# Aspire-Lakewood Holdings, Inc.: Form 10-K for the period ended Dec 31, 2024

- Company: [Aspire-Lakewood Holdings, Inc.](/companies/asbp.md) (CIK 1847345)
- Form: 10-K
- Filed: 2025-04-07
- Accepted by EDGAR: Apr 7, 2025, 07:30 ET
- Period: 2024-12-31
- Accession: 0001641172-25-002917
- Inline XBRL: yes
- Main document: https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1847345/000164117225002917/form10-k.htm
- All documents and exhibits: https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1847345/000164117225002917/

## Figures reported in this filing

Standardized XBRL line items for the period ended 2024-12-31.

| Line item | Period | Value | XBRL concept |
| --- | --- | ---: | --- |
| Net income | 12 months, 2024-01-01 to 2024-12-31 | −$12.5m | us-gaap:NetIncomeLoss |
| Operating cash flow | 12 months, 2024-01-01 to 2024-12-31 | −$2.1m | us-gaap:NetCashProvidedByUsedInOperatingActivities |
| Share repurchases | 12 months, 2024-01-01 to 2024-12-31 | $13.8m | us-gaap:PaymentsForRepurchaseOfCommonStock |
| Current assets | at 2024-12-31 | $45.8k | us-gaap:AssetsCurrent |
| Total assets | at 2024-12-31 | $6.7m | us-gaap:Assets |
| Current liabilities | at 2024-12-31 | $15.6m | us-gaap:LiabilitiesCurrent |
| Total liabilities | at 2024-12-31 | $15.6m | us-gaap:Liabilities |
| Shareholders' equity | at 2024-12-31 | −$15.6m | us-gaap:StockholdersEquity |

## Business

As filed, 41,340 characters.

### Overview

Aspire is an early-stage biopharmaceutical company. As a Delaware corporation formed in February 2025, the Company engages in the business of developing and marketing the disruptive technology for novel sublingual delivery mechanisms initially for known drugs. Prior to our Business Combination we were a privately held Puerto Rico corporation incorporated in September 2021. Our internet address is www.aspirebiolabs.com.

### Business Plan

We expect to generate revenue through developing and marketing drugs and nutraceuticals using the technology for the novel sublingual delivery. Further, from time to time, we may enter into license or collaboration agreements with other companies that include development funding and significant upfront and milestone payments and/or royalties, which may become an important source of our revenue. Accordingly, our revenue may depend on development funding and the achievement of development and clinical milestones under current and any potential future license and collaboration agreements and sales of our products, if approved. We do not currently have any licensing or collaboration agreements.

### Manufacturing

We currently contract with third parties for the manufacture of our product candidates for preclinical studies and clinical trials and intend to do so in the future. We do not own or operate manufacturing facilities for the production of clinical or commercial quantities of our product candidates. We currently have no plans to build our own clinical or commercial scale manufacturing capabilities. To meet our projected needs for commercial manufacturing, third parties with whom we currently work will need to increase their scale of production or we will need to secure alternate suppliers. Although we rely on contract manufacturers, we have personnel with manufacturing experience to oversee our relationships with contract manufacturers.

We have entered into a development and manufacturing agreement with a contract manufacturer, Glatt, in the fourth quarter of 2024 to produce sufficient quantities of our high-dose sublingual aspirin product (sometimes referred to informally herein as “Instaprin” for ease of reference) for our clinical trials required to obtain FDA approval to market the product and complete clinical trials. While we believe that Glatt is capable of producing the drug product to support our aspirin product development plan, including our planned clinical trials, we believe there are a number of alternative third-party manufacturers that have similar capabilities and would be capable of providing sufficient quantities of drug product for our aspirin development plan. Glatt currently has the capabilities to manufacture our aspirin drug product for potential commercial use, however, their current capacity may be insufficient to meet our planned needs and may require us to engage additional or alternative third-party manufacturers in the future. In addition, we have entered into a fill-and-finish agreement with a contract manufacturer to convert the aspirin product manufactured by Glatt into packaged drug product that can be utilized in clinical trials. We believe that both Glatt and the fill-and-finish contract manufacturer are compliant under current good manufacturing practice, or cGMP, requirements and have experience with cGMP inspections of their respective facilities.

We plan to use drug product manufactured by Glatt to conduct clinical trials to support approval of a section 505(b)(2) New Drug Application (“NDA”) for the aspirin product. An initial trial has been designed to study the pharmacokinetics of aspirin and its metabolites in blood following sublingual administration of a single dose of each of two different formulations of our aspirin drug product and a single dose of standard oral aspirin. This initial trial is expected to enroll at least eight healthy adult volunteers with each dose separated by a washout period of seven days and will provide information required to (i) select the optimal drug product formulation and (ii) inform the design of a second clinical trial to support FDA approval. We plan to design a second clinical trial to demonstrate that sublingual administration of the final selected aspirin formulation delivers therapeutic concentrations of drug into the bloodstream, comparable to those of standard oral aspirin, but faster and without gastro-intestinal toxicity associated with oral aspirin.

### Commercialization

We have not yet established a sales, marketing or product distribution infrastructure because our lead product candidates are still in early-stage clinical development. We generally plan to retain commercial rights in the United States for our product candidates for which we hope to receive marketing approvals. We believe that it will be possible for us to access the heart attack and stroke prevention market through a targeted hospital and/or specialty care sales force.

Subject to receiving marketing approvals, we expect to commence commercialization activities by building a focused sales and marketing organization in the United States to sell our products, as well as the creation of a dedicated Medical Affairs team to support commercialization efforts. We believe that such an organization will be able to address the physicians who are the key specialists in treating the patient populations for which our product candidates are being developed. Outside the United States, we expect to enter into distribution and other marketing arrangements with third parties for any of our product candidates that obtain marketing approval.

We also plan to build a marketing and sales management organization to create and implement marketing strategies for any products that we market through our own sales organization and to oversee and support our sales force. The responsibilities of the marketing organization would include developing educational initiatives with respect to approved products and establishing relationships with thought leaders in relevant fields of medicine.

### Our Products

The Company has developed and acquired disruptive sublingual delivery technologies that are a Novel Soluble Formulation which address emergencies and drug efficacy, dosage management, and response time. In March 2023, the Company filed application number 63/456,290 with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (“USPTO”) with the goal of securing patent protection for its new technology and aspirin formulation. The Company’s new patent pending formulation is a significant improvement on the previous formulation which was acquired by the Company through the Instaprin Pharmaceuticals, Inc. acquisition (described below). This technology will facilitate development of any number of products in a soluble, PH neutral, fast acting powder or granule form which has been developed by using our patent pending formulation, and “trade secret” process. Aspire’s drug delivery comes from a new mechanism of action (absorption pathway) which allows for rapid sublingual absorption. The benefits of “rapid absorption” are to provide nearly instant treatment impact and also allows high dose absorption. The Company’s patent pending delivery system includes components specifically formulated to allow rapid sublingual absorption of drugs into the blood stream, thus by-passing the gastrointestinal tract. A second patent application was filed in October 2024 for a high-dose version of our sublingually administered aspirin product (application number 63/702,381).

In the initial launch of its aspirin product, Aspire has focused on the delivery of aspirin, which may be the most studied and accepted analgesic and anti-inflammatory drug on the market. Aspirin is over a century old and is traditionally available in several forms, including effervescence, powder, capsule, and tablet. Over 100 years of documented safety and efficacy data is readily available. Aspirin is the only drug in history to receive a certified recommendation by the FDA for heart attack, stroke and colon cancer. However, current aspirin applications are limited due to side effects from acidity. We expect that our aspirin product will be well positioned to target the current Opioid Crisis globally due to its ability to have large doses rapidly be absorbed in the bloodstream with no harmful effects to the gastric system and its mucous membrane, as well as, at full strength with no dilution due to metabolic impact providing true anti-inflammatory therapeutic effects to users providing true pain management relief to them. Aspire plans to seek FDA 505(b)(2) Fast Track designation in 2025 for the prescription strength high dose aspirin product given the history of safety in Q4 of 2024 of Aspirin (and over 100 years of history).

Additionally, an OTC FDA Monograph permit would allow for an expedited “go to market” so long as the aspirin product is available as an “over-the-counter” drug and has a monograph on the safety profile and claims that may be made as authorized by the FDA. The Company must follow the issues within the OTC Monograph and may “go to market” if the Company does follow those requirements. If the Company’s drug product, claims, warnings and other issues follow the statements in the Monograph, then the product would be deemed to be “Compliant”. Our FDA counsel has had informal communications with the FDA in 2024 regarding the possibility of Aspire selling an OTC Monograph product but being able to drop one warning (regarding gastric issues), and those discussions will continue (a written approval of this possibility would be the “ruling” we seek). The Company intends to sell the aspirin product and be consistent with the Monograph. While the OTC Monograph doesn’t permit the claim “sublingual administration” of the drug, the Company could offer the product as an oral administration (at first, if it chooses to early-market an OTC product consistent with the monograph) and may discuss with FDA the value of sublingual administration as an exception to the monograph.

#### Current Development Status of Aspire’s aspirin product

Aspire’s cGMP batch of high-dose aspirin was manufactured by Glatt in its New Jersey facility in March 2025. Glatt will be using this batch to finalize the packaging and manufacturing process, and to provide the products to be used in the upcoming clinical tests which have been scheduled for April 2025. Glatt’s scientific team will also be conducting the stability testing required by the FDA on this batch to determine product shelf life. This is in addition to prior similar initial testing done in 2022 by Glatt which provided important background data on the stability and manufacturing process for Aspire’s low dose sublingual aspirin product.

Aspire’s consultants have completed (1) a comprehensive review of relevant regulatory issues and regulatory strategy (including regulations, guidance documents, FDA reviews of approved NDAs for other relevant products, Pediatric Research Equity Act requirements, FDA’s trade name approval requirements, opportunities for accelerated regulatory processes, etc.), (2) a comprehensive summary of relevant safety, efficacy and pharmacokinetic data to support IRB approvals, IND, and 505(b)(2) NDA approval, (3) a target product profile (including product description, composition, strength, route of administration, prescription v. OTC, indications, dosing and claims to differentiate from other aspirin products), and (4) an integrated product development plan (including plans to support each module of an NDA submission: CMC, preclinical safety, human PK, clinical safety, clinical efficacy, timelines, critical path, Gantt chart, etc.). These reviews were done in preparation for Aspire’s pre-IND meeting with the FDA, its clinical testing, and its NDA.

Aspire plans to conduct an in vivo single-dose bioavailability study in healthy human volunteers in approximately April 2025 (“Trial 1”). This clinical trial will evaluate pharmacokinetic endpoints including but not limited to maximum concentrations of aspirin and/or its metabolites in plasma (“Cmax”), time of maximum concentrations (“Tmax”), and area under the time curve concentrations (“AUC”) following sublingual dosing of two different pharmaceutical formulations of Aspire’s sublingual aspirin compared to standard oral aspirin. Pharmacodynamic effect on serum thromboxane B2 (TXB2, a measure of platelet inhibition) will be evaluated as a secondary endpoint. Data from this bioavailability study will be used to select the optimal pharmaceutical formulation of aspirin and to design a pivotal Trial 2 to support filing of an NDA. Trial 1 will be exempt from Investigational New Drug (IND) filing requirements under 21 C.F.R. 320.31(d) because it is a human bioavailability trial of an FDA-approved active ingredient that is not a new chemical entity, a radioactively labeled drug product, or cytotoxic drug product, using a dose not exceeding the dose specified in the labeling of the approved drug product, conducted in compliance with the requirements for review by an Institutional Review Board (IRB), with reserve test article samples retained by the study sponsor.

Following completion of Trial 1, Aspire plans to request a pre-IND meeting with the FDA in the second quarter of 2025 to discuss plans for continued development of the high dose aspirin leading to submission of a section 505(b)(2) NDA. Aspire plans to propose a second clinical trial (“Trial 2”) in approximately 24 healthy human volunteers to evaluate the pharmacodynamic effect of a single dose of Aspire’s high dose aspirin on platelet inhibition compared to that of standard oral aspirin. The proposed primary endpoint for Trial 2 would be time to TXB2 inhibition. Variability of TXB2 inhibition and pharmacokinetic parameters (Cmax, Tmax, AUC, etc.) for aspirin and/or its metabolites in plasma will be analyzed as secondary endpoints Trial 2 will be designed to demonstrate a shorter time to clinically meaningful pharmacodynamic effect (TXB2 inhibition) following administration of Aspire’s aspirin compared to standard oral aspirin (standard of care for treatment of suspected acute myocardial infarction). Following completion of Trial 2, Aspire intends to submit a section 505(b)(2) NDA for Aspire’s aspirin product to the FDA seeking approval to market the product for treatment of suspected acute myocardial infarction. Additional clinical trials focused on differentiating Aspire’s aspirin from standard oral aspirin based on TXB2 inhibition and gastrointestinal irritation, ulceration and bleeding during longer term use may be conducted to support subsequent 505(b)(2) NDAs and/or supplemental NDAs for our aspirin in other therapeutic indications focused on the antithrombotic and analgesic effects of aspirin.

#### Current Development Status of Other Products

Melatonin: Aspire’s scientists have developed a working formulation for a sublingually administered melatonin sleep-aid product, in 3mg, 5mg, and 10mg doses. In the next two months, Aspire will develop and validate the manufacturing process based on this formulation. In May 2025, Aspire plans to conduct a limited pharmokinetic study using at least eight volunteers, comparing to orally administered melatonin products on the market, in order to support its claims and labeling. No FDA approval is required for Melatonin, which is sold as a supplement. Melatonin is a wildly popular sleep aid and Aspire has begun exploring licensing possibilities and has also begun discussions with a manufacturing facility in Puerto Rico. This formulation will be patent protected in due course.

Vitamins: Aspire’s scientists have developed a working formulation for sublingually administered vitamins D, E and K. In the first two quarters of 2025, Aspire intends to develop and validate a manufacturing process and conduct a limited pharmokinetic study. These products will be patent protected in due course.

Testosterone: Aspire’s scientists have developed a formulation for sublingually administered testosterone. A patent application for the formulation will be filed in due course. In the third and fourth quarters of 2025, Aspire will develop and validate the manufacturing process based on this formulation, and produce a cGMP batch for use in clinical testing and a stability study. Aspire will conduct a Phase One clinical test in approximately the fourth quarter of 2025 for pharmokinetical validation of product properties, using approximately eight volunteers, and to establish criteria for an NDA with the FDA. Aspire anticipates, based on these results, to request a pre-IND meeting with the FDA in the first quarter of 2026, followed by Phase Two clinical testing. Aspire anticipates this testing to use approximately 32 volunteers. Aspire intends to submit an NDA for the testosterone product under 505(b)(2) to the FDA in the first or second quarter of 2026. Testosterone is not a candidate for fast-track approval, so the NDA approval process will likely take as much as three years.

Semaglutide: Aspire’s scientists are in the final phases of developing a working formulation for a sublingual semaglutide product. The timeline to market will be similar to that of testosterone, above, as semaglutide is not likely a candidate for fast-track approval.

Caffeine Products: Aspire’s scientific team has developed a working formula for a single dose sublingual pre-workout supplement as well as a single dose “coffee or soda replacement” with health benefits. Aspire has manufactured trial runs of this supplement and intends to do consumer and safety testing in Q2 2025. Aspire believes this product will be ready for launch in Q2 or Q3 2025.

