EX-99.1 2 c107640_ex99-1.htm

Exhibit 99.1

 

Iron Horse Acquisitions Corp.

 

INDEX TO FINANCIAL STATEMENT

 

    Page
Audited Balance Sheet of Iron Horse Acquisitions Corp.:    
Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm (PCAOB ID 206)   F-2
Balance Sheet as of December 29, 2023   F-3
Notes to Financial Statement   F-4
 F-1 

REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM

 

To the Stockholders and Board of Directors of

Iron Horse Acquisitions Corp.

 

Opinion on the Financial Statement

 

We have audited the accompanying balance sheet of Iron Horse Acquisitions Corp. (the “Company”) as of December 29, 2023, and the related notes (collectively referred to as the “financial statement”). In our opinion, the financial statement presents fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Company as of December 29, 2023, in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.

 

Going Concern Matter

 

The accompanying financial statement have been prepared assuming that the Company will continue as a going concern. As more fully described in Note 1 to the financial statement, the Company’s business plan is dependent on the completion of a business combination within a prescribed period of time and if not completed will cease all operations except for the purpose of liquidating. Additionally, the Company has a net capital deficiency. These conditions raise substantial doubt about the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern. Management’s plans in regard to these matters are also described in Note 1. The financial statement do not include any adjustments that might result from the outcome of this uncertainty.

 

Basis for Opinion

 

This financial statement is the responsibility of the Company’s management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the Company’s financial statement based on our audit. 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 audit 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 statement is 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 audit, 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 entity’s internal control over financial reporting. Accordingly, we express no such opinion.

 

Our audit included performing procedures to assess the risks of material misstatement of the financial statement, 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 statement. Our audit also included evaluating the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the financial statement. We believe that our audit provides a reasonable basis for our opinion.

 

/s/ MaloneBailey, LLP
 

www.malonebailey.com

We have served as the Company’s auditor since 2023.

 
Houston, Texas
January 5, 2023
 F-2 

IRON HORSE ACQUISITIONS CORP.
BALANCE SHEET

 

December 29, 2023

 

Assets      
Current assets      
Cash   $ 656,977  
Prepaid expenses     32,931  
Total Current Assets     689,908  
Cash held in trust account     69,000,000  
Total Assets   $ 69,689,908  
         
Liabilities and Stockholders’ Deficit        
Current liabilities        
Accrued expenses   $ 43,252  
Accrued offering costs     233,215  
Overallotment liability     11,135  
Promissory note – related party     557,781  
Total Current Liabilities     845,383  
Deferred underwriting fee payable     2,518,500  
Total Liabilities     3,363,883  
         
Commitments and Contingencies (Note 6)        
         
Common stock subject to possible redemption, 6,900,000 shares at redemption value of $10.00 per share     69,000,000  
         
Stockholders’ Deficit        
Preferred stock, $0.0001 par value; 1,000,000 shares authorized; none issued and outstanding      
Common stock, $0.0001 par value; 50,000,000 shares authorized, 1,999,200 shares issued and outstanding as December 29, 2023 (excluding 6,900,000 shares subject to possible redemption) (1)     200  
Additional paid-in capital      
Accumulated deficit     (2,674,175 )
Total Stockholders’ Deficit     (2,673,975 )
Total Liabilities and Stockholders’ Deficit   $ 69,689,908  

 

(1) This number includes up to 32,200 shares of common stock subject to forfeiture if the remainder of the over-allotment option is not exercised in full or in part by the underwriters within the 45-day over-allotment period (see Note 6)

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of the financial statement.

 F-3 

IRON HORSE ACQUISITIONS CORP.
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENT

 

Note 1 — DESCRIPTION OF ORGANIZATION, BUSINESS OPERATIONS AND BASIS OF PRESENTATION

 

Iron Horse Acquisitions Corp. (the “Company”) was incorporated in Delaware on November 23, 2021 as a blank check company whose objective is to acquire, through a merger, share exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, recapitalization, reorganization or other similar business combination, one or more businesses or entities (a “Business Combination”).

 

At December 29, 2023, the Company had not yet commenced any operations. All activity from November 23, 2021 (inception) through December 29, 2023 relates to the Company’s formation and the Initial Public Offering described below. The Company has selected December 31 as its fiscal year-end.

