DESCRIPTION OF ORGANIZATION, BUSINESS OPERATIONS AND GOING CONCERN | NOTE 1. DESCRIPTION OF ORGANIZATION, BUSINESS OPERATIONS AND GOING CONCERN Healthwell Acquisition Corp. I (the “Company”) is a blank check company incorporated in Delaware on February 2, 2021. The Company was formed for the purpose of effectuating a merger, share exchange, asset acquisition, share purchase, reorganization or other similar business combination with one or more businesses (the “Business Combination”). The Company is an early stage and emerging growth company and, as such, the Company is subject to all of the risks associated with early stage and emerging growth companies. In connection with the business combination agreement (as described below) the Company created HWEL Holdings Corp., a newly formed wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company (“Pubco”); HWEL Merger Sub Corp., a Delaware corporation and wholly-owned subsidiary of Pubco (“Purchaser Merger Sub”); 1412384 B.C. Unlimited Liability Company, a British Columbia unlimited liability company and wholly-owned subsidiary of Pubco (“CallCo”); and 1412388 B.C. Ltd, a British Columbia corporation and wholly-owned subsidiary of CallCo (“ExchangeCo”). All of these subsidiaries have not commenced operations and have no or nominal assets. As of June 30, 2023, the Company had not commenced any operations. All activity for the period from February 2, 2021 (inception) through June 30, 2023 relates to the Company’s formation, its initial public offering (“Initial Public Offering”) as described below, and since the closing of the Initial Public Offering, its search for a prospective initial Business Combination. The Company will not generate any operating revenues until after the completion of its initial Business Combination, at the earliest. The Company generates non-operating income in the form of interest income or gains on investments on the cash and investments held in the Trust Account (as defined below) from the proceeds derived from the Initial Public Offering and the sale of the Private Placement Warrants (as defined below). The registration statement for the Company’s Initial Public Offering was declared effective on August 2, 2021. On August 5, 2021, the Company consummated the Initial Public Offering of 25,000,000 units (the “Units” and, with respect to the shares of Class A common stock included in the Units sold, the “Public Shares”), at $10.00 per Unit, generating gross proceeds of $250,000,000 (see Note 3). Simultaneously with the closing of the Initial Public Offering, the Company consummated the sale of 7,700,000 warrants (the “Private Placement Warrants”) at a price of $1.00 per Private Placement Warrant in a private placement (the “Private Placement”) to Healthwell Acquisition Corp. I Sponsor LLC (the “Sponsor”), generating gross proceeds of $7,700,000 (see Note 4). Transaction costs for the Initial Public Offering amounted to $21,720,139, consisting of $5,000,000 of underwriting fees, $8,750,000 of deferred underwriting fees, $7,207,313 of non-cash anchor investor offering costs and $762,826 of other offering costs. Following the closing of the Initial Public Offering on August 5, 2021, an amount of $250,000,000 ($10.00 per Unit) from the net proceeds of the sale of the Units in the Initial Public Offering and the sale of the Private Placement Warrants was placed in a trust account (the “Trust Account”) with Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company (“Continental”) acting as trustee, and invested in U.S. government securities within the meaning set forth in Section 2(a)(16) of the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “Investment Company Act”), with maturities of 185 days or less, or in any open-ended investment company that holds itself out as a money market fund meeting the conditions of Rule 2a-7 of the Investment Company Act, as determined by the Company, until the earlier of: (i) the consummation of a Business Combination or (ii) the distribution of the funds in the Trust Account to the Company’s stockholders, as described below. Following the 24-month anniversary of the effective date of our registration statement for the Initial Public Offering, we instructed Continental to liquidate the investments held in the Trust Account and thereafter to hold all funds in the Trust Account in an interest bearing demand deposit account at a bank until the earlier of the consummation of an initial Business Combination or the liquidation of the Company, with Continental continuing to act as trustee. As a result, following the liquidation of investments in the Trust Account, the remaining proceeds from the Initial Public Offering and the Private Placement will no longer be invested in U.S. government debt securities or money market funds. The Company’s management has broad discretion with respect to the specific application of the net proceeds of the Initial Public Offering and the sale of the Private Placement Warrants, although substantially all of the net proceeds are intended to be applied generally toward consummating a Business Combination. The Company must complete a Business Combination with one or more target businesses that together have an aggregate fair market value of at least 80% of the value of the Trust Account (excluding the deferred underwriting commissions and taxes payable on income earned on the Trust Account) at the time of the agreement to enter into an initial Business Combination. The Company will only complete a Business Combination if the post-transaction company owns