diligence matters, as well as potential synergies that could result from a business combination of the two companies. During these discussions, the representatives of our management regularly updated the Board and received direction from the Board regarding further discussion with AnHeart of the terms of a potential transaction.
On December 4, 2023, AnHeart provided representatives of Nuvation Bio access to its virtual data room in order for us to conduct preliminary business due diligence.
On December 12, 2024, we sent an initial business due diligence request list to AnHeart. From this date until mid-March 2024, representatives of AnHeart provided responses to the initial and supplemental business and legal due diligence requests submitted by us and representatives of our outside legal counsel, Cooley LLP (Cooley).
On January 10, 2024, we sent a draft summary of terms to representatives at AnHeart, pursuant to which we proposed to acquire 100% of the outstanding share capital of AnHeart for a combination of cash and Class A Stock. We also sought a period of exclusivity in which to complete our confirmatory due diligence and negotiate definitive transaction agreements for the proposed transaction.
On January 17, 2024, AnHeart’s outside legal counsel, Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP (Davis Polk), sent to Cooley written feedback on the summary of terms proposing, among other matters, to increase the amount of cash and our equity (including warrants and convertible preferred shares) payable or issuable at the closing of the proposed transaction.
Between January 17, 2024 and January 24, 2024, representatives of each of Nuvation Bio, AnHeart, Cooley and Davis Polk discussed the revised summary of terms for the proposed transaction.
On January 24, 2024, Nuvation Bio and AnHeart entered into a non-binding letter of intent (the Letter of Intent), pursuant to which we agreed to issue shares of Class A Stock, stock options, a new series of non-voting convertible preferred stock and warrants equal to one-third of the fully-diluted outstanding capitalization of the Company as of immediately after the closing of the Merger. Pursuant to the Letter of Intent, AnHeart agreed to a 45-day exclusivity period.
On February 9, 2024 and February 15, 2024, Cooley sent initial drafts of the Merger Agreement and the forms of each of the AnHeart voting agreement and the Nuvation Bio voting agreement to Davis Polk. From this time until the execution of the Merger Agreement, representatives of Cooley and Davis Polk negotiated and exchanged drafts of the Merger Agreement and other transaction documents.
During the weeks that followed, we and AnHeart continued to conduct confirmatory legal, financial and technical due diligence on each other.
On March 14, 2024, the Board held a meeting with members of management present, during which, the Board discussed engaging Evercore Group L.L.C (Evercore) as a financial advisor based on, among other things, Evercore’s qualifications, expertise, lack of conflicts of interest and reputation, including the strength of Evercore’s reputation and experience in the biopharmaceutical industry. Following such discussion, the Board approved the engagement of Evercore in connection with the proposed transaction with AnHeart and authorized management to negotiate an engagement letter with Evercore, which engagement letter was executed on March 15, 2024.
Between March 22 and March 24, 2024, the parties and their outside counsel worked to finalize drafts of the Merger Agreement, the AnHeart disclosure schedules and the related ancillary agreements.
On the afternoon of March 24, 2024, the Board held a meeting, with management and representatives of Evercore and Cooley present, to review the terms of the Merger Agreement and related ancillary agreements, and to vote on whether to approve the entry into the Merger Agreement with AnHeart. Representatives of Evercore then delivered to the Board the oral opinion of Evercore, which was subsequently confirmed in writing via a written opinion dated March 24, 2024, to the effect that, as of that date and based on and subject to various assumptions made, procedures followed, matters considered, and qualifications and limitations on the scope of review undertaken by Evercore as set forth in its written opinion, the Merger Consideration was fair, from a financial point of view, to the Company. Following the presentation by representatives of Evercore, representatives of Cooley reviewed with the Board the material terms of the draft Merger Agreement and related ancillary agreements. The Board then discussed the potential transaction with AnHeart, and, after carefully considering the matters discussed during that meeting and prior meetings of the Board (for more information, see the section of this proxy statement titled “Reasons for the Transaction”), the Board unanimously adopted resolutions (i) determining that the Merger Agreement, the ancillary agreements to which we would be a party, the Merger and the other transactions contemplated thereby are advisable,