 

The registration statement for the Company’s Initial Public Offering was declared effective on December 26, 2023. On December 29, 2023, the Company consummated the Initial Public Offering of 6,900,000 units (the “Units” and, with respect to the shares of common stock included in the Units being offered, the “Public Shares”), which includes the partial exercise by the underwriters of their over-allotment option in the amount of 800,000 Units, at $10.00 per Unit, generating gross proceeds of $69,000,000 which is described in Note 3.

 

Simultaneously with the closing of the Initial Public Offering, the Company consummated the sale of 2,457,000 warrants (the “Private Placement Warrants”) at a price of $1.00 per Private Placement Warrant, in a private placement to the Company’s sponsor, Bengochea SPAC Sponsors I LLC (the “Sponsor”), generating gross proceeds of $2,457,000, which is described in Note 4.

 

Transaction costs amounted to $4,651,705 consisting of $586,500 of cash underwriting fees, $2,518,500 of deferred underwriting fees, and $1,546,705 of other offering costs.

 

The Company Units were listed on the Nasdaq Global Market (“NASDAQ”). Pursuant to the NASDAQ listing rules, the Company’s initial Business Combination must be with a target business or businesses whose collective fair market value is at least equal to 80% of the balance in the trust account at the time of the execution of a definitive agreement for such Business Combination (net of taxes payable and deferred underwriting commissions), although this may entail simultaneous acquisitions of several target businesses. There is no assurance that the Company will be able to effect a Business Combination successfully.

 

Following the closing of the Initial Public Offering on December 29, 2023, an amount of $69,000,000 ($10.00 per Unit) from the net proceeds of the sale of the Units in the Initial Public Offering and the sale of the Private Placement Warrants was placed in the trust account (“Trust Account”) with Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company acting as trustee and invested in United States government treasury bills, bonds or notes, 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 until the earlier of (i) the consummation of the Company’s initial Business Combination (ii) the redemption of any shares of common stock included in the Units being sold in the Initial Public Offering that have been properly tendered in connection with a stockholder vote to amend the Company’s certificate of incorporation to modify the substance or timing of its obligation to redeem 100% of such shares of common stock if it does not complete the Initial Business Combination within 12 months from the closing of the Initial Public Offering (or 18 months from the closing of the Initial Public Offering if the Company has executed a definitive agreement for a Business Combination within such 12-month period), provided that, pursuant to the terms of the amended and restated certificate of incorporation and the trust agreement entered into between the Company and the Trust Account, the only way to extend the time available for the Company to consummate its initial business combination in the absence of a charter amendment, is for the Sponsor, upon at least five days’ advance notice prior to the applicable deadline, to deposit into the trust account $229,770, or $233,600 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full ($0.0333 per unit in either case), or an aggregate of $459,540, or $467,199 if the over-allotment option is exercised in full, for each three-month extension, on or prior to the date of the applicable deadline; and (iii) the Company’s failure to consummate a Business Combination within the prescribed time. If the Company is unable to consummate an initial business combination within such time period, the Company will redeem 100% of its outstanding public shares for a pro rata portion of the funds held in the trust account, 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 the Company for taxes (and less up to $100,000 of interest which can be used for liquidation expenses), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, subject to applicable law and as further described herein, and then seek to dissolve and liquidate. Placing funds in the Trust Account may not protect those funds from third party claims against the Company. Although the Company will seek to have all vendors, service providers, prospective target businesses or other entities it engages, execute agreements with the Company waiving any claim of any kind in or to any monies held in the Trust Account, there is no guarantee that such persons will execute such agreements. The remaining net proceeds (not held in the Trust Account) may be used to pay for business, legal and accounting due diligence on prospective acquisitions and continuing general and administrative expenses. Additionally, certain interest earned on the Trust Account balance may be released to the Company to pay the Company’s tax obligations.

 

The Company, after signing a definitive agreement for the acquisition of a target business, is required to provide stockholders who acquired shares of common stock sold as part of the units in the Initial Public Offering (“Public Stockholders”) with the opportunity to convert their Public Shares for a pro rata share of the Trust Account. The holders of the Founder Shares will agree to vote any shares they then hold in favor of any proposed Business Combination and will waive any conversion rights with respect to these shares pursuant to letter agreements executed prior to the Initial Public Offering.

