Item 1. Financial Statements
ITEM 1.
FINANCIAL STATEMENTS.
ESTRELLA IMMUNOPHARMA, INC AND ITS SUBSIDIARY
UNAUDITED CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS
As of
March 31,
2024
As of
June 30,
2023
(Unaudited)
Current Assets
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalent
$ 4,727,290
$ 2,479,146
Prepaid expenses and other receivable
406,110
-
Prepaid expenses, related party
3,500,000
-
Extension note receivable
-
273,066
Total current assets
8,633,400
2,752,212
Other Assets
Deferred transaction costs
-
276,187
Total Assets
$ 8,633,400
$ 3,028,399
Liabilities, Preferred Stock and Stockholders’ Equity (Deficit)
Current liabilities:
Accounts payable - related party
$ -
$ 9,333,146
Other payables and accrued liabilities
89,413
398,781
Accrued liability - related party
4,000
22,000
Franchise tax payables
4,359
4,297
Income tax payables
40,719
-
Total current liabilities
138,491
9,758,224
Non-current liabilities:
Other liability
-
12,725
Total non-current liabilities
-
12,725
Total Liabilities
138,491
9,770,949
Commitments and Contingencies (Note 7)
Preferred Stock*
Series A Preferred Stock, $ 0.0001 par value, 15,000,000 shares authorized; 0 and 1,203,695 shares issued and outstanding as of March 31, 2024 and June 30, 2023, respectively
-
5,000,000
Series AA Preferred Stock, $ 0.0001 par value, 105,000,000 shares authorized; 0 and 25,277,591 shares issued and outstanding as of March 31, 2024 and June 30, 2023, respectively
-
-
Stockholders’ Equity (Deficit):
Common stock, $ 0.0001 par value; 250,000,000 shares authorized; 36,610,870
and 978,243 shares issued as of March 31, 2024 and June 30, 2023, respectively;
36,535,980 and 978,243 shares outstanding as of March 31, 2024 and June 30, 2023, respectively*
3,661
98
Additional paid-in capital
24,124,543
445,905
Accumulated deficit
( 15,549,204 )
( 12,188,553 )
Treasury stock, at cost 74,890 and 0 shares as of March 31, 2024 and June 30, 2023, respectively
( 84,091 )
-
Total Stockholders’ Equity (Deficit)
8,494,909
( 11,742,550 )
Total Liabilities, Preferred Stock and Stockholders’ Equity (Deficit)
$ 8,633,400
$ 3,028,399
* Giving retroactive effect to reverse recapitalization effected
on September 29, 2023 to reflect exchange ratio of approximately 0.2407 as described in Note 3
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these unaudited
condensed consolidated financial statements.
1
ESTRELLA IMMUNOPHARMA, INC AND ITS SUBSIDIARY
UNAUDITED CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS
For the
Three Months
Ended
For the
Three Months
Ended
For the
Nine Months
Ended
For the
Nine Months
Ended
March 31,
March 31,
March 31,
March 31,
2024
2023
2024
2023
Operating expenses
Research and development
$ 25,000
$ 2,623,399
$ 583,925
$ 7,875,427
General and administrative
444,530
117,707
2,776,726
507,463
Total operating expenses
469,530
2,741,106
3,360,651
8,382,890
Loss from Operations
( 469,530 )
( 2,741,106 )
( 3,360,651 )
( 8,382,890 )
Loss before income taxes
( 469,530 )
( 2,741,106 )
( 3,360,651 )
( 8,382,890 )
Income taxes provision
-
-
-
-
Net loss
$ ( 469,530 )
$ ( 2,741,106 )
$ ( 3,360,651 )
$ ( 8,382,890 )
Net loss applicable to common stock per share, basic and diluted
$ ( 0.01 )
$ ( 8.13 )
$ ( 0.14 )
$ ( 39.95 )
Weighted average common stock outstanding, basic and diluted*
35,519,192
337,275
23,963,515
209,811
* Giving
retroactive effect to reverse recapitalization effected on September 29, 2023 to reflect exchange ratio of approximately 0.2407 as described
in Note 3
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements.
2
ESTRELLA IMMUNOPHARMA, INC AND ITS SUBSIDIARY
UNAUDITED CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CHANGES IN STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY (DEFICIT)
Series A
Preferred Stock
Series AA
Preferred Stock
Common Stock
Treasury
Additional
Paid-in
Accumulated
Total
Stockholders’
Equity
Shares*
Amount
Shares*
Amount
Shares*
Amount
Stock
Capital
Deficit
(Deficit)
Balance, July 1, 2023
5,000,000
$ 5,000,000
105,000,000
$ -
4,063,500
$ 407
$ -
$ 445,596
$ ( 12,188,553 )
$ ( 11,742,550 )
Recapitalization
( 3,796,305 )
-
( 79,722,409 )
-
( 3,085,257 )
( 309 )
-
309
-
-
Balance, July 1, 2023
1,203,695
5,000,000
25,277,591
-
978,243
98
-
445,905
( 12,188,553 )
( 11,742,550 )
Issuance of series A preferred stock
2,407,390
9,750,000
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
Conversion of series A and series AA preferred stock into common stock
( 3,611,085 )
( 14,750,000 )
( 25,277,591 )
-
28,888,675
2,889
-
14,747,111
-
14,750,000
Vesting of early exercised stock options
-
-
-
-
2,633,082
263
-
12,462
-
12,725
Stock-based compensation
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
1,194,653
-
1,194,653
Issuance of common stock for PIPE investment
-
-
-
-
1,000,000
100
-
9,999,900
-
10,000,000
Issuance of common stock upon completion of business combination
-
-
-
-
1,701,232
170
-
( 474,147 )
-
( 473,977 )
Transactions cost
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
( 1,801,200 )
-
( 1,801,200 )
Net loss
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
( 1,870,497 )
( 1,870,497 )
Balance, September 30, 2023
-
$ -
-
$ -
35,201,232
$ 3,520
$ -
$ 24,124,684
$ ( 14,059,050 )
$ 10,069,154
Net loss
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
( 1,020,624 )
( 1,020,624 )
Balance, December 31, 2023
-
$ -
-
$ -
35,201,232
$ 3,520
$ -
$ 24,124,684
$ ( 15,079,674 )
$ 9,048,530
Net loss
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
( 469,530 )
( 469,530 )
Issuance of common stock for PIPE investment
-
-
-
-
1,409,638
141
-
( 141 )
-
-
Purchase of treasury stock
-
-
-
-
-
-
( 84,091 )
-
-
( 84,091 )
Balance, March 31, 2024
-
$ -
-
$ -
36,610,870
$ 3,661
$ ( 84,091 )
$ 24,124,543
$ ( 15,549,204 )
$ 8,494,909
Balance, July 1, 2022
1,203,695
$ 5,000,000
25,277,591
$ -
42,370
$ 4
$ -
$ 34,304
$ ( 1,074,151 )
$ ( 1,039,843 )
Vesting of early exercised stock options
-
-
-
-
126,388
13
-
512
-
525
Stock-based compensation
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
102,399
-
102,399
Net loss
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
( 2,885,444 )
( 2,885,444 )
Balance, September 30, 2022
1,203,695
$ 5,000,000
25,277,591
$ -
168,758
$ 17
$ -
$ 137,215
$ ( 3,959,595 )
$ ( 3,822,363 )
Vesting of early exercised stock options
-
-
-
-
126,388
13
-
512
-
525
Stock-based compensation
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
102,399
-
102,399
Net loss
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
( 2,756,340 )
( 2,756,340 )
Balance, December 31, 2022
1,203,695
$ 5,000,000
25,277,591
$ -
295,146
$ 30
$ -
$ 240,126
$ ( 6,715,935 )
$ ( 6,475,779 )
Vesting of early exercised stock options
-
-
-
-
126,388
13
-
512
-
525
Stock-based compensation
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
102,399
-
102,399
Net loss
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
( 2,741,106 )
( 2,741,106 )
Balance, March 31, 2023
1,203,695
$ 5,000,000
25,277,591
$ -
421,534
$ 43
$ -
$ 343,037
$ ( 9,457,041 )
$ ( 9,113,961 )
* Giving
retroactive effect to reverse recapitalization effected on September 29, 2023 to reflect exchange ratio of approximately 0.2407 as described
in Note 3
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements.
3
ESTRELLA IMMUNOPHARMA, INC AND ITS SUBSIDIARY
UNAUDITED CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS
For the
Nine Months
For the
Nine Months
Ended
Ended
March 31,
2024
March 31,
2023
Cash Flows from Operating Activities:
Net loss
$ ( 3,360,651 )
$ ( 8,382,890 )
Adjustments to reconcile net loss to net cash used in operating activities:
Stock-based compensation
1,194,653
307,197
Amortization of operating right-of-use asset, related party
-
14,473
Changes in operating assets and liabilities:
Prepaid expenses
( 267,343 )
( 50,000 )
Prepaid expenses - related party
( 3,500,000 )
833,333
Accounts payable - related party
( 9,333,146 )
5,925,271
Other payables and accrued liabilities
( 492,368 )
55,813
Operating lease liability - related party
-
1,527
Accrued liability - related party
( 18,000 )
-
Franchise tax payable
62
2,400
Net cash used in operating activities
( 15,776,793 )
( 1,292,876 )
Cash Flows from Investing Activities:
Loan to UPTD as extension note receivable prior to business combination
( 112,298 )
( 136,533 )
Cash released from trust account
5,072,945
-
Net cash provided by investing activities
4,960,647
( 136,533 )
Cash Flows from Financing Activities:
Payments of transactions cost
( 1,525,013 )
-
Net proceeds from PIPE investment
10,000,000
-
Net proceeds from issuance of Series A Preferred Stock
9,020,000
-
Net proceeds from promissory note
300,000
-
Repayment of promissory note
( 300,000 )
-
Payment of redemption payable
( 5,072,945 )
-
Proceeds from business combination
726,339
-
Purchase of treasury stock
( 84,091 )
Net cash provided by financing activities
13,064,290
-
Net Change in Cash
2,248,144
( 1,429,409 )
Cash at beginning of period
2,479,146
4,088,333
Cash at end of period
$ 4,727,290
$ 2,658,924
Supplemental Cash Flow Information
Cash paid for income tax
$ -
$ -
Cash paid for interest
$ 2,663
$ -
Supplemental Disclosure of Non-cash Financing Activities
Deferred transaction costs included in other payables and accrued liabilities
$ -
$ 221,187
Recognition of related party operating right-of-use asset and lease liability
$ -
$ 48,988
Conversion of Series A prefer stock into common stock
$ 5,000,000
$ -
Conversion of deferred underwriting commission payable into Series A preferred stock
$ 730,000
$ -
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements.
