The information in this preliminary prospectus is not complete and may be changed. We may not sell these securities until the registration statement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission is effective. This preliminary prospectus is not an offer to sell these securities and it is not soliciting an offer to buy these securities in any jurisdiction where the offer or sale is not permitted.
SUBJECT TO COMPLETION, DATED NOVEMBER 17, 2021
PRELIMINARY PROSPECTUS
$150,000,000
Trajectory Alpha Acquisition Corp.
15,000,000 Units
Trajectory Alpha Acquisition Corp. is a blank check company formed for the purpose of effecting a merger, consolidation, capital stock exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, reorganization or similar business combination with one or more businesses or entities. We have not selected any specific business combination target and we have not, nor has anyone on our behalf, engaged in any substantive discussions, directly or indirectly, with any business combination target with respect to an initial business combination with us.
This is an initial public offering of our securities. Each unit has an offering price of $10.00 and consists of one share of our Class A common stock and one-half of one redeemable public warrant. Each whole public warrant entitles the holder thereof to purchase one share of our Class A common stock at a price of $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment as described in this prospectus, and only whole public warrants are exercisable. No fractional public warrants will be issued upon separation of the units and only whole public warrants will trade. The public warrants will become exercisable on the later of 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination and 12 months from the closing of this offering, and will expire five years after the completion of our initial business combination or earlier upon redemption or liquidation, as described in this prospectus. Subject to the terms and conditions described in this prospectus, we may redeem the public warrants once the public warrants become exercisable. We refer to these warrants throughout this prospectus as the public warrants. We have also granted the underwriters a 45-day option to purchase up to an additional 2,250,000 units.
We will provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their shares of our Class A common stock in connection with our initial business combination at a per share price described herein, payable in cash, subject to the limitations described herein. If we have not completed our initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering, which can be extended at our sponsor’s option to up to 24 months or pursuant to an amendment to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation as described herein (the “completion window”), we will redeem 100% of the public shares at a per share price described herein, payable in cash, subject to applicable law and as further described herein.
Our sponsor, Trajectory Alpha Sponsor LLC, has committed to purchase an aggregate of 5,500,000 private placement warrants at a price of $1.00 per private placement warrant ($5,500,000 in the aggregate) in a private placement transaction that will close simultaneously with the closing of this offering. Our sponsor has also committed to purchase up to an additional 225,000 private placement warrants, depending on the extent to which the underwriters’ option to purchase additional units is exercised, at a price of $1.00 per private placement warrant ($225,000 in the aggregate), to add to the proceeds from this offering to be held in the trust account. Each private placement warrant entitles the holder thereof to purchase one share of our Class A common stock at $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment as described in this prospectus. Our sponsor has an option to purchase additional private placement warrants in order to extend the completion window up to two times, each by an additional three months, for a total completion window of up to 24 months from the closing of this offering.
Additionally, certain institutional accredited investors (none of which are affiliated with any member of our management, our sponsor or, to our knowledge, any other anchor investor), which we refer to as the anchor investors, have expressed an interest to purchase units in this offering at a level of up to and in no event exceeding 9.90% of the units being sold in this offering without regard to the underwriters’ option to purchase additional units. Because these expressions of interest are not binding agreements or commitments to purchase, our anchor investors may determine to purchase more, fewer or no units in this offering. In addition, the underwriter may determine to sell more, fewer or no units to our anchor investors. Assuming that each anchor investor purchases the number of units for which it has provided an indication of interest and that the underwriters exercise their over-allotment option in full, the anchor investors will own, in the aggregate, up to approximately 83.5% of the outstanding shares of our common stock upon the completion of this offering. In addition, we intend to enter into an agreement with each of the anchor investors, pursuant to which the anchor investors will each agree to purchase up to 93,750 shares of Class B common stock from us at a nominal price immediately prior to the closing of this offering. For a discussion of certain additional arrangements with our anchor investors, see “Summary—The Offering—Expression of interest.”
