
We intend to acquire companies which enterprise values of between $150 million and $300 million that are preferably already cash-generative. We believe we have greater access to companies within this range and the negotiation process is expected comparable time-saving.
| ● | Long-term Revenue Visibility with Defensible Market Position |
In the management view, the target companies should appropriate at an inflection point, such as those requiring additional management expertise, are able to innovate by developing new products or services, or where we believe we have ability to achievement improved profitability performance and where an acquisition may help facilitate growth.
| ● | Benefits from Being a U.S. Public Company (Value Creation and Marketing Opportunities) |
We have intention to search target companies that should offer attractive risk-adjusted equity returns for our stockholders. We intend to seek to acquire a target on terms and in a manner that leverages our experience. We are regarding to evaluate financial returns based on (i) the potential for organic growth in cash flows, (ii) the ability to achieve cost savings, (iii) the ability to accelerate growth, including through the opportunity for follow-on acquisitions and (iv) the prospects for creating value through other value creation initiatives. Potential upside from future growth in the target business’ earnings and an improved capital structure will be prior than any identified downside risks.
| ● | Leadership Position |
We will seek to identify one or more companies that have a leadership position in their industry or a defensible niche within a target market as a result of differentiated technology or other competitive advantages.
These criteria are not intended to be exhaustive. Any evaluation relating to the merits of a particular initial business combination may be based, to the extent relevant, on these general guidelines as well as other considerations, factors and criteria that our management may deem relevant.
Effecting Our Initial Business Combination
General
We are not presently engaged in, and we will not engage in, any substantive commercial business for an indefinite period of time following the IPO. We intend to utilize cash derived from the proceeds of the IPO and the private placement of private units, our capital stock, debt or a combination of these in effecting our initial business combination. Although substantially all of the net proceeds of the IPO and the private placement of private units are intended to be applied generally toward effecting a business combination as described in our IPO prospectus, the proceeds are not otherwise being designated for any more specific purposes. Accordingly, investors in the IPO are investing without first having an opportunity to evaluate the specific merits or risks of any one or more business combinations. Our initial business combination may involve the acquisition of, or merger with, a company which does not need substantial additional capital but which desires to establish a public trading market for its shares. In the alternative, we may seek to consummate a business combination with a company that may be financially unstable or in its early stages of development or growth. While we may seek to effect simultaneous business combinations with more than one target business, we will probably have the ability, as a result of our limited resources, to effect only a single business combination.
Sources of Target Businesses
At the time of the IPO, we anticipated that target business candidates will be brought to our attention from various unaffiliated sources, including investment bankers, venture capital funds, private equity funds, leveraged buyout funds, management buyout funds and other members of the financial community. Target businesses may be brought to our attention by such unaffiliated sources as a result of being solicited by us through calls or mailings. These sources may also introduce us to target businesses in which they think we may be interested on an unsolicited basis.
Our officers and directors, as well as their respective affiliates, also brought to our attention target business candidates that they became aware of through their business contacts as a result of formal or informal inquiries or discussions they may have, as well as attending trade shows or conventions. In no event, however, will any of our existing insiders, special advisors or any entity with which they are affiliated, be paid any finder’s fee, consulting fee or other compensation prior to, or for any services they render in order to effectuate, the consummation of a business combination (regardless of the type of transaction). If we decide to enter into a business combination with a target business that is affiliated with our insiders, we will do so only if we have obtained an opinion from an independent investment banking firm that the business combination is fair to our unaffiliated stockholders from a financial point of view.
7
Selection of a Target Business and Structuring of Our Initial Business Combination
Subject to the limitations that a target business have a fair market value of at least 80% of the balance in the trust account (excluding any deferred underwriting discounts and commissions and taxes payable on the income earned on the trust account) at the time of the execution of a definitive agreement for our initial business combination, as described below in more detail, we will have virtually unrestricted flexibility in identifying and selecting a prospective acquisition candidate. We did not establish any other specific attributes or criteria (financial or otherwise) for prospective target businesses. To the extent we effect a business combination with a company or an entity in its early stage of development or growth, including entities without established records of sales or earnings, we may be affected by numerous risks inherent in the business and operations of early stage or potential emerging growth companies, which we will disclose to investors in a proxy statement or registration statement to be filed in connection with the business combination. Although management endeavors to evaluate the risks inherent in a particular target business, there is no assurance that it will properly ascertain or assess all significant risk factors.
Fair Market Value of Target Business
Pursuant to Nasdaq listing rules, our initial business combination must occur with one or more target businesses having an aggregate fair market value equal to at least 80% of the value of the funds in the trust account (excluding any deferred underwriting discounts and commissions and taxes payable on the income earned on the trust account), which we refer to as the 80% test, at the time of the execution of a definitive agreement for our initial business combination, although we may structure a business combination with one or more target businesses whose fair market value significantly exceeds 80% of the trust account balance. If we are no longer listed on Nasdaq, we will not be required to satisfy the 80% test.
We have structured the business combination with Bestpath so that the post-business combination company in which our public stockholders own shares will own or acquire 100% of the equity interests in Bestpath. If we are unable to consummate the business combination with Bestpath and have to identify another target business or businesses, we may, however, structure our initial business combination such that the post-business combination company owns less than 100% of such interests or assets of the target business in order to meet certain objectives of the target management team or stockholders or for other reasons, but we will only complete such business combination if the post-business combination company owns 50% or more of the outstanding voting securities of the target or otherwise owns a controlling interest in the target sufficient for it not to be required to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, or the Investment Company Act. Even if the post-business combination company owns 50% or more of the voting securities of the target, our stockholders prior to the business combination may collectively own a minority interest in the post-business combination company, depending on valuations ascribed to the target and us in the business combination transaction. For example, we could pursue a transaction in which we issue a substantial number of new shares in exchange for all of the outstanding capital stock of a target. In this case, we would acquire a 100% controlling interest in the target. However, as a result of the issuance of a substantial number of new shares, our stockholders immediately prior to our initial business combination could own less than a majority of our outstanding shares subsequent to our initial business combination. If less than 100% of the equity interests or assets of a target business or businesses are owned or acquired by the post-business combination company, the portion of such business or businesses that is owned or acquired is what will be valued for purposes of the 80% test.
Stockholders May Not Have the Ability to Approve an Initial Business Combination
In connection with any proposed business combination, we will either (1) seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination at a meeting called for such purpose at which public stockholders may seek to redeem their public shares, regardless of whether they vote for or against the proposed business combination, into their pro rata share of the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account (net of taxes payable) or (2) provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to sell their public shares to us by means of a tender offer (and thereby avoid the need for a stockholder vote) for an amount equal to their pro rata share of the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account (net of taxes payable), in each case subject to the limitations described herein. Notwithstanding the foregoing, our insiders have agreed, pursuant to written letter agreements with us, not to redeem any public shares held by them into their pro rata share of the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account. If we determine to engage in a tender offer, such tender offer will be structured so that each stockholder may tender any or all of his, her or its public shares rather than some pro rata portion of his, her or its shares. The decision as to whether we will seek stockholder approval of a proposed business combination or will allow stockholders to sell their shares to us in a tender offer will be made by us based on a variety of factors such as the timing of the transaction and whether the terms of the transaction would otherwise require us to seek stockholder approval. If we so choose and we are legally permitted to do so, we have the flexibility to avoid a stockholder vote and allow our stockholders to sell their shares pursuant to Rule 13e-4 and Regulation 14E of the Exchange Act which regulate issuer tender offers. In that case, we will file tender offer documents with the SEC which will contain substantially the same financial and other information about the initial business combination as is required under the SEC’s proxy rules. We will consummate our initial business combination only if we have net tangible assets of at least $5,000,001 upon such consummation and, solely if we seek stockholder approval, a majority of the issued and outstanding shares of common stock voted are voted in favor of the business combination.
8
We chose our net tangible asset threshold of $5,000,001 to ensure that we would avoid being subject to Rule 419 promulgated under the Securities Act. However, if we seek to consummate an initial business combination with a target business that imposes any type of working capital closing condition or requires us to have a minimum amount of funds available from the trust account upon consummation of such initial business combination, our net tangible asset threshold may limit our ability to consummate such initial business combination (as we may be required to have a lesser number of shares converted or sold to us) and may force us to seek third party financing which may not be available on terms acceptable to us or at all. As a result, we may not be able to consummate such initial business combination and we may not be able to locate another suitable target within the applicable time period, if at all. Public stockholders may therefore have to wait until June 6, 2024 (or as further extended if applicable) in order to be able to receive a pro rata share of the trust account.
Our insiders and our officers and directors have agreed (1) to vote any shares of common stock owned by them in favor of any proposed business combination, (2) not to redeem any shares of common stock in connection with a stockholder vote to approve a proposed initial business combination and (3) not sell any shares of common stock in any tender offer in connection with a proposed initial business combination. As a result, if we sought stockholder approval of a proposed transaction, we would need only 137,001 of our public shares (or approximately 2.53% of our public shares) to be voted in favor of the transaction in order to have such transaction approved (assuming that only a quorum was present at the meeting, and that the insiders do not purchase any units in the IPO or units or shares in the after-market).
None of our officers, directors, insiders or their affiliates has indicated any intention to purchase units or shares of common stock in the IPO or from persons in the open market or in private transactions. However, if we hold a meeting to approve a proposed business combination and a significant number of stockholders vote, or indicate an intention to vote, against such proposed business combination, our officers, directors, insiders, or their affiliates could make such purchases in the open market or in private transactions in order to influence the vote. Notwithstanding the foregoing, our officers, directors, insiders, and their affiliates will not make purchases of common stock if the purchases would violate Section 9(a)(2) or Rule 10b-5 of the Exchange Act, which are rules designed to stop potential manipulation of a company’s stock.
Tendering share certificates in connection with a tender offer or redemption rights
At any meeting called to approve an initial business combination, public stockholders may seek to redeem their public shares, regardless of whether they vote for or against the proposed business combination, into their pro rata share of the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, less any taxes then due but not yet paid. Notwithstanding the foregoing, our insiders have agreed, pursuant to written letter agreements with us, not to redeem any public shares held by them into their pro rata share of the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account. If we hold a meeting to approve an initial business combination, a holder will always have the ability to vote against a proposed business combination and not seek redemption of his, her or its shares.
Alternatively, if we engage in a tender offer, each public stockholder will be provided the opportunity to sell his, her or its public shares to us in such tender offer. The tender offer rules require us to hold the tender offer open for at least 20 business days. Accordingly, this is the minimum amount of time we would need to provide holders to determine whether they want to sell their public shares to us in the tender offer or remain an investor in our company.
Our insiders, officers, and directors will not have redemption rights with respect to any shares of common stock owned by them, directly or indirectly, whether acquired prior to the IPO or purchased by them in the IPO or in the aftermarket.
We may also require public stockholders, whether they are a record holder or hold their shares in “street name,” to either tender their certificates (if any) to our transfer agent or to deliver their shares to the transfer agent electronically using Depository Trust Company’s DWAC (Deposit/Withdrawal At Custodian) System, at the holder’s option, at any time at or prior to the vote on the business combination. The proxy solicitation materials that we will furnish to stockholders in connection with the vote for any proposed business combination will indicate whether we are requiring stockholders to satisfy such delivery requirements. Accordingly, a stockholder would have from the time our proxy statement is mailed through the vote on the business combination to deliver his shares if he wishes to seek to exercise his redemption rights. Under Delaware law and our bylaws, we are required to provide at least 10 days’ advance notice of any stockholder meeting, which would be the minimum amount of time a stockholder would have to determine whether to exercise redemption rights. As a result, if we require public stockholders who wish to redeem their shares of common stock to receive a pro rata portion of the funds in the trust account to comply with the foregoing delivery requirements, holders may not have sufficient time to receive the notice and deliver their shares for redemption. Accordingly, investors may not be able to exercise their redemption rights and may be forced to retain our securities when they otherwise would not want to.
There is a nominal cost associated with this tendering process and the act of certificating the shares or delivering them through the DWAC System. The transfer agent will typically charge the tendering broker $45 and it would be up to the broker whether or not to pass this cost on to the redeeming holder. However, this fee would be incurred regardless of whether or not we require holders seeking to exercise redemption rights. The need to deliver shares is a requirement of exercising redemption rights regardless of the timing of when such delivery must be effectuated. However, in the event we require stockholders seeking to exercise redemption rights to deliver their shares prior to the consummation of the proposed business combination and the proposed business combination is not consummated, this may result in an increased cost to stockholders.
9
Any request to redeem or tender such shares once made, may be withdrawn at any time up to the vote on the proposed business combination or expiration of the tender offer. Furthermore, if a holder of a public share delivered his, her or its certificate in connection with an election of their redemption or tender and subsequently decides prior to the vote on the business combination or the expiration of the tender offer not to elect to exercise such rights, he, she or it may simply request that the transfer agent return the certificate (physically or electronically).
If the initial business combination is not approved or completed for any reason, then our public stockholders who elected to exercise their redemption or tender rights would not be entitled to redeem their shares for the applicable pro rata share of the trust account. In such case, we will promptly return any shares delivered by public holders.
Automatic Liquidation of Trust Account if No Business Combination
If we do not complete a business combination before June 6, 2024, without our stockholders’ approval of further extension, we will (i) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up, (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter, redeem 100% of the outstanding public shares and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining stockholders and our board of directors, dissolve and liquidate, subject (in the case of (ii) and (iii) above) to our obligations under Delaware law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law. In the event that they elected to extend the time to and deposited the applicable amount of money into trust, the insiders will receive a non-interest bearing, unsecured promissory note equal to the amount of any such deposit that will not be repaid in the event that we are unable to close a business combination unless there are funds available outside the trust account to do so. Such notes would either be paid upon consummation of our initial business combination, or, at the lender’s discretion, converted upon consummation of our business combination into additional private units at a price of $10.00 per unit. Our stockholders have approved the issuance of the private units upon conversion of such notes, to the extent the holder wishes to so convert such notes at the time of the consummation of our initial business combination. In the event that we receive notice from our insiders five days prior to the applicable deadline of their intent to effect an extension, we intend to issue a press release announcing such intention at least three days prior to the applicable deadline. In addition, we intend to issue a press release the day after the applicable deadline announcing whether or not the funds had been timely deposited. Our insiders and their affiliates or designees are not obligated to fund the trust account to extend the time for us to complete our initial business combination. To the extent that some, but not all, of our insiders, decide to extend the period of time to consummate our initial business combination, such insiders (or their affiliates or designees) may deposit the entire amount required. If we do extend the period of time to consummate our initial business combination as described above, we would follow the same liquidation procedures described above if we do not complete a business combination by the end of the extended period. At such time, the rights will expire and holders of rights will receive nothing upon a liquidation with respect to such rights, and the rights will be worthless.
Under the Delaware General Corporation Law, stockholders may be held liable for claims by third parties against a corporation to the extent of distributions received by them in a dissolution. The pro rata portion of our trust account distributed to our public stockholders upon the redemption of 100% of our outstanding public shares in the event we do not complete our initial business combination within the required time period may be considered a liquidation distribution under Delaware law. If the corporation complies with certain procedures set forth in Section 280 of the Delaware General Corporation Law intended to ensure that it makes reasonable provision for all claims against it, including a 60-day notice period during which any third-party claims can be brought against the corporation, a 90-day period during which the corporation may reject any claims brought, and an additional 150-day waiting period before any redemptions are made to stockholders, any liability of stockholders with respect to a redemption is limited to the lesser of such stockholder’s pro rata share of the claim or the amount distributed to the stockholder, and any liability of the stockholder would be barred after the third anniversary of the dissolution.
Furthermore, if the pro rata portion of our trust account distributed to our public stockholders upon the redemption of 100% of our public shares in the event we do not complete our initial business combination within the required time period is not considered a liquidation distribution under Delaware law and such redemption distribution is deemed to be unlawful, then pursuant to Section 174 of the Delaware General Corporation Law, the statute of limitations for claims of creditors could then be six years after the unlawful redemption distribution, instead of three years, as in the case of a liquidation distribution. It is our intention to redeem our public shares as soon as reasonably possible and, therefore, we do not intend to comply with the above procedures. As such, our stockholders could potentially be liable for any claims to the extent of distributions received by them (but no more) and any liability of our stockholders may extend well beyond the third anniversary of such date.
10
Because we will not be complying with Section 280 of the Delaware General Corporation Law, Section 281(b) of the Delaware General Corporation Law requires us to adopt a plan, based on facts known to us at such time that will provide for our payment of all existing and pending claims or claims that may be potentially brought against us within the subsequent 10 years. However, because we are a blank check company, rather than an operating company, and our operations will be limited to seeking to complete an initial business combination, the only likely claims to arise would be from our vendors (such as lawyers, investment bankers, etc.) or prospective target businesses.
We will seek to have all third parties (including any vendors or other entities we engage after the IPO) and any prospective target businesses enter into valid and enforceable agreements with us waiving any right, title, interest or claim of any kind they may have in or to any monies held in the trust account. The underwriters in the IPO will execute such a waiver agreement.
As a result, the claims that could be made against us will be limited, thereby lessening the likelihood that any claim would result in any liability extending to the trust. We therefore believe that any necessary provision for creditors will be reduced and should not have a significant impact on our ability to distribute the funds in the trust account to our public stockholders. Nevertheless, there is no guarantee that vendors, service providers and prospective target businesses will execute such agreements. In the event that a potential contracted party was to refuse to execute such a waiver, we will execute an agreement with that entity only if our management first determines that we would be unable to obtain, on a reasonable basis, substantially similar services or opportunities from another entity willing to execute such a waiver. Examples of instances where we may engage a third party that refused to execute a waiver would be the engagement of a third party consultant who cannot sign such an agreement due to regulatory restrictions, such as our auditors who are unable to sign due to independence requirements, or whose particular expertise or skills are believed by management to be superior to those of other consultants that would agree to execute a waiver or a situation in which management does not believe it would be able to find a provider of required services willing to provide the waiver. There is also no guarantee that, even if they execute such agreements with us, they will not seek recourse against the trust account. Our Sponsor has agreed that it will be liable to us if and to the extent any claims by a vendor for services rendered or products sold to us, or a prospective target business with which we have discussed entering into a transaction agreement, reduce the amount of funds in the trust account to below $10.15 per public share, except as to any claims by a third party who executed a valid and enforceable agreement with us waiving any right, title, interest or claim of any kind they may have in or to any monies held in the trust account and except as to any claims under our indemnity of the underwriters of the IPO against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act. However, the Sponsor may not be able to satisfy its indemnification obligations, as we have not required it to retain any assets to provide for its indemnification obligations, nor have we taken any further steps to ensure that it will be able to satisfy any indemnification obligations that arise. Moreover, our Sponsor will not be liable to our public stockholders and instead will only have liability to us. As a result, if we liquidate, the per-share distribution from the trust account could be less than approximately $10.15 due to claims or potential claims of creditors. We will distribute to all of our public stockholders, in proportion to their respective equity interests, an aggregate sum equal to the amount then held in the trust account, inclusive of any interest not previously released to us, subject to our obligations under Delaware law to provide for claims of creditors as described below.
If we are unable to consummate an initial business combination and are forced to redeem 100% of our outstanding public shares for a portion of the funds held in the trust account, we anticipate notifying the trustee of the trust account to begin liquidating such assets promptly after such date and anticipate it will take no more than 10 business days to effectuate the redemption of our public shares. Our insiders have waived their rights to participate in any redemption with respect to their insider shares. We will pay the costs of any subsequent liquidation from our remaining assets outside of the trust account and from the interest income on the balance of the trust account (net income and other tax obligations) that may be released to us to fund our working capital requirements. If such funds are insufficient, our Sponsor has agreed to pay the funds necessary to complete such liquidation (currently anticipated to be no more than approximately $18,500) and has agreed not to seek repayment of such expenses. Each holder of public shares will receive a full pro rata portion of the amount then in the trust account, plus any pro rata interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us or necessary to pay our taxes. The proceeds deposited in the trust account could, however, become subject to claims of our creditors that are in preference to the claims of public stockholders.
Our public stockholders shall be entitled to receive funds from the trust account only in the event of our failure to complete our initial business combination in the required time period or if the stockholders seek to have us redeem their respective shares of common stock upon a business combination which is actually completed by us. In no other circumstances shall a stockholder have any right or interest of any kind to or in the trust account.
11
If we are forced to file a bankruptcy case or an involuntary bankruptcy case is filed against us which is not dismissed, the proceeds held in the trust account could be subject to applicable bankruptcy law, and may be included in our bankruptcy estate and subject to the claims of third parties with priority over the claims of our stockholders. To the extent any bankruptcy claims deplete the trust account, the per share redemption amount received by public stockholders may be less than $10.15.
If, after we distribute the proceeds in the trust account to our public stockholders, we file a bankruptcy petition or an involuntary bankruptcy petition is filed against us that is not dismissed, any distributions received by stockholders could be viewed under applicable debtor/creditor and/or bankruptcy laws as either a “preferential transfer” or a “fraudulent conveyance.” As a result, a bankruptcy court could seek to recover all amounts received by our stockholders. In addition, our board of directors may be viewed as having breached its fiduciary duty to our creditors and/or having acted in bad faith, thereby exposing itself and us to claims of punitive damages, by paying public stockholders from the trust account prior to addressing the claims of creditors. Claims may be brought against us for these reasons.