4
ESTRELLA IMMUNOPHARMA, INC AND ITS SUBSIDIARY
Notes to Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements
Note 1 — Organization and Business Operation
Description of business
Estrella Immunopharma, Inc., a Delaware corporation,
is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing T-cell therapies with the capacity to cure patients with blood cancers and solid
tumors.
As further discussed below and in Note 3, on September
29, 2023 (the “ Closing Date ”), Estrella Biopharma, Inc. (“Estrella”) and TradeUP Acquisition Corp. (“UPTD”)
consummated the business combination (the “Business Combination”) pursuant to the terms of the Agreement and Plan of Merger,
dated as of September 30, 2022 (the “Merger Agreement”), by and among UPTD, Tradeup Merger Sub Inc., a Delaware corporation
and wholly-owned subsidiary of UPTD (“Merger Sub”), and the Company. Pursuant to the terms of the Merger Agreement, Merger
Sub merged with and into Estrella, with Estrella surviving as a wholly-owned subsidiary of UPTD. Upon closing of the Business Combination
(the “Closing”), UPTD changed its corporate name to Estrella Immunopharma, Inc. (“New Estrella” or the “Company”).
Estrella was incorporated in the State of Delaware
on March 30, 2022 by Eureka Therapeutics, Inc. (“Eureka”), which was incorporated in California in February 2006 and reincorporated
in Delaware in March 2018 and is the predecessor of Estrella. Estrella’s fiscal year end is June 30, and the Company’s fiscal
year end changed from December 31 to June 30 effective as of the Closing Date.
On June 28, 2022, pursuant to a Contribution Agreement
between Estrella and Eureka (the “Contribution Agreement”), Eureka contributed certain assets (the “Assets”) related
to T-cell therapies targeting CD19 and CD22, proteins expressed on the surface of almost all B-cell leukemias and lymphomas, in exchange
for 105,000,000 shares of Estrella’s Series AA Preferred Stock (the “Separation”).
As part of the Separation, Estrella entered into
a License Agreement (the “License Agreement”) with Eureka and Eureka Therapeutics (Cayman) Ltd. (“Eureka Cayman”),
an affiliate of Eureka, and a Services Agreement (the “Services Agreement”) with Eureka, and Eureka contributed and assigned
the Collaboration Agreement between Eureka and Imugene Limited (“Imugene”) (the “Collaboration Agreement”) to
Estrella. The License Agreement grants the Company an exclusive license to develop CD19 and CD22 targeted T-cell therapies using Eureka’s
ARTEMIS ® platform. Under the Services Agreement, Eureka has agreed to perform certain services for the Company in
connection with the development of the Company’s product candidates, EB103 and EB104. EB103, which is a T-cell therapy also called
“CD19-Redirected ARTEMIS ® T-Cell Therapy,” utilizes Eureka’s ARTEMIS ® technology
to target CD19. The Company is also developing EB104, a T-cell therapy also called “CD19/22 Dual-Targeting ARTEMIS ® T-Cell
Therapy.” Like EB103, EB104 utilizes Eureka’s ARTEMIS ® technology to target not only CD19, but also CD22.
The Collaboration Agreement establishes the partnership between the Company and Imugene related to development of solid tumor treatments
using Imugene’s product candidate (“CF33-CD19t”) in conjunction with EB103.
On March 2, 2023, the FDA cleared Estrella’s
IND application for EB103, allowing Estrella to proceed with the Phase I/II Starlight-1 Clinical Trial “Starlight-1”. As of
March 31, 2024, the Company has initiated activities in preparation of conducting the Starlight-1 clinical trial in the U.S. On March
4, 2024, the Company, Estrella and Eureka executed Statement of Work #001 relating to clinical trial services to be performed by Eureka
in connection with the Starlight-1 clinical trial (see Note 9). On May 13, 2024, the Company, Estrella, and Eureka entered into Amendment
No. 1 to the Statement of Work, effective as of March 4, 2024 (see Note 9).
5
Merger and reverse recapitalization
As described above and further discussed in Note
3, the Business Combination was consummated on September 29, 2023.
The Business Combination was accounted for as
a “reverse recapitalization.” Under this method of accounting, UPTD was treated as the “acquired” company for
financial reporting purposes. Accordingly, the Business Combination was treated as the equivalent of Estrella issuing shares for the net
assets of UPTD, accompanied by a recapitalization. The net assets of UPTD are stated at historical costs. No goodwill or other intangible
assets are recorded.
Liquidity
The accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated
financial statements have been prepared on a basis which contemplates the realization of assets and the satisfaction of liabilities in
the normal course of business. As of March 31, 2024, the Company had cash of approximately $ 4.7 million, and accumulated deficit of approximately
$ 15.5 million. For the nine months ended March 31, 2024, loss from operations was approximately $ 3.4 million. The Company’s ability
to fund its operations is dependent on the amount of cash on hand and its ability to raise debt or additional equity financing. The Company
has expended substantial funds on its research and development business, has experienced losses and negative cash flows from operations
since its inception and expects losses and negative cash flows from operations to continue until its technology receives regulatory approval
and the Company generates sufficient revenue and positive cash flow from operations, if ever.
On September 29, 2023, the Business Combination
and several concurrent financing transactions were consummated, with the Company receiving net proceeds of approximately $ 20.1 million,
after deducting $ 5.1 million payable to redeem 467,122 shares of UPTD Common Stock at $ 10.86 per share in connection with the special
meeting of UPTD stockholders related to the Business Combination held on July 31, 2023, $ 1.6 million for UPTD’s transaction expenses
and $ 0.7 million for repayment of working capital loans, consisting of: (i) $ 9.75 million from the issuance of shares of the Company’s
Operating Series A Preferred Stock immediately prior to the closing of the Business Combination ($ 0.7 million of which was comprised of
funds in the trust account delivered to the Company at the closing of the Business Combination that would have otherwise been paid to
US Tiger Securities, Inc. as a deferred underwriting fee in connection with UPTD’s IPO); (ii) $ 0.3 million from the issuance of
an unsecured promissory note by us to a third party investor; (iii) $ 3.06 million from the funds held in UPTD’s trust account; and
(iv) $ 10 million from the PIPE investors pursuant to the Subscription Agreements.
On April 20, 2023, UPTD entered into the Common
Stock Purchase Agreement and the White Lion RRA with White Lion. Subsequently, on April 26, 2023, UPTD and White Lion entered into an
amendment to the Common Stock Purchase Agreement. Pursuant to the Common Stock Purchase Agreement, following the Closing, New Estrella
will have the right, but not the obligation, to require White Lion to purchase, from time to time up to $ 50,000,000 in aggregate gross
purchase price of newly issued shares of Common Stock (the “Equity Line Shares”), subject to certain limitations and conditions
set forth in the Common Stock Purchase Agreement as further described in Note 8.
On October 10, 2023, the Company used a portion
of the net proceeds from the Business Combination to pay $ 8.3 million due to Eureka under the Services Agreement and approximately $ 0.9
million aggregate amount due to Eureka under the License Agreement, comprised of the outstanding portion of the upfront fee as well as
a milestone payment in connection with the submission of the IND application for EB103. The Company intends to devote the remaining net
proceeds from the Business Combination to the preclinical and clinical development of the Company’s product candidates and the public
company compliance costs.
On March 4, 2024, Estrella and Eureka entered
into Statement of Work No. 001 (“SOW”) relating to the clinical trial services to be performed by Eureka in connection with
Starlight-1, the Phase I/II clinical trial of Estrella Biopharma’s product candidate, EB103, a T-cell therapy targeting CD19 using
ARTEMIS ® T cell technology licensed by Estrella Biopharma from Eureka. Pursuant to the SOW, Estrella agrees to pay Eureka
non-refundable net fees in connection with the achievement of certain milestones set forth in the SOW, with total fees of $ 33,000,000
for achievement of all milestones. As of March 31, 2024, Estrella has prepaid $ 3,500,000 to Eureka for covering the fees associated with
the initiation of the study, the preparation and activation of the first study site, and the First Patient First Visit (FPFV) milestones.
6
On May 13, 2024, the Company, Estrella, and Eureka
entered into Amendment No. 1 to the Statement of Work, effective as of March 4, 2024, to clarify that in the event that Estrella exercises
its right to terminate or suspend the engagement with Eureka by providing written notice to Eureka in accordance with the SOW, Estrella
will only be obligated to compensate Eureka for (i) services provided by Eureka pursuant to the SOW (“Services”) in connection
with milestones that were achieved prior to the date and time of such written notice, (ii) reasonable and documented pass-through costs
incurred by Eureka on behalf of Estrella prior to the date and time of such written notice in connection with providing the Services and
(iii) amounts payable to third parties pursuant to commitments reasonably entered into by Eureka on behalf of Estrella prior to the date
and time of such written notice in connection with providing the Services, provided that Eureka shall make commercially reasonable efforts
to cancel or reduce any such amounts.
The Company’s future operations are highly
dependent on a combination of factors, including but not necessarily limited to (1) the success of our research and development programs;
(2) the timely and successful completion of any additional financing; (3) the development of competitive therapies by other
biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies; (4) our ability to manage growth of the organization; (5) our ability to protect
our technology and products; and, ultimately (6) regulatory approval and successful commercialization and market acceptance of our
product candidates.
However, management believes that the
Company has sufficient funds on hand and ability to raise funds in the future through the issuance and sale of Equity Line Shares to White Lion in order to meet its working capital requirements and debt obligations, for at
least the next 12 months from the filing date of these unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements.
Note 2 — Significant accounting
policies
Basis of Presentation
The accompanying unaudited financial statements
are presented in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“U.S. GAAP”) and
pursuant to the rules and regulations of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”). The accompanying unaudited financial
statements have been prepared on the same basis as the annual financial statements and, in the opinion of management, reflect all adjustments,
including normal recurring accruals, necessary to present fairly the Company’s consolidated financial statements. The results for
the three and nine months ended March 31, 2024 are not necessarily indicative of the results to be expected for the fiscal year ending
June 30, 2024 (fiscal year 2024) or for any other interim period or for any future year.
Principles of consolidation
The unaudited condensed consolidated financial
statements include the financial statements of the Company and its subsidiary. All transactions and balances among the Company and its
subsidiary have been eliminated upon consolidation.
