Item 1.01 Entry Into A Material Definitive
Agreement
Amendment to Business Combination Agreement
As previously disclosed in the
Current Report 8-K of East Stone Acquisition Corporation, a British Virgin Islands business company (“East Stone”),
filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) on April 21, 2022, East Stone entered into
a Business Combination Agreement (the “Business Combination Agreement”), with Navy Sail International Limited,
a British Virgin Islands company, in the capacity as the representative of East Stone and the shareholders of East Stone immediately prior
to Closing from and after the Closing (the “Purchaser Representative”), NWTN Inc., an exempted company incorporated
with limited liability in the Cayman Islands (the “Pubco”), Muse Merger Sub I Limited, an exempted company incorporated
with limited liability in the Cayman Islands and a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Pubco (the “First Merger Sub”),
Muse Merger Sub II Limited, a British Virgin Islands business company and a wholly-owned subsidiary of Pubco (the “Second
Merger Sub”), and ICONIQ Holding Limited, an exempted company incorporated with limited liability in the Cayman Islands
(the “Company”). Unless otherwise defined herein, capitalized terms used herein are defined in the Business
Combination Agreement.
Effective September 28, 2022,
the parties thereto entered into that certain Amendment to the Business Combination Agreement (the “Business Combination Agreement
Amendment”) pursuant to which, Clause (B) of the second sentence of Section 7.11 (a) of the Business Combination Agreement
was amended to increase the total pool of awards initially issuable under Pubco’s Equity Incentive Plan from ten percent (10%) of
the aggregate number of Pubco Ordinary Shares issued and outstanding immediately after the Closing to fifteen percent (15%).
The foregoing description is only
a summary of the Business Combination Agreement Amendment and is qualified in its entirety by reference to the full text of the Business
Combination Agreement Amendment, which is filed as Exhibit 10.1 hereto and incorporated by reference herein. The Business Combination
Agreement Amendment is included as an exhibit to this Current Report on Form 8-K in order to provide investors and security holders with
material information regarding its terms and the transaction. It is not intended to provide any other factual information about the parties
thereto.
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. 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.
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.