UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
FORM 10-K
(Mark One)
☒ ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2022
Or
☐ TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
For the transition period from to
To
Commission File No. 001-40059
Social Leverage Acquisition Corp I
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
| Delaware | 85-4095616 | |
| (State or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization) | (I.R.S. Employer Identification No.) | |
| 8390 E. Via de Ventura, Suite F110-207 Scottsdale, Arizona | 85258 | |
| (Address of Principal Executive Offices) | (Zip Code) |
(302) 492-7522
(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:
| Title of each class | Trading Symbol(s) | Name of each exchange on which registered | ||
| Units, each consisting of one share of Class A common stock and one-fourth of one redeemable warrant | SLAC.U | The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC | ||
| Class A common stock, par value $0.0001 per share | SLAC | The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC | ||
| Redeemable warrants, each whole warrant exercisable for one share of Class A common stock at an exercise price of $11.50 | SLAC WS | The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC |
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act:
None
Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act. Yes ☐ No ☒
Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Act. Yes ☐ No ☒
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. Yes ☒ No ☐
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§ 232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit such files). Yes ☒ No ☐
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company,” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.
| Large accelerated filer | ☐ | Accelerated filer | ☐ |
| Non-accelerated filer | ☒ | Smaller reporting company | ☒ |
| Emerging growth company | ☒ |
If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ☐
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has filed a report on and attestation to its management’s assessment of the effectiveness of its internal control over financial reporting under Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (15 U.S.C. 7262(b)) by the registered public accounting firm that prepared or issued its audit report. ☒
If securities are registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act, indicate by check mark whether the financial statements of the registrant included in the filing reflect the correction of an error to previously issued financial statements. ☐
Indicate by check mark whether any of those error corrections are restatements that required a recovery analysis of incentive-based compensation received by any of the registrant’s executive officers during the relevant recovery period pursuant to § 240.10D-1(b). ☐
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act): Yes ☒ No ☐
The aggregate market value of the Registrant’s Class A common stock outstanding, other than shares held by persons who may be deemed affiliates of the Registrant, computed as of June 30, 2022 (the last business day of the Registrant’s most recently completed second fiscal quarter), was approximately $338,790,000.
As of March 28, 2023, there were 1,652,286 shares of the Registrant’s Shares of Class A common stock and 8,625,000 of the Registrant’s Shares of Class B common stock, par value $0.0001 per share, issued and outstanding.
SOCIAL LEVERAGE ACQUISITION CORP I
FORM 10-K
TABLE OF CONTENTS
i
CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS AND RISK FACTOR SUMMARY
This Annual Report on Form 10-K contains statements that are forward-looking and as such are not historical facts. This includes, without limitation, statements under “Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” regarding our financial position, business strategy and the plans and objectives of management for future operations, including with respect to our recently announced proposed Business Combination with W3BCLOUD Holdings Inc. (“W3BCLOUD”). These statements constitute projections, forecasts and forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The words “anticipate,” “believe,” “continue,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “may,” “might,” “plan,” “possible,” “potential,” “predict,” “project,” “should,” “will,” “would” and similar expressions may identify forward-looking statements, but the absence of these words does not mean that a statement is not forward-looking.
The forward-looking statements contained in this Annual Report on Form 10-K are based on our current expectations and beliefs concerning future developments and their potential effects on us. There can be no assurance that future developments affecting us will be those that we have anticipated. These forward-looking statements involve a number of risks, uncertainties (some of which are beyond our control) or other assumptions that may cause actual results or performance to be materially different from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, the following risks, uncertainties and other factors:
| ● | our being a company with no operating history and no operating revenues; |
| ● | our ability to select an appropriate target business or businesses; |
| ● | our ability to complete our initial Business Combination, including our recently announced proposed Business Combination with W3BCLOUD; |
| ● | our expectations around the performance of a prospective target business or businesses; |
| ● | our success in retaining or recruiting, or changes required in, our officers, key employees or directors following our initial Business Combination; |
| ● | our directors and officers allocating their time to other businesses and potentially having conflicts of interest with our business or in approving our initial Business Combination; |
| ● | our potential ability to obtain additional financing to complete our initial Business Combination; |
| ● | our pool of prospective target businesses; |
| ● | our ability to consummate an initial Business Combination due to the uncertainty resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic and other events (such as terrorist attacks, global hostilities, natural disasters or a significant outbreak of other infectious diseases); |
| ● | the ability of our directors and officers to generate a number of potential Business Combination opportunities; |
| ● | our public securities’ potential liquidity and trading; |
| ● | the lack of a market for our securities; |
| ● | the use of proceeds not held in the Trust Account (as defined below) or available to us from interest income on the Trust Account balance; |
| ● | the Trust Account not being subject to claims of third parties; |
| ● | our financial performance; and |
| ● | the other risks and uncertainties discussed in “Item 1A. Risk Factors,” elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K and in our other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”), including in our preliminary prospectus/proxy statement to be included in a Registration Statement on Form S-4 that we will file with the SEC relating to our proposed Business Combination with W3BCLOUD (the “W3BCLOUD Disclosure Statement”). |
Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should any of our assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary in material respects from those projected in these forward-looking statements. We undertake no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as may be required under applicable securities laws.
ii
Part I.
References in this Annual Report on Form 10-K (this “Annual Report”) to “we,” “us,” “our” or the “Company” are to Social Leverage Acquisition Corp I, a blank check company incorporated as a Delaware corporation. References to our “management” or our “management team” refer to our officers and directors, references to the “Sponsor” refer to Social Leverage Acquisition Sponsor I LLC, a Delaware limited liability company and references to “Social Leverage” refer to Social Leverage LLC, a Delaware limited liability company, and its affiliated entities and funds, excluding our Company and our Sponsor. References to our “initial stockholders” refer to our Sponsor and the other holders (if any) of our founder shares prior to our initial public offering.
Item 1. Business.
Overview
Our company is led by Howard Lindzon, our Chief Executive Officer, Paul Grinberg, our Executive Chairman, and Douglas Horlick, our President and Chief Operating Officer. Our leadership has deep operational expertise as executives and entrepreneurs across public and private companies as well as investing, acquisition and fundraising experience spanning multiple decades. Collectively, our goal is to identify and invest in innovative and mission-driven companies in the fintech, enterprise software or consumer technology sectors and support growth and value creation in the public market.
Additionally, through the members of our board of directors and their networks, we are supported by technology investors, leading technology founders, executives of private and public companies and industry analysts and consultants. The members of our board of directors bring over 100 years of collective successful entrepreneurship and investment experience. Through Mr. Lindzon, we plan to work closely with Social Leverage, a top-performing early-stage investment company, providing us with access to the investment talent at Social Leverage and a vast network of technology founders enabling us to leverage the rigorous investment criteria and proven value creation approach of the Social Leverage funds.
We are a blank check company incorporated in Delaware on December 1, 2020 for the purpose of effecting a merger, capital stock exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, reorganization or similar Business Combination with one or more businesses (the “Business Combination”). While we may pursue an initial Business Combination target in any industry or geographic location, we intend to focus our search on target businesses in the financial technology, enterprise software and consumer technology industries. Our sponsor is Social Leverage Acquisition Sponsor I LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (the “Sponsor”).
Our registration statement for our initial public offering of units (the “Initial Public Offering”) was declared effective on February 11, 2021. On February 17, 2021, we consummated our Initial Public Offering of 34,500,000 units (the “Units” and, with respect to the Class A common stock included in the Units being offered, the “Public Shares”), including 4,500,000 additional Units to cover over-allotments (the “Option Units”), at $10.00 per Unit, generating gross proceeds of $345.0 million, and incurring offering costs of approximately $19.7 million, inclusive of approximately $12.1 million and approximately $152,000 for deferred underwriting commissions and deferred legal fees, respectively.
Simultaneously with the closing of the Initial Public Offering, we consummated the private placement (the “Private Placement”) of 6,000,000 warrants (each, a “Private Placement Warrant” and collectively, the “Private Placement Warrants”), at a price of $1.50 per Private Placement Warrant to the Sponsor, generating gross proceeds of $9.0 million.
Upon the closing of the Initial Public Offering and the Private Placement, $345.0 million ($10.00 per Unit) of the net proceeds of the Initial Public Offering and certain of the proceeds of the Private Placement were placed in a trust account (“Trust Account”) located in the United States with Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company acting as trustee, and invested only in U.S. government securities with a maturity of 185 days or less or in money market funds meeting certain conditions under Rule 2a-7 under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “Investment Company Act”), which invest only in direct U.S. government treasury obligations, as determined by the Company, until the earlier of: (i) the completion of a Business Combination and (ii) the distribution of the Trust Account as described below.
1
Our management has broad discretion with respect to the specific application of the net proceeds of the Initial Public Offering and the sale of Private Placement Warrants, although substantially all of the net proceeds are intended to be applied generally toward consummating our initial Business Combination. Our initial Business Combination must be with one or more operating businesses or assets with an aggregate fair market value of at least 80% of the net assets held in the Trust Account (excluding the deferred underwriting commissions and taxes payable on the income earned on the Trust Account) at the time we sign an agreement to enter into the initial Business Combination. However, we will only complete a Business Combination if the post-transaction company owns or acquires 50% or more of the outstanding voting securities of the target or otherwise acquires a controlling interest in the target business sufficient for it not to be required to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act.
We intend to effectuate a Business Combination using the proceeds from the Initial Public Offering and Private Placement, and from additional issuances, if any, of our capital stock and our debt, or a combination of cash, stock and debt. We have not engaged in, and we will not engage in, any operations until we complete a Business Combination, and we have not generated any operating revenue to date. We will not generate any operating revenues until after completion of our initial Business Combination, at the earliest. Our entire activity since inception through December 31, 2022 was related to our formation, the preparation for the Initial Public Offering, and following the closing of the Initial Public Offering, the search for a prospective initial Business Combination. Based on our business activities, we are a “shell company” as defined under the Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), because we have no operations and nominal assets consisting almost entirely of cash.
We will provide the holders of our Public Shares (the “Public Stockholders”) with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their Public Shares upon the completion of a Business Combination either (i) in connection with a stockholder meeting called to approve the initial Business Combination or (ii) by means of a tender offer. The decision as to whether we will seek stockholder approval of our Business Combination or conduct a tender offer will be made by us. The Public Stockholders will be entitled to redeem their Public Shares for a pro rata portion of the amount then held in the Trust Account. The per-share amount to be distributed to Public Stockholders who redeem their Public Shares will not be reduced by the deferred underwriting commissions we pay to the underwriters.
If we are unable to complete a Business Combination within 27 months from the closing of the Initial Public Offering, or May 17, 2023 (which was extended from February 17, 2023 by vote of our stockholders) (as such period may be extended by the Company’s stockholders in accordance with the Amendment to the Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation, dated December 21, 2022 (the “Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation”), the “Combination Period”), we will (1) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up; (2) as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter, subject to lawfully available funds therefor, redeem 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 in the Trust Account (net of taxes payable and less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses), divided by the number of then issued and outstanding Public Shares, which redemption will completely extinguish Public Stockholders’ rights as stockholders (including the right to receive further liquidating distributions, if any); and (3) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of the remaining stockholders and our board of directors, liquidate and dissolve, subject in each case to our obligations under Delaware law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law.
Proposed W3BCLOUD Business Combination
On July 31, 2022, we entered into a business combination agreement, by and among, us, SLAC Merger Sub, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary (“Merger Sub”), and W3BCLOUD Holdings Inc. (“W3BCLOUD”) (as it may be amended, supplemented or otherwise modified from time to time, the “Business Combination Agreement”). The Business Combination Agreement and the business combination were unanimously approved by our board of directors on July 8, 2022. If the Business Combination Agreement is approved by our stockholders and the transactions contemplated by the Business Combination Agreement are consummated, Merger Sub will merge with and into W3BCLOUD (the “Merger”), with W3BCLOUD surviving the Merger as a wholly owned subsidiary of New W3BCLOUD (as defined below). In addition, upon the effectiveness of the Charter Amendment (as defined below), we will be renamed W3BCLOUD, Inc. and is referred to herein as “New W3BCLOUD” following the consummation of the transactions (collectively, the “W3BCLOUD Business Combination”).
For more information about the Business Combination Agreement and the proposed W3BCLOUD Business Combination, see our Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on August 1, 2022 and the W3BCLOUD Disclosure Statement that we will file with the SEC. Unless specifically stated, this Annual Report does not give effect to the proposed W3BCLOUD Business Combination and does not contain the risks associated with the proposed W3BCLOUD Business Combination. Such risks and effects relating to the proposed W3BCLOUD Business Combination will be included in the W3BCLOUD Disclosure Statement.
2
Effecting a Business Combination
Acquisition/Investment Criteria
Our acquisition strategy will leverage our management team and Social Leverage’s expansive network of deal sources where we believe a combination of proactive outreach and receptivity to inbound ideas will provide us with a number of initial Business Combination opportunities. We have identified the following general criteria that we believe are important in evaluating prospective target businesses. We will use these criteria in evaluating initial Business Combination opportunities, but we may decide to enter into our initial Business Combination with a target business that does not meet these criteria. We expect that no individual criterion will entirely determine a decision to pursue a particular opportunity. We intend to seek an initial Business Combination with a business that we believe:
| ● | Has a large and attractive end-market that is expected to benefit from long-term secular tailwinds; |
| ● | Has a defensible, market-leading position and demonstrates advantages when compared to competitors in the form of a strong and attractive customer and user base; |
| ● | Has a strong, visionary management team, or provides a platform to assemble an effective management team that is well-incentivized and aligned in an effort to create stockholder value; |
| ● | Exhibits an authentic and winning team culture that attracts and maintains top talent; |
| ● | Needs a flexible, creative or opportunistic structure where we can deliver additional value; |
| ● | Exhibits desirable returns on capital and need for capital to achieve its growth strategy, which we believe has been misevaluated by the marketplace; |
| ● | Will benefit from Social Leverage’s long-term relationship as it continues to accelerate growth in public markets; |
| ● | Will benefit from our management team’s industry expertise and differentiated network; |
| ● | Will benefit from a public currency. Access to the public equity markets allows the target company to tap an additional form of financing to pursue accretive acquisitions, high-return capital projects and/or strengthen its balance sheet and recruit key employees through publicly traded equity compensation to achieve its growth strategy; |
| ● | Is mature, at scale and ready to access the public capital markets but needs help articulating its business model and opportunity to public investors. Our management team has significant experience engaging with public market analysts and investors to help companies better communicate their stories. We believe many companies in our target sectors can leverage our management team’s experience and advice to maximize shareholder value as part of our initial Business Combination and following as an operating public company. |
We anticipate offering the following benefits to an initial Business Combination target:
| ● | Partnership with our management team members who have extensive and proven experience in operating, leading, advising and investing in market-leading fintech, enterprise software and consumer technology companies; |
| ● | Access to our management team’s deep and broad networks, insights and operational, financial, transactional and legal and regulatory expertise; |
3
| ● | Increase company profile and improve credibility with investors, customers, suppliers and other key stakeholders; |
| ● | Higher level of engagement with core, relevant, fundamental investors as anchor stockholder than what a traditional IPO book-building process offers; |
| ● | Lower risk and expedited path to a public listing; |
| ● | Infusion of cash and ongoing access to public capital markets to enable organic and inorganic growth; |
| ● | Ability for key stakeholders to focus on growing the business; and |
| ● | Opportunity to motivate and retain employees using stock-based compensation. |
These criteria are not intended to be exhaustive. Any evaluation relating to the merits of a particular initial Business Combination may be based, to the extent relevant, on these general criteria as well as other considerations and factors that our management team and advisors may deem relevant. In the event that we decide to enter into an initial Business Combination with a target business that does not meet the above criteria and guidelines, we will disclose that the target business does not meet the above criteria in our stockholder communications related to our initial Business Combination, which would be in the form of proxy solicitation materials or tender offer documents that we would file with the SEC.
We may need to obtain additional financing either to complete our initial Business Combination or because we become obligated to redeem a significant number of our public shares upon completion of our initial Business Combination. We intend to acquire a company with an enterprise value significantly above the net proceeds of the Initial Public Offering and the sale of the Private Placement Warrants. Depending on the size of the transaction or the number of public shares we become obligated to redeem, we may potentially utilize several additional financing sources, including but not limited to the issuance of additional securities to the sellers of the target, the issuance of debt by banks or other lenders or the owners of the target, a private placement to raise additional funds, or a combination of the foregoing. Following our initial Business Combination, if cash on hand is insufficient to meet our obligations or our working capital needs, we may need to obtain additional financing. If we are unable to complete our initial Business Combination because we do not have sufficient funds available to us, we will be forced to cease operations and liquidate the Trust Account.
Our Acquisition Process
In evaluating prospective Business Combinations, we expect to conduct an extensive due diligence review process that will encompass, among other things, a thorough review of historical and projected financial and operating data, meetings with incumbent management and their advisors (if applicable), inspection of facilities and assets, discussion with suppliers and customers including surveys, legal reviews and other reviews, as we deem appropriate. We will also utilize the expertise of our management team and advisors in analyzing fintech, enterprise software and consumer technology companies, and evaluating the appropriate return expectations given the risk profile of the target business.
We are not prohibited from pursuing an initial Business Combination with a company that is affiliated with our officers or directors. In the event we seek to complete our initial Business Combination with a business that is affiliated with our Sponsor, officers or directors, we, or a committee of independent and disinterested directors, will obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm or another independent entity that commonly renders valuation opinions that such initial Business Combination is fair to our company from a financial point of view.
Each of the members of our Sponsor (including persons or entities affiliated with Social Leverage), our directors and officers will, directly or indirectly, own founder shares and/or Private Placement Warrants following the Initial Public Offering and, accordingly, may have a conflict of interest in determining whether a particular target business is an appropriate business with which to effectuate our initial Business Combination. Further, such officers and directors may have a conflict of interest with respect to evaluating a particular Business Combination if the retention or resignation of any such officers and directors was included by a target business as a condition to any agreement with respect to our initial Business Combination.
4
Past experience or performance of Social Leverage, or any of its funds, investments or portfolio companies, or our Sponsor, directors or management team or their respective affiliates is not a guarantee of either (1) our ability to successfully identify and execute a transaction or (2) success with respect to any Business Combination that we may consummate. You should not rely on the historical record of Social Leverage, or any of its funds, investments or portfolio companies, or our Sponsor, directors or management team or their respective affiliates as indicative of future performance. See Item 1.A. “Risk Factors - Past performance by Social Leverage, or any of its funds, investments or portfolio companies, or our sponsor, directors or management team or their respective affiliates may not be indicative of future performance of an investment in the company.” Neither our Sponsor nor any member of our management team has any experience operating special purpose acquisition companies.
Each of our officers and directors presently has, and any of them in the future may have additional, fiduciary or contractual obligations to other entities pursuant to which such officer or director is or will be required to present a Business Combination opportunity to such entity subject to his or her fiduciary duties. As a result, if any of our officers or directors becomes aware of a Business Combination opportunity which is suitable for an entity to which he or she has then-current fiduciary or contractual obligations, he or she will need to honor such fiduciary or contractual obligations to present such Business Combination opportunity to such entity before we can pursue such opportunity. If these other entities decide to pursue any such opportunity, we may be precluded from pursuing the same. However, we do not expect these duties to materially affect our ability to complete our initial Business Combination. Our Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation provides that we renounce our interest in any Business Combination opportunity offered to any director or officer unless such opportunity is expressly offered to such person solely in his or her capacity as a director or officer of the company and it is an opportunity that we are able to complete on a reasonable basis.
In addition, our officers or directors may be investors, or have other direct or indirect interests, in a business with which we may enter into a Business Combination agreement and/or in certain funds or other persons that may purchase shares in the Initial Public Offering or that may otherwise purchase shares of our Class A common stock in the public market.
Our officers, directors and any of their respective affiliates may sponsor or form, or, in the case of individuals, serve as a director or officer of, other blank check companies similar to ours during the period in which we are seeking an initial Business Combination. Any such companies may present additional conflicts of interest in pursuing an acquisition target. However, we do not believe that any such potential conflicts would materially affect our ability to complete our initial Business Combination.
Social Leverage may become aware of a potential Business Combination opportunity that may be an attractive opportunity for our company. However, Social Leverage is not under any obligation to source any potential opportunities for our initial Business Combination or refer any such opportunities to our company or provide any other services to our company. Social Leverage’s role with respect to our company is expected to be primarily passive and advisory in nature. Social Leverage may have fiduciary and/or contractual duties to its investment vehicles and to companies in which Social Leverage has invested. As a result, Social Leverage may have a duty to offer Business Combination opportunities to certain Social Leverage funds, other investment vehicles or other entities before other parties, including our company. Additionally, certain companies in which Social Leverage has invested may enter into transactions with, provide goods or services to, or receive goods or services from an entity with which we seek to complete our initial Business Combination. Transactions of these types may present a conflict of interest because Social Leverage may directly or indirectly receive a financial benefit as a result of such transaction.
We believe that any such potential conflicts of interest of Social Leverage and our officers and directors will be naturally mitigated by the differing nature of targets that Social Leverage typically considers most attractive for its venture capital activities and the types of initial Business Combination opportunities that we expect to be most attractive for our company.
Our directors and officers are not required to commit any specified amount of time to our affairs, and, accordingly, will have conflicts of interest in allocating management time among various business activities, including identifying potential Business Combinations and monitoring the related due diligence. See Item 1.A.: “Risk Factors - Certain of our directors and officers are now, and all of them may in the future become, affiliated with entities engaged in business activities similar to those intended to be conducted by us and, accordingly, may have conflicts of interest in determining to which entity a particular business opportunity should be presented.”
5
Initial Business Combination
Nasdaq Stock Market LLC (the “Nasdaq”) listing rules require that our initial Business Combination must be with one or more target businesses with an aggregate fair market value equal to at least 80% of the assets held in the Trust Account (excluding any deferred underwriters fees and taxes payable on the income earned on the Trust Account) at the time of our signing a definitive agreement in connection with our initial Business Combination. We refer to this as the 80% fair market value test. If our board of directors is not able to independently determine the fair market value of the target business or businesses, we will obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm or another independent entity that commonly renders valuation opinions with respect to the satisfaction of such criteria. We do not currently intend to purchase multiple businesses in unrelated industries in conjunction with our initial Business Combination, although there is no assurance that will be the case.
We anticipate structuring our initial Business Combination so that the post-transaction company in which our public stockholders own shares will own or acquire 100% of the issued and outstanding equity interests or assets of the target business or businesses. We may, however, structure our initial Business Combination such that the post-transaction company owns or acquires less than 100% of such interests or assets of the target business in order to meet certain objectives of the target management team or stockholders or for other reasons, but we will only complete such Business Combination if the post-transaction company owns or acquires 50% or more of the issued and outstanding voting securities of the target or otherwise acquires a controlling interest in the target business sufficient for it not to be required to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “Investment Company Act”). Even if the post-transaction company owns or acquires 50% or more of the voting securities of the target, our stockholders prior to our initial Business Combination may collectively own a minority interest in the post-transaction company, depending on valuations ascribed to the target and us in our initial Business Combination transaction. For example, we could pursue a transaction in which we issue a substantial number of new shares in exchange for all of the issued and outstanding capital stock, shares or other equity securities of a target business or issue a substantial number of new shares to third parties in connection with financing our initial Business Combination. In this case, we would acquire a 100% controlling interest in the target. However, as a result of the issuance of a substantial number of new shares, our stockholders immediately prior to our initial Business Combination could own less than a majority of our issued and outstanding shares subsequent to our initial Business Combination. If less than 100% of the equity interests or assets of a target business or businesses are owned or acquired by the post-transaction company, the portion of such business or businesses that is owned or acquired is what will be valued for purposes of the 80% of fair market value test. If our initial Business Combination involves more than one target business, the 80% of fair market value test will be based on the aggregate value of all of the target businesses. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if we are not then listed on Nasdaq for whatever reason, we would no longer be required to meet the foregoing 80% of fair market value test.
Corporate Information
We are an “emerging growth company,” as defined in Section 2(a) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), as modified by the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012 (the “JOBS Act”). As such, we are eligible to take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not “emerging growth companies” including, but not limited to, not being required to comply with the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (the “Sarbanes-Oxley Act”), reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in our periodic reports and proxy statements and exemptions from the requirements of holding a nonbinding advisory vote on executive compensation and stockholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved. If some investors find our securities less attractive as a result, there may be a less active trading market for our securities and the prices of our securities may be more volatile.
In addition, Section 107 of the JOBS Act also provides that an “emerging growth company” can take advantage of the extended transition period provided in Section 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act for complying with new or revised accounting standards. In other words, an “emerging growth company” can delay the adoption of certain accounting standards until those standards would otherwise apply to private companies. We intend to take advantage of the benefits of this extended transition period.
We will remain an emerging growth company until the earlier of (1) the last day of the fiscal year (a) following the fifth anniversary of the Initial Public Offering, (b) in which we have total annual gross revenue of at least $1.07 billion, or (c) in which we are deemed to be a large accelerated filer, which means the market value of our common stock that is held by non-affiliates equals or exceeds $700 million as of the end of that year’s second fiscal quarter, and (2) the date on which we have issued more than $1.00 billion in non-convertible debt securities during the prior three-year period. References herein to “emerging growth company” will have the meaning associated with it in the JOBS Act.
6
Additionally, we are a “smaller reporting company” as defined in Item 10(f)(1) of Regulation S-K. Smaller reporting companies may take advantage of certain reduced disclosure obligations, including, among other things, providing only two years of audited financial statements. We will remain a smaller reporting company until the last day of the fiscal year in which (1) the market value of our common stock held by non-affiliates equals or exceeds $250 million as of the end of that year’s second fiscal quarter, and (2) our annual revenues equaled or exceeded $100 million during such completed fiscal year or the market value of our common stock held by non-affiliates equals or exceeds $700 million as of the end of that year’s second fiscal quarter.
Our executive offices are located at 8390 E. Via de Ventura, Suite F110-207, Scottsdale, Arizona 85258 and our telephone number is 302-492-7522. Upon completion of this offering, our corporate website address will be socialleverageholdings.com. Our website and the information contained on, or that can be accessed through, the website is not deemed to be incorporated by reference in, and is not considered part of, this Annual Report on Form 10-K. You should not rely on any such information in making your decision whether to invest in our securities.
Competition
We expect to encounter intense competition from other entities having a business objective similar to ours, including private investors (which may be individuals or investment partnerships), other blank check companies and other entities, domestic and international, competing for the types of businesses we intend to acquire. Many of these individuals and entities are well established and have extensive experience in identifying and effecting, directly or indirectly, acquisitions of companies operating in or providing services to various industries. Many of these competitors possess greater technical, human and other resources or more local industry knowledge than we do and our financial resources will be relatively limited when contrasted with those of many of these competitors. Additionally, the number of blank check companies looking for Business Combination targets has increased compared to recent years and many of these blank check companies are sponsored by entities or persons that have significant experience with completing Business Combinations. While we believe there are numerous target businesses we could potentially acquire with the net proceeds from our Initial Public Offering and Private Placement, if the proposed W3BCLOUD Business Combination is not consummated, our ability to compete with respect to the acquisition of certain target businesses that are sizable will be limited by our available financial resources and the time limitation contained in our Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation. This inherent competitive limitation gives others an advantage in pursuing the acquisition of certain target businesses. Furthermore, in the event we seek stockholder approval of our initial Business Combination and we are obligated to pay cash for our shares of Class A common stock, it will potentially reduce the resources available to us for our initial Business Combination. Any of these obligations may place us at a competitive disadvantage in successfully negotiating a Business Combination. If we have not completed our initial Business Combination within the required time period, our public stockholders may receive only approximately $10.00 per share or less in certain circumstances on the liquidation of our Trust Account and our warrants will expire worthless.
Human Capital
We currently have three officers and do not intend to have any full-time employees prior to the completion of our initial Business Combination. Members of our management team are not obligated to devote any specific number of hours to our matters but they intend to devote as much of their time as they deem necessary to our affairs until we have completed our initial Business Combination. The amount of time that any such person will devote in any time period will vary based on the status of the proposed W3BCLOUD Business Combination and, if the proposed W3BCLOUD Business Combination is not consummated, whether a different target business has been selected for our initial Business Combination and the current stage of the Business Combination process.
7
Item 1A. Risk Factors
An investment in our securities involves a high degree of risk. You should consider carefully all of the risks described below, together with the other information contained in this Annual Report, including our financial statements and related notes, before making a decision to invest in our securities. If any of the following events occur, our business, financial condition and operating results may be materially adversely affected. In that event, the trading price of our securities could decline, and you could lose all or part of your investment. The risks and uncertainties described below are not the only ones we face. Additional risks and uncertainties that we are unaware of, or that we currently believe are not material, may also become important factors that adversely affect our business, financial condition and operating results. For risk factors related to the proposed W3BCLOUD Business Combination, see the “Risk Factors” section of the W3BCLOUD Disclosure Statement that we will file with the SEC.
Risks Relating to Our Search for, and Consummation of or Inability to Consummate, a Business Combination
Our public stockholders may not be afforded an opportunity to vote on our initial Business Combination, which means we may complete our initial Business Combination even though a majority of our public stockholders do not support such a combination.
We may not hold a stockholder vote to approve our initial Business Combination unless the Business Combination would require stockholder approval under applicable law or stock exchange rules or if we decide to hold a stockholder vote for business or other reasons. For instance, the rules of Nasdaq currently allow us to engage in a tender offer in lieu of a stockholder meeting, but would still require us to obtain stockholder approval if we were seeking to issue more than 20% of our issued and outstanding shares to a target business as consideration in any Business Combination. Therefore, if we were structuring a Business Combination that required us to issue more than 20% of our issued and outstanding shares, we would seek stockholder approval of such Business Combination. However, except as required by applicable law or stock exchange rules, the decision as to whether we will seek stockholder approval of a proposed Business Combination or will allow stockholders to sell their shares to us in a tender offer will be made by us, solely in our discretion, and will be based on a variety of factors such as the timing of the transaction and whether the terms of the transaction would otherwise require us to seek stockholder approval. Accordingly, we may consummate our initial Business Combination even if holders of a majority of the issued and outstanding shares of common stock do not approve of the Business Combination we consummate.
If we seek stockholder approval of our initial Business Combination, our initial stockholders, directors and officers have agreed to vote in favor of such initial Business Combination, regardless of how our public stockholders vote.
Unlike many other blank check companies in which the initial stockholders agree to vote their founder shares in accordance with the majority of the votes cast by the public stockholders in connection with an initial Business Combination, our initial stockholders, directors and officers have agreed (and their permitted transferees will agree), pursuant to the terms of a letter agreement entered into with us, to vote their founder shares and any public shares held by them in favor of our initial Business Combination. As a result, in addition to our initial stockholders’ founder shares, we would need 12,937,501, or 37.5% (assuming all issued and outstanding shares are voted), or 2,156,251, or 6.25% (assuming only the minimum number of shares representing a quorum are voted), of the 34,500,000 public shares sold in the Initial Public Offering to be voted in favor of an initial Business Combination in order to have such initial Business Combination approved. We expect that our initial stockholders and their permitted transferees will own at least 20% of our issued and outstanding shares of common stock at the time of any such stockholder vote. Accordingly, if we seek stockholder approval of our initial Business Combination, it is more likely that the necessary stockholder approval will be received than would be the case if such persons agreed to vote their founder shares in accordance with the majority of the votes cast by our public stockholders.
Your only opportunity to affect the investment decision regarding a potential Business Combination will be limited to the exercise of your right to redeem your shares from us for cash, unless we seek stockholder approval of such Business Combination.
Since our board of directors may complete a Business Combination without seeking stockholder approval, public stockholders may not have the right or opportunity to vote on the Business Combination, unless we seek such stockholder approval. Accordingly, if we do not seek stockholder approval, your only opportunity to affect the investment decision regarding a potential Business Combination may be limited to exercising your redemption rights within the period of time (which will be at least 20 business days) set forth in our tender offer documents mailed to our public stockholders in which we describe our initial Business Combination.
8
The ability of our public stockholders to redeem their shares for cash may make our financial condition unattractive to potential Business Combination targets, which may make it difficult for us to enter into a Business Combination with a target.
We may seek to enter into a Business Combination transaction agreement with a prospective target that requires as a closing condition that we have a minimum net worth or a certain amount of cash. If too many public stockholders exercise their redemption rights, we would not be able to meet such closing condition and, as a result, would not be able to proceed with the Business Combination. The amount of the deferred underwriting commissions payable to the underwriters will not be adjusted for any shares that are redeemed in connection with a Business Combination and such amount of deferred underwriting discount is not available for us to use as consideration in an initial Business Combination. If we are able to consummate an initial Business Combination, the per-share value of shares held by non-redeeming stockholders will reflect our obligation to pay and the payment of the deferred underwriting commissions. Prospective targets will be aware of these risks and, thus, may be reluctant to enter into a Business Combination transaction with us.
The ability of our public stockholders to exercise redemption rights with respect to a large number of our shares may not allow us to complete the most desirable Business Combination or optimize our capital structure.
At the time we enter into an agreement for our initial Business Combination, we will not know how many stockholders may exercise their redemption rights and, therefore, we will need to structure the transaction based on our expectations as to the number of shares that will be submitted for redemption. If our initial Business Combination agreement requires us to use a portion of the cash in the Trust Account to pay the purchase price, or requires us to have a minimum amount of cash at closing, we will need to reserve a portion of the cash in the Trust Account to meet such requirements, or arrange for third-party financing. In addition, if a larger number of shares is submitted for redemption than we initially expected, we may need to restructure the transaction to reserve a greater portion of the cash in the Trust Account or arrange for third-party financing. Raising additional third-party financing may involve dilutive equity issuances or the incurrence of indebtedness at higher than desirable levels. The above considerations may limit our ability to complete the most desirable Business Combination available to us or optimize our capital structure.
The ability of our public stockholders to exercise redemption rights with respect to a large number of our shares could increase the probability that our initial Business Combination would be unsuccessful and that you would have to wait for liquidation in order to redeem your shares.
If our initial Business Combination agreement requires us to use a portion of the cash in the Trust Account to pay the purchase price, or requires us to have a minimum amount of cash at closing, the probability that our initial Business Combination would be unsuccessful increases. If our initial Business Combination is unsuccessful, you would not receive your pro rata portion of the Trust Account until we liquidate the Trust Account. If you are in need of immediate liquidity, you could attempt to sell your shares in the open market; however, at such time our shares may trade at a discount to the pro rata amount per share in the Trust Account. In either situation, you may suffer a material loss on your investment or lose the benefit of funds expected in connection with our redemption until we liquidate or you are able to sell your shares in the open market.
The requirement that we complete our initial Business Combination within the prescribed time frame may give potential target businesses leverage over us in negotiating a Business Combination and may limit the time we have in which to conduct due diligence on potential Business Combination targets, in particular as we approach our dissolution deadline, which could undermine our ability to complete our initial Business Combination on terms that would produce value for our stockholders.
Any potential target business with which we enter into negotiations concerning a Business Combination will be aware that we must complete our initial Business Combination within 27 months from the closing of the Initial Public Offering. Consequently, such target business may obtain leverage over us in negotiating a Business Combination, knowing that if we do not complete our initial Business Combination with that particular target business, we may be unable to complete our initial Business Combination with any target business. This risk will increase as we get closer to the end of the time frame. In addition, we may have limited time to conduct due diligence and may enter into our initial Business Combination on terms that we would have rejected upon a more comprehensive investigation.