Certificate of Incorporation
Our certificate of incorporation contains certain requirements and restrictions relating to the IPO that will apply to us until the consummation of our initial business combination. If we hold a stockholder vote to amend any provisions of our certificate of incorporation relating to stockholder’s rights or pre-business combination activity (including the substance or timing within which we have to complete a business combination), we will provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to redeem their shares of common stock upon approval of any such amendment at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our franchise and income taxes, divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, in connection with any such vote. Our insiders and Chardan Capital Markets, LLC (“Chardan”) have agreed to waive any redemption rights with respect to any insider shares, private shares and any public shares they may hold in connection with any vote to amend our certificate of incorporation. Specifically, our certificate of incorporation provides, among other things, that:
| ● | prior to the consummation of our initial business combination, we shall either (1) seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination at a meeting called for such purpose at which public stockholders may seek to redeem their shares of common stock, regardless of whether they vote for or against the proposed business combination, into a portion of the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, or (2) provide our stockholders with the opportunity to sell their shares to us by means of a tender offer (and thereby avoid the need for a stockholder vote) for an amount equal to their pro rata share of the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, in each case subject to the limitations described herein; |
| ● | we will consummate our initial business combination only if public stockholders do not exercise redemption rights in an amount that would cause our net tangible assets to be less than $5,000,001 and a majority of the outstanding shares of common stock voted are voted in favor of the business combination; |
| ● | if our initial business combination is not consummated within 9 months of the closing of the IPO (or 12 or 15 months, if the period is extended), then our existence will terminate and we will distribute all amounts in the trust account to all of our public holders of shares of common stock; |
| ● | we may not consummate any other business combination, merger, capital stock exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, reorganization or similar transaction prior to our initial business combination; and |
| ● | prior to our initial business combination, we may not issue additional shares of capital stock that would entitle the holders thereof to (i) receive funds from the trust account or (ii) vote on any initial business combination. |
Potential Revisions to Agreements with Insiders
Each of our insiders has entered into letter agreements with us pursuant to which each of them has agreed to do certain things relating to us and our activities prior to a business combination. We could seek to amend these letter agreements without the approval of stockholders, although we have no intention to do so. In particular:
| ● | Restrictions relating to liquidating the trust account if we failed to consummate a business combination in the time-frames specified above could be amended, but only if we allowed all stockholders to redeem their shares in connection with such amendment; |
| ● | Restrictions relating to our insiders being required to vote in favor of a business combination or against any amendments to our organizational documents could be amended to allow our insiders to vote on a transaction as they wished; |
12
| ● | The requirement of members of the management team to remain our officer or director until the closing of a business combination could be amended to allow persons to resign from their positions with us if, for example, the current management team was having difficulty locating a target business and another management team had a potential target business; |
| ● | The restrictions on transfer of our securities could be amended to allow transfer to third parties who were not members of our original management team; |
| ● | The obligation of our management team to not propose amendments to our organizational documents could be amended to allow them to propose such changes to our stockholders; |
| ● | The obligation of insiders to not receive any compensation in connection with a business combination could be modified in order to allow them to receive such compensation; |
| ● | The requirement to obtain a valuation for any target business affiliated with our insiders, in the event it was too expensive to do so. |
Except as specified above, stockholders would not be required to be given the opportunity to redeem their shares in connection with such changes. Such changes could result in:
| ● | Our having an extended period of time to consummate a business combination (although with less in trust as a certain number of our stockholders would certainly redeem their shares in connection with any such extension); |
| ● | Our insiders being able to vote against a business combination or in favor of changes to our organizational documents; |
| ● | Our operations being controlled by a new management team that our stockholders did not elect to invest with; |
| ● | Our insiders receiving compensation in connection with a business combination; and |
| ● | Our insiders closing a transaction with one of their affiliates without receiving an independent valuation of such business. |
We will not agree to any such changes unless we believed that such changes were in the best interests of our stockholders (for example, if we believed such a modification were necessary to complete a business combination). Each of our officers and directors have fiduciary obligations to us requiring that they act in our best interests and the best interests of our stockholders.
Competition
In identifying, evaluating and selecting a target business for our initial business combination, we may encounter intense competition from other entities having a business objective similar to ours, including other blank check companies, private equity groups and leveraged buyout funds, and operating businesses seeking strategic acquisitions. Many of these entities are well established and have significant experience identifying and effecting business combinations directly or through affiliates. Moreover, many of these competitors possess greater financial, technical, human and other resources than us. Our ability to acquire larger target businesses will be limited by our available financial resources. This inherent limitation gives others an advantage in pursuing the acquisition of a target business. Furthermore, the requirement that we acquire a target business or businesses having a fair market value equal to at least 80% of the value of the trust account (excluding any taxes payable) at the time of the agreement to enter into the business combination, and our obligation to pay cash in connection with our public stockholders who exercise their redemption rights, may not be viewed favorably by certain target businesses. Any of these factors may place us at a competitive disadvantage in successfully negotiating our initial business combination.
Employees
We have two executive officers. They are not obligated to devote any specific number of hours to our matters and intend to devote only as much time as they deem necessary to our affairs. The amount of time they will devote in any time period will vary based on whether a target business has been selected for the business combination and the stage of the business combination process the company is in. Accordingly, once management locates a suitable target business to acquire, they will spend more time investigating such target business and negotiating and processing the business combination (and consequently spend more time to our affairs) than they would prior to locating a suitable target business. We presently expect our executive officers to devote such amount of time as they reasonably believe is necessary to our business (which could range from only a few hours a week while we are trying to locate a potential target business to a majority of their time as we move into serious negotiations with a target business for a business combination). We do not intend to have any full time employees prior to the consummation of a business combination.
13
Periodic Reporting and Audited Financial Statements
We have registered our units, common stock and rights under the Exchange Act and have reporting obligations, including the requirement that we file annual, quarterly and current reports with the SEC. In accordance with the requirements of the Exchange Act, our annual report will contain financial statements audited and reported on by our independent registered public accountants.
We will provide stockholders with audited financial statements of the prospective target business as part of any proxy solicitation materials or tender offer documents sent to stockholders to assist them in assessing the target business. These financial statements will need to be prepared in accordance with or reconciled to United States GAAP or IFRS as issued by the IASB. A particular target business identified by us as a potential business combination candidate may not have the necessary financial statements. To the extent that this requirement cannot be met, we may not be able to consummate our initial business combination with the proposed target business.
We may be required by the Sarbanes-Oxley Act to have our internal control over financial reporting audited for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2023. A target company may not be in compliance with the provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act regarding the adequacy of their internal control over financial reporting. The development of the internal control over financial reporting of any such entity to achieve compliance with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act may increase the time and costs necessary to complete any such initial business combination.
We are an emerging growth company as defined in the JOBS Act and will remain such for up to five years. However, if our non-convertible debt issued within a three-year period or our total revenues exceed $1.235 billion or the market value of our shares of common stock that are held by non-affiliates exceeds $700 million on the last day of the second fiscal quarter of any given fiscal year, we would cease to be an emerging growth company as of the following fiscal year. As an emerging growth company, we have elected, under Section 107(b) of the JOBS Act, to take advantage of the extended transition period provided in Section 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act for complying with new or revised accounting standards.
ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS
As a smaller reporting company, we are not required to make disclosures under this Item.
ITEM 1B. UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS
Not applicable.
ITEM 1C. CYBERSECURITY
We are a special purpose acquisition company with no business operations. Since our IPO, our sole business activity has been identifying and evaluating suitable acquisition transaction candidates. Therefore, we do not consider that we face significant cybersecurity risk and have not adopted any cybersecurity risk management program or formal processes for assessing cybersecurity risk. Our board of directors is generally responsible for the oversight of risks from cybersecurity threats, if any. We have not encountered any cybersecurity incidents since our IPO.
ITEM 2. PROPERTIES
We currently maintain our principal executive offices at 515 Madison Avenue, 8th Floor, New York, NY 10022. The space is provided by our Sponsor for free. We consider our current office space, combined with the other office space otherwise available to our executive officers, adequate for our current operations.
ITEM 3. LEGAL PROCEEDINGS
We may be subject to legal proceedings, investigations and claims incidental to the conduct of our business from time to time. We are not currently a party to any material litigation or other legal proceedings brought against us. We are also not aware of any legal proceeding, investigation or claim, or other legal exposure that has a more than remote possibility of having a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations.
ITEM 4. MINE SAFETY DISCLOSURES
Not Applicable.
14
PART II
ITEM 5. MARKET FOR REGISTRANT’S COMMON EQUITY, RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS AND ISSUER PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES
Our units began to trade on The Nasdaq Capital Market, or Nasdaq, under the symbol “AQUNU” on October 4, 2022. The shares of Common Stock and rights comprising the units began separate trading on Nasdaq on October 19, 2022, under the symbols “AQU” and “AQUNR”, respectively.
Holders of Record
As of December 31, 2023, there were 4,553,150 of our shares of Common Stock issued and outstanding held by seven stockholders of record. The number of record holders was determined from the records of our transfer agent and does not include beneficial owners of shares of Common Stock whose shares are held in the names of various security brokers, dealers, and registered clearing agencies.
Dividends
We have not paid any cash dividends on our Common Stock to date and do not intend to pay cash dividends prior to the completion of an initial business combination. The payment of cash dividends in the future will be dependent upon our revenues and earnings, if any, capital requirements and general financial condition subsequent to completion of a business combination. The payment of any dividends subsequent to a business combination will be within the discretion of our board of directors at such time. It is the present intention of our board of directors to retain all earnings, if any, for use in our business operations and, accordingly, our board of directors does not anticipate declaring any dividends in the foreseeable future. In addition, our board of directors is not currently contemplating and does not anticipate declaring any share dividends in the foreseeable future. Further, if we incur any indebtedness, our ability to declare dividends may be limited by restrictive covenants we may agree to in connection therewith.
Securities Authorized for Issuance Under Equity Compensation Plans
None.
Recent Sales of Unregistered Securities
None.
Use of Proceeds
On October 6, 2022, we consummated our IPO of 5,000,000 Units. Each Unit consists of one share of common stock of the Company, par value $0.0001, and one right to receive one-fifth (1/5th) of one share of Common Stock upon the consummation of the Company’s initial business combination. The Units were sold at an offering price of $10.00 per Unit, generating gross proceeds of $50,000,000. Simultaneously with the closing of the IPO, the Company consummated the Private Placement with the Sponsor of 256,250 Private Units, at a price of $10.00 per Private Unit, generating gross proceeds of $2,562,500.00. The Private Units (and the underlying securities) are identical to the Units sold in the IPO, except as otherwise disclosed in the registration statement. No underwriting discounts or commissions were paid with respect to such sale.
Subsequently, on October 14, 2022, the underwriter partially exercised the over-allotment, and the closing of the issuance and sale of the Units occurred on October 14, 2022. The total aggregate issuance by the Company of 417,180 Units at a price of $10.00 per Unit resulted in total gross proceeds of $4,171,800.00. On October 14, 2022, simultaneously with the sale of the Over-Allotment Option Units, the Company consummated the private sale of an additional 12,515.40 Private Units, generating gross proceeds of $125,154.
15
On October 14, 2022, the underwriters canceled the remainder of the over-allotment option. In connection with the cancellation of the remainder of the over-allotment option, the Company has cancelled an aggregate of 83,205 shares of Common Stock issued to the Sponsor, prior to the IPO and Private Placement.
As of October 14, 2022, a total of $54,984,377 of the net proceeds from the sale of the Units in the IPO (including the Over-Allotment Option Units) and the Private Placements on October 6, 2022 and October 14, 2022 respectively, were deposited in a trust account established for the benefit of the Company’s public stockholders and maintained by Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, acting as trustee.
All of the proceeds we receive from these purchases have been placed in the trust account described above and, together with the interests earned on the funds held in the trust account and except for payment of our franchise and income taxes if any, shall not be released to us until the earlier of the completion of our initial business combination and our redemption of the shares of common stock sold in the IPO upon our failure to consummate a business combination within the required period. We are not permitted to use the proceeds placed in the trust account and the interests earned thereon to pay any excise taxes or any other similar fees or taxes in nature that may be imposed on the company pursuant to any current, pending or future rules or laws, including without limitation any excise tax due imposed under the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) of 2022 (H.R. 5376) on any redemptions or stock buybacks by the Company.
With these exceptions, expenses incurred by us may be paid prior to a business combination only from the net proceeds of our IPO not held in the trust account; provided, however, that in order to meet our working capital needs following the consummation of our IPO, if the funds not held in the trust account are insufficient, our insiders, officers and directors or their affiliates may, but are not obligated to, loan us funds, from time to time or at any time, in whatever amount they deem reasonable in their sole discretion. Each loan would be evidenced by a promissory note. The notes would either be paid upon consummation of our initial business combination, without interest, or, at the lender’s discretion, up to $600,000 of the notes may be converted upon consummation of our business combination into private units at a price of $10.00 per unit (which, for example, would result in the holders being issued units to acquire 72,000 shares of Common Stock (which includes 12,000 shares of Common Stock issuable upon exercise of rights). If we do not complete a business combination, the loans would be repaid out of funds not held in the trust account, and only to the extent available.
We paid a total of $812,577 in underwriting discounts and commissions (not including the 3.5% deferred underwriting commission payable at the consummation of business combination) and $835,549 for other costs and expenses related to the IPO.
For a description of the use of the proceeds generated in our initial public offering, see below Part II, Item 7 - Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations of this Form 10-K.
Purchases of Equity Securities by the Issuer and Affiliated Purchasers
None.
ITEM 6. [RESERVED]
As a smaller reporting company, we are not required to make disclosures under this Item.
16
ITEM 7. MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
The following discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations should be read in conjunction with our audited financial statements and the notes related thereto which are included in “Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data” of this Annual Report on Form 10-K. Certain information contained in the discussion and analysis set forth below includes forward-looking statements. Our actual results may differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements as a result of many factors, including those set forth under “Special Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements,” “Item 1A. Risk Factors” and elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
Overview
We are a blank check company formed under the laws of the State of Delaware in March 2021. We were formed for the purpose of entering into a merger, share exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, recapitalization, reorganization or other similar business combination. Our efforts to identify a target business will not be limited to a particular industry or geographic region, although we intend to focus on operating businesses in the new energy sector. We affirmatively exclude as an initial business combination target any company of which financial statements are audited by an accounting firm that the PCAOB is unable to inspect for two consecutive years beginning in 2021 and any target company with China operations consolidated through a VIE structure. We intend to utilize cash derived from the proceeds of our IPO and the private placement of Private Units, our securities, debt or a combination of cash, securities and debt, in effecting our initial Business Combination.
We expect to continue to incur significant costs in the pursuit of our acquisition plans. We cannot assure you that our plans to complete a Business Combination will be successful.
Risks and Uncertainties
Management has evaluated the impact of persistent inflation and rising interest rates, financial market instability, including the recent bank failures, the lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and certain geopolitical events, including the conflict in Ukraine and the surrounding region, and has concluded that while it is reasonably possible that the risks and uncertainties related to or resulting from these events could have a negative effect on the Company’s financial position, results of its operations and/or search for a target company, the specific impact is not readily determinable as of the date of these condensed financial statements. The condensed financial statements do not include any adjustments that might result from the outcome of these risks and uncertainties.
On August 16, 2022, the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 (the “IR Act”) was signed into federal law. The IR Act provides for, among other things, a new U.S. federal 1% excise tax on certain repurchases (including redemptions) of stock by publicly traded domestic (i.e., U.S.) corporations and certain domestic subsidiaries of publicly traded foreign corporations. The excise tax is imposed on the repurchasing corporation itself, not its shareholders from which shares are repurchased. The amount of the excise tax is generally 1% of the fair market value of the shares repurchased at the time of the repurchase. However, for purposes of calculating the excise tax, repurchasing corporations are permitted to net the fair market value of certain new stock issuances against the fair market value of stock repurchases during the same taxable year. In addition, certain exceptions apply to the excise tax. The U.S. Department of the Treasury (the “Treasury”) has been given authority to provide regulations and other guidance to carry out and prevent the abuse or avoidance of the excise tax. The IR Act applies only to repurchases that occur after December 31, 2022.
At this time, it has been determined that the IR Act tax provisions have an impact to the Company’s fiscal 2023 income tax provision as there were redemptions by the public stockholders in June 2023; as a result, the Company recorded $259,438 excise tax liability as of December 31, 2023. The Company will continue to monitor for updates to the Company’s business along with guidance issued with respect to the IR Act to determine whether any adjustments are needed to the Company’s tax provision in future periods.
Recent Developments
On March 23, 2023, we entered into an Agreement and Plan of Merger (as amended from time to time, the “Agreement”) with (i) Bestpath IoT Technology Ltd., a Cayman Islands exempted company (“Holdco”), (ii) Bestpath Group Limited, an exempted company incorporated in Cayman Islands and a direct wholly-owned subsidiary of Holdco (“PubCo”), (iii) Bestpath Merger Sub I Limited, an exempted company incorporated in Cayman Islands and a direct wholly-owned subsidiary of PubCo (“Merger Sub 1”), (iv) Bestpath Merger Sub II Inc., a Delaware corporation and a direct wholly-owned subsidiary of PubCo (“Merger Sub 2” and, together with PubCo and Merger Sub 1, each an “Acquisition Entity” and collectively, the “Acquisition Entities”), and (v) Bestpath (Shanghai) IoT Technology Co., Ltd. (轻程（上海）物联网科技有限公司), a PRC limited liability company (“Bestpath”). All capitalized terms used herein and not defined shall have the meanings ascribed to them in the Agreement.
Pursuant to the Agreement and subject to the terms and conditions set forth therein, (i) Merger Sub 1 will merger with and into the Holdco (the “Initial Merger”) whereby the separate existence of Merger Sub 1 will cease and Holdco will be the surviving corporation of the Initial Merger and become a wholly owned subsidiary of PubCo, and (ii) following confirmation of the effective filing of the Initial Merger, Merger Sub 2 will merge with and into us (the “SPAC Merger”, and together with the Initial Merger, the “Mergers”), the separate existence of Merger Sub 2 will cease and we will be the surviving corporation of the SPAC Merger and a direct wholly owned subsidiary of PubCo.
17
The Mergers implies a current equity value of Bestpath at $1.2 billion prior to the closing of the Mergers (the “Closing”). As a result of the Mergers, among other things, (i) each outstanding share in Holdco shall automatically be cancelled, and in exchange for the right to receive newly issued ordinary shares in PubCo (“PubCo Ordinary Shares”) at the Holdco Exchange Ratio; (ii) each outstanding SPAC Unit will be automatically detached; (iii) each unredeemed outstanding share of our common stock will be cancelled in exchange for the right to receive one PubCo Ordinary Share, (iv) every five (5) outstanding our rights will be cancelled and cease to exist in exchange for one PubCo Ordinary Share, and (v) each SPAC UPO will automatically be cancelled and cease to exist in exchange for one (1) PubCo UPO. Each outstanding PubCo Ordinary Share will have a value at the time of the Closing of $10.00.
In addition, following the Closing, PubCo will (a) issue an aggregate of up to 15,000,000 PubCo Ordinary Shares (the “Earnout Shares”) to the Holdco’s shareholders who hold Holdco’s shares as of immediately prior to the effective time of the Initial Merger on a pro rata basis, and (b) issue an aggregate of up to 15,000,000 PubCo Ordinary Shares to eligible participants including directors, officers and employees of Bestpath under a share incentive plan to be established then (the “Earnout Incentive Plan”). The Earnout Shares and the Earnout Incentive Plan will be subject to certain milestones (based on the achievement of certain targets of consolidated revenue for the fiscal year of 2023 and 2024).
Additional Agreements Executed in Connection With the Agreement
Bestpath Voting and Support Agreement
Concurrently with the execution of the Agreement, certain shareholders of Bestpath, representing more than fifty percent (50%) of the equity interests in Bestpath, have entered into a voting and support agreement with the Holdco, Bestpath, each of the Acquisition Entities and Aquaron, pursuant to which each such holder agrees to, among other things, vote in favor of the transactions contemplated by the Agreement.
Sponsor Voting and Support Agreement
Concurrently with the execution of the Agreement, the Sponsor has entered into and delivered a support agreement, pursuant to which the Sponsor has agreed, among others, to vote in favor of the Agreement and the transactions contemplated thereunder at the SPAC Special Meeting in accordance with the Insider Letter.
Extension Meetings
On June 28, 2023, the Company held a special meeting of stockholders, at which the Company’s stockholders approved (i) an amendment to the Company’s amended and restated certificate of incorporation (the “Extension Amendment”) and (ii) an amendment (the “Trust Amendment”) to the Investment Management Trust Agreement, dated October 3, 2022, by and between the Company and Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company to allow the Company to extend the Business Combination Period for a period of 3 months from July 6, 2023 to October 6, 2023, plus an option for the Company to further extend such date to January 6, 2024, and then on a monthly basis up to four times from January 6, 2024 to May 6, 2024. In connection with the stockholders’ vote at the special meeting, an aggregate of 2,487,090 shares with redemption value of approximately $25,943,773 (or $10.43 per share) of the Company’s common stock were tendered for redemption.
On June 29, 2023, October 4, 2023, January 3, 2024, February 2, 2024, March 1, 2024, April 2, 2024, and May 2, 2024, Bestpath deposited $210,000, $210,000, $70,000, $70,000, $70,000, $70,000 and $20,000 respectively, into the Trust Account to extend the amount of time it has available to complete a business combination. Accordingly, Aquaron now has until June 6, 2024 to complete its initial business combination.
On June 30, 2023, October 3, 2023, January 3, 2024, February 2, 2024, March 1, 2024, April 8, 2024 and May 2, 2024, the Company issued the unsecured promissory notes (the “Note”) in the principal amount of $210,000, $210,000, $70,000, $70,000, $70,000, $70,000 and $20,000, respectively, to Bestpath in exchange for Bestpath depositing such amount into the Company’s trust account in order to extend the amount of time it has available to complete a business combination. The Notes does not bear interest and mature upon closing of a business combination by the Company. In addition, the Note may be converted by the holder into shares of common stock of the Company identical to the common stock issued in the Company’s IPO at a price of approximately $8.33 per share.
On April 30, 2024, we held an annual stockholder meeting, at which the Company’s stockholders approved (i) an amendment to the Company’s amended and restated certificate of incorporation and (ii) an amendment to the Investment Management Trust Agreement, dated October 3, 2022 and amended on June 28, 2023, by and between the Company and Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company to allow the Company to extend the Business Combination Period for up to twelve months on a monthly basis from May 6, 2024 to May 6, 2025. In connection with the stockholders’ vote at the annual meeting, an aggregate of 2,124,738 shares with redemption value of approximately $23.5 million (or $11.04 per share) of the Company’s common stock were tendered for redemption.
Non-compliance with Nasdaq Listing Rules
On February 28, 2024, we received a written notice (the “February Notice”) from the Listing Qualifications staff (the “Staff”) of Nasdaq, notifying us that it currently does not satisfy Listing Rule 5550(a)(3), which requires us to have at least 300 public holders (as defined in Listing Rule 5005(a)(36)) for continued listing on the Nasdaq Capital Market (the “Minimum Public Holders Rule”). The February Notice states that we have 45 calendar days to submit a plan to regain compliance with the Minimum Public Holders Rule. We are monitoring the number of its public holders and will consider options available to it to potentially achieve compliance. We submitted a plan to regain compliance with the Minimum Public Holders Rule on April 15, 2024. If Nasdaq accepts our plan, Nasdaq may grant us an extension of up to 180 calendar days from the date of the February Notice to evidence compliance with the Minimum Public Holders Rule. If Nasdaq does not accept our plan, we will have the opportunity to appeal the decision to the Nasdaq Hearings Panel.
