Correspondence 0001493152-24-025181 from AIRO Group, Inc. (CIK 0001971544)
AIRO Group, Inc. (CIK 0001971544)
Date: June 25, 2024 · CIK: 0001971544 · Accession: 0001493152-24-025181
AI Filing Summary & Sentiment
File numbers found in text: 333-272402
Referenced dates: June 20, 2024
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NELSON
MULLINS RILEY & SCARBOROUGH LLP
ATTORNEYS
AND COUNSELORS AT LAW
Andrew
M. Tucker
T:
202.689.2987
Andy.Tucker@nelsonmullins.com
101
Constitution Avenue, NW
Suite
900
Washington
D.C., 20001
T:
202.689.2800 F: 202.689.2860
nelsonmullins.com
June
25, 2024
Via
EDGAR
Office
of Manufacturing
Division
of Corporation Finance
U.S.
Securities and Exchange Commission
100
F Street, N.E.
Washington,
DC 20549
Attention:
Patrick
Fullem
Jay
Ingram
Dale
Welcome
Andrew
Blume
Re:
AIRO
Group, Inc.
Amendment
No. 5 to Registration Statement on Form S-4
Filed
April 10, 2024
File
No. 333-272402
Dear
Mr. Welcome and Mr. Blume:
On
behalf of AIRO Group, Incorporated (the “Company”), we are hereby responding to the letter dated June 20, 2024
(the “Comment Letter”) from the staff (the “Staff”) of the U.S. Securities and Exchange
Commission (the “Commission”), regarding the Company’s Fifth Amendment to the Registration Statement
on Form S-4 filed on April 10, 2024 (the “Registration Statement”). In response to the Comment Letter and to
update certain information in the Registration Statement, the Company is publicly filing its Amendment No. 6 to the Registration Statement
on Form S-4 (the “Amended Registration Statement”) with the Commission today.
For
ease of reference, the text of each of the Staff’s comments, as set forth in the Comment Letter, is included in bold-face type
below, followed by the Company’s response.
Amendment
No. 5 to Registration Statement on Form S-4 filed April 10, 2024
Earnout
Shares, page 126
1.
We
note your response to comment 4. To assist us with our review of the accounting treatment for your sponsor earnout, please address
the following items:
●
You
indicate that you determined the sponsor earnout arrangement was not within the scope of ASC 718 since “the primary business
purpose is related to the financing the Sponsor provided to Kernel prior to the business combination, which is unrelated to the grantor’s
operations.” Since the sponsor will be compensated for providing extension loans to Kernel prior to the business combination
in the form of additional shares of common stock, as noted in Section 2.7(e) of the Business Combination Agreement and your disclosures
on page 131, tell us the reasons why you believe the primary purpose of the sponsor earnout shares is for providing financing.
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●
Tell
us how much of the financing provided by the sponsor is derived from Kernel employees versus passive investors in the sponsor. Additionally,
tell us what percentage of the total sponsor earnout would ultimately be distributed to former Kernel employees versus passive investors
in the sponsor.
●
To
the extent the sponsor earnout were to be reflected as an expense, tell us which entity’s financial statements would reflect
the expense, the period(s) in which the expense would be recorded, and how you reached your conclusions.
Response:
The Company respectfully acknowledges the Staff’s comment and advises the Staff that the Company amended the Agreement and
Plan of Merger on June 24, 2024 to remove the Sponsor earnout share award and has revised its disclosure throughout the Amended Registration
Statement accordingly.
AIRO’s
Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations, page 187
2.
Pursuant
to Item 303(b)(3) of Regulation S-K, please revise your filing to provide critical accounting estimate disclosures for Airo Group
Holdings (“Holdings”). We would expect such disclosures to include, but not necessarily be limited to, critical accounting
policies for business combinations, the valuation of your common stock, and the impairment of goodwill and intangible assets. Such
disclosures should include qualitative and quantitative information necessary to understand the estimation uncertainty and the impact
your critical accounting estimates have had or are reasonably likely to have on your financial condition and results of operations.
In addition, discuss how much each estimate and/or assumption has changed over a relevant period and the sensitivity of reported
amounts to the underlying methods, assumptions and estimates used. The disclosures should supplement, not duplicate, the description
of accounting policies or other disclosures in the notes to the financial statements. To the extent your disclosures in response
to the comments under this header do not materially comply with the guidance in Regulation S-K and SEC Release No. 33-8350, we may
have further substantive comments.
