| ☒ | Annual Report Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 |
| ☐ | TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(D) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934 |
Delaware | 86-1740840 | |
(State or Other Jurisdiction of Incorporation) | (I.R.S. Employer Identification No.) | |
375 Park Avenue, 24th Floor New York, NY | 10152 | |
(Address of principal executive offices) | (zip code) | |
Title of each class | Trading Symbol(s) | Name of each exchange on which registered | ||
Units | EGGFU | The New York Stock Exchange | ||
Class A common stock | EGGF | The New York Stock Exchange | ||
Warrants | EGGFW | The New York Stock Exchange |
| Large accelerated filer | ☐ | Accelerated filer | ☐ | |||
| Non-accelerated filer | ☒ | Smaller reporting company | ☒ | |||
| Emerging growth company | ☒ | |||||
EG ACQUISITION CORP.
FORM 10-K
TABLE OF CONTENTS
- 1 -
PART I
| ITEM 1. | BUSINESS |
In this Annual Report on Form 10-K (the “Form 10-K”), references to the “Company” and to “we,” “us,” and “our” refer to EG Acquisition Corp.
We are a blank check company incorporated as a Delaware corporation and 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. We intend to effectuate our initial business combination using cash from the proceeds of the initial public offering (“IPO”) and the private placement of the private placement warrants (“Private Placement Warrants”), the proceeds of the sale of our shares in connection with our initial business combination (which may include sales pursuant to a forward purchase agreement), shares issued to the owners of the target, debt issued to bank or other lenders or the owners of the target, or a combination of the foregoing.
On May 28, 2021, we consummated the IPO of 22,500,000 units, at a price of $10.00 per unit, generating gross proceeds of $225,000,000. Simultaneously with the closing of the IPO, we consummated the sale of 4,333,333 Private Placement Warrants, at a price of $1.50 per Private Placement Warrant, in a private placement to the sponsor, generating gross proceeds of $6,500,000. Of the net proceeds from the IPO and associated private placements, $225,000,000 of cash was placed in the trust account.
On January 29, 2021, EG Sponsor LLC, our sponsor, paid $25,000 to cover certain of the Company’s offering costs in exchange for 5,750,000 shares of Class B common stock (“founder shares”). In March 2021, the Company effected a stock dividend of 1,437,500 shares with respect to its Class B common stock, resulting in the sponsor holding an aggregate of 7,187,500 founder shares. On May 25, 2021, the sponsor surrendered an aggregate of 718,750 shares of Class B common stock for no consideration, which were cancelled, resulting in an aggregate of 6,468,750 shares of Class B common stock outstanding and held by the sponsor. In July 2021, an additional 843,750 of the founder shares were forfeited due to the underwriters’ over-allotment not exercised, resulting in 5,625,000 founder shares remaining outstanding.
As described above, simultaneously with the closing of the IPO, the sponsor purchased an aggregate of 4,333,333 Private Placement Warrants at a price of $1.50 per Private Placement Warrant, for an aggregate purchase price of $6,500,000, in a private placement. Each Private Placement Warrant entitles the holder to purchase one share of the Class A common stock at a price of $11.50 per share. The Private Placement Warrants (including the Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the Private Placement Warrants) will not be transferable, assignable or salable until three years after the completion of the initial business combination and they will not be redeemable by the Company so long as they are held by the sponsor or its permitted transferees. The sponsor, or its permitted transferees, has the option to exercise the Private Placement Warrants on a cashless basis. Except as described below, the Private Placement Warrants have terms and provisions that are identical to those of the warrants sold as part of the Units in the IPO, including as to exercise price, exercisability and exercise period. If the Private Placement Warrants are held by holders other than the sponsor or its permitted transferees, the Private Placement Warrants will be redeemable by the Company and exercisable by the holders on the same basis as the warrants included in the Units sold in the IPO.
The Company incurred offering costs amounting to $13,000,756 as a result of the IPO consisting of a $4,500,000 underwriting discount, $7,875,000 of deferred underwriting commission, and $625,756 of other offering costs. The Company recorded $12,609,646 of offering costs as a reduction of equity in connection with the Class A common stock included in the Units. The Company immediately expensed $391,110 of offering costs in connection with the Warrants that were classified as liabilities.
For further details regarding our business, see the section titled “Proposed Business” contained in our prospectus dated May 25, 2021, incorporated by reference herein (the “prospectus”).
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Effecting a Business Combination
General
We are not presently engaged in, and we will not engage in, any operations until after the consummation of the initial business combination. We intend to effectuate our initial business combination using cash from the proceeds of the IPO and the private placement of the Private Placement Warrants, the proceeds of the sale of our shares in connection with our initial business combination (which may include sales pursuant to a forward purchase agreement or backstop agreement we may enter into following the consummation of the IPO or otherwise), shares issued to the owners of the target, debt issued to bank or other lenders or the owners of the target, or a combination of the foregoing. We may seek to complete our initial business combination with a company or business that may be financially unstable or in its early stages of development or growth, which would subject us to the numerous risks inherent in such companies and businesses.
If our initial business combination is paid for using equity or debt securities, or not all of the funds released from the trust account are used for payment of the consideration in connection with our initial business combination or used for redemptions of our Class A common stock, we may apply the balance of the cash released to us from the trust account for general corporate purposes, including for maintenance or expansion of operations of the post-transaction company, the payment of principal or interest due on indebtedness incurred in completing our initial business combination, to fund the purchase of other companies or for working capital.
We may seek to raise additional funds through a private offering of debt or equity securities in connection with the completion of our initial business combination, and we may effectuate our initial business combination using the proceeds of such offering rather than using the amounts held in the trust account. In addition, we intend to target businesses larger than we could acquire with the net proceeds of the IPO and the sale of the Private Placement Warrants, and may as a result be required to seek additional financing to complete such proposed initial business combination. Subject to compliance with applicable securities laws, we would expect to complete such financing only simultaneously with the completion of our initial business combination. In the case of an initial business combination funded with assets other than the trust account assets, our proxy materials or tender offer documents disclosing the initial business combination would disclose the terms of the financing and, only if required by law, we would seek stockholder approval of such financing. There are no prohibitions on our ability to raise funds privately or through loans in connection with our initial business combination. At this time, we are not a party to any arrangement or understanding with any third party with respect to raising any additional funds through the sale of securities or otherwise, other than the Bridge Notes as described below under “Proposed Business Combination- Bridge Notes.”
Sources of Target Businesses
We anticipate that target business candidates will be brought to our attention from various unaffiliated sources, including investment bankers and investment professionals. Target businesses may be brought to our attention by such unaffiliated sources as a result of being solicited by us by calls or mailings. These sources may also introduce us to target businesses in which they think we may be interested on an unsolicited basis, since many of these sources will have read the prospectus and know what types of businesses we are targeting. Our officers and directors, as well as our sponsor and their affiliates, may also bring to our attention target business candidates that they become aware of through their business contacts as a result of formal or informal inquiries or discussions they may have, as well as attending trade shows or conventions. In addition, we expect to receive a number of proprietary deal flow opportunities that would not otherwise necessarily be available to us as a result of the business relationships of our officers and directors and our sponsor and their respective industry and business contacts as well as their affiliates. While we do not presently anticipate engaging the services of professional firms or other individuals that specialize in business acquisitions on any formal basis, we may engage these firms or other individuals in the future, in which event we may pay a finder’s fee, consulting fee, advisory fee or other compensation to be determined in an arm’s length negotiation based on the terms of the transaction. We will engage a finder only to the extent our management determines that the use of a finder may bring opportunities to us that may not otherwise be available to us or if finders approach us on an unsolicited basis with a potential transaction that our management determines is in our best interest to pursue. Payment of finder’s fees is customarily tied to completion of a transaction, in which case any such fee will be paid out of the funds held in the trust account. In no event will our sponsor or any of our existing officers or directors, or any entity with which our sponsor or officers are affiliated, be paid any finder’s fee, reimbursement, consulting fee, monies in respect of any payment of a loan or other compensation by the Company prior to, or in connection with any services rendered for any services they render in order to effectuate, the completion of our initial business combination (regardless of the type of transaction that it is). Although none of our sponsor, executive officers or directors, or any of their respective affiliates, will be allowed to receive any compensation, finder’s fees or consulting fees from a prospective business combination target in connection with a contemplated initial business combination, we do not have a policy that prohibits our sponsor, executive officers or directors, or any of their respective affiliates, from negotiating for the reimbursement of out-of-pocket expenses by a target business. We have agreed to pay our sponsor a total of $10,000 per month for office space, utilities and secretarial and administrative support and to reimburse our sponsor for any out-of-pocket expenses related to identifying, investigating and completing an initial business combination. Some of our officers and directors may enter into employment or consulting agreements with the post-transaction company following our initial business combination. The presence or absence of any such fees or arrangements will not be used as a criterion in our selection process of an initial business combination candidate.
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We are not prohibited from pursuing an initial business combination with a company that is affiliated with our sponsor, officers or directors, or their respective affiliates. In the event we seek to complete our initial business combination with a company that is affiliated with our sponsor, officers or directors, or their respective affiliates, we, or a committee of independent directors, will obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm or another independent entity that commonly renders valuation opinions that our initial business combination is fair to our company and our stockholders from a financial point of view. We are not required to obtain such an opinion in any other context.
As more fully discussed in the section of the prospectus entitled “Management-Conflicts of Interest,” if any of our officers or directors becomes aware of an initial business combination opportunity that falls within the line of business of any entity to which he or she has pre-existing fiduciary or contractual obligations, he or she may be required to present such business combination opportunity to such entity prior to presenting such business combination opportunity to us. Our officers and directors currently have certain relevant fiduciary duties or contractual obligations that may take priority over their duties to us.
Fair Market Value of Target Business
As required by the NYSE rules, our initial business combination will be approved by a majority of our independent directors. The NYSE rules also require that we must complete one or more business combinations with one or more operating businesses or assets having an aggregate fair market value of at least 80% of the value of the net assets held in the trust account (net of amounts disbursed to management for working capital purposes, if permitted, and excluding the amount of any deferred underwriting commissions and taxes payable) at the time of our signing a definitive agreement in connection with our initial business combination. Our board of directors will make the determination as to the fair market value of our initial business combination. If our board of directors is not able to independently determine the fair market value of our initial business combination, 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. While we consider it unlikely that our board of directors will not be able to make an independent determination of the fair market value of our initial business combination, it may be unable to do so if it is less familiar or experienced with the business of a particular target or if there is a significant amount of uncertainty as to the value of a target’s assets or prospects.
We anticipate structuring our initial business combination either (i) in such a way so that the post-transaction company in which our public stockholders own shares will own or acquire 100% of the equity interests or assets of the target business or businesses, or (ii) in such a way so 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. However, we will only complete an initial 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 sufficient for it not to be required to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, or 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 the initial business combination may collectively own a minority interest in the post-transaction company, depending on valuations ascribed to the target and us in the initial business combination. For example, we could pursue a transaction in which we issue a substantial number of new shares in exchange for all of the outstanding capital stock, shares or other equity interests of a target. 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 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 taken into account for purposes of the NYSE’s 80% of fair market value test. If the 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 transactions and we will treat the target businesses together as the initial business combination for purposes of a tender offer or for seeking stockholder approval, as applicable.
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Lack of Business Diversification
For an indefinite period of time after the completion of our initial business combination, the prospects for our success may depend entirely on the future performance of a single business. Unlike other entities that have the resources to complete business combinations with multiple entities in one or several industries, it is probable that we will not have the resources to diversify our operations and mitigate the risks of being in a single line of business. In addition, we intend to focus our search for an initial business combination in a single industry. By completing our initial business combination with only a single entity, our lack of diversification may:
| • | subject us to negative economic, competitive and regulatory developments, any or all of which may have a substantial adverse impact on the particular industry in which we operate after our initial business combination, and |
| • | cause us to depend on the marketing and sale of a single product or limited number of products or services. |
Shareholders May Not Have the Ability to Approve an Initial Business Combination
We may conduct redemptions without a stockholder vote pursuant to the tender offer rules of the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”). However, we will seek stockholder approval if it is required by law or applicable stock exchange rule, or we may decide to seek stockholder approval for business or other legal reasons. Presented in the table below is a graphic explanation of the types of initial business combinations we may consider and whether stockholder approval is currently required under Delaware law for each such transaction.
| Type of Transaction | Whether Stockholder Approval is Required | |
Purchase of assets | No | |
Purchase of stock of target not involving a merger with the company | No | |
Merger of target into a subsidiary of the company | No | |
Merger of the company with a target | Yes |
Under the NYSE’s listing rules, stockholder approval would be required for our initial business combination if, for example:
| • | we issue shares of Class A common stock that will be equal to or in excess of 20% of the number of shares of our Class A common stock then outstanding; |
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| • | any of our directors, officers or substantial security holders (as defined by the NYSE rules) has a 5% or greater interest, directly or indirectly, in the target business or assets to be acquired and if the number of shares of common stock to be issued, or if the number of shares of common stock into which the securities may be convertible or exercisable, exceeds either (a) 1% of the number of shares of common stock or 1% of the voting power outstanding before the issuance in the case of any of our directors and officers or (b) 5% of the number of shares of common stock or 5% of the voting power outstanding before the issuance in the case of any substantial security holders; or |
| • | the issuance or potential issuance of common stock will result in our undergoing a change of control. |
Liquidation if No Business Combination
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that we will have only 24 months from the closing of the IPO to complete our initial business combination. If we do not complete our initial business combination within such 24-month period (unless such period is extended by an amendment to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation), we will: (i) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up, (ii) 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 held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our franchise and income taxes (less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public stockholders’ rights as stockholders (including the right to receive further liquidating distributions, if any), subject to applicable law, and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining stockholders and our board of directors, dissolve and liquidate, subject in each case to our obligations under Delaware law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law. There will be no redemption rights or liquidating distributions with respect to our warrants, which will expire worthless if we fail to complete our initial business combination within the 24-month time period.
Our sponsor, officers and directors have entered into a letter agreement with us, pursuant to which they have waived their rights to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to any founder shares held by them if we fail to complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of the IPO. However, if our sponsor, officers or directors acquire public shares in or after the IPO, they will be entitled to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to such public shares if we fail to complete our initial business combination within the allotted 24-month time period.
Our sponsor, officers and directors have agreed, pursuant to a written agreement with us, that they will not propose any amendment to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation (i) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of the IPO or (ii) 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 earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our franchise and income taxes divided by the number of then outstanding public shares. However, we may not redeem our public shares in an amount that would cause our net tangible assets to be less than $5,000,001 upon consummation of our initial business combination and after payment of underwriters’ fees and commissions (so that we are not subject to the SEC’s “penny stock” rules). If this optional redemption right is exercised with respect to an excessive number of public shares such that we cannot satisfy the net tangible asset requirement (described above), we would not proceed with the amendment or the related redemption of our public shares at such time.
We expect that all costs and expenses associated with implementing our plan of dissolution, as well as payments to any creditors, will be funded from amounts remaining out of the approximately $735,000 of proceeds held outside the trust account, although we cannot assure you that there will be sufficient funds for such purpose. We will depend on sufficient interest being earned on the proceeds held in the trust account to pay any tax obligations we may owe. However, if those funds are not sufficient to cover the costs and expenses associated with implementing our plan of dissolution, to the extent that there is any interest accrued in the trust account not required to pay taxes on interest income earned on the trust account balance, we may request the trustee to release to us an additional amount of up to $100,000 of such accrued interest to pay those costs and expenses.
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If we were to expend all of the net proceeds of the IPO and the sale of the Private Placement Warrants, other than the proceeds deposited in the trust account, and without taking into account interest, if any, earned on the trust account, the per-share redemption amount received by stockholders upon our dissolution would be approximately $10.00. The proceeds deposited in the trust account could, however, become subject to the claims of our creditors which would have higher priority than the claims of our public stockholders. We cannot assure you that the actual per-share redemption amount received by stockholders will not be substantially less than $10.00. Under Section 281(b) of the Delaware General Corporate Law (“DGCL”), our plan of dissolution must provide for all claims against us to be paid in full or make provision for payments to be made in full, as applicable, if there are sufficient assets. These claims must be paid or provided for before we make any distribution of our remaining assets to our stockholders. While we intend to pay such amounts, if any, we cannot assure you that we will have funds sufficient to pay or provide for all creditors’ claims.
Although we will seek to have all vendors, service providers, prospective target businesses or 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, there is no guarantee that they will execute such agreements or even if they execute such agreements that they would 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 an 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 only enter into an agreement with a third party that has not executed a waiver 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 management is unable to find a service provider willing to execute a waiver. Marcum LLP, our independent registered public accounting firm, and the underwriters of the IPO will not execute agreements with us waiving such claims to the monies held in the trust account.
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. Our sponsor has agreed that it will be liable to us if and to the extent any claims by a third party for services rendered or products sold to us, or a prospective target business with which we have entered into a written letter of intent, confidentiality or similar agreement or business combination agreement, 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 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 prospective target business who 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 our indemnity of the underwriters of the IPO against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act. However, we have not asked our sponsor to reserve for such indemnification obligations, nor have we 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. Therefore, we cannot assure you that our sponsor would be able to satisfy those obligations. None of our officers, directors or members of our sponsor will indemnify us for claims by third parties including, without limitation, claims by vendors and prospective target businesses.
In the event that the proceeds in the trust account are reduced below (i) $10.00 per public share or (ii) 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 value of the trust assets, in each case net of the amount of interest which may be withdrawn to pay taxes, and our sponsor asserts that it is unable to satisfy its indemnification 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 if, for example, the cost of such legal action is deemed by the independent directors to be too high relative to the amount recoverable or if the independent directors determine that a favorable outcome is not likely. We have not asked our sponsor to reserve for such indemnification obligations and we cannot assure you that our sponsor would be able to satisfy those obligations. Accordingly, we cannot assure you that due to claims of creditors the actual value of the per-share redemption price will not be less than $10.00 per public share.
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We will seek to reduce the possibility that our sponsor will have to indemnify the trust account due to claims of creditors by endeavoring to have all vendors, service providers, prospective target businesses or other entities with which we do business execute agreements with us waiving any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to monies held in the trust account. Our sponsor will also not be liable as to any claims under our indemnity of the underwriters of the IPO against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act.
Because we will not be complying 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 subsequent 10 years. 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, etc.) or prospective target businesses. As described above, pursuant to the obligation contained in our underwriting agreement, we will seek to have all vendors, service providers, prospective target businesses or 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. As a result of this obligation, the claims that could be made against us are significantly limited and the likelihood that any claim that would result in any liability extending to the trust account is remote. Further, our sponsor may be liable only to the extent necessary to ensure that the amounts in the trust account are not reduced below (i) $10.00 per public share or (ii) 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 value of the trust assets, in each case net of the amount of interest withdrawn to pay taxes and will not be liable as to any claims under our indemnity of the underwriters of the IPO against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act. 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.
If 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 bankruptcy claims deplete the trust account, we cannot assure you we will be able to return $10.00 per share to our public stockholders. Additionally, if 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. Furthermore, our board of directors may be viewed as having breached its fiduciary duty to our creditors and/or may have acted in bad faith, thereby exposing itself and our company to claims of punitive damages, by paying public stockholders from the trust account prior to addressing the claims of creditors. We cannot assure you that claims will not be brought against us for these reasons.
Our public stockholders will be entitled to receive funds from the trust account only upon the earlier to occur of: (i) the completion of our initial business combination, (ii) the redemption of any public shares properly tendered in connection with a stockholder vote to amend any provisions of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of the IPO or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to stockholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity, and (iii) the redemption of all of our public shares if we do not complete our business combination within 24 months from the closing of the IPO, 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. In the event we seek stockholder approval in connection with our initial business combination, a stockholder’s voting in connection with the initial business combination alone will not result in a stockholder’s redeeming its shares to us for an applicable pro rata share of the trust account. Such stockholder must have also exercised its redemption rights as described above. These provisions of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, like all provisions of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, may be amended with a stockholder vote.
