Aetherium Acquisition Corp - Annual Report: 2022 (Form 10-K)

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 10-K

For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2022

or

For the transition period from _____________ to ________________

Commission file number: 001-41189

AETHERIUM ACQUISITION CORP.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

Registrant’s telephone number, including area code: (650) 450-6836

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

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 ☐ No ☒

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 ☐ No ☒

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. Yes ☒ No ☐

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

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.

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. Yes ☐ No ☒

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. ☐

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 fi ling 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). ☐

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

As of March 31, 2023, there were 2,991,003 shares of redeemable Class A common stock, 528,500 shares of non-redeemable Class A common stock, par value $0.0001 per share, and 2,875,000 shares of Class B common stock, par value $0.0001 per share, issued and outstanding.

As of June 30, 2022, the aggregate market value of the registrant’s common stock held by non-affiliates of the registrant was approximately $113.97   million.

DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

None.

AETHERIUM ACQUISITION CORP.

Annual Report on Form 10-K for the Year Ended December 31, 2022

CERTAIN TERMS

References to “the Company,” “our,” “us” or “we” refer to Aetherium Acquisition Corp., a blank check company incorporated in Delaware on April 15, 2021. References to our “Sponsor” refer to Aetherium Capital Holdings LLC, a Delaware limited liability company. References to our “IPO” refer to the initial public offering of Aetherium Acquisition Corp., which closed on January 3, 2022.

SPECIAL NOTE REGARDING 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:

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.” in our IPO prospectus, dated December 29, 2021 and filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. 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.

part I

ITEM 1. BUSINESS

Introduction

We are a blank check company incorporated in April 2021 as a Delaware corporation whose business purpose is to effect a merger, capital stock exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, reorganization or similar business combination with one or more businesses, which we refer to as our initial business combination. To date, our efforts have been limited to organizational activities, activities related to our initial public offering and search for an initial business combination target. Our efforts to identify a prospective target business will not be limited to a particular business, industry or sector or geographical region, although we intend to focus on businesses in the education, training and education technology (“EdTech”) industries, specifically in Asia (excluding China). Our Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation provides that we shall not undertake our initial business combination with any entity with its principal business operations in China (including Hong Kong and Macau).

The Registration Statement for our initial public offering was declared effective on December 29, 2021 (the “Initial Public Offering,” or “IPO”). On January 3, 2022, we consummated the IPO of 11,500,000 units (the “Units” and each Unit consists of one share of Class A common stock (the “Public Shares”), and one redeemable warrant, with respect to shares of Class A common stock included in the Units at $10.00 per Unit, generating gross proceeds of $115,000,000, and incurring offering costs of $6,755,007, of which $4,025,000 was for deferred underwriting commissions. We granted the underwriter a 45-day option to purchase up to an additional 1,500,000 Units at the Initial Public Offering price to cover over-allotments, if any. On January 3, 2022, the over-allotment option was also exercised in full.

Simultaneously with the consummation of the closing of the Offering, we consummated the private placement of an aggregate of 528,500 units (the “Placement Units”) to the Sponsor at a price of $10.00 per Placement Unit, generating total gross proceeds of $5,285,000 (the “Private Placement”). The Placement Units are identical to the Units sold in the IPO.

Following the closing of the Initial Public Offering on January 3, 2022, an amount of $116,725,000 ($10.15 per Unit) from the net proceeds of the sale of the Units in the Initial Public Offering and a portion of the proceeds from the sale of the Placement Units was placed in a trust account (the “Trust Account”), located in the United States and held as cash or may be invested in U.S. government securities, within the meaning set forth in Section 2(a)(16) of the Investment Company Act, with a maturity of 185 days or less, or in any open-ended investment company that holds itself out as a money market fund meeting the conditions of Rule 2a-7 of the Investment Company Act, as determined by us, until the earlier of: (i) the consummation of a Business Combination or (ii) the liquidation of the funds in the Trust Account to our stockholders.

At the time of the IPO, our Amended and Restated Certificate provided that if we are unable to complete an initial business combination within fifteen (15) months from the closing of the Initial Public Offering, 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 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 earned on the funds held in the Trust Account, and not previously released to us to pay our taxes (less up to $100,000 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 our remaining stockholders and our board of directors, dissolve and liquidate, subject in the case of clauses (ii) and (iii) above to our obligations under Delaware law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law.

On March 23, 2023, we held a Special Meeting of our stockholders seeking approval to amend our Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation, to extend the date by which we must consummate a business combination up to twelve (12) times (the “Charter Amendment”), each such extension for an additional one (1) month period from April 3, 2023 to April 3, 2024. We also sought approval to amend the investment management trust agreement, dated as of December 29, 2021, by and between us and Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, allowing us to extend the date by which the Company must consummate a business combination up to twelve (12) times, each such extension for an additional one (1) month period, until April 3, 2024, by depositing into the trust account established for the benefit of the Company’s public stockholders the lesser of (A) $0.055 per non-redeeming publicly held share of common stock and (B) $150,000 (the “Extension Payment”) for each one-month extension. Both proposals were approved.

Our Company

We are a blank check company incorporated in April 2021 as a Delaware corporation whose business purpose is to effect a merger, capital stock exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, reorganization or similar business combination with one or more businesses, which we refer to as our initial business combination. To date, our efforts have been limited to organizational activities as well as activities related to this offering. Our efforts to identify a prospective target business will not be limited to a particular business, industry or sector or geographical region, although we intend to focus on businesses in the education, training and education technology (“EdTech”) industries, specifically in Asia (excluding China). Our Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation provides that we shall not undertake our initial business combination with any entity with its principal business operations in China (including Hong Kong and Macau). We have not selected any specific business combination target and we have not, nor has anyone on our behalf, engaged in any substantive discussions, directly or indirectly, with any business combination target with respect to an initial business combination with us.

While we may pursue an initial business combination target in any business, industry or sector or geographical location, we intend to focus on businesses in the education, training and EdTech industries, specifically in Asia (excluding China). Our Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation provides that we shall not undertake our initial business combination with any entity with its principal business operations in China (including Hong Kong and Macau). We believe that combining our company with a leading high-growth education, training and EdTech company will fuel organic growth and provide a platform for future acquisitions. We will be focusing our search on companies built on disruptive technologies and business platforms. We believe this is the key to gain competitive advantages. With the application of additional capital through our company, we believe we will be able to fast track technological advancement, employ cutting edge design, and improve processes.

Our Management Team

Our management team is led by Jonathan Chan, our Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer, and Alex Lee, our Chief Financial Officer.

Jonathan Chan is the founder and Managing Partner of Vigilant Assets Pte. Ltd., an investment advisory firm. He is also the founder and CEO of Jules Corporation (“JULES”), where over the past six years he has devoted his efforts and expertise in building his network in the education and EdTech ecosystem. Driven by the JULES mission “to prepare our children for jobs of the future,” Mr. Chan is credited in leading the creation of the world’s first Digital Literacy curriculum for preschoolers, teaching “Computational Thinking and digital life” skills during the early childhood years. The JULES “School of Fish” curriculum is acknowledged as an innovative and awarded product in its category. JULES efforts as a social enterprise have received global recognition and accolades at the World Economic Forum as well as by education ministries and UNICEF as playing a pioneering and catalytic role in empowering young children with critical digital literacy skills as a foundation for life-long learning. Prior to being a technopreneur, Mr. Chan spent 27 years in banking and corporate finance covering the technology, media and telecom sectors. Mr. Chan has held senior positions as the Asia Head of Technology Investment Banking at Salomon Smith Barney/Citibank and as Head of Investment Banking, Southeast Asia at CLSA Merchant Bankers Limited where he was credited with structuring the most original deal for the listing of the first independent REIT in Singapore. Mr. Chan has been featured in CNBC, The Straits Times, Channel NewsAsia and Education Technology Insights, and spoken at conferences around the world including the Red Herring Global, Edutech Asia, Global Blockchain Foundation, EdTechX, Wall St. Digital Live, Global Education Technology Summit, and the Global EdTech Start-up Awards. Mr. Chan is an acknowledged thought leader in promoting the “blockchain in education” initiatives and a frequent speaker on this subject at numerous conferences. Mr. Chan has also held director roles in M&A at British Telecom and Cable & Wireless. Mr. Chan holds an MBA from Washington University’s Olin School of Business and a B.Sc. in Finance from Indiana University’s Kelly School of Business.

Alex Lee is a managing director of Vigilant Assets Pte. Ltd. and has over 20 years of experience in various hardware and software technology driven sectors, encompassing DNS (Domain Name System) SaaS, digital media/marketing, and most recently, blockchain/distributed ledger technology. In addition to holding corporate positions and founding several companies, he has spent more than 15 years advising and creating cross-border business partnerships and investments in Asia and the U.S. Mr. Lee is currently the founder and CEO of Liquidigy.com, a security token issuance and investment platform and an active digital assets portfolio manager and angel investor. He also co-founded BITCV Foundation, a Singapore-based organization focused on the development of blockchain-powered technologies, solutions and applications that facilitates the management of blockchain assets. Prior to this, Mr. Lee worked in China for 13 years serving as Director of International Affairs at China Internet Network Information Center and was co-founder of two start-ups: NameRich.cn, a China-based domain name registrar (acquired 2012) and the Dot Trademark Registry, one of the world’s first Chinese language domain name registries. He was also Director of Strategic Partnerships at BlueFocus International in Silicon Valley where he was responsible for creating and managing synergies between BlueFocus International’s portfolio agencies and BlueFocus Communication Group headquartered in Beijing, China. Active in the blockchain/crypto space since 2017, he is an active investor in several high-profile ventures and numerous early-stage ventures, primarily focused on digital securities, Decentralized Finance and digital art & collectibles NFTs (Non-Fungible Tokens). During the internet v1.0 years, Mr. Lee worked at First MediaWorks where he led the company’s flagship account with ABC Radio Networks and spearheaded the launch of over 30 owned-and-operated radio stations’ first websites in 10 markets around the U.S., including WPLJ, KLOS, KSFO, KGO and WMAL. Mr. Lee graduated with a B.A. degree in Cultural Anthropology from Northeastern University and holds FINRA Series 63 and SIE qualifications.

