NOTE 5 – ACQUISITIONS

AOS Acquisition

On September 12, 2022, STCB, through its wholly-owned subsidiary Merger Sub, completed the AOS Acquisition. The AOS Acquisition consisted of Merger Sub merging with and into AOS, with AOS being the surviving corporation. AOS is a maker of premium body and skincare products engineered to power and protect athletes. Starco acquired AOS as STCB is always looking for technologies and brands that have ability to scale and change behavior. In the world of sport, there are currently no brands that have successfully penetrated multiple categories of consumer products. AOS has historically been a personal care brand – offering products such as body wash, shampoo, deodorant and face wash. Starco Brands, through its relationship with TSG, has access to intellectual property that will allow AOS vertically integrate manufacturing and expand into multiple consumer product categories – OTC, sun care, air care, beverage, etc. The AOS Acquisition was completed through an all-stock deal, where the Company’s shares were issued at $0.19 per share, which amount was equal to the fair value of the stock on the acquisition date. As consideration for the Merger, the Company reserved an aggregate of 61,400,000 restricted shares of Company common stock (now Class A common stock) to issue to the AOS stockholders (such stockholders as of immediately prior to the closing of the Merger, the “AOS Stockholders”), 5,000,000 restricted shares of Class A common stock may be issued to the AOS Stockholders after an 18-month indemnification period, and offsetting against these additional shares will be the sole recourse for any indemnity claims by the Company against the AOS Stockholders. An additional 5,000,000 restricted shares of Class A common stock may be issued to the AOS Stockholders contingent upon AOS meeting certain future sales metrics. Further, in the event that the AOS Stockholders have any indemnity claims against the Company or Merger Sub, the Company shall satisfy any such indemnity claims solely by the issuance of additional shares of its Class A common stock, which shall not exceed, in the aggregate, 5,000,000 additional shares of Class A common stock. Notwithstanding the foregoing, under the terms of the Merger Agreement, any AOS Stockholder that is not an “accredited investor” as defined in Rule 501(a) of Regulation D promulgated under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), will receive cash in lieu of shares of Class A common stock at a value equal to $0.0982 per share.

The 5,000,000 additional restricted shares of Class A common stock to be issued after an 18-month indemnification period are deemed to be part of the consideration paid for the acquisition. The 5,000,000 earnout shares of Class A common stock to be issued are not deemed to be part of the consideration paid for the acquisition as management determined none of the 5,000,000 earnout shares will be issued as sales metrics were not met. The 5,000,000 additional shares of Class A common stock that may be issued in the event of an indemnity claim against the Company are not deemed to be part of the consideration paid for the acquisition as the Company does not expect any additional shares will be issued under the indemnity clause.

As of September 30, 2023, the Company has paid $1,821 in cash to non-accredited investors. Additionally, the Company has held back $6,137 in cash, the equivalent of 62,499 shares to be paid to non-accredited investors.

The AOS Acquisition was accounted for as a business combination in accordance with ASC 805, Business Combinations. The preliminary fair values of the acquired assets and liabilities as of the acquisition date were:

SCHEDULE OF RECOGNIZED IDENTIFIED ASSETS ACQUIRED AND LIABILITIES

The purchase price allocation is based on estimates of the fair values of the tangible and intangible assets acquired and liabilities assumed from a final third-party valuation of the AOS Acquisition. The above purchase price allocation is final and not subject to further change.

The Company incurred approximately $845,000 in transaction costs related to the AOS Acquisition, primarily coming from legal, banking, accounting, and other professional service fees.

Skylar Acquisition

On December 29, 2022, STCB, through its wholly-owned subsidiaries First Merger Sub and Second Merger Sub, completed the Skylar Acquisition. In a two-step process, during the First Merger, First Merger Sub merged with and into Skylar Inc. and as part of the same overall transaction, during the Second Merger, Skylar Inc. merged with and into Second Merger Sub to result in Skylar as the surviving entity. Skylar is a wholly owned subsidiary of STCB. Skylar is a maker of fragrances that are hypoallergenic and safe for sensitive skin. Starco Brands acquired Skylar as STCB is always looking for technologies and brands that have the ability to scale and change behavior. In the world of fragrances, there are no other brands that have successfully built clean, beautiful, premium incredibly well-scented and recyclable fragrance brands for consumers. Starco Brands, through its relationship with TSG and other strong partners, the Company has access to intellectual property that will allow Skylar to vertically integrate manufacturing and expand, positioning Skylar to be the future of fragrance. The Skylar Acquisition was completed through a cash and stock deal, where the Company paid $2,000,000 in cash to settle debt and the Company’s common stock (now Class A common stock) was issued at $0.20 per share, which amount was equal to the fair value of the stock on the acquisition date. As consideration for the Skylar Acquisition, the Company reserved an aggregate of 68,622,219 restricted shares of Class A common stock to issue to the Skylar stockholders (such stockholders as of immediately prior to the closing of the Second Merger, the “Skylar Stockholders”), 19,268,162 restricted shares of Class A common stock may be issued to the Skylar Stockholders after an 18-month indemnification period, and offsetting against these additional shares will be the sole recourse for any indemnity claims by the Company against the Skylar Stockholders. An additional 11,573,660 restricted shares of Class A common stock may be issued to Skylar Stockholders contingent upon Skylar meeting certain future sales metrics. Further, in the event that the Skylar Stockholders have any indemnity claims against the Company or Second Merger Sub, the Company shall satisfy any such indemnity claims solely by the issuance of additional shares of its Class A common stock, which shall not exceed, in the aggregate, 19,268,162 additional shares of Class A common stock. Notwithstanding the foregoing, under the terms of the Merger Agreement, any Skylar Stockholder that is not an “accredited investor” as defined in Rule 501(a) of Regulation D promulgated under the Securities Act, will receive cash in lieu of shares of Company common stock at a value equal to $0.17 per share.

