Item 8.01. Other Events.
As previously disclosed, on April 15, 2022, East Stone Acquisition Corporation,
a British Virgin Island business company ("East Stone"), entered into a Business
Combination Agreement (the "Business Combination Agreement") providing for the
business combination (the "Business Combination") of East Stone and ICONIQ
Holding Limited, a Cayman Islands company engaged in the business of developing
smart electric vehicles (the "Company"), under a new holding company named NWTN
Inc., a Cayman Islands company ("Pubco").
On June 8, 2022, the Company and East Stone issued a joint press release (the
"Press Release") announcing the confidential submission of a draft of a
Registration Statement on Form F-4 ("Registration Statement") to the United
States Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC"), with respect to its
proposed Business Combination. A copy of the Press Release is filed herewith
as Exhibit 99.1.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Pubco has submitted with the SEC, a Registration Statement (as may be amended),
which will include a preliminary proxy statement of East Stone and a prospectus
in connection with the proposed transactions (the "Transactions") involving East
Stone, the Purchaser Representative, the Pubco, Muse Merger Sub I Limited, Muse
Merger Sub II Limited and the Company pursuant to the Business Combination
Agreement by and among the parties (the "Business Combination Agreement"). The
definitive proxy statement and other relevant documents will be mailed to
shareholders of East Stone as of a record date to be established for voting on
East Stone's proposed Transactions with the Company. SHAREHOLDERS OF EAST STONE
AND OTHER INTERESTED PARTIES ARE URGED TO READ, WHEN AVAILABLE, THE PRELIMINARY
PROXY STATEMENT, AND AMENDMENTS THERETO, AND THE DEFINITIVE PROXY STATEMENT IN
CONNECTION WITH EAST STONE'S SOLICITATION OF PROXIES FOR THE SPECIAL MEETING OF
ITS SHAREHOLDERS TO BE HELD TO APPROVE THE TRANSACTIONS BECAUSE THESE DOCUMENTS
WILL CONTAIN IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT EAST STONE, THE COMPANY, PUBCO AND THE
TRANSACTIONS. Shareholders will also be able to obtain copies of the
Registration Statement and the proxy statement/prospectus, without charge, once
available, on the SEC's website at www.sec.gov or by directing a request to East
Stone by contacting its Chief Financial Officer, Chunyi (Charlie) Hao, c/o East
Stone Acquisition Corporation, 2 Burlington Woods Drive, Suite 100, Burlington,
MA 01803, at (781) 202-9128 or at hao@estonecapital.com.
DISCLAIMER
This report and the exhibits hereto shall not constitute an offer to sell or the
solicitation of an offer to buy any securities, nor shall there be any sale of
securities in any jurisdiction in which the offer, solicitation or sale would be
unlawful prior to the registration or qualification under the securities laws of
any such jurisdiction. No offering of securities shall be made except by means
of a prospectus meeting the requirements of Section 10 of the Securities Act.
NO ASSURANCES
There can be no assurance that the proposed Transactions will be completed, nor
can there be any assurance, if the Transactions are completed, that the
potential benefits of combining the companies will be realized. The description
of the Transactions contained herein is only a summary and is qualified in its
entirety by reference to the definitive agreements relating to the Transactions,
copies of which have been filed by East Stone with the SEC as exhibits to this
report.
PARTICIPANTS IN THE SOLICITATION
Pubco, East Stone and their respective directors and executive officers may be
deemed to be participants in the solicitation of proxies from the shareholders
of East Stone in connection with the Transactions. Information regarding the
officers and directors of East Stone is set forth in East Stone's annual report
on Form 10-K, which was filed with the SEC on April 15, 2022. Additional
information regarding the interests of such potential participants will also be
included in the Registration Statement (and will be included in the definitive
proxy statement/prospectus for the Transactions) and other relevant documents
filed with the SEC.