We believe our management team is well positioned to take advantage of the growing set of acquisition opportunities focused on the education, training and EdTech industries and that our contacts and relationships, ranging from owners and management teams of private and public companies, private equity funds, investment bankers, attorneys, to accountants and business brokers will allow us to generate an attractive transaction for 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 business combinations. Many of these entities are well established and have extensive experience identifying and effecting business combinations directly or through affiliates. Moreover, many of these competitors possess greater financial, technical, human and other resources than we do. 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 initial business combination of a target business. Furthermore, our obligation to pay cash in connection with our public stockholders who exercise their redemption rights may reduce the resources available to us for our initial business combination and our outstanding warrants, and the future dilution they potentially represent, may not be viewed favorably by certain target businesses. Either of these factors may place us at a competitive disadvantage in successfully negotiating an initial business combination.

Employees

We currently have two officers. These individuals are not obligated to devote any specific number of hours to our matters but they intend to devote as much of their time as they deem necessary, in the exercise of their respective business judgement, to our affairs until we have completed our initial business combination. The amount of time they will devote in any time period will vary based on whether a target business has been selected for our initial business combination and the stage of the initial business combination process we are in. We do not intend to have any full-time employees prior to the completion of our initial business combination. We do not have an employment agreement with any member of our management team.

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 2. PROPERTIES

Our executive offices are located at 79B Pemberwick Rd., Greenwich, CT 06831, and our telephone number is (650) 450-6836.

Since December 30, 2021, the date our securities began trading on Nasdaq, we have paid ARC Group Limited, our financial advisor $10,000 per month for our office space, utilities and secretarial and administrative support. We consider our current office space 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.

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 Global Market, or Nasdaq, under the symbol “GMFIU” on December 30, 2021. The Class A common stock and warrants comprising the units began trading separately on February 18, 2022. Our Class A common stock and warrants are traded on Nasdaq under the symbols “GMFI” and “GMFIW,” respectively.

Holders of Record

As of April 14, 2023, there were 3,519,503 of our shares of Class A common stock issued and outstanding held by approximately 2 stockholders of record, and there were 2,875,000 of our shares of Class B common stock issued and outstanding held by approximately 10 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 our initial business combination will be within the discretion of our board of directors at such time. Further, if we incur any indebtedness subsequent to the initial business combination, 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

There were no sales of unregistered securities.

Use of Proceeds

On January 3, 2022, we completed our Initial Public Offering of 11,500,000 Units, including the issuance of 1,500,000 Units as a result of the underwriter’s full exercise of its over-allotment option. The Units were sold at an offering price of $10.00 per unit, generating gross proceeds of $115,000,000.

Simultaneously with the consummation of the Initial Public Offering, we completed a Private Placement of an aggregate of 528,500 Placement Units at a price of $10.00 per Placement Unit, generating total gross proceeds of $5,285,000. The Placement Units are identical to the Units sold in the IPO. The holders have agreed not to transfer, assign or sell any of the Placement Units or underlying securities (except in limited circumstances) until 30 days after completion of our initial business combination. The holders were also granted certain demand and piggyback registration rights in connection with the purchase of the Placement Units. The Placement Units were issued pursuant to Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, as the transaction did not involve a public offering.

A total of $116,725,000 of the net proceeds from the IPO and the Private Placement was deposited in the Trust Account, over which Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company is trustee, which was established for the benefit of our public stockholders. Except with respect to interest earned on the funds held in the Trust Account that may be released to us to pay our tax obligations, and up to $100,000 of interest that may be used for our dissolution expenses, the proceeds from the IPO and the sale of the Placement Units will not be released from the Trust Account until the earliest to occur of: (a) the completion of our initial business combination, (b) the redemption of any public shares properly submitted in connection with a stockholder vote to amend our Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemption in connection with our initial business combination or certain amendments to our Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation prior thereto or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 15 months from the closing of this offering or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to stockholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activities, and (c) the redemption of our public shares if we are unable to complete our initial business combination within 15 months from the closing of this offering, subject to applicable law.

For a description of the use of the proceeds generated in our Initial Public Offering, see below 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]

ITEM 7. MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

Special Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

All statements other than statements of historical fact included in this Form 10-K including, without limitation, statements under “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” regarding the Company’s financial position, business strategy and the plans and objectives of management for future operations, are forward-looking statements. When used in this Form 10-K, words such as “anticipate,” “believe,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend” and similar expressions, as they relate to us or the Company’s management, identify forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements are based on the beliefs of management, as well as assumptions made by, and information currently available to, the Company’s management. Actual results could differ materially from those contemplated by the forward-looking statements as a result of certain factors detailed in our filings with the SEC.

The following discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations should be read in conjunction with the financial statements and the notes thereto contained elsewhere in this Report. Certain information contained in the discussion and analysis set forth below includes forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties.

Overview

We are a blank check company formed under the laws of the State of Delaware on April 15, 2021 for the purpose of effecting a merger, capital stock exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, reorganization or other similar Business Combination with one or more businesses. We intend to effectuate our Business Combination using cash from the proceeds of the IPO and the sale of the Private Warrants, our capital stock, debt or a combination of cash, stock and debt.

All activity through December 31, 2022 relates to our formation, IPO, and search for a prospective initial business combination target.

We are incurring significant costs in the pursuit of our acquisition plans. We cannot assure you that our plans to complete a Business Combination will be successful.

Results of Operations

We have neither engaged in any operations nor generated any revenues to date. Our only activities from April 15, 2021 (inception) through December 31, 2022 were organizational activities, those necessary to prepare for the IPO, described below, and identifying a target company for a Business Combination. We do not expect to generate any operating revenues until after the completion of our Business Combination. We generate non-operating income in the form of interest income on marketable securities held after the IPO. We incur expenses as a result of being a public company (for legal, financial reporting, accounting and auditing compliance), as well as for due diligence expenses.

For the year ended December 31, 2022, we had net loss of $623,874  , which consisted of realized gain on marketable securities held in our Trust Account of $1,189,699 offset by formation and operational costs of $1,405,790, franchise tax of $200,050 and provision for income tax of $207,733.

Liquidity and Capital Resources

On January 3, 2022, the Company consummated its Initial Public Offering of 11,500,000 units (the “Units” and, with respect to the shares of Class A common stock included in the Units being offered, the “Public Shares”), at $10.00 per Unit, generating gross proceeds of $115,000,000 (the “Initial Public Offering”), and incurring offering costs of $6,755,007, of which $4,025,000 was for deferred underwriting commissions. The Company granted the underwriter a 45-day option to purchase up to an additional 1,500,000 Units at the Initial Public Offering price to cover over-allotments, if any. On January 3, 2022, the over-allotment option was exercised in full. Simultaneously with the consummation of the closing of the Offering, the Company consummated the private placement of an aggregate of 528,500 units (the “Placement Units”) to the Sponsor at a price of $10.00 per Placement Unit, generating total gross proceeds of $5,285,000 (the “Private Placement”). A total of $116,725,000 of the net proceeds from the Offering and the Private Placement was deposited in a trust account established for the benefit of the Company’s public stockholders. The proceeds held in the trust account were invested only in U.S. government treasury obligations with a maturity of 185 days or less or in money market funds meeting certain conditions under Rule 2a-7 under the Investment Company Act which invest only in direct U.S. government treasury obligations. A total of $1,451,900 was deposited into the operating account of the Company.

In order to fund working capital deficiencies or finance transaction costs in connection with an intended initial business combination, our sponsor or an affiliate of our sponsor or certain of our officers and directors may, but are not obligated to, loan us funds on a non-interest bearing basis as may be required. If we complete our initial business combination, we would repay such loaned amounts. In the event that our initial business combination does not close, we may use a portion of the working capital held outside the trust account, if any, to repay such loaned amounts but no proceeds from our trust account would be used for such repayment. Up to $1,500,000 of such loans may be convertible into units, at a price of $10.00 per unit at the option of the lender, upon consummation of our initial business combination. The units would be identical to the placement units. Other than as described above, the terms of such loans by our officers and directors, if any, have not been determined and no written agreements exist with respect to such loans. We do not expect to seek loans from parties other than our sponsor or an affiliate of our sponsor as we do not believe third parties will be willing to loan such funds and provide a waiver against any and all rights to seek access to funds in our trust account. As December 31, 2022, the Company has borrowed $91,124 under such loans.

Moreover, we may need to obtain additional financing either to complete our initial business combination or because we become obligated to redeem a significant number of our public shares upon completion of our initial business combination, in which case we may issue additional securities or incur debt in connection with such business combination. In addition, we intend to target businesses larger than we could acquire with the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the placement units, and may as a result be required to seek additional financing to complete such proposed initial business combination. Subject to compliance with applicable securities laws, we would only complete such financing simultaneously with the completion of our initial business combination. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination because we do not have sufficient funds available to us, we will be forced to cease operations and liquidate the trust account. In addition, following our initial business combination, if cash on hand is insufficient, we may need to obtain additional financing in order to meet our obligations.

As indicated in the accompanying financial statements, at December 31, 2022, the Company had $334   of cash in its operating bank account and a working capital of $112,922,795.  Further, we have incurred and expect to continue to incur significant costs in pursuit of our financing and acquisition plans. We cannot assure you that our plans to raise capital or to consummate an initial business combination will be successful.

Going Concern Consideration

The Company expects to incur significant costs in pursuit of its financing and acquisition plans. In connection with the Company’s assessment of going concern considerations in accordance with 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 unsuccessful in consummating an initial business combination within the prescribed period of time from the closing of the IPO, the requirement that the Company cease all operations, redeem the public shares and thereafter liquidate and dissolve raises substantial doubt about the ability to continue as a going concern. The balance sheet does not include any adjustments that might result from the outcome of this uncertainty. Management has determined that the Company has funds that are sufficient to fund the working capital needs of the Company until the consummation of an initial business combination or the winding up of the Company as stipulated in the Company’s amended and restated memorandum of association. The accompanying financial statement has been prepared in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States of America (“GAAP”), which contemplate continuation of the Company as a going concern.

Related Party Transactions

The Sponsor loaned   the Company an aggregate of $122,352 of up to $300,000 to cover expenses related to the IPO. The note is non-interest bearing and payable on the earlier of the consummation of the Initial Public Offering or the date on which the Company determines not to proceed with the Initial Public Offering. Following the IPO of the Company on January 3, 2022, a total of $122,352 under the promissory note was repaid on January 6, 2022.