 F-4 

In connection with any proposed Business Combination, the Company will seek stockholder approval of an initial Business Combination at a meeting called for such purpose at which Public Stockholders may seek to convert their Public Shares, regardless of whether they vote for or against the proposed Business Combination. Alternatively, the Company may conduct a tender offer and allow conversions in connection therewith. If the Company seeks stockholder approval of an initial Business Combination, any Public Stockholder voting either for or against such proposed Business Combination or not voting at all will be entitled to demand that his Public Shares be converted into a full pro rata portion of the amount then in the Trust Account (initially $10.00 per share, plus any pro rata interest earned on the funds held in the Trust Account and not previously released to the Company or necessary to pay its taxes). Holders of warrants sold as part of the Units will not be entitled to vote on the Proposed Business Combination and will have no conversion or liquidation rights with respect to the shares of common stock underlying such warrants.

 

If the Company is unable to complete its initial Business Combination and expends all of the net proceeds from the sale of the Private Warrants not deposited in the Trust Account, without taking into account any interest earned on the Trust Account, the Company expects that the initial per-share redemption price for common stock will be $10.00. The proceeds deposited in the Trust Account could, however, become subject to claims of the Company’s creditors that are in preference to the claims of the Company’s stockholders. In addition, if the Company is forced to file a bankruptcy case or an involuntary bankruptcy case is filed against it that is not dismissed, the proceeds held in the Trust Account could be subject to applicable bankruptcy law, and may be included in its bankruptcy estate and subject to the claims of third parties with priority over the claims of the Company’s common stockholders. Therefore, the actual per-share redemption price may be less than approximately $10.00.

 

Going Concern Consideration

 

As of December 29, 2023, the Company had cash of $656,977 and a working capital deficit of $155,475. The Company has incurred and expects to continue to incur significant costs in pursuit of its financing and acquisition plans. These conditions raise substantial doubt about the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern. Management plans to address this uncertainty through a Business Combination. There is no assurance that the Company’s plans to raise capital or to consummate a Business Combination will be successful within the Combination Period. The financial statement do not include any adjustments that might result from the outcome of this uncertainty.

 

Risks and Uncertainties

 

Management continues to evaluate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the industry and has concluded that while it is reasonably possible that the virus could have a negative effect on the Company’s financial position, results of its operations, close of the Initial Public Offering and/or search for a target company, the specific impact is not readily determinable as of the date of this financial statement. The financial statement do not include any adjustments that might result from the outcome of this uncertainty.

 

In February 2022, the Russian Federation and Belarus commenced a military action with the country of Ukraine. As a result of this action, various nations, including the United States, have instituted economic sanctions against the Russian Federation and Belarus. Further the impact of this actions and related sanctions on the world economy are not determinable as of the date of this financial statement and the specific impact on the Company’s financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows is also not determinable as of the date of this financial statement.

 F-5 

Note 2 — SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES

 

Basis of Presentation

 

The accompanying financial statement is presented in U.S. dollars in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“GAAP”) and pursuant to the rules and regulations of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”).

 

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 auditor attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, 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.

 

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 an emerging growth 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 statement with another public company which is neither an emerging growth company nor an emerging growth company which has opted out of using the extended transition period difficult or impossible because of the potential differences in accounting standards used.

 

Use of Estimates

 

The preparation of the financial statement in conformity with GAAP requires the Company’s management to make 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 statement.

 

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 statement, 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 has $656,977 in cash and no cash equivalents as of December 29, 2023.

 

Cash Held in Trust Account

 

At December 29, 2023, the assets held in the Trust Account amounting to $69,000,000 were held in cash.

 

Fair Value of Financial Instruments

 

The fair value of the Company’s assets and liabilities, which qualify as financial instruments under ASC Topic 820, “Fair Value Measurements and Disclosures,” approximates the carrying amounts represented in the accompanying balance sheet, primarily due to their short-term nature.