A subsidiary is an entity in which the Company,
directly or indirectly, controls more than one half of the voting power; or has the power to govern the financial and operating policies,
to appoint or remove the majority of the members of the board of directors, or to cast a majority of votes at the meeting of directors.
Emerging Growth Company Status
The Company is an “emerging growth company,”
as defined in Section 2(a) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, (the “Securities Act”), as modified
by the Jumpstart The Company’s Business Startups Act of 2012, (the “JOBS Act”), and it may take advantage
of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not emerging growth companies
including, but not limited to, not being required to comply with the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley
Act, reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in its periodic reports and proxy statements, and exemptions from
the requirements of holding a nonbinding advisory vote on executive compensation and stockholder approval of any golden parachute payments
not previously approved.
7
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
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 an 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 unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements with another public company difficult because of the potential differences
in accounting standards used.
Use of Estimates
The preparation of unaudited condensed consolidated
financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts
of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the unaudited condensed consolidated financial
statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting periods.
Making estimates requires management to exercise
significant judgment. It is at least reasonably possible that the estimate of the effect of a condition, situation or set of circumstances
that existed at the date of the unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements, which management considered in formulating its
estimate, could change in the near term due to one or more future confirming events. Accordingly, the actual results could differ significantly
from those estimates. Significant items subject to such estimates and assumptions include stock-based compensation, and deferred income
tax asset valuation and allowances.
Cash and cash equivalent
The Company maintains its operating accounts in
a single financial institution. The balance is insured by the United States Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (“FDIC”)
but only up to specified limits. The Company’s cash is maintained in a checking and a saving account and Certificates of Deposits.
Cash equivalents consist of funds held at the third-party broker’s account for stock repurchase purpose, and the fund are unrestricted
and immediately available for withdrawal and use.
Basic and Diluted Loss per Common Stock
Basic net loss per Common Stock is calculated
by dividing the net loss by the weighted–average number of Common Stock outstanding for the period. Diluted net loss per share is
computed by dividing the net loss by the weighted–average number of Common Stock and dilutive share equivalents outstanding for
the period, determined using the treasury stock and if–converted methods. Since the Company has had net losses for all periods presented,
all potentially dilutive securities are anti–dilutive.
8
As of March 31, 2024 and June 30, 2023, the Company
had the following potential Common Stock outstanding which were not included in the calculation of diluted net loss per Common Stock because
inclusion thereof would be anti-dilutive:
As of
As of
March 31,
June 30,
2024
2023
(Unaudited)
Series A Preferred Stock*
-
1,203,695
Series AA Preferred Stock*
-
25,277,591
Unvested early-exercised stock option*
-
2,633,082
Public warrant
2,215,000
-
Total
2,215,000
29,114,368
* Giving retroactive effect to reverse recapitalization effected on September 29, 2023 to reflect exchange ratio of approximately 0.2407 as described in Note 3
Stock-Based Compensation
The Company recognizes compensation costs resulting
from the issuance of stock-based awards to employees, non-employees and directors as an expense in the statements of operations over the
requisite service period based on a measurement of fair value for each stock-based award. The fair value of each option granted is estimated
as of the date of grant using the Black-Scholes-Merton option-pricing model, net of actual forfeitures. The fair value is amortized as
compensation cost on a straight-line basis over the requisite service period of the awards, which is generally the vesting period. The
Black-Scholes-Merton option-pricing model includes various assumptions, including the fair market value of the Common Stock of the Company,
expected life of stock options, the expected volatility and the expected risk-free interest rate, among others. These assumptions reflect
the Company’s best estimates, but they involve inherent uncertainties based on market conditions generally outside the control of
the Company.
As a result, if other assumptions had been used,
stock-based compensation expense, as determined in accordance with authoritative guidance, could have been materially impacted. Furthermore,
if the Company uses different assumptions on future grants, stock-based compensation expense could be materially affected in future periods.
Mezzanine Equity
Mezzanine equity represents the Series A Preferred
Stock and Series AA Preferred Stock (collectively known as “Preferred Stock”) issued by the Company. The shares of Preferred
Stock were mandatorily redeemable upon the occurrence of Deemed Liquidation Events outside of the Company’s control. Therefore,
the Company classifies the Preferred Stock as mezzanine equity. Refer to Note 11.
Warrants
The Company accounts for warrants as either equity-classified
or liability-classified instruments based on an assessment of the warrant’s specific terms and applicable authoritative guidance
in Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) ASC 480, Distinguishing Liabilities from Equity (“ASC 480”) and
ASC 815, Derivatives and Hedging (“ASC 815”). The assessment considers whether the warrants are freestanding financial instruments
pursuant to ASC 480, meet the definition of a liability pursuant to ASC 480, and whether the warrants meet all of the requirements for
equity classification under ASC 815, including whether the warrants are indexed to the Company’s own ordinary shares and whether
the warrant 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, is conducted at the
time of warrant issuance and as of each subsequent quarterly period end date while the warrants are outstanding.
For issued or modified warrants that meet all
of the criteria for equity classification, the warrants are required to be recorded as a component of equity at the time of issuance.
The Company determined that upon further review of the warrant agreements, the Company concluded that its warrants qualify for equity
accounting treatment.
Upon completion of the business combination, all
of UPTD’s public warrants that remained outstanding were replaced by the Company’s public warrants. The Company treated such
warrants replacement as a warrant modification and no incremental fair value was recognized.
9
Concentration of Credit Risk
Financial instruments that potentially subject
the Company to concentration of credit risk consist of two cash accounts in a financial institution located in the United States. The
Company has not experienced losses on these accounts and management believes the Company is not exposed to significant risks on such accounts.
FDIC provides standard insurance coverage of $ 250,000 per insured bank, for each account ownership category. As of March 31, 2024 and
June 30, 2023, the Company had not experienced losses on these accounts. As of March 31, 2024 and June 30, 2023, $ 4,561,368 and $ 2,479,146 were
deposited with financial institutions located in the United States, and $ 4,300,226 and $ 2,229,146 of these balances are not covered
by deposit insurance, respectively. While management believes that these financial institutions are of high credit quality, it also continually
monitors their credit worthiness.
Risks and Uncertainties
Management continues to evaluate the impact of
inflation rates, the continuing military action in Ukraine, and Israel’s war against Hamas on the industry and has concluded that
these factors could have a negative effect on the Company’s financial position and/or results of its operations. The specific impact
of these factors is not readily determinable as of the date of these unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements. The unaudited
condensed consolidated financial statements do not include any adjustments that might result from the outcome of these uncertainties.
The Company’s future success depends on
the Company and Eureka’s ability to retain key employees, directors, and advisors and to attract, retain and motivate qualified
personnel. The Company relies on Eureka to provide certain technical assistance to facilitate the Company’s exploitation of the
intellectual property licensed by Eureka, and Eureka will be solely responsible for the manufacture and supply of clinical quantities
of the licensed products and final filled and finished (including packaged) drug product form of the licensed products. Pursuant to the
Services Agreement, Eureka currently performs or supports the Company’s important research and development activities. The Statement
of Work (see Note 9) may be terminated by mutual agreement at any time. Following the termination of, or the expiration of the term of,
the Statement of Work, the Company may not be able to replace the research and development-related services that Eureka provides or enter
into appropriate third-party arrangements on terms and conditions, including cost, comparable to those that the Company will receive from
Eureka. Additionally, after the Statement of Work terminates, the Company may be unable to sustain the research and development-related
services at the same levels or obtain the same benefits as when the Company was receiving such services and benefits from Eureka. If the
Company is required to operate these research and development functions separately in the future, or are unable to obtain them from other
providers, the Company may not be able to operate the Company’s business effectively and could result in a material adverse effect.
10
The fair value of the Company’s assets and
liabilities, which qualify as financial instruments under ASC Topic 820, “Fair Value Measurements and Disclosures,” approximates
the carrying amounts represented in the accompanying balance sheet, primarily due to their short-term nature. The Company measures the
fair value of certain of its financial assets and liabilities on a recurring basis. A fair value hierarchy is used to rank the quality
and reliability of the information used to determine fair values. Financial assets and liabilities carried at fair value which is not
equivalent to cost will be classified and disclosed in one of the following three categories:
Level 1 — Quoted prices (unadjusted) in
active markets for identical assets and liabilities.
Level 2 — Inputs other than Level 1 that
are observable, either directly or indirectly, such as unadjusted quoted prices for similar assets and liabilities, unadjusted quoted
prices in the markets that are not active, or other inputs that are observable or can be corroborated by observable market data for substantially
the full term of the assets or liabilities.
Level 3 — Unobservable inputs that are supported
by little or no market activity and that are significant to the fair value of the assets or liabilities.
Income Taxes
The Company recognizes deferred tax assets and
liabilities for both the expected impact of differences between the financial statement and tax basis of assets and liabilities and for
the expected future tax benefit to be derived from tax loss and tax credit carry forwards and establishes a valuation allowance when it
is more likely than not that all or a portion of deferred tax assets will not be realized.
Accounting for uncertainty in income taxes is
recognized based on a recognition threshold and measurement process for the financial statement recognition and measurement of a tax position
taken or expected to be taken in a tax return. For those benefits to be recognized, a tax position must be more-likely-than-not to be
sustained upon examination by taxing authorities. There were no unrecognized tax benefits and no amounts accrued for interest and penalties
as of March 31, 2024 and June 30, 2023. 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 may be subject to potential examination by federal and state taxing
authorities in the areas of income taxes. These potential examinations may include questioning the timing and amount of deductions, the
nexus of income among various tax jurisdictions and compliance with federal and state tax laws. The Company’s management does not
expect that the total amount of unrecognized tax benefits will materially change over the next twelve months.
The Company is incorporated in the State of Delaware
and is required to pay franchise taxes to the State of Delaware on an annual basis.
There is no tax sharing agreement with Eureka;
therefore, no deferred taxes were carried over from Eureka to the Company.
11
Research and Development Expenses
The Company charges research and development costs
to operations as incurred. The Company accrues for costs incurred by external service providers, including contract research organizations
and clinical investigators, based on its estimates of service performed and costs incurred. These estimates include the level of services
performed by third parties, patient enrollment in clinical trials when applicable, administrative costs incurred by third parties, and
other indicators of the services completed. Based on the timing of amounts invoiced by service providers, the Company may also record
payments made to those providers as prepaid expenses that will be recognized as expense in future periods as the related services are
rendered. Research and development expenses for the nine months ended March 31, 2024 and 2023 primarily consisted of personnel costs for
the design and development of clinical trials, legal and professional fees and, facilities related fees. Refer to Note 9 for the terms
of the License Agreement, the Service Agreement, and the Statement of Work.
