PHOENIX BIOTECH ACQUISITION CORP. - Quarter Report: 2023 June (Form 10-Q)

Large accelerated filer

Accelerated filer

Non-accelerated filer

Smaller reporting company

Emerging growth company

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 10-Q

(Mark One)

☒ QUARTERLY REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the quarterly period ended June 30, 2023

☐ TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the transition period from to

Commission File No. 001-40877

PHOENIX BIOTECH ACQUISITION CORP.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

Delaware

87-1088814

(State or other jurisdiction of

incorporation or organization)

(I.R.S. Employer

Identification No.)

2201 Broadway, Suite 705, Oakland, CA 94612

(Address of Principal Executive Offices, including zip code)

(215) 731-9450

(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)

N/A

(Former name, former address and former fiscal year, if changed since last report)

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

Title of each class	Trading Symbol(s)	Name of each exchange on which registered
Units, each consisting of one share of Class A common stock and one-half of one redeemable warrant	PBAXU	NASDAQ Global Market
Class A common stock, par value $0.0001 per share	PBAX	NASDAQ Global Market
Warrants, each whole warrant exercisable for one share of Class A common stock	PBAXW	NASDAQ Global Market

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed 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. ☐

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 August 14, 2023 there were 6,246,207 shares of Class A common stock, par value $0.0001 per share, and 0 shares of Class B common stock, $0.0001 par value per share, issued and outstanding.

PHOENIX BIOTECH ACQUISITION CORP.

FORM 10-Q FOR THE QUARTER ENDED JUNE 30, 2023

TABLE OF CONTENTS

		Page
PART 1 – FINANCIAL INFORMATION

Item 1.	Financial Statements (Unaudited)	1

	Unaudited Condensed Balance Sheets as of June 30, 2023 and December 31, 2022	1
	Unaudited Condensed Statements of Operations for the Three and Six Months Ended June 30, 2023 and 2022	2
	Unaudited Condensed Statements of Changes in Stockholders’ Deficit for the Three and Six Months Ended June 30, 2023 and 2022	3
	Unaudited Condensed Statements of Cash Flows for the Six Months Ended June 30, 2023 and 2022	4
	Notes to (Unaudited) Condensed Financial Statements	5

Item 2.	Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations	21
Item 3.	Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk	26
Item 4.	Controls and Procedures	26

PART II – OTHER INFORMATION

Item 1.	Legal Proceedings	27
Item 1A.	Risk Factors	27
Item 2.	Unregistered Sales of Equity Securities and Use of Proceeds	27
Item 3.	Defaults Upon Senior Securities	27
Item 4.	Mine Safety Disclosures	27
Item 5.	Other Information	27
Item 6.	Exhibits	28

SIGNATURES		30

PART 1 - FINANCIAL INFORMATION

Item 1. Financial Statements

PHOENIX BIOTECH ACQUISITION CORP.

CONDENSED BALANCE SHEETS

	June 30, 2023 (Unaudited)			December 31, 2022

ASSETS

CURRENT ASSETS
Cash	$	105,234		$	475,870
Prepaid expenses and other assets		107,979			225,188
Money market funds held in Trust Account		13,897,050			—
Restricted cash held in Trust Account		—			41,665,974
TOTAL ASSETS	$	14,110,263		$	42,367,032

LIABILITIES, REDEEMABLE COMMON STOCK, AND STOCKHOLDERS’ DEFICIT

CURRENT LIABILITIES
Accounts payable and accrued expenses	$	3,145,984		$	1,653,120
Income tax payable		66,718			599,159
Shareholder redemption liability		—			27,842,747
Working capital loan – related party		1,175,000			650,000
Franchise tax payable		20,000			—
Due to Affiliate		3,315			3,315
Total current liabilities		4,411,017			30,748,341
LONG TERM LIABILITIES
Deferred underwriting fee payable		9,150,000			9,150,000
Total liabilities		13,561,017			39,898,341

COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES
REDEEMABLE COMMON STOCK
Class A Common stock subject to possible redemption, $0.0001 par value, 1,288,298 shares at redemption value of $10.74 and $10.45 per share as of June 30, 2023 and December 31, 2022, respectively		13,840,640			13,468,845
STOCKHOLDERS’ DEFICIT
Preferred stock, $0.0001 par value; 1,000,000 shares authorized; none issued or outstanding		—			—
Class A common stock; $0.0001 par value; 60,000,000 shares authorized; 885,000 shares issued and outstanding (excluding 1,288,298 shares subject to possible redemption)		88			88
Class B common stock; $0.0001 par value; 10,000,000 shares authorized; 4,596,250 shares issued and outstanding		459			459
Additional paid-in capital		—			—
Accumulated deficit		(13,291,941	)		(11,000,701	)
Total stockholders’ deficit		(13,291,394	)		(11,000,154	)
TOTAL LIABILITIES, REDEEMABLE COMMON STOCK, AND STOCKHOLDERS’ DEFICIT	$	14,110,263		$	42,367,032

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

PHOENIX BIOTECH ACQUISITION CORP.

CONDENSED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS (UNAUDITED)

	Three Months Ended June 30,						Six Months Ended June 30,
	2023			2022			2023			2022
OPERATING EXPENSES
General and administrative	$	1,520,878		$	326,580		$	2,087,446		$	681,357
Franchise tax		22,700			50,000			46,400			100,000
Loss from operations		(1,543,578	)		(376,580	)		(2,133,846	)		(781,357	)

Other income:
Interest income earned on marketable securities held in Trust Account		150,503			37,108			259,059			37,108
Unrealized gain on marketable securities held in Trust Account		—			227,903			—			254,683
Total other income, net		150,503			265,011			259,059			291,791

Loss before provision for income taxes		(1,393,075	)		(111,569	)		(1,874,787	)		(489,566	)
Provision for income taxes		(44,658	)		—			(44,658	)		—
Net loss	$	(1,437,733	)	$	(111,569	)	$	(1,919,445	)	$	(489,566	)

Weighted average shares outstanding of Class A common stock		2,173,298			18,385,000			2,173,298			18,385,000
Basic and diluted net loss per share, Class A	$	(0.21	)	$	(0.00	)	$	(0.28	)	$	(0.02	)

Weighted average shares outstanding of Class B common stock		4,596,250			4,596,250			4,596,250			4,596,250
Basic and diluted net loss per share, Class B	$	(0.21	)	$	(0.00	)	$	(0.28	)	$	(0.02	)

The accompanying notes are an integral part of the unaudited condensed financial statements.

PHOENIX BIOTECH ACQUISITION CORP.

CONDENSED STATEMENTS OF CHANGES IN STOCKHOLDERS’ DEFICIT

(UNAUDITED)

FOR THE THREE AND SIX MONTHS ENDED JUNE 30, 2023

	Common stock								Additional					Total
	Class A				Class B				paid-in		Accumulated			Stockholders’
	Shares		Amount		Shares		Amount		capital		deficit			deficit
Balance, December 31, 2022		885,000	$	88		4,596,250	$	459	$	—	$	(11,000,701	)	$	(11,000,154	)
Accretion for Class A Common Stock Subject to Redemption		—		—		—		—		—		(96,794	)		(96,794	)
Net loss		—		—		—		—		—		(481,712	)		(481,712	)
Balance, March 31, 2023		885,000	$	88		4,596,250	$	459	$	—	$	(11,579,207	)	$	(11,578,660	)
Accretion for Class A Common Stock Subject to Redemption		—		—		—		—		—		(275,001	)		(275,001	)
Net loss		—		—		—		—		—		(1,437,733	)		(1,437,733	)
Balance, June 30, 2023		885,000	$	88		4,596,250	$	459	$	—	$	(13,291,941	)	$	(13,291,394	)

FOR THE THREE AND SIX MONTHS ENDED JUNE 30, 2022

	Common stock								Additional					Total
	Class A				Class B				paid-in		Accumulated			Stockholders’
	Shares		Amount		Shares		Amount		capital		deficit			deficit
Balance, December 31, 2021		885,000	$	88		4,596,250	$	459	$	—	$	(7,670,412	)	$	(7,669,865	)
Net loss		—		—		—		—		—		(377,997	)		(377,997	)
Balance, March 31, 2022		885,000	$	8		4,596,250	$	459	$	—	$	(8,048,409	)	$	(8,047,862	)
Net loss		—		—		—		—		—		(111,569	)		(111,569	)
Balance, June 30, 2022		885,000	$	88		4,596,250	$	459	$	—	$	(8,159,978	)	$	(8,159,431	)

The accompanying notes are an integral part of the unaudited condensed financial statements.

PHOENIX BIOTECH ACQUISITION CORP.

CONDENSED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS (UNAUDITED)

	For the Six Months Ended June 30,
	2023			2022

CASH FLOWS FROM OPERATING ACTIVITIES
Net loss	$	(1,919,445	)	$	(489,566	)
Adjustments to reconcile net loss to net cash used in operating activities:
Unrealized loss on marketable securities held in Trust Account		—			(254,683	)
Interest income earned on marketable securities held in Trust Account		(259,059	)		(37,108	)
Changes in operating assets and liabilities:
Prepaid expenses and other assets		117,209			100,422
Income tax payable		(532,441	)		—
Accounts payable and accrued expenses		1,492,864			148,570
Franchise tax payable		20,000			(12,433	)
Net cash used in operating activities		(1,080,872	)		(544,798	)
CASH FLOWS FROM INVESTING ACTIVITIES
Investment of cash into Trust Account		(375,000	)		—
Cash deposited into Trust Account		560,236			—
Net cash provided by for investing activities		185,236			—
CASH FLOWS FROM FINANCING ACTIVITIES:
Proceeds from promissory note - related party		525,000			—
Net cash provided by financing activities		525,000			—

NET CHANGE IN CASH		(370,636	)		(544,798	)
CASH, BEGINNING OF PERIOD		475,870			1,098,573
CASH, END OF PERIOD	$	105,234		$	553,775

Supplemental cash flow information:
Cash paid for income taxes	$	577,099		$	—

Supplemental disclosure of noncash activities:
Accretion of Class A common stock subject to possible redemption	$	371,795		$	—

The accompanying notes are an integral part of the unaudited condensed financial statements.

PHOENIX BIOTECH ACQUISITION CORP.