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Competition
In identifying, evaluating and selecting a target business for our initial business combination, we may encounter competition from other entities having a business objective similar to ours, including other blank check companies, private equity groups and leveraged buyout funds, and operating businesses seeking strategic business combinations. Many of these entities are well established and have extensive experience identifying and effecting business combinations directly or through affiliates. Moreover, many of these competitors possess greater financial, technical, human and other resources than we do. Our ability to acquire larger target businesses will be limited by our available financial resources. This inherent limitation gives others an advantage in pursuing the initial business combination of a target business. Furthermore, our obligation to pay cash in connection with our public stockholders who exercise their redemption rights may reduce the resources available to us for our initial business combination and our outstanding warrants, and the future dilution they potentially represent, may not be viewed favorably by certain target businesses. Either of these factors may place us at a competitive disadvantage in successfully negotiating an initial business combination.
Proposed Business Combination
On October 17, 2022, we entered into an Equity Purchase Agreement (the “Equity Purchase Agreement”) with LGM Enterprises, LLC (“LGM”), a North Carolina limited liability company, for certain limited purposes, Thomas James Segrave, Jr., Thomas James Segrave, Jr., as Custodian for Laura Grace Segrave, Thomas James Segrave, Jr., as Custodian for Madison Lee Segrave, Thomas James Segrave, Jr., as Custodian for Lillian May Segrave, and Thomas James Segrave, Jr., as Custodian for Thomas James Segrave III (collectively, the “LGM Existing Equityholders”) and, for certain limited purposes, our sponsor, and, as the representative of the LGM Existing Equityholders, Thomas James Segrave, Jr. The transactions contemplated by the Equity Purchase Agreement are referred to herein collectively as the “Business Combination.”
Following the closing of the Business Combination (the “Closing”), we will be organized in an umbrella partnership-C corporation (“Up-C”) structure, in which substantially all of the assets of the combined company will be held by LGM, and our only assets will be its equity interests in LGM. We will be renamed “flyExclusive, Inc.” (“PubCo”) at the Closing.
The Equity Purchase Agreement
The Equity Purchase Agreement, among other things, provides that, at the Closing:
| • | We will amend our existing certificate of incorporation to: (a) change our name to “flyExclusive, Inc.,” (b) convert all then-outstanding shares of our Class B common stock, par value $0.0001 per share into shares of class A common stock, par value $0.0001 per share, of PubCo (the “PubCo Class A Common Stock”, and (c) issue to the LGM Existing Equityholders class B common stock, par value $0.0001 per share, of PubCo (the “PubCo Class B Common Stock,”) which carries one vote per share but no economic rights; |
| • | LGM and its members will adopt the Amended and Restated Limited Liability Company Agreement of LGM to: (a) restructure its capitalization to (i) issue to us the number of common units of LGM equal to the number of outstanding shares of PubCo Class A Common Stock immediately after giving effect to the Business Combination (taking into account any redemption of our Class A common stock, any potential PIPE investment, and the conversion of the Bridge Notes (as described below)) (the “PubCo Units”); and (ii) reclassify the existing LGM common units into LGM common units, and (b) appoint PubCo as the managing member of LGM; |
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| • | As consideration for the PubCo Units, we will contribute to LGM the amount held in the trust account, less the amount of cash required to fund the redemption of our Class A common stock, held by eligible stockholders who elect to have their shares redeemed as of the Closing, plus the aggregate proceeds from any potential PIPE investment, and the deemed contribution of the aggregate proceeds of the Bridge Notes (as defined below), less the deferred underwriting commission payable to BTIG, LLC (collectively, the “Contribution Amount”). Immediately after the contribution of the Contribution Amount, LGM will pay the amount of unpaid fees, commissions, costs or expenses that have been incurred by us and LGM in connection with the Business Combination by wire transfer of immediately available funds on behalf of us and LGM to those persons to whom such amounts are owed; |
| • | Prior to the Closing, an aggregate amount equal to the sum of (without duplication), (a) an amount equal to (1) the amount of cash in the Trust Account, less (2) the required amount of cash taken from the Trust Account to fund any redemptions of our Class A common stock, plus (b) the aggregate proceeds received by the Company from the Post-Signing PIPE Investment (if any), plus (c) the aggregate proceeds received by LGM from the funding of the Bridge Notes, less (d) $7,875,000 (representing the amount held in the Trust Account for the deferred underwriting commission) (the “Closing Date Cash Contribution Amount”); |
| • | An amount equal to: (i) $0, in the event the Closing Date Cash Contribution Amount is $85,000,000 or less; (ii) the lesser of (A) $15,000,000 and (B) the excess of the Closing Date Cash Contribution Amount over $85,000,000, in the event the Closing Date Cash Contribution Amount is more than $85,000,000 and less than $185,000,000; and (iii) the lesser of (A) $20,000,000 and (B) $15,000,000 plus the excess of the Closing Date Cash Contribution Amount over $185,000,000, in the event the Closing Date Cash Contribution Amount is more than $185,000,000 (the “Closing Date Cash Repurchase Amount”); provided that should the Closing Date Cash Repurchase Amount result in the LGM Existing Equityholders owning, in the aggregate, less than fifty one percent (51%) of the outstanding LGM common units as of immediately following the Closing, the Closing Date Cash Repurchase Amount shall be capped at such amount as would result in the LGM Existing Equityholders owning, in the aggregate fifty one percent (51%) of the LGM common units; and |
| • | Without any action on the part of any holder of our warrants, each warrant that is issued and outstanding immediately prior to the Closing will be converted into a warrant to purchase one whole share of PubCo Class A Common Stock in accordance with its terms. |
Certain Related Agreements
At the Closing, the LGM Existing Equityholders, PubCo and LGM will enter into the A&R Operating Agreement.
At the Closing, PubCo, LGM, the LGM Existing Equityholders, Thomas James Segrave, Jr., in the capacity of TRA Holder Representative, and the TRA Holders (as defined in the Tax Receivable Agreement), will enter into a Tax Receivable Agreement (the “Tax Receivable Agreement”). Pursuant to the Tax Receivable Agreement, PubCo will generally be required to pay the applicable TRA Holders 85% of the amount of savings, if any, in U.S. federal, state, local, and foreign taxes that are based on, or measured with respect to, net income or profits, and any interest related thereto that PubCo (and applicable consolidated, unitary, or combined subsidiaries thereof, if any) realizes, or is deemed to realize, as a result of certain tax attributes.
In addition, at the Closing, PubCo will enter into a Stockholders’ Agreement with the LGM Existing Equityholders and our sponsor (the “Stockholders’ Agreement”). Pursuant to the Stockholders’ Agreement, among other things, the LGM Existing Equityholders and our sponsor will respectively agree to vote each of their respective securities of PubCo that may be voted in the election of PubCo’s directors in accordance with the provisions of the Stockholders’ Agreement. At Closing, the PubCo Board of Directors is expected to initially consist of seven directors. Our sponsor and its permitted transferees will have the right, pursuant to the Stockholders’ Agreement, to nominate directors for appointment based on its ownership of PubCo. The director designation rights of the LGM Existing Equityholders and our sponsor will each fall away when certain conditions are met.
In addition, at the Closing, PubCo will amend and restate its existing Registration Rights Agreement (the “A&R RRA”). Pursuant to the A&R RRA, among other things, the LGM Existing Equityholders and our sponsor were granted customary demand registration rights. PubCo has also agreed to file a shelf registration statement following the closing and provided other customary rights to the LGM Existing Equityholders and our sponsor following the Closing.
Bridge Notes
In connection with the execution of the Equity Purchase Agreement, on October 17, 2022, LGM entered into a Senior Subordinated Convertible Note with an investor and, for certain limited provisions thereof, us, pursuant to which LGM borrowed an aggregate principal amount of $50,000,000 at a rate of 10% per annum. On October 28, 2022, LGM also entered into an Incremental Amendment with additional investors (together with the investor described in the preceding sentence, and collectively, the “Bridge Note Lenders”) on the same terms for an aggregate principal amount of $35,000,000 (together with the subordinated convertible note discussed in this paragraph, the “Bridge Notes”), bringing the total principal amount of the Bridge Notes to $85,000,000 in the aggregate. Concurrently with the Closing, the Bridge Notes will be automatically exchanged for the number of PubCo Class A Common Stock equal to the quotient of (a) the total amount owed by LGM under the Bridge Notes divided by (b) $10.00 (subject to adjustment in certain instances, as described in the Bridge Notes). Unless otherwise consented to by the Bridge Note Lenders, the proceeds of the Bridge Notes are to be used primarily for the acquisition of additional aircraft and payment of expenses related thereto.
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Human Capital Resources
We currently have three officers. These individuals 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 they will devote in any time period will vary based on whether a target business has been selected for our initial business combination and the stage of the initial business combination process we are in. We do not intend to have any full-time employees prior to the completion of our initial business combination.
Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
Some of the statements contained in this annual report may constitute “forward-looking statements” for purposes of the federal securities laws. Our forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding our or our management team’s expectations, hopes, beliefs, intentions or strategies regarding the future. In addition, any statements that refer to projections, forecasts or other characterizations of future events or circumstances, including any underlying assumptions, are forward-looking statements. The words “anticipate,” “believe,” “continue,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intends,” “may,” “might,” “plan,” “possible,” “potential,” “predict,” “project,” “should,” “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 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, those factors described under the heading “Risk Factors.” 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.
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| ITEM 1A. | RISK FACTORS |
Summary of Risk Factors
An investment in our securities involves a high degree of risk. Below is a summary of the principal risk factors that make an investment in our securities speculative or risky. This summary does not address all of the risks that we face. Additional discussion of the risks summarized in this summary of risk factors, and other risks that we face, can be found below in “Risk Factors” and should be carefully considered, together with other information in this Form 10-K. Our principal risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, the following risks, uncertainties and other factors:
| • | we may not be able to effect the Business Combination pursuant to the Equity Purchase Agreement; |
| • | newly formed company without an operating history; |
| • | delay in receiving distributions from the trust account; |
| • | lack of opportunity to vote on our proposed business combination; |
| • | lack of protections afforded to investors of blank check companies; |
| • | deviation from acquisition criteria; |
| • | issuance of equity and/or debt securities to complete a business combination; |
| • | lack of working capital; |
| • | third-party claims reducing the per-share redemption price; |
| • | our stockholders being held liable for claims by third parties against us; |
| • | failure to enforce our sponsor’s indemnification obligations; |
| • | warrant holders limited to exercising warrants only on a “cashless basis;” |
| • | the ability of stockholders to obtain a favorable judicial forum for disputes with our company; |
| • | dependence on key personnel; |
| • | conflicts of interest of our sponsor, officers and directors; |
| • | the delisting of our securities by the NYSE; |
| • | dependence on a single target business with a limited number of products or services; |
| • | shares being redeemed and warrants becoming worthless; |
| • | our competitors with advantages over us in seeking business combinations; |
| • | ability to obtain additional financing; |
| • | our initial stockholders controlling a substantial interest in us; |
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| • | warrants’ adverse effect on the market price of our common stock; |
| • | disadvantageous timing for redeeming warrants; |
| • | registration rights’ adverse effect on the market price of our common stock; |
| • | impact of COVID-19 and related risks; |
| • | changes in laws or regulations; |
| • | uncertain tax consequences; |
| • | exclusive forum provisions in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation; and |
| • | the other risks and uncertainties discussed below in “Risk Factors” and elsewhere in this Form 10-K. |
Risk Factors Specific to Our Business
In addition to the risks and uncertainties set forth below, we may face certain other material risks and uncertainties related to the proposed Business Combination with LGM. If we succeed in effecting the proposed Business Combination, we may face additional and different risks and uncertainties related to the business of LGM. For risk factors related to the Business Combination, see the proxy statement to be filed by us in connection with the proposed Business Combination.
We may not be able to effect the Business Combination pursuant to the Equity Purchase Agreement. If we are unable to do so, we will incur substantial costs associated with withdrawing from the transaction, and may not be able to find additional sources of financing to cover those costs.
In connection with the Equity Purchase Agreement, we have incurred substantial costs researching, planning and negotiating the transaction. These costs include, but are not limited to, costs associated with securing sources of equity and debt financing, costs associated with employing and retaining third-party advisors who performed the financial, auditing and legal services required to complete the transaction, and the expenses generated by our officers, executives, managers and employees in connection with the transaction. If, for whatever reason, the transactions contemplated by the Equity Purchase Agreement fail to close, we will be responsible for these costs, but will have no source of revenue with which to pay them. We may need to obtain additional sources of financing in order to meet our obligations, which we may not be able to secure on the same terms as our existing financing or at all. If we are unable to secure new sources of financing and do not have sufficient funds to meet our obligations, we will be forced to cease operations and liquidate the trust account.
We are a newly formed company with no operating history and no revenues, and you have no basis on which to evaluate our ability to achieve our business objective.
We are a newly formed company with no operating results, and we did not commence operations until obtaining funding through the IPO. 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. If we fail to complete our initial business combination, we will never generate any operating revenues.
Our public stockholders may not be afforded an opportunity to vote on our proposed 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 choose not to hold a stockholder vote to approve our initial business combination unless the initial business combination would require stockholder approval under applicable law or stock exchange listing requirements or if we decide to hold a stockholder vote for business or other legal reasons. Except as required by law, the decision as to whether we will seek stockholder approval of a proposed initial 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. Even if we seek stockholder approval, our initial stockholders will participate in the vote on such approval. Accordingly, we may complete our initial business combination even if holders of a majority of our public shares do not approve of the initial business combination we complete. Please see the section of the prospectus entitled “Proposed Business-Stockholders May Not Have the Ability to Approve Our Initial Business Combination” for additional information.
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If we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination, our initial stockholders have agreed to vote in favor of such initial business combination, regardless of how our public stockholders vote.
Pursuant to the letter agreement, our sponsor, officers and directors have agreed to vote their founder shares, as well as any public shares purchased during or after the offering (including in open market and privately negotiated transactions), in favor of our initial business combination. Our initial stockholders own shares representing 20% of our outstanding shares of common stock immediately following the completion of the IPO. Accordingly, if we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination, the agreement by our initial stockholders to vote in favor of our initial business combination will increase the likelihood that we will receive the requisite stockholder approval for such initial business combination.
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 the initial business combination.
At the time of your investment in us, you will not be provided with an opportunity to evaluate the specific merits or risks of our initial business combination. Since our board of directors may complete an initial business combination without seeking stockholder approval, public stockholders may not have the right or opportunity to vote on the initial business combination, unless we seek such stockholder vote.
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.
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 an initial business combination with a target.
We may seek to enter into an initial business combination agreement with a prospective target that requires as a closing condition that cash consideration be paid to the target or its owners or 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 initial business combination. Furthermore, in no event will we redeem our public shares in an amount that would cause our net tangible assets to be less than $5,000,001 upon consummation of our initial business combination and after payment of underwriters’ fees and commissions (so that we are not subject to the SEC’s “penny stock” rules) or any greater net tangible asset or cash requirement which may be contained in the agreement relating to our initial business combination. Consequently, if accepting all properly submitted redemption requests would cause our net tangible assets to be less than $5,000,001 upon consummation of our initial business combination and after payment of underwriters’ fees and commissions or such greater amount necessary to satisfy a closing condition as described above, we would not proceed with such redemption and the related business combination and may instead search for an alternate business combination. Prospective targets will be aware of these risks and, thus, may be reluctant to enter into an initial business combination with us.
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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 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 are 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. Furthermore, this dilution would increase to the extent that the anti-dilution provisions of the Class B common stock result in the issuance of Class A shares on a greater than one-to-one basis upon conversion of the Class B common stock at the time of our business combination. In addition, the amount of the deferred underwriting commissions payable to the underwriters will not be adjusted for any shares that are redeemed in connection with an initial business combination. The above considerations may limit our ability to complete the most desirable business combination available to us or optimize our capital structure. The amount of the deferred underwriting commissions payable to the underwriters will not be adjusted for any shares that are redeemed in connection with an initial business combination. The per-share amount we will distribute to stockholders who properly exercise their redemption rights will not be reduced by the deferred underwriting commission and after such redemptions, the per-share value of shares held by non-redeeming stockholders will reflect our obligation to pay the deferred underwriting commissions.
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 stock.
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 is increased. 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 stock in the open market; however, at such time our stock 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 stock 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 an initial business combination and may decrease our ability to conduct due diligence on potential business combination targets 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 an initial business combination will be aware that we must complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of the IPO. Consequently, such target business may obtain leverage over us in negotiating an initial 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 time frame described above. 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.
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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 only receive $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 24 months from the closing of the IPO. We may not be able to complete our initial business combination within such time period. If we have not completed our initial business combination within such time period, subject to our ability to extend the time period with shareholder consent, we will: (i) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up, (ii) 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 held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our franchise and income taxes (less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public stockholders’ rights as stockholders (including the right to receive further liquidating distributions, if any), subject to applicable law, and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining stockholders and our board of directors, dissolve and liquidate, 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 only receive $10.00 per share, and our warrants will expire worthless. In certain circumstances, our public stockholders may receive less than $10.00 per share on the redemption of their shares. See “-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 below.
As the number of special purpose acquisition companies evaluating targets increases, attractive targets may become scarcer and there may be more competition for attractive targets. This could increase the cost of our initial business combination and could even result in our inability to find a target or to consummate an initial business combination.
In recent years, the number of special purpose acquisition companies that have been formed has increased substantially. Many potential targets for special purpose acquisition companies have already entered into an initial business combination, and there are still many companies preparing for an initial public offering. As a result, at times, fewer attractive targets may be available to consummate 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 targets 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 and consummate an initial business combination, and may result in our inability to consummate an initial business combination on terms favorable to our investors altogether.
If we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination, our sponsor, directors, officers, advisors and their affiliates may elect to purchase shares or warrants from public stockholders, which may influence a vote on a proposed initial business combination and reduce the public “float” 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 sponsor, directors, officers, advisors or their affiliates may purchase shares or public warrants or a combination thereof in privately negotiated transactions or in the open market either prior to or following the completion of our initial business combination, although they are under no obligation to do so. There is no limit on the number of shares our initial stockholders, directors, officers, advisors or their affiliates may purchase in such transactions, subject to compliance with applicable law and NYSE rules. However, 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. None of the funds in the trust account will be used to purchase shares or public warrants in such transactions.
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Such a purchase may include a contractual acknowledgement that such stockholder, although still the record holder of our shares is no longer the beneficial owner thereof and therefore agrees not to exercise its redemption rights. In the event that our sponsor, directors, officers, advisors or their affiliates purchase shares in privately negotiated transactions from public stockholders who have already elected to exercise their redemption rights, such selling stockholders would be required to revoke their prior elections to redeem their shares. Any such purchases of our securities may result in the completion of our initial business combination that may not otherwise have been possible. Any such purchases will be reported pursuant to Section 13 and Section 16 of the Exchange Act to the extent such purchasers are subject to such reporting requirements. We will adopt an insider trading policy which will require insiders to: (1) refrain from purchasing securities during certain blackout periods and when they are in possession of any material non-public information; and (2) clear all trades with our legal counsel prior to execution. Our insiders may either make such purchases pursuant to a Rule 10b5-1 plan or determine that such a plan is not necessary. We cannot currently determine whether our insiders will make such purchases pursuant to a Rule 10b5-1 plan, as it will be dependent upon several factors, including but not limited to, the timing and size of such purchases.
