As filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on October 14, 2021.
Registration No. 333-257861
UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549
AMENDMENT NO. 2
TO
TO
FORM S-1
REGISTRATION STATEMENT
UNDER
THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933
UNDER
THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933
GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY ACQUISITION CORP. I
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
| Cayman Islands (State or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization) | | | 6770 (Primary Standard Industrial Classification Code Number) | | | 66-0969672 (I.R.S. Employer Identification No.) | |
19 West 24th St.
10th Floor
New York, New York 10010
Telephone: (323) 577-9874
10th Floor
New York, New York 10010
Telephone: (323) 577-9874
(Address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code, of registrant’s principal executive offices)
Fabrice Grinda
Executive Chairman
Global Technology Acquisition Corp. I
19 West 24th St
10th Floor
New York, New York 10010
Telephone: (323) 577-9874
Executive Chairman
Global Technology Acquisition Corp. I
19 West 24th St
10th Floor
New York, New York 10010
Telephone: (323) 577-9874
(Name, address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code, of agent for service)
Copies:
| J. Peyton Worley Shagufa R. Hossain Latham & Watkins LLP 1271 Avenue of the Americas New York, NY 10020 Tel: (212) 906-1200 | | | Ryan J. Maierson Latham & Watkins LLP 811 Main Street, Suite 3700 Houston, Texas 77002 Tel: (713) 546-5400 | | | Nicholas Bullmore Dylan Wiltermuth Carey Olsen Willow House, Cricket Square Grand Cayman KY1-1001, Cayman Islands Tel: (345) 749 2000 | |
| Gregg A. Noel, Esq. Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP 525 University Avenue, Suite 1400 Palo Alto, California 94301 +1 (650) 470-4500 | | | Pranav L. Trivedi, Esq. Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom (UK) LLP 40 Bank Street London E14 5DS +44 207 519 7026 | |
Approximate date of commencement of proposed sale to the public: As soon as practicable after the effective date of this registration statement.
If any of the securities being registered on this Form are to be offered on a delayed or continuous basis pursuant to Rule 415 under the Securities Act of 1933 check the following box: ☐
If this Form is filed to register additional securities for an offering pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act, please check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering. ☐
If this Form is a post-effective amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462(c) under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering. ☐
If this Form is a post-effective amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462(d) under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering. ☐
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company,” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.
| Large accelerated filer ☐ Non-accelerated filer ☒ | | | Accelerated filer ☐ Smaller reporting company ☒ Emerging growth company ☒ | |
If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act. ☐
CALCULATION OF REGISTRATION FEE
| | ||||||||||||||||
Title of Each Class of Security Being Registered | | | | Amount Being Registered | | | | Proposed Maximum Offering Price per Security(1) | | | | Proposed Maximum Aggregate Offering Price(1) | | | | Amount of Registration Fee(5) | |
Units, each consisting of one Class A ordinary share, $0.0001 par value, and one-half of one redeemable warrant(2) | | | | 17,250,000 units | | | | $10.00 | | | | $172,500,000 | | | | $18,819.75 | |
Class A ordinary shares included as part of the units(3) | | | | 17,250,000 shares | | | | — | | | | — | | | | —(4) | |
Redeemable warrants included as part of the units(3) | | | | 8,625,000 warrants | | | | — | | | | — | | | | —(4) | |
Total | | | | | | | | | | | | $172,500,000 | | | | $18,819.75 | |
(1)
Estimated solely for the purpose of calculating the registration fee.
(2)
Includes 2,250,000 units, consisting of 2,250,000 Class A ordinary shares and 1,125,000 redeemable warrants, which may be issued upon exercise of a 45-day option granted to the underwriters to cover over-allotments, if any.
(3)
Pursuant to Rule 416(a), there are also being registered an indeterminable number of additional securities as may be offered or issued to prevent dilution resulting from share sub-divisions, share dividends, or similar transactions.
(4)
No fee pursuant to Rule 457(g).
(5)
Previously paid.
The Registrant hereby amends this Registration Statement on such date or dates as may be necessary to delay its effective date until the Registrant shall file a further amendment which specifically states that this Registration Statement shall thereafter become effective in accordance with Section 8(a) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or until the Registration Statement shall become effective on such date as the Securities and Exchange Commission, acting pursuant to said Section 8(a), may determine.
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.
where the offer or sale is not permitted.
SUBJECT TO COMPLETION, DATED OCTOBER 14, 2021
P R E L I M I N A R Y P R O S P E C T U S
Global Technology Acquisition Corp. I
$150,000,000
15,000,000 Units
Global Technology Acquisition Corp. I is a blank check company incorporated as a Cayman Islands exempted company for the purpose of effecting a merger, share exchange, asset acquisition, share purchase, reorganization or similar business combination with one or more businesses or entities, which we refer to as our initial business combination. We have not selected any business combination target and we have not, nor has anyone on our behalf, initiated any substantive discussions, directly or indirectly, with any business combination target. We will not be limited to a particular industry or geographic region in our identification and acquisition of a target company.
This is an initial public offering of our securities. Each unit has an offering price of $10.00 and consists of one Class A ordinary share and one-half of one redeemable warrant. Each whole warrant entitles the holder thereof to purchase one Class A ordinary share at a price of $11.50 per whole share, subject to adjustment, terms and limitations as described herein. The warrants will become exercisable on the later of 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination and 12 months from the closing of this offering, and will expire five years after the completion of our initial business combination or earlier upon redemption or liquidation, as described in this prospectus. Subject to the terms and conditions described in this prospectus, we may redeem the warrants once the warrants become exercisable. The underwriters have a 45-day option from the date of this prospectus to purchase up to 2,250,000 additional units to cover over-allotments, if any.
We will provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their Class A ordinary shares upon the completion of our initial business combination, at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account described below, calculated as of two business days prior to the consummation of our initial business combination, including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account (net of taxes payable), divided by the number of then outstanding Class A ordinary shares that were sold as part of the units in this offering, which we refer to collectively as our public shares, subject to the limitations described herein. If we have not completed our initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 24 months from the closing of this offering if, subject to certain conditions, we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination as described in more detail in this prospectus), we will redeem 100% of the public shares at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account (net of taxes payable and less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, subject to applicable law and certain conditions as described herein.
Our sponsor, Global Technology Acquisition I Sponsor LP, has committed to purchase 8,500,000 warrants (or 9,400,000 warrants if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), each exercisable to purchase one Class A ordinary share at $11.50 per whole share, subject to adjustment, at a price of $1.00 per warrant ($8,500,000 in the aggregate, or $9,400,000 if the over-allotment option is exercised in full), in a private placement to occur concurrently with the closing of this offering.
Our initial shareholders currently own 4,312,500 Class B ordinary shares, up to 562,500 of which are subject to forfeiture depending on the extent to which the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised. The Class B ordinary shares will automatically convert into Class A ordinary shares at the time of our initial business combination or earlier at the option of the holders thereof as described herein. Prior to our initial business combination, only holders of our Class B ordinary shares will be entitled to vote on the appointment of directors. On any other matter submitted to a vote of our shareholders, holders of the Class B ordinary shares and holders of the Class A ordinary shares vote together as a single class, except as required by law or the applicable rules of the NASDAQ Global Market, or the “NASDAQ,” then in effect.
Currently, there is no public market for our securities. We will apply to have our units listed on the NASDAQ under the symbol “GTACU.” We expect that the Class A ordinary shares and warrants comprising the units will begin separate trading on the NASDAQ under the symbols “GTAC” and “GTACW,” respectively, on the 52nd day following the date of this prospectus (or, if such date is not a business day, the following business day) unless the underwriters permit earlier separate trading and we have satisfied certain conditions. We cannot guarantee that our securities will be approved for listing on the NASDAQ.
We are an “emerging growth company” and a “smaller reporting company” under applicable federal securities laws and will be subject to reduced public company reporting requirements.
Investing in our securities involves a high degree of risk. See “Risk Factors” beginning on page 39 for a discussion of information that should be considered in connection with an investment in our securities. Investors will not be entitled to protections normally afforded to investors in Rule 419 blank check offerings.
Neither the Securities and Exchange Commission (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.
| | | Per Unit | | | Total | | ||||||
Public offering price | | | | $ | 10.00 | | | | | $ | 150,000,000 | | |
Underwriting discounts and commissions(1) | | | | $ | 0.55 | | | | | $ | 8,250,000 | | |
Proceeds, before expenses, to us | | | | $ | 9.45 | | | | | $ | 141,750,000 | | |
(1)
Includes $0.35 per unit, or $5,250,000 in the aggregate (or $6,037,500 in the aggregate if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), payable to the underwriters for deferred underwriting commissions to be placed in a trust account located in the United States as described herein and released to the underwriters only upon the consummation of an initial business combination. See also “Underwriting” for a description of compensation payable to the underwriters.
Of the proceeds we receive from this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants described in this prospectus, $153,000,000, or $175,950,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full ($10.20 per unit in either case), will be deposited into a U.S. based trust account at Citibank NA, NY with Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company acting as trustee, and $2.5 million will be available to pay fees and expenses in connection with this offering and for working capital following this offering.
The underwriters are offering the units for sale on a firm commitment basis. The underwriters expect to deliver the units to the purchasers on or about , 2021.
Joint Book-Running Managers
| Citigroup | | | Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC | |
, 2021
We are responsible for the information contained in this prospectus. We have not authorized anyone to provide you with different information, and neither we nor the underwriters take any responsibility for any other information others may give to you. We are not, and the underwriters are not, making an offer to sell securities in any jurisdiction where the offer or sale is not permitted. You should not assume that the information contained in this prospectus is accurate as of any date other than the date on the front of this prospectus.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
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Trademarks
This prospectus contains references to trademarks and service marks belonging to other entities. Solely for convenience, trademarks and trade names referred to in this prospectus may appear without the ® or TM symbols, but such references are not intended to indicate, in any way, that the applicable licensor will not assert, to the fullest extent under applicable law, its rights to these trademarks and trade names. We do not intend our use or display of other companies’ trade names, trademarks or service marks to imply a relationship with, or endorsement or sponsorship of us by, any other companies.
i
SUMMARY
This summary only highlights the more detailed information appearing elsewhere in this prospectus. As this is a summary, it does not contain all of the information that you should consider in making an investment decision. You should read this entire prospectus carefully, including the information under “Risk Factors” and our financial statements and the related notes included elsewhere in this prospectus, before investing.
Unless otherwise stated in this prospectus or the context otherwise requires, references to:
•
“amended and restated memorandum and articles of association” are to the amended and restated memorandum and articles of association that the company will adopt prior to the consummation of this offering;
•
“Companies Act” are to the Companies Act (2021 Revision) of the Cayman Islands as the same may be amended from time to time;
•
“founder shares” are to our Class B ordinary shares initially issued to our sponsor in a private placement prior to this offering and the Class A ordinary shares that will be issued upon the automatic conversion of the Class B ordinary shares at the time of our initial business combination or earlier at the option of the holders thereof (for the avoidance of doubt, such Class A ordinary shares will not be “public shares”);
•
“initial shareholders” are to our sponsor and other holders of our founder shares prior to this offering;
•
“management” or our “management team” are to our executive officers and directors (including our directors nominees that will become directors in connection with the consummation of this offering);
•
“ordinary shares” are to our Class A ordinary shares and our Class B ordinary shares;
•
“private placement warrants” are to the warrants to be issued to our sponsor in a private placement simultaneously with the closing of this offering and upon conversion of working capital loans, if any;
•
“public shares” are to our Class A ordinary shares sold as part of the units in this offering (whether they are purchased in this offering or thereafter in the open market);
•
“public shareholders” are to the holders of our public shares, including our sponsor and management team to the extent our sponsor and/or members of our management team purchase public shares, provided that our sponsor’s and each member of our management team’s status as a “public shareholder” will only exist with respect to such public shares;
•
“sponsor” are to Global Technology Acquisition I Sponsor LP, a Cayman Islands exempted limited partnership, which is affiliated with FJ Labs and Arnau Porto of Greentrail Capital; and
•
“we,” “us,” “our,” “company” or “our company” are to Global Technology Acquisition Corp. I, a Cayman Islands exempted company, or where applicable, members of our management team.
Any forfeiture of shares described in this prospectus will take effect as a surrender of shares for no consideration of such shares as a matter of Cayman Islands law. Any conversion of the Class B ordinary shares described in this prospectus will take effect as a compulsory redemption of Class B ordinary shares and an issuance of Class A ordinary shares as a matter of Cayman Islands law. Any share dividends described in this prospectus will take effect as share capitalizations as a matter of Cayman Islands law.
Unless we tell you otherwise, the information in this prospectus assumes that the underwriters will not exercise their over-allotment option.
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Our Company
Overview
Global Technology Acquisition Corp. I (“GTAC”, “the Company”) is a newly formed blank check company, incorporated as a Cayman Islands exempted company for the purpose of effecting a merger, share exchange, asset acquisition, share 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 a business combination with us.
While we may pursue an initial business combination target in any business, industry or geographical location, we intend to focus on technology companies that operate in the marketplace, financial technology (“FinTech”) and Software-as-a-service (“SaaS”) verticals within Europe, Latin America (“Latam”) and the United States (“U.S.”), where we believe our management team, board members and advisors have a competitive advantage based on their prior experiences and investments.
We are a team of entrepreneurs led by Fabrice Grinda (Executive Chairman) and Arnau Porto (Chief Executive Officer, “CEO”) who have significant experience in founding, operating and investing in successful technology companies. Our management team is led by Arnau Porto, our CEO, and Claudia Gast as our Chief Financial Officer (“CFO”). Our founding sponsors are FJ Labs co-founders Fabrice Grinda and Jose Marin, and Arnau Porto, founder of Greentrail Capital. Together as the management and sponsor teams, we have co-founded and led over 10 companies over the past 23 years, including OLX (exit to Naspers), Deremate (exit to MercadoLibre), Zingy (exit to For-Side), LetGo (merged with OfferUp), Aucland (exit to QXL Ricardo) and Adoreme. In addition to our operational successes, we are one of the most prolific technology investors worldwide; in 2018, Forbes named Fabrice Grinda the number one angel investor in the world based on publicly recorded investments and exits.
We have a strong track record in identifying category and industry leaders worldwide, having backed over 600 technology companies over the past two decades across marketplaces, FinTech and SaaS, of which more than 40 have reached a valuation over $1bn (“unicorns”) today, and having achieved attractive returns across our portfolios. As of December 31, 2020, FJ Labs generated an average of 57% internal rate of return (“IRR”) and 4.4x multiple on invested capital (“MOIC”) across 225 realized investments. As of December 31, 2020 in the almost two years since he spun-out from Blueport Capital, Arnau Porto achieved a 43% IRR in his public portfolio across industries, and an average 7.5x MOIC (unrealized) across his private investments in Nubank and Kavak. Some of our best investments have included Delivery Hero (DHER—36.0x MOIC) and Farfetch (FTCH—3.8x MOIC) in Europe, Airbnb (ABNB—5.1x MOIC) and Carvana (CVNA—10.2x) in the U.S., Meliuz (CASH3—13.0x MOIC) in LatAm, Alibaba (BABA—10.0x MOIC) and Coupang (CPNG—11.8x MOIC) in Asia.
More importantly, our long and successful history of investing in global technology provides us with a broad and deep network of relationships with founders, other investors and managers. This network provides us with a proprietary approach to sourcing, evaluating and growing technology companies worldwide, which we believe is a competitive advantage relative to other investing entities. We intend to leverage these differentiated capabilities to identify a strong pipeline of potential targets, and once we identify and merge with a given target, drive and accelerate that target business’ next stage of growth.
Technology has experienced a significant paradigm shift over the past decade. An industry that was historically U.S., and more specifically West Coast, dominated, has rapidly expanded across the world as cloud platforms have democratized the development of new technologies, and global internet and smartphone adoption have grown addressable markets by billions of people. Over the last decade, we have invested in a number of global winners born outside the U.S., such as Shopify (SHOP), Spotify (SPOT), Delivery Hero (DHER), OLX and Farfetch (FTCH). While these companies are often treated as exceptions to the traditional U.S.-based winners, we believe they are just examples of the first wave of leading technology companies that will emerge from outside the U.S. Indeed, we are now seeing a new generation of unicorn technology companies founded in previously overlooked countries, including, Sweden (Spotify, Klarna), Lithuania (Vinted), Colombia (Rappi), Brazil (Nubank) and Mexico (Kavak). We believe this internationalization trend will continue and our position as a global investor with deep relationships both in the U.S. and internationally will position us well in identifying a potential target.
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We believe that technology companies will continue to revolutionize the way consumers and businesses behave around the world for years to come. Many of the most innovative technology companies today are regional champions in sectors such as marketplaces, FinTech and SaaS. While we continue to be enthusiastic about the opportunity in the U.S., just over 50% of our investments have been outside the country, and we believe that many of the next generation technology unicorns will emerge from outside the U.S. and China. More than 77% of the global population lives outside of these two countries, and we see strong opportunities in particular in Europe and LatAm.
Given our fundamental belief in the rise of global technology unicorns beyond the U.S. and China, as well as our expertise in marketplaces, FinTech and SaaS businesses, we believe that we are strongly positioned to identify, acquire and guide a business in these specific regions and sectors. Our team’s prior experience as founders and operators, as well as our track record as investors and executives provides us with a differentiated expertise and insight into this cross-section of regions and sectors and positions us as a truly differentiated partner to founders and companies that are seeking an attractive path to becoming a public company. Additionally, we believe we will be a best-in-class partner for public investors looking to benefit from the growth of global winners born outside the U.S., as well as U.S.-born companies with global ambitions.
Our Sponsor
Our sponsor entity is majority led by FJ Labs, which was co-founded by Fabrice Grinda and Jose Marin, Arnau Porto, who is the founder of Greentrail Capital, and Claudia Gast, who is a Partner at Greentrail Management. FJ Labs is a U.S.-based venture capital investment firm with a global mandate to invest and build online marketplaces and technology businesses, and Greentrail Capital is a London-based investment firm focused globally on publicly listed companies and pre-IPO opportunities with an emphasis on technology and consumer companies in international markets. Our sponsor team has a demonstrated history of strong performance based on realized returns. FJ Labs, one of the leading marketplace investors globally, has a track record of investing in more than 600 businesses, of which over 40 have achieved unicorn status as of December 31, 2020 including well-known names that have gone public such as Airbnb, Porch, Opendoor, Meliuz, Enjoei, Uber, Alibaba, Spotify, Tencent Music, Farfetch, Wish, and Delivery Hero. In 2020, FJ Labs reviewed on average over 50 opportunities for potential investments every week, evaluating a total of 2,500+ deals. As of December 31, 2020, FJ Labs has generated an average of 57% IRR and 4.4x MOIC across 225 realized investments. As of December 31, 2020 in the almost two years since he spun-out from Blueport Capital, Arnau Porto achieved a 43% IRR in his public portfolio across industries, and an average 7.5x MOIC (unrealized) across his private investments in Nubank and Kavak.
Fabrice Grinda, co-founder of FJ Labs, is among the world’s leading marketplace entrepreneurs and investors with over 150 exits on over 600 angel investments. In 2018, Forbes named Fabrice Grinda the number one angel investor in the world based on publicly recorded investments and exits. Mr. Grinda was previously the co-founder and co-CEO of OLX, one of the largest online marketplaces worldwide, with over 300 million unique visitors per month and a presence in 45 countries, of which a majority stake was sold to Naspers in 2010. Prior to OLX, Mr. Grinda founded Zingy, a mobile media start-up which he grew to $200m in revenue and was sold to Japanese media conglomerate For-Side in 2004. Mr. Grinda was also the founder of Aucland, one of the largest auction sites in Europe, which merged with QXL Ricardo. Mr. Grinda received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from Princeton University.
Arnau Porto is the founder and Chief Investment Officer of Greentrail Capital. Prior to Greentrail Capital, Mr. Porto co-founded Blueport Capital, a California-based investment partnership backed by the Robert Bass family office. Before that, he was an investment analyst at Viking Global in New York and he started his career as an institutional investor at Blackstone in London. Mr. Porto co-founded Jaguar and LaHaus in Colombia, and Portblue Hotels in Europe. Mr. Porto holds an MBA from Stanford University.
The combination of the founding, operating and sourcing expertise of FJ Labs co-founders, Fabrice Grinda and Jose Marin, combined with the investing experience of Arnau Porto in pre-IPO and publicly listed companies, offers a unique proposition to founders and potential target companies. With a focus on late-stage investments, GTAC sits at the in-between of FJ Labs’ experience in early and growth stage investments, and Greentrail’s role as a growth and public markets investor, allowing it to perfectly capitalize on the two sponsors’ complementary competences.
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Our Management Team, Board of Directors & Advisors
Fabrice Grinda (Executive Chairman), Arnau Porto (Chief Executive Officer), Claudia Gast (Chief Financial Officer) and Jeff Weinstein (Chief Strategy Officer) together form our management team. This management team will be supported by a full-time, dedicated investment team, independent directors and an advisory committee. Our team has extensive experience and a history of working together in various settings, which we believe is vital for the success of identifying and supporting our prospective target.
Fabrice Grinda is the Executive Chairman of the Company. Mr. Grinda has an unmatched track record in marketplace investments and is widely recognized as one of the most prolific and successful marketplace investors in the world. See “Our Sponsor”.
Arnau Porto is the Chief Executive Officer of the Company. Mr. Porto has spent his entire professional career in the investment management industry and has a long-standing history of investing in global technology companies. See “Our Sponsor”.
Claudia Gast is the Chief Financial Officer and Secretary of the Company, and has extensive financial, strategic and operating experience in private equity and Fortune 100 companies. Over the course of her career, Mrs. Gast has aided and led the execution of multiple public and private buy-and sell-side transactions, including numerous acquisitions, equity investments, divestitures and partnerships both domestically and internationally. Most recently Mrs. Gast was part of the Executive team of AM General, a MacAndrews & Forbes portfolio company, where she led the Strategy and Mergers and Acquisitions (“M&A”) for the company and recently completed the sale of the company to KPS Capital Partners (“KPS”). Previously, Mrs. Gast held various financial and strategic management positions at GWR Safety Systems, a portfolio company of GHC Capital, Procter & Gamble and Volkswagen. Mrs. Gast holds an MBA from The University of Chicago Booth School of Business.
Jeff Weinstein is the Chief Strategy Officer of the Company and a Principal at FJ Labs, where he co-heads the fund’s 600+ investments, which have included Alibaba, Flexport, Rappi, Betterment, Fanduel and Delivery Hero, and manages external fundraising efforts. Mr. Weinstein was previously a Senior Associate at Lux Capital, a $2.5 billion assets under management (“AUM”) venture capital firm that invests in emerging technologies in the physical and life sciences. Prior to that he worked at Dunbar Capital, a multi-strategy fund of hedge funds. Mr. Weinstein is a member of Class 24 of the Kauffman Fellows and has a BA in Philosophy, Politics and Economics from the University of Pennsylvania.
The efforts of our management team and board of directors to source, diligence and negotiate an initial business combination will be supported by a dedicated investment team and our board members.
Aleksander Baranski is a Vice President of the Company. Mr. Baranski has over 10 years of experience in the financial sector. Most recently, he worked at Optiver, a leading proprietary trading firm, where he focused on special situations in Europe and the U.S. Previously, Mr. Baranski invested in private technology companies, including Palantir Technologies and Cohesity. Prior to that, Mr. Baranski worked at Smith Cove Capital Management and Perry Capital, where he invested across the capital structure. Additionally, Mr. Baranski worked at The Blackstone Group, where he was involved in multiple transactions across various sectors. He began his career in management consulting with McKinsey & Company. Mr. Baranski holds an MBA with honors from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, a Master’s Degree in International Management from the CEMS Global Alliance in Management Education from the Erasmus University and the Warsaw School of Economics, and a Master’s Degree in Finance with honors from the Warsaw School of Economics.
Dennis Dinkelmeyer is a Vice President of the Company. Mr. Dinkelmeyer has previously held investment roles at Capital Group and Equity Research at Goldman Sachs. His coverage included international technology and growth companies. Throughout his career, Mr. Dinkelmeyer has had experience advising and working with technology companies ranging from early stage to public companies. Mr. Dinkelmeyer received a BSc in Economics from University College London.
George Luo is a Vice President of the Company. Prior to joining the company, Mr. Luo was a Senior Associate at KPS, a family of private equity funds focused on making controlling equity investments in manufacturing and industrial companies across a diverse array of industries. KPS holds $12.3 billion under
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management as of December 31, 2020. Furthermore, KPS has completed over 80 controlling investments through six institutional investment funds, comprising 42 platform investments and 43 follow-on acquisitions in industries including basic materials, branded consumer, healthcare and luxury products, automotive parts, capital equipment and general manufacturing. Prior to that, Mr. Luo was an Investment Banking Associate in the Mergers & Acquisitions group at HSBC. Mr. Luo holds a BS degree in Finance from the Stern School of Business of New York University.
Our efforts will be further augmented by four additional highly experience Board Members: Juan Villalonga, Robert Perdue, Gabriel Silva, and Michael Zeisser, who will bring operational expertise from leadership in public companies, a large network, and, more generally, extensive experience in business and financial matters from operational and advisory roles. Mr. Villalonga, Mr. Perdue, Mr. Silva, and Mr. Zeisser will also provide highly complementary regional expertise respectively in Europe, the U.S. and LatAm. Their experiences in leading and globally scaling companies will provide us with highly valuable further perspectives in sourcing our target business, and will be vital in supporting our target company in the successful growth to global scale.
Juan Villalonga is a Partner at Lutetia Technology Partners and a Strategic Advisor of SparkBeyond. In addition, he currently serves as an advisor to the board of directors of Aiola and Lutetia Capital. Mr. Villalonga has strong operational experience as the former Executive Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Telefónica Group, a Spanish multinational telecommunications company and one of the largest telephone operators and mobile network providers in the world, which he grew from $12 billion to over $100 billion in market capitalization. In 2010, the Harvard Business Review ranked Mr. Villalonga as #33 on the list of the top 100 performing CEOs in the world. He is also the co-founder and partner at Hermes Growth Partners, a growth equity firm focused on technology investments, where he invested in successful private companies such as The Trade Desk and RingCentral, which are now leading public players. Prior to this he was as Partner at McKinsey & Company. Mr. Villalonga holds an MBA from IESE Barcelona and an LLB from the University of Deusto.
Robert Perdue is also a Partner at Lutetia Technology and is a Strategic Advisor to three venture-backed artificial intelligence companies. Additionally, he serves on the Board of Directors of Impact, Inc., the leading SaaS platform for enterprise partnership automation. Mr. Perdue is the former Chief Operating Officer and Board Member of The Trade Desk, where he grew the company’s enterprise value from $20 million to over $15 billion. During his tenure from 2013 to 2019, The Trade Desk grew from a 20-person start-up with revenue of $1 million to over 1,100 employees with $677 million revenue in 2019. Mr. Perdue and the executive team completed an initial public offering of The Trade Desk in 2016. Over the next 3 years, The Trade Desk grew by 15x in the public markets, becoming the #1 performing technology initial public offering stock on the NASDAQ over the last five years. Prior to this, Mr. Perdue was Chief Operating Officer of EyeWonder, a video ad serving company, and an investment banker at The Jordan, Edmiston Group. He holds an MBA from Georgetown University.
Gabriel Silva is the former Chief Financial Officer of Nubank, where he helped to build and scale one of the world’s largest FinTech companies. Previously, Mr. Silva was a partner and Chief Financial Officer of Pravaler, Brazil’s leading provider of private student loans, and before that a Managing Director at York Capital, a New York-based hedge fund. He has lived in 6 different countries and holds an International Diploma from Sciences Po in Paris, and an MBA from Stanford. He is also a member of Fundação Estudar, a Brazilian education non-profit organization.
Michael Zeisser is the Managing Partner of FMZ Ventures, a growth equity investment fund focused on Experience Economy and marketplace ecosystems. Prior to founding FMZ Ventures, Mr. Zeisser was Chairman, U.S. Investments for Alibaba Group and led Alibaba’s strategic investments outside of Asia. Previously, Mr. Zeisser served as Senior Vice President of Liberty Media Corporation, where he acquired and oversaw companies in digital media, eCommerce and online gaming. Mr. Zeisser started his career at McKinsey & Co. in New York, where he was elected a partner and co-founded and led McKinsey’s Internet Practice. Mr. Zeisser has considerable governance experience, having served on numerous public and private boards including IAC, Trip Advisor, Time Inc., Lending Club, Shutterfly, XO Group/TheKnot, Lyft, Magic Leap, and OfferUp. Mr Zeisser graduated with honors from the J.L. Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University, where he was a Procter & Gamble International Academic Scholar.
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In addition to the board, the team has an experienced advisory committee made up of Jeff Epstein, Brian Cook, Alec Oxenford and Paul Gardi. Within the advisory committee Mr. Epstein, Mr. Cook and Mr. Oxenford have SPAC experience.
Jeff Epstein is an operating partner in Bessemer’s Silicon Valley office where he primarily works with chief executive and financial officers to share and implement best practices. He was the former Executive Vice President and CFO of Oracle, one of the world’s largest and most profitable technology companies, with a market value of over $150 billion. Prior to joining Oracle, Mr. Epstein served as CFO of several public and private companies, including DoubleClick (sold to Google), King World Productions (sold to CBS) and Nielsen’s Media Measurement and Information Group. Earlier in his career, he was an investment banker at The First Boston Corporation. Today Mr. Epstein leads the CFO Advisory Board at Bessemer where more than 100 portfolio company CFOs meet in person and online to help each other improve their effectiveness. He specializes in marketplaces and B2B software companies. Each winter, Mr. Epstein teaches the Lean Launchpad class at Stanford University’s Graduate School of Engineering with Steve Blank. He serves on the boards of directors of Kaiser Permanente, Twilio, Shutterstock and several other private companies. Mr. Epstein served on the Board of Directors of Booking Holdings/Priceline for 16 years until 2019. During this time, Booking stock appreciated 180x from $10/share to over $1,800/share. He holds an MBA from the Stanford University Graduate School of Business, where he was an Arjay Miller Scholar, and a BA from Yale College, where he graduated summa cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa.
Brian Cook has over 20 years of experience within M&A, business development, and strategic planning across a wide range of industries. Mr. Cook began his career at PricewaterhouseCoopers (“PwC”), where he was responsible for providing business and financial due diligence and transaction structuring services to financial sponsors and corporate clients on a global basis. While at PwC, Mr. Cook’s transaction experience included Viacom’s acquisition of CBS, Ingersoll-Rand’s disposal of Ingersoll-Dresser Pump and Ford Motor Company’s acquisition of the Volvo Car Corporation. Following his tenure at PwC, Mr. Cook served as the Vice President of Corporate Development and subsequently Global Head of M&A at Honeywell, in which he oversaw a global team of approximately 25 people. Over the course of his 17 years at Honeywell, Mr. Cook aided or led the execution of over 60 buy- and sell-side transactions. These transactions included the acquisitions of Novar plc, Norcross Safety Products and Intelligrated, among others. During 2018, Mr. Cook led the execution of the tax-free spinoffs of Honeywell’s Home Automation (Resideo) and Turbochargers (Garrett Motion) businesses. Mr. Cook’s transaction experience includes public and private transactions across a variety of end markets and product categories.
Alec Oxenford is a serial tech entrepreneur and is regarded as a top technology sector entrepreneur. He is an active angel investor in the technology industry with a focus on emerging markets. Prior to founding Alpha Capital, in 2015, Mr. Oxenford co-founded and served as CEO of letgo until July 2020 when its U.S. operations were merged with OfferUp and its Turkey operations were simultaneously acquired by OLX. Under Mr. Oxenford’s leadership, letgo grew to over 100 million downloads and 400 million listings according to Techcrunch, and became a unicorn. Mr. Oxenford supervised the merger between letgo and OfferUp and he has remained on the board since the merger. Prior to letgo, from 2006 to 2015, Mr. Oxenford co-founded with Fabrice Grinda and led the unicorn OLX. Mr. Oxenford also co-founded DineroMail in 2003, an online payment platform in Latam which was acquired by PayU in 2013. In 1999 during the early days of the Internet, Mr. Oxenford founded DeRemate.com which was acquired by MercadoLibre in 2005. He began his career as a Senior Consultant with The Boston Consulting Group in Madrid (1993-95), São Paulo (1998), and Buenos Aires (1999). He received his MBA with Distinction from Harvard Business School in 1997 and was elected Young Global Leader (2006-11) by the World Economic Forum.
Paul Gardi has extensive entrepreneurial, operations and investment experience. He has been a lead investor in CNET Networks, Personifi and was a seed investor and CEO/ Chairman at Playlist.com. He held the CEO position at IAC/InterActiveCorp Advertising Solutions and COO at Teoma. At Ask Jeeves he was the Executive Vice President of Strategy and Operations. Ask Jeeves was the top performing stock on the Nasdaq in 2004 (shareholder value increased by over 40x) and was later acquired by IAC/InterActiveCorp Advertising Solutions. Prior to this he was a Partner at GeoCapital Partners and worked at Procter & Gamble in their brand management division. Other significant investments include: Uber, Canva, Thras.io, Produce Pay, Ant Financial, Happn, Fanduel, Ecosense, Flexmoney, Comtravo, Viajnet, Heritage Restaurant
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group. He was on the American Express Advisory Board, the Vix Media Board and the IAB Board which sets the standards for internet advertising. Mr. Gardi is a graduate of Harvard College and Harvard Business School.
Our team has a unique combination of entrepreneurial, operational, public and private market investing and M&A and capital markets experience that we believe will differentiate us and will increase our ability to identify successful opportunities and add real value to companies we partner with before and after becoming public.
Industry Opportunity
We believe technology companies across the globe will continue to revolutionize the way consumers and businesses behave for the years to come. Our confidence as investors is supported by the fact that according to PitchBook data, there are 665 technology unicorns globally today valued at $2.6tn as of March 29, 2021 up from 252 and $925bn as of December 31, 2015, demonstrating a highly fertile investment space which we believe will continue to enjoy a strong growth trajectory in the coming years.
Marketplaces, FinTech and SaaS
Four of the five largest U.S. technology IPOs since 2017 (Uber (NYS: UBER), Snowflake (NYS: SNOW), Doordash (NYS: DASH), Lyft (NAS: LYFT), and Airbnb (NAS: ABNB)) have been online marketplaces, and we believe this is not a coincidence. Marketplaces are one of the few business models that prominently feature network effects: the more users a platform has, the more value the marketplace offers to all its participants. Supply attracts demand, which in turn attracts more supply, spinning a flywheel that can create high-growth, capital efficient leaders of scale. We believe that these network effects drive high barriers to entry and winner-takes-all dynamics, allowing for champions to scale to unprecedented sizes. The first generation of marketplaces such as Craigslist are now giving way to a new generation of vertical marketplaces such as Uber, Airbnb and Doordash that specialize in a specific sector, with features that drive substantially more value to buyers and sellers. We are particularly excited by investment opportunities in trends such as the continued “verticalization” of horizontal platforms (Drizly for alcohol delivery), the rise of managed marketplaces that provide more value to the transaction experience (Opendoor for homebuying) and the emergence of B2B marketplaces (Workrise for staffing).
We will additionally target businesses in the FinTech space. FinTech in particular has emerged as a large and vibrant vertical in emerging markets such as LatAm, where FinTech start-ups dominate the ecosystem due to the structural inefficiencies of the financial sectors in this region (with Nubank acting as a prime example of consumers increasingly preferring FinTech players to more traditional financial institutions). Aside from the flourishing FinTech sector we have been observing in LatAm, we see financial capabilities becoming a highly valued asset across many other verticals (e.g. consumer, real estate, software and B2B marketplaces), as offered by emerging FinTech companies like Stripe in B2B and Klarna in B2C.
We also see highly attractive opportunities arising from SaaS models, which have seen 308 IPOs over the past 5 years according to PitchBook data. Leading SaaS businesses offer a highly scalable, easy to deploy, and recurring revenue business model, which provide compelling fundamentals in potential target businesses. While U.S. players have until recently dominated the SaaS market (Palantir, Dropbox), we are observing the rise of highly attractive international SaaS businesses (Aircall) and we believe the international SaaS opportunity will continue to grow at pace. Furthermore, we believe that SaaS will continue to experience significant change, driven by the cloud transition, growth of API platforms, shift to consumption-based revenue models and the emergence of data assets. We believe new models and technology leaders will emerge as a result of this continuous change.
Europe, LatAm and the U.S.
While we have a broad remit to invest globally, we believe we have a particular competitive advantage in Europe (defined as including Israel), LatAm, and U.S.-born companies with global ambitions. We believe there are opportunities on a global scale and while the U.S. continues to enjoy the most robust technological ecosystem in the world with 328 unicorns as of March 29, 2021 according to PitchBook data, Europe and LatAm are benefiting from strong tailwinds with large cohorts of leading technology platforms now
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achieving significant scale. This is further illustrated by the fact that there are 108 unicorns in Europe and 15 unicorns in Latam valued at $294bn and $48bn, respectively, as of March 29, 2021 according to PitchBook data.
The European technology market has gained significant momentum in recent years on the back of a rise in high-quality privately owned technology companies, increasing volumes of privately funded venture and growth capital, and a new cohort of entrepreneurial role models who have achieved widely acclaimed technology IPOs. The European technology unicorn universe has seen a dramatic growth in recent years, and according to PitchBook data there are 108 technology unicorns in Europe as of March 29, 2021 compared to 34 as of December 31, 2015 with venture capital investment increasing from $22bn in 2015 to $52bn in 2020. The European public technology market has seen equally important growth, with the number of listed technology companies valued over $1bn reaching 166 as of March 29, 2021, representing a total market capitalization of $1.5tn as of March 29, 2021, according to PitchBook data, demonstrating its attractiveness to institutional investors. While this momentum is impressive, this compares to 328 unicorns in the U.S. as of March 29, 2021. According to PitchBook data, in 2020 the total venture capital investment in the U.S. was $139bn, an increase from $69bn in 2015. This is despite similar GDP and populations with respectively $16tn and 457m inhabitants in Europe and $21tn and 328m inhabitants in the U.S. as of 2019 according to the World Bank, implying significant potential for further growth. We believe that the European private technology market is set to continue to see strong growth going forward, underpinned by substantial and growing access to funding, increased public market understanding and demand for technology stocks, a highly educated workforce providing a large talent pool, a supportive and stable regulatory and political backdrop and increased governmental focus and availability of public funding for the digital economy among other factors.
A growing number of world class technology players have also emerged over the past decade in LatAm, with Brazil accounting for the largest contribution. The number of unicorns in the region has reached 15 as of March 29, 2021 according to PitchBook data, including 10 in Brazil. Investors are increasingly turning to the LatAm region to identify tomorrow’s regional and global champions, investing $5bn in total venture capital investments in 2020, an increase from $1bn in 2015, and helping public companies raise an aggregate $629m at IPO in 2020 alone. These impressive dynamics are underpinned by favorable demographic trends: LatAm has a young and growing population of 646m people of which almost 20% is 15-24 years of age according to the World Bank. Moreover, LatAm is one of the world’s most urbanized regions and largely digital-friendly ( 75% smartphone penetration adoption in LatAm compared to 84% in the U.S. and 102% in Europe according to Global Data in 2020). We see Brazil as a particularly attractive market thanks not only to its sizeable market, but also to its robust venture ecosystems and financial markets coupled with the relatively low penetration in marketplaces and digital companies in general, compared to more mature markets like the U.S. and Europe.
Competitive Advantage
While we may pursue an initial business combination target in any business, industry or geographical location, we intend to focus our search within marketplaces, FinTech and SaaS companies in Europe, Latam and the U.S., where we believe our management team, board members and advisors have a competitive advantage based on their prior experiences and investments.
We intend to capitalize on our sponsor team’s deep expertise and large global network spanning the entire technology industry, as well as our management team’s extensive experience in completing strategic transactions in a wide range of sectors. Our ability to locate, engage and partner with our prospective target business will be further enabled by our highly complementary and accomplished board members and advisors, with long-standing experience in the broader technology space. We believe that our distinct approach and successful track record, as well as the superior value proposition we will bring to our prospective target will be viewed favorably by the prospective seller of our target.
We believe that our highly complementary and experienced team and differentiated investing approach offer multiple competitive advantages in sourcing, evaluating and executing on opportunities, including:
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Broad Network with Unique Data Insights—FJ Labs is a unique investing franchise, with deep sector expertise and distinctive insights into the technology industry. The FJ Labs team has
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evaluated over 14,000 opportunities and invested in over 600 companies and over 1,000 founders, with over 40 achieving unicorn status. FJ Labs typically reviews over 50 opportunities every week and evaluated 2,500+ deals in 2020 alone. Thanks to the scale of our sourcing model, we have exceptional data insights resulting in the ability to identify successful business models and future category champions early on. Moreover, our board benefits from considerable and complementary local expertise in Europe, LatAm and the U.S. Our global perspective is all the more valuable as we can learn from and replicate the success of a business model in one region and apply it to another, thereby efficiently identifying companies in any geography and supporting our investments as they develop their operations internationally.
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Global Expertise and Entrepreneurship—Our management, board and execution team have significant experience in investing in and operating companies across all key markets globally and have particular deep expertise in Europe, LatAm and the U.S. Our entrepreneurial approach is supported by the prior experience of our sponsors, Jose Marin and Fabrice Grinda, who have successfully founded, built and exited leading global technology businesses. We believe this provides us with a unique positioning not just for sourcing but also supporting target businesses in achieving their full potential both locally and globally.
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Disciplined Underwriting—We are strongly committed to fully leverage the extensive private and public market experience of our sponsors, management team, board and advisors to facilitate a highly disciplined and optimized process. We believe we collectively bring together highly complementary and differentiated capabilities thanks to our team’s strong track record and many years of experience in various private and public market settings, both on the buy-side and sell-side. Our team is composed of top tier private and public market investors, who have previously co-founded their own investment funds, and industry-leading M&A executives with long standing careers at highly acquisitive and reputable public institutions. As a result, we believe we bring the necessary experience to efficiently and critically assess our prospective targets. To further enhance our undertaking, we have our own fully dedicated investment team with a strong track record at both leading buy and sell-side firms.
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Experienced M&A Execution—We have a team of highly accomplished executives, with a strong investment and M&A track record in both the public and private markets. Our M&A efforts will be led by CFO Claudia Gast, who was part of the Executive team of AM General, a MacAndrews & Forbes portfolio company, where she led the Strategy and M&A for the company and recently completed the sale of the company to KPS. We have extensive experience in leading, negotiating and structuring M&A transactions as entrepreneurs, venture capital and private equity investors and public & private company executives across a variety of sectors. We believe that a structured and coordinated execution process driven by our disciplined rigor and approach is vital to the success of our undertaking and to drive value for our investors. With our team of highly experienced operational executives who have led a range of diverse transactions, we believe we will be in a prime position to develop and execute the M&A process in a structured manner, ensuring that our prospective target will experience a smooth and highly structured transition while driving value to our investors.
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Value Added Leadership Post Merger—We will provide significant value-add to a target business post our investment. Our team has a proven track record, as founders and operators globally, in helping businesses with strategy setting, business planning, operational improvement, M&A, talent acquisition, broadening the network of potential partners and customers, capital deployment and capital structure optimization. We believe we provide a strategic advantage to a target company also over the medium term, as they will benefit from ongoing support through our aforementioned unique dataset, insights and visibility into the technology space. We believe that the combination of the existing FJ Labs platform and “GTAC’s own executive team, board of directors and advisors, and our unique data and insights, will enable us to drive and accelerate the target business’s next stage of growth.
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GTAC Team Has a Successful Track Record Identifying Global Winners Before They Go Public
![[MISSING IMAGE: tm217937d2-map_gtacteam4c.jpg]](https://capedge.com/proxy/S-1A/0001104659-21-126300/tm217937d2-map_gtacteam4c.jpg)
Business Strategy & Acquisition Criteria
We have the ambition to create value and generate strong risk-adjusted returns for our shareholders through our comprehensive business acquisition strategy. We intend to leverage our robust proprietary deal sourcing channels and industry leading relationships across the marketplace, FinTech and SaaS landscape to identify a high-quality private company to successfully complete a business combination with an exceptional business.
Our sponsors have developed a unique and rich dataset through our experience as operators and global technology investors in over 600 companies and over 1,000 founders. We draw from this data, as well as our broader experience, when assessing new business opportunities against the investment criteria we have established to identify leading technology players:
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Large and Growing Addressable Market—We will target companies that operate in large and growing addressable markets, supported by robust venture capital ecosystems and financial markets which are fundamental in supporting long-term sustainable growth. This is in line with our existing investment strategy, and as such we will have the ability to leverage lessons learned and the investment methodology which has underpinned our historical investment track record.
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Strong Leadership Team—We will focus on companies with experienced management teams that have a successful track record and the ambition and ability to lead a publicly listed company. We will work alongside these management teams while providing guidance and drawing on our deep operational and financial expertise to fundamentally enhance the value of our target business.
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Competitive Moats—We will seek to acquire a target that, based on superior operational performance, has the potential to become a clear market leader. We will focus on companies that have built competitive advantages foreseeing any potential disruptors to their leadership. We believe our global perspective allows us to identify early on regional champions and help support these businesses to become international winners.
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Capital Efficiency and Growth—We will seek targets that have shown a superior financial profile, accelerated growth and are capable of sustaining strong growth levels also in the future. Our target should have a clear and compelling path to positive unit economics and demonstrate high capital efficiency which will be further enhanced by our presence in the business. We have a demonstrated ability to select and understand the right metrics to identify winners.
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Public Company Readiness—Although we intend to guide and support our target in entering the public markets, we are focused on selecting companies whose management’s ambition and internal
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processes prove that they are ready or working towards a process to support the regulatory and organizational standards required from a publicly listed company and its shareholders.
These criteria are not intended to be exhaustive. Any evaluation relating to the merits of a particular initial business combination may be based, to the extent relevant, on these general guidelines, as well as on other considerations, factors and criteria that our management may deem relevant. In the event that we decide to enter into our initial business combination with a target business that does not meet the above criteria and guidelines, we will disclose that the target business does not meet the above criteria in our shareholder communications related to our initial business combination, which, as discussed in this prospectus, would be in the form of tender offer documents or proxy solicitation materials that we would file with the SEC.
Initial Business Combination
NASDAQ listing rules require that our initial business combination must be with one or more target businesses that together have an aggregate fair market value equal to at least 80% of the assets held in the trust account (excluding the amount of deferred underwriting discounts held in trust and taxes payable on the income earned on the trust account) at the time of our signing a definitive agreement in connection with our initial business combination. We refer to this as the 80% of net assets test. If our board of directors is not able to independently determine the fair market value of the target business or businesses, we will obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm that is a member of FINRA or from an independent accounting firm, with respect to the satisfaction of such criteria.
We anticipate structuring our initial business combination so that the post-transaction company in which our public shareholders own or acquire shares will own or acquire 100% of the outstanding equity interests or assets of the target business or businesses. We may, however, structure our initial business combination such that the post-transaction company owns or acquires less than 100% of such interests or assets of the target business in order to meet certain objectives of the target management team or shareholders or for other reasons, but we will only complete such business combination if the post-transaction company owns or acquires 50% or more of the outstanding voting securities of the target or otherwise acquires a controlling interest in the target business sufficient for it not to be required to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, 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 shareholders prior to our initial business combination may collectively own a minority interest in the post-transaction company, depending on valuations ascribed to the target and us in 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 or issue a substantial number of new shares to third parties in connection with financing our initial business combination. In such cases, 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 shareholders 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 by us is what will be taken into account for purposes of the 80% of net assets test. If our initial business combination involves more than one target business, the 80% of net assets test will be based on the aggregate value of all of the target businesses.
Prior to the date of effectiveness of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part, we will file a Registration Statement on Form 8-A with the SEC to voluntarily register our securities under Section 12 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or the Exchange Act. As a result, we will be subject to the rules and regulations promulgated under the Exchange Act. We have no current intention of filing a Form 15 to suspend our reporting or other obligations under the Exchange Act prior or subsequent to the consummation of our initial business combination.
Other Considerations
We are not prohibited from pursuing an initial business combination with a company that is affiliated with our sponsor, officers or directors. In the event we seek to complete our initial business combination with a company that is affiliated with our sponsor or any of our officers or directors, we, or a committee of
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independent directors, will obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm or another independent entity that commonly renders valuation opinions that such initial business combination is fair to our company from a financial point of view. We are not required to obtain such an opinion in any other context.
We currently do not have any specific business combination under consideration. Our officers and directors have neither individually selected nor considered a target business nor have they had any substantive discussions regarding possible target businesses among themselves or with our underwriters or other advisors. Our management team is regularly made aware of potential business opportunities, one or more of which we may desire to pursue for a business combination, but we have not (nor has anyone on our behalf) contacted any prospective target business or had any substantive discussions, formal or otherwise, with respect to a business combination transaction with our company. Additionally, we have not, nor has anyone on our behalf, taken any substantive measure, directly or indirectly, to identify or locate any suitable acquisition candidate for us, nor have we engaged or retained any agent or other representative to identify or locate any such acquisition candidate.
Members of our management team and our independent directors may directly or indirectly own ordinary shares and/or private placement warrants following this offering and, accordingly, may have a conflict of interest in determining whether a particular target business is an appropriate business with which to effectuate our initial business combination. In particular, because the founder shares were purchased at approximately $0.004 per share, the holders of our founder shares (including members of our management team that directly or indirectly own founder shares) could make a substantial profit after our initial business combination even if our public shareholders lose money on their investment as a result of a decrease in the post-combination value of their shares of common stock (after accounting for any adjustments in connection with an exchange or other transaction contemplated by the initial business combination). See “Risk Factors—Since our sponsor, officers and directors will lose their entire investment in us if our business combination is not completed (other than with respect to any public shares they may acquire during or after this offering), and because our sponsor, officers and directors who have an interest in founder shares may profit substantially even under circumstances where our public shareholders would experience losses in connection with their investment, a conflict of interest may arise in determining whether a particular business combination target is appropriate for our initial business combination.” Further, each of our officers and directors may have a conflict of interest with respect to evaluating a particular business combination if the retention or resignation of any such officers and directors was included by a target business as a condition to any agreement with respect to our initial business combination.
In addition, certain of our officers and directors presently have, and any of them in the future may have additional, fiduciary and contractual duties to other entities. As a result, if any of our officers or directors becomes aware of a business combination opportunity which is suitable for an entity to which he, she or it has then-current fiduciary or contractual obligations, then, subject to their fiduciary duties under Cayman Islands law, he, she or it will need to honor such fiduciary or contractual obligations to present such business combination opportunity to such entity, before we can pursue such opportunity. If these other entities decide to pursue any such opportunity, we may be precluded from pursuing the same. However, we do not expect these duties to materially affect our ability to complete our initial business combination. Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association provide that, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law: (i) no individual serving as a director or an officer shall have any duty, except and to the extent expressly assumed by contract, to refrain from engaging directly or indirectly in the same or similar business activities or lines of business as us; and (ii) we renounce any interest or expectancy in, or in being offered an opportunity to participate in, any potential transaction or matter which may be a corporate opportunity for any director or officer, on the one hand, and us, on the other.
In addition, certain of the participants in our sponsor have, and our sponsor, officers and directors may in the future, sponsor, be part of or form other special purpose acquisition companies similar to ours or may pursue other business or investment ventures during the period in which we are seeking an initial business combination. In particular, Alex Oxenford, who is a member of our advisory committee, is currently serving as chairman and CEO of Alpha Capital Acquisition Company, a special purpose acquisition company that completed its initial public offering in February 2021. Furthermore, FJ Labs (which is co-led by Fabrice Grinda, our Executive Chairman), one of our founding sponsors, is also a co-sponsor in Alpha
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Capital Acquisition Company. Any such companies, businesses or investments, including Alpha Capital Acquisition Company, may present additional conflicts of interest in pursuing an initial business combination. For example, Alpha Capital Acquisition Company is currently looking for potential business combination targets with a Latam-focused technology business, which is one of the potential areas we are also targeting for a business combination target. However, we do not believe that any potential conflicts with Alpha Capital Acquisition Company would materially affect our ability to complete our initial business combination. Our management team has significant experience in identifying and executing acquisition opportunities, and we believe there are multiple potential opportunities within the industries and geographies of our primary focus. GTAC’s management and our sponsor will evaluate any potential acquisition opportunity solely for GTAC. Furthermore, in our post-IPO discussions with any potential targets our management team and our sponsor will ensure that the target has a clear understanding that it will transact with GTAC and with no other special purpose acquisition company that may be sponsored by any of our advisory committee members or participants in our sponsor. In addition, our sponsor, officers and directors are not required to commit any specified amount of time to our affairs, and, accordingly, will have conflicts of interest in allocating management time among various business activities, including identifying potential business combinations and monitoring the related due diligence.
Corporate Information
Our executive offices are located at 19 West 24th St., 10th Floor, New York, New York 10010 and our telephone number is (323) 577-9874. We maintain a corporate website at www.gtac.io. The information contained on or accessible through our corporate website or any other website that we may maintain is not part of this prospectus or the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part.
We are a Cayman Islands exempted company. Exempted companies are Cayman Islands companies conducting business mainly outside the Cayman Islands and, as such, are exempted from complying with certain provisions of the Companies Act. As an exempted company, we have applied for and received a tax exemption undertaking from the Cayman Islands government that, in accordance with Section 6 of the Tax Concessions Act (2018 Revision) of the Cayman Islands, for a period of 20 years from the date of the undertaking, no law which is enacted in the Cayman Islands imposing any tax to be levied on profits, income, gains or appreciations will apply to us or our operations and, in addition, that no tax to be levied on profits, income, gains or appreciations or which is in the nature of estate duty or inheritance tax will be payable (i) on or in respect of our shares, debentures or other obligations or (ii) by way of the withholding in whole or in part of a payment of dividend or other distribution of income or capital by us to our shareholders or a payment of principal or interest or other sums due under a debenture or other obligation of us.
We are an “emerging growth company,” as defined in Section 2(a) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Securities Act, as modified by the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012, or the JOBS Act. As such, we are eligible to take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not “emerging growth companies” including, but not limited to, not being required to comply with the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, or 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 non-binding advisory vote on executive compensation and shareholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved. If some investors find our securities less attractive as a result, there may be a less active trading market for our securities and the prices of our securities may be more volatile.
In addition, Section 107 of the JOBS Act also provides that an “emerging growth company” can take advantage of the extended transition period provided in Section 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act for complying with new or revised accounting standards. In other words, an “emerging growth company” can delay the adoption of certain accounting standards until those standards would otherwise apply to private companies. We intend to take advantage of the benefits of this extended transition period.
We will remain an emerging growth company until the earlier of (1) the last day of the fiscal year (a) following the fifth anniversary of the completion of this offering, (b) in which we have total annual gross revenue of at least $1.07 billion, or (c) in which we are deemed to be a large accelerated filer, which means
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the market value of our Class A ordinary shares that are held by non-affiliates exceeds $700 million as of the prior June 30, and (2) the date on which we have issued more than $1.0 billion in non-convertible debt securities during the prior three-year period. References herein to “emerging growth company” shall have the meaning associated with it in the JOBS Act.
Additionally, we are a “smaller reporting company” as defined in Item 10(f)(1) of Regulation S-K. Smaller reporting companies may take advantage of certain reduced disclosure obligations, including, among other things, providing only two years of audited financial statements. We will remain a smaller reporting company until the last day of the fiscal year in which (1) the market value of our ordinary shares held by non-affiliates exceeds $250 million as of the prior June 30, and (2) our annual revenues exceeded $100 million during such completed fiscal year or the market value of our ordinary shares held by non-affiliates exceeds $700 million as of the prior June 30.
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The Offering
In deciding whether to invest in our securities, you should take into account not only the backgrounds of the members of our management team, but also the special risks we face as a blank check company and the fact that this offering is not being conducted in compliance with Rule 419 promulgated under the Securities Act. You will not be entitled to protections normally afforded to investors in Rule 419 blank check offerings. You should carefully consider these and the other risks set forth in the section below entitled “Risk Factors” of this prospectus.
Securities offered
15,000,000 units (or 17,250,000 units if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), at $10.00 per unit, each unit consisting of:
•
one Class A ordinary share; and
•
one-half of one redeemable warrant.
Proposed NASDAQ Global Market symbols
Units: “GTACU”
Class A ordinary shares: “GTAC”
Warrants: “GTACW”
Trading commencement and separation of Class A ordinary shares and warrants
The units are expected to begin trading on or promptly after the date of this prospectus. The Class A ordinary shares and warrants comprising 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 the underwriters inform us of its decision to allow earlier separate trading, subject to our having filed the Current Report on Form 8-K described below and having issued a press release announcing when such separate trading will begin. Once the Class A ordinary shares and warrants commence separate trading, holders will have the option to continue to hold units or separate their units into the component securities. Holders will need to have their brokers contact our transfer agent in order to separate the units into Class A ordinary shares and warrants. No fractional warrants will be issued upon separation of the units and only whole warrants will trade. Accordingly, unless you purchase at least three units, you will not be able to receive or trade a whole warrant.
