PROOF Acquisition Corp I - Quarter Report: 2023 September (Form 10-Q)

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 10-Q

For the quarter ended September 30, 2023

Commission file number: 001-41104

PROOF ACQUISITION CORP I

(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Its Charter)

(571) 310-4949

(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)

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

Check whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act 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 (1) submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit 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 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 (check one).

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 November 14, 2023, the Registrant had 6,443,098 shares of its Class A common stock, $0.0001 par value per share, and 6,900,000 shares of its Class B common stock, $0.0001 par value per share, outstanding.

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PROOF ACQUISITION CORP I

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS

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

PROOF ACQUISITION CORP I

UNAUDITED CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS

 

		For the Nine Months Ended September 30, 2023				For the Nine Months Ended September 30, 2022
Formation and operating expenses		$	3,512,144			$	1,355,699
Operating loss			(3,512,144	)			(1,355,699	)
Interest income - investments held in Trust Account			6,406,043				1,156,737
Other income			6,406,043				1,156,737
Income (loss) before income tax			2,893,899				(198,962	)
Income tax expense			(1,317,654	)			(176,468	)
Net income (loss)		$	1,576,245			$	(375,430	)
Class A common stock - weighted average shares outstanding, basic and diluted			17,215,294				27,600,000
Class A common stock - basic and diluted net income (loss) per share		$	0.07			$	(0.01	)
Class B common stock - weighted average shares outstanding, basic and diluted			6,900,000				6,900,000
Class B common stock - basic and diluted net income (loss) per share		$	0.07			$	(0.01	)

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

		Class B Common Stock								Additional Paid-in Capital				Accumulated Deficit				Total Stockholders’ Deficit
		Shares				Amount
Balance, December 31, 2021			6,900,000			$	690			$	-			$	(6,245,863	)		$	(6,245,173	)
Net loss			-				-				-				(466,910	)			(466,910	)
Balance, March 31, 2022			6,900,000				690				-				(6,712,773	)			(6,712,083	)
Remeasurement of Class A Common Stock to redemption value			-				-				-				(141,596	)			(141,596	)
Net loss			-				-				-				(156,141	)			(156,141	)
Balance, June 30, 2022			6,900,000				690			$	-				(7,010,509	)			(7,009,819	)
Remeasurement of Class A Common Stock to redemption value			-				-				-				(530,355	)			(530,355	)
Net income			-				-				-				247,619				247,619
Balance, September 30, 2022			6,900,000			$	690			$	-			$	(7,293,245	)		$	(7,292,555	)

PROOF ACQUISITION CORP I

UNAUDITED CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS

		For the Nine Months Ended September 30, 2023				For the Nine Months Ended September 30, 2022
Cash flows from operating activities:
Net income (loss)		$	1,576,245			$	(375,430	)
Adjustments to reconcile net income (loss) to net cash used in operating activities:
Income earned on Trust assets			(6,406,043	)			(1,156,737	)
Changes in operating assets and liabilities:
Prepaid expenses			343,687				402,450
Income taxes payable			1,572,639				-
Deferred income taxes			(254,985	)			-
Accrued expenses			1,154,147				71,926
Net cash used in operating activities			(2,014,310	)			(1,057,791	)
Cash flows from investing activities:
Deposit into Trust Account for extension			(800,000	)			-
Withdrawal from Trust Account for redemptions			220,995,813				-
Withdrawal from Trust Account for tax			1,961,465				-
Net cash provided by investing activities			222,157,278				-
Cash flows from financing activities:
Trust redemptions			(220,995,813	)			-
Net cash used in financing activities			(220,995,813	)			-
Net change in cash			(852,845	)			(1,057,791	)
Cash at beginning of period			1,342,435				2,579,658
Cash at end of period		$	489,590			$	1,521,867
Non-cash financing activities:
Excise tax on redemption of Class A common stock subject to possible redemption		$	2,209,958			$	-
Remeasurement of Class A common stock subject to possible redemption		$	5,756,089			$	671,951

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

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

NOTE 1 - DESCRIPTION OF ORGANIZATION, BUSINESS OPERATIONS AND GOING CONCERN

PROOF Acquisition Corp I (the “Company”) was incorporated in Delaware on March 16, 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 (collectively, the “Business Combination”). The Company is not limited to a particular industry or sector 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 September 30, 2023, the Company had limited operations and no operating revenues. All activity for the period from March 16, 2021 (inception) through September 30, 2023 relates to the Company’s formation and the initial public offering (“Initial Public Offering”), which is described below, and, since the closing of the Initial Public Offering, a search for a Business Combination candidate. The Company will not generate any operating revenues until after the completion of its initial Business Combination, at the earliest. The Company will generate non-operating income in the form of interest income from the proceeds derived from the Initial Public Offering. The Company has selected December 31 as its fiscal year end.