9
In July 2021, the SEC charged a Special Purpose Acquisition Company (“SPAC”) for misleading disclosures, which could have been corrected with more adequate due diligence, and obtained substantial relief against the SPAC and its sponsor. Although we will invest in due diligence efforts and commit management time and resources to such efforts, there can be no assurance that our due diligence will unveil all potential issues with a target business and that we or our sponsor will not become subject to regulatory actions related to such efforts.
We may not be able to complete our initial Business Combination within the prescribed time frame, in which case we would cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up and we would redeem our public shares and liquidate, in which case our public stockholders may receive only $10.00 per share, or less than such amount in certain circumstances, and our warrants will expire worthless.
Our Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation provides that we must complete our initial Business Combination within 27 months from the closing of the Initial Public Offering. We may not be able to find a suitable target business and complete our initial Business Combination within such time period. Our ability to complete our initial Business Combination may be negatively impacted by general market conditions, volatility in the equity and debt markets and the other risks described herein, including as a result of terrorist attacks, global hostilities, natural disasters or a significant outbreak of infectious diseases. For example, the COVID-19 pandemic continues both in the U.S. and globally and, while the extent of the impact of the pandemic on us will depend on future developments, it could limit our ability to complete our initial Business Combination, including as a result of increased market volatility, decreased market liquidity and third-party financing being unavailable on terms acceptable to us or at all. Additionally, the COVID-19 pandemic and other events (such as terrorist attacks, global hostilities, natural disasters or a significant outbreak of other infectious diseases) may negatively impact businesses we may seek to acquire. It may also have the effect of heightening many of the other risks described herein, such as those related to the market for our securities and cross-border transactions.
If we have not completed our initial Business Combination within such time period or during any extended time that we have to consummate a business combination beyond 27 months as a result of a stockholder vote to amend our Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation (an “Extension Period”), we will: (1) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up; (2) as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter, redeem 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 in the Trust Account (net of taxes payable and less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses), divided by the number of then issued and outstanding public shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public stockholders’ rights as stockholders (including the right to receive further liquidating distributions, if any); and (3) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining stockholders and our board of directors, liquidate and dissolve, subject in each case to our obligations under Delaware law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law. In such case, our public stockholders may receive only $10.00 per share, or less than $10.00 per share, on the redemption of their shares, and our warrants will expire worthless. See Item 1A. “Risk Factors - If third parties bring claims against us, the proceeds held in the Trust Account could be reduced and the per-share redemption amount received by stockholders may be less than $10.00 per share” and other risk factors herein.
Our search for a Business Combination, and any target business with which we ultimately consummate a Business Combination, may be materially adversely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and other events and the status of debt and equity markets.
The COVID-19 pandemic has adversely affected, and other events (such as terrorist attacks, global hostilities, natural disasters or a significant outbreak of other infectious diseases) could adversely affect, economies and financial markets worldwide, business operations and the conduct of commerce generally, and the business of any potential target business with which we may consummate a Business Combination could be materially and adversely affected. Furthermore, we may be unable to complete an initial Business Combination if concerns relating to COVID-19 or other events restrict travel, limit the ability to have meetings with potential investors, limit the ability to conduct due diligence or limit the ability of a potential target company’s personnel, vendors and services providers to negotiate and consummate a transaction in a timely manner. The extent to which COVID-19 impacts our search for an initial Business Combination will depend on future developments, which are highly uncertain and cannot be predicted, including new information which may emerge concerning the severity of and perceptions of COVID-19 and its variants and the actions to contain COVID-19 or treat its impact, among others. If the disruptions posed by COVID-19 or other matters of global concern (such as terrorist attacks, global hostilities, natural disasters or a significant outbreak of other infectious diseases) continue, our ability to consummate a Business Combination, or the operations of a target business with which we ultimately consummate a Business Combination, may be materially adversely affected.
10
In addition, our ability to consummate a transaction may be dependent on the ability to raise equity and debt financing which may be impacted by COVID-19 and other events (such as terrorist attacks, global hostilities, natural disasters or a significant outbreak of other infectious diseases), including as a result of increased market volatility, decreased market liquidity and third-party financing being unavailable on terms acceptable to us or at all.
Finally, the COVID-19 pandemic or other infectious diseases may also have the effect of heightening many of the other risks described in this “Risk Factors” section, such as those related to the market for our securities and cross-border transactions.
Global or regional conditions may adversely affect our business and our ability to find an attractive target business with which to consummate our initial Business Combination.
Adverse changes in global or regional economic conditions periodically occur, including recession or slowing growth, changes, or uncertainty in fiscal, monetary or trade policy, higher interest rates, tighter credit, inflation, lower capital expenditures by businesses, increases in unemployment and lower consumer confidence and spending. Adverse changes in economic conditions can harm global business and adversely affect our ability to find an attractive target business with which to consummate our initial Business Combination. Such adverse changes could result from geopolitical and security issues, such as armed conflict and civil or military unrest, political instability, human rights concerns and terrorist activity, catastrophic events such as natural disasters and public health issues (including the COVID-19 pandemic), supply chain interruptions, new or revised export, import or doing-business regulations, including trade sanctions and tariffs or other global or regional occurrences.
In particular, in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the United States, the European Union, and several other countries are imposing far-reaching sanctions and export control restrictions on Russian entities and individuals. This rising conflict and the resulting market volatility could adversely affect global economic, political and market conditions. Additionally, tensions between the United States and China have led to increased tariffs and trade restrictions. The United States has imposed economic sanctions on certain Chinese individuals and entities and restrictions on the export of U.S.-regulated products and technology to certain Chinese technology companies. These and other global and regional conditions may adversely impact our business and our ability to find an attractive target business with which to consummate our initial Business Combination.
If we seek stockholder approval of our initial Business Combination, our Sponsor, directors, officers, advisors or any of their respective affiliates may elect to purchase shares or warrants from public stockholders or warrant holders, which may influence a vote on a proposed Business Combination and reduce the public “float” of our securities.
If we seek stockholder approval of our initial Business Combination and we do not conduct redemptions in connection with our initial Business Combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our Sponsor, directors, officers, advisors or any of their respective affiliates may purchase public shares or warrants in privately negotiated transactions or in the open market either prior to or following the completion of our initial Business Combination. Any such price per share may be different than the amount per share a public stockholder would receive if it elected to redeem its shares in connection with our initial Business Combination. Additionally, at any time at or prior to our initial Business Combination, subject to applicable securities laws (including with respect to material nonpublic information), our Sponsor, directors, officers, advisors or any of their respective affiliates may enter into transactions with investors and others to provide them with incentives to acquire public shares, vote their public shares in favor of our initial Business Combination or not redeem their public shares. However, our Sponsor, directors, officers, advisors or any of their respective affiliates are under no obligation or duty to do so and they have no current commitments, plans or intentions to engage in such transactions and have not formulated any terms or conditions for any such transactions. The purpose of such purchases could be to vote such shares in favor of our initial Business Combination and thereby increase the likelihood of obtaining stockholder approval of our initial Business Combination or to satisfy a closing condition in an agreement with a target that requires us to have a minimum net worth or a certain amount of cash at the closing of our initial Business Combination, where it appears that such requirement would otherwise not be met. The purpose of any such purchases of public warrants could be to reduce the number of public warrants outstanding or to vote such warrants on any matters submitted to the warrant holders for approval in connection with our initial Business Combination. This may result in the completion of our initial Business Combination that may not otherwise have been possible.
11
In addition, if such purchases are made, the public “float” of our securities and the number of beneficial holders of our securities may be reduced, possibly making it difficult to maintain or obtain the quotation, listing or trading of our securities on a national securities exchange.
If a stockholder fails to receive notice of our offer to redeem our public shares in connection with our initial Business Combination, or fails to comply with the procedures for tendering its shares, such shares may not be redeemed.
We will comply with the tender offer rules or proxy rules, as applicable, when conducting redemptions in connection with our initial Business Combination. Despite our compliance with these rules, if a stockholder fails to receive our tender offer or proxy materials, as applicable, such stockholder may not become aware of the opportunity to redeem its shares. In addition, the tender offer documents or proxy materials, as applicable, that we will furnish to holders of our public shares in connection with our initial Business Combination will describe the various procedures that must be complied with in order to validly tender or redeem public shares. For example, we may require our public stockholders seeking to exercise their redemption rights, whether they are record holders or hold their shares in “street name,” to either tender their certificates to our transfer agent prior to the date set forth in the tender offer or proxy materials documents mailed to such holders, or up to two business days prior to the scheduled vote on the proposal to approve the initial Business Combination in the event we distribute proxy materials, or to deliver their shares to the transfer agent electronically. In the event that a stockholder fails to comply with these procedures, its shares may not be redeemed.
You are not entitled to protections normally afforded to investors of many other blank check companies.
We are exempt from certain rules promulgated by the SEC related to certain blank check companies, such as Rule 419. Accordingly, investors are not afforded the benefits or protections of those rules. Among other things, this means we will have a longer period of time to complete our initial Business Combination than do companies subject to Rule 419. Moreover, if the Initial Public Offering was subject to Rule 419, that rule would prohibit the release of any interest earned on funds held in the Trust Account to us unless and until the funds in the Trust Account were released to us in connection with our completion of an initial Business Combination.
If we seek stockholder approval of our initial Business Combination and we do not conduct redemptions pursuant to the tender offer rules, and if you or a “group” of stockholders are deemed to hold in excess of 15% of our Class A common stock, you will lose the ability to redeem all such shares in excess of 15% of our Class A common stock.
If we seek stockholder approval of our initial Business Combination and we do not conduct redemptions in connection with our initial Business Combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation provides that a public stockholder, together with any affiliate of such stockholder or any other person with whom such stockholder is acting in concert or as a “group” (as defined under Section 13 of the Exchange Act), will be restricted from redeeming its shares with respect to more than an aggregate of 15% of the shares sold in the Initial Public Offering, which we refer to as the “Excess Shares,” without our prior consent. However, we would not be restricting our stockholders’ ability to vote all of their shares (including Excess Shares) for or against our initial Business Combination. Your inability to redeem the Excess Shares will reduce your influence over our ability to complete our initial Business Combination and you could suffer a material loss on your investment in us if you sell Excess Shares in open market transactions. Additionally, you will not receive redemption distributions with respect to the Excess Shares if we complete our initial Business Combination. And as a result, you will continue to hold that number of shares exceeding 15% and, in order to dispose of such shares, would be required to sell your shares in open market transactions, potentially at a loss.
12
Because of our limited resources and the significant competition for Business Combination opportunities, it may be more difficult for us to complete our initial Business Combination. If we have not completed our initial Business Combination within the required time period, our public stockholders may receive only approximately $10.00 per share, or less in certain circumstances, on our redemption of their shares, and our warrants will expire worthless.
We expect to encounter intense competition from other entities having a business objective similar to ours, including private investors (which may be individuals or investment partnerships), other blank check companies and other entities, domestic and international, competing for the types of businesses we intend to acquire. Many of these individuals and entities are well established and have extensive experience in identifying and effecting, directly or indirectly, acquisitions of companies operating in or providing services to various industries. Many of these competitors possess greater technical, human and other resources or more local industry knowledge than we do and our financial resources will be relatively limited when contrasted with those of many of these competitors. Additionally, the number of blank check companies looking for Business Combination targets has increased compared to recent years and many of these blank check companies are sponsored by entities or persons that have significant experience with completing Business Combinations. While we believe there are numerous target businesses we could potentially acquire with the net proceeds of the Initial Public Offering and the sale of the Private Placement Warrants, our ability to compete with respect to the acquisition of certain target businesses that are sizable will be limited by our available financial resources. This inherent competitive limitation gives others an advantage in pursuing the acquisition of certain target businesses. Furthermore, in the event we seek stockholder approval of our initial Business Combination and we are obligated to pay cash for our shares of Class A common stock, it will potentially reduce the resources available to us for our initial Business Combination. Any of these obligations may place us at a competitive disadvantage in successfully negotiating a Business Combination. If we have not completed our initial Business Combination within the required time period, our public stockholders may receive only approximately $10.00 per share, or less in certain circumstances, on the liquidation of our Trust Account and our warrants will expire worthless. See Item 1A “Risk Factors - If third parties bring claims against us, the proceeds held in the Trust Account could be reduced and the per-share redemption amount received by stockholders may be less than $10.00 per share” and other risk factors herein.
Due to the number of special purpose acquisition companies, there may be more competition to find an attractive target for an initial Business Combination. This could increase the costs associated with completing our initial Business Combination and may result in our inability to find a suitable target for our initial Business Combination and/or complete our initial Business Combination.
In recent years, the number of special purpose acquisition companies that have been formed has increased substantially. Many companies have entered into Business Combinations with special purpose acquisition companies, and there are still many special purpose acquisition companies seeking targets for their initial Business Combination, as well as many additional special purpose acquisition companies currently in registration. As a result, at times, fewer attractive targets may be available, and it may require more time, effort and resources to identify a suitable target for an initial Business Combination.
In addition, because there are more special purpose acquisition companies seeking to enter into an initial Business Combination with available targets, the competition for available targets with attractive fundamentals or business models may increase, which could cause target companies to demand improved financial terms. Attractive deals could also become scarcer for other reasons, such as economic or industry sector downturns, geopolitical tensions or increases in the cost of additional capital needed to close Business Combinations or operate targets post-Business Combination. This could increase the cost of, delay or otherwise complicate or frustrate our ability to find a suitable target for and/or complete our initial Business Combination.
If the funds not being held in the Trust Account are insufficient to allow us to operate for at least the 27 months following the closing of the Initial Public Offering, we may be unable to complete our initial Business Combination.
The funds available to us outside of the Trust Account may not be sufficient to allow us to operate for at least the 27 months following the closing of the Initial Public Offering, assuming that our initial Business Combination is not completed during that time. We have incurred and expect to incur significant costs in pursuit of our acquisition plans. Management’s plans to address this need for capital through potential loans from certain of our affiliates are discussed in “Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.” However, our affiliates are not obligated to make loans to us in the future, and we may not be able to raise additional financing from unaffiliated parties necessary to fund our expenses. Any such event in the future may negatively impact the analysis regarding our ability to continue as a going concern at such time.
13
Of the funds available to us, we could use a portion of the funds to pay fees to consultants to assist us with our search for a target business. We could also use a portion of the funds as a down payment or to fund a “no-shop” provision (a provision in letters of intent or merger agreements designed to keep target businesses from “shopping” around for transactions with other companies or investors on terms more favorable to such target businesses) with respect to a particular proposed Business Combination, although we do not have any current intention to do so. If we entered into a letter of intent or merger agreement where we paid for the right to receive exclusivity from a target business and were subsequently required to forfeit such funds (whether as a result of our breach or otherwise), we might not have sufficient funds to continue searching for, or conduct due diligence with respect to, a target business. If we have not completed our initial Business Combination within the required time period, our public stockholders may receive only approximately $10.00 per share, or less in certain circumstances, on the liquidation of our Trust Account and our warrants will expire worthless. See Item 1.A. “Risk Factors - If third parties bring claims against us, the proceeds held in the Trust Account could be reduced and the per-share redemption amount received by stockholders may be less than $10.00 per share” and other risk factors herein.
Changes in the market for directors and officers liability insurance could make it more difficult and more expensive for us to negotiate and complete an initial Business Combination.
Recently, the market for directors and officers liability insurance for special purpose acquisition companies has changed in ways adverse to us and our management team. Fewer insurance companies are offering quotes for directors and officers liability coverage, the premiums charged for such policies have generally increased and the terms of such policies have generally become less favorable. These trends may continue into the future.
The increased cost and decreased availability of directors and officers liability insurance could make it more difficult and more expensive for us to negotiate and complete an initial Business Combination. In order to obtain directors and officers liability insurance or modify its coverage as a result of becoming a public company, the post-Business Combination entity might need to incur greater expense and/or accept less favorable terms. Furthermore, any failure to obtain adequate directors and officers liability insurance could have an adverse impact on the post-Business Combination’s ability to attract and retain qualified officers and directors.
In addition, after completion of any initial Business Combination, our directors and officers could be subject to potential liability from claims arising from conduct alleged to have occurred prior to such initial Business Combination. As a result, in order to protect our directors and officers, the post-Business Combination entity may need to purchase additional insurance with respect to any such claims (“run-off insurance”). The need for run-off insurance would be an added expense for the post-Business Combination entity and could interfere with or frustrate our ability to consummate an initial Business Combination on terms favorable to our investors.
If third parties bring claims against us, the proceeds held in the Trust Account could be reduced and the per-share redemption amount received by stockholders may be less than $10.00 per share.
Our placing of funds in the Trust Account may not protect those funds from third-party claims against us. Although we will seek to have all vendors, service providers (other than our independent registered public accounting firm), prospective target businesses and other entities with which we do business execute agreements with us waiving any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to any monies held in the Trust Account for the benefit of our public stockholders, such parties may not execute such agreements, or even if they execute such agreements they may not be prevented from bringing claims against the Trust Account, including, but not limited to, fraudulent inducement, breach of fiduciary responsibility or other similar claims, as well as claims challenging the enforceability of the waiver, in each case in order to gain advantage with respect to a claim against our assets, including the funds held in the Trust Account. If any third party refuses to execute an agreement waiving such claims to the monies held in the Trust Account, our management will perform an analysis of the alternatives available to it and will enter into an agreement with a third party that has not executed a waiver only if management believes that such third party’s engagement would be significantly more beneficial to us than any alternative.
Examples of possible instances where we may engage a third party that refuses to execute a waiver include the engagement of a third-party consultant whose particular expertise or skills are believed by management to be significantly superior to those of other consultants that would agree to execute a waiver or in cases where we are unable to find a service provider willing to execute a waiver. In addition, there is no guarantee that such entities will agree to waive any claims they may have in the future as a result of, or arising out of, any negotiations, contracts or agreements with us and will not seek recourse against the Trust Account for any reason. Upon redemption of our public shares, if we have not completed our initial Business Combination within the required time period, or upon the exercise of a redemption right in connection with our initial Business Combination, we will be required to provide for payment of claims of creditors that were not waived that may be brought against us within the ten years following redemption. Accordingly, the per-share redemption amount received by public stockholders could be less than the $10.00 per public share initially held in the Trust Account, due to claims of such creditors.
14
Our Sponsor has agreed that it will be liable to us if and to the extent any claims by a third party (other than our independent registered public accounting firm) for services rendered or products sold to us, or a prospective target business with which we have discussed entering into a transaction agreement, reduce the amount of funds in the Trust Account to below (1) $10.00 per public share or (2) such lesser amount per public share held in the Trust Account as of the date of the liquidation of the Trust Account due to reductions in the value of the trust assets, in each case net of the interest which may be withdrawn to pay taxes, except as to any claims by a third party who executed a waiver of any and all rights to seek access to the Trust Account and except as to any claims under our indemnity of the underwriters of the Initial Public Offering against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act. Moreover, in the event that an executed waiver is deemed to be unenforceable against a third party, our Sponsor will not be responsible to the extent of any liability for such third-party claims. We have not independently verified whether our Sponsor has sufficient funds to satisfy its indemnity obligations and believe that our Sponsor’s only assets are securities of our company. Our Sponsor may not have sufficient funds available to satisfy those obligations. We have not asked our Sponsor to reserve for such obligations, and therefore, no funds are currently set aside to cover any such obligations. As a result, if any such claims were successfully made against the Trust Account, the funds available for our initial Business Combination and redemptions could be reduced to less than $10.00 per public share. In such event, we may not be able to complete our initial Business Combination, and you would receive such lesser amount per share in connection with any redemption of your public shares. None of our directors or officers will indemnify us for claims by third parties including, without limitation, claims by vendors and prospective target businesses.
Our directors may decide not to enforce the indemnification obligations of our Sponsor, resulting in a reduction in the amount of funds in the Trust Account available for distribution to our public stockholders.
In the event that the proceeds in the Trust Account are reduced below the lesser of (1) $10.00 per public share or (2) such lesser amount per share held in the Trust Account as of the date of the liquidation of the Trust Account due to reductions in the value of the trust assets, in each case net of interest which may be withdrawn to pay taxes, and our Sponsor asserts that it is unable to satisfy its obligations or that it has no indemnification obligations related to a particular claim, our independent directors would determine whether to take legal action against our Sponsor to enforce its indemnification obligations. While we currently expect that our independent directors would take legal action on our behalf against our Sponsor to enforce its indemnification obligations to us, it is possible that our independent directors in exercising their business judgment may choose not to do so in any particular instance. If our independent directors choose not to enforce these indemnification obligations, the amount of funds in the Trust Account available for distribution to our public stockholders may be reduced below $10.00 per share.
The securities in which we invest the funds held in the Trust Account could bear a negative rate of interest, which could reduce the value of the assets held in trust such that the per-share redemption amount received by public stockholders may be less than $10.00 per share.
The proceeds held in the Trust Account will be invested only in U.S. government treasury obligations with a maturity of 185 days or less or in money market funds meeting certain conditions under Rule 2a-7 under the Investment Company Act, which invest only in direct U.S. government treasury obligations. While short-term U.S. government treasury obligations currently yield a positive rate of interest, they have briefly yielded negative interest rates in recent years. Central banks in Europe and Japan pursued interest rates below zero in recent years, and the Open Market Committee of the Federal Reserve has not ruled out the possibility that it may in the future adopt similar policies in the United States. In the event that we are unable to complete our initial Business Combination or make certain amendments to our Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation, our public stockholders are entitled to receive their pro rata share of the proceeds held in the Trust Account, plus any interest income, net of taxes paid or payable (less, in the case we are unable to complete our initial Business Combination, $100,000 of interest). Negative interest rates could reduce the value of the assets held in trust such that the per-share redemption amount received by public stockholders may be less than $10.00 per share. Negative interest rates could also reduce the amount of funds we have available to complete our initial Business Combination.
15
If, after we distribute the proceeds in the Trust Account to our public stockholders, we file a bankruptcy petition or an involuntary bankruptcy petition is filed against us that is not dismissed, a bankruptcy court may seek to recover such proceeds, and the members of our board of directors may be viewed as having breached their fiduciary duties to our creditors, thereby exposing the members of our board of directors and us to claims of punitive damages.
If, after we distribute the proceeds in the Trust Account to our public stockholders, we file a bankruptcy petition or an involuntary bankruptcy petition is filed against us that is not dismissed, any distributions received by stockholders could be viewed under applicable debtor/creditor and/or bankruptcy laws as either a “preferential transfer” or a “fraudulent conveyance.” As a result, a bankruptcy court could seek to recover some or all amounts received by our stockholders. In addition, our board of directors may be viewed as having breached its fiduciary duty to our creditors and/or having acted in bad faith by paying public stockholders from the Trust Account prior to addressing the claims of creditors, thereby exposing itself and us to claims of punitive damages.
If, before distributing the proceeds in the Trust Account to our public stockholders, we file a bankruptcy petition or an involuntary bankruptcy petition is filed against us that is not dismissed, the claims of creditors in such proceeding may have priority over the claims of our stockholders and the per-share amount that would otherwise be received by our stockholders in connection with our liquidation may be reduced.
If, before distributing the proceeds in the Trust Account to our public stockholders, we file a bankruptcy petition or an involuntary bankruptcy petition is filed against us that is not dismissed, the proceeds held in the Trust Account could be subject to applicable bankruptcy law, and may be included in our bankruptcy estate and subject to the claims of third parties with priority over the claims of our stockholders. To the extent any liquidation claims deplete the Trust Account, the per-share amount that would otherwise be received by our public stockholders in connection with our liquidation would be reduced.
If we are deemed to be an investment company under the Investment Company Act, we may be required to institute burdensome compliance requirements and our activities may be restricted, which may make it difficult for us to complete our initial Business Combination.
If we are deemed to be an investment company under the Investment Company Act, our activities may be restricted, including:
| ● | restrictions on the nature of our investments; and |
| ● | restrictions on the issuance of securities; |
each of which may make it difficult for us to complete our initial Business Combination.
In addition, we may have imposed upon us burdensome requirements, including:
| ● | registration as an investment company with the SEC; |
| ● | adoption of a specific form of corporate structure; and |
| ● | reporting, record keeping, voting, proxy and disclosure requirements and other rules and regulations to which we are currently not subject. |
We do not believe that our anticipated principal activities will subject us to the Investment Company Act. The proceeds held in the Trust Account may be invested by the trustee only in U.S. government treasury bills with a maturity of 185 days or less or in money market funds investing solely in U.S. Treasuries and meeting certain conditions under Rule 2a-7 under the Investment Company Act. Because the investment of the proceeds will be restricted to these instruments, we believe we will meet the requirements for the exemption provided in Rule 3a-1 promulgated under the Investment Company Act. If we were deemed to be subject to the Investment Company Act, compliance with these additional regulatory burdens would require additional expenses for which we have not allotted funds and may hinder our ability to complete a Business Combination. If we have not completed our initial Business Combination within the required time period, our public stockholders may receive only approximately $10.00 per share, or less in certain circumstances, on the liquidation of our Trust Account and our warrants will expire worthless.
16
Changes in laws or regulations, or how such laws or regulations are interpreted or applied, or a failure to comply with any laws and regulations, may adversely affect our business, including our ability to negotiate and complete our initial Business Combination, and results of operations.
We are subject to laws and regulations enacted by national, regional and local governments. In particular, we are required to comply with certain SEC and other legal requirements, our Business Combination may be contingent on our ability to comply with certain laws and regulations and any post-Business Combination company may be subject to additional laws and regulations. Compliance with, and monitoring of, applicable laws and regulations may be difficult, time consuming and costly. Those laws and regulations and their interpretation and application may also change from time to time, including as a result of changes in economic, political, social and government policies, and including as a result of changes in economic, political, social and government policies, and those changes could have a material adverse effect on our business, including our ability to negotiate and complete our initial Business Combination, investments and results of operations. In addition, a failure to comply with applicable laws or regulations, as interpreted and applied, could have a material adverse effect on our business, including our ability to negotiate and complete our initial Business Combination, and results of operations.
On March 30, 2022, the SEC issued proposed rules that would, among other items, impose additional disclosure requirements in business combination transactions involving SPACs and private operating companies; amend the financial statement requirements applicable to business combination transactions involving such companies; update and expand guidance regarding the general use of projections in SEC filings, as well as when projections are disclosed in connection with proposed business combination transactions; increase the potential liability of certain participants in proposed business combination transactions; and impact the extent to which special purpose acquisition companies could become subject to regulation under the Investment Company Act. These rules, if adopted, whether in the form proposed or in revised form, may materially adversely affect our business, including our ability to negotiate and complete our initial Business Combination and may increase the costs and time related thereto.
If we have not completed our initial Business Combination within 27 months of the closing of the Initial Public Offering or during any Extension Period, our public stockholders may be forced to wait beyond such 27 months before redemption from our Trust Account.
If we have not completed our initial Business Combination within 27 months from the closing of the Initial Public Offering or during any Extension Period, we will distribute the aggregate amount then on deposit in the Trust Account, including interest earned on the funds in the Trust Account (net of taxes payable and less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses), pro rata to our public stockholders by way of redemption and cease all operations except for the purposes of winding up of our affairs, as further described herein. Any redemption of public stockholders from the Trust Account shall be effected automatically by function of our Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation prior to any voluntary winding up. If we are required to windup, liquidate the Trust Account and distribute such amount therein, pro rata, to our public stockholders, as part of any liquidation process, such winding up, liquidation and distribution will be subject in each case to our obligations under Delaware law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law. In that case, investors may be forced to wait beyond the initial 27 months before the redemption proceeds of our Trust Account become available to them and they receive the return of their pro rata portion of the proceeds from our Trust Account. We have no obligation to return funds to investors prior to the date of our redemption or liquidation unless, prior thereto, we consummate our initial Business Combination or amend certain provisions of our Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation and then only in cases where investors have properly sought to redeem their shares of Class A common stock. Only upon our redemption or any liquidation will public stockholders be entitled to distributions if we have not completed our initial Business Combination within the required time period and do not amend certain provisions of our Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation prior thereto.
17
Our stockholders may be held liable for claims by third parties against us to the extent of distributions received by them upon redemption of their shares.
Under the Delaware General Corporation Law (the “DGCL”), stockholders may be held liable for claims by third parties against a corporation to the extent of distributions received by them in a dissolution. The pro rata portion of our Trust Account distributed to our public stockholders upon the redemption of our public shares in the event we do not complete our initial Business Combination within the required time period may be considered a liquidating distribution under Delaware law. If a corporation complies with certain procedures set forth in Section 280 of the DGCL intended to ensure that it makes reasonable provision for all claims against it, including a 60-day notice period during which any third-party claims can be brought against the corporation, a 90-day period during which the corporation may reject any claims brought, and an additional 150-day waiting period before any liquidating distributions are made to stockholders, any liability of stockholders with respect to a liquidating distribution is limited to the lesser of such stockholder’s pro rata share of the claim or the amount distributed to the stockholder, and any liability of the stockholder would be barred after the third anniversary of the dissolution.
However, it is our intention to redeem our public shares as soon as reasonably possible following the 27th month from the closing of the Initial Public Offering (or the end of any Extension Period) in the event we do not complete our initial Business Combination and, therefore, we do not intend to comply with the foregoing procedures.
Because we do not intend to comply with Section 280, Section 281(b) of the DGCL requires us to adopt a plan, based on facts known to us at such time that will provide for our payment of all existing and pending claims or claims that may be potentially brought against us within the ten years following our dissolution. However, because we are a blank check company, rather than an operating company, and our operations will be limited to searching for prospective target businesses to acquire, the only likely claims to arise would be from our vendors (such as lawyers, investment bankers, consultants, etc.) or prospective target businesses. If our plan of distribution complies with Section 281(b) of the DGCL, any liability of stockholders with respect to a liquidating distribution is limited to the lesser of such stockholder’s pro rata share of the claim or the amount distributed to the stockholder, and any liability of the stockholder would likely be barred after the third anniversary of the dissolution. We cannot assure you that we will properly assess all claims that may be potentially brought against us. As such, our stockholders could potentially be liable for any claims to the extent of distributions received by them (but no more) and any liability of our stockholders may extend beyond the third anniversary of such date. Furthermore, if the pro rata portion of our Trust Account distributed to our public stockholders upon the redemption of our public shares in the event we do not complete our initial Business Combination within the required time period is not considered a liquidating distribution under Delaware law and such redemption distribution is deemed to be unlawful, then pursuant to Section 174 of the DGCL, the statute of limitations for claims of creditors could then be six years after the unlawful redemption distribution, instead of three years, as in the case of a liquidating distribution.
We may not hold an annual stockholder meeting until after the consummation of our initial Business Combination. Our public stockholders will not have the right to elect or remove directors prior to the consummation of our initial Business Combination.
In accordance with the Nasdaq corporate governance requirements, we are not required to hold an annual general meeting until one year after our first fiscal year end following our listing on Nasdaq, and thus may not be in compliance with Section 211(b) of the DGCL, which requires an annual meeting of stockholders be held for the purposes of electing directors in accordance with a company’s bylaws unless such election is made by written consent in lieu of such a meeting. Therefore, if our stockholders want us to hold an annual meeting prior to our consummation of our initial Business Combination, they may attempt to force us to hold one by submitting an application to the Delaware Court of Chancery in accordance with Section 211(c) of the DGCL. Until we hold an annual meeting of stockholders, public stockholders may not be afforded the opportunity to discuss company affairs with management. In addition, prior to our initial Business Combination, (a) as holders of our Class A common stock, our public stockholders will not have the right to vote on the election of our directors and (b) holders of a majority of the issued and outstanding shares of our Class B common stock may remove a member of our board of directors for any reason.
18
The grant of registration rights to our initial stockholders and their permitted transferees may make it more difficult to complete our initial Business Combination, and the future exercise of such rights may adversely affect the market price of our Class A common stock.
Pursuant to a registration rights agreement entered into in connection with the Initial Public Offering, at or after the time of our initial Business Combination, our initial stockholders and their permitted transferees can demand that we register the resale of their founder shares after those shares convert to shares of our Class A common stock. In addition, our Sponsor and its permitted transferees can demand that we register the resale of the Private Placement Warrants and the shares of Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the Private Placement Warrants, and holders of warrants that may be issued upon conversion of working capital loans may demand that we register the resale of such warrants or the shares of Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of such warrants. We will bear the cost of registering these securities. The registration and availability of such a significant number of securities for trading in the public market may have an adverse effect on the market price of our Class A common stock. In addition, the existence of the registration rights may make our initial Business Combination more costly or difficult to conclude. This is because the stockholders of the target business may increase the equity stake they seek in the combined entity or ask for more cash consideration to offset the negative impact on the market price of our Class A common stock that is expected when the shares of common stock owned by our initial stockholders or their permitted transferees, our Private Placement Warrants or warrants issued in connection with working capital loans are registered for resale.
Because we are not limited to a particular industry, sector or geographic area or any specific target businesses with which to pursue our initial Business Combination, you will be unable to ascertain the merits or risks of any particular target business’s operations.
We may seek to complete a Business Combination with an operating company of any size (subject to our satisfaction of the 80% fair market value test) and in any industry, sector or geographic area. However, we will not, under our Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation, be permitted to effectuate our initial Business Combination solely with another blank check company or similar company with nominal operations. To the extent we complete our initial Business Combination, we may be affected by numerous risks inherent in the business operations with which we combine. For example, if we combine with a financially unstable business or an entity lacking an established record of sales or earnings, we may be affected by the risks inherent in the business and operations of a financially unstable or development stage entity. Although our directors and officers will endeavor to evaluate the risks inherent in a particular target business, we cannot assure you that we will properly ascertain or assess all of the significant risk factors or that we will have adequate time to complete due diligence. Furthermore, some of these risks may be outside of our control and leave us with no ability to control or reduce the chances that those risks will adversely impact a target business. We also cannot assure you that an investment in our securities will not ultimately prove to be less favorable to our investors than a direct investment, if such opportunity were available, in a Business Combination target. Accordingly, any stockholder or warrant holder who chooses to remain a stockholder or warrant holder, respectively, following our initial Business Combination could suffer a reduction in the value of their securities. Such stockholders and warrant holders are unlikely to have a remedy for such reduction in value.
We may seek acquisition opportunities in acquisition targets that may be outside of our management’s areas of expertise.
We will consider a Business Combination outside of our management’s areas of expertise if such Business Combination candidate is presented to us and we determine that such candidate offers an attractive acquisition opportunity for our company. In the event we elect to pursue an acquisition outside of the areas of our management’s expertise, our management’s expertise may not be directly applicable to its evaluation or operation, and our management’s expertise would not be relevant to an understanding of the business that we elect to acquire. As a result, our management may not be able to adequately ascertain or assess all of the significant risk factors relevant to such acquisition. Accordingly, any stockholders or warrant holders who choose to remain a stockholder or warrant holder, respectively, following our initial Business Combination could suffer a reduction in the value of their securities. Such stockholders or warrant holders are unlikely to have a remedy for such reduction in value.
19
Although we have identified general criteria and guidelines that we believe are important in evaluating prospective target businesses, we may enter into our initial Business Combination with a target that does not meet such criteria and guidelines, and as a result, the target business with which we enter into our initial Business Combination may not have attributes entirely consistent with our general criteria and guidelines.
Although we have identified general criteria and guidelines for evaluating prospective target businesses, it is possible that a target business with which we enter into our initial Business Combination will not have all of these positive attributes. If we complete our initial Business Combination with a target that does not meet some or all of these criteria and guidelines, such combination may not be as successful as a combination with a business that does meet all of our general criteria and guidelines. In addition, if we announce a prospective Business Combination with a target that does not meet our general criteria and guidelines, a greater number of stockholders may exercise their redemption rights, which may make it difficult for us to meet any closing condition with a target business that requires us to have a minimum net worth or a certain amount of cash. In addition, if stockholder approval of the transaction is required by applicable law or stock exchange listing requirements, or we decide to obtain stockholder approval for business or other reasons, it may be more difficult for us to attain stockholder approval of our initial Business Combination if the target business does not meet our general criteria and guidelines. If we have not completed our initial Business Combination within the required time period, our public stockholders may receive only approximately $10.00 per share, or less in certain circumstances, on the liquidation of our Trust Account and our warrants will expire worthless.