As of the date of this prospectus, our initial stockholders hold 4,312,500 shares of Class B common stock. Our sponsor is expected to forfeit to us 1,732,036 founder shares immediately prior to the closing of this offering, and we intend (i) to sell an aggregate of 1,069,602 founder shares to our anchor investors immediately prior to the closing of this offering, (ii) upon the closing of this offering, to transfer 519,849 founder shares to Guggenheim Securities, LLC as part of the underwriting commissions (assuming that the underwriters’ option to purchase additional units is not exercised simultaneously with the closing of this offering) and (iii) hold 142,585 founder shares in treasury until the exercise or the expiration of the underwriters’ option to purchase additional units, as the case may be, at which time such 142,585 founder shares will be transferred to Guggenheim Securities, LLC as part of the underwriting commissions or canceled, respectively. In addition, if the underwriters’ option to purchase additional units is not exercised, our sponsor will forfeit to us an additional 419,915 founder shares upon the expiration of the underwriters’ option to purchase additional units. The anchor investors would be required to forfeit their shares of Class B common stock in certain circumstances, as described herein. The shares of Class B common stock will automatically convert into shares of Class A common stock at the time of our initial business combination on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustment as provided herein. Holders of our Class B common stock and holders of our Class A common stock will vote together as a single class on the election and removal of directors and any other matter submitted to a vote of our stockholders, except as required by applicable law or stock exchange rules.
Prior to this offering, there has been no public market for our units, Class A common stock or public warrants. We have applied to list our units on the New York Stock Exchange, or the NYSE, under the symbol “TCOA.U” on or promptly after the date of this prospectus. We cannot guarantee that our securities will be approved for listing on the NYSE. The Class A common stock and public warrants constituting the units will begin separate trading on the 52nd day following the date of this prospectus (or, if such date is not a business day, the following business day), unless Guggenheim Securities, LLC informs us of its decision to allow earlier separate trading, subject to certain conditions. Once the securities constituting the units begin separate trading, we expect that the Class A common stock and public warrants will be listed on the NYSE under the symbols “TCOA” and “TCOA WS,” respectively.
We are an “emerging growth company” and “smaller reporting company” under applicable federal securities laws and will be subject to reduced public company reporting requirements. Investing in our securities involves risks. See “Risk Factors.” Investors will not be entitled to protections normally afforded to investors in Rule 419 blank check offerings.
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| | Price to Public | | | Underwriting Discounts and Commissions(1) | | | Proceeds, before expenses, to us | |
Per Share | | $ | 10.00 | | | $ | 0.55 | | | $ | 9.45 | |
Total | | $ | 150,000,000 | | | $ | 8,250,000 | | | $ | 141,750,000 | |
(1) | Includes (i) $0.10 per unit (excluding any units sold pursuant to the underwriters’ option to purchase additional units), or $1,500,000 (whether or not the underwriters’ option to purchase additional units is exercised) in the aggregate, payable upon the closing of this offering in cash, (ii) $1,500,000 (or up to $1,950,000 if the underwriters’ option to purchase additional units is exercised in full) in the aggregate, payable upon the closing of this offering in 519,849 founder shares (or up to 662,434 founder shares if the underwriters’ option to purchase additional units is exercised in full) and (iii) $0.35 per unit, or $5,250,000, assuming the underwriters do not exercise their option to purchase additional units (or up to $6,037,500 if the underwriters’ option to purchase additional units is exercised in full), payable to the underwriters for deferred underwriting commissions to be placed in a trust account located in the United States as described herein. The deferred commissions will be released to the underwriters only on completion of an initial business combination. The deferred commissions will be released to the underwriters only on completion of an initial business combination, in an amount equal to $0.35 multiplied by the number of shares of Class A common stock sold as part of the units in this offering, as described in this prospectus. Does not include certain fees and expenses payable to the underwriters in connection with this offering. See “Underwriting” for a description of compensation and other items of value payable to the underwriters. |
Of the proceeds we receive from this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants described in this prospectus, $151,500,000, or $174,225,000 if the underwriters’ option to purchase additional units is exercised in full ($10.10 per unit), will be deposited into a U.S.-based trust account, with Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company acting as trustee.
The underwriters are offering the units for sale on a firm commitment basis. Delivery of the units will be made on or about , 2021.
Neither the Securities and Exchange Commission, or the SEC, nor any state securities commission has approved or disapproved of these securities or determined if this prospectus is truthful or complete. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.
Sole Book-Running Manager
Guggenheim Securities
The date of this prospectus is , 2021