If our sponsor or its affiliates engage in such transactions, they will not make any such purchases when they are in possession of any material nonpublic information not disclosed to the seller or if such purchases are prohibited by Regulation M under the Exchange Act. We do not currently anticipate that such purchases, if any, would constitute a tender offer subject to the tender offer rules under the Exchange Act or a going-private transaction subject to the going-private rules under the Exchange Act; however, if the purchasers determine at the time of any such purchases that the purchases are subject to such rules, the purchasers will comply with such rules. Any such purchases will be reported pursuant to Section 13 and Section 16 of the Exchange Act to the extent such purchasers are subject to such reporting requirements. Any such purchases will satisfy the following conditions:
| • | the purpose of any such purchases of shares of our Class A common stock could be to increase the likelihood of obtaining stockholder approval of the 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 our public warrants could be to reduce the number of our public warrants outstanding. Any such purchases of our Class A common stock or our public may result in the completion of our initial business combination that may not otherwise have been possible. |
| • | our sponsor and its affiliates will purchase the shares of our Class A common stock or our public warrants at a price no higher than the price offered through the redemption process described herein; |
| • | the shares of our Class A common stock or our public warrants purchased by our sponsor or its affiliates will not be voted in favor of approving the Business Combination; |
| • | our sponsor and its affiliates will waive any redemption rights it would otherwise have with respect to the shares of our Class A common stock or our public warrants purchased; and |
| • | we will disclose in a Form 8-K, prior to the special meeting to vote on the Business Combination, the following: |
| • | the amount of shares of our Class A common stock or our public warrants outside of the redemption offer purchased by our Sponsor or its affiliates, along with the purchase price; |
| • | the purpose of the purchases by our sponsor or its affiliates; |
| • | the impact, if any, of the purchases by our sponsor or its affiliates on the likelihood that the Business Combination will be approved; |
| • | the identities of holders of our Class A common stock or our public warrants who sold to our sponsor or its affiliates (if not purchased on the open market) or the nature of the holders of our Class A common stock or our public warrants (e.g., 5% security holders) who sold to our sponsor or its affiliates; and |
| • | the number of shares of our Class A common stock or our public warrants for which we received redemption requests pursuant to our redemption offer. |
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In addition, if such purchases are made, the public “float” of our Class A common stock or public warrants and the number of beneficial holders of our securities may be reduced, possibly making it difficult to obtain or maintain 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, proxy materials or tender offer documents, 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, which may include the requirement that a beneficial holder must identify itself. 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 documents mailed to such holders, or up to two business days prior to the initial 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 addition, if we conduct redemptions in connection with a stockholder vote, we intend to require a public stockholder seeking redemption of its public shares to also submit a written request for redemption to our transfer agent two business days prior to the scheduled vote in which the name of the beneficial owner of such shares is included. In the event that a stockholder fails to comply with these or any other procedures, its shares may not be redeemed. See the section of the prospectus entitled “Proposed Business-Redemption Rights for Public Stockholders upon Completion of our Initial Business Combination-Tendering Stock Certificates in Connection with a Tender Offer or Redemption Rights.”
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 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: (i) 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, (ii) 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 redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of the IPO or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to stockholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity and (iii) the redemption of our public shares if we do not complete an initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of the IPO, subject to applicable law and as further described herein. In no other circumstances will a public stockholder have any right or interest of any kind 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 or warrants, potentially at a loss.
The NYSE 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.
Our units are listed on the NYSE. Following the date the shares of our Class A common stock and warrants were eligible to trade separately, the shares of our Class A common stock and warrants are also separately listed on the NYSE. We cannot assure you that our securities will continue to be listed on the NYSE in the future or prior to our initial business combination. In order to continue listing our securities on the NYSE prior to our initial business combination, we must maintain certain financial, distribution and stock price levels. Generally, we must maintain a minimum amount in stockholder equity and a minimum number of holders of our securities. Additionally, in connection with our initial business combination, we will be required to demonstrate compliance with the NYSE’s initial listing requirements, which are more rigorous than the NYSE’s continued listing requirements, in order to continue to maintain the listing of our securities on the NYSE. For instance, our stock price would generally be required to be at least $4.00 per share. We cannot assure you that we will be able to meet those initial listing requirements at that time. If the NYSE delists our securities from trading on its exchange and we are not able to list our securities on another national securities exchange, we expect our 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; |
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| • | reduced liquidity for our securities; |
| • | a determination that our Class A common stock is 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 preempts the states from regulating the sale of certain securities, which are referred to as “covered securities.” Because we expect that our units and eventually our Class A common stock and warrants will be listed on the NYSE, our units, Class A common stock and warrants will be covered securities. Although the states are preempted from regulating the sale of our 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 the NYSE, our securities would not be covered securities and we would be subject to regulation in each state in which we offer our securities, including in connection with our initial business combination.
You are not entitled to protections normally afforded to investors of many other blank check companies.
Since the net proceeds of the IPO and the sale of the private placement warrants are intended to be used to complete an initial business combination with a target business that has not been identified, we may be deemed to be a “blank check” company under the United States securities laws. However, because we have net tangible assets in excess of $5,000,000 after the IPO and the sale of the Private Placement Warrants and filed a Current Report on Form 8-K, including an audited balance sheet demonstrating this fact, we are exempt from rules promulgated by the SEC to protect investors in blank check companies, such as Rule 419. Accordingly, investors are not be afforded the benefits or protections of those rules. Among other things, this means our units are tradable and we will have a longer period of time to complete our initial business combination than do companies subject to Rule 419. Moreover, if the IPO were 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. For a more detailed comparison of our offering to offerings that comply with Rule 419, please see the section of the prospectus entitled “Proposed Business-Comparison of This Offering to Those of Blank Check Companies Subject to Rule 419.”
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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 seeking redemption rights with respect to more than an aggregate of 15% of the shares sold in the IPO without our prior consent, which we refer to as the “Excess Shares.” 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 stock in open market transactions, potentially at a loss.
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 do not complete our initial business combination, our public stockholders may receive only approximately $10.00 per share on our redemption of our public shares, or less than such amount in certain circumstances, and our warrants will expire worthless.
We expect to encounter 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 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 similar technical, human and other resources to ours, and our financial resources will be relatively limited when contrasted with those of many of these competitors. While we believe there are numerous target businesses we could potentially acquire with the net proceeds of the IPO 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, because we are obligated to pay cash for the shares of Class A common stock which our public stockholders redeem in connection with our initial business combination, target companies will be aware that this may reduce the resources available to us for our initial business combination; target companies will be aware of this potential for reduced resources. This may place us at a competitive disadvantage in successfully negotiating an initial business combination. If we do not complete our initial business combination, our public stockholders may receive only approximately $10.00 per share on the liquidation of our trust account and our warrants will expire worthless. In certain circumstances, our public stockholders may receive less than $10.00 per share upon our liquidation. See “-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 below.
If the net proceeds of the IPO and the sale of the Private Placement Warrants not being held in the trust account are insufficient to allow us to operate for at least 24 months after the IPO, we may be unable to complete our initial business combination, in which case our public stockholders may only receive $10.00 per share, or less than such amount in certain circumstances, and our warrants will expire worthless.
The funds available to us outside of the trust account may not be sufficient to allow us to operate for at least 24 months after the IPO, assuming that our initial business combination is not completed during that time. We believe that, with the closing of the IPO, the funds available to us outside of the trust account are sufficient to allow us to operate for at least 24 months after the IPO; however, we cannot assure you that our estimate is accurate. Of the funds available to us, we could use a portion of the funds available to us 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 on terms more favorable to such target businesses) with respect to a particular proposed initial 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 do not complete our initial business combination, our public stockholders may receive only approximately $10.00 per share on the liquidation of our trust account and our warrants will expire worthless. In certain circumstances, our public stockholders may receive less than $10.00 per share upon our liquidation. See “-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 below.
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If the net proceeds of the IPO and the sale of the Private Placement Warrants not being held in the trust account are insufficient, it could limit the amount available to fund our search for a target business or businesses and complete our initial business combination and we will depend on loans from our sponsor or management team to fund our search for an initial business combination, to pay our franchise and income taxes and to complete our initial business combination. If we are unable to obtain these loans, we may be unable to complete our initial business combination.
Of the net proceeds of the IPO and the sale of the Private Placement Warrants, only approximately $735,000 are available to us initially outside the trust account to fund our working capital requirements. In the event that our offering expenses exceed our estimate of $1,265,000, we may fund such excess with funds not to be held in the trust account. In such case, the amount of funds we intend to be held outside the trust account would decrease by a corresponding amount. The amount held in the trust account will not be impacted as a result of such increase or decrease. Conversely, in the event that the IPO expenses are less than our estimate of $1,265,000, the amount of funds we intend to be held outside the trust account would increase by a corresponding amount. If we are required to seek additional capital, we would need to borrow funds from our sponsor, management team or other third parties to operate or may be forced to liquidate. None of our sponsor, members of our management team nor any of their affiliates is under any obligation to advance funds to us in such circumstances. Any such advances would be repaid only from funds held outside the trust account or from funds released to us upon completion of our initial business combination. Up to $1,500,000 of such loans may be convertible into private placement-equivalent warrants at a price of $1.50 per warrant at the option of the lender. Prior to the completion of our initial business combination, we do not expect to seek loans from parties other than our sponsor or an affiliate of our sponsor as we do not believe third parties will be willing to loan such funds and provide a waiver against any and all rights to seek access to funds in our trust account. If we are unable to obtain these loans, we may be unable to complete our initial business combination. If we do not 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. Consequently, our public stockholders may only receive approximately $10.00 per share on our redemption of our public shares, and our warrants will expire worthless. In certain circumstances, our public stockholders may receive less than $10.00 per share on the redemption of their shares. See “-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 below.
Subsequent to the 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 our stock price, 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 surface all material issues that may be present inside 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 debt financing to partially finance the initial business combination. Accordingly, any stockholders who choose to remain stockholders following the initial business combination could suffer a reduction in the value of their shares. Such stockholders are unlikely to have a remedy for such reduction in value unless they are able to successfully claim that the reduction was due to the breach by our officers or directors of a duty of care or other fiduciary duty owed to them, or if they are able to successfully bring a private claim under securities laws that the proxy solicitation or tender offer materials, as applicable, relating to the initial business combination constituted an actionable material misstatement or omission.
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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, 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 only enter into an agreement with a third party that has not executed a waiver if management believes that such third party’s engagement would be significantly more beneficial to us than any alternative. Marcum LLP and the underwriters of the IPO will not execute an agreement with us waiving such claims to the monies held in the trust account.
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 management is 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 do not complete our initial business combination within the prescribed time frame, 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 10 years following redemption. Accordingly, the per-share redemption amount received by public stockholders could be less than the $10.00 per share initially held in the trust account, due to claims of such creditors. Pursuant to the letter agreement, the form of which is filed as Exhibit 10.1 to the registration statement of which the prospectus forms a part, our sponsor has agreed that it will be liable to us if and to the extent any claims by a third party for services rendered or products sold to us, or a prospective target business with which we have entered into a written letter of intent, confidentiality or similar agreement or business combination agreement, 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 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 prospective target business who 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 our indemnity of the underwriters of the IPO against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act. However, we have not asked our sponsor to reserve for such indemnification obligations, nor have we 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. Therefore, we cannot assure you that our sponsor would be able to satisfy those obligations. None of our officers, directors or members of our sponsor 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 (i) $10.00 per share and (ii) the actual amount per share held in the trust account as of the date of the liquidation of the trust account if less than $10.00 per share due to reductions in the value of the trust assets, in each case net of the 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.
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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 and subject to their fiduciary duties may choose not to do so in any particular instance if, for example, the cost of such legal action is deemed by the independent directors to be too high relative to the amount recoverable or if the independent directors determine that a favorable outcome is not likely. 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.
We may not have sufficient funds to satisfy indemnification claims of our directors and executive officers.
We have agreed to indemnify our officers and directors to the fullest extent permitted by law. However, our officers and directors have agreed to waive (and any other persons who may become an officer or director prior to the initial business combination will also be required to waive) any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to any monies in the trust account and not to seek recourse against the trust account for any reason whatsoever. Accordingly, any indemnification provided will be able to be satisfied by us only if (i) we have sufficient funds outside of the trust account or (ii) we consummate an initial business combination. Our obligation to indemnify our officers and directors may discourage stockholders from bringing a lawsuit against our officers or directors for breach of their fiduciary duty. These provisions also may have the effect of reducing the likelihood of derivative litigation against our officers and directors, even though such an action, if successful, might otherwise benefit us and our stockholders. Furthermore, a stockholder’s investment may be adversely affected to the extent we pay the costs of settlement and damage awards against our officers and directors pursuant to these indemnification provisions.
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 or insolvency court may seek to recover such proceeds, and we and our board may be exposed 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 or insolvency court could seek to recover 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, thereby exposing itself and us to claims of punitive damages, by paying public stockholders from the trust account prior to addressing the claims of creditors.
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 bankruptcy claims deplete the trust account, the per-share amount that would otherwise be received by our stockholders in connection with our liquidation may 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 |
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| • | 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; |
| • | adoption of a specific form of corporate structure; and |
| • | reporting, record keeping, voting, proxy and disclosure requirements and other rules and regulations. |
In order not to be regulated as an investment company under the Investment Company Act, unless we can qualify for an exclusion, we must ensure that we are engaged primarily in a business other than investing, reinvesting or trading in securities and that our activities do not include investing, reinvesting, owning, holding or trading “investment securities” constituting more than 40% of our total assets (exclusive of U.S. government securities and cash items) on an unconsolidated basis. Our business will be to identify and complete an initial business combination and thereafter to operate the post-transaction business or assets for the long term. We do not plan to buy businesses or assets with a view to resale or profit from their resale. We do not plan to buy unrelated businesses or assets or to be a passive investor.
We do not believe that our anticipated principal activities will subject us to the Investment Company Act. To this end, the proceeds held in the trust account may only be invested in United States “government securities” within the meaning of Section 2(a)(16) of the Investment Company Act having a maturity of 185 days or less or in money market funds meeting certain conditions under Rule 2a-7 promulgated under the Investment Company Act which invest only in direct U.S. government treasury obligations. Pursuant to the trust agreement, the trustee is not permitted to invest in other securities or assets. By restricting the investment of the proceeds to these instruments, and by having a business plan targeted at acquiring and growing businesses for the long term (rather than on buying and selling businesses in the manner of a merchant bank or private equity fund), we intend to avoid being deemed an “investment company” within the meaning of the Investment Company Act. The trust account is intended as a holding place for funds pending the earliest to occur of: (i) the completion of our initial business combination; (ii) 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 redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of the IPO or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to stockholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity; or (iii) absent an initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of the IPO, our return of the funds held in the trust account to our public stockholders as part of our redemption of the public shares. If we do not invest the proceeds as discussed above, we may be deemed to be subject to 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 an initial business combination or may result in our liquidation. If we do not complete our initial business combination, our public stockholders may receive only approximately $10.00 per share on the liquidation of our trust account and our warrants will expire worthless.
Changes in laws or regulations, 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 will be required to comply with certain SEC and other legal requirements. 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 and those changes could have a material adverse effect on our business, 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.
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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 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 24 months from the closing of the IPO 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 24th month from the closing of the IPO 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 will not be complying 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 10 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, 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 24 months from the closing of the IPO is not considered a liquidating distribution under Delaware law and such redemption distribution is deemed to be unlawful (potentially due to the imposition of legal proceedings that a party may bring or due to other circumstances that are currently unknown), 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 meeting of stockholders until after the consummation of our initial business combination, which could delay the opportunity for our stockholders to elect directors.
We may not hold an annual meeting of stockholders until after we consummate a business combination (unless required by the NYSE), 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 a 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.
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Holders of Class A common stock will not be entitled to vote on any election of directors we hold prior to our initial business combination.
Prior to our initial business combination, only holders of our founder shares will have the right to vote on the election of directors. Holders of our public shares will not be entitled to vote on the election of directors during such time. In addition, prior to the completion of an initial business combination, holders of a majority of our founder shares may remove a member of the board of directors for any reason. Accordingly, you may not have any say in the management of our company prior to the consummation of an initial business combination.
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, and such registration may not be in place when an investor desires to exercise warrants, thus precluding such investor from being able to exercise its warrants except on a cashless basis. If the issuance of the shares upon exercise of warrants is not registered, qualified or exempt from registration or qualification, the holder of such warrant will not be entitled to exercise such warrant and such warrant may have no value and expire worthless.
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. However, under the 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 best efforts to file with the SEC a registration statement for the registration under the Securities Act of the shares of Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants and thereafter will use our best efforts to cause the same to become effective within 60 business days following our initial business combination and to maintain a current prospectus relating to the Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants, until the expiration of the warrants in accordance with the provisions of the warrant agreement. We cannot assure you that we will be able to do so if, for example, any facts or events arise which 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 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, we will be required to permit holders to exercise their warrants on a cashless basis. 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. If that exemption, or another exemption, is not available, holders will not be able to exercise their warrants on a cashless basis. 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 there is no exemption 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 will 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. If and when the warrants become redeemable by us, we may not exercise our redemption right if the issuance of shares of Class A common stock upon exercise of the warrants is not exempt from registration or qualification under applicable state blue sky laws or we are unable to effect such registration or qualification. We will use our best efforts to register or qualify such shares of Class A common stock under the blue sky laws of the state of residence in those states in which the warrants were offered by us in the IPO. However, there may be instances in which holders of our public warrants may be unable to exercise such public warrants but holders of our private warrants may be able to exercise such private warrants.
If you exercise your public warrants on a “cashless basis,” you will receive fewer shares of Class A common stock from such exercise than if you were to exercise such warrants for cash.
There are circumstances in which the exercise of the public warrants may be required or permitted to be made on a cashless basis. First, if a registration statement covering the shares of Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants is not effective by the 60th business day after the closing of our initial business combination, warrant holders may, until such time as there is an effective registration statement, exercise warrants on a cashless basis in accordance with Section 3(a)(9) of the Securities Act or another exemption. Second, if a registration statement covering the Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants is not effective within a specified period following the consummation of our initial business combination, warrant holders may, until such time as there is an effective registration statement and during any period when we shall have failed to maintain an effective registration statement, exercise warrants on a cashless basis pursuant to the exemption provided by Section 3(a)(9) of the Securities Act, provided that such exemption is available; if that exemption, or another exemption, is not available, holders will not be able to exercise their warrants on a cashless basis. Third, if we call the public warrants for redemption, our management will have the option to require all holders that wish to exercise warrants to do so on a cashless basis. In the event of an exercise on a cashless basis, a holder would pay the warrant exercise price by surrendering the warrants for that number of shares of Class A common stock equal to the quotient obtained by dividing (x) the product of the number of shares of Class A common stock underlying the warrants, multiplied by the excess of the “fair market value” (as defined in the next sentence) over the exercise price of the warrants by (y) the fair market value. The “fair market value” is the average reported last sale price of the Class A common stock for the 10 trading days ending on the third trading day prior to the date on which the notice of exercise is received by the warrant agent or on which the notice of redemption is sent to the holders of warrants, as applicable. As a result, you would receive fewer shares of Class A common stock from such exercise than if you were to exercise such warrants for cash.
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The grant of registration rights to our initial stockholders 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 an agreement to be entered into concurrently with the issuance and sale of the securities in the IPO, our initial stockholders and their permitted transferees can demand that we register the Private Placement Warrants, the shares of Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the founder shares and the Private Placement Warrants held, or to be held, by them and holders of warrants that may be issued upon conversion of working capital loans may demand that we register such warrants or the 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 securities owned by our initial stockholders or holders of working capital loans or their respective permitted transferees are registered.
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, and you may not be able to ascertain the merits or risks of any particular target business’s operations, including the merits or risks of LGM’s 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 a development stage entity. Although our officers and directors 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 units will ultimately prove to be more favorable to investors than a direct investment, if such opportunity were available, in a business combination target. Accordingly, any stockholders who choose to remain stockholders following our initial business combination could suffer a reduction in the value of their securities. Such stockholders are unlikely to have a remedy for such reduction in value unless they are able to successfully claim that the reduction was due to the breach by our officers or directors of a duty of care or other fiduciary duty owed to them, or if they are able to successfully bring a private claim under securities laws that the proxy solicitation or tender offer materials, as applicable, relating to the business combination contained an actionable material misstatement or material omission.
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Past performance by our management team, EnTrust Global or GMF Capital may not be indicative of future performance of an investment in the Company.
Information regarding performance by, or businesses associated with our management team, EnTrust Global or GMF Capital and their affiliates is presented for informational purposes only. Any past performance by our management team, EnTrust Global and GMF Capital in another venture is not a guarantee either (i) of success with respect to any business combination we may initiate or consummate or (ii) that we will be able to locate a suitable candidate for our initial business combination. You should not rely on the historical record of our management team’s or their affiliates’ performance as indicative of the future performance of an investment in the company or the returns the company will, or is likely to, generate going forward. Our officers and affiliated directors have not had experience operating blank check companies or special purpose acquisition companies in the past.
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 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 law, or we decide to obtain stockholder approval for business or other legal 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 do not complete our initial business combination, our public stockholders may receive only approximately $10.00 per share on the liquidation of our trust account and our warrants will expire worthless. In certain circumstances, our public stockholders may receive less than $10.00 per share on the redemption of their shares. See “-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 below.
We may seek business combination opportunities with a financially unstable business or an entity lacking an established record of revenue, cash flow or earnings, which could subject us to volatile revenues, cash flows or earnings or difficulty in retaining key personnel.