Additionally, the units will automatically separate into their component parts and will not be traded after completion of our initial business combination.
Separate trading of the Class A ordinary shares and warrants is prohibited until we have filed a Current Report on Form 8-K
In no event will the Class A ordinary shares and warrants be traded separately until we have filed with the SEC a Current Report on Form 8-K which includes an audited balance sheet reflecting our receipt of the gross proceeds at the closing of this offering. We will file the Current Report on Form 8-K promptly after the closing of this offering. If the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised following the initial filing of such Current Report on Form 8-K, a second or amended
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Current Report on Form 8-K will be filed to provide updated financial information to reflect the exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option.
Units:
Number outstanding before this
offering
offering
0
Number outstanding after this
offering
offering
15,000,0001
Ordinary shares:
Number outstanding before this
offering
offering
4,312,5002,3
Number outstanding after this
offering
offering
18,750,0001,4
Warrants:
Number of private placement warrants to be sold in a private placement simultaneously with this offering
8,500,0001
Number of warrants to be outstanding after this offering and the sale of private placement warrants
16,000,0001
Exercisability
Each whole warrant is exercisable to purchase one Class A ordinary share, subject to adjustment as described herein. Only whole warrants are exercisable.
We structured each unit to contain one-half of one redeemable warrant, with each whole warrant exercisable for one Class A ordinary share, as compared to units issued by some other similar blank check companies which contain whole warrants exercisable for one whole share, in order to reduce the dilutive effect of the warrants upon completion of our initial business combination as compared to units that each contain a whole warrant to purchase one whole share, thus making us, we believe, a more attractive business combination partner for target businesses.
Exercise price
$11.50 per whole share, subject to adjustments as described herein. In addition, if (x) we issue additional Class A ordinary shares or equity-linked securities for capital raising purposes in
1
Assumes no exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option.
2
Founder shares are currently classified as Class B ordinary shares, which shares will automatically convert into Class A ordinary shares at the time of our initial business combination or earlier at the option of the holders thereof as described below adjacent to the caption “Founder shares conversion and anti-dilution rights” and in our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association. Such Class A ordinary shares delivered upon conversion will not have any redemption rights or be entitled to liquidating distributions from the trust account if we do not consummate an initial business combination.
3
Includes 562,500 founder shares that are subject to forfeiture.
4
Includes 15,000,000 public shares and 3,750,000 founder shares, assuming 562,500 founder shares have been forfeited.
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connection with the closing of our initial business combination at an issue price or effective issue price of less than $9.20 per ordinary share (with such issue price or effective issue price to be determined in good faith by our board of directors and, in the case of any such issuance to our sponsor or its affiliates, without taking into account any founder shares held by our sponsor or such affiliates, as applicable, prior to such issuance) (the “Newly Issued Price”), (y) the aggregate gross proceeds from such issuances represent more than 60% of the total equity proceeds, and interest thereon, available for the funding of our initial business combination on the date of the consummation of our initial business combination (net of redemptions), and (z) the volume weighted average trading price of our Class A ordinary shares during the 20 trading day period starting on the trading day prior to the day on which we consummate our initial business combination (such price, the “Market Value”) is below $9.20 per share, the exercise price of the warrants will be adjusted (to the nearest cent) to be equal to 115% of the higher of the Market Value and the Newly Issued Price, the $18.00 per share redemption trigger price described adjacent to “Redemption of warrants when the price per Class A ordinary share equals or exceeds $18.00” and “Redemption of warrants when the price per Class A ordinary share equals or exceeds $10.00” will be adjusted (to the nearest cent) to be equal to 180% of the higher of the Market Value and the Newly Issued Price, and the $10.00 per share redemption trigger price described adjacent to the caption “Redemption of warrants when the price per Class A ordinary share equals or exceeds $10.00” will be adjusted (to the nearest cent) to be equal to the higher of the Market Value and the Newly Issued Price.
Exercise period
The warrants will become exercisable on the later of:
•
30 days after the completion of our initial business combination; and
•
twelve months from the closing of this offering;
provided in each case that we have an effective registration statement under the Securities Act covering the issuance of the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants and a current prospectus relating to them is available and such shares are registered, qualified or exempt from registration under the securities, or blue sky, laws of the state of residence of the holder (or we permit holders to exercise their warrants on a cashless basis under the circumstances specified in the warrant agreement, including as a result of a notice of redemption described below under “Redemption of warrants when the price per Class A ordinary share equals or exceeds $10.00”). If and when the warrants become redeemable by us, we may exercise our redemption right even if we are unable to register or qualify the underlying securities for sale under all applicable state securities laws.
We are not registering the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants at this time. However, we have agreed that as soon as practicable, but in no event later than
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twenty business days after the closing of our initial business combination, we will use our commercially reasonable efforts to file with the SEC a registration statement covering the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants, and we will use our commercially reasonable efforts to cause the same to become effective within 60 business days after the closing of our initial business combination, and to maintain the effectiveness of such registration statement and a current prospectus relating to those Class A ordinary shares until the warrants expire or are redeemed, as specified in the warrant agreement provided that if our Class A ordinary shares are at the time of any exercise of a warrant not listed on a national securities exchange such that they satisfy the definition of a “covered security” under Section 18(b)(1) of the Securities Act, we may, at our option, require holders of public warrants who exercise their warrants to do so on a “cashless basis” in accordance with Section 3(a)(9) of the Securities Act and, in the event we so elect, we will not be required to file or maintain in effect a registration statement. If a registration statement covering the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants is not effective by the 60th day after the closing of the initial business combination, warrant holders may, until such time as there is an effective registration statement and during any period when we will have failed to maintain an effective registration statement, exercise warrants on a “cashless basis” in accordance with Section 3(a)(9) of the Securities Act or another exemption, but we will use our commercially reasonable efforts to register or qualify the shares under applicable blue sky laws to the extent an exemption is not available.
The warrants will expire at 5:00 p.m., New York City time, five years after the completion of our initial business combination or earlier upon redemption or liquidation. On the exercise of any warrant, the warrant exercise price will be paid directly to us and not placed in the trust account.
Redemption of warrants when the price per Class A ordinary share equals or exceeds $18.00
Once the warrants become exercisable, we may redeem the outstanding warrants (except as described herein with respect to the private placement warrants):
•
in whole and not in part;
•
at a price of $0.01 per warrant;
•
upon a minimum of 30 days’ prior written notice of redemption, which we refer to as the “30-day redemption period”; and
•
if, and only if, the last reported sale price (the “closing price”) of our Class A ordinary shares equals or exceeds $18.00 per share (as adjusted for adjustments to the number of shares issuable upon exercise or the exercise price of a warrant as described under the heading “Description of Securities—Warrants—Public Shareholders’ Warrants—Anti-Dilution Adjustments”) for any 20 trading days
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within a 30-trading day period ending on the third trading day prior to the date on which we send the notice of redemption to the warrant holders.
We will not redeem the warrants as described above unless an effective registration statement under the Securities Act covering the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants is effective and a current prospectus relating to those Class A ordinary shares is available throughout the 30-day redemption period. If and when the warrants become redeemable by us, we may exercise our redemption right even if we are unable to register or qualify the underlying securities for sale under all applicable state securities laws.
None of the private placement warrants will be redeemable by us so long as they are held by our sponsor or its permitted transferees.
Redemption of warrants when the price per Class A ordinary share equals or exceeds $10.00
Once the warrants become exercisable, we may redeem the outstanding warrants (except as described herein with respect to the private placement warrants):
•
in whole and not in part;
•
at $0.10 per warrant upon a minimum of 30 days’ prior written notice of redemption provided that holders will be able to exercise their warrants on a cashless basis prior to redemption and receive that number of shares determined by reference to the table set forth under “Description of Securities—Warrants—Public Shareholders’ Warrants” based on the redemption date and the “fair market value” of our Class A ordinary shares (as defined below) except as otherwise described in “Description of Securities—Warrants—Public Shareholders’ Warrants”; and
•
if, and only if, the closing price of our Class A ordinary shares equals or exceeds $10.00 per public share (as adjusted for adjustments to the number of shares issuable upon exercise or the exercise price of a warrant as described under the heading “Description of Securities—Warrants—Public Shareholders’ Warrants—Antidilution Adjustments”) on the trading day prior to the date on which we send the notice of redemption to the warrant holders.
The “fair market value” of our Class A ordinary shares for the above purpose shall mean the volume weighted average price of our Class A ordinary shares for the 10 trading days ending on the third trading day prior to the date on which the notice of redemption is sent to the holders of warrants. This redemption feature differs from the typical warrant redemption features used in other blank check offerings. We will provide our warrant holders with the final fair market value no later than one business day after the 10 trading day period described above ends. In no event will the warrants be exercisable in connection with this redemption feature for more than 0.361 Class A ordinary shares per warrant (subject to adjustment).
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No fractional Class A ordinary shares will be issued upon redemption. If, upon redemption, a holder would be entitled to receive a fractional interest in a share, we will round down to the nearest whole number of the number of Class A ordinary shares to be issued to the holder. Please see the section entitled “Description of Securities—Warrants—Public Shareholders’ Warrants” for additional information.
Founder shares
On February 10, 2021, the sponsor paid $25,000, or approximately $0.004 per share, to cover certain of our offering and formation costs in consideration of 6,468,750 Class B ordinary shares, par value $0.0001. On June 30, 2021, our Sponsor surrendered 2,156,250 Class B ordinary shares for no consideration, resulting in 4,312,500 shares outstanding of which 562,500 are subject to forfeiture in the event the underwriters’ over-allotment option is not exercised. All share and per share amounts have been restated. In July 2021, our sponsor transferred 40,000 founder shares to each of our independent director nominees, other than Michael Zeisser, at their original purchase price. Prior to the initial investment in the company of $25,000 by the sponsor, the company had no assets, tangible or intangible. The per share price of the founder shares was determined by dividing the amount contributed to the company by the number of founder shares issued. If we increase or decrease the size of this offering, we will effect a share capitalization or a share surrender or redemption or other appropriate mechanism, as applicable, with respect to our Class B ordinary shares immediately prior to the consummation of this offering in such amount as to maintain the number of founder shares, on an as-converted basis, at 20% of our issued and outstanding ordinary shares upon the consummation of this offering. Up to 562,500 founder shares are subject to forfeiture by the sponsor, depending on the extent to which the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised. The 120,000 founder shares transferred to our independent director nominees are not subject to forfeiture in the event the underwriter’s over-allotment option is not exercised.
•
The founder shares are identical to the Class A ordinary shares included in the units being sold in this offering, except that:
•
prior to our initial business combination, only holders of the founder shares have the right to vote on the appointment of directors and holders of a majority of our founder shares may remove a member of the board of directors for any reason;
•
in a vote to continue the Company in a jurisdiction outside the Cayman Islands (which requires the approval of at least two thirds of the votes of all ordinary shares), holders of our founder shares will have ten votes for every founder share and holders of our Class A ordinary shares will have one vote for every Class A ordinary share;
•
the founder shares are subject to certain transfer restrictions, as described in more detail below;
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•
our sponsor and each member of our management team have entered into an agreement with us, pursuant to which they have agreed to (i) waive their redemption rights with respect to their founder shares (ii) waive their redemption rights with respect to their founder shares and public shares in connection with a shareholder vote to approve an amendment to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association (A) that would modify the substance or timing of our obligation to provide holders of our Class A ordinary shares the right to have their shares redeemed in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 24 months from the closing of this offering at the election of the Company in two separate three month extensions subject to satisfaction of certain conditions, including the deposit of up to $1,500,000, or $1,725,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full ($0.10 per unit in either case) for each three month extension, into the trust account, or as extended by the Company’s shareholders in accordance with our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association) or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to the rights of holders of our Class A ordinary shares and (iii) waive their rights to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to any founder shares they hold if we fail to consummate an initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 24 months from the closing of this offering at the election of the Company in two separate three month extensions subject to satisfaction of certain conditions, including the deposit of up to $1,500,000, or $1,725,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full ($0.10 per unit in either case) for each three month extension, into the trust account, or as extended by the Company’s shareholders in accordance with our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association), although they will be entitled to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to any public shares they hold if we fail to complete our initial business combination within the prescribed time frame. If we seek shareholder approval, we will complete our initial business combination only if we obtain the approval of an ordinary resolution under Cayman Islands law, being the affirmative vote of a majority of the ordinary shares represented in person or by proxy and entitled to vote thereon and who vote at a general meeting. In such case, our sponsor and each member of our management team have agreed to vote their founder shares and public shares in favor of our initial business combination. As a result, in addition to our initial shareholders’ founder shares, we would need 5,625,001, or 37.5% (assuming all issued and outstanding shares are voted and the over-allotment option is not exercised), or 937,501, or 6.25% (assuming only the minimum number
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of shares representing a quorum are voted and the over-allotment option is not exercised), of the 15,000,000 public shares sold in this offering to be voted in favor of an initial business combination in order to have our initial business combination approved;
•
the founder shares will automatically convert into our Class A ordinary shares at the time of our initial business combination or earlier at the option of the holders thereof as described below adjacent to the caption “Founder shares conversion and anti-dilution rights” and in our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association; and
•
the founder shares are entitled to registration rights.
Transfer restrictions on founder
shares
shares
Except as described herein, our sponsor and our directors and executive officers have agreed not to transfer, assign or sell any of their founder shares until the earliest of (A) one year after the completion of our initial business combination and (B) subsequent to our initial business combination, (x) if the closing price of our Class A ordinary shares equals or exceeds $12.00 per share (as adjusted for share subdivisions, share capitalizations, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) for any 20 trading days within any 30-trading day period commencing at least 150 days after our initial business combination, or (y) the date on which we complete a liquidation, merger, share exchange or other similar transaction that results in all of our public shareholders having the right to exchange their ordinary shares for cash, securities or other property. Any permitted transferees would be subject to the same restrictions and other agreements of our sponsor and our directors and executive officers with respect to any founder shares.
Founder shares conversion and anti-dilution rights
The founder shares are designated as Class B ordinary shares and will automatically convert into Class A ordinary shares, which such Class A ordinary shares delivered upon conversion will not have any redemption rights or be entitled to liquidating distributions if we do not consummate an initial business combination, at the time of our initial business combination or earlier at the option of the holders thereof at a ratio such that the number of Class A ordinary shares issuable upon conversion of all founder shares will equal, in the aggregate, on an as-converted basis, 20% of the sum of (i) the total number of ordinary shares issued and outstanding upon completion of this offering, plus (ii) the total number of Class A ordinary shares issued or deemed issued or issuable upon conversion or exercise of any equity-linked securities (as defined herein) or rights issued or deemed issued, by the Company in connection with or in relation to the consummation of the initial business combination, excluding any Class A ordinary shares or equity-linked securities exercisable for or convertible into Class A ordinary shares issued, deemed issued, or to be issued, to any seller in the initial business combination and any private placement warrants issued to our sponsor, its affiliates or any
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member of our management team upon conversion of working capital loans. Any conversion of Class B ordinary shares described herein will take effect as a compulsory redemption of Class B ordinary shares and an issuance of Class A ordinary shares as a matter of Cayman Islands law. In no event will the Class B ordinary shares convert into Class A ordinary shares at a rate of less than one-to-one.
The term “equity-linked securities” refers to any debt or equity securities that are convertible, exercisable or exchangeable for our Class A ordinary shares issued in a financing transaction in connection with our initial business combination, including, but not limited to, a private placement of equity or debt.
Appointment of directors; Voting
rights
rights
Prior to our initial business combination, only holders of our founder shares will have the right to vote on the appointment of directors. Holders of our public shares will not be entitled to vote on the appointment 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. In addition, in a vote to continue the Company in a jurisdiction outside the Cayman Islands (which requires the approval of at least two thirds of the votes of all ordinary shares), holders of our founder shares will have ten votes for every founder share and holders of our Class A ordinary shares will have one vote for every Class A ordinary share and, as a result, our initial shareholders will be able to approve any such proposal without the vote of any other shareholder. These provisions of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association may only be amended by a special resolution passed by not less than two-thirds of our ordinary shares who attend and vote at our general meeting which shall include the affirmative vote of a simple majority of our Class B ordinary shares. With respect to any other matter submitted to a vote of our shareholders, including any vote in connection with our initial business combination, except as required by law, holders of our founder shares and holders of our public shares will vote together as a single class, with each share entitling the holder to one vote.
Private placement warrants
Our sponsor has committed, pursuant to a written agreement, to purchase an aggregate of 8,500,000 private placement warrants (or 9,400,000 private placement warrants if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), each exercisable to purchase one Class A ordinary share at $11.50 per whole share, subject to adjustment, at a price of $1.00 per warrant ($8,500,000 in the aggregate or $9,400,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), in a private placement that will close simultaneously with the closing of this offering. If we do not complete our initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 24 months from the closing of this offering at the election of the Company in two separate three month extensions subject to satisfaction of certain conditions, including the deposit of up to $1,500,000, or $1,725,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full ($0.10 per unit in either case) for each three
23
month extension, into the trust account, or as extended by the Company’s shareholders in accordance with our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association), the private placement warrants will expire worthless. The private placement warrants will be non-redeemable by us and exercisable on a cashless basis so long as they are held by our sponsor or its permitted transferees (see “Description of Securities—Warrants—Private Placement Warrants”). If the private placement warrants are held by holders other than our sponsor or its permitted transferees, the private placement warrants will be redeemable by us in all redemption scenarios and exercisable by the holders on the same basis as the warrants included in the units being sold in this offering.
Transfer restrictions on private placement warrants
The private placement warrants (including the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the private placement warrants) will not be transferable, assignable or salable until 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination, except as described herein under “Principal Shareholders—Transfers of Founder Shares and Private Placement Warrants.”
Cashless exercise of private placement warrants
If holders of private placement warrants elect to exercise them on a cashless basis, they would pay the exercise price by surrendering their warrants for that number of Class A ordinary shares equal to the quotient obtained by dividing (x) the product of the number of Class A ordinary shares underlying the warrants, multiplied by the excess of the “Sponsor fair market value” (defined below) over the exercise price of the warrants by (y) the Sponsor fair market value. The “Sponsor fair market value” shall mean the average reported closing price of the Class A ordinary shares for the 10 trading days ending on the third trading day prior to the date on which the notice of warrant exercise is sent to the warrant agent. The reason that we have agreed that these warrants will be exercisable on a cashless basis so long as they are held by the sponsor or its permitted transferees is because it is not known at this time whether they will be affiliated with us following a business combination. If they remain affiliated with us, their ability to sell our securities in the open market will be significantly limited. We expect to have policies in place that restrict insiders from selling our securities except during specific periods.
None of the private placement warrants will be redeemable by us so long as they are held by our sponsor or its permitted transferees.
Proceeds to be held in trust account
Of the proceeds we will receive from this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants described in this prospectus, $153,000,000, or $175,950,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full ($10.20 per unit in either case), will be deposited into a U.S.-based trust account at Citibank NA, NY with Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company acting as trustee. The proceeds to be placed in the trust account include $5,250,000 (or $6,037,500 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) in deferred underwriting commissions.
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Except with respect to interest earned on the funds held in the trust account that may be released to us to pay our income taxes, if any, our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, as discussed below and subject to the requirements of law and regulation, will provide that the proceeds from this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants held in the trust account will not be released from the trust account (1) to us, until the completion of our initial business combination, or (2) to our public shareholders, until the earliest of (a) the completion of our initial business combination, and then only in connection with those Class A ordinary shares that such shareholders properly elected to redeem, subject to the limitations described herein, (b) the redemption of any public shares properly tendered in connection with a shareholder vote to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to provide holders of our Class A ordinary shares the right to have their shares redeemed in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 24 months from the closing of this offering at the election of the Company in two separate three month extensions subject to satisfaction of certain conditions, including the deposit of up to $1,500,000, or $1,725,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full ($0.10 per unit in either case) for each three month extension, into the trust account, or as extended by the Company’s shareholders in accordance with our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association) or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to the rights of holders of our Class A ordinary shares, and (c) the redemption of our public shares if we have not consummated our business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 24 months from the closing of this offering at the election of the Company in two separate three month extensions subject to satisfaction of certain conditions, including the deposit of up to $1,500,000, or $1,725,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full ($0.10 per unit in either case) for each three month extension, into the trust account, or as extended by the Company’s shareholders in accordance with our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association), subject to applicable law. Public shareholders who redeem their Class A ordinary shares in connection with a shareholder vote described in clause (b) in the preceding sentence shall not be entitled to funds from the trust account upon the subsequent completion of an initial business combination or liquidation if we have not completed our initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 24 months from the closing of this offering at the election of the Company in two separate three month extensions subject to satisfaction of certain conditions, including the deposit of up to $1,500,000, or $1,725,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full ($0.10 per unit in either case) for each three month extension, into the trust account, or as extended by the Company’s shareholders in accordance with our amended and restated memorandum and articles of
25
association), with respect to such Class A ordinary shares so redeemed. The proceeds deposited in the trust account could become subject to the claims of our creditors, if any, which could have priority over the claims of our public shareholders.
Anticipated expenses and funding sources
Except as described above with respect to the payment of taxes, unless and until we complete our initial business combination, no proceeds held in the trust account will be available for our use. The proceeds held in the trust account may be invested only in U.S. government treasury obligations with a maturity of 185 days or less or in money market funds meeting certain conditions under Rule 2a-7 under the Investment Company Act which invest only in direct U.S. government treasury obligations. Assuming an interest rate of 0.20% per year, we estimate the interest earned on the trust account will be approximately $300,000 per year. However, we can provide no assurances regarding this amount and we may elect to have the proceeds held in trust to be invested in non-interest bearing instruments. Unless and until we complete our initial business combination, we may pay our expenses only from:
•
the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants not held in the trust account, which will be approximately $1,900,000 in working capital after the payment of approximately $600,000 in expenses relating to this offering; and
•
any loans or additional investments from our sponsor or an affiliate of our sponsor or certain of our officers and directors, although they are under no obligation to advance funds to us in such circumstances, and provided any such loans will not have any claim on the proceeds held in the trust account unless such proceeds are released to us upon completion of our initial business combination.
Conditions to completing our initial business combination
So long as our securities are then listed on the NASDAQ, our initial business combination must occur with one or more target businesses that together have an aggregate fair market value of at least 80% of the net assets held in the trust account (excluding the deferred underwriting commissions and taxes payable on the interest earned on the trust account) at the time of signing a definitive agreement in connection with our initial business combination. If our board of directors is not able to independently determine the fair market value of the target business or businesses, we will obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm or another independent entity that commonly renders valuation opinions with respect to the satisfaction of such criteria. Our shareholders may not be provided with a copy of such opinion nor will they be able to rely on such opinion. If our securities are not then listed on the NASDAQ for whatever reason, we would no longer be required to meet the foregoing 80% of net asset test.
We may structure our initial business combination such that the post-transaction company owns or acquires less than 100% of
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such interests or assets of the target business in order to meet certain objectives of the target management team or shareholders or for other reasons. However, we will complete our initial business combination only if the post-business combination company in which our public shareholders own shares will own or acquire 50% or more of the outstanding voting securities of the target or is otherwise not required to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act. Even if the post-business combination company owns or acquires 50% or more of the voting securities of the target, our shareholders prior to our initial business combination may collectively own a minority interest in the post-business combination company, depending on valuations ascribed to the target and us in the business combination transaction. If less than 100% of the equity interests or assets of a target business or businesses are owned or acquired by the post-business combination company, the portion of such business or businesses that is owned or acquired is what will be valued for purposes of the 80% of net assets test, provided that in the event that the business combination involves more than one target business, the 80% of net assets test will be based on the aggregate value of all of the target businesses and we will treat the target businesses together as the initial business combination for purposes of a tender offer or for seeking shareholder approval, as applicable.
Permitted purchases and other transactions with respect to our securities
If we seek shareholder 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, executive officers, advisors or their affiliates may purchase public shares or warrants in privately negotiated transactions or in the open market either prior to or following the completion of our initial business combination. Additionally, at any time at or prior to our initial business combination, subject to applicable securities laws (including with respect to material nonpublic information), our sponsor, directors, executive officers, advisors or their affiliates may enter into transactions with investors and others to provide them with incentives to acquire public shares, vote their public shares in favor of our initial business combination or not redeem their public shares. However, 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 held in the trust account will be used to purchase public shares or warrants in such transactions. If they engage in such transactions, they will be restricted from making 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 Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (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
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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. See “Proposed Business—Permitted Purchases and Other Transactions with Respect to Our Securities” for a description of how our sponsor, directors, executive officers, advisors or their affiliates will select which shareholders to purchase securities from in any private transaction.
The purpose of any such transaction could be to (1) vote in favor of the business combination and thereby increase the likelihood of obtaining shareholder approval of the business combination, (2) reduce the number of public warrants outstanding or vote such warrants on any matters submitted to the warrant holders for approval in connection with our initial business combination or (3) 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. Any such purchases of our securities may result in the completion of our initial business combination that may not otherwise have been possible. In addition, if such purchases are made, the public “float” of our Class A ordinary shares or public warrants may be reduced and the number of beneficial holders of our securities may be reduced, which may make it difficult to maintain or obtain the quotation, listing or trading of our securities on a national securities exchange.
Redemption rights for public shareholders upon completion of our initial business combination
We will provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their Class A ordinary shares upon the completion of our initial business combination at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account calculated as of two business days prior to the consummation of the initial business combination, including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our income taxes, if any, divided by the number of then-outstanding public shares, subject to the limitations described herein. The amount in the trust account is initially anticipated to be $10.20 per public share. The per share amount we will distribute to investors who properly redeem their shares will not be reduced by the deferred underwriting commissions we will pay to the underwriters. The redemption rights will include the requirement that a beneficial holder must identify itself in order to validly redeem its shares. There will be no redemption rights upon the completion of our initial business combination with respect to our warrants. Further, we will not proceed with redeeming our public shares, even if a public shareholder has properly elected to redeem its shares, if a business combination does not close. Our sponsor and each member of our management team have entered into an agreement with us, pursuant to which they have agreed to waive their redemption rights with respect
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to any founder shares and public shares held by them in connection with (i) the completion of our initial business combination, and (ii) a shareholder vote to approve an amendment to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association (A) that would modify the substance or timing of our obligation to provide holders of our Class A ordinary shares the right to have their shares redeemed in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 24 months from the closing of this offering at the election of the Company in two separate three month extensions subject to satisfaction of certain conditions, including the deposit of up to $1,500,000, or $1,725,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full ($0.10 per unit in either case) for each three month extension, into the trust account, or as extended by the Company’s shareholders in accordance with our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association) or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to the rights of holders of our Class A ordinary shares.
Limitations on redemptions
Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association provide that in no event will we redeem our public shares in an amount that would cause our net tangible assets, after payment of the deferred underwriting commissions, to be less than $5,000,001 either prior to or upon consummation of an initial business combination (so that we do not then become subject to the SEC’s “penny stock” rules). However, a greater net tangible asset or cash requirement may be contained in the agreement relating to our initial business combination. For example, the proposed business combination may require: (i) cash consideration to be paid to the target or its owners, (ii) cash to be transferred to the target for working capital or other general corporate purposes or (iii) the retention of cash to satisfy other conditions in accordance with the terms of the proposed business combination. Furthermore, although we will not redeem shares in an amount that would cause our net tangible assets to fall below $5,000,001, we do not have a maximum redemption threshold based on the percentage of shares sold in this offering, as many blank check companies do. In the event the aggregate cash consideration we would be required to pay for all Class A ordinary shares that are validly submitted for redemption plus any amount required to satisfy cash conditions pursuant to the terms of the proposed business combination exceed the aggregate amount of cash available to us, we will not complete the business combination or redeem any shares, and all Class A ordinary shares submitted for redemption will be returned to the holders thereof, and we instead may search for an alternate business combination.
Manner of conducting redemptions
We will provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their public shares upon the completion of our initial business combination either (i) in connection with a general meeting called to approve the business combination or (ii) by means of a tender offer. The decision as
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to whether we will seek shareholder approval of a proposed business combination or conduct 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 require us to seek shareholder approval under applicable law or stock exchange listing requirement. Asset acquisitions and share purchases would not typically require shareholder approval, while direct mergers with our company where we do not survive and any transactions where we issue more than 20% of our outstanding ordinary shares or seek to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association would typically require shareholder approval. We currently intend to conduct redemptions in connection with a shareholder vote unless shareholder approval is not required by applicable law or stock exchange listing requirement or we choose to conduct redemptions pursuant to the tender offer rules of the SEC for business or other reasons.
If we hold a shareholder vote to approve our initial business combination, we will:
•
conduct the redemptions in conjunction with a proxy solicitation pursuant to Regulation 14A of the Exchange Act, which regulates the solicitation of proxies, and not pursuant to the tender offer rules; and
•
file proxy materials with the SEC.
If we seek shareholder approval, we will complete our initial business combination only if we obtain the approval of an ordinary resolution under Cayman Islands law, being the affirmative vote of a majority of the ordinary shares represented in person or by proxy and entitled to vote thereon and who vote at a general meeting. In such case, our sponsor and each member of our management team have agreed to vote their founder shares and public shares in favor of our initial business combination. As a result, in addition to our initial shareholders’ founder shares, we would need 5,625,001, or 37.5% (assuming all issued and outstanding shares are voted and the over-allotment option is not exercised), or 937,501, or 6.25% (assuming only the minimum number of shares representing a quorum are voted and the over-allotment option is not exercised), of the 15,000,000 public shares sold in this offering to be voted in favor of an initial business combination in order to have our initial business combination approved. Each public shareholder may elect to redeem their public shares irrespective of whether they vote for or against the proposed transaction or vote at all.
Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association require that at least five days’ notice will be given of any such general meeting.
If we conduct redemptions pursuant to the tender offer rules of the SEC, we will, pursuant to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association:
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•
conduct the redemptions pursuant to Rule 13e-4 and Regulation 14E of the Exchange Act, which regulate issuer tender offers; and
•
file tender offer documents with the SEC prior to completing our initial business combination which contain substantially the same financial and other information about the initial business combination and the redemption rights as is required under Regulation 14A of the Exchange Act, which regulates the solicitation of proxies.
Upon the public announcement of our initial business combination, if we elect to conduct redemptions pursuant to the tender offer rules, we and our sponsor will terminate any plan established in accordance with Rule 10b5-1 to purchase our Class A ordinary shares in the open market, in order to comply with Rule 14e-5 under the Exchange Act.
In the event we conduct redemptions pursuant to the tender offer rules, our offer to redeem will remain open for at least 20 business days, in accordance with Rule 14e-1(a) under the Exchange Act, and we will not be permitted to complete our initial business combination until the expiration of the tender offer period. In addition, the tender offer will be conditioned on public shareholders not tendering more than the number of public shares we are permitted to redeem. If public shareholders tender more shares than we have offered to purchase, we will withdraw the tender offer and not complete such initial business combination.
Limitation on redemption rights of shareholders holding more than 15% of the shares sold in this offering if we hold shareholder vote
Notwithstanding the foregoing redemption rights, if we seek shareholder 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 memorandum and articles of association provide that a public shareholder, together with any affiliate of such shareholder or any other person with whom such shareholder is acting in concert or as a “group” (as defined under Section 13 of the Exchange Act), will be restricted from redeeming its shares with respect to more than an aggregate of 15% of the shares sold in this offering, without our prior consent. We believe the restriction described above will discourage shareholders from accumulating large blocks of shares, and subsequent attempts by such holders to use their ability to redeem their shares as a means to force us or our management to purchase their shares at a significant premium to the then-current market price or on other undesirable terms. Absent this provision, a public shareholder holding more than an aggregate of 15% of the shares sold in this offering could threaten to exercise its redemption rights against a business combination if such holder’s shares are not purchased by us, our sponsor or our management at a premium to the then-current market price or on other undesirable terms. By limiting our shareholders’ ability to redeem to no more than 15% of the
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shares sold in this offering, we believe we will limit the ability of a small group of shareholders to unreasonably attempt to block our ability to complete our initial business combination, particularly in connection with a business combination with a target that requires as a closing condition that we have a minimum net worth or a certain amount of cash. However, we would not be restricting our shareholders’ ability to vote all of their shares (including all shares held by those shareholders that hold more than 15% of the shares sold in this offering) for or against our initial business combination.
Release of funds in trust account on closing of our initial business combination
On the completion of our initial business combination, the funds held in the trust account will be disbursed directly by the trustee to pay amounts due to any public shareholders who properly exercise their redemption rights as described above adjacent to the caption “Redemption rights for public shareholders upon completion of our initial business combination,” to pay the underwriters their deferred underwriting commissions, to pay all or a portion of the consideration payable to the target or owners of the target of our initial business combination and to pay other expenses associated with our initial business combination. If our initial business combination is paid for using equity or debt 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 the redemption of our public shares, 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 post-transaction businesses, 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.
Redemption of public shares and distribution and liquidation if no initial business combination
Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association provide that we will have only 18 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 24 months from the closing of this offering at the election of the Company in two separate three month extensions subject to satisfaction of certain conditions, including the deposit of up to $1,500,000, or $1,725,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full ($0.10 per unit in either case) for each three month extension, into the trust account, or as extended by the Company’s shareholders in accordance with our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association) to consummate our initial business combination. If we have not completed our initial business combination within such period, 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
32
released to us to pay our income taxes, if any (less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses) divided by the number of the then-outstanding public shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public shareholders’ rights as shareholders (including the right to receive further liquidation distributions, if any); and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining shareholders and our board of directors, liquidate and dissolve, subject in each case to our obligations under Cayman Islands 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 an initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 24 months from the closing of this offering at the election of the Company in two separate three month extensions subject to satisfaction of certain conditions, including the deposit of up to $1,500,000, or $1,725,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full ($0.10 per unit in either case) for each three month extension, into the trust account, or as extended by the Company’s shareholders in accordance with our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association).
Our sponsor and each member of our management team have entered into an agreement with us, pursuant to which they have agreed to waive their rights to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to any founder shares they hold if we fail to consummate an initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 24 months from the closing of this offering at the election of the Company in two separate three month extensions subject to satisfaction of certain conditions, including the deposit of up to $1,500,000, or $1,725,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full ($0.10 per unit in either case) for each three month extension, into the trust account, or as extended by the Company’s shareholders in accordance with our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association), although they will be entitled to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to any public shares they hold if we fail to complete our initial business combination within the prescribed time frame.
The underwriters have agreed to waive its right to its deferred underwriting commission held in the trust account in the event we do not consummate an initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 24 months from the closing of this offering at the election of the Company in two separate three month extensions subject to satisfaction of certain conditions, including the deposit of up to $1,500,000, or $1,725,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full ($0.10 per unit in either case) for each three month extension, into the trust account, or as extended by the Company’s shareholders in accordance with our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association) and, in such event, such amounts will be included with the funds held
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in the trust account that will be available to fund the redemption of our public shares.
Our sponsor, executive officers, directors and director nominees have agreed, pursuant to a written agreement with us, that they will not propose any amendment to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association (A) that would modify the substance or timing of our obligation to provide holders of our Class A ordinary shares the right to have their shares redeemed in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 24 months from the closing of this offering at the election of the Company in two separate three month extensions subject to satisfaction of certain conditions, including the deposit of up to $1,500,000, or $1,725,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full ($0.10 per unit in either case) for each three month extension, into the trust account, or as extended by the Company’s shareholders in accordance with our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association) or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to the rights of holders of our Class A ordinary shares; unless we provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem their Class A ordinary shares 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 income taxes, if any, divided by the number of the then-outstanding public shares, subject to the limitations described above adjacent to the caption “Limitations on redemptions.” For example, our board of directors may propose such an amendment if it determines that additional time is necessary to complete our initial business combination. In such event, we will conduct a proxy solicitation and distribute proxy materials pursuant to Regulation 14A of the Exchange Act seeking shareholder approval of such proposal and, in connection therewith, provide our public shareholders with the redemption rights described above upon shareholder approval of such amendment. This redemption right shall apply in the event of the approval of any such amendment, whether proposed by our sponsor, any executive officer, director or director nominee, or any other person.
Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association provide that, if we wind up for any other reason prior to the consummation of our initial business combination, we will follow the foregoing procedures with respect to the liquidation of the trust account as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter, subject to applicable Cayman Islands law.
Limited payments to insiders
There will be no finder’s fees, reimbursements or cash payments made by the company to our sponsor, officers or directors, or their affiliates, for services rendered to us prior to or in connection with the completion of our initial business combination, other than the following payments, none of which
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will be made from the proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants held in the trust account prior to the completion of our initial business combination:
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Repayment of up to an aggregate of $300,000 in loans made to us by our sponsor to cover offering-related and organizational expenses;
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Payments (i) to our sponsor or an affiliate thereof of $10,000 per month for office space, utilities, secretarial and administrative support services provided to us and other expenses and obligations of our sponsor and/or (ii) pursuant to consulting arrangements directly or indirectly with individuals (who will not be our executive officers) to provide similar services to the foregoing;
•
Reimbursement for any out-of-pocket expenses related to identifying, investigating, negotiating and completing an initial business combination; and
•
Repayment of loans which may be made by our sponsor or an affiliate of our sponsor or certain of our officers and directors to finance transaction costs in connection with an intended initial business combination. Up to $1,500,000 of such loans may be convertible into warrants of the post-business combination entity at a price of $1.00 per warrant at the option of the lender. The warrants would be identical to the private placement warrants. Except for the foregoing, the terms of such loans, if any, have not been determined and no written agreements exist with respect to such loans.
Any such payments will be made either (i) prior to our initial business combination using proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants held outside the trust account or from loans made to us by our sponsor or an affiliate of our sponsor or certain of our officers and directors or (ii) in connection with or after the consummation of our initial business combination.
Audit Committee
We will establish and maintain an audit committee, which will be composed entirely of independent directors. Among its responsibilities, the audit committee will review on a quarterly basis all payments that were made by us to our sponsor, officers or directors, or their affiliates and monitor compliance with the other terms relating to this offering. If any noncompliance is identified, then the audit committee will be charged with the responsibility to promptly take all action necessary to rectify such noncompliance or otherwise to cause compliance with the terms of this offering. For more information, see the section entitled “Management—Committees of the Board of Directors—Audit Committee.”
Conflicts of Interest
Certain of our officers and directors presently have, and any of them in the future may have additional, fiduciary and contractual duties to other entities. As a result, if any of our officers or directors becomes aware of a business combination opportunity which is suitable for an entity to which he or she has
35
then-current fiduciary or contractual obligations, then, subject to their fiduciary duties under Cayman Islands law, he or she will need to honor such fiduciary or contractual obligations to present such business combination opportunity to such entity, before we can pursue such opportunity. If these other entities decide to pursue any such opportunity, we may be precluded from pursuing the same. However, we do not expect these duties to materially affect our ability to complete our initial business combination. Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association provide that, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law: (i) no individual serving as a director or an officer shall have any duty, except and to the extent expressly assumed by contract, to refrain from engaging directly or indirectly in the same or similar business activities or lines of business as us; and (ii) we renounce any interest or expectancy in, or in being offered an opportunity to participate in, any potential transaction or matter which may be a corporate opportunity for any director or officer, on the one hand, and us, on the other.
Risk Factor Summary
We are a newly incorporated company that has conducted no operations and has generated no revenues. Until we complete our initial business combination, we will have no operations and will generate no operating revenues. In making your decision whether to invest in our securities, you should take into account not only the background of our management team, but also the special risks we face as a blank check company. This offering is not being conducted in compliance with Rule 419 promulgated under the Securities Act. Accordingly, you will not be entitled to protections normally afforded to investors in Rule 419 blank check offerings. For additional information concerning how Rule 419 blank check offerings differ from this offering, please see “Proposed Business—Comparison of This Offering to Those of Blank Check Companies Subject to Rule 419.” You should carefully consider these and the other risks set forth in the section entitled “Risk Factors” of this prospectus, including, but not limited to the following:
•
We are a recently incorporated company with no operating history and no revenues, and you have no basis on which to evaluate our ability to achieve our business objective.
•
Past performance by our management team or their respective affiliates may not be indicative of future performance of an investment in us.
•
Our shareholders 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 shareholders do not support such a combination.
•
Your only opportunity to affect the investment decision regarding a potential business combination may be limited to the exercise of your right to redeem your shares from us for cash.
•
If we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination, our sponsor and members of our management team have agreed to vote in favor of such initial business combination, regardless of how our public shareholders vote.
•
The ability of our public shareholders to redeem their shares for cash may make our financial condition unattractive to potential business combination targets, which may make it difficult for us to enter into a business combination with a target.
•
The ability of our public shareholders 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.
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•
The ability of our public shareholders to exercise redemption rights with respect to a large number of our shares could increase the probability that our initial business combination would be unsuccessful and that you would have to wait for liquidation in order to redeem your shares.
•
The requirement that we consummate an initial business combination within 18 months after the closing of this offering may give potential target businesses leverage over us in negotiating a business combination and may limit the time we have in which to conduct due diligence on potential business combination targets, in particular as we approach our dissolution deadline, which could undermine our ability to complete our initial business combination on terms that would produce value for our shareholders.
•
Our search for a business combination, and any target business with which we ultimately consummate a business combination, may be materially adversely affected by the recent coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak and the status of debt and equity markets.
•
We may not be able to complete an initial business combination within 18 months after the closing of this offering (or up to 24 months from the closing of this offering at the election of the Company in two separate three month extensions subject to satisfaction of certain conditions, including the deposit of up to $1,500,000, or $1,725,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full ($0.10 per unit in either case) for each three month extension, into the trust account, or as extended by the Company’s shareholders in accordance with our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association), in which case we would cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up and we would redeem our public shares and liquidate.
•
If we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination, our sponsor, directors, executive officers, advisors and their affiliates may elect to purchase public shares or warrants, which may influence a vote on a proposed business combination and reduce the public “float” of our Class A ordinary shares or public warrants.
•
If a shareholder 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.
•
You will not have any rights or interests in funds from the trust account, except under certain limited circumstances. Therefore, to liquidate your investment, you may be forced to sell your public shares or warrants, potentially at a loss.
•
The NASDAQ may delist our securities from trading on its exchange, which could limit investors’ ability to make transactions in our securities and subject us to additional trading restrictions.
•
You will not be entitled to protections normally afforded to investors of many other blank check companies.
•
If we seek shareholder 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 shareholders are deemed to hold in excess of 15% of our Class A ordinary shares, you will lose the ability to redeem all such shares in excess of 15% of our Class A ordinary shares.
•
Because of our limited resources and the significant competition for business combination opportunities, it may be more difficult for us to complete our initial business combination. If we have not consummated our initial business combination within the required time period, our public shareholders may receive only approximately $10.20 per public share, or less in certain circumstances, on the liquidation of our trust account and our warrants will expire worthless.
•
If the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants not being held in the trust account are insufficient to allow us to operate for the prescribed time frame following the closing of this offering, it could limit the amount available to fund our search for a target business or businesses and our ability to complete our initial business combination, and we will depend on loans from our sponsor, its affiliates or members of our management team to fund our search and to complete our initial business combination.
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SUMMARY FINANCIAL DATA
The following table summarizes the relevant financial data for our business and should be read with our financial statements, which are included in this prospectus. We have not had any significant operations to date, so only balance sheet data is presented. Dollar amounts are rounded to the nearest thousand dollar.
| | | June 30, 2021 | | |||||||||
| | | Actual | | | As Adjusted(1) | | ||||||
| | | (unaudited) | | | | | | | | |||
Balance Sheet Data: | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Working capital (deficit) | | | | $ | (394,000) | | | | | $ | 134,976,000 | | |
Total assets | | | | $ | 426,000 | | | | | $ | 154,871,000 | | |
Total liabilities(2) | | | | $ | 455,000 | | | | | $ | 19,895,000 | | |
Ordinary shares subject to possible redemption | | | | $ | — | | | | | $ | 153,000,000 | | |
Shareholder’s deficit | | | | $ | (29,000) | | | | | $ | (18,024,000) | | |
(1)
The “as adjusted” information gives effect to the sale of the units we are offering and the sale of the private placement warrants, including the application of the related gross proceeds and the payment of the estimated remaining costs from such sale and the repayment of the accrued and other liabilities required to be repaid.
(2)
As adjusted amount includes $5,250,000 in deferred underwriting fee payable out of the trust account upon the consummation of the business combination and approximately $14,645,000 of warrant liability associated with provisions of our warrants calculated based on valuation data at June 25, 2021.
The “as adjusted” total assets amount includes the $153,000,000 to be held in the trust account, including the deferred underwriting discounts and commissions of $5,250,000, plus $1,900,000 in cash to be held outside the trust account, less $(18,024,000) of actual shareholders’ deficit at June 30, 2021 (unaudited). If our initial business combination is not consummated, the funds held in the trust account, less amounts we are permitted to withdraw as described in this prospectus, will be distributed solely to our public shareholders.
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RISK FACTORS
An investment in our securities involves a high degree of risk. You should consider carefully all of the risks described below, together with the other information contained in this prospectus, before making a decision to invest in our units. If any of the following events occur, our business, financial condition and operating results may be materially adversely affected. In that event, the trading price of our securities could decline, and you could lose all or part of your investment.
Risks Relating to our Search for, Consummation of, or Inability to Consummate, a Business Combination and Post-Business Combination Risks
We are a recently incorporated 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 recently incorporated company, incorporated under the laws of the Cayman Islands with no operating results, and we will not commence operations until obtaining funding through this offering. Because we lack an operating history, you have no basis upon which to evaluate our ability to achieve our business objective of completing our initial business combination with one or more target businesses. We have no plans, arrangements or understandings with any prospective target business concerning a business combination and may be unable to complete our initial business combination. If we fail to complete our initial business combination, we will never generate any operating revenues.
Our shareholders 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 shareholders do not support such a combination.
We may choose not to hold a shareholder vote before we complete our initial business combination if the business combination would not require shareholder approval under applicable law or stock exchange listing requirement. For instance, if we were seeking to acquire a target business where the consideration we were paying in the transaction was all cash, we would typically not be required to seek shareholder approval to complete such a transaction. Except for as required by applicable law or stock exchange listing requirement, the decision as to whether we will seek shareholder approval of a proposed business combination or will allow shareholders 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 shareholder approval. Accordingly, we may complete our initial business combination even if holders of a majority of our issued and outstanding ordinary shares do not approve of the business combination we complete.
Please see the section entitled “Proposed Business—Shareholders May Not Have the Ability to Approve Our Initial Business Combination” for additional information.
If we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination, our sponsor and members of our management team have agreed to vote in favor of such initial business combination, regardless of how our public shareholders vote.
Our sponsor and its permitted transferees will own, on an as-converted basis, 20% of our outstanding ordinary shares immediately following the completion of this offering.
Our sponsor and members of our management team also may from time to time purchase Class A ordinary shares prior to our initial business combination. Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association provide that, if we seek shareholder approval, we will complete our initial business combination only if we obtain the approval of an ordinary resolution under Cayman Islands law, being the affirmative vote of a majority of the ordinary shares represented in person or by proxy and entitled to vote thereon and who vote at a general meeting. As a result, in addition to our initial shareholders’ founder shares, we would need 5,625,001, or 37.5% (assuming all issued and outstanding shares are voted and the over-allotment option is not exercised), or 937,501, or 6.25% (assuming only the minimum number of shares representing a quorum are voted and the over-allotment option is not exercised), of the 15,000,000 public shares sold in this offering to be voted in favor of an initial business combination in order to have our initial business combination approved. Accordingly, if we seek shareholder approval of our initial business
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combination, the agreement by our sponsor and each member of our management team to vote in favor of our initial business combination will increase the likelihood that we will receive the requisite shareholder approval for such initial business combination.
Your only opportunity to affect the investment decision regarding a potential business combination may be limited to the exercise of your right to redeem your shares from us for cash.
At the time of your investment in us, you will not be provided with an opportunity to evaluate the specific merits or risks of any target businesses. Since our board of directors may complete a business combination without seeking shareholder approval, public shareholders may not have the right or opportunity to vote on the business combination, unless we seek such shareholder approval. Accordingly, 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 shareholders in which we describe our initial business combination.
The ability of our public shareholders to redeem their shares for cash may make our financial condition unattractive to potential business combination targets, which may make it difficult for us to enter into a business combination with a target.
We may seek to enter into a business combination transaction agreement with a prospective target that requires as a closing condition that we have a minimum net worth or a certain amount of cash. If too many public shareholders exercise their redemption rights, we would not be able to meet such closing condition and, as a result, would not be able to proceed with the business combination. Furthermore, in no event will we redeem our public shares in an amount that would cause our net tangible assets, after payment of the deferred underwriting commissions, to be less than $5,000,001 either prior to or upon consummation of an initial business combination (so that we do not then become 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, after payment of the deferred underwriting commissions, to be less than $5,000,001 either prior to or upon consummation of an initial business combination 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 a business combination transaction with us.
The ability of our public shareholders 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 shareholders 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 large number of shares are submitted for redemption, we may need to restructure the transaction to reserve a greater portion of the cash in the trust account or arrange for additional third-party financing. Raising additional third-party financing may involve dilutive equity issuances or the incurrence of indebtedness at higher than desirable levels. The above considerations may limit our ability to complete the most desirable business combination available to us or optimize our capital structure. The 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 shareholders who properly exercise their redemption rights will not be reduced by the deferred underwriting commission and after such redemptions, the amount held in trust will continue to reflect our obligation to pay the entire deferred underwriting commissions.
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The ability of our public shareholders to exercise redemption rights with respect to a large number of our shares could increase the probability that our initial business combination would be unsuccessful and that you would have to wait for liquidation in order to redeem your shares.
If our initial business combination agreement requires us to use a portion of the cash in the trust account to pay the purchase price, or requires us to have a minimum amount of cash at closing, the probability that our initial business combination would be unsuccessful is increased. If our initial business combination is unsuccessful, you would not receive your pro rata portion of the funds in the trust account until we liquidate the trust account. If you are in need of immediate liquidity, you could attempt to sell your shares in the open market; however, at such time our shares may trade at a discount to the pro rata amount per share in the trust account. In either situation, you may suffer a material loss on your investment or lose the benefit of funds expected in connection with our redemption until we liquidate or you are able to sell your shares in the open market.
The requirement that we consummate an initial business combination within the prescribed time frame may give potential target businesses leverage over us in negotiating a business combination and may limit the time we have in which to conduct due diligence on potential business combination targets, in particular as we approach our dissolution deadline, which could undermine our ability to complete our initial business combination on terms that would produce value for our shareholders.
Any potential target business with which we enter into negotiations concerning a business combination will be aware that we must consummate an initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 24 months from the closing of this offering at the election of the Company in two separate three month extensions subject to satisfaction of certain conditions, including the deposit of up to $1,500,000, or $1,725,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full ($0.10 per unit in either case) for each three month extension, into the trust account, or as extended by the Company’s shareholders in accordance with our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association). Consequently, such target business may obtain leverage over us in negotiating a business combination, knowing that if we do not complete our initial business combination with that particular target business, we may be unable to complete our initial business combination with any target business. This risk will increase as we get closer to the end of time frame. In addition, we may have limited time to conduct due diligence and may enter into our initial business combination on terms that we would have rejected upon a more comprehensive investigation.
Our search for a business combination, and any target business with which we ultimately consummate a business combination, may be materially adversely affected by the recent coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak and the status of debt and equity markets.
In December 2019, a novel strain of coronavirus was reported to have surfaced, which has and is continuing to spread throughout the world, including the U.S. On January 30, 2020, the World Health Organization declared the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) a “Public Health Emergency of International Concern.” On January 31, 2020, U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Alex M. Azar II declared a public health emergency for the U.S. to aid the U.S. healthcare community in responding to COVID-19, and on March 11, 2020 the World Health Organization characterized the outbreak as a “pandemic”. The pandemic, together with resulting voluntary and U.S. federal and state and non-U.S. governmental actions, including, without limitation, mandatory business closures, public gathering limitations, restrictions on travel and quarantines, has meaningfully disrupted the global economy and markets. Although the long-term economic fallout of COVID-19 is difficult to predict, it has and is expected to continue to have ongoing material adverse effects across many, if not all, aspects of the regional, national and global economy. The COVID-19 outbreak has and a significant outbreak of other infectious diseases could result in a widespread health crisis that could adversely affect the economies and financial markets worldwide, and the business of any potential target business with which we consummate a business combination could be materially and adversely affected. Furthermore, we may be unable to complete a business combination if continued concerns relating to COVID-19 continues to restrict travel, limit the ability to have meetings with potential investors or the target company’s personnel, vendors and services providers are unavailable to negotiate and consummate a transaction in a timely manner. The extent to which COVID-19 impacts our search for a business combination will depend on future developments, which are highly
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uncertain and cannot be predicted, including new information which may emerge concerning the severity of COVID-19 and the actions to contain COVID-19 or treat its impact, among others. If the disruptions posed by COVID-19 or other matters of global concern continue for an extensive period of time, our ability to consummate a business combination, or the operations of a target business with which we ultimately consummate a business combination, may be materially adversely affected.
In addition, our ability to consummate a transaction may be dependent on the ability to raise equity and debt financing which may be impacted by COVID-19 and other events, including as a result of increased market volatility, decreased market liquidity in third-party financing being unavailable on terms acceptable to us or at all.
We may not be able to complete an 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.
We may not be able to find a suitable target business and consummate an initial business combination within 18 months after the closing of this offering. Our ability to complete our initial business combination may be negatively impacted by general market conditions, volatility in the capital and debt markets and the other risks described herein. For example, the outbreak of COVID-19 continues to grow both in the U.S. and globally and, while the extent of the impact of the outbreak on us will depend on future developments, it could limit our ability to complete our initial business combination, including as a result of increased market volatility, decreased market liquidity and third-party financing being unavailable on terms acceptable to us or at all. Additionally, the outbreak of COVID-19 may negatively impact businesses we may seek to acquire. If we have not completed our initial business combination within such applicable time frame, 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 income taxes, if any (less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses), divided by the number of the then-outstanding public shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public shareholders’ rights as shareholders (including the right to receive further liquidation distributions, if any); and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining shareholders and our board of directors, liquidate and dissolve, subject in each case to our obligations under Cayman Islands law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law. Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association provide that, if we wind up for any other reason prior to the consummation of our initial business combination, we will follow the foregoing procedures with respect to the liquidation of the trust account as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter, subject to applicable Cayman Islands law. In either such case, our public shareholders may receive only $10.20 per public share, or less than $10.20 per public share, on the redemption of their shares, and our warrants will expire worthless. 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 shareholders may be less than $10.20 per public share” and other risk factors herein.
If we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination, our sponsor, directors, executive officers, advisors and their affiliates may elect to purchase public shares or warrants, which may influence a vote on a proposed business combination and reduce the public “float” of our Class A ordinary shares or public warrants.
If we seek shareholder 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, executive officers, advisors or their affiliates may purchase public shares or warrants in privately negotiated transactions or in the open market either prior to or following the completion of our initial business combination, although they are under no obligation to do so. 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 public shares or warrants in such transactions.
In the event that our sponsor, directors, executive officers, advisors or their affiliates purchase shares in privately negotiated transactions from public shareholders who have already elected to exercise their
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redemption rights, such selling shareholders would be required to revoke their prior elections to redeem their shares. The purpose of any such transaction could be to (1) vote in favor of the business combination and thereby increase the likelihood of obtaining shareholder approval of the business combination, (2) reduce the number of public warrants outstanding or vote such warrants on any matters submitted to the warrant holders for approval in connection with our initial business combination or (3) 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. Any such purchases of our securities may result in the completion of our initial business combination that may not otherwise have been possible. In addition, if such purchases are made, the public “float” of our Class A ordinary shares or public warrants may be reduced and the number of beneficial holders of our securities may be reduced, which may make it difficult to maintain or obtain the quotation, listing or trading of our securities on a national securities exchange. 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. See “Proposed Business—Permitted Purchases and Other Transactions with Respect to Our Securities” for a description of how our sponsor, directors, executive officers, advisors or their affiliates will select which shareholders to purchase securities from in any private transaction.
If a shareholder 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 proxy rules or tender offer rules, as applicable, when conducting redemptions in connection with our initial business combination. Despite our compliance with these rules, if a shareholder fails to receive our proxy solicitation or tender offer materials, as applicable, such shareholder may not become aware of the opportunity to redeem its shares. In addition, the proxy solicitation or tender offer materials, as applicable, that we will furnish to holders of our public shares in connection with our initial business combination will describe the various procedures that must be complied with in order to validly redeem or tender public shares. In the event that a shareholder fails to comply with these procedures, its shares may not be redeemed. See “Proposed Business—Business Strategy—Effecting Our Initial Business Combination—Tendering Share Certificates in Connection with a Tender Offer or Redemption Rights.”