or acquires 50% or more of the outstanding voting securities of the target or otherwise acquires a controlling interest in the target sufficient for it not to be required to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act. There is no assurance that the Company will be able to successfully effect a Business Combination. The Company will provide its holders of the outstanding Public Shares (the “public stockholders”) with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their Public Shares upon the completion of a Business Combination either (i) in connection with a stockholder meeting called to approve the Business Combination or (ii) by means of a tender offer. The decision as to whether the Company will seek stockholder approval of a Business Combination or conduct a tender offer will be made by the Company, solely in its discretion, and will be based on a variety of factors such as the timing of the transaction and whether the terms of the transaction would require the Company to seek stockholder approval under applicable law or stock exchange listing requirement. The public stockholders will be entitled to redeem their Public Shares for a pro rata portion of the amount then in the Trust Account (initially $10.00 per Public Share, plus any pro rata interest earned on the funds held in the Trust Account and not previously released to the Company to pay its tax obligations). There will be no redemption rights upon the completion of a Business Combination with respect to the Company’s warrants. The Public Shares subject to redemption are recorded at redemption value and classified as temporary equity upon the completion of the Initial Public Offering in accordance with the Financial Accounting Standards Board’s (“FASB”) Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) Topic 480, Distinguishing Liabilities from Equity A quorum for a meeting to approve an initial Business Combination will consist of the holders present in person or by proxy of shares of outstanding capital stock of the Company representing a majority of the voting power of all outstanding shares of capital stock of the Company entitled to vote at such meeting. In such case, pursuant to the terms of a letter agreement entered into with the Company, the initial stockholders have agreed (and their permitted transferees will agree) to vote their Founder Shares (as defined in Note 5) and any Public Shares held by them in favor of an initial Business Combination. The Company expects that at the time of any stockholder vote relating to an initial Business Combination, the initial stockholders and their permitted transferees will own at least 20% of the issued and outstanding common stock entitled to vote thereon. The directors and officers also have agreed to vote in favor of an initial Business Combination with respect to any Public Shares acquired by them. These voting thresholds, and the voting agreements of the initial stockholders, may make it more likely that the Company will consummate a Business Combination. Each public stockholder may elect to redeem their Public Shares without voting, and if they do vote, irrespective of whether they vote for or against the proposed transaction. Notwithstanding the above, if the Company seeks stockholder approval of a Business Combination and it does not conduct redemptions pursuant to the tender offer rules, the Company’s amended and restated certificate of incorporation (the “Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation”) provides that a public stockholder, together with any affiliate of such stockholder or any other person with whom such stockholder is acting in concert or as a “group” (as defined under Section 13 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”)), will be restricted from redeeming its shares with respect to more than an aggregate of 15% or more of the Public Shares, without the prior consent of the Company. The Sponsor has agreed to waive: (i) its redemption rights with respect to any Founder Shares and Public Shares held by them, as applicable, in connection with the completion of an initial Business Combination; (ii) its redemption rights with respect to any Founder Shares and Public Shares held by them in connection with a stockholder vote to amend the Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation (A) to modify the substance or timing of the obligation to allow redemption in connection with an initial Business Combination or to redeem 100% of the Public Shares if the Company do not complete an initial Business Combination within 24 months from the closing of the Initial Public Offering or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to stockholders’ rights or pre-initial Business Combination activity; and (iii) its rights to liquidating distributions from the Trust Account with respect to any Founder Shares they hold if the Company fails to complete an initial Business Combination within 24 months from the closing the Initial Public Offering (although they will be entitled to liquidating distributions from the Trust Account with respect to any Public Shares they hold if the Company fail to complete an initial Business Combination within the prescribed time frame). The Company will have until December 5, 2023, extended from August 5, 2023, to complete a Business Combination (the “Combination Period”), subject to making monthly stock transfers to the Holders (as defined in Note 11) of 155,581 Class A shares, which will begin payment on September 5, 2023. The Monthly Shares (as defined in Note 11) will be