To the extent we complete our initial business combination with a financially unstable business or an entity lacking an established record of revenues or earnings, we may be affected by numerous risks inherent in the operations of the business with which we combine. These risks include volatile revenues or earnings and difficulties in obtaining and retaining key personnel. Although our officers and directors 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 may seek business combination opportunities with a high degree of complexity that require significant operational improvements, which could delay or prevent us from achieving our desired results.
We may seek business combination opportunities with large, highly complex companies that we believe would benefit from operational improvements. While we intend to implement such improvements, to the extent that our efforts are delayed or we are unable to achieve the desired improvements, the business combination may not be as successful as we anticipate. To the extent we complete our initial business combination with a large complex business or entity with a complex operating structure, we may also be affected by numerous risks inherent in the operations of the business with which we combine, which could delay or prevent us from implementing our strategy. Although our management team will endeavor to evaluate the risks inherent in a particular target business and its operations, we may not be able to properly ascertain or assess all of the significant risk factors until we complete our business combination. If we are not able to achieve our desired operational improvements, or the improvements take longer to implement than anticipated, we may not achieve the gains that we anticipate. Furthermore, some of these risks and complexities may be outside of our control and leave us with no ability to control or reduce the chances that those risks and complexities will adversely impact a target business. Such combination may not be as successful as a combination with a smaller, less complex organization.
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We are not required to obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm or from an independent accounting firm, and consequently, you may have no assurance from an independent source that the price we are paying for the business is fair to our company or the stockholders from a financial point of view.
Unless we complete our initial business combination with an affiliated entity or our board cannot independently determine the fair market value of the target business or businesses (including with the assistance of financial advisors), we are not required to obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm or another independent entity that commonly renders valuation opinions 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 proxy materials or tender offer documents, as applicable, related to our initial business combination. In connection with the proposed Business Combination we have obtained an opinion from an independent entity that commonly renders valuation opinions that the price we are paying is fair to our company from a financial point of view.
Certain agreements related to the IPO may be amended without stockholder approval.
Each of the agreements related to the IPO to which we are a party, other than the warrant agreement and the investment management trust agreement, may be amended without stockholder approval. Such agreements include the underwriting agreement and the letter agreement among us and our initial stockholders, sponsor, officers and directors. These agreements contain various provisions that our public stockholders might deem to be material. For example, our letter agreement and the underwriting agreement contain certain lock-up provisions with respect to the founder shares, Private Placement Warrants and other securities held by our initial stockholders, sponsor, officers and directors. Amendments to such agreements would require the consent of the applicable parties thereto and would need to be approved by our board of directors, which may do so for a variety of reasons, including to facilitate our initial business combination. While we do not expect our board of directors to approve any amendment to any of these 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 any such agreement. Any amendment entered into in connection with the consummation of our initial business combination will be disclosed in our proxy materials or tender offer documents, as applicable, related to such initial business combination, and any other material amendment to any of our material agreements will be disclosed in a filing with the SEC. Any such amendments 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. For example, amendments to the lockup provision discussed above may result in our initial stockholders selling their securities earlier than they would otherwise be permitted, which may have an adverse effect on the price of our securities.
We may issue additional common stock or preferred stock 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 100,000,000 shares of Class A common stock, par value $0.0001 per share, 10,000,000 shares of Class B common stock, par value $0.0001 per share, and 1,000,000 shares of preferred stock, par value $0.0001 per share. Immediately after the IPO, there were 75,000,000 and 3,750,000 authorized but unissued shares of Class A common stock and Class B common stock, respectively, available for issuance, which amount does not take into account the shares of Class A common stock reserved for issuance upon exercise of outstanding warrants. Immediately after the consummation of the IPO, there were no shares of preferred stock issued and outstanding. 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, including in certain circumstances in which we issue Class A common stock or equity-linked securities related to our initial business combination. Shares of Class B common stock are also convertible at the option of the holder at any time.
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We may issue a substantial number of additional shares of common or preferred stock to complete our initial business combination or under an employee incentive plan after completion of our initial business combination (although our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that we may not issue securities that can vote with common stockholders on matters related to our pre-initial business combination activity). We may also issue shares of Class A common stock 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 (i) receive funds from the trust account or (ii) vote on any initial business combination. These provisions of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, like all provisions of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, may be amended with the approval of our stockholders. However, our executive officers and directors have agreed, pursuant to a written agreement with us, 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 redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of the IPO 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 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 outstanding public shares.
The issuance of additional shares of common or preferred stock:
| • | may significantly dilute the equity interest of investors in the IPO; |
| • | may subordinate the rights of holders of common stock if preferred stock is 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 officers and directors; and |
| • | may adversely affect prevailing market prices for our units, Class A common stock and/or warrants. |
We are subject to changing law and regulations regarding regulatory matters, corporate governance and public disclosure that have increased both our costs and the risk of non-compliance.
We are subject to rules and regulations by various governing bodies, including, for example, the Securities and Exchange Commission, which are charged with the protection of investors and the oversight of companies whose securities are publicly traded, and to new and evolving regulatory measures under applicable law. Our efforts to comply with new and changing laws and regulations have resulted in and are likely to continue to result in, increased general and administrative expenses and a diversion of management time and attention from revenue-generating activities to compliance activities. Moreover, because these laws, regulations and standards are subject to varying interpretations, their application in practice may evolve over time as new guidance becomes available. This evolution may result in continuing uncertainty regarding compliance matters and additional costs necessitated by ongoing revisions to our disclosure and governance practices. If we fail to address and comply with these regulations and any subsequent changes, we may be subject to penalty and our business may be harmed.
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Resources could be wasted in researching business combinations that are not completed, which could materially adversely affect subsequent attempts to locate and acquire or merge with another business. If we do not complete our initial business combination, 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, consultants 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 do not complete our initial business combination, our public stockholders may receive only approximately $10.00 per share on the liquidation of our trust account and our warrants will expire worthless. In certain circumstances, our public stockholders may receive less than $10.00 per share on the redemption of their shares. See “-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 below.
Our ability to successfully effect our initial business combination and to be successful thereafter will be totally dependent upon the efforts of our key personnel, some of whom may join us following our initial business combination. The loss of 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 employ 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 officers and directors of an initial business combination candidate may resign upon completion of our initial business combination. The departure of an initial business combination target’s key personnel could negatively impact the operations and profitability of our post-combination business. The role of an initial business combination 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 initial business combination candidate’s management team will remain associated with the initial business combination candidate following our initial business combination, it is possible that members of the management of an initial business combination 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.
We are dependent upon our executive officers and directors and their departure could adversely affect our ability to operate.
Our operations are dependent upon a relatively small group of individuals and, in particular, our executive officers and directors. We believe that our success depends on the continued service of our executive officers and directors, 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 executive officers. The unexpected loss of the services of one or more of our directors or executive officers could have a detrimental effect on us.
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Our key personnel may negotiate employment or consulting agreements as well as reimbursement of out-of-pocket expenses, if any, with a target business in connection with a particular business combination. These agreements may provide for them to receive compensation or reimbursement for out-of-pocket expenses, if any, 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 the company after the completion of our initial business combination only if they are able to negotiate employment or consulting agreements in connection with the initial business combination. Additionally, they may negotiate reimbursement of any out-of-pocket expenses incurred on our behalf prior to the consummation of our initial business combination, should they choose to do so. Such negotiations would take place simultaneously with the negotiation of the initial 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 initial business combination, or as reimbursement for such out-of-pocket expenses. 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. There is no certainty, however, that any of our key personnel will remain with us after the completion of our initial business combination. We cannot assure you that any of our key personnel will remain in senior management or advisory positions with us. 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. In addition, pursuant to an agreement to be entered into concurrently with the issuance and sale of the securities in the IPO, our sponsor, upon consummation of an initial business combination, will be entitled to nominate three individuals for election to our board of directors.
We may have limited information or ability to assess the management of a prospective target business and, as a result, may affect our initial business combination with a target business that is not as profitable as we suspected, if at all, or whose management may not have the skills, qualifications or abilities to manage a public company, which could, in turn, negatively impact the value of our stockholders’ investment in us.
When evaluating the desirability of effecting 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 anticipated. 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 stockholders who choose to remain stockholders following the initial business combination could suffer a reduction in the value of their shares. Such stockholders are unlikely to have a remedy for such reduction in value unless they are able to successfully claim that the reduction was due to the breach by our officers or directors of a duty of care or other fiduciary duty owed to them, or if they are able to successfully bring a private claim under securities laws that the proxy solicitation or tender offer materials, as applicable, relating to the business combination contained an actionable material misstatement or material omission.
Our officers and directors 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 officers and directors 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 an initial business combination and their other businesses. We do not intend to have any full-time employees prior to the completion of our initial business combination. Each of our officers is engaged in other business endeavors for which he may be entitled to substantial compensation and our officers are not obligated to contribute any specific number of hours per week to our affairs. Our independent directors may also serve as officers or board members for other entities. If our officers’ or directors’ 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. For a complete discussion of our officers’ and directors’ other business affairs, please see the section of the prospectus entitled “Management-Directors and Officers.”
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Certain of our officers and directors 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 allocating their time and determining to which entity a particular business opportunity should be presented.
Until we consummate the proposed Business Combination, we will be engaged in the business of identifying and combining with one or more businesses. Our officers and directors are, and may in the future become, affiliated with entities (such as operating companies or investment vehicles) that are engaged in a similar business, including without limitation, any future special purpose acquisition companies we expect they may be involved in.
EnTrust Global, GMF Capital and their affiliates have invested in diverse 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. Our officers and directors also may become aware of business opportunities which may be appropriate for presentation to us and the other entities to which they owe certain fiduciary or contractual duties. Any such companies may present additional conflicts of interest in pursuing an acquisition target.
Accordingly, they may have conflicts of interest in determining to which entity a particular business opportunity should be presented. 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 we are legally and contractually permitted to undertake and would otherwise be reasonable for us to pursue, and to the extent the director or officer is permitted to refer that opportunity to us without violating another legal obligation.
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 the sections of the prospectus entitled “Management-Directors and Officers,” “Management-Conflicts of Interest” and “Certain Relationships and Related Party Transactions.”
Our officers, directors, 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 an initial business combination with a target business that is affiliated with our sponsor, our directors or officers, although we do not intend to do so. We do not 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.
We may engage in an initial business combination with one or more target businesses that have relationships with entities that may be affiliated with our sponsor, officers, directors or existing holders which may raise potential conflicts of interest.
In light of the involvement of our sponsor, officers and directors with other entities, we may decide to acquire one or more businesses affiliated with our sponsor, officers or directors, including EnTrust Global or GMF Capital. Our directors also serve as officers and board members for other entities, including, without limitation, those described under the section of the prospectus entitled “Management-Conflicts of Interest.” Such entities may compete with us for business combination opportunities. Our sponsor, officers and directors are not currently aware of any specific opportunities for us to complete our initial business combination with any entities with which they are affiliated, there have been no preliminary discussions concerning an initial business combination with any such entity or entities, and our sponsor, officers and directors are not affiliated with LGM, the target in the Proposed Business Combination. 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 for an initial business combination as set forth in the section of the prospectus entitled “Proposed Business-Selection of a Target Business and Structuring of our Initial Business Combination” and such transaction was approved by a majority of our disinterested directors. Despite our agreement to obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm or another independent entity that commonly renders valuation opinions, regarding the fairness to our stockholders from a financial point of view of an initial business combination with one or more domestic or international businesses affiliated with our officers, directors or existing holders, potential conflicts of interest still may exist and, as a result, the terms of the initial business combination may not be as advantageous to our public stockholders as they would be absent any conflicts of interest.
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Since our sponsor, officers and directors 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 owns 5,625,000 founder shares. The number of founder shares issued was determined based on the expectation that such founder shares would represent 20% of the outstanding shares after the IPO. The founder shares will be worthless if we do not complete an initial business combination. In addition, our sponsor purchased an aggregate of 4,333,333 warrants at a price of $1.50 per warrant ($6,500,000 in the aggregate), that will also be worthless if we do not complete an initial business combination. Holders of founder shares have agreed (A) to vote any shares owned by them in favor of any proposed initial business combination and (B) not to redeem any founder shares in connection with a stockholder vote to approve a proposed initial business combination. In addition, we may obtain loans from our sponsor, affiliates of our sponsor or an officer or director. The personal and financial interests of our officers and directors 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.
We may issue notes or other debt securities, or otherwise incur substantial debt, to complete an initial business combination, which may adversely affect our leverage and financial condition and thus negatively impact the value of our stockholders’ investment in us.
Although we have no commitments to issue any notes or other debt securities (other than the Bridge Notes issued by LGM in connection with our proposed business combination, which will be exchanged for PubCo Class A Common Stock upon the closing thereof, as described elsewhere herein), or to otherwise incur outstanding debt following the IPO, 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 security is payable on demand; |
| • | our inability to obtain necessary additional financing if the debt security contains covenants restricting our ability to obtain such financing while the debt security 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, our ability to pay expenses, make capital expenditures and acquisitions, and fund 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; |
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| • | increased vulnerability to adverse changes in general economic, industry and competitive conditions and adverse changes in government regulation; |
| • | limitations on our ability to borrow additional amounts for expenses, capital expenditures, acquisitions, debt service requirements, and execution of our strategy; and |
| • | other disadvantages compared to our competitors who have less debt. |
We may only be able to complete one business combination with the proceeds of the IPO 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 services and limited operating activities. This lack of diversification may negatively impact our operating results and profitability.
Of the net proceeds from the IPO and the sale of the Private Placement Warrants, $225,000,000 will be available to complete our initial business combination and pay related fees and expenses (which includes up to $7,875,000 for the payment of deferred underwriting commissions).
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 economic, competitive and regulatory developments. 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. In addition, we intend to focus our search for an initial business combination in 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 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 of such sellers 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. We do not, however, intend to purchase multiple businesses in unrelated industries in conjunction with 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 in a single operating business. If we are unable to adequately address these risks, it could negatively impact our profitability and results of operations.
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We may attempt to complete our initial business combination with a private company about which little information is available, which may result in an initial business combination with a company that is not as profitable as we believed, if at all.
In pursuing our initial business combination 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 an initial business combination with a company that is not as profitable as we believed, if at all.
Our management may not be able to maintain control of a target business after our initial business combination.
We may structure an 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 only complete such 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 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 the 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 the initial business combination. For example, we could pursue a transaction in which we issue a substantial number of new shares of Class A common stock in exchange for all of the outstanding capital stock, shares or other equity interests of a target. 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 outstanding shares of 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 stock 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 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 do not have a specified maximum redemption threshold. The absence of such a redemption threshold may make it possible for us to complete an initial 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, except that in no event will we redeem our public shares in an amount that would cause our net tangible assets to be less than $5,000,001 upon consummation of our initial business combination and after payment of underwriters’ fees and commissions (such that we are not subject to the SEC’s “penny stock” rules) or any greater net tangible asset or cash requirement which may be contained in the agreement relating to our initial business combination. 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, officers, directors, advisors or their affiliates. In the event the aggregate cash consideration we would be required to pay for all shares of Class A common stock that are validly submitted for redemption plus any amount required to satisfy cash conditions pursuant to the terms of the proposed initial business combination exceed the aggregate amount of cash available to us, we will not complete the initial business combination or redeem any shares, 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.
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In order to effectuate an initial business combination, blank check companies have, in the recent past, amended various provisions of their charters and other 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 in a manner that will make it easier for us to complete our initial business combination that our stockholders may not support.
In order to effectuate an initial business combination, blank check companies have, in the recent 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 and 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. Amending our amended and restated certificate of incorporation requires the approval of holders of 65% of our common stock, and amending our warrant agreement requires a vote of holders of at least 50% of the public warrants 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, 50% of the number of the then outstanding Private Placement Warrants. In addition, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation requires us to provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to redeem their public shares for cash if we propose an amendment to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of the IPO or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to stockholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity. To the extent any such amendments would be deemed to fundamentally change the nature of any securities offered through this registration statement, we would register, or seek an exemption from registration for, the affected 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.
The 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), including an amendment to permit us to withdraw funds from the trust account such that the per share amount investors will receive upon any redemption or liquidation is substantially reduced or eliminated, may be amended with the approval of holders of 65% of our 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 related to pre-initial business combination activity (including the requirement to deposit proceeds of the IPO and the private placement of 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 and including to permit us to withdraw funds from the trust account such that the per share amount investors will receive upon any redemption or liquidation is substantially reduced or eliminated) may be amended if approved by holders of 65% of our common stock entitled to vote thereon, and corresponding provisions of the trust agreement governing the release of funds from our trust account may be amended if approved by holders of 65% of our common stock entitled to vote thereon. In all other instances, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation may be amended by holders of a majority of our outstanding common stock entitled to vote thereon, subject to applicable provisions of the DGCL or applicable stock exchange rules. We may not issue additional securities that can vote on amendments to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation. Our initial stockholders, who will collectively beneficially own up to 20% of our common stock upon the closing of the IPO, will 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 govern our pre-initial business combination behavior more easily than some other blank check companies, and this may increase our ability to complete an initial business combination with which you do not agree. Our stockholders may pursue remedies against us for any breach of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation.
Our sponsor, officers and directors have agreed, pursuant to a written agreement with us, that they will not propose any amendment to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation (i) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of the IPO or (ii) 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, divided by the number of then outstanding public shares. These agreements are contained in a letter agreement that we have entered into with our sponsor, officers and directors. Our stockholders are not parties to, or third-party beneficiaries of, these agreements and, as a result, will not have the ability to pursue remedies against our sponsor, officers or directors for any breach of these agreements. As a result, in the event of a breach, our stockholders would need to pursue a stockholder derivative action, subject to applicable law.
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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.
We intend to target businesses larger than we could acquire with the net proceeds of the IPO and the sale of the Private Placement Warrants. As a result, we may be required to seek additional financing to complete such proposed initial 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. Further, the amount of additional financing we may be required to obtain could increase as a result of future growth capital needs for any particular transaction, the depletion of the available net proceeds in search of a target business, the obligation to repurchase for cash a significant number of shares from stockholders who elect redemption in connection with our initial business combination and/or the terms of negotiated transactions to purchase shares in connection with our initial business combination. We may also be required to obtain additional financing in connection with the closing of our initial business combination for general corporate purposes, including for maintenance or expansion of operations of the post-transaction businesses, the payment of principal or interest due on indebtedness incurred in completing our initial business combination, or to fund the purchase of other companies. If we do not complete our initial business combination, our public stockholders may receive only approximately $10.00 per share plus any pro rata interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our franchise and income taxes on the liquidation of our trust account and our warrants will expire worthless. 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 officers, directors or stockholders is required to provide any financing to us in connection with or after our initial business combination. If we do not complete our initial business combination, our public stockholders may only receive approximately $10.00 per share on the liquidation of our trust account, and our warrants will expire worthless. Furthermore, as described in the risk factor entitled “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,” under certain circumstances our public stockholders may receive less than $10.00 per share upon the liquidation of the trust account.
Our initial stockholders may exert a substantial influence on actions requiring a stockholder vote, potentially in a manner that you do not support.
Upon the closing of the IPO, our initial stockholders own shares representing 20% of our issued and outstanding shares of common stock. Accordingly, they may exert a substantial influence on 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. Factors that would be considered in making such additional purchases would include consideration of the current trading price of our Class A common stock. In addition, our board of directors, whose members were elected by our initial stockholders, is and will be divided into three classes, each of which will generally serve for a term of three years with only one class of directors being elected in each year. We may not hold an annual meeting of stockholders to elect new directors prior to the completion of our initial business combination, in which case all of the current directors will continue in office until at least the completion of the initial business combination. If there is an annual meeting, as a consequence of our “staggered” board of directors, only a minority of the board of directors will be considered for election and our initial stockholders and only holders of our founder shares will have the right to vote on the election of directors prior to our initial business combination.
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Unlike many other similarly structured blank check companies, our initial stockholders will receive additional shares of Class A common stock if we issue shares to consummate an initial business combination.