Simultaneously with the closing of the Initial Public Offering, the Company consummated the sale of 15,226,000 warrants (the “Private Placement Warrants”) at a price of $1.00 per Private Placement Warrant in a private placement transaction to PROOF Acquisition Sponsor I, LLC (the “Sponsor”) and certain funds and accounts managed by subsidiaries of BlackRock, Inc. (“BlackRock”).

Following the closing of the Initial Public Offering on December 3, 2021, an amount of $281,520,000 ($10.20 per Unit) from the net proceeds of the sale of the Units in the Initial Public Offering and the Private Placement (as defined in Note 4) was placed in the Trust Account. The funds held in the Trust Account may be 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 any open-ended investment company that holds itself out as a money market fund selected by the Company meeting the conditions of Rule 2a-7 of the Investment Company Act, as determined by the Company, until the earlier of: (i) the completion of a Business Combination or (ii) the distribution of the Trust Account, as described below.

Transaction costs related to the IPO amounted to $15,623,739 consisting of $5,520,000 of underwriting fees, $9,660,000 of deferred underwriting fees payable (which was originally held in a Trust Account with Continental Stock Transfer and Trust Company acting as trustee (the “Trust Account”)) and $443,739 of other offering costs. These costs were charged to additional paid-in capital upon completion of the Initial Public Offering. The deferred underwriting commission liability was reduced to $0 in 2022 as the underwriter resigned and withdrew its right to the deferred underwriting fees (see Note 6).

The Company’s management has broad discretion with respect to the specific application of the net proceeds of the Initial Public Offering and the sale of Private Placement Warrants, 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 with one or more operating businesses or assets with a fair market value equal to at least 80% of the net assets held in the Trust Account (as defined below) (excluding the deferred underwriting commissions and taxes payable on the interest earned on the Trust Account). 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 business sufficient for it not to be required to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “Investment Company Act”). Upon the closing of the Initial Public Offering, management agreed to place an amount equal to $10.20 per Unit sold in the Initial Public Offering, including proceeds of the Private Placement Warrants, located in the United States and invested only in U.S. government securities, within the meaning set forth in Section 2(a)(16) of the Investment Company Act, with a maturity of 185 days or less or in any open-ended investment company that holds itself out as a money market fund selected by the Company meeting certain conditions of Rule 2a-7 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 funds held in the Trust Account, as described below.

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 either (i) in connection with a stockholder meeting called to approve the Business Combination or (ii) by means of a tender offer in connection with the Business Combination. 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, plus any pro rata interest then in the Trust Account, net of taxes payable. There will be no redemption rights upon the completion of a Business Combination 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 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 common stock classified as temporary equity was the allocated proceeds determined in accordance with ASC 470-20. The 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 re-measurement will be treated as an adjustment to adjust the temporary equity to the redemption amount. While redemptions cannot cause the Company’s net tangible assets to fall below $5,000,001, the Public Shares are redeemable and will be classified as such on the balance sheet until such date that a redemption event takes place.

If the Company seeks stockholder approval of the Business Combination, the Company will proceed with a Business Combination if a majority of the outstanding 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 amended and restated certificate of incorporation (the “Certificate of Incorporation”), conduct the redemptions pursuant to the tender offer rules of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“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) and any Public Shares purchased during or after the Initial Public Offering 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, if the Company seeks stockholder approval of a Business Combination and it does not conduct redemptions pursuant to the tender offer rules, the Certificate of Incorporation will provide 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 15% of the Public Shares, without the prior consent of the Company.

The holders of the Founder Shares have agreed (a) to waive their redemption rights with respect to the Founder Shares (and Public Shares with respect to our Sponsor and officers and directors of the Company) held by them in connection with the completion of a Business Combination and (b) not to propose an amendment to the Certificate of Incorporation (i) to modify the substance or timing of the Company’s obligation to allow redemptions in connection with a Business Combination or to redeem 100% of its Public Shares if the Company does not complete a Business Combination within the Completion Window (as defined in the Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation of the Company) or (ii) with respect to any other provision relating to stockholders’ rights or pre-business combination activity, unless the Company provides the Public Stockholders with the opportunity to redeem their Public Shares in conjunction with any such amendment.