If we seek shareholder 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 shareholders are deemed to hold in excess of 15% of our Class A ordinary shares, you will lose the ability to redeem all such shares in excess of 15% of our Class A ordinary shares.
If we seek shareholder 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 memorandum and articles of association provide that a public shareholder, together with any affiliate of such shareholder or any other person with whom such shareholder is acting in concert or as a “group” (as defined under Section 13 of the Exchange Act), will be restricted from redeeming its shares with respect to more than an aggregate of 15% of the shares sold in this offering, which we refer to as the “Excess Shares,” without our prior consent. However, we would not be restricting our shareholders’ ability to vote all of their shares (including Excess Shares) for or against our initial business combination. Your inability to redeem the Excess Shares will reduce your influence over our ability to complete our initial business combination and you could suffer a material loss on your investment in us if you sell Excess Shares in open market transactions. Additionally, you will not receive redemption distributions with respect to the Excess Shares if we complete our initial business combination. And as a result, you will continue to hold that number of shares exceeding 15% and, in order to dispose of such shares, would be required to sell your shares in open market transactions, potentially at a loss.
Because of our limited resources and the significant competition for business combination opportunities, it may be more difficult for us to complete our initial business combination. If we have not consummated our initial business combination within the required time period, our public shareholders may receive only approximately $10.20 per public share, or less in certain circumstances, on the liquidation of our trust account and our warrants will expire worthless.
We expect to encounter intense competition from other entities having a business objective similar to ours, including private investors (which may be individuals or investment partnerships), other blank check
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companies and other entities, domestic and international, competing for the types of businesses we intend to acquire. Many of these individuals and entities are well established and have extensive experience in identifying and effecting, directly or indirectly, acquisitions of companies operating in or providing services to various industries. Many of these competitors possess greater technical, human and other resources or more local industry knowledge than we do and our financial resources will be relatively limited when contrasted with those of many of these competitors. While we believe there are numerous target businesses we could potentially acquire with the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants, our ability to compete with respect to the acquisition of certain target businesses that are sizable will be limited by our available financial resources. This inherent competitive limitation gives others an advantage in pursuing the acquisition of certain target businesses. Furthermore, we are obligated to offer holders of our public shares the right to redeem their shares for cash at the time of our initial business combination in conjunction with a shareholder vote or via a tender offer. Target companies will be aware that this may reduce the resources available to us for our initial business combination. Any of these obligations may place us at a competitive disadvantage in successfully negotiating a business combination. If we have not consummated our initial business combination within the required time period, our public shareholders may receive only approximately $10.20 per public share, or less in certain circumstances, on the liquidation of our trust account and our warrants will expire worthless. 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 shareholders may be less than $10.20 per public share” and other risk factors herein.
If the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants not being held in the trust account are insufficient to allow us to operate for the 18 months following the closing of this offering (or up to 24 months from the closing of this offering at the election of the Company in two separate three month extensions subject to satisfaction of certain conditions, including the deposit of up to $1,500,000, or $1,725,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full ($0.10 per unit in either case) for each three month extension, into the trust account, or as extended by the Company’s shareholders in accordance with our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association), it could limit the amount available to fund our search for a target business or businesses and our ability to complete our initial business combination, and we will depend on loans from our sponsor, its affiliates or members of our management team to fund our search and to complete our initial business combination.
Of the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants, only approximately $1,900,000 will be available to us initially outside the trust account to fund our working capital requirements. We believe that, upon the closing of this offering, the funds available to us outside of the trust account, together with funds available from loans from our sponsor, its affiliates or members of our management team will be sufficient to allow us to operate for at least the 18 months following the closing of this offering (or up to 24 months from the closing of this offering at the election of the Company in two separate three month extensions subject to satisfaction of certain conditions, including the deposit of up to $1,500,000, or $1,725,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full ($0.10 per unit in either case) for each three month extension, into the trust account, or as extended by the Company’s shareholders in accordance with our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association); however, we cannot assure you that our estimate is accurate, and our sponsor, its affiliates or members of our management team are under no obligation to advance funds to us in such circumstances. Of the funds available to us, we expect to 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 designed to keep target businesses from “shopping” around for transactions with other companies or investors on terms more favorable to such target businesses) with respect to a particular proposed business combination, although we do not have any current intention to do so. If we entered into a letter of intent 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.
In the event that our offering expenses exceed our estimate of $600,000, we may fund such excess with funds not to be held in the trust account. In such case, unless funded by the proceeds of loans available from our sponsor, its affiliates or members of our management team the amount of funds we intend to be held outside the trust account would decrease by a corresponding amount. Conversely, in the event that the
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offering expenses are less than our estimate of $600,000, the amount of funds we intend to be held outside the trust account would increase by a corresponding amount. The amount held in the trust account will not be impacted as a result of such increase or decrease. If we are required to seek additional capital, we would need to borrow funds from our sponsor, its affiliates, members of our management team or other third parties to operate or may be forced to liquidate. Neither our sponsor, members of our management team nor their affiliates is under any obligation to us in such circumstances. Any such advances may 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 warrants of the post-business combination entity at a price of $1.00 per warrant at the option of the lender. The warrants would be identical to the private placement warrants. Prior to the completion of our initial business combination, we do not expect to seek loans from parties other than our sponsor, its affiliates or members of our management team 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 have not consummated our initial business combination within the required time period 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 shareholders may only receive an estimated $10.20 per public share, or possibly less, on our redemption of our public shares, and our warrants will expire worthless. 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 shareholders may be less than $10.20 per public share” and other risk factors herein.
Subsequent to our completion of our initial business combination, we may be required to take write-downs or write-offs, restructuring and impairment or other charges that could have a significant negative effect on our financial condition, results of operations and the price of our securities, which could cause you to lose some or all of your investment.
Even if we conduct extensive due diligence on a target business with which we combine, we cannot assure you that this diligence will identify all material issues with a particular target business, that it would be possible to uncover all material issues through a customary amount of due diligence, or that factors outside of the target business and outside of our control will not later arise. As a result of these factors, we may be forced to later write-down or write-off assets, restructure our operations, or incur impairment or other charges that could result in our reporting losses. Even if our due diligence successfully identifies certain risks, unexpected risks may arise and previously known risks may materialize in a manner not consistent with our preliminary risk analysis. Even though these charges may be non-cash items and not have an immediate impact on our liquidity, the fact that we report charges of this nature could contribute to negative market perceptions about us or our securities. In addition, charges of this nature may cause us to violate net worth or other covenants to which we may be subject as a result of assuming pre-existing debt held by a target business or by virtue of our obtaining post-combination debt financing. Accordingly, any holders who choose to retain their securities following the business combination could suffer a reduction in the value of their securities. Such holders are unlikely to have a remedy for such reduction in value.
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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If we have not completed our initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 24 months from the closing of this offering at the election of the Company in two separate three month extensions subject to satisfaction of certain conditions, including the deposit of up to $1,500,000, or $1,725,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full ($0.10 per unit in either case) for each three month extension, into the trust account, or as extended by the Company’s shareholders in accordance with our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association), our public shareholders may be forced to wait beyond such time frame before redemption from our trust account.
If we have not completed our initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 24 months from the closing of this offering at the election of the Company in two separate three month extensions subject to satisfaction of certain conditions, including the deposit of up to $1,500,000, or $1,725,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full ($0.10 per unit in either case) for each three month extension, into the trust account, or as extended by the Company’s shareholders in accordance with our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association), the proceeds 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 income taxes, if any (less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses), will be used to fund the redemption of our public shares, as further described herein. Any redemption of public shareholders from the trust account will be effected automatically by function of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association prior to any voluntary winding up. If we are required to wind up, liquidate the trust account and distribute such amount therein, pro rata, to our public shareholders, as part of any liquidation process, such winding up, liquidation and distribution must comply with the applicable provisions of the Companies Act. In that case, investors may be forced to wait beyond 18 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 24 months from the closing of this offering at the election of the Company in two separate three month extensions subject to satisfaction of certain conditions, including the deposit of up to $1,500,000, or $1,725,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full ($0.10 per unit in either case) for each three month extension, into the trust account, or as extended by the Company’s shareholders in accordance with our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association) before the redemption proceeds of our trust account become available to them, and they receive the return of their pro rata portion of the proceeds from our trust account. We have no obligation to return funds to investors prior to the date of our redemption or liquidation unless, prior thereto, we consummate our initial business combination or amend certain provisions of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, and only then in cases where investors have sought to redeem their Class A ordinary shares. Only upon our redemption or any liquidation will public shareholders be entitled to distributions if we do not complete our initial business combination and do not amend certain provisions of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association. Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association provide that, if we wind up for any other reason prior to the consummation of our initial business combination, we will follow the foregoing procedures with respect to the liquidation of the trust account as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter, subject to applicable Cayman Islands law.
Because we are neither limited to evaluating a target business in a particular industry sector nor have we selected any specific target businesses with which to pursue our initial business combination, you will be unable to ascertain the merits or risks of any particular target business’s operations.
We may pursue business combination opportunities in any sector, except that we will not, under our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, be permitted to effectuate our initial business combination solely with another blank check company or similar company with nominal operations. Because we have not yet selected or approached any specific target business with respect to a business combination, there is no basis to evaluate the possible merits or risks of any particular target business’s operations, results of operations, cash flows, liquidity, financial condition or prospects. 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
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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 holders who choose to retain their securities following the business combination could suffer a reduction in the value of their securities. Such holders are unlikely to have a remedy for such reduction in value.
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 shareholders 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 shareholder approval of the transaction is required by applicable law or stock exchange listing requirements, or we decide to obtain shareholder approval for business or other reasons, it may be more difficult for us to attain shareholder approval of our initial business combination if the target business does not meet our general criteria and guidelines. If we have not consummated our initial business combination within the required time period, our public shareholders may receive only approximately $10.20 per public share, or less in certain circumstances, on the liquidation of our trust account and our warrants will expire worthless.
We may seek acquisition opportunities with an early stage company, a financially unstable business or an entity lacking an established record of revenue or earnings.
To the extent we complete our initial business combination with an early stage company, a financially unstable business or an entity lacking an established record of sales or earnings, we may be affected by numerous risks inherent in the operations of the business with which we combine. These risks include investing in a business without a proven business model and with limited historical financial data, volatile revenues or earnings, intense competition and difficulties in obtaining and retaining key personnel. Although our 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 all appropriate 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
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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.
We are not required to obtain an opinion from an independent accounting or investment banking 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 shareholders from a financial point of view.
Unless we complete our initial business combination with an affiliated entity, 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 shareholders from a financial point of view. If no opinion is obtained, our shareholders 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 solicitation or tender offer materials, as applicable, related to our initial business combination.
Resources could be wasted in researching acquisitions that are not completed, which could materially adversely affect subsequent attempts to locate and acquire or merge with another business. If we have not consummated our initial business combination within the required time period, our public shareholders may receive only approximately $10.20 per public share, or less in certain circumstances, on the liquidation of our trust account and our warrants will expire worthless.
We anticipate that the investigation of each specific target business and the negotiation, drafting and execution of relevant agreements, disclosure documents and other instruments will require substantial management time and attention and substantial costs for accountants, attorneys and others. If we decide not to complete a specific initial business combination, the costs incurred up to that point for the proposed transaction likely would not be recoverable. Furthermore, if we reach an agreement relating to a specific target business, we may fail to complete our initial business combination for any number of reasons including those beyond our control. Any such event will result in a loss to us of the related costs incurred which could materially adversely affect subsequent attempts to locate and acquire or merge with another business. If we have not consummated our initial business combination within the required time period, our public shareholders may receive only approximately $10.20 per public share, or less in certain circumstances, on the liquidation of our trust account and our warrants will expire worthless.
We may have a limited ability to assess the management of a prospective target business and, as a result, may affect our initial business combination with a target business whose management may not have the skills, qualifications or abilities to manage a public company.
When evaluating the desirability of 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 business’s management, therefore, may prove to be incorrect and such management may lack the skills, qualifications or abilities we suspected. Should the target business’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 holders who choose to retain their securities following the business combination could suffer a reduction in the value of their securities. Such holders are unlikely to have a remedy for such reduction in value.
We may engage one or more of the underwriters or their affiliates to provide additional services to us after this offering. The underwriters are entitled to receive deferred commissions that will be released from the trust only on a completion of an initial business combination. These financial incentives may cause the underwriters to have potential conflicts of interest in rendering any such additional services to us after this offering, including, for example, in connection with the sourcing and consummation of an initial business combination.
We may engage one or more of the underwriters or their affiliates to provide additional services to us after this offering, including, for example, identifying potential targets, providing financial advisory services, acting as a placement agent in a private offering or arranging debt financing. We may pay the underwriters or their affiliates fair and reasonable fees or other compensation that would be determined at that time in an
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arm’s length negotiation; provided that no agreement will be entered into with the underwriters or their affiliates and no fees or other compensation for such services will be paid to the underwriters or their affiliates prior to the date that is 60 days from the date of this prospectus, unless such payment would not be deemed underwriter’s compensation in connection with this offering. The underwriters are also entitled to receive deferred commissions that are conditioned on the completion of an initial business combination. The fact that the underwriters or their affiliates’ financial interests are tied to the consummation of a business combination transaction may give rise to potential conflicts of interest in providing any such additional services to us, including potential conflicts of interest in connection with the sourcing and consummation of an initial business combination.
We may issue notes or other debt securities, or otherwise incur substantial debt, to complete a business combination, which may adversely affect our leverage and financial condition and thus negatively impact the value of our shareholders’ investment in us.
Although we have no commitments as of the date of this prospectus to issue any notes or other debt securities, or to otherwise incur outstanding debt following this offering, we may choose to incur substantial debt to complete our initial business combination. We and our officers 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:
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default and foreclosure on our assets if our operating revenues after an initial business combination are insufficient to repay our debt obligations;
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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;
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our immediate payment of all principal and accrued interest, if any, if the debt is payable on demand;
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our inability to obtain necessary additional financing if the debt contains covenants restricting our ability to obtain such financing while the debt is outstanding;
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our inability to pay dividends on our Class A ordinary shares;
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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 Class A ordinary shares if declared, expenses, capital expenditures, acquisitions and other general corporate purposes;
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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; and
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limitations on our ability to borrow additional amounts for expenses, capital expenditures, acquisitions, debt service requirements, execution of our strategy and other purposes and other disadvantages compared to our competitors who have less debt.
We may only be able to complete one business combination with the proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants, which will cause us to be solely dependent on a single business which may have a limited number of products or services. This lack of diversification may negatively impact our operations and profitability.
The net proceeds from this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants will provide us with up to $153,000,000 (or $175,950,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) that we may use to complete our initial business combination (after taking into account the $5,250,000, or $6,037,500 if the over-allotment option is exercised in full, of deferred underwriting commissions being held in the trust account and the estimated expenses of this offering).
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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.
Accordingly, the prospects for our success may be:
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solely dependent upon the performance of a single business, property or asset; or
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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. With multiple business combinations, we could also face additional risks, including additional burdens and costs with respect to possible multiple negotiations and due diligence (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.
We may attempt to complete our initial business combination with a private company about which little information is available, which may result in a business combination with a company that is not as profitable as we suspected, if at all.
In pursuing our acquisition strategy, we may seek to effectuate our initial business combination with a privately held company. Very little public information generally exists about private companies, and we could be required to make our decision on whether to pursue a potential initial business combination on the basis of limited information, which may result in a business combination with a company that is not as profitable as we suspected, if at all.
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.
The increased cost and decreased availability of directors and officers liability insurance could make it more difficult and more expensive for us to negotiate and complete an initial business combination. In order to obtain directors and officers liability insurance or modify its coverage as a result of becoming a public company, the post-business combination entity might need to incur greater expense and/or accept less
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favorable terms. Furthermore, any failure to obtain adequate directors and officers liability insurance could have an adverse impact on the post-business combination’s ability to attract and retain qualified officers and directors.
In addition, after completion of any initial business combination, our directors and officers could be subject to potential liability from claims arising from conduct alleged to have occurred prior to such initial business combination. As a result, in order to protect our directors and officers, the post-business combination entity may need to purchase additional insurance with respect to any such claims (“run-off insurance”). The need for run-off insurance would be an added expense for the post-business combination entity and could interfere with or frustrate our ability to consummate an initial business combination on terms favorable to our investors.
We may be unable to obtain additional financing to complete our initial business combination or to fund the operations and growth of a target business, which could compel us to restructure or abandon a particular business combination. If we have not consummated our initial business combination within the required time period, our public shareholders may receive only approximately $10.20 per public share, or less in certain circumstances, on the liquidation of our trust account and our warrants will expire worthless.
Although we believe that the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants will be sufficient to allow us to complete our initial business combination, because we have not yet selected any prospective target business we cannot ascertain the capital requirements for any particular transaction. If the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants prove to be insufficient, either because of the size of our initial business combination, the depletion of the available net proceeds in search of a target business, the obligation to redeem for cash a significant number of shares from shareholders who elect redemption in connection with our initial business combination or the terms of negotiated transactions to purchase shares in connection with our initial business combination, we may be required to seek additional financing or to abandon the proposed business combination. We cannot assure you that such financing will be available on acceptable terms, if at all. The current economic environment may make it difficult for companies to obtain acquisition financing. 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. If we have not consummated our initial business combination within the required time period, our public shareholders may receive only approximately $10.20 per public share, or less in certain circumstances, 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 shareholders is required to provide any financing to us in connection with or after our initial business combination.
After our initial business combination, it is possible that a majority of our directors and officers will live outside the U.S. and all of our assets will be located outside the U.S.; therefore investors may not be able to enforce federal securities laws or their other legal rights.
It is possible that after our initial business combination, a majority of our directors and officers will reside outside of the U.S. and all of our assets will be located outside of the U.S. As a result, it may be difficult, or in some cases not possible, for investors in the U.S. to enforce their legal rights, to effect service of process upon all of our directors or officers or to enforce judgments of U.S. courts predicated upon civil liabilities and criminal penalties on our directors and officers under U.S. laws.
As the number of special purpose acquisition companies increases, there may be more competition to find an attractive target for an initial business combination. This could increase the costs associated with completing our initial business combination and may result in our inability to find a suitable target for our initial business combination.
In recent years, the number of special purpose acquisition companies that have been formed has increased substantially. Many companies have entered into business combinations with special purpose acquisition companies, and there are still many special purpose acquisition companies seeking targets for
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their initial business combination, as well as many additional special purpose acquisition companies currently in registration. As a result, at times, fewer attractive targets may be available, and it may require more time, effort and resources to identify a suitable target for an initial business combination.
In addition, because there are more special purpose acquisition companies seeking to enter into an initial business combination with available targets, the competition for available targets with attractive fundamentals or business models may increase, which could cause target companies to demand improved financial terms. Attractive deals could also become scarcer for other reasons, such as economic or industry sector downturns, geopolitical tensions or increases in the cost of additional capital needed to close business combinations or operate targets post-business combination. This could increase the cost of, delay or otherwise complicate or frustrate our ability to find a suitable target for and/or complete our initial business combination.
We may reincorporate in another jurisdiction in connection with our initial business combination and such reincorporation may result in taxes imposed on shareholders.
We may, in connection with our initial business combination and subject to requisite shareholder approval under the Companies Act, reincorporate in the jurisdiction in which the target company or business is located or in another jurisdiction. The transaction may require a shareholder or warrant holder to recognize taxable income in the jurisdiction in which the shareholder or warrant holder is a tax resident or in which its members are resident if it is a tax transparent entity. We do not intend to make any cash distributions to shareholders or warrant holders to pay such taxes.
Shareholders or warrant holders may be subject to withholding taxes or other taxes with respect to their ownership of us after the reincorporation.
We could change our place of incorporation to a U.S. tax jurisdiction (a “Domestication”) and such Domestication could result in adverse tax consequences for holders of our Class A ordinary shares or warrants.
U.S. Holders (as defined in “Taxation—United States Federal Income Tax Considerations—General” below) of our Class A ordinary shares or warrants could be subject to U.S. federal income tax as a result of a Domestication. Additionally, non-U.S. Holders (as defined in “Taxation—United States Federal Income Tax Considerations—General” below) of our Class A ordinary shares could become subject to withholding tax on any dividends (including deemed dividends) paid on our new Class A ordinary shares subsequent to a Domestication.
As discussed more fully under the section entitled “Taxation—United States Federal Income Tax Considerations—U.S. Holders—Consequences of a Domestication” below, the U.S. federal income tax consequences of a Domestication depend in part upon whether the Domestication qualifies as a “reorganization” within the meaning of Section 368 of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”). Assuming that the Domestication so qualifies, U.S. Holders of our Class A ordinary shares may nevertheless recognize gain or, upon election, income equal to the allocable “all earnings and profits” amount under Section 367(b) of the Code. Furthermore, if we are treated as a PFIC and certain proposed Treasury Regulations are finalized in their current form, a U.S. Holder of our Class A ordinary shares or warrants may recognize gain (but not loss) upon a Domestication under the PFIC rules of the Code.
All holders are urged to consult their tax advisor for the tax consequences of a Domestication to their particular situation. For a more detailed description of the U.S. federal income tax consequences associated with a Domestication, see “Taxation—United States Federal Income Tax Considerations.”
Because we must furnish our shareholders with target business financial statements, we may lose the ability to complete an otherwise advantageous initial business combination with some prospective target businesses.
The federal proxy rules require that a proxy statement with respect to a vote on a business combination meeting certain financial significance tests include historical and/or pro forma financial statement disclosure in periodic reports. We will include the same financial statement disclosure in connection with our tender offer documents, whether or not they are required under the tender offer rules. These financial statements may be required to be prepared in accordance with, or be reconciled to, accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America, or GAAP, or international financial reporting standards as issued by the
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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 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.
Risk Relating to our Securities
You will not have any rights or interests in funds from the trust account, except under certain limited circumstances. Therefore, to liquidate your investment, you may be forced to sell your public shares or warrants, potentially at a loss.
Our public shareholders 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 Class A ordinary shares that such shareholder properly elected to redeem, subject to the limitations described herein, (ii) the redemption of any public shares properly tendered in connection with a shareholder vote to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to provide holders of our Class A ordinary shares the right to have their shares redeemed in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering, or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to the rights of holders of our Class A ordinary shares, and (iii) the redemption of our public shares if we have not completed our initial business within 18 months from the closing of this offering, subject to applicable law and as further described herein. Public shareholders who redeem their Class A ordinary shares in connection with a shareholder vote described in clause (ii) in the preceding sentence shall not be entitled to funds from the trust account upon the subsequent completion of an initial business combination or liquidation if we have not completed our initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering, with respect to such Class A ordinary shares so redeemed. In no other circumstances will a public shareholder 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 NASDAQ may delist our securities from trading on its exchange, which could limit investors’ ability to make transactions in our securities and subject us to additional trading restrictions.
We have applied to have our units listed on the NASDAQ on or promptly after the date of this prospectus and our Class A ordinary shares and warrants listed on or promptly after their date of separation. Although after giving effect to this offering we expect to meet, on a pro forma basis, the minimum initial listing standards set forth in the NASDAQ listing standards, our securities may not be listed on the NASDAQ in the future or prior to our initial business combination. In order to continue listing our securities on the NASDAQ prior to our initial business combination, we must maintain certain financial, distribution and share price levels, such as a minimum market capitalization (generally $50,000,000) and a minimum number of holders of our securities (generally 300 public holders) Additionally, our units will not be traded after completion of our initial business combination and, in connection with our initial business combination, we will be required to demonstrate compliance with the NASDAQ initial listing requirements, which are more rigorous than the NASDAQ continued listing requirements, in order to continue to maintain the listing of our securities on the NASDAQ. For instance, our share price would generally be required to be at least $4.00 per share, our shareholders’ equity would generally be required to be at least $5 million and we would be required to have a minimum of 300 round lot holders of our unrestricted securities (with at least 50% of such round-lot holders holding unrestricted securities with a market value of at least $2,500). We may not be able to meet those listing requirements at that time, especially if there are a significant number of redemptions in connection with our initial business combination.
If the NASDAQ 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:
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a limited availability of market quotations for our securities;
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reduced liquidity for our securities;
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a determination that our Class A ordinary shares are a “penny stock” which will require brokers trading in our Class A ordinary shares to adhere to more stringent rules and possibly result in a reduced level of trading activity in the secondary trading market for our securities;
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a limited amount of news and analyst coverage; and
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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 ordinary shares and warrants will be listed on the NASDAQ, our units, Class A ordinary shares and warrants will qualify as covered securities under the statute. Although the states are preempted from regulating the sale of covered securities, the federal statute does allow the states to investigate companies if there is a suspicion of fraud, and, if there is a finding of fraudulent activity, then the states can regulate or bar the sale of covered securities in a particular case. While we are not aware of a state having used these powers to prohibit or restrict the sale of securities issued by blank check companies, other than the State of Idaho, certain state securities regulators view blank check companies unfavorably and might use these powers, or threaten to use these powers, to hinder the sale of securities of blank check companies in their states. Further, if we were no longer listed on the NASDAQ, our securities would not qualify as covered securities under the statute and we would be subject to regulation in each state in which we offer our securities.
You will not be entitled to protections normally afforded to investors of many other blank check companies.
Since the net proceeds of this offering 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 selected, we may be deemed to be a “blank check” company under the U.S. securities laws. However, because we will have net tangible assets in excess of $5,000,000 upon the completion of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants and will file 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 will not be afforded the benefits or protections of those rules. Among other things, this means our units will be immediately 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 this offering 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 “Proposed Business—Comparison of This Offering to Those of Blank Check Companies Subject to Rule 419.”
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 shareholders may be less than $10.20 per public 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 shareholders, 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.
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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 have not completed our initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering (or within 24 months from the closing of this offering at the election of the Company in two separate three month extensions subject to satisfaction of certain conditions, including the deposit of up to $1,500,000, or $1,725,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full ($0.10 per unit in either case) for each three month extension, into the trust account, or as extended by the Company’s shareholders in accordance with our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association), or upon the exercise of a redemption right in connection with our initial business combination, we will be required to provide for payment of claims of creditors that were not waived that may be brought against us within the ten years following redemption. Accordingly, the per-share redemption amount received by public shareholders could be less than the $10.20 per public 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 an exhibit to the registration statement of which this 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 (other than our independent auditors) for services rendered or products sold to us, or a prospective target business with which we have discussed entering into a transaction agreement, reduce the amounts in the trust account to below the lesser of (i) $10.20 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 $10.20 per public share due to reductions in the value of the trust assets, in each case net of the interest that may be withdrawn to pay our tax obligations, provided that such liability will not apply to any claims by a third-party or prospective target business that executed a waiver of any and all rights to seek access to the trust account nor will it apply to any claims under our indemnity of the underwriters of this offering against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act. Moreover, in the event that an executed waiver is deemed to be unenforceable against a third-party, our sponsor will not be responsible to the extent of any liability for such third-party claims.
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 we 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. As a result, if any such claims were successfully made against the trust account, the funds available for our initial business combination and redemptions could be reduced to less than $10.20 per public share. In such event, we may not be able to complete our initial business combination, and you would receive such lesser amount per share in connection with any redemption of your public shares. None of our officers or directors will indemnify us for claims by third parties including, without limitation, claims by vendors and prospective target businesses.
The securities in which we invest the proceeds held in the trust account could bear a negative rate of interest, which could reduce the interest income available for payment of taxes or reduce the value of the assets held in trust such that the per share redemption amount received by shareholders may be less than $10.20 per share.
The net proceeds of this offering and certain proceeds from the sale of the private placement warrants, in the amount of $153,000,000 (or $175,950,000 if the underwriters’ over- allotment option is exercised in full), are expected to be held in an interest-bearing trust account, although we may elect to place such amounts in non-interest bearing instruments. The proceeds held in the trust account may only be invested in direct U.S. Treasury obligations having a maturity of 185 days or less, or in certain money market funds which invest only in direct U.S. Treasury obligations. While short-term U.S. Treasury obligations currently yield a positive rate of interest, they have briefly yielded negative interest rates in recent years. Central banks in Europe and Japan pursued interest rates below zero in recent years, and the Open Market Committee of the Federal Reserve has not ruled out the possibility that it may in the future adopt similar policies in the U.S. In the event of very low or negative yields, the amount of interest income (which we may withdraw to pay income taxes, if any) would be reduced. In the event that we are unable to complete our initial business combination, our public shareholders are entitled to receive their pro-rata share of the proceeds held in the
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trust account, plus any interest income. If the balance of the trust account is reduced below $153,000,000 (or $175,950,000 if the underwriters’ over- allotment option is exercised in full) as a result of negative interest rates, the amount of funds in the trust account available for distribution to our public shareholders may be reduced below $10.20 per share.
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 shareholders.
In the event that the proceeds in the trust account are reduced below the lesser of (i) $10.20 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 $10.20 per public share due to reductions in the value of the trust assets, in each case net of the interest that may be withdrawn to pay our tax obligations, and our sponsor asserts that it is unable to satisfy its obligations or that it has no indemnification obligations related to a particular claim, our independent directors would determine whether to take legal action against our sponsor to enforce its indemnification obligations. While we currently expect that our independent directors would take legal action on our behalf against our sponsor to enforce its indemnification obligations to us, it is possible that our independent directors in exercising their business judgment and subject to their fiduciary duties may choose not to do so in any particular instance. If our independent directors choose not to enforce these indemnification obligations, the amount of funds in the trust account available for distribution to our public shareholders may be reduced below $10.20 per public 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 any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to any monies in the trust account and to not seek recourse against the trust account for any reason whatsoever (except to the extent they are entitled to funds from the trust account due to their ownership of public shares). 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 shareholders 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 shareholders. Furthermore, a shareholder’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 shareholders, we file a bankruptcy or winding-up petition or an involuntary bankruptcy or winding-up petition is filed against us that is not dismissed, a bankruptcy or insolvency court may seek to recover such proceeds, and the members of our board of directors may be viewed as having breached their fiduciary duties to our creditors, thereby exposing the members of our board of directors and us to claims of punitive damages.
If, after we distribute the proceeds in the trust account to our public shareholders, we file a bankruptcy or winding-up petition or an involuntary bankruptcy or winding-up petition is filed against us that is not dismissed, any distributions received by shareholders could be viewed under applicable debtor/creditor and/or bankruptcy or insolvency laws as either a “preferential transfer” or a “fraudulent conveyance.” As a result, a bankruptcy or insolvency court could seek to recover some or all amounts received by our shareholders. 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 shareholders from the trust account prior to addressing the claims of creditors.
If, before distributing the proceeds in the trust account to our public shareholders, we file a bankruptcy or winding-up petition or an involuntary bankruptcy or winding-up petition is filed against us that is not dismissed, the claims of creditors in such proceeding may have priority over the claims of our shareholders and the per-share amount that would otherwise be received by our shareholders in connection with our liquidation may be reduced.
If, before distributing the proceeds in the trust account to our public shareholders, we file a bankruptcy or winding-up petition or an involuntary bankruptcy or winding-up petition is filed against us that is not
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dismissed, the proceeds held in the trust account could be subject to applicable bankruptcy or insolvency law, and may be included in our bankruptcy or insolvency estate and subject to the claims of third parties with priority over the claims of our shareholders. To the extent any bankruptcy or insolvency claims deplete the trust account, the per-share amount that would otherwise be received by our shareholders 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:
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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:
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registration as an investment company with the SEC;
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adoption of a specific form of corporate structure; and
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reporting, record keeping, voting, proxy and disclosure requirements and other rules and regulations that we are currently not subject to.
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 of securities and that our activities do not include investing, reinvesting, owning, holding or trading “investment securities” constituting more than 40% of our assets (exclusive of U.S. government securities and cash items) on an unconsolidated basis. Our business will be to identify and complete a 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 U.S. “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. This offering is not intended for persons who are seeking a return on investments in government securities or investment securities. The trust account is intended as a holding place for funds pending the earliest to occur of either: (i) the completion of our initial business combination; (ii) the redemption of any public shares properly tendered in connection with a shareholder vote to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to provide holders of our Class A ordinary shares the right to have their shares redeemed in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering (or up within 24 months from the closing of this offering at the election of the Company in two separate three month extensions subject to satisfaction of certain conditions, including the deposit of up to $1,500,000, or $1,725,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full ($0.10 per unit in either case) for each three month extension, into the trust account, or as extended by the Company’s shareholders in accordance with our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association), or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to the rights of holders of our Class A ordinary shares; or (iii) absent our completing an initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 24 months from the closing
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of this offering at the election of the Company in two separate three month extensions subject to satisfaction of certain conditions, including the deposit of up to $1,500,000, or $1,725,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full ($0.10 per unit in either case) for each three month extension, into the trust account, or as extended by the Company’s shareholders in accordance with our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association) our return of the funds held in the trust account to our public shareholders 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 a business combination. If we have not consummated our initial business combination within the required time period, our public shareholders may receive only approximately $10.20 per public share, or less in certain circumstances, on the liquidation of our trust account and our warrants will expire worthless.
Our shareholders may be held liable for claims by third parties against us to the extent of distributions received by them upon redemption of their shares.
If we are forced to enter into an insolvent liquidation, any distributions received by shareholders could be viewed as an unlawful payment if it was proved that immediately following the date on which the distribution was made, we were unable to pay our debts as they fall due in the ordinary course of business. As a result, a liquidator could seek to recover some or all amounts received by our shareholders. Furthermore, our directors may be viewed as having breached their fiduciary duties to us or our creditors and/or may have acted in bad faith, thereby exposing themselves and our company to claims, by paying public shareholders 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. We and our directors and officers who knowingly and willfully authorized or permitted any distribution to be paid out of our share premium account while we were unable to pay our debts as they fall due in the ordinary course of business would be guilty of an offence and may be liable for a fine of $18,292.68 and imprisonment for five years in the Cayman Islands.
We may not hold an annual general meeting until after the consummation of our initial business combination.
In accordance with the NASDAQ corporate governance requirements, we are not required to hold an annual general meeting until one year after our first fiscal year end following our listing on the NASDAQ. There is no requirement under the Companies Act for us to hold annual or extraordinary general meetings to appoint directors. Until we hold an annual general meeting, public shareholders may not be afforded the opportunity to appoint directors and to discuss company affairs with management. Our board of directors is divided into three classes with only one class of directors being appointed in each year and each class (except for those directors appointed prior to our first annual general meeting) serving a three-year term.
Holders of Class A ordinary shares will not be entitled to vote on any appointment 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 appointment of directors. Holders of our public shares will not be entitled to vote on the appointment of directors during such time. In addition, prior to our 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 Class A ordinary shares 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 and potentially causing such warrants to expire worthless.
We are not registering the Class A ordinary shares 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 20 business days after the closing of our initial business combination, we will use our commercially reasonable efforts to file with the SEC a registration statement covering the issuance of such shares, and we will use our commercially reasonable
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efforts to cause the same to become effective within 60 business days after the closing of our initial business combination and to maintain the effectiveness of such registration statement and a current prospectus relating to those Class A ordinary shares until the warrants expire or are redeemed. We cannot assure you that we will be able to do so if, for example, any facts or events arise 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, complete or correct or the SEC issues a stop order. If the shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants are not registered under the Securities Act in accordance with the above requirements, we will be required to permit holders to exercise their warrants on a cashless basis, in which case, the number of Class A ordinary shares that you will receive upon cashless exercise will be based on a formula subject to a maximum amount of shares equal to 0.361 Class A ordinary shares per warrant (subject to adjustment). However, no warrant will be exercisable for cash or on a cashless basis, and we will not be obligated to issue any shares to holders seeking to exercise their warrants, unless the issuance of the shares upon such exercise is registered or qualified under the securities laws of the state of the exercising holder, or an exemption from registration is available. Notwithstanding the above, if our Class A ordinary shares are at the time of any exercise of a warrant not listed on a national securities exchange such that they satisfy the definition of a “covered security” under Section 18(b)(1) of the Securities Act, we may, at our option, require holders of public warrants who exercise their warrants to do so on a “cashless basis” in accordance with Section 3(a)(9) of the Securities Act and, in the event we so elect, we will not be required to file or maintain in effect a registration statement, but we will use our commercially reasonable efforts to register or qualify the shares under applicable blue sky laws to the extent an exemption is not available. Exercising the warrants on a cashless basis could have the effect of reducing the potential “upside” of the holder’s investment in our company because the warrant holder will hold a smaller number of Class A ordinary shares upon a cashless exercise of the warrants they hold. In no event will we be required to net cash settle any warrant, or issue securities or other compensation in exchange for the warrants in the event that we are unable to register or qualify the shares underlying the warrants under applicable state securities laws and no exemption is available. If the issuance of the shares upon exercise of the warrants is not so registered or qualified or exempt from registration or qualification, the holder of such warrant shall not be entitled to exercise such warrant and such warrant may have no value and expire worthless. In such event, holders who acquired their warrants as part of a purchase of units will have paid the full unit purchase price solely for the Class A ordinary shares included in the units. There may be a circumstance where an exemption from registration exists for holders of our private placement warrants to exercise their warrants while a corresponding exemption does not exist for holders of the public warrants included as part of units sold in this offering. In such an instance, our sponsor and its permitted transferees (which may include our directors and executive officers) would be able to exercise their warrants and sell the ordinary shares underlying their warrants while holders of our public warrants would not be able to exercise their warrants and sell the underlying ordinary shares. If and when the warrants become redeemable by us, we may exercise our redemption right even if we are unable to register or qualify the underlying Class A ordinary shares for sale under all applicable state securities laws. As a result, we may redeem the warrants as set forth above even if the holders are otherwise unable to exercise their warrants.
The warrants may become exercisable and redeemable for a security other than the Class A ordinary shares, and you will not have any information regarding such other security at this time.
In certain situations, including if we are not the surviving entity in our initial business combination, the warrants may become exercisable for a security other than the Class A ordinary shares. As a result, if the surviving company redeems your warrants for securities pursuant to the warrant agreement, you may receive a security in a company of which you do not have information at this time. Pursuant to the warrant agreement, the surviving company will be required to use commercially reasonable efforts to register the issuance of the security underlying the warrants within twenty business days of the closing of an initial business combination.
The grant of registration rights to our sponsor 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 ordinary shares.
Pursuant to an agreement to be entered into on or prior to the closing of this offering, our sponsor and its permitted transferees can demand that we register the resale of the Class A ordinary shares into which
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founder shares are convertible, the private placement warrants and the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the private placement warrants, and warrants that may be issued upon conversion of working capital loans and the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon conversion of such warrants.
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 ordinary shares. In addition, the existence of the registration rights may make our initial business combination more costly or difficult to conclude. This is because the shareholders 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 securities that is expected when the securities owned by our sponsor or its permitted transferees are registered for resale.
We do not have a specified maximum redemption threshold. The absence of such a redemption threshold may make it possible for us to complete our initial business combination with which a substantial majority of our shareholders do not agree.
Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association do 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, after payment of the deferred underwriting commissions, to be less than $5,000,001 either prior to or upon consummation of an initial business combination (so that we do not then become subject to the SEC’s “penny stock” rules). As a result, we may be able to complete our initial business combination even though a substantial majority of our public shareholders do not agree with the transaction and have redeemed their shares or, if we seek shareholder 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 Class A ordinary shares that are validly submitted for redemption plus any amount required to satisfy cash conditions pursuant to the terms of the proposed business combination exceed the aggregate amount of cash available to us, we will not complete the business combination or redeem any shares, all Class A ordinary shares submitted for redemption will be returned to the holders thereof, and we instead may search for an alternate business combination.
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 memorandum and articles of association or governing instruments in a manner that will make it easier for us to complete our initial business combination that our shareholders may not support.
In order to effectuate a business combination, blank check companies have, in the recent past, amended various provisions of their charters and governing instruments, including their warrant agreements. For example, blank check companies have amended the definition of business combination, increased redemption thresholds, extended the time to consummate an initial business combination and, with respect to their warrants, amended their warrant agreements to require the warrants to be exchanged for cash and/or other securities. Amending our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association requires at least a special resolution of our shareholders as a matter of Cayman Islands law, meaning the approval of holders of at least two-thirds of our ordinary shares who attend and vote at a general meeting of the company, and amending our warrant agreement will require a vote of holders of at least 50% of the public warrants, 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 memorandum and articles of association require us to provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem their public shares for cash if we propose an amendment to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association (A) that would modify the substance or timing of our obligation to provide holders of our Class A ordinary shares the right to have their shares redeemed in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 24 months from the closing of this offering at the election of the Company in two separate three month extensions subject to satisfaction of certain conditions,
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including the deposit of up to $1,500,000, or $1,725,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full ($0.10 per unit in either case) for each three month extension, into the trust account, or as extended by the Company’s shareholders in accordance with our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association) or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to the rights of holders of our Class A ordinary shares. To the extent any of such amendments would be deemed to fundamentally change the nature of any of the securities offered through this registration statement, we would register, or seek an exemption from registration for, the affected securities.
The provisions of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association that relate to the rights of holders of our Class A ordinary shares (and corresponding provisions of the agreement governing the release of funds from our trust account) may be amended with the approval of a special resolution which requires the approval of the holders of at least two-thirds of our ordinary shares who attend and vote at a general meeting of the company, 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 memorandum and articles of association to facilitate the completion of an initial business combination that some of our shareholders may not support.
Some other blank check companies have a provision in their charter which prohibits the amendment of certain of its provisions, including those which relate to the rights of a company’s shareholders, without approval by a certain percentage of the company’s shareholders. In those companies, amendment of these provisions typically requires approval by between 90% and 100% of the company’s shareholders. Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association provide that any of its provisions related to the rights of holders of our Class A ordinary shares (including the requirement to deposit proceeds of this offering 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 shareholders as described herein) may be amended if approved by special resolution, meaning holders of at least two-thirds of our ordinary shares who attend and vote at a general meeting of the company, and corresponding provisions of the trust agreement governing the release of funds from our trust account may be amended if approved by holders of at least 65% of our ordinary shares; provided that the provisions of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association governing the appointment or removal of directors prior to our initial business combination may only be amended by a special resolution passed by not less than two-thirds of our ordinary shares who attend and vote at our general meeting which shall include the affirmative vote of a simple majority of our Class B ordinary shares. Our sponsor and its permitted transferees, if any, who will collectively beneficially own, on an as-converted basis, 20% of our Class A ordinary shares upon the closing of this offering (assuming they do not purchase any units in this offering), will participate in any vote to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association 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 memorandum and articles of association which govern our pre-business combination behavior more easily than some other blank check companies, and this may increase our ability to complete a business combination with which you do not agree. Our shareholders may pursue remedies against us for any breach of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association.
Our sponsor, executive officers, directors and director nominees have agreed, pursuant to agreements with us, that they will not propose any amendment to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association (A) that would modify the substance or timing of our obligation to provide holders of our Class A ordinary shares the right to have their shares redeemed in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 24 months from the closing of this offering at the election of the Company in two separate three month extensions subject to satisfaction of certain conditions, including the deposit of up to $1,500,000, or $1,725,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full ($0.10 per unit in either case) for each three month extension, into the trust account, or as extended by the Company’s shareholders in accordance with our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association) or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to the rights of holders of our Class A ordinary shares, unless we provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem their Class A ordinary shares 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 income taxes, if any, divided by the number of the then-outstanding public shares. Our shareholders are not parties to, or third-party beneficiaries of,
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these agreements and, as a result, will not have the ability to pursue remedies against our sponsor, executive officers, directors or director nominees for any breach of these agreements. As a result, in the event of a breach, our shareholders would need to pursue a shareholder derivative action, subject to applicable law.
Our sponsor controls a substantial interest in us and thus may exert a substantial influence on actions requiring a shareholder vote, potentially in a manner that you do not support.
Upon closing of this offering, our sponsor will own, on an as-converted basis, 20% of our issued and outstanding ordinary shares (assuming it does not purchase any units in this offering). Accordingly, it may exert a substantial influence on actions requiring a shareholder vote, potentially in a manner that you do not support, including amendments to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association. If our sponsor purchases any units in this offering or if our sponsor purchases any additional Class A ordinary shares in the aftermarket or in privately negotiated transactions, this would increase its control. Neither our sponsor nor, to our knowledge, any of our officers or directors, have any current intention to purchase additional securities, other than as disclosed in this prospectus. Factors that would be considered in making such additional purchases would include consideration of the current trading price of our Class A ordinary shares. In addition, our board of directors, whose members were appointed by our sponsor, 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 appointed in each year. We may not hold an annual general meeting to appoint 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 business combination. If there is an annual general meeting, as a consequence of our “staggered” board of directors, only a minority of the board of directors will be considered for appointment and our sponsor, because of its ownership position, will control the outcome, as only holders of our Class B ordinary shares will have the right to vote on the appointment of directors and to remove directors prior to our initial business combination. In addition, the founder shares, all of which are held by our initial shareholders, will, in a vote to continue the Company in a jurisdiction outside the Cayman Islands (which requires the approval of at least two thirds of the votes of all ordinary shares), entitle the holders to ten votes for every founder share. This provision of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association may only be amended by a special resolution passed by a majority of at least two-thirds of our ordinary shares voting in a general meeting. As a result, you will not have any influence over our continuation in a jurisdiction outside the Cayman Islands prior to our initial business combination. Accordingly, our sponsor will continue to exert control at least until the completion of our initial business combination. In addition, we have agreed not to enter into a definitive agreement regarding an initial business combination without the prior consent of our sponsor.
Unlike some other similarly structured blank check companies, our sponsor will receive additional Class A ordinary shares if we issue shares to consummate an initial business combination.
The founder shares will automatically convert into Class A ordinary shares (which such Class A ordinary shares delivered upon conversion will not have any redemption rights or be entitled to liquidating distributions from the trust account if we fail to consummate an initial business combination) at the time of our initial business combination or earlier at the option of the holders thereof at a ratio such that the number of Class A ordinary shares issuable upon conversion of all founder shares will equal, in the aggregate, on an as-converted basis, 20% of the sum of (i) the total number of ordinary shares issued and outstanding upon completion of this offering, plus (ii) the total number of Class A ordinary shares issued or deemed issued or issuable upon conversion or exercise of any equity-linked securities or rights issued or deemed issued, by the Company in connection with or in relation to the consummation of the initial business combination, excluding any Class A ordinary shares or equity-linked securities exercisable for or convertible into Class A ordinary shares issued, deemed issued, or to be issued, to any seller in the initial business combination and any private placement warrants issued to our sponsor, any of its affiliates or any members of our management team upon conversion of working capital loans. In no event will the Class B ordinary shares convert into Class A ordinary shares at a rate of less than one-to-one. This is different than some other similarly structured blank check companies in which the initial shareholders will only be issued an aggregate of 20% of the total number of shares to be outstanding prior to the initial business combination.
Our sponsor contributed $25,000 or approximately $0.005797 per founder share, and, accordingly, you will experience immediate and substantial dilution from the purchase of our Class A ordinary shares.
The difference between the public offering price per share (allocating all of the unit purchase price to the Class A ordinary share and none to the warrant included in the unit) and the pro forma net tangible
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book value per Class A ordinary share after this offering constitutes the dilution to you and the other investors in this offering. Our sponsor acquired the founder shares at a nominal price, significantly contributing to this dilution. Upon closing of this offering, and assuming no value is ascribed to the warrants included in the units, you and the other public shareholders will incur an immediate and substantial dilution of approximately 148.1% (or $14.81 per share, assuming no exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option), the difference between the pro forma net tangible book value per share of $(4.81) and the initial offering price of $10.00 per unit. This dilution would increase to the extent that the anti-dilution provisions of the founder shares result in the issuance of Class A ordinary shares on a greater than one-to-one basis upon conversion of the founder shares at the time of our initial business combination and would become exacerbated to the extent that public shareholders seek redemptions from the trust for their public shares. In addition, because of the anti-dilution protection in the founder shares, any equity or equity- linked securities issued in connection with our initial business combination would be disproportionately dilutive to our Class A ordinary shares.
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 our Class A ordinary shares purchasable upon exercise of a warrant could be decreased, all without your approval.
Our warrants will be issued in registered form under a warrant agreement between Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, as warrant agent, and us. The warrant agreement provides that the terms of the warrants may be amended without the consent of any holder for the purpose of (i) curing any ambiguity or 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 this prospectus, or defective provision (ii) amending the provisions relating to cash dividends on ordinary shares as contemplated by and in accordance with the warrant agreement or (iii) adding or changing any provisions with respect to matters or questions arising under the warrant agreement as the parties to the warrant agreement may deem necessary or desirable and that the parties deem to not adversely affect the rights of the registered holders of the warrants, provided that the approval by the holders of at least 50% of the then-outstanding public warrants is required to make any change that adversely affects the interests of the registered holders of public warrants. Accordingly, we may amend the terms of the public warrants in a manner adverse to a holder if holders of at least 50% of the then-outstanding public warrants approve of such amendment, 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. 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, shorten the exercise period or decrease the number of Class A ordinary shares purchasable upon exercise of a warrant.
Our warrant agreement will designate the courts of the State of New York or the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York as the sole and exclusive forum for certain types of actions and proceedings that may be initiated by holders of our warrants, which could limit the ability of warrant holders to obtain a favorable judicial forum for disputes with our company.
Our warrant agreement will provide that, subject to applicable law, (i) any action, proceeding or claim against us arising out of or relating in any way to the warrant agreement, including under the Securities Act, will be brought and enforced in the courts of the State of New York or the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, and (ii) that we irrevocably submit to such jurisdiction, which jurisdiction shall be the exclusive forum for any such action, proceeding or claim. We will waive any objection to such exclusive jurisdiction and that such courts represent an inconvenient forum.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, these provisions of the warrant agreement will not apply to suits brought to enforce any liability or duty created by the Exchange Act or any other claim for which the federal district courts of the U.S. are the sole and exclusive forum. Any person or entity purchasing or otherwise acquiring any interest in any of our warrants shall be deemed to have notice of and to have consented to the forum provisions in our warrant agreement. If any action, the subject matter of which is within the scope the forum provisions of the warrant agreement, is filed in a court other than a court of the
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State of New York or the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York (a “foreign action”) in the name of any holder of our warrants, such holder shall be deemed to have consented to: (x) the personal jurisdiction of the state and federal courts located in the State of New York in connection with any action brought in any such court to enforce the forum provisions (an “enforcement action”), and (y) having service of process made upon such warrant holder in any such enforcement action by service upon such warrant holder’s counsel in the foreign action as agent for such warrant holder.
This choice-of-forum provision may limit a warrant holder’s ability to bring a claim in a judicial forum that it finds favorable for disputes with our company, which may discourage such lawsuits. Alternatively, if a court were to find this provision of our warrant agreement inapplicable or unenforceable with respect to one or more of the specified types of actions or proceedings, we may incur additional costs associated with resolving such matters in other jurisdictions, which could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations and result in a diversion of the time and resources of our management and board of directors.
We may redeem your unexpired warrants prior to their exercise at a time that is disadvantageous to you, thereby making your warrants worthless.
We have the ability to redeem the outstanding public warrants at any time after they become exercisable and prior to their expiration, at a price of $0.01 per warrant, provided that the closing price of our Class A ordinary shares equals or exceeds $18.00 per share (as adjusted for adjustments to the number of shares issuable upon exercise or the exercise price of a warrant as described under the heading “Description of Securities—Warrants—Public Shareholders’ Warrants—Anti-Dilution Adjustments”) for any 20 trading days within a 30 trading-day period ending on the third trading day prior to proper notice of such redemption and provided that certain other conditions are met. If and when the warrants become redeemable by us, we may exercise our redemption right even if we are unable to register or qualify the underlying securities for sale under all applicable state securities laws. As a result, we may redeem the warrants as set forth above even if the holders are otherwise unable to exercise the warrants. Redemption of the outstanding warrants could force you to (i) exercise your warrants and pay the exercise price therefor at a time when it may be disadvantageous for you to do so, (ii) sell your warrants at the then-current market price when you might otherwise wish to hold your warrants or (iii) accept the nominal redemption price which, at the time the outstanding warrants are called for redemption, we expect would be substantially less than the market value of your warrants. None of the private placement warrants will be redeemable by us so long as they are held by our sponsor or its permitted transferees.
In addition, we have the ability to redeem the outstanding public warrants at any time after they become exercisable and prior to their expiration, at a price of $0.10 per warrant upon a minimum of 30 days’ prior written notice of redemption provided that the closing price of our Class A ordinary shares equals or exceeds $10.00 per share (as adjusted for adjustments to the number of shares issuable upon exercise or the exercise price of a warrant as described under the heading “Description of Securities—Warrants—Public Shareholders’ Warrants—Anti-Dilution Adjustments”) for any 20 trading days within a 30 trading-day period ending on the third trading day prior to proper notice of such redemption and provided that certain other conditions are met, including that holders will be able to exercise their warrants prior to redemption for a number of Class A ordinary shares determined based on the redemption date and the fair market value of our Class A ordinary shares. Please see “Description of Securities—Warrants—Public Shareholders’ Warrants—Redemption of warrants when the price per Class A ordinary share equals or exceeds $10.00.” The value received upon exercise of the warrants (1) may be less than the value the holders would have received if they had exercised their warrants at a later time where the underlying share price is higher and (2) may not compensate the holders for the value of the warrants, including because the number of ordinary shares received is capped at 0.361 Class A ordinary shares per warrant (subject to adjustment) irrespective of the remaining life of the warrants.
None of the private placement warrants will be redeemable by us as so long as they are held by our sponsor or its permitted transferees.
Our warrants may have an adverse effect on the market price of our Class A ordinary shares and make it more difficult to effectuate our initial business combination.
We will be issuing warrants to purchase 7,500,000 of our Class A ordinary shares (or up to 8,625,000 Class A ordinary shares if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) as part of the units
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offered by this prospectus and, simultaneously with the closing of this offering, we will be issuing in a private placement an aggregate of 8,500,000 private placement warrants (or 9,400,000 private placement warrants if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), each exercisable to purchase one Class A ordinary share at $11.50 per whole share, subject to adjustment. In addition, if the sponsor, its affiliates or a member of our management team makes any working capital loans, it may convert up to $1,500,000 of such loans into up to an additional 1,500,000 private placement warrants, at the price of $1.00 per warrant. We may also issue Class A ordinary shares in connection with our redemption of our warrants.
To the extent we issue ordinary shares for any reason, including to effectuate a business combination, the potential for the issuance of a substantial number of additional Class A ordinary shares upon exercise of these warrants could make us a less attractive acquisition vehicle to a target business. Such warrants, when exercised, will increase the number of issued and outstanding Class A ordinary shares and reduce the value of the Class A ordinary shares issued to complete the business transaction. Therefore, our warrants may make it more difficult to effectuate a business transaction or increase the cost of acquiring the target business.
Because each unit contains one-half of one redeemable warrant and only a whole warrant may be exercised, the units may be worth less than units of other blank check companies.
Each unit contains one-half of one redeemable warrant. Pursuant to the warrant agreement, no fractional warrants will be issued upon separation of the units, and only whole units will trade. If, upon exercise of the warrants, a holder would be entitled to receive a fractional interest in a share, we will, upon exercise, round down to the nearest whole number the number of Class A ordinary shares to be issued to the warrant holder. This is different from other offerings similar to ours whose units include one ordinary share and one whole warrant to purchase one whole share. We have established the components of the units in this way in order to reduce the dilutive effect of the warrants upon completion of a business combination since the warrants will be exercisable in the aggregate for one-half of the number of shares compared to units that each contain a whole warrant to purchase one whole share, thus making us, we believe, a more attractive merger partner for target businesses. Nevertheless, this unit structure may cause our units to be worth less than if a unit included a warrant to purchase one whole share.
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 Class A ordinary shares 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 ordinary 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 prices described below under “Description of Securities—Warrants—Public Shareholders’ Warrants—Redemption of warrants when the price per Class A ordinary share equals or exceeds $18.00” and “Redemption of warrants when the price per Class A ordinary share equals or exceeds $10.00” will be adjusted (to the nearest cent) to be equal to 180% of the higher of the Market Value and the Newly Issued Price, and the $10.00 per share redemption trigger price described below under “Description of Securities—Warrants—Public Shareholders’ Warrants—Redemption of warrants when the price per Class A ordinary share equals or exceeds $10.00” will be adjusted (to the nearest cent) to be equal to 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.
The determination of the offering price of our units and the size of this offering is more arbitrary than the pricing of securities and size of an offering of an operating company in a particular industry. You may have less assurance, therefore, that the offering price of our units properly reflects the value of such units than you would have in a typical offering of an operating company.