The founder shares will automatically convert into Class A common stock at the time of our initial business combination, or earlier at the option of the holders, on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustment as provided herein. In the case that additional shares of Class A common stock, or equity-linked securities convertible or exercisable for Class A common stock, are issued or deemed issued in excess of the amounts offered in the prospectus and related to the closing of the initial business combination, the ratio at which founder shares shall convert into Class A common stock will, unless such provision is waived by the holders thereof, be adjusted so that the number of Class A common stock issuable upon conversion of all founder shares will equal, in the aggregate, on an as-converted basis, 20% of the total number of all outstanding shares of common stock upon completion of the initial business combination, excluding any shares or equity-linked securities issued, or to be issued, to any seller in the business combination and any private placement-equivalent warrants issued to our sponsor or its affiliates upon conversion of loans made to us. This is different from most other similarly structured blank check companies in which the initial stockholder will only be issued an aggregate of 20% of the total number of shares to be outstanding prior to the initial business combination. Additionally, the aforementioned adjustment will not take into account any shares of Class A common stock redeemed in connection with the business combination. Accordingly, the holders of the founder shares could receive additional shares of Class A common stock even if the additional shares of Class A common stock, or equity-linked securities convertible or exercisable for Class A common stock, are issued or deemed issued solely to replace those shares that were redeemed in connection with the business combination. The foregoing may make it more difficult and expensive for us to consummate an initial business combination.
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 50% 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 to cure any ambiguity or correct 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, or defective provision, but requires the approval by the holders of at least 50% of the then outstanding public warrants 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 50% of the then outstanding public warrants approve of such amendment. Although our ability to amend the terms of the public warrants with the consent of at least 50% 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 or stock, shorten the exercise period or decrease the number of shares of our Class A common stock purchasable upon exercise of a warrant.
Our warrants will be accounted for as a warrant liability and will be recorded at fair value upon issuance with any changes in fair value each period reported in earnings, which may have an adverse effect on the market price of our securities or may make it more difficult for us to consummate an initial business combination.
Following the consummation of the IPO and the concurrent private placement of warrants, we have 11,833,333 warrants outstanding (comprised of the 7,500,000 warrants included in the units and the 4,333,333 Private Placement Warrants). We will account for these warrants as a warrant liability, which means that we will record them at fair value, based upon a valuation report obtained from the Company’s independent third party valuation firm, upon issuance with any changes in fair value each period reported in earnings. The impact of changes in fair value on earnings may have an adverse effect on the market price of our securities. In addition, potential targets may seek a business combination partner that does not have warrants that are accounted for as a warrant liability, which may make it more difficult for us to consummate an initial business combination with a target business.
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The value of the founder shares following completion of our initial business combination is likely to be substantially higher than the nominal price paid for them, even if the trading price of our common stock at such time is substantially less than $10.00 per share.
Upon the closing of the IPO, our sponsor invested in us an aggregate of $6,525,000, comprised of the $25,000 purchase price for the founder shares and the $6,500,000 purchase price for the Private Placement Warrants. Assuming a trading price of $10.00 per share upon consummation of our initial business combination, the 6,468,750 founder shares would have an aggregate implied value of $64,687,500. Even if the trading price of our common stock was as low as $1.12 per share, and the Private Placement Warrants were worthless, the value of the founder shares would be approximately equal to the sponsor’s initial investment in us. As a result, our sponsor is likely to be able to recoup its investment in us and make a substantial profit on that investment, even if our public shares have lost significant value. Accordingly, our management team, which owns interests in our sponsor, may have an economic incentive that differs from that of the public shareholders to pursue and consummate an initial business combination rather than to liquidate and to return all of the cash in the trust to the public shareholders, even if that business combination were with a riskier or less-established target business. For the foregoing reasons, you should consider our management team’s financial incentive to complete an initial business combination when evaluating whether to redeem your shares prior to or in connection with the initial business combination.
A provision of our warrant agreement may make it more difficult for us to consummate an initial business combination.
Unlike most blank check companies, if
| (i) | we issue additional shares of common stock or equity-linked securities for capital raising purposes in connection with the closing of our initial business combination at a Newly Issued Price of less than $9.20 per share; |
| (ii) | 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 consummation of our initial business combination (net of redemptions), and |
| (iii) | 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 per share redemption trigger price will be adjusted (to the nearest cent) to be equal to 180% 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.
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 outstanding warrants at any time after they become exercisable and prior to their expiration, at a price of $0.01 per warrant, provided that the last reported sales price of our Class A common stock equals or exceeds $18.00 per share (as adjusted for stock splits, stock dividends, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) for any 20 trading days within a 30 trading-day period ending on the third trading day prior to the date on which we give proper notice of such redemption and provided certain other conditions are met. If and when the warrants become redeemable by us, we may not exercise our redemption right if the issuance of shares of common stock upon exercise of the warrants is not exempt from registration or qualification under applicable state blue sky laws or we are unable to effect such registration or qualification. We will use our best efforts to register or qualify such shares of common stock under the blue sky laws of the state of residence in those states in which the warrants were offered by us in the IPO. Redemption of the outstanding warrants could force you (i) to exercise your warrants and pay the exercise price therefor at a time when it may be disadvantageous for you to do so, (ii) to sell your warrants at the then-current market price when you might otherwise wish to hold your warrants or (iii) to accept the nominal redemption price which, at the time the outstanding warrants are called for redemption, is likely to be substantially less than the market value of your warrants. None of the Private Placement Warrants will be redeemable by us so long as they are held by the sponsor or its permitted transferees.
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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 issued warrants to purchase 7,500,000 shares of our Class A common stock as part of the units offered in the IPO and, simultaneously with the closing of the IPO, we issued Private Placement Warrants to purchase an aggregate of 4,333,333 shares of Class A common stock at $11.50 per share. Our initial stockholders currently own an aggregate of 7,187,500 founder shares. The founder shares are convertible into shares of Class A common stock on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustment as set forth herein. In addition, if our sponsor makes any working capital loans, up to $1,500,000 of such loans 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, including as to exercise price, exercisability and exercise period.
To the extent we issue shares of Class A common stock to effectuate an initial business combination, the potential for the issuance of a substantial number of additional shares of Class A common stock upon exercise of these warrants and conversion rights could make us a less attractive business combination vehicle to a target business. Any such issuance will increase the number of issued and outstanding shares of our Class A common stock and reduce the value of the shares of Class A common stock issued to complete the initial business combination. Therefore, our warrants and founder shares may make it more difficult to effectuate an initial 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 in the IPO except that, so long as they are held by our sponsor or its permitted transferees, (i) they will not be redeemable by us, (ii) they (including the 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 three years after the completion of our initial business combination and (iii) they may be exercised by the holders on a cashless basis.
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 an initial 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 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 statements in accordance with federal proxy rules and complete our initial business combination within the prescribed time frame.
We are an emerging growth company within the meaning of the Securities Act, and if we take advantage of certain exemptions from disclosure requirements available to emerging growth 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 Class A common stock held by non-affiliates exceeds $700 million as of any June 30 before that time, in which case we would no longer be an emerging growth company as of the following December 31. 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.
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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 an 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 which is neither an emerging growth company nor an emerging growth company which has opted out of using the extended transition period difficult or impossible because of the potential differences in accounting standards used.
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 initial business combination.
Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act requires that we evaluate and report on our system of internal controls. 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. Further, for as long as we remain an emerging growth company, we will not 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 company 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 controls. 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 business combination.
Provisions in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and Delaware law 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 a staggered board of directors and the ability of the board of directors to designate the terms of and issue new series of preferred shares, which may make the removal of management more difficult 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 the removal of management more difficult and may discourage transactions that otherwise could involve payment of a premium over prevailing market prices for our securities.
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Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation requires, to the fullest extent permitted by law, that derivative actions brought in our name, actions against our directors, officers, other employees or stockholders for breach of fiduciary duty and other similar actions may be brought only in the Court of Chancery in the State of Delaware and, if brought outside of Delaware, the stockholder bringing the suit will be deemed to have consented to service of process on such stockholder’s counsel, which may have the effect of discouraging lawsuits against our directors, officers, other employees or stockholders.
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation requires, to the fullest extent permitted by law, that derivative actions brought in our name, actions against our directors, officers, other employees or stockholders for breach of fiduciary duty and other similar actions may be brought only in the Court of Chancery in the State of Delaware and, if brought outside of Delaware, the stockholder bringing the suit will be deemed to have consented to service of process on such stockholder’s counsel except any action (A) as to which the Court of Chancery in the State of Delaware 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), (B) which is vested in the exclusive jurisdiction of a court or forum other than the Court of Chancery, (C) for which the Court of Chancery does not have subject matter jurisdiction, or (D) any action arising under the Securities Act, as to which the Court of Chancery and the federal district court for the District of Delaware shall have concurrent jurisdiction. Any person or entity purchasing or otherwise acquiring any interest in shares of our capital stock shall be deemed to have notice of and consented to the forum provisions in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation. This choice of forum provision may limit a stockholder’s ability to bring a claim in a judicial forum that it finds favorable for disputes with us or any of our directors, officers, other employees or stockholders, which may discourage lawsuits with respect to such claims, although our stockholders will not be deemed to have waived our compliance with federal securities laws and the rules and regulations thereunder. Alternatively, if a court were to find the choice of forum provision contained in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation to be inapplicable or unenforceable in an action, we may incur additional costs associated with resolving such action in other jurisdictions, which could harm our business, operating results and financial condition.
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that the exclusive forum provision will be applicable to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law. Section 27 of the Exchange Act creates exclusive federal jurisdiction over all suits brought to enforce any duty or liability created by the Exchange Act or the rules and regulations thereunder. As a result, the exclusive forum provision will not apply to suits brought to enforce any duty or liability created by the Exchange Act or any other claim for which the federal courts have exclusive jurisdiction.
Cyber incidents or attacks directed at us could result in information theft, data corruption, operational 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 a blank-check 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.
If we effect our initial business combination with a company with operations or opportunities outside of the United States, we would be subject to a variety of additional risks that may negatively impact our operations.
If we effect our initial business combination with a company with operations or opportunities outside of the United States, we would be subject to any special considerations or risks associated with companies operating in an international setting, including any of the following:
| • | higher costs and difficulties inherent in managing cross-border business operations and complying with different 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; |
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| • | exchange listing and/or delisting requirements; |
| • | tariffs and trade barriers; |
| • | regulations related to customs and import/export matters; |
| • | local or regional economic policies and market conditions; |
| • | unexpected changes in regulatory requirements; |
| • | challenges in managing and staffing international operations; |
| • | longer payment cycles and challenges in collecting accounts receivable; |
| • | tax issues, including but not limited to tax law changes and variations in tax laws as compared to the United States; |
| • | currency fluctuations and exchange controls; |
| • | rates of inflation; |
| • | cultural and language differences; |
| • | employment regulations; |
| • | corruption; |
| • | protection of intellectual property; |
| • | data privacy; |
| • | changes in industry, regulatory or environmental standards within the jurisdictions where we operate; |
| • | public health or safety concerns and governmental restrictions, including those caused by outbreaks of pandemic disease such as the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic; |
| • | crime, strikes, riots, civil disturbances, terrorist attacks, natural disasters and wars; |
| • | deterioration of political relations with the United States; and |
| • | government appropriations of assets. |
We may not be able to adequately address these additional risks. If we were unable to do so, our operations might suffer, which may adversely impact our results of operations and financial condition.
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.
In recent months, 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.
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The increased cost and decreased availability of directors and officers liability insurance could make it more difficult and more expensive for us to negotiate 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, accept less favorable terms or both. However, 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, even after we were to complete an initial business combination, our directors and officers could still be subject to potential liability from claims arising from conduct alleged to have occurred prior to the 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.
We may engage one or more of our underwriters or one of their respective affiliates to provide additional services to us after the IPO, which may include acting as a mergers and acquisitions advisor in connection with an initial business combination or as placement agent in connection with a related financing transaction. Our underwriters are entitled to receive deferred underwriting commissions that will be released from the trust account only upon a completion of an initial business combination. These financial incentives may cause them to have potential conflicts of interest in rendering any such additional services to us after the IPO, including, for example, in connection with the sourcing and consummation of an initial business combination.
We may engage one or more of our underwriters or one of their respective affiliates to provide additional services to us, including, for example, identifying potential targets, providing mergers and acquisitions advisory services, acting as a placement agent in a private offering or arranging debt financing transactions. We may pay such underwriter or its affiliate fair and reasonable fees or other compensation that would be determined at that time in an arm’s length negotiation; provided that no agreement will be entered into with any of the underwriters or their respective affiliates and no fees or other compensation for such services will be paid to any of the underwriters or their respective affiliates prior to the date that is 60 days from the date of the prospectus, unless FINRA determines that such payment would not be deemed underwriters’ compensation in connection with the IPO. The underwriters are also entitled to receive deferred underwriting commissions that are conditioned on the completion of an initial business combination. The underwriters’ or their respective affiliates’ financial interests 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. In connection with the Proposed Business Combination, we engaged BTIG, LLC as financial advisor and placement agent.
We have identified material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting. This material weakness could continue to adversely affect our ability to report our results of operations and financial condition accurately and in a timely manner.
Our management is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with GAAP. Our management is likewise required, on a quarterly basis, to evaluate the effectiveness of our internal controls and to disclose any changes and material weaknesses identified through such evaluation in those internal controls. 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.
We have identified a material weakness in our internal control over financial reporting related to the Company’s application of ASC 480-10-S99-3A to its accounting classification of the public shares and related earnings per share calculations. As a result of this material weakness, our management has concluded that our internal control over financial reporting was not effective as of December 31, 2021. Historically, a portion of the public shares was classified as permanent equity to maintain stockholders’ equity greater than $5 million on the basis that the Company will not redeem its public shares in an amount that would cause its net tangible assets to be less than $5,000,001, as described in the Charter. Pursuant to the Company’s re-evaluation of the Company’s application of ASC 480-10-S99-3A to its accounting classification of the public shares, the Company’s management has determined that the public shares include certain provisions that require classification of all of the public shares as temporary equity regardless of the net tangible assets redemption limitation contained in the Charter. For a discussion of management’s consideration of the material weakness identified related to the Company’s application of ASC 480-10-S99-3A to its accounting classification of the public shares, see Part II, Item 9A: Controls and Procedures included in this Report.
We have identified a material weakness in our internal control over financial reporting related to the Company’s evaluation of key terms of the Management Award Agreements granted to the directors of the Company. Stock based compensation related to awards contingent on a performance condition should not be recognized until that condition is met; therefore no stock-based compensation for these awards should have been recorded from the IPO through September 30, 2022.
We have identified a material weakness in our internal control over financial reporting related to the Company’s recognition of fees incurred related to a certain agreement with a service provider which resulted in an understatement of the reported accrued expenses during the quarter ended December 31, 2022.
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To respond to these material weaknesses we have devoted significant effort and resources to the remediation and improvement of our internal control over financial reporting, and we intend to take additional steps to remediate these material weaknesses including plans to enhance processes to better evaluate our research and understanding of the nuances of the complex accounting standards that apply to our financial statements, enhance access to accounting literature, research materials and documents and increase communication among our personnel and third-party professionals with whom we consult regarding complex accounting applications. The elements of our remediation plan can only be accomplished over time, and we can offer no assurance that these initiatives will ultimately have the intended effects.
Our efforts to remediate these material weaknesses may not be effective or prevent any future material weaknesses or significant deficiency in our internal control over financial reporting. If our efforts are not successful or other material weaknesses or control deficiencies occur in the future, we may be unable to report our financial results accurately on a timely basis, which could cause our reported financial results to be materially misstated and result in the loss of investor confidence and cause the market price of our securities to decline.
Our management concluded that there is substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a “going concern.”
In connection with the Company’s assessment of going concern considerations accordance with FASB’s Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) 2014-15, we have determined that if the Company is unable to complete a business combination by May 28, 2023, then the Company will cease all operations except for the purpose of liquidating. The date for mandatory liquidation and subsequent dissolution raise substantial doubt about the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern. The financial statements contained elsewhere in this Report do not include any adjustments that might result from our inability to continue as a going concern.
Adverse developments affecting the financial services industry, including events or concerns involving liquidity, defaults or non-performance by financial institutions, could adversely affect our business, financial condition or results of operations, or our prospects.
The funds in our operating account and our trust account are held in banks or other financial institutions. Our cash held in non-interest bearing and interest-bearing accounts would exceed any applicable Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (“FDIC”) insurance limits. Should events, including limited liquidity, defaults, non-performance or other adverse developments occur with respect to the banks or other financial institutions that hold our funds, or that affect financial institutions or the financial services industry generally, or concerns or rumors about any events of these kinds or other similar risks, our liquidity may be adversely affected. For example, on March 10, 2023, the FDIC announced that Silicon Valley Bank had been closed by the California Department of Financial Protection and Innovation. Although we did not have any funds in Silicon Valley Bank or other institutions that have been closed, we cannot guarantee that the banks or other financial institutions that hold our funds will not experience similar issues.
In addition, investor concerns regarding the U.S. or international financial systems could result in less favorable commercial financing terms, including higher interest rates or costs and tighter financial and operating covenants, or systemic limitations on access to credit and liquidity sources, thereby making it more difficult for us to acquire financing on terms favorable to us in connection with a potential business combination, or at all, and could have material adverse impacts on our liquidity, our business, financial condition or results of operations, and our prospects. Our business may be adversely impacted by these developments in ways that we cannot predict at this time, there may be additional risks that we have not yet identified, and we cannot guarantee that we will be able to avoid negative consequences directly or indirectly from any failure of one or more banks or other financial institutions.
| ITEM 1B. | UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS |
Not applicable.
| ITEM 2. | PROPERTY |
Our executive offices are located at 375 Park Avenue, 24th Floor, New York, NY 10152 and our telephone number is 212-888-1040. Our executive offices are provided to us by our Sponsor. Effective as of May 25, 2021, we agreed to pay our sponsor a total of $10,000 per month for office space, utilities and secretarial and administrative support. We consider our current office space adequate for our current operations.
| ITEM 3. | LEGAL PROCEEDINGS |
None.
| ITEM 4. | MINE SAFETY DISCLOSURES |
Not applicable.
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PART II
| ITEM 5. | MARKET FOR COMMON EQUITY AND RELATED SHAREHOLDER MATTERS AND ISSUER PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES |
Market Information
Our units, Class A common stock and warrants are listed on The New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”) under the symbols EGGFU, EGGF and EGGFW, respectively.
Holders
As of December 31, 2022, there was one holder of record of our units, one holder of record of our Class A ordinary shares and three holders of record of our warrants.
Dividends
We have not paid any cash dividends on our 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. 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.
Recent Sales of Unregistered Securities; Use of Proceeds from Registered Securities
On January 29, 2021, EG Sponsor LLC, our sponsor (the “Sponsor”) paid $25,000 to cover certain of the Company’s offering costs in exchange for 5,750,000 founder shares. In March 2021, the Company effected a stock dividend of 1,437,500 shares with respect to its Class B common stock, resulting in its initial stockholders holding an aggregate of 7,187,500 founder shares. On May 25, 2021, the Sponsor surrendered an aggregate of 718,750 shares of Class B common stock for no consideration, which were cancelled, resulting in an aggregate of 6,468,750 shares of Class B common stock outstanding and held by the Sponsor. Up to 843,750 of the founder shares were subject to forfeiture depending on the extent to which the underwriters’ over-allotment was exercised. In July 2021, the 843,750 of the founder shares were forfeited due to the underwriters’ over-allotment not exercised.
The registration statement for the IPO was declared effective on May 25, 2021. On May 28, 2021, we consummated an IPO of 22,500,000 units (the “Units”), at an offering price of $10.00 per Unit, generating gross proceeds of approximately $225 million, and incurring offering costs of approximately $13 million, inclusive of $7.875 million in deferred underwriting commissions.
Simultaneously with the closing of the IPO, the Sponsor purchased an aggregate of 4,333,333 Private Placement Warrants at a price of $1.50 per Private Placement Warrant, for an aggregate purchase price of $6,500,000, in a private placement (the “Private Placement”). Each Private Placement Warrant entitles the holder to purchase one share of the Class A common stock at a price of $11.50 per share. The Private Placement Warrants (including the Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the Private Placement Warrants) will not be transferable, assignable or salable until three years after the completion of the initial Business Combination and they will not be redeemable by the Company so long as they are held by the Sponsor or its permitted transferees. The Sponsor, or its permitted transferees, has the option to exercise the Private Placement Warrants on a cashless basis. Except as described below, the Private Placement Warrants have terms and provisions that are identical to those of the warrants sold as part of the Units in the IPO, including as to exercise price, exercisability and exercise period. If the Private Placement Warrants are held by holders other than the Sponsor or its permitted transferees, the Private Placement Warrants will be redeemable by the Company and exercisable by the holders on the same basis as the warrants included in the Units sold in the IPO.