If the Company has not completed a Business Combination within 21 months (or up to 24 months, if applicable) from the closing of the Initial Public Offering, 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 pay 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), 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. There will be no redemption rights or liquidating distributions with respect to the Company’s warrants, which will expire worthless if the Company fails to complete a Business Combination within the Completion Window.

The holders of the Founders Shares have agreed to waive their liquidation rights with respect to the Founder Shares if the Company fails to complete a Business Combination within the Completion Window. However, if the holders of Founder Shares acquire Public Shares in or after the Initial Public Offering, such Public Shares will be entitled to liquidating distributions from the Trust Account if the Company fails to complete a Business Combination within the Completion Window. The underwriter agreed to waive its rights to the deferred underwriting commission (see Note 6) held in the Trust Account and, as a result, 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 a distribution in liquidation, it is possible that the per share value of the assets remaining available for distribution will be less than the Initial Public Offering price per Unit of $10.00.

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 third party for services rendered or products sold to the Company, or a prospective target business with which the Company has discussed entering into a transaction agreement, reduce the amount of funds in the Trust Account to below (i) $10.00 per Public Share following the closing of this offering, or (ii) such lesser amount per Public Share held in the Trust Account as of the date of the liquidation of the Trust Account, if less than $10.00, due to reductions in the value of the trust assets, in each case net of the amount of interest which may be withdrawn to pay taxes, except as to any claims by a third party who executed a waiver of any and all rights to seek access to the Trust Account and except as to any claims under the Company’s indemnity of the underwriter of the Initial Public Offering 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 for the Company’s independent registered accounting firm), prospective target businesses and other entities with which the Company does business, execute agreements with the Company waiving any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to monies held in the Trust Account.

As of September 30, 2023, the Company had $489,590 in its operating bank account and a working capital deficit of approximately $4.9 million.

The Company’s liquidity needs up to September 30, 2023 had been satisfied through a payment of $25,000 from the Sponsor to cover certain expenses on behalf of the Company in exchange for the issuance of the Founder Shares, the loan under the promissory note from the Sponsor of approximately $110,000 (the “Note”) (see Note 5) to the Company, and the net proceeds from the consummation of the Private Placement not held in the Trust Account. The Note from the Sponsor was repaid in full on December 6, 2021.

Risks and Uncertainties

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

		For the Nine Months								For the Nine Months
		Ended September 30, 2023								Ended September 30, 2022
		Class A				Class B				Class A				Class B
Basic and diluted net income per share
Numerator:
Allocation of net income (loss)		$	1,125,241			$	451,004			$	(300,344	)		$	(75,086	)
Denominator:
Basic and diluted weighted average shares outstanding			17,215,294				6,900,000				27,600,000				6,900,000
Basic and diluted net income (loss) per share		$	0.07			$	0.07			$	(0.01	)		$	(0.01	)

●	Level 1, defined as observable inputs such as quoted prices (unadjusted) for identical instruments in active markets;

●	Level 2, defined as inputs other than quoted prices in active markets that are either directly or indirectly observable such as quoted prices for similar instruments in active markets or quoted prices for identical or similar instruments in markets that are not active; and

●	Level 3, defined as unobservable inputs in which little or no market data exists, therefore requiring an entity to develop its own assumptions, such as valuations derived from valuation techniques in which one or more significant inputs or significant value drivers are unobservable.

NOTE 3 - INITIAL PUBLIC OFFERING

Pursuant to the Initial Public Offering, the Company sold 27,600,000 Units at a price of $10.00 per Unit. Each Unit consists of one share of Class A common stock and one-half of one redeemable warrant (“Public Warrant”). Each whole 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 PLACEMENTS

Simultaneously with the closing of the Initial Public Offering, the Company consummated the private sale (the “Private Placement”) to the Sponsor and BlackRock of an aggregate of 15,226,000 Private Placement Warrants at a price of $1.00 per Private Placement Warrant resulting in cash proceeds of $15,226,000. Each Private Placement Warrant is 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 Warrants was added to the proceeds from the Initial Public Offering held in the Trust Account. If the Company does not complete a Business Combination within the Completion Window, the proceeds from the sale of the Private Placement Warrants held in the Trust Account will be used to fund the redemption of the Public Shares (subject to the requirements of applicable law) and the Private Placement Warrants will be worthless.