We may seek acquisition opportunities with an early-stage company, a financially unstable business or an entity lacking an established record of revenue or earnings.
To the extent we complete our initial Business Combination with an early-stage company, a financially unstable business or an entity lacking an established record of sales or earnings, we may be affected by numerous risks inherent in the operations of the business with which we combine. These risks include investing in a business without a proven business model and with limited historical financial data, volatile revenues or earnings, intense competition and difficulties in obtaining and retaining key personnel. Although our directors and officers will endeavor to evaluate the risks inherent in a particular target business, we may not be able to properly ascertain or assess all of the significant risk factors and we may not have adequate time to complete due diligence. Furthermore, some of these risks may be outside of our control and leave us with no ability to control or reduce the chances that those risks will adversely impact a target business.
We are not required to obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm or from an independent accounting firm regarding fairness. Consequently, you may have no assurance from an independent source that the price we are paying for the business is fair to our company from a financial point of view.
We are not required to obtain an opinion that the price we are paying is fair to our company from a financial point of view. If no opinion is obtained, our stockholders will be relying on the judgment of our board of directors, who will determine fair market value based on standards generally accepted by the financial community. Such standards used will be disclosed in our tender offer documents or proxy solicitation materials, as applicable, related to our initial Business Combination.
We may engage the underwriters from our Initial Public Offering or any of their affiliates to provide additional services to us. The underwriters are entitled to receive deferred commissions that will be released from the Trust Account only on the completion of an initial Business Combination. These financial incentives may cause the underwriters to have potential conflicts of interest in rendering any such additional services to us after the Initial Public Offering.
We may engage the underwriters from our Initial Public Offering or any of their affiliates to provide additional services to us, including, for example, identifying potential targets, providing financial advisory services, acting as a placement agent in a private offering or arranging debt financing. We may pay the underwriters or any of their affiliates fair and reasonable fees or other compensation that would be determined at that time in an arm’s length negotiation. The underwriters are also entitled to receive deferred commissions that are conditioned on the completion of an initial Business Combination. The fact that the underwriters or any of their affiliates’ financial interests are tied to the consummation of a Business Combination transaction may give rise to potential conflicts of interest in providing any such additional services to us, including potential conflicts of interest in connection with the sourcing and consummation of an initial Business Combination.
20
We may issue additional shares of Class A common stock or preferred shares to complete our initial Business Combination or under an employee incentive plan after completion of our initial Business Combination. We may also issue shares of Class A common stock upon the conversion of the Class B common stock at a ratio greater than one-to-one at the time of our initial Business Combination as a result of the anti-dilution provisions contained in our Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation. Any such issuances would dilute the interest of our stockholders and likely present other risks.
Our Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation authorizes the issuance of up to 80,000,000 shares of Class A common stock, par value $0.0001 per share, 20,000,000 shares of Class B common stock, par value $0.0001 per share, and 1,000,000 shares of undesignated preferred stock, par value $0.0001 per share. As of December 31, 2022, there were 30,875,000 and 11,375,000 authorized but unissued shares of Class A and Class B common stock, respectively, available for issuance, which amount takes into account shares reserved for issuance upon exercise of outstanding warrants but not upon conversion of the Class B common stock. Shares of Class B common stock are convertible into shares of our Class A common stock, initially at a one-for-one ratio but subject to adjustment as set forth herein. As of December 31, 2022, there were no preferred shares issued and outstanding.
We may issue a substantial number of additional shares of Class A common stock, and may issue shares of preferred stock, in order to complete our initial Business Combination or under an employee incentive plan after completion of our initial Business Combination. We may also issue shares of Class A common stock to redeem the warrants or upon conversion of the Class B common stock at a ratio greater than one-to-one at the time of our initial Business Combination as a result of the anti-dilution provisions contained in our Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation. However, our Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation provides, among other things, that prior to our initial Business Combination, we may not issue additional shares of capital stock that would entitle the holders thereof to (1) receive funds from the Trust Account or (2) vote pursuant to our Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation on any initial Business Combination or any amendments to our Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation. The issuance of additional shares of common or preferred stock:
| ● | may significantly dilute the equity interest of public investors, which dilution would increase if the anti-dilution provisions in the Class B common stock resulted in the issuance of shares of Class A common stock on a greater than one-to-one basis upon conversion of the Class B common stock; |
| ● | may subordinate the rights of holders of common stock if shares of preferred stock are issued with rights senior to those afforded our common stock; |
| ● | could cause a change of control if a substantial number of shares of our common stock are issued, which may affect, among other things, our ability to use our net operating loss carry forwards, if any, and could result in the resignation or removal of our present directors and officers; |
| ● | may have the effect of delaying or preventing a change of control of us by diluting the stock ownership or voting rights of a person seeking to obtain control of us; |
| ● | may adversely affect prevailing market prices for our Units, Class A common stock and/or warrants; and |
| ● | may not result in adjustment to the exercise price of our warrants. |
We may reincorporate in another jurisdiction in connection with our initial Business Combination and such reincorporation may result in taxes imposed on stockholders or warrant holders.
We may effect a Business Combination with a target company in another jurisdiction, reincorporate in the jurisdiction in which the target company or business is located, or reincorporate in another jurisdiction. Such transactions may result in tax liability for an investor in the jurisdiction in which the investor is a tax resident (or in which its members are resident if it is a tax transparent entity), in which the target company is located, or in which we reincorporate. We do not intend to make any cash distributions to investors to pay such taxes. Investors may be subject to withholding taxes or other taxes with respect to their ownership of us after the reincorporation.
21
Resources could be wasted in researching acquisitions that are not completed, which could materially adversely affect subsequent attempts to locate and acquire or merge with another business. If we have not completed our initial Business Combination within the required time period, our public stockholders may receive only approximately $10.00 per share, or less than such amount in certain circumstances, on the liquidation of our Trust Account and our warrants will expire worthless.
We anticipate that the investigation of each specific target business and the negotiation, drafting and execution of relevant agreements, disclosure documents and other instruments will require substantial management time and attention and substantial costs for accountants, attorneys and others. If we decide not to complete a specific initial Business Combination, the costs incurred up to that point for the proposed transaction likely would not be recoverable. Furthermore, if we reach an agreement relating to a specific target business, we may fail to complete our initial Business Combination for any number of reasons including those beyond our control. Any such event will result in a loss to us of the related costs incurred which could materially adversely affect subsequent attempts to locate and acquire or merge with another business. If we have not completed our initial Business Combination within the required time period, our public stockholders may receive only approximately $10.00 per share, or less in certain circumstances, on the liquidation of our Trust Account and our warrants will expire worthless.
We may engage in a Business Combination with one or more target businesses that have relationships with entities that may be affiliated with our Sponsor, directors or officers which may raise potential conflicts of interest.
In light of the involvement of our Sponsor, directors and officers with other entities, we may decide to acquire one or more businesses affiliated with our Sponsor, directors and officers. Certain of our directors and officers also serve as officers and board members for other entities, including those described under “Item 10. Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance – Conflicts of Interest.” Such entities may compete with us for Business Combination opportunities. Although we will not be specifically focusing on, or targeting, any transaction with any affiliated entities, we would pursue such a transaction if we determined that such affiliated entity met our criteria and guidelines for a Business Combination and such transaction was approved by a majority of our independent and disinterested directors.
Since our initial stockholders will lose their entire investment in us if our initial Business Combination is not completed, a conflict of interest may arise in determining whether a particular Business Combination target is appropriate for our initial Business Combination.
Our Sponsor holds 8,625,000 founder shares as of the date of this Annual Report. The founder shares will be worthless if we do not complete an initial Business Combination.
In addition, our Sponsor purchased an aggregate of 6,000,000 Private Placement Warrants, each exercisable for one share of our Class A common stock, for a purchase price of $9,000,000 in the aggregate, or $1.50 per warrant, that will also be worthless if we do not complete a Business Combination. Each Private Placement Warrant may be exercised for one share of our Class A common stock at a price of $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment.
The founder shares are identical to the shares of Class A common stock included in the Units except that: (1) prior to our initial Business Combination, only holders of our Class B common stock have the right to vote on the election of directors and holders of a majority of our outstanding shares of Class B common stock may remove a member of the board of directors for any reason; (2) the founder shares are subject to certain transfer restrictions contained in a letter agreement that our initial stockholders, directors and officers have entered into with us; (3) pursuant to such letter agreement, our initial stockholders, directors and officers have agreed to waive: (i) their redemption rights with respect to any founder shares and public shares held by them, as applicable, in connection with the completion of our initial Business Combination; (ii) their redemption rights with respect to any founder shares and public shares held by them, as applicable, in connection with a stockholder vote to amend our Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemption in connection with our initial Business Combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial Business Combination within 24 months from the closing of the Initial Public Offering or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to stockholders’ rights or pre-initial Business Combination activity; and (iii) their rights to liquidating distributions from the Trust Account with respect to any founder shares they hold if we fail to complete our initial Business Combination within 24 months from the closing of the Initial Public Offering or during any Extension Period (although they will be entitled to liquidating distributions from the Trust Account with respect to any public shares they hold if we fail to complete our initial Business Combination within the prescribed time frame); (4) the founder shares will automatically convert into shares of our Class A common stock at the time of our initial Business Combination, or earlier at the option of the holder, on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustment pursuant to certain anti-dilution rights, as described in more detail below; and (5) the founder shares are entitled to registration rights. If we submit our initial Business Combination to our public stockholders for a vote, our initial stockholders have agreed (and their permitted transferees will agree), pursuant to the terms of a letter agreement entered into with us, to vote their founder shares and any public shares held by them purchased during or after the Initial Public Offering in favor of our initial Business Combination. While we do not expect our board of directors to approve any amendment to or waiver of the letter agreement or registration rights agreement prior to our initial Business Combination, it may be possible that our board of directors, in exercising its business judgment and subject to its fiduciary duties, chooses to approve one or more amendments to or waivers of such agreements in connection with the consummation of our initial Business Combination. Any such amendments or waivers would not require approval from our stockholders, may result in the completion of our initial Business Combination that may not otherwise have been possible, and may have an adverse effect on the value of an investment in our securities.
22
The personal and financial interests of our Sponsor, directors and officers may influence their motivation in identifying and selecting a target Business Combination, completing an initial Business Combination and influencing the operation of the business following the initial Business Combination. This risk may become more acute as the deadline for completing our initial Business Combination nears.
We may issue notes or other debt securities, or otherwise incur substantial debt, to complete a Business Combination, which may adversely affect our leverage and financial condition and thus negatively impact the value of our stockholders’ investment in us.
We may choose to incur substantial debt to complete our initial Business Combination. We have agreed that we will not incur any indebtedness unless we have obtained from the lender a waiver of any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to the monies held in the Trust Account. As such, no issuance of debt will affect the per-share amount available for redemption from the Trust Account. Nevertheless, the incurrence of debt could have a variety of negative effects, including:
| ● | default and foreclosure on our assets if our operating revenues after an initial Business Combination are insufficient to repay our debt obligations; |
| ● | acceleration of our obligations to repay the indebtedness even if we make all principal and interest payments when due if we breach certain covenants that require the maintenance of certain financial ratios or reserves without a waiver or renegotiation of that covenant; |
| ● | our immediate payment of all principal and accrued interest, if any, if the debt is payable on demand; |
| ● | our inability to obtain necessary additional financing if the debt contains covenants restricting our ability to obtain such financing while the debt is outstanding; |
| ● | our inability to pay dividends on our common stock; |
| ● | using a substantial portion of our cash flow to pay principal and interest on our debt, which will reduce the funds available for dividends on our common stock if declared, expenses, capital expenditures, acquisitions and other general corporate purposes; |
| ● | limitations on our flexibility in planning for and reacting to changes in our business and in the industry in which we operate; |
| ● | increased vulnerability to adverse changes in general economic, industry and competitive conditions and adverse changes in government regulation; and |
| ● | limitations on our ability to borrow additional amounts for expenses, capital expenditures, acquisitions, debt service requirements, execution of our strategy and other purposes and other disadvantages compared to our competitors who have less debt. |
23
We may be able to complete only one Business Combination with the proceeds of the Initial Public Offering and the sale of the Private Placement Warrants, which will cause us to be solely dependent on a single business which may have a limited number of products or services. This lack of diversification may negatively impact our operations and profitability.
We may effectuate our initial Business Combination with a single target business or multiple target businesses simultaneously or within a short period of time. However, we may not be able to effectuate our initial Business Combination with more than one target business because of various factors, including the existence of complex accounting issues and the requirement that we prepare and file pro forma financial statements with the SEC that present operating results and the financial condition of several target businesses as if they had been operated on a combined basis. By completing our initial Business Combination with only a single entity, our lack of diversification may subject us to numerous financial, economic, competitive and regulatory risks. Further, we would not be able to diversify our operations or benefit from the possible spreading of risks or offsetting of losses, unlike other entities which may have the resources to complete several Business Combinations in different industries or different areas of a single industry. Accordingly, the prospects for our success may be:
| ● | solely dependent upon the performance of a single business, property or asset; or |
| ● | dependent upon the development or market acceptance of a single or limited number of products, processes or services. |
This lack of diversification may subject us to numerous financial, economic, competitive and regulatory risks, any or all of which may have a substantial adverse impact upon the particular industry in which we may operate subsequent to our initial Business Combination.
We may attempt to simultaneously complete Business Combinations with multiple prospective targets, which may hinder our ability to complete our initial Business Combination and give rise to increased costs and risks that could negatively impact our operations and profitability.
If we determine to simultaneously acquire several businesses that are owned by different sellers, we will need for each such seller to agree that our purchase of its business is contingent on the simultaneous closings of the other Business Combinations, which may make it more difficult for us, and delay our ability, to complete our initial Business Combination. With multiple Business Combinations, we could also face additional risks, including additional burdens and costs with respect to possible multiple negotiations and due diligence investigations (if there are multiple sellers) and the additional risks associated with the subsequent assimilation of the operations and services or products of the acquired companies into a single operating business. If we are unable to adequately address these risks, it could negatively impact our profitability and results of operations.
We may attempt to complete our initial Business Combination with a private company about which little information is available, which may result in a Business Combination with a company that is not as profitable as we suspected, if at all.
In pursuing our acquisition strategy, we may seek to effectuate our initial Business Combination with a privately held company. Very little public information generally exists about private companies, and we could be required to make our decision on whether to pursue a potential initial Business Combination on the basis of limited information, which may result in a Business Combination with a company that is not as profitable as we suspected, if at all.
We do not have a specified maximum redemption threshold. The absence of such a redemption threshold may make it possible for us to complete a Business Combination with which a substantial majority of our stockholders do not agree.
Our Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation does not provide a specified maximum redemption threshold. As a result, we may be able to complete our initial Business Combination even though a substantial majority of our public stockholders do not agree with the transaction and have redeemed their shares or, if we seek stockholder approval of our initial Business Combination and do not conduct redemptions in connection with our initial Business Combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, have entered into privately negotiated agreements to sell their shares to our Sponsor, directors, officers, advisors or any of their respective affiliates. In the event the aggregate cash consideration we would be required to pay for all public shares that are validly submitted for redemption plus any amount required to satisfy cash conditions pursuant to the terms of the proposed Business Combination exceed the aggregate amount of cash available to us, we will not complete the Business Combination or redeem any shares, and all shares of Class A common stock submitted for redemption will be returned to the holders thereof, and we instead may search for an alternate Business Combination (including, potentially, with the same target).
24
In order to effectuate an initial Business Combination, blank check companies have, in the past, amended various provisions of their charters and modified governing instruments, including their warrant agreements. We cannot assure you that we will not seek to amend our Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation or governing instruments, including our warrant agreement, in a manner that will make it easier for us to complete our initial Business Combination that some of our stockholders or warrant holders may not support.
In order to effectuate an initial Business Combination, blank check companies have, in the past, amended various provisions of their charters and modified governing instruments, including their warrant agreements. For example, blank check companies have amended the definition of Business Combination, increased redemption thresholds, extended the time to consummate an initial Business Combination and, with respect to their warrants, amended their warrant agreements to require the warrants to be exchanged for cash and/or other securities. We cannot assure you that we will not seek to amend our charter or governing instruments or extend the time to consummate an initial Business Combination in order to effectuate our initial Business Combination. To the extent any such amendment would be deemed to fundamentally change the nature of any of the securities offered through the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part, we would register, or seek an exemption from registration for, the affected securities.
Certain provisions of our Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation that relate to our pre-Business Combination activity (and corresponding provisions of the agreement governing the release of funds from our Trust Account) may be amended with the approval of holders of at least 65% of our outstanding common stock, which is a lower amendment threshold than that of some other blank check companies. It may be easier for us, therefore, to amend our Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation and the trust agreement to facilitate the completion of an initial Business Combination that some of our stockholders may not support.
Our Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation provides that any of its provisions (other than amendments relating to the election or removal of directors prior to our initial Business Combination, which require the approval by holders of a majority of at least 90% of the issued and outstanding shares of our common stock voting at a stockholder meeting) related to pre-Business Combination activity (including the requirement to deposit proceeds of the Initial Public Offering and the sale of the Private Placement Warrants into the Trust Account and not release such amounts except in specified circumstances and to provide redemption rights to public stockholders as described herein) may be amended if approved by holders of at least 65% of our issued and outstanding common stock, and corresponding provisions of the trust agreement governing the release of funds from our Trust Account may be amended if approved by holders of at least 65% of our issued and outstanding common stock. Unless specified in our Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation or bylaws, or as required by applicable law or stock exchange rules, the affirmative vote of a majority of the issued and outstanding shares of our common stock that are voted is required to approve any such matter voted on by our stockholders, and, prior to our initial Business Combination, the affirmative vote of holders of a majority of the issued and outstanding shares of our Class B common stock is required to approve the election or removal of directors. We may not issue additional securities that can vote pursuant to our Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation on any initial Business Combination or any amendments to our Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation. Our initial stockholders, who beneficially own 20% of our common stock, may participate in any vote to amend our Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation and/or trust agreement and will have the discretion to vote in any manner they choose. As a result, we may be able to amend the provisions of our Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation which will govern our pre-Business Combination behavior more easily than some other blank check companies, and this may increase our ability to complete our initial Business Combination with which you do not agree.
Our initial stockholders have agreed, pursuant to a written agreement, that they will not propose any amendment to our Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemptions in connection with our initial Business Combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial Business Combination within 27 months from the closing of the Initial Public Offering or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to stockholders’ rights or pre-initial Business Combination activity, unless we provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to redeem their shares of Class A common stock upon approval of any such amendment at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the Trust Account, including interest (which interest shall be net of taxes payable), divided by the number of then issued and outstanding public shares. These agreements are contained in a letter agreement that we have entered into with our Sponsor, directors and officers. Our public stockholders are not parties to, or third-party beneficiaries of, this agreement and, as a result, will not have the ability to pursue remedies against our Sponsor, directors or officers for any breach of these agreements. As a result, in the event of a breach, our public stockholders would need to pursue a stockholder derivative action, subject to applicable law.
25
We may be unable to obtain additional financing to complete our initial Business Combination or to fund the operations and growth of a target business, which could compel us to restructure or abandon a particular Business Combination.
If the net proceeds of the Initial Public Offering and the sale of the Private Placement Warrants available to us prove to be insufficient, either because of the size of our initial Business Combination, the depletion of the available net proceeds in search of a target business, the obligation to redeem for cash a significant number of shares from stockholders who elect redemption in connection with our initial Business Combination or the terms of negotiated transactions to purchase shares in connection with our initial Business Combination, we may be required to seek additional financing or to abandon the proposed Business Combination. We cannot assure you that such financing will be available on acceptable terms, if at all. To the extent that additional financing proves to be unavailable when needed to complete our initial Business Combination, we would be compelled to either restructure the transaction or abandon that particular Business Combination and seek an alternative target business candidate.
In addition, even if we do not need additional financing to complete our initial Business Combination, we may require such financing to fund the operations or growth of the target business. The failure to secure additional financing could have a material adverse effect on the continued development or growth of the target business. None of our directors, officers or stockholders is required to provide any financing to us in connection with or after our initial Business Combination. If we have not completed our initial Business Combination within the required time period, our public stockholders may receive only approximately $10.00 per share, or less in certain circumstances, on the liquidation of our Trust Account, and our warrants will expire worthless.
Our initial stockholders will control the election of our board of directors until consummation of our initial Business Combination and will hold a substantial interest in us. As a result, they will elect all of our directors prior to our initial Business Combination and may exert a substantial influence on actions requiring stockholder vote, potentially in a manner that you do not support.
Our initial stockholders own 20% of our issued and outstanding shares of common stock. In addition, prior to our initial Business Combination, holders of the founder shares will have the right to elect all of our directors and may remove members of the board of directors for any reason. Holders of our public shares will have no right to vote on the election of directors during such time. These provisions of our Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation may only be amended by holders of a majority of at least 90% of the issued and outstanding shares of our common stock voting at a stockholder meeting. As a result, you will not have any influence over the election of directors prior to our initial Business Combination.
In addition, as a result of their substantial ownership in our company, our initial stockholders may exert a substantial influence on other actions requiring a stockholder vote, potentially in a manner that you do not support, including amendments to our Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation and approval of major corporate transactions. If our initial stockholders purchase any additional shares of Class A common stock in the open market or in privately negotiated transactions, this would increase their influence over these actions. Accordingly, our initial stockholders will exert significant influence over actions requiring a stockholder vote at least until the completion of our initial Business Combination.
26
A provision of our warrant agreement may make it more difficult for us to consummate an initial Business Combination.
Unlike some blank check companies, if
| ● | we issue additional shares of Class A common stock or equity-linked securities for capital raising purposes in connection with the closing of the initial Business Combination at an issue price or effective issue price of less than $9.20 per share of Class A common stock, with such issue price or effective issue price to be determined in good faith by our board of directors and, in the case of any such issuance to the Sponsor or its affiliates, without taking into account any founder shares held by the Sponsor or such affiliates, as applicable, prior to such issuance (the “Newly Issued Price”), |
| ● | the aggregate gross proceeds from such issuances represent more than 60% of the total equity proceeds, and interest thereon, available for the funding of our initial Business Combination on the date of the completion of our initial Business Combination (net of redemptions), and |
| ● | the volume weighted average trading price of our shares of Class A common stock during the 20-trading day period starting on the trading day prior to the day on which we consummate our initial Business Combination (such price, the “Market Value”) is below $9.20 per share, |
then the exercise price of the warrants will be adjusted to be equal to 115% of the higher of the Market Value and the Newly Issued Price, and the $18.00 and $10.00 per share redemption trigger prices applicable to our warrants will be adjusted (to the nearest cent) to be equal to 180% and 100%, respectively, of the higher of the Market Value and the Newly Issued Price. This may make it more difficult for us to consummate an initial Business Combination with a target business.
Our warrants and founder shares may have an adverse effect on the market price of our Class A common stock and make it more difficult to effectuate our initial Business Combination.
We have issued warrants to purchase 8,625,000 shares of Class A common stock, at a price of $11.50 per whole share (subject to adjustment as provided herein), as part of the Units and, simultaneously with the closing of the Initial Public Offering, we have issued in the Private Placement an aggregate of 6,000,000 Private Placement Warrants, each exercisable to purchase one share of Class A common stock at a price of $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment. Our initial stockholders currently hold 8,625,000 shares of Class B common stock. The shares of Class B common stock are convertible into shares of Class A common stock on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustment as set forth herein. In addition, up to $1,500,000 of working capital loans made by our Sponsor, an affiliate of our Sponsor or certain of our directors and officers may be converted into warrants, at the price of $1.50 per warrant at the option of the lender. Such warrants would be identical to the Private Placement Warrants. To the extent we issue shares of Class A common stock to effectuate a Business Combination, the potential for the issuance of a substantial number of additional shares of Class A common stock upon exercise of these warrants or conversion rights could make us a less attractive acquisition vehicle to a target business. Any such issuance will increase the number of issued and outstanding shares of Class A common stock and reduce the value of the Class A common stock issued to complete the Business Combination. Therefore, our warrants and founder shares may make it more difficult to effectuate a Business Combination or increase the cost of acquiring the target business.
The Private Placement Warrants are identical to the warrants sold as part of the Units except that, so long as they are held by our Sponsor or any of its permitted transferees: (1) they will not be redeemable by us (except under certain limited exceptions); (2) they (including the shares of Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of these warrants) may not, subject to certain limited exceptions, be transferred, assigned or sold by our Sponsor until 30 days after the completion of our initial Business Combination; (3) they may be exercised by the holders on a cashless basis; and (4) they (including the shares of Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of these warrants) are entitled to registration rights.
Because we must furnish our stockholders with target business financial statements, we may lose the ability to complete an otherwise advantageous initial Business Combination with some prospective target businesses.
The federal proxy rules require that a proxy statement with respect to a vote on a Business Combination meeting certain financial significance tests include historical and/or pro forma financial statement disclosure in periodic reports. We will include the same financial statement disclosure in connection with our tender offer documents, whether or not they are required under the tender offer rules. These financial statements may be required to be prepared in accordance with, or be reconciled to, accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America, or U.S. GAAP, or international financial reporting standards as issued by the International Accounting Standards Board, or IFRS, depending on the circumstances and the historical financial statements may be required to be audited in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States), or PCAOB. These financial statement requirements may limit the pool of potential target businesses we may acquire because some targets may be unable to provide such financial statements in time for us to disclose such financial statements in accordance with federal proxy rules and complete our initial Business Combination within the prescribed time frame.
27
Compliance obligations under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act may make it more difficult for us to effectuate our initial Business Combination, require substantial financial and management resources, and increase the time and costs of completing an acquisition.
Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act requires that we evaluate and report on our system of internal control beginning with this Annual Report on Form 10-K. Only in the event we are deemed to be a large accelerated filer or an accelerated filer, and no longer qualify as an emerging growth company, will we be required to comply with the independent registered public accounting firm attestation requirement on our internal control over financial reporting. The fact that we are a blank check company makes compliance with the requirements of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act particularly burdensome on us as compared to other public companies because a target business with which we seek to complete our initial Business Combination may not be in compliance with the provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act regarding adequacy of its internal control. The development of the internal control of any such entity to achieve compliance with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act may increase the time and costs necessary to complete any such acquisition.
If our management team pursues a company with operations or opportunities outside of the United States for our initial Business Combination, we may face additional burdens in connection with investigating, agreeing to and completing such combination, and if we effect such initial Business Combination, we would be subject to a variety of additional risks that may negatively impact our operations.
If our management team pursues a company with operations or opportunities outside of the United States for our initial Business Combination, we would be subject to risks associated with cross-border Business Combinations, including in connection with investigating, agreeing to and completing our initial Business Combination, conducting due diligence in a foreign market, having such transaction approved by any local governments, regulators or agencies and changes in the purchase price based on fluctuations in foreign exchange rates.
If we effect our initial Business Combination with such a company, we would be subject to any special considerations or risks associated with companies operating in an international setting, including any of the following:
| ● | costs and difficulties inherent in managing cross-border business operations and complying with commercial and legal requirements of overseas markets; |
| ● | rules and regulations regarding currency redemption; |
| ● | complex corporate withholding taxes on individuals; |
| ● | laws governing the manner in which future Business Combinations may be effected, tariffs and trade barriers; |
| ● | regulations related to customs and import/export matters; |
| ● | longer payment cycles; |
| ● | changes in local regulations as part of a response to COVID-19; |
| ● | tax consequences, such as tax law changes, including termination or reduction of tax and other incentives that the applicable government provides to domestic companies, and variations in tax laws as compared to the United States; |
| ● | currency fluctuations and exchange controls, including devaluations and other exchange rate movements; |
| ● | rates of inflation, price instability and interest rate fluctuations; |
28
| ● | challenges in collecting accounts receivable; |
| ● | cultural and language differences; |
| ● | employment regulations; |
| ● | crime, strikes, riots, civil disturbances, terrorist attacks, global hostilities, natural disasters and wars; |
| ● | deterioration of political relations with the United States; |
| ● | obligatory military service by personnel; and |
| ● | government appropriation of assets. |
We may not be able to adequately address these additional risks. If we were unable to do so, we may be unable to complete such combination or, if we complete such combination, our operations might suffer, either of which may adversely impact our results of operations and financial condition.
Social Leverage LLC (“Social Leverage”) is not under any obligation to source any potential opportunities for our initial Business Combination or refer any such opportunities to our company or provide any other services to our company.
Social Leverage may become aware of a potential Business Combination opportunity that may be an attractive opportunity for our company. However, Social Leverage is not under any obligation to source any potential opportunities for our initial Business Combination or refer any such opportunities to our company or provide any other services to our company. Social Leverage’s role with respect to our company is expected to be primarily passive and advisory in nature. Social Leverage may have fiduciary and/or contractual duties to its investment vehicles and to companies in which Social Leverage has invested. As a result, Social Leverage may have a duty to offer Business Combination opportunities to certain Social Leverage funds, other investment vehicles or other entities before other parties, including our company. Additionally, certain companies in which Social Leverage has invested may enter into transactions with, provide goods or services to, or receive goods or services from an entity with which we seek to complete our initial Business Combination. Transactions of these types may present a conflict of interest because Social Leverage may directly or indirectly receive a financial benefit as a result of such transaction.
Risks Relating to the Post-Business Combination Company
We may face risks related to companies in the financial technology, enterprise software and consumer technology industries.
Business Combinations with companies in the financial technology, enterprise software and consumer technology industries entail special considerations and risks. If we are successful in completing a Business Combination with such a target business, we may be subject to, and possibly adversely affected by, the following risks:
| ● | if we do not develop successful new products or improve existing ones, our business could suffer; |
| ● | we may invest in new lines of business that could fail to attract or retain users or generate revenue; |
| ● | we will face significant competition and if we are not able to maintain or improve our market share, our business could suffer; |
| ● | the loss of one or more members of our management team, or our failure to attract and retain other highly qualified personnel in the future, could seriously harm our business; |
| ● | if our security is compromised or if our platform is subjected to attacks that frustrate or thwart our users’ ability to access our products and services, our users, advertisers and partners may cut back on or stop using our products and services altogether, which could seriously harm our business; |
29
| ● | mobile malware, viruses, hacking and phishing attacks, spamming, and improper or illegal use of our products could seriously harm our business and reputation; |
| ● | if we are unable to successfully grow our user base and further monetize our products, our business could suffer; |
| ● | if we are unable to protect our intellectual property, the value of our brand and other intangible assets may be diminished, and our business may be seriously harmed; |
| ● | we may be subject to regulatory investigations and proceedings in the future, which could cause us to incur substantial costs or require us to change our business practices in a way that could seriously harm our business; |
| ● | components used in our products may fail as a result of a manufacturing, design, or other defect over which we have no control, and render our devices inoperable; |
| ● | an inability to manage rapid change, increasing consumer expectations and growth; |
| ● | an inability to build strong brand identity and improve subscriber or customer satisfaction and loyalty; |
| ● | an inability to deal with our subscribers’ or customers’ privacy concerns; |
| ● | an inability to license or enforce intellectual property rights on which our business may depend; |
| ● | an inability by us, or a refusal by third parties, to license content to us upon acceptable terms; |
| ● | potential liability for negligence, copyright or trademark infringement or other claims based on the nature and content of materials that we may distribute; |
| ● | if the company or business we acquire provides products or services which relate to the facilitation of financial transactions, such funds or securities settlement system, and such product or service fails or is compromised, we may be subject to claims from both the firms to whom we provide our products and services and the clients they serve; |
| ● | a limitation of our ability, or an inability, to provide financial technology or related products and services to customers due to legal or regulatory changes; |
| ● | disruption or failure of our networks, systems or technology as a result of misappropriation of data or other malfeasance, as well as outages, natural disasters, terrorist attacks, global hostilities, accidental releases of information or similar events. |
Any of the foregoing could have an adverse impact on our operations following a Business Combination. However, our efforts in identifying prospective target businesses will not be limited to the financial technology, enterprise software and consumer technology industries. Accordingly, if we acquire a target business in another industry, we will be subject to risks attendant with the specific industry in which we operate or target business which we acquire, which may or may not be different than those risks listed above. For risk factors related to the proposed W3BCLOUD Business Combination, see the “Risk Factors” section of the W3BCLOUD Disclosure Statement that we will file with the SEC.
Subsequent to our completion of our initial Business Combination, we may be required to take write-downs or write-offs, restructuring and impairment or other charges that could have a significant negative effect on our financial condition, results of operations and the price of our securities, which could cause you to lose some or all of your investment.
Even if we conduct extensive due diligence on a target business with which we combine, we cannot assure you that this diligence will identify all material issues that may be present with a particular target business that it would be possible to uncover all material issues through a customary amount of due diligence, or that factors outside of the target business and outside of our control will not later arise. As a result of these factors, we may be forced to later write down or write off assets, restructure our operations, or incur impairment or other charges that could result in our reporting losses. Even if our due diligence successfully identifies certain risks, unexpected risks may arise and previously known risks may materialize in a manner not consistent with our preliminary risk analysis. Even though these charges may be non-cash items and not have an immediate impact on our liquidity, the fact that we report charges of this nature could contribute to negative market perceptions about us or our securities. In addition, charges of this nature may cause us to violate net worth or other covenants to which we may be subject as a result of assuming pre-existing debt held by a target business or by virtue of our obtaining post-combination debt financing. Accordingly, any stockholder or warrant holder who chooses to remain a stockholder or warrant holder, respectively, following our initial Business Combination could suffer a reduction in the value of their securities. Such stockholders and warrant holders are unlikely to have a remedy for such reduction in value.
30
After our initial Business Combination, our results of operations and prospects could be subject, to a significant extent, to the economic, political, social and government policies, developments and conditions in the country in which we operate.
The economic, political and social conditions, as well as government policies, of the country in which our operations are located could affect our business. Economic growth could be uneven, both geographically and among various sectors of the economy and such growth may not be sustained in the future. If in the future such country’s economy experiences a downturn or grows at a slower rate than expected, there may be less demand for spending in certain industries. A decrease in demand for spending in certain industries could materially and adversely affect our ability to find an attractive target business with which to consummate our initial Business Combination and if we effect our initial Business Combination, the ability of that target business to become profitable.
Our management may not be able to maintain control of a target business after our initial Business Combination. We cannot provide assurance that, upon loss of control of a target business, new management will possess the skills, qualifications or abilities necessary to profitably operate such business.
We may structure our initial Business Combination so that the post-transaction company in which our public stockholders own shares will own less than 100% of the equity interests or assets of a target business, but we will complete such Business Combination only if the post-transaction company owns or acquires 50% or more of the issued and outstanding voting securities of the target or otherwise acquires a controlling interest in the target business sufficient for us not to be required to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act. We will not consider any transaction that does not meet such criteria. Even if the post-transaction company owns 50% or more of the voting securities of the target, our stockholders prior to our initial Business Combination may collectively own a minority interest in the post Business Combination company, depending on valuations ascribed to the target and us in our initial Business Combination transaction. For example, we could pursue a transaction in which we issue a substantial number of new shares of common stock in exchange for all of the issued and outstanding capital stock, shares or other equity securities of a target or issue a substantial number of new shares to third parties in connection with financing our initial Business Combination. In this case, we would acquire a 100% interest in the target. However, as a result of the issuance of a substantial number of new shares of common stock, our stockholders immediately prior to such transaction could own less than a majority of our issued and outstanding common stock subsequent to such transaction. In addition, other minority stockholders may subsequently combine their holdings resulting in a single person or group obtaining a larger share of the company’s shares than we initially acquired. Accordingly, this may make it more likely that our management will not be able to maintain our control of the target business.