NOTES TO CONDENSED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

JUNE 30, 2023 (UNAUDITED)

Note 1 – Description of Organization and Business Operations and Liquidity

Phoenix Biotech Acquisition Corp. (the “Company”) was incorporated in Delaware on June 8, 2021. The Company was formed for the purpose of effecting a merger, capital stock exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, reorganization, or similar business combination with one or more businesses (the “Business Combination”).

The Company is not limited to a particular industry or geographic region for purposes of consummating a Business Combination. The Company is an early stage and emerging growth company and, as such, the Company is subject to all of the risks associated with early stage and emerging growth companies.

As of June 30, 2023, the Company had not commenced any operations. All activity through June 30, 2023, relates to the Company’s formation and initial public offering (“IPO”), which is described below and, since the offering, the search for a prospective initial Business Combination. The Company will not generate any operating revenues until after the completion of its initial Business Combination, at the earliest. The Company generates non-operating income in the form of interest income earned on investments from the proceeds derived from the IPO and placed in the Trust Account (defined below). The registration statement for the Company’s IPO was declared effective on October 5, 2021. On October 8, 2021, the Company consummated the IPO of 15,500,000 units (“Units”) (with respect to the Class A common stock included in the Units being offered (the “Public Shares”)) at $10.00 per Unit generating gross proceeds of $155,000,000, which is discussed in Note 3. The Company has selected December 31 as its fiscal year end.

Simultaneously with the closing of the IPO, the Company consummated the sale of 845,000 units (“Private Placement Units”) (with respect to the Class A common stock included in the Private Placement Units offered, the “Private Placement Shares”) at a price of $10.00 per Private Placement Unit in a private placement to the Company’s sponsor, Phoenix Biotech Sponsor, LLC (the “Sponsor”), Cantor Fitzgerald & Co.(“Cantor”)and Cohen & Company Capital Markets, a division of J.V.B. Financial Group, LLC (“CCM”), generating gross proceeds of $8,450,000, which is described in Note 4.

Simultaneously with the closing of the IPO, the Company consummated the sale of 2,000,000 additional Units upon receiving notice of the underwriter’s election to partially exercise its overallotment option (“Overallotment Units”), generating additional gross proceeds of $20,000,000 and incurring additional offering costs of $1,400,000 in underwriting fees, all of which are deferred until the completion of the Company’s initial Business Combination. Simultaneously with the exercise of the overallotment, the Company consummated the Private Placement of an additional 40,000 Private Placement Units to the Sponsor and CCM, generating gross proceeds of $400,000.

Offering costs for the IPO and exercise of the overallotment option amounted to $12,729,318, consisting of $2,635,000 of underwriting fees, $9,150,000 of deferred underwriting fees payable (which are held in the Trust Account (defined below)) and $944,318 of other costs. As described in Note 6, the $9,150,000 of deferred underwriting fees payable is contingent upon the consummation of a Business Combination by January 8, 2024, subject to the terms of the underwriting agreement.

Following the closing of the IPO, $178,500,000 ($10.20 per Unit) from the net proceeds of the sale of the Units in the IPO, the Overallotment Units and the Private Placement Units was placed in a trust account (“Trust Account”) and invested in U.S. government securities, within the meaning set forth in Section 2(a)(16) of the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “Investment Company Act”), with a maturity of 185 days or less or in money market funds meeting the conditions of the Investment Company Act, as determined by the Company, until the earlier of: (i) the completion of a Business Combination and (ii) the distribution of the Trust Account, as described below.

The Company’s management has broad discretion with respect to the specific application of the net proceeds of the IPO and the sale of the Private Placement Units, although substantially all of the net proceeds are intended to be applied generally toward consummating a Business Combination. There is no assurance that the Company will be able to complete a Business Combination successfully. The Company must complete one or more initial Business Combinations having an aggregate fair market value of at least 80% of the assets held in the Trust Account (excluding the deferred underwriting commissions and taxes payable on income earned on the Trust Account) at the time of the agreement to enter into the initial Business Combination. However, the Company will only complete a Business Combination if the post-transaction company owns or acquires 50% or more of the outstanding voting securities of the target or otherwise acquires a controlling interest in the target sufficient for it not to be required to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act. There is no assurance the Company will be able to successfully effect a Business Combination.

The Company will provide the holders of the outstanding Public Shares (the “Public Stockholders”) with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their Public Shares upon the completion of a Business Combination either (i) in connection with a stockholder meeting called to approve the Business Combination or (ii) by means of a tender offer. The decision as to whether the Company will seek stockholder approval of a Business Combination or conduct a tender offer will be made by the Company. 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 $10.20 per Public Share, plus any pro rata interest then in the Trust Account, net of taxes payable). There will be no redemption rights with respect to the Company’s warrants.

All of the Public Shares 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 Company’s Business Combination and in connection with certain amendments to the Company’s amended and restated certificate of incorporation (the “Certificate of Incorporation”). In accordance with the rules of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) and its guidance on redeemable equity instruments, which has been codified in Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) 480-10-S99, redemption provisions not solely within the control of a company require common stock subject to redemption to be classified outside of permanent equity. Given that the Public Shares were issued with other freestanding instruments (i.e., public warrants), the initial carrying value of Class A common stock classified as temporary equity will be the allocated proceeds determined in accordance with ASC 470-20. The Class A common stock is subject to ASC 480-10-S99. If it is probable that the equity instrument will become redeemable, the Company has the option to either (i) accrete changes in the redemption value over the period from the date of issuance (or from the date that it becomes probable that the instrument will become redeemable, if later) to the earliest redemption date of the instrument or (ii) recognize changes in the redemption value immediately as they occur and adjust the carrying amount of the instrument to equal the redemption value at the end of each reporting period. The Company has elected to recognize the changes immediately. The accretion or remeasurement will be treated as a deemed dividend (i.e., a reduction to retained earnings, or in the absence of retained earnings, additional paid-in capital). While redemptions cannot cause the Company’s net tangible assets to fall below $5,000,001, the Public Shares are redeemable and are classified as such on the balance sheet until such date that a redemption event takes place.

Redemptions of the Company’s Public Shares may be subject to the satisfaction of conditions, including minimum cash conditions, pursuant to an agreement relating to the Company’s Business Combination. If the Company seeks stockholder approval of the Business Combination, the Company will proceed with a Business Combination if a majority of the shares voted are voted in favor of the Business Combination, or such other vote as required by law or stock exchange rule. If a stockholder vote is not required by applicable law or stock exchange listing requirements and the Company does not decide to hold a stockholder vote for business or other reasons, the Company will, pursuant to its Certificate of Incorporation, conduct the redemptions pursuant to the tender offer rules of the SEC and file tender offer documents with the SEC prior to completing a Business Combination. If, however, stockholder approval of the transaction is required by applicable law or stock exchange listing requirements, or the Company decides to obtain stockholder approval for business or other reasons, the Company will offer to redeem shares in conjunction with a proxy solicitation pursuant to the proxy rules and not pursuant to the tender offer rules. If the Company seeks stockholder approval in connection with a Business Combination, the Sponsor has agreed to vote its Founder Shares (as defined in Note 5), Private Placement Shares and any Public Shares purchased during or after the IPO in favor of approving a Business Combination. Additionally, each Public Stockholder may elect to redeem their Public Shares without voting, and if they do vote, irrespective of whether they vote for or against the proposed transaction.

Notwithstanding the foregoing, the 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 redeeming its shares with respect to more than an aggregate of 20% or more of the Class A common stock sold in the IPO, without the prior consent of the Company.

The Company’s Sponsor, officers and directors (the “Initial Stockholders”) have agreed not to propose an amendment to the Certificate of Incorporation that would affect the substance or timing of the Company’s obligation to redeem 100% of its Public Shares if the Company does not complete a Business Combination within the Combination Period (defined below), unless the Company provides the Public Stockholders with the opportunity to redeem their shares of Class A common stock in conjunction with any such amendment.

On December 16, 2022, the Company held a special meeting of its stockholders (the “Special Meeting”). At the Special Meeting, our stockholders approved an amendment (the “IMTA Amendment”) to the Company’s Investment Management Trust Agreement (the “IMTA”), dated October 5, 2021, with Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company (“CST”), as trustee, and an amendment to the Company’s Certificate of Incorporation, to extend the date by which we must consummate a business combination transaction by a maximum of six additional months (the “Charter Amendment”).

In connection with the Special Meeting, our sponsor agreed that if the Charter Amendment and the IMTA Amendment were approved at the Special Meeting, our sponsor, or one or more of its affiliates, members or third-party designees (in such capacity, the “Lender”), would lend to the Company up to $1,500,000 to be deposited into the Trust Account established in connection with the IPO. Accordingly, on December 20, 2022, the Company issued an unsecured promissory note in the principal amount of $1,500,000 (the “Promissory Note”) to the Lender, pursuant to which the Lender agreed to loan to the Company up to $1,500,000 in connection with the extension of the date by which the Company has to consummate an initial business combination.

In connection with the approval of the extension, holders of 16,211,702 shares of Class A common stock exercised redemption rights (the “Redemption”). As a result, following the satisfaction of such redemptions, as of June 30, 2023 and December 31, 2022, the Company had 2,173,298 shares of Class A common stock outstanding, of which 1,288,298 are Public Shares issued to the public in the Company’s IPO. The Public Shares are entitled to receive a pro rata portion of the remaining funds in the Company’s Trust Account in connection with its initial business combination, a liquidation or certain other events. The remaining 885,000 are shares of Class A common stock included in the private placement units acquired in the private placement by the Sponsor and other investors concurrent with the Company’s IPO, which shares of Class A common stock do not have redemption rights.

On March 31, 2023, May 8, 2023 and June 30, 2023, the Company deposited $100,000, $125,000 and $150,000 into the Trust Account in connection with the Company’s extensions, respectively. As of July 31, 2023, the Company has deposited $745,897 into the Trust Account in connection with drawdowns under the Promissory Note in order to effect the extension of the business combination period to September 8, 2023 and will deposit additional funds into the trust account for any subsequent extensions that are needed by the Company to complete an initial business combination.

On July 7, 2023, the Company held a special meeting of its stockholders at which the Company’s stockholders approved a proposal to amend (the “Trust Agreement Amendment”) the IMTA, as amended by the IMTA Amendment , and a proposal to amend the Company’s Certificate of Incorporation, as amended by the Charter Amendment (the “Second Charter Amendment”), to extend the business combination period up to six times for one month each time from July 8, 2023 to August 8, 2023, September 8, 2023, October 8, 2023, November 8, 2023, December 8, 2023 or January 8, 2024.