Deferred transaction costs
Deferred transaction costs consist primarily of
expenses paid to attorneys, consultants, underwriters, and others related to the Merger, which were charged to shareholders’ equity upon the completion of the Merger. The Company completed the
Merger on September 29, 2023.
Lease
Effective July 1, 2022, the Company adopted ASU
2016-02, “Leases” (Topic 842), and elected the practical expedients that does not require us to reassess: (1) whether any
expired or existing contracts are, or contain, leases, (2) lease classification for any expired or existing leases and (3) initial direct
costs for any expired or existing leases. For lease terms of twelve months or fewer, a lessee is permitted to make an accounting policy
election not to recognize lease assets and liabilities.
If any of the following criteria are met, the
Company classifies the lease as a finance lease:
● The
lease transfers ownership of the underlying asset to the lessee by the end of the lease term;
● The
lease grants the lessee an option to purchase the underlying asset that the Company is reasonably certain to exercise;
● The
lease term is for a major part of the remaining economic life of the underlying asset;
● The
present value of the sum of the lease payments and any residual value guaranteed by the lessee, that is not otherwise included in the
lease payments substantially exceeds all of the fair value of the underlying asset; or
● The
underlying asset is of such a specialized nature that it is expected to have no alternative use to the lessor at the end of the lease
term.
Leases that do not meet any of the above criteria
are accounted for as operating leases.
The Company combines lease and non-lease components
in its contracts under Topic 842, when permissible.
Operating lease right-of-use (“ROU”)
asset and lease liability were recognized at the adoption date of July 1, 2022, based on the present value of lease payments over the
lease term. Since the implicit rate for the Company’s leases is not readily determinable, the Company uses its incremental borrowing
rate based on the information available at the commencement date in determining the present value of lease payments. The incremental borrowing
rate is the rate of interest that the Company would have to pay to borrow, on a collateralized basis, an amount equal to the lease payments,
in a similar economic environment and over a similar term.
In the event of lease modification, the Company
followed ASC 842-10-25 through 25-12, “lessee accounting for a modification that is not accounted for as a separate contract,”
to remeasure and reallocate the remaining consideration in the lease agreement, and reassess the classification of the lease at the effective
date of the modification.
The Company reviews the impairment of its ROU
asset consistent with the approach applied for its other long-lived assets. The Company reviews the recoverability of its long-lived assets
when events or changes in circumstances occur that indicate that the carrying value of the asset may not be recoverable. The assessment
of possible impairment is based on its ability to recover the carrying value of the asset from the expected undiscounted future pre-tax
cash flows of the related operations. The Company has elected to include the carrying amount of operating lease liability in any tested
asset group and includes the associated operating lease payments in the undiscounted future pre-tax cash flows.
12
Segment reporting
The Company accounted for segment reporting in
accordance with ASC 280, “Segment Reporting”. Based on qualitative and quantitative criteria established by ASC 280,
the Company considers itself to be operating within one reportable segment.
Recent Accounting Pronouncements
The Company considers the applicability and impact
of all accounting standards updates (“ASUs”). Management periodically reviews new accounting standards that are issued. Under
the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012, as amended (the “JOBS Act”), the Company meets the definition of an emerging
growth company and has elected the extended transition period for complying with new or revised accounting standards, which delays the
adoption of these accounting standards until they would apply to private companies.
In July 2023, the FASB issued ASU 2023-03, “Presentation
of Financial Statements (Topic 205), Income Statement—Reporting Comprehensive Income (Topic 220), Distinguishing Liabilities from
Equity (Topic 480), Equity (Topic 505), and Compensation—Stock Compensation (Topic 718): Amendments to SEC Paragraphs Pursuant to
SEC Staff Accounting Bulletin No. 120, SEC Staff Announcement at the March 24, 2022 EITF Meeting, and Staff Accounting Bulletin Topic
6.B, Accounting Series Release 280—General Revision of Regulation S-X: Income or Loss Applicable to Common Stock” (“ASU
2023-03”). This ASU amends or supersedes various SEC paragraphs within the applicable codification to conform to past SEC staff
announcements. This ASU does not provide any new guidance. ASU 2023-03 will become effective for the Company once the addition to the
FASB Codification is made available. The Company is currently evaluating the impact of the update on the Company’s consolidated
financial statements and related disclosures.
In October 2023, the FASB issued ASU 2023-06,
Disclosure Improvements — codification amendments in response to SEC’s disclosure Update and Simplification initiative which
amend the disclosure or presentation requirements of codification subtopic 230-10 Statement of Cash Flows—Overall, 250-10 Accounting
Changes and Error Corrections— Overall, 260-10 Earnings Per Share— Overall, 270-10 Interim Reporting— Overall, 440-10
Commitments—Overall, 470-10 Debt—Overall, 505-10 Equity—Overall, 815-10 Derivatives and Hedging—Overall, 860-30
Transfers and Servicing—Secured Borrowing and Collateral, 932-235 Extractive Activities— Oil and Gas—Notes to Financial
Statements, 946-20 Financial Services— Investment Companies— Investment Company Activities, and 974-10 Real Estate—Real
Estate Investment Trusts—Overall. The amendments represent changes to clarify or improve disclosure and presentation requirements
of above subtopics. Many of the amendments allow users to more easily compare entities subject to the SEC’s existing disclosures
with those entities that were not previously subject to the SEC’s requirements. Also, the amendments align the requirements in the
Codification with the SEC’s regulations. For entities subject to existing SEC disclosure requirements or those that must provide
financial statements to the SEC for securities purposes without contractual transfer restrictions, the effective date aligns with the
date when the SEC removes the related disclosure from Regulation S-X or Regulation S-K. Early adoption is not allowed. For all other entities,
the amendments will be effective two years later from the date of the SEC’s removal. The Company is currently evaluating the impact
of the update on the Company’s consolidated financial statements and related disclosures.
In December 2023, the FASB issued ASU 2023-09,
which is an update to Topic 740, Income Taxes. The amendments in this update related to the rate reconciliation and income taxes paid
disclosures improve the transparency of income tax disclosures by requiring (1) consistent categories and greater disaggregation of information
in the rate reconciliation and (2) income taxes paid disaggregated by jurisdiction. The amendments allow investors to better assess, in
their capital allocation decisions, how an entity’s worldwide operations and related tax risks and tax planning and operational
opportunities affect its income tax rate and prospects for future cash flows. The other amendments in this Update improve the effectiveness
and comparability of disclosures by (1) adding disclosures of pretax income (or loss) and income tax expense (or benefit) to be consistent
with U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Regulation S-X 210.4-08(h), Rules of General Application—General Notes to Financial
Statements: Income Tax Expense, and (2) removing disclosures that no longer are considered cost beneficial or relevant. For public business
entities, the amendments in this Update are effective for annual periods beginning after December 15, 2024. For entities other than public
business entities, the amendments are effective for annual periods beginning after December 15, 2025. Early adoption is permitted for
annual financial statements that have not yet been issued or made available for issuance. The amendments in this Update should be applied
on a prospective basis. Retrospective application is permitted. The Company is currently evaluating the impact of the update on Company’s
consolidated financial statements and related disclosures.
The Company does not believe recently issued but
not yet effective accounting standards, if currently adopted, would have a material effect on the Company’s condensed consolidated
financial statements.
13
Note 3 — Reverse recapitalization
Upon the consummation of the Business Combination,
the following transactions (collectively, the “Transactions”) were completed, based on the Company’s capitalization
as of September 29, 2023:
● each
share of common stock, par value $ 0.0001 per share, of Merger Sub issued and outstanding immediately prior to the effective time of the
Business Combination (“Effective Time”) was no longer outstanding and thereupon were converted into and become one validly
issued fully paid and non-assessable share of Common Stock, par value $ 0.001 per share, of the Company and all such shares constituted
the only outstanding shares of capital stock of the Company as of immediately following the Effective Time;
● The
UPTD Units were automatically separated into underlying Common Stock and UPTD Warrants and are no longer be traded on the open market
following the Closing;
● Estrella
issued 500,000 shares of Series A Preferred Stock to White Lion for $ 500,000 and 250,000 shares of Series A Preferred Stock to White
Lion as commitment fee pursuant to the Common Stock Purchase Agreement immediately prior to the Effective Time;
● Estrella
issued (i) 1,520,000 shares of Series A Preferred Stock were issued to Lianhe World for $1,520,000, (ii) 1,000,000 shares of Series A
Preferred Stock were issued to CoFame for $1,000,000, (iii) 730,000 shares of Series A Preferred Stock were issued to Tiger for $730,000
for deferred commission, (iv) 2,000,000 shares of Series A Preferred Stock were issued to Smart Crest for $2,000,000; (v) 2,000,000 shares
of Series A Preferred Stock were issued to Xiao for $2,000,000 and (vi) 2,000,000 shares of Series A Preferred Stock were issued to Wang
for $2,000,000, immediately prior to the Effective Time ;
● Estrella
issued an unsecured 30-day promissory note to Hongbing Zhang in the principal amount of $ 0.3 million with an interest rate of 12 % per
annum;
● Each
share of Series A Preferred Stock and Series AA Preferred Stock that was issued and outstanding immediately prior to the Effective Time
was automatically converted into a number of shares of Estrella Common Stock (See Note 12);
● Each
share of Estrella Common Stock was converted into 0.2407 shares of Company Common Stock; and
● The
Company issued 500,000 shares of Common Stock to each of Plentiful Limited and Lianhe World, respectively.
The following table presents the number of the
Company’s Common Stock issued and outstanding immediately following the Reverse Recapitalization:
Common Stock
UPTD’s Common Stock outstanding prior to Reverse Recapitalization
2,329,920
Less: redemption of UPTD’s Common Stock
( 628,688 )
Common Stock issued to PIPE investment
1,000,000
Conversion of Estrella’s Common Stock into UPTD’s Common Stock
32,500,000
Total Common Stock outstanding
35,201,232
Estrella was determined to be the accounting acquirer
given that Estrella effectively controlled the Company upon consummation of the Business Combination. The transaction is accounted for
as a reverse recapitalization, which is equivalent to the issuance of Common Stock by Estrella for the net monetary assets of UPTD, accompanied
by a recapitalization. Estrella was determined as the accounting acquirer and the historical financial statements of Estrella became the
Company’s historical financial statements, with retrospective adjustments to give effect of the reverse recapitalization. The net
assets of UPTD were recognized as of the Closing Date at historical cost, with no goodwill or other intangible assets recorded. Operations
prior to the Closing Date are those of Estrella and Estrella’s operations are the only ongoing operations of the Company.