Other Products: Aspire’s scientists are currently considering formulations for anti-nausea products, anti-psychotic products, ED drugs, seizure medication, and several other classes of drugs, all using our sublingual mode of administration. We anticipate taking several of these products to market as the research and development dictates, as well as market conditions.

### Asset Purchase Agreement (“APA”) with Instaprin Pharmaceuticals Inc.

On March 28, 2022, Aspire closed an APA with Instaprin Pharmaceuticals Inc. (“Instaprin Pharmaceuticals”), pursuant to which Aspire acquired all of the intellectual property of Instaprin Pharmaceuticals including patent applications (including Patent Application No. 62/794141) filed with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (“USPTO”) on January 18, 2019), copyrights, trademarks (including the “Instaprin” Trademark Serial No. 86274378 (Registration No. 4823125) filed with the USPTO on May 7, 2014) trade secrets and proprietary information, all applications for any of the foregoing, and any license or agreements granting rights related to the foregoing, as part of an overall settlement sanctioned by a U.S. federal court, as described in the following paragraph (the “Settlement”).

Instaprin Pharmaceuticals was a Nevada corporation, and its former CEO was the subject of a Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) complaint, filed on May 29, 2019 in federal court in the District of New Jersey (Case 2:19-cv-13024-ES-MAH). The complaint alleged that the former CEO falsely told investors that their money would be used to pay for the operating expenses of Instaprin Pharmaceuticals, which was developing a revolutionary fast acting aspirin to instantly stop heart attacks and strokes. Instead, the former CEO allegedly used investors’ money to largely pay for personal expenses, such as a vacation, clothing, spa treatments, divorce expenses, and on Island Raceway & Hobby, Inc., his now-defunct remote-controlled toy racecar business, which had previously operated in Lindenhurst, New York. On June 5, 2019, the U.S. District Court issued a judgment against the former CEO, Instaprin Pharmaceuticals, Inc, and one other defendant in the amount of $4,182,627.

The purchase price for the Acquired Assets (as defined in the APA) was $3,628,325 plus interest thereon, to be paid to the SEC in satisfaction of the SEC’s judgment against the former CEO, from sales of the product, as follows: 20% from the first $5,000,000 of sales and 10% from sales thereafter until the entire contingent purchase price obligation is satisfied. Additionally, ten percent (10%) of Buyer’s equity was to be delivered at Closing, in proportion to their equity holdings in the Company, to be issued to a Trustee for the former Instaprin Shareholders, along with an additional ten percent (10%) of Buyer’s equity to be issued to the Company’s service providers, pursuant to a stock incentive plan to be adopted. All equity distributions related to the APA have been made at this time. The foregoing description of the APA is qualified in its entirety by reference to the full text of the APA. There is no assurance that the acquisition of Instaprin will be successful or profitable for investors. As an asset of Aspire Biopharma Inc., Instaprin could pose risks to Aspire Biopharma Inc. and its shareholders, including but not limited to those described under “Risk Factors” in this Offering.

### Competition

The biopharmaceutical industry is characterized by rapidly advancing technologies, intense competition and strong emphasis on proprietary products. While we believe that our sublingual absorption technology, knowledge, experience and scientific resources provide us with competitive advantages, we face potential competition from many sources, including major pharmaceutical, specialty pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, academic institutions and government agencies and public and private research institutions. Any product candidates that we successfully develop and commercialize will compete with existing therapies and new therapies that may become available in the future.

Many of our competitors, either alone or with their strategic partners, have substantially greater financial, technical and human resources than we do and significantly greater experience in the discovery and development of product candidates, obtaining FDA and other regulatory approvals of treatments and commercializing those treatments. These same competitors may invent technology that competes with our product candidates. Mergers and acquisitions in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries may result in even more resources being concentrated among a smaller number of our competitors. These competitors also compete with us in recruiting and retaining qualified scientific and management personnel and establishing clinical study sites and subject registration for clinical studies, as well as in acquiring technologies complementary to, or necessary for, our programs. Smaller or early-stage companies may also prove to be significant competitors, particularly through collaborative arrangements with large and established companies.

We expect any products that we develop and commercialize to compete on the basis of, among other things, efficacy, safety, convenience of administration and delivery, price, the level of generic or biosimilar competition and the availability of adequate reimbursement from government and other third-party payors.

Our commercial opportunity could be reduced or eliminated if our competitors develop and commercialize products that are safer, more effective, have fewer or less severe side effects, are more convenient or are less expensive than any products that we may develop. Our competitors also may obtain FDA or other regulatory approval for their products more rapidly than we may obtain approval for ours, which could result in our competitors establishing a strong market position before we are able to enter the market. In addition, we expect that our products, if approved, will be priced at a premium over competitive generic products and our ability to compete may be affected in many cases by insurers or other third-party payors seeking to encourage the use of generic products.

We expect that Aspire’s aspirin products will compete with currently approved products, such as Bayer aspirin, Advil and Tylenol, and, if approved, other product candidates currently under development. To our knowledge, there are currently no sublingual aspirin products on the market and none listed inside of the Food and Drug Administration’s (the “FDA”) Approved Drug Products with Therapeutic Equivalence Evaluations book, also known as the “Orange Book.”

### Intellectual Property

Our commercial success depends in part on our ability to obtain and maintain proprietary or intellectual property protection for our drug candidates, including our drugs and supplements using our patent-pending sublingual absorption technology, and other know-how; to operate without infringing on the proprietary rights of others; and to prevent others from infringing our proprietary or intellectual property rights. Our practice is to seek to protect our proprietary and intellectual property position by, among other methods, filing U.S. and international patent applications related to our proprietary drug candidates, inventions and improvements that are important to the development and implementation of our business. We also rely on trade secrets, know-how and continuing technological innovation to develop and maintain our proprietary and intellectual property position.

Any patents granted from national/regional phase applications of International Application No. PCT/US2024/022318 (which claims priority to U.S. Application No. 63/456,290) or applications claiming priority to International Application No. PCT/US2024/022318 will have a nominal expiration of March 29, 2044. The Company further intends to file a PCT application on October 1, 2025, claiming priority to U.S. Application No. 63/702,381. Any patents granted from national/regional phase applications of this PCT application or applications claiming priority to this PCT application will have a nominal expiration of October 1, 2045. The patent applications cover composition of matter (formulations), including product-by-process coverage, as well as uses of the formulations.

Provisional patent application Serial No. 62/794,141 expired on January 19, 2020. Prior to expiration of 62/794,141, two non-provisional patent applications were filed under the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT), each claiming priority to 62/794,141. These PCT applications have PCT Application Nos. PCT/US2020/013863 and PCT/US2020/014218, respectively. National/regional phase entries of these PCT applications were due on July 18, 2021, or August 18, 2021, depending on the specific country/region. No national/regional phase entries were completed by the deadlines.

The expired patent properties do not describe Aspire’s aspirin formulation technology. Aspire’s aspirin formulation technology is covered by pending patent application nos. PCT/US2024/022318 and 63/702,381, which are Aspire’s primary patent properties. The expired patent properties were intended to supplement the later-filed primary patent properties covering Aspire’s aspirin formulation technology. At the time of the Asset Purchase Agreement, Aspire was not aware that the patent properties had expired.

Trademark Registration No. 4823125 (granted from Trademark Serial No. 86274378) was cancelled on April 8, 2022, for failure to file maintenance documents due on March 29, 2022. Aspire was not aware of the March 29, 2022, filing deadline at the time of the Asset Purchase Agreement, which was executed one day prior to the filing deadline. Aspire has filed new trademark application Serial No. 98793226, which covers the “Instaprin” mark.

The Company believes that it is important to note that while the previously acquired intellectual property is dead or expired, Aspire has used these technologies and relationships as the foundation of their new patent applications and formulations. Aspire’s management had always intended to build upon the acquired intellectual property assets and enhance the patent protections and apply the technology to new patented products and classes of products. Aspire has maintained the relationships with the individuals who cultivated the original science and research. Aspire has built upon these technologies, research, and relationships to improve and expand upon the previous intellectual property as reflected in their most recent patent applications.

The following table sets forth details of our intellectual property registrations and applications:

IP Schedule for Aspire Biopharma, Inc. as of March 24, 2025

*PATENT FILINGS*

|  |  |  |  |  |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| **Country** | **Title** | **Application No.** | **Filing Date** | **Status** |
| United States | MICRONIZED ASPIRIN FORMULATION | 62/794,141 | 18-Jan-2019 | Expired |
| World Intellectual Property Organization | MICRONIZED ASPIRIN FORMULATION | PCT/US2020/013863 | 16-Jan-2020 | Expired |
| World Intellectual Property Organization | MICRONIZED ASPIRIN FORMULATION | PCT/US2020/014218 | 18-Jan-2020 | Expired |
| United States | ORAL MUCOSAL FORMULATIONS OF ASPIRIN | 63/456,290 | 31-Mar-2023 | Expired |
| World Intellectual Property Organization | ORAL MUCOSAL FORMULATIONS OF ASPIRIN | PCT/US2024/022318 | 29-Mar-2024 | Pending |
| United States | ORAL MUCOSAL FORMULATIONS OF ASPIRIN | 63/702,381 | 2-Oct-2024 | Pending |

*TRADEMARK FILINGS*

| Country United States | Wordmark INSTAPRIN | Serial No. / Registration No. 86274378 / 4823125 | Filing or Registration Date 29-Sep-2015 | Status Dead |
| --- | --- | ---: | --- | --- |
| United States | INSTAPRIN | 98793226 | 9-Oct-2024 | Pending |

Aspire also holds numerous domains, including, but not limited to, aspire-biopharma.com and aspirebiolabs.com. Additionally, Aspire plans to enter into customer and license agreements to protect its intellectual property. All other intellectual property is in the form of trade secrets, business methods and know-how and is protected through intellectual assignment and confidentiality agreements with Aspire employees, advisors and consultants.

### Government/ Regulatory Approval and Compliance

Government authorities in the United States, at the federal, state and local level, and in other countries and jurisdictions, including the European Union, extensively regulate, among other things, the research, development, testing, manufacture, pricing, quality control, approval, packaging, storage, recordkeeping, labeling, advertising, promotion, distribution, marketing, post-approval monitoring and reporting, and import and export of pharmaceutical products. The processes for obtaining marketing approvals in the United States and in foreign countries and jurisdictions, along with compliance with applicable statutes and regulations and other regulatory authorities, require the expenditure of substantial time and financial resources.

The Company has filed patent applications for sublingual administration of aspirin products. The Company believes that this novel use of aspirin, and the claims, will be beneficial for some patients who are in need of aspirin products that speed the delivery of the aspirin and avoid the gastric tract (and the powder/granule form under the tongue will be useful for those who can’t swallow aspirin pills or capsules). While the FDA has not yet approved this delivery mechanism, the Company believes that they will be able to demonstrate that the delivery can be accomplished safely and effectively and improve patient outcomes. The current method of administration (oral) poses some gastric system issues. The Company will develop a plan of action to discuss with the FDA and seek approval for alternative administration and has retained a counsel with 30 years of experience with the FDA to assist the Company on seeking approval for use in administrating sublingual aspiring products and counsel believes that the FDA would consider and even welcome a filing that is sufficient to support this novel mode of administration of certain aspirin products. Counsel has also advised that the FDA would consider fast-track approval under 505(b)(2). The Company has successfully accomplished the cGMP manufactured of its high-dose aspirin product for upcoming clinical trials in support of our FDA approval process and expects to be carrying out various clinical trials in April 2025.

### Licensure and Regulation of Drug Products in the United States

In the United States, our candidate products are regulated under the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act, or FDCA, and applicable implementing regulations and guidance. The failure of an applicant to comply with the applicable regulatory requirements at any time during the product development process, including non-clinical testing, clinical testing, the approval process or post- approval process, may result in delays to the conduct of a study, regulatory review and approval, and/or administrative or judicial sanctions. These sanctions may include, but are not limited to, the FDA’s refusal to allow an applicant to proceed with clinical trials, refusal to approve pending applications, license suspension or revocation, withdrawal of an approval, warning letters, adverse publicity, product recalls, product seizures, total or partial suspension of production or distribution, injunctions, fines, and civil or criminal investigations and penalties brought by the FDA or Department of Justice, or DOJ, or other government entities, including state agencies.

### Preclinical Studies and Investigational New Drug Application

Before an applicant begins testing a compound with potential therapeutic value in humans, the product candidate or compound enters the preclinical testing stage. Preclinical tests include laboratory evaluations of product chemistry, formulation and stability, as well as other studies to evaluate, among other things, the toxicity of the product candidate. The conduct of the preclinical tests and formulation of the compounds for testing must comply with federal regulations and requirements, including GLP regulations and standards. The results of the preclinical tests, together with manufacturing information and analytical data, are submitted to the FDA as part of an IND. Some long- term preclinical testing, such as animal tests of reproductive adverse events and carcinogenicity, and long-term toxicity studies, may continue after the IND is submitted.

### Our Leadership

Our management team and board consist of experienced deal makers, entrepreneurs, executives and investors. Collectively, the team possesses a wide-ranging set of competencies, with exceptional financial acumen and an extensive track record of growth and value creation. The team is led by our Chief Executive Officer Kraig Higginson.

### Periodic Reporting and Financial Information

We have registered our Common Stock and warrants under the Exchange Act and have reporting obligations, including the requirement that we file annual, quarterly and current reports with the SEC. In accordance with the requirements of the Exchange Act, our annual reports will contain financial statements audited and reported on by our independent registered public accountants.

We will provide shareholders with audited financial statements of the prospective target business as part of the proxy solicitation or tender offer materials, as applicable, sent to shareholders. These financial statements may be required to be prepared in accordance with, or reconciled to, GAAP, or IFRS, depending on the circumstances, and the historical financial statements may be required to be audited in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. These financial statement requirements may limit the pool of potential target businesses we may acquire because some targets may be unable to provide such statements in time for us to disclose such statements in accordance with federal proxy rules and complete our initial business combination within the prescribed time frame. We cannot assure you that any particular target business identified by us as a potential acquisition candidate will have financial statements prepared in accordance with the requirements outlined above, or that the potential target business will be able to prepare its financial statements in accordance with the requirements outlined above. To the extent that these requirements cannot be met, we may not be able to acquire the proposed target business. While this may limit the pool of potential acquisition candidates, we do not believe that this limitation will be material.

We are required to evaluate our internal control procedures for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2024, as required by the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. Only in the event we are deemed to be a large accelerated filer or an accelerated filer and no longer qualify as an emerging growth company would we be required to comply with the independent registered public accounting firm attestation requirement on our internal control over financial reporting. A target business may not be in compliance with the provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act regarding adequacy of their internal controls. The development of the internal controls of any such entity to achieve compliance with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act may increase the time and costs necessary to complete any such acquisition.

We are an “emerging growth company”, as defined in Section 2(a) of the Securities Act, as modified by the JOBS Act. As such, we are eligible to take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not “emerging growth companies” including, but not limited to, not being required to comply with the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in our periodic reports and proxy statements, and exemptions from the requirements of holding a non-binding advisory vote on executive compensation and shareholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved. If some investors find our securities less attractive as a result, there may be a less active trading market for our securities and the prices of our securities may be more volatile.