On July 7, 2023 and July 28, 2023, the Company deposited $37,051.83 and $8,845.59 into the Trust Account in connection with the Company’s extension, respectively. As of July 31, 2023, the liquidation date of the Company has been extended to September 8, 2023.

If the Company is unable to complete a Business Combination by January 8, 2024 or a further extended date approved by the Company’s stockholders (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 franchise and income 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 each case to the Company’s obligations under Delaware law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law.

The Initial Stockholders have agreed to waive their liquidation rights with respect to the Founder Shares and Private Placement Shares if the Company fails to complete a Business Combination within the Combination Period. However, if the Initial Stockholders should acquire Public Shares in or after the IPO, they will be entitled to liquidating distributions from the Trust Account with respect to such Public Shares if the Company fails to complete a Business Combination within the Combination Period. The underwriter has agreed to waive its rights to the deferred underwriting commission (see Note 6) held in the Trust Account in the event the Company does not complete a Business Combination within the Combination Period, and, in such event, such amounts will be included with the other funds held in the Trust Account that will be available to fund the redemption of the Public Shares. In the event of such distribution, it is possible that the per share value of the residual assets remaining available for distribution (including Trust Account assets) will be only $10.20 per share held in the Trust Account. In order to protect the amounts held in the Trust Account, the Sponsor has agreed to be liable to the Company if and to the extent any claims by a vendor for services rendered or products sold to the Company, or a prospective target business with which the Company has discussed entering into a transaction agreement, reduce the amount of funds in the Trust Account. This liability will not apply with respect to any claims by a third party who executed a waiver of any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to any monies held in the Trust Account or to any claims under the Company’s indemnity of the underwriter of the IPO against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”). Moreover, 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 the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm), prospective target businesses or other entities with which the Company does business, execute agreements waiving any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to monies held in the Trust Account.

NASDAQ Notice

On April 3, 2023, the Company received a letter (the “Letter”) from the staff at The Nasdaq Global Market (“Nasdaq”) notifying the Company that, for the 30 consecutive trading days prior to the date of the Letter, the Company’s common stock had traded at a value below the minimum $50,000,000 “Market Value of Listed Securities” (“MVLS”) requirement set forth in Nasdaq Listing Rule 5450(b)(2)(A), which is required for continued listing of the Company’s common stock on Nasdaq. The Letter is only a notification of deficiency, not of imminent delisting, and has no current effect on the listing or trading of the Company’s securities on Nasdaq.

In accordance with Nasdaq listing rule 5810(c)(3)(C), the Company has 180 calendar days, or until October 2, 2023, to regain compliance. The Letter notes that to regain compliance, the Company’s common stock must trade at or above a level such that the Company’s MVLS closes at or above $50,000,000 for a minimum of ten consecutive business days during the compliance period, which ends October 2, 2023. The Letter further notes that if the Company is unable to satisfy the MVLS requirement prior to such date, the Company may be eligible to transfer the listing of its securities to The Nasdaq Capital Market (provided that it then satisfies the requirements for continued listing on that market).

If the Company does not regain compliance by October 2, 2023, Nasdaq staff will provide written notice to the Company that its securities are subject to delisting. At that time, the Company may appeal any such delisting determination to a hearings panel.

The Company intends to actively monitor the Company’s MVLS between now and October 2, 2023, and may, if appropriate, evaluate available options to resolve the deficiency and regain compliance with the MVLS requirement. While the Company is exercising diligent efforts to maintain the listing of its securities on Nasdaq, there can be no assurance that the Company will be able to regain or maintain compliance with Nasdaq listing standards.

Risks and Uncertainties

In March 2020, the World Health Organization declared the outbreak of a novel coronavirus (“COVID-19”) as a pandemic which continues to spread throughout the United States and the world. Management continues to evaluate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the Company has concluded that while it is reasonably possible that COVID-19 could have a negative effect on identifying a target company for a Business Combination, the specific impact is not readily determinable as of the date of the financial statements. These unaudited condensed financial statements do not include any adjustments that might result from the outcome of this uncertainty.

Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 (the “IR Act”)

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 stockholders from which shares are repurchased. The amount of the excise tax is generally 1% of the fair market value of the shares repurchased at the time of the repurchase. However, for purposes of calculating the excise tax, repurchasing corporations are permitted to net the fair market value of certain new stock issuances against the fair market value of stock repurchases during the same taxable year. In addition, certain exceptions apply to the excise tax. The U.S. Department of the Treasury (the “Treasury”) has been given authority to provide regulations and other guidance to carry out and prevent the abuse or avoidance of the excise tax.

Any redemption or other repurchase that occurs after December 31, 2022, in connection with a Business Combination, extension vote or otherwise, may be subject to the excise tax. Whether and to what extent the Company would be subject to the excise tax in connection with a Business Combination, extension vote or otherwise would depend on a number of factors, including (i) the fair market value of the redemptions and repurchases in connection with the Business Combination, extension or otherwise, (ii) the structure of a Business Combination, (iii) the nature and amount of any “PIPE” or other equity issuances in connection with a Business Combination (or otherwise issued not in connection with a Business Combination but issued within the same taxable year of a Business Combination) and (iv) the content of regulations and other guidance from the Treasury. In addition, because the excise tax would be payable by the Company and not by the redeeming holder, the mechanics of any required payment of the excise tax have not been determined. The foregoing could cause a reduction in the cash available on hand to complete a Business Combination and in the Company’s ability to complete a Business Combination.

Liquidity and Going Concern

As of June 30, 2023, the Company had $105,234 in its operating bank accounts, $13,897,050 in marketable securities held in the Trust Account to be used for a Business Combination or to repurchase or redeem its Public Shares in connection therewith and a working capital deficit of $4,068,379, excluding the effects of taxes payable.

On May 9, 2023, the Company received a notice from the IRS stating an additional $182,308 of federal income taxes were due by May 22, 2023. The Company made this payment on June 23, 2023.

The Company currently projects that it will not have sufficient funds to cover its expenses over a one-year period from the date these financial statements are available to be issued. If the Company is unable to raise additional capital, it may be required to take additional measures to conserve liquidity, which could include, but not necessarily be limited to, curtailing operations, suspending the pursuit of a potential transaction, and reducing overhead expenses. The Company cannot provide any assurance that new financing will be available to it on commercially acceptable terms, if at all. These conditions raise substantial doubt about the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern for a reasonable period of time, which is considered to be one year from the issuance date of the financial statements. These financial statements do not include any adjustments relating to the recovery of the recorded assets or the classification of the liabilities that might be necessary should the Company be unable to continue as a going concern.

Note 2 — Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

Basis of Presentation

The accompanying unaudited condensed financial statements have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“U.S. GAAP”) for interim financial information and in accordance with the instructions to Form 10-Q and Article 8 of Regulation S-X of the SEC. Certain information or footnote disclosures normally included in financial statements prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP have been condensed or omitted, pursuant to the rules and regulations of the SEC for interim financial reporting. Accordingly, they do not include all the information and footnotes necessary for a complete presentation of financial position, results of operations, or cash flows. In the opinion of management, the accompanying unaudited condensed financial statements include all adjustments, consisting of a normal recurring nature, which are necessary for a fair presentation of the financial position, operating results and cash flows for the periods presented.

The accompanying unaudited condensed financial statements should be read in conjunction with the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K, as filed with the SEC on March 24, 2023. The interim results for the periods presented are not necessarily indicative of the results to be expected for the year ending December 31, 2023, or for any future interim periods.

Reclassifications

Certain prior year amounts have been reclassified due to an immaterial correction of an error and for consistency with the current period presentation. These reclassifications had no effect on the reported results of operations. An adjustment for $244,777 has been made to Class A common stock subject to possible redemption and Accumulated deficit as of December 31, 2022 to correct the total amount redeemable to stockholders.

Emerging Growth Company

The Company is an “emerging growth company,” as defined in Section 2(a) of the Securities Act, as modified by the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012 (the “JOBS Act”), and it may take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not emerging growth companies including, but not limited to, not being required to comply with the independent registered public accounting firm attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in its periodic reports and proxy statements, and exemptions from the requirements of holding a nonbinding advisory vote on executive compensation and stockholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved.

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 condensed financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP requires the Company’s management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the condensed financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period.

Making estimates requires management to exercise significant judgment. Such estimates may be subject to change as more current information becomes available and accordingly the actual results could differ significantly from those estimates. 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. Actual results could differ from those estimates.

Cash and Cash Equivalents

The Company considers all short-term investments with an original maturity of three months or less when purchased to be cash equivalents. The Company did not have any cash equivalents as of June 30, 2023 and December 31, 2022.

Restricted Cash

The Company considers all cash to be held for a specific purpose restricted cash. As of June 30, 2023 and December 31, 2022, the Company had $0 and $41,665,974 in restricted cash, respectively. The restricted cash as of December 31, 2022 was intended to satisfy stockholder redemption payments. The cash and restricted cash balances included in the balance sheets as of June 30, 2023 and December 31, 2022, are comprised of the following:

	June 30, 2023 (Unaudited)		December 31, 2022

Cash	$	105,234	$	475,870
Restricted cash		—		41,665,974
Total cash and restricted cash	$	105,234	$	42,141,844

Money market funds Held in Trust Account

At June 30, 2023, the assets held in Trust Account were held in money market funds that invested in U.S. Treasury securities. At December 31, 2022, substantially all of the assets held in the Trust Account were held as cash. 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 investments held in the Trust Account and interest earned on marketable securities are included in the accompanying unaudited condensed statements of operations. The estimated fair values of investments held in the Trust Account are determined using available market information.

Shareholder Redemption Liability

On December 20, 2022, in connection with the Company’s special meeting held to consider the Charter Amendment, the Company’s stockholders redeemed 16,211,702 shares of Class A common stock subject to possible redemption at $10.20 per share redemption value, plus a pro rata share of interest earned. Of the total amount redeemed, payments for 2,581,004 shares of Class A common stock totaling $26,481,101 plus a true-up payment of $1,361,646 for a total liability of $27,842,747 were subsequently paid to redeeming stockholders on January 3, 2023. Therefore, a portion of the total redemption payment has been classified as a stockholder redemption liability in the accompanying unaudited condensed balance sheet as of December 31, 2022.