The 19,268,162 additional restricted shares of Class A common stock to be issued after an 18-month indemnification period and the 11,573,660 earnout shares of Class A common stock to be issued if certain future sales metrics are met, are deemed to be part of the consideration paid for the acquisition.

As of September 30, 2023, the Company has paid $27,273 in cash to non-accredited investors.

The Skylar Acquisition was accounted for as a business combination in accordance with ASC 805, Business Combinations. The preliminary fair values of the acquired assets and liabilities as of the acquisition date were:

SCHEDULE OF RECOGNIZED IDENTIFIED ASSETS ACQUIRED AND LIABILITIES

The purchase price allocation is based on estimates of the fair values of the tangible and intangible assets acquired and liabilities assumed from a final valuation of the Skylar Acquisition. The above purchase price allocation is preliminary and subject to change as the Company may further refine the determination of certain assets during the measurement period of one year. The final amounts allocated to assets acquired and liabilities assumed could differ significantly from the amounts presented.

The Company incurred approximately $1,770,000 in transaction costs related to the Skylar Acquisition, primarily coming from legal, banking, accounting and other professional service fees.

Soylent Acquisition

On February 15, 2023, the Company, through its wholly-owned subsidiary Starco Merger Sub I completed the Soylent Acquisition. The Soylent Acquisition consisted of Starco Merger Sub I merging with and into Soylent, with Soylent being the surviving corporation. Soylent is the maker of a wide range of plant-based “complete nutrition” and “functional food” products with a lineup of plant-based convenience shakes, powders and bars that contain proteins, healthy fats, functional amino acids and essential nutrients. Through its relationship with TSG and other strong partners, the Company has access to intellectual property that will allow Soylent to vertically integrate manufacturing and expand, positioning Soylent to be the future of nutritional products. The Soylent Acquisition was completed through a cash and stock deal, where the Company paid $200,000 in cash as reimbursement of Soylent’s closing expenses and the Company’s shares were issued at $0.15 per share, which amount was equal to the fair value of the stock on the acquisition date. As consideration for the Soylent Acquisition, the Company reserved an (a) aggregate of up to 165,336,430 restricted shares of Class A common stock to Soylent shareholders, (b) 12,617,857 restricted shares of Class A common to satisfy existing Soylent change in control obligations, (c) up to 18,571,429 additional restricted shares of Class A common stock based on final determination of calculations of Soylent’s working capital, cash at closing, indebtedness at closing and certain unpaid transaction expenses in excess of the amount reimbursed by the Comapny (the “Opening Balance Holdback”), and (d) an adjustment to the shares of Class A common stock received by the Company Holders (as defined in the agreement) in the event that the trading price for STCB’s Class A common stock price per share on the first anniversary of the closing date (February 14, 2024, or the “Adjustment Date”) is below $0.35 per share of Class A common stock. If, on the Adjustment Date, STCB’s Class A common stock is trading below $0.35 per share of Class A common stock, STCB shall issue additional shares of Class A common stock based on the Closing Merger Consideration (as defined in the agreement) after adjustments divided by the trading price (which must be below $0.35 per share for any additional shares to be issued) minus the total share issuance after adjustments (such additional shares, the “Share Adjustment”). The fair value of the rights to receive these shares were estimated by a third-party valuation firm to be $0.189 per share on the acquisition date or an approximate share adjustment value of $37,143,360. The fair value of the rights to receive these shares were estimated by a third-party valuation firm to be $0.203 per share on September 30, 2023 or an approximate share adjustment value of $39,894,720.

The Soylent Acquisition was accounted for as a business combination in accordance with ASC 805, Business Combinations. The preliminary fair values of the acquired assets and liabilities as of the acquisition date were:

SCHEDULE OF RECOGNIZED IDENTIFIED ASSETS ACQUIRED AND LIABILITIES

The purchase price allocation is based on estimates of the fair values of the tangible and intangible assets acquired and liabilities assumed from the Soylent Acquisition. The above purchase price allocation is preliminary and subject to change as the Company may further refine the determination of certain assets during the measurement period of one year. The amounts allocated to assets acquired and liabilities assumed could differ significantly from the amounts presented.

Soylent incurred approximately $5.7 million in transaction costs related to the Soylent Acquisition, primarily coming from legal, banking, accounting, and other professional service fees.