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Organization and Business Operation
3 Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2023
Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]  
Organization and Business Operation
Note 1 — Organization and Business Operation
 
TradeUP Acquisition Corp. (the “Company”) is a blank check company incorporated as a Delaware corporation on January 6, 2021. The Company was formed for the purpose of effecting a merger, capital stock exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, reorganization or similar business combination with one or more businesses (the “Business Combination”). The Company has selected December 31 as its fiscal year end.
  
As of March 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022, the Company had not commenced any operations. For the period from January 6, 2021 (inception) through March 31, 2023, the Company’s efforts have been limited to organizational activities as well as activities related to the Initial Public Offering (as defined below). The Company will not generate any operating revenues until after the completion of a Business Combination, at the earliest. The Company had and will continue to generate non-operating income in the form of dividend income from the proceeds derived from the Initial Public Offering (as defined below).
  
The registration statement for the Company’s initial public offering (the “Initial Public Offering”) became effective on July 14, 2021. On July 19, 2021, the Company consummated the Initial Public Offering of 4,000,000 units (the “Public Units”), at $10.00 per Public Unit, generating gross proceeds of $40,000,000 which is described in Note 4. On July 21, 2021, the underwriters partially exercised the over-allotment option and purchased 430,000 units (the “Option Units
, together with the Public Units, the “Units”) at a price of $10.00 per Option Unit, generating gross proceeds of $4,300,000. Each Unit consists of one share of common stock, $0.0001 par value per share (the “Common Stock”), and one-half of one redeemable warrant (the “Warrant”), each whole Warrant entitling the holder thereof to purchase one share of Common Stock at an exercise price of $11.50 per share. The Units were sold at an offering price of $10.00 per Unit, generating gross proceeds of $44,300,000 in total. Transaction costs in connection with the Initial Public Offering and the issuance and sale of Option Units amounted to $3,019,474, consisting of $886,000 of underwriting fees, $1,550,500 of Business Combination Fee (defined in Note 8 below) and $582,974 of other offering costs. Following the expiration of the over-allotment option, 42,500 Founder Shares (defined below) were subsequently forfeited.
  
Simultaneously with the closing of the Initial Public Offering, the Company consummated the sale of 295,000 shares of Common Stock (the “Private Placement Shares”) at a price of $10.00 per share in a private placement sale (the “Private Placement”) to the Company’s founders, or initial stockholders, include Tradeup INC. and the Company’s sponsor, TradeUP Acquisition Sponsor LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (the “Sponsor”), among which, the Sponsor purchased 236,000 Private Placement Shares and Tradeup INC. purchased 59,000 Private Placement Shares, generating gross proceeds of $2,950,000, which is described in Note 5. On July 21, 2021, the Company consummated the sale of additional 17,200 Private Placement Shares with the Sponsor and Tradeup INC. at a price of $10.00 per Private Placement share, among which, the Sponsor purchased 13,760 Private Placement Shares and Tradeup INC. purchased 3,440 Private Placement Shares, generating total proceeds of $172,000.
  