 

Income Taxes

 

The Company accounts for income taxes under ASC 740 Income Taxes (“ASC 740”). ASC 740 requires the recognition of deferred tax assets and liabilities for both the expected impact of differences between the financial statements and tax basis of assets and liabilities and for the expected future tax benefit to be derived from tax loss and tax credit carry forwards. ASC 740 additionally requires a valuation allowance to be established when it is more likely than not that all or a portion of deferred tax assets will not be realized. Deferred tax assets were deemed to be de minimis at December 29, 2023.

 F-6 

ASC 740 also clarifies the accounting for uncertainty in income taxes recognized in an enterprise’s financial statements and prescribes a recognition threshold and measurement process for financial statement recognition and measurement of a tax position 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. ASC 740 also provides guidance on derecognition, classification, interest and penalties, accounting in interim periods, disclosure and transition. The Company is required to file income tax returns in the United States (federal) and in various state and local jurisdictions. Based on the Company’s evaluation, it has been concluded that there are no significant uncertain tax positions requiring recognition in the Company’s financial statements. The Company believes that its income tax positions and deductions would be sustained on audit and does not anticipate any adjustments that would result in a material change to its financial position.

 

The Company’s policy for recording interest and penalties associated with audits is to record such expense as a component of income tax expense. There were no amounts accrued for penalties or interest as of December 29, 2023. Management is currently unaware of any issues under review that could result in significant payments, accruals or material deviations from its position.

 

Offering Costs

 

The Company complies with the requirements of the ASC 340-10-S99 and SEC Staff Accounting Bulletin (“SAB”) Topic 5A – “Expenses of Offering”. Deferred offering costs consist of underwriting, legal, accounting and other expenses incurred through the balance sheet date that are directly related to the Initial Public Offering and that will be charged to stockholders’ equity upon the completion of the Initial Public Offering. Should the Initial Public Offering prove to be unsuccessful, these deferred costs, as well as additional expenses to be incurred, will be charged to operations.

 

Redeemable Share Classification

 

The Public Shares contain a redemption feature which allows for the redemption of such Public Shares in connection with the Company’s liquidation, or if there is a shareholder vote or tender offer in connection with the Company’s initial Business Combination. In accordance with ASC 480-10-S99, the Company classifies Public common stock subject to redemption outside of permanent equity as the redemption provisions are not solely within the control of the Company. The Public Shares sold as part of the Units in the Initial Public Offering were issued with other freestanding instruments (i.e., Public Warrants) and as such, the initial carrying value of Public Shares classified as temporary equity are the allocated proceeds determined in accordance with ASC 470-20. The Company recognizes changes in redemption value immediately as it occurs and will adjust the carrying value of redeemable shares to equal the redemption value at the end of each reporting period. Immediately upon the closing of the Initial Public Offering, the Company recognized the accretion from initial book value to redemption amount value. The change in the carrying value of redeemable shares will result in charges against additional paid-in capital and accumulated deficit. Accordingly, at December 29, 2023, common stock subject to possible redemption is presented at redemption value as temporary equity, outside of the stockholders’ deficit section of the Company’s balance sheet. The Company recognizes changes in redemption value immediately as they occur and adjusts the carrying value of redeemable shares to equal the redemption value at the end of each reporting period. Increases or decreases in the carrying amount of redeemable shares are affected by charges against additional paid in capital and accumulated deficit.

 

At December 29, 2023, the common stock subject to possible redemption reflected in the balance sheet are reconciled in the following table:

 

Gross proceeds   $ 69,000,000  
Less:        
Proceeds allocated to Public Warrants     (43,470 )
Proceeds allocated to Public Rights     (3,283,710 )
Proceeds allocated to over-allotment option     (11,135 )
Common stock issuance cost     (4,376,044 )
Plus:        
Remeasurement of carrying value to redemption value     7,714,359  
Common stock subject to possible redemption, December 29, 2023   $ 69,000,000  

 

Derivative Financial Instruments

 

The Company evaluates its financial instruments to determine if such instruments are derivatives or contain features that qualify as embedded derivatives in accordance with FASB ASC Topic 815, “Derivatives and Hedging”. Derivative instruments are initially recorded at fair value on the grant date and re-valued at each reporting date, with changes in the fair value reported in the statement of operations. The classification of derivative instruments, including whether such instruments should be recorded as liabilities or as equity, is evaluated at the end of each reporting period. Derivative assets and liabilities are classified in the balance sheet as current or non-current based on whether or not net-cash settlement or conversion of the instruments could be required within 12 months of the balance sheet date.