In addition, Section 107 of the JOBS Act also provides that an “emerging growth company” can take advantage of the extended transition period provided in Section 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act for complying with new or revised accounting standards. In other words, an “emerging growth company” can delay the adoption of certain accounting standards until those standards would otherwise apply to private companies. We intend to take advantage of the benefits of this extended transition period.

We will remain an emerging growth company until the earlier of (1) the last day of the fiscal year (a) following the fifth anniversary of the completion of our initial public offering, (b) in which we have total annual gross revenue of at least $1.07 billion, or (c) in which we are deemed to be a large accelerated filer, which means the market value of our Class A ordinary shares that are held by non-affiliates equals or exceeds $700 million as of the last business day of the preceding second fiscal quarter, and (2) the date on which we have issued more than $1.0 billion in non-convertible debt securities during the prior three-year period.

Additionally, we are a “smaller reporting company” as defined in Item 10(f)(1) of Regulation S-K. Smaller reporting companies may take advantage of certain reduced disclosure obligations, including, among other things, providing only two years of audited financial statements. We will remain a smaller reporting company until the last day of the fiscal year in which (1) the market value of our ordinary shares held by non-affiliates exceeds $250 million as of the last business day of that year’s second fiscal quarter, or (2) our annual revenues exceeded $100 million during such completed fiscal year and the market value of our ordinary shares held by non-affiliates equals or exceeds $700 million as of the last business day of that year’s second fiscal quarter.

### Available Information

We file annual reports, quarterly reports, current reports, proxy statements and other information with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”). Our SEC filings are available to the public through the “Investor Relations” portion of our website as soon as practicable after we have electronically filed such material with, or furnished it to, the SEC. In addition, the SEC maintains a website that contains reports, proxy and information statements, and other information regarding issuers that file electronically with the SEC at www.sec.gov.

Our internet address is https://aspirebiolabs.com/. The information on our website is not, and shall not be deemed to be, part of this Annual Report on Form 10-K or incorporated into any other filings we make with the SEC, except as shall be expressly set forth by specific reference in any such filings. All website addresses in this report are intended to be inactive textual references only.

### Our Website

For additional information about us, our business, and our brand, please visit our website at https://aspirebiolabs.com/.

## Risk factors

As filed, 95,759 characters.

As a smaller reporting company, as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act, we are not required to provide the information required by this Item. Factors that could cause our actual results to differ materially from any forward-looking statements in this Report are any of the risks described in our final prospectus for our initial public offering filed with the SEC and the risks described in this Report and other reports we have filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Any of these factors could result in a significant or material adverse effect on our results of operations or financial condition. Additional risk factors not presently known to us or that we currently deem immaterial may also impair our business or results of operations.

Below is a partial list of material risks, uncertainties and other factors that could have a material effect on the Company and its operations:

- Aspire has a limited operating history upon which investors can evaluate Aspire’s performance, and accordingly, Aspire’s prospects must be considered in light of the risks that any new company encounters;
- Aspire has incurred net losses in every year since its inception and anticipates that it will continue to incur substantial and increasing net losses in the foreseeable future, especially if Aspire faces difficulties in obtaining capital;
- Aspire will require substantial additional financing to achieve its goals, and a failure to obtain this necessary capital when needed could force Aspire to delay, limit, reduce or terminate its product development or commercialization efforts;
- Aspire may implement new lines of business or offer new products and services within existing lines of business;
- Aspire relies on various intellectual property rights, including trademarks, in order to operate its business;
- Instaprin Pharmaceuticals’ former Chief Executive officer, Donald A. Milne III, was convicted, on a conspiracy to commit securities fraud charge;
- Aspire’s success depends on the experience and skill of the board of directors, its executive officers and key employees. If it is not successful in attracting and retaining highly qualified personnel, Aspire may not be able to successfully implement its business strategy;
- Although dependent on certain key personnel, Aspire does not have any key person life insurance policies on any such people.;
- Damage to Aspire’s reputation could negatively impact its business, financial condition and results of operations;
- Aspire’s business could be negatively impacted by cyber security threats, attacks and other disruptions.
- Security breaches of confidential customer information, in connection with Aspire’s electronic processing of credit and debit card transactions, or confidential employee information may adversely affect Aspire’s business as we gain access to such information;
- Aspire’s internal computer systems, or those used by third party contractors or consultants, may fail or suffer security breaches;
- Aspire operates in a highly regulated environment, and if Aspire is found to be in violation of any of the federal, state, or local laws or regulations applicable to it, Aspire’s business could suffer;
- Aspire’s technology platforms and product candidates are based on novel technologies, and the development and regulatory approval pathway for such product candidates is unproven (in that all aspirin products previously approved by the FDA were administered orally rather than sublingually) and may never lead to marketable products. Even if Aspire obtains regulatory approval of its product candidates, the products may not gain market acceptance among physicians, patients, hospitals and others in the medical community;
- Aspire’s business is highly dependent on the success of its lead product candidate, high-dose sublingual aspirin, which will require significant additional clinical testing before Aspire can seek regulatory approval and potentially launch commercial sales;
- Clinical development involves a lengthy and expensive process with uncertain outcomes, and results of earlier studies and trials may not be predictive of future clinical trial results. Aspire’s clinical trials may fail to demonstrate adequately the safety and efficacy of one or more of its product candidates, which would prevent or delay regulatory approval and commercialization;
- Aspire’s product candidates may cause undesirable side effects or have other properties that could halt their clinical development, prevent their regulatory approval, limit their commercial potential, if approved, or result in significant negative consequences;
- If Aspire encounters difficulties enrolling patients in its clinical trials, Aspire’s clinical development activities could be delayed or otherwise adversely affected;
- Aspire relies and will rely on third parties to conduct its clinical trials, which are expensive, time consuming, and difficult to design and implement. If these third parties do not successfully carry out their contractual duties or meet expected deadlines, Aspire may not be able to obtain regulatory approval of or commercialize its product candidates;
- If Aspire fails to develop additional product candidates, its commercial opportunity will be limited;
- Aspire is subject to a multitude of manufacturing and supply chain risks, any of which could substantially increase its costs and limit the supply of its product candidates;
- Aspire currently has no marketing and sales organization and has no experience in marketing products. If Aspire is unable to establish marketing and sales capabilities or enter into agreements with third parties to market and sell its product candidates, Aspire may not be able to generate product revenue;
- A variety of risks associated with marketing Aspire’s product candidates internationally could materially adversely affect Aspire’s business;
- Aspire faces significant competition from other biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies, and its operating results will suffer if it fails to compete effectively;

14

### RISK FACTORS

*Investing in our securities involves a high degree of risk. Any of these risks may have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows and our prospects could be harmed by them. In that event, the price of our securities could decline and you could lose part or all of your investment. This “Risk Factors” section identifies all material risk factors currently known by Aspire that make investment in Aspire’s Common Stock and warrants speculative or risky, but it does not purport to present an exhaustive description of all risks. Before you invest in us, you should carefully consider the following risks, as well as general economic and business risks, and all of the other information contained in this proxy statement/prospectus. Aspire shareholders should carefully consider the following risk factors, together with all of the other information included in this proxy statement/prospectus, before they decide whether to vote or instruct their vote to be cast to approve the relevant proposals described in this proxy statement/prospectus. When determining whether to invest, you should also refer to the other information contained in this proxy statement/prospectus, including the financial statements of Aspire and the related notes thereto, and the other financial information concerning us included elsewhere in this proxy statement/prospectus. These risk factors are not exhaustive and investors are encouraged to perform their own investigation with respect to our business, financial condition and prospects.*

### Risks related to our Business

***Aspire has a limited operating history upon which investors can evaluate Aspire’s performance, and accordingly, Aspire’s prospects must be considered in light of the risks that any new company encounters.***

Aspire is still in an early phase and we are just beginning to implement our business plan. There can be no assurance that we will ever operate profitably. The likelihood of our success should be considered in light of the problems, expenses, difficulties, complications and delays usually encountered by early-stage companies. Aspire may not be successful in attaining the objectives necessary for it to overcome these risks and uncertainties.

***Aspire has incurred net losses in every year since its inception and anticipates that it will continue to incur substantial and increasing net losses in the foreseeable future, especially if Aspire faces difficulties in obtaining capital.***

We are a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company with a limited operating history. Investment in biopharmaceutical product development is highly speculative because it entails substantial upfront capital expenditures and significant risk that any potential product candidate will fail to demonstrate adequate effect or an acceptable safety profile, gain regulatory approval and become commercially viable. We have financed our operations primarily through the sale of equity securities. Since our inception, most of our resources have been dedicated to the preclinical development of our product candidates. The size of our future net losses will depend, in part, on our future expenses and our ability to generate revenue, if any. We have no products approved for commercial sale and have not generated any revenue from product sales to date, and we continue to incur significant research and development and other expenses related to our ongoing operations. As a result, we are not profitable and have incurred losses since our inception. We expect to continue to incur significant losses for the foreseeable future, and we expect these losses to increase as we continue our research and development of, and seek regulatory approvals for, our product candidates.

Even if we succeed in commercializing one or more of our product candidates, we will continue to incur substantial research and development and other expenditures to develop and market additional product candidates. We may encounter unforeseen expenses, difficulties, complications, delays and other unknown factors that may adversely affect our business. The size of our future net losses will depend, in part, on the rate of future growth of our expenses and our ability to generate revenue. Our prior losses and expected future losses have had and will continue to have an adverse effect on our stockholders’ equity and working capital.

In order to achieve our near and long-term goals, we may need to procure raise capital through various securities offerings or obtain certain debt financing. There is no guarantee we will be able to obtain such funds on acceptable terms or at all. If we are not able to obtain capital in the future, we may not be able to execute our business plan, our continued operations will be in jeopardy and we may be forced to cease operations and sell or otherwise transfer all or substantially all of our remaining assets, which could cause our stockholders to lose all or a portion of their investment.

***Aspire will require substantial additional financing to achieve its goals, and a failure to obtain this necessary capital when needed could force Aspire to delay, limit, reduce or terminate its product development or commercialization efforts.***

Our operations have consumed substantial amounts of cash since inception. We expect to continue to spend substantial amounts to continue the clinical development of our product candidates. If we are able to receive regulatory approval for any of our product candidates, we will require significant additional amounts of cash in order to launch and commercialize any such product candidates. In addition, other unanticipated costs may arise. Because the design and outcome of our planned and anticipated clinical trials is highly uncertain, we cannot reasonably estimate the actual amounts necessary to successfully complete the development and commercialization of our product candidates.

Our future capital requirements depend on many factors, including:

- the scope, progress, results and costs of researching and developing our product candidates, and conducting preclinical studies and clinical trials;
- the timing of, and the costs involved in, obtaining regulatory approvals for our product candidates if clinical trials are successful;
- the cost of commercialization activities for our product candidates, if any of our product candidates is approved for sale, including marketing, sales and distribution costs;
- the cost of manufacturing our product candidates for clinical trials in preparation for regulatory approval and in preparation for commercialization;
- our ability to establish and maintain strategic licensing or other arrangements and the financial terms of such agreements;
- the costs involved in preparing, filing, prosecuting, maintaining, expanding, defending and enforcing patent claims, including litigation costs and the outcome of such litigation;
- the timing, receipt and amount of sales of, or royalties on, our future products, if any; and
- the emergence of competing therapies and other adverse market developments.

16

We do not have any committed external source of funds or other support for our development efforts. Until we can generate sufficient product and royalty revenue to finance our cash requirements, which we may never do, we expect to finance our future cash needs through a combination of public or private equity offerings, debt financings, collaborations, strategic alliances, licensing arrangements and other marketing or distribution arrangements. Additional financing may not be available to us when we need it or it may not be available on favorable terms.

If we raise additional capital through marketing and distribution arrangements or other collaborations, strategic alliances or licensing arrangements with third parties, we may have to relinquish certain valuable rights to our product candidates, technologies, future revenue streams or research programs or grant licenses on terms that may not be favorable to us. If we raise additional capital through public or private equity offerings, the ownership interest of our existing stockholders will be diluted, and the terms of these securities may include liquidation or other preferences that adversely affect our stockholders’ rights. If we raise additional capital through debt financing, we may be subject to covenants limiting or restricting our ability to take specific actions, such as incurring additional debt, making capital expenditures or declaring dividends. If we are unable to obtain adequate financing when needed, we may have to delay, reduce the scope of or suspend one or more of our clinical trials or research and development programs or our commercialization efforts.

***Aspire may implement new lines of business or offer new products and services within existing lines of business.***

As an early-stage company, we may implement new lines of business at any time. There are substantial risks and uncertainties associated with these efforts, particularly in instances where the markets are not fully developed. In developing and marketing new lines of business and/or new products and services, we may invest significant time and resources. Initial timetables for the introduction and development of new lines of business and/or new products or services may not be achieved, and price and profitability targets may not prove feasible. We may not be successful in introducing new products and services in response to industry trends or developments in technology, or those new products may not achieve market acceptance. As a result, we could lose business, be forced to price products and services on less advantageous terms to retain or attract clients or be subject to cost increases. As a result, our business, financial condition or results of operations may be adversely affected.

***Aspire relies on other companies to provide components and services for its product candidates.***

We depend on suppliers and contractors to meet our contractual obligations to our customers and conduct our operations. Our ability to meet our obligations to our customers may be adversely affected if suppliers or contractors do not provide the agreed-upon supplies or perform the agreed-upon services in compliance with customer requirements and in a timely and cost-effective manner. Likewise, the quality of our products may be adversely impacted if companies to whom we delegate manufacture of major components or subsystems for our products, or from whom we acquire such items, do not provide components which meet required specifications and perform to our and our customers’ expectations. Our suppliers may be unable to quickly recover from natural disasters and other events beyond their control and may be subject to additional risks such as financial problems that limit their ability to conduct their operations. The risk of these adverse effects may be greater in circumstances where we rely on only one or two contractors or suppliers for a particular component. Our products may utilize custom components available from only one source. Continued availability of those components at acceptable prices, or at all, may be affected for any number of reasons, including if those suppliers decide to concentrate on the production of common components instead of components customized to meet our requirements. The supply of components for a new or existing product could be delayed or constrained, or a key manufacturing vendor could delay shipments of completed products to us adversely affecting our business and results of operations.

***Aspire relies on various intellectual property rights, including trademarks, in order to operate its business.***

We rely on certain intellectual property rights to operate its business. Our intellectual property rights may not be sufficiently broad or otherwise may not provide us a significant competitive advantage. In addition, the steps that we have taken to maintain and protect our intellectual property may not prevent it from being challenged, invalidated, circumvented or designed-around, particularly in countries where intellectual property rights are not highly developed or protected. In some circumstances, enforcement may not be available to us because an infringer has a dominant intellectual property position or for other business reasons, or countries may require compulsory licensing of our intellectual property. Our failure to obtain or maintain intellectual property rights that convey competitive advantage, adequately protect our intellectual property or detect or prevent circumvention or unauthorized use of such property, could adversely impact our competitive position and results of operations.