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The Company incurred offering costs amounting to $13,000,756 as a result of the IPO consisting of a $4,500,000 underwriting discount, $7,875,000 of deferred underwriting discount, and $625,756 of other offering costs. The Company recorded $12,609,646 of offering costs as a reduction of equity in connection with the Class A common stock included in the Units. The Company immediately expensed $391,110 of offering costs in connection with the Warrants that were classified as liabilities.
We intend to use substantially all of the funds held in the trust account, including any amounts representing interest earned on the trust account (less taxes payable and deferred underwriting commissions), to complete our initial business combination. We may withdraw interest income (if any) to pay income taxes, if any. We expect the interest income earned on the amount in the trust account (if any) will be sufficient to pay our income taxes. To the extent that our equity or debt is used, in whole or in part, as consideration to complete our initial business combination, the remaining proceeds held in the trust account will be used as working capital to finance the operations of the target business or businesses, make other acquisitions and pursue our growth strategies.
Prior to the completion of our initial business combination, we will have available to us the proceeds held outside the trust account, as well as certain funds from loans from our sponsor, members of our management team or any of their affiliates. We intend to use these funds to primarily identify and evaluate target businesses, perform business due diligence on prospective target businesses, travel to and from the offices, plants or similar locations of prospective target businesses or their representatives or owners, review corporate documents and material agreements of prospective target businesses, and structure, negotiate and complete a business combination.
| ITEM 6. | [RESERVED] |
| ITEM 7. | MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS |
The following discussion and analysis of the Company’s financial condition and results of operations should be read in conjunction with our 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 set forth under “Special Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements,” “Item 1A. Risk Factors” and elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
Overview
We are a blank check company incorporated as a Delaware corporation and 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. We intend to effectuate our initial business combination using cash from the proceeds of the initial public offering and the private placement of the private placement warrants, the proceeds of the sale of our shares in connection with our initial business combination (pursuant to a forward purchase agreement), shares issued to the owners of the target, debt issued to bank or other lenders or the owners of the target, or a combination of the foregoing.
On May 28, 2021, we consummated the initial public offering of 22,500,000 units, at a price of $10.00 per unit, generating gross proceeds of $225,000,000. Simultaneously with the closing of the initial public offering, we consummated the sale of 4,333,333 private placement warrants, at a price of $1.50 per private placement warrant, in a private placement to the Sponsor, generating gross proceeds of $6,500,000.
Of the net proceeds from the IPO and associated private placements, $225,000,000 of cash was placed in the trust account. We cannot assure you that our plans to complete our Initial Business Combination will be successful.
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Recent Developments
Equity Purchase Agreement
On October 17, 2022, we entered into an Equity Purchase Agreement with LGM, for certain limited purposes, the LGM Existing Equityholders and, for certain limited purposes, our sponsor, and, as the representative of the LGM Existing Equityholders, Thomas James Segrave, Jr.
Business Combination
Pursuant to the Equity Purchase Agreement, following the Closing, PubCo will be organized in Up-C structure, in which substantially all of the assets of the combined company will be held by LGM, and PubCo’s only assets will be its equity interests in LGM. At the Closing:
| • | We will amend our existing certificate of incorporation to: (a) change our name to “flyExclusive, Inc.,” (b) convert all then-outstanding shares of our Class B common stock, par value $0.0001 per share, into PubCo Class A Common Stock, and (c) issue to the LGM Existing Equityholders PubCo Class B Common Stock, which carries one vote per share but no economic rights; |
| • | LGM and its members will adopt the Amended and Restated Limited Liability Company Agreement of LGM to: (a) restructure its capitalization to (i) issue to us the number of common units of LGM equal to the number of outstanding shares of PubCo Class A Common Stock immediately after giving effect to the Business Combination (taking into account any redemption of our Class A common stock, any potential PIPE investment, and the conversion of the Bridge; and (ii) reclassify the existing LGM common units into LGM common units, and (b) appoint PubCo as the managing member of LGM; |
| • | As consideration for the PubCo Units, we will contribute to LGM the amount held in the trust account, less the amount of cash required to fund the redemption of our Class A common stock, par value $0.0001 per share, held by eligible stockholders who elect to have their shares redeemed as of the Closing, plus the aggregate proceeds from any potential PIPE investment and the deemed contribution of the aggregate proceeds of the Bridge Notes, less the deferred underwriting commission payable to BTIG, LLC. Immediately after the contribution of the Contribution Amount, LGM will pay the amount of unpaid fees, commissions, costs or expenses that have been incurred by LGM and us in connection with the Business Combination by wire transfer of immediately available funds on behalf of LGM and us to those persons to whom such amounts are owed; |
| • | Prior to the Closing, an aggregate amount equal to the sum of (without duplication), (a) an amount equal to (1) the amount of cash in the Trust Account, less (2) the required amount of cash taken from the Trust Account to fund any redemptions of our Class A common stock, plus (b) the aggregate proceeds received by the Company from the Post-Signing PIPE Investment (if any), plus (c) the aggregate proceeds received by LGM from the funding of the Bridge Notes, less (d) $7,875,000 (representing the amount held in the Trust Account for the deferred underwriting commission) (the “Closing Date Cash Contribution Amount”); |
| • | An amount equal to: (i) $0, in the event the Closing Date Cash Contribution Amount is $85,000,000 or less; (ii) the lesser of (A) $15,000,000 and (B) the excess of the Closing Date Cash Contribution Amount over $85,000,000, in the event the Closing Date Cash Contribution Amount is more than $85,000,000 and less than $185,000,000; and (iii) the lesser of (A) $20,000,000 and (B) $15,000,000 plus the excess of the Closing Date Cash Contribution Amount over $185,000,000, in the event the Closing Date Cash Contribution Amount is more than $185,000,000 (the “Closing Date Cash Repurchase Amount”); provided that should the Closing Date Cash Repurchase Amount result in the LGM Existing Equityholders owning, in the aggregate, less than fifty one percent (51%) of the outstanding LGM common units as of immediately following the Closing, the Closing Date Cash Repurchase Amount shall be capped at such amount as would result in the LGM Existing Equityholders owning, in the aggregate fifty one percent (51%) of the LGM common units; and |
| • | Without any action on the part of any holder of our warrants, each warrant that is issued and outstanding immediately prior to the Closing will be converted into a warrant to purchase one whole share of PubCo Class A Common Stock in accordance with its terms. |
Bridge Note
In connection with the execution of the Equity Purchase Agreement, on October 17, 2022, LGM entered into a Senior Subordinated Convertible Note with an investor and, for certain limited provisions thereof, us, pursuant to which LGM borrowed an aggregate principal amount of $50,000,000 at a rate of 10% per annum. On October 28, 2022, LGM also entered into an Incremental Amendment with additional investors on the same terms for an aggregate principal amount of $35,000,000, bringing the total principal amount of the Bridge Notes to $85,000,000 in the aggregate. Concurrently with the Closing, the Bridge Notes will be automatically exchanged for the number of PubCo Class A Common Stock equal to the quotient of (a) the total amount owed by LGM under the Bridge Notes divided by (b) $10.00 (subject to adjustment in certain instances, as described in the Bridge Notes). Unless otherwise consented to by the Bridge Note Lenders, the proceeds of the Bridge Notes are to be used primarily for the acquisition of additional aircraft and payment of expenses related thereto.
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Results of Operations
We have neither engaged in any operations nor generated any revenues to date. The only activities through December 31, 2022 were organizational activities and those necessary to prepare for the initial public offering. We do not expect to generate any operating revenues until after the completion of our initial business combination. We will generate non-operating income in the form of interest income on marketable securities held in the trust account. We will incur expenses as a result of being a public company (for legal, financial reporting, accounting and auditing compliance), as well as for due diligence expenses in connection with searching for, and completing, a business combination.
For the year ended December 31, 2022, we had net income of $3,666,886, which consisted of $5,099,750 in change in fair value of warrants, and $3,245,484 in interest earned on marketable securities held in the Trust Account, offset by $4,077,647 in formation and operating costs and provision for income taxes of $600,701.
For the period from January 28, 2021 (inception) through December 31, 2021, we had net income of $2,146,285, which consisted of $3,301,678 in change in fair value of warrants, $228,557 in change in fair value of over-allotment liability and $8,593 in interest earned on marketable securities held in the Trust Account, offset by $1,001,433 in formation and operating costs and $391,110 in warrant issuance costs.
Going Concern and Liquidity
As of December 31, 2022, we had $87,853 in our operating bank account, and working capital deficit of $3,073,843.
Until the consummation of a business combination, the Company will be using the funds not held in the Trust Account for identifying and evaluating prospective acquisition candidates, performing due diligence on prospective target businesses, paying for travel expenditures, selecting the target business to acquire, and structuring, negotiating and consummating the business combination.
In addition, in order to finance transaction costs in connection with a business combination, our Sponsor or an affiliate of the Sponsor or certain of our officers and directors may, but are not obligated to, provide us Working Capital Loans. To date, there were no amounts outstanding under any Working Capital Loans.
The Company has incurred and expects to continue to incur significant costs in pursuit of its acquisition plans. The Company will need to raise additional capital through loans or additional investments from its Sponsor, stockholders, officers, directors, or third parties. The Company’s officers, directors and Sponsor may, but are not obligated to, loan the Company funds, from time to time or at any time, in whatever amount they deem reasonable in their sole discretion, to meet the Company’s working capital needs. Accordingly, the Company may not be able to obtain additional financing. Additionally, it is uncertain that we will have sufficient liquidity to fund the working capital needs of the Company through May 28, 2023 or through twelve months from the issuance of this report. These conditions raise substantial doubt about the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern for a period of time within one year after the date that the financial statements are issued. If the estimate of the costs of identifying a target business, under taking in-depth due diligence and negotiating a business combination are less than the actual amount necessary to do so, the Company may have insufficient funds available to operate its business prior to its business combination. Moreover, the Company may need to obtain additional financing or draw on the Working Capital Loans (as defined below) either to complete a Business Combination or because it becomes obligated to redeem a significant number of the Public Shares upon consummation of the Business Combination, in which case the Company may issue additional securities or incur debt in connection with such Business Combination. Subject to compliance with applicable securities laws, the Company would only complete such financing simultaneously with the completion of the Business Combination.
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If the Company is unable to complete the Business Combination because it does not have sufficient funds available, the Company will be forced to cease operations and liquidate the Trust Account. In addition, following the Business Combination, if cash on hand is insufficient, the Company may need to obtain additional financing in order to meet its obligations.
In connection with the Company’s assessment of going concern considerations in accordance with FASB’s Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”)2014-15, “Disclosures of Uncertainties about an Entity’s Ability to Continue as a Going Concern,” management determined that the liquidity raises substantial doubt about the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern through May 28, 2023, the scheduled liquidation date of the Company if it does not complete a Business Combination prior to such date. Management intends to complete a Business Combination prior to mandatory liquidation date. The Company is within 3 months of its mandatory liquidation date as of the time of filing of this Annual Report on Form 10-K. These financial statements do not include any adjustments relating to the recovery of the recorded assets or the classification of the liabilities that might be necessary should the Company be unable to continue as a going concern.
Management is currently evaluating 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 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 financial statements. The financial statements do not include any adjustments that might result from the outcome of this uncertainty.
Critical Accounting Policies
The preparation of these 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 statement. Actual results could differ from those estimates.
Class A Common Stock Subject to Possible Redemption
All of the 22,500,000 Class A common stock sold as part of the Units in the IPO contain a redemption feature which allows for the redemption of such public shares in connection with the Company’s liquidation, if there is a stockholder vote or tender offer in connection with the Business Combination and in connection with certain amendments to the Company’s amended and restated certificate of incorporation. In accordance with SEC and its staff’s guidance on redeemable equity instruments, which has been codified in ASC 480-10-S99, redemption provisions not solely within the control of the Company require common stock subject to redemption to be classified outside of permanent equity. Therefore, all Class A common stock has been classified outside of permanent equity.
The Company recognizes changes in redemption value immediately as they occur and adjusts the carrying value of redeemable common stock to equal the redemption value at the end of each reporting period. Increases or decreases in the carrying amount of redeemable common stock are affected by charges against additional paid in capital and accumulated deficit.
Net Income Per Common Share
The Company has two classes of shares, which are referred to as Class A common stock and Class B common stock. Earnings and losses are shared pro rata between the two classes of shares. The 11,833,333 potential common shares for outstanding warrants to purchase the Company’s stock were excluded from diluted earnings per share for the year ended December 31, 2022 and for the period from January 28, 2021 (inception) through December 31, 2021 because the warrants are contingently exercisable, and the contingencies have not yet been met. As a result, diluted net income per common share is the same as basic net income per common share for the periods.
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Derivative Financial Instruments
The Company evaluates its financial instruments to determine if such instruments are derivatives or contain features that qualify as embedded derivatives in accordance with ASC Topic 815, “Derivatives and Hedging”. Derivative instruments are initially recorded at fair value on the grant date and re-valued at each reporting date, with changes in the fair value reported in the statements of operations. Derivative assets and liabilities are classified in the balance sheets as current or non-current based on whether or not net-cash settlement or conversion of the instrument could be required within 12 months of the balance sheet date. The Company has determined that both the Public Warrants and Private Placement Warrants are derivative instruments.
Recent Accounting Standards
In August 2020, the FASB issued Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) 2020-06, Debt—Debt with Conversion and Other Options (Subtopic 470-20) and Derivatives and Hedging—Contracts in Entity’s Own Equity (Subtopic 815-40) (“ASU 2020-06”) to simplify accounting for certain financial instruments. ASU 2020-06 eliminates the current models that require separation of beneficial conversion and cash conversion features from convertible instruments and simplifies the derivative scope exception guidance pertaining to equity classification of contracts in an entity’s own equity. The new standard also introduces additional disclosures for convertible debt and freestanding instruments that are indexed to and settled in an entity’s own equity. ASU 2020-06 amends the diluted earnings per share guidance, including the requirement to use the if-converted method for all convertible instruments. As a smaller reporting company, ASU 2020-06 is effective January 1, 2024 for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2023 and should be applied on a full or modified retrospective basis, with early adoption permitted beginning on January 1, 2021. The Company is currently assessing the impact, if any, that ASU 2020-06 would have on its financial position, results of operations or cash flows.
Management does not believe that any recently issued, but not yet effective, accounting standards, if currently adopted, would have a material effect on our financial statements.
Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements; Commitments and Contractual Obligations
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.
| ITEM 7A. | QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK |
Not required for smaller reporting companies.
| ITEM 8. | FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND SUPPLEMENTARY DATA |
This information appears following Item 15 of this Report and is included herein by reference.
| ITEM 9. | CHANGES IN AND DISAGREEMENTS WITH ACCOUNTANTS ON ACCOUNTING AND FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE |
None.
| ITEM 9A. | CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES. |
Disclosure controls and procedures are controls and other procedures that are designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed in our reports filed or submitted under Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”) is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in the SEC’s rules and forms. Disclosure controls and procedures include, without limitation, controls and procedures designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed in our reports filed or submitted under the Exchange Act is accumulated and communicated to our management to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure.
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Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures
As required by Rules 13a-15 and 15d-15 under the Exchange Act, our management carried out an evaluation of the effectiveness of the design and operation of our disclosure controls and procedures. Based upon their evaluation, we concluded that our disclosure controls and procedures were not effective as of December 31, 2022, due to the restatements of our May 28, 2021 and June 30, 2021 financial statements (the “restatements”) regarding the classification of redeemable Class A common stock, the improper recognition of stock based compensation expense, and the improper recognition of fees related to an agreement, and that these constitute material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting. In light of these material weaknesses we performed additional analysis as deemed necessary to ensure that those unaudited interim financial statements were prepared in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles. Accordingly, management believes that the financial statements included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K present fairly in all material respects our financial position, results of operations and cash flows for the periods presented.
Management’s Report on Internal Controls Over Financial Reporting
As required by SEC rules and regulations implementing Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, our management is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting. Our internal control over financial reporting is designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of our financial statements for external reporting purposes in accordance with GAAP. Our internal control 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 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 financial statements. |
Because of its inherent limitations, internal control over financial reporting may not prevent or detect errors or misstatements in our 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 control over financial reporting at 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 Control — Integrated Framework (2013). Based on our assessments and those criteria, management determined that we did not maintain effective internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2022.
Management has implemented remediation steps to improve our internal control over financial reporting. Specifically, we expanded and improved our review process for complex securities, material agreements and related accounting standards. We plan to further improve this process by enhancing access to accounting literature, identification of third-party professionals with whom to consult regarding complex accounting applications and consideration of additional staff with the requisite experience and training to supplement existing accounting professionals.
This Annual Report on Form 10-K does not include an attestation report of our independent registered public accounting firm due to our status as an emerging growth company under the JOBS Act.
| ITEM 9B. | OTHER INFORMATION |
None.
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PART III
| ITEM 10. | DIRECTORS AND EXECUTIVE OFFICERS OF THE REGISTRANT |
Directors and Executive Officers
Our officers and directors are as follows:
| Name | Age | Position | ||
Gregg S. Hymowitz | 57 | Chief Executive Officer and Director | ||
Gary Fegel | 49 | Chairman | ||
Sophia Park Mullen | 44 | President and Director | ||
Louise Curbishley | 49 | Director | ||
Linda Hall Daschle | 67 | Director | ||
Jonathan Silver | 65 | Director | ||
Noorsurainah (Su) Tengah | 40 | Director | ||
Mr. Gregg S. Hymowitz is the Chief Executive Officer and a director of the Company. Mr. Hymowitz is Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of EnTrust Global and Chair of EnTrust Global’s Investment Committee, Compensation Committee and Financial Controls Committee, and is a member of the Management Committee and the “Blue Ocean” Executive Committee. He is also the Chairman of the Board of Directors of Purus Marine Holdings LP, the environmentally-focused shipping company launched by EnTrust’s Blue Ocean 4Impact strategy. Mr. Hymowitz is a Founder and has been the Managing Partner of EnTrust Global since its founding (as EnTrust Capital) in April 1997. Prior to EnTrust Global, Mr. Hymowitz was Vice President at Goldman, Sachs & Co., which he joined in 1992. For the preceding two years, Mr. Hymowitz was an attorney in the Mergers & Acquisitions practice at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom. Mr. Hymowitz is a former board member of the Board of Trustees of Montefiore Medical Center and served two terms as a Trustee of the Riverdale Country Day School. Mr. Hymowitz received his J.D. degree from Harvard Law School and his B.A. degree from the State University of New York at Binghamton. Mr. Hymowitz was the 1985 Harry S. Truman Scholar from New York, the 1987 British Hansard Society Scholar and the 2004 recipient of the Governor’s Committee on Scholastic Achievement Award.
Mr. Gary Fegel is the Chairman of the Company. Mr. Fegel is a seasoned global investor and operator who has deep investment experience across the technology, logistics, healthcare, real estate, and commodities sectors. Mr. Fegel was a Senior Partner at Glencore Plc, one of the world’s largest commodity trading and mining companies. He was responsible for the firm’s global aluminum business, where he led a team of over 120 people worldwide. In such capacity, Mr. Fegel established an extensive global network, ranging from governmental entities and conglomerates to private enterprises. Mr. Fegel helped take Glencore public at a $50 billion valuation and exited the company upon its merger with Xstrata Plc, which valued the combined entity at over $80 billion. Following Glencore, Mr. Fegel founded GMF Capital in 2013 as a global investment platform focusing on private equity, real estate and alternative investments. In 2015 Mr. Fegel co-founded GMF Real Estate, an asset management business primarily focused on investing in real estate and healthcare. Since inception, GMF Capital and GMF Real Estate have executed over 100 real estate, private equity and credit transactions. Prior to Glencore, Mr. Fegel worked as a trader for UBS and Credit Suisse First Boston in their derivatives departments, based in Zurich, London, and New York. Mr. Fegel is currently employed by GMF Holding AG, as President and Chairman of the Board Directors. GMF Holding AG is an investment holding company headquartered in Switzerland and is the ultimate parent of GMF Capital LLC. Mr. Fegel has held this position for over six years. For the avoidance of doubt it is not affiliated with the Company. Mr. Fegel serves on the board of several private companies, including Videri Inc., MyskySA, and Swiss Properties AG. Mr. Fegel holds an M.B.A. from the University of St. Gallen.