 

The over-allotment option is deemed to be a freestanding financial instrument indexed on the contingently redeemable shares and will be accounted for as a liability pursuant to ASC 480.

 

Warrant Instruments

 

The Company accounted for the Public Warrants and Private Warrants issued in connection with the Initial Public Offering and the private placement in accordance with the guidance contained in FASB ASC Topic 815 “Derivatives and Hedging”, whereby under that provision, the warrants that do not meet the criteria for equity treatment must be recorded as liability. Accordingly, the Company evaluated and will classify the warrant instrument under equity treatment at its assigned value.

 F-7 

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

 

In August 2020, the FASB issued ASU No. 2020-06, Accounting for Convertible Instruments and Contracts in an Entity’s Own Equity. The update simplifies the accounting for convertible instruments by removing certain separation models in Subtopic 470-20, Debt—Debt with Conversion and Other Options for convertible instruments and introducing other changes. As a result of ASU No. 2020-06, more convertible debt instruments will be accounted for as a single liability measured at its amortized cost and more convertible preferred stock will be accounted for as a single equity instrument measured at its historical cost, as long as no features require bifurcation and recognition as derivatives. The amendments are effective for smaller reporting companies for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2023, including interim periods within those fiscal years. Early adoption is permitted, but no earlier than fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2020, including interim periods within those fiscal years. The Company adopted ASU No. 2020-06 as of January 1, 2022. The impact to our balance sheet was not material.

 

Management does not believe that any recently issued, but not yet effective, accounting standards if currently adopted would have a material effect on the accompanying financial statements.

 

Note 3 — INITIAL PUBLIC OFFERING

 

Pursuant to the Initial Public Offering, the Company sold 6,900,000 Units, which includes the partial exercise by the underwriters of their over-allotment option in the amount of 800,000 Units, at a price of $10.00 per Unit. Each Unit consists of one share of the Company’s common stock, $0.0001 par value, one redeemable warrant (the “Warrants”), and one right to one-fifth (1/5) of one share of common stock upon the consummation of the Company’s initial business combination, so you must hold rights in multiples of 5 in order to receive shares for all of your rights upon closing of a combination. Each Warrant offered in the Initial Public Offering is exercisable to purchase one share of the Company’s common stock at an exercise price of $11.50.

 

Each Warrant will become exercisable 30 days after the completion of the Company’s initial Business Combination and will expire five years after the completion of the Company’s initial Business Combination or earlier upon redemption or liquidation. However, if the Company does not complete its initial Business Combination on or prior to the 12-month period allotted (or up to 18 months if the Company extends the time to complete a business combination) to complete the Business Combination, the Warrants will expire at the end of such period. If the Company is unable to deliver registered shares of common stock to the holder upon exercise of the Warrants during the exercise period, there will be no net cash settlement of these Warrants and the Warrants will expire worthless, unless they may be exercised on a cashless basis in the circumstances described in the warrant agreement. Once the warrants become exercisable, the Company may redeem the outstanding warrants in whole and not in part at a price of $0.01 per warrant upon a minimum of 30 days’ prior written notice of redemption, only in the event that the last sale price of the Company’s shares of common stock equals or exceeds $18.00 per share for any 20 trading days within the 30-trading day period commencing at any time after the shares underlying the warrants have become exercisable and ending on the third trading day before the Company sends the notice of redemption to the warrant holders.

 

Note 4 — PRIVATE PLACEMENT

 

Simultaneously with the closing of the Initial Public Offering, the Sponsor purchased an aggregate of 2,457,000 Private Placement Warrants, at a price of $1.00 per Private Placement Warrant, or $2,457,000 in the aggregate, in a private placement. The Private Warrants is identical to the warrants sold as a part of the Units being offered in the Initial Public Offering. The holders have agreed not to transfer, assign or sell any of the Private Warrants or underlying securities (except to certain permitted transferees) until the completion of the initial Business Combination.