We also rely on nondisclosure and noncompetition agreements with employees, consultants and other parties to protect, in part, trade secrets and other proprietary rights. There can be no assurance that these agreements will adequately protect our trade secrets and other proprietary rights and will not be breached, that we will have adequate remedies for any breach, that others will not independently develop substantially equivalent proprietary information or that third parties will not otherwise gain access to our trade secrets or other proprietary rights. As we expand our business, protecting our intellectual property will become increasingly important. The protective steps we have taken may be inadequate to deter our competitors from using our proprietary information. In order to protect or enforce our patent rights, we may be required to initiate litigation against third parties, such as infringement lawsuits. Also, these third parties may assert claims against us with or without provocation. These lawsuits could be expensive, take significant time and could divert management’s attention from other business concerns. The law relating to the scope and validity of claims in the technology field in which we operate is still evolving and, consequently, intellectual property positions in our industry are generally uncertain. We cannot assure you that we will prevail in any of these potential suits or that the damages or other remedies awarded, if any, would be commercially valuable.

***Instaprin Pharmaceuticals’ former Chief Executive officer, Donald A. Milne III, was convicted, on a conspiracy to commit securities fraud charge.***

Instaprin’s former Chief Executive Officer, Donald A. Milne III, has pled guilty to perpetrating a scheme to defraud investors of Instaprin Pharmaceuticals to commit securities fraud and has tarnished the Company’s reputation which has led to a precipitous decline in the Instaprin Pharmaceuticals’ goodwill and business. Instaprin’s former CEO diverted significant funds from the Company for his own personal use which impaired the progress of the Instaprin. The former chief executive officer of Instaprin Pharmaceuticals is not affiliated with Aspire. All of the shares of Instaprin held by Mr. Milne were distributed to the Instaprin shareholders in partial satisfaction of the SEC’s judgement against Mr. Milne and, as such, Mr. Milne was never a stockholder of Aspire. In the event Aspire chooses to use the trademark “Instaprin” there could be reputational harm given its association with Instaprin Pharmaceuticals.

***Aspire’s success depends on the experience and skill of the board of directors, its executive officers and key employees. If it is not successful in attracting and retaining highly qualified personnel, Aspire may not be able to successfully implement its business strategy.***

We are dependent on our board of directors, executive officers and key employees. These persons may not devote their full time and attention to the matters of Aspire. The loss of our board of directors, executive officers and key employees could harm our business, financial condition, cash flow and results of operations.

***Although dependent on certain key personnel, Aspire does not have any key person life insurance policies on any such people.***

Our ability to compete in the highly competitive biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries depends upon our ability to attract and retain highly qualified managerial, scientific and medical personnel. We are highly dependent on our management, scientific and medical personnel. The loss of the services of any of our executive officers, other key employees, and other scientific and medical advisors, and our inability to find suitable replacements could result in delays in product development and harm our business. Competition for skilled personnel in our market is intense and may limit our ability to hire and retain highly qualified personnel on acceptable terms or at all.

We have not purchased any insurance policies with respect to those individuals in the event of their death or disability. Therefore, if any of these personnel die or become disabled, we will not receive any compensation to assist with such person’s absence. The loss of such person could negatively affect us and our operations. We have no way to guarantee key personnel will stay with us, as many states do not enforce non-competition agreements, and therefore acquiring key man insurance will not ameliorate all of the risk of relying on key personnel.

***Damage to Aspire’s reputation could negatively impact its business, financial condition and results of operations.***

Our reputation and the quality of our brand are critical to our business and success in existing markets, and will be critical to our success as we enter new markets. Any incident that erodes consumer loyalty for our brand could significantly reduce its value and damage our business. We may be adversely affected by any negative publicity, regardless of its accuracy. Also, there has been a marked increase in the use of social media platforms and similar devices, including blogs, social media websites and other forms of internet-based communications that provide individuals with access to a broad audience of consumers and other interested persons. The availability of information on social media platforms is virtually immediate as is its impact. Information posted may be adverse to our interests or may be inaccurate, each of which may harm our performance, prospects or business. The harm may be immediate and may disseminate rapidly and broadly, without affording us an opportunity for redress or correction.

***Aspire’s business could be negatively impacted by cyber security threats, attacks and other disruptions.***

We continue to face advanced and persistent attacks on our information infrastructure where we manage and store various proprietary information and sensitive/confidential data relating to our operations. These attacks may include sophisticated malware (viruses, worms, and other malicious software programs) and phishing emails that attack our products or otherwise exploit any security vulnerabilities. These intrusions sometimes may be zero-day malware that are difficult to identify because they are not included in the signature set of commercially available antivirus scanning programs. Experienced computer programmers and hackers may be able to penetrate our network security and misappropriate or compromise our confidential information or that of our customers or other third-parties, create system disruptions, or cause shutdowns. Additionally, sophisticated software and applications that we produce or procure from third-parties may contain defects in design or manufacture, including “bugs” and other problems that could unexpectedly interfere with the operation of the information infrastructure. A disruption, infiltration or failure of our information infrastructure systems or any of our data centers as a result of software or hardware malfunctions, computer viruses, cyber-attacks, employee theft or misuse, power disruptions, natural disasters or accidents could cause breaches of data security, loss of critical data and performance delays, which in turn could adversely affect our business.

***Security breaches of confidential customer information, in connection with Aspire’s electronic processing of credit and debit card transactions, or confidential employee information may adversely affect Aspire’s business as we gain access to such information.***

Our business requires the collection, transmission and retention of personally identifiable information, in various information technology systems that we maintain and in those maintained by third parties with whom we contract to provide services. The integrity and protection of that data is critical to us. The information, security and privacy requirements imposed by governmental regulation are increasingly demanding. Our systems may not be able to satisfy these changing requirements and customer and employee expectations, or may require significant additional investments or time in order to do so. A breach in the security of our information technology systems or those of our service providers could lead to an interruption in the operation of our systems, resulting in operational inefficiencies and a loss of profits. Additionally, a significant theft, loss or misappropriation of, or access to, customers’ or other proprietary data or other breach of our information technology systems could result in fines, legal claims or proceedings.

***Aspire’s internal computer systems, or those used by third party contractors or consultants, may fail or suffer security breaches.***

Despite the implementation of security measures, our internal computer systems and those of our future CROs and other contractors and consultants are vulnerable to damage from computer viruses and unauthorized access. While we have not to our knowledge experienced any such material system failure or security breach to date, if such an event were to occur and cause interruptions in our operations, it could result in a material disruption of our development programs and our business operations. For example, the loss of clinical trial data from completed or future clinical trials could result in delays in our regulatory approval efforts and significantly increase our costs to recover or reproduce the data. Likewise, we rely on third parties for the manufacture of our product candidates and to conduct clinical trials, and similar events relating to their computer systems could also have a material adverse effect on our business. To the extent that any disruption or security breach were to result in a loss of, or damage to, our data or applications, or inappropriate disclosure of confidential or proprietary information, we could incur liability and the further development and commercialization of our product candidates could be delayed.

***Aspire operates in a highly regulated environment, and if Aspire is found to be in violation of any of the federal, state, or local laws or regulations applicable to it, Aspire’s business could suffer.***

We may also be subject to a wide range of federal, state, and local laws and regulations, such as local licensing requirements, and retail financing, debt collection, consumer protection, environmental, health and safety, creditor, wage-hour, anti-discrimination, whistleblower and other employment practices laws and regulations and we expect these costs to increase going forward. The violation of these or future requirements or laws and regulations could result in administrative, civil, or criminal sanctions against us, which may include fines, a cease and desist order against the subject operations or even revocation or suspension of our license to operate the subject business. As a result, we have incurred and will continue to incur capital and operating expenditures and other costs to comply with these requirements and laws and regulations.

***Our business, operations, financial position and clinical development plans and timelines, could be materially adversely affected by the continuing military action in Ukraine and the war between Israel and Hamas.***

As a result of the military action commenced in February 2022 by the Russian Federation and Belarus in Ukraine and the war between Israel and Hamas commenced in October 2023, and related economic sanctions imposed or that may in the future be imposed by certain governments, our financial position and operations may be materially and adversely affected. As our ability to continue to operate will be dependent on raising debt and equity finance, any adverse impact to those markets as a result of these conflicts, including due to increased market volatility, decreased availability in third-party financing and/or a deterioration in the terms on which it is available (if at all), could negatively impact our business, results of operations, cash flows, financial condition, and/or prospects. The extent of any potential impact is not yet determinable, however.

***International trade disputes, including U.S. trade tariffs and retaliatory tariffs, could adversely impact our business.***

International trade disputes, including threatened or implemented tariffs by the United States and threatened or implemented tariffs by foreign countries in retaliation, could adversely impact our business. Many of our tenants sell imported goods and tariffs or other trade restrictions could increase costs for these tenants. To the extent our tenants are unable to pass these costs on to their customers, our tenants could be adversely impacted. In addition, international trade disputes, including those related to tariffs, could result in inflationary pressures that directly impact our costs, such as costs for steel, lumber and other materials applicable to our redevelopment projects. Trade disputes could also adversely impact global supply chains which could further increase costs for us and our tenants or delay delivery of key inventories and supplies.

***Significant political, trade, regulatory developments, and other circumstances beyond our control, could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition or results of operations.***

Significant political, trade, or regulatory developments in the jurisdictions in which we sell our products, such as those stemming from the change in U.S. federal administration, are difficult to predict and may have a material adverse effect on us. Similarly, changes in U.S. federal policy that affect the geopolitical landscape could give rise to circumstances outside our control that could have negative impacts on our business operations. For example, during the prior Trump administration, increased tariffs were implemented on goods imported into the U.S., particularly from China, Canada, and Mexico. On February 1, 2025, the U.S. imposed a 25% tariff on imports from Canada and Mexico, which were subsequently suspended for a period of one month, and a 10% additional tariff on imports from China. Historically, tariffs have led to increased trade and political tensions, between not only the U.S. and China, but also between the U.S. and other countries in the international community. In response to tariffs, other countries have implemented retaliatory tariffs on U.S. goods. Political tensions as a result of trade policies could reduce trade volume, investment, technological exchange, and other economic activities between major international economies, resulting in a material adverse effect on global economic conditions and the stability of global financial markets. Any changes in political, trade, regulatory, and economic conditions, including, but not limited to, U.S. and China trade policies, could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition or results of operations.

**We are dependent on a limited number of suppliers and service providers which subjects our business and results of operations to risks of supplier business interruptions.**

We currently rely on a limited number of suppliers and service providers, and anticipate that we will do so for future products as well. Any delays in delivery of or shortages in those or other products and components could interrupt and delay manufacturing of our products and result in the cancellation of orders for our products. Any or all of these suppliers and service providers could discontinue the manufacture, supply, or services related to our products and components at any time. Due to certain business considerations, we may not be able to identify and integrate alternative sources of supply and services in a timely fashion or at all. Any transition to alternate suppliers or service providers may result in production delays and increased costs and may limit our ability to deliver products to our customers. Furthermore, if we are unable to identify alternative sources of supply, we would have to modify our products to use substitute components, which may cause delays in shipments, increased design and manufacturing costs and increased prices for our products. If we are unable to obtain additional financing, we may be unable to pay our suppliers and service providers for product and services and therefore may be unable to continue to operate our business.

### Risks related to our Products and Their Development

***Aspire’s technology platforms and product candidates are based on novel technologies, and the development and regulatory approval pathway for such product candidates is unproven (in that all aspirin products previously approved by the FDA were administered orally rather than sublingually) and may never lead to marketable products. Even if Aspire obtains regulatory approval of its product candidates, the products may not gain market acceptance among physicians, patients, hospitals and others in the medical community.***

We are developing novel targeted therapies to treat heart attacks and strokes. Any products we develop may not effectively inhibit or treat heart attacks and strokes. The scientific evidence to support the feasibility of developing product candidates based on Aspire’s high-dose sublingual aspirin is preliminary and limited. Advancing these novel therapies creates significant challenges for us, including, among others:

- obtaining approval from regulatory authorities to conduct clinical trials with our product candidates;
- successful enrollment and completion of preclinical studies and clinical trials with favorable results;
- obtaining approvals from regulatory authorities to manufacture and market our product candidates;
- obtaining and maintaining patent and trade secret protection and regulatory exclusivity for our product candidates;
- making arrangements with third-party manufacturers for, or establishing, commercial manufacturing capabilities;
- manufacturing our product candidates at an acceptable cost;
- launching commercial sales of our product candidates, if and when approved, whether alone or in collaboration with other partners;
- acceptance of our product candidates, if and when approved, by patients, the medical community and third-party payors;
- effectively competing with other heart attack and stroke therapies;
- obtaining and maintaining coverage and adequate reimbursement by third-party payors, including government payors, for our product candidates;
- protecting rights in our intellectual property portfolio;
- maintaining a continued acceptable safety profile of our product candidates, if approved, following approval; and
- maintaining and growing an organization of scientists and business people who can develop and commercialize our products and technology.

The use of Aspire’s high-dose sublingual aspirin product candidates as potential heart and stroke treatments, even if approved, may not become broadly accepted by physicians, patients, hospitals and others in the medical community. Additional factors will influence whether our product candidates are accepted in the market, including:

- the clinical indications for which our product candidates are approved;
- physicians, hospitals, medical treatment centers and patients considering our product candidates as a safe and effective treatment;
- the potential and perceived advantages of our product candidates over alternative treatments;
- the prevalence and severity of any side effects;
- product labeling or product insert requirements of the FDA or other regulatory authorities;

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- limitations or warnings contained in the labeling approved by the FDA;
- the timing of market introduction of our product candidates as well as competitive products;
- the cost of treatment in relation to alternative treatments;
- the availability of adequate coverage, reimbursement and pricing by third-party payors and government authorities;
- the willingness of patients to pay out-of-pocket in the absence of coverage by third-party payors and government authorities;
- relative convenience and ease of administration, including as compared to alternative treatments and competitive therapies; and the effectiveness of our sales and marketing efforts.

Even if our products achieve market acceptance, we may not be able to maintain that market acceptance over time if new products or technologies are introduced that are more favorably received than our products, are more cost effective or render our products obsolete.

#### Current Development Status of Aspirin Product

Aspire’s cGMP batch of patent-pending aspirin product has been manufactured by Glatt in its New Jersey facility. Glatt will be using this batch to finalize the packaging and manufacturing process, and to provide the products to be used in the upcoming clinical tests. Glatt’s scientific team will also be conducting the stability testing required by the FDA on this batch to determine product shelf life. This is in addition to prior similar initial testing done in 2022 by Glatt which provided important background data on the stability and manufacturing process for Aspire’s low dose aspirin product.

Aspire’s consultants have completed (1) a comprehensive review of relevant regulatory issues and regulatory strategy (including regulations, guidance documents, FDA reviews of approved NDAs for other relevant products, Pediatric Research Equity Act requirements, FDA’s trade name approval requirements, opportunities for accelerated regulatory processes, etc.), (2) a comprehensive summary of relevant safety, efficacy and pharmacokinetic data to support IRB approvals, IND, and 505(b)(2) NDA approval, (3) a target product profile (including product description, composition, strength, route of administration, prescription v. OTC, indications, dosing and claims to differentiate from other aspirin products), and (4) an integrated product development plan (including plans to support each module of an NDA submission: CMC, preclinical safety, human PK, clinical safety, clinical efficacy, timelines, critical path, Gantt chart, etc.). These reviews were done in preparation for Aspire’s pre-IND meeting with the FDA, its clinical testing, and its NDA.