On May 11, 2021, the Sponsor purchased 2,875,000 founder shares for an aggregate purchase price of $25,000, or approximately $0.009 per share. In June 2021, the Sponsor transferred 20,000 shares each to the Company’s Chief Executive Officer and David Kopp, 15,000 shares to the Company’s Chief Financial Officer and 10,000 shares to each of the Company’s independent director nominees. In July 2021, the Sponsor also transferred 431,250 shares to ARC Group Limited. In November 2021, ARC Group Limited transferred 140,400 shares to Max Mark Capital Limited, 140,400 shares to Jonathan Chan, and 10,000 shares to Mei Eng Goy. ARC Group Limited purchased its net 140,450 shares in consideration of services provided by such party as financial advisor to the Company in connection with the Initial Public Offering. Each of the transfers above were completed at the same per share purchase price as the Sponsor paid for the founder shares, or $0.009. The number of founder shares issued was determined based on the expectation that such founder shares would represent 20% of the outstanding shares upon completion of this offering (excluding the placement units and underlying securities). The per share purchase price of the founder shares was determined by dividing the amount of cash contributed to the company by the aggregate number of founder shares issued. As of December 31, 2022, the Sponsor owned 2,358,750 shares of Class B common stock. As the underwriters’ over-allotment option has been exercised in full, none of the Sponsor shares were forfeited.

In order to finance transaction costs in connection with a Business Combination, the Sponsor or an affiliate of the Sponsor, or the Company’s officers and directors may, but are not obligated to, loan the Company funds as may be required (“Working Capital Loans”). Such Working Capital Loans would be evidenced by promissory notes. The notes would either be repaid upon consummation of a Business Combination, without interest, or, at the lender’s discretion, up to $1,500,000 of notes may be converted upon consummation of a Business Combination into additional Placement Units at a price of $10.00 per Unit. In the event that a Business Combination does not close, the Company may use a portion of proceeds held outside the Trust Account to repay the Working Capital Loans, but no proceeds held in the Trust Account would be used to repay the Working Capital Loans. As December 31, 2022, the Company has borrowed $91,124 under such loans.

Our sponsor purchased an aggregate of 528,500 placement units at a price of $10.00 per unit for an aggregate purchase price of $5,285,000. Each placement unit consists of one share of Class A common stock and one warrant. Each warrant is exercisable to purchase one share of Class A common stock at $11.50 per share. There will be no redemption rights or liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to the founder shares, the placement shares, or the placement warrants, which will expire worthless if we do not consummate a business combination within 15 months from the closing of this offering. The placement units are identical to the units sold in the IPO except that the placement units and their component securities (a) will not be transferable, assignable or saleable until 30 days after the consummation of our initial business combination except to permitted transferees and (b) so long as they are held by our sponsor or its permitted transferees, will be entitled to registration rights.

Our initial stockholders have agreed to waive their redemption rights with respect to their founder shares and placement shares (i) in connection with the consummation of a business combination, (ii) in connection with a stockholder vote to amend our Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemption in connection with our initial business combination or certain amendments to our Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation prior thereto or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 15 months from the completion of this offering or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to stockholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activities and (iii) if we fail to consummate a business combination within 15 months from the completion of this offering or if we liquidate prior to the expiration of the 15-month period. However, our initial stockholders will be entitled to redemption rights with respect to any public shares held by them if we fail to consummate a business combination or liquidate within the 15-month period.

Pursuant to a registration rights agreement we have entered into with our initial stockholders, we may be required to register certain securities for sale under the Securities Act. These holders, and holders of units issued upon conversion of working capital loans, if any, are entitled under the registration rights agreement to make up to three demands that we register certain of our securities held by them for sale under the Securities Act and to have the securities covered thereby registered for resale pursuant to Rule 415 under the Securities Act. In addition, these holders have the right to include their securities in other registration statements filed by us. We will bear the costs and expenses of filing any such registration statements. See the section of this Annual Report entitled “Certain Relationships and Related Party Transactions.”

On March 23, 2023, we held a Special Meeting of our stockholders seeking approval to amend our Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation, to extend the date by which we must consummate a business combination up to twelve (12) times (the “Charter Amendment”), each such extension for an additional one (1) month period from April 3, 2023 to April 3, 2024. We also sought approval to amend the investment management trust agreement, dated as of December 29, 2021, by and between us and Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, allowing us to extend the date by which the Company must consummate a business combination up to twelve (12) times, each such extension for an additional one (1) month period, until April 3, 2024, by depositing into the trust account established for the benefit of the Company’s public stockholders the lesser of (A) $0.055 per non-redeeming publicly held share of common stock and (B) $150,000 (the “Extension Payment”) for each one-month extension. Both proposals were approved.

Off-balance sheet financing arrangements

We did not have any off-balance sheet arrangements as of December 31, 2022.

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 periods reported. Actual results could materially differ from those estimates. As of December 31, 2022, there were no critical accounting policies.

Recent accounting standards

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

ITEM 7A. QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK

Not required for smaller reporting companies.

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 Annual 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.

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.

As required by Rules 13a-15 and 15d-15 under the Exchange Act, our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer carried out an evaluation of the effectiveness of the design and operation of our disclosure controls and procedures. Based upon their evaluation, our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer concluded 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, 2022 due to the material weaknesses.

A material weakness is a deficiency, or combination of deficiencies, in internal control over financial reporting, such that there is a reasonable possibility that a material misstatement of the Company’s annual or interim financial statements will not be prevented or detected on a timely basis. In connection with the evaluation of the SEC and its staff’s guidance on redeemable equity instruments, and management’s subsequent re-evaluation of its Prior Financials, the Company determined that there were errors in its accounting for its complex financial instruments and related disclosure. Management concluded that a deficiency in inadequate segregation of duties within account processes due to limited personnel and insufficient written policies and procedures for accounting, IT and financial reporting and record keeping and that such failure constituted a material weakness.  

Management’s Report on Internal Controls Over Financial Reporting

Our management is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting, as defined in the Exchange Act Rule 13a-15(f). Our internal control over financial reporting is designed to provide reasonable assurance to our management and board of directors regarding the preparation and fair presentation of published financial statements. A control system, no matter how well designed and operated, can only provide reasonable, not absolute, assurance that the objectives of the control system are met. Because of these inherent limitations, management does not expect that our internal control over financial reporting will prevent all error and all fraud. Management conducted an evaluation of our internal control over financial reporting based on the framework in Internal Control-Integrated Framework issued in 2013 by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (the “2013 Framework”). Based on our evaluation under the 2013 Framework, management concluded that our internal control over financial reporting was not effective as of December 31, 2022 due to the material weaknesses. As a result, we performed additional analysis as deemed necessary to ensure that our financial statements were prepared in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles. Accordingly, management believes that the financial statements included in this Form 10-K present fairly in all material respects our financial position, results of operations, and cash flows for the period presented.

Management has implemented remediation steps to improve our internal control over financial reporting. Specifically, we expanded and improved our review process for complex securities and related accounting standards. We plan to further improve this process by enhancing access to accounting literature, identification of third-party professionals with whom to consult regarding complex accounting applications and consideration of additional staff with the requisite experience and training to supplement existing accounting professionals.

This Annual Report on Form 10-K does not include an attestation report of internal controls from 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

None.

ITEM 9C. DISCLOSURE REGARDING FOREIGN JURISDICTIONS THAT PREVENT INSPECTIONS

Not applicable.

part III

ITEM 10. DIRECTORS, EXECUTIVE OFFICERS AND CORPORATE GOVERNANCE

The following table sets forth information about our directors and executive officers  .

Jonathan Chan is the founder and Managing Partner of Vigilant Assets Pte. Ltd., an investment advisory firm. He is also the founder and CEO of Jules Corporation (“JULES”), where over the past 6 years he has devoted his efforts in building his expertise and network in the education and EdTech ecosystem. Driven by the JULES mission “to prepare our children for jobs of the future”, Mr. Chan is credited in leading the creation of the world’s first Digital Literacy curriculum for preschoolers, teaching “Computational Thinking and digital life” skills during the early childhood years. The JULES “School of Fish” curriculum is acknowledged as an innovative and awarded product in its category. JULES efforts as a social enterprise have received global recognition and accolades at the World Economic Forum as well as by education ministries and UNICEF as playing a pioneering and catalytic role in empowering young children with critical digital literacy skills as a foundation for life-long learning. Prior to being a technopreneur, Mr. Chan spent 27 years in banking and corporate finance covering the technology, media and telecom sectors. Mr. Chan has held senior positions as the Asia Head of Technology Investment Banking at Salomon Smith Barney/Citibank and as Head of Investment Banking, Southeast Asia at CLSA Merchant Bankers Limited where he was credited with structuring the most original deal for the listing of the first independent REIT in Singapore. Mr. Chan has been featured in CNBC, The Straits Times, Channel NewsAsia and Education Technology Insights, and spoken at conferences around the world including the Red Herring Global, Edutech Asia, Global Blockchain Foundation, EdTechX, Wall St. Digital Live, Global Education Technology Summit, and the Global EdTech Start-up Awards. Mr. Chan is an acknowledged thought leader in promoting the “blockchain in education” initiatives and a frequent speaker on this subject at numerous conferences. Mr. Chan has also held director roles in M&A at British Telecom and Cable & Wireless. Mr. Chan holds an MBA from Washington University’s Olin School of Business and a B.Sc. in Finance from Indiana University’s Kelly School of Business. We believe Mr. Chan is well-qualified to serve as a member of our board of directors due to his experience in global finance and the digital education industry, as well as his network of contacts and relationships.