Prior to this offering there has been no public market for any of our securities. The public offering price of the units and the terms of the warrants were negotiated between us and the underwriters. In
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determining the size of this offering, management held customary organizational meetings with the underwriters, both prior to our inception and thereafter, with respect to the state of capital markets, generally, and the amount the underwriters believed it reasonably could raise on our behalf. Factors considered in determining the size of this offering, prices and terms of the units, including the Class A ordinary shares and warrants underlying the units, include:
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the history and prospects of companies whose principal business is the acquisition of other companies;
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prior offerings of those companies;
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our prospects for acquiring an operating business at attractive values;
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a review of debt-to-equity ratios in leveraged transactions;
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our capital structure;
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an assessment of our management and their experience in identifying operating companies;
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general conditions of the securities markets at the time of this offering; and
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other factors as were deemed relevant.
Although these factors were considered, the determination of our offering price is more arbitrary than the pricing of securities of an operating company in a particular industry since we have no historical operations or financial results.
There is currently no market for our securities and a market for our securities may not develop, which would adversely affect the liquidity and price of our securities.
There is currently no market for our securities. Shareholders therefore have no access to information about prior market history on which to base their investment decision. Following this offering, the price of our securities may vary significantly due to one or more potential business combinations and general market or economic conditions, including as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak. Furthermore, an active trading market for our securities may never develop or, if developed, it may not be sustained. You may be unable to sell your securities unless a market can be established and sustained.
Our warrants are expected to be accounted for as derivative liabilities and will be recorded at fair value upon issuance with changes in fair value each period included 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.
We will be issuing 7,500,00 warrants (or up to 8,625,000 warrants if the underwriters' over-allotment option is exercised in full) as part of the units offered by this prospectus and, simultaneously with the closing of this offering, we will be issuing in a private placement an aggregate of 8,500,000 private placement warrants (or 9,400,000 private placement warrants if the underwriter's over-allotment option is exercised in full), each exercisable to purchase one Class A ordinary share at $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment. In addition, if the sponsor, its affiliates or a member of our management team makes any working capital loans, it may convert up to $1,500,000 of such loans into up to an additional 1,500,000 private placement warrants, at the price of $1.00 per warrant. We expect to account for the private placement warrants and expect to account for the warrants underlying the units offered by this prospectus as a warrant liability. At each reporting period (1) the accounting treatment of the warrants will be re-evaluated for proper accounting treatment as a liability or equity and (2) the fair value of the liability of the public warrants and private placement warrants will be remeasured and the change in the fair value of the liability will be recorded as other income (expense) in our income statement. Changes in the inputs and assumptions for the valuation model we use to determine the fair value of such liability may have a material impact on the estimated fair value of the embedded derivative liability. The share price of our ordinary shares represents the primary underlying variable that impacts the value of the derivative instruments. Additional factors that impact the value of the derivative instruments include the volatility of our share price, discount rates and stated interest rates. As a result, our consolidated financial statements and results of operations will fluctuate quarterly, based on various factors, such as the share price of our ordinary shares, many of which are outside of our control. In addition, we may change the underlying assumptions used in our valuation model, which could
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result in significant fluctuations in our results of operations. If our share price is volatile, we expect that we will recognize non-cash gains or losses on our warrants or any other similar derivative instruments each reporting period and that the amount of such gains or losses could be material. The impact of changes in fair value on earnings may have an adverse effect on the market price of our securities. In addition, potential targets may seek a special purpose acquisition company 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.
Risks Relating to our Sponsor and Management Team
Past performance by our management team or their respective affiliates may not be indicative of future performance of an investment in us.
Information regarding performance is presented for informational purposes only. Any past experience or performance of our management team and their respective affiliates is not a guarantee of either (i) our ability to successfully identify and execute a transaction or (ii) success with respect to any business combination that we may consummate. You should not rely on the historical record of our management team or their respective affiliates as indicative of the future performance of an investment in us or the returns we will, or are likely to, generate going forward.
We may seek acquisition opportunities in industries or sectors which may or may not be outside of our management’s area of expertise.
We will consider a business combination outside of our management’s area of expertise if a business combination target is presented to us and we determine that such candidate offers an attractive acquisition opportunity for our company. Although our management will endeavor to evaluate the risks inherent in any particular business combination target, we cannot assure you that we will adequately ascertain or assess all of the significant risk factors. We also cannot assure you that an investment in our units will not ultimately prove to be less favorable to investors in this offering than a direct investment, if an opportunity were available, in a business combination target. In the event we elect to pursue an acquisition outside of the areas of our management’s expertise, our management’s expertise may not be directly applicable to its evaluation or operation, and the information contained in this prospectus regarding the areas of our management’s expertise would not be relevant to an understanding of the business that we elect to acquire. As a result, our management may not be able to adequately ascertain or assess all of the significant risk factors. Accordingly, any holders who choose to retain their securities following the business combination could suffer a reduction in the value of their securities. Such holders are unlikely to have a remedy for such reduction in value.
We are dependent upon our executive officers and directors and their loss 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 officers and directors, at least until we have completed our initial business combination. In addition, our executive officers and directors are not required to commit any specified amount of time to our affairs and, accordingly, will have conflicts of interest in allocating their time among various business activities, including identifying potential business combinations and monitoring the related due diligence. 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.
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. We believe that our success depends on the continued service of our key personnel, at least
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until we have consummated our initial business combination. None of our officers are required to commit any specified amount of time to our affairs and, accordingly, they will have conflicts of interest in allocating management time among various business activities, including identifying potential business combinations and monitoring the related due diligence. If our officers’ and directors’ other business affairs require them to devote more substantial amounts of time to their other business activities, it could limit their ability to devote time to our affairs and could have a negative impact on our ability to consummate our initial business combination. In addition, we do not have employment agreements with, or key-man insurance on the life of, any of our officers. The unexpected loss of the services of our key personnel could have a detrimental effect on us.
The role of our key personnel after our initial business combination, however, remains to be determined. Although some of our key personnel serve in senior management or advisory positions following our initial business combination, it is likely that most, if not all, of the management of the target business will remain in place. These individuals may be unfamiliar with the requirements of operating a public company which could cause us to have to expend time and resources helping them become familiar with such requirements. This could be expensive and time-consuming and could lead to various regulatory issues which may adversely affect our operations.
Our key personnel may negotiate employment or consulting agreements with a target business in connection with a particular business combination, and a particular business combination may be conditioned on the retention or resignation of such key personnel. These agreements may provide for them to receive compensation following our initial business combination and as a result, may cause them to have conflicts of interest in determining whether a particular business combination is the most advantageous.
Our key personnel may be able to remain with our company after the completion of our initial business combination only if they are able to negotiate employment or consulting agreements in connection with the business combination. Such negotiations would take place simultaneously with the negotiation of the business combination and could provide for such individuals to receive compensation in the form of cash payments and/or our securities for services they would render to us after the completion of the business combination. Such negotiations also could make such key personnel’s retention or resignation a condition to any such agreement. The personal and financial interests of such individuals may influence their motivation in identifying and selecting a target business.
The officers and directors of an acquisition candidate may resign upon completion of our initial business combination. The loss of a business combination target’s key personnel could negatively impact the operations and profitability of our post-combination business.
The role of an acquisition candidate’s key personnel upon the completion of our initial business combination cannot be ascertained at this time. Although we contemplate that certain members of an acquisition candidate’s management team will remain associated with the acquisition candidate following our initial business combination, it is possible that members of the management of an acquisition candidate will not wish to remain in place.
Our executive 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 executive 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 a business combination and their other businesses. Each of our executive officers is engaged in several other business endeavors for which he may be entitled to substantial compensation, and our executive officers are not obligated to contribute any specific number of hours per week to our affairs. Our independent directors also serve as officers and board members for other entities. If our executive officers’ and 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 executive officers’ and directors’ other business affairs, please see “Management—Officers, Directors and Director Nominees.”
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Our officers and directors presently have, and any of them in the future may have, additional, fiduciary or contractual obligations to other entities, including another blank check company, and, accordingly, may have conflicts of interest in determining to which entity a particular business opportunity should be presented.
Following the completion of this offering and until we consummate our initial business combination, we intend to engage in the business of identifying and combining with one or more businesses or entities. Each of our officers and directors presently has, and any of them in the future may have, additional fiduciary or contractual obligations to other entities pursuant to which such officer or director is or will be required to present a business combination opportunity to such entity, subject to his or her fiduciary duties under Cayman Islands law. 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, subject to their fiduciary duties under Cayman Islands law.
Our sponsor, officers and directors may in the future become affiliated with other blank check companies that may have acquisition objectives that are similar to ours. 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 such other blank check companies prior to its presentation to us, subject to our officers’ and directors’ fiduciary duties under Cayman Islands law. Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association provide that, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law: (i) no individual serving as a director or an officer shall have any duty, except and to the extent expressly assumed by contract, to refrain from engaging directly or indirectly in the same or similar business activities or lines of business as us; and (ii) we renounce any interest or expectancy in, or in being offered an opportunity to participate in, any potential transaction or matter which may be a corporate opportunity for any director or officer, on the one hand, and us, on the other.
For a complete discussion of our executive officers’ and directors’ business affiliations and the potential conflicts of interest that you should be aware of, please see “Management—Officers, Directors and Director Nominees,” “Management—Conflicts of Interest” and “Certain Relationships and Related Party Transactions.”
Our executive 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, executive officers, security holders or affiliates from having a direct or indirect pecuniary or financial interest in any investment to be acquired or disposed of by us or in any transaction to which we are a party or have an interest. In fact, we may enter into a business combination with a target business that is affiliated with our sponsor, our directors or executive officers. Nor do we have a policy that expressly prohibits any such persons from engaging for their own account in business activities of the types conducted by us. Accordingly, such persons or entities may have a conflict between their interests and ours.
The personal and financial interests of our directors and officers may influence their motivation in timely identifying and selecting a target business and completing a business combination. Consequently, our directors’ and officers’ discretion in identifying and selecting a suitable target business may result in a conflict of interest when determining whether the terms, conditions and timing of a particular business combination are appropriate and in our shareholders’ best interest. If this were the case, it would be a breach of their fiduciary duties to us as a matter of Cayman Islands law and we or our shareholders might have a claim against such individuals for infringing on our shareholders’ rights. See the section titled “Description of Securities—Certain Differences in Corporate Law—Shareholders’ Suits” for further information on the ability to bring such claims. However, we might not ultimately be successful in any claim we may make against them for such reason.
We may engage in a business combination with one or more target businesses that have relationships with entities that may be affiliated with our sponsor, executive officers, directors or initial shareholders which may raise potential conflicts of interest.
In light of the involvement of our sponsor, executive officers and directors with other entities, we may decide to acquire one or more businesses affiliated with our sponsor, executive officers, directors or initial
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shareholders. Our directors also serve as officers and board members for other entities, including, without limitation, those described under “Management—Conflicts of Interest.” Our sponsor, officers and directors may sponsor, form or participate in other blank check companies similar to ours during the period in which we are seeking an initial business combination. For example, one of our advisory committee members, Alec Oxenford, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Alpha Capital Acquisition Company (a Special Purpose Acquisition Company), and entities affiliated with him are minority investors in our sponsor entity. Furthermore, FJ Labs, which is co-led by Fabrice Grinda (our Executive Chairman) and is one of the primary investors in our sponsor entity, is also an investor in the sponsor entity for Alpha Capital Acquisition Company. Any 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, and there have been no substantive discussions concerning a business combination with any such entity or entities. Although we will not be specifically focusing on, or targeting, any transaction with any affiliated entities, we would pursue such a transaction if we determined that such affiliated entity met our criteria and guidelines for a business combination as set forth in “Proposed Business—Effecting Our Initial Business Combination—Evaluation of a Target Business and Structuring of Our Initial Business Combination” and such transaction was approved by a majority of our independent and 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 company from a financial point of view of a business combination with one or more domestic or international businesses affiliated with our sponsor, executive officers, directors or initial shareholders, potential conflicts of interest still may exist and, as a result, the terms of the business combination may not be as advantageous to our public shareholders as they would be absent any conflicts of interest. In addition, our sponsor may transfer certain of its Class B ordinary shares to our directors or advisors, or their affiliates, in conjunction with our initial business combination in the event such parties bring specific target company, industry or market expertise, as well as insights or relationships that we believe are necessary in order to locate, assess, negotiate and consummate an initial business combination
Since our sponsor, executive officers and directors will lose their entire investment in us if our initial business combination is not completed (other than with respect to public shares they may acquire during or after this offering), and because our sponsor, officers and directors who have an interest in founder shares may profit substantially even under circumstances where our public shareholders would experience losses in connection with their investment, a conflict of interest may arise in determining whether a particular business combination target is appropriate for our initial business combination.
On February 10, 2021, our sponsor paid $25,000, or approximately $0.004 per share, to cover certain of our offering and formation costs in consideration of 6,468,750 Class B ordinary shares, par value $0.0001. On June 30, 2021, our Sponsor surrendered 2,156,250 Class B ordinary shares for no consideration, resulting in 4,312,500 shares outstanding of which 562,500 are subject to forfeiture in the event the underwriters’ over-allotment option is not exercised. All share and per share amounts have been restated. Prior to the initial investment in the company of $25,000 by the sponsor, the company had no assets, tangible or intangible. The per share price of the founder shares was determined by dividing the amount contributed to the company by the number of founder shares issued. If we increase or decrease the size of this offering, we will effect a share capitalization or a share surrender or redemption or other appropriate mechanism, as applicable, with respect to our Class B ordinary shares immediately prior to the consummation of this offering in such amount as to maintain the number of founder shares, on an as-converted basis, at 20% of our issued and outstanding ordinary shares upon the consummation of this offering. In July 2021, our sponsor transferred 40,000 founder shares to each of our independent director nominees, other than Michael Zeisser, at their original purchase price. The founder shares will be worthless if we do not complete an initial business combination. In addition, our sponsor has committed, pursuant to a written agreement, to purchase an aggregate of 8,500,000 private placement warrants (or 9,400,000 private placement warrants if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), each exercisable to purchase one Class A ordinary share at $11.50 per whole share, subject to adjustment, at a price of $1.00 per warrant ($8,500,000 in the aggregate or $9,400,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), in a private placement that will close simultaneously with the closing of this offering. If we do not consummate an initial business within 18 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 24 months from the closing of
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this offering at the election of the Company in two separate three month extensions subject to satisfaction of certain conditions, including the deposit of up to $1,500,000, or $1,725,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full ($0.10 per unit in either case) for each three month extension, into the trust account, or as extended by the Company’s shareholders in accordance with our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association), the private placement warrants will expire worthless. The personal and financial interests of our executive 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. This risk may become more acute as the 18-month anniversary of the closing of this offering nears, which is generally the deadline for our consummation of an initial business combination.
Our management may not be able to maintain control of a target business after our initial business combination. Upon the loss of control of a target business, new management may not possess the skills, qualifications or abilities necessary to profitably operate such business.
We may structure our initial business combination so that the post-business combination company in which our public shareholders 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-business combination company owns or acquires 50% or more of the outstanding voting securities of the target or otherwise acquires a controlling interest in the target business sufficient for 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-business combination company owns 50% or more of the voting securities of the target, our shareholders prior to our initial business combination may collectively own a minority interest in the post-business combination company, depending on valuations ascribed to the target and us in the business combination. For example, we could pursue a transaction in which we issue a substantial number of new Class A ordinary 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% interest in the target. However, as a result of the issuance of a substantial number of new Class A ordinary shares, our shareholders immediately prior to such transaction could own less than a majority of our outstanding Class A ordinary shares subsequent to such transaction. In addition, other minority shareholders may subsequently combine their holdings resulting in a single person or group obtaining a larger share of the company’s shares than we initially acquired. Accordingly, this may make it more likely that our management will not be able to maintain control of the target business.
General Risk Factors
We may issue additional Class A ordinary shares or preference shares to complete our initial business combination or under an employee incentive plan after completion of our initial business combination. We may also issue Class A ordinary shares upon the conversion of the founder shares 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 memorandum and articles of association. Any such issuances would dilute the interest of our shareholders and likely present other risks.
Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association authorize the issuance of up to 200,000,000 Class A ordinary shares, par value $0.0001 per share, 20,000,000 Class B ordinary shares, par value $0.0001 per share, and 1,000,000 preference shares, par value $0.0001 per share. Immediately after this offering, there will be 185,000,000 and 16,250,000 (assuming in each case that the underwriters have not exercised its over-allotment option) authorized but unissued Class A ordinary shares and Class B ordinary shares, respectively, available for issuance which amount does not take into account shares reserved for issuance upon exercise of outstanding warrants or shares issuable upon conversion of the Class B ordinary shares, if any. The Class B ordinary shares will automatically convert into Class A ordinary shares (which such Class A ordinary shares delivered upon conversion will not have any redemption rights or be entitled to liquidating distributions from the trust account if we fail to consummate an initial business combination) at the time of our initial business combination or earlier at the option of the holders thereof as described herein and in our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association. Immediately after this offering, there will be no preference shares issued and outstanding.
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We may issue a substantial number of additional Class A ordinary shares or preference shares to complete our initial business combination or under an employee incentive plan after completion of our initial business combination. We may also issue Class A ordinary shares in connection with our redeeming the warrants as described in “Description of Securities—Warrants—Public Shareholders’ Warrants” or upon conversion of the Class B ordinary shares at a ratio greater than one-to-one at the time of our initial business combination as a result of the anti-dilution provisions as set forth herein. However, our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association provide, among other things, that prior to or in connection with our initial business combination, we may not issue additional shares that would entitle the holders thereof to (i) receive funds from the trust account or (ii) vote on any initial business combination or on any other proposal presented to shareholders prior to or in connection with the completion of an initial business combination. These provisions of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, like all provisions of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, may be amended with a shareholder vote. The issuance of additional ordinary or preference shares:
•
may significantly dilute the equity interest of investors in this offering, which dilution would increase if the anti-dilution provisions in the Class B ordinary shares resulted in the issuance of Class A ordinary shares on a greater than one-to-one basis upon conversion of the Class B ordinary shares;
•
may subordinate the rights of holders of Class A ordinary shares if preference shares are issued with rights senior to those afforded our Class A ordinary shares;
•
could cause a change in control if a substantial number of Class A ordinary shares 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;
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may have the effect of delaying or preventing a change of control of us by diluting the share ownership or voting rights of a person seeking to obtain control of us;
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may adversely affect prevailing market prices for our units, Class A ordinary shares and/or warrants; and
•
may not result in adjustment to the exercise price of our warrants.
Our independent registered public accounting firm’s report contains an explanatory paragraph that expresses substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a “going concern.”
As of June 30, 2021, we have $61,000 in cash and a working capital deficit of $394,000. Further, we have incurred and expect to continue to incur significant costs in pursuit of our acquisition plans. Management’s plans to address this need for capital through this offering are discussed in the section of this prospectus titled “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.” We cannot assure you that our plans to raise capital or to consummate an initial business combination will be successful. These factors, among others, raise substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern. The financial statements contained elsewhere in this prospectus do not include any adjustments that might result from our inability to consummate this offering or our inability to continue as a going concern.
We may be a passive foreign investment company, or “PFIC,” which could result in adverse U.S. federal income tax consequences to U.S. investors.
If we are a PFIC for any taxable year (or portion thereof) that is included in the holding period of a U.S. Holder (as defined in the section of this prospectus captioned “Taxation—United States Federal Income Tax Considerations—General”) of our Class A ordinary shares or warrants, the U.S. Holder may be subject to adverse U.S. federal income tax consequences and may be subject to additional reporting requirements. Our PFIC status for our current and subsequent taxable years may depend on whether we qualify for the PFIC start-up exception (see the section of this prospectus captioned “Taxation—United States Federal Income Tax Considerations—U.S. Holders—Passive Foreign Investment Company Rules”). Depending on the particular circumstances the application of the start-up exception may be subject to uncertainty, and there cannot be any assurance that we will qualify for the start-up exception. Accordingly, there can be no assurances with respect to our status as a PFIC for our current taxable year or any subsequent
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taxable year. Our actual PFIC status for any taxable year, however, will not be determinable until after the end of such taxable year. Moreover, if we determine we are a PFIC for any taxable year, upon written request, we will endeavor to provide to a U.S. Holder such information as the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) may require, including a PFIC Annual Information Statement, in order to enable the U.S. Holder to make and maintain a “qualified electing fund” election, but there can be no assurance that we will timely provide such required information, and such election would be unavailable with respect to our warrants in all cases. We urge U.S. investors to consult their tax advisors regarding the possible application of the PFIC rules. For a more detailed discussion of the tax consequences of PFIC classification to U.S. Holders, see the section of this prospectus captioned “Taxation—United States Federal Income Tax Considerations—U.S. Holders—Passive Foreign Investment Company Rules.”
We are an emerging growth company and a smaller reporting company within the meaning of the Securities Act, and if we take advantage of certain exemptions from disclosure requirements available to “emerging growth companies” or “smaller reporting companies,” this could make our securities less attractive to investors and may make it more difficult to compare our performance with other public companies.
We are an “emerging growth company” within the meaning of the Securities Act, as modified by the JOBS Act, and we may take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not “emerging growth companies” including, but not limited to, not being required to comply with the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in our periodic reports and proxy statements, and exemptions from the requirements of holding a nonbinding advisory vote on executive compensation and shareholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved. As a result, our shareholders 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 ordinary shares 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.
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.
Additionally, we are a “smaller reporting company” as defined in Item 10(f)(1) of Regulation S-K. Smaller reporting companies may take advantage of certain reduced disclosure obligations, including, among other things, providing only two years of audited financial statements. We will remain a smaller reporting company until the last day of the fiscal year in which (1) the market value of our ordinary shares held by non-affiliates exceeds $250 million as of the prior June 30, and (2) our annual revenues exceeded $100 million during such completed fiscal year or the market value of our ordinary shares held by non-affiliates exceeds $700 million as of the prior June 30. To the extent we take advantage of such reduced disclosure obligations, it may also make comparison of our financial statements with other public companies difficult or impossible.
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Compliance obligations under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act may make it more difficult for us to effectuate a business combination, require substantial financial and management resources, and increase the time and costs of completing an acquisition.
Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act requires that we evaluate and report on our system of internal controls beginning with our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ending December 31, 2022. 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 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 business with which we seek to complete our initial business combination may not be in compliance with the provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act regarding adequacy of its internal 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 acquisition.
Because we are incorporated under the laws of the Cayman Islands, you may face difficulties in protecting your interests, and your ability to protect your rights through the U.S. federal courts may be limited.
We are an exempted company incorporated under the laws of the Cayman Islands. As a result, it may be difficult for investors to effect service of process within the U.S. upon our directors or executive officers, or enforce judgments obtained in the U.S. courts against our directors or officers.
Our corporate affairs will be governed by our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, the Companies Act (as the same may be supplemented or amended from time to time) and the common law of the Cayman Islands. We will also be subject to the federal securities laws of the U.S. The rights of shareholders to take action against the directors, actions by minority shareholders and the fiduciary responsibilities of our directors to us under Cayman Islands law are to a large extent governed by the common law of the Cayman Islands. The common law of the Cayman Islands is derived in part from comparatively limited judicial precedent in the Cayman Islands as well as from English common law, the decisions of whose courts are of persuasive authority, but are not binding on a court in the Cayman Islands. The rights of our shareholders and the fiduciary responsibilities of our directors under Cayman Islands law are different from what they would be under statutes or judicial precedent in some jurisdictions in the U.S. In particular, the Cayman Islands has a different body of securities laws as compared to the U.S., and certain states, such as Delaware, may have more fully developed and judicially interpreted bodies of corporate law. In addition, Cayman Islands companies may not have standing to initiate a shareholders derivative action in a Federal court of the U.S.
We have been advised by Carey Olsen, our Cayman Islands legal counsel, that the courts of the Cayman Islands are unlikely (i) to recognize or enforce against us judgments of courts of the U.S. predicated upon the civil liability provisions of the federal securities laws of the U.S. or any state; and (ii) in original actions brought in the Cayman Islands, to impose liabilities against us predicated upon the civil liability provisions of the federal securities laws of the U.S. or any state, so far as the liabilities imposed by those provisions are penal in nature. In those circumstances, although there is no statutory enforcement in the Cayman Islands of judgments obtained in the U.S., the courts of the Cayman Islands will recognize and enforce a foreign money judgment of a foreign court of competent jurisdiction without retrial on the merits based on the principle that a judgment of a competent foreign court imposes upon the judgment debtor an obligation to pay the sum for which judgment has been given provided certain conditions are met. For a foreign judgment to be enforced in the Cayman Islands, such judgment must be final and conclusive and for a liquidated sum, and must not be in respect of taxes or a fine or penalty, inconsistent with a Cayman Islands judgment in respect of the same matter, impeachable on the grounds of fraud or obtained in a manner, or be of a kind the enforcement of which is, contrary to natural justice or the public policy of the Cayman Islands (awards of punitive or multiple damages may well be held to be contrary to public policy). A Cayman Islands Court may stay enforcement proceedings if concurrent proceedings are being brought elsewhere.
As a result of all of the above, public shareholders may have more difficulty in protecting their interests in the face of actions taken by management, members of the board of directors or controlling shareholders than they would as public shareholders of a U.S. company.
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Provisions in our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association may inhibit a takeover of us, which could limit the price investors might be willing to pay in the future for our Class A ordinary shares and could entrench management.
Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association contain provisions that may discourage unsolicited takeover proposals that shareholders may consider to be in their best interests. These provisions will include a staggered board of directors, the ability of the board of directors to designate the terms of and issue new series of preference shares, and the fact that prior to the completion of our initial business combination only holders of our Class B ordinary shares, which have been issued to our sponsor, are entitled to vote on the appointment of directors, which may make more difficult the removal of management and may discourage transactions that otherwise could involve payment of a premium over prevailing market prices for our securities.
An investment in this offering may result in uncertain or adverse U.S. federal income tax consequences.
An investment in this offering may result in uncertain or adverse U.S. federal income tax consequences. For instance, because there are no authorities that directly address instruments similar to the units we are issuing in this offering, the allocation an investor makes with respect to the purchase price of a unit between the Class A ordinary shares and the one-half of a warrant to purchase one Class A ordinary share included in each unit could be challenged by the IRS or courts. Furthermore, the U.S. federal income tax consequences of a cashless exercise of warrants included in the units we are issuing in this offering is unclear under current law. Finally, it is unclear whether the redemption rights with respect to our ordinary shares suspend the running of a U.S. Holder’s (as defined below in “Taxation—United States Federal Income Tax Considerations—General”) holding period for purposes of determining whether any gain or loss realized by such holder on the sale or exchange of Class A ordinary shares is long-term capital gain or loss and for determining whether any dividend we pay would be considered “qualified dividends” for U.S. federal income tax purposes. See the section titled “Taxation—United States Federal Income Tax Considerations” for a summary of the U.S. federal income tax considerations of an investment in our securities. Prospective investors are urged to consult their tax advisors with respect to these and other tax consequences when purchasing, holding or disposing of our securities.
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 an early stage company without significant investments in data security protection, we may not be sufficiently protected against such occurrences. We may not have sufficient resources to adequately protect against, or to investigate and remediate any vulnerability to, cyber incidents. It is possible that any of these occurrences, or a combination of them, could have adverse consequences on our business and lead to financial loss.
Since only holders of our founder shares will have the right to vote on the appointment of directors, upon the listing of our shares on the NASDAQ, the NASDAQ may consider us to be a “controlled company” within the meaning of the NASDAQ rules and, as a result, we may qualify for exemptions from certain corporate governance requirements.
After completion of this offering, only holders of our founder shares will have the right to vote on the appointment of directors. As a result, the NASDAQ may consider us to be a “controlled company” within the meaning of the NASDAQ corporate governance standards. Under the NASDAQ corporate governance standards, a company of which more than 50% of the voting power is held by an individual, group or another company is a “controlled company” and may elect not to comply with certain corporate governance requirements, including the requirements that:
•
we have a board that includes a majority of “independent directors,” as defined under the rules of the NASDAQ; and
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•
we have a compensation committee of our board that is comprised entirely of independent directors with a written charter addressing the committee’s purpose and responsibilities.
We do not intend to utilize these exemptions and intend to comply with the corporate governance requirements of the NASDAQ, subject to applicable phase-in rules. However, if we determine in the future to utilize some or all of these exemptions, you will not have the same protections afforded to shareholders of companies that are subject to all of the NASDAQ corporate governance requirements.
Risks Associated with Acquiring and Operating a Business in Foreign Countries
If we pursue a target company with operations or opportunities outside of the U.S. for our initial business combination, we may face additional burdens in connection with investigating, agreeing to and completing such initial business combination, and if we effect such initial business combination, we would be subject to a variety of additional risks that may negatively impact our operations.
If we pursue a target a company with operations or opportunities outside of the U.S. for our initial business combination, we would be subject to risks associated with cross-border business combinations, including in connection with investigating, agreeing to and completing our initial business combination, conducting due diligence in a foreign jurisdiction, having such transaction approved by any local governments, regulators or agencies and changes in the purchase price based on fluctuations in foreign exchange rates.
If we effect our initial business combination with such a company, we would be subject to any special considerations or risks associated with companies operating in an international setting, including any of the following:
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costs and difficulties inherent in managing cross-border business operations;
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rules and regulations regarding currency redemption;
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complex corporate withholding taxes on individuals;
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laws governing the manner in which future business combinations may be effected;
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exchange listing and/or delisting requirements;
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tariffs and trade barriers;
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regulations related to customs and import/export matters;
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local or regional economic policies and market conditions;
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unexpected changes in regulatory requirements;
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longer payment cycles;
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tax issues, such as tax law changes and variations in tax laws as compared to the U.S.;
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currency fluctuations and exchange controls;
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rates of inflation;
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challenges in collecting accounts receivable;
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cultural and language differences;
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employment regulations;
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underdeveloped or unpredictable legal or regulatory systems;
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corruption;
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protection of intellectual property;
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social unrest, crime, strikes, riots and civil disturbances;
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regime changes and political upheaval;
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terrorist attacks, natural disasters and wars; and
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•
deterioration of political relations with the U.S.
We may not be able to adequately address these additional risks. If we were unable to do so, we may be unable to complete such initial business combination, or, if we complete such combination, our operations might suffer, either of which may adversely impact our business, financial condition and results of operations.
If our management following our initial business combination is unfamiliar with U.S. securities laws, they may have to expend time and resources becoming familiar with such laws, which could lead to various regulatory issues.
Following our initial business combination, our management may resign from their positions as officers or directors of the company and the management of the target business at the time of the business combination will remain in place. Management of the target business may not be familiar with U.S. securities laws. If new management is unfamiliar with U.S. securities laws, they may have to expend time and resources becoming familiar with such laws. This could be expensive and time-consuming and could lead to various regulatory issues which may adversely affect our operations.
After our initial business combination, substantially all of our assets may be located in a foreign country and substantially all of our revenue may be derived from our operations in any such country. Accordingly, our results of operations and prospects will be subject, to a significant extent, to the economic, political and social conditions and government policies, developments and conditions in the country in which we operate.
The economic, political and social conditions, as well as government policies, of the country in which our operations are located could affect our business. Economic growth could be uneven, both geographically and among various sectors of the economy and such growth may not be sustained in the future. If in the future such country’s economy experiences a downturn or grows at a slower rate than expected, there may be less demand for spending in certain industries. A decrease in demand for spending in certain industries could materially and adversely affect our ability to find an attractive target business with which to consummate our initial business combination and if we effect our initial business combination, the ability of that target business to become profitable.
Exchange rate fluctuations and currency policies may cause a target business’ ability to succeed in the international markets to be diminished.
In the event we acquire a non-U.S. target, all revenues and income would likely be received in a foreign currency, and the dollar equivalent of our net assets and distributions, if any, could be adversely affected by reductions in the value of the local currency. The value of the currencies in our target regions fluctuate and are affected by, among other things, changes in political and economic conditions. Any change in the relative value of such currency against our reporting currency may affect the attractiveness of any target business or, following consummation of our initial business combination, our financial condition and results of operations. Additionally, if a currency appreciates in value against the dollar prior to the consummation of our initial business combination, the cost of a target business as measured in dollars will increase, which may make it less likely that we are able to consummate such transaction.
We may reincorporate in another jurisdiction in connection with our initial business combination, and the laws of such jurisdiction may govern some or all of our future material agreements and we may not be able to enforce our legal rights.
In connection with our initial business combination, we may relocate the home jurisdiction of our business from the Cayman Islands to another jurisdiction. If we determine to do this, the laws of such jurisdiction may govern some or all of our future material agreements. The system of laws and the enforcement of existing laws in such jurisdiction may not be as certain in implementation and interpretation as in the U.S. The inability to enforce or obtain a remedy under any of our future agreements could result in a significant loss of business, business opportunities or capital.
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 SEC, which are charged with the protection of investors and the oversight of companies whose securities are
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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 seeking a business combination target.
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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CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
Some of the statements contained in this prospectus 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. Forward-looking statements in this prospectus may include, for example, statements about:
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our ability to select an appropriate target business or businesses;
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our ability to complete our initial business combination;
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our expectations around the performance of a prospective target business or businesses;
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our success in retaining or recruiting, or changes required in, our officers, key employees or directors following our initial business combination;
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our officers and directors allocating their time to other businesses and potentially having conflicts of interest with our business or in approving our initial business combination;
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our potential ability to obtain additional financing to complete our initial business combination;
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our pool of prospective target businesses;
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our ability to consummate an initial business combination due to the uncertainty resulting from the recent COVID-19 pandemic;
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the ability of our officers and directors to generate a number of potential business combination opportunities;
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our public securities’ potential liquidity and trading;
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the lack of a market for our securities;
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the use of proceeds not held in the trust account or available to us from interest income on the trust account balance;
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the trust account not being subject to claims of third parties; or
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our financial performance following this offering.
The forward-looking statements contained in this prospectus 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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USE OF PROCEEDS
We are offering 15,000,000 units at an offering price of $10.00 per unit. We estimate that the net proceeds of this offering, together with the funds we will receive from the sale of the private placement warrants, will be used as set forth in the following table:
| | | Without Over- allotment Option | | | Over-allotment Option Exercised | | ||||||
Gross proceeds | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Gross proceeds from units offered to public(1) | | | | $ | 150,000,000 | | | | | $ | 172,500,000 | | |
Gross proceeds from private placement warrants offered in the private placement | | | | | 8,500,000 | | | | | | 9,400,000 | | |
Total gross proceeds | | | | $ | 158,500,000 | | | | | $ | 181,900,000 | | |
Estimated offering expenses(2) | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Underwriting commissions (2.0% of gross proceeds from units offered to public, excluding deferred portion)(3) | | | | $ | 3,000,000 | | | | | $ | 3,450,000 | | |
Legal fees and expenses | | | | | 300,000 | | | | | | 300,000 | | |
Printing and engraving expenses | | | | | 35,000 | | | | | | 35,000 | | |
Accounting fees and expenses | | | | | 50,000 | | | | | | 50,000 | | |
Travel and roadshow | | | | | 20,000 | | | | | | 20,000 | | |
SEC/FINRA Expenses | | | | | 70,000 | | | | | | 70,000 | | |
NASDAQ listing and filing fees | | | | | 75,000 | | | | | | 75,000 | | |
Miscellaneous | | | | | 50,000 | | | | | | 50,000 | | |
Total estimated offering expenses (other than underwriting commissions) | | | | $ | 600,000 | | | | | $ | 600,000 | | |
Proceeds after estimated offering expenses | | | | $ | 154,900,000 | | | | | $ | 177,850,000 | | |
Held in trust account(3) | | | | $ | 153,000,000 | | | | | $ | 175,950,000 | | |
% of public offering size | | | | | 102% | | | | | | 102% | | |
Not held in trust account | | | | $ | 1,900,000 | | | | | $ | 1,900,000 | | |
The following table shows the use of the estimated $1,900,000 of net proceeds not held in the trust account.(4)(5)
| | | Amount | | | % of Total | | ||||||
Legal, accounting, due diligence, travel and other expenses in connection with any business combination(6) | | | | | 300,000 | | | | | | 16% | | |
Legal and accounting fees related to regulatory reporting obligations | | | | | 260,000 | | | | | | 14% | | |
Director and Officer liability insurance premiums | | | | | 500,000 | | | | | | 26% | | |
Expenses for office space, utilities, administrative and other support services | | | | | 650,000 | | | | | | 34% | | |
NASDAQ listing fees | | | | | 55,000 | | | | | | 3% | | |
Working capital to cover miscellaneous expenses (including franchise taxes net of anticipated interest income) | | | | | 135,000 | | | | | | 7% | | |
Total | | | | $ | 1,900,000 | | | | | | 100.0% | | |
(1)
Includes amounts payable to public shareholders who properly redeem their shares in connection with our successful completion of our initial business combination.
(2)
A portion of the offering expenses will be paid from the proceeds of loans from our sponsor of up to $300,000 as described in this prospectus. As of June 30, 2021 we had borrowed $170,000 under the promissory note with our sponsor. These amounts will be repaid upon completion of this offering
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out of the offering proceeds that has been allocated for the payment of offering expenses (other than underwriting commissions) and not to be held in the trust account. In the event that offering expenses are less than as set forth in this table, any such amounts will be used for post-closing working capital expenses. These expenses are estimates only. In the event that the offering expenses are more than as set forth in this table, we may fund such excess with funds not held in the trust account.
(3)
The underwriters have agreed to defer underwriting commissions of 3.5% of the gross proceeds of this offering. Upon and concurrently with the completion of our initial business combination, $5,250,000, which constitutes the underwriters’ deferred commissions (or $6,037,500 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) will be paid to the underwriters from the funds held in the trust account. See “Underwriting.” The remaining funds, less amounts released to the trustee to pay redeeming shareholders, will be released to us and can be used to pay all or a portion of the purchase price of the business or businesses with which our initial business combination occurs or for general corporate purposes, including payment of principal or interest on indebtedness incurred in connection with our initial business combination, to fund the purchases of other companies or for working capital. The underwriters will not be entitled to any interest accrued on the deferred underwriting discounts and commissions.
(4)
These expenses are estimates only. Our actual expenditures for some or all of these items may differ from the estimates set forth herein. For example, we may incur greater legal and accounting expenses than our current estimates in connection with negotiating and structuring our initial business combination based upon the level of complexity of such business combination. In the event we identify a business combination target in a specific industry subject to specific regulations, we may incur additional expenses associated with legal due diligence and the engagement of special legal counsel. In addition, our staffing needs may vary and as a result, we may engage a number of consultants to assist with legal and financial due diligence. The payment for office space, utilities, administrative and support services in the table above assumes the consummation of our initial business combination takes 18 months. We do not anticipate any change in our intended use of proceeds, other than fluctuations among the current categories of allocated expenses, which fluctuations, to the extent they exceed current estimates for any specific category of expenses, would not be available for our expenses. The amount in the table above does not include interest available to us from the trust account. The proceeds held in the trust account will be invested only in U.S. government treasury obligations with a maturity of 185 days or less or in money market funds meeting certain conditions under Rule 2a-7 under the Investment Company Act which invest only in direct U.S. government treasury obligations. Assuming an interest rate of 0.20% per year, we estimate the interest earned on the trust account will be approximately $300,000 per year. However, we can provide no assurances regarding this amount and we may elect to have the proceeds held in trust be invested in non-interest bearing instruments. In addition, in order to fund working capital deficiencies or finance transaction costs in connection with an intended initial business combination, our sponsor or an affiliate of our sponsor or certain of our officers and directors may, but are not obligated to, loan us funds as may be required. If we complete our initial business combination, we may repay such loaned amounts out of the proceeds of the trust account released to us. Otherwise, such loans may be repaid only out of funds held outside the trust account. Up to $1,500,000 of such loans may be convertible into warrants at a price of $1.00 per warrant at the option of the lender. The warrants would be identical to the private placement warrants issued to our sponsor. The terms of such loans, if any, have not been determined and no written agreements exist with respect to such loans. Prior to 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.
(5)
Assumes no exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option.
(6)
Includes estimated amounts that may also be used in connection with our initial business combination to fund a “no shop” provision and commitment fees for financing.
Of the $154,900,000 in net proceeds we receive from this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants, $153,000,000 ($10.20 per unit), or $175,950,000 if the underwriters’ over- allotment option is exercised in full ($10.20 per unit), will be deposited into a U.S.-based trust account at Citibank NA, NY with Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company acting as trustee, including $5,250,000, or up to $6,037,500 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full, in deferred underwriting compensation will be used to pay expenses in connection with the closing of this offering (including the portion of the underwriting commissions payable upon closing of this offering) and for working capital following this offering. We will not be permitted to withdraw any of the principal or interest held in the trust account, except
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with respect to interest earned on the funds held in the trust account that may be released to us to pay our income taxes, if any, until the earliest of (i) the completion of our initial business combination, (ii) the redemption of our public shares if we have not completed our initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 24 months from the closing of this offering at the election of the Company in two separate three month extensions subject to satisfaction of certain conditions, including the deposit of up to $1,500,000, or $1,725,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full ($0.10 per unit in either case) for each three month extension, into the trust account, or as extended by the Company’s shareholders in accordance with our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association) subject to applicable law, or (iii) the redemption of our public shares properly submitted in connection with a shareholder vote to approve an amendment to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association (A) that would modify the substance or timing of our obligation to provide holders of our Class A ordinary shares the right to have their shares redeemed in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 24 months from the closing of this offering at the election of the Company in two separate three month extensions subject to satisfaction of certain conditions, including the deposit of up to $1,500,000, or $1,725,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full ($0.10 per unit in either case) for each three month extension, into the trust account, or as extended by the Company’s shareholders in accordance with our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association) or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to the rights of holders of our Class A ordinary shares. Based on current interest rates, we expect that interest income earned on the trust account (if any) will be sufficient to pay our income taxes.
The net proceeds held in the trust account may be used as consideration to pay the sellers of a target business with which we ultimately complete our initial business combination. If our initial business combination is paid for using equity or debt, 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 the redemption of our public shares, we may apply the balance of the cash released from the trust account for general corporate purposes, including for maintenance or expansion of operations of the post-business combination 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. There is no limitation on our ability to raise funds privately or through loans in connection with our initial business combination.
We believe that amounts not held in trust, together with funds available to us from loans from our sponsor, its affiliates or members of our management team will be sufficient to pay the costs and expenses to which such proceeds are allocated. However, if our estimate of the costs of undertaking in-depth due diligence and negotiating a business combination is less than the actual amount necessary to do so, we may be required to raise additional capital, the amount, availability and cost of which is currently unascertainable. If we are required to seek additional capital, we could seek such additional capital through loans or additional investments from our sponsor or an affiliate of our sponsor or certain of our officers and directors although they are under no obligation to advance funds to us in such circumstances.
We will enter into an administrative services agreement pursuant to which we will pay our sponsor or an affiliate thereof $10,000 per month for office space, utilities, secretarial and administrative support services provided to members of our management team and other expenses and obligations of our sponsor. Upon completion of our initial business combination or our liquidation, we will cease paying these monthly fees. Furthermore, we may enter into consulting arrangements directly or indirectly with individuals (who will not be our executive officers) to provide similar services.
Prior to the closing of this offering, our sponsor has agreed to loan us up to $300,000 to be used for a portion of the expenses of this offering. As of June 30, 2021, we have borrowed $170,000 under the promissory note. These loans are non-interest bearing, unsecured and are due at the earlier of December 31, 2021 and the closing of this offering. The loan will be repaid upon the closing of this offering out of the offering proceeds not held in the trust account.
In addition, in order to finance transaction costs in connection with an intended initial business combination, our sponsor or an affiliate of our sponsor or certain of our officers and directors may, but are not obligated to, loan us funds as may be required. If we complete our initial business combination, we may repay such loaned amounts out of the proceeds of the trust account released to us. Otherwise, such loans may be repaid only out of funds held outside the trust account. In the event that our initial business combination does not close, we may use a portion of the working
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capital held outside the trust account to repay such loaned amounts but no proceeds from our trust account would be used to repay such loaned amounts. Up to $1,500,000 of such loans may be convertible into warrants of the post-business combination entity at a price of $1.00 per warrant at the option of the lender. The warrants would be identical to the private placement warrants. Except as set forth above, the terms of such loans, if any, have not been determined and no written agreements exist with respect to such loans. Prior to the completion of our initial business combination, we do not expect to seek loans from parties other than our sponsor, its affiliates or any members of our management team 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.
DIVIDEND POLICY
We have not paid any cash dividends on our ordinary shares to date and do not intend to pay cash dividends prior to the completion of our initial business combination. The payment of cash dividends in the future will be dependent upon our revenues and earnings, if any, capital requirements and general financial condition subsequent to completion of our initial business combination. The payment of any cash dividends subsequent to our initial business combination will be within the discretion of our board of directors at such time. If we increase the size of this offering, we will effect a share capitalization or other appropriate mechanism immediately prior to the consummation of this offering in such amount as to maintain the number of founder shares, on an as-converted basis, at 20% of our issued and outstanding ordinary shares upon the consummation of this offering. Further, if we incur any indebtedness in connection with a business combination, our ability to declare dividends may be limited by restrictive covenants we may agree to in connection therewith.
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DILUTION
The difference between the public offering price per Class A ordinary share, assuming no value is attributed to the warrants included in the units we are offering pursuant to this prospectus or the private placement warrants, and the pro forma net tangible book value per Class A ordinary share after this offering constitutes the dilution to investors in this offering. Such calculation does not reflect any dilution associated with the sale and exercise of warrants, including the private placement warrants, which would cause the actual dilution to the public shareholders to be higher, particularly where a cashless exercise is utilized. Net tangible book value per share is determined by dividing our net tangible book value, which is our total tangible assets less total liabilities (including the value of Class A ordinary shares which may be redeemed for cash), by the number of outstanding Class A ordinary shares.
At June 30, 2021, our net tangible book value was a deficit of $(394,000), or approximately $(0.11) per ordinary share. After giving effect to the sale of 15,000,000 Class A ordinary shares included in the units we are offering by this prospectus (or 17,250,000 Class A ordinary shares if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), the sale of the private placement warrants and the deduction of underwriting commissions and estimated expenses of this offering, our pro forma net tangible book value at June 30, 2021 would have been $(4.81) (or $(4.79) per share if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), representing an immediate decrease in net tangible book value (as decreased by the value of 15,000,000 Class A ordinary shares that may be redeemed for cash, or 17,250,000 Class A ordinary shares if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) of $(4.70) per share (or $(4.70) per share if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) to our sponsor as of the date of this prospectus and an immediate dilution to public shareholders from this offering of $10.00 per public share. Total dilution to public shareholders from this offering will be $14.81 per share (or $14.79 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full).
The following table illustrates the dilution to the public shareholders on a per-share basis, assuming no value is attributed to the warrants included in the units or the private placement warrants:
| | | Without Over-allotment | | | With Over-allotment | | ||||||||||||||||||
Public offering price | | | | | | | | | | $ | 10.00 | | | | | | | | | | | $ | 10.00 | | |
Net tangible book deficit before this offering | | | | | (0.11) | | | | | | | | | | | | (0.09) | | | | | | | | |
Increase attributable to public shareholders | | | | | (4.70) | | | | | | | | | | | | (4.70) | | | | | | | | |
Pro forma net tangible book value after this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants | | | | | | | | | | $ | (4.81) | | | | | | | | | | | $ | (4.79) | | |
Dilution to public shareholders | | | | | | | | | | $ | 14.81 | | | | | | | | | | | $ | 14.79 | | |
Percentage of dilution to public shareholders | | | | | | | | | | | 148.1% | | | | | | | | | | | | 147.9% | | |
For purposes of presentation, we have reduced our pro forma net tangible book value after this offering (assuming no exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option) by $153,000,000 because holders of up to 100% of our public shares may redeem their shares for a pro rata share of the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account at a per share redemption price equal to the amount in the trust account as set forth in our tender offer or proxy materials (initially anticipated to be the aggregate amount held in trust two business days prior to the consummation of our initial business combination, including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our income taxes, if any, divided by the number of the then-outstanding public shares).
The following table sets forth information with respect to our sponsor and the public shareholders:
| | | Shares Purchased | | | Total Contribution | | | Average Price Per Share | | | | | |||||||||||||||||||||
| | | Number | | | Percentage | | | Amount | | | Percentage | | | ||||||||||||||||||||
Class B Ordinary Shares(1) | | | | | 3,750,000 | | | | | | 20.0% | | | | | $ | 25,000 | | | | | | 0.0167% | | | | | $ | 0.00667 | | | | ||
Public Shareholders | | | | | 15,000,000 | | | | | | 80.0% | | | | | | 150,000,000 | | | | | | 99.9833% | | | | | $ | 10.00 | | | | ||
| | | | | 18,750,000 | | | | | | 100.0% | | | | | $ | 150,025,000 | | | | | | 100.000% | | | | | | | | | |
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(1)
Assumes no exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option and the corresponding forfeiture of 562,500 Class B ordinary shares held by our sponsor.
The pro forma net tangible book value per share after this offering (assuming that the underwriters do not exercise its over-allotment option) is calculated as follows (dollar amounts in thousands):
| | | Without Over- allotment | | | With Over- allotment | | ||||||
Numerator | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Net tangible book before this offering | | | | $ | (394,000) | | | | | $ | (394,000) | | |
Net proceeds from this offering and sale of the private placement warrants(1) | | | | | 154,900,000 | | | | | | 177,850,000 | | |
Plus: Offering costs paid in advance, excluded from tangible book value before this offering | | | | | 365,000 | | | | | | 365,000 | | |
Less: Deferred underwriting commissions | | | | | (5,250,000) | | | | | | (6,038,000) | | |
Less: Warrant liability | | | | | (14,645,000) | | | | | | (16,497,000) | | |
Less: Class A ordinary shares subject to possible redemption(2) | | | | | (153,000,000) | | | | | | (175,950,000) | | |
| | | | $ | (18,024,000) | | | | | $ | (20,664,000) | | |
Denominator: | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Ordinary shares outstanding prior to this offering | | | | | 4,312,500 | | | | | | 4,312,500 | | |
Ordinary shares forfeited if over-allotment is not exercised | | | | | (562,500) | | | | | | — | | |
Ordinary shares included in the units offered | | | | | 15,000,000 | | | | | | 17,250,000 | | |
Less: Class A ordinary shares subject to redemption | | | | | (15,000,000) | | | | | | (17,250,000) | | |
| | | | | 3,750,000 | | | | | | 4,312,500 | | |
(1)
Expenses applied against gross proceeds include offering expenses of $600,000 and underwriting commissions of $3,000,000 or $3,450,000 if the underwrites exercises its over-allotment option (excluding deferred underwriting fees). See “Use of Proceeds.”
(2)
If we seek shareholder 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, executive officers, advisors or their affiliates may purchase public shares or warrants in privately negotiated transactions or in the open market either prior to or following the completion of our initial business combination. In the event of any such purchases of our shares prior to the completion of our initial business combination, the number of Class A ordinary shares subject to redemption will be reduced by the amount of any such purchases, increasing the pro forma net tangible book value per share. See “Proposed Business Effecting Our Initial Business Combination—Effecting Our Initial Business Combination—Permitted Purchases and Other Transactions with Respect to Our Securities.”
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CAPITALIZATION
The following table sets forth our capitalization at June 30, 2021, and as adjusted to give effect to the filing of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, the sale of our units in this offering and the private placement warrants and the application of the estimated net proceeds derived from the sale of such securities (dollar amounts rounded to nearest thousand dollars):
| | | June 30, 2021 | | |||||||||
| | | Actual | | | As Adjusted(1) | | ||||||
| | | (unaudited) | | | | | | | | |||
Note payable to related party(2) | | | | $ | 170,000 | | | | | $ | — | | |
Deferred underwriting commissions | | | | | — | | | | | | 5,250,000 | | |
Warrant liability(3) | | | | | — | | | | | | 14,645,000 | | |
Class A ordinary shares subject to possible redemption, -0- and 15,000,000 shares, actual and as adjusted, respectively(4) | | | | | — | | | | | | 153,000,000 | | |
Shareholders’ equity: | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Preference shares, $0.0001 par value; 1,000,000 shares authorized, none issued and outstanding, actual and as adjusted | | | | | — | | | | | | — | | |
Class A Ordinary shares, $0.0001 par value, 200,000,000 shares authorized, -0- and -0- shares issued and outstanding (excluding -0- and 15,000,000 shares subject to possible redemption), actual and as adjusted, respectively -0-(4) | | | | | — | | | | | | — | | |
Class B ordinary shares, $0.0001 par value, 20,000,000 shares authorized, actual and as adjusted; 4,312,500 and 3,750,000 issued and outstanding, actual and as adjusted, respectively, rounded to $-0- and $-0-(1) | | | | | — | | | | | | — | | |
Additional paid-in capital | | | | | 25,000 | | | | | | — | | |
Accumulated deficit | | | | | (54,000) | | | | | | (18,024,000) | | |
Total shareholders’ equity | | | | $ | (29,000) | | | | | $ | (18,024,000) | | |
Total capitalization | | | | $ | 141,000 | | | | | $ | 154,871,000 | | |
(1)
On June 30, 2021, our Sponsor surrendered 2,156,250 Class B ordinary shares for no consideration, resulting in 4,312,500 shares outstanding of which 562,500 are subject to forfeiture in the event the underwriters’ over-allotment option is not exercised. All share and per share amounts have been restated.
(2)
Our sponsor has agreed to loan us up to $300,000 to be used for a portion of the expenses of this offering. As of June 30, 2021, we had borrowed $170,000 under the promissory note with our sponsor.
(3)
The Company will account for the 16,000,000 warrants to be issued in connection with this offering (including 7,500,000 warrants included in the units and 8,500,000 private placement warrants, assuming the underwriters’ over-allotment option is not exercised) in accordance with the guidance contained in Accounting Standards Codification Topic 815-40. Such guidance provides that because the warrants do not meet the criteria for equity treatment thereunder, each warrant must be recorded as a liability. Accordingly, we will classify each warrant as a liability at its fair value. This liability is subject to re-measurement at each balance sheet date. With each such re-measurement, the warrant liability will be adjusted to fair value as determined by us based upon a valuation report obtained from our independent third-party valuation firm, with the change in fair value recognized in our statement of operations. The warrants are also subject to re-evaluation of the proper classification and accounting treatment at each reporting period. The amount presented is an estimate based on such an independent valuation report using a valuation date of June 25, 2021.
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(4)
Upon the completion of our initial business combination, we will provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem their public shares for cash at a per share price equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account calculated as of two business days prior to the consummation of the initial business combination, including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our income taxes, if any, divided by the number of the then-outstanding public shares. While redemptions cannot cause our net tangible assets to fall below $5,000,001, all common stock shares are redeemable and classified as such on the balance sheet until such time as a redemption event takes place.
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MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION
AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
Overview
We are a blank check company incorporated on February 9, 2021 as a Cayman Islands exempted company for the purpose of effecting a merger, share exchange, asset acquisition, share purchase, reorganization or similar business combination with one or more businesses or entities. We have not selected any business combination target and we have not, nor has anyone on our behalf, initiated any substantive discussions, directly or indirectly, with any business combination target. We intend to effectuate our initial business combination using cash from the proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants, our shares, debt or a combination of cash, equity and debt.
The issuance of additional shares in a business combination:
•
may significantly dilute the equity interest of investors in this offering, which dilution would increase if the anti-dilution provisions in the Class B ordinary shares resulted in the issuance of Class A ordinary shares on a greater than one-to-one basis upon conversion of the Class B ordinary shares;
•
may subordinate the rights of holders of Class A ordinary shares if preference shares are issued with rights senior to those afforded our Class A ordinary shares;
•
could cause a change in control if a substantial number of our Class A ordinary shares 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;
•
may have the effect of delaying or preventing a change of control of us by diluting the share ownership or voting rights of a person seeking to obtain control of us;
•
may adversely affect prevailing market prices for our units, Class A ordinary shares and/or warrants; and may not result in adjustment to the exercise price of our warrants.
Similarly, if we issue debt or otherwise incur significant debt, it could result in:
•
default and foreclosure on our assets if our operating revenues after an initial business combination are insufficient to repay our debt obligations;
•
acceleration of our obligations to repay the indebtedness even if we make all principal and interest payments when due if we breach certain covenants that require the maintenance of certain financial ratios or reserves without a waiver or renegotiation of that covenant;
•
our immediate payment of all principal and accrued interest, if any, if the debt is payable on demand;
•
our inability to obtain necessary additional financing if the debt contains covenants restricting our ability to obtain such financing while the debt is outstanding;
•
our inability to pay dividends on our Class A ordinary shares;
•
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 Class A ordinary shares if declared, expenses, capital expenditures, acquisitions and other general corporate purposes;
•
limitations on our flexibility in planning for and reacting to changes in our business and in the industry in which we operate;
•
increased vulnerability to adverse changes in general economic, industry and competitive conditions and adverse changes in government regulation; and
•
limitations on our ability to borrow additional amounts for expenses, capital expenditures, acquisitions, debt service requirements, execution of our strategy and other purposes and other disadvantages compared to our competitors who have less debt.