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CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
The information in this report includes "forward-looking statements" within the
meaning of the "safe harbor" provisions of the United States Private Securities
Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements may be identified by
the use of words such as "estimate," "plan," "project," "forecast," "intend,"
"may," "will," "expect," "continue," "should," "would," "anticipate," "believe,"
"seek," "target," "predict," "potential," "seem," "future," "outlook" or other
similar expressions that predict or indicate future events or trends or that are
not statements of historical matters, but the absence of these words does not
mean that a statement is not forward-looking. These forward-looking statements
include, but are not limited to, (1) statements regarding estimates and
forecasts of financial and performance metrics and projections of market
opportunity and market share; (2) references with respect to the anticipated
benefits of the proposed Transactions and the projected future financial
performance of East Stone and the Company's operating companies following the
proposed Transactions; (3) changes in the market for the Company's products and
services and expansion plans and opportunities; (4) the Company's unit
economics; (5) the sources and uses of cash of the proposed Transactions; (6)
the anticipated capitalization and enterprise value of the combined company
following the consummation of the proposed Transactions; (7) the projected
technological developments of the Company and its competitors; (8) anticipated
short- and long-term customer benefits; (9) current and future potential
commercial and customer relationships; (10) the ability to manufacture
efficiently at scale; (11) anticipated investments in research and development
and the effect of these investments and timing related to commercial product
launches; and (12) expectations related to the terms and timing of the proposed
Transactions. These statements are based on various assumptions, whether or not
identified in this report, and on the current expectations of the Company's and
East Stone's management and are not predictions of actual performance. These
forward-looking statements are provided for illustrative purposes only and are
not intended to serve as, and must not be relied on by any investor as, a
guarantee, an assurance, a prediction or a definitive statement of fact or
probability. Actual events and circumstances are difficult or impossible to
predict and will differ from assumptions. Many actual events and circumstances
are beyond the control of the Company and East Stone. These forward-looking
statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, including the
occurrence of any event, change or other circumstances that could give rise to
the termination of the Business Combination Agreement; the risk that the
Transactions disrupt current plans and operations as a result of the
announcement and consummation of the Transactions described herein; the
inability to recognize the anticipated benefits of the Transactions; the lack of
a third-party fairness opinion in determining whether or not to pursue the
proposed Transactions; the ability to obtain or maintain the listing of the
Pubco's securities on The Nasdaq Stock Market, following the Transactions,
including having the requisite number of shareholders; costs related to the
Transactions; changes in domestic and foreign business, market, financial,
political and legal conditions; risks relating to the uncertainty of the
projected financial information with respect to the Company; the Company's
ability to successfully and timely develop, manufacture, sell and expand its
technology and products, including implement its growth strategy; the Company's
ability to adequately manage any supply chain risks, including the purchase of a
sufficient supply of critical components incorporated into its product
offerings; risks relating to the Company's operations and business, including
information technology and cybersecurity risks, failure to adequately forecast
supply and demand, loss of key customers and deterioration in relationships
between the Company and its employees; the Company's ability to successfully
collaborate with business partners; demand for the Company's current and future
offerings; risks that orders that have been placed for the Company's products
are cancelled or modified; risks related to increased competition; risks
relating to potential disruption in the transportation and shipping
infrastructure, including trade policies and export controls; risks that the
Company is unable to secure or protect its intellectual property; risks of
product liability or regulatory lawsuits relating to the Company's products and
services; risks that the post-combination company experiences difficulties
managing its growth and expanding operations; the uncertain effects of the
COVID-19 pandemic and certain geopolitical developments; the inability of the
parties to successfully or timely consummate the proposed Transactions,
including the risk that any required shareholder or regulatory approvals are not
obtained, are delayed or are subject to unanticipated conditions that could
adversely affect the combined company or the expected benefits of the proposed
Transactions; the outcome of any legal proceedings that may be instituted
against the Company, East Stone or Pubco or other following announcement of the
proposed Transactions and transactions contemplated thereby; the ability of the
Company to execute its business model, including market acceptance of its
planned products and services and achieving sufficient production volumes at
acceptable quality levels and prices; technological improvements by the
Company's peers and competitors; and those risk factors discussed in documents
of Pubco and East Stone filed, or to be filed, with the SEC. If any of these
risks materialize or our assumptions prove incorrect, actual results could
differ materially from the results implied by these forward-looking statements.
There may be additional risks that neither East Stone nor the Company presently
know or that East Stone and the Company currently believe are immaterial that
could also cause actual results to differ from those contained in the
forward-looking statements. In addition, forward-looking statements reflect East
Stone's and the Company's expectations, plans or forecasts of future events and
views as of the date of this report. East Stone and the Company anticipate that
subsequent events and developments will cause East Stone's and the Company's
assessments to change. However, while East Stone and the Company may elect to
update these forward-looking statements at some point in the future, East Stone
and the Company specifically disclaim any obligation to do so. Readers are
referred to the most recent reports filed with the SEC by East Stone. Readers
are cautioned not to place undue reliance upon any forward-looking statements,
which speak only as of the date made, and we undertake no obligation to update
or revise the forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new
information, future events or otherwise.
Item 9.01 Financial Statements and Exhibits.
(a) Exhibits
Exhibit No. Description
99.1 Press Release, dated June 8, 2022
104 Cover Page Interactive Data File (embedded within the Inline XBRL document)
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