SUBJECT TO COMPLETION, DATED NOVEMBER 25, 2020
PRELIMINARY PROSPECTUS
Motive Capital Corp
$300,000,000
30,000,000 Units
Motive Capital Corp is a newly incorporated blank check company incorporated as a Cayman Islands exempted company and incorporated for the purpose of effecting a merger, share exchange, asset acquisition, share purchase, reorganization or similar business combination with one or more businesses, which we refer to as our initial business combination. We have not selected any specific business combination target and we have not, nor has anyone on our behalf, engaged in any substantive discussions, directly or indirectly, with any business combination target with respect to an initial business combination with us.
This is an initial public offering of our securities. Each unit has an offering price of $10.00 and consists of one Class A ordinary share and one-third of one redeemable warrant. Each whole warrant entitles the holder thereof to purchase one Class A ordinary share at a price of $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment as described herein. Only whole warrants are exercisable. No fractional warrants will be issued upon separation of the units and only whole warrants will trade. The warrants will become exercisable on the later of 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination and 12 months from the closing of this offering, and will expire five years after the completion of our initial business combination or earlier upon redemption or our liquidation, as described herein. The underwriters have a 45-day option from the date of this prospectus to purchase up to an additional 4,500,000 units to cover over-allotments, if any.
We will provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their Class A ordinary shares upon the completion of our initial business combination at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account described below calculated as of two business days prior to the consummation of our initial business combination, including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our taxes, divided by the number of then outstanding Class A ordinary shares that were sold as part of the units in this offering, which we refer to collectively as our public shares, subject to the limitations and on the conditions described herein. If we have not completed our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering or during any shareholder approved extension period, we will redeem 100% of the public shares at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account (less taxes payable and up to $100,000 of interest income to pay dissolution expenses), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, subject to applicable law and certain conditions as further described herein.
Our sponsor, Motive Capital Funds Sponsor, LLC, has committed to purchase an aggregate of 6,000,000 warrants (or 6,600,000 warrants if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), each exercisable to purchase one Class A ordinary share at $11.50 per share, at a price of $1.50 per warrant, or $9,000,000 in the aggregate (or $9,900,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), in a private placement that will close simultaneously with the closing of this offering.
Our initial shareholders, which include our sponsor, currently own an aggregate of 8,625,000 Class B ordinary shares, up to 1,125,000 of which may be surrendered to us for no consideration after the closing of this offering depending on the extent to which the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised. The Class B ordinary shares will automatically convert into Class A ordinary shares concurrently with or immediately following the consummation of our initial business combination on a one-for-one basis, subject to the adjustments described herein. Only holders of Class B ordinary shares will have the right to vote for the election of directors in any general meeting held prior to or in connection with the completion of our initial business combination, which directors will be proposed by the Company’s board of directors following a nomination by the nominating and corporate governance committee. On any other matters submitted to a vote of our shareholders, holders of the Class B ordinary shares and holders of the Class A ordinary shares will vote together as a single class, except as required by law.
In connection with the consummation of this offering, we will enter into a forward purchase agreement with fund vehicles managed by an affiliate of Motive Partners (collectively the “Motive Fund Vehicles”) , pursuant to which the Motive Fund Vehicles will commit that they intend to purchase from us 14,000,000 forward purchase units, with each forward purchase unit consisting of one Class A ordinary share, or a forward purchase share, and one-third of one warrant to purchase one Class A ordinary share, or a forward purchase warrant, for $10.00 per unit, or an aggregate amount of $140,000,000, in a private placement that will close concurrently with the closing of our initial business combination. The proceeds from the sale of these forward purchase units, together with the amounts available to us from the trust account (after giving effect to any redemptions of public shares) and any other equity or debt financing obtained by us in connection with the business combination, will be used to satisfy the cash requirements of the business combination, including funding the purchase price and paying expenses and retaining specified amounts to be used by the post-business combination company for working capital or other purposes. The Motive Fund Vehicles may purchase less than 14,000,000 forward purchase units in accordance with the terms of the Forward Purchase Agreement. In addition, the Motive Fund Vehicles commitment under the forward purchase agreement will be subject to approval, prior to our entering into a definitive agreement for our initial business combination, of their investment committees and sufficiency of capital to purchase. The forward purchase shares will be identical to the Class A ordinary shares included in the units being sold in this offering, except that they will be subject to transfer restrictions and registration rights, as described herein. The forward purchase warrants will have the same terms as the public warrants so long as they are held by the Motive Fund Vehicles or their permitted assignees and transferees.
Currently, there is no public market for our units, Class A ordinary shares or warrants. We have applied to list our units on the New York Stock Exchange, or NYSE, under the symbol “MOTV.U” We expect that our units will be listed on NYSE on or promptly after the date of this prospectus. We expect the Class A ordinary shares and warrants comprising the units to begin separate trading on the 52nd day following the date of this prospectus (or the immediately following business day if such 52nd day is not a business day) unless UBS Securities LLC and J.P. Morgan Securities LLC, the representatives of the underwriters, inform us of their decision to allow earlier separate trading, subject to our satisfaction of certain conditions as described further herein. Once the securities comprising the units begin separate trading, we expect that the Class A ordinary shares and warrants will be listed on NYSE under the symbols “MOTV” and “MOTV WS,” respectively.
We are an “emerging growth company” under applicable federal securities laws and will be subject to reduced public company reporting requirements. Investing in our securities involves a high degree of risk. See “Risk Factors” beginning on page 36 for a discussion of information that should be considered in connection with an investment in our securities. Investors will not be entitled to protections normally afforded to investors in Rule 419 blank check offerings. No offer or invitation to subscribe for securities may be made to the public in the Cayman Islands.
Neither the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission nor any state securities commission has approved or disapproved of these securities or determined if this prospectus is truthful or complete. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.
| | | Per Unit | | | Total | |
Public offering price | | | | $ | 10.00 | | | | | | 300,000,000 | | |
Underwriting discounts and commissions(1) | | | | $ | 0.55 | | | | | | 16,500,000 | | |
Proceeds, before expenses, to us | | | | $ | 9.45 | | | | | | 283,500,000 | | |
(1)
$0.20 per unit, or $6,000,000 in the aggregate (or $6,900,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), is payable upon the closing of this offering. Includes $0.35 per unit, or $10,500,000 in the aggregate (or up to $12,075,000 in the aggregate if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) payable to the underwriters for deferred underwriting commissions to be placed in a trust account located in the United States and released to the underwriters only upon the completion of an initial business combination. See also “Underwriting” for a description of compensation and other items of value payable to the underwriters.
Of the proceeds we receive from this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants described in this prospectus, $300 million, or $345 million if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full ($10.00 per unit in either case), will be deposited into a trust account located in the United States with Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company acting as trustee, after deducting $6,000,000 in underwriting discounts and commissions payable upon the closing of this offering (or $6,900,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) and an aggregate of $3 million to pay fees and expenses in connection with the closing of this offering and for working capital following the closing of this offering. The underwriters are offering the units for sale on a firm commitment basis. The underwriters expect to deliver the units to the purchasers on or about , 2020.
Joint Book-Running Managers
| UBS Investment Bank | | | J.P. Morgan | |
, 2020