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As indicated in the accompanying financial statements, as of February 10, 2021, we had $-0- of cash and working capital. As of June 30, 2021, we had $61,000 of cash and working capital deficit of approximately $394,000. Further, we expect to incur significant costs in the pursuit of our initial business combination. We cannot assure you that our plans to raise capital or to complete our initial business combination will be successful.
Results of Operations and Known Trends or Future Events
We have neither engaged in any operations nor generated any revenues to date. Our only activities since inception have been organizational activities and those necessary to prepare for this offering. Following this offering, we will not generate any operating revenues until after completion of our initial business combination. For the periods from February 9, 2021 (inception) to February 10, 2021 and to June 30, 2021 we had losses from operations of approximately $5,000 and $54,000 associated with our organizational activities and those necessary to prepare for this offering. We will generate non-operating income in the form of interest income on cash and cash equivalents after this offering. There has been no significant change in our financial or trading position and no material adverse change has occurred since the date of our audited financial statements. After this offering, we expect to incur increased expenses as a result of being a public company (for legal, financial reporting, accounting and auditing compliance), as well as for due diligence expenses. We expect our expenses to increase substantially after the closing of this offering.
Liquidity and Capital Resources
Our liquidity needs have been satisfied prior to the completion of this offering through (i) $25,000 paid by our sponsor to cover certain of our offering and formation costs in exchange for the issuance of the founder shares to our sponsor and (ii) the receipt of loans to us of up to $300,000 by our sponsor under an unsecured promissory note. As of February 10, 2021, we had not borrowed any amounts under the unsecured promissory note. Subsequent to February 10, 2021 we borrowed $10,000 on March 2, 2021and $50,000 on March 17, 2021 and an aggregate of $110,000 during June 2021 resulting in a balance outstanding under the Note of $170,000 at June 30, 2021.
We estimate that the net proceeds from (i) the sale of the units in this offering, after deducting estimated offering expenses of $600,000, underwriting commissions of $3,000,000, or $3,450,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full (excluding deferred underwriting commissions of $5,250,000, or $6,037,500 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), and (ii) the sale of the private placement warrants for a purchase price of $8,500,000 (or $9,400,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) will be $154,900,000 (or $177,850,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full). Of this amount, $153,000,000 (or $175,950,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) will be held in the trust account, which includes the deferred underwriting commissions described above. The proceeds held in the trust account will be invested only in U.S. government treasury obligations with a maturity of 185 days or less or in money market funds meeting certain conditions under Rule 2a-7 under the Investment Company Act which invest only in direct U.S. government treasury obligations. The remaining $1,900,000 will not be held in the trust account. In the event that our offering expenses exceed our estimate of $600,000, 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. Conversely, in the event that the offering expenses are less than our estimate of $600,000, the amount of funds we intend to be held outside the trust account would increase by a corresponding amount.
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. Our annual income tax obligations will depend on the amount of interest and other income earned on the amounts held in the trust account. 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.
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Prior to the completion of our initial business combination, we will have available to us the $1,900,000 of proceeds held outside the trust account, as well as certain funds from loans from our sponsor, its affiliates or members of our management team. We will 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.
We do not believe we will need to raise additional funds following this offering in order to meet the expenditures required for operating our business prior to our initial business combination, other than funds available from loans from our sponsor, its affiliates or members of our management team. However, if our estimates of the costs of identifying a target business, undertaking in-depth due diligence and negotiating an initial business combination are less than the actual amount necessary to do so, we may have insufficient funds available to operate our business prior to our initial business combination. In order to fund working capital deficiencies or finance transaction costs in connection with an intended initial business combination, our sponsor or an affiliate of our sponsor or certain of our officers and directors may, but are not obligated to, loan us funds as may be required. If we complete our initial business combination, we may repay such loaned amounts out of the proceeds of the trust account released to us. In the event that our initial business combination does not close, we may use a portion of the working capital held outside the trust account to repay such loaned amounts but no proceeds from our trust account would be used for such repayment. Up to $1,500,000 of such loans may be convertible into warrants of the post-business combination entity at a price of $1.00 per warrant at the option of the lender. The warrants would be identical to the private placement warrants. The terms of such loans, if any, have not been determined and no written agreements exist with respect to such loans. Prior to the completion of our initial business combination, we do not expect to seek loans from parties other than our sponsor, its affiliates or our management team 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.
We expect our primary liquidity requirements during that period to include approximately $300,000 for legal, accounting, due diligence, travel and other expenses associated with structuring, negotiating and documenting successful business combinations; $260,000 for legal and accounting fees related to regulatory reporting obligations; $650,000 for office space, administrative and other support services; $500,000 for directors and officers insurance liability premiums; $55,000 for NASDAQ continued listing fees; and $135,000 for general working capital that will be used for miscellaneous expenses and reserves. We will enter into an administrative services agreement pursuant to which we will pay our sponsor or an affiliate thereof $10,000 per month (which is a portion of the amounts referenced in the immediately preceding sentence) for office space, utilities, secretarial and administrative services provided to members of our management team and other expenses and obligations of our sponsor. Furthermore, we may enter into consulting arrangements directly or indirectly with individuals (who will not be our executive officers) to provide similar services.
These amounts are estimates and may differ materially from our actual expenses. In addition, we could use a portion of the funds not being placed in trust to pay commitment fees for financing, fees to consultants to assist us with our search for a target business or as a down payment or to fund a “no-shop” provision (a provision designed to keep target businesses from “shopping” around for transactions with other companies or investors on terms more favorable to such target businesses) with respect to a particular proposed business combination, although we do not have any current intention to do so. If we entered into an agreement where we paid for the right to receive exclusivity from a target business, the amount that would be used as a down payment or to fund a “no-shop” provision would be determined based on the terms of the specific business combination and the amount of our available funds at the time. Our forfeiture of such funds (whether as a result of our breach or otherwise) could result in our not having sufficient funds to continue searching for, or conducting due diligence with respect to, prospective target businesses.
Moreover, we may need to obtain additional financing to complete our initial business combination, either because the transaction requires more cash than is available from the proceeds held in our trust account, or because we become obligated to redeem a significant number of our public shares upon completion of the business combination, in which case we may issue additional securities or incur debt in connection with
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such business combination. If we have not consummated our initial business combination within the required time period because we do not have sufficient funds available to us, we will be forced to cease operations and liquidate the trust account.
Controls and Procedures
We are not currently required to maintain an effective system of internal controls as defined by Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. We will be required to comply with the internal control requirements of the Sarbanes- Oxley Act for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2022. Only in the event that we are deemed to be a large accelerated filer or an accelerated filer and no longer qualify as an emerging growth company would we be required to comply with the independent registered public accounting firm attestation requirement on internal control over financial reporting. Further, for as long as we remain an emerging growth company as defined in the JOBS Act, we intend to take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not “emerging growth companies” including, but not limited to, not being required to comply with the independent registered public accounting firm attestation requirement.
Prior to the closing of this offering, we have not completed an assessment, nor have our auditors tested our systems, of our internal controls. We expect to assess the internal controls of our target business or businesses prior to the completion of our initial business combination and, if necessary, to implement and test additional controls as we may determine are necessary in order to state that we maintain an effective system of internal controls. A target business may not be in compliance with the provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act regarding the adequacy of internal controls. Many small and mid-sized target businesses we may consider for our initial business combination may have internal controls that need improvement in areas such as:
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staffing for financial, accounting and external reporting areas, including segregation of duties;
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reconciliation of accounts;
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proper recording of expenses and liabilities in the period to which they relate;
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evidence of internal review and approval of accounting transactions;
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documentation of processes, assumptions and conclusions underlying significant estimates; and
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documentation of accounting policies and procedures.
Because it will take time, management involvement and perhaps outside resources to determine what internal control improvements are necessary for us to meet regulatory requirements and market expectations for our operation of a target business, we may incur significant expenses in meeting our public reporting responsibilities, particularly in the areas of designing, enhancing, or remediating internal and disclosure controls. Doing so effectively may also take longer than we expect, thus increasing our exposure to financial fraud or erroneous financing reporting.
Once our management’s report on internal controls is complete, we will retain our independent auditors to audit and render an opinion on such report when required by Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. The independent auditors may identify additional issues concerning a target business’s internal controls while performing their audit of internal control over financial reporting.
Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk
The net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants held in the trust account will be invested in U.S. government treasury obligations with a maturity of 185 days or less or in money market funds meeting certain conditions under Rule 2a-7 under the Investment Company Act which invest only in direct U.S. government treasury obligations. Due to the short-term nature of these investments, we believe there will be no associated material exposure to interest rate risk. However, we may elect to have the proceeds held in trust invested in non-interest bearing instruments. Additionally, if the interest rates of U.S. Treasury obligations become negative, we may have less interest income available to us for payment of taxes, and a decline in the value of the assets held in the trust account could reduce the principal below the amount initially deposited in the trust account.
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Off-balance Sheet Arrangements; Commitments and Contractual Obligations; Quarterly Results
As of February 10, 2021, we did not have any off-balance sheet arrangements as defined in Item 303(a)(4)(ii) of Regulation S-K and did not have any commitments or contractual obligations. No unaudited quarterly operating data is included in this prospectus as we have not conducted any operations to date.
JOBS Act
The JOBS Act contains provisions that, among other things, relax certain reporting requirements for qualifying public companies. We will qualify as an “emerging growth company” and under the JOBS Act will be allowed to comply with new or revised accounting pronouncements based on the effective date for private (not publicly traded) companies. We are electing to delay the adoption of new or revised accounting standards, and as a result, we may not comply with new or revised accounting standards on the relevant dates on which adoption of such standards is required for non-emerging growth companies. As a result, our financial statements may not be comparable to companies that comply with new or revised accounting pronouncements as of public company effective dates.
Additionally, we are in the process of evaluating the benefits of relying on the other reduced reporting requirements provided by the JOBS Act. Subject to certain conditions set forth in the JOBS Act, if, as an “emerging growth company,” we choose to rely on such exemptions we may not be required to, among other things, (i) provide an auditor’s attestation report on our system of internal controls over financial reporting pursuant to Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, (ii) provide all of the compensation disclosure that may be required of non-emerging growth public companies under the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, (iii) comply with any requirement that may be adopted by the PCAOB regarding mandatory audit firm rotation or a supplement to the auditor’s report providing additional information about the audit and the financial statements (auditor discussion and analysis) and (iv) disclose certain executive compensation related items such as the correlation between executive compensation and performance and comparisons of the chief executive officer’s compensation to median employee compensation. These exemptions will apply for a period of five years following the completion of our initial public offering or until we are no longer an “emerging growth company,” whichever is earlier.
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PROPOSED BUSINESS
Overview
Global Technology Acquisition Corp. I (“GTAC”, “the Company”) is a newly formed blank check company, incorporated as a Cayman Islands exempted company for the purpose of effecting a merger, share exchange, asset acquisition, share 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 a business combination with us.
While we may pursue an initial business combination target in any business, industry or geographical location, we intend to focus on technology companies that operate in the marketplace, FinTech and SaaS verticals within Europe, Latam and the U.S., where we believe our management team, board members and advisors have a competitive advantage based on their prior experiences and investments.
We are a team of entrepreneurs led by Fabrice Grinda (Executive Chairman) and Arnau Porto (CEO) who have significant experience in founding, operating and investing in successful technology companies. Our management team is led by Arnau Porto, our CEO, and Claudia Gast as our CFO. Our founding sponsors are FJ Labs co-founders Fabrice Grinda and Jose Marin, and Arnau Porto, founder of Greentrail Capital. Together as the management and sponsor teams, we have co-founded and led over 10 companies over the past 23 years, including OLX (exit to Naspers), Deremate (exit to MercadoLibre), Zingy (exit to For-Side), LetGo (merged with OfferUp), Aucland (exit to QXL Ricardo) and Adoreme. In addition to our operational successes, we are one of the most prolific technology investors worldwide; in 2018, Forbes named Fabrice Grinda the number one angel investor in the world based on publicly recorded investments and exits.
We have a strong track record in identifying category and industry leaders worldwide, having backed over 600 technology companies over the past two decades across marketplaces, FinTech and SaaS, of which more than 40 have reached a valuation over $1bn (“unicorns”) today, and having achieved attractive returns across our portfolios. As of December 31, 2020, FJ Labs generated an average of 57% IRR and 4.4x MOIC across 225 realized investments. As of December 31, 2020 in the almost two years since he spun-out from Blueport Capital, Arnau Porto achieved a 43% IRR in his public portfolio across industries, and an average 7.5x MOIC (unrealized) across his private investments in Nubank and Kavak. Some of our best investments have included Delivery Hero (DHER—36.0x MOIC) and Farfetch (FTCH—3.8x MOIC) in Europe, Airbnb (ABNB—5.1x MOIC) and Carvana (CVNA—10.2x) in the U.S., Meliuz (CASH3—13.0x MOIC) in LatAm, Alibaba (BABA—10.0x MOIC) and Coupang (CPNG—11.8x MOIC) in Asia.
More importantly, our long and successful history of investing in global technology provides us with a broad and deep network of relationships with founders, other investors and managers. This network provides us with a proprietary approach to sourcing, evaluating and growing technology companies worldwide, which we believe is a competitive advantage relative to other investing entities. We intend to leverage these differentiated capabilities to identify a strong pipeline of potential targets, and once we identify and merge with a given target, drive and accelerate that target business’ next stage of growth.
Technology has experienced a significant paradigm shift over the past decade. An industry that was historically U.S., and more specifically West Coast, dominated, has rapidly expanded across the world as cloud platforms have democratized the development of new technologies, and global internet and smartphone adoption have grown addressable markets by billions of people. Over the last decade, we have invested in a number of global winners born outside the U.S., such as Shopify (SHOP), Spotify (SPOT), Delivery Hero (DHER), OLX and Farfetch (FTCH). While these companies are often treated as exceptions to the traditional U.S.-based winners, we believe they are just examples of the first wave of leading technology companies that will emerge from outside the U.S. Indeed, we are now seeing a new generation of unicorn technology companies founded in previously overlooked countries, including, Sweden (Spotify, Klarna), Lithuania (Vinted), Colombia (Rappi), Brazil (Nubank) and Mexico (Kavak). We believe this internationalization trend will continue and our position as a global investor with deep relationships both in the U.S. and internationally will position us well in identifying a potential target.
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We believe that technology companies will continue to revolutionize the way consumers and businesses behave around the world for years to come. Many of the most innovative technology companies today are regional champions in sectors such as marketplaces, FinTech and SaaS. While we continue to be enthusiastic about the opportunity in the U.S., just over of our investments have been outside the country, and we believe that many of the next generation technology unicorns will emerge from outside the U.S. and China. More than 77% of the global population lives outside of these two countries, and we see strong opportunities in particular in Europe and LatAm.
Given our fundamental belief in the rise of global technology unicorns beyond the U.S. and China, as well as our expertise in marketplaces, FinTech and SaaS businesses, we believe that we are strongly positioned to identify, acquire and guide a business in these specific regions and sectors. Our team’s prior experience as founders and operators, as well as our track record as investors and executives provides us with a differentiated expertise and insight into this cross-section of regions and sectors and positions us as a truly differentiated partner to founders and companies that are seeking an attractive path to becoming a public company. Additionally, we believe we will be a best-in-class partner for public investors looking to benefit from the growth of global winners born outside the U.S., as well as U.S.-born companies with global ambitions.
Our Sponsor
Our sponsor entity is majority led by FJ Labs, which was co-founded by Fabrice Grinda and Jose Marin, Arnau Porto, who is the founder of Greentrail Capital, and Claudia Gast, who is a Partner at Greentrail Management. FJ Labs is a U.S.-based venture capital investment firm with a global mandate to invest and build online marketplaces and technology businesses, and Greentrail Capital is a London-based investment firm focused globally on publicly listed companies and pre-IPO opportunities with an emphasis on international technology and consumer companies. Our sponsor team has a demonstrated history of strong performance based on realized returns. FJ Labs, one of the leading marketplace investors globally, has a track record of investing in more than 600 businesses, of which over 40 have achieved unicorn status as of December 31, 2020 including well-known names that have gone public such as Airbnb, Porch, Opendoor, Meliuz, Enjoei, Uber, Alibaba, Spotify, Tencent Music, Farfetch, Wish, and Delivery Hero. In 2020, FJ Labs reviewed on average over 50 opportunities for potential investments every week, evaluating a total of 2,500+ deals. As of December 31, 2020, FJ Labs has generated an average of 57% IRR and 4.4x MOIC across 225 realized investments. As of December 31, 2020 in the almost two years since he spun-out from Blueport Capital, Arnau Porto achieved a 43% IRR in his public portfolio across industries, and an average 7.5x MOIC (unrealized) across his private investments in Nubank and Kavak.
Fabrice Grinda, co-founder of FJ Labs, is among the world’s leading marketplace entrepreneurs and investors with over 150 exits on over 600 angel investments. In 2018, Forbes named Fabrice Grinda the number one angel investor in the world based on publicly recorded investments and exits. Mr. Grinda was previously the co-founder and co-CEO of OLX, one of the largest online marketplaces worldwide, with over 300 million unique visitors per month and a presence in 45 countries, of which a majority stake was sold to Naspers in 2010. Prior to OLX, Mr. Grinda founded Zingy, a mobile media start-up which he grew to $200m in revenue and was sold to Japanese media conglomerate For-Side in 2004. Mr. Grinda was also the founder of Aucland, one of the largest auction sites in Europe, which merged with QXL Ricardo. Mr. Grinda received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from Princeton University.
Arnau Porto is the founder and Chief Investment Officer of Greentrail Capital. Prior to Greentrail Capital, Mr. Porto co-founded Blueport Capital, a California-based investment partnership backed by the Robert Bass family office. Before that, he was an investment analyst at Viking Global in New York and he started his career as an institutional investor at Blackstone in London. Mr. Porto co-founded Jaguar and LaHaus in Colombia, and Portblue Hotels in Europe. Mr. Porto holds an MBA from Stanford University.
The combination of the founding, operating and sourcing expertise of FJ Labs co-founders, Fabrice Grinda and Jose Marin, combined with the investing experience of Arnau Porto in pre-IPO and publicly listed companies, offers a unique proposition to founders and potential target companies. With a focus on late-stage investments, GTAC sits at the in-between of FJ Labs’ experience in early and growth stage investments, and Greentrail’s role as a growth and public markets investor, allowing it to perfectly capitalize on the two sponsors’ complementary competences.
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Our Management Team, Board of Directors & Advisors
Fabrice Grinda (Executive Chairman), Arnau Porto (Chief Executive Officer), Claudia Gast (Chief Financial Officer) and Jeff Weinstein (Chief Strategy Officer) together form our management team. This management team will be supported by a full-time, dedicated investment team, independent directors and an advisory committee. Our team has extensive experience and a history of working together in various settings, which we believe is vital for the success of identifying and supporting our prospective target.
Fabrice Grinda is the Executive Chairman of the Company. Mr. Grinda has an unmatched track record in marketplace investments and is widely recognized as one of the most prolific and successful marketplace investors in the world. See “Our Sponsor”.
Arnau Porto is the Chief Executive Officer of the Company. Mr. Porto has spent his entire professional career in the investment management industry and has a long-standing history of investing in global technology companies. See “Our Sponsor”.
Claudia Gast is the Chief Financial Officer and Secretary of the Company, and has extensive financial, strategic and operating experience in private equity and Fortune 100 companies. Over the course of her career, Mrs. Gast has aided and led the execution of multiple public and private buy-and sell-side transactions, including numerous acquisitions, equity investments, divestitures and partnerships both domestically and internationally. Most recently Mrs. Gast was part of the Executive team of AM General, a MacAndrews & Forbes portfolio company, where she led the Strategy and M&A for the company and recently completed the sale of the company to KPS. Previously, Mrs. Gast held various financial and strategic management positions at GWR Safety Systems, a portfolio company of GHC Capital, Procter & Gamble and Volkswagen. Mrs. Gast holds an MBA from The University of Chicago Booth School of Business.
Jeff Weinstein is the Chief Strategy Officer of the Company and a Principal at FJ Labs, where he co-heads the fund’s 600+ investments, which have included Alibaba, Flexport, Rappi, Betterment, Fanduel and Delivery Hero, and manages external fundraising efforts. Mr. Weinstein was previously a Senior Associate at Lux Capital, a $2.5 billion AUM venture capital firm that invests in emerging technologies in the physical and life sciences. Prior to that he worked at Dunbar Capital, a multi-strategy fund of hedge funds. Mr. Weinstein is a member of Class 24 of the Kauffman Fellows and has a BA in Philosophy, Politics and Economics from the University of Pennsylvania.
The efforts of our management team and board of directors to source, diligence and negotiate an initial business combination will be supported by a dedicated investment team and our board members.
Aleksander Baranski is a Vice President of the Company. Mr. Baranski has over 10 years of experience in the financial sector. Most recently, he worked at Optiver, a leading proprietary trading firm, where he focused on special situations in Europe and the U.S. Previously, Mr. Baranski invested in private technology companies, including Palantir Technologies and Cohesity. Prior to that, Mr. Baranski worked at Smith Cove Capital Management and Perry Capital, where he invested across the capital structure. Additionally, Mr. Baranski has also worked at The Blackstone Group, where he was involved in multiple transactions across various sectors. He began his career in management consulting with McKinsey & Company. Mr. Baranski holds an MBA with honors from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, a Master’s Degree in International Management from the CEMS Global Alliance in Management Education from the Erasmus University and the Warsaw School of Economics, and a Master’s Degree in Finance with honors from the Warsaw School of Economics.
Dennis Dinkelmeyer is a Vice President of the Company. Mr. Dinkelmeyer has previously held investment roles at Capital Group and Equity Research at Goldman Sachs. His coverage included international technology and growth companies. Throughout his career, Mr. Dinkelmeyer has had experience advising and working with technology companies ranging from early stage to public companies. Mr. Dinkelmeyer received a BSc in Economics from University College London.
George Luo is a Vice President of the Company. Prior to joining the company, Mr. Luo was a Senior Associate at KPS, a family of private equity funds focused on making controlling equity investments in manufacturing and industrial companies across a diverse array of industries. KPS holds $12.3 billion under management as of December 31, 2020. Furthermore, KPS has completed over 80 controlling investments
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through six institutional investment funds, comprising 42 platform investments and 43 follow-on acquisitions in industries including basic materials, branded consumer, healthcare and luxury products, automotive parts, capital equipment and general manufacturing. Prior to that, Mr. Luo was an Investment Banking Associate in the Mergers & Acquisitions group at HSBC. Mr. Luo holds a BS degree in Finance from the Stern School of Business of New York University.
Our efforts will be further augmented by four additional highly experience Board Members: Juan Villalonga, Robert Perdue, Gabriel Silva, and Michael Zeisser, who will bring operational expertise from leadership in public companies, a large network, and, more generally, extensive experience in business and financial matters from operational and advisory roles. Mr. Villalonga, Mr. Perdue, Mr. Silva, and Mr. Zeisser will also provide highly complementary regional expertise respectively in Europe, the U.S. and LatAm. Their experiences in leading and globally scaling companies will provide us with highly valuable further perspectives in sourcing our target business, and will be vital in supporting our target company in the successful growth to global scale.
Juan Villalonga is a Partner at Lutetia Technology Partners and a Strategic Advisor of SparkBeyond. In addition, he currently serves as an advisor to the board of directors of Aiola and Lutetia Capital. Mr. Villalonga has strong operational experience as the former Executive Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Telefónica Group, a Spanish multinational telecommunications company and one of the largest telephone operators and mobile network providers in the world, which he grew from $12 billion to over $100 billion in market capitalization. In 2010, the Harvard Business Review ranked Mr. Villalonga as #33 on the list of the top 100 performing CEOs in the world. He is also the co-founder and partner at Hermes Growth Partners, a growth equity firm focused on technology investments, where he invested in successful private companies such as The Trade Desk and RingCentral, which are now leading public players. Prior to this he was as Partner at McKinsey & Company. Mr. Villalonga holds an MBA from IESE Barcelona and an LLB from the University of Deusto.
Robert Perdue is also a Partner at Lutetia Technology and is a Strategic Advisor to three venture-backed artificial intelligence companies. Additionally, he serves on the Board of Directors of Impact, Inc., the leading SaaS platform for enterprise partnership automation. Mr. Perdue is the former Chief Operating Officer and Board Member of The Trade Desk, where he grew the company’s enterprise value from $20 million to over $15 billion. During his tenure from 2013 to 2019, The Trade Desk grew from a 20-person start-up with revenue of $1 million to over 1,100 employees with $677 million revenue in 2019. Mr. Perdue and the executive team completed an initial public offering of The Trade Desk in 2016. Over the next 3 years, The Trade Desk grew by 15x in the public markets, becoming the #1 performing technology initial public offering stock on the NASDAQ over the last five years. Prior to this, Mr. Perdue was Chief Operating Officer of EyeWonder, a video ad serving company, and an investment banker at The Jordan, Edmiston Group. He holds an MBA from Georgetown University.
Gabriel Silva is the former Chief Financial Officer of Nubank, where he helped to build and scale one of the world’s largest FinTech companies. Previously, Mr. Silva was a partner and Chief Financial Officer of Pravaler, Brazil’s leading provider of private student loans, and before that a Managing Director at York Capital, a New York-based hedge fund. He has lived in 6 different countries and holds an International Diploma from Sciences Po in Paris, and an MBA from Stanford. He is also a member of Fundação Estudar, a Brazilian education non-profit organization.
Michael Zeisser is the Managing Partner of FMZ Ventures, a growth equity investment fund focused on Experience Economy and marketplace ecosystems. Prior to founding FMZ Ventures, Mr. Zeisser was Chairman, U.S. Investments for Alibaba Group and led Alibaba’s strategic investments outside of Asia. Previously, Mr. Zeisser served as Senior Vice President of Liberty Media Corporation, where he acquired and oversaw companies in digital media, eCommerce and online gaming. Mr. Zeisser started his career at McKinsey & Co. in New York, where he was elected a partner and co-founded and led McKinsey’s Internet Practice. Mr. Zeisser has considerable governance experience, having served on numerous public and private boards including IAC, Trip Advisor, Time Inc., Lending Club, Shutterfly, XO Group/TheKnot, Lyft, Magic Leap, and OfferUp. Mr Zeisser graduated with honors from the J.L. Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University, where he was a Procter & Gamble International Academic Scholar.
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In addition to the board, the team has an experienced advisory committee made up of Jeff Epstein, Brian Cook, Alec Oxenford and Paul Gardi. Within the advisory committee Mr. Epstein, Mr. Cook and Mr. Oxenford have SPAC experience.
Jeff Epstein is an operating partner in Bessemer’s Silicon Valley office where he primarily works with chief executive and financial officers to share and implement best practices. He was the former Executive Vice President and CFO of Oracle, one of the world’s largest and most profitable technology companies, with a market value of over $150 billion. Prior to joining Oracle, Mr. Epstein served as CFO of several public and private companies, including DoubleClick (sold to Google), King World Productions (sold to CBS) and Nielsen’s Media Measurement and Information Group. Earlier in his career, he was an investment banker at The First Boston Corporation. Today Mr. Epstein leads the CFO Advisory Board at Bessemer where more than 100 portfolio company CFOs meet in person and online to help each other improve their effectiveness. He specializes in marketplaces and B2B software companies. Each winter, Mr. Epstein teaches the Lean Launchpad class at Stanford University’s Graduate School of Engineering with Steve Blank. He serves on the boards of directors of Kaiser Permanente, Twilio, Shutterstock and several other private companies. Mr. Epstein served on the Board of Directors of Booking Holdings/Priceline for 16 years until 2019. During this time, Booking stock appreciated 180x from $10/share to over $1,800/share. He holds an MBA from the Stanford University Graduate School of Business, where he was an Arjay Miller Scholar, and a BA from Yale College, where he graduated summa cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa.
Brian Cook has over 20 years of experience within M&A, business development, and strategic planning across a wide range of industries. Mr. Cook began his career at PricewaterhouseCoopers (“PwC”), where he was responsible for providing business and financial due diligence and transaction structuring services to financial sponsors and corporate clients on a global basis. While at PwC, Mr. Cook’s transaction experience included Viacom’s acquisition of CBS, Ingersoll-Rand’s disposal of Ingersoll-Dresser Pump and Ford Motor Company’s acquisition of the Volvo Car Corporation. Following his tenure at PwC, Mr. Cook served as the Vice President of Corporate Development and subsequently Global Head of M&A at Honeywell, in which he oversaw a global team of approximately 25 people. Over the course of his 17 years at Honeywell, Mr. Cook aided or led the execution of over 60 buy- and sell-side transactions. These transactions included the acquisitions of Novar plc, Norcross Safety Products and Intelligrated, among others. During 2018, Mr. Cook led the execution of the tax-free spinoffs of Honeywell’s Home Automation (Resideo) and Turbochargers (Garrett Motion) businesses. Mr. Cook’s transaction experience includes public and private transactions across a variety of end markets and product categories.
Alec Oxenford is a serial tech entrepreneur and is regarded as a top technology sector entrepreneur. He is an active angel investor in the technology industry with a focus on emerging markets. Prior to founding Alpha Capital, in 2015, Mr. Oxenford co-founded and served as CEO of letgo until July 2020 when its U.S. operations were merged with OfferUp and its Turkey operations were simultaneously acquired by OLX. Under Mr. Oxenford’s leadership, letgo grew to over 100 million downloads and 400 million listings according to Techcrunch, and became a unicorn. Mr. Oxenford supervised the merger between letgo and OfferUp and he has remained on the board since the merger. Prior to letgo, from 2006 to 2015, Mr. Oxenford co-founded with Fabrice Grinda and led the unicorn OLX. Mr. Oxenford also co-founded DineroMail in 2003, an online payment platform in Latam which was acquired by PayU in 2013. In 1999 during the early days of the Internet, Mr. Oxenford founded DeRemate.com which was acquired by MercadoLibre in 2005. He began his career as a Senior Consultant with The Boston Consulting Group in Madrid (1993-95), São Paulo (1998), and Buenos Aires (1999). He received his MBA with Distinction from Harvard Business School in 1997 and was elected Young Global Leader (2006-11) by the World Economic Forum.
Paul Gardi has extensive entrepreneurial, operations and investment experience. He has been a lead investor in CNET Networks, Personifi and was a seed investor and CEO/ Chairman at Playlist.com. He held the CEO position at IAC/InterActiveCorp Advertising Solutions and COO at Teoma. At Ask Jeeves he was the Executive Vice President of Strategy and Operations. Ask Jeeves was the top performing stock on the Nasdaq in 2004 (shareholder value increased by over 40x) and was later acquired by IAC/InterActiveCorp Advertising Solutions. Prior to this he was a Partner at GeoCapital Partners and worked at Procter & Gamble in their brand management division. Other significant investments include: Uber, Canva, Thras.io, Produce Pay, Ant Financial, Happn, Fanduel, Ecosense, Flexmoney, Comtravo, Viajnet, Heritage Restaurant
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group. He was on the American Express Advisory Board, the Vix Media Board and the IAB Board which sets the standards for internet advertising. Mr. Gardi is a graduate of Harvard College and Harvard Business School.
Our team has a unique combination of entrepreneurial, operational, public and private market investing and M&A and capital markets experience that we believe will differentiate us and will increase our ability to identify successful opportunities and add real value to companies we partner with before and after becoming public.
Industry Opportunity
We believe technology companies across the globe will continue to revolutionize the way consumers and businesses behave for the years to come. Our confidence as investors is supported by the fact that according to PitchBook data, there are 665 technology unicorns globally today valued at $2.6tn as of March 29, 2021 up from 252 and $925bn as of December 31, 2015, demonstrating a highly fertile investment space which we believe will continue to enjoy a strong growth trajectory in the coming years.
Marketplaces, FinTech and SaaS
Four of the five largest U.S. technology IPOs since 2017 (Uber (NYS: UBER), Snowflake (NYS: SNOW), Doordash (NYS: DASH), Lyft (NAS: LYFT), and Airbnb (NAS: ABNB)) have been online marketplaces, and we believe this is not a coincidence. Marketplaces are one of the few business models that prominently feature network effects: the more users a platform has, the more value the marketplace offers to all its participants. Supply attracts demand, which in turn attracts more supply, spinning a flywheel that can create high-growth, capital efficient leaders of scale. We believe that these network effects drive high barriers to entry and winner-takes-all dynamics, allowing for champions to scale to unprecedented sizes. The first generation of marketplaces such as Craigslist are now giving way to a new generation of vertical marketplaces such as Uber, Airbnb and Doordash that specialize in a specific sector, with features that drive substantially more value to buyers and sellers. We are particularly excited by investment opportunities in trends such as the continued “verticalization” of horizontal platforms (Drizly for alcohol delivery), the rise of managed marketplaces that provide more value to the transaction experience (Opendoor for homebuying) and the emergence of B2B marketplaces (Workrise for staffing).
We will additionally target businesses in the FinTech space. FinTech in particular has emerged as a large and vibrant vertical in emerging markets such as LatAm, where FinTech start-ups dominate the ecosystem due to the structural inefficiencies of the financial sectors in this region (with Nubank acting as a prime example of consumers increasingly preferring FinTech players to more traditional financial institutions). Aside from the flourishing FinTech sector we have been observing in LatAm, we see financial capabilities becoming a highly valued asset across many other verticals (e.g. consumer, real estate, software and B2B marketplaces), as offered by emerging FinTech companies like Stripe in B2B and Klarna in B2C.
We also see highly attractive opportunities arising from SaaS models, which have seen 308 IPOs over the past 5 years according to PitchBook data. Leading SaaS businesses offer a highly scalable, easy to deploy, and recurring revenue business model, which provide compelling fundamentals in potential target businesses. While U.S. players have until recently dominated the SaaS market (Palantir, Dropbox), we are observing the rise of highly attractive international SaaS businesses (Aircall) and we believe the international SaaS opportunity will continue to grow at pace. Furthermore, we believe that SaaS will continue to experience significant change, driven by the cloud transition, growth of API platforms, shift to consumption-based revenue models and the emergence of data assets. We believe new models and technology leaders will emerge as a result of this continuous change.
Europe, LatAm and the U.S.
While we have a broad remit to invest globally, we believe we have a particular competitive advantage in Europe, LatAm, and U.S.-born companies with global ambitions. We believe there are opportunities on a global scale and while the U.S. continues to enjoy the most robust technological ecosystem in the world with 328 unicorns as of March 29, 2021 according to PitchBook data, Europe and LatAm are benefiting from strong tailwinds with large cohorts of leading technology platforms now achieving significant scale. This
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is further illustrated by the fact that there are 108 unicorns in Europe and 15 unicorns in Latam valued at $294bn and $48bn, respectively, as of March 29, 2021 according to PitchBook data.
The European technology market has gained significant momentum in recent years on the back of a rise in high-quality privately owned technology companies, increasing volumes of privately funded venture and growth capital, and a new cohort of entrepreneurial role models who have achieved widely acclaimed technology IPOs. The European technology unicorn universe has seen a dramatic growth in recent years, and according to PitchBook data there are 108 technology unicorns in Europe as of March 29, 2021 compared to 34 as of December 31, 2015 with venture capital investment increasing from $22bn in 2015 to $52bn in 2020. The European public technology market has seen equally important growth, with the number of listed technology companies valued over $1bn reaching 166 as of March 29, 2021, representing a total market capitalization of $1.5tn as of March 29, 2021, according to PitchBook data, demonstrating its attractiveness to institutional investors. While this momentum is impressive, this compares to 328 unicorns in the U.S. as of March 29, 2021. According to PitchBook data, in 2020 the total venture capital investment in the U.S. was $139bn, an increase from $69bn in 2015. This is despite similar GDP and populations with respectively $16tn and 457m inhabitants in Europe and $21tn and 328m inhabitants in the U.S. as of 2019 according to the World Bank, implying significant potential for further growth. We believe that the European private technology market is set to continue to see strong growth going forward, underpinned by substantial and growing access to funding, increased public market understanding and demand for technology stocks, a highly educated workforce providing a large talent pool, a supportive and stable regulatory and political backdrop and increased governmental focus and availability of public funding for the digital economy among other factors.
A growing number of world class technology players have also emerged over the past decade in LatAm, with Brazil accounting for the largest contribution. The number of unicorns in the region has reached 15 as of March 29, 2021 according to PitchBook data, including 10 in Brazil. Investors are increasingly turning to the LatAm region to identify tomorrow’s regional and global champions, investing $5bn in total venture capital investments in 2020, an increase from $1bn in 2015, and helping public companies raise an aggregate $629m at IPO in 2020 alone. These impressive dynamics are underpinned by favorable demographic trends: LatAm has a young and growing population of 646m people of which almost 20% is 15-24 years of age according to the World Bank. Moreover, LatAm is one of the world’s most urbanized regions and largely digital-friendly (75% smartphone penetration adoption in LatAm compared to 84% in the U.S. and 102% in Europe according to Global Data in 2020). We see Brazil as a particularly attractive market thanks not only to its sizeable market, but also to its robust venture ecosystems and financial markets coupled with the relatively low penetration in marketplaces and digital companies in general, compared to more mature markets like the U.S. and Europe.
Competitive Advantage
While we may pursue an initial business combination target in any business, industry or geographical location, we intend to focus our search within marketplaces, FinTech and SaaS companies in Europe, Latam and the U.S., where we believe our management team, board members and advisors have a competitive advantage based on their prior experiences and investments.
We intend to capitalize on our sponsor team’s deep expertise and large global network spanning the entire technology industry, as well as our management team’s extensive experience in completing strategic transactions in a wide range of sectors. Our ability to locate, engage and partner with our prospective target business will be further enabled by our highly complementary and accomplished board members and advisors, with long-standing experience in the broader technology space. We believe that our distinct approach and successful track record, as well as the superior value proposition we will bring to our prospective target will be viewed favorably by the prospective seller of our target.
We believe that our highly complementary and experienced team and differentiated investing approach offer multiple competitive advantages in sourcing, evaluating and executing on opportunities, including:
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Broad Network with Unique Data Insights—FJ Labs is a unique investing franchise, with deep sector expertise and distinctive insights into the technology industry. The FJ Labs team has evaluated over 14,000 opportunities and invested in over 600 companies and over 1,000 founders,
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with over 40 achieving unicorn status. FJ Labs typically reviews over 50 opportunities every week and evaluated 2,500+ deals in 2020 alone. Thanks to the scale of our sourcing model, we have exceptional data insights resulting in the ability to identify successful business models and future category champions early on. Moreover, our board benefits from considerable and complementary local expertise in Europe, LatAm and the U.S. Our global perspective is all the more valuable as we can learn from and replicate the success of a business model in one region and apply it to another, thereby efficiently identifying companies in any geography and supporting our investments as they develop their operations internationally.
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Global Expertise and Entrepreneurship—Our management, board and execution team have significant experience in investing in and operating companies across all key markets globally and have particular deep expertise in Europe, LatAm and the U.S. Our entrepreneurial approach is supported by the prior experience of our sponsors, Jose Marin and Fabrice Grinda, who have successfully founded, built and exited leading global technology businesses. We believe this provides us with a unique positioning not just for sourcing but also supporting target businesses in achieving their full potential both locally and globally.
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Disciplined Underwriting—We are strongly committed to fully leverage the extensive private and public market experience of our sponsors, management team, board and advisors to facilitate a highly disciplined and optimized process. We believe we collectively bring together highly complementary and differentiated capabilities thanks to our team’s strong track record and many years of experience in various private and public market settings, both on the buy-side and sell-side. Our team is composed of top tier private and public market investors, who have previously co-founded their own investment funds, and industry-leading M&A executives with long standing careers at highly acquisitive and reputable public institutions. As a result, we believe we bring the necessary experience to efficiently and critically assess our prospective targets. To further enhance our undertaking, we have our own fully dedicated investment team with a strong track record at both leading buy and sell-side firms.
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Experienced M&A Execution—We have a team of highly accomplished executives, with a strong investment and M&A track record in both the public and private markets. Our M&A efforts will be led by CFO Claudia Gast, who was part of the Executive team of AM General, a MacAndrews & Forbes portfolio company, where she led the Strategy and M&A for the company and recently completed the sale of the company to KPS. We have extensive experience in leading, negotiating and structuring M&A transactions as entrepreneurs, venture capital and private equity investors and public & private company executives across a variety of sectors. We believe that a structured and coordinated execution process driven by our disciplined rigor and approach is vital to the success of our undertaking and to drive value for our investors. With our team of highly experienced operational executives who have led a range of diverse transactions, we believe we will be in a prime position to develop and execute the M&A process in a structured manner, ensuring that our prospective target will experience a smooth and highly structured transition while driving value to our investors.
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Value Added Leadership Post Merger—We will provide significant value-add to a target business post our investment. Our team has a proven track record, as founders and operators globally, in helping businesses with strategy setting, business planning, operational improvement, M&A, talent acquisition, broadening the network of potential partners and customers, capital deployment and capital structure optimization. We believe we provide a strategic advantage to a target company also over the medium term, as they will benefit from ongoing support through our aforementioned unique dataset, insights and visibility into the technology space. We believe that the combination of the existing FJ Labs platform and GTAC’s own executive team, board of directors and advisors, and our unique data and insights, will enable us to drive and accelerate the target business’s next stage of growth.
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GTAC Team Has a Successful Track Record Identifying Global Winners Before They Go Public
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Business Strategy & Acquisition Criteria
We have the ambition to create value and generate strong risk-adjusted returns for our shareholders through our comprehensive business acquisition strategy. We intend to leverage our robust proprietary deal sourcing channels and industry leading relationships across the marketplace, FinTech and SaaS landscape to identify a high-quality private company to successfully complete a business combination with an exceptional business.
Our sponsors have developed a unique and rich dataset through our experience as operators and global technology investors in over 600 companies and over 1,000 founders. We draw from this data, as well as our broader experience, when assessing new business opportunities against the investment criteria we have established to identify leading technology players:
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Large and Growing Addressable Market—We will target companies that operate in large and growing addressable markets, supported by robust venture capital ecosystems and financial markets which are fundamental in supporting long-term sustainable growth. This is in line with our existing investment strategy, and as such we will have the ability to leverage lessons learned and the investment methodology which has underpinned our historical investment track record.
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Strong Leadership Team—We will focus on companies with experienced management teams that have a successful track record and the ambition and ability to lead a publicly listed company. We will work alongside these management teams while providing guidance and drawing on our deep operational and financial expertise to fundamentally enhance the value of our target business.
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Competitive Moats—We will seek to acquire a target that, based on superior operational performance, has the potential to become a clear market leader. We will focus on companies that have built competitive advantages foreseeing any potential disruptors to their leadership. We believe our global perspective allows us to identify early on regional champions and help support these businesses to become international winners.
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Capital Efficiency and Growth—We will seek targets that have shown a superior financial profile, accelerated growth and are capable of sustaining strong growth levels also in the future. Our target should have a clear and compelling path to positive unit economics and demonstrate high capital efficiency which will be further enhanced by our presence in the business. We have a demonstrated ability to select and understand the right metrics to identify winners.
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Public Company Readiness—Although we intend to guide and support our target in entering the public markets, we are focused on selecting companies whose management’s ambition and internal
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processes prove that they are ready or working towards a process to support the regulatory and organizational standards required from a publicly listed company and its shareholders.
These criteria are not intended to be exhaustive. Any evaluation relating to the merits of a particular initial business combination may be based, to the extent relevant, on these general guidelines, as well as on other considerations, factors and criteria that our management may deem relevant. In the event that we decide to enter into our initial business combination with a target business that does not meet the above criteria and guidelines, we will disclose that the target business does not meet the above criteria in our shareholder communications related to our initial business combination, which, as discussed in this prospectus, would be in the form of tender offer documents or proxy solicitation materials that we would file with the SEC.
Initial Business Combination
NASDAQ listing rules require that our initial business combination must be with one or more target businesses that together have an aggregate fair market value equal to at least 80% of the assets held in the trust account (excluding the amount of deferred underwriting discounts held in trust and taxes payable on the income earned on the trust account) at the time of our signing a definitive agreement in connection with our initial business combination. We refer to this as the 80% of net assets test. If our board of directors is not able to independently determine the fair market value of the target business or businesses, we will obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm that is a member of FINRA or from an independent accounting firm, with respect to the satisfaction of such criteria.
We anticipate structuring our initial business combination so that the post-transaction company in which our public shareholders own shares will own or acquire 100% of the outstanding equity interests or assets of the target business or businesses. We may, however, structure our initial business combination such that the post-transaction company owns or acquires less than 100% of such interests or assets of the target business in order to meet certain objectives of the target management team or shareholders or for other reasons, but we will only complete such business combination if the post-transaction company owns or acquires 50% or more of the outstanding voting securities of the target or otherwise acquires a controlling interest in the target business sufficient for it not to be required to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, 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 shareholders prior to our initial business combination may collectively own a minority interest in the post-transaction company, depending on valuations ascribed to the target and us in 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 shareholders 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 80% of net assets test. If our initial business combination involves more than one target business, the 80% of net assets test will be based on the aggregate value of all of the target businesses.
Prior to the date of this prospectus, we will file a Registration Statement on Form 8-A with the SEC to voluntarily register our securities under Section 12 of the Exchange Act. As a result, we will be subject to the rules and regulations promulgated under the Exchange Act. We have no current intention of filing a Form 15 to suspend our reporting or other obligations under the Exchange Act prior or subsequent to the consummation of our initial business combination.
Other Considerations
We are not prohibited from pursuing an initial business combination with a company that is affiliated with our sponsor, officers or directors. In the event we seek to complete our initial business combination with a company that is affiliated with our sponsor or any of our officers or directors, 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 such initial business combination is fair to our company from a financial point of view. We are not required to obtain such an opinion in any other context.
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We currently do not have any specific business combination under consideration. Our officers and directors have neither individually selected nor considered a target business nor have they had any substantive discussions regarding possible target businesses among themselves or with our underwriters or other advisors. Our management team is regularly made aware of potential business opportunities, one or more of which we may desire to pursue for a business combination, but we have not (nor has anyone on our behalf) contacted any prospective target business or had any substantive discussions, formal or otherwise, with respect to a business combination transaction with our company. Additionally, we have not, nor has anyone on our behalf, taken any substantive measure, directly or indirectly, to identify or locate any suitable acquisition candidate for us, nor have we engaged or retained any agent or other representative to identify or locate any such acquisition candidate.
Members of our management team and our independent directors may directly or indirectly own ordinary shares and/or private placement warrants following this offering and, accordingly, may have a conflict of interest in determining whether a particular target business is an appropriate business with which to effectuate our initial business combination. Further, each of our officers and directors may have a conflict of interest with respect to evaluating a particular business combination if the retention or resignation of any such officers and directors was included by a target business as a condition to any agreement with respect to our initial business combination. In particular, because the founder shares were purchased at approximately $0.004 per share, the holders of our founder shares (including members of our management team that directly or indirectly own founder shares) could make a substantial profit after our initial business combination even if our shareholders lose money on their investment as a result of a decrease in the post-combination value of their Class A ordinary shares (after accounting for any adjustments in connection with an exchange or other transaction contemplated by the business combination). See “Risk Factors—Since our sponsor, officers and directors will lose their entire investment in us if our business combination is not completed (other than with respect to any public shares they may acquire during or after this offering), and because our sponsor, officers and directors who have an interest in founder shares may profit substantially even under circumstances where our public shareholders would experience losses in connection with their investment, a conflict of interest may arise in determining whether a particular business combination target is appropriate for our initial business combination.” Further, each of our officers and directors may have a conflict of interest with respect to evaluating a particular business combination if the retention or resignation of any such officers and directors were to be included by a target business as a condition to any agreement with respect to our initial business combination.
In addition, certain of our officers and directors presently have, and any of them in the future may have additional, fiduciary and contractual duties to other entities. As a result, if any of our officers or directors becomes aware of a business combination opportunity which is suitable for an entity to which he, she or it has then-current fiduciary or contractual obligations, then, subject to their fiduciary duties under Cayman Islands law, he, she or it will need to honor such fiduciary or contractual obligations to present such business combination opportunity to such entity, before we can pursue such opportunity. If these other entities decide to pursue any such opportunity, we may be precluded from pursuing the same. However, we do not expect these duties to materially affect our ability to complete our initial business combination. Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association provide that, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law: (i) no individual serving as a director or an officer shall have any duty, except and to the extent expressly assumed by contract, to refrain from engaging directly or indirectly in the same or similar business activities or lines of business as us; and (ii) we renounce any interest or expectancy in, or in being offered an opportunity to participate in, any potential transaction or matter which may be a corporate opportunity for any director or officer, on the one hand, and us, on the other.
In addition, certain of the participants in our sponsor have, and our sponsor, officers and directors may in the future, sponsor, be part of or form other special purpose acquisition companies similar to ours or may pursue other business or investment ventures during the period in which we are seeking an initial business combination. In particular, Alex Oxenford, who is a member of our advisory committee, is currently serving as chairman and CEO of Alpha Capital Acquisition Company, a special purpose acquisition company that completed its initial public offering in February 2021. Furthermore, FJ Labs (which is co-led by Fabrice Grinda, our Executive Chairman), one of our founding sponsors, is also a co-sponsor in Alpha Capital Acquisition Company. Any such companies, businesses or investments, including Alpha Capital Acquisition Company, may present additional conflicts of interest in pursuing an initial business combination.
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For example, Alpha Capital Acquisition Company is currently looking for potential business combination targets with a Latam-focused technology business, which is one of the potential areas we are also targeting for a business combination target. However, we do not believe that any potential conflicts with Alpha Capital Acquisition Company would materially affect our ability to complete our initial business combination. Our management team has significant experience in identifying and executing acquisition opportunities, and we believe there are multiple potential opportunities within the industries and geographies of our primary focus. GTAC’s management and our sponsor will evaluate any potential acquisition opportunity solely for GTAC. Furthermore, in our post-IPO discussions with any potential targets our management team and our sponsor will ensure that the target has a clear understanding that it will transact with GTAC and with no other special purpose acquisition company that may be sponsored by any of our advisory committee members or participants in our sponsor. In addition, our sponsor, officers and directors, are not required to commit any specified amount of time to our affairs, and, accordingly, will have conflicts of interest in allocating management time among various business activities, including identifying potential business combinations and monitoring the related due diligence.
Status as a Public Company
We believe our structure will make us an attractive business combination partner to target businesses. As an existing public company, we offer a target business an alternative to the traditional initial public offering through a merger or other business combination with us. In a business combination transaction with us, the owners of the target business may, for example, exchange their shares of stock, shares or other equity interests in the target business for our Class A ordinary shares (or shares of a new holding company) or for a combination of our Class A ordinary shares and cash, allowing us to tailor the consideration to the specific needs of the sellers. We believe target businesses will find this method a more expeditious and cost effective method to becoming a public company than the typical initial public offering. The typical initial public offering process takes a significantly longer period of time than the typical business combination transaction process, and there are significant expenses in the initial public offering process, including underwriting discounts and commissions, that may not be present to the same extent in connection with a business combination with us.
Furthermore, once a proposed business combination is completed, the target business will have effectively become public, whereas an initial public offering is always subject to the underwriters’ ability to complete the offering, as well as general market conditions, which could delay or prevent the offering from occurring or have negative valuation consequences. Once public, we believe the target business would then have greater access to capital, an additional means of providing management incentives consistent with shareholders’ interests and the ability to use its shares as currency for acquisitions. Being a public company can offer further benefits by augmenting a company’s profile among potential new customers and vendors and aid in attracting talented employees.
While we believe that our structure and our management team’s backgrounds will make us an attractive business partner, some potential target businesses may view our status as a blank check company, such as our lack of an operating history and our ability to seek shareholder approval of any proposed initial business combination, negatively.
We are an “emerging growth company,” as defined in Section 2(a) of the Securities Act, as modified by the JOBS Act. As such, we are eligible to take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not “emerging growth companies” including, but not limited to, not being required to comply with the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in our periodic reports and proxy statements, and exemptions from the requirements of holding a non-binding advisory vote on executive compensation and shareholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved, If some investors find our securities less attractive as a result, there may be a less active trading market for our securities and the prices of our securities may be more volatile.
In addition, Section 107 of the JOBS Act also provides that an “emerging growth company” can take advantage of the extended transition period provided in Section 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act for complying with new or revised accounting standards. In other words, an “emerging growth company” can delay the
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adoption of certain accounting standards until those standards would otherwise apply to private companies. We intend to take advantage of the benefits of this extended transition period.
We will remain an emerging growth company until the earlier of (1) the last day of the fiscal year (a) following the fifth anniversary of the completion of this offering, (b) in which we have total annual gross revenue of at least $1.07 billion, or (c) in which we are deemed to be a large accelerated filer, which means the market value of our Class A ordinary shares that are held by non-affiliates exceeds $700 million as of the prior June 30th, and (2) the date on which we have issued more than $1.0 billion in non-convertible debt securities during the prior three-year period.
Additionally, we are a “smaller reporting company” as defined in Item 10(f)(1) of Regulation S-K. Smaller reporting companies may take advantage of certain reduced disclosure obligations, including, among other things, providing only two years of audited financial statements. We will remain a smaller reporting company until the last day of the fiscal year in which (1) the market value of our ordinary shares held by non-affiliates exceeds $250 million as of the prior June 30, and (2) our annual revenues exceeded $100 million during such completed fiscal year or the market value of our ordinary shares held by non-affiliates exceeds $700 million as of the prior June 30.
Financial Position
With funds available for a business combination initially in the amount of $147,150,000 after payment of the estimated expenses of this offering and $5,250,000 of deferred underwriting fees (or $169,312,500 after payment of the estimated expenses of this offering and $6,037,500 of deferred underwriting fees if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), we offer a target business a variety of options such as creating a liquidity event for its owners, providing capital for the potential growth and expansion of its operations or strengthening its balance sheet by reducing its debt ratio. Because we are able to complete our initial business combination using our cash, debt or equity securities, or a combination of the foregoing, we have the flexibility to use the most efficient combination that will allow us to tailor the consideration to be paid to the target business to fit its needs and desires. However, we have not taken any steps to secure third-party financing and there can be no assurance it will be available to us.
Effecting Our Initial Business Combination
General
We are not presently engaged in, and we will not engage in, any operations for an indefinite period of time following this offering. We intend to effectuate our initial business combination using cash from the proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants, our ordinary shares, debt or a combination of these as the consideration to be paid in our initial business combination. 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 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 redemption of our public shares, 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 post-transaction businesses, 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 have not selected any business combination target and we have not, nor has anyone on our behalf, had any substantive discussions, directly or indirectly, with any business combination target. Our officers and directors are from time to time made aware of potential business opportunities, one or more of which we may desire to pursue, for a business combination, but we have not (nor has anyone on our behalf) contacted, or had any substantive discussions, formal or otherwise with, any prospective target business with respect to a business combination transaction with us.
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 offerings or loans rather than using the amounts held in the trust account.
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In the case of an initial business combination funded with assets other than the trust account assets, our tender offer documents or proxy materials disclosing the business combination would disclose the terms of the financing and, only if required by applicable law or we decide to do so for business or other reasons, we would seek shareholder 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.
Sources of Target Businesses
We anticipate that target business candidates will be brought to our attention from various unaffiliated sources, including investment market participants, private equity groups, investment banking firms, consultants, accounting firms and large business enterprises. Target businesses may be brought to our attention by such unaffiliated sources as a result of being solicited by us through 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 some of these sources will have read this prospectus and know what types of businesses we are targeting. Our officers and directors, as well as 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. 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 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, however, will our sponsor or any of our existing executive officers or directors, or their respective affiliates paid by us any finder’s fee, consulting fee or other compensation prior to, or 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). In addition, commencing on the date of this prospectus, we will enter into an administrative services agreement pursuant to which we will pay our sponsor or an affiliate thereof $10,000 per month for office space, utilities, secretarial and administrative support services provided to members of our management team and other expenses and obligations of our sponsor. Furthermore, we may enter into consulting arrangements directly or indirectly with individuals (who will not be our executive officers) to provide similar services. Any such foregoing payments made prior to our initial business combination will be made from funds held outside the trust account. Some of our officers and directors may enter into employment or consulting agreements with the post-business combination 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 acquisition candidate.
We are not prohibited from pursuing an initial business combination with a company that is affiliated with our sponsor, officers or directors. In the event we seek to complete our initial business combination with a company that is affiliated with our sponsor or any of our officers or directors, 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 such initial business combination is fair to our company from a financial point of view. We are not required to obtain such an opinion in any other context.
Each of our officers and directors presently has, and any of them in the future may have, additional, fiduciary or contractual obligations to other entities, including entities that are affiliates of our sponsor, pursuant to which such officer or director is or will be required to present a business combination opportunity to such entity. Accordingly, if any of our officers or directors becomes aware of a business combination opportunity which is suitable for an entity to which he or she has then-current fiduciary or contractual obligations, he or she will honor his or her fiduciary or contractual obligations to present such business
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combination opportunity to such entity, subject to their fiduciary duties under Cayman Islands law. See “Management—Conflicts of Interest.”