The Sponsor and the Company’s officers and directors agreed, subject to limited exceptions, not to transfer, assign or sell any of their Private Placement Warrants until 30 days after the completion of the initial Business Combination.

NOTE 5 - RELATED PARTIES

Founder Shares

On March 31, 2021, the Sponsor received 5,750,000 of the Company’s Class B common stock (the “Founder Shares”) for a May 4, 2021 payment of $25,000. Subsequently, on November 30, 2021, the Company effected a 1.2:1 stock split for each outstanding share of Class B common stock, resulting in the Sponsor holding an aggregate number of 6,900,000 Founder Shares on that date. In connection with the closing of the Initial Public Offering and the sale of the Private Placement Warrants, the Company cancelled 460,000 Founder Shares held by the Sponsor and reissued the shares to parties unaffiliated with the Sponsor. All share amounts retroactively restated to account for the share split.

The holders of the Founder Shares have agreed, subject to limited exceptions, not to transfer, assign, or sell any of the Founder Shares until the earlier to occur of: (A) one year after the completion of a Business Combination and (B) subsequent to a Business Combination, (x) if the last reported sale price of the Class A common stock equals or exceeds $12.00 per share (as adjusted for stock splits, stock capitalizations, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) 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, capital stock exchange or other similar transaction that results in all of the Public Stockholders having the right to exchange their shares of common stock for cash, securities or other property.

Promissory Note - Related Party

On March 31, 2021, the Sponsor issued an unsecured promissory note to the Company (the “Promissory Note”), pursuant to which the Company may borrow up to an aggregate principal amount of $300,000. The Promissory Note is non-interest bearing and payable on the earlier of (i) March 31, 2022 or (ii) the consummation of the Initial Public Offering. In 2021, the Company borrowed $110,000 on this note, which was repaid in full on December 6, 2021.

General and Administrative Services

Commencing on the date the Units are first listed on the NYSE, the Company has agreed to pay the Sponsor a total of $10,000 per month for office space, utilities and secretarial and administrative support for up to 24 months. Upon completion of the initial Business Combination or the Company’s liquidation, the Company will cease paying these monthly fees. Fees related to this arrangement were $30,000 for the three months ended September 30, 2023 and 2022, respectively, and $90,000 for the nine months ended September 30, 2023 and 2022, respectively. Effective November 15, 2023, the parties have agreed to terminate the administrative support agreement without any further obligations of the parties.

Related Party Loans

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”). Such Working Capital Loans would be evidenced by promissory notes. If we complete a Business Combination, we may repay the Working Capital Loans out of the proceeds of the Trust Account released to us. Otherwise, the Working Capital Loans could be repaid only out of funds held outside the Trust Account. In the event that a Business Combination does not close, we may use a portion of proceeds held outside the Trust Account to repay the Working Capital Loans but no proceeds held in the Trust Account would be used to repay the Working Capital Loans. The notes may be repaid upon completion of a Business Combination, without interest, or, at the lender’s discretion, up to $1,500,000 of the notes may be converted upon completion of a Business Combination into warrants at a price of $1.00 per warrant. Such warrants would be identical to the Private Placement Warrants Except for the foregoing, the terms of such Working Capital Loans, if any, have not been determined and no written agreements exist with respect to such loans. As of September 30, 2023 and December 31, 2022 there was no amount outstanding under the Working Capital Loans.

NOTE 6 - COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES

Registration Rights

The holders of the Founder Shares, Private Placement Warrants and warrants that may be issued upon conversion of Working Capital Loans (and any shares of common stock issuable upon the exercise of the Private Placement Warrants or warrants issued upon conversion of the Working Capital Loans and upon conversion of the Founder Shares) will be entitled to registration rights pursuant to a registration rights agreement to be signed prior to or on the effective date of Initial Public Offering requiring the Company to register such securities for resale (in the case of the Founder Shares, only after conversion to shares of Class A common stock). The holders of these securities will be entitled to make up to three demands, excluding short form registration 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 completion of a Business Combination and rights to require the Company to register for resale such securities pursuant to Rule 415 under the Securities Act. However, the registration rights agreement provides that the Company will not be required to effect or permit any registration or cause any registration statement to become effective until the securities covered thereby are released from their lock-up restrictions. 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 Initial Public Offering to purchase up to 3,600,000 additional Units to cover over-allotments, if any, at the Initial Public Offering price less the underwriting discounts and commissions. The over-allotment was exercised in full as part of the Initial Public Offering.