Aspire plans to conduct an in vivo single-dose bioavailability study in healthy human volunteers in approximately April 2025 (“Trial 1”). This clinical trial will evaluate pharmacokinetic endpoints including but not limited to maximum concentrations of aspirin and/or its metabolites in plasma (“Cmax”), time of maximum concentrations (“Tmax”), and area under the time curve concentrations (“AUC”) following sublingual dosing of two different pharmaceutical formulations of Instaprin compared to standard oral aspirin. Pharmacodynamic effect on serum thromboxane B2 (TXB2, a measure of platelet inhibition) will be evaluated as a secondary endpoint. Data from this bioavailability study will be used to select the optimal pharmaceutical formulation of Instaprin and to design a pivotal Trial 2 to support filing of an NDA. Trial 1 will be exempt from Investigational New Drug (IND) filing requirements under 21 C.F.R. 320.31(d) because it is a human bioavailability trial of an FDA-approved active ingredient that is not a new chemical entity, a radioactively labeled drug product, or cytotoxic drug product, using a dose not exceeding the dose specified in the labeling of the approved drug product, conducted in compliance with the requirements for review by an Institutional Review Board (IRB), with reserve test article samples retained by the study sponsor.

Following completion of Trial 1, Aspire plans to request a pre-IND meeting with the FDA in the second quarter of 2025 to discuss plans for continued development of Instaprin leading to submission of a section 505(b)(2) NDA. Aspire plans to propose a second clinical trial (“Trial 2”) in approximately 24 healthy human volunteers to evaluate the pharmacodynamic effect of a single dose of Instaprin on platelet inhibition compared to that of standard oral aspirin. The proposed primary endpoint for Trial 2 would be time to TXB2 inhibition. Variability of TXB2 inhibition and pharmacokinetic parameters (Cmax, Tmax, AUC, etc.) for aspirin and/or its metabolites in plasma will be analyzed as secondary endpoints. Following completion of Trial 2, Aspire intends to submit a section 505(b)(2) NDA for the high-dose sublingnual product to the FDA.

#### Current Development Status of Other Products

Melatonin: Aspire’s scientists have developed a working formulation for a sublingually administered melatonin sleep-aid product in a 3mg, 5mg, and 10 mg dose. In the next two months, Aspire intends to develop and validate the manufacturing process based on this formulation. In May 2025, Aspire plans to conduct a limited pharmokinetic study using at least eight volunteers, comparing to orally administered melatonin products on the market, in order to support its claims and labeling. No FDA approval is required for Melatonin, which is sold as a supplement. Melatonin is a wildly popular sleep aid and Aspire has begun exploring licensing possibilities and has also begun discussions with a manufacturing facility in Puerto Rico. Aspire intends to file for patent protection in the near future.

Vitamins: Aspire’s scientists have developed a working formulation for sublingually administered vitamins D, E and K. In the first two quarters of 2025, Aspire intends to develop and validate a manufacturing process and conduct a limited pharmokinetic study. Aspire intends to file for patent protection in the near future.

Testosterone: Aspire’s scientists have developed a formulation for sublingually administered testosterone. A patent application for the formulation will be filed in due course. In the third and fourth quarters of 2025, Aspire intends to develop and validate the manufacturing process based on this formulation, and produce a cGMP batch for use in clinical testing and a stability study. Aspire intends to conduct a Phase One clinical test in approximately the first quarter of 2026 for pharmokinetical validation of product properties, using approximately eight volunteers, and to establish criteria for an NDA with the FDA. Aspire anticipates, based on these results, to request a pre-IND meeting with the FDA in the second quarter of 2026, followed by Phase Two clinical testing. Aspire anticipates this testing to use approximately 32 volunteers. Aspire intends to submit an NDA for the testosterone product under 505(b)(2) to the FDA in the second quarter of 2026. Testosterone is not a candidate for fast-track approval, therefore the NDA approval process will likely take as much as three years.

Semaglutide: Aspire’s scientists are in the final phases of developing a working formulation for a sublingual semaglutide product. The timeline to market will be similar to that of testosterone, above, as semaglutide is not likely a candidate for fast-track approval.

Caffeine Products: Aspire’s scientific team has developed a working formula for a single dose sublingual pre-workout supplement as well as a single dose “coffee or soda replacement” with health benefits. Aspire has manufactured trial runs of this supplement and intends to do consumer and safety testing in Q2 2025. Aspire believes this product will be ready for launch in Q2 or Q3 2025.

Other Products: Aspire’s scientists are currently considering formulations for anti-nausea products, anti-psychotic products, ED drugs, seizure medication, and several other classes of drugs, all using our sublingual mode of administration.

If we do not achieve one or more of these factors in a timely manner or at all, we could experience significant delays or an inability to successfully develop and commercialize our product candidates, which could materially harm our business, financial condition and results of operations.

***Aspire’s business is highly dependent on the success of its lead product candidate, high-dose sublingual aspirin, which will require significant additional clinical testing before Aspire can seek regulatory approval and potentially launch commercial sales.***

We do not have any products that have gained regulatory approval. Our business and future success depends on our ability to obtain regulatory approval of and then successfully commercialize our lead product candidate, high-dose sublingual aspirin, which is in the early stages of Preclinical development. We are currently conducting our preclinical tests to compile and file an NDA (investigational new drug application). Our ability to develop, obtain regulatory acceptance for high-dose sublingual aspirin to enter clinical trials will depend on several factors, including the following:

- successfully demonstrating that the therapy is reasonably safe for human clinical studies;
- effectively demonstrating that the chemical composition and manufacturing methods and controls are consistent; and
- providing protocol detail proposed for clinical trials that ensure subjects will not be exposed to unnecessary risk and that the professionals overseeing the administration of the study are qualified.

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Our drug product candidates, including high-dose sublingual aspirin, will require additional clinical and non-clinical development, regulatory review and approval in multiple jurisdictions, substantial investment, access to sufficient commercial manufacturing capacity and significant marketing efforts before we can generate any revenue from product sales. We are not permitted to market or promote any of our product candidates before we receive regulatory approval from the FDA or comparable foreign regulatory authorities, and we may never receive such regulatory approval for any of our product candidates. If we are unable to develop or receive marketing approval for our aspirin or other products we develop in a timely manner or at all, we could experience significant delays or an inability to commercialize our aspirin or other products, which would materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

***Clinical development involves a lengthy and expensive process with uncertain outcomes, and results of earlier studies and trials may not be predictive of future clinical trial results. Aspire’s clinical trials may fail to demonstrate adequately the safety and efficacy of one or more of its product candidates, which would prevent or delay regulatory approval and commercialization.***

Before obtaining regulatory approvals for the commercial sale of our product candidates, including our high-dose sublingnal aspirin, we must demonstrate through lengthy, complex and expensive preclinical testing and clinical trials that our product candidates are both safe and effective for use in each target indication. Clinical testing is expensive and can take many years to complete, and its outcome is inherently uncertain. Failure can occur at any time during the clinical trial process. The results of preclinical studies and early clinical trials of our product candidates may not be predictive of the results of later-stage clinical trials. There is typically an extremely high rate of attrition from the failure of product candidates proceeding through clinical trials. Product candidates in later stages of clinical trials may fail to show the desired safety and efficacy profile despite having progressed through preclinical studies and initial clinical trials. A number of companies in the biopharmaceutical industry have suffered significant setbacks in advanced clinical trials due to lack of efficacy or adverse safety profiles, notwithstanding promising results in earlier trials. We cannot be certain that we will not face similar setbacks. Most product candidates that commence clinical trials are never approved as commercial products.

We may experience delays in our ongoing clinical trials and we do not know whether planned clinical trials will begin on time, need to be redesigned, enroll patients on time or be completed on schedule, if at all. Clinical trials can be delayed for a variety of reasons, including delays related to:

- obtaining regulatory approval to commence a trial; reaching agreement on acceptable terms with prospective contract research organizations, or CROs, and clinical trial sites, the terms of which can be subject to extensive negotiation and may vary significantly among different CROs and trial sites;
- obtaining institutional review board, or IRB, approval at each site;
- recruiting suitable patients to participate in a trial;
- having patients complete a trial or return for post-treatment follow-up;
- clinical sites deviating from trial protocol or dropping out of a trial;
- adding new clinical trial sites; or
- manufacturing sufficient quantities of product candidate for use in clinical trials.

We could encounter delays if a clinical trial is suspended or terminated by us, by the IRBs of the institutions in which such trials are being conducted, by the Data Safety Monitoring Board, or DSMB, for such trial or by the FDA or other regulatory authorities. Such authorities may impose such a suspension or termination due to a number of factors, including failure to conduct the clinical trial in accordance with regulatory requirements or our clinical protocols, inspection of the clinical trial operations or trial site by the FDA or other regulatory authorities resulting in the imposition of a clinical hold, unforeseen safety issues or adverse side effects, failure to demonstrate a benefit from using a drug, changes in governmental regulations or administrative actions or lack of adequate funding to continue the clinical trial.

Furthermore, we rely on CROs and clinical trial sites to ensure the proper and timely conduct of our clinical trials and while we have agreements governing their committed activities, we have limited influence over their actual performance. If we experience delays in the completion of, or termination of, any clinical trial of our product candidates, the commercial prospects of our product candidates will be harmed, and our ability to generate product revenues from any of these product candidates will be delayed. In addition, any delays in completing our clinical trials will increase our costs, slow down our product candidate development and approval process and jeopardize our ability to commence product sales and generate revenues. Any of these occurrences may harm our business, financial condition and prospects significantly. In addition, principal investigators for our clinical trials may serve as scientific advisors or consultants to us from time to time and receive cash compensation in connection with such services. If certain of these relationships exceed specific financial thresholds, they must be reported to the FDA. If these relationships and any related compensation paid results in perceived or actual conflicts of interest, or the FDA concludes that the financial relationship may have affected interpretation of the study, the integrity of the data generated at the applicable clinical trial site may be questioned and the utility of the clinical trial itself may be jeopardized, which could result in the delay in approval, or rejection, of our marketing applications by the FDA. Many of the factors that cause, or lead to, a delay in the commencement or completion of clinical trials may also ultimately lead to the denial of regulatory approval of our product candidates.

In addition, even if the trials are successfully completed, we cannot guarantee that the FDA or foreign regulatory authorities will interpret the results as we do, and we may need to conduct additional trials before we submit applications seeking regulatory approval of our product candidates.

To the extent that the results of the trials are not satisfactory to the FDA or foreign regulatory authorities for support of a marketing application, approval of our product candidates may be significantly delayed, or we may be required to expend significant additional resources, which may not be available to us, to conduct additional trials in support of potential approval of our product candidates.

***Aspire’s product candidates may cause undesirable side effects or have other properties that could halt their clinical development, prevent their regulatory approval, limit their commercial potential, if approved, or result in significant negative consequences.***

Undesirable side effects caused by our product candidates could cause us or regulatory authorities to interrupt, delay or halt clinical trials and could result in a more restrictive label or the delay or denial of regulatory approval by the FDA or comparable foreign regulatory authorities. Results of our clinical trials could reveal a high and unacceptable severity and prevalence of side effects or unexpected characteristics.

If unacceptable side effects arise in the development of our product candidates, we could suspend or terminate our clinical trials or the FDA or comparable foreign regulatory authorities could order us to cease clinical trials or deny approval of our product candidates for any or all targeted indications. Treatment-related side effects could also affect patient recruitment or the ability of enrolled patients to complete the trial or result in potential product liability claims. In addition, these side effects may not be appropriately recognized or managed by the treating medical staff. We expect to have to train medical personnel using our product candidates to understand the side effect profiles for our clinical trials and upon any commercialization of any of our product candidates. Inadequate training in recognizing or managing the potential side effects of our product candidates could result in patient injury or death. Any of these occurrences may harm our business, financial condition and prospects significantly.

Additionally, if one or more of our product candidates receives marketing approval, and we or others later identify undesirable side effects caused by such products, a number of potentially significant negative consequences could result, including:

- regulatory authorities may withdraw approvals of such product;
- regulatory authorities may require additional warnings on the label;
- we may be required to create a medication guide outlining the risks of such side effects for distribution to patients;
- we could be sued and held liable for harm caused to patients; and
- our reputation may suffer.

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Any of these events could prevent us from achieving or maintaining market acceptance of the particular product candidate, if approved, and could significantly harm our business, results of operations and prospects.

***If Aspire encounters difficulties enrolling patients in its clinical trials, Aspire’s clinical development activities could be delayed or otherwise adversely affected.***

The timely completion of clinical trials in accordance with their protocols depends, among other things, on our ability to enroll a sufficient number of patients who remain in the study until its conclusion. We may experience difficulties in patient enrollment in our clinical trials for a variety of reasons. The enrollment of patients depends on many factors, including:

- the patient eligibility criteria defined in the protocol;
- the size of the patient population required for analysis of the trial’s primary endpoints;
- the proximity of patients to study sites;
- the design of the trial;
- our ability to recruit clinical trial investigators with the appropriate competencies and experience;
- clinicians’ and patients’ perceptions as to the potential advantages of the product candidate being studied in relation to other available therapies, including any new drugs that may be approved for the indications we are investigating;
- our ability to obtain and maintain patient consents; and
- the risk that patients enrolled in clinical trials will drop out of the trials before completion.

In addition, our clinical trials will compete with other clinical trials for product candidates that are in the same therapeutic areas as our product candidates, and this competition will reduce the number and types of patients available to us, because some patients who might have opted to enroll in our trials may instead opt to enroll in a trial being conducted by one of our competitors. Since the number of qualified clinical investigators is limited, we expect to conduct some of our clinical trials at the same clinical trial sites that some of our competitors use, which will reduce the number of patients who are available for our clinical trials in such clinical trial site. Moreover, because our product candidates represent a departure from more commonly used methods for heart attack and stroke treatments, potential patients and their doctors may be inclined to use conventional therapies, rather than enroll patients in any future clinical trials.

Delays in patient enrollment may result in increased costs or may affect the timing or outcome of the planned clinical trials, which could prevent completion of these trials and adversely affect our ability to advance the development of our product candidates.

***Aspire relies and will rely on third parties to conduct its clinical trials, which are expensive, time consuming, and difficult to design and implement. If these third parties do not successfully carry out their contractual duties or meet expected deadlines, Aspire may not be able to obtain regulatory approval of or commercialize its product candidates.***

We depend and plan to continue to depend upon independent investigators, other third parties and collaborators, such as universities, medical institutions, CROs and strategic partners, to conduct our preclinical and clinical trials under agreements with us. We expect to have to negotiate budgets and contracts with CROs and study sites, which may result in delays to our development timelines and increased costs. We rely and plan to continue relying heavily on these third parties over the course of our clinical trials, and we control only certain aspects of their activities. Nevertheless, we are responsible for ensuring that each of our studies is conducted in accordance with the applicable protocol, legal, regulatory and scientific standards, and our reliance on third parties does not relieve us of our regulatory responsibilities. We and these third parties are required to comply with good clinical practices, or GCPs, which are regulations and guidelines enforced by the FDA and comparable foreign regulatory authorities for product candidates in clinical development. Regulatory authorities enforce these GCPs through periodic inspections of trial sponsors, principal investigators and trial sites. If we or any of these third parties fail to comply with applicable GCP regulations, the clinical data generated in our clinical trials may be deemed unreliable and the FDA or comparable foreign regulatory authorities may require us to perform additional clinical trials before approving our marketing applications. We cannot assure you that, upon inspection, such regulatory authorities will determine that any of our clinical trials comply with the GCP regulations. In addition, our clinical trials must be conducted with biologic product produced under current good manufacturing practices (cGMPs) regulations and guidelines and will require a large number of test patients. Our failure or any failure by these third parties to comply with these regulations or to recruit a sufficient number of patients may require us to repeat clinical trials, which would delay the regulatory approval process. Moreover, our business may be implicated if any of these third parties violates federal or state fraud and abuse or false claims laws and regulations or healthcare privacy and security laws.