Response:
The Company respectfully acknowledges the Staff’s comment and advises the Staff that the Company has revised pages 208-212
of the Amended Registration Statement.
3.
As
noted in the preceding comment, please include a critical accounting policy for the valuation of your common stock. Thoroughly describe
the methodologies and key inputs and assumptions used in the valuations of your common stock issued as business combination consideration.
In doing so, clearly disclose, as previously communicated to us, that your valuations were based on the revenue and EBITDA projections
disclosed on page 99 under the “Projected Financial Information” header and ensure you discuss in sufficient detail the
estimates, assumptions, and underlying support utilized in developing and validating such projections. Also ensure you include any
pertinent information provided in response to prior comments, including the second bullet of comment 6.
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Response:
The Company respectfully acknowledges the Staff’s comment and advises the Staff that the Company has revised pages 209-210
of the Amended Registration Statement.
4.
Considering
goodwill and intangible assets represent the vast majority of your total assets, ensure that you include a critical accounting policy
addressing how you assess such assets for impairment. Your disclosures should include, but not necessarily be limited to the following:
●
Provide
a thorough discussion of your impairment testing policies, including a description of the key assumptions used to estimate the fair
value of the reporting units for your goodwill impairment analysis, how the key assumptions were determined, the degree of uncertainty
associated with the key assumptions, and any material changes in the key assumptions during the periods presented.
●
Discuss
how goodwill and other intangible assets were tested during 2023, including whether you performed a qualitative and/or quantitative
test.
●
Indicate
how you determine your reporting units for goodwill impairment testing purposes and identify your reporting units.
●
State
whether or not the fair values of your reporting units “substantially exceed” the respective carrying values. To the
extent any reporting unit fair values are not substantially in excess of carrying values, disclose the name(s) of the reporting unit(s),
the percentage by which the estimated fair value of the reporting unit(s) exceeded the carrying value, the amount of goodwill allocated
to the reporting unit(s), and whether the related goodwill is at risk of impairment. Also provide a description of potential events
and/or changes in circumstances that could reasonably be expected to negatively affect the key assumptions.
●
Given
the significant goodwill recorded in your Electric Air Mobility (“EAM”) segment and the negative EBITDA and minimal revenues
projected for EAM through fiscal 2026 per your disclosures on page 99, ensure you specifically and comprehensively address the recoverability
of intangible assets related to EAM.
Response:
The Company respectfully acknowledges the Staff’s comment and advises the Staff that the Company has revised pages 211-212
of the Amended Registration Statement.
AIRO
Group Holdings, Inc. – Audited Financial Statements
2.
Business Combinations, page F-52
5.
We
note your response to prior comment 5. Please tell us in sufficient detail how you determined Aspen Avionics (“Aspen”)
was the accounting acquirer in the reverse acquisition with Holdings. In doing so, provide us with a comprehensive accounting analysis
that specifically addresses each determinative factor discussed in ASC 805-10-55-10 through 55-15. Ensure that your analysis addresses
the following items:
●
Tell
us in sufficient detail how you concluded Aspen was the accounting acquirer despite Holdings retaining 89% of the shares of the combined
company.
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●
Tell
us the specific composition of the board of directors of the combined entity upon consummation of the acquisition, including how
many members of the board were representatives of Aspen versus Holdings.
●
We
understand that the CEO and COO of the combined entity at the acquisition date were board members of Aspen. Please tell us the composition
of senior management upon consummation of the acquisition, including how many members of management were representative of Aspen
versus Holdings.
●
Explain
why there appears to be a significant disparity between shareholder ownership percentages and the composition of the board of directors
and senior management of the combined entity.
●
Provide
us with relevant financial statement amounts of Aspen and Holdings at the time of acquisition, such as total assets, revenues, and
earnings.
Response:
The Company respectfully acknowledges the Staff’s comment and advises the Staff that, in determining the accounting
acquirer in the Aspen acquisition, the transaction was effected primarily by exchanging equity interests. In accordance with ASC 805-10-55-12
and ASC 805-10-55-13, Holdings noted the following:
● Voting rights: In
conjunction with the acquisition, Aspen’s shareholders were issued approximately 2.6 million shares which equated to approximately
11% of the total Holdings ownership as of the closing date. The former Aspen equity holders did not have control of the combined company
through their voting rights.