issued to the Holders substantially concurrently with the closing of the Company’s Business Combination. If the Company is unable to complete a Business Combination within the Combination Period, the Company will (i) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up, (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter, redeem the Public Shares, at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the Trust Account including interest earned on the funds held in the Trust Account and not previously released to the Company to pay its tax obligations (less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses), divided by the number of then outstanding Public Shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public stockholders’ rights as stockholders (including the right to receive further liquidating distributions, if any), and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of the Company’s remaining stockholders and the Company’s board of directors (the “Board”), dissolve and liquidate, subject in each case to the Company’s obligations under Delaware law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law. There will be no redemption rights or liquidating distributions with respect to the Company’s warrants, which will expire worthless if the Company fails to complete a Business Combination within the Combination Period. The Sponsor has agreed to waive its liquidation rights with respect to the Founder Shares if the Company fails to complete a Business Combination within the Combination Period. However, if the Sponsor acquires Public Shares, such Public Shares will be entitled to liquidating distributions from the Trust Account if the Company fails to complete a Business Combination within the Combination Period. The underwriters have agreed to waive their rights to their deferred underwriting commission (see Note 6) held in the Trust Account in the event the Company does not complete a Business Combination within the Combination Period and, in such event, such amounts will be included with the other funds held in the Trust Account that will be available to fund the redemption of the Public Shares. In order to protect the amounts held in the Trust Account, the Sponsor has agreed to be liable to the Company if and to the extent any claims by a third party (other than the independent registered public accounting firm) for services rendered or products sold to the Company, or a prospective target business with which the Company has discussed entering into a transaction agreement, reduce the amount of funds in the Trust Account to below (1) $10.00 per Public Share or (2) such lesser amount per Public Share held in the Trust Account as of the date of the liquidation of the Trust Account due to reductions in the value of the trust assets, in each case net of the interest which may be withdrawn to pay the taxes except as to any claims by a third party who executed a waiver of any and all rights to seek access to the Trust Account and except as to any claims under the indemnity of the underwriters of the Initial Public Offering against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”). Moreover, in the event that an executed waiver is deemed to be unenforceable against a third party, the Sponsor will not be responsible to the extent of any liability for such third-party claims. The Company has not independently verified whether the Sponsor has sufficient funds to satisfy its indemnity obligations and believe that the Sponsor’s only assets are securities of the Company and, therefore, the Sponsor may not be able to satisfy those obligations. The Company has not asked the Sponsor to reserve for such obligations. Proposed Starton Therapeutics Business Combination On April 27, 2023, the Company entered into the business combination agreement (“BCA”) with Starton Therapeutics, Inc. (“Starton”); Pubco; Purchaser Merger Sub; CallCo; ExchangeCo; the Sponsor, as the representative from and after the Effective Time (as defined in the BCA) of the stockholders of Pubco (other than the Starton Shareholders (as defined below) and their successors and assignees); and Kiriakos Charlie Perperidis, in the capacity as the representative of the shareholders of Starton (the “Starton Shareholders”) from and after the Effective Time (all of the transactions contemplated by the BCA, including the issuances of securities thereunder, the “Starton Business Combination”). The BCA was amended by the First Amendment to the Business Combination Agreement, dated May 15, 2023 (the “First BCA Amendment”) pursuant to which the Parties agreed to amend Section 9.1 of the Business Combination Agreement to add a new closing condition which requires that, immediately after the Closing, and after giving effect to the Redemption, the Starton Shareholders will own a number of voting shares of Pubco representing, in the aggregate, no less than 51% of the total voting power of all issued and outstanding shares of Pubco. Pursuant to the BCA, subject to the terms and conditions set forth therein, Purchaser Merger Sub will merge with and into the Company, with the Company continuing as the surviving entity and wholly-owned subsidiary of Pubco (the “Purchaser Merger”), in connection with which all of the existing securities of the Company will be exchanged for rights to receive securities of Pubco as follows: (a) each share of the Company’s common stock outstanding immediately prior to the Effective Time will automatically convert into one share of common stock, par value $0.0001, issued by Pubco (“Pubco