On April 19, 2024, we received a written notice (the “April Notice”) from the Staff, notifying us that it currently does not satisfy Listing Rule 5250(c)(1), as a result of not having timely filed with the SEC its Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2023 (the “Form 10-K”). We have 60 calendar days from the date of the April Notice, or until June 18, 2024, to submit to Nasdaq a plan to regain compliance with the Nasdaq Listing Rule 5250(c)(1). If we submit a plan to Nasdaq and Nasdaq accepts the plan, Nasdaq can grant an exception of up to 180 calendar days from the due date of the filing of the Form 10-K, or until October 14, 2024, to regain compliance. If we do not regain compliance within the allotted compliance periods, including any extensions that may be granted by Nasdaq, Nasdaq will provide notice that our common stock will be subject to delisting. We would then be entitled to appeal that determination to a Nasdaq hearings panel.
18
Results of Operations
We have neither engaged in any operations nor generated any operating revenues to date except the preparation and completion of the IPO and search for target candidate following the consummation of the IPO. Our only activities from inception through December 31, 2023 were organizational activities and those necessary to prepare for the IPO, and subsequent to the IPO, identifying a target company for an initial business combination. We do not expect to generate any operating revenues until after the completion of our initial Business Combination. We expect to generate non-operating income in the form of interest income on marketable securities held after the IPO. We expect that we will incur increased expenses as a result of being a public company (for legal, financial reporting, accounting and auditing compliance), as well as for due diligence expenses in connection with searching for, and completing, a Business Combination.
For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2023, we had a net income of $997,917, which consists of loss of $861,829 derived from general and administrative expenses of $832,906, franchise tax expense of $28,923 and income tax expense of $262,240 offset by unrealized gain on investments held in Trust Account of $141,556, and interest earned on investments held in Trust Account of $1,980,430.
For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2022, we had a net income of $164,068, which consists of loss of approximately $221,031 derived from general and administrative expenses of approximately $207,495, franchise tax expense of $13,536 and income tax expense of $51,753, offset by unrealized gain on investments held in Trust Account of $176,876, and interest earned on investments held in Trust Account of approximately $259,976.
Liquidity and Capital Resources
On October 6, 2022, we consummated our IPO of 5,000,000 Units. Each Unit consists of one share of common stock of the Company, par value $0.0001, and one right to receive one-fifth (1/5th) of one share of Common Stock upon the consummation of the Company’s initial business combination. The Units were sold at an offering price of $10.00 per Unit, generating gross proceeds of $50,000,000. Simultaneously with the closing of the IPO, the Company consummated the Private Placement with the Sponsor of 256,250 Private Units, at a price of $10.00 per Private Unit, generating gross proceeds of $2,562,500.
We granted the underwriter a 45-day option to purchase up to an additional 750,000 Units at the IPO price to cover over-allotments, if any. Subsequently, on October 14, 2022, the underwriter partially exercised the over-allotment, and the closing of the issuance and sale of the Units occurred on October 14, 2022. The total aggregate issuance by the Company of 417,180 Units at a price of $10.00 per Unit resulted in total gross proceeds of $4,171,800.00. On October 14, 2022, simultaneously with the sale of the Over-Allotment Option Units, the Company consummated the private sale of an additional 12,515.40 Private Units, generating gross proceeds of $125,154.
On October 14, 2022, the underwriters canceled the remainder of the over-allotment option. In connection with the cancellation of the remainder of the over-allotment option, the Company has cancelled an aggregate of 83,205 shares of Common Stock issued to the Sponsor, prior to the IPO and Private Placement.
A total of $54,984,377 of the net proceeds from the sale of the Units in the IPO (including the Over-Allotment Option Units) and the Private Placements on October 6, 2022 and October 14, 2022 respectively, were deposited in a trust account established for the benefit of the Company’s public stockholders and maintained by Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, acting as trustee.
As of December 31, 2023, we had $339 in cash and working capital deficit of $1,914,142. The Company’s liquidity needs prior to the consummation of the IPO had been satisfied through a payment from the Sponsor of $25,000 for the Founder Shares and the loan under an unsecured promissory note from the Sponsor of $300,000. On February 8, 2023, February 23, 2023, March 31, 2023, and June 26, 2023, the Sponsor provided a loan of $100,000, $140,000, $130,000, and $79,780 (excluding $99,846 converted from amount due to related party), respectively, to be used, in part, for transaction costs related to the Business Combination.
On June 29, 2023, October 4, 2023 and December 29, 2023, Bestpath deposited into the Trust Account $210,000, $210,000 and $70,000 (totaling $490,000), respectively, and from January 2024 to April 2024, Bestpath provided loans of $70,000 each month to the Company to fund the amount required to extend the Business Combination Period to May 6, 2024. On May 2, 2024, Bestpath provided a loan of $20,000 to the Company to fund the amount required to extend the Business Combination Period to June 6, 2024. It is uncertain that the Company will be able to consummate a Business Combination by this time. If a Business Combination is not consummated by this date, there will be a mandatory liquidation and subsequent dissolution. The Company expects to continue to incur significant professional costs to remain as a publicly traded company and to incur significant transaction costs in pursuit of the consummation of a Business Combination. The Company may need to obtain additional financing either to complete its Business Combination or because it becomes obligated to redeem a significant number of public shares upon consummation of its Business Combination, in which case the Company may issue additional securities or incur debt in connection with such Business Combination. Subject to compliance with applicable securities laws, the Company would only complete such financing simultaneously with the completion of our Business Combination. If the Company is unable to complete its Business Combination because it does not have sufficient funds available, it will be forced to cease operations and liquidate the Trust Account. In addition, following the Business Combination, if cash on hand is insufficient, the Company may need to obtain additional financing in order to meet its obligations.
In connection with the Company’s assessment of going concern considerations in accordance with Financial Accounting Standard Board’s Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) 2014-15, “Disclosures of Uncertainties about an Entity’s Ability to Continue as a Going Concern”, management has determined that if the Company is unable to complete a Business Combination by June 6, 2024 (unless the Company extends the time to complete a Business Combination), then the Company will cease all operations except for the purpose of liquidating. The date for liquidation and subsequent dissolution raises substantial doubt about the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern. The financial statement does not include any adjustments that might result from the outcome of this uncertainty.
19
Off-Balance Sheet Financing Arrangements
We have no obligations, assets or liabilities, which would be considered off-balance sheet arrangements as of December 31, 2023. We do not participate in transactions that create relationships with unconsolidated entities or financial partnerships, often referred to as variable interest entities, which would have been established for the purpose of facilitating off-balance sheet arrangements. We have not entered into any off-balance sheet financing arrangements, established any special purpose entities, guaranteed any debt or commitments of other entities, or purchased any non-financial assets.
Contractual Obligations
We do not have any long-term debt, capital lease obligations, operating lease obligations or long-term liabilities, other than described below.
The holders of the founder shares, the Private Placement Shares, and any common stock that may be issued upon conversion of working capital loans (and any underlying securities) will be entitled to registration rights pursuant to a registration and shareholder rights agreement entered into in connection with the IPO. The holders of these securities are entitled to make up to three demands, excluding short form demands, that we register such securities. In addition, the holders have certain “piggy-back” registration rights with respect to registration statements filed subsequent to our completion of our initial Business Combination. We will bear the expenses incurred in connection with the filing of any such registration statements.
Upon closing of a business combination, the underwriters will be entitled to a deferred fee of $0.35 per public share, or $1,896,013 in the aggregate. The deferred fee will become payable to the underwriters from the amounts held in the Trust Account solely in the event that we complete a business combination, subject to the terms of the underwriting agreement. The underwriters will also be entitled to 0.75% of the gross proceeds of the IPO in the form of common stock of the Company at a price of $10.00 per share, and 54,172 Private Units, to be issued if the Company closes a business combination.
Critical Accounting Policies
The preparation of financial statements and related disclosures in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities, disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements, and income and expenses during the period reported. Actual results could materially differ from those estimates. We have identified the following critical accounting policies:
Common stock Subject to Possible Redemption
We account for our common stock subject to possible redemption in accordance with the guidance in Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) Topic 480 “Distinguishing Liabilities from Equity.” Common stock subject to mandatory redemption is classified as a liability instrument and is measured at fair value. Conditionally redeemable common stock (including common stock that feature redemption rights that is either within the control of the holder or subject to redemption upon the occurrence of uncertain events not solely within the Company’s control) is classified as temporary equity. At all other times, common stock is classified as stockholders’ equity. The Company’s common stock features certain redemption rights that are considered to be outside of the Company’s control and subject to occurrence of uncertain future events. Accordingly, common stock subject to possible redemption is presented at redemption value as temporary equity, outside of the stockholders’ equity section of the Company’s balance sheet.
We have made a policy election in accordance with ASC 480-10-S99-3A and recognizes changes in redemption value in additional paid-in capital (or accumulated deficit in the absence of additional paid-in capital) over an expected 9-month period leading up to a Business Combination.
Convertible Promissory Note
The Company elects an early adoption of the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) 2020-06, Debt - Debt with Conversion and Other Options (Subtopic 470-20) and Derivatives and Hedging - Contracts in Entity’s Own Equity (Subtopic 815-40) (“ASU 2020-06”) and accounts for its convertible promissory notes as debt (liability) on the balance sheet. The Company’s assessment of the embedded conversion feature (see Note 5 - Related Party Transactions) considers the derivative scope exception guidance under ASC 815 pertaining to equity classification of contracts in an entity’s own equity. The conversion feature of these promissory notes meets the definition of a derivative instrument. However, bifurcation of conversion feature from the debt host is not required because the conversion feature meets ASC 815 scope exception, as the promissory notes are convertible in shares of the Company’s common stock which is considered indexed to the Company’s own stock and classified in stockholders’ equity.
20
Net Income (Loss) per Share
The Company complies with accounting and disclosure requirements of FASB ASC 260, Earnings Per Share. The audited statements of operations include a presentation of income (loss) per redeemable share and income (loss) per non-redeemable share following the two-class method of income per share. In order to determine the net income (loss) attributable to both the redeemable shares and non-redeemable shares, the Company first considered the undistributed income (loss) allocable to both the redeemable shares and non-redeemable shares and the undistributed income (loss) is calculated using the total net loss less any dividends paid. The Company then allocated the undistributed income (loss) ratably based on the weighted average number of shares outstanding between the redeemable and non-redeemable shares. Any remeasurement of the accretion to redemption value of the common shares subject to possible redemption was considered to be dividends paid to the public shareholders.
Offering Costs
Offering costs consist of underwriting, legal, accounting, registration and other expenses incurred through the balance sheet date that are directly related to the IPO. The Company complies with the requirements of ASC 340-10-S99-1 and SEC Staff Accounting Bulletin Topic 5A - “Expenses of Offering”. Offering costs are allocated between public shares and public rights based on the estimated fair values of public shares and public rights at the date of issuance.
Recent Accounting Standards
Management does not believe that any other recently issued, but not yet effective, accounting standards, if currently adopted, would have a material effect on our financial statements.
ITEM 7A. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk
As of December 31, 2023, we were not subject to any market or interest rate risk. Following the consummation of our IPO, the net proceeds of our IPO, including amounts in the Trust Account, have been invested in U.S. government treasury obligations with a maturity of 185 days or less or in certain money market funds that invest solely in U.S. treasuries. Due to the short-term nature of these investments, we believe there will be no associated material exposure to interest rate risk.
ITEM 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data
This information appears following Item 15 of this Report and is included herein by reference.
ITEM 9. Changes in and Disagreements with Accountants on Accounting and Financial Disclosure
None.
ITEM 9A. Controls and Procedures.
Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures
Disclosure controls are procedures that are designed with the objective of ensuring that information required to be disclosed in our reports filed under the Exchange Act, such as this Report, is recorded, processed, summarized, and reported within the time period specified in the SEC’s rules and forms. Disclosure controls are also designed with the objective of ensuring that such information is accumulated and communicated to our management, including the chief executive officer and chief financial officer, as appropriate to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure. Our management evaluated, with the participation of our current chief executive officer and chief financial officer (our “Certifying Officers”), the effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures as of December 31, 2023, pursuant to Rule 13a-15(b) under the Exchange Act. Based upon that evaluation, our Certifying Officers concluded that, as of December 31, 2023, our disclosure controls and procedures were not effective.
Management identified deficiencies in internal control over financial reporting relating to the classification of Investment held in Trust Account and Deferred underwriting fee payable as current assets and current liabilities instead of non-current assets and non-current liabilities, respectively, and concluded that the failure to properly classify such items constituted material weaknesses as defined in the SEC regulations. As such, management determined that the Company’s disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Rules 13a-15 (e) and 15d-15 (e) under the Exchange Act) were not effective as of December 31, 2023.
We have taken a number of measures to remediate such material weaknesses; however, if we are unable to remediate our material weaknesses in a timely manner or we identify additional material weaknesses, we may be unable to provide required financial information in a timely and reliable manner and we may incorrectly report financial information. Likewise, if our financial statements are not filed on a timely basis, we could be subject to sanctions or investigations by the stock exchange on which our securities are listed, the SEC or other regulatory authorities. The existence of material weaknesses in internal control over financial reporting could adversely affect our reputation or investor perceptions of us, which could have a negative effect on the trading price of our shares. We can give no assurance that the measures we have taken and plan to take in the future will remediate the material weaknesses identified or that any additional material weaknesses or restatements of financial results will not arise in the future due to a failure to implement and maintain adequate internal control over financial reporting or circumvention of these controls. Even if we are successful in strengthening our controls and procedures, in the future those controls and procedures may not be adequate to prevent or identify irregularities or errors or to facilitate the fair presentation of our financial statements.
21
We do not expect that our disclosure controls and procedures will prevent all errors and all instances of fraud. Disclosure controls and procedures, no matter how well conceived and operated, can provide only reasonable, not absolute, assurance that the objectives of the disclosure controls and procedures are met. Further, the design of disclosure controls and procedures must reflect the fact that there are resource constraints, and the benefits must be considered relative to their costs. Because of the inherent limitations in all disclosure controls and procedures, no evaluation of disclosure controls and procedures can provide absolute assurance that we have detected all our control deficiencies and instances of fraud, if any. The design of disclosure controls and procedures also is based partly on certain assumptions about the likelihood of future events, and there can be no assurance that any design will succeed in achieving its stated goals under all potential future conditions.
Management’s Report on Internal Controls Over Financial Reporting
As required by SEC rules and regulations implementing Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, our management is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting. Our internal control over financial reporting is designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of our consolidated financial statements for external reporting purposes in accordance with GAAP. Our internal control over financial reporting includes those policies and procedures that:
| (1) | pertain to the maintenance of records that, in reasonable detail, accurately and fairly reflect the transactions and dispositions of the assets of our company, |
| (2) | provide reasonable assurance that transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of consolidated financial statements in accordance with GAAP, and that our receipts and expenditures are being made only in accordance with authorizations of our management and directors, and |
| (3) | provide reasonable assurance regarding prevention or timely detection of unauthorized acquisition, use or disposition of our assets that could have a material effect on the consolidated financial statements. |
Because of its inherent limitations, internal control over financial reporting may not prevent or detect errors or misstatements in our consolidated financial statements. Also, projections of any evaluation of effectiveness to future periods are subject to the risk that controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions, or that the degree or compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate. Management assessed the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting at December 31, 2023. In making these assessments, management used the criteria set forth by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO) in Internal Control — Integrated Framework (2013). Based upon that evaluation, our Certifying Officers concluded that, as of December 31, 2023, our disclosure controls and procedures were not effective.
This Annual Report on Form 10-K does not include an attestation report of our independent registered public accounting firm due to our status as an emerging growth company under the JOBS Act.
Changes in Internal Control over Financial Reporting
There were no changes in our internal control over financial reporting (as such term is defined in Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f) of the Exchange Act) during the most recent fiscal quarter that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.
ITEM 9B. Other Information.
ITEM 9C. DISCLOSURE REGARDING FOREIGN JURISDICTIONS THAT PREVENT INSPECTIONS.
Not applicable.
22
PART III
ITEM 10. Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance.
The following table sets forth information about our directors and executive officers as of March 31, 2024.
| Name | Age | Position | ||
| Yi Zhou | 37 | Chief Executive Officer, Chairwoman and President | ||
| Qingze Zhao | 35 | Chief Financial Officer and Director | ||
| Yanyan Lin | 35 | Independent Director | ||
| Yang Wang | 45 | Independent Director | ||
| Xiaoming Ma | 32 | Independent Director |
Below is a summary of the business experience of each our executive officers and directors:
Yi Zhou has been our Chairwoman, President and Chief Executive Officer since June 2022. Ms. Zhou co-founded Ease Consulting in September 2019 and has served its chief executive officer since then. During her time with Ease Consulting, Ms. Zhou is responsible for providing consultancy services to funds including VC funds that are expanding their limited partner base in the U.S. and other countries and advise on their fund-raising. Ms. Zhou has been a partner at the Balloch Group since Oct 2021 and an advisor to Hashkey Capital since Feb 2022. Previously, Ms. Zhou was a private equity associate at Susquehanna Investment Management Consulting Company Ltd. in Shanghai between April 2020 to June 2021 and a Director II at VC relation management at Silicon Valley Bank between July 2017 and March 2020. Ms. Zhou also served as the associate director of China market development at S&P Capital IQ from September 2013 to June 2017. She currently is the alumni council member of Harvard University Graduate School of Education from 2021 to 2026. Ms. Zhou received her bachelor’s degree of Korean and Economics from Peking University in 2009 and a master’s degree in Education from Harvard University Graduate School of Education in 2010. We believe Ms. Zhou is qualified to serve on our board of directors because of her extensive business and management experience, as well as her contacts and relationships.
Qingze Zhao has been our Chief Financial Officer and a director since our inception. Mr. Zhao joined Century Frontier asset management as a portfolio manager in October 2022 and worked there since then. Century Frontier asset management is a top tier asset management fund in China and he focuses on Chinese equity market and quant-trading. From August 2019 to September 2022, Mr. Zhao worked in Wang & Partners Consulting as a consultant. Wang & Partners Consulting is a boutique management consulting firm in China, where his main focus is on the sectors of consumer, manufacturing and new energy. From May 2016 to April 2019, he worked at Ping Capital Management, a hedge fund where he concentrated on quant-trading and market research. Mr. Zhao received his Doctor of Philosophy in Science in Applied Mechanics from the University of Pennsylvania in 2016 and his bachelor’s degree of Engineering in Mechanical Engineering from Shanghai Jiaotong University in 2011. We believe Mr. Zhao is qualified to serve on our board of directors because of his expertise in the consumer, manufacturing and new energy industries.
Yang Wang has served as our independent director since March 2021. He has been a partner of Haoyue Healthcare Fund since May 2021. Mr. Wang served as the partner at Cowin Capital from February 2011 to March 2021, where he focused on the health sector. Before that Mr. Wang served as the senior project manager of the business development department at Simcere Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd from November 2007 to January 2011. Mr. Wang received a Master of Business Administration degree from Tsinghua University in 2006 and a bachelor’s degree of Engineering in Computer Software from Anhui University in 2000. We believe Mr. Wang is qualified to serve on our board of directors due to his extensive financial, commercial, corporate strategy, business development and transaction experience, as well as his expertise in the health sector.
23
Yanyan Lin has served as our independent director since March 2021. Ms. Lin has served as the founder and chief executive officer at Bole Education Consulting Inc., a Maryland incorporated education consulting company, since July 2016. Ms. Lin served as the senior auditor at Tate & Tryon CPAs and Consultants Company in Washington, D.C from January 2013 to June 2018, where she led audit teams, completed audit projects, and performed key audit testing in a variety of organizations including trade organizations and professional associations. Ms. Lin graduated from University of Virginia with a Master of Science in Accounting in 2012, and a Bachelor of Science in Commerce (Accounting and Finance) and second major in Economics in 2012. She also holds the Certified Public Accountant issued in the U.S. We believe Ms. Lin is qualified to serve on our board of directors due to her extensive financial, commercial, and business development experience.
Xiaoming Ma has served as our independent director since May 2021. Xiaoming holds the post of sales manager china of Royal IHC Group in Shanghai since September 2020. Before he moved to Shanghai, he was appointed to Kinderdijk and served as the outsourcing management lead from September 2019 to September 2020. Before that, Xiaoming worked successively at Royal IHC Group which includes proposal manager from April 2019 to September 2019, assistant general manager from October 2018 to April 2019, business development manager from October 2018 to May 2019, strategy consultant from April 2018 to November 2018 and purchaser and supply chain management analyst from November 2017 to April 2018. He joined the management trainee-ship program of Royal IHC Group in November 2017. Before that, he worked at Hengxin Offshore & Marine Engineering (Europe) and was a sales and business development manager in Rotterdam during April 2016 to December 2016. Xiaoming obtained his Master’s degree in Marine Technology Shipping Management Specialization from Delft University of Technology in 2018 and the Bachelor’s degree in Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering from Harbin Engineering University in 2015. We believe Mr. Ma is qualified to serve on our board of directors due to his commercial, business development and transaction experience, as well as his contacts and relationships.
Officer and Director Qualifications
Our officers and board of directors are composed of a diverse group of leaders with a wide array of professional roles. In these roles, they have gained experience in core management skills, such as strategic and financial planning, financial reporting, compliance, risk management, and leadership development. Many of our officers and directors also have experience serving on boards of directors and board committees of other companies, and have an understanding of corporate governance practices and trends, which provides an understanding of different business processes, challenges, and strategies. Further, our officers and directors also have other experience that makes them valuable, managing and investing assets or facilitating the consummation of business combinations.
We, along with our officers and directors, believe that the above-mentioned attributes, along with the leadership skills and other experiences of our officers and board members, provide us with a diverse range of perspectives and judgment necessary to facilitate our goals of consummating an acquisition transaction.
Board Committees
The board has a standing audit, nominating and compensation committee. The independent directors oversee director nominations. Each audit committee (the “Audit Committee”), nominating committee (the “Nominating Committee”) and compensation committee (the “Compensation Committee”) has a charter, which was filed with the SEC as exhibits to the Registration Statement on Form S-1 on September 16, 2022.
24
Audit Committee
The Audit Committee, which is established in accordance with Section 3(a)(58)(A) of the Exchange Act, engages Company’s independent accountants, reviewing their independence and performance; reviews the Company’s accounting and financial reporting processes and the integrity of its financial statements; the audits of the Company’s financial statements and the appointment, compensation, qualifications, independence and performance of the Company’s independent auditors; the Company’s compliance with legal and regulatory requirements; and the performance of the Company’s internal audit function and internal control over financial reporting. The Audit Committee held no formal meetings during 2023 as the Company does not have any underlying business or employees, relying on monthly reports and written approvals as required.
The members of the Audit Committee are Yang Wang, Yanyan Lin, and Xiaoming Ma, each of whom is an independent director under Nasdaq’s listing standards. Yanyan Lin is the Chairperson of the Audit Committee. The board has determined that Yanyan Lin qualifies as an “audit committee financial expert,” as defined under the rules and regulations of the SEC.