 

Note 5 — COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES

 

Registration Rights

 

The holders of the Founder Shares (as defined in Note 6), Representative Shares, and Private Placement Warrants (as defined below), as well as any warrants that may be issued in payment of Working Capital Loans made to Company, are entitled to registration rights pursuant to an agreement signed prior to or on the effective date of the Initial Public Offering. The holders of a 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 these shares of common stock are to be released from escrow. The holders of a majority of the Representative Shares, Private Placement Warrants and warrants issued in payment of Working Capital Loans (or underlying securities) can elect to exercise these registration rights at any time after the Company consummates a Business Combination. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary, EF Hutton may only make a demand on one occasion and only during the five-year period beginning on the effective date of the Initial Public Offering. In addition, the holders have certain “piggy-back” registration rights with respect to registration statements filed subsequent to the consummation of a Business Combination; provided, however, that EF Hutton may participate in a “piggy-back” registration only during the seven-year period beginning on the effective date of the Initial Public Offering. The Company will bear the expenses incurred in connection with the filing of any such registration statements.

 F-8 

Underwriting Agreement

 

The Company has granted the underwriters a 45-day option from the date of Initial Public Offering to purchase up to 915,000 additional Units to cover over-allotments, if any, at the Initial Public Offering price less the underwriting discounts and commissions. On December 29, 2023, the underwriters partially exercised its over-allotment option for an additional 800,000 Units.

 

The underwriters were entitled to a cash underwriting discount of 0.85% of the gross proceeds of the Initial Public Offering, or $586,500, paid upon the closing of the Initial Public Offering. Additionally, the underwriters were entitled to a deferred underwriting discount of 3.65% of the gross proceeds of the Initial Public Offering, or $2,518,500, payable upon the closing of an initial Business Combination. 

 

Note 6 — RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS

 

Founder’s Shares

 

In November 2021, the Company issued an aggregate of 5,750,000 shares of common stock (the “Founder Shares”) for an aggregate purchase price of $25,000. In September 2022, 2,875,000 Founder Shares were returned to the Company for no consideration bringing the total issued Founder Shares to 2,875,000. In September 2023, 943,000 Founder Shares were returned to the Company for no consideration bringing the total issued Founder Shares to 1,932,000, as retrospectively presented in the financial statements. In December 2023, the Company determined to issue an additional 32,200 Founder Shares to maintain the proportionate share of the Sponsor in the Company, resulting in the Sponsor holding 1,964,200 Founder Shares. The Founder Shares include an aggregate of up to 32,200 shares subject to forfeiture by the holders to the extent that the underwriters’ over-allotment is not exercised in full or in part, so that the holders will collectively own 22% of the Company’s issued and outstanding shares after the Initial Public Offering (assuming the initial stockholders do not purchase any Public Shares in the Initial Public Offering. The holders of the Founder Shares will agree not to transfer, assign or sell any of the Founder Shares (except to certain permitted transferees) until (i) 180 days after the completion of a Business and (ii) if, subsequent to a Business Combination, the Company completes a liquidation, merger, share exchange or other similar transaction which results in all of the Company’s stockholders having the right to exchange their common stock for cash, securities or other property.

 

Promissory Note — Related Party

 

On November 25, 2021, and as amended on July 11, 2022, November 1, 2022, May 15, 2023, June 30, 2023, and October 4, 2023, the Company issued a $1,500,000 (as amended), principal amount unsecured promissory note to the Sponsor, which is an affiliate of the Company’s Chief Executive Officer. This loan is non-interest bearing, unsecured and repayable upon either (a) the date on which the Company consummates its initial business transaction (such date, the “Maturity Date”) or, at the Company’s discretion, if funds allow, or (b) the date on which the Company consummates the Initial Public Offering. As of December 29, 2023, there was $557,781outstanding under the promissory note.

 

Administrative Service Agreement

 

The Company presently occupies office space provided by an entity controlled by Bengochea SPAC Sponsors I LLC. Such entity agreed that until the Company consummates a Business Combination, it will make such office space, as well as general and administrative services including utilities and administrative support, available to the Company as may be required by the Company from time to time. The Company agreed to pay a total of $12,000 per month to the Sponsor in exchange for management support, administrative, office space, and other services. The Company will cease paying these monthly fees 12 months from the date of the Initial Public offering.