Alex Lee is a managing director of Vigilant Assets Pte. Ltd. and has over 20 years of experience in various hardware and software technology driven sectors, encompassing DNS (Domain Name System) SaaS, digital media/marketing, and most recently blockchain/distributed ledger technology. In addition to holding corporate positions and founding several companies, he has spent more than 15 years advising and creating cross-border business partnerships and investments in Asia and the U.S. Since 2019, Mr. Lee has been the founder and CEO of Liquidigy.com, a security token issuance and investment platform and an active digital assets portfolio manager and angel investor. He has also been a principal at The Shongum Group, a technology consulting company, since 2017. From 2016 to 2017, Mr. Lee was director of strategic partnerships at BlueFocus International, a marketing and brand management services company. Mr. Lee also co-founded BITCV Foundation, a Singapore-based organization focused on the development of blockchain-powered technologies, solutions and applications that facilitates the management of blockchain assets. Prior to this, Mr. Lee worked in China for 13 years serving as Director of International Affairs at China Internet Network Information Center and was co-founder of two start-ups: NameRich.cn, a China-based domain name registrar (acquired 2012) and the Dot Trademark Registry, one of the world’s first Chinese language domain name registries. He was also Director of Strategic Partnerships at BlueFocus International in Silicon Valley where he was responsible for creating and managing synergies between BlueFocus International’s portfolio agencies and BlueFocus Communication Group headquartered in Beijing, China. Active in the blockchain/crypto space since 2017, he is an active investor in several high-profile ventures and numerous early-stage ventures, primarily focused on digital securities, Decentralized Finance and digital art & collectibles NFTs (Non-Fungible Tokens). During the internet v1.0 years, Mr. Lee worked at First MediaWorks where he led the company’s flagship account with ABC Radio Networks and spearheaded the launch of over 30 owned-and-operated radio stations’ first websites in 10 markets around the U.S., including WPLJ, KLOS, KSFO, KGO and WMAL. Mr. Lee graduated with a B.A. degree in Cultural Anthropology from Northeastern University and holds FINRA Series 63 and SIE qualifications.

Lim How Teck joined our Board on December 29, 2021. Mr. Lim is currently the Board Chairman of Heliconia Capital Management, a Temasek Holdings wholly-owned private equity investment firm that invests in growth-oriented companies in Asia. Mr. Lim has extensive Board, financial management, M&A, and operating experience in his 45-year career. Mr. Lim was a Senior Advisor to Bain Capital from 2014 to 2019. From 2005, Mr. Lim served as a corporate advisor to Temasek International and has held Board Chairman or Board Director positions in many public and private companies in Singapore, several of which are owned and/or backed by Temasek, including Heliconia Capital Management (2011 – present), Port of Singapore Authority (1994 – 1998), Certis Cisco Security (from 2007 – 2015) and Tuas Power (from 2005 – 2014). He also served as the Chairman of the Audit Committee in several Singapore-listed companies. From 1975 to 2005, Mr. Lim was with the Neptune Orient Lines (NOL) Group, which was the largest container shipping company in Southeast Asia. Mr. Lim served in various C-Suite roles including Group Deputy CEO, Group CFO, Group COO, and Executive Director. He led NOL’s acquisition of American President Lines (APL) for US$825 million in 1997 and also the divestment of American Eagle Tankers for an enterprise value of around US$650 million in 2003. Mr. Lim holds a Bachelor of Accountancy Degree from the University of Singapore. He is currently Chairman of Redwood International (an investment and consultancy firm), and Chairman of publicly listed ARA LOGOS Logistics Trust. Mr. Lim serves as a board director of publicly listed Raffles Education and CSE Global. Other private companies that Mr. Lim is a board director includes ARA Asset Management, The Foundation for Development Cooperation, Mizuho Securities (Singapore), Heliconia Holdings, Yang Kee Logistics (Singapore), Singapore DTT Corporation, and Nexusun International. Mr. Lim is also President of the eSports Federation Singapore. Mr. Lim contributes his time advising many technology focused companies, including: Boogle Group, 3DOM Inc, Titannium, Omni Sharing, KPISOFT, IMCSE (International Monetary Crypto Securities Exchange), Skyfy Technology, SCash Technologies, Pixie Pitch, Singularity, Helicap, 33 Ventures, Propease Technologies, Food United Holdings, TNP Fitness, OnetoOne Interactive, UB Technology, 8 Capital, FTAG (Fintech Alliance Global) and Hreasily. Mr. Lim is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants of UK (FCMA), a Fellow of the Certified Public Accountants of Australia (FCPA Aust.), a Fellow of the Institute of Certified Public Accountants of Singapore (FCPA ICPAS), a Fellow of the Singapore Institute of Directors (FSID). He is a graduate of the Harvard Graduate School of Business Corporate Financial Management Course and Advanced Management Program in 1983 and 1989, respectively. We believe Mr. Lim is well-qualified to serve as a member of our board of directors due to his extensive and illustrious career experience combined with his deep understanding of corporate governance and accountancy.

Mariana Kou joined our Board on December 29, 2021. Ms. Kou is chairperson and CEO of CTEH Inc. (1620:HK)), an investment holding company that provides travel products and services in Canada and the United States. Prior to this role, from 2019 to 2021, she was CEO of Research Study Education Group, a company that provides overseas education services to students in the Greater Bay Area, and an award-winning equity research analyst specializing in the China education industry and the global luxury goods sector. Ms. Kou started her banking career in New York at JP Morgan, Lehman Brothers, and Smith Barney. Ms. Kou was most recently Head of China Education and HK Consumer Research at brokerage and investment bank CLSA Limited from 2010 to 2019, where she was involved in ten education company IPOs. In 2020, she published her first book “Investing in Dragons: Education Industry and Capital Markets.” She was a board advisor to publicly listed EdTechX (NASDAQ: EDTXU) and advises several education ventures. Ms. Kou has been a keynote speaker at government and industry conferences as well as interviewed regularly by international media. Ms. Kou was appointed Senator for China by the World Business Angels Investment Forum, an affiliated partner of the G20 Global Partnership for Financial Inclusion (GPFI) in June 2020. She is the founder of the Asia Education Society, a member of Forbes Women Forum, and the founding co-lead of Columbia University Venture Community’s Hong Kong Chapter. Ms. Kou sits on the board of Zonta Club of NTII and was also a founding committee member of Children’s Medical Foundation’s social impact fellowship program in collaboration with Dwight Hall at Yale. Ms. Kou is a current student at the University of Southern California’s global executive Doctor of Education program. She holds an MBA from Columbia Business School and is a graduate of Stanford University’s Innovation and Entrepreneurship program. Ms. Kou received her B.BA. from the University of Notre Dame magna cum laude and received the Raymond P. Kent Award. She is a CFA charter holder and a member of global business honour society Beta Gamma Sigma and economics honour society Omicron Delta Epsilon. We believe Ms. Kou is well-qualified to serve as a member of our board of directors due to her experience in the Asia education industry and capital markets.

Charles Abelmann joined our Board on December 29, 2021. Dr. Abelmann has over 30 years’ experience in education working in policy, research and practice in the U.S. and internationally. He has been involved in every facet of the educational sector, as a teacher, lecturer, senior education specialist, to leading three schools. After completing his Doctorate from Harvard University’s Graduate School of Education in Administration, Planning & Social Policy in 1996, Dr. Abelmann spent over a decade at the World Bank leading education investments, analytical work and capacity building efforts across many countries including Uganda, Tanzania, Zimbabwe, China, Indonesia and Mongolia. He developed and supervised education investments in these countries. Dr. Abelmann also served as a special assistant to the Superintendent of D.C. Schools and as a Principal in the District of Columbia Public Schools. In 2009, Dr. Abelmann was asked to help form a new leadership team for the World Bank’s Leadership and Organizational Effectiveness Unit. After leaving the World Bank, Dr. Abelmann was Head of School at Barrie School in Maryland and then Director of the top private school in Chicago (University of Chicago Laboratory Schools) with more than 2,100 students. He was also a lecturer at the University of Chicago. Dr. Abelmann has published many conference papers and presented at universities in China, including at the Beijing Normal University and East Normal University in Shanghai (both prestigious teaching colleges in China). From 2013 to 2019, he conducted annual workshops for teachers, principals and parents on early childhood education, school governance, and parent engagement at the Demay Schools in Nanjing, China. Dr. Abelmann graduated magna cum laude in English and Religion from Duke University in 1987 and is a member of Phi Beta Kappa. He has received many honors, including being a Luce Scholar from the Henry Luce Foundation, the No Child Left Behind Blue Ribbon School Award from the U.S. Department of Education, and the Distinguished Educator Award from the Mongolian Ministry of Education. We believe Dr. Abelmann is well-qualified to serve as a member of our board of directors due to his extensive experience in the U.S. and international education sector.

Number and Terms of Office of Officers and Directors

Our board of directors consists of four directors. The term of office of each of directors will expire at our first annual meeting of stockholders.

Our officers are appointed by the board of directors and serve at the discretion of the board of directors, rather than for a specific term of office. Our board of directors is authorized to appoint persons to the offices set forth in our bylaws as it deems appropriate. Our bylaws provide that the board of directors shall elect one or more Chief Executive Officers, a Chief Financial Officer, a Secretary and such other officers (including without limitation, a Chairman of the Board, a Vice Chairman of the Board, Presidents, Vice Presidents, Assistant Secretaries and a Treasurer) as the board of directors from time to time may determine. Any Chief Executive Officer or President may also appoint such other officers (including without limitation one or more Vice Presidents and Controllers) as may be necessary or desirable for the conduct of the business of the Company. Such other officers will have such powers and duties and shall hold their offices for such terms as may be provided in the bylaws or as may be prescribed by the board of directors or, if such officer has been appointed by any Chief Executive Officer or President, as may be prescribed by the appointing officer.

Director Independence

Nasdaq listing standards require that a majority of our board of directors be independent. An “independent director” is defined generally as a person other than an officer or employee of the company or its subsidiaries or any other individual having a relationship which in the opinion of the company’s board of directors, would interfere with the director’s exercise of independent judgment in carrying out the responsibilities of a director. Our board has determined that all of our directors, other than Mr. Chan, are “independent directors” as defined in the Nasdaq listing standards and applicable SEC rules. Our independent directors will have regularly scheduled meetings at which only independent directors are present.

Committees of the Board of Directors

Our board of directors has two standing committees: an audit committee and a compensation committee.

Audit Committee

Our audit committee consists of Mr. Lim, Ms. Kou and Mr. Abelmann, and Mr. Lim chairs the audit committee. Under the Nasdaq listing standards and applicable SEC rules, we are required to have at least three members of the audit committee, all of whom must be independent. Each of Mr. Lim, Ms. Kou and Mr. Abelmann meets the independent director standard under Nasdaq listing standards and under Rule 10-A-3(b)(1) of the Exchange Act.