14
In connection with the Reverse Recapitalization,
the Company raised approximately $ 726,339 of proceeds, presented as cash flows from financing activities, which included the contribution
of $ 8,138,230 of funds held in UPTD’s trust account, $ 9,782 of cash held in UPTD’s operating cash account, net of $ 5,072,945
payable to UPTD’s public stockholders to redeem 467,122 public shares of UPTD’s Common Stock, $ 1,640,128 in transaction
costs incurred by UPTD, and $ 708,600 prepayment of working capital loans issued to UPTD’s related parties.
The following table reconcile the elements of
the Reverse Recapitalization to the unaudited condensed consolidated statements of cash flows and the changes in shareholders’ equity
(deficit):
September 29,
2023
Funds held in UPTD’s trust account
$
8,138,230
Funds held in UPTD’s operating cash account
9,782
Less: amount payable to redeem public shares of UPTD’s Common Stock
( 5,072,945
)
Less: payments of transaction costs incurred by UPTD
( 1,640,128
)
Less: repayments of working capital loan – related parties of UPTD
( 708,600
)
Proceeds from the Reverse Recapitalization
726,339
Less: non-cash net deficit assumed from UPTD
( 1,200,316
)
Net distributions from issuance of Common Stock upon the Reverse Recapitalization
$
( 473,977
)
The shares and corresponding capital amounts and
all per share data related to the Company’s outstanding Common Stock prior to the Reverse Recapitalization have been retroactively
adjusted using the Exchange Ratio of 0.2407.
Note 4 — Cash Held in Trust Account
The Company had cash held in a trust account,
carried over from UPTD upon the consummation of the Business Combination. Such balance held in trust account was designated to pay UPTD’s
shareholders who redeemed public shares of UPTD’s Common Stock before the consummation of the business combination. On October 3,
2023, the remaining balance of cash held in trust account was disbursed to the UPTD’s shareholder as mentioned above.
Note 5 — Extension Note Receivable
Pursuant to Merger Agreement, Estrella agreed
to, upon request by UPTD, deposit the agreed reasonable amount to UPTD’s trust account in order to effectuate extension of UPTD’s
deadline to consummate a business combination. Pursuant to the Merger Agreement, as of June 30, 2023, a total of $ 273,066 of six monthly
extension payments, each in the principal amount of $ 45,511 , would be deposited into the Trust Account of UPTD, all of which were sourced
by loans from Estrella (the “Extension Notes”). The Extension Notes bore no interest and were settled between Estrella
and UPTD upon the consummation of the Business Combination on September 29, 2023.
Note 6 — Other payables and accrued
liabilities
As of
March 31,
2024
As of
June 30,
2023
(Unaudited)
Accrued professional fees (i)
$
89,022
$
398,781
Others
391
-
Total other payables and accrued liabilities
$
89,413
$
398,781
(i) The
balance of accrued professional fees represented amount due to third party service providers which include, legal and consulting fee
related to research and development, and others.
Note 7 — Stock redemption payable
Stock redemption payable represents the balance
payable to UPTD’s shareholders related to the redemption of public shares of UPTD’s Common Stock before the consummation of
the business combination. On October 3, 2023, such balance was paid in full through the Company’s investment held in trust account.
(see Note 4).
15
Note 8 — Commitments and contingencies
Manufacturing Commitment
On June 28, 2022, Eureka and the Company entered
into the License Agreement under which Eureka granted to the Company a license under certain intellectual property controlled by Eureka
for exploitation by the Company in the Company’s territory under the License Agreement (the “Licensed Territory”). Eureka
will be solely responsible for the manufacture and supply of clinical quantities of the licensed products and final filled and finished
(including packaged) drug product form of the licensed products for development and commercialization purposes in the field both in the
Licensed Territory and elsewhere. Refer to Note 9.
Equity Financing Commitment
On April 20, 2023, UPTD entered into a Common
Stock purchase agreement (as amended on April 26, 2023 and from time to time, the “Common Stock Purchase Agreement”) and a
related registration rights agreement (the “White Lion RRA”) with White Lion. Pursuant to the Common Stock Purchase Agreement,
following the Closing, the Company has the right, but not the obligation to require White Lion to purchase, from time to time, up to $ 50,000,000
in aggregate gross purchase price of newly issued shares of Common Stock of the Company, subject to certain limitations and conditions
set forth in the Common Stock Purchase Agreement, including, among others, the initial and any subsequent registration statement for the
Equity Line Shares being declared effective by the SEC and remaining effective during the term of the Common Stock Purchase Agreement.
In addition, under Nasdaq listing rules, the Company is not permitted to issue any Equity Line Shares under the Common Stock Purchase
Agreement if such issuance would equal 20 % or more of the Company’s outstanding common stock without obtaining majority approval
by our stockholders, which had not been obtained as of the date hereof. On December 28, 2023, the Company’s registration statement
on Form S-1 related to the Equity Line Shares was declared effective by the SEC. As of the date hereof, no Equity Line Shares have been
issued to White Lion pursuant to the Common Stock Purchase Agreement.
Registration Rights
The holders of 312,200 shares of Common Stock
that were issued to the initial stockholders of UPTD (the “Founder Shares”) and of 1,107,500 shares of Common Stock issued
to certain investors in a private placement in connection with UPTD’s initial public offering (the “Private Shares”)
are entitled to registration rights pursuant to a Registration Rights Agreement, dated July 14, 2021, among UPTD, TradeUP Acquisition
Sponsor LLC and certain security holders named therein. The Company assumed the obligations of UPTD under such agreement upon consummation
of the Business Combination. The holders of the majority of these securities are entitled to make up to three demands, excluding short
form demands, that the Company registers such securities. In addition, the holders have certain “piggy-back” registration
rights with respect to registration statements filed subsequent to the completion of the initial Business Combination and rights to require
the Company to register for resale such securities pursuant to Rule 415 under the Securities Act. The Company is also obligated to file
a registration statement for the (i) Equity Line Shares that we may issue to White Lion pursuant to the Common Stock Purchase Agreement
and White Lion RRA, (ii) up to 2,225,000 shares of Common Stock issuable upon exercise of the Warrants and (iii) the shares issued or
that will be issued pursuant to the Subscription Agreements. The Company will bear the expenses incurred in connection with the filing
of any such registration statements.
Contingencies
From time to time, the Company is or may be party
to certain legal proceedings, as well as certain asserted and un-asserted claims. Amounts accrued, as well as the total amount of reasonably
possible losses with respect to such matters, individually and in the aggregate, are not deemed to be material to the unaudited condensed
consolidated financial statements.
In some instances, the Company may be required
to indemnify its licensors for the costs associated with any such adversarial proceedings or litigation. Third parties may assert infringement
claims against the Company, its licensors or its strategic collaborators based on existing patents or patents that may be granted in the
future, regardless of their merit. There is a risk that third parties may choose to engage in litigation or other adversarial proceedings
with the Company, its licensors or its strategic collaborators to enforce or otherwise assert their patent rights.
16
Collaboration Agreement
On October 29, 2021, Eureka, entered into a Collaboration
Agreement with Imugene Ltd, a clinical stage immune-oncology company to evaluate Imugene’s CF33-CD19t, its oncolytic virus onCARlytics
technology in combination with Eureka’s CD19 ARTEMIS ® T-cell therapy for the treatment of solid tumors.
On June 28, 2022, as part of the Separation, Eureka
contributed and assigned the Collaboration Agreement to Estrella. Pursuant to the Collaboration Agreement, Estrella and Imugene have each
granted to the other a royalty free, non-exclusive, worldwide license, with the right to grant and authorize sublicenses, to their respective
technologies to conduct the research activities each is responsible for performing under the research plan set forth in the Collaboration
Agreement. The research plan is required to be reviewed no less frequently than every six to eight months by a joint steering committee
comprised of participants from each of Estrella and Imugene.
Allocation of Costs, unless otherwise agreed by
the Parties in connection with a given Research Plan and associated Research Budget:
(a) Eureka
Costs: Eureka will be responsible for all FTE and other internal costs incurred in the performance of all Eureka Research Activities,
as defined in the Collaboration Agreement;
(b) Imugene
Costs: Imugene will be responsible for all FTE and other internal costs incurred in the performance of all Imugene Research Activities,
as defined in the Collaboration Agreement; and
(c) Joint
Costs: Eureka and Imugene will share equally (50:50) the out-of-pocket costs set forth in the applicable Research Budget plus Allowable
Overruns, as defined in the Collaboration Agreement. If either Party incurs out-of-pocket costs in excess of the amount budgeted therefor
in the applicable Research Budget plus Allowable Overruns, then the other Party will not be responsible for its 50 % share to the extent
in excess of such budgeted amount plus Allowable Overruns, unless the joint steering committee (“JSC”) approves such excess
costs (either before or after such costs have been incurred).
The research plan under the Collaboration Agreement
was completed as of August 30, 2023. The Company and Eureka recorded the costs associated with the Collaboration Agreement as research
and development expenses in the amount of $ 0 and $ 24,186 , for the nine months ended March 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively, and $ 0 for
the three months ended March 31, 2024 and 2023.
On May 15, 2023, Estrella assigned a cost reimbursement
receivable of $ 27,169 from Imugene under the Collaboration Agreement to Eureka. There was no impact on Estrella’s statements of
operations.
Note 9 — Related Party Transactions
License Agreement
On June 28, 2022, in connection with the Contribution
Agreement, Eureka, Eureka Cayman and Estrella entered a License Agreement under which Eureka and Eureka Cayman granted to Estrella a license
under certain intellectual property controlled by Eureka for exploitation by Estrella in the Licensed Territory, which primarily includes
the United States and the rest of the world, excluding China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.
Pursuant to the License Agreement, (1) Eureka
will be solely responsible for the manufacture and supply of clinical quantities of the licensed products and final filled and finished
(including packaged) drug product form of the licensed products (“Drug Product”) for development and commercialization purposes
in the field both in the Licensed Territory and elsewhere, and (2) during the term of the License Agreement, Eureka will manufacture and
supply, either itself or through an affiliate or a third party contract manufacturer, all of Estrella’s and its related parties’
clinical quantities requirements of Drug Product for Estrella’s and its related parties’ development activities with respect
to the licensed products in the field in the Territory conducted in accordance with this agreement. Eureka and Estrella will use good
faith efforts to negotiate and enter into a clinical supply agreement on reasonable and customary terms for the supply of Drug Product
by Eureka to Estrella at a price equal to the fully burdened cost (the “Clinical Supply Agreement”), and a related quality
agreement, which agreements will govern the terms and conditions of the manufacturing and clinical supply of Drug Product to Estrella.