Any third parties conducting our clinical trials are not our employees and, except for remedies available to us under our agreements with such third parties, we cannot control whether or not they devote sufficient time and resources to our ongoing preclinical, clinical and nonclinical programs. These third parties may also have relationships with other commercial entities, including our competitors, for whom they may also be conducting clinical studies or other drug development activities, which could affect their performance on our behalf. If these third parties do not successfully carry out their contractual duties or obligations or meet expected deadlines, if they need to be replaced or if the quality or accuracy of the clinical data they obtain is compromised due to the failure to adhere to our clinical protocols or regulatory requirements or for other reasons, our clinical trials may be extended, delayed or terminated and we may not be able to complete development of, obtain regulatory approval of or successfully commercialize our product candidates. As a result, our financial results and the commercial prospects for our product candidates would be harmed, our costs could increase and our ability to generate revenue could be delayed.

Switching or adding third parties to conduct our clinical trials involves substantial cost and requires extensive management time and focus. In addition, there is a natural transition period when a new third party commences work. As a result, delays occur, which can materially impact our ability to meet our desired clinical development timelines. Though we carefully manage our relationships with third parties conducting our clinical trials, we cannot assure you that we will not encounter similar challenges or delays in the future or that these delays or challenges will not have a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition and prospects.

Furthermore, human clinical trials are expensive and difficult to design and implement, in part because they are subject to rigorous regulatory requirements. Because our product candidates are based on new technologies and engineered on a patient-by-patient basis, we expect that they will require extensive research and development and have substantial manufacturing and processing costs. In addition, costs to treat patients with heart attacks/ strokes and to treat potential side effects that may result from our product candidates may be significant. Accordingly, our clinical trial costs are likely to be significantly higher than for more conventional therapeutic technologies or drug products.

***If Aspire fails to develop additional product candidates, its commercial opportunity will be limited.***

We expect to initially develop our lead product candidate, high-dose sublingual aspirin, a fast-acting form of powdered aspirin that could rapidly stop heart attacks and strokes. However, one of our strategies is to pursue clinical development of additional product candidates. Developing, obtaining regulatory approval for and commercializing additional product candidates will require substantial funding and are prone to the risks of failure inherent in medical product development. We cannot assure you that we will be able to successfully advance any of these additional product candidates through the development process.

Even if we obtain FDA approval to market additional product candidates for the treatment of heart attacks and strokes, we cannot assure you that any such product candidates will be successfully commercialized, widely accepted in the marketplace or more effective than other commercially available alternatives. If we are unable to successfully develop and commercialize additional product candidates, our commercial opportunity will be limited. Moreover, a failure in obtaining regulatory approval of additional product candidates may have a negative effect on the approval process of any other, or result in losing approval of any approved, product candidate.

***Aspire is subject to a multitude of manufacturing and supply chain risks, any of which could substantially increase its costs and limit the supply of its product candidates.***

The process of manufacturing our product candidates is complex, highly regulated and subject to several risks, including:

- The manufacturing of drug products is susceptible to product loss due to contamination, equipment failure, improper installation or operation of equipment or vendor or operator error. Even minor deviations from normal manufacturing processes could result in reduced production yields, product defects and other supply disruptions. If foreign microbial, viral or other contaminations are discovered in our product candidates or in the manufacturing facilities in which our products are made, these manufacturing facilities may need to be closed for an extended period of time to investigate and remedy the contamination.
- The manufacturing facilities in which our product candidates are made could be adversely affected by equipment failures, labor shortages, natural disasters, power failures and numerous other factors.
- We and our contract manufacturers must comply with the FDA’s cGMP (current good manufacturing practices) regulations and guidelines. Any failure to follow cGMP or other regulatory requirements or any delay, interruption or other issues that arise in the manufacture, fill-finish, packaging, or storage of our products as a result of a failure of our facilities or the facilities or operations of third parties to comply with regulatory requirements or pass any regulatory authority inspection could significantly impair our ability to develop and commercialize our products, including leading to significant delays in the availability of products for our clinical studies or the termination or hold on a clinical study, or the delay or prevention of a filing or approval of marketing applications for our product candidates. Significant noncompliance could also result in the imposition of sanctions, including fines, injunctions, civil penalties, failure of regulatory authorities to grant marketing approvals for our product candidates, delays, suspension or withdrawal of approvals, license revocation, seizures or recalls of products, operating restrictions and criminal prosecutions, any of which could damage our reputation. If we are not able to maintain regulatory compliance, we may not be permitted to market our products and/or may be subject to product recalls, seizures, injunctions, or criminal prosecution.

Any adverse developments affecting manufacturing operations for our product candidates and/or damage that occurs during shipping may result in delays, inventory shortages, lot failures, withdrawals or recalls or other interruptions in the supply of our drug substance and drug product. We may also have to write off inventory, incur other charges and expenses for supply of drug product that fails to meet specifications, undertake costly remediation efforts, or seek more costly manufacturing alternatives. Inability to meet the demand for any of our product candidates, if approved, could damage our reputation and the reputation of our products among physicians, healthcare payors, patients or the medical community, which could adversely affect our ability to operate our business and our results of operations.

***Aspire currently has no marketing and sales organization and has no experience in marketing products. If Aspire is unable to establish marketing and sales capabilities or enter into agreements with third parties to market and sell its product candidates, Aspire may not be able to generate product revenue.***

We currently have no sales, marketing or distribution capabilities and have no experience in marketing products. If we decide to develop an in-house marketing organization and sales force, which will require significant capital expenditures, management resources and time, we will have to compete with other pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies to recruit, hire, train and retain marketing and sales personnel.

If we are unable or decide not to establish internal sales, marketing and distribution capabilities, we will pursue collaborative arrangements regarding the sales and marketing of our products; however, we cannot assure you that we will be able to establish or maintain such collaborative arrangements, or if we are able to do so, that they will have effective sales forces. Any revenue we receive will depend upon the efforts of such third parties, which may not be successful. We may have little or no control over the marketing and sales efforts of such third parties and our revenue from product sales may be lower than if we had commercialized our product candidates ourselves. We also face competition in our search for third parties to assist us with the sales and marketing efforts of our product candidates.

We cannot assure you that we will be able to develop in-house sales and distribution capabilities or establish or maintain relationships with third-party collaborators to commercialize any product in the United States or elsewhere.

***A variety of risks associated with marketing Aspire’s product candidates internationally could materially adversely affect Aspire’s business.***

We might plan to seek regulatory approval of our product candidates outside of the United States and, if so, we expect that we will be subject to additional risks related to operating in foreign countries if we obtain the necessary approvals, including:

- differing regulatory requirements in foreign countries;
- unexpected changes in tariffs, trade barriers, price and exchange controls and other regulatory requirements;
- economic weakness, including inflation, or political instability in particular foreign economies and markets;
- compliance with tax, employment, immigration and labor laws for employees living or traveling abroad;
- foreign taxes, including withholding of payroll taxes;
- foreign currency fluctuations, which could result in increased operating expenses and reduced revenue, and other obligations incident to doing business in another country;
- difficulties staffing and managing foreign operations;
- workforce uncertainty in countries where labor unrest is more common than in the United States;
- potential liability under the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977 or comparable foreign regulations;
- challenges enforcing our contractual and intellectual property rights, especially in those foreign countries that do not respect and protect intellectual property rights to the same extent as the United States;
- production shortages resulting from any events affecting raw material supply or manufacturing capabilities abroad; and
- business interruptions resulting from geo-political actions, including war and terrorism.

These and other risks associated with our international operations may materially adversely affect our ability to attain or maintain profitable operations.

***Aspire faces significant competition from other biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies, and its operating results will suffer if it fails to compete effectively.***

The biopharmaceutical industry is characterized by intense competition and rapid innovation. Our competitors may be able to develop other compounds, drugs or delivery systems that are able to achieve similar or better results. Many major multinational pharmaceutical companies, established biotechnology companies, specialty pharmaceutical companies and universities and other research institutions continue to invest time and resources in developing novel approaches to preventing heart attacks and strokes. Many of our competitors have substantially greater financial, technical and other resources than we do, such as larger research and development staff and experienced marketing and manufacturing organizations and well-established sales forces. Smaller or early-stage companies may also prove to be significant competitors, particularly through collaborative arrangements with large, established companies. Mergers and acquisitions in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries may result in even more resources being concentrated in our competitors. Competition may increase further as a result of advances in the commercial applicability of technologies and greater availability of capital for investment in these industries. Our competitors, either alone or with collaborative partners, may succeed in developing, acquiring or licensing on an exclusive basis drug or biologic products that are more effective, safer, more easily commercialized or less costly than our product candidates or may develop proprietary technologies or secure patent protection that we may need for the development of our technologies and products. We believe the key competitive factors that will affect the development and commercial success of our product candidates are efficacy, safety, tolerability, reliability, convenience of use, price and reimbursement.

Even if we obtain regulatory approval of our product candidates, the availability and price of our competitors’ products could limit the demand and the price we are able to charge for our product candidates. We may not be able to implement our business plan if the acceptance of our product candidates is inhibited by price competition or the reluctance of physicians to switch from existing methods of treatment to our product candidates, or if physicians switch to other new drug or biologic products or choose to reserve our product candidates for use in limited circumstances.

***Aspire’s employees, independent contractors, consultants, commercial partners and vendors may engage in misconduct or other improper activities, including noncompliance with regulatory standards and requirements.***

We are exposed to the risk that our employees, independent contractors, consultants, commercial partners and vendors may engage in fraudulent or illegal activity. Misconduct by these parties could include intentional, reckless and/or negligent conduct or disclosure of unauthorized activities to us that violates: (1) the laws of the FDA and other similar foreign regulatory bodies, including those laws requiring the reporting of true, complete and accurate information to such regulators; (2) manufacturing standards; (3) healthcare fraud and abuse laws in the United States and similar foreign fraudulent misconduct laws; or (4) laws that require the true, complete and accurate reporting of financial information or data. If we obtain FDA approval of any of our product candidates and begin commercializing those products in the United States, our potential exposure under such laws will increase significantly, and our costs associated with compliance with such laws are also likely to increase. These laws may impact, among other things, our current activities with principal investigators and research patients, as well as proposed and future sales, marketing and education programs. In particular, the promotion, sales and marketing of healthcare items and services, as well as certain business arrangements in the healthcare industry, are subject to extensive laws designed to prevent fraud, kickbacks, self-dealing and other abusive practices. These laws and regulations may restrict or prohibit a wide range of pricing, discounting, marketing and promotion, structuring and commissions, certain customer incentive programs and other business arrangements generally. Activities subject to these laws also involve the improper use of information obtained in the course of patient recruitment for clinical trials.

If any such actions are instituted against us and we are not successful in defending ourselves or asserting our rights, those actions could result in the imposition of significant fines or other sanctions, including the imposition of civil, criminal and administrative penalties, damages, monetary fines, possible exclusion from participation in Medicare, Medicaid and other federal healthcare programs, contractual damages, reputational harm, diminished profits and future earnings and curtailment of operations, any of which could adversely affect our ability to operate our business and our results of operations. Whether or not we are successful in defending against such actions or investigations, we could incur substantial costs, including legal fees, and divert the attention of management in defending ourselves against any of these claims or investigations.

***If product liability lawsuits are brought against Aspire, it may incur substantial liabilities and may be required to limit commercialization of Aspire’s product candidates.***

We face an inherent risk of product liability as a result of the clinical testing of our product candidates and will face an even greater risk if we commercialize any products. For example, we may be sued if our product candidates cause or are perceived to cause injury or are found to be otherwise unsuitable during clinical testing, manufacturing, marketing or sale. Any such product liability claims may include allegations of defects in manufacturing, defects in design, a failure to warn of dangers inherent in the product, negligence, strict liability or a breach of warranties. Claims could also be asserted under state consumer protection acts. If we cannot successfully defend ourselves against product liability claims, we may incur substantial liabilities or be required to limit commercialization of our product candidates. Even successful defense would require significant financial and management resources. Regardless of the merits or eventual outcome, liability claims may result in:

- decreased demand for our product candidates;
- injury to our reputation;
- withdrawal of clinical trial participants;
- initiation of investigations by regulators; costs to defend the related litigation;
- a diversion of management’s time and our resources;
- substantial monetary awards to trial participants or patients;
- product recalls, withdrawals or labeling, marketing or promotional restrictions;
- loss of revenue;
- exhaustion of any available insurance and our capital resources;
- the inability to commercialize any product candidate; and
- a decline in our share price.

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Our inability to obtain sufficient product liability insurance at an acceptable cost to protect against potential product liability claims could prevent or inhibit the commercialization of products we develop, alone or with corporate collaborators.

We intend to obtain customary product liability insurance, which we believe is customary for similarly situated companies and adequate to provide us with insurance coverage for foreseeable risks, but which may not be adequate to cover all liabilities that we may incur. Insurance coverage is increasingly expensive. We may not be able to maintain insurance at a reasonable cost or in an amount adequate to satisfy any liability that may arise, if at all. Our insurance policy contains various exclusions, and we may be subject to a product liability claim for which we have no coverage. We may have to pay any amounts awarded by a court or negotiated in a settlement that exceed our coverage limitations or that are not covered by our insurance, and we may not have, or be able to obtain, sufficient capital to pay such amounts. Even if our agreements with any future corporate collaborators entitle us to indemnification against losses, such indemnification may not be available or adequate should any claim arise.

***Aspire relies and expects to continue to rely on third parties to manufacture its clinical product supplies, and Aspire intends to rely on third parties to produce and process its product candidates, if approved, and commercialization of any of Aspire’s product candidates could be stopped, delayed or made less profitable if those third parties fail to obtain approval of government regulators or fail to provide Aspire with sufficient quantities of drug product at acceptable quality levels or prices.***

We do not currently have nor do we plan to acquire the infrastructure or capability internally to manufacture our clinical supplies for use in the conduct of our clinical trials, and we lack the resources and the capability to manufacture any of our product candidates on a clinical or commercial scale. We currently rely on outside vendors to manufacture our clinical supplies of our product candidates and plan to continue relying on third parties to manufacture our product candidates on a commercial scale, if approved.