The underwriter received a cash underwriting discount of $0.20 per Unit, or $5,520,000 in the aggregate, payable upon the closing of the Initial Public Offering.

In addition, the underwriter was entitled to a deferred fee of $0.35 per Unit, or $9,660,000 in the aggregate. The deferred fee would have 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 and the trust agreement, but due to proposed SEC regulations imposing potential liability on the underwriter of an initial public offering for a blank check company upon its subsequent initial Business Combination, the underwriter has ended its relationships with most special purpose acquisition companies it helped take public, including the Company, and has waived its deferred underwriting fees.

NOTE 7 - STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY (DEFICIT)

Only holders of the Class B common stock will have the right to vote on the election of directors prior to the Business Combination. Holders of Class A common stock and holders of Class B common stock will vote together as a single class on all matters submitted to a vote of our shareholders except as otherwise required by law. In connection with our initial Business Combination, we may enter into a stockholders agreement or other arrangements with the stockholders of the target or other investors to provide for voting or other corporate governance arrangements that differ from those in effect upon completion of this offering.

The shares of Class B common stock will automatically convert into Class A common stock at the time of a Business Combination, or earlier at the option of the holder, on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustment. In the case that additional shares of Class A common stock, or equity-linked securities, are issued or deemed issued in excess of the amounts issued in the Initial Public Offering and related to the closing of a Business Combination, the ratio at which shares of Class B common stock shall convert into shares of Class A common stock will be adjusted (unless the holders of a majority of the then-outstanding shares of Class B common stock agree to waive such adjustment with respect to any such issuance or deemed issuance) so that the number of shares of Class A common stock issuable upon conversion of all shares of Class B common stock will equal, in the aggregate, on an as-converted basis, 20% of the sum of the total number of all shares of common stock outstanding upon the completion of Initial Public Offering plus all shares of Class A common stock and equity-linked securities issued or deemed issued in connection with a Business Combination (net of the number of shares of Class A common stock redeemed in connection with a Business Combination), excluding any shares or equity-linked securities issued or issuable to any seller of an interest in the target to us in a Business Combination.

Warrants - As of September 30, 2023 and December 31, 2022, there were 13,800,000 Public Warrants and 15,226,000 Private Placement Warrants outstanding.

Public Warrants may only be exercised for a whole number of shares. No fractional warrants will be issued upon separation of the Units and only whole warrants will trade. The Public Warrants will become exercisable on the later of (a) 30 days after the completion of a Business Combination and (b) 12 months from the closing of the Initial Public Offering. The Public Warrants will expire five years after the completion of a Business Combination or earlier upon redemption or liquidation.

The Company will not be obligated to deliver any shares of Class A common stock pursuant to the exercise of a warrant and will have no obligation to settle such warrant exercise unless a registration statement under the Securities Act covering the issuance of the shares of Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants is then effective and a current prospectus relating to those shares of Class A common stock is available, subject to the Company satisfying its obligations with respect to registration, or a valid exemption from registration is available. No warrant will be exercisable for cash or on a cashless basis, and the Company will not be obligated to issue any shares to holders seeking to exercise their warrants, unless the issuance of the shares upon such exercise is registered or qualified under the securities laws of the state of residence of the exercising holder, or an exemption from registration is available.

The Company has agreed that as soon as practicable, but in no event later than 15 business days after the closing of a Business Combination, the Company will use its commercially reasonable efforts to file, and within 60 business days following a Business Combination to have declared effective, a registration statement covering the issuance of the shares of Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants and to maintain a current prospectus relating to those shares of Class A common stock until the warrants expire or are redeemed. Notwithstanding the above, if the Class A common stock is at the time of any exercise of a warrant not listed on a national securities exchange such that it satisfies the definition of a “covered security” under Section 18(b)(1) of the Securities Act, the Company may, at its option, require holders of Public Warrants who exercise their warrants to do so on a “cashless basis” in accordance with Section 3(a)(9) of the Securities Act and, in the event the Company so elects, the Company will not be required to file or maintain in effect a registration statement, but will use its commercially reasonable efforts to register or qualify the shares under applicable blue sky laws to the extent an exemption is not available.