Nominating Committee
The Nominating Committee is responsible for overseeing the selection of persons to be nominated to serve on our board. Specifically, the Nominating Committee makes recommendations to the board regarding the size and composition of the board, establishes procedures for the director nomination process and screens and recommends candidates for election to the board. On an annual basis, the Nominating Committee recommends for approval by the board certain desired qualifications and characteristics for board membership. Additionally, the Nominating Committee establishes and administers a periodic assessment procedure relating to the performance of the board as a whole and its individual members. The Nominating Committee will consider a number of qualifications relating to management and leadership experience, background and integrity and professionalism in evaluating a person’s candidacy for membership on the board. The Nominating Committee may require certain skills or attributes, such as financial or accounting experience, to meet specific board needs that arise from time to time and will also consider the overall experience and makeup of its members to obtain a broad and diverse mix of board members. The Nominating Committee does not distinguish among nominees recommended by shareholders and other persons. The Nominating Committee was not established until the closing of the IPO and therefore held no meetings in 2023.
The members of the Nominating Committee are Yang Wang, Yanyan Lin, and Xiaoming Ma, each of whom is an independent director under NASDAQ’s listing standards. Yang Wang is the Chairperson of the Nominating Committee.
Compensation Committee
The Compensation Committee reviews annually the Company’s corporate goals and objectives relevant to the officers’ compensation, evaluates the officers’ performance in light of such goals and objectives, determines and approves the officers’ compensation level based on this evaluation; makes recommendations to the board regarding approval, disapproval, modification, or termination of existing or proposed employee benefit plans, makes recommendations to the board with respect to non-CEO and non-CFO compensation and administers the Company’s incentive-compensation plans and equity-based plans. The Compensation Committee has the authority to delegate any of its responsibilities to subcommittees as it may deem appropriate in its sole discretion. The chief executive officer of the Company may not be present during voting or deliberations of the Compensation Committee with respect to his compensation. The Company’s executive officers do not play a role in suggesting their own salaries. Neither the Company nor the Compensation Committee has engaged any compensation consultant who has a role in determining or recommending the amount or form of executive or director compensation. The Compensation Committee did not meet during 2023.
25
Notwithstanding the foregoing, as indicated above, no compensation of any kind, including finders, consulting or other similar fees, will be paid to any of our existing stockholders, including our directors, or any of their respective affiliates, prior to, or for any services they render in order to effectuate, the consummation of a business combination. Accordingly, it is likely that prior to the consummation of an initial business combination, the Compensation Committee will only be responsible for the review and recommendation of any compensation arrangements to be entered into in connection with such initial business combination.
The members of the Compensation Committee are Yang Wang, Yanyan Lin, and Xiaoming Ma, each of whom is an independent director under Nasdaq’s listing standards. Yang Wang is the Chairperson of the Compensation Committee.
Conflicts of Interest
Investors should be aware of the following potential conflicts of interest:
| ● | None of our officers and directors is required to commit their full time to our affairs and, accordingly, they may have conflicts of interest in allocating their time among various business activities. |
| ● | In the course of their other business activities, our officers and directors may become aware of investment and business opportunities which may be appropriate for presentation to our company as well as the other entities with which they are affiliated. Our management has pre-existing fiduciary duties and contractual obligations and may have conflicts of interest in determining to which entity a particular business opportunity should be presented. |
| ● | Our officers and directors may in the future become affiliated with entities, including other blank check companies, engaged in business activities similar to those intended to be conducted by our company. |
| ● | Unless we consummate our initial business combination, our officers, directors and insiders will not receive reimbursement for any out-of-pocket expenses incurred by them to the extent that such expenses exceed the amount of available proceeds not deposited in the trust account and the amount of interest income from the trust account that may be released to us as working capital. |
| ● | The insider shares beneficially owned by our officers and directors will be released from escrow only if our initial business combination is successfully completed. Additionally, if we are unable to complete an initial business combination within the required time frame, our officers and directors will not be entitled to receive any amounts held in the trust account with respect to any of their insider shares or private units. Furthermore, our insiders (and/or their designees) have agreed that the private units will not be sold or transferred by them until after we have completed our initial business combination. For the foregoing reasons, our board may have a conflict of interest in determining whether a particular target business is an appropriate business with which to affect our initial business combination. |
In general, officers and directors of a corporation incorporated under the laws of the State of Delaware are required to present business opportunities to a corporation if:
| ● | the corporation could financially undertake the opportunity; |
| ● | the opportunity is within the corporation’s line of business; and |
| ● | it would not be fair to the corporation and its stockholders for the opportunity not to be brought to the attention of the corporation. |
26
Accordingly, as a result of multiple business affiliations, our officers and directors may have similar legal obligations relating to presenting business opportunities meeting the above-listed criteria to multiple entities. Furthermore, our certificate of incorporation provides that the doctrine of corporate opportunity will not apply with respect to any of our officers or directors in circumstances where the application of the doctrine would conflict with any fiduciary duties or contractual obligations they may have. In order to minimize potential conflicts of interest which may arise from multiple affiliations, our officers and directors (other than our independent directors) have agreed to present to us for our consideration, prior to presentation to any other person or entity, any suitable opportunity to acquire a target business, until the earlier of: (1) our consummation of an initial business combination and (2) 12 months (or 15 or 18 months, as applicable) from the date of our IPO. This agreement is, however, subject to any pre-existing fiduciary and contractual obligations such officer or director may from time to time have to another entity. Accordingly, if any of them becomes aware of a business combination opportunity which is suitable for an entity to which he or she has pre-existing fiduciary or contractual obligations, he or she will honor his or her fiduciary or contractual obligations to present such business combination opportunity to such entity, and only present it to us if such entity rejects the opportunity. We do not believe, however, that the pre-existing fiduciary duties or contractual obligations of our officers and directors will materially undermine our ability to complete our business combination because in most cases the affiliated companies are closely held entities controlled by the officer or director or the nature of the affiliated company’s business is such that it is unlikely that a conflict will arise.
The following table summarizes the current pre-existing fiduciary or contractual obligations of our officers and directors:
| Name of Individual | Name of Affiliated Company | Entity’s Business | Affiliation | |||
| Yanyan Lin | Bole Education Consulting Inc. | Education consulting | Founder and Chief Executive Officer | |||
| Yi Zhou | Ease Consulting | Finance consulting | Founder and Chief Executive Officer | |||
| Yang Wang | Haoyue Healthcare Fund | PE fund | Partner |
Our insiders and Chardan have agreed to vote any shares of Common Stock held by them in favor of our initial business combination. In addition, they have agreed to waive their respective rights to receive any amounts held in the trust account with respect to their insider shares and private shares if we are unable to complete our initial business combination within the required time frame. If they purchase shares of Common Stock in the open market, however, they would be entitled to receive their pro rata share of the amounts held in the trust account if we are unable to complete our initial business combination within the required time frame, but have agreed not to redeem such shares in connection with the consummation of our initial business combination.
All ongoing and future transactions between us and any of our officers and directors or their respective affiliates will be on terms believed by us to be no less favorable to us than are available from unaffiliated third parties. Such transactions will require prior approval by our Audit Committee and a majority of our uninterested “independent” directors, or the members of our board who do not have an interest in the transaction, in either case who had access, at our expense, to our attorneys or independent legal counsel. We will not enter into any such transaction unless our Audit Committee and a majority of our disinterested “independent” directors determine that the terms of such transaction are no less favorable to us than those that would be available to us with respect to such a transaction from unaffiliated third parties.
To further minimize conflicts of interest, we have agreed not to consummate our initial business combination with an entity that is affiliated with any of our officers, directors or insiders, unless we have obtained (i) an opinion from an independent investment banking firm that the business combination is fair to our unaffiliated stockholders from a financial point of view and (ii) the approval of a majority of our disinterested and independent directors (if we have any at that time). Furthermore, in no event will our insiders or any of the members of our management team be paid any finder’s fee, consulting fee or other similar compensation prior to, or for any services they render in order to effectuate, the consummation of our initial business combination (regardless of the type of transaction that it is).
27
Code of Ethics
We adopted a code of conduct and ethics applicable to our directors, officers and employees in accordance with applicable federal securities laws. The code of ethics codifies the business and ethical principles that govern all aspects of our business.
Section 16(a) Beneficial Ownership Reporting Compliance
Section 16(a) of the Exchange Act requires our executive officers, directors and persons who beneficially own more than 10% of a registered class of our equity securities to file with the SEC initial reports of ownership and reports of changes in ownership of our shares of Common Stock and other equity securities. These executive officers, directors, and greater than 10% beneficial owners are required by SEC regulation to furnish us with copies of all Section 16(a) forms filed by such reporting persons.
Based solely on our review of such forms furnished to us and written representations from certain reporting persons, we believe that all filing requirements applicable to our executive officers, directors and greater than 10% beneficial owners were filed in a timely manner.
Item 11. Executive Compensation.
Employment Agreements
We have not entered into any employment agreements with our executive officers and have not made any agreements to provide benefits upon termination of employment.
Executive Officers and Director Compensation
No executive officer has received any cash compensation for services rendered to us and no compensation of any kind, including finders, consulting or other similar fees, will be paid to any of our existing stockholders, including our directors, or any of their respective affiliates, prior to, or for any services they render in order to effectuate, the consummation of a business combination. However, such individuals will be reimbursed for any out-of-pocket expenses incurred in connection with activities on our behalf such as identifying potential target businesses and performing due diligence on suitable business combinations. There is no limit on the amount of these out-of-pocket expenses and there will be no review of the reasonableness of the expenses by anyone other than our board of directors and Audit Committee, which includes persons who may seek reimbursement, or a court of competent jurisdiction if such reimbursement is challenged.
28
ITEM 12. Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Stockholder Matters.
The following table sets forth as of March 31, 2024 the number of shares of Common Stock beneficially owned by (i) each person who is known by us to be the beneficial owner of more than five percent of our issued and outstanding shares of Common Stock (ii) each of our officers and directors; and (iii) all of our officers and directors as a group. As of March 31, 2024, we had 4,553,150 shares of Common Stock issued and outstanding.
Unless otherwise indicated, we believe that all persons named in the table have sole voting and investment power with respect to all shares of Common Stock beneficially owned by them. The following table does not reflect record of beneficial ownership of any shares of Common Stock issuable upon exercise of the Rights, as the Rights are not convertible within 60 days of March 31, 2024.
| Name and Address of Beneficial Owner(1) | Amount and Nature of Beneficial Ownership of Common Stock | Approximate Percentage
of Outstanding Shares of Common Stock | ||||||
| Aquaron Investments LLC(2) | 1,578,060 | 34.66 | % | |||||
| Yi Zhou | 10,000 | * | % | |||||
| Qingze Zhao | 10,000 | * | % | |||||
| Yang Wang | 5,000 | * | % | |||||
| Yanyan Lin | 15,000 | * | % | |||||
| Xiaoming Ma | 5,000 | * | % | |||||
| All current directors and executive officers as a group (five individuals) | 45,000 | * | % | |||||
| Wolverine Asset Management, LLC(3) | 239,083 | 5.25 | % | |||||
| Karpus Investment Management(4) | 246,250 | 5.41 | % | |||||
| Walleye Capital LLC(5) | 335,951 | 7.82 | % | |||||
| RiverNorth Capital Management, LLC(6) | 400,000 | 8.79 | % | |||||
| Hudson Bay Capital Management LP(7) | 450,000 | 6.39 | % | |||||
| Polar Asset Management Partners Inc. (8) | 325,000 | 7.14 | % | |||||
| * | Less than 1%. |
| (1) | Unless otherwise indicated, the business address of each of the individuals is c/o Aquaron Acquisition Corp., 515 Madison Avenue, 8th Floor, New York, NY 10022. |
| (2) | Aquaron Investments LLC, our sponsor, is controlled by Ms. Yating Wang. |
| (3) | Based on a Schedule 13G filed by the reporting person. The address for the reporting person is 175 West Jackson Boulevard, Suite 340, Chicago, IL60604. |
| (4) | Based on a Schedule 13G filed by the reporting person. The address for the reporting person is 183 Sully’s Trail, Pittsford, New York 14534. |
| (5) | Based on a Schedule 13G filed by the reporting person. The address for the reporting person is 315 Park Ave. South, New York, NY10010. |
| (6) | Based on a Schedule 13G filed by the reporting person. The address for the reporting person is 360 S. Rosemary Avenue, Ste. 1420, West Palm Beach, Florida 33401. |
| (7) | Based on a Schedule 13G filed by the reporting person. The address for the reporting person is 28 Havemeyer Place, 2nd Floor, Greenwich, Connecticut 06830. |
| (8) | Based on a Schedule 13G filed by the reporting person. The address for the reporting person is 16 York Street, Suite 2900, Toronto, ON, Canada M5J 0E6. |
29
All of the insider shares outstanding have been placed in escrow with Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, as escrow agent. Subject to certain limited exceptions, 50% of these shares will not be transferred, assigned, sold or released from escrow until the earlier of six months after the date of the consummation of our initial business combination and the date the closing price of our common stock equals or exceeds $12.50 per share (as adjusted for stock splits, stock dividends, reorganizations and recapitalizations) for any 20 trading days within any 30-trading day period commencing after our initial business combination and the remaining 50% of the insider shares will not be transferred, assigned, sold or released from escrow until six months after the date of the consummation of our initial business combination or earlier in either case if, subsequent to our initial business combination, we complete a liquidation, merger, stock exchange or other similar transaction which results in all of our stockholders having the right to exchange their shares of common stock for cash, securities or other property.
During the escrow period, the holders of these shares will not be able to sell or transfer their securities except (1) transfers among the insiders, to our officers, directors, advisors and employees, (2) transfers to an insider’s affiliates or its members upon its liquidation, (3) transfers to relatives and trusts for estate planning purposes, (4) transfers by virtue of the laws of descent and distribution upon death, (5) transfers pursuant to a qualified domestic relations order, (6) private sales made at prices no greater than the price at which the securities were originally purchased or (7) transfers to us for cancellation in connection with the consummation of an initial business combination, in each case (except for clause 7) where the transferee agrees to the terms of the escrow agreement and forfeiture, as the case may be, as well as the other applicable restrictions and agreements of the holders of the insider shares. If dividends are declared and payable in shares of common stock, such dividends will also be placed in escrow. If we are unable to effect a business combination and liquidate, there will be no liquidation distribution with respect to the insider shares.
Our insiders, officers and directors may, but are not obligated to, loan us funds, from time to time or at any time, in whatever amount they deem reasonable in their sole discretion. Each loan would be evidenced by a promissory note. The notes would either be paid upon consummation of our initial business combination, without interest, or, at the lender’s discretion, up to $600,000 of the notes may be converted upon consummation of our business combination into private units at a price of $10.00 per unit (which, for example, would result in the holders being issued units to acquire 72,000 shares of Common Stock (which includes 12,000 shares of Common Stock issuable upon exercise of Rights) if $600,000 of the notes were so converted). Our pre-IPO stockholders have approved the issuance of the private units upon conversion of such notes, to the extent the holder wishes to so convert such notes at the time of the consummation of our initial business combination. If we do not complete a business combination, any outstanding loans from our insiders, officers and directors or their affiliates, will be repaid only from amounts remaining outside our trust account, if any.
ITEM 13. Certain Relationships and Related Transactions, and Director Independence.
In April 2021, we sold an aggregate of 1,437,500 shares of our Common Stock for $25,000, or approximately $0.02 per share, to our insiders.
Simultaneously with the closing of the IPO on October 6, 2022, we consummated the Private Placement with Aquaron Investments LLC, our Sponsor, purchasing 256,250 Private Units, at a price of $10.00 per Private Unit, generating gross proceeds of $2,562,500.00. The Private Units (and the underlying securities) are identical to the Units sold in the IPO, except as otherwise disclosed in the registration statement. No underwriting discounts or commissions were paid with respect to such sale. Additionally, the initial purchasers in the Private Placement agreed not to transfer, assign or sell any of the Private Units or underlying securities (except in limited circumstances, as described in the Registration Statement) until the completion of our initial business combination. Such initial purchasers were granted certain demand and piggyback registration rights in connection with the purchase of the Private Units.
30
Subsequently, on October 14, 2022, the underwriter partially exercised the over-allotment, and the closing of the issuance and sale of the Units occurred on October 14, 2022. The total aggregate issuance by the Company of 417,180 Units at a price of $10.00 per Unit resulted in total gross proceeds of $4,171,800.00. On October 14, 2022, simultaneously with the sale of the Over-Allotment Option Units, the Company consummated the private sale of an additional 12,515.40 Private Units, generating gross proceeds of $125,154.
On October 14, 2022, the underwriters canceled the remainder of the over-allotment option. In connection with the cancellation of the remainder of the over-allotment option, the Company has cancelled an aggregate of 83,205 shares of Common Stock issued to the Sponsor, prior to the IPO and Private Placement. The Company received additional funds of $99,846 from the Sponsor upon the closing of IPO to finance transaction costs in connection with searching for a target business.
In order to meet our working capital needs following the consummation of our IPO, our insiders, officers, and directors may, but are not obligated to, loan us funds, from time to time or at any time, in whatever amount they deem reasonable in their sole discretion. Each loan would be evidenced by a promissory note. The notes would either be paid upon consummation of our initial business combination, without interest, or, at the lender’s discretion, up to $600,000 of the notes may be converted upon consummation of our business combination into private units at a price of $10.00 per unit (which, for example, would result in the holders being issued units to acquire 72,000 shares of Common Stock (which includes 12,000 shares of Common Stock issuable upon exercise of Rights) if $600,000 of the notes were so converted). Our pre-IPO stockholders have approved the issuance of the private units upon conversion of such notes, to the extent the holder wishes to so convert such notes at the time of the consummation of our initial business combination. If we do not complete a business combination, any outstanding loans from our insiders, officers and directors or their affiliates, will be repaid only from amounts remaining outside our trust account, if any.
The holders of our insider shares issued and outstanding on the date of our IPO, as well as the holders of the private units (and underlying securities) and any shares our insiders, officers, directors, or their affiliates may be issued in payment of working capital loans made to us, will be entitled to registration rights pursuant to an agreement to be signed prior to or on the effective date of our IPO. The holders of a majority of these securities are entitled to make up to two demands that we register such securities. The holders of the majority of the insider shares can elect to exercise these registration rights at any time commencing three months prior to the date on which these shares of Common Stock are to be released from escrow. The holders of a majority of the private units or shares issued in payment of working capital loans made to us can elect to exercise these registration rights at any time after we consummate a business combination. In addition, the holders have certain “piggy-back” registration rights with respect to registration statements filed subsequent to our consummation of our initial business combination. We will bear the expenses incurred in connection with the filing of any such registration statements.
We will reimburse our officers and directors for any reasonable out-of-pocket business expenses incurred by them in connection with certain activities on our behalf such as identifying and investigating possible target businesses and business combinations. There is no limit on the amount of out-of-pocket expenses reimbursable by us; provided, however, that to the extent such expenses exceed the available proceeds not deposited in the trust account and the interest income earned on the amounts held in the trust account, such expenses would not be reimbursed by us unless we consummate an initial business combination. Our Audit Committee will review and approve all reimbursements and payments made to any initial stockholder or member of our management team, or our or their respective affiliates, and any reimbursements and payments made to members of our Audit Committee will be reviewed and approved by our board of directors, with any interested director abstaining from such review and approval.
31
No compensation or fees of any kind, including finder’s fees, consulting fees, or other similar compensation, will be paid to our insiders or any of the members of our management team, for services rendered to us prior to, or in connection with the consummation of our initial business combination (regardless of the type of transaction that it is). However, such individuals will receive reimbursement for any out-of-pocket expenses incurred by them in connection with activities on our behalf, such as identifying potential target businesses, performing business due diligence on suitable target businesses and business combinations as well as traveling to and from the offices, plants or similar locations of prospective target businesses to examine their operations. There is no limit on the amount of out-of-pocket expenses reimbursable by us; provided, however, that to the extent such expenses exceed the available proceeds not deposited in the trust account and the interest income earned on the amounts held in the trust account, such expenses would not be reimbursed by us unless we consummate an initial business combination.
All ongoing and future transactions between us and any of our officers and directors or their respective affiliates will be on terms believed by us to be no less favorable to us than are available from unaffiliated third parties. Such transactions will require prior approval by our Audit Committee and a majority of our uninterested independent directors, in either case who had access, at our expense, to our attorneys or independent legal counsel. We will not enter into any such transaction unless our Audit Committee and a majority of our disinterested independent directors determine that the terms of such transaction are no less favorable to us than those that would be available to us with respect to such a transaction from unaffiliated third parties.
Related Party Policy
Our Code of Ethics requires us to avoid, wherever possible, all related party transactions that could result in actual or potential conflicts of interests, except under guidelines approved by the board of directors (or the Audit Committee). Related-party transactions are defined as transactions in which (1) the aggregate amount involved will or may be expected to exceed $120,000 in any calendar year, (2) we or any of our subsidiaries is a participant, and (3) any (a) executive officer, director or nominee for election as a director, (b) greater than 5% beneficial owner of our shares of Common Stock, or (c) immediate family member, of the persons referred to in clauses (a) and (b), has or will have a direct or indirect material interest (other than solely as a result of being a director or a less than 10% beneficial owner of another entity). A conflict of interest situation can arise when a person takes actions or has interests that may make it difficult to perform his or her work objectively and effectively. Conflicts of interest may also arise if a person, or a member of his or her family, receives improper personal benefits as a result of his or her position.
We also require each of our directors and executive officers to annually complete a directors’ and officers’ questionnaire that elicits information about related party transactions.
Our Audit Committee, pursuant to its written charter, will be responsible for reviewing and approving related-party transactions to the extent we enter into such transactions. All ongoing and future transactions between us and any of our officers and directors or their respective affiliates will be on terms believed by us to be no less favorable to us than are available from unaffiliated third parties. Such transactions will require prior approval by our Audit Committee and a majority of our uninterested “independent” directors, or the members of our board who do not have an interest in the transaction, in either case who had access, at our expense, to our attorneys or independent legal counsel. We will not enter into any such transaction unless our Audit Committee and a majority of our disinterested “independent” directors determine that the terms of such transaction are no less favorable to us than those that would be available to us with respect to such a transaction from unaffiliated third parties. Additionally, we require each of our directors and executive officers to complete a directors’ and officers’ questionnaire that elicits information about related party transactions.
32
These procedures are intended to determine whether any such related party transaction impairs the independence of a director or presents a conflict of interest on the part of a director, employee or officer.