Offering Costs associated with the Initial Public Offering

Offering costs, including additional underwriting fees associated with the underwriter’s partial exercise of the over-allotment option, consist principally of legal, accounting, underwriting fees and other costs directly related to the IPO. Offering costs, including those attributable to the underwriter’s partial exercise of the over-allotment option, amounted to $12,729,318. This amount was charged to stockholders’ deficit upon the completion of the IPO.

Concentration of Credit Risk

Financial instruments that potentially subject the Company to concentrations of credit risk consist of cash accounts in a financial institution, which, at times, may exceed the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation coverage limit of $250,000. At June 30, 2023 and December 31, 2022, the Company has not experienced losses on these accounts and management believes the Company is not exposed to significant risks on such accounts.

Fair Value of Financial Instruments

The fair value of the Company’s financial assets and liabilities reflects management’s estimate of amounts that the Company would have received in connection with the sale of the assets or paid in connection with the transfer of the liabilities in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date. In connection with measuring the fair value of its assets and liabilities, the Company seeks to maximize the use of observable inputs (market data obtained from independent sources) and to minimize the use of unobservable inputs (internal assumptions about how market participants would price assets and liabilities). The following fair value hierarchy is used to classify assets and liabilities based on the observable inputs and unobservable inputs used in order to value the assets and liabilities:

Level 1: Quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities. An active market for an asset or liability is a market in which transactions for the asset or liability occur with sufficient frequency and volume to provide pricing information on an ongoing basis.

Level 2: Observable inputs other than Level 1 inputs. Examples of Level 2 inputs include quoted prices in active markets for similar assets or liabilities and quoted prices for identical assets or liabilities in markets that are not active.

Level 3: Unobservable inputs based on our assessment of the assumptions that market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability.

Income Taxes

The Company complies with the accounting and reporting requirements of ASC 740, “Income Taxes” (“ASC 740”), 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.

ASC 740 prescribes a recognition threshold and a measurement attribute for the financial statement recognition and measurement of tax positions taken or expected to be taken in a tax return. For those benefits to be recognized, a tax position must be more likely than not to be sustained upon examination by taxing authorities. There were no unrecognized tax benefits as of June 30, 2023 and December 31, 2022. The Company recognizes accrued interest and penalties related to unrecognized tax benefits as income tax expense. No amounts were accrued for the payment of interest and penalties at June 30, 2023 and December 31, 2022. The Company is currently not aware of any issues under review that could result in significant payments, accruals, or material deviation from its position. The Company is subject to income tax examinations by major taxing authorities since inception.

Class A Common Stock Subject to Possible Redemption

The Company accounts for its Class A common stock subject to possible redemption in accordance with the guidance in ASC 480. Shares of Class A common stock subject to mandatory redemption (if any) are classified as a liability instrument and are measured at fair value. Conditionally redeemable Class A common stock (including Class A common stock that features redemption rights that are within the control of the holder or subject to redemption upon the occurrence of uncertain events not solely within the Company’s control) is classified as temporary equity. At all other times, Class A common stock is classified as stockholders’ equity. The Company’s Class A common stock features certain redemption rights that are considered to be outside of the Company’s control and subject to occurrence of uncertain future events. Accordingly, at June 30, 2023 and December 31, 2022, 1,288,298 shares of Class A common stock subject to possible redemption are presented as temporary equity, outside of the stockholders’ deficit section of the Company’s condensed balance sheets.

The Company recognizes changes in redemption value immediately as they occur and adjusts the carrying value of redeemable Class A common stock to equal the redemption value at the end of each reporting period. Increases or decreases in the carrying amount of redeemable common stock are affected by charges against additional paid in capital and accumulated deficit.

At June 30, 2023 and December 31, 2022, the Class A common stock subject to possible redemption reflected in the condensed balance sheets is reconciled in the following table:

Class A common stock subject to possible redemption, December 31, 2022	$	13,468,845
Plus: Accretion of carrying value to redemption value		96,795
Class A common stock subject to possible redemption, March 31, 2023		13,565,640
Plus: Accretion of carrying value to redemption value		275,001
Class A common stock subject to possible redemption, June 30, 2023	$	13,840,640

Net Loss per Common Stock

The Company has two classes of shares, which are referred to as Class A common stock and Class B common stock (the “Class B common stock” or the “Founder Shares”). Earnings and losses are shared pro rata between the two classes of shares. Public Warrants (see Note 3) and Private Placement Warrants (see Note 4) to purchase an aggregate of 9,192,500 shares of Class A common stock at $11.50 per share were issued on October 29, 2021. At June 30, 2023 and December 31, 2022, no Public Warrants or Private Placement Warrants have been exercised. The 9,192,500 shares of Class A common stock underlying outstanding Public Warrants and Private Placement Warrants were excluded from diluted net loss per share for the three and six months ended June 30, 2023 and 2022 because they are contingently exercisable, and the contingencies have not yet been met. As a result, diluted net loss per common stock is the same as basic net loss per common stock for the period. The tables below present a reconciliation of the numerator and denominator used to compute basic and diluted net loss per share for each class of stock.

	For the Three Months Ended June 30, 2023 (Unaudited)						For the Three Months Ended June 30, 2022 (Unaudited)
	Class A Common			Class B Common			Class A Common			Class B Common
	Stock			Stock			Stock			Stock

Basic and diluted net loss per share:
Numerator:
Allocation of net loss	$	(456,155	)	$	(964,710	)	$	(89,255	)	$	(22,314	)
Denominator:
Weighted average shares outstanding		2,173,298			4,596,250			18,385,000			4,596,250
Basic and diluted net loss per share	$	(0.21	)	$	(0.21	)	$	(0.00	)	$	(0.00	)

	For the Six Months Ended June 30, 2023 (Unaudited)						For the Six Months Ended June 30, 2022 (Unaudited)
	Class A Common			Class B Common			Class A Common			Class B Common
	Stock			Stock			Stock			Stock

Basic and diluted net loss per share:
Numerator:
Allocation of net loss	$	(610,804	)	$	(1,291,773	)	$	(391,653	)	$	(97,913	)
Denominator:
Weighted average shares outstanding		2,173,298			4,596,250			18,385,000			4,596,250
Basic and diluted net loss per share	$	(0.28	)	$	(0.28	)	$	(0.02	)	$	(0.02	)

Accounting for Warrants

The Company accounts for warrants as either equity-classified or liability-classified instruments based on an assessment of the instruments’ specific terms and applicable authoritative guidance in ASC 480 and ASC 815, Derivatives and Hedging. The assessment considers whether the instruments are free standing financial instruments pursuant to ASC 480, meet the definition of a liability pursuant to ASC 480, and whether the instruments meet all of the requirements for equity classification under ASC 815, including whether the instruments are indexed to the Company’s own common stock and whether the instrument holders could potentially require “net cash settlement” in a circumstance outside of the Company’s control, among other conditions for equity classification. This assessment, which requires the use of professional judgment, was conducted at the time of warrant issuance and as of each subsequent period end date while the instruments are outstanding. Management has concluded that the Public Warrants and Private Placement Warrants issued pursuant to the warrant agreement qualify for equity accounting treatment.

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

In June 2016, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) 2016-13 –Financial Instruments – Credit Losses (Topic 326): Measurement of Credit Losses on Financial Instruments (“ASU 2016-13”). This update requires financial assets measured at amortized cost basis to be presented at the net amount expected to be collected. The measurement of expected credit losses is based on relevant information about past events, including historical experience, current conditions, and reasonable and supportable forecasts that affect the collectability of the reported amount. Since June 2016, the FASB issued clarifying updates to the new standard including changing the effective date for smaller reporting companies. The guidance is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2022, and interim periods within those fiscal years, with early adoption permitted. The Company adopted ASU 2016-13 on January 1, 2023. The adoption of ASU 2016-13 did not have an impact on its unaudited condensed financial statements.

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

Note 3 — Initial Public Offering and Over-Allotment

Pursuant to the IPO, the Company sold 17,500,000 units (including 2,000,000 units as part of the underwriter’s partial exercise of the over-allotment option) at a price of $10.00 per Unit. Each Unit consists of one share of Class A common stock (such shares of Class A common stock included in the Units being offered, the “Public Shares”), and one-half a redeemable warrant (each, a “Public Warrant”). Each Public Warrant entitles the holder to purchase one share of Class A common stock at a price of $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment (see Note 7).

Note 4 — Private Placement Warrants

On October 8, 2021, simultaneously with the consummation of the IPO, the Company consummated the issuance and sale (“Private Placement”) of 885,000 Units (the “Private Placement Units”) in a private placement transaction at a price of $10.00 per Private Placement Unit, generating gross proceeds of $8,850,000. The Private Placement Units were purchased by Cantor (155,000 Units), CCM (30,004 Units) and the Sponsor (699,996 Units). Each whole Private Placement Unit consists of one Private Placement Share and one-half of a redeemable warrant (“Private Placement Warrant”). Each whole Private Placement Warrant will be exercisable to purchase one share of Class A common stock at a price of $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment. A portion of the proceeds from the Private Placement Units was added to the proceeds from the IPO to be held in the Trust Account. If the Company does not complete a Business Combination within the Combination Period, the proceeds from the sale of the Private Placement Units will be used to fund the redemption of the Public Shares (subject to the requirements of applicable law), and the Private Placement Units and all underlying securities will be worthless.

Note 5 — Related Party Transactions

Founder Shares

On September 18, 2021, the Sponsor provided funds to pay for certain costs totaling $25,000 on behalf of the Company as consideration for 4,598,750 Founder Shares. Later in September 2021, the Company effected a 0.017 for 1 stock dividend for each Founder Share outstanding, and, as a result, the Sponsor held 4,679,125 Founder Shares following the stock dividend. As a result, the Company’s shares have been retroactively adjusted for this stock dividend; however, due to the shares being closely held the corresponding earnings have not been capitalized from retained earnings. The Sponsor agreed to forfeit up to 592,875 Founder Shares to the extent that the 45-day over-allotment option was not exercised in full by the underwriter. Since the underwriter exercised the over-allotment option only in part, the Sponsor forfeited 82,875 Founder Shares.