● Governing body: Two
of the three members of the board of directors of Holdings as of the date of the Aspen transaction were board members and/or executives
of Aspen.
● Senior management:
two of the three members of Holdings’ senior leadership team as of the date of the Aspen transaction were board members and/or
executives of Aspen.
● Relative size:
Aspen had fewer intangible assets and goodwill than Holdings as of the acquisition date, but Aspen had more tangible assets than
Holdings. Additionally, Aspen’s revenues far exceeded those of Holdings due to the majority of the entities which made up
Holding being in early development stages. Finally, Aspen’s net loss exceeded those of Holdings in 2021 primarily due to Aspen
having incurred transaction costs years prior to the April 1, 2022 acquisition date as described below.
● Other pertinent factors
and circumstances: Aspen had a leadership role in initiating and structuring the merger transactions with all six entities, and its headquarters
location became the headquarters for the combined entity.
While it is true that Holdings retained 89% of
the shares of the combined company as of the date of closing of the Aspen acquisition, the other key factors weigh in favor of Aspen
as the accounting acquirer. At the time of the acquisition, the Holdings board of directors was comprised of three individuals: Dr. Chirinjeev
Kathuria, Mr. Joseph Burns, and Mr. John Uczekaj. Two of these three individuals had longstanding roles at Aspen. Mr. Burns was a long
tenured member of Aspen’s board of directors. Mr. Uczekaj was, and continues to be, Aspen’s President and Chief Executive
Officer. Similarly, AIRO senior management at the time of the closing of the Aspen acquisition consisted of Dr. Kathuria (Executive Chairman),
Mr. Burns (Chief Executive Officer), and Mr. Uczekaj (President and Chief Operating Officer). Two of its three leadership team members
thus had significant ties to Aspen.
Aspen also took a leadership role in
initiating and organizing the six merger transactions ultimately completed by Holdings in 2022. This included Aspen’s
engagement of legal counsel as early as 2018 to create the multi-party merger agreement that formed the basis for the eventual
merger agreements used in the six merger transactions. Aspen’s finance function led the efforts to obtain audits in accordance
with PCAOB standards for the combining companies and preparing consolidated financial statements and forecasts. Aspen incurred
substantial transaction-related costs in performing these functions.
While Aspen’s final merger consideration
was in the form of stock, this was the result of negotiations between Holdings and Aspen. While the Aspen shareholders took only a minority
ownership interest in the combined company, they did so, in part, as consideration for a higher indebtedness target than Holdings agreed
to in some of the other transactions. The higher target was a compromise in lieu of cash at closing of the Aspen-Holdings transaction
and the outstanding obligations are to be settled at closing of the Business Combination.
Below is an abbreviated summary of the historical financial statement amounts for the Holdings group at the
time of the Aspen acquisition (inclusive of Holdings, AIRO Drone, Agile Defense, Jaunt, and Sky-Watch) compared to the Aspen amounts
as of the same date:
As of April 1, 2022
Group
Aspen
Balance Sheet:
Current assets
$ 3,054,982
$ 6,423,093
Property and equipment, net
74,733
267,377
Intangible assets, net
106,390,000
2,815,052
Goodwill
567,830,710
-
Other assets
201,834
1,123,299
Total Assets
$ 677,552,259
$ 10,628,821
Income Statement Year ended December 31, 2021
Revenues
$ 577,658
$ 11,782,570
Net income (loss)
$ (15,107,584 )
$ (20,528,854 )
Income Statement Three months ended March 31, 2022
Revenues
$ 833,556
$ 2,509,027
Net income (loss)
$ (3,611,471 )
$ (1,779,897 )
As demonstrated
above, while the total assets of Holdings exceeded those of Aspen at the time of the Aspen merger, Aspen’s revenues were approximately
20x the value of the Holdings combined revenues, and resulted in Aspen contributing approximately 95% of the total revenues of Aspen
and Holdings combined for the year ended December 31, 2021.
*
* * * *
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Please
direct any questions or further communications relating to the above to the undersigned at (202) 689-298