Following the closing of the Initial Public Offering on July 19, 2021, the issuance and sale of Option Units on July 21, 2021 and the issuance and sale of Private Placement Shares, $45,186,000 from the net proceeds of the sale of the Units and from the sale of Private Placement Shares was placed in a trust account (the “Trust Account”) maintained by Wilmington Trust, National Association as a trustee. The aggregate amount of $45,186,000 ($10.20 per Unit)
was
invested in United States “government securities” within the meaning of Section 2(a)(16) of the Investment Company Act having a maturity of 185 days or less or in money market funds meeting certain conditions under Rule 2a-7 promulgated under the Investment Company Act which invest only in direct U.S. government treasury obligations. Pursuant to the trust agreement, the trustee is not permitted to invest in other securities or assets. By restricting the investment of the proceeds to these instruments, and by having a business plan targeted at acquiring and growing businesses for the long term (rather than on buying and selling businesses in the manner of a merchant bank or private equity fund), the Company intends to avoid being deemed an “investment company” within the meaning of the Investment Company Act. The Initial Public Offering is not intended for persons who are seeking a return on investments in government securities or investment securities. The Trust Account is intended as a holding place for funds pending the earliest to occur of either: (i) the completion of the Company’s initial Business Combination; (ii) the redemption of any public shares properly tendered in connection with a stockholder vote to amend the Company’s amended and restated certificate of incorporation that would affect the substance or timing of the Company’s obligation to provide for the redemption of its public shares in connection with an initial Business Combination or to redeem 100% of its public shares if the Company has not consummated an initial Business Combination by the Combination Deadline (as defined below); or (iii) absent an initial Business Combination by the Combination Deadline, its return of the funds held in the Trust Account to its public stockholders as part of its redemption of the public shares. The proceeds deposited in the Trust Account could become subject to the claims of the Company’s creditors, if any, which could have priority over the claims of the Company’s public stockholders.
The Company’s initial Business Combination must occur with one or more target businesses that together have an aggregate fair market value of at least 80% of the assets held in the Trust Account (excluding the Business Combination Fee and taxes payable and interest previously released for working capital purposes on the income earned on the Trust Account) at the time of the agreement to enter into the initial Business Combination. However, the Company will only complete a Business Combination if the post-transaction company owns or acquires 50% or more of the outstanding voting securities of the target or otherwise acquires an interest in the target sufficient for the post-transaction company not to be required to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “Investment Company Act”). There is no assurance that the Company will be able to complete a Business Combination successfully.
 
The shares of Common Stock subject to redemption was recorded at a redemption value and classified as temporary equity upon the completion of the Initial Public Offering, in accordance with Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) Topic 480 “Distinguishing Liabilities from Equity.” In such case, the Company will proceed with a Business Combination if the Company has net tangible assets of at least $5,000,001 upon such consummation of a Business Combination and, if the Company seeks stockholder approval, a majority of the issued and outstanding shares voted are voted in favor of the Business Combination. The Company initially had until January 19, 2023 to complete its initial Business Combination.
On December 22, 2022, the Company held a special meeting of stockholders (the “Special Meeting”), at which the stockholders approved amending the amended and restated certificate of incorporation to extend the date before which the Company must complete a Business Combination (the “Combination Deadline”) from January 19, 2023, by one month up to six times, to July 19, 2023, or such earlier date as determined by the board of directors of the Company (such monthly extension is herein referred to as the “Extension”).
Upon the stockholders’ approval, on December 29, 2022, the Company filed a certificate of amendment to the amended and restated certificate of incorporation which became effective upon filing. If the Company is unable to complete the initial Business Combination by the Combination Deadline, 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 dividend earned on the funds held in the Trust Account and not previously released to the Company for working capital purposes or to pay the Company’s taxes (less up to $50,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public stockholders’ rights as stockholders (including the right to receive further liquidating distributions, if any), subject to applicable law, and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of the Company’s remaining stockholders and its board of directors, dissolve and liquidate, subject in each case to the Company’s obligations under Delaware law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law. There will be no redemption rights or liquidating distributions with respect to the Company’s Warrants, which will expire worthless if the Company fails to complete the Business Combination by the Combination Deadline. The founders (not including the anchor investors who purchase units in the Initial Public Offering and certain membership interest in the Sponsor, if any), officers and directors have entered into a letter agreement with the Company, pursuant to which they have agreed (i) to waive their redemption rights with respect to any Founder Shares, Private Placement Shares and any public shares held by them in connection with the completion of the initial Business Combination, (ii) waive their redemption rights with respect to their Founder Shares, Private Placement Shares and public shares in connection with a stockholder vote to approve an amendment to the Company’s amended and restated certificate of incorporation (A) to modify the substance or timing of the Company’s obligation to allow redemption in connection with the initial Business Combination or to redeem 100% of the Company’s public shares if the Company does not complete its initial Business Combination by the Combination Deadline or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to stockholders’ rights or pre-initial Business Combination activity and (iii) to waive their rights to liquidating distributions from the Trust Account with respect to any Founder Shares and Private Placement Shares held by them if the Company fails to complete an initial Business Combination by the Combination Deadline, although they will be entitled to liquidating distributions from the Trust Account with respect to any public shares they hold if the Company fails to complete the initial Business Combination by the Combination Deadline. If the Company submits its initial Business Combination to its stockholders for a vote, the Company will complete its initial Business Combination only if a majority of the outstanding shares of Common Stock voted are voted in favor of the initial Business Combination. In no event will the Company redeem its public shares of Common Stock in an amount that would cause its net tangible assets to be less than $5,000,001. In such case, the Company would not proceed with the redemption of public shares of Common Stock and the related Business Combination, and instead may search for an alternate Business Combination.
The Sponsor has agreed that it will be liable to the Company if and to the extent any claims by a third party for services rendered or products sold to the Company, or by 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 (i) $10.20 per public share or (ii) such lesser amount per public share held in the Trust Account as of the date of the liquidation of the Trust Account due to reductions in the value of the trust assets, in each case net of the interest which may be withdrawn to pay taxes. This liability will not apply with respect to any claims by a third party who executed a waiver of any and all rights to seek access to the Trust Account and except as to any claims under the Company’s indemnity of the underwriters of the Initial Public Offering against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act. Moreover, in the event that an executed waiver is deemed to be unenforceable against a third party, then the Company’s Sponsor will not be responsible to the extent of any liability for such third party claims.
  