The Audit Committee’s duties, which are specified in our Audit Committee Charter, include, but are not limited to:

A copy of our Audit Committee Charter is filed as Exhibit 99.1 to this Annual Report.

Financial Experts on Audit Committee

Pursuant to Nasdaq rules, the audit committee will at all times be composed exclusively of “independent directors” who are able to read and understand fundamental financial statements, including a company’s balance sheet, income statement and cash flow statement.

Each member of the audit committee is financially literate and our board of directors has determined that Mr. Lim qualifies as an “audit committee financial expert” as defined in applicable SEC rules, which generally is any person who has past employment experience in finance or accounting, requisite professional certification in accounting, or other comparable experience or background that results in the individual’s financial sophistication.

Compensation Committee

Our Compensation Committee consists of Mr. Lim, Ms. Kou and Mr. Abelmann each of whom is an independent director under the Nasdaq listing standards. Ms. Kou is the Chairperson of the compensation committee. The compensation committee’s duties, which are specified in our Compensation Committee Charter, include, but are not limited to:

Notwithstanding the foregoing, as indicated above, other than the payment to our financial advisor of $10,000 per month, for up to 15 months, for office space  , utilities and secretarial and administrative support, no compensation of any kind, including finders, consulting or other similar fees, will be paid to any of our existing stockholders, officers, directors or any of their respective affiliates, prior to, or for any services they render in order to effectuate the consummation of an initial 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 entered into in connection with such initial business combination.

The charter also provides that the compensation committee may, in its sole discretion, retain or obtain the advice of a compensation consultant, legal counsel or other adviser and will be directly responsible for the appointment, compensation and oversight of the work of any such adviser. However, before engaging or receiving advice from a compensation consultant, external legal counsel or any other adviser, the compensation committee will consider the independence of each such adviser, including the factors required by Nasdaq and the SEC. A copy of our Compensation Committee Charter is filed as Exhibit 99.2 to this Annual Report.

Director Nominations

We do not have a standing nominating committee though we intend to form a corporate governance and nominating committee as and when required to do so by law or Nasdaq rules. In accordance with Rule 5605 of the Nasdaq rules, a majority of the independent directors may recommend a director nominee for selection by the board of directors. The board of directors believes that the independent directors can satisfactorily carry out the responsibility of properly selecting or approving director nominees without the formation of a standing nominating committee. Our independent directors will participate in the consideration and recommendation of director nominees. In accordance with Rule 5605 of the Nasdaq rules, all such directors are independent. As there is no standing nominating committee, we do not have a nominating committee charter in place.

The board of directors will also consider director candidates recommended for nomination by our stockholders during such times as they are seeking proposed nominees to stand for election at the next annual meeting of stockholders (or, if applicable, a special meeting of stockholders). Our stockholders that wish to nominate a director for election to our board of directors should follow the procedures set forth in our bylaws.

We have not formally established any specific, minimum qualifications that must be met or skills that are necessary for directors to possess. In general, in identifying and evaluating nominees for director, the board of directors considers educational background, diversity of professional experience, knowledge of our business, integrity, professional reputation, independence, wisdom, and the ability to represent the best interests of our stockholders.

Code of Ethics

We have adopted a Code of Ethics applicable to our directors, officers and employees. We have filed a copy of our Code of Ethics as Exhibit 14.1 to this Annual Report. In addition, a copy of our Code of Ethics will be provided without charge upon request from us. We intend to disclose any amendments to or waivers of certain provisions of our Code of Ethics in a Current Report on Form 8-K.

Section 16(a) Beneficial Ownership Reporting Compliance

Section 16(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or 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 Securities and Exchange Commission 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. No compensation of any kind, including any finder’s fee, reimbursement, consulting fee or monies in respect of any payment of a loan, will be paid by us to our Sponsor, officers or directors or any affiliate of our Sponsor, officers or directors, prior to, or in connection with any services rendered in order to effectuate, the consummation of our initial business combination (regardless of the type of transaction that it is). However, these 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. Our audit committee will review on a quarterly basis all payments that were made to our Sponsor, officers or directors or our or their affiliates. Any such payments prior to an initial business combination will be made using funds held outside the trust account. Other than quarterly audit committee review of such payments, we do not expect to have any additional controls in place governing our reimbursement payments to our directors and executive officers for their out-of-pocket expenses incurred in connection with identifying and consummating an initial business combination.

Compensation Committee Interlocks and Insider Participation

None of our officers currently serves, or in the past year has served, as a member of the compensation committee of any entity that has one or more officers serving on our board of directors.

ITEM 12. SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS AND MANAGEMENT AND RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS

The following table sets forth as of March 31, 2023 the number of shares of Class A common stock and Class B 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 Class A common stock and Class B common stock (ii) each of our officers and directors; and (iii) all of our officers and directors as a group. As of March 31, 2023, we had 2,991,003 shares of Class A common stock and 2,875,000 shares of Class B common stock, issued and outstanding. The Class B common stock are convertible into shares of Class A common stock on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustment.

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 warrants, as the warrants are not exercisable within 60 days of April 14, 2023.

* Less than one percent.

ITEM 13. CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED TRANSACTIONS, AND DIRECTOR INDEPENDENCE

Founder Shares

On May 11, 2021, the Sponsor purchased 2,875,000 founder shares for an aggregate purchase price of $25,000, or approximately $0.009 per share. In June 2021, the Sponsor transferred 20,000 shares each to our Chief Executive Officer and David Kopp, 15,000 shares to our Chief Financial Officer and 10,000 shares to each of our independent director nominees. In July 2021, the Sponsor also transferred 431,250 shares to ARC Group Limited. In November 2021, ARC Group Limited transferred 140,400 shares to Max Mark Capital Limited, 140,400 shares to Jonathan Chan, and 10,000 shares to Mei Eng Goy. ARC Group Limited purchased its net 140,450 shares in consideration of services provided by such party as our financial advisor in connection with the Initial Public Offering. Each of the transfers above were completed at the same per share purchase price as the Sponsor paid for the founder shares, or $0.009. The number of founder shares issued was determined based on the expectation that such founder shares would represent 20% of the outstanding shares upon completion of the Initial Public Offering (excluding the placement units and underlying securities). The per share purchase price of the founder shares was determined by dividing the amount of cash contributed to us by the aggregate number of founder shares issued. As of December 31, 2022, the Sponsor owned 2,358,750 shares of Class B common stock. Up to 375,000 of such shares held by our sponsor are subject to forfeiture by our sponsor depending on the extent to which the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised. On January 3, 2022, as the underwriters’ over-allotment option has been exercised in full, 375,000 of such shares held by the Sponsor will not be subject to forfeiture.

The initial stockholders have agreed not to transfer, assign or sell any of the shares of Class B common stock (except to certain permitted transferees) until the earlier to occur of: (A) one year after the completion of our initial business combination and (B) subsequent to our initial business combination, (x) if the reported last sale price of the Class A common stock equals or exceeds $12.00 per share (as adjusted for stock splits, stock dividends, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) for any 20 trading days within any 30-trading day period commencing at least 150 days after our initial business combination, or (y) the date on which we complete a liquidation, merger, capital stock exchange, reorganization or other similar transaction that results in all of our stockholders having the right to exchange their shares of Class A common stock for cash, securities or other property.

Promissory Note – Related Party

On May 10, 2021, the Sponsor issued to us an unsecured promissory note, pursuant to which we may borrow up to an aggregate principal amount of $300,000, to be used for payment of costs related to the Initial Public Offering. The note is non-interest bearing and payable on the earlier of the consummation of the Initial Public Offering or the date on which we determine not to proceed with the Initial Public Offering. These amounts will be repaid shortly after completion of the Initial Public Offering out of the $660,000 of offering proceeds that has been allocated for the payment of offering expenses. Following the IPO of the Company on January 3, 2022, a total of $122,352 under the promissory note was repaid on January 6, 2022 and therefore this note was terminated.

Related Party Loans

In order to finance transaction costs in connection with a Business Combination, the Sponsor or an affiliate of the Sponsor, or our officers and directors may, but are not obligated to, loan us funds as may be required (“Working Capital Loans”). Such Working Capital Loans would be evidenced by promissory notes. The notes would either be repaid upon consummation of a Business Combination, without interest, or, at the lender’s discretion, up to $1,500,000 of notes may be converted upon consummation of a Business Combination into additional Placement Units at a price of $10.00 per Unit. In the event that a Business Combination does not close, we may use a portion of proceeds held outside the Trust Account to repay the Working Capital Loans, but no proceeds held in the Trust Account would be used to repay the Working Capital Loans. As of December 31, 2022, the Company has borrowed $91,124 under any Working Capital Loan.

General

Our Sponsor, officers and directors, or any of their respective affiliates, 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. Our audit committee will review on a quarterly basis all payments that were made to our Sponsor, officers or directors or our or their affiliates and will determine which expenses and the amount of expenses that will be reimbursed. There is no cap or ceiling on the reimbursement of out-of-pocket expenses incurred by such persons in connection with activities on our behalf.

Other than the payment to our financial advisor of $10,000 per month, for up to 15 months, for office space, utilities and secretarial and administrative support, no compensation of any kind, including finders, consulting or other similar fees, will be paid to any of our existing stockholders, officers, directors or any of their respective affiliates, prior to, or for any services they render in order to effectuate the consummation of an initial business combination.

Related Party Policy

Our Code of Ethics, which we adopted on December 29, 2021, 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 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.

In addition, our audit committee, pursuant to a written charter that we adopted on December 29, 2021, is responsible for reviewing and approving related party transactions to the extent that we enter into such transactions. An affirmative vote of a majority of the members of the audit committee present at a meeting at which a quorum is present will be required in order to approve a related party transaction. A majority of the members of the entire audit committee will constitute a quorum. Without a meeting, the unanimous written consent of all of the members of the audit committee will be required to approve a related party transaction. A form of the audit committee charter is filed as Exhibit 99.1 to this Annual Report. We also require each of our directors and executive officers to complete a directors’ and officers’ questionnaire that elicits information about related party transactions.

