The information in this preliminary proxy statement/prospectus is not complete and may be changed. The registrant may not sell the securities described in this preliminary proxy statement/prospectus until the registration statement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission is declared effective. This preliminary proxy statement/prospectus is not an offer to sell these securities and it is not soliciting an offer to buy these securities in any jurisdiction where the offer or sale is not permitted.
PRELIMINARY PROXY STATEMENT AND PROSPECTUS
DATED NOVEMBER 8, 2023, SUBJECT TO COMPLETION
7GC & CO. HOLDINGS INC.
388 Market Street, Suite 1300
San Francisco, CA 94111
Dear Stockholders of 7GC & Co. Holdings Inc.:
On December 8, 2022, 7GC & Co. Holdings Inc., a Delaware corporation (“7GC”), entered into an Agreement and Plan of Merger and Reorganization (the “Original Merger Agreement”), by and among Banzai International, Inc., a Delaware corporation (“Banzai”), 7GC Merger Sub I, Inc., a Delaware corporation and an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of 7GC (“First Merger Sub”), and 7GC Merger Sub II, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company and a direct wholly owned subsidiary of 7GC (“Second Merger Sub” and, together with First Merger Sub, the “Merger Subs” and each, a “Merger Sub”), as amended by the Amendment to Agreement and Plan of Merger, dated as of August 4, 2023, by and between 7GC and Banzai (the “Amendment” and together with the Original Merger Agreement, the “Merger Agreement”). Pursuant to the terms of the Merger Agreement, the parties thereto will enter into a business combination transaction (the “Business Combination” and together with the other transactions contemplated by the Merger Agreement, the “Transactions”), pursuant to which, among other things, (i) First Merger Sub will merge with and into Banzai (the “First Merger”), with Banzai surviving the First Merger as an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of 7GC (the “Surviving Corporation”), and, (ii) immediately following the First Merger, the Surviving Corporation will merge with and into Second Merger Sub (the “Second Merger” and, together with the First Merger, the “Mergers”), with the Second Merger Sub surviving the Second Merger as a direct wholly owned subsidiary of 7GC. At the closing of the Business Combination, 7GC will change its name to Banzai International, Inc. (“New Banzai”), and its Class A common stock is expected to be listed on The Nasdaq Capital Market (“Nasdaq”) under the ticker symbol “BNZI”. It is a condition to the consummation of the Merger Agreement that the Class A common stock, par value $0.0001 per share (“New Banzai Class A Shares”), of New Banzai has been listed on Nasdaq, subject to official notice of issuance.
The aggregate consideration payable to securityholders of Banzai at the closing of the Transactions (the “Closing”) will consist of a number of newly issued New Banzai Class A Shares of 7GC (“7GC Class A Common Stock”) or a number of newly issued shares of Class B common stock, par value $0.0001 per share (“New Banzai Class B Shares”), of 7GC (“7GC Class B Common Stock”), and cash in lieu of any fractional New Banzai Class A Shares or New Banzai Class B Shares that would otherwise be payable to any Banzai securityholders, equal to $100,000,000.