We may have limited ability to assess the management of a prospective target business and, as a result, may complete our initial Business Combination with a target business whose management may not have the skills, qualifications or abilities to manage a public company.
When evaluating the desirability of completing our initial Business Combination with a prospective target business, our ability to assess the target business’s management may be limited due to a lack of time, resources or information. Our assessment of the capabilities of the target’s management, therefore, may prove to be incorrect and such management may lack the skills, qualifications or abilities we suspected. Should the target’s management not possess the skills, qualifications or abilities necessary to manage a public company, the operations and profitability of the post-combination business may be negatively impacted. Accordingly, any stockholder or warrant holder who chooses to remain a stockholder or warrant holder, respectively, following our initial Business Combination could suffer a reduction in the value of their securities. Such stockholders and warrant holders are unlikely to have a remedy for such reduction in value.
31
The directors and officers of an acquisition candidate may resign upon completion of our initial Business Combination. The departure of a Business Combination target’s key personnel could negatively impact the operations and profitability of our post-combination business. The role of an acquisition candidate’s key personnel upon the completion of our initial Business Combination cannot be ascertained at this time. Although we contemplate that certain members of an acquisition candidate’s management team will remain associated with the acquisition candidate following our initial Business Combination, it is possible that members of the management of an acquisition candidate will not wish to remain in place.
Our letter agreements with our initial stockholders, officers and directors may be amended without stockholder approval.
Our letter agreements with our initial stockholders, officers and directors contain provisions relating to, among other things, restrictions on transfer of our founder shares and private placement warrants, indemnification of the Trust Account, waiver of redemption rights and participation in liquidating distributions from the Trust Account. The letter agreements may be amended without stockholder approval. While we do not expect our board of directors to approve any amendment to the letter agreements prior to our initial Business Combination, it may be possible that our board of directors, in exercising its business judgment and subject to its fiduciary duties, chooses to approve one or more amendments to the letter agreements. Any such amendments to the letter agreements would not require approval from our stockholders and may have an adverse effect on the value of an investment in our securities.
If our management following our initial Business Combination is unfamiliar with U.S. securities laws, they may have to expend time and resources becoming familiar with such laws, which could lead to various regulatory issues.
Following our initial Business Combination, any or all of our management could resign from their positions as officers of the company, and the management of the target business at the time of the Business Combination could remain in place. Management of the target business may not be familiar with U.S. securities laws. If new management is unfamiliar with U.S. securities laws, they may have to expend time and resources becoming familiar with such laws. This could be expensive and time-consuming and could lead to various regulatory issues which may adversely affect our operations.
After our initial Business Combination, our results of operations and prospects could be subject, to a significant extent, to the economic, political, social and government policies, developments and conditions in the country in which we operate.
The economic, political and social conditions, as well as government policies, of the country in which our operations are located could affect our business. Economic growth could be uneven, both geographically and among various sectors of the economy and such growth may not be sustained in the future. If in the future such country’s economy experiences a downturn or grows at a slower rate than expected, there may be less demand for spending in certain industries. A decrease in demand for spending in certain industries could materially and adversely affect our ability to find an attractive target business with which to consummate our initial Business Combination and if we effect our initial Business Combination, the ability of that target business to become profitable.
Risks Relating to Our Management Team
We are dependent upon our directors and officers and their departure could adversely affect our ability to operate.
Our operations are dependent upon a relatively small group of individuals. We believe that our success depends on the continued service of our directors and officers, at least until we have completed our initial Business Combination. We do not have an employment agreement with, or key-man insurance on the life of, any of our directors or officers. The unexpected loss of the services of one or more of our directors or officers could have a detrimental effect on us.
32
Our ability to successfully effect our initial Business Combination and to be successful thereafter will be dependent upon the efforts of our key personnel, some of whom may join us following our initial Business Combination. The loss of our or a target’s key personnel could negatively impact the operations and profitability of our post-combination business.
Our ability to successfully effect our initial Business Combination is dependent upon the efforts of our key personnel. The role of our key personnel in the target business, however, cannot presently be ascertained. Although some of our key personnel may remain with the target business in senior management or advisory positions following our initial Business Combination, it is likely that some or all of the management of the target business will remain in place. While we intend to closely scrutinize any individuals we engage after our initial Business Combination, we cannot assure you that our assessment of these individuals will prove to be correct. These individuals may be unfamiliar with the requirements of operating a company regulated by the SEC, which could cause us to have to expend time and resources helping them become familiar with such requirements.
In addition, the directors and officers of an acquisition candidate may resign upon completion of our initial Business Combination. The departure of a Business Combination target’s key personnel could negatively impact the operations and profitability of our post-combination business. The role of an acquisition candidate’s key personnel upon the completion of our initial Business Combination cannot be ascertained at this time. Although we contemplate that certain members of an acquisition candidate’s management team will remain associated with the acquisition candidate following our initial Business Combination, it is possible that members of the management of an acquisition candidate will not wish to remain in place. The loss of key personnel could negatively impact the operations and profitability of our post-combination business.
Our key personnel may negotiate employment or consulting agreements with a target business in connection with a particular Business Combination. These agreements may provide for them to receive compensation following our initial Business Combination and as a result, may cause them to have conflicts of interest in determining whether a particular Business Combination is the most advantageous.
Our key personnel may be able to remain with our company after the completion of our initial Business Combination only if they are able to negotiate employment or consulting agreements in connection with the Business Combination. Such negotiations would take place simultaneously with the negotiation of the Business Combination and could provide for such individuals to receive compensation in the form of cash payments and/or our securities for services they would render to us after the completion of the Business Combination. Such negotiations also could make such key personnel’s retention or resignation a condition to any such agreement. The personal and financial interests of such individuals may influence their motivation in identifying and selecting a target business. However, we believe the ability of such individuals to remain with us after the completion of our initial Business Combination will not be the determining factor in our decision as to whether or not we will proceed with any potential Business Combination, as we do not expect that any of our key personnel will remain with us after the completion of our initial Business Combination. The determination as to whether any of our key personnel will remain with us will be made at the time of our initial Business Combination.
Our directors and officers will allocate their time to other businesses thereby causing conflicts of interest in their determination as to how much time to devote to our affairs. This conflict of interest could have a negative impact on our ability to complete our initial Business Combination.
Our directors and officers are not required to, and will not, commit their full time to our affairs, which may result in a conflict of interest in allocating their time between our operations and our search for a Business Combination and their other responsibilities. We do not intend to have any full-time employees prior to the completion of our Business Combination. Each of our directors and officers is engaged in several other business endeavors for which he or she may be entitled to substantial compensation and our directors and officers are not obligated to contribute any specific number of hours per week to our affairs. Our independent directors will also serve as officers and/or board members for other entities. If our directors’ and officers’ other business affairs require them to devote substantial amounts of time to such affairs in excess of their current commitment levels, it could limit their ability to devote time to our affairs which may have a negative impact on our ability to complete our initial Business Combination. Please see Item 10 “Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance” and Item 10 “Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance – Conflicts of Interest” for a discussion of our officers’ and directors’ other business affairs.
33
Each of our directors and officers are now, and all of them may in the future may become, affiliated with entities engaged in business activities similar to those intended to be conducted by us and, accordingly, may have conflicts of interest in determining to which entity a particular business opportunity should be presented.
Until we consummate our initial Business Combination, we intend to engage in the business of identifying and combining with one or more businesses. Our Sponsor and directors and officers are, or in the future may become, affiliated with entities that are engaged in a similar business. Our Sponsor and directors and officers are also not prohibited from Sponsoring, or otherwise becoming involved with, any other blank check companies prior to us completing our initial Business Combination and any such involvement may result in conflicts of interests as described above.
Each of our officers and directors presently has, and any of them in the future may have additional, fiduciary, contractual or other obligations, interests, or duties to one or more other entities and any other special purpose acquisition company in which they may become involved pursuant to which such officer or director is or will be required to present a Business Combination opportunity to such entities. Accordingly, if any of our officers or directors becomes aware of a Business Combination opportunity which is suitable for one or more entities to which he or she has fiduciary, contractual or other obligations or duties, he or she will honor these obligations and duties to present such Business Combination opportunity to such entities first, and only present it to us if such entities reject the opportunity and he or she determines to present the opportunity to us. These conflicts may not be resolved in our favor and a potential target business may be presented to another entity prior to its presentation to us. Our Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation provides that we renounce our interest in any corporate opportunity offered to any director or officer unless such opportunity is expressly offered to such person solely in his or her capacity as a director or officer of our company and such opportunity is one reasonable for us to pursue.
For a complete discussion of our officers’ and directors’ business affiliations and the potential conflicts of interest that you should be aware of, please see “Item 10. Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance,” “Item 10. Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance – Conflicts of Interest” and “Item 13 – Certain Relationships and Related Party Transactions – Support Services Agreement.”
Our directors, officers, security holders and their respective affiliates may have competitive pecuniary interests that conflict with our interests.
We have not adopted a policy that expressly prohibits our directors, officers, security holders or affiliates from having a direct or indirect pecuniary or financial interest in any investment to be acquired or disposed of by us or in any transaction to which we are a party or have an interest. In fact, we may enter into a Business Combination with a target business that is affiliated with our Sponsor, our directors or officers. Nor do we have a policy that expressly prohibits any such persons from engaging for their own account in business activities of the types conducted by us. Accordingly, such persons or entities may have a conflict between their interests and ours.
In particular, affiliates of our Sponsor have invested in a diverse set of industries. As a result, there may be substantial overlap between companies that would be a suitable Business Combination for us and companies that would make an attractive target for such other affiliates.
In addition, our officers or directors may be investors, or have other direct or indirect interests, in a business with which we may enter into a Business Combination agreement and/or in certain funds or other persons that may have purchased shares in the Initial Public Offering or that may otherwise purchase shares of our Class A common stock in the public market.
Past performance by Social Leverage, or any of its funds, investments or portfolio companies, or our Sponsor, directors or management team or their respective affiliates may not be indicative of future performance of an investment in the company.
Past experience or performance of Social Leverage, or any of its funds, investments or portfolio companies, or our Sponsor, directors or management team or their respective affiliates is not a guarantee of either (1) our ability to successfully identify and execute a transaction or (2) success with respect to any Business Combination that we may consummate. You should not rely on the historical record of Social Leverage, or any of its funds, investments or portfolio companies, or our Sponsor, directors or management team or their respective affiliates as indicative of future performance of an investment in the company or the returns the company will, or is likely to, generate going forward. Neither our Sponsor nor any member of our management team or board of directors has any experience operating special purpose acquisition companies other than the company.
34
Members of our management team and board of directors have significant experience as founders, board members, officers, executives or employees of other companies. Certain of those persons have been, may be, or may become, involved in litigation, investigations or other proceedings, including related to those companies or otherwise. This may have an adverse effect on us, which may impede our ability to consummate an initial Business Combination.
During the course of their careers, members of our management team and board of directors have had significant experience as founders, board members, officers, executives or employees of other companies. Certain of those persons have been, may be or in the future may become involved in litigation, investigations or other proceedings, including relating to the business affairs of such companies, transactions entered into by such companies, or otherwise. Any such litigation, investigations or other proceedings may divert the attention and resources of our management team and board of directors away from identifying and selecting a target business or businesses for our initial Business Combination and may negatively affect our reputation, which may impede our ability to complete an initial Business Combination.
Risks Relating to our Securities
You will not have any rights or interests in funds from the Trust Account, except under certain limited circumstances. To liquidate your investment, therefore, you may be forced to sell your public shares and/or warrants, potentially at a loss.
Our public stockholders will be entitled to receive funds from the Trust Account only upon the earliest to occur of: (1) our completion of an initial Business Combination, and then only in connection with those shares of Class A common stock that such stockholder properly elected to redeem, subject to the limitations described herein; (2) the redemption of any public shares properly submitted in connection with a stockholder vote to amend our Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemption in connection with our initial Business Combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial Business Combination within 27 months from the closing of the Initial Public Offering or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to stockholders’ rights or pre-initial Business Combination activity; and (3) the redemption of our public shares if we have not completed an initial Business Combination within 27 months from the closing of the Initial Public Offering, subject to applicable law. In no other circumstances will a stockholder have any right or interest of any kind to or in the Trust Account. Holders of warrants will not have any right to the proceeds held in the Trust Account with respect to the warrants. Accordingly, to liquidate your investment, you may be forced to sell your public shares and/or warrants, potentially at a loss.
Nasdaq may delist our securities from trading on its exchange, which could limit investors’ ability to make transactions in our securities and subject us to additional trading restrictions.
We cannot assure you that our securities will continue to be listed on Nasdaq. In order to continue listing our securities on Nasdaq prior to our initial Business Combination, we must maintain certain financial, distribution and share price levels. Generally, we must maintain a minimum number of holders of our securities (generally 300 public stockholders). Additionally, in connection with our initial Business Combination, we will be required to demonstrate compliance with the applicable exchange’s initial listing requirements, which are more rigorous than continued listing requirements, in order to continue to maintain the listing of our securities. We cannot assure you that we will be able to meet those initial listing requirements at that time.
If any of our securities are delisted from trading on its exchange and we are not able to list our securities on another national securities exchange, we expect such securities could be quoted on an over-the-counter market. If this were to occur, we could face significant material adverse consequences, including:
| ● | a limited availability of market quotations for our securities; |
| ● | reduced liquidity for our securities; |
35
| ● | a determination that our Class A common stock are a “penny stock” which will require brokers trading in our Class A common stock to adhere to more stringent rules and possibly result in a reduced level of trading activity in the secondary trading market for our securities; |
| ● | a limited amount of news and analyst coverage; and |
| ● | a decreased ability to issue additional securities or obtain additional financing in the future. |
The National Securities Markets Improvement Act of 1996, which is a federal statute, prevents or pre-empts the states from regulating the sale of certain securities, which are referred to as “covered securities.” Our Units, Class A common stock and warrants currently qualify as covered securities under such statute. Although the states are pre-empted from regulating the sale of covered securities, the federal statute does allow the states to investigate companies if there is a suspicion of fraud, and, if there is a finding of fraudulent activity, then the states can regulate or bar the sale of covered securities in a particular case. While we are not aware of a state having used these powers to prohibit or restrict the sale of securities issued by blank check companies, other than the State of Idaho, certain state securities regulators view blank check companies unfavorably and might use these powers, or threaten to use these powers, to hinder the sale of securities of blank check companies in their states. Further, if we were no longer listed on Nasdaq, our securities would not qualify as covered securities under such statute and we would be subject to regulation in each state in which we offer our securities, which may negatively impact our ability to consummate our initial Business Combination.
You will not be permitted to exercise your warrants unless we register and qualify the issuance of the underlying Shares of Class A common stock or certain exemptions are available.
We are not registering the shares of Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants under the Securities Act or any state securities laws at this time. Pursuant to terms of the warrant agreement, we have agreed that, as soon as practicable, but in no event later than 15 business days after the closing of our initial Business Combination, we will use our commercially reasonable efforts to file a registration statement covering the issuance of such shares, and we will use our commercially reasonable efforts to cause the same to become effective within 60 business days after the closing of our initial Business Combination and to maintain the effectiveness of such registration statement and a current prospectus relating to those shares of Class A common stock until the warrants expire or are redeemed. We cannot assure you that we will be able to do so if, for example, any facts or events arise that represent a fundamental change in the information set forth in the registration statement or prospectus, the financial statements contained or incorporated by reference therein are not current, complete or correct or the SEC issues a stop order. If the shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants are not registered under the Securities Act in accordance with the above requirements, we will be required to permit holders to exercise their warrants on a cashless basis, in which case, the number of shares of Class A common stock that you will receive upon cashless exercise will be based on a formula subject to a maximum amount of shares equal to 0.361 shares of Class A common stock per warrant (subject to adjustment). However, no warrant will be exercisable for cash or on a cashless basis, and we will not be obligated to issue any shares to holders seeking to exercise their warrants, unless the issuance of the shares upon such exercise is registered or qualified under the securities laws of the state of the exercising holder, or an exemption from registration is available. Notwithstanding the above, if our shares of Class A common stock are at the time of any exercise of a warrant not listed on a national securities exchange such that they satisfy the definition of a “covered security” under Section 18(b)(1) of the Securities Act, we may, at our option, require holders of public warrants who exercise their warrants to do so on a “cashless basis” in accordance with Section 3(a)(9) of the Securities Act and, in the event we so elect, we will not be required to file or maintain in effect a registration statement, but we will use our commercially reasonable efforts to register or qualify the shares under applicable blue sky laws to the extent an exemption is not available. In no event will we be required to net cash settle any warrant, or issue securities or other compensation in exchange for the warrants in the event that we are unable to register or qualify the shares underlying the warrants under applicable state securities laws and no exemption is available. If the issuance of the shares upon exercise of the warrants is not so registered or qualified or exempt from registration or qualification, the holder of such warrant shall not be entitled to exercise such warrant and such warrant may have no value and expire worthless. In such event, holders who acquired their warrants as part of a purchase of Units will have paid the full unit purchase price solely for the shares of Class A common stock included in the Units. There may be a circumstance where an exemption from registration exists for holders of our Private Placement Warrants to exercise their warrants while a corresponding exemption does not exist for holders of the public warrants that were included as part of the Unit. In such an instance, our Sponsor and its permitted transferees (which may include our directors and executive officers) would be able to exercise their warrants and sell the shares of Class A common stock underlying their warrants while holders of our public warrants would not be able to exercise their warrants and sell the underlying shares of Class A common stock. If and when the warrants become redeemable by us, we may exercise our redemption right even if we are unable to register or qualify the underlying shares of Class A common stock for sale under all applicable state securities laws. As a result, we may redeem the warrants as set forth above even if the holders are otherwise unable to exercise their warrants.
36
We may amend the terms of the warrants in a manner that may be adverse to holders of public warrants with the approval by the holders of at least 65% of the then outstanding public warrants. As a result, the exercise price of your warrants could be increased, the exercise period could be shortened and the number of shares of our Class A common stock purchasable upon exercise of a warrant could be decreased, all without your approval.
Our warrants will be issued in registered form under a warrant agreement between Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, as warrant agent, and us. The warrant agreement provides that the terms of the warrants may be amended without the consent of any holder for the purpose of (i) curing any ambiguity or correcting any mistake, including to conform the provisions of the warrant agreement to the description of the terms of the warrants and the warrant agreement set forth in the prospectus related to the Initial Public Offering or defective provision or (ii) adding or changing any provisions with respect to matters or questions arising under the warrant agreement as the parties to the warrant agreement may deem necessary or desirable and that the parties deem to not adversely affect the interest of the registered holders of the warrants, provided that the approval by the holders of at least 65% of the then outstanding public warrants is required to make any change that adversely affects the interests of the registered holders of public warrants. Accordingly, we may amend the terms of the public warrants in a manner adverse to a holder if holders of at least 65% of the then outstanding public warrants approve of such amendment and, solely with respect to any amendment to the terms of the Private Placement Warrants or any provision of the warrant agreement with respect to the Private Placement Warrants, 65% of the number of the then outstanding Private Placement Warrants. Although our ability to amend the terms of the public warrants with the consent of at least 65% of the then outstanding public warrants is unlimited, examples of such amendments could be amendments to, among other things, increase the exercise price of the warrants, convert the warrants into cash, shorten the exercise period or decrease the number of shares of our Class A common stock purchasable upon exercise of a warrant.
We may redeem your unexpired warrants prior to their exercise at a time that is disadvantageous to you, thereby making your warrants worthless.
We have the ability to redeem the outstanding warrants at any time after they become exercisable and prior to their expiration, at a price of $0.01 per warrant if, among other things, the last reported sale price of Shares of Class A common stock for any 20 trading days within a 30-trading day period ending on the third trading day prior to the date on which the Company sends the notice of redemption to the warrant holders (the “Reference Value”) equals or exceeds $18.00 per share (as adjusted). If and when the warrants become redeemable by us, we may exercise our redemption right even if we are unable to register or qualify the underlying securities for sale under all applicable state securities laws. As a result, we may redeem the warrants as set forth above even if the holders are otherwise unable to exercise the warrants. Redemption of the outstanding warrants as described above could force you to: (1) exercise your warrants and pay the exercise price therefor at a time when it may be disadvantageous for you to do so; (2) sell your warrants at the then-current market price when you might otherwise wish to hold your warrants; or (3) accept the nominal redemption price which, at the time the outstanding warrants are called for redemption, we expect would be substantially less than the market value of your warrants.
In addition, we have the ability to redeem the outstanding warrants at any time after they become exercisable and prior to their expiration, at a price of $0.10 per warrant if, among other things, the Reference Value equals or exceeds $10.00 per share (as adjusted). In such a case, the holders will be able to exercise their warrants prior to redemption for a number of shares of Class A common stock determined based on the redemption date and the fair market value of our Class A common stock. Any such redemption may have similar consequences to a cash redemption described above. In addition, such redemption may occur at a time when the warrants are “out-of-the-money,” in which case you would lose any potential embedded value from a subsequent increase in the value of the Class A common stock had your warrants remained outstanding. The value received upon exercise of the warrants (1) may be less than the value the holders would have received if they had exercised their warrants at a later time where the underlying share price is higher and (2) may not compensate the holders for the value of the warrants, including because the number of shares of Class A common stock received is capped at 0.361 shares of Class A common stock per warrant (subject to adjustment) irrespective of the remaining life of the warrants.
37
Our management’s ability to require holders of our Public Warrants to exercise such Public Warrants on a cashless basis will cause holders to receive fewer Class A ordinary shares upon their exercise of the Public Warrants than they would have received had they been able to exercise their public warrants for cash.
If we call our Public Warrants for redemption after the redemption criteria described elsewhere in this Annual Report have been satisfied, our management will have the option to require any holder that wishes to exercise its Warrant (including any warrants held by our Sponsor, officers, directors or their permitted transferees) to do so on a “cashless basis.” If our management chooses to require holders to exercise their warrants on a cashless basis, the number of Class A ordinary shares received by a holder upon exercise will be fewer than it would have been had such holder exercised his, her or its Warrant for cash. This will have the effect of reducing the potential “upside” of the holder’s investment in our Company.
Because each unit contains one-fourth of one redeemable warrant and only a whole warrant may be exercised, the Units may be worth less than Units of other blank check companies.
Each unit contains one-fourth of one redeemable warrant. Pursuant to the warrant agreement, no fractional warrants will be issued upon separation of the Units, and only whole warrants will trade. This is different from other offerings similar to ours whose units include one share of Class A common stock and one whole warrant or a greater fraction of one whole warrant to purchase one share. We have established the components of the Units in this way in order to reduce the dilutive effect of the warrants upon completion of a Business Combination since the warrants will be exercisable in the aggregate for a fourth of the number of shares compared to units that each contain a whole warrant to purchase one whole share, thus making us, we believe, a more attractive Business Combination partner for target businesses. Nevertheless, this Unit structure may cause our Units to be worth less than if they included one whole warrant or a greater fraction of one whole warrant to purchase one whole share.
Our warrant agreement designates the courts of the State of New York or the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York as the sole and exclusive forum for certain types of actions and proceedings that may be initiated by holders of our warrants, which could limit the ability of warrant holders to obtain a favorable judicial forum for disputes with our company.
Our warrant agreement provides that, subject to applicable law, (i) any action, proceeding or claim against us arising out of or relating in any way to the warrant agreement, including under the Securities Act, will be brought and enforced in the courts of the State of New York or the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, and (ii) that we irrevocably submit to such jurisdiction, which jurisdiction shall be the exclusive forum for any such action, proceeding or claim. We will waive any objection to such exclusive jurisdiction and that such courts represent an inconvenient forum.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, these provisions of the warrant agreement do not apply to suits brought to enforce any liability or duty created by the Exchange Act or any other claim for which the federal district courts of the United States of America are the sole and exclusive forum. Any person or entity purchasing or otherwise acquiring any interest in any of our warrants shall be deemed to have notice of and to have consented to the forum provisions in our warrant agreement. If any action, the subject matter of which is within the scope of the forum provisions of the warrant agreement, is filed in a court other than a court of the State of New York or the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York (a “NY foreign action”) in the name of any holder of our warrants, such holder shall be deemed to have consented to: (x) the personal jurisdiction of the state and federal courts located in the State of New York in connection with any action brought in any such court to enforce the forum provisions (a “NY enforcement action”), and (y) having service of process made upon such warrant holder in any such NY enforcement action by service upon such warrant holder’s counsel in the NY foreign action as agent for such warrant holder.
This choice-of-forum provision may limit a warrant holder’s ability to bring a claim in a judicial forum that it finds favorable for disputes with our company, which may discourage such lawsuits. Alternatively, if a court were to find this provision of our warrant agreement inapplicable or unenforceable with respect to one or more of the specified types of actions or proceedings, we may incur additional costs associated with resolving such matters in other jurisdictions, which could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations and result in a diversion of the time and resources of our management and board of directors.
38
Provisions in our Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation may inhibit a takeover of us, which could limit the price investors might be willing to pay in the future for our Class A common stock and could entrench management.
Our Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation contains provisions that may discourage unsolicited takeover proposals that stockholders may consider to be in their best interests. These provisions include the ability of our board of directors to designate the terms of and issue new series of preferred stock, and the fact that prior to the completion of our initial Business Combination only holders of our shares of Class B common stock, which are held by our initial stockholders, are entitled to vote on the election of directors, which may make more difficult the removal of management and may discourage transactions that otherwise could involve payment of a premium over prevailing market prices for our securities.
We are also subject to anti-takeover provisions under Delaware law, which could delay or prevent a change of control. Together these provisions may make more difficult the removal of management and may discourage transactions that otherwise could involve payment of a premium over prevailing market prices for our securities.
General Risk Factors
We have no operating history and no operating revenues, and you have no basis on which to evaluate our ability to achieve our business objective.
Because we lack an operating history, you have no basis upon which to evaluate our ability to achieve our business objective of completing our initial Business Combination with one or more target businesses. We have no plans, arrangements or understandings with any prospective target business concerning a Business Combination and may be unable to complete our initial Business Combination. If we fail to complete our initial Business Combination, we will never generate any operating revenues.
We are an emerging growth company and a smaller reporting company within the meaning of the Securities Act, and if we take advantage of certain exemptions from disclosure requirements available to emerging growth companies or smaller reporting companies, this could make our securities less attractive to investors and may make it more difficult to compare our performance with other public companies.
We are an “emerging growth company” within the meaning of the Securities Act, as modified by the JOBS Act, and we may take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not emerging growth companies including, but not limited to, not being required to comply with the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in our periodic reports and proxy statements, and exemptions from the requirements of holding a nonbinding advisory vote on executive compensation and stockholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved. As a result, our stockholders may not have access to certain information they may deem important. We could be an emerging growth company for up to five years, although circumstances could cause us to lose that status earlier, including if the market value of our common stock held by non-affiliates equals or exceeds $700 million as of the end of any second quarter of a fiscal year, in which case we would no longer be an emerging growth company as of the end of such fiscal year. We cannot predict whether investors will find our securities less attractive because we will rely on these exemptions. If some investors find our securities less attractive as a result of our reliance on these exemptions, the trading prices of our securities may be lower than they otherwise would be, there may be a less active trading market for our securities and the trading prices of our securities may be more volatile.
Further, Section 102(b)(1) of the JOBS Act exempts emerging growth companies from being required to comply with new or revised financial accounting standards until private companies (that is, those that have not had a Securities Act registration statement declared effective or do not have a class of securities registered under the Exchange Act) are required to comply with the new or revised financial accounting standards. The JOBS Act provides that a company can elect to opt out of the extended transition period and comply with the requirements that apply to non-emerging growth companies but any such election to opt out is irrevocable. We have elected not to opt out of such extended transition period, which means that when a standard is issued or revised and it has different application dates for public or private companies, we, as an emerging growth company, can adopt the new or revised standard at the time private companies adopt the new or revised standard. This may make comparison of our financial statements with another public company that is neither an emerging growth company nor an emerging growth company that has opted out of using the extended transition period difficult or impossible because of the potential differences in accounting standards used.
39
Additionally, we are a “smaller reporting company” as defined in Item 10(f)(1) of Regulation S-K. Smaller reporting companies may take advantage of certain reduced disclosure obligations, including, among other things, providing only two years of audited financial statements. We will remain a smaller reporting company until the last day of the fiscal year in which (1) the market value of our common stock held by non-affiliates equals or exceeds $250 million as of the end of that year’s second fiscal quarter, and (2) our annual revenues equaled or exceeded $100 million during such completed fiscal year or the market value of our common stock held by non-affiliates equals or exceeds $700 million as of the end of that year’s second fiscal quarter. To the extent we take advantage of such reduced disclosure obligations, it may also make comparison of our financial statements with other public companies difficult or impossible.
Our Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation designates the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware as the sole and exclusive forum for certain types of actions and proceedings that may be initiated by our stockholders, which could limit our stockholders’ ability to obtain a favorable judicial forum for disputes with our company or our company’s directors, officers or other employees.
Our Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation provides that, unless we consent in writing to the selection of an alternative forum, the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware shall, to the fullest extent permitted by law, be the sole and exclusive forum for any (1) derivative action or proceeding brought on behalf of our company, (2) action asserting a claim of breach of a fiduciary duty owed by any director, officer, employee or agent of our company to our company or our stockholders, or any claim for aiding and abetting any such alleged breach, (3) action asserting a claim against our company or any director or officer of our company arising pursuant to any provision of the DGCL or our Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation or our bylaws, or (4) action asserting a claim against us or any director or officer of our company governed by the internal affairs doctrine except for, as to each of (1) through (4) above, any claim (a) as to which the Court of Chancery determines that there is an indispensable party not subject to the jurisdiction of the Court of Chancery (and the indispensable party does not consent to the personal jurisdiction of the Court of Chancery within ten days following such determination) or (b) which is vested in the exclusive jurisdiction of a court or forum other than the Court of Chancery.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, the provisions of the preceding paragraph will not apply to suits brought to enforce any liability or duty created by the Securities Act or the Exchange Act or otherwise arising under federal securities laws. Section 22 of the Securities Act creates concurrent jurisdiction for federal and state courts over all claims brought to enforce any duty or liability created by the Securities Act or the rules and regulations thereunder, and our Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation provides that the federal district courts of the United States of America will, to the fullest extent permitted by law, be the sole and exclusive forum for resolving any complaint asserting a cause of action arising under the federal securities laws, including the Securities Act and the rules and regulations thereunder, unless we consent in writing to the selection of an alternative forum. Our decision to adopt such a federal forum provision followed a decision by the Supreme Court of the State of Delaware holding that such provisions are facially valid under Delaware law. While there can be no assurance that federal or state courts will follow the holding of the Delaware Supreme Court or determine that our federal forum provision should be enforced in a particular case, application of our federal forum provision means that suits brought by our stockholders to enforce any duty or liability created by the Securities Act or the rules and regulations thereunder must be brought in federal court and cannot be brought in state court. Section 27 of the Exchange Act creates exclusive federal jurisdiction over all claims brought to enforce any duty or liability created by the Exchange Act or the rules and regulations thereunder. Accordingly, actions by our stockholders to enforce any duty or liability created by the Exchange Act or the rules and regulations thereunder must be brought in federal court. Our stockholders will not be deemed to have waived our compliance with the federal securities laws and the regulations promulgated thereunder.
Any person or entity purchasing or otherwise acquiring any interest in any shares of our capital stock shall be deemed to have notice of and to have consented to the forum provisions in our Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation. If any action, the subject matter of which is within the scope of the forum provisions, is filed in a court other than a court located within the State of Delaware (a “foreign action”) in the name of any stockholder, such stockholder shall be deemed to have consented to: (x) the personal jurisdiction of the state and federal courts located within the State of Delaware in connection with any action brought in any such court to enforce the forum provisions (an “enforcement action”), and (y) having service of process made upon such stockholder in any such enforcement action by service upon such stockholder’s counsel in the foreign action as agent for such stockholder.
40
To the extent enforceable, the forum selection provisions may discourage claims or limit stockholders’ ability to submit claims in a judicial forum that they find favorable and may result in additional costs for a stockholder seeking to bring a claim. If a court were to determine the forum selection clause to be inapplicable or unenforceable in an action, we may incur additional costs in conjunction with our efforts to resolve the dispute in an alternative jurisdiction, which could have a negative impact on our results of operations and financial condition and result in a diversion of the time and resources of our management and board of directors.
Our warrants are accounted for as liabilities and the changes in value of our warrants could have a material effect on our financial results and thus may have an adverse effect on the market price of our securities.
On April 12, 2021, the staff of the SEC (the “SEC Staff”) issued a public statement entitled “Staff Statement on Accounting and Reporting Considerations for Warrants issued by SPACs” (the “SEC Staff Statement”). In the SEC Staff Statement, the SEC Staff expressed its view that certain terms and conditions common to SPAC warrants may require the warrants to be classified as liabilities on the SPAC’s balance sheet as opposed to equity. As a result of the SEC Staff Statement, we reevaluated the accounting treatment of our 8,625,000 Public Warrants and 6,000,000 Private Placement Warrants, and determined to classify the warrants as derivative liabilities measured at fair value, with changes in fair value each period reported in earnings.
As a result, included on our consolidated balance sheet as of December 31, 2022 contained elsewhere in this Annual Report are derivative liabilities related to embedded features contained within our warrants. ASC 815, “Derivatives and Hedging,” provides for the remeasurement of the fair value of such derivatives at each balance sheet date, with a resulting non-cash gain or loss related to the change in the fair value being recognized in earnings in the statement of operations. As a result of the recurring fair value measurement, our financial statements and results of operations may fluctuate quarterly, based on factors, which are outside of our control. Due to the recurring fair value measurement, we expect that we will recognize non-cash gains or losses on our warrants each reporting period and that the amount of such gains or losses could be material. The impact of changes in fair value on earnings may have an adverse effect on the market price of our securities.
We previously identified a material weakness in our internal control over financial reporting. If we are unable to develop and maintain an effective system of internal control over financial reporting, we may not be able to accurately report our financial results in a timely manner, which may result in a material adverse effect on our ability to consummate an initial Business Combination.
Following the issuance of the SEC Staff Statement management identified a material weakness in our internal control over financial reporting related to the accounting for the warrants issued in connection with our Initial Public Offering. Our internal control over financial reporting did not result in the proper accounting classification of the warrants, which, due to its impact on our financial statements, we determined to be a material weakness.
A material weakness is a deficiency, or a combination of deficiencies, in internal control over financial reporting such that there is a reasonable possibility that a material misstatement of our annual or interim financial statements will not be prevented or detected on a timely basis. Effective internal controls are necessary for us to provide reliable financial reports and prevent fraud. Any failure to maintain internal control over our financial reporting could adversely impact our ability to report our financial position and results from operations on a timely and accurate basis, which could delay or disrupt our efforts to consummate an initial Business Combination. If our financial statements are not filed on a timely basis, we may also be subject to sanctions or investigations by the stock exchange on which our securities are listed, the SEC or other regulatory authorities. In either case, there could result a material adverse effect on our ability to consummate an initial Business Combination. We have expanded and improved our review process for complex securities and related accounting standards and continue to evaluate other steps to maintain an effective system of internal control over financial reporting.