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 conflicts of interest, we have agreed not to consummate an initial business combination with an entity that is affiliated with any of our Sponsor, officers or directors unless we, or a committee of independent directors, have obtained an opinion from an independent investment banking firm or another independent entity that commonly renders valuation opinions that our initial business combination is fair to our company from a financial point of view. Furthermore, no finder’s fees, reimbursements, consulting fee, monies in respect of any payment of a loan or other compensation will be paid by us to our Sponsor, officers or directors or any affiliate of our Sponsor, officers or directors prior to, for services rendered to us prior to, or in connection with any services rendered in order to effectuate, the consummation of our initial business combination (regardless of the type of transaction that it is). However, the following payments will be made to our Sponsor, officers or directors, or our or their affiliates, none of which will be made from the proceeds of this offering held in the trust account prior to the completion of our initial business combination:

Our audit committee will review on a quarterly basis all payments that were made to our Sponsor, officers, directors or our or their affiliates.

Director Independence

Nasdaq listing standards require that a majority of our board of directors be independent. For a description of the director independence, see “— Part III, Item 10 - Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance”.

ITEM 14. PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTANT FEES AND SERVICES.

The following is a summary of fees paid or to be paid to MaloneBailey, LLP   (“MaloneBailey”) for services rendered.

Audit Fees. Audit fees consist of fees for professional services rendered for the audit of our year-end financial statements and services that are normally provided by MaloneBailey in connection with regulatory filings. The aggregate fees of MaloneBailey for professional services rendered for the audit of our annual financial statements, review of the financial information included in our Forms 8-K for the respective periods and other required filings with the SEC totaled approximately $72,500 for the period from April 15, 2021 (inception) through December 31, 2021 and $42,500 for the year ended December 31, 2022. The above amounts include interim procedures and audit fees, as well as attendance at audit committee meetings.

Audit-Related Fees. Audit-related fees 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. For the period from April 15, 2021 (inception) through December 31, 2021 and for the year ended December 31, 2022, we did not pay MaloneBailey any audit-related fees.

Tax Fees. We have not paid MaloneBailey any fee for tax return services, planning and tax advice for the period from April 15, 2021 (inception) through December 31, 2021 and for the year ended December 31, 2022.

All Other Fees. We did not pay MaloneBailey for any other services for the period from April 15, 2021 (inception) through December 31, 2021 and for the year ended December 31, 2022.

Pre-Approval Policy

Our audit committee was formed upon the consummation of our initial public offering. 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).

part IV

ITEM 15. EXHIBITS AND 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

The following exhibits are filed with this report. Exhibits which are incorporated herein by reference can be obtained from the SEC’s website at sec.gov.

* Filed herewith.

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.

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.

AETHERIUM ACQUISITION CORP.

INDEX TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM  

To the Shareholders and Board of Directors of

Aetherium Acquisition Corp.

Opinion on the Financial Statements

We have audited the accompanying balance sheets of Aetherium Acquisition Corp. (the “Company”) as of December 31, 2022 and 2021, and the related statements of operations, stockholders’ equity , and cash flows for the year ended December 31, 2022 and for the period from April 15, 2021 (inception) through December 31, 2021, 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, 2022 and 2021, and the results of its operations and its cash flows for the year ended December 31, 2022 and for the period from April 15, 2021 (inception) through December 31, 2021, in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.

Going Concern Matter

The accompanying financial statements have been prepared assuming that the Company will continue as a going concern. As more fully described in Note 1 to the financial statements, 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. The date for mandatory liquidation and subsequent dissolution 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 statements do not include any adjustments that might result from the outcome of this uncertainty.

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 audits 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.

AETHERIUM ACQUISITION CORP.

BALANCE SHEETS

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these audited financial   statements.

AETHERIUM ACQUISITION CORP.

STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these audited financial statements.

AETHERIUM ACQUISITION CORP.

STATEMENTS OF CHANGES IN STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY (DEFICIT)

FOR THE YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2022

AND FOR THE PERIOD FROM APRIL 15, 2021 (INCEPTION) THROUGH DECEMBER 31, 2021

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these audited financial statements.

AETHERIUM ACQUISITION CORP.

STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these audited financial statements.

AETHERIUM ACQUISITION CORP.

NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

Note 1 — Description of Organization and Business Operations

Aetherium Acquisition Corp. (the “Company”) is a blank check company incorporated in the State of Delaware on April 15, 2021. The Company was formed for the purpose of acquiring, engaging in a share exchange, share reconstruction and amalgamation with, purchasing all or substantially all of the assets of, entering into contractual arrangements with, or engaging in any other similar business combination with one or more businesses or entities (“Business Combination”). While the Company may pursue an initial business combination target in any business, industry or sector or geographical location, the Company intends to focus on businesses in the education, training and education technology (“EdTech”) industries, specifically in Asia (excluding China). The Company’s amended and restated certificate of incorporate will provide that the Company shall not undertake an initial business combination with any entity with its principal business operations in China (including Hong Kong and Macau).

As of December 31, 2022, the Company had not commenced any operations. All activity for the period from April 15, 2021 (inception) through December 31, 2022 relates to the Company’s formation and the Initial Public Offering (as defined below) and searching for a target company. The Company will not generate any operating revenues until after the completion of its initial Business Combination, at the earliest. The Company will generate non-operating income in the form of interest income on cash and cash equivalents from the proceeds derived from the Initial Public Offering. The Company has selected December 31 as its fiscal year end. 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.

The Company’s sponsor is Aetherium Capital Holdings LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (the “Sponsor”). The registration statement for the Company’s initial public offering was declared effective on December 29, 2021. On January 3, 2022, the Company consummated its Initial Public Offering of 11,500,000 units (the “Units” and, with respect to the shares of Class A common stock included in the Units being offered, the “Public Shares”), at $10.00 per Unit, generating gross proceeds of $115,000,000 (the “Initial Public Offering,” or “IPO”), and incurring offering costs of $6,762,886, of which $4,025,000 was for deferred underwriting commissions (see Note 6). The Company granted the underwriter a 45-day option to purchase up to an additional 1,500,000 Units at the Initial Public Offering price to cover over-allotments, if any. On January 3, 2022, the over-allotment option was exercised in full.

Simultaneously with the closing of the Initial Public Offering, the Company consummated the private placement of an aggregate of 528,500 units (the “Placement Units”) to the Sponsor at a price of $10.00 per Placement Unit, generating total gross proceeds of $5,285,000 (the “Private Placement”) (see Note 4).

Following the closing of the Initial Public Offering on January 3, 2022, an amount of $116,725,000 ($10.15 per Unit) from the net proceeds of the sale of the Units in the Initial Public Offering and a portion of the proceeds from the sale of the Placement Units was placed in a trust account (the “Trust Account”), located in the United States and held as cash items or may be invested in U.S. government securities, within the meaning set forth in Section 2(a)(16) of the Investment Company Act, with a maturity of 185 days or less, or in any open-ended investment company that holds itself out as a money market fund meeting the conditions of Rule 2a-7 of the Investment Company Act, as determined by the Company, until the earlier of: (i) the consummation of a Business Combination or (ii) the distribution of the funds in the Trust Account to the Company’s stockholders, as described below.

The Company will provide its 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. In connection with a proposed Business Combination, the Company may seek stockholder approval of a Business Combination at a meeting called for such purpose at which stockholders may seek to redeem their shares, regardless of whether they vote for or against a Business Combination. The Company will proceed with a Business Combination only 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 outstanding shares voted are voted in favor of the Business Combination.

AETHERIUM ACQUISITION CORP.

NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

Note 1 — Description of Organization and Business Operations (Continued)

If the Company seeks stockholder approval of a Business Combination and it does not conduct redemptions pursuant to the tender offer rules, the Company’s Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation provides that a public stockholder, together with any affiliate of such stockholder or any other person with whom such stockholder is acting in concert or as a “group” (as defined under Section 13 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”)), will be restricted from seeking redemption rights with respect to 15% or more of the Public Shares without the Company’s prior written consent..

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 $10.15 per share, plus any pro rata interest earned on the funds held in the Trust Account and not previously released to the Company to pay its tax obligations). The per-share amount to be distributed to stockholders who redeem their Public Shares will not be reduced by the deferred underwriting commissions the Company will pay to the underwriter. There will be no redemption rights upon the completion of a Business Combination with respect to the Company’s warrants. These shares of Class A common stock will be 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.”

If a stockholder vote is not required and the Company does not decide to hold a stockholder vote for business or other legal reasons, the Company will, pursuant to its Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation, offer such redemption pursuant to the tender offer rules of the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”), and file tender offer documents containing substantially the same information as would be included in a proxy statement with the SEC prior to completing a Business Combination.

The Sponsor has agreed (a) to vote its shares of Class B common stock, the shares of Class A common stock included in the Placement Units (the “Placement Shares”) and any Public Shares purchased during or after the Initial Public Offering in favor of a Business Combination, (b) not to propose an amendment to the Company’s Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation with respect to the Company’s pre-Business Combination activities prior to the consummation of a Business Combination unless the Company provides dissenting public stockholders with the opportunity to redeem their Public Shares in conjunction with any such amendment; (c) not to redeem any shares (including the Class B common stock) and Placement Units (including underlying securities) into the right to receive cash from the Trust Account in connection with a stockholder vote to approve a Business Combination (or to sell any shares in a tender offer in connection with a Business Combination if the Company does not seek stockholder approval in connection therewith) or a vote to amend the provisions of the Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation relating to stockholders’ rights of pre-Business Combination activities and (d) that the Class B common stock and Placement Units (including underlying securities) shall not participate in any liquidating distributions upon winding up if a Business Combination is not consummated. However, the Sponsor will be entitled to liquidating distributions from the Trust Account with respect to any Public Shares purchased during or after the Initial Public Offering if the Company fails to complete its Business Combination.