The facilities used by our contract manufacturers to manufacture our product candidates must be approved by the FDA pursuant to inspections that will be conducted after we submit our marketing applications to the FDA. We do not control the manufacturing process of, and are completely dependent on, our contract manufacturing partners for compliance with the regulatory requirements, known as cGMPs, for manufacture of our product candidates. If our contract manufacturers cannot successfully manufacture material that conforms to our specifications and the strict regulatory requirements of the FDA or others, they will not be able to secure and/or maintain regulatory approval for their manufacturing facilities. In addition, we have no control over the ability of our contract manufacturers to maintain adequate quality control, quality assurance and qualified personnel. If the FDA or a comparable foreign regulatory authority does not approve these facilities for the manufacture of our product candidates or if it withdraws any such approval in the future, we may need to find alternative manufacturing facilities, which would significantly impact our ability to develop, obtain regulatory approval for or market our product candidates, if approved.

We do not yet have sufficient information to reliably estimate the cost of the commercial manufacturing of our product candidates, and the actual cost to manufacture our product candidates could materially and adversely affect the commercial viability of our product candidates. As a result, we may never be able to develop a commercially viable product.

In addition, our reliance on third-party manufacturers exposes us to the following additional risks:

- We may be unable to identify manufacturers on acceptable terms or at all.
- Our third-party manufacturers might be unable to timely formulate and manufacture our product or produce the quantity and quality required to meet our clinical and commercial needs, if any.
- Contract manufacturers may not be able to execute our manufacturing procedures appropriately.
- Our future contract manufacturers may not perform as agreed or may not remain in the contract manufacturing business for the time required to supply our clinical trials or to successfully produce, store and distribute our products.
- Manufacturers are subject to ongoing periodic unannounced inspection by the FDA and corresponding state agencies to ensure strict compliance with cGMP and other government regulations and corresponding foreign standards. We do not have control over third-party manufacturers’ compliance with these regulations and standards.
- We may not own, or may have to share, the intellectual property rights to any improvements made by our third-party manufacturers in the manufacturing process for our products.
- Our third-party manufacturers could breach or terminate their agreements with us.

Each of these risks could delay our clinical trials, the approval, if any of our product candidates by the FDA or the commercialization of our product candidates or result in higher costs or deprive us of potential product revenue. In addition, we rely on third parties to perform release testing on our product candidates prior to delivery to patients. If these tests are not appropriately conducted and test data are not reliable, patients could be put at risk of serious harm and could result in product liability suits.

The manufacture of medical products is complex and requires significant expertise and capital investment, including the development of advanced manufacturing techniques and process controls. Manufacturers of biologic products often encounter difficulties in production, particularly in scaling up and validating initial production and absence of contamination. These problems include difficulties with production costs and yields, quality control, including stability of the product, quality assurance testing, operator error, shortages of qualified personnel, as well as compliance with strictly enforced federal, state and foreign regulations. Furthermore, if contaminants are discovered in our supply of our product candidates or in the manufacturing facilities, such manufacturing facilities may need to be closed for an extended period of time to investigate and remedy the contamination. We cannot assure you that any stability or other issues relating to the manufacture of our product candidates will not occur in the future. Additionally, our manufacturers may experience manufacturing difficulties due to resource constraints or as a result of labor disputes or unstable political environments. If our manufacturers were to encounter any of these difficulties, or otherwise fail to comply with their contractual obligations, our ability to provide our product candidates to patients in clinical trials would be jeopardized. Any delay or interruption in the supply of clinical trial supplies could delay the completion of clinical trials, increase the costs associated with maintaining clinical trial programs and, depending upon the period of delay, require us to commence new clinical trials at additional expense or terminate clinical trials completely.

***If Aspire’s third-party manufacturers use hazardous and biological materials in a manner that causes injury or violates applicable law, Aspire may be liable for damages.***

Our research and development activities involve the controlled use of potentially hazardous substances, including chemical and biological materials, by our third-party manufacturers. Our manufacturers are subject to federal, state and local laws and regulations in the United States governing the use, manufacture, storage, handling and disposal of medical and hazardous materials. Although we believe that our manufacturers’ procedures for using, handling, storing and disposing of these materials comply with legally prescribed standards, we cannot completely eliminate the risk of contamination or injury resulting from medical or hazardous materials. As a result of any such contamination or injury, we may incur liability or local, city, state or federal authorities may curtail the use of these materials and interrupt our business operations. In the event of an accident, we could be held liable for damages or penalized with fines, and the liability could exceed our resources. We do not have any insurance for liabilities arising from medical or hazardous materials. Compliance with applicable environmental laws and regulations is expensive, and current or future environmental regulations may impair our research, development and production efforts, which could harm our business, prospects, financial condition or results of operations.

### Risks Related to Being a Public Company After a Business Combination

***The price of our Common Stock and warrants may fluctuate significantly following the Business Combination and you could lose all or part of your investment as a result.***

The market price of New Aspire Common Stock and New Aspire warrants may be volatile. The stock market in general, and the market for biopharmaceutical companies in particular, have experienced extreme volatility that has often been unrelated to the operating performance or prospects of particular companies. As a result of this volatility, you could lose all or part of your investment. Many factors may have a material adverse effect on the market price of New Aspire’s securities, including, but not limited to:

- the commencement, enrollment, delay, or results of our ongoing or future clinical trials, or changes in the development status of our product candidates;
- our decision to initiate, not to initiate, or to terminate a clinical trial;

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- unanticipated serious safety concerns related to the use of our product candidates;
- any delay in our regulatory filings for our product candidates and any adverse or perceived adverse development with respect to the applicable regulatory authority’s review of such filings;
- regulatory actions, including failure to receive regulatory approval, with respect to our product candidates or our competitors’ products or product candidates;
- our failure to commercialize our products;
- the success of competitive products or technologies;
- announcements by us or our competitors of significant acquisitions, strategic collaborations, joint ventures, collaborations, capital commitments, significant development milestones, or product approvals;
- our failure to obtain new commercial partners;
- our failure to obtain adequate manufacturing capacity or product supply for any approved product or inability to do so at acceptable cost;
- our failure to achieve expected product sales and profitability;
- regulatory or legal developments applicable to our product candidates;
- the level of expenses related to our product candidates or clinical development programs;
- significant lawsuits, including without limitation patent, creditor, or stockholder litigation or legal action;
- the impact of the incidence and development of COVID-19 on our business and product candidates;
- any changes in our Board of Directors or senior management;
- actual or anticipated fluctuations in our cash position or operating results;
- changes in financial estimates or recommendations by securities analysts;
- fluctuations in the valuation or financial results of companies perceived by investors to be comparable to us;
- inconsistent trading volume levels of our shares;
- announcement or expectation of additional financing efforts;
- sales of New Aspire’s shares by us, New Aspire’s executive officers or directors or New Aspire’s stockholders;
- fluctuations and market conditions in the U.S. equity markets generally and in the biotechnology sector;
- general economic, political and social conditions; and
- other events or factors, many of which are beyond our control, or unrelated to our operating performance or prospects.

In recent years, the stock market in general has experienced significant price and volume fluctuations that have often been unrelated or disproportionate to changes in the operating performance of the companies whose stock is experiencing those price and volume fluctuations. Broad market and industry factors may seriously affect the market price of our Common Stock and warrants, regardless of actual operating performance. These fluctuations may be even more pronounced in the trading markets for our Common Stock and warrants shortly following this offering. Following periods of such volatility in the market price of a company’s securities, securities class action litigation has often been brought against that company. Because of the potential volatility of our Common Stock and warrant price, New Aspire may become the target of securities litigation in the future. Securities litigation could result in substantial costs and divert management’s attention and resources from Aspire’s business. The realization of any of the above risks or any of a broad range of other risks, including those described in this “*Risk Factors”* section, could have a dramatic and material adverse impact on the market price of our common stock following the Business Combination.

***Your percentage ownership in us may be diluted by future issuances of capital stock, which could reduce your influence over matters on which stockholders vote.***

The Aspire board of directors has the authority, without action or vote of the New Aspire stockholders, to issue all or any part of our authorized but unissued shares of common stock, including shares issuable upon the exercise of options, or shares of our authorized but unissued preferred stock. Issuances of common stock or voting preferred stock would reduce your influence over matters on which our stockholders vote and, in the case of issuances of preferred stock, would likely result in your interest in us being subject to the prior rights of holders of that preferred stock.

For the complete list of risks relating to our operations, see the section titled “Risk Factors” contained in our prospectus dated January 8, 2025, and other reports and filings we have made, and will make with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

## Cybersecurity

As filed, 2,494 characters.

Aspire is committed to ensuring the highest standards of cybersecurity to protect our systems, networks, and data from cyber threats. We recognize the critical importance of safeguarding sensitive information and maintaining the trust of our customers, partners, and stakeholders.

Our cybersecurity strategy is built on a foundation of proactive risk management, continuous monitoring, and adherence to industry best practices. We employ a multi-layered approach which leverages technologies to defend against evolving cyber threats.

We have made significant investments in modernizing, streamlining, and simplifying our technology footprint to both enhance customer experience and strengthen our internal security controls.

From time-to-time, we may engage third-party consultants, legal advisors, and audit firms to evaluate and test the Company’s risk management systems and assess and remediate certain potential cybersecurity incidents, as appropriate. We prioritize the integrity of our data access controls to prevent unauthorized access, data breaches, and malicious activities. We regularly assess and enhance our cybersecurity posture through comprehensive risk assessments, security audits, and vulnerability assessments.

### Governance

Cybersecurity is a shared responsibility requiring collaboration and cooperation across all levels of our organization.

Aspire recognizes that cybersecurity is not solely a technology issue but also a people and process issue. We invest in ongoing employee training and awareness programs to empower our staff to recognize and respond to potential security threats effectively.

In the event of a cybersecurity incident, we have established incident response plans and protocols to minimize the impact and facilitate swift recovery. The Company’s Audit Committee oversees cybersecurity risk. The Audit Committee is promptly notified by Information Technology leadership of any potentially serious incidents including details and recommendations on the detection, mitigation, and remediation of the same. During the calendar year 2024, there have been no known reported cybersecurity incidents that have materially affected our operations or financial results.

We believe in transparency and open communication, promptly informing affected parties and relevant authorities as required by law. Together, we remain vigilant, adaptive, and resilient in the face of evolving cyber threats, safeguarding the trust and confidence of those we serve.

## Legal proceedings

As filed, 165 characters.

There is no material litigation, arbitration or governmental proceeding currently pending against us or any members of our management team in their capacity as such.

## Management's discussion and analysis

As filed, 23,291 characters.

*The following discussion and analysis of the Company’s financial condition and results of operations should be read in conjunction with our audited financial statements and the notes thereto which are included in “Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data” of this Report. Certain information contained in the discussion and analysis set forth below includes forward-looking statements. Our actual results may differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements as a result of many factors, including those set forth under “Special Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements,” “Item 1A. Risk Factors” and elsewhere in this Report.*

### Overview

We were a blank check company incorporated on February 9, 2021 as a Cayman Islands corporation and formed for the purpose of effecting a merger, share exchange, asset acquisition, share purchase, reorganization or similar transaction (“Business Combination”) with one or more businesses or entities. We effectuated our initial Business Combination using cash from the proceeds of our initial public offering (the “IPO”) and the sale of the private placement warrants, our shares, debt or a combination of cash, equity and debt.

On February 17, 2025, we completed our Business Combination with Aspire Biopharma Holdings, Inc. (“Aspire”).

### Results of Operations

As of December 31, 2024, the Company had not commenced any operations. From February 9, 2021 (inception) until the Company’s initial public offering on February 23, 2022, the Company’s entire activity was in preparation for an initial public offering, and following the Company’s IPO through December 31, 2024, the Company’s entire activity has been limited to the search for a prospective initial Business Combination. We will not generate any operating revenues until after completion of our initial Business Combination at the earliest. We incur increased expenses as a result of being a public company (for legal, financial reporting, accounting and auditing compliance), as well as expenses for due diligence efforts. Our operating expenses consist of general and administrative expenses necessary to operate and maintain the Company as we pursue one or more Business Combinations.

For the year ended December 31, 2024, we had a net loss of $12,537,472, which consisted of other expenses of $9,105,853, operating expenses of $3,088,671 and interest expense on debt discount of $891,624, offset by Interest earned on investments held in Trust Account of $548,676.

For the year ended December 31, 2023, we had a net income of $4,464,079, which consisted of operating expenses of $1,340,168 and interest expense on debt discount of $8,966, offset by interest income of $5,813,213.

### Liquidity and Capital Resources

Until the consummation of the IPO, our only source of liquidity was an initial purchase of Founder Shares by the Original Sponsor and loans from the Original Sponsor.

On February 23, 2022, the Company consummated the IPO of 25,000,000 units (“Units”) with respect to the ordinary shares included in the Units being offered (the “Public Shares”) at $10.00 per Unit generating gross proceeds of $250,000,000. Simultaneously with the closing of the IPO, the Company consummated the sale of 9,138,333 private placement warrants (“Private Placement Warrants”) at a price of $1.50 per Private Placement Warrant in a private placement to the Original Sponsor generating gross proceeds of $13,707,500. Simultaneously with the closing of the IPO, the Company consummated the closing of the sale of 3,750,000 additional Units upon receiving notice of the underwriter’s election to fully exercise its overallotment option (the “Overallotment Units”), generating additional gross proceeds of $37,500,000. Simultaneously with the exercise of the overallotment, the Company consummated the private placement of an additional 625,000 Private Placement Warrants to the Original Sponsor, generating gross proceeds of $937,500.

For the year ended December 31, 2024, net cash used in operating activities was $11,160,534, net cash provided by investing activities was $13,781,323 and net cash used in financing activities was $2,620,789.

For the year ended December 31, 2023, net cash used in operating activities was $653,107, net cash provided by investing activities was $284,916,127 and net cash used in financing activities was $284,760,279.

As of December 31, 2024, the Company had $0 in its operating bank account, $6,668,522 in securities held in the Trust Account to be used for a Business Combination or to repurchase or redeem its Ordinary Shares in connection therewith and working capital deficit of $15,570,205. As of December 31, 2024, $548,676 of the amount in the Trust Account is represented as interest earned on investments held in the Trust Account.

Until the consummation of a Business Combination, the Company used the funds not held in the Trust Account for identifying and evaluating prospective acquisition candidates, performing due diligence on prospective target businesses, paying for travel expenditures, selecting the target business to acquire, and structuring, negotiating and consummating the Business Combination with Aspire. The Company completed its Business Combination on February 17, 2025 with Aspire, and has raised sufficient capital for its operations.

### Related Party Transactions

### Founder Shares

On February 16, 2021, the Original Sponsor purchased 8,625,000 shares of the Company’s Class B ordinary shares, par value $0.0001 (“Class B ordinary shares”) for an aggregate price of $25,000, and on December 18, 2021, the Original Sponsor surrendered 2,156,250 Class B ordinary shares, so that the Original Sponsor owned an aggregate of 6,468,750 Class B ordinary shares. On February 11, 2022, the Company effected a 1.11111111-for-1.0 share dividend of its Class B ordinary shares, so that the Original Sponsor owned an aggregate of 7,187,500 Founder Shares. The share dividend was retroactively restated. Since the underwriters’ exercised their overallotment option in full upon IPO, none of the Founder Shares were forfeited.

The Founder Shares are subject to certain transfer restrictions, as described below.