Furthermore, Eureka and Estrella’s collaboration will be overseen by a JSC. Eureka and Estrella will initially appoint one representative
to the JSC, with each representative having knowledge and expertise in the development and commercialization of products similar to the
licensed products and having sufficient seniority within the applicable party to provide meaningful input and make decisions arising within
the scope of the JSC’s responsibility.
17
The License Agreement requires Estrella to make
certain payments, including (a) an “upfront” payment of $ 1,000,000 , payable in 12 equal monthly installments, (b) “milestone”
payments upon the occurrence of certain events related to development and sales, with potential aggregate multi-million dollar payments
upon FDA approval, and (c) royalty payments of a single digit percentage on net sales.
As of March 31, 2024 and June 30, 2023, Estrella
had remaining balance of account payable - related party amounted to $ 0 and $ 833,333 , respectively, related to License Agreement’s
upfront payment. As of March 31, 2024, one development milestone payment in the amount of $ 50,000 related to the submission of EB103 to
the FDA was earned by Eureka under the Agreement. Such amount was accrued by Estrella and outstanding as of June 30, 2023 and payment
was made on October 10, 2023 with $ 0 outstanding as of March 31, 2024.
Services Agreement
On June 28, 2022, Estrella entered a Services
Agreement with Eureka. Pursuant to the Services Agreement, Eureka will perform certain services for Estrella related the transfer of certain
technology and the provision of certain technical assistance to facilitate Estrella’s exploitation of the intellectual property
licensed by Eureka to Estrella under the License Agreement, and Eureka will perform such services for Estrella (the “Services”).
Under the Services Agreement, Estrella shall pay Eureka (1) $ 10,000,000 in connection with the Services payable in 12 equal monthly installments
with the first payment to be made no later than five days after the Effective date and (2) reimburse Eureka on a monthly basis for reasonable
pass-through costs incurred or paid to providers by Eureka in providing the Services. In addition, Estrella will be charged for other
services performed by Eureka outside the scope of the Services per the Service Agreement, at a flat rate, by time or materials or as mutually
agreed upon the parties in writing.
Eureka’s service covered a period of 12
months and the service commenced on June 28, 2022. As of March 31, 2024 and June 30, 2023, Estrella had account payable balance - related
party of $ 0 and $ 8,333,331 related to Service Agreement with Eureka, respectively.
As of March 31, 2024 and June 30, 2023, Estrella
accrued $ 166,941 and $ 116,482 for pass-through costs related to clinical trials incurred by Eureka in account payable-related party, respectively.
For the nine months ended March 31, 2024 and 2023,
Estrella incurred $ 54,957 and $ 125,273 pass-through costs related to clinical trials, respectively.
For the three months ended March 31, 2024 and
2023, Estrella incurred $ 0 and $ 9,822 pass-through costs related to clinical trials, respectively.
After the closing of the business combination
on September 29, 2023, on October 10, 2023 Estrella remitted $ 9,334,475 to Eureka.
Statement of Work
On March 4, 2024, the Company, Estrella and Eureka
entered into Statement of Work No. 001 (“SOW”) relating to the clinical trial services to be performed by Eureka in connection
with Starlight-1, the Phase I/II clinical trial of Estrella Biopharma’s product candidate, EB103, a T-cell therapy targeting CD19
using ARTEMIS ® T cell technology licensed by Estrella Biopharma from Eureka. The trial is designed to assess the safety,
tolerability, recommended Phase II dose, and preliminary anti-cancer activity of EB103 for the treatment of relapsed or refractory (R/R)
B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) patients.
The SOW is governed by the terms of the Services
Agreement, dated June 28, 2022, between Estrella and Eureka (as amended by Amendment No. 1, effective as of October 1, 2022, and Amendment
No. 2, effective as of March 1, 2023), and incorporates all the terms of the Services Agreement by reference. Notwithstanding the foregoing,
the terms and conditions of the SOW govern in the event of any conflict with the terms and conditions of the Services Agreement.
The scope of work set forth in the SOW includes
study start-up, patient dosing and related activities, study close-out, and reporting. Additionally, the SOW sets forth the various services
Eureka will provide in connection with the clinical trial, including regulatory document development, site activation, patient enrollment
and consent management, data collection, and pharmacovigilance.
18
Pursuant to the SOW, Estrella agrees to pay Eureka
non-refundable net fees in connection with the achievement of certain milestones set forth in the SOW, with total fees of $ 33,000,000
for achievement of all milestones, excluding additional pass-through costs and expenses incurred by Eureka and payable by Estrella Biopharma
as further described below. Such amount assumes 20 patients to be dosed and one clinical site is activated. An additional $ 500,000 will
become payable to Eureka if a second site is activated following mutual agreement of Estrella Biopharma and Eureka. In addition to the
milestone payments, Eureka will invoice Estrella Biopharma quarterly for additional pass-through costs and expenses incurred in connection
with its services under the SOW. Estrella Biopharma is required to settle invoices within 30 days, with Eureka reserving the right to
impose monthly interest charges of 1.5 % for undisputed amounts unpaid after 30 days. Estrella Biopharma will also be responsible for payment
of any taxes, fees, duties or charges imposed by any governmental authority in connection with the services provided by Eureka under the
SOW, other than any taxes on Eureka’s income.
The first invoice payable to Eureka issuable upon
execution of the SOW is for $ 3.5 million, covering the fees associated with the initiation of the study, the preparation and activation
of the first study site, and the First Patient First Visit (FPFV) milestones. Prior to the commencement of the patient dosing phase, a
deposit of $ 1.5 million is required to be delivered to Eureka to ensure the readiness for patient treatment expenses and will be applied
against the final invoice, and any unused portion will be returned to Estrella following collection of all outstanding fees and costs
payable to Eureka under the SOW. Additional invoices will be issued in connection with the patient dosing milestone, amounting to $ 1,375,000
per patient and a total cost $ 27,500,000 for 20 patients, excluding any pass-through costs and additional expenses. The SOW provides an
estimated dosing timeline of 6 patients by the end of 2024 and an additional 14 patients by the end of 2025. Lastly, a $ 2,000,000 milestone
fee will become due in connection with the study close-out phase, estimated to be completed by the end of 2025. Services provided in connection
with this milestone include finalizing patient data, trial data cleaning, statistical analysis, and preparing and submitting the final
study report.
As of March 31, 2024, Estrella has prepaid $ 3,500,000
to Eureka for covering the fees associated with the initiation of the study, the preparation and activation of the first study site, and
the First Patient First Visit (FPFV) milestones. No milestone from the SOW has been achieved as of March 31, 2024.
On May 13, 2024, the Company, Estrella, and Eureka
entered into Amendment No. 1 to the SOW, effective as of March 4, 2024, to clarify that in the event that Estrella exercises its right
to terminate or suspend the engagement with Eureka by providing written notice to Eureka in accordance with the SOW, Estrella will only
be obligated to compensate Eureka for (i) services provided by Eureka pursuant to the SOW (“Services”) in connection with
milestones that were achieved prior to the date and time of such written notice, (ii) reasonable and documented pass-through costs incurred
by Eureka on behalf of Estrella prior to the date and time of such written notice in connection with providing the Services and (iii)
amounts payable to third parties pursuant to commitments reasonably entered into by Eureka on behalf of Estrella prior to the date and
time of such written notice in connection with providing the Services, provided that Eureka shall make commercially reasonable efforts
to cancel or reduce any such amounts.
Series AA Preferred Stock
On June 28, 2022, Estrella and Eureka entered
into the Contribution Agreement pursuant to which Eureka agreed to contribute and assign to Estrella all rights, title and interest in
and to the Assets in exchange for 105,000,000 shares of Estrella’s Series AA Preferred Stock (refer to Note 11). As of March 31,
2024 and June 30, 2023, Eureka collectively owned 65.1 % and 92.1 % of Estrella on a fully diluted basis, respectively.
Lease
On July 6, 2022, Estrella entered into an office
lease contract with Eureka, to lease a 428 square feet office with a $ 2,000 payment. Under the original lease contract, the sublease agreement
commenced on August 1, 2022 and expired on September 30, 2023. In November 2022, the sublease’s expiration date was amended to July
31, 2023. Therefore, such lease contained a lease term for 12 months and less after amendment. Estrella elected not to apply the ROU and
lease liability recognition requirements to above mentioned short-term lease as the modified lease term was less than twelve months. As
a result of the lease amendment, Estrella then reduced the corresponding ROU and lease liability to $ 0 and continued to recognize the
lease monthly payments in profit or loss on a straight-line basis over the remaining lease term period.
On October 1, 2023 Estrella entered into an office
lease contract with Eureka, to lease 180 square feet of office space with $ 2,000 monthly lease payments for nine months without any renewal
option.
19
For the nine months ended March 31, 2024 and 2023,
the Company incurred $ 14,000 and $ 16,000 rent expense from Eureka, respectively. For the three months ended March 31, 2024 and 2023, the
Company incurred $ 6,000 rent expense from Eureka, respectively. Refer to Note 14.
As of March 31, 2024 and June 30, 2023, the outstanding
balance of lease payments of $ 4,000 and $ 22,000 was recorded as accrued liability - related party on the Company’s condensed consolidated
balance sheets, respectively.
Note 10 — Promissory note
On September 29, 2023, Estrella issued an unsecured
promissory note to Hongbing Zhang, in the aggregate principal amount of $ 300,000 (the “Unsecured Note”). Interest shall begin
accruing on September 29, 2023 at a rate of 12 % per annum until the outstanding amount has been paid in full. The Unsecured Note matures
on October 30, 2023 and was paid in full on October 27, 2023.
Note 11 — Preferred Stock
Series AA Preferred Stock
On June 28, 2022, Estrella and Eureka entered
into the Contribution Agreement pursuant to which Eureka contributed and assigned to Estrella all right, title and interest in and to
the Assets in exchange for 105,000,000 shares of Estrella’s Series AA Preferred Stock. In accordance with ASC 805 “Common
control transactions.” The transfer of the Assets was accounted for by Estrella at historical carrying values.
Series A Preferred Stock
On June 28, 2022, Estrella entered into a Series
A Preferred Stock Purchase Agreement with an accredited third-party investor to raise gross proceeds of $ 5,000,000 by issuing 5,000,000
shares of its Series A Preferred Stock. The shares of Series A Preferred Stock were sold for $ 1.00 per share.
