UNITED
STATES
SECURITIES
AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington,
D.C. 20549
SCHEDULE
14A
Proxy
Statement Pursuant to Section 14(a) of the
Securities
Exchange Act of 1934
Filed
by the Registrant ☒
Filed
by a Party other than the Registrant ☐
Check
the appropriate box:
☐ |
Preliminary
Proxy Statement |
☐ |
Confidential,
for Use of the Commission Only (as permitted by Rule 14a-6(e)(2)) |
☐ |
Definitive
Proxy Statement |
☒ |
Definitive
Additional Materials |
☐ |
Soliciting
Material Pursuant to Section 240.14a-12 |
East
Stone Acquisition Corporation
(Name
of Registrant as Specified In Its Charter)
(Name
of Person(s) Filing Proxy Statement, if other than the Registrant)
Payment
of Filing Fee (Check the appropriate box):
☐ |
Fee
paid previously with preliminary materials |
☐ |
Fee
computed on table in exhibit required by Item 25(b) per Exchange Act Rules 14a-6(i)(1) and 0-11. |
UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
FORM 8-K
CURRENT REPORT
PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE
SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported):
November 7, 2022
East Stone Acquisition Corporation
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
British Virgin Islands |
|
001-39233 |
|
N/A |
(State or other jurisdiction
of incorporation) |
|
(Commission File Number) |
|
(IRS Employer
Identification No.) |
2 Burlington Woods Drive, Suite 100
Burlington, MA 01803
(Address of principal executive offices, including
zip code)
Registrant’s telephone number, including
area code: (781) 202 9128
(Former name or former address, if changed since
last report)
Check the appropriate box
below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following
provisions:
☐ |
Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425) |
|
|
☐ |
Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12) |
|
|
☐ |
Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b)) |
|
|
☐ |
Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c)) |
Indicate by check mark whether
the registrant is an emerging growth company as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act of 1933 (§230.405 of this chapter) or Rule
12b-2 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (§240.12b-2 of this chapter).
Emerging growth company ☒
If an emerging growth company,
indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial
accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ☐
Securities registered pursuant
to Section 12(b) of the Act:
Title of each class |
|
Trading Symbol(s) |
|
Name of each exchange on which registered |
Units, each consisting of one Ordinary Share, one Right and one Warrant |
|
ESSCU |
|
The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC |
Ordinary Shares, no par value |
|
ESSC |
|
The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC |
Rights, exchangeable into one-tenth of one Ordinary Share |
|
ESSCR |
|
The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC |
Warrants, each exercisable for one-half of one Ordinary Share, each whole Ordinary Share exercisable for $11.50 per share |
|
ESSCW |
|
The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC |
Item
8.01 Other Events.
On November 8, 2022, East Stone Acquisition Corporation
(“East Stone”) issued a press release announcing that its special meeting in lieu of annual meeting of shareholders (the “Meeting”),
which was originally scheduled for Monday, November 7, 2022, has been adjourned to 3:00 p.m. Eastern Time, on Tuesday, November 8,
2022. At the Meeting, shareholders will be asked to vote on proposals to approve, among other things, its initial business combination
with NWTN Inc. (“NWTN”) (the “Business Combination”).
As a result of this change, the Meeting will now
be held at 3:00 p.m., Eastern Time, on November 8, 2022, via a live webcast at https://www.cstproxy.com/eaststoneacquisition/sm2022.
As of 5:00 pm Eastern Time on November 3, 2022 (the “Redemption Deadline”), East Stone had received requests to redeem a total
of 3,111,717 ordinary shares. If all of such redemption requests are satisfied by East Stone, the 3,111,717 ordinary shares, representing
95.98% of East Stone’s total outstanding publicly held shares that are subject to redemption, would be redeemed.
A copy of
the press release is attached as Exhibit 99.1 to this Current Report on Form 8-K and incorporated herein by reference.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
NWTN
has submitted with the SEC a Registration Statement on Form F-4 (as amended, the “Registration Statement”), which was
declared effective on October 20, 2022 and included a proxy statement of East Stone and a prospectus in connection with the proposed transactions
(the “Transactions”) involving East Stone, the Purchaser Representative, NWTN, Muse Merger Sub I Limited, Muse Merger
Sub II Limited and the Company pursuant to that certain Business Combination Agreement. The definitive proxy statement and other relevant
documents are being mailed to shareholders of East Stone as of a record date of October 4, 2022. SHAREHOLDERS OF EAST STONE AND OTHER
INTERESTED PARTIES ARE URGED TO READ, WHEN AVAILABLE, 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, NWTN 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 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 of 1933, as amended, or an exemption therefrom.
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 with the SEC as exhibits to the Registration Statement.
PARTICIPANTS IN THE SOLICITATION
NWTN,
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 are included in the Registration Statement (and is included in the definitive proxy statement/prospectus
for the Transactions) and other relevant documents filed with the SEC.
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 and concurrent private placement; (6) the anticipated capitalization and enterprise
value of the combined company following the consummation of the proposed Transactions and concurrent private placement; (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 parties’ inability to consummate the Transactions and concurrent private placement; 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 prior to the execution of the Business Combination Agreement; the ability to obtain or maintain the listing of the NWTN’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; 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 NWTN 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 NWTN 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.
SIGNATURE
Pursuant to the requirements
of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto
duly authorized.
|
East Stone Acquisition Corporation |
|
|
|
Date: November 8, 2022 |
By: |
/s/ Xiaoma (Sherman) Lu |
|
|
Name: |
Xiaoma (Sherman) Lu |
|
|
Title: |
Chief Executive Officer |
3
East Stone Acquisition (NASDAQ:ESSC)
Historical Stock Chart
From Oct 2024 to Nov 2024
East Stone Acquisition (NASDAQ:ESSC)
Historical Stock Chart
From Nov 2023 to Nov 2024