 

Working Capital Loans

 

In order to finance transaction costs in connection with a Business Combination, the Initial Stockholders, the Sponsor, the Company’s officers and directors or their affiliates may, but are not obligated to, loan the Company funds from time to time or at any time, as may be required (“Working Capital Loans”). Each Working Capital 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 holder’s discretion, if there are excess proceeds, upon consummation of Initial Public Offering. In the event that the initial Business Combination does not close, we may use a portion of the working capital held outside the Trust Account to repay such loaned amounts, but no proceeds from our Trust Account would be used for such repayment. These loans would be repaid at completion of the initial Business Combination. As of December 29, 2023, no Working Capital Loans were outstanding.

 

Note 7 — STOCKHOLDERS’ DEFICIT

 

Preferred Stock

 

The Company is authorized to issue 1,000,000 shares of preferred stock with a par value of $0.0001 per share with such designation, rights and preferences as may be determined from time to time by the Company’s board of directors. As of December 29, 2023, there are no shares of preferred stock issued and outstanding.

 F-9 

 Common Stock

 

The Company is authorized to issue 50,000,000 shares of common stock with a par value of $0.0001 per share. As of December 29, 2023, 1,999,200 shares of common stock were issued and outstanding, excluding 6,900,000 shares of common stock subject to possible redemption. The issued and outstanding shares includes 32,200 shares of common stock subject to forfeiture to the extent that the underwriters’ over-allotment option is not exercised in full so that the holders of the Founder Shares will represent approximately 22% of the issued and outstanding common stock after the Initial Public Offering (assuming they do not purchase any units in the Initial Public Offering). All of these shares were placed into an escrow account on the closing of the Initial Public Offering. Subject to certain limited exceptions, these shares will not be transferred, assigned, sold, or released from escrow for a period ending on the 180-day anniversary of the date of the consummation of the initial business combination, or earlier if, subsequent to the initial business combination, the Company consummates a liquidation, merger, stock exchange or other similar transaction which results in all of the Company’s stockholders having the right to exchange their shares of common stock for cash, securities or other property.

 

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 exchange 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 shares of 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).

 

Additionally, in no event will the Company be required to net cash settle the rights. 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. Accordingly, the rights may expire worthless.

 

 Representative Shares

 

The Company issued to EF Hutton and/or its designees in the Initial Public Offering 35,000 Representative Shares at the time of the consummation of Initial Public Offering. The holders of the Representative Shares have agreed not to transfer, assign or sell any such shares until the completion of a Business Combination. In addition, the holders have agreed they will (i) waive their redemption rights with respect to such shares in connection with the completion of a Business Combination and (ii) waive their rights to liquidating distributions from the Trust Account with respect to such shares if the Company fails to complete a Business Combination within the Combination Period.

 

The Representative Shares have been deemed compensation by FINRA and are therefore subject to a lock-up for a period of 180 days immediately following the effective date of the registration statement related to the Initial Public Offering pursuant to Rule 5110(e)(1) of FINRA’s NASD Conduct Rules. Pursuant to FINRA Rule 5110(e)(1), these securities will not be the subject of any hedging, short sale, derivative, put or call transaction that would result in the economic disposition of the securities by any person for a period of 180 days immediately following the effective date of the registration statement related to the Initial Public Offering, nor may they be sold, transferred, assigned, pledged or hypothecated for a period of 180 days immediately following the effective date of the registration statement related to the Initial Public Offering except to any underwriter and selected dealer participating in the Initial Public Offering and their bona fide officers or partners.

 

Warrants

 

Public Warrants may only be exercised for a whole number of shares. No fractional Public Warrants will be issued upon separation of the Units and only whole Public Warrants will trade. The Public Warrants will become exercisable on the later of (a) 30 days after the completion of a Business Combination or (b) 12 months from the closing of the Initial Public Offering; provided in each case that the Company has an effective registration statement under the Securities Act covering the shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of the Public Warrants and a current prospectus relating to them is available (or the Company permits holders to exercise their Public Warrants on a cashless basis and such cashless exercise is exempt from registration under the Securities Act). The Company has agreed that as soon as practicable, after the closing of the Business Combination, the Company will use its best efforts to file with the SEC a registration statement for the registration, under the Securities Act, of the common stock issuable upon exercise of the Public Warrants. The Company will use its best efforts to cause the same to become effective and to maintain the effectiveness of such registration statement, and a current prospectus relating thereto, until the expiration of the Public Warrants in accordance with the provisions of the public warrant agreement. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if the Company’s common stock is at the time of any exercise of a warrant not listed on a national securities exchange such that it satisfies the definition of a “covered security” under the Securities Act, the Company, at its option, may require holders of Public Warrants who exercise their warrants to do so on a “cashless basis” in accordance with Section 3(a)(9) of the Securities Act and, in the event the Company so elects, the Company will not be required to file or maintain in effect a registration statement. The Public Warrants will expire five years after the completion of the Business Combination or earlier upon the Company’s redemption or liquidation.