On each of July 31, 2023 and September 18, 2023,
an aggregate of six third party investors executed joinders to Estrella’s Series A Preferred Stock Purchase Agreement. Pursuant
to the joinders, such investors agreed to purchase an aggregate of 9,250,000 shares of Estrella’s Series A Preferred Stock for $ 9,250,000
immediately prior to the effective time of Estrella’s merger with UPTD. Subsequently and immediately prior to the effective time
of the merger with UPTD, such shares of Estrella’s Series A Preferred Stock converted into Estrella Common Stock and then into Merger
Consideration Shares based on an exchange ratio of 0.2407 determined by the total number of shares of Estrella Common Stock outstanding
immediately prior to the Effective Time in accordance with the Merger Agreement. In addition, immediately prior to the Effective Time,
500,000 shares of Estrella’s Series A Preferred Stock were issued to White Lion for $ 500,000 and 250,000 shares of Estrella’s
Series A Preferred Stock were issued to White Lion in consideration for its commitments under the Common Stock Purchase Agreement pursuant
to the Joinder to the Series A Preferred Stock Purchase Agreement between Estrella and White Lion, dated April 20, 2023, as further described
in Note 8 above.
The significant terms of the Series A, Series
AA Preferred Stocks issued by Estrella are as follows:
Dividend Rights
Each holder of Preferred Stock shall be entitled
to receive only when, as and if declared by the board of directors, out of any funds and assets legally available therefor, dividends
on a pari passu basis at the rate of 8 % of the original issue price of $ 1.00 per share. The dividend shall be non-cumulative and non-compounding.
Liquidation Rights
Series A Preferred Stock – In
the event of any voluntary or involuntary liquidation, dissolution or winding up of Estrella, the holders of shares of Series A Preferred
Stock then outstanding shall be entitled to be paid out of the assets of Estrella available for distribution to its stockholders or, in
the case of a Deemed Liquidation Event (as defined below), out of the consideration payable to stockholders in such Deemed Liquidation
Event or the Available Proceeds, before any payment shall be made to the holders of Series AA Preferred Stock or Common Stock by reason
of their ownership thereof, and amount per share equal to the applicable Original Issue Price, plus any dividends declared but unpaid
thereon.
20
Series AA Preferred Stock – After
payment of the full liquidation preference of the Series A Preferred Stock, then in the event of any voluntary or involuntary liquidation,
dissolution or winding up of Estrella, the holders of shares of Series AA Preferred Stock then outstanding shall be entitled to be paid
out of the assets of Estrella available for distribution to its stockholders or, in the case of a Deemed Liquidation Event, out of the
consideration payable to stockholders in such Deemed Liquidation Event or the Available Proceeds. Before any payment shall be made to
the holders of Common Stock by reason of their ownership, an amount per share equal to the applicable Original Issue Price, plus any dividends
declare but unpaid thereon.
Distribution of Remaining Assets – If
there are any remaining assets of the Estrella, such assets shall be distributed among the holders of the shares of Series A Preferred
Stock and Common Stock, prorated based on the number of shares held by each such holder, treating for this purpose all such securities
as if they had been converted to Common Stock.
Voting Rights
Each holder of outstanding shares of Series A
Preferred Stock shall be entitled to cast two (2) votes for each share of Series A Preferred Stock held by such holder and each holder
of outstanding shares of Series AA Preferred Stock shall be entitled to cast one (1) vote for each share of Series AA Preferred Stock
held by such holder. Except as provided by law or by the other provisions of the amended and restated certificate of incorporation, holders
of Preferred Stock shall vote together with holders of Common Stock as a single class.
Conversion Rights
Each share of Preferred Stock shall be convertible,
at the option of the holder at any time and from time to time, and without the payment of additional consideration by the holder into
such number of fully paid and non – assessable shares of Common Stock as is determined by dividing the Original Issue Price by the
Conversion Price in effect at the time of conversion. The Series A Conversion Price applicable to the Series A Preferred Stock shall initially
be equal to $ 1.00 . The Series AA Conversion Price applicable to the Series AA Preferred Stock shall initially be equal to $ 1.00 . The Series
A Conversion Price and the Series AA Conversion Price are referred to as “Conversion Price.” The initial Conversion Prices
and the rate at which shares of applicable Preferred Stock may be converted into shares of Common Stock, shall be subject to adjustment
in connection with certain dilutive issuances, share split, combinations, dividends, distributions, recapitalizations, mergers, consolidations,
reclassifications, exchanges, and substitutions.
Pursuant to the Estrella’s amended and restated
certificate of incorporation, holders of the Estrella’s Preferred Stock have the following methods of conversion: Automatic conversion
upon either (a) the closing of the sale of shares of Common Stock to the public at a price of at least $ 1.00 per share (subject to appropriate
adjustment in the event of any stock dividend, stock splits, combination or other similar recapitalization with respect to the Common
Stock), in a firm-commitment underwritten public offering pursuant to an effective registration statement under the Securities Act of
1933, as amended, resulting in at least $ 50,000,000 of gross proceeds to Estrella and in connection with such offering the Common Stock
is listed for trading on the Nasdaq Stock Market’s National Market, the New York Stock Exchange or another exchange or marketplace
approved by the board of directors or (b) the date and time, or the occurrence of an event, specified by vote or written consent of (i)
the holders of at least a majority of the outstanding shares of Series A Preferred Stock and (ii) the holders of at least a majority of
the outstanding shares of Series AA Preferred Stock, voting separately, then (x) all outstanding shares of Preferred Stock shall automatically
be converted into shares of Common Stock, at the then effective conversion rate (y) such shares may not be reissued by Estrella.
Redemption Rights
Both Series A Preferred Stock and Series AA Preferred
Stock were mandatorily redeemable upon the occurrence of a “Deemed Liquidation Event” which includes the following: (1) a
merger or consolidation in which (a) Estrella is a constituent party or (b) a subsidiary of Estrella is a constituent party and Estrella
issues shares of its capital stock pursuant to such merger or consolidation, except any such merger or consolidation involving the Corporation
or a subsidiary in which the shares of capital stock of Estrella outstanding immediately prior to such merger or consolidation continue
to represent, or are converted into or exchanged for shares of capital stock that represent, immediately following such merger or consolidation,
at least a majority, by voting power, of the capital stock of (i) the surviving or resulting corporation; or (ii) if the surviving or
resulting corporation is a wholly owned subsidiary of another corporation immediately following such merger or consolidation, the parent
corporation of such surviving or resulting corporation; or (2) (a) the sale, lease, transfer, exclusive license or other disposition,
in a single transaction or series of related transactions, by Estrella or any subsidiary of Estrella of all or substantially all the assets
of Estrella and its subsidiaries taken as a whole, or (b) the sale or disposition (whether by merger, consolidation or otherwise, and
whether in a single transaction or a series of related transactions) of one or more subsidiaries of Estrella if substantially all of the
assets of Estrella and its subsidiaries taken as a whole are held by such subsidiary or subsidiaries, except where such sale, lease, transfer,
exclusive license or other disposition is to a wholly owned subsidiary of Estrella.
21
Estrella shall use the consideration received
by Estrella for such Deemed Liquidation Events mentioned above (net of any retained liabilities associated with the assets sold or technology
licensed, as determined in good faith by the board of directors of Estrella) , together with any other assets of Estrella available
for distribution to its stockholders, all to the extent permitted by Delaware law governing distributions to stockholders (the “Available
Proceeds”), to redeem all outstanding shares of Preferred Stock at a price per share equal to the applicable liquidation amount,
which is equal to the original issue price of the Preferred Stock plus any declared but unpaid dividends. The Series A Preferred Stock
must receive its liquidation amount prior to the Series AA Preferred Stock receives any payment.
The Series A Preferred Stock and the Series AA
Preferred Stock were accounted for under Section 480-10-S99 — Distinguishing Liabilities from Equity (FASB Accounting Standards
Codification 480) as amended by ASU 2009-04 — for Redeemable Equity Instruments (“ASU 2009-04”). Under ASU 2009-04,
a redeemable equity security is to be classified as temporary equity if it is conditionally redeemable upon the occurrence of an event
that is not solely within the control of the issuer. Therefore, the Company classified the Series A Preferred Stock and Series AA Preferred
Stock as temporary equity in the condensed consolidated balance sheet as of June 30, 2023.
Immediately prior to the consummation of the business
combination on September 29, 2023, all shares of Estrella Series A and Series AA Preferred Stock were converted into Estrella Common Stock
and each share of Estrella Common Stock was exchanged for shares of Common Stock at an exchange ratio of 0.2407 .
Note 12 — Stockholders’
Equity (Deficit)
Before reverse recapitalization
Given the consideration of retroactive adjustments,
upon incorporation on March 20, 2022, the Company’s authorized shares were 145,000,000 shares of Common Stock with a par value of
$ 0.0001 per share.
After reverse recapitalization
Upon consummation of the business combination
on September 29, 2023, each share of Estrella’s Common Stock was converted into 0.2407 shares of the Company’s Common Stock.
The Company’s authorized shares of Common
Stock is 250,000,000 with a par value of $ 0.0001 per share (the “Common Stock”). Given the retroactive effect of the reverse
recapitalization, as of June 30, 2023, there were 978,243 shares of Common Stock issued and outstanding.
Issuance of Common Stock upon the reverse
recapitalization (see Note 3)
On September 29, 2023, upon the consummation of
the Business Combination, the Company issued an aggregate total of 1,701,232 Common Stock to UPTD’s shareholders.
The following table presents the number of the
Company’s ordinary shares issued upon the Reverse Recapitalization:
Ordinary
Shares
UPTD’s Common Stock outstanding prior to Reverse Recapitalization
2,329,920
Less: redemption of UPTD’s Common Stock
( 628,688 )
Total shares issued upon the Reverse Recapitalization
1,701,232
22
Conversion of Series A Preferred Stock and
the Series AA Preferred Stock
Immediately prior to the consummation of the business
combination on September 29, 2023, all shares of Estrella Series A and Series AA Preferred Stock were converted into Estrella Common Stock
and then into Merger Consideration Shares which is amounted to 28,888,675 shares of Common Stock based on an exchange ratio of 0.2407
determined by the total number of shares of Estrella Common Stock outstanding at the Effective Time in accordance with the Merger Agreement.