In addition, as a result of such material weakness, the change in accounting for our warrants, and other matters raised or that in the future may be raised by the SEC, we face potential for litigation or other disputes which may include, among others, claims invoking the federal and state securities laws, contractual claims or other claims arising from the material weakness in our internal control over financial reporting and the preparation of our financial statements. As of the date of this report, we have no knowledge of any such litigation or dispute. However, we can provide no assurance that such litigation or dispute will not arise in the future. Any such litigation or dispute, whether successful or not, could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition or our ability to complete a Business Combination.
41
Cyber incidents or attacks directed at us could result in information theft, data corruption, operation disruption and/or financial loss.
We depend on digital technologies, including information systems, infrastructure and cloud applications and services, including those of third parties with which we may deal. Sophisticated and deliberate attacks on, or security breaches in, our systems or infrastructure, or the systems or infrastructure of third parties or the cloud, could lead to corruption or misappropriation of our assets, proprietary information and sensitive or confidential data. As an early stage company without significant investments in data security protection, we may not be sufficiently protected against such occurrences. We may not have sufficient resources to adequately protect against, or to investigate and remediate any vulnerability to, cyber incidents. It is possible that any of these occurrences, or a combination of them, could have adverse consequences on our business and lead to financial loss.
The failure of any bank in which we deposit our funds could have an adverse effect on our financial condition.
We deposit substantial funds in financial institutions and may, from time to time, maintain cash balances at such financial institutions in excess of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation limit. In recent weeks, there has been significant volatility and instability among banks and financial institutions. For example, on March 10, 2023, Silicon Valley Bank, or SVB, was closed by the California Department of Financial Protection and Innovation, which appointed the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, or the FDIC, as receiver, and for a period of time, customers of the bank did not have access to their funds and there was uncertainty as to when, if at all, customers would have access to funds in excess of the FDIC insured amounts. Although we did not maintain any funds at SVB, should one or more of the financial institutions at which deposits are maintained fail, there is no guarantee as to the extent that we would recover the funds deposited, whether through Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation coverage or otherwise, or the timing of any recovery.
The Excise Tax included in the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 may hinder our ability to consummate an initial Business Combination and decrease the amount of funds available for distribution in connection with a liquidation.
On August 16, 2022, President Biden signed into law the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, which, among other things, imposes a 1% excise tax on the fair market value of stock repurchased by a domestic corporation beginning in 2023, with certain exceptions (the “Excise Tax”). Because we are a Delaware corporation and our securities trade on Nasdaq, we are a “covered corporation” within the meaning of the Inflation Reduction Act, and while not free from doubt, it is possible that the Excise Tax will apply to any redemptions of our common stock after December 31, 2022, including redemptions in connection with an initial Business Combination and any amendment to our Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation to extend the time to consummate an initial Business Combination, unless an exemption is available. Consequently, the value of your investment in our securities may decrease as a result of the Excise Tax. In addition, the Excise Tax may make a transaction with us less appealing to potential business combination targets, and thus, potentially hinder our ability to enter into and consummate an initial Business Combination.
Our independent registered public accounting firm’s report contains an explanatory paragraph that expresses substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a “going concern.”
As of December 31, 2022, we had approximately $1.7 million cash in hand, and working capital deficit of approximately $2.3 million (not taking into account tax obligations of approximately $926,000 that may be paid using investment income earned in the Trust Account). Further, we have incurred, expect to continue to incur, significant costs in pursuit of our acquisition plans. Management’s plans to address this need are discussed under “Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.” Our plans to raise capital and to consummate our initial Business Combination may not be successful. The deadline for us to complete our initial Business Combination is May 17, 2023 (which was extended from February 17, 2023 by vote of our stockholders). These factors, among others, raise substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern for a period of time which is considered to be one year from the issuance of these financial statements. The financial statements contained elsewhere in this Annual Report do not include any adjustments that might result from our inability to continue as a going concern. Management plans to complete an initial Business Combination prior to the mandatory liquidation date.
42
Item 1B. Unresolved Staff Comments.
None.
Item 2. Properties.
We currently maintain our executive offices at 8390 E. Via de Ventura, Suite F110-207, Scottsdale, Arizona 85258. We consider our current office space adequate for our current operations.
Item 3. Legal Proceedings.
We are not currently subject to any material legal proceedings, nor, to our knowledge, is any material legal proceeding threatened against us or any of our officers or directors in their corporate capacity.
Item 4. Mine Safety Disclosures.
Not Applicable.
43
Part II.
Item 5. Market for Registrant’s Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities.
| (a) | Market Information |
Our Units began trading on the New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”) on February 12, 2021. Each Unit consists of one Class A common stock and one-fourth of one redeemable warrant to purchase one share of Class A common stock. On April 2, 2021, we announced that holders of the Units may elect to separately trade the shares of Class A common stock and redeemable warrants included in the Units. On April 5, 2021, our shares of Class A common stock and redeemable warrants began trading on the NYSE under the symbols “SLAC” and “SLAC WS,” respectively. Any Units not separated continued to trade on the NYSE under the symbol “SLAC.U.” On December 13, 2022, we announced that we were working to transfer our listing to the Nasdaq Global Market on the Nasdaq Stock Market LLC (the “Nasdaq”). We were approved for listing on Nasdaq and began trading on Nasdaq on December 23, 2022. In connection with listing on Nasdaq, we voluntarily delisted from NYSE. We intend to continue to file the same types of periodic reports and other information we currently file with the SEC.
| (b) | Holders |
As of March 28, 2023, there was approximately one holder of record of our Units, approximately one holder of record of our separately traded shares of Class A common stock, and approximately two holders of record of our redeemable warrants.
| (c) | Dividends |
We have not paid any cash dividends on our Shares of Class A common stock to date and do not intend to pay cash dividends prior to the completion of our initial Business Combination. The payment of cash dividends in the future will be dependent upon our revenues and earnings, if any, capital requirements and general financial condition subsequent to completion of our initial Business Combination. The payment of any cash dividends subsequent to our initial Business Combination will be within the discretion of our board of directors at such time. In addition, our board of directors is not currently contemplating and does not anticipate declaring any share dividends in the foreseeable future. Further, if we incur any indebtedness in connection with our initial Business Combination, our ability to declare dividends may be limited by restrictive covenants we may agree to in connection therewith.
| (d) | Securities Authorized for Issuance Under Equity Compensation Plans |
None.
| (e) | Performance Graph |
The performance graph has been omitted as permitted under rules applicable to smaller reporting companies.
| (f) | Recent Sales of Unregistered Securities; Use of Proceeds from Registered Offerings |
Unregistered Sales
Simultaneously with the closing of the Initial Public Offering, the Company consummated the Private Placement of 6,000,000 Private Placement Warrants at a price of $1.50 per Private Placement Warrant to the Sponsor, generating proceeds of $9.0 million.
In connection with the Initial Public Offering, our Sponsor had agreed to loan us an aggregate of up to $300,000 pursuant to the Note. This loan is non-interest bearing and payable on the consummation of the Initial Public Offering. As of December 31, 2022, the loan balance was $0.
Of the gross proceeds received from the Initial Public Offering and the full exercise of the option to purchase additional shares, $345,000,000 was placed in the Trust Account. The net proceeds of the Initial Public Offering and certain proceeds from the Private Placement are invested in U.S. government treasury bills with a maturity of 180 days or less and in money market funds meeting certain conditions under Rule 2a-7 under the Investment Company Act which invest only in direct U.S. government treasury obligations.
44
We paid a total of approximately $6.9 million in underwriting discounts and commissions related to the Initial Public Offering. In addition, the underwriters agreed to defer $12.1 million in underwriting discounts and commissions.
Founder Shares
On December 11, 2020, the Sponsor paid $25,000 to cover certain offering costs on behalf of us in exchange for issuance of 7,187,500 shares of our Class B common stock, par value $0.0001 per share, (the “Founder Shares”). On January 20, 2021, we effected a 1:1.2 stock split of Class B common stock, resulting in an aggregate of 8,625,000 shares of Class B common stock outstanding. The Sponsor agreed to forfeit up to 1,125,000 Founder Shares to the extent that the over-allotment option was not exercised in full by the underwriters, so that the Founder Shares would represent 20.0% of the Company’s issued and outstanding shares after the Initial Public Offering. On February 17, 2021, the underwriter fully exercised its option to purchase additional; thus, these 1,125,000 Founder Shares were no longer subject to forfeiture.
The initial stockholders agreed, subject to limited exceptions, not to transfer, assign or sell any of the Founder Shares until the earlier to occur of: (1) one year after the completion of the initial Business Combination; and (2) subsequent to the initial Business Combination (x) if the last reported sale price of the Class A common stock equals or exceeds $12.00 per share (as adjusted for stock splits, stock dividends, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) for any 20 trading days within any 30-trading day period commencing at least 150 days after the initial Business Combination or (y) the date on which we complete a liquidation, merger, capital stock exchange, reorganization or other similar transaction that results in all of the Public Stockholders having the right to exchange their shares of Class A common stock for cash, securities or other property.
Private Placement Warrants
Simultaneously with the closing of the Initial Public Offering, we consummated the Private Placement of 6,000,000 Private Placement Warrants at a price of $1.50 per Private Placement Warrant to the Sponsor, generating proceeds of $9.0 million.
Each whole Private Placement Warrant is exercisable for one whole share of Class A common stock at a price of $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of the Private Placement Warrants was added to the proceeds from the Initial Public Offering held in the Trust Account. If we do not complete a Business Combination within the Combination Period, the Private Placement Warrants will expire worthless. The Private Placement Warrants will be non-redeemable for cash (except in certain limited circumstances) and exercisable on a cashless basis so long as they are held by the Sponsor or its permitted transferees.
The Sponsor and our officers and directors agreed, subject to limited exceptions, not to transfer, assign or sell any of their Private Placement Warrants until 30 days after the completion of the initial Business Combination.
These issuances were made pursuant to the exemption from registration contained in Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act. No underwriting discounts or commissions were paid with respect to such sales.
Use of Proceeds
On February 17, 2021, we completed its Initial Public Offering of 34,500,000 Units at $10.00 per Unit, generating gross proceeds of $345,000,000. Barclays and BofA Securities acted as joint book-running managers for the Initial Public Offering. The securities sold in the Initial Public Offering were registered under the Securities Act on a registration statement on Form S-1 (No. 333-252392). The SEC declared the registration statements effective on February 11, 2021.
Simultaneously with the closing of the Initial Public Offering, we consummated the Private Placement of 6,000,000 Private Placement Warrants at a price of $1.50 per Private Placement Warrant to the Sponsor, generating proceeds of $9.0 million.
45
Each whole Private Placement Warrant is exercisable for one whole share of Class A common stock at a price of $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of the Private Placement Warrants was added to the proceeds from the Initial Public Offering held in the Trust Account. If we do not complete a Business Combination within the Combination Period, the Private Placement Warrants will expire worthless. The Private Placement Warrants will be non-redeemable for cash (except in certain limited circumstances) and exercisable on a cashless basis so long as they are held by the Sponsor or its permitted transferees.
The Sponsor and our officers and directors agreed, subject to limited exceptions, not to transfer, assign or sell any of their Private Placement Warrants until 30 days after the completion of the initial Business Combination.
In connection with the Initial Public Offering, we incurred offering costs of approximately $19.7 million (including deferred underwriting commissions of approximately $12.1 million). Other incurred offering costs consisted principally of preparation fees related to the Initial Public Offering. After deducting the underwriting discounts and commissions (excluding the deferred portion, which amount will be payable upon consummation of the initial Business Combination, if consummated) and the Initial Public Offering expenses, $345 million of the net proceeds from our Initial Public Offering and certain of the proceeds from the Private Placement of the Private Placement Warrants (or $10.00 per Unit sold in the Initial Public Offering) was placed in the Trust Account. The net proceeds of the Initial Public Offering and certain proceeds from the sale of the Private Placement Warrants are held in the Trust Account and invested as described elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
There has been no material change in the planned use of the proceeds from the Initial Public Offering and Private Placement as is described in the Company’s final prospectus related to the Initial Public Offering. For a description of the use of the proceeds generated from the Initial Public Offering, see “Item 1. Business.”
Item 6. [Reserved]
Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.
References to the “Company,” “our,” “us” or “we” refer to Social Leverage Acquisition Corp I. The following discussion and analysis of the Company’s financial condition and results of operations should be read in conjunction with the audited financial statements and the notes related thereto which are included in “Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data” of this Annual Report on Form 10-K. Certain information contained in the discussion and analysis set forth below includes forward-looking statements. Our actual results may differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements as a result of many factors, including those that will be set forth in our preliminary prospectus/proxy statement to be included in a Registration Statement on Form S-4 that we will file with the SEC relating to our proposed Business Combination with W3BCLOUD Holdings Inc. (“W3BCLOUD”) (the “W3BCLOUD Business Combination”). Certain information contained in the discussion and analysis set forth below includes forward-looking statements. Our actual results may differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements as a result of many factors, including those set forth under “Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements and Risk Factor Summary,” “Item 1A. Risk Factors” and elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
Overview
We are a blank check company incorporated in Delaware on December 1, 2020. We were formed for the purpose of effecting a merger, capital stock exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, reorganization or similar business combination with one or more businesses (the “Business Combination”). We are an emerging growth company and, as such, we are subject to all of the risks associated with emerging growth companies.
Our sponsor is Social Leverage Acquisition Sponsor I LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (the “Sponsor”). The registration statement for our Initial Public Offering was declared effective on February 11, 2021. On February 17, 2021, we consummated its Initial Public Offering of 34,500,000 units (the “Units” and, with respect to the Class A common stock included in the Units being offered, the “Public Shares”), including the exercise of the underwriters’ option to purchase 4,500,000 additional Units (the “Option Units”), at $10.00 per Unit, generating gross proceeds of $345.0 million, and incurring offering costs of approximately $19.7 million, of which approximately $12.1 million and approximately $152,000 was for deferred underwriting commissions and deferred legal fees, respectively.
46
Simultaneously with the closing of the Initial Public Offering, we consummated the private placement (“Private Placement”) of 6,000,000 warrants (each, a “Private Placement Warrant” and collectively, the “Private Placement Warrants”) at a price of $1.50 per Private Placement Warrant to the Sponsor, generating proceeds of $9.0 million.
Upon the closing of the Initial Public Offering and the Private Placement, $345.0 million ($10.00 per Unit) of the net proceeds of the Initial Public Offering and certain of the proceeds of the Private Placement was placed in a trust account (“Trust Account”) located in the United States with Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company acting as trustee, and invested only in U.S. government securities with a maturity of 185 days or less or in money market funds meeting certain conditions under Rule 2a-7 under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “Investment Company Act”), which invest only in direct U.S. government treasury obligations, as determined by the Company, until the earlier of: (i) the completion of a Business Combination and (ii) the distribution of the Trust Account as described below.
Our management has broad discretion with respect to the specific application of the net proceeds of the Initial Public Offering and the sale of Private Placement Warrants, although substantially all of the net proceeds are intended to be applied generally toward consummating a Business Combination. There is no assurance that we will be able to complete a Business Combination successfully. We must complete its initial Business Combination with one or more operating businesses or assets having an aggregate fair market value of at least 80% of the net assets held in the Trust Account (excluding the deferred underwriting commissions and taxes payable on the income earned on the Trust Account) at the time of the agreement to enter into the initial Business Combination. However, we will only complete a Business Combination if the post-transaction company owns or acquires 50% or more of the outstanding voting securities of the target or otherwise acquires a controlling interest in the target business sufficient for it not to be required to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act.
If we are unable to complete a Business Combination within 27 months (including the three-month extension) from the closing of the Initial Public Offering, or May 17, 2023, as such period may be extended by our stockholders in accordance with the Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation, we will (1) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up; (2) as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter, redeem 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 in the trust account (net of taxes payable and less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses), divided by the number of then issued and outstanding Public Shares, which redemption will completely extinguish Public Stockholders’ rights as stockholders (including the right to receive further liquidating distributions, if any); and (3) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of the remaining stockholders and our board of directors, liquidate and dissolve, subject in each case to our obligations under Delaware law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law.
Recent Developments
Charter Amendment
On December 20, 2022 the Company held a special meeting (the “Special Meeting”) of stockholders. At the Special Meeting, the Company’s stockholders were asked to vote on the following items: (i) a proposal to amend the Company’s amended and restated certificate of incorporation, dated February 11, 2021 (the “Charter”) to extend the date by which the Company has to consummate a Business Combination for an additional three months, from February 17, 2023 to May 17, 2023 (the “First Charter Amendment Proposal”), (ii) a proposal to amend the Company’s Charter to eliminate from the Charter the limitation that the Company may not redeem public shares to the extent that such redemption would result in the Company having net tangible assets (as determined in accordance with Rule 3a51-1(g)(1) of the Exchange Act) of less than $5,000,001 (the “Redemption Limitation”) in order to allow the Company to redeem public shares irrespective of whether such redemption would exceed the Redemption Limitation (the “Second Charter Amendment Proposal” and together with the First Charter Amendment Proposal, the “Charter Amendment Proposals”) and (iii) a proposal to direct the chairman of the Special Meeting to adjourn the Special Meeting to a later date or dates, if necessary, to permit further solicitation and vote of proxies if, based upon the tabulated vote at the time of the Special Meeting, there are not sufficient votes to approve each of the Charter Amendment Proposals (the “Adjournment Proposal”).
47
On December 20, 2022, the Company approved the Charter Amendment Proposals (the “Charter Amendment”). The Charter Amendment became effective on December 21, 2022 upon filing with the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware.
The foregoing description is qualified in its entirety by reference to the Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation, dated December 21, 2022, a copy of which is attached as Exhibit 3.1 hereto and is incorporated by reference herein.
In connection with the Charter Amendment, stockholders elected to redeem 32,847,714 shares of our Class A common stock, resulting in redemption payments on December 29, 2022 out of the Trust Account totaling approximately $331,500,835. Subsequent to the redemptions, approximately $16,674,956 remained in the Trust Account and 1,652,286 shares of Class A common stock remained outstanding. At December 31, 2022, there was approximately $863,000 of taxes that may be paid using interest income from the Trust Account.
Proposed W3BCLOUD Business Combination
On July 31, 2022, we entered into a business combination agreement, by and among, us, SLAC Merger Sub, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary, and W3BCLOUD Holdings Inc (as it may be amended, supplemented or otherwise modified from time to time, the “Business Combination Agreement”). The Business Combination Agreement and the business combination were unanimously approved by our board of directors on July 8, 2022. If the Business Combination Agreement is approved by our stockholders and the transactions contemplated by the Business Combination Agreement are consummated, Merger Sub will merge with and into W3BCLOUD (the “Merger”), with W3BCLOUD surviving the Merger as a wholly owned subsidiary of New W3BCLOUD. In addition, upon the effectiveness of the Charter Amendment, we will be renamed W3BCLOUD, Inc. and is referred to herein as “New W3BCLOUD” following the consummation of the transactions.
Refer to the Form 8-K, as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on August 1, 2022 and the W3BCLOUD Disclosure Statement that we will file with the SEC for additional information.
Liquidity and Going Concern
As of December 31, 2022, we had approximately $1.7 million in its operating bank account and working capital deficit of approximately $2.6 million (not taking into account approximately $863,000 of taxes that may be paid using interest income from the Trust Account).
In connection with the Company’s assessment of going concern considerations in accordance with FASB Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) 2014-15, “Disclosures of Uncertainties about an Entity’s Ability to Continue as a Going Concern,” management has determined that the liquidity, the mandatory liquidation and the subsequent dissolution raise substantial doubt about the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern. No adjustments have been made to the carrying amounts of assets or liabilities should the Company be required to liquidate after May 17, 2023. The financial statements do not include any adjustment that might be necessary if the Company is unable to continue as a going concern. Management plans to consummate a Business Combination prior to the mandatory liquidation date.
Management continues to evaluate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the industry and has concluded that while it is reasonably possible that the virus could have a negative effect on our financial position, results of our operations and/or search for a target company, the specific impact is not readily determinable as of the date of the financial statements. The financial statements do not include any adjustments that might result from the outcome of this uncertainty.
Results of Operations
Our entire activity since inception up to December 31, 2022 was in preparation for our formation and the Initial Public Offering. We will not be generating any operating revenues until the closing and completion of our initial Business Combination.
48
For the year ended December 31, 2022, we had net income of approximately $9.7 million, which consisted of an operating loss of approximately $5.4 million and approximately $953,000 in income tax expenses, offset by a non-operating gain of approximately $11.3 million resulting from the change in fair value of derivative warrant liabilities, and approximately $4.8 million of income from investments held in Trust Account. The loss from operations comprised of approximately $5.3 million in general and administrative expenses and approximately $78,000 in franchise tax expenses.
For the year ended December 31, 2021, we had net income of approximately $2.5 million, which consisted of an operating loss of approximately $1.2 million and offering costs associated with derivative warrant liabilities of approximately $561,000, offset by a non-operating gain of approximately $4.2 million resulting from the change in fair value of derivative warrant liabilities, and approximately $34,000 of income from investments held in Trust Account. The loss from operations comprised of approximately $0.9 million general and administrative expenses, approximately $93,000 in general and administrative expenses - related party and approximately $197,000 in franchise tax expenses.
Contractual Obligations
Related Party Loans
On December 11, 2020, the Sponsor agreed to loan the Company an aggregate of up to $300,000 to cover expenses related to the Initial Public Offering pursuant to a promissory note (the “Note”). This loan was non-interest bearing and payable upon the completion of the Initial Public Offering. The Company borrowed approximately $178,000 under the Note and it was repaid in full on February 19, 2021. Subsequent to the repayment, the facility was no longer available to the Company.
In addition, in order to fund working capital deficiencies or finance transaction costs in connection with a Business Combination, the Sponsor or an affiliate of the Sponsor, or certain of the Company’s officers and directors may, but are not obligated to, loan the Company funds as may be required (“Working Capital Loans”). If the Company completes a Business Combination, the Company may repay the Working Capital Loans out of the proceeds of the Trust Account released to the Company. Otherwise, the Working Capital Loans would be repaid only out of funds held outside the Trust Account. In the event that a Business Combination does not close, the Company may use a portion of proceeds held outside the Trust Account to repay the Working Capital Loans but no proceeds held in the Trust Account would be used to repay the Working Capital Loans. The Working Capital Loans would either be repaid upon consummation of a Business Combination or, at the lenders’ discretion, up to $1.5 million of such Working Capital Loans may be convertible into warrants of the post Business Combination entity at a price of $1.50 per warrant. The warrants would be identical to the Private Placement Warrants.
In March 2022, the Company executed a Working Capital Loan (the “March 2022 Working Capital Loan”), bearing interest of 10% annually, providing the Company the ability to borrow up to $1.5 million. As of December 31, 2022 and 2021, the Company had $300,000 and $0, respectively, in borrowings under the March 2022 Working Capital Loan. As of December 31, 2022 and 2021, the Company had approximately $24,000 and $0, respectively, in interest expense on the March 2022 Working Capital Loan. The March 2022 Working Capital Loan has a conversion feature that is considered an embedded derivative, but the value is de minimis, as such, the March 2022 Working Capital Loan is presented at fair value on the accompanying consolidated balance sheets.
In June 2022, the Sponsor and the Company executed another Working Capital Loan (the “June 2022 Working Capital Loan”), bearing interest of 10% annually, providing the Company the ability to borrow up to $400,000. As of December 31, 2022 and 2021, the Company had approximately $400,000 and $0, respectively, in borrowings under the June 2022 Working Capital Loan. For the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021, the Company had approximately $18,000 and $0, respectively, in interest expense on the June 2022 Working Capital Loan. The June 2022 Working Capital Loan has a conversion feature that is considered an embedded derivative, but the value is de minimis, as such, the June 2022 Working Capital Loan is presented at fair value on the accompanying consolidated balance sheets.
49
Administrative Support Agreement and Certain Other Payments
Commencing on the date that our securities were first listed on a stock exchange through the earlier of consummation of the initial Business Combination and our liquidation, we agreed to pay the Sponsor a total of $10,000 per month for office space, support and administrative services.
The Sponsor, executive officers and directors, or any of their respective affiliates will be reimbursed for any out-of-pocket expenses incurred in connection with activities on our behalf such as identifying potential target businesses and performing due diligence on suitable Business Combinations. Our audit committee will review on a quarterly basis all payments that were made to the Sponsor, our executive officers or directors, or their affiliates.
We incurred approximately $0 and $93,000 in general and administrative expenses, related to these services, in the accompanying statement of operations for the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021, respectively. As of December 31, 2022 and 2021, the Company had accrued approximately $60,000, for services in connection with such agreement on the accompanying consolidated balance sheets. In April 2022, the Sponsor terminated this agreement retroactive to January 1, 2022.
Registration Rights
The holders of Founder Shares, Private Placement Warrants and warrants that may be issued upon conversion of Working Capital Loans, if any (and any shares of Class A common stock issuable upon the exercise of the Private Placement Warrants and warrants that may be issued upon conversion of Working Capital Loans and upon conversion of the Founder Shares), were entitled to registration rights pursuant to a registration rights agreement. These holders were entitled to certain demand and “piggyback” registration rights. We will bear the expenses incurred in connection with the filing of any such registration statements.
Underwriting Agreement
We granted the underwriters a 45-day option from the date of the final prospectus relating to the Initial Public Offering to purchase up to 4,500,000 additional Units to cover over-allotments, if any, at the Initial Public Offering price, less underwriting discounts and commissions. On February 17, 2021, the underwriter fully exercised its option to purchase additional Units.
The underwriters were entitled to an underwriting discount of $0.20 per Unit, or $6.9 million in the aggregate, paid upon the closing of the Initial Public Offering. In addition, $0.35 per Unit, or approximately $12.1 million in the aggregate will be payable to the underwriters for deferred underwriting commissions. The deferred fee will become payable to the underwriters from the amounts held in the Trust Account solely in the event that we complete a Business Combination, subject to the terms of the underwriting agreement.
On January 18, 2023, we received a formal letter, from Barclays Capital Inc. (“Barclays”), one of the underwriters in our Initial Public Offering, advising that it had, among other things, (i) resigned from and ceased or refused to act in, its roles as co-placement agent, co-capital markets advisor and exclusive financial advisor to us in connection with the Merger and as underwriter in our initial public offering and (ii) waived its right to receive an aggregate of $13.1 million in fees, all of which were contingent upon and payable upon the closing of the Merger, consisting of 2% of gross proceeds for its role as co-placement agent, $3.5 million for its role as financial advisor, a discretionary fee of up to $3.0 million, and $6.6 million of deferred underwriting fees accrued from its participation in our Initial Public Offering, as well as any expense reimbursements owed to it under those arrangements. We intend to continue to pursue the consummation of an initial Business Combination.
Critical Accounting Policies
Derivative Warrant Liabilities
We do not use derivative instruments to hedge exposures to cash flow, market, or foreign currency risks. We evaluate all of its financial instruments, including issued stock purchase warrants, to determine if such instruments are derivatives or contain features that qualify as embedded derivatives, pursuant to Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) Topic 480 “Distinguishing Liabilities from Equity” (“ASC 480”) and ASC 815, “Derivatives and Hedging” (“ASC 815”). The classification of derivative instruments, including whether such instruments should be recorded as liabilities or as equity, is re-assessed at the end of each reporting period.
50
The 8,625,000 warrants issued in connection with the Initial Public Offering (the “Public Warrants”) and the 6,000,000 Private Placement Warrants are recognized as derivative liabilities in accordance with ASC 815. Accordingly, we recognize the warrant instruments as liabilities at fair value and adjust the instruments to fair value at each reporting period. The liabilities are subject to remeasurement at each balance sheet date until exercised. For periods where no observable traded price is available, we utilized a Monte-Carlo simulation to estimate the fair value of the Public Warrants and used the Black-Scholes option pricing model to estimate the fair value of the Private Placement Warrants. Derivative warrant liabilities are classified as non-current liabilities as their liquidation is not reasonably expected to require the use of current assets or require the creation of current liabilities.
Class A common shares subject to possible redemption
We account for our Class A common stock subject to possible redemption in accordance with the guidance in ASC Topic 480 “Distinguishing Liabilities from Equity.” Class A common stock subject to mandatory redemption (if any) is classified as liability instruments and are measured at fair value. Conditionally redeemable Class A common stock (including Class A common stock that features redemption rights that are either within the control of the holder or subject to redemption upon the occurrence of uncertain events not solely within our control) are classified as temporary equity. At all other times, Class A common stock is classified as stockholders’ equity. Our Class A common stock feature certain redemption rights that are considered to be outside of our control and subject to the occurrence of uncertain future events. Accordingly, 34,500,000 shares of Class A common stock subject to possible redemption is presented at redemption value as temporary equity, outside of the stockholders’ equity section of our balance sheets. There was no non-redeemable Class A common stock issued or outstanding as of December 31, 2022 and 2021.
We recognize changes in redemption value immediately as they occur and adjust the carrying value of the Class A common stock subject to possible redemption to equal the redemption value at the end of each reporting period. Effective with the closing of the Initial Public Offering (including exercise of the over-allotment option), we recognized the accretion from initial book value to redemption amount, which resulted in charges against additional paid-in capital (to the extent available) and accumulated deficit.
Net Income Per Common Share
We comply with accounting and disclosure requirements of FASB ASC Topic 260, “Earnings Per Share.” We have two classes of shares, which are referred to as Class A common stock and Class B common stock. Income and losses are shared pro rata between the two classes of shares. Net income (loss) per common share is calculated by dividing the net income by the weighted average shares of common stock outstanding for the respective period.
The calculation of diluted net income does not consider the effect of the warrants underlying the Units sold in the Initial Public Offering (including the consummation of the over-allotment) and the private placement warrants to purchase an aggregate of 14,625,000 Class A common stock in the calculation of diluted income per share, because their exercise is contingent upon future events. As a result, diluted net income per share is the same as basic net income per share for the year ended December 31, 2022 and 2021. Accretion associated with the redeemable Class A common stock is excluded from earnings per share as the redemption value approximates fair value.
We have considered the effect of Class B common stock that were excluded from weighted average number as they were contingent on the exercise of over-allotment option by the underwriters. Since the contingency was satisfied, we included these shares in the weighted average number as of the beginning of the interim period to determine the dilutive impact of these shares.
Recent Accounting Pronouncements
In June 2022, the FASB issued ASU 2022-03, ASC Subtopic 820 “Fair Value Measurement of Equity Securities Subject to Contractual Sale Restrictions.” The ASU amends ASC 820 to clarify that a contractual sales restriction is not considered in measuring an equity security at fair value and to introduce new disclosure requirements for equity securities subject to contractual sale restrictions that are measured at fair value. The ASU applies to both holders and issuers of equity and equity-linked securities measured at fair value. The amendments in this ASU are effective for us in fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2023, and interim periods within those fiscal years. Early adoption is permitted for both interim and annual consolidated financial statements that have not yet been issued or made available for issuance. We are still evaluating the impact of this pronouncement on the consolidated financial statements.
51
Our management does not believe that any other recently issued, but not yet effective, accounting pronouncements, if currently adopted, would have a material impact on our consolidated financial statements.
Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements
As of December 31, 2022, we did not have any off-balance sheet arrangements as defined in Item 303(a)(4)(ii) of Regulation S-K.
JOBS Act
The Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012 (the “JOBS Act”) contains provisions that, among other things, relax certain reporting requirements for qualifying public companies. We qualify as an “emerging growth company” and under the JOBS Act are allowed to comply with new or revised accounting pronouncements based on the effective date for private (not publicly traded) companies. We are electing to delay the adoption of new or revised accounting standards, and as a result, we may not comply with new or revised accounting standards on the relevant dates on which adoption of such standards is required for non-emerging growth companies. As a result, the financial statements may not be comparable to companies that comply with new or revised accounting pronouncements as of public company effective dates.
Additionally, we are in the process of evaluating the benefits of relying on the other reduced reporting requirements provided by the JOBS Act. Subject to certain conditions set forth in the JOBS Act, if, as an “emerging growth company,” we choose to rely on such exemptions we may not be required to, among other things, (i) provide an auditor’s attestation report on our system of internal controls over financial reporting pursuant to Section 404, (ii) provide all of the compensation disclosure that may be required of non-emerging growth public companies under the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, (iii) comply with any requirement that may be adopted by the PCAOB regarding mandatory audit firm rotation or a supplement to the auditor’s report providing additional information about the audit and the financial statements (auditor discussion and analysis) and (iv) disclose certain executive compensation related items such as the correlation between executive compensation and performance and comparisons of the CEO’s compensation to median employee compensation. These exemptions will apply for a period of five years following the completion of our Initial Public Offering or until we are no longer an “emerging growth company,” whichever is earlier.
Item 7A. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosure About Market Risk.
We are a smaller reporting company as defined by Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act and are not required to provide the information otherwise required under this item.
Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data
This information appears following Item 15 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K and is incorporated herein by reference.
Item 9. Changes in and Disagreements With Accountants on Accounting and Financial Disclosure.
None.
52
Item 9A. Controls and Procedures.
Disclosure Controls and Procedures
Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures
Under the supervision and with the participation of our management, including our principal executive officer and principal financial officer, we conducted an evaluation of the effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures as of the end of the fiscal quarter ended December 31, 2022, as such term is defined in Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) under the Exchange Act. Based on this evaluation, our principal executive officer and principal financial officer have concluded that during the period covered by this report, our disclosure controls and procedures were not effective as of December 31, 2022 because of a material weakness in our internal control over financial reporting. A material weakness is a deficiency, or a combination of deficiencies, in internal control over financial reporting, such that there is a reasonable possibility that a material misstatement of the Company’s annual or interim condensed financial statements will not be prevented or detected on a timely basis. Specifically, the Company’s management has concluded that our control around recording the expenses in the proper accounting period was not effectively designed or maintained.
Disclosure controls and procedures are designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed by us in our Exchange Act reports is recorded, processed, summarized, and reported within the time periods specified in the SEC’s rules and forms, and that such information is accumulated and communicated to our management, including our principal executive officer and principal financial officer or persons performing similar functions, as appropriate to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure.
Management’s Report on Internal Controls over Financial Reporting
As required by SEC rules and regulations implementing of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, our management is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal controls over financial reporting. Our internal controls over financial reporting are designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of our consolidated financial statements for external reporting purposes in accordance with GAAP. Our internal controls over financial reporting includes those policies and procedures that:
| (1) | pertain to the maintenance of records that, in reasonable detail, accurately and fairly reflect the transactions and dispositions of the assets of our company, |
| (2) | provide reasonable assurance that transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of consolidated financial statements in accordance with GAAP, and that our receipts and expenditures are being made only in accordance with authorizations of our management and directors, and |
| (3) | provide reasonable assurance regarding prevention or timely detection of unauthorized acquisition, use or disposition of our assets that could have a material effect on the consolidated financial statements. |
Because of its inherent limitations, internal controls over financial reporting may not prevent or detect errors or misstatements in our consolidated financial statements. Also, projections of any evaluation of effectiveness to future periods are subject to the risk that controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions, or that the degree or compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate. Management assessed the effectiveness of our internal controls over financial reporting as of December 31, 2022. In making these assessments, management used the criteria set forth by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO) in Internal Controls — Integrated Framework (2013). Based on our assessments and those criteria, management determined that we have not maintained effective internal controls over financial reporting as of December 31, 2022.
This Annual Report on Form 10-K does not include an attestation report of internal controls from our independent registered public accounting firm due to our status as an emerging growth company under the JOBS Act.
Changes in Internal Controls over Financial Reporting
There were no changes to our internal controls over financial reporting that occurred during our fiscal year ended December 31, 2022 that have materially affected or are reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal controls over financial reporting except for the below.
The Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer performed additional accounting and financial analyses and other post-closing procedures including consulting with subject matter experts related to the recording the expenses in the proper accounting period. The Company’s management has expended, and will continue to expend, a substantial amount of effort and resources for the remediation and improvement of our internal control over financial reporting. While we have processes to properly identify and evaluate the appropriate accounting technical pronouncements and other literature for all significant or unusual transactions, we have expanded and will continue to improve these processes to ensure that the nuances of such transactions are effectively evaluated in the context of the increasingly complex accounting standards.
53
Item 9B. Other Information.
None.
Item 9C. Disclosure Regarding Foreign Jurisdictions that Prevent Inspection.
Not Applicable.
54
Part III.
Item 10. Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance.
Our current directors and executive officer are as follows:
MANAGEMENT
Directors and Officers
Name | Age | Title | ||
| Howard Lindzon | 57 | Chief Executive Officer and Director | ||
| Douglas Horlick | 50 | President and Chief Operating Officer | ||
| Paul Grinberg | 61 | Chairman of the Board of Directors | ||
| Michael Lazerow | 48 | Director | ||
| Michael Marquez | 49 | Director | ||
| Ross Mason | 47 | Director | ||
| Brian Norgard | 42 | Director | ||
| Katherine Rosa | 53 | Director |
Our Executive Officers
Howard Lindzon has been a director and our Chief Executive Officer since our inception. As a founder and managing partner of Social Leverage LLC (“Social Leverage”) since 2009, Mr. Lindzon has made numerous early-stage investments in the fintech sector including investments in Robinhood, Rally Road, eToro and Alpaca. He has invested in over 125 companies and has collaborated and built deep relationships with hundreds of co-investors and entrepreneurs. Prior to founding Social Leverage in 2009, his early-stage investment exits included sales to Comcast, Google, Pandora, Salesforce, Twitter and several other public listings. Mr. Lindzon co-founded StockTwits, a social media platform with over four million registered users where investors and traders share investment ideas, in 2008 and served as its Chief Executive Officer from 2008 to 2013. Prior to StockTwits, Mr. Lindzon founded WallStrip, a daily news video podcast which attracted investments from Roger Ehrenberg, Brad Feld and Mark Pincus and was later purchased by CBS after airing over 300 episodes. With over 20 years of experience, he is regarded as an astute deal maker based on his track record of starting, managing and identifying promising opportunities and further nurturing their growth to become established players. He is a public figure with over 280,000 Twitter followers, 230,000 StockTwits followers and 8,000 email subscribers as of December 31, 2022, a daily blog and a weekly podcast. He graduated with a Master of Business Administration degree from Arizona State University and a Master of Arts degree in International Management from the Thunderbird School of Global Management. We believe that Mr. Lindzon’s extensive investment experience and network in the technology sector make him well qualified to serve as a member of our board of directors.
Paul Grinberg has served as Executive Chairman of our board of directors since our inception. Mr. Grinberg has over 18 years of experience as a Director, Chairman, President or Chief Financial Officer of several NASDAQ and NYSE companies and more than 35 years of experience spanning mergers and acquisitions, capital raising and financial management. He currently serves as the Chairman of Axos Financial, Inc., a nationwide, digital-first bank that provides consumer and business banking products through its low-cost distribution channels and affinity partner. He has served as a director of Axos Financial, Inc. since April 2004 and as the Chairman of its board of directors since February 2017. He played an important role in taking the company public and growing earnings from $2 million to $215 million from 2004 to 2021. Mr. Grinberg provides advisory services to private equity, credit funds and venture capital firms and their related businesses with a focus on financial services and financial technology. He also serves as a director to several credit funds and private companies. Prior to Axos, Mr. Grinberg served as President, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Encore Capital Group and Chief Financial Officer of Telespectrum Worldwide, Inc. Mr. Grinberg also served as partner and a senior member of the M&A services group at Deloitte, where he was employed for 14 years. During his tenure at Deloitte and in his capacity as an executive at various public and private companies, he worked on dozens of transactions including IPOs, acquisitions and debt offerings and in his capacity as an executive at various companies, was responsible for raising more than $10 billion across the capital markets. He graduated from Columbia Business School with a Master of Business Administration degree and from Yeshiva University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in accounting. We believe that Mr. Grinberg’s significant experience in corporate transactions and his senior leadership experience make him well qualified to serve as a member of our board of directors.
55
Douglas Horlick has served as our President and Chief Operating Officer since our inception. Mr. Horlick is the founder of Estancia LLC, a strategy and advisory consulting firm based in Arizona established in 2015. Leveraging his industry expertise, he works closely with C-suite executives on both strategy and global sales initiatives. He has over 20 years of experience in the securities industry, specifically within sales and trading. Prior to Estancia LLC, Mr. Horlick held senior securities positions at Goldman Sachs (Managing Director, Securities Division, from 2009 to 2014), Bank of America (Managing Director, Securities Division, from 2005 to 2009) and Citigroup (Vice President, Securities Division, from 2002 to 2005). In these roles, Mr. Horlick’s responsibilities all within the Foreign Exchange Division included Managing Director in charge of Foreign Exchange Global Client Coverage, Global Prime Brokerage, Institutional Sales in the Americas, Consumer Sales and Hedge Fund Sales. He graduated from the University of Michigan with a degree in Organizational Studies.
Our Board of Directors
Michael Lazerow has been a director since February 2021. Mr. Lazerow is a co-founder and general partner of Velvet Sea Ventures, a multi-stage venture capital firm established in 2019. Prior to Velvet Sea Ventures, he has been a serial entrepreneur and has founded numerous companies including University Wire, GOLF.com and Buddy Media which was sold to Salesforce in 2012 for approximately $700 million. Mr. Lazerow served as the Chief Strategy Officer at Salesforce from 2012 to 2015 and played a leadership role in the creation and growth of its Marketing Cloud business, which represents approximately 15% of Salesforce’s $20 billion annual subscription and services revenue as of the quarter ending October 31, 2020. Mr. Lazerow has made various investments and was in the initial investor groups of Scopely (valuation of $3.3 billion as of October 2020), Liquid Death and Map Anything (acquired by Salesforce in 2019) and was a pre-IPO investor in Facebook. His network includes 10 venture funds where he is a limited partner (eight of which have invested in one of Mr. Lazerow’s companies), numerous co-investors and hundreds of fellow entrepreneurs. He graduated from Northwestern University with Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees in Journalism. We believe that Mr. Lazerow’s significant investment experience, contacts and relationships make him well qualified to serve as a member of our board of directors.
Michael Marquez has been a director since February 2021. Mr. Marquez has over 25 years of experience operating, investing, acquiring and advising throughout the high-tech sector. He is a co-founder of Code Advisors LLC, a technology and media-focused boutique investment bank headquartered in San Francisco, California established in 2010. Code Advisors has completed numerous M&A transactions and financings including late-stage growth equity financings in Spotify and Twitter, IPO processes for Twitter, Angie’s List and Survey Monkey, and the sale of Supercell to SoftBank, Buddy Media to Salesforce and Playtika to Giant. Mr. Marquez is also the co-founder of Morado Ventures, an early-stage venture capital fund established in 2010 that is focused in artificial intelligence, data infrastructure, robotics & autonomy, computer vision and health. Mr. Marquez has served as Morado Venture’s general partner since inception. During his career, Mr. Marquez has made more than 140 direct investments and built a broad network across technology company executives, entrepreneurs, founders and corporate development groups throughout the world and an extensive network in each stage of the venture capital industry. Mr. Marquez has invested in and advised on venture exits to a large number of sophisticated acquirers including sales to Adobe, Amazon, Apple, Comcast, Twitter, Citrix, US Bank, First Data, Facebook, Google, Samsung, Salesforce, Roche, Intel, Walmart, Rakuten, eBay, IBM, Intuit, Microsoft and McDonald’s and has led the acquisitions of numerous companies through his roles in the corporate development groups at Yahoo! and CBS, including the $1.8 billion acquisition of CNET. He graduated with a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a Bachelor of Science degree in Managerial Economics from the University of California at Davis. We believe Mr. Marquez’s significant experience in corporate transactions makes him well qualified to serve on our board of directors.
Ross Mason has been a director since February 2021. Mr. Mason is a top technology entrepreneur based in the United Kingdom. He founded MuleSoft in 2006, took it public on the NYSE in 2017 and sold it to Salesforce for $6.5 billion in 2018. Mr. Mason served as the Chief Technology Officer of MuleSoft from 2009 to 2014. Mr. Mason launched Dig Ventures in Europe in 2019, partnering with leading venture capital firms in the United States and backing exceptional founders in enterprise software and fintech. As the founder of Dig Ventures, he has made numerous investments in early-stage technology companies and has met with hundreds of founders and has invested alongside many of the top tier funds in the United States and Europe. His investment portfolio of companies ranges from next generation SaaS platforms to innovative developer platforms to fintech. Mr. Mason is also an author and has been a regular keynote speaker at technology conferences like WebSummit and Dreamforce. He has been repeatedly featured in the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Business Insider, Entrepreneur, TechCrunch, CIO.com. Mr. Mason was named a Henry Crown Fellow by the Aspen Institute in 2020 and was deemed one of the Most Important People in Cloud Computing by Business Insider and one of the world’s ‘Top 10 Innovators & Influencers’ by Information Week. Mr. Mason graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science from University of the West of England. We believe that Mr. Mason’s substantial experience as a private investor and entrepreneur makes him well qualified to serve on our board of directors.
56
Brian Norgard has been a director since February 2021. Mr. Norgard served as the Chief Product Officer at Tinder, Inc., owner of the Tinder global dating app, from 2016 to 2018. He helped lead Tinder from $0 to over $1 billion in revenue, in part driven by the creation of blockbuster features such as Tinder Gold, Tinder Boost and Tinder Super Like. Under his product leadership, Tinder became one of the top revenue-generating apps across the globe. Prior to being Tinder’s Chief Product Officer, Mr. Norgard served as Head of Revenue at Tinder from 2015 to 2016. Since 2018, he has been a board member at AngelList. With over 15 years in the technology industry, Mr. Norgard has successfully participated as an investor in many companies including SpaceX, Lyft, Notion, AngelList and Airtable. Mr. Norgard graduated from Brown University with a Public Private Sector Organizational Management degree. We believe that Mr. Norgard’s track record in entrepreneurship, investment and business development makes him well qualified to serve on our board of directors.
Katherine Rosa has been a director since February 2021. Ms. Rosa previously served as Managing Director and Global Head of Alternative Investments for Wealth Management Solutions at JPMorgan Chase & Co. from 2017 to 2020. She led an over $80 billion platform and a global team of over 100 people with extensive relationships with a number of financial sponsors including private equity, growth equity, venture and hedge fund managers. From 2000 to 2017, Ms. Rosa served as Managing Director and Portfolio Manager for J.P. Morgan Asset Management’s Private Equity Group, a more than $20 billion business providing access to private equity, venture capital funds and direct investments. In this role, she was a member of the Management and Investment Committees and acted as fiduciary for over 100 global institutional investors. She also led the group’s establishment of a joint venture private equity business in China and played an instrumental role in its growth. Ms. Rosa graduated from Franklin and Marshall College with a Bachelor of Arts degree, majoring in Government with a minor in Economics. We believe that Ms. Rosa’s significant experience and track record in deal making and capital markets makes her well qualified to serve on our board of directors.
Director Independence
Nasdaq rules require that a majority of our board of directors be independent. An “independent director” is defined generally as a person other than an executive officer or employee of the company or any other individual having a relationship which in the opinion of the company’s board of directors, would interfere with the director’s exercise of independent judgment in carrying out the responsibilities of a director. We have five “independent directors” as defined in Nasdaq rules and applicable SEC rules. Our board has determined that each of Michael Lazerow, Michael Marquez, Ross Mason, Brian Norgard and Katherine Rosa is an independent director under applicable SEC and Nasdaq rules. Our independent directors have regularly scheduled meetings at which only independent directors are present.
Number, Terms of Office and Election of Directors and Officers
Our board of directors consists of seven members.
Prior to our initial Business Combination, holders of our founder shares will have the right to elect all of our directors and remove members of the board of directors for any reason, and holders of our public shares will not have the right to vote on the election of directors during such time. Our directors are appointed for a term of two years. These provisions of our Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation may only be amended if approved by holders of a majority of at least 90% of the issued and outstanding shares of our common stock voting at a stockholder meeting. Approval of our initial Business Combination will require the affirmative vote of a majority of our board directors, which must include a majority of our independent directors. Subject to any other special rights applicable to the stockholders, prior to our initial Business Combination, any vacancies on our board of directors may be filled by the affirmative vote of a majority of the directors present and voting at the meeting of our board of directors, or by holders of a majority of the issued and outstanding shares of our Class B common stock.
57
Our officers are appointed by the board of directors and serve at the discretion of the board of directors, rather than for specific terms of office. Our board of directors is authorized to appoint persons to the offices set forth in our bylaws as it deems appropriate. Our bylaws provide that our officers may consist of a Chief Executive Officer, a President, a Chief Financial Officer, Vice Presidents, a Secretary, Assistant Secretaries, a Treasurer and such other offices as may be determined by the board of directors.
Committees of the Board of Directors
Our board of directors has three standing committees: an audit committee; a compensation committee; and a nominating and corporate governance committee. Each of our audit committee, compensation committee and nominating and corporate governance committee are composed solely of independent directors. Each committee operates under a charter that was approved by our board of directors and has the composition and responsibilities described below. The charter of each committee is available on our website.
Audit Committee
The members of our audit committee are Michael Marquez, Michael Lazerow and Ross Mason. Mr. Marquez serves as chairman of the audit committee.
Each member of the audit committee is financially literate and our board of directors has determined that Mr. Marquez qualifies as an “audit committee financial expert” as defined in applicable SEC rules and has accounting or related financial management expertise.
We have adopted an audit committee charter, which details the purpose and principal functions of the audit committee, including:
| ● | assisting board oversight of (1) the integrity of our financial statements, (2) our compliance with legal and regulatory requirements, (3) our independent registered public accounting firm’s qualifications and independence, and (4) the performance of our internal audit function and independent registered public accounting firm; |
| ● | the appointment, compensation, retention, replacement, and oversight of the work of the independent registered public accounting firm and any other independent registered public accounting firm engaged by us; |
| ● | pre-approving all audit and non-audit services to be provided by the independent registered public accounting firm or any other registered public accounting firm engaged by us, and establishing pre-approval policies and procedures; |
| ● | reviewing and discussing with the independent registered public accounting firm all relationships the auditors have with us in order to evaluate their continued independence; |
| ● | setting clear hiring policies for employees or former employees of the independent registered public accounting firm; |
| ● | setting clear policies for audit partner rotation in compliance with applicable laws and regulations; |
| ● | obtaining and reviewing a report, at least annually, from the independent registered public accounting firm describing (1) the independent registered public accounting firm’s internal quality-control procedures and (2) any material issues raised by the most recent internal quality-control review, or peer review, of the audit firm, or by any inquiry or investigation by governmental or professional authorities, within the preceding five years respecting one or more independent audits carried out by the firm and any steps taken to deal with such issues; |
58
| ● | meeting to review and discuss our annual audited financial statements and quarterly financial statements with management and the independent registered public accounting firm, including reviewing our specific disclosures under “Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations”; |
| ● | reviewing and approving any related party transaction required to be disclosed pursuant to Item 404 of Regulation S-K promulgated by the SEC prior to us entering into such transaction; and |
| ● | reviewing with management, the independent registered public accounting firm, and our legal advisors, as appropriate, any legal, regulatory or compliance matters, including any correspondence with regulators or government agencies and any employee complaints or published reports that raise material issues regarding our financial statements or accounting policies and any significant changes in accounting standards or rules promulgated by the Financial Accounting Standards Board, the SEC or other regulatory authorities. |
Compensation Committee
The members of our compensation committee are Michael Lazerow, Ross Mason and Katherine Rosa. Mr. Lazerow serves as chairman of the compensation committee. We have adopted a compensation committee charter, which details the purpose and responsibility of the compensation committee, including:
| ● | reviewing and approving on an annual basis the corporate goals and objectives relevant to our Chief Executive Officer’s compensation, evaluating our Chief Executive Officer’s performance in light of such goals and objectives and determining and approving the remuneration (if any) of our Chief Executive Officer based on such evaluation; |
| ● | reviewing and making recommendations to our board of directors with respect to the compensation, and any incentive-compensation and equity-based plans that are subject to board approval of all of our other officers; |
| ● | reviewing our executive compensation policies and plans; |
| ● | implementing and administering our incentive compensation equity-based remuneration plans; |
| ● | assisting management in complying with our proxy statement and annual report disclosure requirements; |
| ● | approving all special perquisites, special cash payments and other special compensation and benefit arrangements for our officers and employees; |
| ● | producing a report on executive compensation to be included in our annual proxy statement; and |
| ● | reviewing, evaluating and recommending changes, if appropriate, to the remuneration for directors. |
The charter also provides that the compensation committee may, in its sole discretion, retain or obtain the advice of a compensation consultant, independent legal counsel or other adviser and is directly responsible for the appointment, compensation and oversight of the work of any such adviser. However, before engaging or receiving advice from a compensation consultant, external legal counsel or any other adviser, the compensation committee will consider the independence of each such adviser, including the factors required by Nasdaq and the SEC.
Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee
The members of our nominating and corporate governance committee are Michael Lazerow, Michael Marquez and Katherine Rosa. Ms. Rosa serves as chair of the nominating and corporate governance committee. We have adopted a nominating and corporate governance committee charter, which details the purpose and responsibilities of the nominating and corporate governance committee, including:
| ● | identifying, screening and reviewing individuals qualified to serve as directors, consistent with criteria approved by the board of directors, and recommending to the board of directors candidates for nomination for election at the annual stockholder meeting or to fill vacancies on the board of directors; |
59
| ● | developing and recommending to the board of directors and overseeing implementation of our corporate governance guidelines; |
| ● | coordinating and overseeing the annual self-evaluation of the board of directors, its committees, individual directors and management in the governance of the company; and |
| ● | reviewing on a regular basis our overall corporate governance and recommending improvements as and when necessary. |
The charter also provides that the nominating and corporate governance committee may, in its sole discretion, retain or obtain the advice of, and terminate, any search firm to be used to identify director candidates, and is directly responsible for approving the search firm’s fees and other retention terms.
We have not formally established any specific, minimum qualifications that must be met or skills that are necessary for directors to possess. In general, in identifying and evaluating nominees for director, the board of directors considers educational background, diversity of professional experience, knowledge of our business, integrity, professional reputation, independence, wisdom, and the ability to represent the best interests of our stockholders. Prior to our initial Business Combination, holders of our public shares will not have the right to recommend director candidates for nomination to our board of directors.
Code of Ethics
We have adopted a code of ethics and business conduct (our “Code of Ethics”) applicable to our directors, officers and employees. We have filed a copy of our Code of Ethics as an exhibit to this Annual Report. We have also posted a copy of our Code of Ethics and the charters of our audit committee, compensation committee and nominating and corporate governance committee on our website. You will be able to review this document by accessing our public filings at the SEC’s website and on our website at socialleverageholdings.com “SEC Filings - Code of Ethics or Specific Committee Charter Pages.” Our website and the information contained on, or that can be accessed through, the website is not deemed to be incorporated by reference in, and is not considered part of, this Annual Report. You are able to review these documents by accessing our public filings at the SEC’s website. In addition, a copy of our Code of Ethics will be provided without charge upon request from us. We intend to disclose any amendments to or waivers of certain provisions of our Code of Ethics in a Current Report on Form 8-K.
Conflicts of Interest
Each of our officers and directors presently has, and any of them in the future may have additional, fiduciary or contractual obligations to other entities pursuant to which such officer or director is or will be required to present a Business Combination opportunity to such entity. Accordingly, if any of our directors or officers becomes aware of a Business Combination opportunity that is suitable for an entity to which he or she has then-current fiduciary or contractual obligations, he or she may need to honor these fiduciary or contractual obligations to present such Business Combination opportunity to such entity. Our Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation provides that we renounce our interest in any corporate opportunity offered to any director or officer unless such opportunity is expressly offered to such person solely in his or her capacity as a director or officer of the company and it is an opportunity that we are able to complete on a reasonable basis. Our directors and officers are also not required to commit any specified amount of time to our affairs, and, accordingly, will have conflicts of interest in allocating management time among various business activities, including identifying potential Business Combinations and monitoring the related due diligence. See Item 1.A. “Risk Factors - Certain of our directors and officers are now, and all of them may in the future become, affiliated with entities engaged in business activities similar to those intended to be conducted by us and, accordingly, may have conflicts of interest in determining to which entity a particular business opportunity should be presented.”
In addition, our officers or directors may be investors, or have other direct or indirect interests, in a business with which we may enter into a Business Combination agreement and/or in certain funds or other persons that may purchase shares in the Initial Public Offering or that may otherwise purchase shares of our Class A common stock in the public market.
60
We do not believe, however, that the fiduciary duties or contractual obligations of our directors or officers will materially affect our ability to identify and pursue Business Combination opportunities or complete our initial Business Combination.
Our directors and officers may become involved with subsequent special purpose acquisition companies similar to our company. Potential investors should also be aware of the following potential conflicts of interest:
| ● | None of our directors or officers is required to commit his or her full time to our affairs and, accordingly, may have conflicts of interest in allocating his or her time among various business activities. |
| ● | In the course of their other business activities, our directors and officers may become aware of investment and business opportunities that may be appropriate for presentation to us as well as the other entities with which they are affiliated. Our management may have conflicts of interest in determining to which entity a particular business opportunity should be presented. For a complete description of our management’s other affiliations, see below. |
| ● | Our initial stockholders, directors and officers have agreed to waive their redemption rights with respect to any founder shares and public shares held by them in connection with the consummation of our initial Business Combination. Additionally, our initial stockholders have agreed to waive their redemption rights with respect to their founder shares if we fail to consummate our initial Business Combination within 27 months after the closing of the Initial Public Offering or during any Extension Period. However, if our initial stockholders (or any of our directors, officers or affiliates) acquire public shares, they will be entitled to liquidating distributions from the Trust Account with respect to such public shares if we fail to consummate our initial Business Combination within the prescribed time frame. If we do not complete our initial Business Combination within such applicable time period, the proceeds of the sale of the Private Placement Warrants held in the Trust Account will be used to fund the redemption of our public shares, and the Private Placement Warrants will expire worthless. Pursuant to a letter agreement that our initial stockholders, directors and officers have entered into with us, with certain limited exceptions, the founder shares will not be transferable, assignable or salable by our initial stockholders until the earlier of: (1) one year after the completion of our initial Business Combination; and (2) subsequent to our initial Business Combination (x) if the last reported sale price of our Class A common stock equals or exceeds $12.00 per share (as adjusted for stock splits, stock dividends, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) for any 20 trading days within any 30-trading day period commencing at least 150 days after our initial Business Combination or (y) the date on which we complete a liquidation, merger, stock exchange, reorganization or other similar transaction that results in all of our public stockholders having the right to exchange their shares of Class A common stock for cash, securities or other property. With certain limited exceptions, the Private Placement Warrants and the shares of Class A common stock underlying such warrants, will not be transferable, assignable or salable by our sponsor until 30 days after the completion of our initial Business Combination. Since our sponsor and directors and officers may directly or indirectly own our securities following the Initial Public Offering, our directors and officers may have a conflict of interest in determining whether a particular target business is an appropriate business with which to effectuate our initial Business Combination. |
| ● | Our directors and officers may negotiate employment or consulting agreements with a target business in connection with a particular Business Combination. These agreements may provide for them to receive compensation following our initial Business Combination and as a result, may cause them to have conflicts of interest in determining whether to proceed with a particular Business Combination. |
| ● | Our directors and officers may have a conflict of interest with respect to evaluating a particular Business Combination if the retention or resignation of any such directors and officers was included by a target business as a condition to any agreement with respect to our initial Business Combination. |
The conflicts described above may not be resolved in our favor.
In general, officers and directors of a corporation incorporated under the laws of the State of Delaware are required to present business opportunities to a corporation if:
| ● | the corporation could financially undertake the opportunity; |
61
| ● | the opportunity is within the corporation’s line of business; and |
| ● | it would not be fair to the corporation and its stockholders for the opportunity not to be brought to the attention of the corporation. |
Accordingly, as a result of multiple business affiliations, our directors and officers have similar legal obligations relating to presenting business opportunities meeting the above-listed criteria to multiple entities. Furthermore, our Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation provides that the doctrine of corporate opportunity will not apply with respect to any of our directors or officers in circumstances where the application of the doctrine would conflict with any fiduciary duties or contractual obligations they may have, and there will not be any expectancy that any of our directors or officers will offer any such corporate opportunity of which he or she may become aware to us. Below is a table summarizing the entities to which our directors and officers currently have fiduciary duties or contractual obligations:
Individual | Entity | Entity’s Business | Affiliation | |||
| Howard Lindzon | Social Leverage LLC | Investment fund | Founding Partner | |||
| Douglas Horlick | Estancia Consulting | Consulting | Founder | |||
| Paul Grinberg | Axos Financial | Banking | Chairman | |||
| PG Mountain Capital | Consulting | President | ||||
| Michael Lazerow | Velvet Sea Ventures | Venture Capital | Co-Founder and General Partner | |||
| Michael Marquez | Code Advisors | Investment Bank | Co-Founder | |||
| Morado Ventures | Venture Capital | Co-Founder and General Partner | ||||
| Ross Mason | Dig Ventures | Venture Capital | Founder | |||
| Brian Norgard | AngelList | Technology | Director | |||
| Katherine Rosa | Velvet Sea Ventures | Venture Capital | General Partner |
Accordingly, if any of the above directors or officers become aware of a Business Combination opportunity which is suitable for any of the above entities to which he or she has then-current fiduciary or contractual obligations, he or she will honor his or her fiduciary or contractual obligations to present such Business Combination opportunity to such entity, and only present it to us if such entity rejects the opportunity. Our Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation provides that we renounce our interest in any corporate opportunity offered to any director or officer unless such opportunity is expressly offered to such person solely in his or her capacity as a director or officer of the company and it is an opportunity that we are able to complete on a reasonable basis. We do not believe, however, that any of the foregoing fiduciary duties or contractual obligations will materially affect our ability to identify and pursue Business Combination opportunities or complete our initial Business Combination.
We are not prohibited from pursuing an initial Business Combination with a company that is affiliated with our Sponsor, directors or officers. In the event we seek to complete our initial Business Combination with a business that is affiliated with our Sponsor, officers or directors, we, or a committee of independent and disinterested directors, will obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm or another independent entity that commonly renders valuation opinions that such initial Business Combination is fair to our company from a financial point of view.
In addition, our Sponsor or any of its affiliates may make additional investments in us in connection with the initial Business Combination, although our Sponsor and its affiliates have no obligation or current intention to do so. If our Sponsor or any of its affiliates elects to make additional investments, such proposed investments could influence our Sponsor’s motivation to complete an initial Business Combination.
In the event that we submit our initial Business Combination to our public stockholders for a vote, our initial stockholders, directors and officers have agreed, pursuant to the terms of a letter agreement entered into with us, to vote any founder shares (and their permitted transferees will agree) and public shares held by them in favor of our initial Business Combination.
Item 11. Executive Compensation.
None of our directors or officers has received directly from us any cash compensation for services rendered to us. Pursuant to a support services agreement that we had entered into, we previously paid our Sponsor a total of $10,000 per month for office space, support and administrative services. In April 2022, the Sponsor terminated this agreement retroactive to January 1, 2022. In addition, our Sponsor, directors and officers, or any of their respective affiliates, will be reimbursed for any out-of-pocket expenses incurred in connection with activities on our behalf such as identifying potential target businesses and performing due diligence on suitable Business Combinations. Our audit committee will review on a quarterly basis all payments that were made by us to our Sponsor, directors, officers or our or any of their respective affiliates.
62
After the completion of our initial Business Combination, directors or members of our management team who remain with us may be paid consulting, management or other compensation from the combined company. All compensation will be fully disclosed to stockholders, to the extent then known, in the tender offer materials or proxy solicitation materials furnished to our stockholders in connection with a proposed Business Combination. It is unlikely the amount of such compensation will be known at the time, because the directors of the post-combination business will be responsible for determining executive officer and director compensation. Any compensation to be paid to our officers after the completion of our initial Business Combination will be determined by a compensation committee constituted solely by independent directors.
We are not party to any agreements with our directors and officers that provide for benefits upon termination of employment. The existence or terms of any such employment or consulting arrangements may influence our management’s motivation in identifying or selecting a target business, and we do not believe that the ability of our management to remain with us after the consummation of our initial Business Combination should be a determining factor in our decision to proceed with any potential Business Combination.
Item 12. Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Stockholder Matters.
The following table sets forth information available to us at March 28, 2023 with respect to our common stock held by:
| ● | each person known by us to be the beneficial owner of more than 5% of our outstanding shares of common stock; |
| ● | each of our executive officers and directors; and |
| ● | all our executive officers and directors as a group. |
Unless otherwise indicated, we believe that all persons named in the table have sole voting and investment power with respect to all shares of common stock beneficially owned by them. The following table does not reflect record or beneficial ownership of the Private Placement Warrants as these are not exercisable within 60 days of March 28, 2023.
| Shares of Class A common stock | Shares of Class B common stock(1) | |||||||||||||||
Name and Address of Beneficial Owner(2) | Beneficially Owned | Approximate Percentage of Class Issued and Outstanding Common Stock | Beneficially Owned | Approximate Percentage of Class Issued and Outstanding Common Stock | ||||||||||||
| Social Leverage Acquisition Sponsor I LLC(3) | — | — | 8,625,000 | 100 | % | |||||||||||
| Howard Lindzon | — | — | — | — | ||||||||||||
| Douglas Horlick | — | — | — | — | ||||||||||||
| Paul Grinberg | — | — | — | — | ||||||||||||
| Michael Lazerow | — | — | — | — | ||||||||||||
| Michael Marquez | — | — | — | — | ||||||||||||
| Ross Mason | — | — | — | — | ||||||||||||
| Brian Norgard | — | — | — | — | ||||||||||||
| Katherine Rosa | — | — | — | — | ||||||||||||
| All directors and officers as a group (8 individuals) | — | — | — | — | ||||||||||||
| * | Less than one percent. |
| (1) | Shares of Class B common stock will convert into Shares of Class A common stock on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustment, as described in the section entitled “Description of Securities” in our prospectus filed with the SEC pursuant to Rule 424(b)(4) (File No. 333-252392). |
63
| (2) | Unless otherwise noted, the business address of each of the following entities or individuals is c/o Social Leverage Acquisition Corp I, 8390 E. Via de Ventura, Suite F110-207, Scottsdale, Arizona 85258. |
| (3) | Social Leverage Acquisition Sponsor I LLC, our Sponsor, is the record holder of 8,625,000 shares of Class B common stock. Our Sponsor is managed by a board of managers consisting of Howard Lindzon, Douglas Horlick and Paul Grinberg. Any action by our Sponsor with respect to us or the founder shares, including voting and dispositive decisions, requires a majority vote of the managers of the board of managers. Accordingly, none of our directors or officers is deemed to have or share beneficial ownership of the founder shares held by our Sponsor. |
Our initial stockholders beneficially own approximately 20.0% of the issued and outstanding shares of common stock and have the right to elect all of our directors prior to our initial Business Combination as a result of holding all of the founder shares. Holders of our public shares will not have the right to elect any directors to our board of directors prior to our initial Business Combination. In addition, because of their ownership block, our initial stockholders may be able to effectively influence the outcome of all other matters requiring approval by our stockholders, including amendments to our Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation and approval of significant corporate transactions.
Item 13. Certain Relationships and Related Transactions, and Director Independence.
Founder Shares
On December 11, 2020, the Sponsor paid $25,000 to cover certain offering costs on our behalf in exchange for issuance of 7,187,500 shares of the our Class B common stock, par value $0.0001 per share, (the “Founder Shares”). On January 20, 2021, we effected a 1:1.2 stock split of Class B common stock, resulting in an aggregate of 8,625,000 shares of Class B common stock outstanding. The Sponsor agreed to forfeit up to 1,125,000 Founder Shares to the extent that the over-allotment option was not exercised in full by the underwriters, so that the Founder Shares would represent 20.0% of the our issued and outstanding shares after the Initial Public Offering. On February 17, 2021, the underwriter fully exercised its option to purchase additional; thus, these 1,125,000 Founder Shares were no longer subject to forfeiture.
The initial stockholders agreed, subject to limited exceptions, not to transfer, assign or sell any of the Founder Shares until the earlier to occur of: (1) one year after the completion of the initial Business Combination; and (2) subsequent to the initial Business Combination (x) if the last reported sale price of the Class A common stock equals or exceeds $12.00 per share (as adjusted for stock splits, stock dividends, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) for any 20 trading days within any 30-trading day period commencing at least 150 days after the initial Business Combination or (y) the date on which we complete a liquidation, merger, capital stock exchange, reorganization or other similar transaction that results in all of the Public Stockholders having the right to exchange their shares of Class A common stock for cash, securities or other property.
64
Private Placement Warrants
Simultaneously with the closing of the Initial Public Offering, we consummated the Private Placement of 6,000,000 Private Placement Warrants at a price of $1.50 per Private Placement Warrant to the Sponsor, generating proceeds of $9.0 million.
Each whole Private Placement Warrant is exercisable for one whole share of Class A common stock at a price of $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of the Private Placement Warrants was added to the proceeds from the Initial Public Offering held in the Trust Account. If we do not complete an initial Business Combination within the Combination Period, the proceeds of the sale of the Private Placement Warrants will be used to fund the redemption of the Company’s public shares, subject to the requirements of applicable law, and the Private Placement Warrants will expire worthless. The Private Placement Warrants will be non-redeemable for cash (except in certain limited circumstances) and exercisable on a cashless basis so long as they are held by the Sponsor or its permitted transferees.
The Sponsor and our officers and directors agreed, subject to limited exceptions, not to transfer, assign or sell any of their Private Placement Warrants until 30 days after the completion of the initial Business Combination.
Registration Rights
The holders of Founder Shares, Private Placement Warrants and warrants that may be issued upon conversion of Working Capital Loans, if any (and any shares of Class A common stock issuable upon the exercise of the Private Placement Warrants and warrants that may be issued upon conversion of Working Capital Loans and upon conversion of the Founder Shares), were entitled to registration rights pursuant to a registration rights agreement. These holders were entitled to certain demand and “piggyback” registration rights. We will bear the expenses incurred in connection with the filing of any such registration statements.
Related Party Notes
On December 11, 2020, the Sponsor agreed to loan us an aggregate of up to $300,000 to cover expenses related to the Initial Public Offering pursuant to a promissory note (the “Note”). This loan was non-interest bearing and payable upon the completion of the Initial Public Offering. As of February 17, 2021, we borrowed approximately $178,000 under the Note. On February 19, 2021, we repaid the Note in full. Subsequent to the repayment, the facility was no longer available to us.
In addition, in order to fund working capital deficiencies or finance transaction costs in connection with a Business Combination, the Sponsor or an affiliate of the Sponsor, or certain of the Company’s officers and directors may, but are not obligated to, loan the Company funds as may be required (“Working Capital Loans”). If the Company completes a Business Combination, the Company may repay the Working Capital Loans out of the proceeds of the Trust Account released to the Company. Otherwise, the Working Capital Loans would be repaid only out of funds held outside the Trust Account. In the event that a Business Combination does not close, the Company may use a portion of proceeds held outside the Trust Account to repay the Working Capital Loans but no proceeds held in the Trust Account would be used to repay the Working Capital Loans. The Working Capital Loans would either be repaid upon consummation of a Business Combination or, at the lenders’ discretion, up to $1.5 million of such Working Capital Loans may be convertible into warrants of the post Business Combination entity at a price of $1.50 per warrant. The warrants would be identical to the Private Placement Warrants.