Selection of a Target Business and Structuring of Our Initial Business Combination
In evaluating a prospective target business, we expect to conduct an extensive due diligence review which may encompass, as applicable and among other things, meetings with incumbent management and employees, document reviews, interviews of customers and suppliers, inspection of facilities and a review of financial and other information about the target and its industry. We will also utilize our management team’s operational and capital planning experience. If we determine to move forward with a particular target, we will proceed to structure and negotiate the terms of the business combination transaction.
The time required to select and evaluate a target business and to structure and complete our initial business combination, and the costs associated with this process, are not currently ascertainable with any degree of certainty. Any costs incurred with respect to the identification and evaluation of, and negotiation with, a prospective target business with which our initial business combination is not ultimately completed will result in our incurring losses and will reduce the funds we can use to complete another business combination. The company will not pay any consulting fees to executive officers or directors, or their respective affiliates, for services rendered to or in connection with our initial business combination. In addition, we have agreed not to enter into a definitive agreement regarding an initial business combination without the prior consent of our sponsor.
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. By completing our initial business combination with only a single entity, our lack of diversification may:
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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
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cause us to depend on the marketing and sale of a single product or limited number of products or services.
Limited Ability to Evaluate the Target’s Management Team
Although we intend to closely scrutinize the management of a prospective target business when evaluating the desirability of effecting our initial business combination with that business, our assessment of the target business’s management may not prove to be correct. In addition, the future management may not have the necessary skills, qualifications or abilities to manage a public company. Furthermore, the future role of members of our management team, if any, in the target business cannot presently be stated with any certainty. The determination as to whether any of the members of our management team will remain with the combined company will be made at the time of our initial business combination. While it is possible that one or more of our directors will remain associated in some capacity with us following our initial business combination, it is unlikely that any of them will devote their full efforts to our affairs subsequent to our initial business combination. Moreover, we cannot assure you that members of our management team will have significant experience or knowledge relating to the operations of the particular target business.
We cannot assure you that any of our key personnel will remain in senior management or advisory positions with the combined company. The determination as to whether any of our key personnel will remain with the combined company will be made at the time of our initial business combination.
Following a business combination, we may seek to recruit additional managers to supplement the incumbent management of the target business. We cannot assure you that we will have the ability to recruit additional managers, or that additional managers will have the requisite skills, knowledge or experience necessary to enhance the incumbent management.
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Shareholders May Not Have the Ability to Approve Our Initial Business Combination
We may conduct redemptions without a shareholder vote pursuant to the tender offer rules of the SEC subject to the provisions of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association. However, we will seek shareholder approval if it is required by applicable law or stock exchange listing requirement, or we may decide to seek shareholder approval for business or other reasons.
Under the NASDAQ’s listing rules, shareholder approval would typically be required for our initial business combination if, for example:
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We issue ordinary shares that will be equal to or in excess of 20% of the number of our ordinary shares then-outstanding (other than in a public offering);
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Any of our directors, officers or substantial security holder (as defined by the NASDAQ rules) has a 5% or greater interest, directly or indirectly, in the target business or assets to be acquired or otherwise and the present or potential issuance of ordinary shares could result in an increase in issued and outstanding ordinary shares or voting power of 1% or more (or 5% or more if the related party involved is classified as such solely because such person is a substantial security holder); or
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The issuance or potential issuance of ordinary shares will result in our undergoing a change of control.
The decision as to whether we will seek shareholder approval of a proposed business combination in those instances in which shareholder approval is not required by law will be made by us, solely in our discretion, and will be based on business and reasons, which include a variety of factors, including, but not limited to:
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the timing of the transaction, including in the event we determine shareholder approval would require additional time and there is either not enough time to seek shareholder approval or doing so would place the company at a disadvantage in the transaction or result in other additional burdens on the company;
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the expected cost of holding a shareholder vote;
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the risk that the shareholders would fail to approve the proposed business combination;
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other time and budget constraints of the company; and
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additional legal complexities of a proposed business combination that would be time-consuming and burdensome to present to shareholders.
Permitted Purchases and Other Transactions with Respect to Our Securities
If we seek shareholder 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, executive officers, advisors or their affiliates may purchase public shares or warrants in privately negotiated transactions or in the open market either prior to or following the completion of our initial business combination.
Additionally, at any time at or prior to our initial business combination, subject to applicable securities laws (including with respect to material nonpublic information), our sponsor, directors, executive officers, advisors or their affiliates may enter into transactions with investors and others to provide them with incentives to acquire public shares, vote their public shares in favor of our initial business combination or not redeem their public shares. However, 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 public shares or warrants in such transactions. If they engage in such transactions, they will be restricted from making any such purchases when they are in possession of any material non-public information not disclosed to the seller or if such purchases are prohibited by Regulation M under the Exchange Act.
In the event that our sponsor, directors, officers, advisors or their affiliates purchase shares in privately negotiated transactions from public shareholders who have already elected to exercise their redemption rights
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or submitted a proxy to vote against our initial business combination, such selling shareholders would be required to revoke their prior elections to redeem their shares and any proxy to vote against our initial business combination. 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 be required to comply with such rules.
The purpose of any such transaction could be to (i) vote in favor of the business combination and thereby increase the likelihood of obtaining shareholder approval of the business combination, (ii) reduce the number of public warrants outstanding or vote such warrants on any matters submitted to the warrant holders for approval in connection with our initial business combination or (iii) 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. Any such purchases of our securities may result in the completion of our initial business combination that may not otherwise have been possible.
In addition, if such purchases are made, the public “float” of our Class A ordinary shares or public warrants may be reduced and the number of beneficial holders of our securities may be reduced, which may make it difficult to maintain or obtain the quotation, listing or trading of our securities on a national securities exchange.
Our sponsor, officers, directors and/or their affiliates anticipate that they may identify the shareholders with whom our sponsor, officers, directors or their affiliates may pursue privately negotiated transactions by either the shareholders contacting us directly or by our receipt of redemption requests submitted by shareholders (in the case of Class A ordinary shares) following our mailing of tender offer or proxy materials in connection with our initial business combination. To the extent that our sponsor, officers, directors, advisors or their affiliates enter into a private transaction, they would identify and contact only potential selling or redeeming shareholders who have expressed their election to redeem their shares for a pro rata share of the trust account or vote against our initial business combination, whether or not such shareholder has already submitted a proxy with respect to our initial business combination but only if such shares have not already been voted at the general meeting related to our initial business combination. Our sponsor, executive officers, directors, advisors or their affiliates will select which shareholders to purchase shares from based on the negotiated price and number of shares and any other factors that they may deem relevant, and will be restricted from purchasing shares if such purchases do not comply with Regulation M under the Exchange Act and the other federal securities laws.
Our sponsor, officers, directors and/or their affiliates will be restricted from making purchases of shares if the purchases would violate Section 9(a)(2) or Rule 10b-5 of the Exchange Act. We expect any such purchases would be reported by such person pursuant to Section 13 and Section 16 of the Exchange Act to the extent such purchasers are subject to such reporting requirements.
Redemption Rights for Public Shareholders upon Completion of Our Initial Business Combination
We will provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their Class A ordinary shares upon the completion of our initial business combination at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account calculated as of two business days prior to the consummation of the initial business combination, including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our income taxes, if any, divided by the number of then-outstanding public shares, subject to the limitations described herein. The amount in the trust account is initially anticipated to be $10.20 per public share. The per-share amount we will distribute to investors who properly redeem their shares will not be reduced by the deferred underwriting commissions we will pay to the underwriters. The redemption rights will include the requirement that a beneficial holder must identify itself in order to validly redeem its shares. There will be no redemption rights upon the completion of our initial business combination with respect to our warrants. Further, we will not proceed with redeeming our public shares, even if a public shareholder has properly elected to redeem its shares, if a business combination does not close. Our sponsor and each member of our management team have entered into an agreement with us, pursuant to which they have agreed to waive their redemption rights with respect to any founder
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shares and public shares held by them in connection with (i) the completion of our initial business combination, and (ii) a shareholder vote to approve an amendment to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association (A) that would modify the substance or timing of our obligation to provide holders of our Class A ordinary shares the right to have their shares redeemed in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 24 months from the closing of this offering at the election of the Company in two separate three month extensions subject to satisfaction of certain conditions, including the deposit of up to $1,500,000, or $1,725,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full ($0.10 per unit in either case) for each three month extension, into the trust account, or as extended by the Company’s shareholders in accordance with our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association) or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to the rights of holders of our Class A ordinary shares.
Limitations on Redemptions
Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association provide that in no event will we redeem our public shares in an amount that would cause our net tangible assets, after payment of the deferred underwriting commissions, to be less than $5,000,001 either prior to or upon consummation of an initial business combination (so that we do not then become subject to the SEC’s “penny stock” rules). However, the proposed business combination may require: (i) cash consideration to be paid to the target or its owners, (ii) cash to be transferred to the target for working capital or other general corporate purposes or (iii) the retention of cash to satisfy other conditions in accordance with the terms of the proposed business combination. In the event the aggregate cash consideration we would be required to pay for all Class A ordinary shares that are validly submitted for redemption plus any amount required to satisfy cash conditions pursuant to the terms of the proposed business combination exceed the aggregate amount of cash available to us, we will not complete the business combination or redeem any shares, and all Class A ordinary shares submitted for redemption will be returned to the holders thereof.
Manner of Conducting Redemptions
We will provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their Class A ordinary shares upon the completion of our initial business combination either (i) in connection with a general meeting called to approve the business combination or (ii) by means of a tender offer. The decision as to whether we will seek shareholder approval of a proposed business combination or conduct 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 require us to seek shareholder approval under applicable law or stock exchange listing requirement or whether we were deemed to be a foreign private issuer (which would require a tender offer rather than seeking shareholder approval under SEC rules). Asset acquisitions and share purchases would not typically require shareholder approval while direct mergers with our company where we do not survive and any transactions where we issue more than 20% of our issued and outstanding ordinary shares or seek to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association would typically require shareholder approval. We currently intend to conduct redemptions in connection with a shareholder vote unless shareholder approval is not required by applicable law or stock exchange listing requirement or we choose to conduct redemptions pursuant to the tender offer rules of the SEC for business or other reasons. So long as we obtain and maintain a listing for our securities on the NASDAQ, we will be required to comply with the NASDAQ rules.
If we held a shareholder vote to approve our initial business combination, we will, pursuant to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association:
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conduct the redemptions in conjunction with a proxy solicitation pursuant to Regulation 14A of the Exchange Act, which regulates the solicitation of proxies, and not pursuant to the tender offer rules; and
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file proxy materials with the SEC.
In the event that we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination, we will distribute proxy materials and, in connection therewith, provide our public shareholders with the redemption rights described above upon completion of the initial business combination.
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If we seek shareholder approval, we will complete our initial business combination only if we obtain the approval of an ordinary resolution under Cayman Islands law, being the affirmative vote of a majority of the ordinary shares represented in person or by proxy and entitled to vote thereon and who vote at a general meeting. In such case, our sponsor and each member of our management team have agreed to vote their founder shares and public shares in favor of our initial business combination. As a result, in addition to our initial purchaser’s founder shares, we would need 5,625,001, or 37.5% (assuming all issued and outstanding shares are voted and the over-allotment option is not exercised), or 937,501, or 6.25% (assuming only the minimum number of shares representing a quorum are voted and the over-allotment option is not exercised), of the 15,000,000 public shares sold in this offering to be voted in favor of an initial business combination in order to have our initial business combination approved. Each public shareholder may elect to redeem their public shares irrespective of whether they vote for or against the proposed transaction or vote at all. In addition, our sponsor and each member of our management team have entered into an agreement with us, pursuant to which they have agreed to waive their redemption rights with respect to any founder shares and public shares held by them in connection with (i) the completion of a business combination, and (ii) a shareholder vote to approve an amendment to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association (A) that would modify the substance or timing of our obligation to provide holders of our Class A ordinary shares the right to have their shares redeemed in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 24 months from the closing of this offering at the election of the Company in two separate three month extensions subject to satisfaction of certain conditions, including the deposit of up to $1,500,000, or $1,725,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full ($0.10 per unit in either case) for each three month extension, into the trust account, or as extended by the Company’s shareholders in accordance with our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association) or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to the rights of holders of our Class A ordinary shares.
If we conduct redemptions pursuant to the tender offer rules of the SEC, we will, pursuant to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association:
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conduct the redemptions pursuant to Rule 13e-4 and Regulation 14E of the Exchange Act, which regulate issuer tender offers; and
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file tender offer documents with the SEC prior to completing our initial business combination which contain substantially the same financial and other information about the initial business combination and the redemption rights as is required under Regulation 14A of the Exchange Act, which regulates the solicitation of proxies.
Upon the public announcement of our initial business combination, if we elect to conduct redemptions pursuant to the tender offer rules, we and our sponsor will terminate any plan established in accordance with Rule 10b5-1 to purchase Class A ordinary shares in the open market, in order to comply with Rule 14e-5 under the Exchange Act.
In the event we conduct redemptions pursuant to the tender offer rules, our offer to redeem will remain open for at least 20 business days, in accordance with Rule 14e-1(a) under the Exchange Act, and we will not be permitted to complete our initial business combination until the expiration of the tender offer period. In addition, the tender offer will be conditioned on public shareholders not tendering more than the number of public shares we are permitted to redeem. If public shareholders tender more shares than we have offered to purchase, we will withdraw the tender offer and not complete such initial business combination.
Limitation on Redemption upon Completion of Our Initial Business Combination If We Seek Shareholder Approval
If we seek shareholder 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 memorandum and articles of association provide that a public shareholder, together with any affiliate of such shareholder or any other person with whom such shareholder is acting in concert or as a “group” (as defined under Section 13 of the Exchange Act), will be restricted from redeeming its shares with respect to more than an aggregate of 15% of the shares sold in this offering, which we refer to as “Excess Shares,”
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without our prior consent. We believe this restriction will discourage shareholders from accumulating large blocks of shares, and subsequent attempts by such holders to use their ability to exercise their redemption rights against a proposed business combination as a means to force us or our management to purchase their shares at a significant premium to the then-current market price or on other undesirable terms. Absent this provision, a public shareholder holding more than an aggregate of 15% of the shares sold in this offering could threaten to exercise its redemption rights if such holder’s shares are not purchased by us, our sponsor or our management at a premium to the then-current market price or on other undesirable terms. By limiting our shareholders’ ability to redeem no more than 15% of the shares sold in this offering without our prior consent, we believe we will limit the ability of a small group of shareholders to unreasonably attempt to block our ability to complete our initial business combination, particularly in connection with a business combination with a target that requires as a closing condition that we have a minimum net worth or a certain amount of cash.
However, we would not be restricting our shareholders’ ability to vote all of their shares (including Excess Shares) for or against our initial business combination.
Tendering Share Certificates in Connection with a Tender Offer or Redemption Rights
Public shareholders seeking to exercise their redemption rights, whether they are record holders or hold their shares in “street name,” will be required to either tender their certificates (if any) to our transfer agent prior to the date set forth in the proxy solicitation or tender offer materials, as applicable, mailed to such holders, or to deliver their shares to the transfer agent electronically using The Depository Trust Company’s DWAC (Deposit/Withdrawal At Custodian) System, at the holder’s option, in each case up to two business days prior to the initially scheduled vote to approve the business combination. The proxy solicitation or tender offer materials, as applicable, that we will furnish to holders of our public shares in connection with our initial business combination will indicate the applicable delivery requirements, which will include the requirement that a beneficial holder must identify itself in order to validly redeem its shares. Accordingly, a public shareholder would have from the time we send out our tender offer materials until the close of the tender offer period, or up to two business days prior to the initially scheduled vote on the proposal to approve the business combination if we distribute proxy materials, as applicable, to tender its shares if it wishes to seek to exercise its redemption rights. Given the relatively short period in which to exercise redemption rights, it is advisable for shareholders to use electronic delivery of their public shares.
There is a nominal cost associated with the above-referenced tendering process and the act of certificating the shares or delivering them through the DWAC System. The transfer agent will typically charge the tendering broker a fee of approximately $80.00 and it would be up to the broker whether or not to pass this cost on to the redeeming holder. However, this fee would be incurred regardless of whether or not we require holders seeking to exercise redemption rights to tender their shares. The need to deliver shares is a requirement of exercising redemption rights regardless of the timing of when such delivery must be effectuated.
The foregoing is different from the procedures used by many blank check companies. In order to perfect redemption rights in connection with their business combinations, many blank check companies would distribute proxy materials for the shareholders’ vote on an initial business combination, and a holder could simply vote against a proposed business combination and check a box on the proxy card indicating such holder was seeking to exercise his or her redemption rights. After the business combination was approved, the company would contact such shareholder to arrange for him or her to deliver his or her certificate to verify ownership. As a result, the shareholder then had an “option window” after the completion of the business combination during which he or she could monitor the price of the company’s shares in the market. If the price rose above the redemption price, he or she could sell his or her shares in the open market before actually delivering his or her shares to the company for cancellation. As a result, the redemption rights, to which shareholders were aware they needed to commit before the general meeting, would become “option” rights surviving past the completion of the business combination until the redeeming holder delivered its certificate. The requirement for physical or electronic delivery prior to the meeting ensures that a redeeming shareholder’s election to redeem is irrevocable once the business combination is approved.
Any request to redeem such shares, once made, may be withdrawn at any time up to two business days prior to the initially scheduled vote on the proposal to approve the business combination, unless otherwise agreed to by us. Furthermore, if a holder of a public share delivered its certificate in connection with an
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election of redemption rights and subsequently decides prior to the applicable date not to elect to exercise such rights, such holder may simply request that the transfer agent return the certificate (physically or electronically). It is anticipated that the funds to be distributed to holders of our public shares electing to redeem their shares will be distributed promptly after the completion of our initial business combination.
If our initial business combination is not approved or completed for any reason, then our public shareholders who elected to exercise their redemption rights would not be entitled to redeem their shares for the applicable pro rata share of the trust account. In such case, we will promptly return any certificates delivered by public holders who elected to redeem their shares.
If our initial proposed business combination is not completed, we may continue to try to complete a business combination with a different target until 18 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 24 months from the closing of this offering at the election of the Company in two separate three month extensions subject to satisfaction of certain conditions, including the deposit of up to $1,500,000, or $1,725,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full ($0.10 per unit in either case) for each three month extension, into the trust account, or as extended by the Company’s shareholders in accordance with our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association).
Redemption of Public Shares and Liquidation If No Initial Business Combination
Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association provide that we will have only 18 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 24 months from the closing of this offering at the election of the Company in two separate three month extensions subject to satisfaction of certain conditions, including the deposit of up to $1,500,000, or $1,725,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full ($0.10 per unit in either case) for each three month extension, into the trust account, or as extended by the Company’s shareholders in accordance with our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association) to complete an initial business combination. If we have not completed our initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 24 months from the closing of this offering at the election of the Company in two separate three month extensions subject to satisfaction of certain conditions, including the deposit of up to $1,500,000, or $1,725,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full ($0.10 per unit in either case) for each three month extension, into the trust account, or as extended by the Company’s shareholders in accordance with our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association), 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 income taxes, if any (less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses) divided by the number of the then-outstanding public shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public shareholders’ rights as shareholders (including the right to receive further liquidation distributions, if any); and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining shareholders and our board of directors, liquidate and dissolve, subject in each case to our obligations under Cayman Islands 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 an initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 24 months from the closing of this offering at the election of the Company in two separate three month extensions subject to satisfaction of certain conditions, including the deposit of up to $1,500,000, or $1,725,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full ($0.10 per unit in either case) for each three month extension, into the trust account, or as extended by the Company’s shareholders in accordance with our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association). Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association provide that, if we wind up for any other reason prior to the consummation of our initial business combination, we will follow the foregoing procedures with respect to the liquidation of the trust account as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter, subject to applicable Cayman Islands law.
Our sponsor and each member of our management team have entered into an agreement with us, pursuant to which they have agreed to waive their rights to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to any founder shares they hold if we fail to complete an initial business combination within
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18 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 24 months from the closing of this offering at the election of the Company in two separate three month extensions subject to satisfaction of certain conditions, including the deposit of up to $1,500,000, or $1,725,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full ($0.10 per unit in either case) for each three month extension, into the trust account, or as extended by the Company’s shareholders in accordance with our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association), although they will be entitled to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to any public shares they hold if we fail to complete our initial business combination within the prescribed time frame.
Our sponsor, executive officers, directors and director nominees have agreed, pursuant to a written agreement with us, that they will not propose any amendment to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association (A) that would modify the substance or timing of our obligation to provide holders of our Class A ordinary shares the right to have their shares redeemed in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 24 months from the closing of this offering at the election of the Company in two separate three month extensions subject to satisfaction of certain conditions, including the deposit of up to $1,500,000, or $1,725,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full ($0.10 per unit in either case) for each three month extension, into the trust account, or as extended by the Company’s shareholders in accordance with our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association) or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to the rights of holders of our Class A ordinary shares, unless we provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem their public shares 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 income taxes, if any, divided by the number of the then-outstanding public shares. However, we may not redeem our public shares in an amount that would cause our net tangible assets, after payment of the deferred underwriting commissions, to be less than $5,000,001 either prior to or upon consummation of an initial business combination (so that we do not then become 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, we would not proceed with the amendment or the related redemption of our public shares at such time. This redemption right shall apply in the event of the approval of any such amendment, whether proposed by our sponsor, any executive officer, director or director nominee, or any other person.
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 $1,900,000 held outside the trust account plus up to $100,000 of funds from the trust account available to us to pay dissolution expenses, although we cannot assure you that there will be sufficient funds for such purpose.
If we were to expend all of the net proceeds of this offering 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 shareholders upon our dissolution would be $10.20. 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 shareholders. We cannot assure you that the actual per-share redemption amount received by shareholders will not be less than $10.20. 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 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 shareholders, 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
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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 will not execute an agreement 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. In order to protect the amounts held in the trust account, 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 (other than our independent registered public accounting firm), or a prospective target business with which we have discussed entering into a transaction agreement, reduce the amounts in the trust account to below the lesser of (i) $10.20 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 $10.20 per public share due to reductions in the value of the trust assets, in each case net of the interest that may be withdrawn to pay our tax obligations, provided that such liability will not apply to any claims by a third-party or prospective target business that executed a waiver of any and all rights to seek access to the trust account nor will it apply to any claims under our indemnity of the underwriters of this offering 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. 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 we 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 or directors 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 the lesser of (i) $10.20 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 $10.20 per public share due to reductions in the value of the trust assets, in each case net of the amount of interest which may be withdrawn to pay our income tax obligations, 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 in any particular instance. 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 $10.20 per public share.
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 this offering against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act. We will have access to up to $1,900,000 following this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants with which to pay any such potential claims (including costs and expenses incurred in connection with our liquidation, currently estimated to be no more than approximately $100,000). In the event that we liquidate and it is subsequently determined that the reserve for claims and liabilities is insufficient, shareholders who received funds from our trust account could be liable for claims made by creditors, however such liability will not be greater than the amount of funds from our trust account received by any such shareholder. In the event that our offering expenses exceed our estimate of $600,000, we may fund such excess with funds from the 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. Conversely, in the event that the offering expenses are less than our estimate of $600,000, the amount of funds we intend to be held outside the trust account would increase by a corresponding amount.
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If we file a bankruptcy or winding-up petition or an involuntary bankruptcy or winding-up petition is filed against us that is not dismissed, the proceeds held in the trust account could be subject to applicable bankruptcy or insolvency law, and may be included in our bankruptcy or insolvency estate and subject to the claims of third parties with priority over the claims of our shareholders. To the extent any bankruptcy or insolvency claims deplete the trust account, we cannot assure you we will be able to return $10.20 per public share to our public shareholders. Additionally, if we file a bankruptcy or winding-up petition or an involuntary bankruptcy or winding-up petition is filed against us that is not dismissed, any distributions received by shareholders could be viewed under applicable debtor/creditor and/or bankruptcy or insolvency laws as either a “preferential transfer” or a “fraudulent conveyance.” As a result, a bankruptcy or insolvency court could seek to recover some or all amounts received by our shareholders. 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, and thereby exposing itself and our company to claims of punitive damages, by paying public shareholders 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 shareholders will be entitled to receive funds from the trust account only (i) in the event of the redemption of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 24 months from the closing of this offering at the election of the Company in two separate three month extensions subject to satisfaction of certain conditions, including the deposit of up to $1,500,000, or $1,725,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full ($0.10 per unit in either case) for each three month extension, into the trust account, or as extended by the Company’s shareholders in accordance with our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association), (ii) in connection with a shareholder vote to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to provide holders of our Class A ordinary shares the right to have their shares redeemed in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 24 months from the closing of this offering at the election of the Company in two separate three month extensions subject to satisfaction of certain conditions, including the deposit of up to $1,500,000, or $1,725,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full ($0.10 per unit in either case) for each three month extension, into the trust account, or as extended by the Company’s shareholders in accordance with our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association) or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to the rights of holders of our Class A ordinary shares, or (iii) if they redeem their respective shares for cash upon the completion of the initial business combination. Public shareholders who redeem their Class A ordinary shares in connection with a shareholder vote described in clause (ii) in the preceding sentence shall not be entitled to funds from the trust account upon the subsequent completion of an initial business combination or liquidation if we have not completed our initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 24 months from the closing of this offering at the election of the Company in two separate three month extensions subject to satisfaction of certain conditions, including the deposit of up to $1,500,000, or $1,725,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full ($0.10 per unit in either case) for each three month extension, into the trust account, or as extended by the Company’s shareholders in accordance with our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association), with respect to such Class A ordinary shares so redeemed. In no other circumstances will a shareholder have any right or interest of any kind to or in the trust account. In the event we seek shareholder approval in connection with our initial business combination, a shareholder’s voting in connection with the business combination alone will not result in a shareholder’s redeeming its shares to us for an applicable pro rata share of the trust account. Such shareholder must have also exercised its redemption rights described above. These provisions of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, like all provisions of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, may be amended with a shareholder vote.
Comparison of Redemption or Purchase Prices in Connection with Our Initial Business Combination and If We Fail to Complete Our Initial Business Combination.
The following table compares the redemptions and other permitted purchases of public shares that may take place in connection with the completion of our initial business combination and if we have not completed our initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 24 months from the closing of this offering at the election of the Company in two separate three month extensions
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subject to satisfaction of certain conditions, including the deposit of up to $1,500,000, or $1,725,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full ($0.10 per unit in either case) for each three month extension, into the trust account, or as extended by the Company’s shareholders in accordance with our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association):
| | | | Redemptions in connection with Our Initial Business Combination | | | Other Permitted Purchases of Public Shares by Our Affiliates | | | Redemption if We Fail to Complete an Initial Business Combination | |
| Impact to remaining shareholders | | | The redemptions in connection with our initial business combination will reduce the book value per share for our remaining shareholders, who will bear the burden of the deferred underwriting commissions and taxes payable. | | | If the permitted purchases described above are made, there would be no impact to our remaining shareholders because the purchase price would not be paid by us. | | | The redemption of our public shares if we fail to complete our initial business combination will reduce the book value per share for the shares held by our sponsor, who will be our only remaining shareholder after such redemptions. | |
Comparison of This Offering to Those of Blank Check Companies Subject to Rule 419
The following table compares the terms of this offering to the terms of an offering by a blank check company subject to the provisions of Rule 419. This comparison assumes that the gross proceeds, underwriting commissions and underwriting expenses of our offering would be identical to those of an offering undertaken by a company subject to Rule 419, and that the underwriters will not exercise their over-allotment option. None of the provisions of Rule 419 apply to our offering.
| | | | Terms of Our Offering | | | Terms Under a Rule 419 Offering | |
| Escrow of offering proceeds | | | $153,000,000 of the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants will be deposited into a U.S.-based trust account at Citibank NA, NY with Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company acting as trustee. | | | $127,575,000 of the offering proceeds, would be required to be deposited into either an escrow account with an insured depositary institution or in a separate bank account established by a broker- dealer in which the broker-dealer acts as trustee for persons having the beneficial interests in the account. | |
| Investment of net proceeds | | | $153,000,000 of the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants held in trust will be invested only in U.S. government treasury obligations with a maturity of 185 days or less or in money market funds meeting certain conditions under Rule 2a-7 under the Investment Company Act which invest only in direct U.S. government treasury obligations. | | | Proceeds could be invested only in specified securities such as a money market fund meeting conditions of the Investment Company Act or in securities that are direct obligations of, or obligations guaranteed as to principal or interest by, the U.S. | |
| Receipt of interest on escrowed funds | | | Interest income (if any) on proceeds from the trust account to be paid to shareholders is reduced by (i) any income taxes paid or payable and (ii) in the event of our liquidation for failure to complete our initial business combination within the allotted time, | | | Interest income on funds in escrow account would be held for the sole benefit of investors, unless and only after the funds held in escrow were released to us in connection with our completion of a business combination. | |
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| | | | Terms of Our Offering | | | Terms Under a Rule 419 Offering | |
| | | | up to $100,000 of net interest that may be released to us should we have no or insufficient working capital to fund the costs and expenses of our dissolution and liquidation. | | | | |
| Limitation on fair value or net assets of target business | | | The NASDAQ rules require that our initial business combination must occur with one or more target businesses that together have an aggregate fair market value of at least 80% of our assets held in the trust account (excluding the amount of deferred underwriting discounts held in trust and taxes payable on the income earned on the trust account) at the time of signing the agreement to enter into the initial business combination. If our securities are not then listed on the NASDAQ for whatever reason, we would no longer be required to meet the foregoing 80% of net asset test. | | | The fair value or net assets of a target business must represent at least 80% of the maximum offering proceeds. | |
| Trading of securities issued | | | The units are expected to begin trading on or promptly after the date of this prospectus. The Class A ordinary shares and warrants comprising 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 the underwriters inform us of their decision to allow earlier separate trading, subject to our having filed the Current Report on Form 8-K described below and having issued a press release announcing when such separate trading will begin. We will file the Current Report on Form 8-K promptly after the closing of this offering. If the over-allotment option is exercised following the initial filing of such Current Report on Form 8-K, a second or amended Current Report on Form 8-K will be filed to provide updated financial information to reflect the exercise of the over-allotment option. The units will automatically separate into their component parts and will not be traded after completion of our initial business combination. | | | No trading of the units or the underlying Class A ordinary shares and warrants would be permitted until the completion of a business combination. During this period, the securities would be held in the escrow or trust account. | |
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| | | | Terms of Our Offering | | | Terms Under a Rule 419 Offering | |
| Exercise of the warrants | | | The warrants cannot be exercised until the later of 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination and twelve months from the closing of this offering. | | | The warrants could be exercised prior to the completion of a business combination, but securities received and cash paid in connection with the exercise would be deposited in the escrow or trust account. | |
| Election to remain an investor | | | We will provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem their public shares for cash at a per share price equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account calculated as of two business days prior to the consummation of our initial business combination, including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our income taxes, if any, divided by the number of the then-outstanding public shares, upon the completion of our initial business combination, subject to the limitations described herein. We may not be required by applicable law or stock exchange listing requirement to hold a shareholder vote. If we are not required by applicable law or stock exchange listing requirement and do not otherwise decide to hold a shareholder vote, we will, pursuant to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, conduct the redemptions pursuant to the tender offer rules of the SEC and file tender offer documents with the SEC which will contain substantially the same financial and other information about the initial business combination and the redemption rights as is required under the SEC’s proxy rules. If, however, we hold a shareholder vote, we will, like many blank check companies, offer to redeem shares in conjunction with a proxy solicitation pursuant to the proxy rules and not pursuant to the tender offer rules. If we seek shareholder approval, we will complete our initial business combination only if we obtain the approval of an ordinary resolution under Cayman Islands law, being the affirmative vote of a majority of the | | | A prospectus containing information pertaining to the business combination required by the SEC would be sent to each investor. Each investor would be given the opportunity to notify the company in writing, within a period of no less than 20 business days and no more than 45 business days from the effective date of a post-effective amendment to the company’s registration statement, to decide if he, she or it elects to remain a shareholder of the company or require the return of his, her or its investment. If the company has not received the notification by the end of the 45th business day, funds and interest or dividends, if any, held in the trust or escrow account are automatically returned to the shareholder. Unless a sufficient number of investors elect to remain investors, all funds on deposit in the escrow account must be returned to all of the investors and none of the securities are issued. | |
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| | | | Terms of Our Offering | | | Terms Under a Rule 419 Offering | |
| | | | ordinary shares represented in person or by proxy and entitled to vote thereon and who vote at a general meeting. Additionally, each public shareholder may elect to redeem their public shares irrespective of whether they vote for or against the proposed transaction or vote at all. Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association require that at least five days’ notice will be given of any such general meeting. | | | | |
| Business combination deadline | | | If we have not completed our initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 24 months from the closing of this offering at the election of the Company in two separate three month extensions subject to satisfaction of certain conditions, including the deposit of up to $1,500,000, or $1,725,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full ($0.10 per unit in either case) for each three month extension, into the trust account, or as extended by the Company’s shareholders in accordance with our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association), 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 100% of the public shares, at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our income taxes, if any (less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses) divided by the number of the then-outstanding public shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public shareholders’ rights as shareholders (including the right to receive further liquidation distributions, if any); and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining | | | If an acquisition has not been completed within 18 months after the effective date of the company’s registration statement, funds held in the trust or escrow account are returned to investors. | |
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| | | | Terms of Our Offering | | | Terms Under a Rule 419 Offering | |
| | | | shareholders and our board of directors, liquidate and dissolve, subject in each case to our obligations under Cayman Islands law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law. | | | | |
| Release of funds | | | Except for the withdrawal of interest income (if any) to pay our income taxes, if any, none of the funds held in trust will be released from the trust account until the earliest of: (i) the completion of our initial business combination, (ii) the redemption of our public shares if we have not completed our initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering, subject to applicable law, and (iii) the redemption of our public shares properly submitted in connection with a shareholder vote to approve an amendment to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association (A) that would modify the substance or timing of our obligation to provide holders of our Class A ordinary shares the right to have their shares redeemed in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 24 months from the closing of this offering at the election of the Company in two separate three months extension subject to satisfaction of certain conditions, including the deposit of up to $1,500,000, or $1,725,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full ($0.10 per unit in either case) for each three month extension, into the trust account, or as extended by the Company’s shareholders in accordance with our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association) or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to the rights of holders of our Class A ordinary shares. | | | The proceeds held in the escrow account are not released until the earlier of the completion of a business combination or the failure to effect a business combination within the allotted time. | |
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Competition
In identifying, evaluating and selecting a target business for our initial business combination, we may encounter intense competition from other entities having a business objective similar to ours, including other blank check companies, private equity groups and leveraged buyout funds, public companies, operating businesses seeking strategic acquisitions. 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 us. 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 acquisition of a target business. Furthermore, our obligation to pay cash in connection with our public shareholders 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.
Facilities
We currently maintain our executive offices at 19 West 24th St., 10th Floor, New York, New York 10010. We consider our current office space adequate for our current operations.
Employees
We currently have three executive officers. Members of our management team are not obligated to devote any specific number of hours to our matters but they intend to devote as much of their time as they deem necessary to our affairs until we have completed our initial business combination. The amount of time that any such person will devote in any time period to our company will vary based on whether a target business has been selected for our initial business combination and the current stage of the business combination process.
Periodic Reporting and Financial Information
We will register our units, Class A ordinary shares and warrants under the Exchange Act and have reporting obligations, including the requirement that we file annual, quarterly and current reports with the SEC. In accordance with the requirements of the Exchange Act, our annual reports will contain financial statements audited and reported on by our independent registered public accountants.
We will provide shareholders with audited financial statements of the prospective target business as part of the proxy solicitation or tender offer materials, as applicable, sent to shareholders. These financial statements may be required to be prepared in accordance with, or reconciled to, GAAP, or IFRS, depending on the circumstances, and the historical financial statements may be required to be audited in accordance with the standards of the 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 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 cannot assure you that any particular target business identified by us as a potential acquisition candidate will have financial statements prepared in accordance with the requirements outlined above, or that the potential target business will be able to prepare its financial statements in accordance with the requirements outlined above. To the extent that these requirements cannot be met, we may not be able to acquire the proposed target business. While this may limit the pool of potential acquisition candidates, we do not believe that this limitation will be material.
We will be required to evaluate our internal control procedures for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2022 as required by the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. 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 not be required to comply with the independent registered public accounting firm attestation requirement on our internal control over financial reporting. A target business may not be in compliance with the provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act regarding adequacy of their internal controls. The development of the internal controls of any such entity to achieve compliance with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act may increase the time and costs necessary to complete any such acquisition.
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Prior to the effectiveness of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part, we will file a Registration Statement on Form 8-A with the SEC to voluntarily register our securities under Section 12 of the Exchange Act. As a result, we will be subject to the rules and regulations promulgated under the Exchange Act. We have no current intention of filing a Form 15 to suspend our reporting or other obligations under the Exchange Act prior or subsequent to the consummation of our initial business combination.
We are a Cayman Islands exempted company. Exempted companies are Cayman Islands companies conducting business mainly outside the Cayman Islands and, as such, are exempted from complying with certain provisions of the Companies Act. As an exempted company, we have applied for and received a tax exemption undertaking from the Cayman Islands government that, in accordance with Section 6 of the Tax Concessions Act (2018 Revision) of the Cayman Islands, for a period of 20 years from the date of the undertaking, no law which is enacted in the Cayman Islands imposing any tax to be levied on profits, income, gains or appreciations will apply to us or our operations and, in addition, that no tax to be levied on profits, income, gains or appreciations or which is in the nature of estate duty or inheritance tax will be payable (i) on or in respect of our shares, debentures or other obligations or (ii) by way of the withholding in whole or in part of a payment of dividend or other distribution of income or capital by us to our shareholders or a payment of principal or interest or other sums due under a debenture or other obligation of us.
We are an “emerging growth company,” as defined in Section 2(a) of the Securities Act, as modified by the JOBS Act. As such, we are eligible to take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not “emerging growth companies” including, but not limited to, not being required to comply with the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in our periodic reports and proxy statements, and exemptions from the requirements of holding a non-binding advisory vote on executive compensation and shareholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved. If some investors find our securities less attractive as a result, there may be a less active trading market for our securities and the prices of our securities may be more volatile.
In addition, Section 107 of the JOBS Act also provides that an “emerging growth company” can take advantage of the extended transition period provided in Section 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act for complying with new or revised accounting standards. In other words, an “emerging growth company” can delay the adoption of certain accounting standards until those standards would otherwise apply to private companies. We intend to take advantage of the benefits of this extended transition period.
We will remain an emerging growth company until the earlier of (1) the last day of the fiscal year (a) following the fifth anniversary of the completion of this offering, (b) in which we have total annual gross revenue of at least $1.07 billion, or (c) in which we are deemed to be a large accelerated filer, which means the market value of our Class A ordinary shares that are held by non-affiliates exceeds $700 million as of the prior June 30th, and (2) the date on which we have issued more than $1.0 billion in non-convertible debt securities during the prior three-year period.
Additionally, we are a “smaller reporting company” as defined in Item 10(f)(1) of Regulation S-K. Smaller reporting companies may take advantage of certain reduced disclosure obligations, including, among other things, providing only two years of audited financial statements. We will remain a smaller reporting company until the last day of the fiscal year in which (1) the market value of our ordinary shares held by non-affiliates exceeds $250 million as of the prior June 30, and (2) our annual revenues exceeded $100 million during such completed fiscal year or the market value of our ordinary shares held by non-affiliates exceeds $700 million as of the prior June 30.
Legal Proceedings
There is no material litigation, arbitration or governmental proceeding currently pending against us or any members of our management team in their capacity as such, and we and the members of our management team have not been subject to any such proceeding in the 12 months preceding the date of this prospectus.
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MANAGEMENT
Officers, Directors and Director Nominees
Our officers, directors and director nominees are as follows:
Name | | | Age | | | Position | |
Fabrice Grinda | | | 47 | | | Executive Chairman | |
Arnau Porto Dolc | | | 36 | | | Chief Executive Officer and Director | |
Claudia Gast | | | 38 | | | Chief Financial Officer, Secretary and Director | |
Jeffrey Weinstein | | | 32 | | | Chief Strategy Officer | |
Robert Perdue | | | 55 | | | Director Nominee | |
Gabriel Silva | | | 41 | | | Director Nominee | |
Juan Villalonga | | | 68 | | | Director Nominee | |
Michael Zeisser | | | 56 | | | Director Nominee | |
Fabrice Grinda, currently serves as the Co-Founder and Managing Partner of FJ Labs, a venture firm and startup studio that invests in and builds online marketplaces. Prior to FJ Labs, Mr. Grinda was co-founder and co-Chief Executive Officer of OLX, one of the largest websites in the world with over 300 million unique visitors per month, and, prior to that, founded Zingy, a mobile media start-up which he grew to $200M in revenue and sold to Japanese media conglomerate For-Side in 2004. Mr. Grinda started his entrepreneurial journey in 1998, when he co-founded and was Chief Executive Officer of Aucland, one of the largest auction sites in Europe. Before beginning his entrepreneurial endeavors, Mr. Grinda worked as a management consultant for McKinsey & Company. Mr. Grinda holds a bachelor’s degree in Economics from Princeton University. We believe Mr. Grinda is uniquely qualified to serve on our board of directors due to his executive leadership experience at numerous companies.
Arnau Porto Dolc, currently serves as the founder and CIO of Greentrail Capital, a London based investment firm focused globally on publicly listed technology companies and pre-IPO opportunities. Prior to founding Greentrail, Mr. Porto co-founded and co-ran Blueport Capital, a California-based investment partnership backed by the Robert Bass family office, and previously served as an investment analyst at Viking Global in New York. Mr. Porto started his career as institutional investor at Blackstone in London. He has since served as a senior advisor for DTCP digital infrastructure investments in Europe, and co-founded Jaguar and LaHaus in Colombia, and Portblue Hotels in Europe. Mr. Porto holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration and telecommunication engineering, as well as an MBA from Stanford Graduate School of Business. We believe Mr. Porto’s significant executive, investment and financial expertise make him well qualified to serve as a member of our board of directors.
Claudia Gast, has served as a member of the Executive team of AM General, a MacAndrews & Forbes portfolio company, where she completed the sale of the company to KPS. Mrs. Gast has aided and led the execution of multiple public and private buy—and sell—side transactions, including acquisitions, equity investments, divestitures and partnerships both domestically and internationally. Prior to AM General, Mrs. Gast served at GHC Capital where she led the acquisition of GWR Safety Systems and became the head of Strategy and M&A for the company, and, prior to that, worked at Procter & Gamble Company where she served in various financial & strategic roles of increasing responsibility across multiple regions. Mrs. Gast started her career at the Volkswagen group in finance. Mrs. Gast holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration and an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.
Jeffrey Weinstein, currently serves as a Principal at FJ Labs, where he co-heads the fund’s 600+ investments, which have included Alibaba, Flexport, Rappi, Betterment, Fanduel and Delivery Hero, and manages external fundraising efforts. Mr. Weinstein was previously a Senior Associate at Lux Capital, a $2.5 billion AUM venture capital firm that invests in emerging technologies in the physical and life sciences. Prior to that he worked at Dunbar Capital, a multi-strategy fund of hedge funds. Mr. Weinstein is a member of Class 24 of the Kauffman Fellows and has a BA in Philosophy, Politics and Economics from the University of Pennsylvania.
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Robert Perdue, currently serves as a Partner at Lutetia Technology and is a Strategic Advisor to three venture-backed artificial intelligence companies. Additionally, he serves on the Board of Directors of Impact, Inc., the leading SaaS platform for enterprise partnership automation. Mr. Perdue is the former Chief Operating Officer and Board Member of The Trade Desk, where he grew the company’s enterprise value from $20 million to over $15 billion. During his tenure from 2013 to 2019, The Trade Desk grew from a 20-person start-up with revenue of $1 million to over 1,100 employees with $677 million revenue in 2019. Mr. Perdue and the executive team completed an initial public offering of The Trade Desk in 2016. Over the next 3 years, The Trade Desk grew by 15x in the public markets, becoming the #1 performing technology initial public offering stock on the NASDAQ over the last five years. Prior to this, Mr. Perdue was Chief Operating Officer of EyeWonder, a video ad serving company, and an investment banker at The Jordan, Edmiston Group. He holds an MBA from Georgetown University. We believe Mr. Perdue’s significant executive, investment and financial expertise make him well qualified to serve as a member of our board of directors.
Gabriel Silva, served as Chief Financial Officer of Nubank, where he helped to build and scale one of the world’s largest FinTech companies. Previously, Mr. Silva was a partner and Chief Financial Officer of Pravaler, Brazil’s leading provider of private student loans, and before that a Managing Director at York Capital, a New York-based hedge fund. He has lived in 6 different countries and holds an International Diploma from Sciences Po in Paris, and an MBA from Stanford. He is also a member of Fundação Estudar, a Brazilian education non-profit organization. We believe Mr. Silva’s significant executive, investment and financial expertise make him well qualified to serve as a member of our board of directors.
Juan Villalonga, currently serves as a Partner at Lutetia Technology Partners and a Strategic Advisor of SparkBeyond. In addition, he currently serves as an advisor to the board of directors of Aiola and Lutetia Capital. Mr. Villalonga has strong operational experience as the former Executive Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Telefónica Group, a Spanish multinational telecommunications company and one of the largest telephone operators and mobile network providers in the world, which he grew from $12 billion to over $100 billion in market capitalization. In 2010, the Harvard Business Review ranked Mr. Villalonga as #33 on the list of the top 100 performing CEOs in the world. He is also the co-founder and partner at Hermes Growth Partners, a growth equity firm focused on technology investments, where he invested in successful private companies such as The Trade Desk and RingCentral, which are now leading public players. Prior to this he was as Partner at McKinsey & Company. Mr. Villalonga holds an MBA from IESE Barcelona and an LLB from the University of Deusto. We believe Mr. Villalonga’s significant executive, investment and financial expertise make him well qualified to serve as a member of our board of directors.
Michael Zeisser currently serves as the Managing Partner of FMZ Ventures, a growth equity investment fund focused on Experience Economy and marketplace ecosystems. Prior to founding FMZ Ventures, Mr. Zeisser was Chairman, U.S. Investments for Alibaba Group and led Alibaba’s strategic investments outside of Asia. Previously, Mr. Zeisser served as Senior Vice President of Liberty Media Corporation, where he acquired and oversaw companies in digital media, eCommerce and online gaming. Mr. Zeisser started his career at McKinsey & Co. in New York, where he was elected a partner and co-founded and led McKinsey’s Internet Practice. Mr. Zeisser has considerable governance experience, having served on numerous public and private boards including IAC, Trip Advisor, Time Inc., Lending Club, Shutterfly, XO Group/TheKnot, Lyft, Magic Leap, and OfferUp. Mr Zeisser graduated with honors from the J.L. Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University, where he was a Procter & Gamble International Academic Scholar. We believe Mr. Zeisser’s significant executive, investment and financial expertise make him well qualified to serve as a member of our board of directors.
Number and Terms of Office of Officers and Directors
Upon the effectiveness of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part, we expect that our board of directors will consist of five members. Our board of directors is divided into three classes, with only one class of directors being appointed in each year, and with each class (except for those directors appointed prior to our first annual general meeting) serving a three-year term. In accordance with the NASDAQ corporate governance requirements, we are not required to hold an annual general meeting until one year after our first fiscal year end following our listing on the NASDAQ. The term of office of the first class of directors, consisting of Robert Perdue and Michael Zeisser, will expire at our first annual general
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meeting. The term of office of the second class of directors, consisting of Gabriel Silva and Arnau Porto, will expire at our second annual general meeting. The term of office of the third class of directors, consisting of Fabrice Grinda and Juan Villalonga, will expire at our third annual general meeting.
Prior to the completion of an initial business combination, any vacancy on the board of directors may be filled by a nominee chosen by holders of a majority of our founder shares. 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.
Our officers are appointed by the board of directors and serve at the discretion of the board of directors, rather than for specific terms of office. Our board of directors is authorized to appoint persons to the offices set forth in our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association as it deems appropriate. Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association provide that our officers may consist of one or more chair or co-chair of the board, chief executive officer, president, chief financial officer, vice presidents, secretary, treasurer and such other offices as may be determined by the board of directors.
Director Independence
NASDAQ listing standards require that a majority of our board of directors be independent. An “independent director” is defined generally as a person other than an officer or employee of the company or its subsidiaries or any other individual having a relationship, which, in the opinion of the company’s board of directors, would interfere with the director’s exercise of independent judgment in carrying out the responsibilities of a director. Upon the effectiveness of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part, we expect to have four “independent directors” as defined in the NASDAQ listing rules and applicable SEC rules prior to completion of this offering. Our board of directors has determined that Robert Perdue, Gabriel Silva, Juan Villalonga and Michael Zeisser are “independent directors”. Our independent directors will have regularly scheduled meetings at which only independent directors are present.
Executive Officer and Director Compensation
None of our executive officers or directors have received any cash compensation for services rendered to us. Commencing on the date that our securities are first listed on NASDAQ through the earlier of consummation of our initial business combination and our liquidation, we will enter into an administrative services agreement pursuant to which we will pay our sponsor or an affiliate thereof $10,000 per month for office space, utilities, secretarial and administrative support services provided to members of our management team and other expenses and obligations of our sponsor. Our sponsor, executive officers and directors, or their respective affiliates will be reimbursed for any out-of-pocket expenses incurred in connection with activities on our behalf such as identifying potential target businesses and performing due diligence on suitable business combinations. Our audit committee will review on a quarterly basis all payments that were made by us to our sponsor, executive officers or directors, 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 reimbursements, 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 our activities on our behalf in connection with identifying and consummating an initial business combination. Other than these payments and reimbursements, no compensation of any kind, including finder’s and consulting fees, will be paid by the company to our sponsor, executive officers and directors, or their respective affiliates, prior to completion of our 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 shareholders, to the extent then known, in the proxy solicitation materials or tender offer materials furnished to our shareholders in connection with a proposed 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 business combination, because the directors of the post-combination business will be responsible for determining executive officer and director compensation. Any compensation to be paid
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to our executive 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 executive 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’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 executive officers and directors that provide for benefits upon termination of employment.
Committees of the Board of Directors
Upon the effectiveness of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part, our board of directors will have three standing committees: an audit committee, a nominating committee and a compensation committee. Subject to phase-in rules and a limited exception, the rules of the NASDAQ and Rule 10A-3 of the Exchange Act require that the audit committee of a listed company be comprised solely of independent directors. Subject to phase-in rules and a limited exception, the rules of the NASDAQ require that the compensation committee and the nominating committee of a listed company be comprised solely of independent directors.
Audit Committee
Upon the effectiveness of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part, we will establish an audit committee of the board of directors. Robert Perdue, Gabriel Silva and Michael Zeisser will serve as members of our audit committee. Our board of directors has determined that each of Mr. Perdue, Mr. Silva and Mr. Zeisser are independent under the NASDAQ listing standards and applicable SEC rules. Mr. Zeisser will serve as the Chairman of the audit committee. Under the NASDAQ listing standards and applicable SEC rules, all the directors on the audit committee must be independent. Each member of the audit committee is financially literate and our board of directors has determined that Mr. Zeisser qualifies as an “audit committee financial expert” as defined in applicable SEC rules.
The audit committee is responsible for:
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meeting with our independent registered public accounting firm regarding, among other issues, audits, and adequacy of our accounting and control systems;
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monitoring the independence of the independent registered public accounting firm;
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verifying the rotation of the lead (or coordinating) audit partner having primary responsibility for the audit and the audit partner responsible for reviewing the audit as required by law;
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inquiring and discussing with management our compliance with applicable laws and regulations;
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pre-approving all audit services and permitted non-audit services to be performed by our independent registered public accounting firm, including the fees and terms of the services to be performed;
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appointing or replacing the independent registered public accounting firm;
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determining the compensation and oversight of the work of the independent registered public accounting firm (including resolution of disagreements between management and the independent auditor regarding financial reporting) for the purpose of preparing or issuing an audit report or related work;
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establishing procedures for the receipt, retention and treatment of complaints received by us regarding accounting, internal accounting controls or reports which raise material issues regarding our financial statements or accounting policies;
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monitoring compliance on a quarterly basis with the terms of this offering and, if any noncompliance is identified, immediately taking all action necessary to rectify such noncompliance or otherwise causing compliance with the terms of this offering; and
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reviewing and approving all payments made to our existing shareholders, executive officers or directors and their respective affiliates. Any payments made to members of our audit committee will be reviewed and approved by our board of directors, with the interested director or directors abstaining from such review and approval.
Nominating Committee
Upon the effectiveness of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part, we will establish a nominating committee of our board of directors. The members of our nominating committee will be Robert Perdue, Juan Villalonga and Michael Zeisser, and Mr. Perdue will serve as chairman of the nominating committee. Under the NASDAQ listing standards, we are required to have a nominating committee composed entirely of independent directors. Our board of directors has determined that each of Mr. Perdue, Mr. Villalonga and Mr. Zeisser are independent.
The nominating committee is responsible for overseeing the selection of persons to be nominated to serve on our board of directors. The nominating committee considers persons identified by its members, management, shareholders, investment bankers and others.
Guidelines for Selecting Director Nominees
The guidelines for selecting nominees, which will be specified in a charter to be adopted by us, generally will provide that persons to be nominated:
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should have demonstrated notable or significant achievements in business, education or public service;
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should possess the requisite intelligence, education and experience to make a significant contribution to the board of directors and bring a range of skills, diverse perspectives and backgrounds to its deliberations; and
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should have the highest ethical standards, a strong sense of professionalism and intense dedication to serving the interests of the shareholders.
The nominating committee will consider a number of qualifications relating to management and leadership experience, background and integrity and professionalism in evaluating a person’s candidacy for membership on the board of directors. The nominating committee may require certain skills or attributes, such as financial or accounting experience, to meet specific board needs that arise from time to time and will also consider the overall experience and makeup of its members to obtain a broad and diverse mix of board members. The nominating committee does not distinguish among nominees recommended by shareholders and other persons.
Compensation Committee
Upon the effectiveness of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part, we will establish a compensation committee of our board of directors. The members of our compensation committee will be Gabriel Silva, Juan Villalonga and Michael Zeisser, and Mr. Silva will serve as chairman of the compensation committee.
Under the NASDAQ listing standards, we are required to have a compensation committee composed entirely of independent directors. Our board of directors has determined that each of Mr. Perdue, Mr. Silva and Mr. Villalonga are independent. We will adopt a compensation committee charter, which will detail the principal functions of the compensation committee, including:
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reviewing and approving on an annual basis the corporate goals and objectives relevant to our Chief Executive Officer’s compensation, evaluating our Chief Executive Officer’s performance in light of such goals and objectives and determining and approving the remuneration (if any) of our Chief Executive Officer based on such evaluation;
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•
reviewing and approving the compensation of all of our other Section 16 executive officers;
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reviewing our executive compensation policies and plans;
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implementing and administering our incentive compensation equity-based remuneration plans;
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assisting management in complying with our proxy statement and annual report disclosure requirements;
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approving all special perquisites, special cash payments and other special compensation and benefit arrangements for our executive officers and employees;
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producing a report on executive compensation to be included in our annual proxy statement; and
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reviewing, evaluating and recommending changes, if appropriate, to the remuneration for directors.
The charter will also provide 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 NASDAQ and the SEC.
Compensation Committee Interlocks and Insider Participation
None of our executive officers currently serves, and in the past year has not served, as a member of the compensation committee of any entity that has one or more executive officers serving on our board of directors.
Code of Ethics
Upon the effectiveness of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part, we will have adopted a Code of Ethics applicable to our directors, officers and employees. A copy of the Code of Ethics will be provided without charge upon request from us. We intend to disclose any amendments to or waivers of certain provisions of our Code of Ethics in a Current Report on Form 8-K.
Conflicts of Interest
Under Cayman Islands law, directors and officers owe the following fiduciary duties:
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duty to act in good faith in what the director or officer believes to be in the best interests of the company as a whole;
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duty to exercise powers for the purposes for which those powers were conferred and not for a collateral purpose;
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directors should not improperly fetter the exercise of future discretion;
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duty to exercise powers fairly as between different sections of shareholders;
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duty not to put themselves in a position in which there is a conflict between their duty to the company and their personal interests; and
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duty to exercise independent judgment.
In addition to the above, directors also owe a duty of care which is not fiduciary in nature. This duty has been defined as a requirement to act as a reasonably diligent person having both the general knowledge, skill and experience that may reasonably be expected of a person carrying out the same functions as are carried out by that director in relation to the company and the general knowledge skill and experience of that director.