If and when the warrants become redeemable by the Company, the Company may exercise its redemption right even if it is unable to register or qualify the underlying securities for sale under all applicable state securities laws.

If the Company calls the Public Warrants for redemption, as described above, its management will have the option to require any holder that wishes to exercise the Public Warrants to do so on a “cashless basis,” as described in the warrant agreement. The exercise price and number of common stock issuable upon exercise of the Public Warrants may be adjusted in certain circumstances including in the event of a stock dividend, extraordinary dividend or recapitalization, reorganization, merger or consolidation. However, except as described below, the Public Warrants will not be adjusted for issuances of common stock at a price below its exercise price. Additionally, in no event will the Company be required to net cash settle the Public Warrants. If the Company is unable to complete a Business Combination within the Completion Window and the Company liquidates the funds held in the Trust Account, holders of Public Warrants will not receive any of such funds with respect to their Public Warrants, nor will they receive any distribution from the Company’s assets held outside of the Trust Account with respect to such Public Warrants. Accordingly, the Public Warrants may expire worthless.

The Private Placement Warrants are identical to the Public Warrants underlying the Units being sold in the Initial Public Offering, except that the Private Placement Warrants and the Class A common stock issuable upon the exercise of the Private Placement Warrants are not be transferable, assignable or saleable until 30 days after the completion of a Business Combination, subject to certain limited exceptions.

NOTE 9 - FAIR VALUE MEASUREMENTS

The following table presents information about the Company’s assets and liabilities that are measured at fair value on a recurring basis as of September 30, 2023 and December 31, 2022 and indicates the fair value hierarchy of the valuation techniques that the Company utilized to determine such fair value.

Level 1 assets include investments in money market funds or U.S. Treasury securities. The Company uses inputs such as actual trade data, benchmark yields, quoted market prices from dealers or brokers, and other similar sources to determine the fair value of its investments.

NOTE 10 - SUBSEQUENT EVENTS

References in this report (“Quarterly Report”) to “we,” “us” or the “Company” refer to PROOF Acquisition Corp I. References to our “management” or our “management team” refer to our officers and directors, and references to the “Sponsor” refer to PROOF Acquisition Sponsor I, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company. The following discussion should be read in conjunction with our financial statements and related notes thereto included elsewhere in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q includes forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act, and Section 21E of the Exchange Act. We have based these forward-looking statements on our current expectations and projections about future events. These forward-looking statements are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and assumptions about us that may cause our actual results, levels of activity, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, levels of activity, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by terminology such as “may,” “should,” “could,” “would,” “expect,” “plan,” “anticipate,” “believe,” “estimate,” “continue,” or the negative of such terms or other similar expressions. Factors that might cause or contribute to such a discrepancy include, but are not limited to, those described in our other U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) filings and elsewhere in this report.

Recent Developments

On August 1, 2023, the Company entered into a Business Combination Agreement (as it may be amended, supplemented or otherwise modified from time to time, the “Business Combination Agreement”) with PACI Merger Sub, Inc., a Delaware corporation and a direct, wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company (“Merger Sub”), and Volato, Inc., a Georgia corporation (“Volato”). Pursuant to the terms of the Business Combination Agreement, a business combination between the Company and Volato will be effected through the merger of Merger Sub with and into Volato, with Volato surviving the merger as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Volato Group (the “Business Combination,” and together with the other transactions contemplated by the Business Combination Agreement and the other agreements contemplated thereby, the “Transactions”).

Overview

We are a blank check company incorporated on March 16, 2021 as a Delaware corporation and formed for the purpose of effecting a Business Combination. We have not selected any Business Combination target. We intend to effectuate our initial Business Combination using cash from the proceeds of our Initial Public Offering and Private Placement, our capital stock, debt, or a combination of the foregoing.

Results of Operations

We have engaged in limited operations and have not generated any operating revenues to date. All activity for the period from March 16, 2021 (inception) through September 30, 2023 relates to the Company’s formation and the Initial Public Offering, which is described below, and, since the closing of the Initial Public Offering, a search for a Business Combination candidate. We do not expect to generate any operating revenues until the completion of our initial Business Combination. We will generate non-operating income in the form of interest income from the amount deposited in the Trust Account. There has been no significant change in our financial or trading position and no material adverse change has occurred since the date of our audited financial statements. Until the completion of our initial Business Combination, we expect to incur increased expenses as a result of being a public company, including legal, financial reporting, accounting, and auditing compliance expenses, as well as for due diligence and other expenses related to locating an initial Business Combination target and consummating the initial Business Combination.