The Sponsor has agreed, subject to limited exceptions, not to transfer, assign or sell any of the Founder Shares until the earliest of: (a) one year after the completion of a Business Combination and (b) subsequent to a Business Combination, (x) if the closing price of the shares of Class A common stock equals or exceeds $12.00 per share (as adjusted) for any 20 trading days within any 30-trading day period commencing at least 150 days after a Business Combination, or (y) the date on which the Company completes a liquidation, merger, share exchange or other similar transaction that results in all of the Public Stockholders having the right to exchange their shares of Class A common stock for cash, securities or other property.

Related Party Loans

On June 18, 2021, the Sponsor agreed to loan the Company an aggregate of up to $300,000 to cover expenses related to the IPO pursuant to a promissory note which was amended on September 10, 2021 (as amended, the “Note”). This loan is non-interest-bearing. There was no balance on the Note as of June 30, 2023 and December 31, 2022.

In addition, in order to finance transaction costs in connection with a Business Combination, the Sponsor or an affiliate of the Sponsor, or certain of the Company’s officers and directors may, but are not obligated to, loan the Company funds as may be required (“Working Capital Loans”). If the Company completes a Business Combination, the Company would repay the Working Capital Loans out of the proceeds of the Trust Account released to the Company. Otherwise, the Working Capital Loans would be repaid only out of funds held outside the Trust Account. 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. The Working Capital Loans will either be repaid upon consummation of a Business Combination, without interest, or, at the lender’s discretion, up to $1.5 million of such Working Capital Loans may be convertible into units of the post Business Combination entity at a price of $10.00 per unit. The units would be identical to the Private Placement Units. On December 13, 2022, the Company entered into a promissory note with the Sponsor. In order to fund ongoing operations, the Sponsor will loan up to $1,500,000 to the Company. The Promissory Note does not bear interest and matures upon the earlier of (a) the closing of an initial business combination and (b) the Company’s liquidation. In the event that the Company does not consummate an initial business combination, the Promissory Note will be repaid only from amounts remaining outside of the Trust Account, if any. On May 8, 2023 and June 9, 2023, the sponsor loaned the company $250,000 and $275,000 under the Promissory Note in connection with extensions of the Company’s liquidation date, respectively. As of June 30, 2023 and December 31, 2022, there was $1,175,000 and $650,000 in borrowings under the Working Capital Loans, respectively.

Consulting Services

The Company entered into an agreement, commencing on the date of its listing on NASDAQ, to pay the spouse of our Chief Executive Officer a monthly consulting fee of $15,000 for assisting the Company in identifying and evaluating potential acquisition targets. Upon completion of our initial business combination or our liquidation, we will cease paying these monthly fees. The payments ended on December 31, 2022 in connection with the approval of the Charter Amendment. For the three and six months ended June 30, 2023, $0 has been incurred under this agreement. For the three and six months ended June 30, 2022, $45,000 and $90,000 has been incurred under this agreement, respectively.

Support Services

The Company entered into an agreement, commencing on the date of its listing on NASDAQ through the earlier of the consummation of a Business Combination and the Company’s liquidation, to pay an affiliate of the Sponsor a monthly fee of $20,000 for office space, secretarial and administrative services. Payments under the agreement were suspended on December 31, 2022 and reinstated on March 31, 2023. For the three and six months ended June 30, 2023, $60,000 and $80,000 has been incurred under this agreement, respectively. For the three and six months ended June 30, 2022, $60,000 and $120,000 has been incurred under this agreement, respectively. As of June 30, 2023, there was a $20,000 outstanding balance owed to the Sponsor.

Note 6 — Commitments and Contingencies

Registration Rights

Pursuant to a registration rights agreement entered into on October 5, 2021, the holders of the Founder Shares, Private Placement Warrants and warrants that may be issued upon conversion of Working Capital Loans (and any Class A common stock issuable upon the exercise of the Private Placement Warrants and warrants that may be issued upon conversion of Working Capital Loans and upon conversion of the Founder Shares) are entitled to registration rights, requiring the Company to register such securities and any other securities of the Company acquired by them prior to the consummation of a Business Combination for resale. The holders of these securities are entitled to make up to three demands, excluding short form demands, that the Company register such securities. In addition, the holders have certain “piggy-back” registration rights with respect to registration statements filed subsequent to the completion of a Business Combination. The registration rights agreement does not contain liquidated damages or other cash settlement provisions resulting from delays in registering the securities. The Company will bear the expenses incurred in connection with the filing of any such registration statements.

Underwriting Agreement

The Company granted the underwriter a 45-day option from the date of the final prospectus relating to the IPO to purchase up to 2,325,000 additional Units to cover over-allotments, if any, at the IPO price less the underwriting discounts and commissions. On October 8, 2021, the underwriter partially exercised its over-allotment option and purchased 2,000,000 units at $10.00 per unit.

The underwriter was paid a cash underwriting discount of $0.20 per unit, or $3,100,000 in the aggregate at the closing of the IPO, of which $465,000 was reimbursed to the Company to pay for additional advisors. The underwriter agreed to defer any additional fees related to the exercise of the over-allotment option until the Company completes a Business Combination. As such, $400,000 of additional underwriting fees related to the over-allotment have been deferred. In addition, the underwriter is entitled to deferred underwriting commissions of $0.50 per unit, or $8,750,000 ($9,150,000 in the aggregate when including the $400,000 noted above) from the closing of the IPO. The deferred fee will become payable to the underwriter from the amounts held in the Trust Account solely in the event that the Company completes a Business Combination, subject to the terms of the underwriting agreement.

Business Combination Agreement

On June 4, 2023, the Company entered into a business combination agreement and plan of reorganization (the “Business Combination Agreement”), by and among the Company, PBCE Merger Sub, Inc., a Delaware corporation (“Merger Sub”), and CERo Therapeutics, Inc., a Delaware corporation (“CERo”).

At the effective time of the Business Combination (the “Effective Time”), (i) each outstanding share of CERo common stock, par value $0.0001 per share (the “CERo common stock”) will be cancelled and converted into (a) the right to receive a number of shares of PBAX Class A common stock, par value $0.0001 per share (“Class A common stock”), equal to $50,000,000, minus the Aggregate Liquidation Preference (as defined in the Business Combination Agreement), divided by the Fully Diluted Company Capitalization (as defined in the Business Combination Agreement), divided by $10.00 (the “Exchange Ratio”) and (b) the right to receive a portion of up to 1,200,000 additional shares of Class A common stock if certain trading price hurdles are achieved or a Change of Control (as defined in the Business Combination Agreement) occurs within four years after the Closing (“Earnout Shares”); (ii) each outstanding option to purchase CERo common stock (each, a “CERo option”) will be converted into an option to purchase a number of shares of Class A common stock, equal to (A) the number of shares of CERo common stock subject to such option immediately prior to the Effective Time, multiplied by (B) the Exchange Ratio, at an exercise price per share equal to the current exercise price per share for such option divided by the Exchange Ratio; in each case, rounded down to the nearest whole share, and rounded up to the nearest whole cent in the case of the exercise price of the CERo options; (iii) each outstanding share of CERo preferred stock, par value $0.0001 per share (the “CERo preferred stock”), will be converted into a number of shares of Class A common stock, equal to the number of shares of Class A common stock obtained by dividing the liquidation preference thereof by $10.00 and the contingent right to receive such holder’s Earn-Out Pro Rata Portion (as defined in the Business Combination Agreement), and (iv) each warrant to purchase CERo preferred stock (each, a “CERo warrant”) outstanding as of immediately prior to the Effective Time will be converted into a warrant to acquire a number of shares of Class A common stock equal to the number of shares of CERo preferred stock subject to the corresponding warrant immediately prior to the Effective Time, multiplied by the Aggregate Liquidation Preference of such underlying shares of CERo preferred stock, and divided by $10.00, with the exercise price per share for such warrant equal to (A) the current aggregate exercise price of such warrant (the current exercise price per share of CERo preferred stock applicable to the corresponding warrant immediately prior to the Effective Time, multiplied by the number of shares of CERo preferred stock issuable upon exercise thereof), divided by (B) the number of shares of Class A common stock issuable upon exercise thereof. Subject to certain exceptions, such terms and conditions applicable to a New CERo warrant will be the same terms and conditions as were applicable to a CERo warrant immediately prior to the Effective Time. The Company will issue an aggregate of approximately 5.0 million shares of Class A common stock to the holders of CERo common stock and CERo preferred stock as consideration in the Business Combination.

Sponsor Support Agreement

In connection with the execution of the Business Combination Agreement, the Sponsor, as the sole holder of the Class B common stock, and each of the Company’s officers and directors entered into a support agreement with the Company and CERo (the “Sponsor Support Agreement”). Under the Sponsor Support Agreement, the Sponsor agreed to vote, at any meeting of the stockholders of the Company and in any action by written consent of the stockholders of the Company, all of its shares of Class B common stock (together with any other equity securities of the Company that it holds of record or beneficially, as of the date of the Sponsor Support Agreement, or of which it acquires record or beneficial ownership after the date thereof, the “Subject Company Shares”) (i) in favor of (a) the Business Combination Agreement and the transactions contemplated thereby and (b) the other proposals that the Company and CERo agreed in the Business Combination Agreement shall be submitted at such meeting for approval by the Company’s stockholders (together with the proposal to obtain the Company Stockholder Approval, the “Required Transaction Proposals”) and (ii) against any proposal that conflicts or materially impedes or interferes with any Required Transaction Proposals or that would adversely affect or delay the Business Combination. The Sponsor Support Agreement also prohibits the Sponsor from, among other things and subject to certain exceptions, transferring any Subject Company Shares held by the Sponsor or taking any action that would have the effect of preventing or materially delaying the Sponsor from performing its obligations under the Sponsor Support Agreement, until the earlier of the Closing or the termination of the Sponsor Support Agreement according to its terms. In addition, in the Sponsor Support Agreement, the Sponsor agrees to waive, and not to assert or perfect, among other things, any rights to adjustment or other anti-dilution protections with respect to the rate at which the shares of Class B common stock held by the Sponsor convert into shares of Class A common stock in connection with the transactions contemplated by the Business Combination Agreement. An aggregate of 5,296,246 shares of Class A common stock are subject to the Sponsor Support Agreement.