On December 22, 2022, the Company held the Special Meeting, at which the stockholders approved amending the Investment Management Trust Agreement dated July 14, 2021
(the “Trust Agreement”), by and between the Company and Wilmington Trust, National Association (the “Trustee”) to extend the liquidation date from January 19, 2023 to July 19, 2023. In connection with the votes to approve the extension proposal, 3,519,780 public shares were rendered for redemption with 910,220 public shares remained outstanding.
 
Liquidity and Going Concern
 
As of March 31, 2023, the Company had cash of $29,390 and a working deficit of $1,133,684. The Company has 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.
  
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 these conditions raise substantial doubt about the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern. The management’s plan in addressing this uncertainty is through the Promissory Notes – related parties and the Working Capital Loans, as defined below (see Note 7). In addition, if the Company is unable to complete a Business Combination by the Combination Deadline, the Company’s board of directors would proceed to commence a voluntary liquidation and thereby a formal dissolution of the Company. There is no assurance that the Company’s plans to consummate a Business Combination will be successful by the Combination Deadline. As a result, management has determined that such additional condition also raise substantial doubt about the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern. The
unaudited c
on
densed consolidated
financial statement
s
do not include any adjustments that might result from the outcome of this uncertainty.
 
  
Merger Agreement
 
On September 30, 2022, the Company, Tradeup Merger Sub Inc., a Delaware corporation and direct, wholly owned subsidiary of the Company (“Merger Sub”), and Estrella Biopharma, Inc., a Delaware corporation (the “Estrella”), entered into an Agreement and Plan of Merger (as it may be amended, supplemented or otherwise modified from time to time, the “Merger Agreement”). The
 number of
 
merger consideration shares to be issued by the Company to the shareholder of Estrella is expected to be 32,500,000 shares of Common Stock.
 
Estrella is a preclinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing CD19 and CD22-targeted ARTEMIS®️ T-cell therapies with the capacity to address treatment and safety challenges for patients with blood cancers and solid tumors. Estrella’s mission is to harness the evolutionary power of the human immune system to transform the lives of patients fighting cancer.
 
Pursuant to the Merger Agreement, among other things, in accordance with the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware, as amended (the “DGCL”), Merger Sub will merge with and into Estrella (the “Merger”), with Estrella surviving the Merger as a wholly owned subsidiary of the Company (“Surviving Company”). The Merger will become effective at such time on the date of the closing of the Merger (the “Closing”) as the certificate of merger is duly filed with the Delaware Secretary of State or at such other time specified in the certificates of merger (the “Effective Time”). Effective as of the Closing, the Company will change its name to “Estrella Immunopharma, Inc.”
Inflation Reduction Act of 2022
 
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 U.S. domestic corporations and certain U.S. domestic subsidiaries of publicly traded foreign corporations occurring on or after January 1, 2023. The excise tax is imposed on the repurchasing corporation itself, not its stockholders 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. 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.