Common Stock”), and (b) each whole Public Warrant, Private Placement Warrant and Forward Purchase Warrant will automatically convert into one warrant to purchase shares of Pubco Common Stock on substantially the same terms and conditions. Immediately following the Purchaser Merger, by means of a statutory plan of arrangement under the Business Corporations Act (British Columbia) (the “Plan of Arrangement”), (i) CallCo will acquire a portion of the issued and outstanding common shares of Starton (“Starton Shares”) from certain holders in exchange for Pubco Common Stock (the “Pubco Share Exchange”), and will contribute such Starton Shares to ExchangeCo in exchange for ExchangeCo common shares, (ii) following the Pubco Share Exchange, ExchangeCo will acquire the remaining issued and outstanding Starton Shares from the remaining shareholders of Starton in exchange for shares of ExchangeCo (“Exchangeable Shares”). The Exchangeable Shares will be exchangeable, on a one-for-one basis, into shares of Pubco Common Stock, with each share valued at the price at which the Company redeems Public Shares held by its public stockholders in connection with the Starton Business Combination (the “Redemption Price”). As a result of the foregoing, Starton will become a wholly-owned subsidiary of ExchangeCo and an indirect subsidiary of Pubco. Each outstanding Starton option will be assumed by Pubco and automatically converted into an option to purchase shares of Pubco Common Stock in accordance with the Plan of Arrangement and under an equity incentive plan to be adopted by Pubco prior to the closing of the Starton Business Combination (the “Closing”). Pursuant to the terms of the BCA, the aggregate base consideration to be delivered to the Starton Shareholders in connection with the Starton Business Combination will be $260.0 million (including up to $20.0 million of incentive shares provided to potential PIPE investors), subject to adjustments for Starton’s closing debt (net of cash) and certain other adjustments, which consideration will be payable in newly-issued shares of (i) Pubco Common Stock or (ii) Exchangeable Shares, each valued at the Redemption Price. In addition to the shares of Pubco Common Stock or Exchangeable Shares deliverable at the Closing, the Starton Shareholders will have the contingent right to receive up to an additional shares 25,000,000 shares of Pubco Common Stock or Exchangeable Shares, as earnout consideration after the Closing (the “Earnout Consideration” and such shares the “Earnout Shares”). The Earnout Consideration will be issuable to the Starton Shareholders (as of the date of the Closing) as follows: ● one-third of the Earnout Shares are issuable upon the VWAP equaling or exceeding $12.00 per share for any twenty (20) out of any twenty (20) consecutive trading days during the five-year period after the Closing; ● one-third of the Earnout Shares are issuable upon (i) the VWAP equaling or exceeding $14.00 per share for any twenty (20) out of any twenty (20) consecutive trading days during the Earnout Period or (ii) successful completion of a Phase 1B clinical trial for multiple myeloma, meaning the completion of an interim data analysis which is sufficient to obtain an agreement with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”) in which the FDA permits Starton to move forward to a phase 2 clinical study following a Type B End-of-Phase-1 meeting; and ● one-third of the Earnout Shares are issuable upon (i) the VWAP equaling or exceeding $16.00 per share for any twenty (20) out of any twenty (20) consecutive trading days during the Earnout Period or (ii) achievement of the successful completion of an FDA required bridging study in healthy volunteers that proves bio-equivalence between the ambulatory subcutaneous pump and either a transdermal patch or an on body subcutaneous pump. Simultaneously with the execution and delivery of the BCA, the Company and Starton entered into voting agreements (collectively, the “Voting Agreements”) with certain Starton Shareholders required to approve the Starton Business Combination. Under the Voting Agreements, such Starton Shareholders agreed to vote all of their Starton Shares in favor of the BCA and the related transactions. Such Starton Shareholders also agreed to take certain other actions in support of the BCA and related transactions and refrain from taking actions that would adversely affect their ability to perform their obligations under the Voting Agreements. Such Starton Shareholders also provided a proxy to the Company to vote their Starton Shares in accordance with the foregoing. The Voting Agreements prevent transfers of the Starton Shares held by such Starton Shareholders between the date of the Voting Agreement and the date of Closing, except for certain permitted transfers where the recipient also agrees to comply with the Voting Agreement. Simultaneously with the execution of the BCA, the Company, Pubco, Starton and the Sponsor also entered into a sponsor support agreement (the “Sponsor Support Agreement”), pursuant to which the Sponsor agreed to vote all of its shares of the Company’s common stock in favor of the BCA and the Starton Business Combination. The Sponsor also agreed to waive its anti-dilution rights that would otherwise allow it to maintain ownership of 20% of Pubco. The Sponsor Support Agreement also prevents transfers of the Company’s securities held by the Sponsor between the date of the Sponsor Support Agreement and the termination of the Sponsor Support Agreement. The BCA and related agreements