For the three months ended September 30, 2022, we had net income of $247,619 which consisted of interest income on the Trust assets of $756,823 partially offset by formation and operational costs of $362,596 and income tax expense of $146,608.

For the nine months ended September 30, 2022, we had net loss of $375,430 which consisted of formation and operational costs of $1,355,699 and income tax expense of $176,468 partially offset by interest income on the Trust assets of $1,156,737.

Liquidity and Capital Resources

As of September 30, 2023, we had $69,830,544 in cash currently held in the Trust Account and $489,590 in cash that can be used for working capital.

Prior to the consummation of the Initial Public Offering, our liquidity needs were satisfied through the receipt of $25,000 from our Sponsor in exchange for the issuance of the Founder Shares, and the loan proceeds of $110,000 from the Note from our Sponsor. We fully repaid the Note on December 6, 2021. Subsequent to the consummation of the Initial Public Offering and Private Placement, our liquidity needs have been satisfied with the proceeds from the consummation of the Private Placement not held in the Trust Account.

Based on the foregoing, our management believes that we will have sufficient working capital to meet our needs through the earlier of the consummation of a Business Combination or one year from this filing. We will be using these funds to pay existing accounts payable, identify and evaluate prospective initial Business Combination candidates, perform due diligence on prospective Business Combination candidates, pay travel expenditures, select the target business to merge with or acquire, and structure, negotiate, and consummate the Business Combination.

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

Contractual Obligations

Registration Rights

The holders of Founder Shares, Private Placement Warrants, and warrants that may be issued upon conversion of Working Capital Loans, if any (and any shares of common stock issuable upon the exercise of the Private Placement Warrants or warrants issued upon conversion of the Working Capital Loans and upon conversion of the Founder Shares), were entitled to registration rights pursuant to a registration rights agreement signed upon the consummation of the Initial Public Offering. These holders will be entitled to certain demand and “piggyback” registration rights. However, the registration rights agreement provides that we will not be required to effect or permit any registration or cause any registration statement to become effective until termination of the applicable lock-up period. We will bear the expenses incurred in connection with the filing of any such registration statements.

Administrative Services Agreement

We entered into an agreement to pay an affiliate of our Sponsor a total of $10,000 per month for office space, and secretarial and administrative services provided to members of our management team. Upon completion of the Business Combination or our liquidation, we will cease paying these monthly fees. We incurred $30,000 of such fees for the three months ended September 30, 2023 and 2022, respectively. We incurred $90,000 of such fees for the nine months ended September 30, 2023 and 2022, respectively. Effective November 15, 2023, the parties have agreed to terminate the administrative support agreement without any further obligations of the parties.

Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates

The preparation of financial statements and related disclosures in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States 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 the reported amounts of income and expenses during the periods reported. Actual results could materially differ from those estimates. We have identified the following as our critical accounting policies:

Class A common Stock Subject to Possible Redemption

We account for Class A common stock subject to possible redemption in accordance with the guidance in ASC Topic 480 “Distinguishing Liabilities from Equity.” Common stock subject to mandatory redemption (if any) is classified as a liability instrument and 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 outstanding Class A common stock features certain redemption rights that are considered to be outside of our control and subject to the occurrence of uncertain future events. Accordingly, at September 30, 2023 and December 31, 2022, 6,443,098 and 27,600,000 shares, respectively, of Class A common stock subject to possible redemption is presented as temporary equity, outside of the stockholders’ equity section of the balance sheet.

Net Income (Loss) Per Share of Common Stock

The Company has two classes of common stock, Class A and Class B common stock. Income and losses are shared pro rata between the two classes of shares. Net income (loss) per common share is computed by dividing net income (loss) by the weighted-average number of common shares outstanding during the period. The Company has not considered the effect of the warrants sold in the Initial Public Offering and the Private Placement to purchase an aggregate of 29,026,000, of the Company’s Class A common stock in the calculation of diluted net income (loss) per share, since their inclusion would be anti-dilutive under the treasury stock method. As a result, diluted net income (loss) per share is the same as basic net income (loss) per share for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2023 and 2022. Re-measurement associated with the Class A common stock subject to possible redemption is excluded from earnings per share as the redemption value approximates fair value.