CERo Support Agreements

In connection with the execution of the Business Combination Agreement, certain CERo stockholders (the “CERo Supporting Stockholders”) entered into support agreements with CERo (the “CERo Support Agreements”). Under the CERo Support Agreements, each CERo Supporting Stockholder agreed as promptly as practicable following the time at which the Registration Statement/Proxy Statement shall have been declared effective and made available to such CERo Supporting Stockholders, to execute and deliver a written consent with respect to all outstanding shares of CERo common stock and CERo preferred stock held by such CERo Supporting Stockholder (the “Subject CERo Shares”) approving the Business Combination Agreement and the transactions contemplated thereby (including the Business Combination). In addition to the foregoing, each CERo Supporting Stockholder agreed that, at any meeting of the holders of CERo capital stock, each such CERo Supporting Stockholder will appear at the meeting, in person or by proxy, and cause its Subject CERo Shares to be counted as present thereat for purposes of calculating a quorum and voted (i) to approve and adopt the Business Combination Agreement, the transactions contemplated thereby (including the Business Combination), and any other matters necessary or reasonably requested by CERo for consummation of the Business Combination, and (ii) against any proposal that conflicts or materially impedes or interferes with, or would adversely affect or delay, the consummation of the transactions contemplated by the Business Combination Agreement (including the Business Combination).

Note 7 — Stockholders’ Deficit

Common Stock

Class A common stock — The Company is authorized to issue 60,000,000 shares of Class A common stock with a par value of $0.0001 per share. As of June 30, 2023 and December 31, 2022, there were 885,000 shares of Class A common stock issued and outstanding (excluding 1,288,298 shares 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 Class B common stock are entitled to one vote for each share. As of June 30, 2023 and December 31, 2022, there were 4,596,250 shares of Class B common stock issued and outstanding.

Prior to the consummation of an initial Business Combination, only holders of shares of Class B common stock will have the right to vote on the election of directors. Holders of shares of Class A common stock and shares of Class B common stock will vote together as a single class on all other matters submitted to a vote of stockholders.

The shares of Class B common stock will automatically convert into shares of Class A common stock at the time of a Business Combination at a ratio such that the number of shares of Class A common stock issuable upon conversion of all Founder Shares will equal, in the aggregate, on an as-converted basis, 20% of the sum of (i) the total number of common stock issued and outstanding upon completion of the IPO, plus (ii) the total number of shares of Class A common stock issued or deemed issued or issuable upon conversion or exercise of any equity-linked securities or rights issued or deemed issued, by the Company in connection with or in relation to the consummation of a Business Combination, excluding any shares of Class A common stock or equity-linked securities exercisable for or convertible into shares of Class A common stock issued, deemed issued, or to be issued, to any seller in a Business Combination and any private placement-equivalent shares and warrants underlying units issued to the Sponsor, its affiliates or any member of the management team upon conversion of Working Capital Loans. In no event will the shares of Class B common stock convert into shares of Class A common stock at a rate of less than one-to-one.

Preferred stock — The Company is authorized to issue 1,000,000 shares of preferred stock with such designations, voting and other rights and preferences as may be determined from time to time by the Company’s board of directors. As of June 30, 2023 and December 31, 2022, there were no shares of preferred stock issued or outstanding.

Warrants — At June 30, 2023 and December 31, 2022, there were 8,750,000 Public Warrants and 442,500 Private Placement Warrants outstanding. The Public Warrants will become exercisable 30 days after the completion of a Business Combination. No warrants will be exercisable for cash unless the Company has an effective and current registration statement covering the common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants and a current prospectus relating to such common stock.

Notwithstanding the foregoing, if a registration statement covering the common stock issuable upon exercise of the Public Warrants is not effective within a specified period following the consummation of a Business Combination, warrant holders may, until such time as there is an effective registration statement and during any period when the Company shall have failed to maintain an effective registration statement, exercise warrants on a cashless basis pursuant to the exemption provided by Section 3(a)(9) of the Securities Act, provided that such exemption is available. If that exemption, or another exemption, is not available, holders will not be able to exercise their warrants on a cashless basis. The Public Warrants will expire five years after the completion of a Business Combination or earlier upon redemption or liquidation.

Once the warrants become exercisable, the Company may redeem the Public Warrants:

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in whole and not in part;

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at a price of $0.01 per warrant;

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upon not less than 30 days’ prior written notice of redemption;

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if, and only if, the reported last sale price of Class A common stock equals or exceeds $18.00 per share (as adjusted for stock splits, stock dividends, reorganizations and recapitalizations), for any 20 trading days within a 30-trading-day period commencing at any time after the warrants become exercisable and ending on the third business day prior to the notice of redemption to warrant holders; and

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if, and only if, there is a current registration statement in effect with respect to the shares of Class A common stock underlying the warrants.

If the Company calls the Public Warrants for redemption, management will have the option to require all holders that wish to exercise the Public Warrants to do so on a “cashless basis,” as described in the warrant agreement.

The Private Placement Warrants are identical to the Public Warrants underlying the Units sold in the IPO, except that the Private Placement Warrants and the common stock issuable upon the exercise of the Private Placement Warrants will not be transferable, assignable, or salable until after the completion of a Business Combination, subject to certain limited exceptions. The Private Placement Warrants will be redeemable by the Company and exercisable by such holders on the same basis as the Public Warrants.

The exercise price and number of shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants may be adjusted in certain circumstances including in the event of a stock dividend, extraordinary dividend or recapitalization, reorganization, merger, or consolidation. However, the warrants will not be adjusted for issuances of common stock at a price below their respective exercise prices, other than as set forth below. Additionally, in no event will the Company be required to net cash settle the warrants. If the Company is unable to complete a Business Combination within the Combination Period and the Company liquidates the funds held in the Trust Account, holders of warrants will not receive any of such funds with respect to their warrants, nor will they receive any distribution from the Company’s assets held outside of the Trust Account with the respect to such warrants. Accordingly, the warrants may expire worthless.

In addition, if the Company issues additional common stock or equity-linked securities for capital raising purposes in connection with the closing of a Business Combination at an issue price or effective issue price of less than $9.20 per share of common stock (with such issue price or effective issue price to be determined in good faith by the Company’s board of directors, and in the case of any such issuance to the Initial Stockholders or their affiliates, without taking into account any Founder Shares held by them prior to such issuance) (the “Newly Issued Price”), and (y) the aggregate gross proceeds from such issuances represent more than 60% of the total equity proceeds, and interest thereon, available for the funding of a Business Combination on the date of the consummation of a Business Combination (net of redemptions), and (z) the volume weighted-average trading price of the Company’s common stock during the 20-trading-day period starting on the trading day prior to the day on which the Company consummates a Business Combination (such price, the “Market Value”) is below $9.20 per share, the exercise price of the warrants will be adjusted (to the nearest cent) to be equal to 115% of the greater of (i) the Market Value or (ii) the Newly Issued Price, and the $18.00 per share redemption trigger price will be adjusted (to the nearest cent) to be equal to 180% of the higher of the Market Value and the Newly Issued Price.

Note 8 — Fair Value Measurements

Level 3: Unobservable inputs based on our assessment of the assumptions that market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability.

At June 30, 2023, the assets held in the Trust Account were held in money market funds. All of the Company’s investments held in the Trust Account are classified as trading securities.

The following table presents information about the Company’s assets and liabilities that are measured at fair value on a recurring basis at June 30, 2023, and indicates the fair value hierarchy of the valuation inputs the Company utilized to determine such fair value. At December 31, 2022 there were no assets or liabilities measured at fair value.

June 30, 2023 (Unaudited)

	Level		Quoted Prices in Active Markets (Level 1)		Significant Other Observable Inputs (Level 2)		Significant Other Unobservable Inputs (Level 3)
Assets:
Money Market Funds		1	$	13,897,050		—		—

Note 9 — Uncertainty Regarding Impacts of Recent Disruptions In U.S. Banking System

In March 2023, the shut-down of certain financial institutions raised economic concerns over disruption in the U.S. banking system. The U.S. government took certain actions to strengthen public confidence in the U.S. banking system. However, there can be no certainty that the actions taken by the U.S. government will be effective in mitigating the effects of financial institution failures on the economy, which may include limits on access to short term liquidity in the near term or other adverse effects. As disclosed in Note 2, the Company maintains cash amounts in excess of federally insured limits in the aggregate amount of $13,647,050 as of June 30, 2023, and has certain concentrations in credit risk that expose the Company to risk of loss if the counterparty is unable to perform as a result of future disruptions in the U.S. banking system or economy. Given the uncertainty of the situation, the related financial impact cannot be reasonably estimated at this time.

Note 10 — Subsequent Events

The Company evaluated subsequent events and transactions that occurred up to the date the unaudited condensed financial statements were issued. Based upon this review, other than below, the Company did not identify any other subsequent events that would have required adjustment or disclosure in the unaudited condensed financial statements.

On July 3, 2023, the Sponsor delivered notice of conversion of an aggregate of 4,596,250 shares of Class A common stock into an equal number of shares of the Class B common stock held thereby (the “Conversion”).

On July 7, 2023, the Company held a special meeting of stockholders for the purposes of considering and voting upon the a proposal to amend (the “Trust Agreement Amendment”) the IMTA , as amended by the IMTA Amendment, , and a proposal to adopt the Second Charter Amendment, to extend the business combination period up to six times for one month each time from July 8, 2023 to August 8, 2023, September 8, 2023, October 8, 2023, November 8, 2023, December 8, 2023 or January 8, 2024. On July 7, 2023, the Company and CST entered into the Trust Agreement Amendment.

On July 7, 2023, the Sponsor deposited $37,052 in the Trust Account in connection with the extension of the business combination deadline.

In connection with the adoption of the Second Charter Amendment, holders of 523,341 shares of Class A common stock exercised redemption rights. On July 18, 2023, the Company made a series of payments of an aggregate of $5,638,879 to holders of redeemed shares of Class A common stock (an aggregate of $10.77 per redeemed share of Class A common stock). On July 28, 2023, the Sponsor deposited $8,846 in the trust account in connection with the extension of the business combination deadline.

As a result of the deposits described above, such payments and accrual of interest, the balance in the Trust Account as of July 31, 2023 is approximately $8.3 million.