As set out above, directors have a duty not to put themselves in a position of conflict and this includes a duty not to engage in self-dealing, or to otherwise benefit as a result of their position. However, in some
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instances what would otherwise be a breach of this duty can be forgiven and/or authorized in advance by the shareholders provided that there is full disclosure by the directors. This can be done by way of permission granted in the amended and restated memorandum and articles of association or alternatively by shareholder approval at general meetings.
Certain of our officers and directors presently have, and any of them in the future may have additional, fiduciary and contractual duties to other entities. As a result, if any of our officers or directors becomes aware of a business combination opportunity which is suitable for an entity to which he or she has then-current fiduciary or contractual obligations, then, subject to their fiduciary duties under Cayman Islands law, he or she will need to honor such fiduciary or contractual obligations to present such business combination opportunity to such entity, before we can pursue such opportunity. If these other entities decide to pursue any such opportunity, we may be precluded from pursuing the same. However, we do not expect these duties to materially affect our ability to complete our initial business combination. Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association provide that, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law: (i) no individual serving as a director or an officer shall have any duty, except and to the extent expressly assumed by contract, to refrain from engaging directly or indirectly in the same or similar business activities or lines of business as us; and (ii) we renounce any interest or expectancy in, or in being offered an opportunity to participate in, any potential transaction or matter which may be a corporate opportunity for any director or officer, on the one hand, and us, on the other.
Below is a table summarizing the entities to which our executive officers and directors currently have fiduciary duties, contractual obligations or other material management relationships:
Name | | | Entity | | | Entity’s Business | | | Affiliation | |
Fabrice Grinda | | | Wallapop Spain, S.L. | | | Consumer-to-consumer marketplace platform | | | Director | |
| | | Trendly, Inc. | | | Luxury accessory resale platform | | | Director | |
| | | Mealco, Inc. | | | Food and beverage platform | | | Director | |
| | | Properly Inc. | | | Canadian real estate sales platform | | | Director | |
| | | Seafair Inc. | | | Shipping labor marketplace company | | | Director | |
| | | FJ Labs Inc. | | | Venture capital firm | | | Managing Partner | |
| | | Umamicart, Inc. | | | Online grocery platform | | | Director | |
Arnau Porto Dolc | | | Greentrail Capital Limited | | | Technology hedge fund | | | Director | |
| | | Greentrail Partners LLP | | | Investment management | | | Portfolio Manager | |
| | | Firstland BV | | | Consulting business | | | Director | |
| | | Whitesand Hotel Management S.L. | | | Hotel management company | | | Director | |
Claudia Gast | | | GHC Capital | | | Parent company affiliated with family office | | | Director | |
| | | Greentrail Management LLC | | | Investment management | | | Partner | |
Jeffrey Weinstein | | | FJ Labs Inc. | | | Venture capital firm | | | Principal | |
| | | TVLX Viagens e Turismo S/A | | | Online travel agency | | | Director | |
Juan Villalonga | | | Lutetia Technology Partners | | | Technology hedge fund | | | Partner | |
| | | Aiola (Israel) | | | Sales automation platform | | | Advisor to the Board of Directors | |
| | | Lutetia Capital | | | Global hedge fund | | | Advisor to the Board of Directors | |
| | | SparkBeyond Ltd. | | | AI data analytics company | | | Strategic Advisor | |
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Name | | | Entity | | | Entity’s Business | | | Affiliation | |
Robert Perdue | | | Impact, Inc. | | | Business management automation platform | | | Director | |
| | | Lutetia Technology Partners | | | Technology hedge fund | | | Partner | |
| | | Aiola (Israel) | | | Sales automation platform | | | Advisor to the Board of Directors | |
| | | VATBox Ltd. | | | AI tax compliance platform | | | Director | |
Michael Zeisser | | | LendingClub Corporation | | | Peer-to-peer lending company | | | Director | |
| | | OfferUp Inc. | | | Online mobile-first C2C marketplace | | | Director | |
| | | Atlas Obscura Inc. | | | Online magazine and travel company | | | Director | |
| | | Fever Labs, Inc. | | | Social event discovery platform | | | Director | |
| | | Dash Radio Inc. | | | Digital radio broadcasting platform | | | Director | |
| | | PuppySpot Group, LLC | | | Pet adoption platform | | | Director | |
| | | FMZ Ventures | | | Growth equity investment firm | | | Managing Partner | |
Potential investors should also be aware of the following other potential conflicts of interest:
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Our executive 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 a business combination and their other businesses. Each of our executive officers is engaged in several other business endeavors for which he may be entitled to substantial compensation, and our executive officers are not obligated to contribute any specific number of hours per week to our affairs.
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Our sponsor subscribed for founder shares prior to the date of this prospectus and will purchase private placement warrants in a transaction that will close simultaneously with the closing of this offering.
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Our sponsor and each member of our management team have entered into an agreement with us, pursuant to which they have agreed to waive their redemption rights with respect to any founder shares and public shares held by them in connection with (i) the completion of our initial business combination, and (ii) a shareholder vote to approve an amendment to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association (A) that would modify the substance or timing of our obligation to provide holders of our Class A ordinary shares the right to have their shares redeemed in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 24 months from the closing of this offering at the election of the Company in two separate three month extensions subject to satisfaction of certain conditions, including the deposit of up to $1,500,000, or $1,725,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full ($0.10 per unit in either case) for each three month extension, into the trust account, or as extended by the Company’s shareholders in accordance with our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association) or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to the rights of holders of our Class A ordinary shares. Additionally, our sponsor has agreed to waive its rights to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to its founder shares if we fail to complete our initial business combination within the prescribed time frame. If we do not complete our initial business combination within the prescribed time frame, the private placement warrants will expire worthless. Except as described herein, our sponsor and our directors and executive officers have agreed not to transfer, assign or sell any of their founder shares until the earliest of (A) one year after the completion of our initial business combination and (B) subsequent to our initial business combination, (x) if the closing price of our Class A ordinary shares equals or exceeds $12.00 per
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share (as adjusted for share subdivisions, share capitalizations, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) for any 20 trading days within any 30-trading day period commencing at least 150 days after our initial business combination, or (y) the date on which we complete a liquidation, merger, share exchange or other similar transaction that results in all of our public shareholders having the right to exchange their ordinary shares for cash, securities or other property. Except as described herein, the private placement warrants will not be transferable until 30 days following the completion of our initial business combination. Because each of our executive officers and director nominees will own ordinary shares or warrants directly or indirectly, they may have a conflict of interest in determining whether a particular target business is an appropriate business with which to effectuate our initial business combination.
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Our officers and directors may have a conflict of interest with respect to evaluating a particular business combination if the retention or resignation of any such officers and directors is included by a target business as a condition to any agreement with respect to our initial business combination.
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Our sponsor, officers and directors may sponsor, form or participate in other blank check companies similar to ours during the period in which we are seeking an initial business combination. For example, one of our advisory committee members, Alec Oxenford, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Alpha Capital Acquisition Company (a Special Purpose Acquisition Company), and entities affiliated with him are minority investors in our sponsor entity. Furthermore, FJ Labs, which is co-led by Fabrice Grinda (our Executive Chairman) and is one of the primary investors in our sponsor entity, is also an investor in the sponsor entity for Alpha Capital Acquisition Company. Any such companies may present additional conflicts of interest in pursuing an acquisition target, particularly in the event there is overlap among investment mandates.
We are not prohibited from pursuing an initial business combination with a company that is affiliated with our sponsor, officers or directors. In the event we seek to complete our initial business combination with a company that is affiliated with our sponsor or any of our officers or directors, 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 such initial business combination is fair to our company from a financial point of view. We are not required to obtain such an opinion in any other context.
In addition, our sponsor or any of its affiliates may make additional investments in the company in connection with the initial business combination, although our sponsor and its affiliates have no obligation or current intention to do so. If our sponsor or any of its affiliates elects to make additional investments, such proposed investments could influence our sponsor’s motivation to complete an initial business combination.
Furthermore, in no event will our sponsor or any of our existing officers or directors, or their respective affiliates, be paid by us any finder’s fee, consulting fee or other compensation prior to, or for any services they render in order to effectuate, the completion of our initial business combination. However, our sponsor may transfer certain of its Class B ordinary shares to our directors or advisors, or their affiliates, in conjunction with our initial business combination in the event such parties bring specific target company, industry or market expertise, as well as insights or relationships that we believe are necessary in order to locate, assess, negotiate and consummate an initial business combination.
Commencing on the date that our securities are first listed on NASDAQ through the earlier of consummation of our initial business combination and our liquidation, we will enter into an administrative services agreement pursuant to which we will pay our sponsor or an affiliate thereof $10,000 per month for office space, utilities, secretarial and administrative support services provided to members of our management team and other expenses and obligations of our sponsor. Furthermore, we may enter into consulting arrangements directly or indirectly with individuals (who will not be our executive officers) to provide similar services.
We cannot assure you that any of the above mentioned conflicts will be resolved in our favor.
If we seek shareholder approval, we will complete our initial business combination only if we obtain the approval of an ordinary resolution under Cayman Islands law, being the affirmative vote of a majority of the ordinary shares represented in person or by proxy and entitled to vote thereon and who vote at a general
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meeting. In such case, our sponsor and each member of our management team have agreed to vote their founder shares and public shares in favor of our initial business combination.
Limitation on Liability and Indemnification of Officers and Directors
Cayman Islands law does not limit the extent to which a company’s memorandum and articles of association may provide for indemnification of officers and directors, except to the extent any such provision may be held by the Cayman Islands courts to be contrary to public policy, such as to provide indemnification against willful default, willful neglect, civil fraud or the consequences of committing a crime. Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association provide for indemnification of our officers and directors to the maximum extent permitted by law, including for any liability incurred in their capacities as such, except through their own actual fraud, willful default or willful neglect. We will enter into agreements with our directors and officers to provide contractual indemnification in addition to the indemnification provided for in our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association. We expect to purchase a policy of directors’ and officers’ liability insurance that insures our officers and directors against the cost of defense, settlement or payment of a judgment in some circumstances and insures us against our obligations to indemnify our officers and directors.
Our officers and directors have agreed to waive any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to any monies in the trust account, and have agreed to waive any right, title, interest or claim of any kind they may have in the future as a result of, or arising out of, any services provided to us and will not seek recourse against the trust account for any reason whatsoever (except to the extent they are entitled to funds from the trust account due to their ownership of public shares). Accordingly, any indemnification provided will only be able to be satisfied by us if (i) we have sufficient funds outside of the trust account or (ii) we consummate an initial business combination.
Our indemnification obligations may discourage shareholders 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 shareholders. Furthermore, a shareholder’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.
We believe that these provisions, the insurance and the indemnity agreements are necessary to attract and retain talented and experienced officers and directors.
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PRINCIPAL SHAREHOLDERS
The following table sets forth information regarding the beneficial ownership of our ordinary shares as of the date of this prospectus, and as adjusted to reflect the sale of our Class A ordinary shares included in the units offered by this prospectus, and assuming no purchase of units in this offering, by:
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each person known by us to be the beneficial owner of more than 5% of our issued and outstanding ordinary shares;
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each of our executive officers, directors and director nominees that beneficially owns ordinary shares; and
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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 of our ordinary shares 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 this prospectus.
On February 10, 2021, the sponsor paid $25,000, or approximately $0.004 per share, to cover certain of our offering and formation costs in consideration of 6,468,750 Class B ordinary shares, par value $0.0001. On June 30, 2021, our Sponsor surrendered 2,156,250 Class B ordinary shares for no consideration, resulting in 4,312,500 shares outstanding of which 562,500 are subject to forfeiture in the event the underwriters' over-allotment option is not exercised. All share and per share amounts have been restated. In July 2021, our sponsor transferred 40,000 founder shares to each of our independent director nominees, other than Michael Zeisser, at their original purchase price. Prior to the initial investment in the company of $25,000 by the sponsor, the company had no assets, tangible or intangible. The per share price of the founder shares was determined by dividing the amount contributed to the company by the number of founder shares issued. The post-offering percentages in the following table assume that the underwriters does not exercise their over-allotment option and that there are 17,250,000 ordinary shares issued and outstanding after this offering.
| | | | | | | | | Approximate Percentage of Issued and Outstanding Ordinary Shares | | |||||||||
Name and Address of Beneficial Owner(1) | | | Number of Shares Beneficially Owned(2) | | | Before Offering | | | After Offering | | |||||||||
Global Technology Acquisition I Sponsor LP (our sponsor) | | | | | 4,192,500(3) | | | | | | 97.2% | | | | | | 19.4% | | |
Arnau Porto(3) | | | | | — | | | | | | — | | | | | | — | | |
Fabrice Grinda(3) | | | | | — | | | | | | — | | | | | | — | | |
Claudia Gast(3) | | | | | — | | | | | | — | | | | | | — | | |
Jeffrey Weinstein(3) | | | | | — | | | | | | — | | | | | | — | | |
Michael Zeisser(4) | | | | | — | | | | | | — | | | | | | — | | |
Robert Perdue(4) | | | | | 40,000 | | | | | | 0.9% | | | | | | 0.2% | | |
Gabriel Silva(4) | | | | | 40,000 | | | | | | 0.9% | | | | | | 0.2% | | |
Juan Villalonga(4) | | | | | 40,000 | | | | | | 0.9% | | | | | | 0.2% | | |
All officers, directors and director nominees as a group (eight individuals) | | | | | 120,000 | | | | | | 2.8% | | | | | | 0.6% | | |
(1)
Unless otherwise noted, the business address of each of our shareholders is 19 West 24th St., 10th Floor, New York, New York 10010.
(2)
Interests shown consist solely of founder shares, classified as Class B ordinary shares. Such shares will automatically convert into Class A ordinary shares at the time of our initial business combination as described in the section entitled “Description of Securities.” Includes up to 562,500 founder shares that will be surrendered to us for no consideration by our sponsor depending on the extent to which the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised.
(3)
The shares reported in the table above are held in the name of our sponsor. Global Technology Acquisition I Sponsor GP Ltd. is the general partner of our sponsor and has voting and investment
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discretion with respect to the ordinary shares held of record by our sponsor. Arnau Porto, Fabrice Grinda, Claudia Gast and Jeffery Weinstein are the directors of Global Technology Acquisition I Sponsor GP Ltd. Each director has one vote, and the approval of three of the four directors is required to approve an action of Global Technology Acquisition I Sponsor GP Ltd. Under the so-called “rule of three,” if voting and dispositive decisions regarding an entity’s securities are made by two or more individuals, and a voting and dispositive decision requires the approval of a majority of those individuals, then none of the individuals is deemed a beneficial owner of the entity’s securities. This is the situation with regard to Global Technology Acquisition I Sponsor GP Ltd. Based upon the foregoing analysis, no individual director of Global Technology Acquisition I Sponsor GP Ltd. exercises voting or dispositive control over any of the securities held by Global Technology Acquisition I Sponsor GP Ltd. even those in which he or she directly holds a pecuniary interest. Accordingly, none of them will be deemed to have or share beneficial ownership of such shares. Arnau Porto, Fabrice Grinda, Claudia Gast and Jeffery Weinstein, individually and together with their controlled affiliates, including FJ Labs, along with Martial Eagle Fund LP and Martial Eagle Special Opportunities Fund I LP (each of Martial Eagle Fund LP and Martial Eagle Special Opportunities Fund I LP (together, “Martial Eagle”) is managed by Erez Kalir), collectively, own 69% of the interests of the Sponsor holding our Class B ordinary units. Moreover, Arnau Porto, Fabrice Grinda, Claudia Gast and Jeffery Weinstein, individually and together with their controlled affiliates, including FJ Labs, collectively, own 73% of the interests of the Sponsor holding the private placement warrants and have provided 36% of capital for the purchase of our private placement warrants (not assuming the exercise of the underwriters’ overallotment option) and Martial Eagle owns 12% of the interests of the Sponsor holding the private placement warrants and have provided 35% of capital for the purchase of our private placement warrants (not assuming the exercise of the underwriters’ overallotment option). Additionally, each of our officers, directors and strategic advisors is, directly or indirectly, a member of our sponsor or have direct or indirect economic interests in our sponsor, and each of them disclaims any beneficial ownership of any shares held by our sponsor except to the extent of his or her ultimate pecuniary interest.
(4)
Each of our independent directors is, directly or indirectly, a member of our sponsor or has direct or indirect economic interests in our sponsor, and each of them disclaims any beneficial ownership of any shares held by our sponsor except to the extent of his or her ultimate pecuniary interest.
Immediately after this offering, our sponsor and its permitted transferees will beneficially own 20% of the then issued and outstanding ordinary shares (assuming they do not purchase any units in this offering) and will have the right to appoint all of our directors prior to our initial business combination. Holders of our public shares will not have the right to appoint any directors to our board of directors prior to our initial business combination. Because of this ownership block, our sponsor may be able to effectively influence the outcome of all other matters requiring approval by our shareholders, including amendments to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association and approval of significant corporate transactions including our initial business combination. If we increase or decrease the size of this offering, we will effect a share capitalization or a share surrender or redemption or other appropriate mechanism, as applicable, with respect to our Class B ordinary shares immediately prior to the consummation of this offering in such amount as to maintain the number of founder shares, on an as-converted basis, at 20% of our issued and outstanding ordinary shares upon the consummation of this offering.
Our sponsor has agreed (a) to vote any founder shares and public shares held by it in favor of any proposed business combination and (b) not to redeem any founder shares or public shares held by it in connection with a shareholder vote to approve a proposed initial business combination.
Our sponsor and our officers and directors are deemed to be our “promoters” as such term is defined under the federal securities laws.
Transfers of Founder Shares and Private Placement Warrants
The founder shares and private placement warrants and any Class A ordinary shares issued upon conversion or exercise thereof are each subject to transfer restrictions pursuant to lock-up provisions in the agreement entered into by our sponsor and management team. Our sponsor and each member of our management team have agreed not to transfer, assign or sell any of their founder shares until the earliest of (a) one year after the completion of our initial business combination and (b) subsequent to our initial business combination, (x) if the closing price of our Class A ordinary shares equals or exceeds $12.00 per share (as
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adjusted for share subdivisions, share capitalizations, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) for any 20 trading days within any 30-trading day period commencing at least 150 days after our initial business combination or (y) the date on which we complete a liquidation, merger, share exchange or other similar transaction that results in all of our public shareholders having the right to exchange their Class A ordinary shares for cash, securities or other property. The private placement warrants and the respective Class A ordinary shares underlying such warrants are not transferable or salable until 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination. The foregoing restrictions are not applicable to transfers (a) to our officers or directors, any affiliates or family members of any of our officers or directors, any members of our sponsor, or any affiliates of our sponsor, (b) in the case of an individual, by gift to a member of one of the individual’s immediate family or to a trust, the beneficiary of which is a member of the individual’s immediate family, an affiliate of such person or to a charitable organization; (c) in the case of an individual, by virtue of laws of descent and distribution upon death of the individual; (d) in the case of an individual, pursuant to a qualified domestic relations order; (e) by private sales or transfers made in connection with the consummation of a business combination at prices no greater than the price at which the founder shares, private placement warrants or Class A ordinary shares, as applicable, were originally purchased; (f) by virtue of our sponsor’s organizational documents upon liquidation or dissolution of our sponsor; (g) to the Company for no value for cancellation in connection with the consummation of our initial business combination; (h) in the event of our liquidation prior to the completion of our initial business combination; or (i) in the event of our completion of a liquidation, merger, share exchange or other similar transaction which results in all of our public shareholders having the right to exchange their Class A ordinary shares for cash, securities or other property subsequent to our completion of our initial business combination; provided, however, that in the case of clauses (a) through (f) these permitted transferees must enter into a written agreement agreeing to be bound by these transfer restrictions and the other restrictions contained in the letter agreement.
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CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS
On February 10, 2021, the sponsor paid $25,000, or approximately $0.004 per share, to cover certain of our offering and formation costs in consideration of 6,468,750 Class B ordinary shares, par value $0.0001. On June 30, 2021, our Sponsor surrendered 2,156,250 Class B ordinary shares for no consideration, resulting in 4,312,500 shares outstanding of which 562,500 are subject to forfeiture in the event the underwriters' over-allotment option is not exercised. All share and per share amounts have been restated. In July 2021, our sponsor transferred 40,000 founder shares to each of our independent director nominees, other than Michael Zeisser, at their original purchase price. The number of founder shares issued was determined based on the expectation that such founder shares would represent 20% of the issued and outstanding shares upon completion of this offering. If we increase or decrease the size of this offering, we will effect a share capitalization or a share surrender or redemption or other appropriate mechanism, as applicable, with respect to our Class B ordinary shares immediately prior to the consummation of this offering in such amount as to maintain the number of founder shares, on an as-converted basis, at 20% of the issued and outstanding ordinary shares upon the consummation of this offering. Up to 562,500 founder shares are subject to forfeiture by our sponsor depending on the extent to which the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised. The founder shares (including the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise thereof) may not, subject to certain limited exceptions, be transferred, assigned or sold by the holder.
Our sponsor has committed, pursuant to a written agreement, to purchase an aggregate of 8,500,000 private placement warrants (or 9,400,000 private placement warrants if the over-allotment option is exercised in full) for a purchase price of $1.00 per whole warrant in a private placement that will occur simultaneously with the closing of this offering. As such, our sponsor’s interest in this transaction is valued at between $8,500,000 and $9,400,000, depending on the number of private placement warrants purchased. Each private placement warrant entitles the holder to purchase one Class A ordinary share at $11.50 per whole share, subject to adjustment. The private placement warrants (including the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise thereof) may not, subject to certain limited exceptions, be transferred, assigned or sold by the holder until 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination.
As more fully discussed in the section of this prospectus entitled “Management—Conflicts of Interest,” if any of our officers or directors becomes aware of a business combination opportunity that falls within the line of business of any entity to which he or she has then-current 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.
Commencing on the date that our securities are first listed on NASDAQ through the earlier of consummation of our initial business combination and our liquidation, we will enter into an administrative services agreement pursuant to which we will pay our sponsor or an affiliate thereof $10,000 per month for office space, utilities, secretarial and administrative support services provided to members of our management team and other expenses and obligations of our sponsor. Upon completion of our initial business combination or our liquidation, we will cease paying these monthly fees.
We currently maintain our executive offices at 19 West 24th St., 10th Floor, New York, New York 10010.
No compensation of any kind, including finder’s and consulting fees, will be paid by us to our sponsor, executive officers and directors, or their respective affiliates, for services rendered prior to or in connection with the completion of an initial business combination. However, our sponsor may transfer certain of its Class B ordinary shares to our directors or advisors, or their affiliates, in conjunction with our initial business combination in the event such parties bring specific target company, industry or market expertise, as well as insights or relationships that we believe are necessary in order to locate, assess, negotiate and consummate an initial business combination. In addition, 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. Our audit committee will review on a quarterly basis all payments that were made by us to our sponsor, officers, directors or their affiliates and will determine which expenses and the amount of expenses that will be reimbursed. There is no cap or ceiling on the reimbursement of out-of-pocket expenses incurred by such persons in connection with activities on our behalf.
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Prior to the consummation of this offering, our sponsor has agreed to loan us up to $300,000 to be used for a portion of the expenses of this offering. These loans are non-interest bearing, unsecured and are due at the earlier of December 31, 2021 and the closing of this offering. The loan will be repaid upon the closing of this offering out of the offering proceeds not held in the trust account.
In addition, in order to finance transaction costs in connection with an intended initial business combination, our sponsor or an affiliate of our sponsor or certain of our officers and directors may, but are not obligated to, loan us funds as may be required. If we complete an initial business combination, we may repay such loaned amounts out of the proceeds of the trust account released to us. In the event that the initial business combination does not close, we may use a portion of the working capital held outside the trust account to repay such loaned amounts but no proceeds from our trust account would be used for such repayment. Up to $1,500,000 of such loans may be convertible into warrants at a price of $1.00 per warrant at the option of the lender. The warrants would be identical to the private placement warrants, including as to exercise price, exercisability and exercise period. The terms of such loans by our officers and directors, if any, have not been determined and no written agreements exist with respect to such loans. We do not expect to seek loans from parties other than our sponsor, its affiliates or our management team 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.
After our initial business combination, members of our management team who remain with us may be paid consulting, management or other fees from the combined company with any and all amounts being fully disclosed to our shareholders, to the extent then known, in the tender offer or proxy solicitation materials, as applicable, furnished to our shareholders. It is unlikely the amount of such compensation will be known at the time of distribution of such tender offer materials or at the time of a general meeting held to consider our initial business combination, as applicable, as it will be up to the directors of the post-combination business to determine executive and director compensation.
We will enter into a registration rights agreement pursuant to which our sponsor will be entitled to certain registration rights with respect to the private placement warrants, the warrants issuable upon conversion of working capital loans (if any) and the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the foregoing, which is described under the section of this prospectus entitled “Description of Securities—Registration Rights.” We will bear the expenses incurred in connection with the filing of any such registration statements.
Policy for Approval of Related Party Transactions
The audit committee of our board of directors will adopt a charter, providing for the review, approval and/or ratification of “related party transactions,” which are those transactions required to be disclosed pursuant to Item 404 of Regulation S-K as promulgated by the SEC, by the audit committee. At its meetings, the audit committee shall be provided with the details of each new, existing, or proposed related party transaction, including the terms of the transaction, any contractual restrictions that the company has already committed to, the business purpose of the transaction, and the benefits of the transaction to the company and to the relevant related party. Any member of the committee who has an interest in the related party transaction under review by the committee shall abstain from voting on the approval of the related party transaction, but may, if so requested by the chairman of the committee, participate in some or all of the committee’s discussions of the related party transaction. Upon completion of its review of the related party transaction, the committee may determine to permit or to prohibit the related party transaction.
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DESCRIPTION OF SECURITIES
We are a Cayman Islands exempted company and our affairs will be governed by our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, the Companies Act and the common law of the Cayman Islands. Pursuant to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, which will be adopted prior to the consummation of this offering, we will be authorized to issue 200,000,000 Class A ordinary shares and 20,000,000 Class B ordinary shares, as well as 1,000,000 preference shares, $0.0001 par value each. The following description summarizes the material terms of our shares as set out more particularly in our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association. Because it is only a summary, it may not contain all the information that is important to you.
Units
Each unit has an offering price of $10.00 and consists of one Class A ordinary share and one-half of one redeemable warrant. Each whole warrant entitles the holder thereof to purchase one Class A ordinary share at a price of $11.50 per whole share, subject to adjustment as described in this prospectus. Pursuant to the warrant agreement, a warrant holder may exercise its warrants only for a whole number of the company’s Class A ordinary shares. This means only a whole warrant may be exercised at any given time by a warrant holder.
The Class A ordinary shares and warrants comprising the units are expected to 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 the underwriters inform us of their decision to allow earlier separate trading, subject to our having filed the Current Report on Form 8-K described below and having issued a press release announcing when such separate trading will begin. Once the Class A ordinary shares and warrants commence separate trading, holders will have the option to continue to hold units or separate their units into the component securities. Holders will need to have their brokers contact our transfer agent in order to separate the units into Class A ordinary shares and warrants. No fractional warrants will be issued upon separation of the units and only whole warrants will trade. Accordingly, unless you purchase at least three units, you will not be able to receive or trade a whole warrant.
In no event will the Class A ordinary shares and warrants be traded separately until we have filed with the SEC a Current Report on Form 8-K which includes an audited balance sheet reflecting our receipt of the gross proceeds at the closing of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants. We will file a Current Report on Form 8-K which includes this audited balance sheet promptly after the completion of this offering. If the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised following the initial filing of such Current Report on Form 8-K, a second or amended Current Report on Form 8-K will be filed to provide updated financial information to reflect the exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option.
Additionally, the units will automatically separate into their component parts and will not be traded after completion of our initial business combination.
Ordinary Shares
Prior to the date of this prospectus, there were 4,312,500 Class B ordinary shares issued and outstanding, all of which were held of record by our sponsor and its permitted transferees, so that our sponsor and its permitted transferees will own 20% of our issued and outstanding shares after this offering (assuming our sponsor does not purchase any units in this offering). Upon the closing of this offering, 18,750,000 of our ordinary shares will be outstanding (assuming no exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option) including:
•
15,000,000 Class A ordinary shares underlying the units issued as part of this offering; and
•
3,750,000 Class B ordinary shares held by our sponsor.
If we increase or decrease the size of this offering, we will effect a share capitalization or a compulsory redemption or redemption or other appropriate mechanism, as applicable, with respect to our Class B ordinary shares immediately prior to the consummation of this offering in such amount as to maintain the number of founder shares, on an as-converted basis, at 20% of our issued and outstanding ordinary shares upon the consummation of this offering.
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Ordinary shareholders of record are entitled to one vote for each share held on all matters to be voted on by shareholders. Except as described below, holders of Class A ordinary shares and holders of Class B ordinary shares will vote together as a single class on all matters submitted to a vote of our shareholders except as required by law. Unless specified in our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, or as required by applicable provisions of the Companies Act or applicable stock exchange rules, the affirmative vote of a majority of our ordinary shares that are voted is required to approve any such matter voted on by our shareholders. Approval of certain actions will require a special resolution under Cayman Islands law, being the affirmative vote of at least two-thirds of our ordinary shares that are voted, and pursuant to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association; such actions include amending our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association and approving a statutory merger or consolidation with another company. Our board of directors is divided into three classes, each of which will generally serve for a term of three years with only one class of directors being appointed in each year. There is no cumulative voting with respect to the appointment of directors, with the result that the holders of more than 50% of the shares voted for the appointment of directors can appoint all of the directors. Our shareholders are entitled to receive ratable dividends when, as and if declared by the board of directors out of funds legally available therefor. Prior to our initial business combination, only holders of our founder shares will have the right to vote on the appointment of directors. Holders of our public shares will not be entitled to vote on the appointment 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. In addition, in a vote to continue the Company in a jurisdiction outside the Cayman Islands (which requires the approval of at least two thirds of the votes of all ordinary shares), holders of our Class B ordinary shares will have ten votes for every Class B ordinary share and holders of our Class A ordinary shares will have one vote for every Class A ordinary share. The provisions of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association governing the appointment or removal of directors prior to our initial business combination and our continuation in a jurisdiction outside the Cayman Islands prior to our initial business combination may only be amended by a special resolution passed by not less than two-thirds of our ordinary shares who attend and vote at our general meeting which shall include the affirmative vote of a simple majority of our Class B ordinary shares.
Because our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association authorize the issuance of up to 200,000,000 Class A ordinary shares, if we were to enter into a business combination, we may (depending on the terms of such a business combination) be required to increase the number of Class A ordinary shares which we will be authorized to issue at the same time as our shareholders vote on the business combination to the extent we seek shareholder approval in connection with our initial business combination.
Our board of directors is divided into three classes with only one class of directors being appointed in each year and each class (except for those directors appointed prior to our first annual general meeting) serving a three-year term. In accordance with the NASDAQ corporate governance requirements, we are not required to hold an annual general meeting until one year after our first fiscal year end following our listing on the NASDAQ. There is no requirement under the Companies Act for us to hold annual or general meetings to appoint directors. We may not hold an annual general meeting to appoint new directors prior to the consummation of our initial business combination. Prior to the completion of an initial business combination, any vacancy on the board of directors may be filled by a nominee chosen by holders of a majority of our founder shares. 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.
We will provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their public shares upon the completion of our initial business combination at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account calculated as of two business days prior to the consummation of our initial business combination, including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our income taxes, if any, divided by the number of the then-outstanding public shares, subject to the limitations described herein. The amount in the trust account is initially anticipated to be $10.20 per public share. The per share amount we will distribute to investors who properly redeem their shares will not be reduced by the deferred underwriting commissions we will pay to the underwriters. The redemption rights will include the requirement that a beneficial owner must identify itself in order to valid redeem its shares. Our sponsor and each member of our management team have entered into an agreement with us, pursuant to which they have agreed to waive their redemption rights with
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respect to any founder shares and public shares held by them in connection with (i) the completion of our initial business combination, and (ii) a shareholder vote to approve an amendment to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association (A) that would modify the substance or timing of our obligation to provide holders of our Class A ordinary shares the right to have their shares redeemed in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 24 months from the closing of this offering at the election of the Company in two separate three month extensions subject to satisfaction of certain conditions, including the deposit of up to $1,500,000, or $1,725,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full ($0.10 per unit in either case) for each three month extension, into the trust account, or as extended by the Company’s shareholders in accordance with our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association) or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to the rights of holders of our Class A ordinary shares. Unlike many blank check companies that hold shareholder votes and conduct proxy solicitations in conjunction with their initial business combinations and provide for related redemptions of public shares for cash upon completion of such initial business combinations even when a vote is not required by law, if a shareholder vote is not required by applicable law or stock exchange listing requirements, if a shareholder vote is not required by applicable law or stock exchange listing requirements and we do not decide to hold a shareholder vote for business or other reasons, we will, pursuant to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, conduct the redemptions pursuant to the tender offer rules of the SEC, and file tender offer documents with the SEC prior to completing our initial business combination. Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association require these tender offer documents to contain substantially the same financial and other information about the initial business combination and the redemption rights as is required under the SEC’s proxy rules. If, however, a shareholder approval of the transaction is required by applicable law or stock exchange listing requirements, or we decide to obtain shareholder approval for business or other reasons, we will, like many blank check companies, offer to redeem shares in conjunction with a proxy solicitation pursuant to the proxy rules and not pursuant to the tender offer rules. If we seek shareholder approval, we will complete our initial business combination only if we obtain the approval of an ordinary resolution under Cayman Islands law, being the affirmative vote of a majority of the ordinary shares represented in person or by proxy and entitled to vote thereon and who vote at a general meeting. However, the participation of our sponsor, officers, directors, advisors or their affiliates in privately-negotiated transactions (as described in this prospectus), if any, could result in the approval of our initial business combination even if a majority of our public shareholders vote, or indicate their intention to vote, against such initial business combination. For purposes of seeking approval of the majority of our issued and outstanding ordinary shares, non-votes will have no effect on the approval of our initial business combination once a quorum is obtained. Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association require that at least five days’ notice will be given of any general meeting.
If we seek shareholder 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 memorandum and articles of association provide that a public shareholder, together with any affiliate of such shareholder or any other person with whom such shareholder is acting in concert or as a “group” (as defined under Section 13 of the Exchange Act), will be restricted from redeeming its shares with respect to Excess Shares, without our prior consent. However, we would not be restricting our shareholders’ ability to vote all of their shares (including Excess Shares) for or against our initial business combination. Our shareholders’ inability to redeem the Excess Shares will reduce their influence over our ability to complete our initial business combination, and such shareholders could suffer a material loss in their investment if they sell such Excess Shares on the open market. Additionally, such shareholders will not receive redemption distributions with respect to the Excess Shares if we complete our initial business combination. And, as a result, such shareholders will continue to hold that number of shares exceeding 15% and, in order to dispose such shares would be required to sell their shares in open market transactions, potentially at a loss.
If we seek shareholder approval, we will complete our initial business combination only if we obtain the approval of an ordinary resolution under Cayman Islands law, being the affirmative vote of a majority of the ordinary shares represented in person or by proxy and entitled to vote thereon and who vote at a general meeting. In such case, our sponsor and each member of our management team have agreed to vote their founder shares and public shares in favor of our initial business combination. As a result, in addition to our initial shareholders’ founder shares, we would need 5,625,001, or 37.5% (assuming all issued and
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outstanding shares are voted and the over-allotment option is not exercised), or 937,501, or 6.25% (assuming only the minimum number of shares representing a quorum are voted and the over-allotment option is not exercised), of the 15,000,000 public shares sold in this offering to be voted in favor of an initial business combination in order to have our initial business combination approved. Additionally, each public shareholder may elect to redeem their public shares irrespective of whether they vote for or against the proposed transaction or vote at all.
Pursuant to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, if we have not completed our initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 24 months from the closing of this offering at the election of the Company in two separate three month extensions subject to satisfaction of certain conditions, including the deposit of up to $1,500,000, or $1,725,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full ($0.10 per unit in either case) for each three month extension, into the trust account, or as extended by the Company’s shareholders in accordance with our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association), 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 income taxes, if any (less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses) divided by the number of the then-outstanding public shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public shareholders’ rights as shareholders (including the right to receive further liquidation distributions, if any); and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining shareholders and our board of directors, liquidate and dissolve, subject in each case to our obligations under Cayman Islands law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law. Our sponsor and each member of our management team have entered into an agreement with us, pursuant to which they have agreed to waive their rights to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to any founder shares they hold if we fail to consummate an initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 24 months from the closing of this offering at the election of the Company in two separate three month extensions subject to satisfaction of certain conditions, including the deposit of up to $1,500,000, or $1,725,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full ($0.10 per unit in either case) for each three month extension, into the trust account, or as extended by the Company’s shareholders in accordance with our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association), although they will be entitled to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to any public shares they hold if we fail to complete our initial business combination within the prescribed time frame. Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association provide that, if we wind up for any other reason prior to the consummation of our initial business combination, we will follow the foregoing procedures with respect to the liquidation of the trust account as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter, subject to applicable Cayman Islands law.
In the event of a liquidation, dissolution or winding up of the company after a business combination, our shareholders are entitled to share ratably in all assets remaining available for distribution to them after payment of liabilities and after provision is made for each class of shares, if any, having preference over the ordinary shares. Our shareholders have no preemptive or other subscription rights. There are no sinking fund provisions applicable to the ordinary shares, except that we will provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem their public shares for cash at a per share price 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 income taxes, if any, divided by the number of the then-outstanding public shares, upon the completion of our initial business combination, subject to the limitations described herein.
Founder Shares
The founder shares are designated as Class B ordinary shares and, except as described below, are identical to the Class A ordinary shares included in the units being sold in this offering, and holders of founder shares have the same shareholder rights as public shareholders, except that: (a) prior to our initial business combination, only holders of the founder shares have the right to vote on the appointment of directors and holders of a majority of our founder shares may remove a member of the board of directors for
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any reason; (b) the founder shares are subject to certain transfer restrictions, as described in more detail below; (c) in a vote to continue the Company in a jurisdiction outside the Cayman Islands (which requires the approval of at least two thirds of the votes of all ordinary shares), holders of our founder shares will have ten votes for every founder share and holders of our Class A ordinary shares will have one vote for every Class A ordinary share; (d) our sponsor and each member of our management team have entered into an agreement with us, pursuant to which they have agreed to (i) waive their redemption rights with respect to their founder shares (ii) to waive their redemption rights with respect to their founder shares and public shares in connection with a shareholder vote to approve an amendment to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association (A) that would modify the substance or timing of our obligation to provide holders of our Class A ordinary shares the right to have their shares redeemed in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 24 months from the closing of this offering at the election of the Company in two separate three month extensions subject to satisfaction of certain conditions, including the deposit of up to $1,500,000, or $1,725,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full ($0.10 per unit in either case) for each three month extension, into the trust account, or as extended by the Company’s shareholders in accordance with our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association) or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to the rights of holders of our Class A ordinary shares; and (iii) waive their rights to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to any founder shares they hold if we fail to consummate an initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 24 months from the closing of this offering at the election of the Company in two separate three month extensions subject to satisfaction of certain conditions, including the deposit of up to $1,500,000, or $1,725,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full ($0.10 per unit in either case) for each three month extension, into the trust account, or as extended by the Company’s shareholders in accordance with our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association), although they will be entitled to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to any public shares they hold if we fail to complete our initial business combination within the prescribed time frame; (e) the founder shares will automatically convert into our Class A ordinary shares at the time of our initial business combination or earlier at the option of the holders thereof as described herein; and (f) the founder shares are entitled to registration rights. If we seek shareholder approval, we will complete our initial business combination only if we obtain the approval of an ordinary resolution under Cayman Islands law, being the affirmative vote of a majority of the ordinary shares represented in person or by proxy and entitled to vote thereon and who vote at a general meeting. In such case, our sponsor and each member of our management team have agreed to vote their founder shares and public shares in favor of our initial business combination.
The founder shares are designated as Class B ordinary shares and will automatically convert into Class A ordinary shares (which such Class A ordinary shares delivered upon conversion will not have redemption rights or be entitled to liquidating distributions from the trust account if we do not consummate an initial business combination) at the time of our initial business combination or earlier at the option of the holders thereof at a ratio such that the number of Class A ordinary shares issuable upon conversion of all founder shares will equal, in the aggregate, on an as-converted basis, 20% of the sum of (i) the total number of ordinary shares issued and outstanding upon completion of this offering, plus (ii) the total number of Class A ordinary shares issued or deemed issued or issuable upon conversion or exercise of any equity-linked securities or rights issued or deemed issued, by the Company in connection with or in relation to the consummation of the initial business combination, excluding Class A ordinary shares or equity-linked securities exercisable for or convertible into Class A ordinary shares issued, deemed issued, or to be issued, to any seller in the initial business combination and any private placement warrants issued to our sponsor, its affiliates or any member of our management team upon conversion of working capital loans. In no event will the Class B ordinary shares convert into Class A ordinary shares at a rate of less than one-to-one.
Except as described herein, our sponsor and our directors and executive officers have agreed not to transfer, assign or sell any of their founder shares until earliest of (A) one year after the completion of our initial business combination and (B) subsequent to our initial business combination, (x) if the closing price of our Class A ordinary shares equals or exceeds $12.00 per share (as adjusted for share sub-divisions, share capitalizations, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) for any 20 trading days within any 30-trading day period commencing at least 150 days after our initial business combination, or (y) the date on which we complete a liquidation, merger, share exchange or other similar transaction that results in all of our public
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shareholders having the right to exchange their ordinary shares for cash, securities or other property. We refer to such transfer restrictions throughout this prospectus as the lock-up. Any permitted transferees would be subject to the same restrictions and other agreements of our sponsor and our directors and executive officers with respect to any founder shares.
Prior to our initial business combination, only holders of our founder shares will have the right to vote on the appointment of directors. Holders of our public shares will not be entitled to vote on the appointment 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. These provisions of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association may only be amended by a special resolution passed by not less than two-thirds of our ordinary shares who attend and vote at our general meeting which shall include the affirmative vote of a simple majority of our Class B ordinary shares. With respect to any other matter submitted to a vote of our shareholders, including any vote in connection with our initial business combination, except as required by law, holders of our founder shares and holders of our public shares will vote together as a single class, with each share entitling the holder to one vote.
Register of Members
Under Cayman Islands law, we must keep a register of members and there will be entered therein:
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the names and addresses of the members, a statement of the shares held by each member, and of the amount paid or agreed to be considered as paid, on the shares of each member and the voting rights of shares of each member;
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whether voting rights are attached to the share in issue;
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the date on which the name of any person was entered on the register as a member; and
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the date on which any person ceased to be a member.
Under Cayman Islands law, the register of members of our company is prima facie evidence of the matters set out therein (i.e., the register of members will raise a presumption of fact on the matters referred to above unless rebutted) and a member registered in the register of members will be deemed as a matter of Cayman Islands law to have legal title to the shares as set against its name in the register of members. Upon the closing of this public offering, the register of members will be immediately updated to reflect the issue of shares by us. Once our register of members has been updated, the shareholders recorded in the register of members will be deemed to have legal title to the shares set against their name. However, there are certain limited circumstances where an application may be made to a Cayman Islands court for a determination on whether the register of members reflects the correct legal position. Further, the Cayman Islands court has the power to order that the register of members maintained by a company should be rectified where it considers that the register of members does not reflect the correct legal position. If an application for an order for rectification of the register of members were made in respect of our ordinary shares, then the validity of such shares may be subject to re-examination by a Cayman Islands court.
Preference Shares
Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association authorize 1,000,000 preference shares and provide that preference shares may be issued from time to time in one or more series. Our board of directors will be authorized to fix the voting rights, if any, designations, powers, preferences, the relative, participating, optional or other special rights and any qualifications, limitations and restrictions thereof, applicable to the shares of each series. Our board of directors will be able to, without shareholder approval, issue preference shares with voting and other rights that could adversely affect the voting power and other rights of the holders of the ordinary shares and could have anti-takeover effects. The ability of our board of directors to issue preference shares without shareholder approval could have the effect of delaying, deferring or preventing a change of control of us or the removal of existing management. We have no preference shares issued and outstanding at the date hereof. Although we do not currently intend to issue any preference shares, we cannot assure you that we will not do so in the future. No preference shares are being issued or registered in this offering.
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Warrants
Public Shareholders’ Warrants
Each whole warrant entitles the registered holder to purchase one Class A ordinary share at a price of $11.50 per whole share, subject to adjustment as discussed below, at any time commencing on the later of one year from the closing of this offering and 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination, except as discussed in the immediately succeeding paragraph. Pursuant to the warrant agreement, a warrant holder may exercise its warrants only for a whole number of Class A ordinary shares. This means only a whole warrant may be exercised at a given time by a warrant holder. No fractional warrants will be issued upon separation of the units and only whole warrants will trade. Accordingly, unless you purchase at least three units, you will not be able to receive or trade a whole warrant. The warrants will expire five years after the completion of our initial business combination, at 5:00 p.m., New York City time, or earlier upon redemption or liquidation.
We will not be obligated to deliver any Class A ordinary shares pursuant to the exercise of a warrant and will have no obligation to settle such warrant exercise unless a registration statement under the Securities Act with respect to the Class A ordinary shares underlying the warrants is then effective and a prospectus relating thereto is current, subject to our satisfying our obligations described below with respect to registration, or a valid exemption from registration is available. No warrant will be exercisable and we will not be obligated to issue a Class A ordinary share upon exercise of a warrant unless the Class A ordinary share issuable upon such warrant exercise has been registered, qualified or deemed to be exempt under the securities laws of the state of residence of the registered holder of the warrants. In the event that the conditions in the two immediately preceding sentences are not satisfied with respect to a warrant, the holder of such warrant will not be entitled to exercise such warrant and such warrant may have no value and expire worthless. In no event will we be required to net cash settle any warrant. In the event that a registration statement is not effective for the exercised warrants, the purchaser of a unit containing such warrant will have paid the full purchase price for the unit solely for the Class A ordinary share underlying such unit.
We have agreed that as soon as practicable, but in no event later than twenty business days after the closing of our initial business combination, we will use our commercially reasonable efforts to file with the SEC a registration statement for the registration, under the Securities Act, of the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants, and we will use our commercially reasonable efforts to cause the same to become effective within 60 business days after the closing of our initial business combination, and to maintain the effectiveness of such registration statement and a current prospectus relating to those Class A ordinary shares until the warrants expire or are redeemed, as specified in the warrant agreement; provided that if our Class A ordinary shares are at the time of any exercise of a warrant not listed on a national securities exchange such that they satisfy the definition of a “covered security” under Section 18(b)(1) of the Securities Act, we may, at our option, require holders of public warrants who exercise their warrants to do so on a “cashless basis” in accordance with Section 3(a)(9) of the Securities Act and, in the event we so elect, we will not be required to file or maintain in effect a registration statement, but we will use our commercially reasonably efforts to register or qualify the shares under applicable blue sky laws to the extent an exemption is not available. If a registration statement covering the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants is not effective by the 60th day after the closing of the initial business combination, warrant holders may, until such time as there is an effective registration statement and during any period when we will have failed to maintain an effective registration statement, exercise warrants on a “cashless basis” in accordance with Section 3(a)(9) of the Securities Act or another exemption, but we will use our commercially reasonably efforts to register or qualify the shares under applicable blue sky laws to the extent an exemption is not available. In such event, each holder would pay the exercise price by surrendering the warrants for that number of Class A ordinary shares equal to the lesser of (A) the quotient obtained by dividing (x) the product of the number of Class A ordinary shares underlying the warrants, multiplied by the excess of the “fair market value” (defined below) less the exercise price of the warrants by (y) the fair market value and (B) 0.361 per warrant. The “fair market value” as used in this paragraph shall mean the volume weighted average price of the Class A ordinary shares for the 10 trading days ending on the trading day prior to the date on which the notice of exercise is received by the warrant agent.
Redemption of warrants when the price per Class A ordinary share equals or exceeds $18.00. Once the warrants become exercisable, we may redeem the outstanding warrants (except as described herein with respect to the private placement warrants):
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•
in whole and not in part;
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at a price of $0.01 per warrant;
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upon a minimum of 30 days’ prior written notice of redemption to each warrant holder; and
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if, and only if, the closing price of the Class A ordinary shares equals or exceeds $18.00 per share (as adjusted for adjustments to the number of shares issuable upon exercise or the exercise price of a warrant as described under the heading “—Warrants—Public Shareholders’ Warrants—Anti-Dilution Adjustments”) on the trading day prior to the date on which we send the notice of redemption to the warrant holders.
We will not redeem the warrants as described above unless a registration statement under the Securities Act covering the issuance of the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants is then effective and a current prospectus relating to those Class A ordinary shares is available throughout the 30-day redemption period. If and when the warrants become redeemable by us, we may exercise our redemption right even if we are unable to register or qualify the underlying securities for sale under all applicable state securities laws.
We have established the last of the redemption criterion discussed above to prevent a redemption call unless there is at the time of the call a significant premium to the warrant exercise price. If the foregoing conditions are satisfied and we issue a notice of redemption of the warrants, each warrant holder will be entitled to exercise his, her or its warrant prior to the scheduled redemption date. Any such exercise would not be done on a “cashless” basis and would require the exercising warrant holder to pay the exercise price for each warrant being exercised. However, the price of the Class A ordinary shares may fall below the $18.00 redemption trigger price (as adjusted for adjustments to the number of shares issuable upon exercise or the exercise price of a warrant as described under the heading “—Warrants—Public Shareholders’ Warrants—Anti-dilution Adjustments”) as well as the $11.50 (for whole shares) warrant exercise price after the redemption notice is issued.
Redemption of warrants when the price per Class A ordinary share equals or exceeds $10.00. Once the warrants become exercisable, we may redeem the outstanding warrants (except as described herein with respect to the private placement warrants):
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in whole and not in part;
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at $0.10 per warrant upon a minimum of 30 days’ prior written notice of redemption provided that holders will be able to exercise their warrants on a cashless basis prior to redemption and receive that number of shares determined by reference to the table below, based on the redemption date and the “fair market value” of our Class A ordinary shares (as defined below) except as otherwise described below; and
•
if, and only if, the closing price of our Class A ordinary shares equals or exceeds $10.00 per public share (as adjusted for adjustments to the number of shares issuable upon exercise or the exercise price of a warrant as described under the heading “—Warrants—Public Shareholders’ Warrants—Anti-Dilution Adjustments”) on the trading day prior to the date on which we send the notice of redemption to the warrant holders.
Beginning on the date the notice of redemption is given until the warrants are redeemed or exercised, holders may elect to exercise their warrants on a cashless basis. The numbers in the table below represent the number of Class A ordinary shares that a warrant holder will receive upon such cashless exercise in connection with a redemption by us pursuant to this redemption feature, based on the “fair market value” of our Class A ordinary shares on the corresponding redemption date (assuming holders elect to exercise their warrants and such warrants are not redeemed for $0.10 per warrant), determined for these purposes based on volume weighted average price of our Class A ordinary shares for the 10 trading days ending on the third trading day prior to the date on which the notice of redemption is sent to the holders of warrants, and the number of months that the corresponding redemption date precedes the expiration date of the warrants, each as set forth in the table below. We will provide our warrant holders with the final fair market value no later than one business day after the 10-trading day period described above ends.
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Pursuant to the warrant agreement, references above to Class A ordinary shares shall include a security other than Class A ordinary shares into which the Class A ordinary shares have been converted or exchanged for in the event we are not the surviving company in our initial business combination. The numbers in the table below will not be adjusted when determining the number of Class A ordinary shares to be issued upon exercise of the warrants if we are not the surviving entity following our initial business combination.
The share prices set forth in the column headings of the table below will be adjusted as of any date on which the number of shares issuable upon exercise of a warrant or the exercise price of a warrant is adjusted as set forth under the heading “—Anti-dilution Adjustments” below. If the number of shares issuable upon exercise of a warrant is adjusted, the adjusted share prices in the column headings will equal the share prices immediately prior to such adjustment, multiplied by a fraction, the numerator of which is the exercise price of the warrant after such adjustment and the denominator of which is the price of the warrant immediately prior to such adjustment. In such an event, the number of shares in the table below shall be adjusted by multiplying such share amounts by a fraction, the numerator of which is the number of shares deliverable upon exercise of a warrant immediately prior to such adjustment and the denominator of which is the number of shares deliverable upon exercise of a warrant as so adjusted. If the exercise price of a warrant is adjusted, (a) in the case of an adjustment pursuant to the fifth paragraph under the heading “—Anti-dilution Adjustments” below, the adjusted share prices in the column headings will equal the unadjusted share price multiplied by a fraction, the numerator of which is the higher of the Market Value and the Newly Issued Price as set forth under the heading “—Anti-dilution Adjustments” and the denominator of which is $10.00 and (b) in the case of an adjustment pursuant to the second paragraph under the heading “—Anti-dilution Adjustments” below, the adjusted share prices in the column headings will equal the unadjusted share price less the decrease in the exercise price of a warrant pursuant to such exercise price adjustment.
| | | Fair Market Value of Class A Ordinary Shares | | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Redemption Date (period to expiration of warrants) | | | <10.00 | | | 11.00 | | | 12.00 | | | 13.00 | | | 14.00 | | | 15.00 | | | 16.00 | | | 17.00 | | | >18.00 | | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
60 months | | | | | 0.261 | | | | | | 0.281 | | | | | | 0.297 | | | | | | 0.311 | | | | | | 0.324 | | | | | | 0.337 | | | | | | 0.348 | | | | | | 0.358 | | | | | | 0.361 | | |
57 months | | | | | 0.257 | | | | | | 0.277 | | | | | | 0.294 | | | | | | 0.310 | | | | | | 0.324 | | | | | | 0.337 | | | | | | 0.348 | | | | | | 0.358 | | | | | | 0.361 | | |
54 months | | | | | 0.252 | | | | | | 0.272 | | | | | | 0.291 | | | | | | 0.307 | | | | | | 0.322 | | | | | | 0.335 | | | | | | 0.347 | | | | | | 0.357 | | | | | | 0.361 | | |
51 months | | | | | 0.246 | | | | | | 0.268 | | | | | | 0.287 | | | | | | 0.304 | | | | | | 0.320 | | | | | | 0.333 | | | | | | 0.346 | | | | | | 0.357 | | | | | | 0.361 | | |
48 months | | | | | 0.241 | | | | | | 0.263 | | | | | | 0.283 | | | | | | 0.301 | | | | | | 0.317 | | | | | | 0.332 | | | | | | 0.344 | | | | | | 0.356 | | | | | | 0.361 | | |
45 months | | | | | 0.235 | | | | | | 0.258 | | | | | | 0.279 | | | | | | 0.298 | | | | | | 0.315 | | | | | | 0.330 | | | | | | 0.343 | | | | | | 0.356 | | | | | | 0.361 | | |
42 months | | | | | 0.228 | | | | | | 0.252 | | | | | | 0.274 | | | | | | 0.294 | | | | | | 0.312 | | | | | | 0.328 | | | | | | 0.342 | | | | | | 0.355 | | | | | | 0.361 | | |
39 months | | | | | 0.221 | | | | | | 0.246 | | | | | | 0.269 | | | | | | 0.290 | | | | | | 0.309 | | | | | | 0.325 | | | | | | 0.340 | | | | | | 0.354 | | | | | | 0.361 | | |
36 months | | | | | 0.213 | | | | | | 0.239 | | | | | | 0.263 | | | | | | 0.285 | | | | | | 0.305 | | | | | | 0.323 | | | | | | 0.339 | | | | | | 0.353 | | | | | | 0.361 | | |
33 months | | | | | 0.205 | | | | | | 0.232 | | | | | | 0.257 | | | | | | 0.280 | | | | | | 0.301 | | | | | | 0.320 | | | | | | 0.337 | | | | | | 0.352 | | | | | | 0.361 | | |
30 months | | | | | 0.196 | | | | | | 0.224 | | | | | | 0.250 | | | | | | 0.274 | | | | | | 0.297 | | | | | | 0.316 | | | | | | 0.335 | | | | | | 0.351 | | | | | | 0.361 | | |
27 months | | | | | 0.185 | | | | | | 0.214 | | | | | | 0.242 | | | | | | 0.268 | | | | | | 0.291 | | | | | | 0.313 | | | | | | 0.332 | | | | | | 0.350 | | | | | | 0.361 | | |
24 months | | | | | 0.173 | | | | | | 0.204 | | | | | | 0.233 | | | | | | 0.260 | | | | | | 0.285 | | | | | | 0.308 | | | | | | 0.329 | | | | | | 0.348 | | | | | | 0.361 | | |
21 months | | | | | 0.161 | | | | | | 0.193 | | | | | | 0.223 | | | | | | 0.252 | | | | | | 0.279 | | | | | | 0.304 | | | | | | 0.326 | | | | | | 0.347 | | | | | | 0.361 | | |
18 months | | | | | 0.146 | | | | | | 0.179 | | | | | | 0.211 | | | | | | 0.242 | | | | | | 0.271 | | | | | | 0.298 | | | | | | 0.322 | | | | | | 0.345 | | | | | | 0.361 | | |
15 months | | | | | 0.130 | | | | | | 0.164 | | | | | | 0.197 | | | | | | 0.230 | | | | | | 0.262 | | | | | | 0.291 | | | | | | 0.317 | | | | | | 0.342 | | | | | | 0.361 | | |
12 months | | | | | 0.111 | | | | | | 0.146 | | | | | | 0.181 | | | | | | 0.216 | | | | | | 0.250 | | | | | | 0.282 | | | | | | 0.312 | | | | | | 0.339 | | | | | | 0.361 | | |
9 months | | | | | 0.090 | | | | | | 0.125 | | | | | | 0.162 | | | | | | 0.199 | | | | | | 0.237 | | | | | | 0.272 | | | | | | 0.305 | | | | | | 0.336 | | | | | | 0.361 | | |
6 months | | | | | 0.065 | | | | | | 0.099 | | | | | | 0.137 | | | | | | 0.178 | | | | | | 0.219 | | | | | | 0.259 | | | | | | 0.296 | | | | | | 0.331 | | | | | | 0.361 | | |
3 months | | | | | 0.034 | | | | | | 0.065 | | | | | | 0.104 | | | | | | 0.150 | | | | | | 0.197 | | | | | | 0.243 | | | | | | 0.286 | | | | | | 0.326 | | | | | | 0.361 | | |
0 months | | | | | — | | | | | | — | | | | | | 0.042 | | | | | | 0.115 | | | | | | 0.179 | | | | | | 0.233 | | | | | | 0.281 | | | | | | 0.323 | | | | | | 0.361 | | |
The exact fair market value and redemption date may not be set forth in the table above, in which case, if the fair market value is between two values in the table or the redemption date is between two redemption
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dates in the table, the number of Class A ordinary shares to be issued for each warrant exercised will be determined by a straight-line interpolation between the number of shares set forth for the higher and lower fair market values and the earlier and later redemption dates, as applicable, based on a 365 or 366-day year, as applicable. For example, if the volume weighted average price of our Class A ordinary shares for the 10 trading days ending on the third trading day prior to the date on which the notice of redemption is sent to the holders of the warrants is $11.00 per share, and at such time there are 57 months until the expiration of the warrants, holders may choose to, in connection with this redemption feature, exercise their warrants for 0.277 Class A ordinary shares for each whole warrant. For an example where the exact fair market value and redemption date are not as set forth in the table above, if the volume weighted average price of our Class A ordinary shares for the 10 trading days ending on the third trading day prior to the date on which the notice of redemption is sent to the holders of the warrants is $13.50 per share, and at such time there are 38 months until the expiration of the warrants, holders may choose to, in connection with this redemption feature, exercise their warrants for 0.298 Class A ordinary shares for each whole warrant. In no event will the warrants be exercisable on a cashless basis in connection with this redemption feature for more than 0.361 Class A ordinary shares per warrant (subject to adjustment). Finally, as reflected in the table above, if the warrants are out of the money and about to expire, they cannot be exercised on a cashless basis in connection with a redemption by us pursuant to this redemption feature, since they will not be exercisable for any Class A ordinary shares.