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Ms. Sophia Park Mullen is the President and a director of the Company. Ms. Mullen is also President and Head of Co-Investment Research at EnTrust Global, a member of the Management Committee, and a member of the Global Investment Committee. Ms. Mullen joined EnTrust Global as a Vice President in September 2013 with over 5 years’ previous experience in the industry. Before joining the firm, Ms. Mullen was an Associate in the New York office of Sidley Austin LLP and a member of the firm’s Corporate Reorganization and Bankruptcy Group where she focused on representing both debtors and creditors in a wide variety of matters. Ms. Mullen received her B.S. degree from Georgetown University and her J.D. degree from the University of Notre Dame Law School.
Ms. Louise Curbishley is a director of the Company. Since November 2019 to the present date, Ms. Curbishley has served as the Chief Financial Officer of Members Exchange (MEMX), a market operator founded in 2018 by leading members of the global financial community, which aims to help drive simplicity, efficiency and competition in equity markets. MEMX closed on a $70 million second round financing in May 2020 and commenced trading operations in September 2020. Ms. Curbishley joined MEMX as their first Chief Financial Officer, and in her role is responsible for all audit, financial and tax matters. Previously, starting in 2014, she was the founding Chief Financial Officer and Partner at Hitchwood Capital Management, a roughly $3 billion hedge fund. In 2018, she was named one of the “Fifty Leading Women In Hedge Funds,” an annual list compiled by the Hedge Fund Journal, in association with Ernst & Young. Prior to Hitchwood, she served as the Chief Financial Officer of a number of other hedge funds, including Scout Capital and Libra Capital. She began her career in consulting, focusing on strategy and mergers & acquisitions. Ms. Curbishley is a Certified Public Accountant, and received her MBA degree from Harvard Business School and a Masters of Engineering degree from the University of Oxford.
Ms. Linda Hall Daschle is a director of the Company. In 2009, she formed her own consulting company, LHD & Associates, Inc., which she led until her retirement in 2018. Ms. Daschle was nominated by President Bill Clinton and confirmed in 1993 to begin a four-year term as FAA Deputy Administrator and FAA Acting Administrator, where she led efforts to overhaul the agency’s air traffic control modernization program and implementation of major safety improvements. Ms. Daschle was the first woman to serve as FAA Acting Administrator. Prior to holding that position, she helped start a regional airline, worked for the Civil Aeronautics Board, and became a top executive with the American Association of Airport Executives. She returned to the private sector in 1997 and chaired the public policy practice for over a decade at Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell, & Berkowitz, PC. From 2014 to 2021, Ms. Daschle served as Board National Security Advisor for Aireon, LLC and was also a member of the company’s Advisory Board. Aireon operates the first-ever global space-based air traffic surveillance system for Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) equipped aircraft. In 2021, Ms. Daschle was appointed to the FAA’s Management Advisory Council. She is a member of the Smithsonian National Aviation and Space Museum advisory board. Among the honors bestowed upon Ms. Daschle are placement in the Kansas Aviation Hall of Fame, the Amelia Earhart Pioneering Achievement Award and recipient of the Air Traffic Control Association’s most prestigious honor-the Glen A. Gilbert Memorial Award.
Mr. Jonathan Silver is a director of the Company. Mr. Silver is one of the nation’s leading clean economy investors and advisors and has been recognized as one of the United States’ “Top 10 Green Tech Influencers” by Reuters. Mr. Silver currently serves as a Senior Advisor at Apollo Global Management Inc. and as Chair of its Global Climate Council, and has served in such capacity since 2022. Mr. Silver also currently serves on the boards of National Grid (NYSE: NGG), a FTSE 15 utility company, and Plug Power (NASDAQ: PLUG), the country’s leading manufacturer of hydrogen fuel cells, and has served in such capacities since May 2019 and June 2018, respectively. He served on the board of Peridot Acquisition Corp., a blank-check company generally focusing on opportunities within the energy industry that are driven by the elimination or mitigation of greenhouse gases that merged with Li-Cycle Corp. from October 2020 until 2021. He is also on the board of several privately held clean economy companies. From February 2015 to December 2020, Mr. Silver served as Managing Partner of Tax Equity Advisors LLC, which managed investments in large-scale renewable projects. From 2020 until 2022, Mr. Silver served as Senior Advisor at Guggenheim Partners, LLC. From 2009 to 2011, Mr. Silver served as Executive Director of the Loan Programs Office during President Obama’s administration, leading the government’s $40 billion clean energy investment fund and its $20 billion advanced automotive technology fund, providing financing for a wide range of solar, wind, geothermal, biofuels, fossil, nuclear energy and electric vehicle projects. Earlier, Mr. Silver co-founded and served as Managing Partner of Core Capital Partners, a successful early-stage investor in battery technology, advanced manufacturing, telecommunications and software and as Managing Director and the Chief Operating Officer of Tiger Management, one of the country’s largest and most successful hedge funds. He began his business career at McKinsey and Company, a global management consulting firm. In addition, Mr. Silver served as a policy advisor to four U.S. Cabinet Secretaries - Energy, Commerce, Interior and Treasury. Mr. Silver received his B.A. degree from Harvard University and an advanced degree from The Institute of Political Studies in Paris, and has received both the Fulbright and Rotary Graduate Fellowships.
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Ms. Noorsurainah (Su) Tengah is a director of the Company. Since 2019, Ms. Tengah has served as the Executive Manager and Head of Alternative Assets, for the Brunei Investment Agency, the sovereign wealth fund of the Government of Brunei, which was founded in 1983. Ms. Tengah has been with the Brunei Investment Agency for over 16 years; her prior positions have included the Head of Absolute Return, Portfolio Manager Private Equity, Assistant Portfolio Manager External Fund Management, and Analyst of the Macro, Fixed Income, Credit and Equity group. In her current role, she leads a team of 22 investment professionals focused on private and public market investments across the globe, and oversees the strategy and execution for all private equity, absolute return and commodities-related investments. Ms. Tengah serves as a director on the board of Mapletree Industrial Trust Management Ltd. and on the boards of several private companies. Ms. Tengah also served on the board of directors of Boqii Holdings from 2020 until 2023. She has completed the Program for Leadership Development at Harvard Business School, and holds an MSc in Finance and Economics from the Manchester Business School.
We believe that all of our current board members possess the professional and personal qualifications necessary for board service, and we have highlighted in the individual biographies above the specific experience, attributes, and skills that led to the conclusion that each board member should serve as a director.
Director Independence
The NYSE listing standards require that a majority of our board of directors be independent within one year of our IPO. An “independent director” is defined generally as a person that, in the opinion of the company’s board of directors, has no material relationship with the listed company (either directly or as a partner, stockholder or officer of an organization that has a relationship with the company). Our board of directors has determined that each of Louise Curbishley, Linda Hall Daschle, Jonathan Silver and Noorsurainah (Su) Tengah are “independent directors” as defined in the NYSE listing standards and applicable SEC rules. Our independent directors will have regularly scheduled meetings at which only independent directors are present.
Audit Committee
Effective May 25, 2021, we established an audit committee of the board of directors. Louise Curbishley, Linda Hall Daschle, Jonathan Silver and Noorsurainah (Su) Tengah serve as members of our audit committee, and Louise Curbishley chairs the audit committee. Under the NYSE listing standards and applicable SEC rules, we are required to have at least three members of the audit committee, all of whom must be independent. Each of Louise Curbishley, Linda Hall Daschle, Jonathan Silver and Noorsurainah (Su) Tengah meet the independent director standard under the NYSE listing standards and under Rule 10-A-3(b)(1) of the Exchange Act.
Each member of the audit committee is financially literate and our board of directors has determined that Louise Curbishley qualifies as an “audit committee financial expert” as defined in applicable SEC rules and has accounting or related financial management expertise.
The audit committee’s duties, which are specified in our Audit Committee Charter, include, but are not limited to:
| • | assisting board oversight of (1) the integrity of our financial statements, (2) our compliance with legal and regulatory requirements, (3) the independent registered public accounting firm’s qualifications and independence and (4) the performance of our internal audit function and the independent registered public accounting firm; |
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| • | the appointment, compensation, retention, replacement, and oversight of the work of the independent registered public accounting firm engaged by us; |
| • | pre-approving all audit and permitted non-audit services to be provided by the independent registered public accounting firm engaged by us, and establishing pre-approval policies and procedures; |
| • | setting clear hiring policies for employees or former employees of the independent registered public accounting firm, including but not limited to, as required by applicable laws and regulations; |
| • | 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 (i) the independent registered public accounting firm’s internal quality-control procedures, (ii) 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 and (iii) all relationships between the independent registered public accounting firm and us to assess the independent registered public accounting firm’s independence; |
| • | 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 “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. |
Nominating Committee and Corporate Governance Committee
Effective May 25, 2021, we established a nominating and corporate governance committee of the board of directors. Louise Curbishley, Linda Hall Daschle, Jonathan Silver and Noorsurainah (Su) Tengah serve as members of our nominating and corporate governance committee. Under the NYSE listing standards, all members of the nominating and corporate governance committee must be independent.
Each of Louise Curbishley, Linda Hall Daschle, Jonathan Silver and Noorsurainah (Su) Tengah are independent, and Jonathan Silver chairs the nominating and corporate governance committee.
We adopted a nominating and corporate governance committee charter, which details the principal functions of the nominating and corporate governance committee, including:
| • | identifying, screening and reviewing individuals qualified to serve as directors and recommending to the board of directors candidates for nomination for election at the annual meeting of stockholders or to fill vacancies on the board of directors; |
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| • | 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.
The nominating and corporate governance committee is governed by a charter that complies with the rules of the NYSE.
Compensation Committee
Effective May 25, 2021, we established a compensation committee of the board of directors. Louise Curbishley, Linda Hall Daschle, Jonathan Silver and Noorsurainah (Su) Tengah serve as members of our compensation committee. Under the NYSE listing standards and applicable SEC rules, all members of the compensation committee must be independent. Each of Louise Curbishley, Linda Hall Daschle, Jonathan Silver and Noorsurainah (Su) Tengah are independent and Noorsurainah (Su) Tengah chairs the compensation committee.
We adopted a compensation committee charter, which details the principal functions 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, if any is paid by us, 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 on an annual basis to our board of directors with respect to (or approving, if such authority is so delegated by our board of directors) the compensation, if any is paid by us, and any incentive-compensation and equity-based plans that are subject to board approval of our other officers; |
| • | reviewing on an annual basis 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; |
| • | if required, 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. |
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Notwithstanding the foregoing, as indicated above, until the earlier of the consummation of our initial business combination or our liquidation and the payment to our sponsor of $10,000 per month, for up to 24 months, for office space, utilities and secretarial and administrative support and reimbursement of expenses, and in connection with potentially providing financing or other investments in connection with our initial business combination, no compensation of any kind, including finders, consulting or other similar fees, will be paid to any of our existing stockholders, officers, directors or any of their respective affiliates, prior to, or for any services they render in order to effectuate the consummation of an initial business combination. Accordingly, it is likely that prior to the consummation of an initial business combination, the compensation committee will only be responsible for the review and recommendation of any compensation arrangements to be entered into in connection with such initial business combination.
The charter also provides that the compensation committee may, in its sole discretion, retain or obtain the advice of a compensation consultant, legal counsel or other adviser and will be 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 the NYSE and the SEC.
Code of Business Conduct and Ethics
Effective May 25, 2021, we adopted a Code of Business Conduct and Ethics applicable to our directors, officers and employees, which is available on our website. A copy of the Code of Business Conduct and 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 Business Conduct and Ethics in a Current Report on Form 8-K.
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| ITEM 11. | EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION |
Executive Compensation
Effective May 25, 2021, we have agreed to pay our sponsor a total of $10,000 per month for office space, utilities and secretarial and administrative support. Upon completion of our initial business combination or our liquidation, we will cease paying these monthly fees. In no event will our sponsor or any of our existing officers or directors, or any entity with which our sponsor or officers are affiliated, be paid any finder’s fee, reimbursement, consulting fee, monies in respect of any payment of a loan or other compensation by the Company prior to, or in connection with any services rendered for any services they render in order to effectuate, the completion of our initial business combination (regardless of the type of transaction that it is). However, these individuals 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. We do not have a policy that prohibits our sponsor, executive officers or directors, or any of their respective affiliates, from negotiating for the reimbursement of out-of-pocket expenses by a target business. Our audit committee will review on a quarterly basis all payments that were made to our sponsor, officers or directors, or our or their affiliates. Any such payments prior to an initial business combination will be made using funds held outside the trust account. Other than quarterly audit committee review of such payments, we do not expect to have any additional controls in place governing our reimbursement payments to our directors and executive officers for their out-of-pocket expenses incurred in connection with identifying and consummating an initial business combination.
After the completion of our initial business combination, directors or members of our management team who remain with us may be paid consulting or management fees from the combined company. All of these fees 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 initial business combination. We have not established any limit on the amount of such fees that may be paid by the combined company to our directors or members of management. It is unlikely the amount of such compensation will be known at the time of the proposed initial business combination, because the directors of the post-combination business will be responsible for determining officer and director compensation. Any compensation to be paid to our officers will be determined, or recommended to the board of directors for determination, either by a compensation committee constituted solely by independent directors or by a majority of the independent directors on our board of directors.
We do not intend to take any action to ensure that members of our management team maintain their positions with us after the consummation of our initial business combination, although it is possible that some or all of our officers and directors may negotiate employment or consulting arrangements to remain with us after our initial business combination. The existence or terms of any such employment or consulting arrangements to retain their positions with us may influence our management team’s motivation in identifying or selecting a target business but we do not believe that the ability of our management to remain with us after the consummation of our initial business combination will be a determining factor in our decision to proceed with any potential business combination. We are not party to any agreements with our officers and directors that provide for benefits upon termination of employment.
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| ITEM 12. | SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS AND MANAGEMENT AND RELATED SHAREHOLDER MATTERS |
The following table sets forth information regarding the beneficial ownership of our common stock as of December 31, 2022 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 that beneficially owns shares of our common stock; 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 warrants are not exercisable within 60 days of the date of the prospectus.
| As of December 31, 2022 | ||||||||
| Name and Address of Beneficial Owner(1) | Number of Shares Beneficially Owned | Approximate Percentage of Outstanding Common Stock | ||||||
EG Sponsor LLC (our sponsor)(2)(3) | 5,625,000 | 20.00 | % | |||||
Gregg Hymowitz | 5,625,000 | 20.00 | % | |||||
Gary Fegel | — | — | ||||||
Sophia Park Mullen | — | — | ||||||
Louise Curbishley | — | — | ||||||
Linda Hall Daschle | — | — | ||||||
Jonathan Silver | — | — | ||||||
Noorsurainah (Su) Tengah | — | — | ||||||
Saba Capital Management, L.P. (4) | 1,721,200 | 7.7 | % | |||||
Fir Tree Capital Management LP(5) | 1,513,628 | 6.73 | % | |||||
HGC Investment Management Inc.(6) | 1,604,717 | 7.13 | % | |||||
BTIG, LLC(7) | 1,303,017 | 5.79 | % | |||||
All executive officers, directors and director nominees as a group (7 individuals) (2) | 5,625,000 | 20.00 | % | |||||
| (1) | Unless otherwise noted, the business address of each of the following entities or individuals is c/o EG Acquisition Corp., 375 Park Avenue, 24th Floor, New York, NY 10152. |
| (2) | Interests shown consist solely of founder shares, classified as shares of Class B common stock. Such shares are convertible into shares of Class A common stock on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustment. |
| (3) | Our sponsor is the record holder of such shares. EnTrust Global Management GP LLC is the managing member of our sponsor (the “Managing Member”), and as such has voting and investment discretion with respect to the common stock held of record by our sponsor and may be deemed to have shared beneficial ownership of the common stock held directly by our sponsor. Gregg Hymowitz is the sole and managing member of GH Onshore GP LLC, which is the sole and managing member of the Managing Member, and as a result, may be deemed to have shared beneficial ownership (along with the Managing Member, GH Onshore GP LLC and the Sponsor) of the common stock held directly by our sponsor. Each of EnTrust Global Management GP LLC, GH Onshore GP LLC and Gregg Hymowitz disclaims beneficial ownership of such securities except to the extent of its or his pecuniary interest therein. Each of our officers and directors may hold a direct or indirect interest in our sponsor. An affiliate of GMF Capital has an approximately 50% membership interest in the sponsor. Each such person disclaims any beneficial ownership of the reported shares other than to the extent of any pecuniary interest they may have therein, directly or indirectly. |
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| (4) | According to a Schedule 13G filed with the SEC on February 14, 2023, Saba Capital Management, L.P., Boaz R. Weinstein, and Saba Capital Management GP, LLC may be deemed to have shared dispositive voting power with regard to 1,721,200 shares of Class A common stock of the Company. The business address of each is 405 Lexington Avenue, 58th Floor, New York, New York 10174. |
| (5) | According to a Schedule 13G filed with the SEC on February 14, 2023, Fir Tree Capital Management LP may be deemed to have sole voting power with regard to 1,513,628 shares of Class A common stock of the Company. The business address of Fir Tree Capital Management LP is 500 5th Avenue, 9th Floor, New York, New York 10110. |
| (6) | According to a Schedule 13G filed with the SEC on February 14, 2023, HGC Investment Management Inc. may be deemed to have sole voting power with regard to 1,604,717 shares of Class A common stock of the Company. The business address of HGC Investment Management Inc. is 1073 Yonge Street, 2nd Floor, Toronto, Ontario M4W 2L2, Canada. |
| (7) | According to a Schedule 13G filed with the SEC on January 17, 2023, BTIG, LLC may be deemed to have shared voting and dispositive power with regard to 2 1,303,017Class A common stock of the Company. The business address of BTIG, LLC is 600 Montgomery Street, 6th Floor, San Francisco, CA 94111. |
The holders of the founder shares agreed (A) to vote any shares owned by them in favor of any proposed initial business combination and (B) not to redeem any shares in connection with a stockholder vote to approve a proposed initial business combination.
Our sponsor and our executive officers and directors are deemed to be our “promoters” as such term is defined under the federal securities laws.
| ITEM 13. | CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED TRANSACTIONS, AND DIRECTOR INDEPENDENCE |
For a complete discussion regarding certain relationships and related transactions, see the section titled “Certain Relationships and Related Party Transactions” contained in our prospectus on form S-1 filed with the SEC on May 11, 2021, incorporated by reference herein.
| ITEM 14. | PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTING FEES AND SERVICES. |
The following is a summary of fees paid or to be paid to Marcum LLP, or Marcum, for services rendered.
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 Marcum in connection with regulatory filings. The aggregate fees billed by Marcum for professional services rendered for the audit of our annual financial statements, review of the financial information included in our Forms 10-Q for the respective periods and other required filings with the SEC for the year ended December 31, 2022 and for the period from January 28, 2021 (inception) through December 31, 2021 totaled $100,425 and $128,280, respectively. The above amounts include interim procedures and audit fees, as well as attendance at audit committee meetings.
Audit-Related Fees. Audit-related services consist of fees billed for assurance and related services that are reasonably related to performance of the audit or review of our financial statements and are not reported under “Audit Fees.” These services include attest services that are not required by statute or regulation and consultations concerning financial accounting and reporting standards. We did not pay Marcum for consultations concerning financial accounting and reporting standards for the year ended December 31, 2022 and for the period from January 28, 2021 (inception) through December 31, 2021.
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Tax Fees. We did not pay Marcum for tax planning and tax advice for the year ended December 31, 2022 and for the period from January 28, 2021 (inception) through December 31, 2021.
All Other Fees. We did not pay Marcum for other services for the year ended December 31, 2022 and for the period from January 28, 2021 (inception) through December 31, 2021.
Pre-Approval Policy
Our audit committee was formed upon the consummation of our Initial Public Offering. As a result, the audit committee did not pre-approve all of the foregoing services, although any services rendered prior to the formation of our audit committee were approved by our board of directors. Since the formation of our audit committee, and on a going-forward basis, the audit committee has and will pre-approve all auditing services and permitted non-audit services to be performed for us by our auditors, including the fees and terms thereof (subject to the de minimis exceptions for non-audit services described in the Exchange Act which are approved by the audit committee prior to the completion of the audit).