ITEM 2. MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

References in this report (this “Quarterly Report”) to “we,” “us” or the “Company” refer to Phoenix Biotech Acquisition Corp. References to our “management” or our “management team” refer to our officers and directors, and references to the “Sponsor” refer to Phoenix Biotech Sponsor, LLC. The following discussion and analysis of the Company’s financial condition and results of operations should be read in conjunction with the financial statements and the notes thereto contained elsewhere in this Quarterly Report. Certain information contained in the discussion and analysis set forth below includes forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties.

Special Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This Quarterly Report includes “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act and Section 21E of the Exchange Act that are not historical facts and involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expected and projected. All statements, other than statements of historical fact included in this Quarterly Report including, without limitation, statements in this “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. Words such as “expect,” “believe,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “estimate,” “seek” and variations and similar words and expressions are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements relate to future events or future performance, but reflect management’s current beliefs, based on information currently available. A number of factors could cause actual events, performance or results to differ materially from the events, performance and results discussed in the forward-looking statements. For information identifying important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated in the forward-looking statements, please refer to the Risk Factors section of the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”). The Company’s securities filings can be accessed on the EDGAR section of the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov. Except as expressly required by applicable securities law, the Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Overview

Phoenix Biotech Acquisition Corp. is a blank check company incorporated in Delaware on June 8, 2021. We were formed for the purpose of effecting a merger, capital stock exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, reorganization or similar business combination with one or more target businesses. We intend to effectuate our business combination using cash from the proceeds of our initial public offering and the sale of the placement units that occurred simultaneously with the completion of our initial public offering, our capital stock, debt or a combination of cash, stock and debt.

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

Recent Developments

On July 7, 2023, we held a special meeting of stockholders to approve a proposal to amend (the “Trust Agreement Amendment”) the IMTA, as amended by the IMTA Amendment, and a proposal to adopt the Second Charter Amendment, to extend the business combination period up to six times for one month each time from July 8, 2023 to August 8, 2023, September 8, 2023, October 8, 2023, November 8, 2023, December 8, 2023 or January 8, 2024. On July 7, 2023, the Company and CST entered into the Trust Agreement Amendment.

On July 3, 2023, the Sponsor delivered notice of conversion of an aggregate of 4,596,250 shares of Class B common stock into an equal number of shares of the Class A common stock held thereby (the “Conversion”).

On July 7, 2023, the Sponsor deposited $37,051.83 in the Trust Account in connection with the extension of the business combination deadline, of which $22,948.71 was required in connection with the extension to August 8, 2023 and the remainder was credited towards a portion of the extension payment for the period from August 8, 2023 to September 8, 2023. On July 28, 2023, the Sponsor deposited $8,845.59 in the trust account in connection with the extension of the business combination deadline.

In connection with the approval of the Second Charter Amendment, holders of 523,341 shares of Class A common stock exercised redemption rights. On July 18, 2023, the Company made a series of payments of an aggregate of $5,638,879.48 to holders of redeemed Class A Shares (an aggregate of $10.77 per redeemed Class A Share). As a result of the deposit described above, such payments and accrual of interest, the balance in the Trust Account as of July 31, 2023 is approximately $8.3 million.

Results of Operations

As of June 30, 2023, the Company had not commenced any operations. All activity through June 30, 2023 relates to the Company’s formation, the initial public offering (the “IPO”), and since the IPO, the search for a prospective initial Business Combination. The Company will not generate any operating revenues until after the completion of a Business Combination, at the earliest. The Company generates non-operating income in the form of interest income from the proceeds derived from the IPO placed in the Trust Account (defined below).

For the three months ended June 30, 2023, we had a net loss of $1,437,733, which consisted of general and administrative expenses and franchise taxes of $1,543,578, unrealized loss on marketable securities held in Trust Account of $108,556 and provision for income taxes of $44,658, partially offset by interest earned on marketable securities held in Trust Account of $259,059.

For the six months ended June 30, 2023, we had a net loss of $1,919,445, which consisted of general and administrative expenses and franchise taxes of $2,087,446 and provision for income taxes of $44,658, partially offset by interest earned on marketable securities held in Trust Account of $259,059.

For the three months ended June 30, 2022, we had a net loss of $111,569, which consisted of general and administrative expenses and franchise taxes of $376,580, partially offset by unrealized gain on marketable securities held in Trust Account of $227,903 and interest earned on marketable securities held in Trust Account of $37,108.

For the six months ended June 30, 2022, we had a net loss of $489,566, which consisted of general and administrative expenses and franchise taxes of $781,357, partially offset by unrealized gain on marketable securities held in Trust Account of $254,683 and interest earned on marketable securities held in Trust Account of $37,108.

Liquidity and Going Concern

On October 8, 2021, we consummated our initial public offering (the “IPO”) of 17,500,000 Units, at a price of $10.00 per Unit, which included the partial exercise by the underwriter of its over-allotment option in the amount of 2,000,000 Units, generating gross proceeds of $175,000,000. Simultaneously with the closing of the IPO, we consummated the sale of 885,000 Placement Units to the Sponsor, Cantor Fitzgerald and CCM at a price of $10.00 per Placement Unit generating gross proceeds of $8,850,000.

Following the IPO, the partial exercise of the over-allotment option and the sale of the Placement Units, a total of $178,500,000 was placed in the Trust Account ($10.20 per Unit). We incurred $12,729,318 in transaction costs, including $2,635,000 of underwriting fees, $9,150,000 of deferred underwriting fees and $944,318 of other offering costs.

As of June 30, 2023, the Company had $105,234 in its operating bank accounts, $13,897,050 in money market funds held in Trust Account to be used for a Business Combination or to repurchase or redeem its Public Shares in connection therewith and a working capital deficit of $4,068,379, net of income and franchise taxes payable.

For the six months ended June 30, 2023, there was $1,080,872 of cash used in operating activities.

For the six months ended June 30, 2022, there was $544,798 of cash used in operating activities.

We intend to use substantially all of the funds held in the Trust Account, including any amounts representing interest earned on the Trust Account (less taxes payable), to complete our Business Combination. To the extent that our capital stock or debt is used, in whole or in part, as consideration to complete our Business Combination, the remaining proceeds held in the Trust Account will be used as working capital to finance the operations of the target business or businesses, make other acquisitions and pursue our growth strategies.

In order to finance transaction costs in connection with a 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 as may be required. If we complete a Business Combination, we may repay such loaned amounts out of the proceeds of the Trust Account released to us. In the event that a Business Combination does not close, we may use a portion of the working capital held outside the Trust Account to repay such loaned amounts, but no proceeds from our Trust Account would be used for such repayment. Up to $1,500,000 of such loans may be converted into units of the post Business Combination entity, at a price of $10.00 per unit, at the option of the lender. The units would be identical to the Placement Units. On December 13, 2022, the Company entered into a promissory note with the Sponsor. In order to fund ongoing operations, the Sponsor will loan up to $1,500,000 to the Company. As of June 30, 2023 and December 31, 2022, there was $1,175,000 and $650,000 of outstanding borrowings under the working capital loan arrangement, respectively.

We monitor the adequacy of our working capital in order to meet the expenditures required for operating our business prior to our initial business combination. However, if our estimates of the costs of identifying a target business, undertaking in-depth due diligence and negotiating an initial business combination are less than the actual amount necessary to do so, we may have insufficient funds available to operate our business prior to our business combination. Moreover, we may need to obtain additional financing either to complete our business combination or because we become obligated to redeem a significant number of our Public Shares upon completion of our business combination, in which case we may issue additional securities or incur debt in connection with such 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.

The Company currently projects that it will not have sufficient funds to cover its expenses over a one-year period from the date the financial statements are available to be issued. If the Company is unable to raise additional capital, it may be required to take additional measures to conserve liquidity, which could include, but not necessarily be limited to, curtailing operations, suspending the pursuit of a potential transaction, and reducing overhead expenses. The Company cannot provide any assurance that new financing will be available to it on commercially acceptable terms, if at all. These conditions raise substantial doubt about the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern for a reasonable period of time, which is considered to be one year from the issuance date of the financial statements.

Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements

We have no obligations, assets or liabilities, which would be considered off-balance sheet arrangements as of June 30, 2023. We do not participate in transactions that create relationships with entities or financial partnerships, often referred to as variable interest entities, which would have been established for the purpose of facilitating off-balance sheet arrangements. We have not entered into any off-balance sheet financing arrangements, established any special purpose entities, guaranteed any debt or commitments of other entities, or purchased any non-financial assets.

Contractual obligations

We do not have any long-term debt, capital lease obligations, operating lease obligations or long-term liabilities, other than an agreement to pay the Sponsor or an affiliate of the Sponsor a monthly fee of $20,000 for office space, administrative and shared personnel support services to the Company. We began incurring these fees on October 6, 2021 and incurred these fees monthly through December 31, 2022. The payment of these fees was suspended on December 31, 2022 and reinstated on March 31, 2022. As of June 30, 2023, there was a $20,000 outstanding balance owed to the Sponsor.

The Company entered into an agreement, commencing on the date of its listing on NASDAQ, to pay the spouse of our Chief Executive Officer a monthly consulting fees of $15,000 for assisting the Company in identifying and evaluating potential acquisition targets. Payment of the consulting fees ended on December 31, 2022 as part of the Charter Amendment approval.

In addition, we have an agreement to pay the underwriter a deferred fee of $9,150,000. The deferred fee will become payable to the representative from the amounts held in the Trust Account solely in the event that we complete a Business Combination, subject to the terms of the underwriting agreement.

Critical Accounting Policies

The preparation of unaudited condensed 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. We have identified the following critical accounting policies:

Accounting for Warrants

The Company accounts for warrants as either equity-classified or liability-classified instruments based on an assessment of the instruments’ specific terms and applicable authoritative guidance in ASC 480 and ASC 815, Derivatives and Hedging (“ASC 815”). The assessment considers whether the instruments are free standing financial instruments pursuant to ASC 480, meet the definition of a liability pursuant to ASC 480, and whether the instruments meet all of the requirements for equity classification under ASC 815, including whether the instruments are indexed to the Company’s own common shares and whether the instrument holders could potentially require “net cash settlement” in a circumstance outside of the Company’s control, among other conditions for equity classification. This assessment, which requires the use of professional judgment, was conducted at the time of warrant issuance and as of each subsequent period end date while the instruments are outstanding. Management has concluded that the Public Warrants and Private Placement Warrants issued pursuant to the warrant agreement qualify for equity accounting treatment.