The Initial Shareholders have agreed, subject to limited exceptions, not to transfer, assign or sell any of their Founder Shares until the earlier to occur of: (A) one year after the completion of the initial Business Combination or (B) subsequent to the initial Business Combination, (x) if the last sale price of the Class A ordinary shares equals or exceeds $12.00 per share (as adjusted for share splits, share dividends, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) for any 20 trading days within any 30-trading day period commencing at least 150 days after the initial Business Combination, or (y) the date on which the Company completes a liquidation, merger, capital share exchange or other similar transaction that results in all of the Company’s shareholders having the right to exchange their Class A ordinary shares for cash, securities or other property.

On August 18, 2023, the New Sponsor purchased from the Original Sponsor (x) 4,317,500 Class A Ordinary Shares and (y) 6,834,333 private placement warrants for an aggregate purchase price of $1.00, payable at the time of the initial Business Combination.

### Private Placement

On February 23, 2022, simultaneously with the consummation of the IPO and the underwriters’ exercise of their over-allotment option in full, the Company consummated the issuance and sale of 9,763,333 Private Placement Warrants in a private placement transaction at a price of $1.50 per Private Placement Warrant, generating gross proceeds of $14,645,000. Each whole Private Placement Warrant is exercisable for one whole Class A ordinary share at a price of $11.50 per share. A portion of the proceeds from the Private Placement Warrants was added to the proceeds from the IPO to be held in the Trust Account. If the Company does not complete a Business Combination within the Combination Period, the Private Placement Warrants will expire worthless. The Private Placement Warrants are non-redeemable and exercisable on a cashless basis.

### Related Party Loans

In order to finance transaction costs in connection with a Business Combination, the New Sponsor or an affiliate of the New Sponsor, or certain of the Company’s officers and directors may, but are not obligated to, loan the Company funds as may be required (“Working Capital Loans”). If the Company completes a Business Combination, the Company would repay the Working Capital Loans out of the proceeds of the Trust Account released to the Company. Otherwise, the Working Capital Loans would be repaid only out of funds held outside the Trust Account. In the event that a Business Combination does not close, the Company may use a portion of proceeds held outside the Trust Account to repay the Working Capital Loans but no proceeds held in the Trust Account would be used to repay the Working Capital Loans. The Working Capital Loans would either be repaid upon consummation of a Business Combination, without interest, or, at the lender’s discretion, up to $1.5 million of such Working Capital Loans may be convertible into warrants of the post Business Combination entity at a price of $1.50 per warrant. The warrants would be identical to the Private Placement Warrants. As of December 31, 2024 and 2023, $449,214 and $0 in Working Capital Loans were outstanding, respectively.

On December 21, 2023, the Company entered into a Loan and Transfer Agreement with the New Sponsor and SSVK Associates, LLC (“SSVK”), pursuant to which SSVK loaned an aggregate of $250,000 to the New Sponsor, and, in turn, the New Sponsor loaned $250,000 to the Company. As of December 31, 2024 and 2023, there was $250,000 and $155,848 in borrowings under the agreement, respectively. The debt discount is being amortized to interest expense as a non-cash charge over the term of the loan and transfer liability, in which is generally the Company’s expected Business Combination date at the time of each draw. The remaining balance of the debt discount as of December 31, 2024 and 2023 amounted to $0 and $143,464, respectively. During the year ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, the Company recorded $0 and $8,966, respectively, of interest expense related to the amortization of the debt discount.

On January 9, 2024, the Company entered into a Loan and Transfer Agreement with the New Sponsor and Apogee Pharma (“Apogee”), pursuant to which Apogee loaned an aggregate of $50,000 to the New Sponsor, and, in turn, the New Sponsor loaned the $50,000 to the Company.

On January 10, 2024, the Company entered into a Loan and Transfer Agreement with the New Sponsor and Jinal Sheth (“Sheth”), pursuant to which Sheth loaned an aggregate of $150,000 to the New Sponsor and the New Sponsor loaned $150,000 to the Company.

On December 3, 2024, the Company entered into a second Loan and Transfer Agreement with the New Sponsor and Apogee Pharma (“Apogee 2”), pursuant to which Apogee 2 loaned an aggregate of $50,000 to the New Sponsor and the New Sponsor loaned $50,000 to the Company.

As of December 31, 2024, there was $465,722 in aggregate borrowings under the Loan and Transfer Agreements with Apogee and Sheth. The debt discount is being amortized to interest expense as a non-cash charge over the term of the loan and transfer liability, in which is generally the Company’s expected Business Combination date at the time of each draw. The remaining balance of the debt discount as of December 31, 2024 amounted to $33,492. During the year ended December 31, 2024, the Company recorded $425,436 of interest expense related to the amortization of the debt discount.

### Administrative Services Fee

We agreed, commencing on the effective date of the IPO through the earlier of our consummation of a Business Combination or our liquidation, to pay an affiliate of the Original Sponsor a monthly fee of $10,000 for office space, secretarial and administrative services. For the year ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, the Company has incurred $120,000 and $120,000, respectively, of expenses under this arrangement.

### Deferred Underwriting Fees

The underwriters were paid a cash underwriting discount of $0.20 per unit, or $5,000,000 in the aggregate at the closing of the IPO. The underwriters agreed to defer the cash underwriting discount of $0.20 per share related to the over-allotment to be paid at Business Combination ($750,000 in the aggregate). In addition, the underwriters were entitled to a deferred underwriting commissions of $0.35 per unit, or $10,062,500 from the closing of the IPO. The total deferred fee was $10,812,500 consisting of the $10,062,500 deferred portion and the $750,000 cash discount agreed to be deferred until Business Combination. The deferred fee was to become payable to the underwriters from the amounts held in the Trust Account solely if the Company completes a Business Combination, subject to the terms of the underwriting agreement.

On June 28, 2023, the underwriters agreed to waive their entitlements to the deferred underwriting commissions of $10,812,500 pursuant to the underwriting agreement for the IPO (the “Underwriting Agreement”). As a result, $10,812,500 was recorded to additional paid-in capital in relation to the waiver of the deferred underwriting discount in the accompanying consolidated financial statements (see Note 6 to the consolidated financial statements contained elsewhere in this Quarterly Report).

### Due to affiliate

As of December 31, 2024 and 2023, $358,939 and $238,939, respectively, has been accrued and shown as ‘Due to affiliate’ in the accompanying balance sheet for the administrative services fees described above and a residual balance due from IPO proceeds. The amount is due to New Sponsor and will be repaid as soon as practical from the Company’s operating account.

### Off-Balance Sheet Financing Arrangements

We have no obligations, assets or liabilities, which would be considered off-balance sheet arrangements as of December 31, 2024. We do not participate in transactions that create relationships with entities or financial partnerships, often referred to as variable interest entities, which would have been established for the purpose of facilitating off-balance sheet arrangements. We have not entered into any off-balance sheet financing arrangements, established any special purpose entities, guaranteed any debt or commitments of other entities, or purchased any non-financial assets.

### Critical Accounting Policies

The preparation of consolidated financial statements and related disclosures in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities, disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the consolidated financial statements, and income and expenses during the periods reported. Actual results could materially differ from those estimates. We have identified the following critical accounting policies:

#### Warrant Instruments

The Company accounts for warrants as either equity-classified or liability-classified instruments based on an assessment of the instruments’ specific terms and applicable authoritative guidance in Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) 480, Distinguishing Liabilities from Equity (“ASC 480”) and ASC 815, Derivatives and Hedging (“ASC 815”). The assessment considers whether the instruments are freestanding financial instruments pursuant to ASC 480, meet the definition of a liability pursuant to ASC 480, and whether the instruments meet all of the requirements for equity classification under ASC 815, including whether the instruments are indexed to the Company’s own ordinary shares and whether the instrument holders could potentially require “net cash settlement” in a circumstance outside of the Company’s control, among other conditions for equity classification. This assessment, which requires the use of professional judgment, is conducted at the time of warrant issuance and as of each subsequent quarterly period end date while the instruments are outstanding. The Company determined, upon further review of the warrant agreement, that the Public Warrants and Private Placement Warrants issued pursuant to the warrant agreement qualify for equity accounting treatment.

#### Ordinary shares Subject to Possible Redemption

We account for our ordinary shares subject to possible redemption in accordance with the guidance in Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) Topic 480 “Distinguishing Liabilities from Equity.” Ordinary shares subject to mandatory redemption is classified as a liability instrument and is measured at fair value. Conditionally redeemable ordinary shares (including ordinary shares that features redemption rights that is either within the control of the holder or subject to redemption upon the occurrence of uncertain events not solely within our control) is classified as temporary equity. At all other times, ordinary shares are classified as shareholders’ equity. Our ordinary shares feature certain redemption rights that are considered to be outside of our control and subject to occurrence of uncertain future events. Accordingly, ordinary shares subject to possible redemption is presented as temporary equity, outside of the shareholders’ deficit section of our balance sheets.

#### Net (Loss) Income Per Share of Ordinary shares

We apply the two-class method in calculating earnings per share. Net income per share of the Class A shares, basic and diluted is calculated by dividing the interest income earned on the Trust Account by the weighted average number of shares of Class A ordinary shares outstanding since original issuance. Net income per share of ordinary shares, basic and diluted, for Class B ordinary shares is calculated by dividing the net income, less income attributable to shares of Class A ordinary shares, by the weighted average number of shares of Class B ordinary shares outstanding for the periods presented.

### Recently Adopted Accounting Standards

#### Recent Accounting Standards

In December 2023, the FASB issued ASU 2023-09, Income Taxes (Topic 740): Improvements to Income Tax Disclosures (ASU 2023-09), which requires disclosure of incremental income tax information within the rate reconciliation and expanded disclosures of income taxes paid, among other disclosure requirements. ASU 2023-09 is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2024. Early adoption is permitted. The Company’s management does not believe the adoption of ASU 2023-09 will have a material impact on its condensed consolidated financial statements and disclosures.

In November 2023, the FASB issued ASU 2023-07, Segment Reporting (Topic 280): Improvements to Reportable Segment Disclosures. The amendments in this ASU require disclosures, on an annual and interim basis, of significant segment expenses that are regularly provided to the chief operating officer decision maker (“CODM”), as well as the aggregate amount of other segment items included in the reported measure of segment profit or loss. The ASU requires that a public entity disclose the title and position of the CODM and an explanation of how the CODM uses the reported measure(s) of segment profit or loss in assessing segment performance and deciding how to allocate resources. Public entities will be required to provide all annual disclosures currently required by Topic 280 in interim periods, and entities with a single reportable segment are required to provide all the disclosures required by the amendments in this ASU and existing segment disclosures in Topic 280. This ASU is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2023, and interim periods within fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2024, with early adoption permitted.

### Contractual Obligations

We do not have any long-term debt, capital lease obligations, operating lease obligations or long-term liabilities, other than an agreement to pay an affiliate of the Original Sponsor a monthly fee of $10,000 for office space, utilities and secretarial, and administrative support services provided to the Company. We began incurring these fees on February 23, 2022 and will continue to incur these fees monthly until the earlier of the completion of a Business Combination or the Company’s liquidation.

### Critical Accounting Estimates

The preparation of financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP requires the Company’s management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of expenses during the reporting periods.

Making estimates requires management to exercise significant judgment. It is at least reasonably possible that the estimate of the effect of a condition, situation or set of circumstances that existed at the date of the financial statements, which management considered in formulating its estimate, could change in the near term due to one or more future confirming events. Accordingly, the actual results could differ significantly from those estimates.

### JOBS Act

On April 5, 2012, the JOBS Act was signed into law. The JOBS Act contains provisions that, among other things, relax certain reporting requirements for qualifying public companies. We qualify as an “emerging growth company” and are allowed to comply with new or revised accounting pronouncements based on the effective date for private (not publicly traded) companies. We are electing to delay the adoption of new or revised accounting standards, and as a result, we may not comply with new or revised accounting standards on the relevant dates on which adoption of such standards is required for non-emerging growth companies. As such, our consolidated financial statements may not be comparable to companies that comply with public company effective dates.

Subject to certain conditions set forth in the JOBS Act, we may not be required to, among other things, (i) provide an auditor’s attestation report on our system of internal controls over financial reporting pursuant to Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, (ii) provide all of the compensation disclosure that may be required of non-emerging growth public companies under the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, (iii) comply with any requirement that may be adopted by the PCAOB regarding mandatory audit firm rotation or a supplement to the auditor’s report providing additional information about the audit and the consolidated financial statements (auditor discussion and analysis) and (iv) disclose certain executive compensation related items such as the correlation between executive compensation and performance and comparisons of executive compensation to median employee compensation. These exemptions apply for a period of five years following the completion of the IPO or until we are no longer an “emerging growth company,” whichever is earlier.

## Market risk

As filed, 140 characters.

As a smaller reporting company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act), we are not required to provide disclosure under this Item 7A.

## Controls and procedures

As filed, 4,119 characters.

### Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures

Disclosure controls and procedures are designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed by us in our Exchange Act reports is recorded, processed, summarized, and reported within the time periods specified in the SEC’s rules and forms, and that such information is accumulated and communicated to our management, including our principal executive officer and principal financial officer or persons performing similar functions, as appropriate to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure.

Under the supervision and with the participation of our management, including our principal executive officer and principal financial and accounting officer, we conducted an evaluation of the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2024, as such term is defined in Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f) under the Exchange Act. Based upon their evaluation, our principal executive officer and principal financial and accounting officer, concluded that our internal control over financial reporting (as defined in Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f) under the Exchange Act) were not effective as of December 31, 2024 due to the existence of material weaknesses. Our internal controls did not detect an error in the review of the debt discount, amortization and debt in financial reporting

### Management’s Report on Internal Controls Over Financial Reporting

As required by SEC rules and regulations implementing Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, our management is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting. Our internal control over financial reporting is designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of our consolidated financial statements for external reporting purposes in accordance with GAAP. Our internal control over financial reporting includes those policies and procedures that:

(1) pertain to the maintenance of records that, in reasonable detail, accurately and fairly reflect the transactions and dispositions of the assets of our company,

(2) provide reasonable assurance that transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of consolidated financial statements in accordance with GAAP, and that our receipts and expenditures are being made only in accordance with authorizations of our management and directors, and

(3) provide reasonable assurance regarding prevention or timely detection of unauthorized acquisition, use or disposition of our assets that could have a material effect on the financial statements.

Because of its inherent limitations, internal control over financial reporting may not prevent or detect errors or misstatements in our consolidated financial statements. Also, projections of any evaluation of effectiveness to future periods are subject to the risk that controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions, or that the degree or compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate. Management assessed the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting at December 31, 2024. In making these assessments, management used the criteria set forth by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO) in Internal Control — Integrated Framework (2013). Based on our assessments and those criteria, management determined that we did not maintain effective internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2024.

This Annual Report on Form 10-K does not include an attestation report of our independent registered public accounting firm due to our status as an emerging growth company under the JOBS Act.

### Changes in Internal Control over Financial Reporting

There were no changes in our internal control over financial reporting (as such term is defined in Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f) of the Exchange Act) during the most recent fiscal quarter that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.

Filed Apr 7, 2025.
Source: SEC EDGAR, the filing index for accession 0001641172-25-002917. Last ingested by Listed: Nov 5, 2026, 13:39 ET. No prices; not investment advice.