In March 2022, the Company executed a Working Capital Loan (the “March 2022 Working Capital Loan”), bearing interest of 10% annually, providing the Company the ability to borrow up to $1.5 million. As of December 31, 2022 and 2021, the Company had $300,000 and $0, respectively, in borrowings under the March 2022 Working Capital Loan. As of December 31, 2022 and 2021, the Company had approximately $24,000 and $0, respectively, in interest expense on the March 2022 Working Capital Loan. The March 2022 Working Capital Loan has a conversion feature that is considered an embedded derivative, but the value is de minimis, as such, the March 2022 Working Capital Loan is presented at fair value on the accompanying consolidated balance sheets.
In June 2022, the Sponsor and the Company executed another Working Capital Loan (the “June 2022 Working Capital Loan”), bearing interest of 10% annually, providing the Company the ability to borrow up to $400,000. As of December 31, 2022 and 2021, the Company had approximately $400,000 and $0, respectively, in borrowings under the June 2022 Working Capital Loan. For the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021, the Company had approximately $18,000 and $0, respectively, in interest expense on the June 2022 Working Capital Loan. The June 2022 Working Capital Loan has a conversion feature that is considered an embedded derivative, but the value is de minimis, as such, the June 2022 Working Capital Loan is presented at fair value on the accompanying consolidated balance sheets.
65
Administrative Support Agreement and Certain Other Payments
Commencing on the date that our securities were first listed on a stock exchange through the earlier of consummation of the initial Business Combination and our liquidation, we agreed to pay the Sponsor a total of $10,000 per month for office space, support and administrative services. For the years ended December 31, 2022 and December 31, 2021, we incurred expenses of approximately $0 and $93,000 under this agreement, included as general and administrative expenses, related party in the consolidated statement of operations, respectively. As of December 31, 2022 and 2021, we had accrued approximately $0 and $60,000, respectively, for services in connection with such agreement on the accompanying consolidated balance sheets. In April 2022, the Sponsor terminated this agreement retroactive to January 1, 2022.
The Sponsor, executive officers and directors, or any of their respective affiliates will be reimbursed for any out-of-pocket expenses incurred in connection with activities on our behalf such as identifying potential target businesses and performing due diligence on suitable Business Combinations. Our audit committee will review on a quarterly basis all payments that were made to the Sponsor, executive officers or directors, or our or their affiliates.
Item 14. Principal Accountant Fees and Services.
Fees for professional services provided by our independent registered public accounting firm for the last two fiscal years include:
| For the Year ended December 31, 2022 | For the Year ended December 31, 2021 | |||||||
| Audit Fees(1) | $ | 151,000 | $ | 78,764 | ||||
| Audit-Related Fees(2) | $ | — | $ | — | ||||
| Tax Fees(3) | $ | 22,647 | $ | — | ||||
| All Other Fees(4) | $ | — | $ | — | ||||
| Total | $ | 173,647 | $ | 78,764 | ||||
| (1) | Audit Fees. Audit fees consist of fees billed for professional services rendered for the audit of our year-end financial statements and services that are normally provided by our independent registered public accounting firm in connection with statutory and regulatory filings. |
| (2) | Audit-Related Fees. Audit-related fees consist of fees billed for assurance and related services that are reasonably related to performance of the audit or review of our year-end financial statements and are not reported under “Audit Fees.” These services include attest services that are not required by statute or regulation and consultation concerning financial accounting and reporting standards. |
| (3) | Tax Fees. Tax fees consist of fees billed for professional services relating to tax compliance, tax planning and tax advice. |
| (4) | All Other Fees. All other fees consist of fees billed for all other services including permitted due diligence services related potential Business Combination. |
Policy on Board Pre-Approval of Audit and Permissible Non-Audit Services of the Independent Auditors
The audit committee is responsible for appointing, setting compensation and overseeing the work of the independent auditors. In recognition of this responsibility, the audit committee shall review and, in its sole discretion, pre-approve all audit and permitted non-audit services to be provided by the independent auditors as provided under the audit committee charter.
66
Part IV.
Item 15. Exhibits, Financial Statement Schedules.
| (a) | The following documents are filed as part of this Annual Report on Form 10-K: Financial Statements: See “Item 8. Index to Financial Statements and Supplementary Data” herein. |
| (b) | Exhibits: The exhibits listed in the accompanying index to exhibits are filed, furnished or incorporated by reference as part of this Annual Report on Form 10-K. |
67
| (1) | Incorporated by reference to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed on February 17, 2021. |
| (2) | Incorporated by reference to the Company’s Amendment No. 2 to Form S-1 filed on February 4, 2021. |
| (3) | Incorporated by reference to the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K filed on March 31, 2022. |
| (4) | Incorporated by reference to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed on August 1, 2022. |
| (5) | Incorporated by reference to the Company’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed on August 17, 2022. |
| * | Filed herewith. |
| ** | These certifications are furnished to the SEC pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 and are deemed not filed for purposes of Section 18 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, nor shall they be deemed incorporated by reference in any filing under the Securities Act of 1933, except as shall be expressly set forth by specific reference in such filing. |
68
SOCIAL LEVERAGE ACQUISITION CORP I
Index to Consolidated Financial Statements
F-1
REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM
To the Stockholders and Board of Directors of
Social Leverage Acquisition Corp I
Opinion on the Financial Statements
We have audited the accompanying consolidated balance sheets of Social Leverage Acquisition Corp I (the “Company”) as of December 31, 2022 and 2021, the related statements of operations, stockholders’ deficit and cash flows for each of the two years in the period ended December 31, 2022, and the related notes (collectively referred to as the “financial statements”). In our opinion, the financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Company as of December 31, 2022 and 2021, and the results of its operations and its cash flows for each of the two years in the period ended December 31, 2022, in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.
Explanatory Paragraph – Going Concern
The accompanying consolidated financial statements have been prepared assuming that the Company will continue as a going concern. As more fully described in Note 1, the Company has a significant working capital deficiency and its business plan is dependent upon its ability to complete a business combination on or before its scheduled liquidation date of May 17, 2023, which is less than one year from the issuance date of the financial statements. These conditions raise substantial doubt about the Company's ability to continue as a going concern. Management's plans in regard to these matters are also described in Note 1. The consolidated financial statements do not include any adjustments that might result from the outcome of this uncertainty.
Basis for Opinion
These financial statements are the responsibility of the Company's management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the Company's financial statements based on our audits. We are a public accounting firm registered with the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) ("PCAOB") and are required to be independent with respect to the Company in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.
We conducted our audits in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audits to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement, whether due to error or fraud. The Company is not required to have, nor were we engaged to perform, an audit of its internal control over financial reporting. As part of our audits we are required to obtain an understanding of internal control over financial reporting but not for the purpose of expressing an opinion on the effectiveness of the Company's internal control over financial reporting. Accordingly, we express no such opinion.
Our audits included performing procedures to assess the risks of material misstatement of the financial statements, whether due to error or fraud, and performing procedures that respond to those risks. Such procedures included examining, on a test basis, evidence regarding the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. Our audits also included evaluating the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the financial statements. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.
/s/ Marcum llp
Marcum llp
We have served as the Company’s auditor since 2020.
Houston, TX
March 28, 2023
F-2
SOCIAL LEVERAGE ACQUISITION CORP I
CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS
| December 31, | ||||||||
| 2022 | 2021 | |||||||
| Assets: | ||||||||
| Current assets: | ||||||||
| Cash | $ | 1,666,647 | $ | 250,390 | ||||
| Prepaid expenses | 147,150 | 469,528 | ||||||
| Total current assets | 1,813,797 | 719,918 | ||||||
| Non-current assets: | ||||||||
| Prepaid expenses (non-current) | - | 56,316 | ||||||
| Due from related parties | 31,949 | - | ||||||
| Investments held in Trust Account | 16,674,956 | 345,034,062 | ||||||
| Total Assets | $ | 18,520,702 | $ | 345,810,296 | ||||
| Liabilities, Class A Common Stock Subject to Possible Redemption and Stockholders’ Deficit: | ||||||||
| Current liabilities: | ||||||||
| Accounts payable | $ | 534,888 | $ | 86,560 | ||||
| Accrued expenses | 3,920,773 | 103,654 | ||||||
| Income tax payable | 953,182 | - | ||||||
| Franchise tax payable | - | 197,485 | ||||||
| Total current liabilities | 5,408,843 | 387,699 | ||||||
| Deferred legal fees | 152,224 | 152,224 | ||||||
| Derivative warrant liabilities | 876,460 | 12,138,750 | ||||||
| Working capital loan | 741,799 | - | ||||||
| Deferred underwriting commissions | 12,075,000 | 12,075,000 | ||||||
| Total liabilities | 19,254,326 | 24,753,673 | ||||||
| Commitments and Contingencies | ||||||||
| Class A common stock subject to possible redemption, $0.0001 par value; 1,652,286 and 34,500,000 shares at redemption value of $10.30 and $10.00 per share as of December 31, 2022 and 2021, respectively | 17,026,774 | 345,000,000 | ||||||
| Stockholders’ Deficit | ||||||||
| Preferred stock, $0.0001 par value; 1,000,000 shares authorized; none issued and outstanding | - | - | ||||||
| Class A common stock, $0.0001 par value; 80,000,000 shares authorized; no non-redeemable shares issued and outstanding | - | - | ||||||
| Class B common stock, $0.0001 par value; 20,000,000 shares authorized; 8,625,000 as of December 31, 2022 and 2021 | 863 | 863 | ||||||
| Additional paid-in capital | - | - | ||||||
| Accumulated deficit | (17,761,261 | ) | (23,944,240 | ) | ||||
| Total stockholders’ deficit | (17,760,398 | ) | (23,943,377 | ) | ||||
| Total Liabilities, Class A Common Stock Subject to Possible Redemption and Stockholders’ Deficit | $ | 18,520,702 | $ | 345,810,296 | ||||
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.
F-3
SOCIAL LEVERAGE ACQUISITION CORP I
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS
| For The Years Ended December 31, | ||||||||
| 2022 | 2021 | |||||||
| General and administrative expenses | $ | 5,300,668 | $ | 879,440 | ||||
| General and administrative expenses - related party | - | 93,443 | ||||||
| Franchise tax expenses | 77,965 | 197,310 | ||||||
| Loss from operations | (5,378,633 | ) | (1,170,193 | ) | ||||
| Other income (expenses): | ||||||||
| Change in fair value of derivative warrant liabilities | 11,262,290 | 4,241,250 | ||||||
| Offering costs associated with derivative warrant liabilities | - | (560,750 | ) | |||||
| Interest on working capital loan - related party | (42,067 | ) | - | |||||
| Income from investments held in Trust Account | 4,822,180 | 34,062 | ||||||
| Net income before income taxes | 10,633,770 | 2,544,369 | ||||||
| Income tax expense | (953,182 | ) | - | |||||
| Net income | $ | 9,710,588 | $ | 2,544,369 | ||||
| Weighted average shares outstanding of Class A common stock, basic and diluted | 34,230,019 | 30,057,534 | ||||||
| Basic and diluted net income per share, Class A common stock | $ | 0.23 | $ | 0.07 | ||||
| Weighted average shares outstanding of Class B common stock, basic | 8,625,000 | 8,480,137 | ||||||
| Basic net income per share, Class B common stock | $ | 0.23 | $ | 0.07 | ||||
| Weighted average shares outstanding of Class B common stock, diluted | 8,625,000 | 8,625,000 | ||||||
| Diluted net income per share, Class B common stock | $ | 0.23 | $ | 0.07 | ||||
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.
F-4
SOCIAL LEVERAGE ACQUISITION CORP I
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CHANGES IN STOCKHOLDERS’ DEFICIT
| Common Stock | Additional | Total Stockholders’ | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Class A | Class B | Paid-In | Accumulated | Equity | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Shares | Amount | Shares | Amount | Capital | Deficit | (Deficit) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Balance - December 31, 2020 | - | $ | - | 8,625,000 | $ | 863 | $ | 24,137 | $ | (507 | ) | $ | 24,493 | |||||||||||||||
| Excess cash received over the fair value of the private warrants | - | - | - | - | 2,280,000 | - | 2,280,000 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Remeasurement of Class A common stock subject to possible redemption value | - | - | - | - | (2,304,137 | ) | (26,488,102 | ) | (28,792,239 | ) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Net income | - | - | - | - | - | 2,544,369 | 2,544,369 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Balance - December 31, 2021 | - | - | 8,625,000 | 863 | - | (23,944,240 | ) | (23,943,377 | ) | |||||||||||||||||||
| Remeasurement of Class A common stock subject to possible redemption value | - | - | - | - | - | (3,527,609 | ) | (3,527,609 | ) | |||||||||||||||||||
| Net income | - | - | - | - | - | 9,710,588 | 9,710,588 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Balance - December 31, 2022 | - | $ | - | 8,625,000 | $ | 863 | $ | - | $ | (17,761,261 | ) | $ | (17,760,398 | ) | ||||||||||||||
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.
F-5
SOCIAL LEVERAGE ACQUISITION CORP I
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS
| For The Years Ended December 31, | ||||||||
| 2022 | 2021 | |||||||
| Cash Flows from Operating Activities: | ||||||||
| Net income | $ | 9,710,588 | $ | 2,544,369 | ||||
| Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash used in operating activities: | ||||||||
| Change in fair value of derivative warrant liabilities | (11,262,290 | ) | (4,241,250 | ) | ||||
| Offering costs associated with derivative warrant liabilities | - | 560,750 | ||||||
| Income from investments held in Trust Account | (4,822,180 | ) | (34,062 | ) | ||||
| Interest on working capital loan - related party | 42,067 | - | ||||||
| General and administrative expenses paid by related party under promissory note | - | 43,467 | ||||||
| Changes in operating assets and liabilities: | ||||||||
| Prepaid expenses | 378,694 | (525,844 | ) | |||||
| Due from related parties | (31,949 | ) | - | |||||
| Accounts payable | 448,329 | 86,228 | ||||||
| Accrued expenses | 3,817,119 | (56,264 | ) | |||||
| Income tax payable | 953,182 | - | ||||||
| Franchise tax payable | (197,485 | ) | 197,310 | |||||
| Net cash used in operating activities | (963,925 | ) | (1,425,296 | ) | ||||
| Cash Flows from Investing Activities: | ||||||||
| Cash deposited in Trust Account | - | (345,000,000 | ) | |||||
| Cash withdrawn from Trust Account for redemptions | 331,500,835 | - | ||||||
| Investment income released from Trust Account to pay for taxes | 1,680,450 | - | ||||||
| Net cash provided by (used in) investing activities | 333,181,285 | (345,000,000 | ) | |||||
| Cash Flows from Financing Activities: | ||||||||
| Proceeds from working capital loan - related party | 699,732 | - | ||||||
| Redemption of Class A common stock | (331,500,835 | ) | - | |||||
| Proceeds received from initial public offering, gross | - | 345,000,000 | ||||||
| Proceeds received from private placement | - | 9,000,000 | ||||||
| Repayment of note payable to related party | - | (177,857 | ) | |||||
| Offering costs paid | - | (7,146,457 | ) | |||||
| Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities | (330,801,103 | ) | 346,675,686 | |||||
| Net change in cash | 1,416,257 | 250,390 | ||||||
| Cash - beginning of the period | 250,390 | - | ||||||
| Cash - end of the period | $ | 1,666,647 | $ | 250,390 | ||||
| Supplemental disclosure of non-cash activities: | ||||||||
| Offering costs included in accrued expenses | $ | - | $ | 25,000 | ||||
| Offering costs paid by related party under promissory note | $ | - | $ | 64,065 | ||||
| Outstanding accounts payable paid by related party under promissory note | $ | - | $ | 26,700 | ||||
| Deferred legal fees | $ | - | $ | 152,224 | ||||
| Deferred underwriting commissions in connection with the initial public offering | $ | - | $ | 12,075,000 | ||||
| Remeasurement of Class A common stock subject to possible redemption amount | $ | 3,527,609 | $ | 26,488,102 | ||||
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.
F-6
SOCIAL LEVERAGE ACQUISITION CORP I
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
Note 1 - Description of Organization and Business Operations
Social Leverage Acquisition Corp I (the “Company”) is a blank check company incorporated in Delaware on December 1, 2020. The Company was formed for the purpose of effecting a merger, capital stock exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, reorganization or similar business combination with one or more businesses (the “Business Combination”). The Company is an early stage and emerging growth company and, as such, the Company is subject to all of the risks associated with early stage and emerging growth companies.
As of December 31, 2022, the Company had not commenced any operations. All activity for the period from December 1, 2020 (inception) through December 31, 2022, relates to the Company’s formation and the initial public offering (the “Initial Public Offering”). The Company will not generate any operating revenues until after the completion of its initial Business Combination, at the earliest. The Company will generate non-operating income in the form of interest and other income on investments of the proceeds derived from the Initial Public Offering.
The Company’s sponsor is Social Leverage Acquisition Sponsor I LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (the “Sponsor”). The registration statement for the Company’s Initial Public Offering was declared effective on February 11, 2021. On February 17, 2021, the Company consummated its Initial Public Offering of 34,500,000 units (the “Units” and, with respect to the Class A common stock included in the Units being offered, the “Public Shares”), including the exercise of the underwriters’ option to purchase 4,500,000 additional Units (the “Option Units”), at $10.00 per Unit, generating gross proceeds of $345.0 million, and incurring offering costs of approximately $19.7 million, of which approximately $12.1 million and approximately $152,000 was for deferred underwriting commissions and deferred legal fees, respectively (Note 5).
Simultaneously with the closing of the Initial Public Offering, the Company consummated the private placement (“Private Placement”) of 6,000,000 warrants (each, a “Private Placement Warrant” and collectively, the “Private Placement Warrants”) at a price of $1.50 per Private Placement Warrant to the Sponsor, generating proceeds of $9.0 million (Note 4).
Upon the closing of the Initial Public Offering and the Private Placement, $345.0 million ($10.00 per Unit) of the net proceeds of the Initial Public Offering and certain of the proceeds of the Private Placement was placed in a trust account (“Trust Account”) located in the United States with Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company acting as trustee, and invested only in U.S. government securities with a maturity of 185 days or less or in money market funds meeting certain conditions under Rule 2a-7 under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “Investment Company Act”), which invest only in direct U.S. government treasury obligations, as determined by the Company, until the earlier of: (i) the completion of a Business Combination and (ii) the distribution of the Trust Account as described below.
The Company’s management has broad discretion with respect to the specific application of the net proceeds of the Initial Public Offering and the sale of Private Placement Warrants, although substantially all of the net proceeds are intended to be applied generally toward consummating a Business Combination. There is no assurance that the Company will be able to complete a Business Combination successfully. The Company must complete its initial Business Combination with one or more operating businesses or assets having an aggregate fair market value of at least 80% of the net assets held in the Trust Account (excluding the deferred underwriting commissions and taxes payable on the income earned on the Trust Account) at the time of the agreement to enter into the initial Business Combination. However, the Company will only complete a Business Combination if the post-transaction company owns or acquires 50% or more of the outstanding voting securities of the target or otherwise acquires a controlling interest in the target business sufficient for it not to be required to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act.
F-7
The Company will provide the holders (the “Public Stockholders”) of the Public Shares with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their Public Shares upon the completion of a Business Combination either (i) in connection with a stockholder meeting called to approve the Business Combination or (ii) by means of a tender offer. The decision as to whether the Company will seek stockholder approval of a Business Combination or conduct a tender offer will be made by the Company, solely in its discretion, subject to applicable law and stock exchange listing requirements. The Public Stockholders will be entitled to redeem their Public Shares for a pro rata portion of the amount then held in the Trust Account (initially anticipated to be $10.00 per Public Share). The per-share amount to be distributed to Public Stockholders who redeem their Public Shares will not be reduced by the deferred underwriting commissions the Company will pay to the underwriters (as discussed in Note 5). These Public Shares will be recorded at a redemption value and classified as temporary equity upon the completion of the Initial Public Offering in accordance with the Financial Accounting Standards Board’s (“FASB”) Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) Topic 480 “Distinguishing Liabilities from Equity” (“ASC 480”). The Company will proceed with a Business Combination only if a majority of the shares voted are voted in favor of the Business Combination. If a stockholder vote is not required by applicable law or stock exchange listing requirements and the Company does not decide to hold a stockholder vote for business or other reasons, the Company will, pursuant to its Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation, conduct the redemptions pursuant to the tender offer rules of the SEC and file tender offer documents with the SEC prior to completing a Business Combination. If, however, stockholder approval of the transaction is required by applicable law or stock exchange listing requirements, or the Company decides to obtain stockholder approval for business or other reasons, the Company will offer to redeem shares in conjunction with a proxy solicitation pursuant to the proxy rules and not pursuant to the tender offer rules. Additionally, each Public Stockholder may elect to redeem their Public Shares irrespective of whether they vote for or against the proposed transaction. If the Company seeks stockholder approval in connection with a Business Combination, the initial stockholders (as defined below) agreed to vote their Founder Shares (as defined below in Note 4) and any Public Shares purchased during or after the Initial Public Offering in favor of a Business Combination or don’t vote at all. In addition, the initial stockholders agreed to waive their redemption rights with respect to their Founder Shares and Public Shares in connection with the completion of a Business Combination.
The Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation provides that a Public Stockholder, together with any affiliate of such stockholder or any other person with whom such stockholder is acting in concert or as a “group” (as defined under Section 13 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”)), will be restricted from redeeming its Public Shares with respect to more than an aggregate of 15% of the Public Shares, without the prior consent of the Company. The Sponsor and the Company’s officers and directors (the “initial stockholders”) agreed not to propose an amendment to the Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation to modify the substance or timing of the Company’s obligation to allow redemptions in connection with its initial Business Combination or redeem 100% of the Public Shares if the Company does not complete a Business Combination within the initial Combination Period (as defined below) or with respect to any other provisions relating to stockholders’ rights or pre-initial Business Combination activity, unless the Company provides the Public Stockholders with the opportunity to redeem their Public Shares in conjunction with any such amendment.
If the Company is unable to complete a Business Combination within 27 months (including the three-month extension) from the closing of the Initial Public Offering, or May 17, 2023 (as such period may be extended by the Company’s stockholders in accordance with the Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation, the “Combination Period”), the Company will (1) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up; (2) as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter, subject to lawfully available funds therefor, redeem 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 in the trust account (net of taxes payable and less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses), divided by the number of then issued and outstanding Public Shares, which redemption will completely extinguish Public Stockholders’ rights as stockholders (including the right to receive further liquidating distributions, if any); and (3) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of the remaining stockholders and the Company’s board of directors, liquidate and dissolve, subject in each case to the Company’s obligations under Delaware law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law.
The initial stockholders agreed to waive their rights to liquidating distributions from the Trust Account with respect to the Founder Shares if the Company fails to complete a Business Combination within the Combination Period. However, if the initial stockholders acquire Public Shares in or after the Initial Public Offering, they will be entitled to liquidating distributions from the Trust Account with respect to such Public Shares if the Company fails to complete a Business Combination within the Combination Period. The underwriters agreed to waive their rights to the deferred underwriting commission (see Note 5) held in the Trust Account in the event the Company does not complete a Business Combination within the Combination Period and, in such event, such amounts will be included with the other funds held in the Trust Account that will be available to fund the redemption of the Public Shares. In the event of such distribution, it is possible that the per share value in the Trust Account will be only $10.00 or potentially less. In order to protect the amounts held in the Trust Account, the Sponsor agreed to be liable to the Company if and to the extent any claims by a third party (except for the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm) for services rendered or products sold to the Company, or a prospective target business with which the Company has discussed entering into a transaction agreement (a “Target”), reduce the amount of funds in the Trust Account to below the lesser of (i) $10.00 per Public Share and (ii) the actual amount per Public Share held in the Trust Account as of the date of the liquidation of the Trust Account, if less than $10.00 per Public Share due to reductions in the value of the trust assets, less taxes payable, provided that such liability will not apply to any claims by a third party or Target that executed a waiver of any and all rights to the monies held in the Trust Account (whether or not such waiver is enforceable) nor will it apply to any claims under the Company’s indemnity of the underwriters of the Initial Public Offering against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”). The Company will seek to reduce the possibility that the Sponsor will have to indemnify the Trust Account due to claims of creditors by endeavoring to have all vendors, service providers, Targets and other entities with which the Company does business, execute agreements with the Company waiving any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to monies held in the Trust Account.
F-8
Liquidity and Going Concern
As of December 31, 2022, the Company had approximately $1.7 million in its operating bank account and working capital deficit of approximately $2.6 million (not taking into account approximately $863,000 of taxes that may be paid using interest income from the Trust Account).
In connection with the Company’s assessment of going concern considerations in accordance with FASB Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) 2014-15, “Disclosures of Uncertainties about an Entity’s Ability to Continue as a Going Concern,” management has determined that the liquidity, the mandatory liquidation and the subsequent dissolution raise substantial doubt about the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern. No adjustments have been made to the carrying amounts of assets or liabilities should the Company be required to liquidate after May 17, 2023. The consolidated financial statements do not include any adjustment that might be necessary if the Company is unable to continue as a going concern. Management plans to consummate a Business Combination prior to the mandatory liquidation date.
Risks and Uncertainties
Management is currently evaluating the impact of the COVID-19 global pandemic and has concluded that while it is reasonably possible that the virus could have a negative effect on the Company’s financial position, results of its operations, and/or search for a target company, the specific impact is not readily determinable as of the date of these consolidated financial statement. The consolidated financial statements do not include any adjustments that might result from the outcome of this uncertainty.
In February 2022, the Russian Federation and Belarus commenced a military action with the country of Ukraine. As a result of this action, various nations, including the United States, have instituted economic sanctions against the Russian Federation and Belarus. Further, the impact of this action and related sanctions on the world economy are not determinable as of the date of these consolidated financial statements. The specific impact on the Company’s financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows is also not determinable as of the date of these consolidated financial statements.
On August 16, 2022, the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 was signed into federal law. The Inflation Reduction Act provides for, among other things, a new U.S. federal 1% excise tax on certain repurchases of stock by publicly traded U.S. domestic corporations and certain U.S. domestic subsidiaries of publicly traded foreign corporations occurring on or after January 1, 2023. The excise tax is imposed on the repurchasing corporation itself, not its stockholders from which shares are repurchased. The amount of the excise tax is generally 1% of the fair market value of the shares repurchased at the time of the repurchase. However, for purposes of calculating the excise tax, repurchasing corporations are permitted to net the fair market value of certain new stock issuances against the fair market value of stock repurchases during the same taxable year. In addition, certain exceptions apply to the excise tax. The U.S. Department of the Treasury (the “Treasury”) has been given authority to provide regulations and other guidance to carry out and prevent the abuse or avoidance of the excise tax. Any share redemption or other share repurchase that occurs after December 31, 2022, in connection with a Business Combination, extension vote or otherwise, may be subject to the excise tax. Whether and to what extent the Company would be subject to the excise tax in connection with a Business Combination, extension vote or otherwise will depend on a number of factors, including (i) the fair market value of the redemptions and repurchases in connection with the Business Combination, extension or otherwise, (ii) the structure of a Business Combination, (iii) the nature and amount of any “PIPE” or other equity issuances in connection with a Business Combination (or otherwise issued not in connection with a Business Combination but issued within the same taxable year of a Business Combination) and (iv) the content of regulations and other guidance from the Treasury. In addition, because the excise tax would be payable by the Company and not by the redeeming holder, the mechanics of any required payment of the excise tax have not been determined. The foregoing could cause a reduction in the cash available on hand to complete a Business Combination and in the Company’s ability to complete a Business Combination.
F-9
Proposed W3BCLOUD Business Combination
On July 31, 2022, the Company entered into a business combination agreement, by and among the Company, SLAC Merger Sub, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of the Company (“Merger Sub”), and W3BCLOUD Holdings Inc. (“W3BCLOUD”) (as it may be amended, supplemented or otherwise modified from time to time, the “Business Combination Agreement”). The Business Combination Agreement and the business combination were unanimously approved by the Company’s board of directors on July 8, 2022. If the Business Combination Agreement is approved by the Company’s stockholders and the transactions contemplated by the Business Combination Agreement are consummated, Merger Sub will merge with and into W3BCLOUD (the “Merger”), with W3BCLOUD surviving the Merger as a wholly owned subsidiary of New W3BCLOUD (as defined below). In addition, upon the effectiveness of the Charter Amendment, the Company will be renamed W3BCLOUD, Inc. and is referred to herein as “New W3BCLOUD” following the consummation of the transactions (collectively, the “W3BCLOUD Business Combination”).
Refer to the Form 8-K, as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on August 1, 2022 and the W3BCLOUD Disclosure Statement that we will file with the SEC for additional information. Unless specifically stated, this Annual Report does not give effect to the proposed W3BCLOUD Business Combination and does not contain the risks associated with the proposed W3BCLOUD Business Combination. Such risks and effects relating to the proposed W3BCLOUD Business Combination will be included in the W3BCLOUD Disclosure Statement.
Note 2 - Basis of Presentation and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies
Basis of Presentation
The accompanying financial statements are presented in U.S. dollars in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“GAAP”) for financial information and pursuant to the rules and regulations of the SEC.
Principles of Consolidation
The consolidated financial statements of the Company include its wholly owned subsidiary in connection with the Proposed W3BCLOUD Business Combination. All inter-company accounts and transactions are eliminated in consolidation.
Emerging Growth Company
The Company is an “emerging growth company,” as defined in Section 2(a) of the Securities Act, as modified by the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012 (the “JOBS Act”), and it may take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not emerging growth companies including, but not limited to, not being required to comply with the independent registered public accounting firm attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in its periodic reports and proxy statements, and exemptions from the requirements of holding a nonbinding advisory vote on executive compensation and stockholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved.
F-10
Further, Section 102(b)(1) of the JOBS Act exempts emerging growth companies from being required to comply with new or revised financial accounting standards until private companies (that is, those that have not had a Securities Act registration statement declared effective or do not have a class of securities registered under the Exchange Act) are required to comply with the new or revised financial accounting standards. The JOBS Act provides that an emerging growth company can elect to opt out of the extended transition period and comply with the requirements that apply to non-emerging growth companies but any such an election to opt out is irrevocable. The Company has elected not to opt out of such extended transition period, which means that when a standard is issued or revised and it has different application dates for public or private companies, the Company, as an emerging growth company, can adopt the new or revised standard at the time private companies adopt the new or revised standard. This may make comparison of the Company’s financial statements with another public company that is neither an emerging growth company nor an emerging growth company that has opted out of using the extended transition period difficult or impossible because of the potential differences in accounting standards used.
Use of Estimates
The preparation of consolidated financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. Making estimates requires management to exercise significant judgment. It is at least reasonably possible that the estimate of the effect of a condition, situation or set of circumstances that existed at the date of the consolidated financial statements, which management considered in formulating its estimate, could change in the near term due to one or more future confirming events. Actual results could differ from those estimates.
Concentration of Credit Risk
Financial instruments that potentially subject the Company to concentrations of credit risk consist of cash accounts in a financial institution, which, at times, may exceed the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation coverage limit of $250,000. As of December 31, 2022 and 2021, the Company has not experienced losses on these accounts and management believes the Company is not exposed to significant risks on such accounts.
Cash and Cash Equivalents
The Company considers all short-term investments with an original maturity of three months or less when purchased to be cash equivalents. The Company had no cash equivalents as of December 31, 2022 and 2021.
Investments Held in the Trust Account
The Company’s portfolio of investments is comprised of U.S. government securities, within the meaning set forth in Section 2(a)(16) of the Investment Company Act, with a maturity of 185 days or less, or investments in money market funds that invest in U.S. government securities and generally have a readily determinable fair value, or a combination thereof. When the Company’s investments held in the Trust Account are comprised of U.S. government securities, the investments are classified as trading securities. When the Company’s investments held in the Trust Account are comprised of money market funds, the investments are recognized at fair value. Trading securities and investments in money market funds are presented on the balance sheets at fair value at the end of each reporting period. Gains and losses resulting from the change in fair value of these securities is included in income on investments held in the Trust Account in the accompanying consolidated statements of operations. The estimated fair values of investments held in the Trust Account are determined using available market information.
Fair Value of Financial Instruments
The fair value of the Company’s assets and liabilities which qualify as financial instruments under the FASB ASC Topic 820, “Fair Value Measurements” equals or approximate the carrying amounts represented in the consolidated balance sheets.
F-11
Fair Value Measurements
Fair value is defined as the price that would be received for sale of an asset or paid for transfer of a liability, in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date. GAAP establishes a three-tier fair value hierarchy, which prioritizes the inputs used in measuring fair value. The hierarchy gives the highest priority to unadjusted quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities (Level 1 measurements) and the lowest priority to unobservable inputs (Level 3 measurements). These tiers include:
| ● | Level 1, defined as observable inputs such as quoted prices (unadjusted) for identical instruments in active markets; |
| ● | Level 2, defined as inputs other than quoted prices in active markets that are either directly or indirectly observable such as quoted prices for similar instruments in active markets or quoted prices for identical or similar instruments in markets that are not active; and |
| ● | Level 3, defined as unobservable inputs in which little or no market data exists, therefore requiring an entity to develop its own assumptions, such as valuations derived from valuation techniques in which one or more significant inputs or significant value drivers are unobservable. |
In some circumstances, the inputs used to measure fair value might be categorized within different levels of the fair value hierarchy. In those instances, the fair value measurement is categorized in its entirety in the fair value hierarchy based on the lowest level input that is significant to the fair value measurement.
Offering Costs Associated with the Initial Public Offering
Offering costs consisted of legal, accounting, underwriting fees and other costs incurred through the Initial Public Offering that were directly related to the Initial Public Offering. Offering costs were allocated to the separable financial instruments issued in the Initial Public Offering based on a relative fair value basis, compared to total proceeds received. Offering costs associated with derivative warrant liabilities were expensed as incurred and presented as non-operating expenses in the consolidated statements of operations. Offering costs associated with the Class A common stock issued were charged against the carrying value of the Class A common stock subject to possible redemption upon the completion of the Initial Public Offering and exercise of the over-allotment option. The Company classifies deferred underwriting commissions as non-current liabilities as their liquidation is not reasonably expected to require the use of current assets or require the creation of current liabilities.
Derivative Warrant Liabilities
The Company does not use derivative instruments to hedge exposures to cash flow, market, or foreign currency risks. The Company evaluates all of its financial instruments, including issued stock purchase warrants, to determine if such instruments are derivatives or contain features that qualify as embedded derivatives, pursuant to ASC 480 and FASB ASC Topic 815, “Derivatives and Hedging” (“ASC 815”). The classification of derivative instruments, including whether such instruments should be recorded as liabilities or as equity, is re-assessed at the end of each reporting period.
The 8,625,000 warrants issued in connection with the Initial Public Offering (the “Public Warrants”) and the 6,000,000 Private Placement Warrants are recognized as derivative liabilities in accordance with ASC 815. Accordingly, the Company recognizes the warrant instruments as liabilities at fair value and adjust the instruments to fair value at each reporting period. The liabilities are subject to remeasurement at each balance sheet date until exercised. For periods where no observable traded price is available, the Company utilized a Monte-Carlo simulation to estimate the fair value of the Public Warrants and used the Black-Scholes option pricing model to estimate the fair value of the Private Placement Warrants. Derivative warrant liabilities are classified as non-current liabilities as their liquidation is not reasonably expected to require the use of current assets or require the creation of current liabilities.