and the First BCA Amendment are further described in our Current Reports on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on May 3, 2023 and May 15, 2023, respectively and the Registration Statement on Form S-4 of Pubco, initially filed with the SEC on May 15, 2023 (as amended, the “Registration Statement”). The foregoing descriptions of each of the BCA, the form of Voting Agreement and the Sponsor Letter Agreement are qualified in their entirety by reference to such agreement filed as an exhibit to the Quarterly Report filed on May 18, 2023. Going Concern and Liquidity As of June 30, 2023, the Company had $46,925 in cash held outside of the Trust Account and a working capital deficit of $1,459,851 (excluding income tax payable and franchise tax payable). The Company has incurred and expects to continue to incur significant costs in pursuit of its acquisition plans. The Company anticipates that the cash held outside of the Trust Account as of June 30, 2023, will not be sufficient to allow the Company to operate until December 5, 2023, the date at which the Company must complete a Business Combination. Further, if a Business Combination is not consummated by December 5, 2023, there will be a mandatory liquidation and subsequent dissolution of the Company. These conditions raise substantial doubt about the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern for a period of time within one year after the date that these condensed consolidated financial statements are issued. Management plans to address this uncertainty through a Business Combination as discussed above. There is no assurance that the Company’s plans to consummate a Business Combination will be successful or successful within the Combination Period. The condensed consolidated financial statements do not include any adjustments that might result from the outcome of this uncertainty. Risks and Uncertainties In February 2022, the Russian Federation and Belarus commenced a military action with the country of Ukraine. As a result of this action, various nations, including the United States, have instituted economic sanctions against the Russian Federation and Belarus. As a result of this action and related economic sanctions, the Company’s ability to consummate a Business Combination, or the operations of a target business with which the Company ultimately consummates a Business Combination, may be materially and adversely affected. In addition, the Company’s ability to consummate a transaction may be dependent on the ability to raise equity and debt financing which may be impacted by these events, including as a result of increased market volatility, or decreased market liquidity in third-party financing being unavailable on terms acceptable to the Company or at all. The impact of this action and related sanctions on the world economy and the specific impact on the Company’s financial position, results of operations and/or ability to consummate a Business Combination are not yet determinable. The condensed consolidated financial statements do not include any adjustments that might result from the outcome of this uncertainty. Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 and Excise Tax On August 16, 2022, the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 (the “IR Act”) was signed into federal law, which, among other things, imposes a 1% excise tax on the fair market value of stock repurchased by a domestic corporation beginning in 2023, with certain exceptions (the “Excise Tax”). Because the Company is a Delaware corporation, it will be a “covered corporation” within the meaning of the IR Act, and while not free from doubt, it is possible that, unless an exemption is available, the Company (or any post-combination company) will be subject to the Excise Tax as a result of any redemptions by the Company of its common stock that occurs after December 31, 2022, including redemptions in connection with an initial Business Combination. Whether and to what extent the Company would be subject to the Excise Tax in connection with a Business Combination would depend on a number of factors, including (i) the fair market value of the redemptions and repurchases in connection with the Business Combination, (ii) the structure of the Business Combination, (iii) the nature and amount of any “PIPE” or other equity issuances in connection with the Business Combination (or otherwise issued not in connection with the Business Combination but issued within the same taxable year of the Business Combination) and (iv) the content of regulations and other guidance from the U.S. Treasury. In addition, because the Excise Tax would be payable by the Company, and not by the redeeming stockholder, the mechanics of any required payment of the Excise Tax have not been determined. The foregoing could cause a reduction in the per-share amount that the public stockholder would otherwise be entitled to receive or reduce the cash available on hand to complete a Business Combination. This may make a transaction with the Company less appealing to potential Business Combination targets, and thus, potentially hinder the Company’s ability to enter into and consummate an initial Business Combination, particularly an initial Business Combination in which substantial PIPE or other equity issuances are not contemplated. The Company will not use, now or in the future, any funds in the Trust Account, including any interest thereon, to pay for any excise tax imposed under the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022. See Note 11. |