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| ITEM 15. | EXHIBITS, FINANCIAL STATEMENTS, AND SCHEDULES |
(a) The following documents are filed as part of this annual report:
(1) Financial Statements:
| Page | ||
Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm (PCAOB ID Number 688) | F-2 | |
| F-3 | ||
| F-4 | ||
| F-5 | ||
| F-6 | ||
| F-7 to F-24 |
(2) Financial Statement Schedules:
None.
(b) Exhibits:
We hereby file as part of this Report the exhibits listed in the attached Exhibit Index. Exhibits which are incorporated herein by reference can be inspected and copied at the public reference facilities maintained by the SEC, 100 F Street, N.E., Room 1580, Washington, D.C. 20549. Copies of such material can also be obtained from the Public Reference Section of the SEC, 100 F Street, N.E., Washington, D.C. 20549, at prescribed rates or on the SEC website at www.sec.gov.
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| * | Incorporated by reference to the Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K, filed with the SEC October 18, 2022. |
| ** | Incorporated by reference to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form S-1, as amended (SEC File No. 333- 255046). |
| *** | 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. |
| † | Certain of the exhibits and schedules to this exhibit have been omitted in accordance with Regulation S-K Item 601(b)(2). EG agrees to furnish supplementally a copy of all omitted exhibits and schedules to the SEC upon its request. |
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| ITEM 16. | FORM 10-K SUMMARY |
None.
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| F-2 | ||
Financial Statements: | ||
| F-3 | ||
| F-4 | ||
| F-5 | ||
| F-6 | ||
| F-7 to F-24 |
| /s/ Marcum LLP |
| Marcum LLP |
| We have served as the Company’s auditor since 2021. |
| New York, NY |
| April 12, 2023 |
| PCAOB ID Number 688 |
December 31, | ||||||||
2022 | 2021 | |||||||
Assets: | ||||||||
| Cash | $ | 87,853 | $ | 319,220 | ||||
| Prepaid expenses | 191,667 | 463,959 | ||||||
Total current assets | 279,520 | 783,179 | ||||||
Prepaid expenses, non-current | — | 179,998 | ||||||
| Marketable securities held in Trust Account | 228,254,077 | 225,008,593 | ||||||
Total Assets | $ | 228,533,597 | $ | 225,971,770 | ||||
Liabilities and Stockholders’ Deficit | ||||||||
| Accounts payable and accrued expenses | $ | 2,409,171 | $ | 285,181 | ||||
| Income taxes payable | 600,701 | — | ||||||
| Due to related party | 191,935 | 71,935 | ||||||
| Promissory note—related party | 1,150,000 | — | ||||||
Total current liabilities | 4,351,807 | 357,116 | ||||||
| Warrant liabilities | 2,283,833 | 7,383,583 | ||||||
Deferred underwriting commissions | 7,875,000 | 7,875,000 | ||||||
Total Liabilities | 14,510,640 | 15,615,699 | ||||||
Commitments and Contingencies (Note 6) | ||||||||
Temporary equity—Class A common stock subject to possible redemption, 22,500,000 shares at approximately $10.10 and $10.00 , respectively | 227,255,633 | 225,008,593 | ||||||
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; 100,000,000 shares authorized; 0 shares issued and outstanding (excluding 22,500,000 shares subject to possible redemption) as of December 31, 2022 and December 31, 2021 | — | — | ||||||
| Class B common stock, $0.0001 par value; 10,000,000 shares authorized; 5,625,000 shares issued and outstanding as of December 31, 2022 and December 31, 2021 | 563 | 563 | ||||||
Additional paid-in capital | — | — | ||||||
| Accumulated deficit | (13,233,239 | ) | (14,653,085 | ) | ||||
Total stockholders’ deficit | (13,232,676 | ) | (14,652,522 | ) | ||||
Total Liabilities, Temporary Equity and Stockholders’ Deficit | $ | 228,533,597 | $ | 225,971,770 | ||||
For the Period | ||||||||
from January 28, | ||||||||
2021 | ||||||||
For the Year | (Inception) | |||||||
Ended | Through | |||||||
December 31, | December 31, | |||||||
2022 | 2021 | |||||||
| Formation and operating costs | $ | 4,077,647 | $ | 1,001,433 | ||||
Loss from operations | (4,077,647 | ) | (1,001,433 | ) | ||||
Other income (expense) | ||||||||
| Change in fair value of warrants | 5,099,750 | 3,301,678 | ||||||
| Change in fair value of over-allotment liability | — | 228,557 | ||||||
| Warrant issuance costs | — | (391,110 | ) | |||||
| Trust interest income | 3,245,484 | 8,593 | ||||||
Total other income, net | 8,345,234 | 3,147,718 | ||||||
| Income before provision for income taxes | 4,267,587 | 2,146,285 | ||||||
| Provision for income taxes | (600,701 | ) | — | |||||
Net income | $ | 3,666,886 | $ | 2,146,285 | ||||
| Basic and diluted weighted average shares outstanding, Class A common stock subject to possible redemption | 22,500,000 | 14,531,250 | ||||||
Basic and diluted net income per share | $ | 0.13 | $ | 0.11 | ||||
Basic and diluted weighted average shares outstanding, non-redeemable common stock | 5,625,000 | 5,625,000 | ||||||
Basic and diluted net income per share | $ | 0.13 | $ | 0.11 | ||||
Class A Common Stock | Class B Common Stock | Additional Paid-in | Accumulated | Total Stockholders’ | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Shares | Amount | Shares | Amount | Capital | Deficit | Deficit | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Balance as of January 28, 2021 (inception) | — | $ | — | — | $ | — | $ | — | $ | — | $ | — | ||||||||||||||||
| Class B common stock issued to Sponsor | — | — | 6,468,750 | 647 | 24,353 | — | 25,000 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Proceeds received in excess of fair value of private placement warrants | — | — | — | — | 2,583,564 | — | 2,583,564 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Stock-based compensation | — | — | — | — | 208,250 | — | 208,250 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Remeasurement value | — | — | — | — | (2,816,251 | ) | (16,799,370 | ) | (19,615,621 | ) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Forfeiture of 843,750 Class B shares | — | — | (843,750 | ) | (84 | ) | 84 | — | — | |||||||||||||||||||
| Net income | — | — | — | — | — | 2,146,285 | 2,146,285 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Balance as of December 31, 2021 | — | — | 5,625,000 | 563 | — | (14,653,085 | ) | (14,652,522 | ) | |||||||||||||||||||
Remeasurement value | — | — | — | — | — | (2,247,040 | ) | (2,247,040 | ) | |||||||||||||||||||
| Net income | — | — | — | — | — | 3,666,886 | 3,666,886 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Balance as of December 31, 2022 | — | $ | — | 5,625,000 | $ | 563 | $ | — | $ | (13,233,239 | ) | $ | (13,232,676 | ) | ||||||||||||||
For the Period | ||||||||
from January 28, | ||||||||
For the Year | 2021 (Inception) | |||||||
Ended | Through | |||||||
December 31, | December 31, | |||||||
2022 | 2021 | |||||||
Cash flows from operating activities: | ||||||||
| Net income | $ | 3,666,886 | $ | 2,146,285 | ||||
| Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash used in operating activities: | ||||||||
| Trust interest income | (3,245,484 | ) | (8,593 | ) | ||||
| Change in fair value of warrants | (5,099,750 | ) | (3,301,678 | ) | ||||
| Change in fair value of over-allotment liability | — | (228,557 | ) | |||||
| Stock-based compensation | — | 208,250 | ||||||
| Warrant issuance costs | — | 391,110 | ||||||
| Changes in current assets and current liabilities: | ||||||||
| Prepaid expenses | 452,290 | (643,957 | ) | |||||
| Due to related party | 120,000 | 71,935 | ||||||
| Accounts payable and accrued expenses | 2,123,990 | 376,547 | ||||||
| Income taxes payable | 600,701 | — | ||||||
Net cash used in operating activities | (1,381,367 | ) | (988,658 | ) | ||||
Cash flows from investing activities: | ||||||||
| Marketable securities held in Trust Account | — | (225,000,000 | ) | |||||
Net cash used in investing activities | — | (225,000,000 | ) | |||||
Cash flows from financing activities: | ||||||||
| Proceeds from Initial Public Offering, net of underwriters’ fees | — | 220,500,000 | ||||||
| Proceeds from private placement | — | 6,500,000 | ||||||
| Proceeds from issuance of promissory note to related party | 1,150,000 | — | ||||||
| Repayment of promissory note to related party | — | (66,366 | ) | |||||
| Payment of offering costs | — | (625,756 | ) | |||||
Net cash provided by financing activities | 1,150,000 | 226,307,878 | ||||||
Net change in cash | (231,367 | ) | 319,220 | |||||
| Cash, beginning of the period | 319,220 | — | ||||||
Cash, end of the period | $ | 87,853 | $ | 319,220 | ||||
Supplemental disclosure of cash flow information: | ||||||||
| Deferred offering costs paid by Sponsor in exchange for issuance of Class B common stock | $ | — | $ | 25,000 | ||||
| Deferred underwriting commissions charged to additional paid in capital | $ | — | $ | 7,875,000 | ||||
| Deferred offering costs paid by Sponsor loan | $ | — | $ | 66,366 | ||||
| Accretion of Class A common stock to redemption value | $ | 2,247,040 | $ | 19,615,621 | ||||
| Initial classification of warrant liability | $ | — | $ | 10,685,261 | ||||
| • | 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. |
| Gross proceeds from IPO | $ | 225,000,000 | ||
| Less: | ||||
| Proceeds allocated to Public Warrants | (6,768,825 | ) | ||
Over-allotment liability | (228,557 | ) | ||
| Class A common stock issuance costs | (12,609,646 | ) | ||
| Plus: | ||||
Remeasurement | 19,615,621 | |||
Class A common stock subject to possible redemption as of December 31, 2021 | $ | 225,008,593 | ||
| Plus: | ||||
Remeasurement | 2,247,040 | |||
Class A common stock subject to possible redemption as of December 31, 2022 | $ | 227,255,633 | ||
Year Ended December 31, 2022 | For the Period from January 28, 2021 (Inception) Through December 31, 2021 | |||||||||||||||
Class A | Class B | Class A | Class B | |||||||||||||
| Basic and diluted net income per share | ||||||||||||||||
| Numerator: | ||||||||||||||||
| Allocation of net income | $ | 2,933,509 | $ | 733,377 | $ | 1,547,322 | $ | 598,963 | ||||||||
| Denominator: | ||||||||||||||||
| Weighted average shares outstanding | 22,500,000 | 5,625,000 | 14,531,250 | 5,625,000 | ||||||||||||
| Basic and diluted net income per share | $ | 0.13 | $ | 0.13 | $ | 0.11 | $ | 0.11 | ||||||||
| • | in whole and not in part; |
| • | at a price of $0.01 per warrant; |
| • | upon not less than 30 days’ prior written notice of redemption (the “30-day redemption period”) to each warrant holder; and |
| • | if, and only if, the reported last sale price of the Class A common stock equals or exceeds $18.00 per share (as adjusted for stock splits, stock dividends, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) for any 20 trading days within a 30-trading day period ending three business days before the Company sends the notice of redemption to the warrant holders. |
| • | We will amend our existing certificate of incorporation to: (a) change our name to “flyExclusive, Inc.,” (b) convert all then-outstanding shares of our Class B common stock, par value $0.0001 per share, into PubCo Class A Common Stock, and (c) issue to the LGM Existing Equityholders PubCo Class B Common Stock, which carries one vote per share but no economic rights; |
| • | LGM and its members will adopt the Amended and Restated Limited Liability Company Agreement of LGM to: (a) restructure its capitalization to (i) issue to us the number of common units of LGM equal to the number of outstanding shares of PubCo Class A Common Stock immediately after giving effect to the Business Combination (taking into account any redemption of our Class A common stock, any potential PIPE investment, and the conversion of the Bridge; and (ii) reclassify the existing LGM common units into LGM common units, and (b) appoint PubCo as the managing member of LGM; |
| • | As consideration for the PubCo Units, we will contribute to LGM the amount held in the trust account, less the amount of cash required to fund the redemption of our Class A common stock, par value $0.0001 per share, held by eligible stockholders who elect to have their shares redeemed as of the Closing, plus the aggregate proceeds from any potential PIPE investment and the deemed contribution of the aggregate proceeds of the Bridge Notes, less the deferred underwriting commission payable to BTIG, LLC. Immediately after the contribution of the Contribution Amount, LGM will pay the amount of unpaid fees, commissions, costs or expenses that have been incurred by LGM and us in connection with the Business Combination by wire transfer of immediately available funds on behalf of LGM and us to those persons to whom such amounts are owed; |
| • | Prior to the Closing, an aggregate amount equal to the sum of (without duplication), (a) an amount equal to (1) the amount of cash in the Trust Account, less (2) the required amount of cash taken from the Trust Account to fund any redemptions of our Class A common stock, plus (b) the aggregate proceeds received by the Company from the Post-Signing PIPE Investment (if any), plus (c) the aggregate proceeds received by LGM from the funding of the Bridge Notes, less (d) $7,875,000 (representing the amount held in the Trust Account for the deferred underwriting commission) (the “Closing Date Cash Contribution Amount”); |
| • | An amount equal to: (i) $0, in the event the Closing Date Cash Contribution Amount is $85,000,000 or less; (ii) the lesser of (A) $15,000,000 and (B) the excess of the Closing Date Cash Contribution Amount over $85,000,000, in the event the Closing Date Cash Contribution Amount is more than $85,000,000 and less than $185,000,000; and (iii) the lesser of (A) $20,000,000 and (B) $15,000,000 plus the excess of the Closing Date Cash Contribution Amount over $185,000,000, in the event the Closing Date Cash Contribution Amount is more than $185,000,000 (the “Closing Date Cash Repurchase Amount”); provided that should the Closing Date Cash Repurchase Amount result in the LGM Existing Equityholders owning, in the aggregate, less than fifty one percent (51%) of the outstanding LGM common units as of immediately following the Closing, the Closing Date Cash Repurchase Amount shall be capped at such amount as would result in the LGM Existing Equityholders owning, in the aggregate fifty one percent (51%) of the LGM common units; and |
| • | Without any action on the part of any holder of our warrants, each warrant that is issued and outstanding immediately prior to the Closing will be converted into a warrant to purchase one whole share of PubCo Class A Common Stock in accordance with its terms. |
December 31, | Quoted Prices In Active Markets | Significant Other Observable Inputs | Significant Other Unobservable Inputs | |||||||||||||
2022 | (Level 1) | (Level 2) | (Level 3) | |||||||||||||
| Assets: | ||||||||||||||||
| Marketable securities held in Trust Account | $ | 228,254,077 | $ | 228,254,077 | $ | — | $ | — | ||||||||
| $ | 228,254,077 | $ | 228,254,077 | $ | — | $ | — | |||||||||
| Liabilities: | ||||||||||||||||
| Warrant Liability – Public Warrants | $ | 1,447,500 | $ | 1,447,500 | $ | — | $ | — | ||||||||
| Warrant Liability – Private Placement Warrants | 836,333 | — | 836,333 | — | ||||||||||||
| $ | 2,283,833 | $ | 1,447,500 | $ | 836,333 | $ | — | |||||||||
December 31, | Quoted Prices In Active Markets | Significant Other Observable Inputs | Significant Other Unobservable Inputs | |||||||||||||
2021 | (Level 1) | (Level 2) | (Level 3) | |||||||||||||
| Assets: | ||||||||||||||||
| Marketable securities held in Trust Account | $ | 225,008,593 | $ | 225,008,593 | $ | — | $ | — | ||||||||
| $ | 225,008,593 | $ | 225,008,593 | $ | — | $ | — | |||||||||
| Liabilities: | ||||||||||||||||
| Warrant Liability – Public Warrants | $ | 4,649,250 | $ | 4,649,250 | $ | — | $ | — | ||||||||
Warrant Liability – Private Placement Warrants | 2,734,333 | — | — | 2,734,333 | ||||||||||||
| $ | 7,383,583 | $ | 4,649,250 | $ | — | $ | 2,734,333 | |||||||||
Input | December 31, 2022 | December 31, 2021 | ||||||
| Expected term (years) | — | 5.70 | ||||||
| Expected volatility | — | 10.70 | % | |||||
| Risk-free interest rate | — | 1.32 | % | |||||
| Dividend yield | — | 0.00 | % | |||||
Warrant Liability | ||||
| Fair value as of December 31, 2021 | $ | 2,734,333 | ||
| Transfers from Level 3 to Level 2 | (541,667 | ) | ||
| Change in fair value | (2,192,666 | ) | ||
| Fair value as of December 31, 2022 | $ | — | ||
Warrant Liability | ||||
| Fair value as of January 28, 2021 (inception) | $ | — | ||
| Initial fair value of warrant liability upon issuance at IPO | 10,685,261 | |||
| Transfer out of Level 3 to Level 1 | (4,425,750 | ) | ||
| Change in fair value | (3,525,178 | ) | ||
| Fair value as of December 31, 2021 | $ | 2,734,333 | ||
December 31, | December 31, | |||||||
2022 | 2021 | |||||||
| Deferred tax assets | ||||||||
| Net operating loss carryforward | $ | — | $ | 23,280 | ||||
| Startup/Organization expenses | 378,248 | 141,484 | ||||||
| Total deferred tax assets | 378,248 | 164,764 | ||||||
| Valuation allowance | (378,248 | ) | (164,764 | ) | ||||
| Deferred tax assets, net of allowance | $ | — | $ | — | ||||
December 31, | December 31, | |||||||
2022 | 2021 | |||||||
| Federal | ||||||||
| Current | $ | 600,701 | $ | — | ||||
| Deferred | (213,484 | ) | (164,764 | ) | ||||
| State | ||||||||
| Current | — | — | ||||||
| Deferred | — | — | ||||||
| Change in valuation allowance | 213,484 | 164,764 | ||||||
Income tax provision | $ | 600,701 | $ | — | ||||
December 31, | December 31, | |||||||
2022 | 2021 | |||||||
| Statutory federal income tax rate | 21.0 | % | 21.0 | % | ||||
| Change in fair value of derivative liability | (25.1 | )% | (34.5 | )% | ||||
| Merger and Acquisition expenses | 14.2 | % | 0.0 | % | ||||
| Warrant issuance costs | 0.0 | % | 3.8 | % | ||||
| Interest & Penalties | 0.0 | % | 0.0 | % | ||||
| Stock based compensation | 0.0 | % | 2.0 | % | ||||
| Change in valuation allowance | 4.0 | % | 7.7 | % | ||||
Income tax provision | 14.1 | % | 0.0 | % | ||||
| Risk-free interest rate | 1.05 | % | ||
| Expected term (years) | 6.00 | |||
| Expected volatility | 15.50 | % | ||
| Expected dividends | 0.00 |
SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of the Section 13 or 15 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this annual report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized on the 12th day of April, 2023.
| EG ACQUISITION CORP. | ||
| By: | /s/ Gregg S. Hymowitz | |
| Name: | Gregg S. Hymowitz | |
| Title: | Chief Executive Officer (Principal Executive Officer) | |
| EG ACQUISITION CORP. | ||
| By: | /s/ Sophia Park Mullen | |
| Name: | Sophia Park Mullen | |
| Title: | President (Principal Financial and Accounting Officer) | |
In accordance with the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, this annual report has been signed below by the following persons on behalf of the registrant and in the capacities and on the dates indicated.
| Name | Title | Date | ||
/s/ Gregg S. Hymowitz Gregg S. Hymowitz | Chief Executive Officer (Principal Executive Officer) and Director | April 12, 2023 | ||
/s/ Sophia Park Mullen Sophia Park Mullen | President (Principal Financial and Accounting Officer) and Director | April 12, 2023 | ||
| Chairman of the Board of Directors | April 12, 2023 | ||
| Gary Fegel | ||||
/s/ Louise Curbishley | Director | April 12, 2023 | ||
| Louise Curbishley | ||||
| /s/ Linda Hall Daschle | Director | April 12, 2023 | ||
Linda Hall Daschle | ||||
/s/ Jonathan Silver | Director | April 12, 2023 | ||
| Jonathan Silver | ||||
/s/ Noorsurainah (Su) Tengah | Director | April 12, 2023 | ||
| Noorsurainah (Su) Tengah | ||||