F-12
Class A Common Stock Subject to Possible Redemption
The Company accounts for its Class A common stock subject to possible redemption in accordance with the guidance in ASC Topic 480 “Distinguishing Liabilities from Equity.” Class A common stock subject to mandatory redemption (if any) is classified as liability instruments and are measured at fair value. Conditionally redeemable Class A common stock (including Class A common stock that features redemption rights that are either within the control of the holder or subject to redemption upon the occurrence of uncertain events not solely within the Company’s control) are classified as temporary equity. At all other times, Class A common stock is classified as stockholders’ equity. The Company’s Class A common stock feature certain redemption rights that are considered to be outside of the Company’s control and subject to the occurrence of uncertain future events. Accordingly, 34,500,000 shares of Class A common stock subject to possible redemption is presented at redemption value as temporary equity, outside of the stockholders’ equity section of the Company’s consolidated balance sheets. There was no non-redeemable Class A common stock issued or outstanding as of December 31, 2022 and 2021.
The Company recognizes changes in redemption value immediately as they occur and adjusts the carrying value of the Class A common stock subject to possible redemption to equal the redemption value at the end of each reporting period. Effective with the closing of the Initial Public Offering (including exercise of the over-allotment option), the Company recognized the remeasurement from initial book value to redemption amount, which resulted in charges against additional paid-in capital (to the extent available) and accumulated deficit.
Income Taxes
The Company follows the asset and liability method of accounting for income taxes under FASB ASC Topic 740, “Income Taxes” (“ASC 740”). Deferred tax assets and liabilities are recognized for the estimated future tax consequences attributable to differences between the financial statement carrying amounts of existing assets and liabilities and their respective tax bases. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are measured using enacted tax rates expected to apply to taxable income in the years in which those temporary differences are expected to be recovered or settled. The effect on deferred tax assets and liabilities of a change in tax rates is recognized in income in the period that included the enactment date. Valuation allowances are established, when necessary, to reduce deferred tax assets to the amount expected to be realized.
ASC 740 prescribes a recognition threshold and a measurement attribute for the financial statement recognition and measurement of tax positions taken or expected to be taken in a tax return. For those benefits to be recognized, a tax position must be more likely than not to be sustained upon examination by taxing authorities. There were no unrecognized tax benefits as of December 31, 2022. The Company recognizes accrued interest and penalties related to unrecognized tax benefits as income tax expense. No amounts were accrued for the payment of interest and penalties as of December 31, 2022. The Company is currently not aware of any issues under review that could result in significant payments, accruals or material deviation from its position. The Company is subject to income tax examinations by major taxing authorities since inception.
Net Income Per Common Stock
The Company complies with accounting and disclosure requirements of FASB ASC Topic 260, “Earnings Per Share.” The Company has two classes of shares, which are referred to as Class A common stock and Class B common stock. Income and losses are shared pro rata between the two classes of shares. Net income per common stock is calculated by dividing the net income by the weighted average shares of common stock outstanding for the respective period.
The calculation of diluted net income does not consider the effect of the warrants underlying the Units sold in the Initial Public Offering (including the consummation of the over-allotment) and the private placement warrants to purchase an aggregate of 14,625,000 Class A common stock in the calculation of diluted income per share, because their exercise is contingent upon future events and their inclusion would be anti-dilutive under the treasury stock method. As a result, diluted net income per share is the same as basic net income per share for the year ended December 31, 2022. Remeasurement associated with the redeemable Class A common stock is excluded from earnings per share as the redemption value approximates fair value.
The Company has considered the effect of Class B common stock that were excluded from weighted average number as they were contingent on the exercise of over-allotment option by the underwriters. Since the contingency was satisfied, the Company included these shares in the weighted average number as of the beginning of the period to determine the dilutive impact of these shares.
F-13
The table below presents a reconciliation of the numerator and denominator used to compute basic and diluted net income per share of common stock:
| For The Years Ended December 31, | ||||||||||||||||
| 2022 | 2021 | |||||||||||||||
| Class A | Class B | Class A | Class B | |||||||||||||
| Basic and diluted net income per common stock: | ||||||||||||||||
| Numerator: | ||||||||||||||||
| Allocation of net income, basic | $ | 7,756,235 | $ | 1,954,353 | $ | 1,984,486 | $ | 559,883 | ||||||||
| Allocation of net income, diluted | 7,756,235 | 1,954,353 | 1,984,486 | 567,315 | ||||||||||||
| Denominator: | ||||||||||||||||
| Basic weighted average common stock outstanding | 34,230,019 | 8,625,000 | 30,057,534 | 8,480,137 | ||||||||||||
| Diluted weighted average common stock outstanding | 34,230,019 | 8,625,000 | 30,057,534 | 8,625,000 | ||||||||||||
| Basic net income per common stock | $ | 0.23 | $ | 0.23 | $ | 0.07 | $ | 0.07 | ||||||||
| Diluted net income per common stock | $ | 0.23 | $ | 0.23 | $ | 0.07 | $ | 0.07 | ||||||||
Recent Accounting Pronouncements
In June 2022, the FASB issued ASU 2022-03, ASC Subtopic 820 “Fair Value Measurement of Equity Securities Subject to Contractual Sale Restrictions.” The ASU amends ASC 820 to clarify that a contractual sales restriction is not considered in measuring an equity security at fair value and to introduce new disclosure requirements for equity securities subject to contractual sale restrictions that are measured at fair value. The ASU applies to both holders and issuers of equity and equity-linked securities measured at fair value. The amendments in this ASU are effective for the Company in fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2023, and interim periods within those fiscal years. Early adoption is permitted for both interim and annual consolidated financial statements that have not yet been issued or made available for issuance. The Company is still evaluating the impact of this pronouncement on the consolidated financial statements.
The Company’s management does not believe that any other recently issued, but not yet effective, accounting standards if currently adopted would have a material effect on the accompanying consolidated financial statements.
Note 3 - Initial Public Offering
On February 17, 2021, the Company consummated its Initial Public Offering of 34,500,000 Units, including the exercise of the underwriters’ option to purchase 4,500,000 Option Units, at $10.00 per Unit, which generated gross proceeds of $345.0 million, and incurring offering costs of approximately $19.7 million, of which approximately $12.1 million and approximately $152,000 was for deferred underwriting commissions and deferred legal fees, respectively.
Each Unit consists of one share of Class A common stock, and one-fourth of one redeemable warrant (each, a “Public Warrant”). Each whole Public Warrant entitles the holder to purchase one share of Class A common stock at a price of $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment (see Note 7).
Note 4 - Related Party Transactions
Founder Shares
On December 11, 2020, the Sponsor paid $25,000 to cover certain offering costs on behalf of the Company in exchange for issuance of 7,187,500 shares of the Company’s Class B common stock, par value $0.0001 per share, (the “Founder Shares”). On January 20, 2021, the Company effected a 1:1.2 stock split of Class B common stock, resulting in an aggregate of 8,625,000 shares of Class B common stock outstanding. The Sponsor agreed to forfeit up to 1,125,000 Founder Shares to the extent that the over-allotment option was not exercised in full by the underwriters, so that the Founder Shares would represent 20.0% of the Company’s issued and outstanding shares after the Initial Public Offering. On February 17, 2021, the underwriter fully exercised its option to purchase additional; thus, these 1,125,000 Founder Shares were no longer subject to forfeiture.
F-14
The initial stockholders agreed, subject to limited exceptions, not to transfer, assign or sell any of the Founder Shares until the earlier to occur of: (1) one year after the completion of the initial Business Combination; and (2) subsequent to the initial Business Combination (x) if the last reported sale price of the Class A common stock equals or exceeds $12.00 per share (as adjusted for stock splits, stock dividends, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) for any 20-trading days within any 30-trading day period commencing at least 150 days after the initial Business Combination or (y) the date on which the Company completes a liquidation, merger, capital stock exchange, reorganization or other similar transaction that results in all of the Public Stockholders having the right to exchange their shares of Class A common stock for cash, securities or other property.
Private Placement Warrants
Simultaneously with the closing of the Initial Public Offering, the Company consummated the Private Placement of 6,000,000 Private Placement Warrants at a price of $1.50 per Private Placement Warrant to the Sponsor, generating proceeds of $9.0 million.
Each whole Private Placement Warrant is exercisable for one whole share of Class A common stock at a price of $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of the Private Placement Warrants was added to the proceeds from the Initial Public Offering held in the Trust Account. If the Company does not complete a Business Combination within the Combination Period, the Private Placement Warrants will expire worthless. The Private Placement Warrants will be non-redeemable for cash (except in certain limited circumstances) and exercisable on a cashless basis so long as they are held by the Sponsor or its permitted transferees.
The Sponsor and the Company’s officers and directors agreed, subject to limited exceptions, not to transfer, assign or sell any of their Private Placement Warrants until 30 days after the completion of the initial Business Combination.
Related Party Loans
On December 11, 2020, the Sponsor agreed to loan the Company an aggregate of up to $300,000 to cover expenses related to the Initial Public Offering pursuant to a promissory note (the “Note”). This loan was non-interest bearing and payable upon the completion of the Initial Public Offering. The Company borrowed approximately $178,000 under the Note and it was repaid in full on February 19, 2021. Subsequent to the repayment, the facility was no longer available to the Company.
In addition, in order to fund working capital deficiencies or finance transaction costs in connection with a Business Combination, the Sponsor or an affiliate of the Sponsor, or certain of the Company’s officers and directors may, but are not obligated to, loan the Company funds as may be required (“Working Capital Loans”). If the Company completes a Business Combination, the Company may repay the Working Capital Loans out of the proceeds of the Trust Account released to the Company. Otherwise, the Working Capital Loans would be repaid only out of funds held outside the Trust Account. In the event that a Business Combination does not close, the Company may use a portion of proceeds held outside the Trust Account to repay the Working Capital Loans but no proceeds held in the Trust Account would be used to repay the Working Capital Loans. The Working Capital Loans would either be repaid upon consummation of a Business Combination or, at the lenders’ discretion, up to $1.5 million of such Working Capital Loans may be convertible into warrants of the post Business Combination entity at a price of $1.50 per warrant. The warrants would be identical to the Private Placement Warrants.
In March 2022, the Company executed a Working Capital Loan (the “March 2022 Working Capital Loan”), bearing interest of 10% annually, providing the Company the ability to borrow up to $1.5 million. As of December 31, 2022 and 2021, the Company had $300,000 and $0, respectively, in borrowings under the March 2022 Working Capital Loan. As of December 31, 2022 and 2021, the Company had approximately $24,000 and $0, respectively, in interest expense on the March 2022 Working Capital Loan. The March 2022 Working Capital Loan has a conversion feature that is considered an embedded derivative, but the value is de minimis, as such, the March 2022 Working Capital Loan is presented at fair value on the accompanying consolidated balance sheets.
In June 2022, the Sponsor and the Company executed another Working Capital Loan (the “June 2022 Working Capital Loan”), bearing interest of 10% annually, providing the Company the ability to borrow up to $400,000. As of December 31, 2022 and 2021, the Company had approximately $400,000 and $0, respectively, in borrowings under the June 2022 Working Capital Loan. For the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021, the Company had approximately $18,000 and $0, respectively, in interest expense on the June 2022 Working Capital Loan. The June 2022 Working Capital Loan has a conversion feature that is considered an embedded derivative, but the value is de minimis, as such, the June 2022 Working Capital Loan is presented at fair value on the accompanying consolidated balance sheets.
F-15
Administrative Support Agreement and Certain Other Payments
Commencing on the date that the Company’s securities were first listed on a stock exchange through the earlier of consummation of the initial Business Combination and the Company’s liquidation, the Company agreed to pay the Sponsor a total of $10,000 per month for office space, support and administrative services. For the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021, the Company incurred expenses of approximately $0 and $93,000 under this agreement, included as general and administrative expenses, related party in the consolidated statements of operations, respectively. As of December 31, 2022 and 2021, the Company had accrued approximately $0 and $60,000, respectively, for services in connection with such agreement on the accompanying consolidated balance sheets. In April 2022, the Sponsor terminated this agreement retroactive to January 1, 2022.
The Sponsor, executive officers and directors, or any of their respective affiliates will be reimbursed for any out-of-pocket expenses incurred in connection with activities on the Company’s behalf such as identifying potential target businesses and performing due diligence on suitable Business Combinations. The Company’s audit committee will review on a quarterly basis all payments that were made to the Sponsor, executive officers or directors, or the Company’s or their affiliates.
Note 5 - Commitments and Contingencies
Registration Rights
The holders of Founder Shares, Private Placement Warrants and warrants that may be issued upon conversion of Working Capital Loans, if any (and any shares of Class A common stock issuable upon the exercise of the Private Placement Warrants and warrants that may be issued upon conversion of Working Capital Loans and upon conversion of the Founder Shares), were entitled to registration rights pursuant to a registration rights agreement. These holders were entitled to certain demand and “piggyback” registration rights. The Company will bear the expenses incurred in connection with the filing of any such registration statements.
Underwriting Agreement
The Company granted the underwriters a 45-day option from the date of the final prospectus relating to the Initial Public Offering to purchase up to 4,500,000 additional Units to cover over-allotments, if any, at the Initial Public Offering price, less underwriting discounts and commissions. On February 17, 2021, the underwriter fully exercised its option to purchase additional Units.
The underwriters were entitled to an underwriting discount of $0.20 per Unit, or $6.9 million in the aggregate, paid upon the closing of the Initial Public Offering. In addition, $0.35 per Unit, or approximately $12.1 million in the aggregate will be payable to the underwriters for deferred underwriting commissions. The deferred fee will become payable to the underwriters from the amounts held in the Trust Account solely in the event that the Company completes a Business Combination, subject to the terms of the underwriting agreement.
On January 18, 2023, the Company received a formal letter, from Barclays Capital Inc. (“Barclays”), one of the underwriters in the Company’s Initial Public Offering, advising that it had, among other things, (i) resigned from and ceased or refused to act in, its roles as co-placement agent, co-capital markets advisor and exclusive financial advisor to the Company in connection with the Merger and as underwriter in the Company’s initial public offering and (ii) waived its right to receive an aggregate of $13.1 million in fees, all of which were contingent upon and payable upon the closing of the Merger, consisting of 2% of gross proceeds for its role as co-placement agent, $3.5 million for its role as financial advisor, a discretionary fee of up to $3.0 million, and $6.6 million of deferred underwriting fees accrued from its participation in the Company’s initial public offering, as well as any expense reimbursements owed to it under those arrangements. The Company intends to continue to pursue the consummation of an initial Business Combination.
F-16
Deferred Legal Fees
The Company engaged a legal counsel firm for legal advisory services, and the legal counsel agreed to defer their fees in excess of $225,000 (“Deferred Legal Fees”). The deferred fee will become payable in the event that the Company completes a Business Combination. As of December 31, 2022 and 2021, there are deferred legal fees of approximately $152,000, recognized in connection with such services on the accompanying consolidated balance sheets.
Note 6 - Class A Common Stock Subject to Possible Redemption
The Company’s Class A common stock feature certain redemption rights that are considered to be outside of the Company’s control and subject to the occurrence of future events. The Company is authorized to issue 100,000,000 shares of Class A common stock with a par value of $0.0001 per share. Holder of the Company’s Class A common stock are entitled to one vote for each share. As of December 31, 2022 and 2021, there were 1,652,286 and 34,500,000 shares of Class A common stock outstanding, respectively, all of which were subject to possible redemption and are classified outside of permanent equity in the consolidated balance sheets.
The Class A common stock subject to possible redemption reflected on the consolidated balance sheets is reconciled on the following table:
| Gross proceeds from Initial Public Offering | $ | 345,000,000 | ||
| Less: | ||||
| Fair value of Public Warrants at issuance | (9,660,000 | ) | ||
| Offering costs allocated to Class A common stock subject to possible redemption | (19,132,240 | ) | ||
| Plus: | ||||
| Remeasurement of Class A common stock subject to possible redemption amount | 28,792,240 | |||
| Class A common stock subject to possible redemption, December 31, 2021 | 345,000,000 | |||
| Remeasurement of Class A common stock subject to possible redemption amount | 3,527,609 | |||
| Redemption of Class A common stock subject to possible redemption | (331,500,835 | ) | ||
| Class A common stock subject to possible redemption, December 31, 2022 | $ | 17,026,774 |
In connection with the Charter Amendment, stockholders elected to redeem 32,847,714 shares of our Class A common stock, resulting in redemption payments on December 29, 2022 out of the Trust Account totaling approximately $331,500,835. Subsequent to the redemptions, approximately $16,674,956 remained in the Trust Account and 1,652,286 shares of Class A common stock remained outstanding. At December 31, 2022, there was approximately $863,000 of taxes that may be paid using interest income from the Trust Account.
Note 7 - Stockholders’ Deficit
Preferred Stock - The Company is authorized to issue 1,000,000 shares of preferred stock, par value $0.0001 per share, with such designations, voting and other rights and preferences as may be determined from time to time by the Company’s board of directors. As of December 31, 2022 and 2021, there were no shares of preferred stock issued or outstanding.
Class A Common Stock - The Company is authorized to issue 80,000,000 shares of Class A common stock with a par value of $0.0001 per share. As of December 31, 2022 and 2021, there were 1,652,286 and 34,500,000 shares of Class A common stock issued and outstanding, respectively. All shares of Class A common stock subject to possible redemption have been classified as temporary equity (see Note 6).
Class B Common Stock - The Company is authorized to issue 20,000,000 shares of Class B common stock with a par value of $0.0001 per share. As of February 17, 2021, there were 8,625,000 shares of Class B common stock outstanding, which amount have been retroactively restated to reflect the stock split as discussed in Note 4. Of these, up to 1,125,000 shares of Class B common stock were subject to forfeiture, to the Company by the Sponsor for no consideration to the extent that the underwriters’ over-allotment option was not exercised in full or in part, so that the number of shares of Class B common stock outstanding would collectively equal 20% of the Company’s issued and outstanding common stock after the Initial Public Offering. On February 17, 2021, the underwriter fully exercised its option to purchase additional Units; thus, these 1,125,000 shares of Class B common stock were no longer subject to forfeiture. There were 8,625,000 shares issued and outstanding as of December 31, 2022 and 2021.
F-17
Holders of Class A common stock and holders of Class B common stock will vote together as a single class, with each share entitling the holder to one vote; provided, however, that, prior to the closing of the Company’s initial Business Combination, only holders of Class B common stock will have the right to elect or remove the Company’s directors.
The Class B common stock will automatically convert into Class A common stock at the time of the initial Business Combination, or earlier at the option of the holder, on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustment for stock splits, stock dividends, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like, and subject to further adjustment as provided herein. In the case that additional shares of Class A common stock, or equity-linked securities, are issued or deemed issued in excess of the amounts issued in the Initial Public Offering and related to the closing of the initial Business Combination, the ratio at which the shares of Class B common stock will convert into shares of Class A common stock will be adjusted (unless the holders of a majority of the issued and outstanding shares of Class B common stock agree to waive such anti-dilution adjustment with respect to any such issuance or deemed issuance) so that the number of shares of Class A common stock issuable upon conversion of all shares of Class B common stock will equal, in the aggregate, on an as-converted basis, 20% of the sum of all shares of common stock issued and outstanding upon the completion of the Initial Public Offering plus all shares of Class A common stock and equity-linked securities issued or deemed issued in connection with the initial Business Combination, excluding any shares or equity-linked securities issued, or to be issued, to any seller in the initial Business Combination.
Note 8 - Warrants
As of December 31, 2022 and 2021, the Company had 8,625,000 Public Warrants and 6,000,000 Private Placement Warrants outstanding.
Public Warrants may only be exercised in whole and only for a whole number of shares. No fractional Public Warrants will be issued upon separation of the Units and only whole Public Warrants will trade. The Public Warrants will become exercisable on the later of (a) 30 days after the completion of a Business Combination and (b) 12 months from the closing of the Initial Public Offering; provided in each case that the Company has an effective registration statement under the Securities Act covering the issuance of the shares of Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the Public Warrants and a current prospectus relating to them is available (or the Company permits holders to exercise their Public Warrants on a cashless basis and such cashless exercise is exempt from registration under the Securities Act). The Company agreed that as soon as practicable, but in no event later than 15 business days after the closing of the initial Business Combination, the Company will use its commercially reasonable efforts to file with the SEC and have an effective registration statement covering the shares of Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants and to maintain a current prospectus relating to those shares of Class A common stock until the warrants expire or are redeemed. If a registration statement covering the Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants is not effective by the 60th business day after the closing of the initial Business Combination, warrant holders may, until such time as there is an effective registration statement and during any period when the Company will have failed to maintain an effective registration statement, exercise warrants on a “cashless basis” in accordance with Section 3(a)(9) of the Securities Act or another exemption. Notwithstanding the above, if the Company’s shares of Class A common stock are at the time of any exercise of a warrant not listed on a national securities exchange such that they satisfy the definition of a “covered security” under Section 18(b)(1) of the Securities Act, the Company may, at its option, require holders of Public Warrants who exercise their warrants to do so on a “cashless basis” in accordance with Section 3(a)(9) of the Securities Act and, in the event the Company so elect, it will not be required to file or maintain in effect a registration statement, and in the event the Company does not so elect, it will use commercially reasonable efforts to register or qualify the shares under applicable blue sky laws to the extent an exemption is not available. The Public Warrants will expire five years after the completion of a Business Combination or earlier upon redemption or liquidation.
The warrants have an exercise price of $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment. In addition, if (x) the Company issues additional shares of Class A common stock or equity-linked securities for capital raising purposes in connection with the closing of the initial Business Combination at an issue price or effective issue price of less than $9.20 per share of Class A common stock (with such issue price or effective issue price to be determined in good faith by the board of directors and, in the case of any such issuance to the Sponsor or its affiliates, without taking into account any Founder Shares held by the Sponsor or such affiliates, as applicable, prior to such issuance) (the “Newly Issued Price”), (y) the aggregate gross proceeds from such issuances represent more than 60% of the total equity proceeds, and interest thereon, available for the funding of the initial Business Combination on the date of the completion of the initial Business Combination (net of redemptions), and (z) the volume weighted average trading price of the shares of Class A common stock during the 20-trading day period starting on the trading day prior to the day on which the Company consummates its initial Business Combination (such price, the “Market Value”) is below $9.20 per share, the exercise price of the warrants will be adjusted (to the nearest cent) to be equal to 115% of the higher of the Market Value and the Newly Issued Price, and the $18.00 and $10.00 per share redemption trigger prices described under “Redemption of warrants when the price per share of Class A common stock equals or exceeds $18.00” and “Redemption of warrants when the price per share of Class A common stock equals or exceeds $10.00” will be adjusted (to the nearest cent) to be equal to 180% and 100%, respectively, of the higher of the Market Value and the Newly Issued Price.
F-18
The Private Placement Warrants will be identical to the Public Warrants, except that the Private Placement Warrants and the shares of Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the Private Placement Warrants will not be transferable, assignable or salable until 30 days after the completion of a Business Combination, subject to certain limited exceptions. Additionally, the Private Placement Warrants will be non-redeemable so long as they are held by the Sponsor or its permitted transferees, except in certain limited circumstances. If the Private Placement Warrants are held by someone other than the Sponsor or its permitted transferees, the Private Placement Warrants will be redeemable by the Company and exercisable by such holders on the same basis as the Public Warrants.
Redemption of warrants when the price per share of Class A common stock equals or exceeds $18.00:
Once the warrants become exercisable, the Company may redeem the outstanding warrants (except as described herein with respect to the Private Placement Warrants):
| ● | in whole and not in part; |
| ● | at a price of $0.01 per warrant; |
| ● | upon a minimum of 30 days’ prior written notice of redemption to each warrant holder; and |
| ● | if, and only if, the last reported sale price of Class A common stock for any 20-trading days within a 30-trading day period ending on the third trading day prior to the date on which the Company sends the notice of redemption to the warrant holders (the “Reference Value”) equals or exceeds $18.00 per share (as adjusted for stock splits, stock dividends, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like). |
The Company will not redeem the warrants as described above unless a registration statement under the Securities Act covering the issuance of the shares of Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants is then effective and a current prospectus relating to those shares of common stock is available throughout the 30-day redemption period.
Except as described below, none of the Private Placement Warrants will be redeemable by us so long as they are held by the Sponsor or its permitted transferees.
Redemption of warrants when the price per share of Class A common stock equals or exceeds $10.00:
Once the warrants become exercisable, the Company may redeem the outstanding warrants:
| ● | in whole and not in part; |
| ● | at $0.10 per warrant upon a minimum of 30 days’ prior written notice of redemption, provided that holders will be able to exercise their warrants on a cashless basis prior to redemption and receive that number of shares determined by reference to an agreed table based on the redemption date and the “fair market value” of Class A common stock; and |
| ● | if, and only if, the Reference Value equals or exceeds $10.00 per share as adjusted for stock splits, stock dividends, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like; and |
| ● | if the Reference Value is less than $18.00 per share (as adjusted for stock splits, stock dividends, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like), the Private Placement Warrants must also concurrently be called for redemption on the same terms as the outstanding Public Warrants, as described above. |
F-19
The “fair market value” of Class A common stock shall mean the volume-weighted average price of Class A common stock for the 10 trading days immediately following the date on which the notice of redemption is sent to the holders of warrants. In no event will the warrants be exercisable in connection with this redemption feature for more than 0.361 shares of Class A common stock per warrant (subject to adjustment).
If the Company is unable to complete a Business Combination within the Combination Period and the Company liquidates the funds held in the Trust Account, holders of warrants will not receive any of such funds with respect to their warrants, nor will they receive any distribution from the Company’s assets held outside of the Trust Account with the respect to such warrants. Accordingly, the warrants may expire worthless.
Note 9 - Fair Value Measurements
The following table presents information about the Company’s assets and liabilities that are measured at fair value on a recurring basis as of December 31, 2022 and 2021, and indicates the fair value hierarchy of the valuation techniques that the Company utilized to determine such fair value.
December 31, 2022 | ||||||||||||
| Description | Quoted Prices in Active Markets (Level 1) | Significant Other Observable Inputs (Level 2) | Significant Other Unobservable Inputs (Level 3) | |||||||||
| Assets: | ||||||||||||
| Investments held in Trust Account - Money market funds | $ | 16,674,956 | $ | - | $ | - | ||||||
| Liabilities: | ||||||||||||
| Derivative warrant liabilities - Public warrants | $ | 517,500 | $ | - | $ | - | ||||||
| Derivative warrant liabilities - Private placement warrants | $ | - | $ | 358,960 | $ | - | ||||||
| December 31, 2021 | ||||||||||||
| Description | Quoted Prices in Active Markets (Level 1) | Significant Other Observable Inputs (Level 2) | Significant Other Unobservable Inputs (Level 3) | |||||||||
| Assets: | ||||||||||||
| Investments held in Trust Account - Money market funds | $ | 345,034,062 | $ | - | $ | - | ||||||
| Liabilities: | ||||||||||||
| Derivative warrant liabilities - Public warrants | $ | 7,158,750 | $ | - | $ | - | ||||||
| Derivative warrant liabilities - Private placement warrants | $ | - | $ | 4,980,000 | $ | - | ||||||
Transfers to/from Levels 1, 2, and 3 are recognized at the beginning of the reporting period. The estimated fair value of the Public Warrants was transferred from a Level 3 measurement to a Level 1 measurement, when the Public Warrants were separately listed and traded in an active market in April 2021. The estimated fair value of the Private Placement Warrants was transferred from a Level 3 measurement to a Level 2 measurement in April 2021, as the transfer of Private Placement Warrants to anyone who is not a permitted transferee would result in the Private Placement Warrants having substantially the same terms as the Public Warrants, the Company determined that the fair value of each Private Placement Warrant is equivalent to that of each Public Warrant. There were no other transfers to/from Levels 1, 2, and 3 during the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021.
F-20
For periods where no observable traded price is available, the Company utilized a Monte-Carlo simulation to estimate the fair value of the Public Warrants and used the Black-Scholes option pricing model to estimate the fair value of the Private Placement Warrants. For periods subsequent to the detachment of the Public Warrants from the Units, the fair value of the Public Warrants is based on the observable listed price for such warrants. The estimated fair value of the Public and Private Placement Warrants, prior to the Public Warrants being traded in an active market, was determined using Level 3 inputs. Inherent in a binomial lattice model are assumptions related to the Unit price, expected volatility, risk-free interest rate, term to expiration, and dividend yield. The Unit price is based on the publicly traded price of the Units as of the measurement date. The Company estimated the volatility for the Public and Private Placement Warrants based on the implied volatility from the traded prices of warrants issued by other special purpose acquisition companies. The risk-free interest rate is based on interpolated U.S. Treasury rates, commensurate with a similar term to the Public and Private Placement Warrants. The term to expiration was calculated as the contractual term of the Public and Private Placement Warrants, assuming one year to a Business Combination from the IPO date. Finally, the Company does not anticipate paying a dividend. Any changes in these assumptions can change the valuation significantly.
For the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021, the Company recognized a gain resulting from changes in the fair value of derivative warrant liabilities of approximately $11.3 million and $4.2 million, which is presented in the accompanying consolidated statements of operations, respectively.
The following table provides quantitative information regarding Level 3 fair value measurements inputs at their measurement dates:
| Initial Fair Value | ||||
| Exercise price | $ | 11.50 | ||
| Stock price | $ | 9.72 | ||
| Volatility | 17.6 | % | ||
| Term (in years) | 6.5 | |||
| Risk-free rate | 0.85 | % | ||
The change in the fair value of the derivative warrant liabilities, measured using Level 3 inputs, for the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021 is summarized as follows:
| Derivative warrant liabilities at January 1, 2021 | $ | - | ||
| Issuance of Public and Private Warrants | 16,380,000 | |||
| Change in fair value of derivative warrant liabilities | 1,755,000 | |||
| Transfer of Public Warrants to Level 1 | (10,695,000 | ) | ||
| Transfer of Private Warrants to Level 2 | (7,440,000 | ) | ||
| Derivative warrant liabilities as of December 31, 2021 | - | |||
| Derivative warrant liabilities as of December 31, 2022 | $ | - |
Note 10 - Income taxes
The Company’s taxable income primarily consists of interest income on the Trust Account. The Company’s general and administrative expenses are generally considered start-up costs and are not currently deductible. For the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021, there was income tax expense of approximately $1.1 million and $0, respectively.
The Company’s net deferred tax assets are as follows:
| December 31, 2022 | December 31, 2021 | |||||||
| Deferred tax assets: | ||||||||
| Start-up/Organization costs | $ | 1,560,377 | $ | 204,375 | ||||
| Net operating loss carryforwards | - | 34,319 | ||||||
| Total deferred tax assets | 1,560,377 | 238,694 | ||||||
| Valuation allowance | (1,560,377 | ) | (238,694 | ) | ||||
| Deferred tax asset, net of allowance | $ | - | $ | - | ||||
F-21
The income tax provision (benefit) consists of the following:
| December 31, 2022 | December 31, 2021 | |||||||
| Current | ||||||||
| Federal | $ | 953,132 | $ | - | ||||
| State | 50 | - | ||||||
| Deferred | ||||||||
| Federal | (1,078,928 | ) | (238,587 | ) | ||||
| State | (242,862 | ) | - | |||||
| Valuation allowance | 1,321,790 | 238,587 | ||||||
| Income tax provision | $ | 953,182 | $ | - | ||||
As of December 31, 2022 and 2021, the Company had federal net operating loss carryforwards of $0 and $165,988, respectively, that may be carried forward indefinitely.
In assessing the realization of deferred tax assets, management considers whether it is more likely than not that some portion or all of the deferred tax assets will not be realized. The ultimate realization of deferred tax assets is dependent upon the generation of future taxable income during the periods in which temporary differences representing net future deductible amounts become deductible. Management considers the scheduled reversal of deferred tax assets, projected future taxable income and tax planning strategies in making this assessment. After consideration of all of the information available, management believes that significant uncertainty exists with respect to future realization of the deferred tax assets and has therefore established a full valuation allowance. For the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021, the change in valuation allowance was $1,321,790 and $238,587, respectively.
A reconciliation of the statutory federal income tax rate to the Company’s effective tax rate is as follows:
| December 31, 2022 | December 31, 2021 | |||||||
| Statutory federal income tax rate | 21.0 | % | 21.0 | % | ||||
| Change in fair value of derivative warrant liabilities | (22.2 | )% | (35.0 | )% | ||||
| Transaction costs allocated to derivative warrant liabilities | 0 | % | 4.6 | % | ||||
| Change in valuation allowance | 14.6 | % | 9.4 | % | ||||
| Income tax expenses | 13.4 | % | 0.0 | % | ||||
The Company files income tax returns in the U.S. federal jurisdiction and Arizona and is subject to examination by various taxing authorities.
Note 11 - Subsequent Events
The Company has evaluated subsequent events and transactions that occurred up to the date the consolidated financial statements were issued. Based upon this review, except as described in Note 5 and below, the Company did not identify any other subsequent events that would have required adjustment or disclosure in the consolidated financial statements.
On January 18, 2023, the Company and Barclays Capital Inc., one of the underwriters in the Company’s Initial Public Offering, entered into an agreement pursuant to which Barclays Capital Inc. waived all rights to its pro rata share of the Deferred Discount (as defined in the Underwriting Agreement, dated February 21, 2022, among the Company, and Barclays Capital Inc.). Barclays Capital Inc. pro rata share of the Deferred Discount was approximately $6.6 million and was payable by the Company upon consummation of an initial business combination. The Company intends to continue to pursue the consummation of an initial business combination with an appropriate target.
On January 26, 2023, the Company and BofA Securities, Inc., one of the underwriters in the Company’s Initial Public Offering, entered into an agreement pursuant to which BofA Securities, Inc. waived all rights to its pro rata share of the Deferred Discount (as defined in the Underwriting Agreement, dated February 11, 2021, among the Company, and BofA Securities, Inc.). BofA Securities, Inc. pro rata share of the Deferred Discount was approximately $5.5 million and was payable by the Company upon consummation of an initial business combination. The Company intends to continue to pursue the consummation of an initial business combination with an appropriate target.
F-22
Item 16. Form 10-K Summary.
None.
69
SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.
| Social Leverage Acquisition Corp I | ||
| Date: March 28, 2023 | ||
| /s/ Douglas Horlick | ||
| By: | Douglas Horlick | |
| Chief Operating Officer | ||
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, this report has been signed below by the following persons on behalf of the Registrant and in the capacities and on the dates indicated.
| /s/ Howard Lindzon | ||
| Name: | Howard Lindzon | |
| Title: | Chief Executive Officer and Director | |
| (Principal Executive Officer) | ||
| Date: | March 28, 2023 | |
| /s/ Douglas Horlick | ||
| Name: | Douglas Horlick | |
| Title: | President and Chief Operating Officer | |
| Date: | March 28, 2023 | |
| /s/ Paul Grinberg | ||
| Name: | Paul Grinberg | |
| Title: | Chairman of the Board of Directors | |
| (Principal Financial and Accounting Officer) | ||
| Date: | March 28, 2023 | |
| /s/ Michael Lazerow | ||
| Name: | Michael Lazerow | |
| Title: | Director | |
| Date: | March 28, 2023 | |
| /s/ Michael Marquez | ||
| Name: | Michael Marquez | |
| Title: | Director | |
| Date: | March 28, 2023 | |
| /s/ Ross Mason | ||
| Name: | Ross Mason | |
| Title: | Director | |
| Date: | March 28, 2023 | |
| /s/ Brian Norgard | ||
| Name: | Brian Norgard | |
| Title: | Director | |
| Date: | March 28, 2023 | |
| /s/ Katherine Rosa | ||
| Name: | Katherine Rosa | |
| Title: | Director | |
| Date: | March 28, 2023 | |
70