To further minimize potential conflicts of interest, we have agreed not to consummate a business combination with an entity which is affiliated with any of our insiders unless we obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm that the business combination is fair to our unaffiliated stockholders from a financial point of view. Furthermore, in no event will any of our existing officers, directors or insiders, or any entity with which they are affiliated, be paid any finder’s fee, consulting fee or other compensation prior to, or for any services they render in order to effectuate, the consummation of a business combination.
Director Independence
Nasdaq listing standards require that a majority of our board of directors be independent. For a description of the director independence, see above Part III, Item 10 - Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance.
ITEM 14. Principal Accountant Fees and Services.
The firm of UHY LLP, or UHY, acts as our independent registered public accounting firm. The following is a summary of fees paid to UHY for services rendered.
Audit Fees. Audit fees consist of fees billed for professional services rendered for the audit of our year-end financial statements and services that are normally provided by UHY in connection with regulatory filings. The aggregate fees billed by UHY for professional services rendered for the audit of our annual financial statements, review of the financial information included in our Forms 10-Q for the respective periods and other required filings with the SEC for the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022 totaled $97,602 and $249,821, respectively.
Audit-Related Fees. Audit-related services consist of fees billed for assurance and related services that are reasonably related to performance of the audit or review of our financial statements and are not reported under “Audit Fees.” These services include attest services that are not required by statute or regulation and consultations concerning financial accounting and reporting standards. We did not pay UHY for consultations concerning financial accounting and reporting standards for the year ended December 31, 2023 and 2022.
Tax Fees. Commencing in March 2022 and continuing through December 31, 2023, a UHY LLP related entity provided tax/non-attest related tax compliance services to the Company with respect to the Company’s Federal income tax returns for its fiscal year ended December 31, 2023 and 2022 and its Delaware annual franchise tax reports. The fees billed for these services were $7,085 and $4,932 for the year ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively, including administrative fee and tax processing fee. The Company’s Audit Committee chairman approved the tax/non-attest services by signing a tax engagement letter executed on March 1, 2022. UHY LLP and the Company’s Audit Committee have concluded that such services do not impact UHY LLP’s independence.
All Other Fees. There were no fees billed for products and services provided by our independent registered public accounting firm other than those set forth above for the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022.
Pre-Approval Policy
Our Audit Committee was formed upon the consummation of our IPO. As a result, the Audit Committee did not pre-approve all of the foregoing services, although any services rendered prior to the formation of our Audit Committee were approved by our board of directors. Since the formation of our Audit Committee, and on a going-forward basis, the Audit Committee has and will pre-approve all auditing services and permitted non-audit services to be performed for us by our auditors, including the fees and terms thereof (subject to the de minimis exceptions for non-audit services described in the Exchange Act which are approved by the Audit Committee prior to the completion of the audit).
33
PART IV
ITEM 15. Exhibits, Financial Statement Schedules
(a) The following documents are filed as part of this Form 10-K:
(1) Financial Statements:
(2) Financial Statement Schedules:
None.
(3) Exhibits
We hereby file as part of this Report the exhibits listed in the attached Exhibit Index. Exhibits which are incorporated herein by reference can be inspected and copied at the public reference facilities maintained by the SEC, 100 F Street, N.E., Room 1580, Washington, D.C. 20549. Copies of such material can also be obtained from the Public Reference Section of the SEC, 100 F Street, N.E., Washington, D.C. 20549, at prescribed rates or on the SEC website at www.sec.gov.
34
35
| * | Filed herewith. |
ITEM 16. FORM 10-K SUMMARY
Not Applicable.
36
SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of Section 13 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.
| Aquaron Acquisition Corp. | ||
| Dated: May 3, 2024 | By: | /s/ Yi Zhou |
| Name: | Yi Zhou | |
| Title: | Chief Executive Officer | |
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, this report has been signed below by the following persons on behalf of the registrant and in the capacities and on the dates indicated.
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, this report has been signed below by the following persons in the capacities and on the dates indicated.
| Signature | Title | Date | ||
| /s/ Yi Zhou | Chief Executive Officer. President and Director | May 3, 2024 | ||
| Yi Zhou | (Principal Executive Officer) | |||
| /s/ Qingze Zhao | Chief Financial Officer | May 3, 2024 | ||
| Qingze Zhao | (Principal Accounting and Financial Officer) | |||
| /s/ Yanyan Lin | Director | May 3, 2024 | ||
| Yanyan Lin | ||||
| /s/ Yang Wang | Director | May 3, 2024 | ||
| Yang Wang | ||||
| /s/ Xiaoming Ma | Director | May 3, 2024 | ||
| Xiaoming Ma |
37
AQUARON ACQUISITION CORP.
INDEX TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
| Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm (PCAOB ID# | F-2 |
| Financial Statements: | |
| Balance Sheets | F-3 |
| Statements of Operations | F-4 |
| Statements of Changes in Stockholders’ Equity | F-5 |
| Statements of Cash Flows | F-6 |
| Notes to Financial Statements | F-7 to F-27 |
F-1
REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM
To the Board of Directors and
Stockholders of Aquaron Acquisition Corp.
Opinion on the Financial Statements
We have audited the accompanying balance sheets of Aquaron Acquisition Corp. (the Company) as of December 31, 2023 and 2022, and the related statements of operations, changes in stockholders’ equity (deficit), and cash flows for each of the years in the two-year period ended December 31, 2023, and the related notes (collectively referred to as the financial statements). In our opinion, the financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Company as of December 31, 2023 and 2022, and the results of its operations and its cash flows for each of the years in the two-year period ended December 31, 2023, in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.
Substantial Doubt about the Company’s Ability to Continue as a Going Concern
The accompanying financial statements have been prepared assuming the Company will continue as a going concern. As discussed in Note 1 to the financial statements, the Company has no revenue, it incurred and expects to continue to incur significant professional costs to remain as a publicly traded company and to incur significant transaction costs in pursuit of the consummation of a business combination. the Company’s cash and working capital as December 31, 2023, are not sufficient to complete its planned activities for one year from the issuance date of the financial statements. These conditions raise substantial doubt about the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern. Management’s evaluation of the events and conditions and management’s plans regarding these matters are also described in Note 1 to the financial statements. The financial statements do not include any adjustments that might result from the outcome of this uncertainty. Our opinion is not modified with respect to that matter.
Revision of Prior Period Financial Information
As discussed in Note 2 to the financial statements, the audited balance sheets as of October 6, 2022 and December 31, 2022, and the unaudited balance sheets as of March 31, 2023, June 30, 2023 and September 30, 2023 have been revised.
Basis for Opinion
These financial statements are the responsibility of the Company’s management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the Company’s financial statements based on our audits. We are a public accounting firm registered with the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (PCAOB) and are required to be independent with respect to the Company in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.
We conducted our audits in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement, whether due to error or fraud. The Company is not required to have, nor were we engaged to perform, an audit of its internal control over financial reporting. As part of our audits, we are required to obtain an understanding of internal control over financial reporting, but not for the purpose of expressing an opinion on the effectiveness of the Company’s internal control over financial reporting. Accordingly, we express no such opinion.
Our audits included performing procedures to assess the risks of material misstatement of the financial statements, whether due to error or fraud, and performing procedures that respond to those risks. Such procedures included examining, on a test basis, evidence regarding the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. Our audits also included evaluating the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the financial statements. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.
/s/
We have served as the Company’s auditor since 2021.
New York,
May 3, 2024
F-2
AQUARON ACQUISITION CORP.
BALANCE SHEETS
| December 31, | ||||||||
| 2023 | 2022 | |||||||
| Assets | ||||||||
| Current Assets | ||||||||
| Cash | $ | $ | ||||||
| Prepaid expenses | ||||||||
| Total Current Assets | ||||||||
Noncurrent Assets | ||||||||
| Deferred income tax asset | ||||||||
| Investments held in Trust Account | ||||||||
Total Noncurrent Assets | ||||||||
| Total Assets | $ | $ | ||||||
| Liabilities, Redeemable Common Stock and Stockholders’ (Deficit) Equity | ||||||||
| Current Liabilities | ||||||||
| Other payable – related party | $ | $ | ||||||
| Accounts payable and accrued expenses | ||||||||
| Franchise tax payable | ||||||||
| Income tax payable | ||||||||
| Excise tax payable | ||||||||
| Promissory note – related party | ||||||||
| Promissory note – Bestpath | ||||||||
| Total Current Liabilities | ||||||||
| Deferred underwriting fee payable | ||||||||
| Total Liabilities | ||||||||
| Commitments and Contingencies (Note 7) | ||||||||
| Common stock subject to possible redemption, $ | ||||||||
| Stockholders’ (Deficit) Equity | ||||||||
| Common stock, $ | ||||||||
| Additional paid-in capital | ||||||||
| (Accumulated deficit) Retained earnings | ( | ) | ||||||
| Total Stockholders’ (Deficit) Equity | ( | ) | ||||||
| Total Liabilities, Redeemable Common Stock and Stockholders’ Equity (Deficit) | $ | $ | ||||||
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.
F-3
AQUARON ACQUISITION CORP.
STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS
| For the year ended December 31, | ||||||||
| 2023 | 2022 | |||||||
| General and administrative expenses | $ | $ | ||||||
| Franchise tax expenses | ||||||||
| Loss from operations | ( | ) | ( | ) | ||||
| Interest earned on investment held in Trust Account | ||||||||
| Unrealized gain on investments held in Trust Account | ||||||||
| Income before income taxes | ||||||||
| Income taxes provision | ( | ) | ( | ) | ||||
| Net income | $ | $ | ||||||
| $ | $ | |||||||
| $ | ( | ) | $ | ( | ) | |||
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.
F-4
AQUARON ACQUISITION CORP.
STATEMENTS OF CHANGES IN STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY (DEFICIT)
For the Year Ended December 31, 2023
| Common Stock | Additional Paid-in | Accumulated | Total Stockholders’ | |||||||||||||||||
| Shares | Amount | Capital | Deficit | Deficit | ||||||||||||||||
| Balance as of January 1, 2023 | $ | $ | $ | $ | ||||||||||||||||
| Accretion of common stock to redemption value | — | ( | ) | ( | ) | ( | ) | |||||||||||||
| Excise tax liability | — | ( | ) | ( | ) | |||||||||||||||
| Net income | — | |||||||||||||||||||
| Balance as of December 31, 2023 | $ | $ | $ | ( | ) | $ | ( | ) | ||||||||||||
| For the Year Ended December 31, 2022 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Common Stock | Additional Paid-in | Retained | Total Stockholders’ | |||||||||||||||||
| Shares | Amount | Capital | Earnings | Equity | ||||||||||||||||
| Balance as of January 1, 2022 | $ | $ | $ | ( | ) | $ | ||||||||||||||
| Sale of public units in initial public offering | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Sale of private placement units | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Forfeiture of Insider Shares | ( | ) | ( | ) | ||||||||||||||||
| Underwriter commissions | — | ( | ) | ( | ) | |||||||||||||||
| Offering costs | — | ( | ) | ( | ) | |||||||||||||||
| Reclassification of common stock subject to redemption | ( | ) | ( | ) | ( | ) | ( | ) | ||||||||||||
| Accretion of common stock to redemption value | — | ( | ) | ( | ) | |||||||||||||||
| Net income for the year | — | |||||||||||||||||||
| Balance as of December 31, 2022 | $ | $ | $ | $ | ||||||||||||||||
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these condensed financial statements.
F-5
AQUARON ACQUISITION CORP.
STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS
For the Year Ended December 31, | ||||||||
| 2023 | 2022 | |||||||
| Cash flows from operating activities: | ||||||||
| Net income | $ | $ | ||||||
| Adjustments to reconcile net cash used in operating activities: | ||||||||
| Interest earned on investment held in Trust Account | ( | ) | ( | ) | ||||
| Unrealized gain on investments held in Trust Account | ( | ) | ( | ) | ||||
| Deferred income tax benefit | ( | ) | ||||||
| Prepaid expenses | ( | ) | ||||||
| Accounts payable and accrued expenses | ||||||||
| Franchise tax payable | ||||||||
| Income tax payable | ||||||||
| Net cash used in operating activities | ( | ) | ( | ) | ||||
| Cash Flows from investing activities: | ||||||||
| Purchase of investment held in Trust Account | ( | ) | ||||||
| Cash withdrawn from Trust Account to public stockholder redemption | ||||||||
| Cash deposited into Trust Account | ( | ) | ||||||
| Cash withdrawn from Trust Account to pay taxes | ||||||||
| Net cash provided by (used in) investing activities | ( | ) | ||||||
| Cash Flows from financing activities: | ||||||||
| Proceeds from sale of public units through public offering | ||||||||
| Proceeds from sale of private placement units | ||||||||
| Proceeds from sale of unit purchase option | ||||||||
| Proceeds from promissory note- related party | ||||||||
| Proceeds from related party | ||||||||
| Proceeds from promissory note- Bestpath | ||||||||
| Payment of public stockholder redemption | ( | ) | ||||||
| Payment of underwriters’ commissions | ( | ) | ||||||
| Payment of deferred offering costs | ( | ) | ||||||
| Repayment of promissory note to related party | ( | ) | ||||||
| Net cash (used in) provided by financing activities | ( | ) | ||||||
| Net change in cash | ( | ) | ||||||
| Cash, beginning of the period | ||||||||
| Cash, end of the period | $ | $ | ||||||
| Supplemental Disclosure of Non-cash Financing Activities | ||||||||
| Initial classification of common stock subject to redemption | $ | $ | ||||||
| Allocation of offering costs to common stock subject to redemption | $ | $ | ||||||
| Deferred underwriting commissions | $ | $ | ||||||
| Accretion of common stock to redemption value | $ | $ | ||||||
| Excise tax payable charged against retained earnings | $ | $ | ||||||
| Income tax paid | $ | $ | ||||||
| Promissory notes issued for the tax paid by Sponsor | $ | $ | ||||||
| Other payable due to related party converted to promissory note | $ | $ | ||||||
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.
F-6
AQUARON ACQUISITION CORP.
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
Note 1 — Description of Organization and Business Operations
Aquaron Acquisition Corp. (the “Company”)
is a newly organized blank check company incorporated as a Delaware corporation on
Although the Company is not limited to a particular industry or sector for purposes of consummating a Business Combination, the Company intends to focus on operating business in the new energy sector. The Company is an early stage and emerging growth company and, as such, the Company is subject to all of the risks associated with early stage and emerging growth companies.
As of December 31, 2023, the Company had not commenced any operations. All activities through December 31, 2023 are related to the Company’s formation and the initial public offering (“IPO” as defined below), and subsequent to the IPO, identifying a target company for an initial business combination. The Company will not generate any operating revenues until after the completion of a Business Combination, at the earliest. The Company will generate non-operating income in the form of interest income from the proceeds derived from the IPO. The Company has selected December 31 as its fiscal year end.
The Company’s sponsor is Aquaron Investments LLC (the “Sponsor”), a Delaware limited liability company.
The registration statement for the Company’s
IPO became effective on October 3, 2022. On October 6, 2022, the Company consummated the IPO of
The Company granted the underwriter a
A total of $
F-7
The Company will provide its holders of the outstanding
Public Shares (the “Public Stockholders”) with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their Public Shares upon the
completion of a Business Combination either (i) in connection with a stockholder meeting called to approve the Business Combination or
(ii) by means of a tender offer. The decision as to whether the Company will seek stockholder approval of a Business Combination or conduct
a tender offer will be made by the Company, solely in its discretion. The public stockholders will be entitled to redeem their Public
Shares for a pro rata portion of the amount then in the Trust Account (initially anticipated to be $
The Company will proceed with a Business Combination
if the Company has net tangible assets of at least $
The Initial Stockholders and Chardan have agreed
(a) to waive their redemption rights with respect to the Insider Shares, Private Shares and Public Shares held by them in connection
with the completion of a Business Combination and (b) not to propose, or vote in favor of, an amendment to the Amended and Restated Certificate
of Incorporation that would affect the substance or timing of the Company’s obligation to redeem
Initially, the Company had until 9 months from
the closing of the IPO to consummate a Business Combination. In addition, if the Company anticipates that it may not be able to consummate
initial business combination within 9 months, the Company’s insiders or their affiliates may, but are not obligated to, extend
the period of time to consummate a business combination two times by an additional three months each time (for a total of 12 or 15 months
to complete a business combination) (the “Combination Period”). In order to extend the time available for the Company to
consummate a Business Combination, the Sponsor or its affiliate or designees must deposit into the Trust Account $
On June 28, 2023, the Company held a special
meeting of stockholders, at which the Company’s stockholders approved (i) an amendment to the Company’s amended and restated
certificate of incorporation (the “Extension Amendment”) and (ii) an amendment (the “Trust Amendment”) to the
Investment Management Trust Agreement, dated October 3, 2022, by and between the Company and Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company
to allow the Company to extend the Business Combination Period for a period of three months from July 6, 2023 to October 6, 2023, plus
an option for the Company to further extend such date to January 6, 2024, and then on a monthly basis up to four times from January 6,
2024 to May 6, 2024. In connection with the stockholders’ vote at the special meeting, an aggregate of
On June 29, 2023, October 4, 2023 and December 29,
2023, Bestpath deposited in the Trust Account $
On April 30, 2024, the Company held an annual stockholder
meeting, at which the Company’s stockholders approved (i) an amendment to the Company’s amended and restated certificate of
incorporation and (ii) an amendment to the Investment Management Trust Agreement, dated October 3, 2022 and amended on June 28, 2023,
by and between the Company and Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company to allow the Company to extend the Business Combination
Period for up to
F-8
If the Company is unable to complete a Business
Combination within the Combination Period, the Company will (i) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up, (ii) as promptly
as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter, redeem the Public Shares, at a per-share price, payable in cash,
equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the Trust Account including interest (which interest shall be net of taxes payable,
and less up to $
The Sponsor and Chardan have agreed to waive
their liquidation rights with respect to the Insider Shares and Private Shares if the Company fails to complete a Business Combination
within the Combination Period. However, if the Sponsor or Chardan acquires Public Shares in or after the IPO, such Public Shares will
be entitled to liquidating distributions from the Trust Account if the Company fails to complete a Business Combination within the Combination
Period. The underwriters have agreed to waive their rights to their deferred underwriting commission (see Note 7) held in the Trust
Account in the event the Company does not complete a Business Combination within in the Combination Period and, in such event, such amounts
will be included with the other funds held in the Trust Account that will be available to fund the redemption of the Public Shares. In
the event of such distribution, it is possible that the per share value of the assets remaining available for distribution will be less
than $
In order to protect the amounts held in the Trust
Account, the Sponsor has agreed to be liable to the Company if and to the extent any claims by a vendor for services rendered or products
sold to the Company, or a prospective target business with which the Company has discussed entering into a transaction agreement, reduce
the amount of funds in the Trust Account to below $
On March 23, 2023, the Company entered into an Agreement and Plan of Merger (the “Agreement”) with (i) Bestpath IoT Technology Ltd., a Cayman Islands exempted company (“Holdco”), (ii) Bestpath Group Limited, an exempted company incorporated in Cayman Islands and a direct wholly-owned subsidiary of Holdco (“PubCo”), (iii) Bestpath Merger Sub I Limited, an exempted company incorporated in Cayman Islands and a direct wholly-owned subsidiary of PubCo (“Merger Sub 1”), (iv) Bestpath Merger Sub II Inc., a Delaware corporation and a direct wholly-owned subsidiary of PubCo (“Merger Sub 2” and, together with PubCo and Merger Sub 1, each an “Acquisition Entity” and collectively, the “Acquisition Entities”), and (v) Bestpath (Shanghai) IoT Technology Co., Ltd., a PRC limited liability company (“Bestpath”).
Pursuant to the Agreement, (i) Merger Sub 1 will merger with and into the Holdco (the “Initial Merger”) whereby the separate existence of Merger Sub 1 will cease and Holdco will be the surviving corporation of the Initial Merger and become a wholly owned subsidiary of PubCo, and (ii) following confirmation of the effective filing of the Initial Merger, Merger Sub 2 will merge with and into us (the “SPAC Merger”, and together with the Initial Merger, the “Mergers”), the separate existence of Merger Sub 2 will cease and will be the surviving corporation of the SPAC Merger and a direct wholly owned subsidiary of PubCo.
The Mergers implies a current equity value of
Bestpath at $
F-9
Going Concern Consideration
As of December 31, 2023, the Company had $
The Company has until June 6, 2024 to consummate a Business Combination. It is uncertain that the Company will be able to consummate a Business Combination by this time. If a Business Combination is not consummated by this date, there will be a mandatory liquidation and subsequent dissolution. The Company expects to continue to incur significant professional costs to remain as a publicly traded company and to incur significant transaction costs in pursuit of the consummation of a Business Combination. The Company may need to obtain additional financing either to complete its Business Combination or because it becomes obligated to redeem a significant number of public shares upon consummation of its Business Combination, in which case the Company may issue additional securities or incur debt in connection with such Business Combination. Subject to compliance with applicable securities laws, the Company would only complete such financing simultaneously with the completion of our Business Combination. If the Company is unable to complete its Business Combination because it does not have sufficient funds available, it will be forced to cease operations and liquidate the Trust Account. In addition, following the Business Combination, if cash on hand is insufficient, the Company may need to obtain additional financing in order to meet its obligations.
In connection with the Company’s assessment of going concern considerations in accordance with Financial Accounting Standard Board’s Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) 2014-15, “Disclosures of Uncertainties about an Entity’s Ability to Continue as a Going Concern”, management has determined that if the Company is unable to complete a Business Combination by June 6, 2024 (unless the Company extends the time to complete a Business Combination), then the Company will cease all operations except for the purpose of liquidating. The date for liquidation and subsequent dissolution raises substantial doubt about the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern. The financial statement does not include any adjustments that might result from the outcome of this uncertainty.
F-10
Risks and Uncertainties
Management has evaluated the impact of persistent inflation and rising interest rates, financial market instability, including the recent bank failures, the lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and certain geopolitical events, including the conflict in Ukraine and the surrounding region, and has concluded that while it is reasonably possible that the risks and uncertainties related to or resulting from these events could have a negative effect on the Company’s financial position, results of its operations and/or search for a target company, the specific impact is not readily determinable as of the date of these financial statements. The financial statements do not include any adjustments that might result from the outcome of these risks and uncertainties.