Common Stock Subject to Possible Redemption

We account for our common stock subject to possible redemption in accordance with the guidance in ASC Topic 480 “Distinguishing Liabilities from Equity.” Common stock subject to mandatory redemption is classified as a liability instrument and is measured at fair value. Conditionally redeemable common stock (including common stock that features redemption rights that are either within the control of the holder or subject to redemption upon the occurrence of uncertain events not solely within our control) is classified as temporary equity. At all other times, common stock is classified as stockholders’ equity. Our common stock features certain redemption rights that are considered to be outside of our control and subject to occurrence of uncertain future events. Accordingly, common stock subject to possible redemption is presented as temporary equity, outside of the stockholders’ deficit section of our condensed balance sheets. The Company recognizes changes in redemption value immediately as they occur and adjusts the carrying value of redeemable common stock to equal the redemption value at the end of each reporting period. Increases or decreases in the carrying amount of redeemable common stock are affected by charges against additional paid in capital and accumulated deficit.

Net Loss per Common Share

Net loss per share is computed by dividing net loss by the weighted average number of shares of common stock outstanding during the period, [excluding shares of common stock subject to forfeiture by the Sponsor]. At June 30, 2023, the Company did not have any dilutive securities and/or other contracts that could, potentially, be exercised or converted into shares of common stock and then share in the earnings of the Company. As a result, diluted net loss per share is the same as basic net loss per share for the period presented.

Recent Accounting Standards

In June 2016, the Financial Accounting Standard Board (“FASB”) issued Accounting Standards Update (“ASU 2016-13”) [Financial Instruments – Credit Losses (Topic 326): Measurement of Credit Losses on Financial Instruments (“ASU 2016-13”)]. This update requires financial assets measured at amortized cost basis to be presented at the net amount expected to be collected. The measurement of expected credit losses is based on relevant information about past events, including historical experience, current conditions, and reasonable and supportable forecasts that affect the collectability of the reported amount. Since June 2016, the FASB issued clarifying updates to the new standard including changing the effective date for smaller reporting companies. The guidance is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2022, and interim periods within those fiscal years, with early adoption permitted. The Company adopted ASU 2016-13 on January 1, 2023. The adoption of ASU 2016-13 did not have an impact on its financial statements.

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

Item 3. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk

As a smaller reporting company, we are not required to provide the information required by this Item.

Item 4. Controls and Procedures

Disclosure controls and procedures are controls and other procedures that are designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed in our reports filed or submitted under the Exchange Act is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in the SEC’s rules and forms. Disclosure controls and procedures include, without limitation, controls and procedures designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed in our reports filed or submitted under the Exchange Act is accumulated and communicated to our management, including our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure.

Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures

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 as of June 30, 2023. Based upon their evaluation, our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer concluded that our disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) under the Exchange Act) were effective.

Changes in Internal Control Over Financial Reporting

During the most recently completed fiscal quarter, there has been no change in our internal control over financial reporting that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.

PART II - OTHER INFORMATION

ITEM 1. LEGAL PROCEEDINGS

None.

ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS

There have been no material changes to the risk factors disclosed in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2022, filed with the SEC on March 24, 2023. Any of these factors could result in a significant or material adverse effect on our results of operations or financial condition. Additional risk factors not presently known to us or that we currently deem immaterial may also impair our business or results of operations.

ITEM 2. UNREGISTERED SALES OF EQUITY SECURITIES AND USE OF PROCEEDS

The securities in the IPO were registered under the Securities Act on a registration statement on Form S-1 (No. 333-259491). The registration statement for the Company’s IPO was declared effective on October 5, 2021. On October 8, 2021, the Company consummated the IPO of 15,500,000 units (“Units”) (with respect to the Class A common stock included in the Units being offered (the “Public Shares”)) at $10.00 per Unit generating gross proceeds of $155,000,000. Cantor Fitzgerald & Co. (“Cantor”) acted as sole book-running manager of the IPO.

Simultaneously with the closing of the IPO, the Company consummated the sale of 845,000 units (“Private Placement Units”) at a price of $10.00 per Private Placement Unit in a private placement to the Company’s sponsor, Phoenix Biotech Sponsor, LLC (the “Sponsor”), Cantor and Cohen & Company Capital Markets, a division of J.V.B. Financial Group, LLC (“CCM”), generating gross proceeds of $8,450,000. The issuance was made pursuant to the exemption from registration contained in Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act.

Simultaneously with the closing of the IPO, the Company consummated the sale of 2,000,000 additional Units upon receiving notice of the underwriter’s election to partially exercise its over-allotment option (“Over-allotment Units”), generating additional gross proceeds of $20,000,000 and incurring additional offering costs of $1,400,000 in underwriting fees, all of which are deferred until the completion of the Company’s initial Business Combination. Simultaneously with the exercise of the over-allotment, the Company consummated the Private Placement of an additional 40,000 Private Placement Units to the Sponsor and CCM, generating gross proceeds of $400,000. The issuance was made pursuant to the exemption from registration contained in Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act.

Offering costs for the IPO amounted to $12,729,318, consisting of $2,635,000 of underwriting fees (after reimbursement of $465,000 to the Company to pay for additional advisors), $9,150,000 of deferred underwriting fees payable (which are held in the Trust Account (defined below)) and $944,318 of other costs. The $9,150,000 of deferred underwriting fee payable is contingent upon the consummation of a Business Combination by June 8, 2023, subject to the terms of the underwriting agreement.

Following the closing of the IPO, $178,500,000 ($10.20 per Unit) from the net proceeds of the sale of the Units in the IPO, the Over-allotment Units and the Private Placement Units was placed in a trust account (“Trust Account”) and invested in U.S. government securities, within the meaning set forth in Section 2(a)(16) of the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “Investment Company Act”), with a maturity of 185 days or less or in money market funds meeting the conditions of the Investment Company Act, as determined by the Company, until the earlier of: (i) the completion of a Business Combination and (ii) the distribution of the Trust Account.

For a description of the use of the proceeds generated in our IPO, see Part I, Item 2 of this Quarterly Report.

ITEM 3. DEFAULTS UPON SENIOR SECURITIES

None.

ITEM 4. MINE SAFETY DISCLOSURES

Not applicable.

ITEM 5. OTHER INFORMATION

None.

ITEM 6. EXHIBITS

The following exhibits are filed as part of, or incorporated by reference into, this Quarterly Report on Form10-Q.

EXHIBITS

The following exhibits are filed as part of, or incorporated by reference into, this Quarterly Report on Form10-Q.

No.		Description of Exhibit

1.1		Underwriting Agreement, dated October 5, 2021, between the Company and Cantor Fitzgerald & Co.(1)

2.1		Business Combination Agreement, dated as of June 4, 2023, by and among Phoenix Biotech Acquisition Corp., PBCE Merger Sub, Inc. and CERo Therapeutics, Inc. (7).

3.1		Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.1 of the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on October 12, 2021).

3.2		Amended and Restated Bylaws (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.2(b) filed with the Form S-1 filed by the Registrant on September 13, 2021).

3.3		Amendment to Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation, filed with the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware on December 20, 2022(4)

3.4		Amendment to Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation, filed with the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware on July 7, 2023(6)

4.1		Specimen Unit Certificate(2)

4.2		Specimen Common Stock Certificate(2)

4.3		Specimen Warrant Certificate(2)

4.4		Warrant Agreement, dated October 5, 2021, between Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company and the Company(1)

No.		Description of Exhibit

10.1		Form of Sponsor Support Agreement (5)

10.2		Form of CERo Support Agreement (5)

10.3		Investment Management Trust Agreement, dated October 5, 2021 between Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company and the Company(1)

10.4		Amendment No. 1 to the Investment Management Trust Agreement, dated December 20, 2022, by and between the Company and Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company(4)

10.5		Amendment No. 2 to the Investment Management Trust Agreement, dated July 7, 2023, by and between the Company and Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company(6)

10.6		Registration Rights Agreement, dated October 5, 2021, between the Company and certain security holders of the Company(1)

10.7		Form of Indemnity Agreement(2)

10.8		Form of Engagement Letter with Cohen & Company Capital Markets(2)

10.9		Promissory Note, dated December 20, 2022, issued to Phoenix Biotech Sponsor, LLC(4)

31.1*		Certification of Principal Executive Officer Pursuant to Securities Exchange Act Rule 13a-14(a), as adopted Pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002

31.2*		Certification of Principal Financial Officer Pursuant to Securities Exchange Act Rule 13a-14(a), as adopted Pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002

32.1^		Certification of Principal Executive Officer Pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, as adopted Pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002

32.2^		Certification of Principal Financial Officer Pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, as adopted Pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002

101.INS*		XBRL Instance Document

101.SCH*		XBRL Taxonomy Extension Schema Document

101.CAL*		XBRL Taxonomy Extension Calculation Linkbase Document

101.DEF*		XBRL Taxonomy Extension Definition Linkbase Document

101.LAB*		XBRL Taxonomy Extension Labels Linkbase Document

101.PRE*		XBRL Taxonomy Extension Presentation Linkbase Document

104		Cover Page Interactive Data File—the cover page interactive data is embedded within the Inline XBRL document or included within the Exhibit 101 attachments.

*	Filed herewith.
^	Furnished herewith.
(1)	Previously filed as an exhibit to our Current Report on Form 8-K filed on October 12, 2021
(2)	Previously filed as an exhibit to our Registration Statement on Form S-1, as amended (File No. 333-259491)
(3)	Previously filed as an exhibit to our Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on December 7, 2022
(4)	Previously filed as an exhibit to our Current Report on Form 8-K filed on December 20, 2022
(5)	Previously filed as an exhibit to our Current Report on Form 8-K filed on June 5, 2023
(6)	Previously filed as an exhibit to our Current Report on Form 8-K filed on July 10, 2023
(7)	Previously filed as an exhibit to our Current Report on Form 8-K filed on June 5, 2023

SIGNATURES

In accordance with the requirements of the Exchange Act, the registrant caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.

	PHOENIX BIOTECH ACQUISITION CORP.

Date: August 14, 2023	By:	/s/ Chris Ehrlich
	Name:	Chris Ehrlich
	Title:	Chief Executive Officer and Director
		(Principal Executive Officer)

Date: August 14, 2023	By:	/s/ Daniel Geffken
	Name:	Daniel Geffken
	Title:	Chief Financial Officer and Director
		(Principal Financial and Accounting Officer)