At the effective time of the First Merger (the “First Effective Time”), each outstanding share of Class A common stock of Banzai, par value $0.0001 per share (the “Banzai Class A Common Stock”), including each of the outstanding shares of preferred stock, par value $0.0001 per share, of Banzai that will have been converted into Banzai Class A Common Stock immediately prior to the First Effective Time, and each outstanding share of Class B common stock of Banzai par value $0.0001 per share (the “Banzai Class B Common Stock”) (in each case, other than dissenting shares and any shares held in the treasury of Banzai) shall be cancelled and converted into the right to receive a number of New Banzai Class A Shares or New Banzai Class B Shares, respectively, equal to (x) the Per Share Value (as defined below) divided by (y) $10.00 (the “Exchange Ratio”). “Per Share Value” equals (i) an amount equal to $100,000,000, payable in New Banzai Class A Shares or New Banzai Class B Shares, as applicable (the “Total Consideration”), divided by (ii) (A) the total number of shares of Banzai Class A Common Stock and Banzai Class B Common Stock issued and outstanding as of immediately prior to the First Effective Time, (B) the maximum aggregate number of shares of Banzai Class A Common Stock issuable upon full exercise of options of Banzai to purchase Banzai Class A Common Stock (the “Banzai Options”) issued, outstanding, and vested immediately prior to the First Effective Time, (C) the maximum aggregate number of shares of Banzai Class A Common Stock issuable upon conversion of certain senior convertible notes outstanding as of immediately prior to the First Effective Time at the applicable conversion price, (D) the maximum aggregate number of shares of Banzai Class A Common Stock issuable upon conversion of all of the outstanding principal and interest under certain subordinated convertible promissory notes as of immediately prior to the First Effective Time at the applicable conversion price, and (E) the maximum aggregate number of shares of Banzai Class A Common Stock issuable upon conversion of the SAFE Purchase Amount (as defined herein) under each SAFE Right (as defined herein) as of immediately prior to the First Effective Time at the applicable SAFE Conversion Price (as defined herein). See the section titled “Stockholder Proposal No. 1 — The Business Combination Proposal” on page 88 of the accompanying proxy statement/prospectus for further information on the consideration payable to Banzai securityholders.
On the terms and subject to the conditions set forth in the Merger Agreement, at the effective time of the Second Merger (the “Second Effective Time”), each share of common stock of the Surviving Corporation issued and outstanding immediately prior to the Second Effective Time shall be cancelled and no consideration shall be delivered therefor.
7GC’s units, Class A common stock and public warrants are currently listed on Nasdaq, under the symbols “VIIAU,” “VII,” and “VIIAW,” respectively. 7GC has applied to continue the listing of its Class A common stock and public warrants on Nasdaq under the symbols “BNZI” and “BNZIW,” respectively, upon the Closing. At the Closing, each of 7GC’s units will separate into its component parts consisting of one share of 7GC’s Class A common stock and one-half of one of 7GC’s public warrants and, as a result, will no longer trade as a separate security.
Following the completion of the Closing, New Banzai will have two classes of authorized and outstanding common stock. Each New Banzai Class A Share and New Banzai Class B Share entitles its holder to one vote and ten votes, respectively, on all matters presented to our stockholders generally. New Banzai’s dual class common stock structure will have the effect of concentrating more than 50% of voting power with New Banzai’s Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder, Joseph Davy, and his affiliates and permitted transferees which limits an investor’s ability to influence the outcome of important transactions, including a change in control. As a result, at Closing, New Banzai will be considered a “controlled company” within the meaning of Nasdaq corporate governance listing standards and will qualify for, and if New Banzai so elects, may rely on exemptions from certain Nasdaq corporate governance listing standards. However, New Banzai currently does not intend to avail itself of the controlled company exemption under the Nasdaq corporate governance standards. At Closing, New Banzai will issue shares of New Banzai Class A Shares and shares of New Banzai Class B Shares, which immediately after the Closing will represent in the aggregate % and % of our total outstanding shares of common stock, respectively.
7GC will hold a special meeting of its stockholders in lieu of its 2023 annual meeting of stockholders (the “Special Meeting”) to consider matters relating to the proposed Business Combination. 7GC and Banzai cannot complete the Business Combination unless 7GC’s stockholders consent to the approval of the Merger Agreement and the Transactions, including the issuance of shares of New Banzai Common Stock to be issued as the merger consideration. 7GC is sending you this proxy statement/prospectus to ask you to vote in favor of these and the other matters described in this proxy statement/prospectus.
The Special Meeting will be held virtually via live webcast at , Eastern Time, on , 2023. As such, 7GC stockholders may attend the Special Meeting by visiting the Special Meeting website at , where you will be able to listen to the meeting live and vote during the meeting.