On August 16, 2022, the Inflation Reduction Act
of 2022 (the “IR Act”) was signed into federal law. The IR Act provides for, among other things, a new U.S. federal
Any redemption or other repurchase that occurs after December 31, 2022, in connection with a Business Combination, extension vote or otherwise, may be subject to the excise tax. Whether and to what extent the Company would be subject to the excise tax in connection with a Business Combination, extension vote or otherwise would depend on a number of factors, including (i) the fair market value of the redemptions and repurchases in connection with the Business Combination, extension or otherwise, (ii) the structure of a Business Combination, (iii) the nature and amount of any “PIPE” or other equity issuances in connection with a Business Combination (or otherwise issued not in connection with a Business Combination but issued within the same taxable year of a Business Combination) and (iv) the content of regulations and other guidance from the Treasury. In addition, because the excise tax would be payable by the Company and not by the redeeming holder, the mechanics of any required payment of the excise tax have not been determined. The foregoing could cause a reduction in the cash available on hand to complete a Business Combination and in the Company’s ability to complete a Business Combination.
At this time, it has been determined that the
IR Act tax provisions have an impact to the Company’s fiscal 2023 tax provision as there were redemptions by the public
stockholders in June 2023; as a result, the Company recorded $
Note 2 — Revision of Prior Period Financial Information
During the preparation of this Annual Report on Form 10-K, the Company determined that it had not appropriately classified two balance sheet accounts, Investments Held in Trust Account and Deferred Underwriting Commissions, under accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“U.S. GAAP”). Investments Held in Trust Account and Deferred Underwriting Commissions accounts were misclassified as current assets and current liabilities, respectively, on the balance sheets, resulting in misstatements of current and non-current assets accounts and current and non-current liabilities accounts.
In accordance with Staff Accounting Bulletin (“SAB”) 99, “Materiality”, and SAB 108, “Considering the Effects of Prior Year Misstatements when Quantifying Misstatements in Current Year Financial Statements”, the Company evaluated the materiality of the errors from qualitative and quantitative perspectives, individually and in aggregate, and concluded that the errors were material to the Balance Sheet as of October 6, 2022 (IPO date), for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2022, and the quarters ended March 31, 2023, June 30, 2023, and September 30, 2023. Management revised the impacted Balance Sheets for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2022, and the quarters ended March 31, 2023, June 30, 2023, and September 30, 2023. Refer to Note 12 for revised annual and quarterly financial statements.
Note 3 — Summary of Significant Accounting Policies
Basis of Presentation
The accompanying financial statements are presented in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“GAAP”) and pursuant to the rules and regulations of the SEC. Accordingly, they include all of the information and footnotes required by GAAP. In the opinion of management, all adjustments (consisting of normal accruals) considered for a fair presentation have been included.
Emerging Growth Company
The Company is an “emerging growth company,” as defined in Section 2(a) of the Securities Act, as modified by the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012 (the “JOBS Act”), and it may take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not emerging growth companies including, but not limited to, not being required to comply with the independent registered public accounting firm attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in its periodic reports and proxy statements, and exemptions from the requirements of holding a nonbinding advisory vote on executive compensation and stockholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved.
F-11
Further, Section 102(b)(1) of the JOBS Act exempts emerging growth companies from being required to comply with new or revised financial accounting standards until private companies (that is, those that have not had a Securities Act registration statement declared effective or do not have a class of securities registered under the Exchange Act) are required to comply with the new or revised financial accounting standards. The JOBS Act provides that a company can elect to opt out of the extended transition period and comply with the requirements that apply to non-emerging growth companies but any such election to opt out is irrevocable. The Company has elected not to opt out of such extended transition period which means that when a standard is issued or revised and it has different application dates for public or private companies, the Company, as an emerging growth company, can adopt the new or revised standard at the time private companies adopt the new or revised standard. This may make comparison of the Company’s financial statements with another public company that is neither an emerging growth company nor an emerging growth company that has opted out of using the extended transition period difficult or impossible because of the potential differences in accounting standards used.
Use of Estimates
In preparing of financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP, the Company’s management makes estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported expenses during the reporting period.
Making estimates requires management to exercise significant judgment. It is at least reasonably possible that the estimate of the effect of a condition, situation or set of circumstances that existed at the date of the financial statements, which management considered in formulating its estimate, could change in the near term due to one or more future confirming events. Accordingly, the actual results could differ significantly from those estimates.
Cash and Cash Equivalents
The Company considers all short-term investments
with an original maturity of three months or less when purchased to be cash equivalents. The Company had $
Investments Held in Trust Account
The Company’s portfolio of investments
held in the Trust Account is comprised of investments in money market funds that invest in U.S. government securities. The Company’s
investments held in the Trust Account are classified as trading securities. Trading securities are presented on the balance sheet at
fair value at the end of each reporting period. Gains and losses resulting from the change in fair value of investments held in Trust
Account are included in interest earned on marketable securities held in Trust Account in the accompanying statements of operations.
The estimated fair value of investments held in the Trust Account is determined using available market information. As of December 31,
2023 and December 31, 2022, the Trust Account had balance of $
Deferred Offering Costs
The Company complies with the requirements of Financial Accounting Standards Board (the “FASB”) Accounting Standards Codification (the “ASC”) Topic 340-10-S99-1, “Other Assets and Deferred Costs – SEC Materials” and SEC Staff Accounting Bulletin Topic 5A, “Expenses of Offering”. Offering costs are allocated between public shares and public rights based on the estimated fair values of public shares and public rights at the date of issuance. Deferred offering costs consisted principally of underwriting, legal, accounting and other expenses were charged to stockholders’ equity upon the completion of the IPO on October 6, 2022.
F-12
Income Taxes
The Company follows the asset and liability method of accounting for income taxes under ASC 740, “Income Taxes.” Deferred tax assets and liabilities are recognized for the estimated future tax consequences attributable to differences between the financial statements carrying amounts of existing assets and liabilities and their respective tax bases. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are measured using enacted tax rates expected to apply to taxable income in the years in which those temporary differences are expected to be recovered or settled. The effect on deferred tax assets and liabilities of a change in tax rates is recognized in income in the period that is included in the enactment date. Valuation allowances are established, when necessary, to reduce deferred tax assets to the amount expected to be realized.
ASC 740 prescribes a recognition threshold and a measurement attribute for the financial statement recognition and measurement of tax positions taken or expected to be taken in a tax return. For those benefits to be recognized, a tax position must be more likely than not to be sustained upon examination by taxing authorities. The Company recognizes accrued interest and penalties related to unrecognized tax benefits as income tax expense. There were no unrecognized tax benefits and no amounts accrued for interest and penalties as of December 31, 2023 and 2022. The Company is currently not aware of any issues under review that could result in significant payments, accruals or material deviation from its position. The Company is subject to income tax examinations by major taxing authorities since inception.
The Company has identified the United States as its only “major” tax jurisdiction.
The Company may be subject to potential examination by federal and state taxing authorities in the areas of income taxes. These potential examinations may include questioning the timing and amount of deductions, the nexus of income among various tax jurisdictions and compliance with federal and state tax laws. The Company’s management does not expect that the total amount of unrecognized tax benefits will materially change over the next twelve months.
Net Income (Loss) Per Share
The Company complies with accounting and disclosure requirements of FASB ASC 260, Earnings Per Share. The statements of operations include a presentation of income (loss) per redeemable share and income (loss) per non-redeemable share following the two-class method of income per share. In order to determine the net income (loss) attributable to both the redeemable shares and non-redeemable shares, the Company first considered the undistributed income (loss) allocable to both the redeemable shares and non-redeemable shares and the undistributed income (loss) is calculated using the total net loss less any dividends paid. The Company then allocated the undistributed income (loss) ratably based on the weighted average number of shares outstanding between the redeemable and non-redeemable shares. Any remeasurement of the accretion to redemption value of the common shares subject to possible redemption was considered to be dividends paid to the public shareholders. As of December 31, 2023 and 2022, the Company did not have any dilutive securities and other contracts that could, potentially, be exercised or converted into ordinary shares and then share in the earnings of the Company. As a result, diluted loss per share is the same as basic loss per share for the period presented.
F-13
| For the Year Ended December 31, | ||||||||
| 2023 | 2022 | |||||||
| Net income | $ | $ | ||||||
| Accretion of common stock to redemption value(1) | ( | ) | ( | ) | ||||
| Net loss including accretion of common stock to redemption value | $ | ( | ) | $ | ( | ) | ||
| For the Year Ended December 31, 2023 | For the Year Ended December 31, 2022 | |||||||||||||||
| Redeemable shares | Non- redeemable shares | Redeemable shares | Non- redeemable shares | |||||||||||||
| Basic and diluted net income (loss) per common stock | ||||||||||||||||
| Numerator: | ||||||||||||||||
| Allocation of net loss | $ | ( | ) | $ | ( | ) | $ | ( | ) | $ | ( | ) | ||||
| Accretion of common stock to redemption value(1) | ||||||||||||||||
| Allocation of net income (loss) | $ | $ | ( | ) | $ | $ | ( | ) | ||||||||
| Denominator: | ||||||||||||||||
| $ | $ | ( | ) | $ | $ | ( | ) | |||||||||
| (1) |
Concentration of Credit Risk
Financial instruments that potentially subject
the Company to concentrations of credit risk consist of a cash account in a financial institution, which, at times, may exceed the Federal
Depository Insurance Coverage of $
Fair Value of Financial Instruments
The fair value of the Company’s assets and liabilities, which qualify as financial instruments under ASC 825, “Financial Instruments,” approximates the carrying amounts represented in the accompanying balance sheet, primarily due to their short-term nature.
F-14
Common Stock Subject to Possible Redemption
The Company accounts for its common stock subject to possible redemption in accordance with the guidance in ASC Topic 480 “Distinguishing Liabilities from Equity.” Common stock subject to mandatory redemption (if any) are classified as a liability instrument and are measured at fair value. Conditionally redeemable common stock (including common stock that feature redemption rights that is either within the control of the holder or subject to redemption upon the occurrence of uncertain events not solely within the Company’s control) is classified as temporary equity. At all other times, common stock is classified as stockholders’ equity. The Company’s common stock features certain redemption rights that are considered to be outside of the Company’s control and subject to occurrence of uncertain future events. Accordingly, common stock subject to possible redemption is presented at redemption value as temporary equity, outside of the stockholders’ equity section of the Company’s balance sheet.
The Company has made a policy election in accordance
with ASC 480-10-S99-3A and recognizes changes in redemption value in accumulated deficit over an expected 12-month period leading up to
a Business Combination. As of December 31, 2023, the Company recorded $
| Gross proceeds | $ | |||
| Less: | ||||
| Proceeds allocated to public rights | ( | ) | ||
| Allocation of offering costs related to redeemable shares | ( | ) | ||
| Plus: | ||||
| Accretion of carrying value to redemption value | ||||
| Common stock subject to possible redemption- December 31, 2022 | ||||
| Plus: | ||||
| Accretion of carrying value to redemption value – for the year ended December 31, 2023 | ||||
| Redeemed common stock payable to public stockholders | ( | ) | ||
| Common stock subject to possible redemption- December 31, 2023 | $ |
Convertible Promissory Note
The Company elects an early adoption of the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) 2020-06, Debt - Debt with Conversion and Other Options (Subtopic 470-20) and Derivatives and Hedging - Contracts in Entity’s Own Equity (Subtopic 815-40) (“ASU 2020-06”) and accounts for its convertible promissory notes as debt (liability) on the balance sheet. The Company’s assessment of the embedded conversion feature (see Note 5 - Related Party Transactions) considers the derivative scope exception guidance under ASC 815 pertaining to equity classification of contracts in an entity’s own equity. The conversion feature of these promissory notes meets the definition of a derivative instrument. However, bifurcation of conversion feature from the debt host is not required because the conversion feature meets ASC 815 scope exception, as the promissory notes are convertible in shares of the Company’s common stock which is considered indexed to the Company’s own stock and classified in stockholders’ equity.
Recent Accounting Pronouncements
In December 2023, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued ASU 2023-09, “Income Taxes (Topic 740): Improvements to Income Tax Disclosures” (“ASU 2023-09”). This ASU requires that public business entities must annually “(1) disclose specific categories in the rate reconciliation and (2) provide additional information for reconciling items that meet a quantitative threshold (if the effect of those reconciling items is equal to or greater than 5 percent of the amount computed by multiplying pretax income or loss by the applicable statutory income tax rate).” A public entity should apply the amendments in ASU 2023-09 prospectively to all annual periods beginning after December 15, 2024. The Company is currently assessing the impact, if any, that ASU 2023-09 would have on its financial position, results of operations or cash flows.
Management does not believe that any recently issued, but not yet effective, accounting pronouncements, if currently adopted, would have a material effect on the Company’s financial statements.
F-15
Note 4 — Initial Public Offering
On October 6, 2022, the Company sold
All of the
The Company’s redeemable common stock is subject to SEC and its staff’s guidance on redeemable equity instruments, which has been codified in ASC 480-10-S99. If it is probable that the equity instrument will become redeemable, the Company has the option to either accrete changes in the redemption value over the period from the date of issuance (or from the date that it becomes probable that the instrument will become redeemable, if later) to the earliest redemption date of the instrument or to recognize changes in the redemption value immediately as they occur and adjust the carrying amount of the instrument to equal the redemption value at the end of each reporting period.
The Company has made a policy election in accordance with ASC 480-10-S99-3A and recognizes changes in redemption value in additional paid-in capital (or accumulated deficit in the absence of additional paid-in capital) over an expected 12-month period leading up to a Business Combination.
Note 5 — Private Placement
Simultaneously with the closing of the IPO on
October 6, 2022, the Sponsor purchased an aggregate of
Note 6 — Related Party Transactions
Insider Shares
On April 1, 2021, the Company issued
F-16
The Initial Stockholders have agreed, subject
to certain limited exceptions, not to transfer, assign or sell any of their Insider Shares until, with respect to
Promissory Note — Related Party
On April 1, 2021 and December 20, 2021, the Sponsor
agreed to loan the Company up to an aggregate amount of $
On February 8, 2023, February 23, 2023 and
March 31, 2023, the Sponsor provided the Company a loan of $
Due to Related Party
The Company received additional funds from the
Sponsor at the closing of IPO to finance transaction costs in connection with searching for a target business. On June 26, 2023, $
Promissory Note — Bestpath
On June 29, 2023 and October 3, 2023,
Bestpath provided a loan of $
F-17
Note 7 — Commitments and Contingency
Registration Rights
The holders of the Founder Shares, Private Units (and all underlying securities), and any shares that may be issued upon conversion of working capital loans will be entitled to registration rights pursuant to a registration rights agreement signed on the effective date of IPO. The holders of the majority of these securities are entitled to make up to three demands that the Company register such securities. The holders of the majority of the Founder Shares can elect to exercise these registration rights at any time commencing three months prior to the date on which the Founder Shares are to be released from escrow. The holders of a majority of the Private Units and units issued in payment of working capital loans made to the Company can elect to exercise these registration rights at any time commencing on the date that the Company consummates a Business Combination. In addition, the holders have certain “piggy-back” registration rights with respect to registration statements filed subsequent to the consummation of a Business Combination. The Company will bear the expenses incurred in connection with the filing of any such registration statements.
Underwriting Agreement
The Company has granted the underwriters a 45-day
option from the date of the prospectus to purchase up to
The underwriters were paid a cash underwriting
discount of $
Unit Purchase Option
On October 6, 2022, the Company sold to Chardan
(and/or its designees), for $
F-18
Note 8 — Stockholders’ Equity
Common Stock — The Company
is authorized to issue
Rights — Each holder of a right will receive one-fifth (1/5) of one share of common stock upon consummation of a Business Combination, even if the holder of such right redeemed all shares held by it in connection with a Business Combination. No fractional shares will be issued upon conversion of the rights. No additional consideration will be required to be paid by a holder of rights in order to receive its additional shares upon consummation of a Business Combination, as the consideration related thereto has been included in the Unit purchase price paid for by investors in the Initial Public Offering. If the Company enters into a definitive agreement for a Business Combination in which the Company will not be the surviving entity, the definitive agreement will provide for the holders of rights to receive the same per share consideration the holders of the common stock will receive in the transaction on an as-converted into common stock basis and each holder of a right will be required to affirmatively convert its rights in order to receive one-fifth (1/5) of one share underlying each right (without paying additional consideration). The shares issuable upon conversion of the rights will be freely tradable (except to the extent held by affiliates of the Company).
If the Company is unable to complete a Business Combination within the Combination Period and the Company liquidates the funds held in the Trust Account, holders of rights will not receive any of such funds with respect to their rights, nor will they receive any distribution from the Company’s assets held outside of the Trust Account with respect to such rights, and the rights will expire worthless. Further, there are no contractual penalties for failure to deliver securities to the holders of the rights upon consummation of a Business Combination. Additionally, in no event will the Company be required to net cash settle the rights. Accordingly, the rights may expire worthless.
Note 9 — Fair Value Measurements
The fair value of the Company’s financial assets and liabilities reflects management’s estimate of amounts that the Company would have received in connection with the sale of the assets or paid in connection with the transfer of the liabilities in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date. In connection with measuring the fair value of its assets and liabilities, the Company seeks to maximize the use of observable inputs (market data obtained from independent sources) and to minimize the use of unobservable inputs (internal assumptions about how market participants would price assets and liabilities). The following fair value hierarchy is used to classify assets and liabilities based on the observable inputs and unobservable inputs used in order to value the assets and liabilities:
| Level 1: | Quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities. An active market for an asset or liability is a market in which transactions for the asset or liability occur with sufficient frequency and volume to provide pricing information on an ongoing basis. |
| Level 2: | Observable inputs other than Level 1 inputs. Examples of Level 2 inputs include quoted prices in active markets for similar assets or liabilities and quoted prices for identical assets or liabilities in markets that are not active. |
| Level 3: | Unobservable inputs based on our assessment of the assumptions that market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability. |
F-19
| December 31, 2023 | Quoted Prices in Active Markets (Level 1) | Significant Other Observable Inputs (Level 2) | Significant Other Unobservable Inputs (Level 3) | |||||||||||||
| Assets | ||||||||||||||||
| Marketable securities held in the Trust Account | ||||||||||||||||
| December 31, 2022 | Quoted Prices in Active Markets (Level 1) | Significant Other Observable Inputs (Level 2) | Significant Other Unobservable Inputs (Level 3) | |||||||||||||
| Assets | ||||||||||||||||
| Marketable securities held in the Trust Account | ||||||||||||||||
Note 10 — Income Taxes
| December 31, | December 31, | |||||||
| 2023 | 2022 | |||||||
| Deferred tax asset (liability) | ||||||||
| Net operating loss carryforward | $ | $ | ||||||
| Startup/Organization Expenses | ||||||||
| Amortization of startup cost | ( | ) | ||||||
| Unrealized gain on investments held in Trust Account | ( | ) | ( | ) | ||||
| Total deferred tax asset (liability) | ( | ) | ||||||
| Valuation allowance | ||||||||
| Deferred tax asset, net of allowance | $ | $ | ||||||
| For the year ended December 31, | ||||||||
| 2023 | 2022 | |||||||
| Federal | ||||||||
| Current | $ | $ | ||||||
| Deferred | ( | ) | ( | ) | ||||
| State | ||||||||
| Current | $ | $ | ||||||
| Deferred | ||||||||
| Change in valuation allowance | ||||||||
| Income tax provision | $ | $ | ||||||
F-20
| For the year ended December 31, | ||||||||
| 2023 | 2022 | |||||||
| Income at U.S. statutory rate | % | % | ||||||
| State taxes, net of federal benefit | % | % | ||||||
| Transaction costs | % | % | ||||||
| True up | ( | )% | % | |||||
| Change in valuation allowance | % | ( | )% | |||||
| % | % | |||||||
As of December 31, 2023 and 2022, the Company did not have any U.S. federal and state net operating loss carryovers available to offset future taxable income.
In assessing the realization of the deferred
tax assets, management considers whether it is more likely than not that some portion of all of the deferred tax assets will not be realized.
The ultimate realization of deferred tax assets is dependent upon the generation of future taxable income during the periods in which
temporary differences representing net future deductible amounts become deductible. Management considers the scheduled reversal of deferred
tax liabilities, projected future taxable income and tax planning strategies in making this assessment. After consideration of all of
the information available, management believes that significant uncertainty exists with respect to future realization of the deferred
tax assets and has therefore established a full valuation allowance. The change in the valuation allowance was $
The provisions for U.S. federal and state income
taxes were $
Note 11 — Revision of Prior Period Financial Information
The following tables present the impact of the revision adjustments disclosed in Note 2 – Revision of Prior Period Financial Information, to the previously reported balance sheets as of October 6, 2022 (IPO date), for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2022, and quarters ended March 31, 2023, June 30, 2023, and September 30, 2023. Other financial statements were not impacted.
F-21
AQUARON ACQUISITION CORP.
REVISED BALANCE SHEET
(AUDITED)
October 6, 2022
| Previously Reported | Adjustments | Revised | ||||||||||
| Assets | ||||||||||||
| Current Assets: | ||||||||||||
| Cash | $ | $ | $ | |||||||||
| Prepaid expenses | ||||||||||||
| Investments held in Trust Account | ( | ) | ||||||||||
| Total Current Assets | ( | ) | ||||||||||
| Investments held in Trust Account | ||||||||||||
| Total Assets | $ | $ | $ | |||||||||
| Liabilities, Redeemable Common Stock and Stockholders’ Equity | ||||||||||||
| Current Liabilities | ||||||||||||
| Other payable – related party | $ | $ | $ | |||||||||
| Accounts payable and accrued expenses | ||||||||||||
| Promissory note – related party | ||||||||||||
| Deferred underwriting fee payable | ( | ) | ||||||||||
| Total Current Liabilities | ( | ) | ||||||||||
| Deferred underwriting fee payable | ||||||||||||
| Total Liabilities | ||||||||||||
| Commitments and Contingencies | ||||||||||||
| Common stock subject to possible redemption, $0.0001 par value; 10,000,000 shares authorized; 5,000,000 shares issued and outstanding at redemption value | ||||||||||||
| Stockholders’ Equity | ||||||||||||
| Class A common stock, $0.0001 par value; 10,000,000 shares authorized; 1,693,750 shares issued and outstanding (excluding 5,000,000 shares subject to possible redemption | ||||||||||||
| Additional paid-in capital | ||||||||||||
| Accumulated deficit | ( | ) | ( | ) | ||||||||
| Total Stockholders’ Equity | ||||||||||||
| Total Liabilities, Redeemable Common Stock and Stockholders’ Equity | $ | $ | — | $ | ||||||||
F-22
AQUARON ACQUISITION CORP.