JOBS Act

The Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012 (the “JOBS Act”) contains provisions that, among other things, relax certain reporting requirements for qualifying public companies. We qualify as an “emerging growth company” and under the JOBS Act are allowed to comply with new or revised accounting pronouncements based on the effective date for private (not publicly traded) companies. We are electing to delay the adoption of new or revised accounting standards, and as a result, we may not comply with new or revised accounting standards on the relevant dates on which adoption of such standards is required for non-emerging growth companies. As a result, our financial statements may not be comparable to companies that comply with new or revised accounting pronouncements as of public company effective dates.

Additionally, we have determined to rely on the other exemptions from reporting requirements contained in the JOBS Act. As an “emerging growth company” we have chosen to rely on exemptions so that we are not be required to, among other things, (i) provide an auditor’s attestation report on our system of internal controls over financial reporting pursuant to Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, (ii) provide all of the compensation disclosure that may be required of non-emerging growth public companies under the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, (iii) comply with any requirement that may be adopted by the PCAOB regarding mandatory audit firm rotation or a supplement to the auditor’s report providing additional information about the audit and the financial statements (auditor discussion and analysis) and (iv) disclose certain executive compensation related items such as the correlation between executive compensation and performance and comparisons of the CEO’s compensation to median employee compensation. These exemptions will apply for a period of five years following the completion of our Initial Public Offering or until we are no longer an “emerging growth company,” whichever is earlier.

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

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

Not applicable for smaller reporting companies.

Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures

Disclosure controls and procedures are designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed by us in our Exchange Act reports is recorded, processed, summarized, and reported within the time periods specified in the SEC’s rules and forms, and that such information is accumulated and communicated to our management, including our principal executive officer and principal financial officer or persons performing similar functions, as appropriate to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure.

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 September 30, 2023. Based on this evaluation, our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer have concluded that our disclosure controls and procedures were not effective, due solely to the material weakness in our internal control over financial reporting related to the Company’s accounting for agreements and management reporting controls. As a result, we performed additional analysis as deemed necessary to ensure that our financial statements were prepared in accordance with GAAP. Accordingly, management believes that the financial statements included in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q present fairly in all material respects our financial position, results of operations and cash flows for the period presented.

Management intends to implement remediation steps to improve our disclosure controls and procedures and our internal control over financial reporting. Specifically, we plan to enhance these processes to better evaluate our application of the complex accounting standards that apply to our financial statements, particularly with respect to vendor contracts. As part of this enhanced process, we plan to implement an updated internal control policy providing for increased clarity regarding roles, responsibilities and verification procedures and increased communication among our personnel and third-party professionals with whom we consult regarding complex accounting applications. The elements of our remediation plan can only be accomplished over time, and we can offer no assurance that these initiatives will ultimately have the intended effects.

Changes in Internal Control Over Financial Reporting

There have been no changes in our internal control over financial reporting that occurred during the fiscal quarter ended September 30, 2023 covered by this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.

PART II - OTHER INFORMATION

As of September 30, 2023, to the knowledge of our management, there was no material litigation, arbitration, or governmental proceeding pending against us or any members of our management team in their capacity as such, and we and the members of our management team have not been subject to any such proceeding.

Factors that could cause our actual results to differ materially from those in this Quarterly Report are any of the risks described in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the period ended December 31, 2022, as amended, filed with the SEC on February 27, 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.

As of the date of this Quarterly Report, other than the below, there have been no other material changes to the risk factors disclosed in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the period ended December 31, 2022, as amended, filed with the SEC on February 27, 2023. However, we may disclose changes to such factors or disclose additional factors from time to time in our future filings with the SEC.

A 1% U.S. federal excise tax may be imposed on us in connection with our redemptions of shares, in connection with a Business Combination or other shareholder vote pursuant to which shareholders would have a right to submit their shares for redemption.

The Inflation Reduction Act (“IRA”) was enacted on August 16, 2022. The IRA includes provisions imposing a 1% excise tax on share repurchases that occur after December 31, 2022 and introduces a 15% corporate alternative minimum tax (“CAMT”) on adjusted financial statement income. The CAMT will be effective for us beginning in 2023.

For a description of the use of the proceeds generated in our Initial Public Offering, see Part I, Item 2 of this Form 10-Q. There has been no material change in the planned use of the proceeds from our Initial Public Offering and private placement as is described in the Company’s final prospectus related to the Initial Public Offering.

None.

Not applicable.

None.

The following exhibits are filed as part of, or incorporated by reference into, this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q.

SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities and Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.

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