PIPE investment shares
In connection with the Merger, on September 14,
2023, UPTD entered into subscription agreements (the “Subscription Agreements”) with each of Plentiful Limited, a Samoan limited
company (“Plentiful Limited”) and Lianhe World Limited (“Lianhe World,” together with Plentiful Limited, collectively,
the “PIPE Investors”). Concurrently with the closing of the Business Combination, the Company issued 500,000 shares of Common
Stock to each of Plentiful Limited and Lianhe World, respectively, for aggregate proceeds of $ 10,000,000 .
Within thirty days following the date of the Closing,
each PIPE Investor will also be entitled to receive 704,819 shares of Common Stock. Within five days following the date that is 24 months
following the Closing (the “24-Month Date”), if the VWAP of Common Stock for the fifteen trading days prior to the 24-Month
Date (the “24-Month Date VWAP”) is less than $ 8.30 , then each of them will be entitled to a number of shares of Common Stock
equal to (i) (A) 8.30 minus (B) the 24-Month Date VWAP multiplied by (ii) (A) the number of Shares held by the Investor on the 24-Month
Date minus (B) the number of Shares acquired by the Investor following the Closing divided by 10.00.
On January 22, 2024, the Company completed the
issuance of an additional 704,819 shares of Common Stock to each of the two PIPE Investors. The shares were issued as part of the consideration
that each PIPE Investor was entitled to receive thirty days following the date of the closing of the Business Combination.
Warrants
In connection with the reverse recapitalization,
the Company has assumed 2,215,000 Public Warrants outstanding. Public Warrants met the criteria for equity classification.
Each whole Warrant entitles the registered holder
to purchase one whole share of the Company’s Common Stock at a price of $ 11.50 per share. Pursuant to the warrant agreement,
a warrant holder may exercise its Warrants only for a whole number of shares of Common Stock. This means that only a whole Warrant may
be exercised at any given time by a warrant holder. No fractional Warrants will be issued upon separation of the Units and only whole
Warrants will trade. The Warrants will expire five years after the completion of the Company’s initial Business Combination,
at 5:00 p.m., New York City time, or earlier upon redemption or liquidation.
The Company has agreed that as soon as practicable,
but in no event later than 30 business days, after the closing of the initial Business Combination, it will use its reasonable commercially
reasonable efforts to file, and within 60 business days following its initial Business Combination to have declared effective, a
registration statement for the registration, under the Securities Act, of the shares of Common Stock issuable upon exercise of the Warrants.
The Company will use its commercially reasonable efforts to maintain the effectiveness of such registration statement, and a current prospectus
relating thereto, until the expiration of the Warrants in accordance with the provisions of the warrant agreement. 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 shares of Common Stock. Notwithstanding the above, if the Company’s Common
Stock is at the time of any exercise of a Warrant not listed on a national securities exchange such that it satisfies the definition of
a “covered security” under Section 18(b)(1) of the Securities Act, the Company may, at its option, require holders of 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 it so elect, it will not be required to file or maintain in effect a registration statement, but it will be required to use
its commercially reasonable efforts to register or qualify the shares under applicable blue sky laws to the extent an exemption is not
available.
23
Once the Warrants become exercisable, the Company
may call the Warrants for redemption:
● in
whole and not in part;
● at
a price of $ 0.01 per Warrant;
● upon
not less than 30 days’ prior written notice of redemption (the “30-day redemption period”) to each warrant holder;
and
● if,
and only if, the reported last sale price of the Common Stock equals or exceeds $ 16.50 per share (as adjusted for stock splits,
stock dividends, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) for any 20 trading days within a 30-trading day period ending on third
business day before the Company send the notice of redemption to the warrant holders.
The Company accounted for the 2,215,000 public
Warrants assumed from the merger as equity instruments in accordance with ASC 480, “Distinguishing Liabilities from Equity”
and ASC 815-40, “Derivatives and Hedging: Contracts in Entity’s Own Equity”.
Stock Repurchase Program
On January 30, 2024, the Company issued a press
release announcing that its board of directors has authorized share repurchases of up to $ 1 million of its common stock. The authorization
does not constitute a formal or binding commitment to make any share repurchases and the timing, amount and method of any share repurchases
made pursuant to the authorization will be determined at a future date depending on market conditions and other factors. As
of March 31, 2024, $ 915,909 remained available for repurchases.
For the nine months
ended March 31, 2024, the Company repurchased 74,890 shares of its Common stock in open market transactions for $ 84,091 at a weighted
average price per share of $ 1.12 . The Company did not repurchase any shares of its Common stock during the same period in 2023. As
of March 31, 2024, $ 915,909 remained available for stock repurchasing.
Note 13 — Stock Based Compensation
At the special meeting of UPTD stockholders related
to the Business Combination held on July 31, 2023, UPTD’s shareholders approved the adoption of the Company’s 2023 Omnibus
Incentive Plan (the “2023 Plan”), which became effective on the Closing Date. Upon the closing of the Business Combination,
3,520,123 shares of Common Stock became authorized for issuance under the 2023 Plan. As of the date hereof, no shares of Common Stock
have been issued under the Incentive Plan.
On May 27, 2022, the Company’s board of
directors approved its 2022 Equity Incentive Plan (the “2022 Plan”). The 2022 Plan provides for the grant of (i) options,
(ii) share appreciation rights, (iii) restricted share awards, (iv) restricted share unit awards, and (v) other share awards. The aggregate
number of shares of Common Stock that may be issued pursuant to the 2022 Plan will not exceed 15,000,000 shares of Common Stock. On May
27, 2022, the Company granted options under the 2022 Plan to purchase 15,000,000 shares of its Common Stock to its employees, board of
directors, and other consultants. The total fair value of these stock options was approximately $ 1,638,381 .
The stock-based compensation expense recorded
in the Company’s results of operations for the nine months ended March 31, 2024 and 2023 were $ 1,194,653 and $ 307,197 , respectively.
The stock-based compensation expense recorded in the Company’s results of operations for the three months ended March 31, 2024 and
2023 were $ 0 and $ 102,399 , respectively.
24
The breakdown of stock-based compensation by categories
for the three and nine months ended March 31, 2024 and 2023 are summarized below:
For the
three months
Ended
March 31,
2024
For the
three months
Ended
March 31,
2023
Research and development
$ -
$ 38,912
General and administrative
-
63,487
Total stock based compensation
$ -
$ 102,399
For the
Nine months
Ended
March 31,
2024
For the
Nine months
Ended
March 31,
2023
Research and development
$ 453,968
$ 116,735
General and administrative
740,685
190,462
Total stock based compensation
$ 1,194,653
$ 307,197
The intrinsic value of the granted options was
approximately $ 1.6 million. Upon completion of the business combination on September 29, 2023, the unvested options were vested upon consummation
of the merger, under which the Company recognized the remaining unrecognized fair value as expense.
The Company estimated the fair value of the stock
options using the Black-Scholes option pricing model. The fair value of employee stock options issued was estimated using the following
assumptions:
Grant date
May 27,
2022
Exercise price
$ 0.001
Estimated stock price
$ 0.11
Expected volatility
120.0 %
Expected term (in years)
4.00
Risk-free interest rate
3.00 %
The risk-free interest rate was obtained from
U.S. Treasury rates for the applicable periods. The Company’s expected volatility was based upon the implied volatility of a portfolio
of comparable companies. The expected life of the Company’s options was determined using the actual remaining life of the stock
option. The fair value of the Common Stock input was determined by the board of directors based on a variety of factors, including valuation
prepared by a third party, the Company’s financial position, the status of development efforts within the Company, the current climate
in the marketplace and the prospects of a liquidity event, among others.
For the nine months ended March 31, 2024, no additional
stock options were granted.
On May 27, 2022, all employees, the board of directors,
and other consultants elected to exercise the stock options granted by the Company early. The total proceeds received by the Company amounted
to $ 15,000 and was recorded as other liability due to the terms of the early exercised shares, which are subject to repurchase until such
shares are vested and are required to be returned to the Company if the vesting conditions are not satisfied. Such other liability account
should be cleared at the time the exercised shares are vested or repurchased. As of March 31, 2024 and June 30, 2023, the unamortized
balance of the above mentioned other liability amounted to $ 0 and $ 12,725 , respectively, based on the vesting period.
25
A summary of early-exercised stock option’s
vesting activity for the year ended June 30, 2023, and for the nine months ended March 31, 2024 is as follows:
Number of
Shares
Weighted-
Average
Grant Date
Fair Value
per share
Balance of unvested early-exercised stock option at June 30, 2022
14,825,000
$ 0.11
Vested early-exercised stock option
( 3,887,500 )
$ 0.11
Balance of unvested early-exercised stock option at June 30, 2023
10,937,500
$ 0.11
Vested early-exercised stock option
( 10,937,500 )
$ 0.11
Balance of unvested early-exercised stock option at March 31, 2024
-
$ -
Note 14 — Leases
On July 6, 2022, the Company entered into an office
lease contract with Eureka, a related party (“Lease 1”). Under the original lease contract, the sublease agreement commenced
on August 1, 2022 and expires on September 30, 2023. In November 2022, the sublease’s expiration date was amended to July 31, 2023.
On October 1, 2023 Estrella entered into an office
lease contract with Eureka, a related party (“Lease 2”) for nine months without any renewal option.
The Company’s office lease was classified
as an operating lease. The Company’s lease agreement does not contain any material residual value guarantees or material restrictive
covenants.
The Company elected not to apply the ROU and lease
liability recognition requirements to above mentioned short-term lease in accordance with ASC 842-20-25-2. As a result of the lease amendment,
the Company then reduced the corresponding ROU and lease liability to $ 0 from Lease 1 and continued to recognize the lease monthly payments
in profit or loss on a straight–line basis over the remaining lease term period.
Rent expense for the three months ended March
31, 2024 and 2023 was $ 6,000 . Rent expense for the nine months ended March 31, 2024 and 2023 was $ 14,000 and $ 16,000 , respectively.
Note 15 — Subsequent Events
The Company evaluated subsequent events and transactions
that occurred after the balance sheet date through May 14, 2024, when the unaudited financial statements were issued. Except as described
below, there were no material subsequent events that required recognition or disclosure in the financial statements.
Clinical Trial Agreement
On April 9, 2024, the Company entered into an
Accelerated Clinical Trial Agreement with the Regents of the University of California for conducting Starlight-1, a multicenter clinical
trial sponsored by the Company.
Stock Repurchase
From April 1, 2024 to May 13, 2024, the Company
repurchased 159,687 shares of its Common Stock in open market transactions for $ 182,867.79 at a weighted average price per share of $ 1.15 .
26
Text extracted from the filing as submitted to EDGAR. Formatting, tables and exhibits are simplified for reading; the original document is authoritative for anything you rely on.