Item 1.01. Entry into a Material Definitive Agreement.
Termination of Business Combination Agreement with Picard
As previously disclosed, on April 23, 2023, Altitude Acquisition Corp., a Delaware corporation (the “Company”), entered into a business combination agreement (the “Picard Business Combination Agreement”) by and among the Company, Altitude Merger Sub I, Inc., a Delaware corporation and a direct, wholly owned subsidiary of the Company, Altitude Merger Sub II, LLC a Delaware limited liability company and a direct wholly owned subsidiary of the Company, Picard Medical, Inc., a Delaware corporation (“Picard”) and Hunniwell Picard I, LLC, solely in its capacity as the representative, agent and attorney-in-fact of the securityholders of Picard.
On February 23, 2024, pursuant to Section 10.1(c) of the Picard Business Combination Agreement, the parties to the Picard Business Combination Agreement entered into a Mutual Termination and Release Agreement (the “Termination Agreement”) to terminate the Picard Business Combination Agreement (the “Termination”). The Termination Agreement also provides that each other agreement among the parties relating to the Picard Business Combination Agreement is automatically terminated concurrently with the Termination, including, and without limitation, the support agreement entered into by Picard, the Company and the Company’s sponsor (the “Sponsor Support Agreement”) and the support agreement entered into by Picard, the Company and certain Picard stockholders (the “Picard Support Agreement”). The Termination Agreement also provides for a mutual release of claims among the parties and their affiliates, except for claims of fraud and willful breach. No party will be required to pay a termination fee as a result of the mutual decision to enter into the Termination Agreement.
The foregoing description of the Termination Agreement does not purport to be complete and is qualified in its entirety by reference to the text of the Termination Agreement, a copy of which is filed as Exhibit 10.1 to this Current Report on Form 8-K (this “Current Report”) and is incorporated herein by reference.
Entry into Business Combination Agreement with Vesicor
On February 29, 2024, the Company entered into a business combination agreement (the “Business Combination Agreement”) by and among the Company, Altitude Merger Sub I, Inc., a Delaware corporation and a direct, wholly owned subsidiary of Altitude (“Merger Sub”), and Vesicor Therapeutics, Inc. a California corporation (“Vesicor”). The Business Combination Agreement provides, among other things, that on the terms and subject to the conditions set forth therein, Merger Sub will merge with and into Vesicor (the “Merger”), with Vesicor surviving as a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company (the “Surviving Corporation”). Upon the closing of the Merger (the “Closing”), it is anticipated that the Company will change its name to “Vesicor Therapeutics, Inc.” and is referred to herein as “New Vesicor” as of the time following such change of name. The date on which the Closing actually occurs is hereinafter referred to as the “Closing Date.”
Vesicor is an early-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the development of microvesicle-based therapeutics.
The Closing is expected to occur following the receipt of required approval by the stockholders of the Company and Vesicor, required regulatory approvals, the effectiveness of the registration statement on Form S-4 (“Registration Statement”) to be filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) in connection with the Merger and the fulfilment of other conditions set forth in the Business Combination Agreement.
Consideration and Structure
Each share of common stock of the Vesicor, par value $0.001 per share (“Vesicor Common Stock”) held by a Vesicor securityholder immediately prior to the Effective Time (not including dissenting shares) shall be automatically cancelled and converted into the right to receive a pro rata portion of a number of shares of common stock of New Vesicor, par value $0.001 per share (“New Vesicor Common Stock”) equal to (i)(a) $70,000,000 plus (b) Closing Cash (as defined in the Business Combination Agreement) minus (c) Closing Indebtedness (as defined in the Business Combination Agreement), (ii) divided by $10.00. Each of Vesicor’s warrants that are outstanding and unexercised prior to the Merger, whether or not then exercisable, will be assumed by New Vesicor and will be converted into a warrant to acquire shares of New Vesicor Common Stock and will be subject to the same terms and conditions that applied to the Vesicor warrant immediately prior to the Merger.