The Company had 15 months from the closing of the Initial Public Offering (See Note 3) to consummate a Business Combination (the “Combination Period”). On March 23, 2023, the Company held a special meeting of its stockholders (the “Special Meeting”). At the Special Meeting, the Company’s stockholders approved the proposal to amend the Company’s amended and restated certificate of incorporation, to extend the date by which the Company must consummate a business combination up to twelve (12) times, each such extension for an additional one (1) month period from April 3, 2023 to April 3, 2024, by depositing into the trust account established for the benefit of the Company’s public stockholders the lesser of (A) $0.055 per non-redeeming publicly held share of common stock and (B) $150,000 (the “Extension Payment”) for each one-month extension. In connection with such proposal, stockholders elected to redeem 8,508,997 shares of the Company’s Class A common stock, par value $0.0001 per share (“Class A Common Stock”), which represents approximately 74% of the shares that were part of the units that were sold in the Company’s IPO. Following such redemptions, $31,056,217 will remain in the trust account and 2,991,003 shares of Class A Common Stock will remain issued and outstanding. On April 3, 2022, the Company’s Sponsor has deposited into the Company’s trust account $150,000 (representing $0.055 per public share) to extend the period of time it has to consummate its initial business combination by three months from April 3, 2023 to May 3, 2023.

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 earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay the Company’s taxes (less up to $100,000 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 the Company’s board of directors, dissolve and liquidate, subject in the case of clauses (ii) and (iii) above to the Company’s obligations under Delaware law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law. Accordingly, it is the Company’s intention to redeem the Public Shares as soon as reasonably possible following the 15th month and, therefore, the Company does not intend to comply with those procedures. As such, the Company’s stockholders could potentially be liable for any claims to the extent of distributions received by them (but no more) and any liability of the Company’s stockholders may extend well beyond the third anniversary of such date.

AETHERIUM ACQUISITION CORP.

NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

Note 1 — Description of Organization and Business Operations (Continued)

The Sponsor has agreed that it will be liable to the Company, if and to the extent any claims by a vendor (other than the independent registered public accounting firm) 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 amounts in the Trust Account to below $10.15 per share (whether or not the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), except as 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 of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”). In the event that an executed waiver is deemed to be unenforceable against a third party, the Sponsor will not be responsible to the extent of any liability for such third party claims. The Company will seek to reduce the possibility that the Sponsor will have to indemnify the Trust Account due to claims of creditors by endeavoring to have all vendors, service providers (except for the company’s independent registered accounting firm), prospective target businesses or other entities with which the Company does business, execute agreements with the Company waiving any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to monies held in the Trust Account.

Liquidity and Management’s Plans

Prior to the completion of the IPO, the Company lacked the liquidity it needed to sustain operations for a reasonable period of time, which is considered to be one year from the issuance date of the financial statements. The Company has since completed its IPO at which time capital in excess of the funds deposited in the Trust Account and/or used to fund offering expenses was released to the Company for general working capital purposes. The Company have incurred and expect to continue to incur significant costs in pursuit of our financing and acquisition plans. Management plans to address this uncertainty during period leading up to the business combination. However, there is no assurance that the Company’s plans to consummate an initial Business Combination will be successful within the Combination Period.

Going Concern Consideration

In connection with the Company’s assessment of going concern considerations in accordance with 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 unsuccessful in consummating an initial business combination within the prescribed period of time from the closing of the IPO, the requirement that the Company cease all operations, redeem the public shares and thereafter liquidate and dissolve raises substantial doubt about the ability to continue as a going concern. The financial statements do not include any adjustments that might result from the outcome of this uncertainty. Management has determined that the Company has funds that are sufficient to fund the working capital needs of the Company until the consummation of an initial business combination or the winding up of the Company as stipulated in the Company’s amended and restated memorandum of association. The accompanying financial statement has been prepared in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States of America (“GAAP”), which contemplate continuation of the Company as a going concern.

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 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 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 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 U.S. Department of 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.

AETHERIUM ACQUISITION CORP.

NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

Note 2 — Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

Basis of Presentation

The accompanying audited financial statements are presented in U.S. Dollars and conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“GAAP”) and pursuant to the rules and regulations of 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, 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 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 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 financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires 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 statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period.

AETHERIUM ACQUISITION CORP.

NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

Note 2 — Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (Continued)

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. As of December 31, 2022, the Company had $334  of cash in its operating bank account. As of December 31, 2022, the Company had no cash equivalents. 

Cash and Marketable Securities Held in Trust Account

The Company’s portfolio of investments is comprised solely of U.S. government securities, within the meaning set forth in Section 2(a)(16) of the Investment Company Act, with 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 that invest only in direct U.S. government treasury obligation. The Company’s investments held in the Trust Account are classified as trading securities. Trading securities are presented on the balance sheets at fair value at the end of each reporting period. Gains and losses resulting from the change in fair value of these securities is included in investment income earned on investment held in Trust Account in the accompanying statements of operations. The estimated fair values of investments held in the Trust Account are determined using available market information. At December 31, 2022, substantially all of the assets held in the Trust Account were held in U.S. Treasury Securities Money Market Funds.

Offering Costs Associated with the Initial Public Offering

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 executed on January 3, 2022 and that were charged to stockholders’ equity upon the completion of the Initial Public Offering.

Income Taxes

The Company complies with the accounting and reporting requirements of ASC Topic 740, “Income Taxes,” which requires an asset and liability approach to financial accounting and reporting for income taxes. Deferred income tax assets and liabilities are computed for differences between the financial statement and tax bases of assets and liabilities that will result in future taxable or deductible amounts, based on enacted tax laws and rates applicable to the periods in which the differences are expected to affect taxable income. Valuation allowances are established, when necessary, to reduce deferred tax assets to the amount expected to be realized.

The Company’s effective tax rate was -49.9% for the year ended December 31, 2022, primarily due to valuation allowance on the deferred tax assets. The Company’s effective tax rate was 0.0% for the period from April 15, 2021 (inception) through December 31, 2021.

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 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, 2022 or December 31, 2021. 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 has identified the United States as its only “major” tax jurisdiction.

The Company is subject to income tax examinations by major taxing authorities since inception. These 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.

The provision for income taxes for the year ended December 31, 2022 was $207,733. The provision for income taxes for the year ended December 31, 2021 was $0.

AETHERIUM ACQUISITION CORP.

NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

Note 2 — Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (Continued)

Net Income (Loss) Per Share

Net income (loss) per share is computed by dividing net income (loss) by the weighted average number of common stock shares outstanding for the period. The calculation of diluted income (loss) per share does not consider the effect of the warrants issued in connection with the Initial Public Offering and warrants issued as components of the Private Placement Units (the “Placement Warrants”) since the exercise of the warrants are contingent upon the occurrence of future events and the inclusion of such warrants would be anti-dilutive.

Net Income (loss) per share, basic and diluted, for Class A and Class B non-redeemable common stock is calculated by dividing the net loss, adjusted for income attributable to Class A redeemable common stock shares, by the weighted average number of Class A and Class B non-redeemable common stock shares outstanding for the period. Non-redeemable Class A and Class B common stock shares includes the Founder Shares and non-redeemable common stock shares as these shares do not have any redemption features and do not participate in the income earned on the Trust Account.

The following table reflects the calculation of basic and diluted net income (loss) per common share:

Schedule of Basic and Diluted Net Income (Loss) Per Common Share 

Class A Common Stock Subject to Possible Redemption

All of the Class A common stock sold as part of the Units in the Public Offering contain a redemption feature which allows for the redemption of such Public Shares in connection with the Company’s liquidation, if there is a stockholder vote or tender offer in connection with the Business Combination and in connection with certain amendments to the Company’s amended and restated certificate of incorporation. In accordance with ASC 480, conditionally redeemable Class A common stock (including shares of Class A common stock that feature redemption rights that are either within the control of the holder or subject to redemption upon the occurrence of uncertain events not solely within the Company’s control) are classified as temporary equity. Ordinary liquidation events, which involve the redemption and liquidation of all of the entity’s equity instruments, are excluded from the provisions of ASC 480. Although the Company did not specify a maximum redemption threshold, its charter provides that currently, the Company will not redeem its Public Shares in an amount that would cause its net tangible assets (stockholders’ equity) to be less than $5,000,001. As of December 31, 2021, there was no Class A Common Stock issued and subject to possible redemption. As of December 31, 2022, there were 11,500,000 shares of Class A Common Stock sold as part of the Units in the Public Offering issued and subject to possible redemption.

Concentration of Credit Risk

Financial instruments that potentially subject the Company to concentration of credit risk consist of a cash account in a financial institution which, at times may exceed the Federal depository insurance coverage of $250,000. On December 31, 2021 and December 31, 2022,  the Company had not experienced losses on this account and management believes the Company is not exposed to significant risks on such account.

AETHERIUM ACQUISITION CORP.

NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

Note 2 — Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (Continued)

Recent Accounting Standards

In August 2020, 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”) to simplify accounting for certain financial instruments. ASU 2020-06 eliminates the current models that require separation of beneficial conversion and cash conversion features from convertible instruments and simplifies the derivative scope exception guidance pertaining to equity classification of contracts in an entity’s own equity. The new standard also introduces additional disclosures for convertible debt and freestanding instruments that are indexed to and settled in an entity’s own equity. ASU 2020-06 amends the diluted earnings per share guidance, including the requirement to use the if-converted method for all convertible instruments. ASU 2020-06 is effective January 1, 2024 and should be applied on a full or modified retrospective basis, with early adoption permitted beginning on January 1, 2021. The Company adopted as of inception of the Company. Management does not believe that any other recently issued, but not yet effective, accounting pronouncements, if currently adopted, would have a material effect on the Company’s financial statements.

Risks and Uncertainties

Management is currently evaluating 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 IPO, 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 this uncertainty.

Administrative Services Arrangement

The Company’s financial advisor has agreed, commencing from the date that the Company’s securities are first listed on NASDAQ through the earlier of the Company’s consummation of a Business Combination and its liquidation, to make available to the Company certain general and administrative services, including office space, utilities and administrative services, as the Company may require from time to time. The Company has agreed to pay the financial advisor $10,000 per month for these services. For the year ended December 31, 2022, the Company has recognized $120,000 operating cost for the service provided by ARC Group Ltd. under this agreement.

Note 3 — Initial Public Offering

On January 3, 2022, the Company consummated its Initial Public Offering of 11,500,000 Units (including the issuance of 1,500,000 Units as a result of the underwriter’s full exercise of its over-allotment option), at $10.00 per Unit, generating gross proceeds of $115,000,000.

Each Unit consists of one share of Class A common stock and one redeemable warrant (“Public Warrant”). Each Public Warrant entitles the holder to purchase one share of Class A common stock at an exercise price of $11.50 per share (see Note 6).