 F-10 

The Company may redeem the Public Warrants:

 

  in whole and not in part;
     
  at a price of $0.01 per warrant;
     
  upon a minimum of 30 days’ prior written notice of redemption to each warrant holder; and
     
  if, and only if, the last reported sale price (the “closing price”) of common stock equals or exceeds $18.00 per share (as adjusted) for any 20 trading days within a 30-trading day period commencing at any time after the shares underlying the warrants have become exercisable and ending on the third trading day prior to the date on which the Company sends the notice of redemption to the warrant holders.

 

The Company will not redeem the Public Warrants as described above unless a registration statement under the Securities Act covering the common stock issuable upon exercise of the Public Warrants is then effective and a current prospectus relating to those common stock is available throughout the 30-day redemption period. Any such exercise would not be on a cashless basis and would require the exercising warrant holder to pay the exercise price for each Public Warrant being exercised.

 

The Warrants issued in the Private Placement (“Private Placement Warrants”) will be identical to the Public Warrants, except that the Private Placement Warrants and the common stock issuable upon exercise of the Private Placement Warrants will not be transferable, assignable or saleable until 30 days after the completion of the Business Combination, subject to certain limited exceptions.

 

In no event will the Company be required to net cash settle any warrant. 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 warrants will not receive any of such funds with respect to their warrants, nor will they receive any distribution from the Company’s assets held outside of the Trust Account with the respect to such warrants. Accordingly, the warrants may expire worthless. As of December 29, 2023, there were 6,900,000 public warrants and 2,457,000 private warrants outstanding.

 

Note 8 — 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.

 

The following table presents information about the Company’s assets that are measured at fair value on December 29, 2023 and indicates the fair value hierarchy of the valuation inputs the Company utilized to determine such fair value.

 

    Level     December 29, 2023  
Assets:                
Cash held in Trust Account     1     $ 69,000,000  
Liabilities:                
Over-allotment option     3     $ 11,135  
Equity:                
Fair value of Public Warrants for common stock subject to possible redemption allocation     3     $ 43,470  
Fair value of Public Rights for common stock subject to possible redemption allocation     3     $ 3,283,710  

 

The over-allotment option was accounted for as a liability in accordance with ASC 815-40 and was presented within liabilities on the balance sheet. The over-allotment liability is measured at fair value at inception and on a recurring basis, with changes in fair value presented within change in fair value of over-allotment liability in the statement of operations.

 F-11 

The Company used a Black-Scholes model to value the over-allotment option. The over-allotment option liability was classified within Level 3 of the fair value hierarchy at the measurement dates due to the use of unobservable inputs inherent in pricing models are assumptions related to expected share-price volatility, expected life and risk-free interest rate. The Company estimates the volatility of its ordinary share based on historical volatility that matches the expected remaining life of the option. The risk-free interest rate is based on the U.S. Treasury zero-coupon yield curve on the grant date for a maturity similar to the expected remaining life of the option. The expected life of the option is assumed to be equivalent to their remaining contractual term.

 

The public warrants and rights were valued using Monte Carlo models. The public warrants and rights have been classified within stockholders’ deficit and will not require remeasurement after issuance. The following table presents the quantitative information regarding market assumptions used in the valuation of the public warrants and rights:

 

    December 29,
2023
 
Market price of public stock   $ 9.52  
Term (years)     2.38  
Risk-free rate     4.07 %
Volatility     3.27 %

 

Note 9 — Subsequent Events

 

The Company evaluated subsequent events and transactions that occurred after the balance sheet date up to the date the financial statement was issued. Based on this review, the Company did not identify any other subsequent events that would have required adjustment or disclosure in the financial statements.

  F-12