REVISED BALANCE SHEET
(AUDITED)
December 31, 2022
| Previously Reported | Adjustments | Revised | ||||||||||
| Assets | ||||||||||||
| Current Assets: | ||||||||||||
| Cash | $ | $ | — | $ | ||||||||
| Prepaid expenses | ||||||||||||
| Investments held in Trust Account | ( | ) | ||||||||||
| Total Current Assets | ( | ) | ||||||||||
| Investments held in Trust Account | ||||||||||||
| Total Assets | $ | $ | — | $ | ||||||||
| Liabilities, Redeemable Common Stock and Stockholders’ Equity | ||||||||||||
| Current Liabilities | ||||||||||||
| Other payable – related party | $ | $ | — | $ | ||||||||
| Accounts payable and accrued expenses | ||||||||||||
| Franchise tax payable | ||||||||||||
| Income tax payable | ||||||||||||
| Deferred underwriting fee payable | ( | ) | ||||||||||
| Total Current Liabilities | ( | ) | ||||||||||
| Deferred underwriting fee payable | ||||||||||||
| Total Liabilities | ||||||||||||
| Commitments and Contingencies | ||||||||||||
| Common stock subject to possible redemption, $0.0001 par value; 10,000,000 shares authorized; 5,417,180 shares issued and outstanding at redemption value | ||||||||||||
| Stockholders’ Equity | ||||||||||||
| Class A common stock, $0.0001 par value; 10,000,000 shares authorized; 1,693,750 shares issued and outstanding (excluding 5,417,180 shares subject to possible redemption | ||||||||||||
| Additional paid-in capital | ||||||||||||
| Retained earnings | ||||||||||||
| Total Stockholders’ Equity | ||||||||||||
| Total Liabilities, Redeemable Common Stock and Stockholders’ Equity | $ | $ | — | $ | ||||||||
F-23
AQUARON ACQUISITION CORP.
REVISED CONDENSED BALANCE SHEET
(UNAUDITED)
March 31, 2023
| Previously Reported | Adjustments | Revised | ||||||||||
| Assets | ||||||||||||
| Current Assets: | ||||||||||||
| Cash | $ | $ | — | $ | ||||||||
| Prepaid expenses | ||||||||||||
| Investments held in Trust Account | ( | ) | ||||||||||
| Total Current Assets | ( | ) | ||||||||||
| Investments held in Trust Account | ||||||||||||
| Total Assets | $ | $ | $ | |||||||||
| Liabilities, Redeemable Common Stock and Stockholders’ Equity | ||||||||||||
| Current Liabilities | ||||||||||||
| Other payable – related party | $ | $ | — | $ | ||||||||
| Accounts payable and accrued expenses | ||||||||||||
| Franchise tax payable | ||||||||||||
| Income tax payable | ||||||||||||
| Deferred income tax liability | ||||||||||||
| Promissory note – related party | ||||||||||||
| Deferred underwriting fee payable | ( | ) | ||||||||||
| Total Current Liabilities | ( | ) | ||||||||||
| Deferred underwriting fee payable | ||||||||||||
| Total Liabilities | ||||||||||||
| Commitments and Contingencies | ||||||||||||
| Common stock subject to possible redemption, $0.0001 par value; 10,000,000 shares authorized; 5,417,180 shares issued and outstanding at redemption value | ||||||||||||
| Stockholders’ Equity | ||||||||||||
| Class A common stock, $0.0001 par value; 10,000,000 shares authorized; 1,693,750 shares and 1,437,500 issued and outstanding at December 31, 2022 (excluding 5,417,180 shares subject to possible redemption) | ||||||||||||
| Additional paid-in capital | ||||||||||||
| Retained earnings | ||||||||||||
| Total Stockholders’ Equity | ||||||||||||
| Total Liabilities, Redeemable Common Stock and Stockholders’ Equity | $ | $ | — | $ | ||||||||
F-24
AQUARON ACQUISITION CORP.
REVISED CONDENSED BALANCE SHEET
(UNAUDITED)
June 30, 2023
| Previously Reported | Adjustments | Revised | ||||||||||
| Assets | ||||||||||||
| Current Assets: | ||||||||||||
| Cash | $ | $ | — | $ | ||||||||
| Prepaid expenses | ||||||||||||
| Deferred income tax asset | ||||||||||||
| Investments held in Trust Account | ( | ) | ||||||||||
| Total Current Assets | ( | ) | ||||||||||
| Investments held in Trust Account | ||||||||||||
| Total Assets | $ | $ | — | $ | ||||||||
| Liabilities, Redeemable Common Stock and Stockholders’ Deficit | ||||||||||||
| Current Liabilities | ||||||||||||
| Accounts payable and accrued expenses | $ | $ | — | $ | ||||||||
| Franchise tax payable | ||||||||||||
| Income tax payable | ||||||||||||
| Exercise tax payable | ||||||||||||
| Promissory note – related party | ||||||||||||
| Promissory note – Bestpath | ||||||||||||
| Deferred underwriting fee payable | ( | ) | ||||||||||
| Redeemed common stock payable to public stockholders | ||||||||||||
| Total Current Liabilities | ( | ) | ||||||||||
| Deferred underwriting fee payable | ||||||||||||
| Total Liabilities | ||||||||||||
| Commitments and Contingencies | ||||||||||||
| Common stock subject to possible redemption, $0.0001 par value; 10,000,000 shares authorized; 2,930,090 shares issued and outstanding at redemption value | ||||||||||||
| Stockholders’ Deficit | ||||||||||||
| Class A common stock, $0.0001 par value; 10,000,000 shares authorized; 1,623,060 shares issued and outstanding (excluding 2,930,090 shares subject to possible redemption) | ||||||||||||
| Accumulated deficit | ( | ) | ( | ) | ||||||||
| Total Stockholders’ Deficit | ( | ) | ( | ) | ||||||||
| Total Liabilities, Redeemable Common Stock and Stockholders’ Deficit | $ | $ | — | $ | ||||||||
F-25
AQUARON ACQUISITION CORP.
REVISED CONDENSED BALANCE SHEET
(UNAUDITED)
September 30, 2023
| Previously Reported | Adjustments | Revised | ||||||||||
| Assets | ||||||||||||
| Current Assets: | ||||||||||||
| Cash | $ | $ | — | $ | ||||||||
| Prepaid expenses | ||||||||||||
| Deferred income tax asset | ||||||||||||
| Investments held in Trust Account | ( | ) | ||||||||||
| Total Current Assets | ( | ) | ||||||||||
| Investments held in Trust Account | ||||||||||||
| Total Assets | $ | $ | — | $ | ||||||||
| Liabilities, Redeemable Common Stock and Stockholders’ Deficit | ||||||||||||
| Current Liabilities | ||||||||||||
| Accounts payable and accrued expenses | $ | $ | — | $ | ||||||||
| Franchise tax payable | ||||||||||||
| Income tax payable | ||||||||||||
| Exercise tax payable | ||||||||||||
| Promissory note – related party | ||||||||||||
| Promissory note – Bestpath | ||||||||||||
| Deferred underwriting fee payable | ( | ) | ||||||||||
| Total Current Liabilities | ( | ) | ||||||||||
| Deferred underwriting fee payable | ||||||||||||
| Total Liabilities | ||||||||||||
| Commitments and Contingencies | ||||||||||||
| Common stock subject to possible redemption, $0.0001 par value; 10,000,000 shares authorized; 2,930,090 shares issued and outstanding at redemption value | ||||||||||||
| Stockholders’ Deficit | ||||||||||||
| Class A common stock, $0.0001 par value; 10,000,000 shares authorized; 1,623,060 shares issued and outstanding (excluding 2,930,090 shares subject to possible redemption) | ||||||||||||
| Accumulated deficit | ( | ) | ( | ) | ||||||||
| Total Stockholders’ Deficit | ( | ) | ( | ) | ||||||||
| Total Liabilities, Redeemable Common Stock and Stockholders’ Deficit | $ | $ | — | $ | ||||||||
F-26
Note 12 — Subsequent Events
The Company evaluated subsequent events and transactions that occurred after the balance sheet date up to the date that the financial statements were issued. Based on the review, management identified the following subsequent events that would have required disclosure in the condensed financial statements.
On January 4, 2024, the Company issued an
unsecured promissory note to the Sponsor in the aggregate principal amount of $
On February 2, 2024, March 1, 2024, and April 8, 2024,
the Company issued an unsecured promissory note of $
On April 19, 2024, the Company received a written notice (the “Notice”) from the Listing Qualifications staff (the “Staff”) of The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC (“Nasdaq”), notifying the Company that it currently does not satisfy Listing Rule 5250(c)(1), as a result of not having timely filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) its Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2023 (the “Form 10-K”).
The Notice is a notification of deficiency, not of imminent delisting, and has no immediate effect on the listing or trading of the Company’s securities on the Nasdaq Capital Market.
The Company has 60 calendar days from the date of the Notice, or until June 18, 2024, to submit to Nasdaq a plan to regain compliance with the Nasdaq Listing Rule 5250(c)(1). If the Company submits a plan to Nasdaq and Nasdaq accepts the plan, Nasdaq can grant an exception of up to 180 calendar days from the due date of the filing of the Form 10-K, or until October 14, 2024, to regain compliance. If the Company does not regain compliance within the allotted compliance periods, including any extensions that may be granted by Nasdaq, Nasdaq will provide notice that the Company’s common stock will be subject to delisting. The Company would then be entitled to appeal that determination to a Nasdaq hearings panel.
The Company’s objective is to regain compliance with the listing requirement, and the Company currently intends to file the Form 10-K with the Commission as soon as it completes the preparation and review of its financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2023.
On April 30, 2024, the
Company held an annual stockholder meeting, at which the Company’s stockholders approved (i) an amendment to the Company’s
amended and restated certificate of incorporation and (ii) an amendment to the Investment Management Trust Agreement, dated October 3,
2022 and amended on June 28, 2023, by and between the Company and Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company to allow the Company
to extend the Business Combination Period for up to twelve months on a monthly basis from May 6, 2024 to May 6, 2025. In connection with
the stockholders’ vote at the annual meeting, an aggregate of
On May 2, 2024, Bestpath
provided a loan of $
F-27
Exhibit 10.11
THIS PROMISSORY NOTE (“NOTE”) HAS NOT BEEN REGISTERED UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933, AS AMENDED (THE “SECURITIES ACT”). THIS NOTE HAS BEEN ACQUIRED FOR INVESTMENT ONLY AND MAY NOT BE SOLD, TRANSFERRED OR ASSIGNED IN THE ABSENCE OF REGISTRATION OF THE RESALE THEREOF UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OR AN OPINION OF COUNSEL REASONABLY SATISFACTORY IN FORM, SCOPE AND SUBSTANCE TO THE COMPANY THAT SUCH REGISTRATION IS NOT REQUIRED.
PROMISSORY NOTE
|
Principal Amount: $200,000
|
Dated as of January 4, 2024 |
Aquaron Acquisition Corp. or its registered assigns or successors in interest (the “Maker”) promises to pay to the order of Aquaron Investments LLC, a Delaware limited liability company, or its registered assigns or successors in interest (the “Payee”), or order, the principal sum of Two Hundred Thousand U.S. dollars ($200,000) in lawful money of the United States of America, on the terms and conditions described below. All payments on this Note shall be made by check or wire transfer of immediately available funds or as otherwise determined by the Maker to such account as the Payee may from time to time designate by written notice in accordance with the provisions of this Note.
1. Principal. The principal balance of this Note shall be payable by the Maker on the earlier of: (i) the date on which Maker consummates a business combination with target businesses or (ii) the date the Maker liquidates if a business combination is not consummated (the “Due Date”). The principal balance may be prepaid at any time. The principal balance shall be payable by the Maker either: (i) in cash, or (ii) in 24,000 shares of the Maker’s common stock (as equitably adjusted for share split, share combination, recapitalization or similar events, and collectively, the “Conversion Shares”), at the Payee’s election in writing. Under no circumstances shall any individual, including but not limited to any officer, director, employee or shareholder of the Maker, be personally obligated for any obligations or liabilities of the Maker hereunder.
2. Interest. No interest shall accrue on the unpaid principal balance of this Note.
3. Application of Payments. All payments shall be applied first to payment in full of any costs incurred in the collection of any sum due under this Note, including (without limitation) reasonable attorney’s fees, then to the payment in full of any late charges and finally to the reduction of the unpaid principal balance of this Note.
4. Events of Default. The following shall constitute an event of default (“Event of Default”):
(a) Failure to Make Required Payments. Failure by Maker to pay the principal amount due pursuant to this Note within five (5) business days of the date specified above.
(b) Voluntary Bankruptcy, Etc. The commencement by Maker of a voluntary case under any applicable bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, rehabilitation or other similar law, or the consent by it to the appointment of or taking possession by a receiver, liquidator, assignee, trustee, custodian, sequestrator (or other similar official) of Maker or for any substantial part of its property, or the making by it of any assignment for the benefit of creditors, or the failure of Maker generally to pay its debts as such debts become due, or the taking of corporate action by Maker in furtherance of any of the foregoing.
(c) Involuntary Bankruptcy, Etc. The entry of a decree or order for relief by a court having jurisdiction in the premises in respect of Maker in an involuntary case under any applicable bankruptcy, insolvency or other similar law, or appointing a receiver, liquidator, assignee, custodian, trustee, sequestrator (or similar official) of Maker or for any substantial part of its property, or ordering the winding-up or liquidation of its affairs, and the continuance of any such decree or order unstayed and in effect for a period of 60 consecutive days.
5. Remedies.
(a) Upon the occurrence of an Event of Default specified in Section 5(a) hereof, Payee may, by written notice to Maker, declare this Note to be due immediately and payable, whereupon the unpaid principal amount of this Note, and all other amounts payable thereunder, shall become immediately due and payable without presentment, demand, protest or other notice of any kind, all of which are hereby expressly waived, anything contained herein or in the documents evidencing the same to the contrary notwithstanding.
(b) Upon the occurrence of an Event of Default specified in Sections 5(b) and 5(c), the unpaid principal balance of this Note, and all other sums payable with regard to this Note, shall automatically and immediately become due and payable, in all cases without any action on the part of Payee.
6. Waivers. Maker and all endorsers and guarantors of, and sureties for, this Note waive presentment for payment, demand, notice of dishonor, protest, and notice of protest with regard to the Note, all errors, defects and imperfections in any proceedings instituted by Payee under the terms of this Note, and all benefits that might accrue to Maker by virtue of any present or future laws exempting any property, real or personal, or any part of the proceeds arising from any sale of any such property, from attachment, levy or sale under execution, or providing for any stay of execution, exemption from civil process, or extension of time for payment; and Maker agrees that any real estate that may be levied upon pursuant to a judgment obtained by virtue hereof, on any writ of execution issued hereon, may be sold upon any such writ in whole or in part in any order desired by Payee.
7. Unconditional Liability. Maker hereby waives all notices in connection with the delivery, acceptance, performance, default, or enforcement of the payment of this Note, and agrees that its liability shall be unconditional, without regard to the liability of any other party, and shall not be affected in any manner by any indulgence, extension of time, renewal, waiver or modification granted or consented to by Payee, and consents to any and all extensions of time, renewals, waivers, or modifications that may be granted by Payee with respect to the payment or other provisions of this Note, and agrees that additional makers, endorsers, guarantors, or sureties may become parties hereto without notice to Maker or affecting Maker’s liability hereunder.
2
8. Notices. All notices, statements or other documents which are required or contemplated by this Agreement shall be: (i) in writing and delivered personally or sent by first class registered or certified mail, overnight courier service or facsimile or electronic transmission to the address designated in writing, (ii) by facsimile to the number most recently provided to such party or such other address or fax number as may be designated in writing by such party and (iii) by electronic mail, to the electronic mail address most recently provided to such party or such other electronic mail address as may be designated in writing by such party. Any notice or other communication so transmitted shall be deemed to have been given on the day of delivery, if delivered personally, on the business day following receipt of written confirmation, if sent by facsimile or electronic transmission, one (1) business day after delivery to an overnight courier service or five (5) days after mailing if sent by mail.
9. Construction. THIS NOTE SHALL BE CONSTRUED AND ENFORCED IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE LAWS OF NEW YORK, WITHOUT REGARD TO CONFLICT OF LAW PROVISIONS THEREOF.
10. Severability. Any provision contained in this Note which is prohibited or unenforceable in any jurisdiction shall, as to such jurisdiction, be ineffective to the extent of such prohibition or unenforceability without invalidating the remaining provisions hereof, and any such prohibition or unenforceability in any jurisdiction shall not invalidate or render unenforceable such provision in any other jurisdiction.
11. Trust Waiver. Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, the Payee hereby waives any and all right, title, interest or claim of any kind (“Claim”) in or to any distribution of or from the Trust Account of the Maker in which the proceeds of the initial public offering (the “IPO”) (including the deferred underwriters discounts) are deposited, as described in greater detail in the registration statement (file number 333-265217) and prospectus filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission in connection with the IPO, and hereby agrees not to seek recourse, reimbursement, payment or satisfaction for any Claim against the Trust Account for any reason whatsoever.
12. Amendment; Waiver. Any amendment hereto or waiver of any provision hereof may be made with, and only with, the written consent of the Maker and the Payee.
13. Assignment. No assignment or transfer of this Note or any rights or obligations hereunder may be made by any party hereto (by operation of law or otherwise) without the prior written consent of the other party hereto and any attempted assignment without the required consent shall be void.
[Signature page follows]
3
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, Maker, intending to be legally bound hereby, has caused this Note to be duly executed by the undersigned as of the day and year first above written.
| Aquaron Acquisition Corp. | |||
| By: | /s/ Yi Zhou | ||
| Name: | Yi Zhou | ||
| Title: | Chief Executive Officer | ||
4
Exhibit 10.12
THIS PROMISSORY NOTE (“NOTE”) HAS NOT BEEN REGISTERED UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933, AS AMENDED (THE “SECURITIES ACT”). THIS NOTE HAS BEEN ACQUIRED FOR INVESTMENT ONLY AND MAY NOT BE SOLD, TRANSFERRED OR ASSIGNED IN THE ABSENCE OF REGISTRATION OF THE RESALE THEREOF UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OR AN OPINION OF COUNSEL REASONABLY SATISFACTORY IN FORM, SCOPE AND SUBSTANCE TO THE COMPANY THAT SUCH REGISTRATION IS NOT REQUIRED.
PROMISSORY NOTE
Principal Amount: Seventy Thousand Dollars ($70,000)
Issuance Date: March 1, 2024
Aquaron Acquisition Corp. or its registered assigns or successors in interest (the “Maker”), promises to pay to the order of Bestpath IoT Technology Ltd., an entity formed under the laws of the Cayman Islands, or its designated affiliates, registered assigns or successors in interest (the “Payee”), the principal sum as set forth above (the “Principal Amount”), which have been advanced by the Payee to the Maker through its designee on February 29, 2024, in lawful money of the United States of America, on the terms and conditions described below. The Maker and Payee shall collectively be referred to as the “Parties.” All payments on this Note shall be made by check or wire transfer of immediately available funds or as otherwise determined by the Maker to such account as the Payee may from time to time designate by written notice in accordance with the provisions of this Note.
This Note is issued in connection with that certain Agreement and Plan of Merger dated March 23, 2023 by and between the Maker, the Payee and other parties thereto (the “Merger Agreement”). All capitalized terms used in this Note, but not otherwise defined herein, shall have the meanings ascribed to them in the Merger Agreement.
The term “Note” and all references thereto, as used throughout this instrument, shall mean this instrument as originally executed, or if later amended or supplemented, then as so amended or supplemented.
1. Principal. Unless accelerated upon the occurrence of an Event of Default (as defined below), the principal balance of this Note shall be payable by the Maker on the date (the “Due Date”) which is the earliest of (i) the date on which the Maker consummates its initial business combination (as described in the registration statement (file number 333-265217) and prospectus filed on Form S-1 with the Securities and Exchange Commission on October 3, 2022 by the Maker in connection with its initial public offering (the “Prospectus”)) with a target business (the “Business Combination”), (ii) the date on which the Merger Agreement is terminated in accordance with its terms or (iii) the Outside Closing Date (as defined in the Merger Agreement). The principal balance of this Note may be prepaid in cash at any time at the sole option of the Maker. The principal balance shall be payable by the Maker to the Payee or its designee either: (i) in cash or in 8,400 shares of the Maker’s common stock (as equitably adjusted for share split, share combination, recapitalization or similar events, and collectively, the “Conversion Shares”), at the Payee’s election in writing, if the Closing (as defined in the Merger Agreement) does occur, or (ii) in Conversion Shares if the Closing does not occur. Payee may elect to convert any outstanding principal balance of this Note into Conversion Shares, at any time when this Note remains outstanding. Under no circumstances shall any individual, including but not limited to any officer, director, employee or shareholder of the Maker, be personally obligated for any obligations or liabilities of the Maker hereunder.
1 | Page
2. For the avoidance of doubt, the Note shall become due and payable by the Maker on the Due Date regardless of whether the Maker consummates the Business Combination with or without the Payee, provided that the Conversion Shares shall be delivered to the Payee or its designee upon the closing of the Business Combination.
2. Interest. No interest shall accrue on the unpaid principal balance of this Note.
3. Application of Payments. All payments shall be applied first to payment in full of any costs incurred in the collection of any sum due under this Note, including (without limitation) reasonable attorneys’ fees, then to the payment in full of any late charges and finally to the reduction of the unpaid principal balance of this Note.
4. Events of Default. The following shall constitute an event of default (“Event of Default”):
(a) Failure to Make Required Payments. Failure by Maker to pay the Principal Amount due pursuant to this Note within five (5) business days from the Due Date.
(b) Voluntary Bankruptcy, Etc. The commencement by Maker of a voluntary case under any applicable bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, rehabilitation or other similar law, or the consent by it to the appointment of or taking possession by a receiver, liquidator, assignee, trustee, custodian, sequestrator (or other similar official) of Maker or for any substantial part of its property, or the making by it of any assignment for the benefit of creditors, or the failure of Maker generally to pay its debts as such debts become due, or the taking of corporate action by Maker in furtherance of any of the foregoing.
(c) Involuntary Bankruptcy, Etc. The entry of a decree or order for relief by a court having jurisdiction in the premises in respect of Maker in an involuntary case under any applicable bankruptcy, insolvency or other similar law, or appointing a receiver, liquidator, assignee, custodian, trustee, sequestrator (or similar official) of Maker or for any substantial part of its property, or ordering the winding-up or liquidation of its affairs, and the continuance of any such decree or order unstayed and in effect for a period of sixty (60) consecutive days.
5. Remedies.
(a) Upon the occurrence of an Event of Default specified in Section 4(a) hereof, Payee may, by written notice to Maker, declare this Note to be due immediately and payable, whereupon the unpaid Principal Amount of this Note, and all other amounts payable hereunder, shall become immediately due and payable without presentment, demand, protest or other notice of any kind, all of which are hereby expressly waived, anything contained herein or in the documents evidencing the same to the contrary notwithstanding.