As of January 3, 2022, the Company incurred offering costs of approximately $6,762,886, of which $4,025,000 was for deferred underwriting commissions.

Note 4 — Private Placement

Simultaneously with the closing of the Initial Public Offering, the Sponsor purchased an aggregate of 528,500 Placement Units at a price of $10.00 per Placement Unit ($5,285,000 in the aggregate).

The proceeds from the sale of the Placement Units were added to the net proceeds from the IPO held in the Trust Account. The Placement Units are identical to the Units sold in the Initial Public Offering, except for the placement warrants (“Placement Warrants”). If the Company does not complete a Business Combination within the Combination Period, the proceeds from the sale of the Placement Units will be used to fund the redemption of the Public Shares (subject to the requirements of applicable law) and the Placement Warrants will expire worthless.

Note 5 — Related Party Transactions

Founder Shares

On May 11, 2021, the Sponsor purchased 2,875,000 founder shares for an aggregate purchase price of $25,000, or approximately $0.009 per share. In June 2021, the Sponsor transferred 20,000 shares each to the Company’s Chief Executive Officer and David Kopp, 15,000 shares to the Company’s Chief Financial Officer and 10,000 shares to each of the Company’s independent director nominees. In July 2021, the Sponsor also transferred 431,250 shares to ARC Group Limited. In November 2021, ARC Group Limited transferred 140,400 shares to Max Mark Capital Limited, 140,400 shares to Jonathan Chan, and 10,000 shares to Mei Eng Goy. ARC Group Limited purchased its net 140,450 shares in consideration of services provided by such party as financial advisor to the Company in connection with the Initial Public Offering. Each of the transfers above were completed at the same per share purchase price as the Sponsor paid for the founder shares, or $0.009. The number of founder shares issued was determined based on the expectation that such founder shares would represent 20% of the outstanding shares upon completion of the IPO (excluding the placement units and underlying securities). The per share purchase price of the founder shares was determined by dividing the amount of cash contributed to the company by the aggregate number of founder shares issued. As of December 31, 2021 and December 31, 2022, the Sponsor owned 2,358,750 shares of Class B common stock. As the underwriters’ over-allotment option has been exercised in full, 375,000 of such shares held by the Sponsor will not be subject to forfeiture.

AETHERIUM ACQUISITION CORP.

NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

Note 5 — Related Party Transactions (Continued)

The initial stockholders have agreed not to transfer, assign or sell any of the shares of Class B common stock (except to certain permitted transferees) until the earlier to occur of: (A) six months after the completion of the Company’s initial business combination and (B) subsequent to the Company’s initial business combination, (x) if the reported last sale price of the Class A common stock equals or exceeds $12.00 per share (as adjusted for stock splits, stock dividends, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) for any 20 trading days within any 30-trading day period commencing after the Company’s initial business combination, or (y) the date on which the Company completes a liquidation, merger, capital stock exchange, reorganization or other similar transaction that results in all of the Company’s stockholders having the right to exchange their shares of Class A common stock for cash, securities or other property.

Promissory Note – Related Party

On May 10, 2021, the Sponsor issued an unsecured promissory note to the Company, pursuant to which the Company may borrow up to an aggregate principal amount of $300,000, to be used for payment of costs related to the Initial Public Offering. The note is non-interest bearing and payable on the earlier of the consummation of the Initial Public Offering or the date on which the Company determines not to proceed with the Initial Public Offering. These amounts will be repaid shortly after completion of the Initial Public Offering out of the $660,000 of offering proceeds that has been allocated for the payment of offering expenses. Following the IPO of the Company on January 3, 2022, a total of $122,352 under the promissory note was repaid on January 6, 2022 and therefore the note was terminated.

Related Party Loans

In order to finance transaction costs in connection with a Business Combination, the Sponsor or an affiliate of the Sponsor, or the Company’s officers and directors may, but are not obligated to, loan the Company up to $3,500,000 funds as may be required (“Working Capital Loans”). Such Working Capital Loans would be evidenced by promissory notes. The notes would either be repaid upon consummation of a Business Combination, without interest, or, at the lender’s discretion, up to $1,500,000 of notes may be converted upon consummation of a Business Combination into additional Placement Units at a price of $10.00 per Unit. In the event that a Business Combination does not close, the Company may use a portion of proceeds held outside the Trust Account to repay the Working Capital Loans, but no proceeds held in the Trust Account would be used to repay the Working Capital Loans. As of December 31, 2022, the Company has borrowed $91,124 outstanding under any Working Capital Loan.

Expenses paid by Related Party

For the year ended December 31, 2022, the Company has paid $310,000 to an affiliate of Sponsor, which paid certain expenses directly on behalf of the Company.

Note 6 — Commitments and Contingencies

Registration Rights

The holders of the insider shares, as well as the holders of the Placement Units (and underlying securities) and any securities issued in payment of Working Capital Loans made to the Company, will be entitled to registration rights pursuant to an agreement to be 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 at any time after 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.

AETHERIUM ACQUISITION CORP.

NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

Note 6 — Commitments and Contingencies (Continued)

Underwriting Agreement

The underwriters purchased the 1,500,000 of additional Units to cover over-allotments, less the underwriting discounts and commissions.

The underwriters were entitled to a cash underwriting discount of: (i) two percent (2.00%) of the gross proceeds of the Initial Public Offering, or $2,300,000 as the underwriters’ over-allotment is exercised in full. In addition, the underwriters are entitled to a deferred fee of three and one half percent (3.50%) of the gross proceeds of the Initial Public Offering, or $4,025,000 upon closing of the Business Combination. The deferred fee will be paid in cash upon the closing of a Business Combination from the amounts held in the Trust Account, subject to the terms of the underwriting agreement.

On December 29, 2021, the underwriter gave the Company a rebatement of $500,000. So the cash underwriting fee for the Initial Public Offering was $1,800,000.

Note 7 – Stockholders’ Equity

Class A Common Stock — The Company is authorized to issue 100,000,000 shares of Class A common stock with a par value of $0.0001 per share. Holders of the Company’s Class A common stock are entitled to one vote for each share. On December 31, 2021, there was no Class A common stock issued and outstanding. On December 31, 2022, there were there were 528,500 shares of Class A Common Stock issued and outstanding, excluding 11,500,000 shares of Class A Common Stock subject to possible redemption.

Class B Common Stock — The Company is authorized to issue 10,000,000 shares of Class B common stock with a par value of $0.0001 per share. Holders of the Company’s Class B common stock are entitled to one vote for each share. On May 11, 2021, the Sponsor purchased 2,875,000 founder shares for an aggregate purchase price of $25,000, or approximately $0.009 per share. On January 3, 2022, as the underwriters’ over-allotment option has been exercised in full, 375,000 of such shares held by the Sponsor will not be subject to forfeiture. At December 31, 2021 and December 31, 2022 , there were 2,875,000 shares of Class B common stock issued and outstanding. Shares of Class B common stock will automatically convert into shares of Class A common stock at the time of the Company’s initial business combination on a one-for-one basis.

Preferred Shares — The Company is authorized to issue 1,000,000 preferred shares 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. At December 31, 2021 and December 31, 2022, there were no preferred shares issued or outstanding.

Note 8 — Fair Value Measurements

The Company did not have any financial assets or liabilities measured at fair value as of December 31, 2021. The following table presents information about the Company’s financial assets that are measured at fair value on a recurring basis as of December 31, 2022, and indicates the fair value hierarchy of the valuation inputs the Company utilized to determine such fair value.

Fair value is defined as the price that would be received for sale of an asset or paid for transfer of a liability, in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date. GAAP establishes a three-tier fair value hierarchy, which prioritizes the inputs used in measuring fair value. The hierarchy gives the highest priority to unadjusted quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities (Level 1 measurements) and the lowest priority to unobservable inputs (Level 3 measurements). These tiers include:

 Schedule of Fair Value Assets

AETHERIUM ACQUISITION CORP.

NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

Note 9 – Income Taxes

The Company did not have any significant deferred tax assets or liabilities as of December 31, 2021 and December 31, 2022.

The Company’s net deferred tax assets are as follows:

Schedule of Net Deferred Tax Assets 

The income tax provision consists of the following:

 Schedule of Income Tax Provision

As of December 31, 2022, the Company had $445 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 assets, 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. For the year ended December 31, 2022, the change in the valuation allowance was $290,737.

A reconciliation of the federal income tax rate to the Company’s effective tax rate at December 31, 2022 is as follows:

 Schedule of Reconciliation of the Federal Income Tax Rate

The Company files income tax returns in the U.S. federal jurisdiction in various state and local jurisdictions and is subject to examination by the various taxing authorities.

Note 10 – Subsequent Events

In accordance with ASC Topic 855, “Subsequent Events”, which establishes general standards of accounting for and disclosure of events that occur after the balance sheet date but before financial statements are issued, the Company has evaluated all events or transactions that occurred through the date these financial statements were available to issue. Based upon this review, other than as described below, the Company did not identify any subsequent events that would have required adjustment or disclosure in the financial statements.

On March 23, 2023, the Company held a special meeting of its stockholders (the “Special Meeting”). At the Special Meeting, the Company’s stockholders approved the proposal to amend the Company’s amended and restated certificate of incorporation, to extend the date by which the Company must consummate a business combination up to twelve (12) times, each such extension for an additional one (1) month period from April 3, 2023 to April 3, 2024, by depositing into the trust account established for the benefit of the Company’s public stockholders the lesser of (A) $0.055 per non-redeeming publicly held share of common stock and (B) $150,000 (the “Extension Payment”) for each one-month extension.

In connection with such proposal, stockholders elected to redeem 8,508,997 shares of the Company’s Class A common stock, par value $0.0001 per share (“Class A Common Stock”), which represents approximately 74% of the shares that were part of the units that were sold in the Company’s IPO. Following such redemptions, $31,056,217 will remain in the trust account and 2,991,003 shares of Class A Common Stock will remain issued and outstanding.

On April 3, 2023, the Company’s Sponsor has deposited into the Company’s trust account $150,000 (representing $0.055 per public share) to extend the period of time it has to consummate its initial business combination by three months from April 3, 2023 to May 3, 2023.