(b) Upon the occurrence of an Event of Default specified in Sections 4(b) and 4(c), the unpaid principal balance of this Note, and all other sums payable with regard to this Note, shall automatically and immediately become due and payable, in all cases without any action on the part of Payee.
6. Waivers. Maker and all endorsers and guarantors of, and sureties for, this Note waive presentment for payment, demand, notice of dishonor, protest, and notice of protest with regard to the Note, all errors, defects and imperfections in any proceedings instituted by Payee under the terms of this Note, and all benefits that might accrue to Maker by virtue of any present or future laws exempting any property, real or personal, or any part of the proceeds arising from any sale of any such property, from attachment, levy or sale under execution, or providing for any stay of execution, exemption from civil process, or extension of time for payment; and Maker agrees that any real estate that may be levied upon pursuant to a judgment obtained by virtue hereof or any writ of execution issued hereon, may be sold upon any such writ in whole or in part in any order desired by Payee.
2 | Page
7. Unconditional Liability. Maker hereby waives all notices in connection with the delivery, acceptance, performance, default, or enforcement of the payment of this Note, and agrees that its liability shall be unconditional, without regard to the liability of any other party, and shall not be affected in any manner by any indulgence, extension of time, renewal, waiver or modification granted or consented to by Payee, and consents to any and all extensions of time, renewals, waivers, or modifications that may be granted by Payee with respect to the payment or other provisions of this Note, and agrees that additional makers, endorsers, guarantors, or sureties may become parties hereto without notice to Maker or affecting Maker’s liability hereunder.
8. Notices. All notices, statements or other documents which are required or contemplated by this Note shall be made in writing and delivered: (i) personally or sent by first class registered or certified mail, overnight courier service or facsimile or electronic transmission to the address designated in writing, (ii) by facsimile to the number most recently provided to such party or such other address or fax number as may be designated in writing by such party or (iii) by electronic mail, to the electronic mail address most recently provided to such party or such other electronic mail address as may be designated in writing by such party. Any notice or other communication so transmitted shall be deemed to have been given on the day of delivery, if delivered personally, on the business day following receipt of written confirmation, if sent by facsimile or electronic transmission, one (1) business day after delivery to an overnight courier service or five (5) days after mailing if sent by mail.
9. Construction. THIS NOTE SHALL BE CONSTRUED AND ENFORCED IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE LAWS OF NEW YORK, WITHOUT REGARD TO CONFLICT OF LAW PROVISIONS THEREOF. The Parties irrevocably submits to the exclusive jurisdiction of any New York State or United States Federal court sitting in The City of New York, Borough of Manhattan, over any suit, action or proceeding arising out of or relating to this Note. The Parties irrevocably waive, to the fullest extent permitted by law, any objection that they may now or hereafter have to the laying of venue of any such suit, action or proceeding brought in such a court and any claim that any such suit, action or proceeding brought in such a court has been brought in an inconvenient forum.
10. Severability. Any provision contained in this Note which is prohibited or unenforceable in any jurisdiction shall, as to such jurisdiction, be ineffective to the extent of such prohibition or unenforceability without invalidating the remaining provisions hereof, and any such prohibition or unenforceability in any jurisdiction shall not invalidate or render unenforceable such provision in any other jurisdiction.
11. Trust Waiver. Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, the Payee hereby waives any and all right, title, interest or claim of any kind (“Claim”) in or to any distribution of or from the Trust Account of the Maker in which the proceeds of its initial public offering (the “IPO”) (including the deferred underwriters discounts) are deposited, as described in greater detail in the Prospectus, and hereby agrees not to seek recourse, reimbursement, payment or satisfaction for any Claim against the Trust Account for any reason whatsoever. Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, nothing in this Section 11 shall be construed to preclude the Payee’s right to elect to convert any outstanding principal balance of this Note into Conversion Shares, at any time when this Note remains outstanding.
12. Amendment; Waiver. Any amendment hereto or waiver of any provision hereof may be made with, and only with, the written consent of the Maker and the Payee.
13. Assignment. No assignment or transfer of this Note or any rights or obligations hereunder may be made by any party hereto (by operation of law or otherwise) without the prior written consent of the other party hereto and any attempted assignment without the required consent shall be void.
14. Further Assurance. The Maker shall, at its own cost and expense, execute and do (or procure to be executed and done by any other necessary party) all such deeds, documents, acts and things as the Payee may from time to time require as may be necessary to give full effect to this Note.
[Signature page follows]
3 | Page
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the Maker, intending to be legally bound hereby, has caused this Note to be duly executed by the undersigned as of the day and year first above written.
| Aquaron Acquisition Corp. | |||
| By: | /s/ Yi Zhou | ||
| Name: | Yi Zhou | ||
| Title: | Chief Executive Officer | ||
4 | Page
Exhibit 31.1
CERTIFICATION OF THE
PRINCIPAL EXECUTIVE OFFICER
PURSUANT TO
RULE 13a-14(a) AND RULE 15d-14(a)
UNDER THE
SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934,
AS ADOPTED PURSUANT TO
SECTION 302 OF THE SARBANES-OXLEY ACT OF 2002
I, Yi Zhou, certify that:
| 1. | I have reviewed this Annual Report on Form 10-K of Aquaron Acquisition Corp.; |
| 2. | Based on my knowledge, this report does not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to make the statements made, in light of the circumstances under which such statements were made, not misleading with respect to the period covered by this report; |
| 3. | Based on my knowledge, the financial statements, and other financial information included in this report, fairly present in all material respects the financial condition, results of operations and cash flows of the registrant as of, and for, the periods presented in this report; |
| 4. | The registrant’s other certifying officer and I are responsible for establishing and maintaining disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e)) and internal control over financial reporting (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f)) for the registrant and have: |
| a) | Designed such disclosure controls and procedures, or caused such disclosure controls and procedures to be designed under our supervision, to ensure that material information relating to the registrant, including its consolidated subsidiaries is made known to us by others within those entities, particularly during the period in which this report is being prepared; |
| b) | Designed such internal control over financial reporting, or caused such internal control over financial reporting to be designed under our supervision, to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles; |
| c) | Evaluated the effectiveness of the registrant’s disclosure controls and procedures and presented in this report our conclusions about the effectiveness of the disclosure controls and procedures, as of the end of the period covered by this report based on such evaluation; and |
| d) | Disclosed in this report any change in the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting that occurred during the registrant’s most recent fiscal quarter (the registrant’s fourth fiscal quarter in the case of an annual report) that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting; and |
| 5. | The registrant’s other certifying officer and I have disclosed, based on our most recent evaluation of internal control over financial reporting, to the registrant’s auditors and the audit committee of the registrant’s board of directors (or persons performing the equivalent functions): |
| (a) | All significant deficiencies and material weaknesses in the design or operation of internal control over financial reporting which are reasonably likely to adversely affect the registrant’s ability to record, process, summarize and report financial information; and |
| (b) | Any fraud, whether or not material, that involves management or other employees who have a significant role in the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting. |
| Date: May 3, 2024 | By: | /s/ Yi Zhou |
| Yi Zhou | ||
| Chief Executive Officer | ||
| (Principal Executive Officer) |
Exhibit 31.2
CERTIFICATION OF THE
PRINCIPAL FINANCIAL OFFICER
PURSUANT TO
RULE 13a-14(a) AND RULE 15d-14(a)
UNDER THE
SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934,
AS ADOPTED PURSUANT TO
SECTION 302 OF THE SARBANES-OXLEY ACT OF 2002
I, Qingze Zhao, certify that:
| 1. | I have reviewed this Annual Report on Form 10-K of Aquaron Acquisition Corp.; |
| 2. | Based on my knowledge, this report does not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to make the statements made, in light of the circumstances under which such statements were made, not misleading with respect to the period covered by this report; |
| 3. | Based on my knowledge, the financial statements, and other financial information included in this report, fairly present in all material respects the financial condition, results of operations and cash flows of the registrant as of, and for, the periods presented in this report; |
| 4. | The registrant’s other certifying officer and I are responsible for establishing and maintaining disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e)) and internal control over financial reporting (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f)) for the registrant and have: |
| a) | Designed such disclosure controls and procedures, or caused such disclosure controls and procedures to be designed under our supervision, to ensure that material information relating to the registrant is made known to us by others within those entities, particularly during the period in which this report is being prepared; |
| b) | Designed such internal control over financial reporting, or caused such internal control over financial reporting to be designed under our supervision, to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles; |
| c) | Evaluated the effectiveness of the registrant’s disclosure controls and procedures and presented in this report our conclusions about the effectiveness of the disclosure controls and procedures, as of the end of the period covered by this report based on such evaluation; and |
| d) | Disclosed in this report any change in the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting that occurred during the registrant’s most recent fiscal quarter (the registrant’s fourth fiscal quarter in the case of an annual report) that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting; and |
| 5. | The registrant’s other certifying officer and I have disclosed, based on our most recent evaluation of internal control over financial reporting, to the registrant’s auditors and the audit committee of the registrant’s board of directors (or persons performing the equivalent functions): |
| (a) | All significant deficiencies and material weaknesses in the design or operation of internal control over financial reporting which are reasonably likely to adversely affect the registrant’s ability to record, process, summarize and report financial information; and |
| (b) | Any fraud, whether or not material, that involves management or other employees who have a significant role in the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting. |
| Date: May 3, 2024 | By: | /s/ Qingze Zhao |
| Qingze Zhao | ||
| Chief Financial Officer | ||
| (Principal Financial Officer) |
Exhibit 32.1
CERTIFICATION PURSUANT TO
18 U.S.C. SECTION 1350, AS ADOPTED PURSUANT TO
SECTION 906 OF THE SARBANES-OXLEY ACT OF 2002
In connection with the Annual Report of Aquaron Acquisition Corp. (the “Company”) on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2023 as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on the date hereof (the “Report”), I certify, pursuant to 18 U.S.C. § 1350, as adopted pursuant to § 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, that:
| (1) | The Report fully complies with the requirements of section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934; and | |
| (2) | The information contained in the Report fairly presents, in all material respects, the financial condition and result of operations of the Company. |
| Date: May 3, 2024 | By: | /s/ Yi Zhou | |
| Name: | Yi Zhou | ||
| Title: | Chief Executive Officer | ||
Exhibit 32.2
CERTIFICATION PURSUANT TO
18 U.S.C. SECTION 1350, AS ADOPTED PURSUANT TO
SECTION 906 OF THE SARBANES-OXLEY ACT OF 2002
In connection with the Annual Report of Aquaron Acquisition Corp. (the “Company”) on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2023 as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on the date hereof (the “Report”), I certify, pursuant to 18 U.S.C. § 1350, as adopted pursuant to § 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, that:
| (1) | The Report fully complies with the requirements of section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934; and | |
| (2) | The information contained in the Report fairly presents, in all material respects, the financial condition and result of operations of the Company. |
| Date: May 3, 2024 | By: | /s/ Qingze Zhao | |
| Name: | Qingze Zhao | ||
| Title: | Chief Financial Officer | ||
Exhibit 97.1
AQUARON ACQUISITION CORP.
COMPENSATION RECOVERY POLICY
As adopted on April 23, 2024
Aquaron Acquisition Corp. (the “Company”) is committed to strong corporate governance. As part of this commitment, the Company’s Board of Directors (the “Board”) has adopted this clawback policy called the Compensation Recovery Policy (the “Policy”). The Policy is intended to further the Company’s pay-for-performance philosophy and to comply with applicable laws by providing rules relating to the reasonably prompt recovery of certain compensation received by Covered Executives in the event of an Accounting Restatement. The application of the Policy to Covered Executives is not discretionary, except to the limited extent provided below, and applies without regard to whether a Covered Executive was at fault. Capitalized terms used in the Policy are defined below, and the definitions have substantive impact on its application so reviewing them carefully is important to your understanding.
The Policy is intended to comply with, and will be interpreted in a manner consistent with, Section 10D of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the “Exchange Act”), with Exchange Act Rule 10D-1 and with the listing standards of the national securities exchange (the “Exchange”) on which the securities of the Company are listed, including any official interpretive guidance.
Persons Covered by the Policy
The Policy is binding and enforceable against all “Covered Executives.” A Covered Executive is each individual who is or was ever designated as an “officer” by the Board in accordance with Exchange Act Rule 16a-1(f) (a “Section 16 Officer”). The Committee may (but is not obligated to) request or require a Covered Executive to sign and return to the Company an acknowledgement that such Covered Executive will be bound by the terms and comply with the Policy. The Policy is binding on each Covered Executive whether or not the Covered Executive signs and/or returns any acknowledgment.
Administration of the Policy
The Compensation Committee (the “Committee”) of the Board has full delegated authority to administer the Policy. The Committee is authorized to interpret and construe the Policy and to make all determinations necessary, appropriate, or advisable for the administration of the Policy. In addition, if determined in the discretion of the Board, the Policy may be administered by the independent members of the Board or another committee of the Board made up of independent members of the Board, in which case all references to the Committee will be deemed to refer to the independent members of the Board or the other Board committee. All determinations of the Committee will be final and binding and will be given the maximum deference permitted by law.
Accounting Restatements Requiring Application of the Policy
If the Company is required to prepare an accounting restatement due to the material noncompliance of the Company with any financial reporting requirement under the securities laws, including any required accounting restatement to correct an error in previously issued financial statements that is material to the previously issued financial statements, or that would result in a material misstatement if the error were corrected in the current period or left uncorrected in the current period (an “Accounting Restatement”), then the Committee must determine the Excess Compensation, if any, that must be recovered. The Company’s obligation to recover Excess Compensation is not dependent on if or when restated financial statements are filed.
Compensation Covered by the Policy
The Policy applies to certain Incentive-Based Compensation (certain terms used in this Section are defined below) that is Received on or after October 2, 2023 (the “Effective Date”), during the Covered Period while the Company has a class of securities listed on a national securities exchange. Such Incentive-Based Compensation is considered “Clawback Eligible Incentive-Based Compensation” if the Incentive-Based Compensation is Received by a person after such person became a Section 16 Officer and the person served as a Section 16 Officer at any time during the performance period for the Incentive-Based Compensation. “Excess Compensation” means the amount of Clawback Eligible Incentive-Based Compensation that exceeds the amount of Clawback Eligible Incentive-Based Compensation that otherwise would have been Received had such Clawback Eligible Incentive-Based Compensation been determined based on the restated amounts. Excess Compensation must be computed without regard to any taxes paid and is referred to in the listings standards as “erroneously awarded compensation”.
To determine the amount of Excess Compensation for Incentive-Based Compensation based on stock price or total shareholder return, where it is not subject to mathematical recalculation directly from the information in an Accounting Restatement, the amount must be based on a reasonable estimate of the effect of the Accounting Restatement on the stock price or total shareholder return upon which the Incentive-Based Compensation was Received and the Company must maintain documentation of the determination of that reasonable estimate and provide that documentation to the Exchange.
“Incentive-Based Compensation” means any compensation that is granted, earned, or vested based wholly or in part upon the attainment of a Financial Reporting Measure. For the avoidance of doubt, no compensation that is potentially subject to recovery under the Policy will be earned until the Company’s right to recover under the Policy has lapsed.
“Financial Reporting Measures” are measures that are determined and presented in accordance with the accounting principles used in preparing the Company’s financial statements, and any measures that are derived wholly or in part from such measures. Stock price and total shareholder return are also Financial Reporting Measures. A Financial Reporting Measure need not be presented within the financial statements or included in a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Incentive-Based Compensation is “Received” under the Policy in the Company’s fiscal period during which the Financial Reporting Measure specified in the Incentive-Based Compensation award is attained, even if the payment, vesting, settlement or grant of the Incentive-Based Compensation occurs after the end of that period. For the avoidance of doubt, the Policy does not apply to Incentive-Based Compensation for which the Financial Reporting Measure is attained prior to the Effective Date.
“Covered Period” means the three completed fiscal years immediately preceding the Accounting Restatement Determination Date. In addition, Covered Period can include certain transition periods resulting from a change in the Company’s fiscal year.
“Accounting Restatement Determination Date” means the earliest to occur of: (a) the date the Board, a committee of the Board, or one or more of the officers of the Company authorized to take such action if Board action is not required, concludes, or reasonably should have concluded, that the Company is required to prepare an Accounting Restatement; and (b) the date a court, regulator, or other legally authorized body directs the Company to prepare an Accounting Restatement.
-2-
Repayment of Excess Compensation
The Company must recover Excess Compensation reasonably promptly and Covered Executives are required to repay Excess Compensation to the Company. Subject to applicable law, the Company may recover Excess Compensation by requiring the Covered Executive to repay such amount to the Company by direct payment to the Company or such other means or combination of means as the Committee determines to be appropriate (these determinations do not need to be identical as to each Covered Executive). These means include (but are not limited to):
| (a) | requiring reimbursement of cash Incentive-Based Compensation previously paid; |
| (b) | seeking recovery of any gain realized on the vesting, exercise, settlement, sale, transfer, or other disposition of any equity-based awards (including, but not limited to, time-based vesting awards), without regard to whether such awards are Incentive-Based Compensation or vest based on the achievement of performance goals; |
| (c) | offsetting the amount to be recovered from any unpaid or future compensation to be paid by the Company or any affiliate of the Company to the Covered Executive, including (but not limited to) payments of severance that might otherwise be due in connection with a Covered Executive’s termination of employment and without regard to whether such amounts are Incentive-Based Compensation; |
| (d) | cancelling outstanding vested or unvested equity awards (including, but not limited to, time-based vesting awards), without regard to whether such awards are Incentive-Based Compensation; and/or |
| (e) | taking any other remedial and recovery action permitted by law, as determined by the Committee. |
The repayment of Excess Compensation must be made by a Covered Executive notwithstanding any Covered Executive’s belief (whether or not legitimate) that the Excess Compensation had been previously earned under applicable law and therefore is not subject to clawback.
In addition to its rights to recovery under the Policy, the Company or any affiliate of the Company may take any legal actions it determines appropriate to enforce a Covered Executive’s obligations to the Company or to discipline a Covered Executive. Failure of a Covered Executive to comply with their obligations under the Policy may result in (without limitation) termination of that Covered Executive’s employment, institution of civil proceedings, reporting of misconduct to appropriate governmental authorities, reduction of future compensation opportunities or change in role. The decision to take any actions described in the preceding sentence will not be subject to the approval of the Committee and can be made by the Board, any committee of the Board, or any duly authorized officer of the Company or of any applicable affiliate of the Company. For avoidance of doubt, any decisions of the Company or the Covered Executive’s employer to discipline a Covered Executive or terminate the employment of a Covered Executive are independent of determinations under this Policy. For example, if a Covered Executive was involved in activities that led to an Accounting Restatement, the Company’s decision as to whether to not to terminate such Covered Executive’s employment would be made under its employment arrangements with such Covered Executive and the requirement to apply this no-fault and non-discretionary clawback policy will not be determinative of whether any such termination is for cause, although failure to comply with the Policy might be something that could result in a termination for cause depending on the terms of such arrangements.
-3-
Limited Exceptions to the Policy
The Company must recover the Excess Compensation in accordance with the Policy except to the limited extent that any of the conditions set forth below is met, and the Committee determines that recovery of the Excess Compensation would be impracticable:
| (a) | The direct expense paid to a third party to assist in enforcing the Policy would exceed the amount to be recovered. Before reaching this conclusion, the Company must make a reasonable attempt to recover such Excess Compensation, document such reasonable attempt(s) to recover, and provide that documentation to the Exchange; or |
| (b) | Recovery would likely cause an otherwise tax-qualified retirement plan, under which benefits are broadly available to employees of the Company, to fail to meet the legal requirements as such. |
Other Important Information in the Policy
The Policy is in addition to the requirements of Section 304 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 that are applicable to the Company’s Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, as well as any other applicable laws, regulatory requirements, rules, or pursuant to the terms of any existing Company policy or agreement providing for the recovery of compensation.
Notwithstanding the terms of any of the Company’s organizational documents (including, but not limited to, the Company’s bylaws), any corporate policy or any contract (including, but not limited to, any indemnification agreement), neither the Company nor any affiliate of the Company will indemnify or provide advancement for any Covered Executive against any loss of Excess Compensation. Neither the Company nor any affiliate of the Company will pay for or reimburse insurance premiums for an insurance policy that covers potential recovery obligations. In the event that the Company is required to recover Excess Compensation pursuant to the Policy from a Covered Executive who is no longer an employee, the Company will be entitled to seek recovery in order to comply with applicable law, regardless of the terms of any release of claims or separation agreement that individual may have signed.
The Committee or Board may review and modify the Policy from time to time.
If any provision of the Policy or the application of any such provision to any Covered Executive is adjudicated to be invalid, illegal or unenforceable in any respect, such invalidity, illegality or unenforceability will not affect any other provisions of the Policy or the application of such provision to another Covered Executive, and the invalid, illegal or unenforceable provisions will be deemed amended to the minimum extent necessary to render any such provision or application enforceable.
The Policy will terminate and no longer be enforceable when the Company ceases to be listed issuer within the meaning of Section 10D of the Exchange Act.
-4-
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
| ● | I acknowledge that I have received and read the Compensation Recovery Policy (the “Policy”) of Aquaron Acquisition Corp. (the “Company”). |
| ● | I understand and acknowledge that the Policy applies to me, and all of my beneficiaries, heirs, executors, administrators or other legal representatives and that the Company’s right to recovery in order to comply with applicable law will apply, regardless of the terms of any release of claims or separation agreement I have signed or will sign in the future. |
| ● | I agree to be bound by and to comply with the Policy and understand that determinations of the Committee (as such term is used in the Policy) will be final and binding and will be given the maximum deference permitted by law. |
| ● | I understand and agree that my current indemnification rights, whether in an individual agreement or the Company’s organizational documents, exclude the right to be indemnified for amounts required to be recovered under the Policy. |
| ● | I understand that my failure to comply in all respects with the Policy is a basis for termination of my employment with the Company and any affiliate of the Company as well as any other appropriate discipline. |
| ● | I understand that neither the Policy, nor the application of the Policy to me, gives rise to a resignation for good reason (or similar concept) by me under any applicable employment agreement or arrangement. |
| ● | I acknowledge that if I have questions concerning the meaning or application of the Policy, it is my responsibility to seek guidance from the Chief Executive Officer or my own personal advisers. |
| ● | I acknowledge that neither this Acknowledgement nor the Policy is meant to constitute an employment contract. |
Please review, sign and return this form to the Chief Executive Officer.
| Covered Executive | |
| (print name) | |
| (signature) | |
| (date) |
-5-