This redemption feature differs from the typical warrant redemption features used in many other blank check offerings, which typically only provide for a redemption of warrants for cash (other than the private placement warrants) when the trading price for the Class A ordinary shares exceeds $18.00 per share for a specified period of time. This redemption feature is structured to allow for all of the outstanding warrants to be redeemed when the Class A ordinary shares are trading at or above $10.00 per public share, which may be at a time when the trading price of our Class A ordinary shares is below the exercise price of the warrants. We have established this redemption feature to provide us with the flexibility to redeem the warrants without the warrants having to reach the $18.00 per share threshold set forth above under “—Redemption of warrants when the price per Class A ordinary share equals or exceeds $18.00.” Holders choosing to exercise their warrants in connection with a redemption pursuant to this feature will, in effect, receive a number of shares for their warrants based on an option pricing model with a fixed volatility input as of the of this prospectus. This redemption right provides us with an additional mechanism by which to redeem all of the outstanding warrants, and therefore have certainty as to our capital structure as the warrants would no longer be outstanding and would have been exercised or redeemed. We will be required to pay the applicable redemption price to warrant holders if we choose to exercise this redemption right and it will allow us to quickly proceed with a redemption of the warrants if we determine it is in our best interest to do so. As such, we would redeem the warrants in this manner when we believe it is in our best interest to update our capital structure to remove the warrants and pay the redemption price to the warrant holders.
As stated above, we can redeem the warrants when the Class A ordinary shares are trading at a price starting at $10.00, which is below the exercise price of $11.50, because it will provide certainty with respect to our capital structure and cash position while providing warrant holders with the opportunity to exercise their warrants on a cashless basis for the applicable number of shares. If we choose to redeem the warrants when the Class A ordinary shares are trading at a price below the exercise price of the warrants, this could result in the warrant holders receiving fewer Class A ordinary shares than they would have received if they had chosen to wait to exercise their warrants for Class A ordinary shares if and when such Class A ordinary shares were trading at a price higher than the exercise price of $11.50.
No fractional Class A ordinary shares will be issued upon exercise. If, upon exercise, a holder would be entitled to receive a fractional interest in a share, we will round down to the nearest whole number of the number of Class A ordinary shares to be issued to the holder. If, at the time of redemption, the warrants are exercisable for a security other than the Class A ordinary shares pursuant to the warrant agreement (for instance, if we are not the surviving company in our initial business combination), the warrants may be exercised for such security. At such time as the warrants become exercisable for a security other than the Class A ordinary shares, the Company (or surviving company) will use its commercially reasonable efforts to register under the Securities Act the security issuable upon the exercise of the warrants.
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Redemption procedures.
A holder of a warrant may notify us in writing in the event it elects to be subject to a requirement that such holder will not have the right to exercise such warrant, to the extent that after giving effect to such exercise, such person (together with such person’s affiliates), to the warrant agent’s actual knowledge, would beneficially own in excess of 9.8% (or such other amount as a holder may specify) of the Class A ordinary shares issued and outstanding immediately after giving effect to such exercise.
Anti-dilution Adjustments. If the number of outstanding Class A ordinary shares is increased by a capitalization or share dividend payable in Class A ordinary shares, or by a sub-division of ordinary shares or other similar event, then, on the effective date of such capitalization or share dividend, sub-division or similar event, the number of Class A ordinary shares issuable on exercise of each warrant will be increased in proportion to such increase in the outstanding ordinary shares. A rights offering made to all or substantially all holders of ordinary shares entitling holders to purchase Class A ordinary shares at a price less than the “historical fair market value” (as defined below) will be deemed a share dividend of a number of Class A ordinary shares equal to the product of (i) the number of Class A ordinary shares actually sold in such rights offering (or issuable under any other equity securities sold in such rights offering that are convertible into or exercisable for Class A ordinary shares) and (ii) one minus the quotient of (x) the price per Class A ordinary share paid in such rights offering and (y) the historical fair market value. For these purposes, (i) if the rights offering is for securities convertible into or exercisable for Class A ordinary shares, in determining the price payable for Class A ordinary shares, there will be taken into account any consideration received for such rights, as well as any additional amount payable upon exercise or conversion and (ii) “historical fair market value” means the volume weighted average price of Class A ordinary shares as reported during the 10 trading day period ending on the trading day prior to the first date on which the Class A ordinary shares trade on the applicable exchange or in the applicable market, regular way, without the right to receive such rights.
In addition, if we, at any time while the warrants are outstanding and unexpired, pay a dividend or make a distribution in cash, securities or other assets to all or substantially all of the holders of the Class A ordinary shares on account of such Class A ordinary shares (or other securities into which the warrants are convertible), other than (a) as described above, (b) any cash dividends or cash distributions which, when combined on a per share basis with all other cash dividends and cash distributions paid on the Class A ordinary shares during the 365-day period ending on the date of declaration of such dividend or distribution does not exceed $0.50 (as adjusted to appropriately reflect any other adjustments and excluding cash dividends or cash distributions that resulted in an adjustment to the exercise price or to the number of Class A ordinary shares issuable on exercise of each warrant) but only with respect to the amount of the aggregate cash dividends or cash distributions equal to or less than $0.50 per share, (c) to satisfy the redemption rights of the holders of Class A ordinary shares in connection with a proposed initial business combination, (d) to satisfy the redemption rights of the holders of Class A ordinary shares in connection with a shareholder vote to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to provide holders of our Class A ordinary shares the right to have their shares redeemed in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 24 months from the closing of this offering at the election of the Company in two separate three month extensions subject to satisfaction of certain conditions, including the deposit of up to $1,500,000, or $1,725,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full ($0.10 per unit in either case) for each three month extension, into the trust account, or as extended by the Company’s shareholders in accordance with our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association) or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to the rights of holders of our Class A ordinary shares, or (e) in connection with the redemption of our public shares upon our failure to complete our initial business combination, then the warrant exercise price will be decreased, effective immediately after the effective date of such event, by the amount of cash and/or the fair market value of any securities or other assets paid on each Class A ordinary share in respect of such event.
If the number of outstanding Class A ordinary shares is decreased by a consolidation, combination or reclassification of Class A ordinary shares or other similar event, then, on the effective date of such
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consolidation, combination, reclassification or similar event, the number of Class A ordinary shares issuable on exercise of each warrant will be decreased in proportion to such decrease in outstanding Class A ordinary shares.
Whenever the number of Class A ordinary shares purchasable upon the exercise of the warrants is adjusted, as described above, the warrant exercise price will be adjusted by multiplying the warrant exercise price immediately prior to such adjustment by a fraction (x) the numerator of which will be the number of Class A ordinary shares purchasable upon the exercise of the warrants immediately prior to such adjustment and (y) the denominator of which will be the number of Class A ordinary shares so purchasable immediately thereafter.
In addition, if (x) we issue additional Class A ordinary shares or equity-linked securities for capital raising purposes in connection with the closing of our initial business combination at an issue price or effective issue price of less than $9.20 per ordinary share (with such issue price or effective issue price to be determined in good faith by our board of directors and, in the case of any such issuance to our sponsor or its affiliates, without taking into account any founder shares held by our sponsor or such affiliates, as applicable, prior to such issuance) (the “Newly Issued Price”), (y) the aggregate gross proceeds from such issuances represent more than 60% of the total equity proceeds, and interest thereon, available for the funding of our initial business combination on the date of the consummation of our initial business combination (net of redemptions), and (z) the volume weighted average trading price of our Class A ordinary shares during the 20 trading day period starting on the trading day prior to the day on which we consummate our initial business combination (such price, the “Market Value”) is below $9.20 per share, the exercise price of the warrants will be adjusted (to the nearest cent) to be equal to 115% of the higher of the Market Value and the Newly Issued Price, the $18.00 per share redemption trigger price described above under “—Redemption of warrants when the price per Class A ordinary share equals or exceeds $18.00” and “—Redemption of warrants when the price per Class A ordinary shares equals or exceeds $10.00” will be adjusted (to the nearest cent) to be equal to 180% of the higher of the Market Value and the Newly Issued Price, and the $10.00 per share redemption trigger price described above under “—Redemption of warrants when the price per Class A ordinary share equals or exceeds $10.00” will be adjusted (to the nearest cent) to be equal to the higher of the Market Value and the Newly Issued Price.
In case of any reclassification or reorganization of the outstanding Class A ordinary shares (other than those described above or that solely affects the par value of such Class A ordinary shares), or in the case of any merger or consolidation of us with or into another corporation (other than a consolidation or merger in which we are the continuing corporation and that does not result in any reclassification or reorganization of our outstanding Class A ordinary shares), or in the case of any sale or conveyance to another corporation or entity of the assets or other property of us as an entirety or substantially as an entirety in connection with which we are dissolved, the holders of the warrants will thereafter have the right to purchase and receive, upon the basis and upon the terms and conditions specified in the warrants and in lieu of the Class A ordinary shares immediately theretofore purchasable and receivable upon the exercise of the rights represented thereby, the kind and amount of Class A ordinary shares or other securities or property (including cash) receivable upon such reclassification, reorganization, merger or consolidation, or upon a dissolution following any such sale or transfer, that the holder of the warrants would have received if such holder had exercised their warrants immediately prior to such event. However, if such holders were entitled to exercise a right of election as to the kind or amount of securities, cash or other assets receivable upon such consolidation or merger, then the kind and amount of securities, cash or other assets for which each warrant will become exercisable will be deemed to be the weighted average of the kind and amount received per share by such holders in such consolidation or merger that affirmatively make such election, and if a tender, exchange or redemption offer has been made to and accepted by such holders (other than a tender, exchange or redemption offer made by the company in connection with redemption rights held by shareholders of the company as provided for in the company’s amended and restated memorandum and articles of association or as a result of the redemption of Class A ordinary shares by the company if a proposed initial business combination is presented to the shareholders of the company for approval) under circumstances in which, upon completion of such tender or exchange offer, the maker thereof, together with members of any group (within the meaning of Rule 13d-5(b)(1) under the Exchange Act) of which such maker is a part, and together with any affiliate or associate of such maker (within the meaning of Rule 12b-2 under the Exchange Act) and any members of any such group of which any such affiliate or associate is a part, own beneficially (within the
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meaning of Rule 13d-3 under the Exchange Act) more than 50% of the issued and outstanding Class A ordinary shares, the holder of a warrant will be entitled to receive the highest amount of cash, securities or other property to which such holder would actually have been entitled as a shareholder if such warrant holder had exercised the warrant prior to the expiration of such tender or exchange offer, accepted such offer and all of the Class A ordinary shares held by such holder had been purchased pursuant to such tender or exchange offer, subject to adjustment (from and after the consummation of such tender or exchange offer) as nearly equivalent as possible to the adjustments provided for in the warrant agreement. If less than 70% of the consideration receivable by the holders of Class A ordinary shares in such a transaction is payable in the form of Class A ordinary shares in the successor entity that is listed for trading on a national securities exchange or is quoted in an established over-the-counter market, or is to be so listed for trading or quoted immediately following such event, and if the registered holder of the warrant properly exercises the warrant within thirty days following public disclosure of such transaction, the warrant exercise price will be reduced as specified in the warrant agreement based on the Black-Scholes value (as defined in the warrant agreement) of the warrant. The purpose of such exercise price reduction is to provide additional value to holders of the warrants when an extraordinary transaction occurs during the exercise period of the warrants pursuant to which the holders of the warrants otherwise do not receive the full potential value of the warrants. The purpose of such exercise price reduction is to provide additional value to holders of the warrants when an extraordinary transaction occurs during the exercise period of the warrants pursuant to which the holders of the warrants otherwise do not receive the full potential value of the warrants.
The warrants will be issued in registered form under a warrant agreement between Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, as warrant agent, and us. The warrant agreement provides that the terms of the warrants may be amended without the consent of any holder for the purpose of (i) curing any ambiguity or 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 this prospectus, or defective provision (ii) amending the provisions relating to cash dividends on ordinary shares as contemplated by and in accordance with the warrant agreement or (iii) adding or changing any provisions with respect to matters or questions arising under the warrant agreement as the parties to the warrant agreement may deem necessary or desirable and that the parties deem to not adversely affect the rights of the registered holders of the warrants, provided that the approval by the holders of at least 50% of the then-outstanding public warrants is required to make any change that adversely affects the interests of the registered holders. You should review a copy of the warrant agreement, which will be filed as an exhibit to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part, for a complete description of the terms and conditions applicable to the warrants.
The warrant holders do not have the rights or privileges of holders of ordinary shares and any voting rights until they exercise their warrants and receive Class A ordinary shares. After the issuance of Class A ordinary shares upon exercise of the warrants, each holder will be entitled to one vote for each share held of record on all matters to be voted on by shareholders.
No fractional warrants will be issued upon separation of the units and only whole warrants will trade. If, upon exercise of the warrants, a holder would be entitled to receive a fractional interest in a share, we will, upon exercise, round down to the nearest whole number the number of Class A ordinary shares to be issued to the warrant holder.
We have agreed that, subject to applicable law, any action, proceeding or claim against us arising out of or relating in any way to the warrant agreement will be brought and enforced in the courts of the State of New York or the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, and we irrevocably submit to such jurisdiction, which jurisdiction will be the exclusive forum for any such action, proceeding or claim. See “Risk Factors—Our warrant agreement will designate the courts of the State of New York or the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York as the sole and exclusive forum for certain types of actions and proceedings that may be initiated by holders of our warrants, which could limit the ability of warrant holders to obtain a favorable judicial forum for disputes with our company.” This provision applies to claims under the Securities Act but does not apply to claims under the Exchange Act or any claim for which the federal district courts of the U.S. are the sole and exclusive forum.
Private Placement Warrants
Except as described below, the private placement warrants have terms and provisions that are identical to those of the warrants being sold as part of the units in this offering. The private placement warrants
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(including the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the private placement warrants) will not be transferable, assignable or salable until 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination (except pursuant to limited exceptions as described under “Principal Shareholders—Transfers of Founder Shares and Private Placement Warrants,” to our officers and directors and other persons or entities affiliated with the initial purchasers of the private placement warrants) and they will not be redeemable by us so long as they are held by our sponsor or its permitted transferees. Our sponsor, or its permitted transferees, has the option to exercise the private placement warrants on a cashless basis. If the private placement warrants are held by holders other than our sponsor or its permitted transferees, the private placement warrants will be redeemable by us in all redemption scenarios and exercisable by the holders on the same basis as the warrants included in the units being sold in this offering. Any amendment to the terms of the private placement warrants or any provision of the warrant agreement with respect to the private placement warrants will require a vote of holders of at least 50% of the number of the then outstanding private placement warrants.
If holders of the private placement warrants elect to exercise them on a cashless basis, they would pay the exercise price by surrendering his, her or its warrants for that number of Class A ordinary shares equal to the quotient obtained by dividing (x) the product of the number of Class A ordinary shares underlying the warrants, multiplied by the excess of the “Sponsor fair market value” (defined below) over the exercise price of the warrants by (y) the Sponsor fair market value. For these purposes, the “Sponsor fair market value” shall mean the average reported closing price of the Class A ordinary shares for the 10 trading days ending on the third trading day prior to the date on which the notice of warrant exercise is sent to the warrant agent. The reason that we have agreed that these warrants will be exercisable on a cashless basis so long as they are held by our sponsor and its permitted transferees is because it is not known at this time whether they will be affiliated with us following a business combination. If they remain affiliated with us, their ability to sell our securities in the open market will be significantly limited. We expect to have policies in place that restrict insiders from selling our securities except during specific periods of time. Even during such periods of time when insiders will be permitted to sell our securities, an insider cannot trade in our securities if he or she is in possession of material non-public information. Accordingly, unlike public shareholders who could exercise their warrants and sell the Class A ordinary shares received upon such exercise freely in the open market in order to recoup the cost of such exercise, the insiders could be significantly restricted from selling such securities. As a result, we believe that allowing the holders to exercise such warrants on a cashless basis is appropriate.
In order to fund working capital deficiencies or finance transaction costs in connection with an intended initial business combination, our sponsor or an affiliate of our sponsor or certain of our officers and directors may, but are not obligated to, loan us funds as may be required. Up to $1,500,000 of such loans may be convertible into warrants of the post business combination entity at a price of $1.00 per warrant at the option of the lender. Such warrants would be identical to the private placement warrants.
Dividends
We have not paid any cash dividends on our ordinary shares to date and do not intend to pay cash dividends prior to the completion of our initial business combination. The payment of cash dividends in the future will be dependent upon our revenues and earnings, if any, capital requirements and general financial condition subsequent to completion of our initial business combination. The payment of any cash dividends subsequent to our initial business combination will be within the discretion of our board of directors at such time. If we increase the size of this offering, we will effect a share capitalization or other appropriate mechanism immediately prior to the consummation of this offering in such amount as to maintain the number of founder shares, on an as-converted basis, at 20% of our issued and outstanding ordinary shares upon the consummation of this offering. Further, if we incur any indebtedness in connection with a business combination, our ability to declare dividends may be limited by restrictive covenants we may agree to in connection therewith.
Our Transfer Agent and Warrant Agent
The transfer agent for our ordinary shares and warrant agent for our warrants is Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company. We have agreed to indemnify Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company in its roles as transfer agent and warrant agent, its agents and each of its shareholders, directors, officers and
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employees against all claims and losses that may arise out of acts performed or omitted for its activities in that capacity, except for any claims and losses due to any gross negligence or intentional misconduct of the indemnified person or entity.
Certain Differences in Corporate Law
Cayman Islands companies are governed by the Companies Act. The Companies Act is modeled on English Law but does not follow recent English Law statutory enactments, and differs from laws applicable to U.S. corporations and their shareholders. Set forth below is a summary of the material differences between the provisions of the Companies Act applicable to us and the laws applicable to companies incorporated in the U.S. and their shareholders.
Mergers and Similar Arrangements. In certain circumstances, the Companies Act allows for mergers or consolidations between two Cayman Islands companies, or between a Cayman Islands exempted company and a company incorporated in another jurisdiction (provided that is facilitated by the laws of that other jurisdiction).
Where the merger or consolidation is between two Cayman Islands companies, the directors of each company must approve a written plan of merger or consolidation containing certain prescribed information. That plan or merger or consolidation must then be authorized by either (a) a special resolution (usually a majority of 662∕3% in value of the voting shares voted at a general meeting) of the shareholders of each company; or (b) such other authorization, if any, as may be specified in such constituent company’s articles of association. No shareholder resolution is required for a merger between a parent company (i.e., a company that owns at least 90% of the issued shares of each class in a subsidiary company) and its subsidiary company. The consent of each holder of a fixed or floating security interest of a constituent company must be obtained, unless the court waives such requirement. If the Cayman Islands Registrar of Companies is satisfied that the requirements of the Companies Act (which includes certain other formalities) have been complied with, the Registrar of Companies will register the plan of merger or consolidation.
Where the merger or consolidation involves a foreign company, the procedure is similar, save that with respect to the foreign company, the directors of the Cayman Islands exempted company are required to make a declaration to the effect that, having made due enquiry, they are of the opinion that the requirements set out below have been met: (i) that the merger or consolidation is permitted or not prohibited by the constitutional documents of the foreign company and by the laws of the jurisdiction in which the foreign company is incorporated, and that those laws and any requirements of those constitutional documents have been or will be complied with; (ii) that no petition or other similar proceeding has been filed and remains outstanding or order made or resolution adopted to wind up or liquidate the foreign company in any jurisdictions; (iii) that no receiver, trustee, administrator or other similar person has been appointed in any jurisdiction and is acting in respect of the foreign company, its affairs or its property or any part thereof; and (iv) that no scheme, order, compromise or other similar arrangement has been entered into or made in any jurisdiction whereby the rights of creditors of the foreign company are and continue to be suspended or restricted.
Where the surviving company is the Cayman Islands exempted company, the directors of the Cayman Islands exempted company are further required to make a declaration to the effect that, having made due enquiry, they are of the opinion that the requirements set out below have been met: (i) that the foreign company is able to pay its debts as they fall due and that the merger or consolidated is bona fide and not intended to defraud unsecured creditors of the foreign company; (ii) that in respect of the transfer of any security interest granted by the foreign company to the surviving or consolidated company (a) consent or approval to the transfer has been obtained, released or waived; (b) the transfer is permitted by and has been approved in accordance with the constitutional documents of the foreign company; and (c) the laws of the jurisdiction of the foreign company with respect to the transfer have been or will be complied with; (iii) that the foreign company will, upon the merger or consolidation becoming effective, cease to be incorporated, registered or exist under the laws of the relevant foreign jurisdiction; and (iv) that there is no other reason why it would be against the public interest to permit the merger or consolidation.
Where the above procedures are adopted, the Companies Act provides for a right of dissenting shareholders to be paid a payment of the fair value of his shares upon their dissenting to the merger or
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consolidation if they follow a prescribed procedure. In essence, that procedure is as follows: (a) the shareholder must give his written objection to the merger or consolidation to the constituent company before the vote on the merger or consolidation, including a statement that the shareholder proposes to demand payment for his shares if the merger or consolidation is authorized by the vote; (b) within 20 days following the date on which the merger or consolidation is approved by the shareholders, the constituent company must give written notice to each shareholder who made a written objection; (c) a shareholder must within 20 days following receipt of such notice from the constituent company, give the constituent company a written notice of his intention to dissent including, among other details, a demand for payment of the fair value of his shares; (d) within seven days following the date of the expiration of the period set out in paragraph (b) above or seven days following the date on which the plan of merger or consolidation is filed, whichever is later, the constituent company, the surviving company or the consolidated company must make a written offer to each dissenting shareholder to purchase his shares at a price that the company determines is the fair value and if the company and the shareholder agree the price within 30 days following the date on which the offer was made, the company must pay the shareholder such amount; and (e) if the company and the shareholder fail to agree a price within such 30 day period, within 20 days following the date on which such 30 day period expires, the company (and any dissenting shareholder) must file a petition with the Cayman Islands Grand Court to determine the fair value and such petition must be accompanied by a list of the names and addresses of the dissenting shareholders with whom agreements as to the fair value of their shares have not been reached by the company. At the hearing of that petition, the court has the power to determine the fair value of the shares together with a fair rate of interest, if any, to be paid by the company upon the amount determined to be the fair value. Any dissenting shareholder whose name appears on the list filed by the company may participate fully in all proceedings until the determination of fair value is reached. These rights of a dissenting shareholder are not available in certain circumstances, for example, to dissenters holding shares of any class in respect of which an open market exists on a recognized stock exchange or recognized interdealer quotation system at the relevant date or where the consideration for such shares to be contributed are shares of any company listed on a national securities exchange or shares of the surviving or consolidated company.
Moreover, Cayman Islands law has separate statutory provisions that facilitate the reconstruction or amalgamation of companies in certain circumstances, schemes of arrangement will generally be more suited for complex mergers or other transactions involving widely held companies, commonly referred to in the Cayman Islands as a “scheme of arrangement” which may be tantamount to a merger. In the event that a merger was sought pursuant to a scheme of arrangement (the procedures for which are more rigorous and take longer to complete than the procedures typically required to consummate a merger in the U.S.), the arrangement in question must be approved by a majority in number of each class of shareholders and creditors with whom the arrangement is to be made and who must in addition represent three-fourths in value of each such class of shareholders or creditors, as the case may be, that are present and voting either in person or by proxy at an annual general meeting, or extraordinary general meeting summoned for that purpose. The convening of the meetings and subsequently the terms of the arrangement must be sanctioned by the Grand Court of the Cayman Islands. While a dissenting shareholder would have the right to express to the court the view that the transaction should not be approved, the court can be expected to approve the arrangement if it satisfies itself that:
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we are not proposing to act illegally or beyond the scope of our corporate authority and the statutory provisions as to majority vote have been complied with;
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the shareholders have been fairly represented at the meeting in question;
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the arrangement is such as a businessman would reasonably approve; and
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the arrangement is not one that would more properly be sanctioned under some other provision of the Companies Act or that would amount to a “fraud on the minority.”
If a scheme of arrangement or takeover offer (as described below) is approved, any dissenting shareholder would have no rights comparable to appraisal rights (providing rights to receive payment in cash for the judicially determined value of the shares), which would otherwise ordinarily be available to dissenting shareholders of U.S. corporations.
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Squeeze-out Provisions. When a takeover offer is made and accepted by holders of 90% of the shares to whom the offer relates within four months, the offeror may, within a two-month period, require the holders of the remaining shares to transfer such shares on the terms of the offer. An objection can be made to the Grand Court of the Cayman Islands, but this is unlikely to succeed unless there is evidence of fraud, bad faith, collusion or inequitable treatment of the shareholders.
Further, transactions similar to a merger, reconstruction and/or an amalgamation may in some circumstances be achieved through means other than these statutory provisions, such as a share capital exchange, asset acquisition or control, or through contractual arrangements of an operating business.
Shareholders’ Suits. Carey Olsen, our Cayman Islands legal counsel, is not aware of any reported class action having been brought in a Cayman Islands court.
Derivative actions have been brought in the Cayman Islands courts, and the Cayman Islands courts have confirmed the availability for such actions. In most cases, we will be the proper plaintiff in any claim based on a breach of duty owed to us, and a claim against (for example) our officers or directors usually may not be brought by a shareholder. However, based both on Cayman Islands authorities and on English authorities, which would in all likelihood be of persuasive authority and be applied by a court in the Cayman Islands, exceptions to the foregoing principle apply in circumstances in which:
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a company is acting, or proposing to act, illegally or beyond the scope of its authority;
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the act complained of, although not beyond the scope of the authority, could be effected if duly authorized by more than the number of votes which have actually been obtained; or
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those who control the company are perpetrating a “fraud on the minority.”
A shareholder may have a direct right of action against us where the individual rights of that shareholder have been infringed or are about to be infringed.
Enforcement of Civil Liabilities. The Cayman Islands has a different body of securities laws as compared to the U.S. and provides less protection to investors. Additionally, Cayman Islands companies may not have standing to sue before the Federal courts of the U.S.
We have been advised by Carey Olsen, our Cayman Islands legal counsel, that the courts of the Cayman Islands are unlikely (i) to recognize or enforce against us judgments of courts of the U.S. predicated upon the civil liability provisions of the federal securities laws of the U.S. or any state; and (ii) in original actions brought in the Cayman Islands, to impose liabilities against us predicated upon the civil liability provisions of the federal securities laws of the U.S. or any state, so far as the liabilities imposed by those provisions are penal in nature. In those circumstances, although there is no statutory enforcement in the Cayman Islands of judgments obtained in the U.S., the courts of the Cayman Islands will recognize and enforce a foreign money judgment of a foreign court of competent jurisdiction without retrial on the merits based on the principle that a judgment of a competent foreign court imposes upon the judgment debtor an obligation to pay the sum for which judgment has been given provided certain conditions are met. For a foreign judgment to be enforced in the Cayman Islands, such judgment must be final and conclusive and for a liquidated sum, and must not be in respect of taxes or a fine or penalty, inconsistent with a Cayman Islands judgment in respect of the same matter, impeachable on the grounds of fraud or obtained in a manner, and or be of a kind the enforcement of which is, contrary to natural justice or the public policy of the Cayman Islands (awards of punitive or multiple damages may well be held to be contrary to public policy). A Cayman Islands Court may stay enforcement proceedings if concurrent proceedings are being brought elsewhere.
Special Considerations for Exempted Companies. We are an exempted company with limited liability under the Companies Act. The Companies Act distinguishes between ordinary resident companies and exempted companies. Any company that is registered in the Cayman Islands but conducts business mainly outside of the Cayman Islands may apply to be registered as an exempted company. The requirements for an exempted company are essentially the same as for an ordinary company except for the exemptions and privileges listed below:
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an exempted company does not have to file an annual return of its shareholders with the Registrar of Companies;
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an exempted company’s register of members is not open to inspection;
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an exempted company does not have to hold an annual general meeting;
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an exempted company may issue shares with no par value;
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an exempted company may obtain an undertaking against the imposition of any future taxation (such undertakings are usually given for 20 years in the first instance);
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an exempted company may register by way of continuation in another jurisdiction and be deregistered in the Cayman Islands;
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an exempted company may register as a limited duration company; and
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an exempted company may register as a segregated portfolio company.
“Limited liability” means that the liability of each shareholder is limited to the amount unpaid by the shareholder on the shares of the company (except in exceptional circumstances, such as involving fraud, the establishment of an agency relationship or an illegal or improper purpose or other circumstances in which a court may be prepared to pierce or lift the corporate veil).
Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles of Association
Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association contain provisions designed to provide certain rights and protections relating to this offering that will apply to us until the completion of our initial business combination. These provisions cannot be amended without a special resolution under Cayman Islands law. As a matter of Cayman Islands law, a resolution is deemed to be a special resolution where it has been approved by either (i) the affirmative vote of at least two-thirds (or any higher threshold specified in a company’s articles of association) of a company’s shareholders entitled to vote and so voting at a general meeting for which notice specifying the intention to propose the resolution as a special resolution has been given; or (ii) if so authorized by a company’s articles of association, by a unanimous written resolution of all of the company’s shareholders. Other than as described above, our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association provide that special resolutions must be approved either by at least two-thirds of our shareholders who attend and vote at a general meeting of the company (i.e., the lowest threshold permissible under Cayman Islands law), or by a unanimous written resolution of all of our shareholders.
Our sponsor and its permitted transferees, if any, who will collectively beneficially own 20% of our ordinary shares upon the closing of this offering (assuming they do not purchase any units in this offering), will participate in any vote to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association and will have the discretion to vote in any manner they choose. Specifically, our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association provide, among other things, that:
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If we have not completed our initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 24 months from the closing of this offering at the election of the Company in two separate three month extensions subject to satisfaction of certain conditions, including the deposit of up to $1,500,000, or $1,725,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full ($0.10 per unit in either case) for each three month extension, into the trust account, or as extended by the Company’s shareholders in accordance with our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association), we will (i) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up; (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible but no 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 income taxes that were paid by us or are payable by us, if any (less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses) divided by the number of the then-outstanding public shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public shareholders’ rights as shareholders (including the right to receive further liquidation distributions, if any); and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining shareholders and our board of directors, liquidate and dissolve, subject in each case to our obligations under Cayman Islands law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law;
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Prior to or in connection with our initial business combination, we may not issue additional securities that would entitle the holders thereof to (i) receive funds from the trust account or (ii) vote as a class with our public shares (a) on our initial business combination or on any other proposal presented to shareholders prior to or in connection with the completion of an initial business combination or (b) to approve an amendment to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association to (x) extend the time we have to consummate a business combination beyond 18 months from the closing of this offering or (y) amend the foregoing provisions;
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Although we do not intend to enter into a business combination with a target business that is affiliated with our sponsor, our directors or our officers, we are not prohibited from doing so. In the event we enter into such a transaction, we, or a committee of independent directors, will obtain an opinion from independent investment banking firm or another independent entity that commonly renders valuation opinions that such a business combination is fair to our company from a financial point of view;
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If a shareholder vote on our initial business combination is not required by applicable law or stock exchange listing requirements and we do not decide to hold a shareholder vote for business or other reasons, we will offer to redeem our public shares pursuant to Rule 13e-4 and Regulation 14E of the Exchange Act, and will file tender offer documents with the SEC prior to completing our initial business combination which contain substantially the same financial and other information about our initial business combination and the redemption rights as is required under Regulation 14A of the Exchange Act;
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So long as our securities are then listed on the NASDAQ, our initial business combination must occur with one or more target businesses that together have an aggregate fair market value of at least 80% of the assets held in the trust account (excluding the amount of deferred underwriting discounts held in trust and taxes payable on the income earned on the trust account) at the time of the agreement to enter into the initial business combination;
•
If our shareholders approve an amendment to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association (A) that would modify the substance or timing of our obligation to provide holders of our Class A ordinary shares the right to have their shares redeemed in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 24 months from the closing of this offering at the election of the Company in two separate three month extensions subject to satisfaction of certain conditions, including the deposit of up to $1,500,000, or $1,725,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full ($0.10 per unit in either case) for each three month extension, into the trust account, or as extended by the Company’s shareholders in accordance with our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association) or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to the rights of holders of our Class A ordinary shares, we will provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their ordinary shares upon such approval 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 income taxes, if any, divided by the number of the then-outstanding public shares, subject to the limitations described herein; and
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We will not effectuate our initial business combination solely with another blank check company or a similar company with nominal operations.
In addition, our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association provide that under no circumstances will we redeem our public shares in an amount that would cause our net tangible assets, after payment of the deferred underwriting commissions, to be less than $5,000,001.
The Companies Act permits a company incorporated in the Cayman Islands to amend its memorandum and articles of association with the approval of a special resolution which requires the approval of the holders of at least two-thirds of such company’s issued and outstanding ordinary shares who attend and vote at a general meeting or by way of unanimous written resolution. A company’s articles of association may specify that the approval of a higher majority is required but, provided the approval of the required majority is
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obtained, any Cayman Islands exempted company may amend its memorandum and articles of association regardless of whether its memorandum and articles of association provide otherwise.
Accordingly, although we could amend any of the provisions relating to our proposed offering, structure and business plan which are contained in our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, we view all of these provisions as binding obligations to our shareholders and neither we, nor our officers or directors, will take any action to amend or waive any of these provisions unless we provide dissenting public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem their public shares.
Anti-Money Laundering—Cayman Islands
If any person in the Cayman Islands knows or suspects or has reasonable grounds for knowing or suspecting that another person is engaged in criminal conduct or money laundering or is involved with terrorism or terrorist financing and property and the information for that knowledge or suspicion came to their attention in the course of business in the regulated sector, or other trade, profession, business or employment, the person will be required to report such knowledge or suspicion to (i) the Financial Reporting Authority of the Cayman Islands, pursuant to the Proceeds of Crime Act (2020 Revision) of the Cayman Islands if the disclosure relates to criminal conduct or money laundering, or (ii) a police officer of the rank of constable or higher, or the Financial Reporting Authority, pursuant to the Terrorism Act (2018 Revision) of the Cayman Islands, if the disclosure relates to involvement with terrorism or terrorist financing and property. Such a report shall not be treated as a breach of confidence or of any restriction upon the disclosure of information imposed by any enactment or otherwise.
Data Protection—Cayman Islands
We have certain duties under the Data Protection Act, 2017 of the Cayman Islands (the “Data Protection Act”) based on internationally accepted principles of data privacy.
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Privacy Notice
Introduction
This privacy notice puts our shareholders on notice that through your investment in the Company you will provide us with certain personal information which constitutes personal data within the meaning of the Data Protection Act (“personal data”). In the following discussion, the “company” refers to us and our affiliates and/or delegates, except where the context requires otherwise.
Investor Data
We will collect, use, disclose, retain and secure personal data to the extent reasonably required only and within the parameters that could be reasonably expected during the normal course of business. We will only process, disclose, transfer or retain personal data to the extent legitimately required to conduct our activities of on an ongoing basis or to comply with legal and regulatory obligations to which we are subject. We will only transfer personal data in accordance with the requirements of the Data Protection Act, and will apply appropriate technical and organizational information security measures designed to protect against unauthorized or unlawful processing of the personal data and against the accidental loss, destruction or damage to the personal data.
In our use of this personal data, we will be characterized as a “data controller” for the purposes of the Data Protection Act, while our affiliates and service providers who may receive this personal data from us in the conduct of our activities may either act as our “data processors” for the purposes of the Data Protection Act or may process personal information for their own lawful purposes in connection with services provided to us.
We may also obtain personal data from other public sources. Personal data includes, without limitation, the following information relating to a shareholder and/or any individuals connected with a shareholder as an investor: name, residential address, email address, contact details, corporate contact information, signature, nationality, place of birth, date of birth, tax identification, credit history, correspondence records, passport number, bank account details, source of funds details and details relating to the shareholder’s investment activity.
Who this Affects
If you are a natural person, this will affect you directly. If you are a corporate investor (including, for these purposes, legal arrangements such as trusts or exempted limited partnerships) that provides us with personal data on individuals connected to you for any reason in relation your investment in the company, this will be relevant for those individuals and you should transmit the content of this Privacy Notice to such individuals or otherwise advise them of its content.
How the Company May Use a Shareholder’s Personal Data
The company, as the data controller, may collect, store and use personal data for lawful purposes, including, in particular:
1.
where this is necessary for the performance of our rights and obligations under any purchase agreements;
2.
where this is necessary for compliance with a legal and regulatory obligation to which we are subject (such as compliance with anti-money laundering and FATCA/CRS requirements); and/or
3.
where this is necessary for the purposes of our legitimate interests and such interests are not overridden by your interests, fundamental rights or freedoms.
Should we wish to use personal data for other specific purposes (including, if applicable, any purpose that requires your consent), we will contact you.
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Why We May Transfer Your Personal Data
In certain circumstances we may be legally obliged to share personal data and other information with respect to your shareholding with the relevant regulatory authorities such as the Cayman Islands Monetary Authority or the Tax Information Authority. They, in turn, may exchange this information with foreign authorities, including tax authorities.
We anticipate disclosing personal data to persons who provide services to us and their respective affiliates (which may include certain entities located outside the U.S., the Cayman Islands or the European Economic Area), who will process your personal data on our behalf.
The Data Protection Measures We Take
Any transfer of personal data by us or our duly authorized affiliates and/or delegates outside of the Cayman Islands shall be in accordance with the requirements of the Data Protection Act.
We and our duly authorized affiliates and/or delegates shall apply appropriate technical and organizational information security measures designed to protect against unauthorized or unlawful processing of personal data, and against accidental loss or destruction of, or damage to, personal data.
We shall notify you of any personal data breach that is reasonably likely to result in a risk to your interests, fundamental rights or freedoms or those data subjects to whom the relevant personal data relates.
Certain Anti-takeover Provisions of our Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles of Association
Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association provide that our board of directors will be classified into three classes of directors. As a result, in most circumstances, a person can gain control of our board only by successfully engaging in a proxy contest at two or more annual general meetings.
Our authorized but unissued Class A ordinary shares and preference shares will be available for future issuances without shareholder approval and could be utilized for a variety of corporate purposes, including future offerings to raise additional capital, acquisitions and employee benefit plans. The existence of authorized but unissued and unreserved Class A ordinary shares and preference shares could render more difficult or discourage an attempt to obtain control of us by means of a proxy contest, tender offer, merger or otherwise.
Securities Eligible for Future Sale
Immediately after this offering, we will have 15,000,000 Class A ordinary shares (or 17,250,000 Class A ordinary shares if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) issued and outstanding on an as-converted basis, which will be freely tradable without restriction or further registration under the Securities Act, except for any Class A ordinary shares purchased by one of our affiliates within the meaning of Rule 144 under the Securities Act. All of the outstanding founder shares (3,750,000 founder shares if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is not exercised and 4,312,500 founder shares if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) and all of the outstanding private placement warrants (8,500,000 private placement warrants if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is not exercised and 9,400,000 private placement warrants if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) will be restricted securities under Rule 144, in that they were issued in private transactions not involving a public offering.
Rule 144
Pursuant to Rule 144, a person who has beneficially owned restricted shares or warrants for at least six months would be entitled to sell their securities provided that (i) such person is not deemed to have been one of our affiliates at the time of, or at any time during the three months preceding, a sale and (ii) we are subject to the Exchange Act periodic reporting requirements for at least three months before the sale and have filed all required reports under Section 13 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act during the twelve months (or such shorter period as we were required to file reports) preceding the sale.
Persons who have beneficially owned restricted shares or warrants for at least six months but who are our affiliates at the time of, or at any time during the three months preceding, a sale, would be subject to
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additional restrictions, by which such person would be entitled to sell within any three-month period only a number of securities that does not exceed the greater of:
•
1% of the total number of ordinary shares then-outstanding, which will equal 150,000 shares immediately after this offering (or 172,500 shares if the underwriters exercise their over-allotment option in full); or
•
the average weekly reported trading volume of the Class A ordinary shares during the four calendar weeks preceding the filing of a notice on Form 144 with respect to the sale.
Sales by our affiliates under Rule 144 are also limited by manner of sale provisions and notice requirements and to the availability of current public information about us.
Restrictions on the Use of Rule 144 by Shell Companies or Former Shell Companies
Rule 144 is not available for the resale of securities initially issued by shell companies (other than business combination related shell companies) or issuers that have been at any time previously a shell company. However, Rule 144 also includes an important exception to this prohibition if the following conditions are met:
•
the issuer of the securities that was formerly a shell company has ceased to be a shell company;
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the issuer of the securities is subject to the reporting requirements of Section 13 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act;
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the issuer of the securities has filed all Exchange Act reports and material required to be filed, as applicable, during the preceding twelve months (or such shorter period that the issuer was required to file such reports and materials), other than Form 8-K reports; and at least one year has elapsed from the time that the issuer filed current Form 10 type information with the SEC reflecting its status as an entity that is not a shell company.
As a result, our sponsor will be able to sell its founder shares and private placement warrants, as applicable, pursuant to Rule 144 without registration one year after we have completed our initial business combination.
Registration Rights
The holders of the founder shares, private placement warrants and any warrants that may be issued upon conversion of working capital loans (and any Class A ordinary shares issuable upon the exercise of the private placement warrants and warrants that may be issued upon conversion of working capital loans) will be entitled to registration rights pursuant to a registration rights agreement to be signed prior to or on the effective date of this offering. The holders of these securities are entitled to make up to three demands, excluding short form demands, that we register such securities. In addition, the holders have certain “piggy-back” registration rights with respect to registration statements filed subsequent to our completion of our initial business combination. However, the registration rights agreement provides that we will not permit any registration statement filed under the Securities Act to become effective until termination of the applicable lockup period, which occurs (i) in the case of the founder shares, as described in the following paragraph, and (ii) in the case of the private placement warrants and the respective Class A ordinary shares underlying such warrants, 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination. We will bear the expenses incurred in connection with the filing of any such registration statements.
Except as described herein, our sponsor and our directors and executive officers have agreed not to transfer, assign or sell their founder shares until the earliest of (A) one year after the completion of our initial business combination and (B) subsequent to our initial business combination, (x) if the closing price of our Class A ordinary shares equals or exceeds $12.00 per share (as adjusted for share sub-divisions, share capitalizations, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) for any 20 trading days within any 30-trading day period commencing at least 150 days after our initial business combination, or (y) the date on which we complete a liquidation, merger, share exchange or other similar transaction that results in all of our public shareholders having the right to exchange their ordinary shares for cash, securities or other property. Any permitted transferees will be subject to the same restrictions and other agreements of our sponsor with respect to any founder shares. We refer to such transfer restrictions throughout this prospectus as the lock-up.
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Listing of Securities
We will apply to have our units listed on the NASDAQ under the symbol “GTACU.” Once the securities comprising the units begin separate trading, we expect that the Class A ordinary shares and warrants will be listed on the NASDAQ under the symbols “GTAC” and “GTACW,” respectively. The units will automatically separate into their component parts and will not be traded following the completion of our initial business combination.
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TAXATION
The following summary of certain Cayman Islands and U.S. federal income tax consequences of an investment in our units, each consisting of one Class A ordinary share and one-half of one redeemable warrant, which we refer to collectively as our securities, is based upon laws and relevant interpretations thereof in effect as of the date of this prospectus, all of which are subject to change. This summary does not deal with all possible tax consequences relating to an investment in our Class A ordinary shares and warrants, such as the tax consequences under state, local and other tax laws.
Prospective investors should consult their advisors on the possible tax consequences of investing in our securities under the laws of their country of citizenship, residence or domicile.
Cayman Islands Tax Considerations
The following is a discussion on certain Cayman Islands income tax consequences of an investment in the securities of the Company. The discussion is a general summary of present law, which is subject to prospective and retroactive change. It is not intended as tax advice, does not consider any investor’s particular circumstances, and does not consider tax consequences other than those arising under Cayman Islands law.
Under Existing Cayman Islands Laws
Payments of dividends and capital in respect of our securities will not be subject to taxation in the Cayman Islands and no withholding will be required on the payment of a dividend or capital to any holder of the securities nor will gains derived from the disposal of the securities be subject to Cayman Islands income or corporate tax. The Cayman Islands currently has no income, corporate or capital gains tax and no estate duty, inheritance tax or gift tax.
No stamp duty is payable in respect of the issue of the warrants. An instrument of transfer in respect of a warrant is stampable if executed in or brought into the Cayman Islands.
No stamp duty is payable in respect of the issue of our Class A ordinary shares or on an instrument of transfer in respect of such shares.
The Company has been incorporated under the laws of the Cayman Islands as an exempted company with limited liability and, as such, has applied for and received an undertaking from the Financial Secretary of the Cayman Islands in the following form:
The Tax Concessions Act
(2018 Revision)
Undertaking as to Tax Concessions
(2018 Revision)
Undertaking as to Tax Concessions
In accordance with the provision of Section 6 of The Tax Concessions Act (2018 Revision), the Financial Secretary undertakes with Global Technology Acquisition Corp. I (the “Company”):
1. That no law which is hereafter enacted in the Islands imposing any tax to be levied on profits, income, gains or appreciations shall apply to the Company or its operations; and
2. In addition, that no tax to be levied on profits, income, gains or appreciations or which is in the nature of estate duty or inheritance tax shall be payable:
2.1 On or in respect of the shares, debentures or other obligations of the Company; or
2.2 by way of the withholding in whole or part, of any relevant payment as defined in Section 6(3) of the Tax Concessions Act (2018 Revision).
These concessions shall be for a period of 20 years from the 12th day of February 2021.
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United States Federal Income Tax Considerations
General
The following discussion summarizes certain U.S. federal income tax considerations generally applicable to the acquisition, ownership and disposition of our units (each consisting of one ordinary share and one-half of one redeemable warrant) that are purchased in this offering by U.S. Holders (as defined below) and Non-U.S. Holders (as defined below).
This discussion is limited to certain U.S. federal income tax considerations to beneficial owners of our securities who are initial purchasers of a unit pursuant to this offering and hold the unit and each component of the unit as a capital asset within the meaning of Section 1221 of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”). This discussion assumes that the ordinary shares and warrants will trade separately and that any distributions made (or deemed made) by us on our ordinary shares and any consideration received (or deemed received) by a holder in consideration for the sale or other disposition of our securities will be in U.S. dollars. This discussion is a summary only and does not consider all aspects of U.S. federal income taxation that may be relevant to the acquisition, ownership and disposition of a unit by a prospective investor in light of its particular circumstances, including:
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financial institutions or financial services entities;
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broker-dealers;
•
taxpayers that are subject to the mark-to-market accounting rules;
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tax-exempt entities;
•
governments or agencies or instrumentalities thereof;
•
insurance companies;
•
regulated investment companies;
•
real estate investment trusts;
•
controlled foreign corporations;
•
passive foreign investment companies;
•
expatriates or former long-term residents of the U.S.;
•
persons that actually or constructively own five percent or more of our voting shares;
•
persons that acquired our securities pursuant to an exercise of employee share options, in connection with employee share incentive plans or otherwise as compensation;
•
persons that hold our securities as part of a straddle, constructive sale, hedging, conversion or other integrated or similar transaction;
•
U.S. Holders (as defined below) whose functional currency is not the U.S. dollar; or
•
our sponsor, initial shareholders, officers or directors.
The discussion below is based upon the provisions of the Code, the Treasury regulations promulgated thereunder and administrative and judicial interpretations thereof, all as of the date hereof, and such provisions may be repealed, revoked, modified or subject to differing interpretations, possibly on a retroactive basis, so as to result in U.S. federal income tax consequences different from those discussed below. Furthermore, this discussion does not address any aspect of the alternative minimum tax, Medicare contribution tax laws, U.S. federal non-income tax laws, such as gift or estate tax laws, or state, local or non-U.S. tax laws.
We have not sought, and will not seek, a ruling from the IRS or an opinion of counsel as to any U.S. federal income tax consequence described herein. The IRS may disagree with the discussion herein, and its determination may be upheld by a court. Moreover, there can be no assurance that future legislation, regulations, administrative rulings or court decisions will not adversely affect the accuracy of the statements in this discussion.
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As used herein, the term “U.S. Holder” means a beneficial owner of units, ordinary shares or warrants who or that is for U.S. federal income tax purposes: (1) an individual citizen or resident of the U.S.; (2) a corporation (or other entity treated as a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes) that is created or organized (or treated as created or organized) in or under the laws of the U.S., any state thereof or the District of Columbia; (3) an estate the income of which is subject to U.S. federal income taxation regardless of its source; or (4) a trust if (A) a court within the U.S. is able to exercise primary supervision over the administration of the trust and one or more U.S. persons have the authority to control all substantial decisions of the trust, or (B) it has in effect a valid election to be treated as a U.S. person.
If a beneficial owner of our securities is not described as a U.S. Holder and is not an entity treated as a partnership or other pass-through entity for U.S. federal income tax purposes, such owner will be considered a “Non-U.S. Holder.” The U.S. federal income tax consequences applicable specifically to Non-U.S. Holders are described below under the heading “Non-U.S. Holders.”
This discussion does not consider the tax treatment of partnerships or other pass-through entities or persons who hold our securities through such entities. If a partnership (or other entity or arrangement treated as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes) is the beneficial owner of our securities, the U.S. federal income tax treatment of a partner in the partnership generally will depend on the status of the partner, the activities of the partnership and certain determinations made at the partner level. Partnerships holding our securities and partners in such partnerships are urged to consult their own tax advisors.
THIS DISCUSSION IS ONLY A SUMMARY OF THE U.S. FEDERAL INCOME TAX CONSIDERATIONS OF THE ACQUISITION, OWNERSHIP AND DISPOSITION OF OUR SECURITIES. EACH PROSPECTIVE INVESTOR IS URGED TO CONSULT ITS TAX ADVISOR WITH RESPECT TO THE PARTICULAR TAX CONSEQUENCES TO SUCH INVESTOR OF THE ACQUISITION, OWNERSHIP AND DISPOSITION OF OUR SECURITIES, INCLUDING THE APPLICABILITY AND EFFECT OF ANY STATE, LOCAL, AND NON-U.S. TAX LAWS, AS WELL AS OTHER U.S. FEDERAL TAX LAWS AND ANY APPLICABLE TAX TREATIES.
General Treatment of a Unit
There is no statutory, administrative or judicial authority directly addressing the treatment, for U.S. federal income tax purposes, of securities with terms substantially the same as the units, and, therefore, that treatment is not entirely clear. For U.S. federal income tax purposes, we intend to treat the acquisition of a unit as the acquisition of one ordinary share and one-half of one redeemable warrant to acquire one ordinary share and, by purchasing a unit, you agree to adopt such treatment for U.S. federal income tax purposes. The foregoing treatment of our ordinary shares and warrants and a holder’s purchase price allocation (discussed below) is not binding on the IRS or the courts. Because there are no authorities that directly address instruments that are similar to the units, no assurance can be given that the IRS or the courts will agree with the characterization described above or the discussion below. Accordingly, each holder is advised to consult its own tax advisor regarding the risks associated with an investment in a unit (including alternative characterizations of a unit) and regarding an allocation of the purchase price among the ordinary share and the portion of a warrant that comprise a unit. The balance of this discussion generally assumes that the characterization of the units described above is respected for U.S. federal income tax purposes.
Each holder of a unit must allocate the purchase price paid by such holder for such unit between the ordinary share and the portion of a warrant that comprise the unit based on their respective relative fair market values at the time of issuance. Under U.S. federal income tax law, each investor must make its own determination of such value based on all the relevant facts and circumstances. Therefore, we urge each investor to consult its own advisor regarding the determination of value for these purposes. A holder’s initial tax basis in the ordinary share and the portion of a warrant included in each unit should equal the portion of the purchase price of the unit allocated thereto. Any disposition of a unit should be treated for U.S. federal income tax purposes as a disposition of the ordinary share and the portion of a warrant comprising the unit, and the amount realized on the disposition should be allocated between the ordinary share and the portion of a warrant based on their respective relative fair market values at the time of disposition. Neither the separation of the ordinary share and the portion of a warrant comprising a unit nor the combination of portions of warrants into a single warrant should be a taxable event for U.S. federal income tax purposes.
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U.S. Holders
Taxation of Distributions
Subject to the PFIC rules discussed below, a U.S. Holder generally will be required to include in gross income as dividends the amount of any distribution paid on our ordinary shares. A distribution on such shares generally will be treated as a dividend for U.S. federal income tax purposes to the extent the distribution is paid out of our current or accumulated earnings and profits (as determined under U.S. federal income tax principles). Such dividends paid by us will be taxable to a corporate U.S. Holder at regular rates and will not be eligible for the dividends-received deduction generally allowed to domestic corporations in respect of dividends received from other domestic corporations.
Distributions in excess of such earnings and profits generally will be applied against and reduce the U.S. Holder’s basis in its ordinary shares (but not below zero) and, to the extent in excess of such basis, will be treated as gain from the sale or exchange of such ordinary shares.
With respect to non-corporate U.S. Holders, dividends will be taxed at the lower applicable long-term capital gains rate (see “—Taxation on the Disposition of Ordinary Shares and Warrants” below) only if our ordinary shares are readily tradable on an established securities market in the U.S. (which they will be if our shares are traded on the NASDAQ) and certain other requirements are met, including that we are not classified as a PFIC during the taxable year in which the dividend is paid or the preceding taxable year and that the U.S. Holder satisfies certain holding period requirements. It is unclear whether the redemption rights with respect to our ordinary shares prevent a U.S. Holder from satisfying the applicable holding period requirement. U.S. Holders should consult their own tax advisors regarding the availability of the lower rate for any dividends paid with respect to our ordinary shares.
Possible Constructive Distributions with Respect to Warrants
The terms of each warrant provide for an adjustment to the number of shares for which the warrant may be exercised or to the exercise price of the warrant in certain events. An adjustment which has the effect of preventing dilution generally is not taxable. However, the U.S. Holders of the warrants would be treated as receiving a constructive distribution from us if, for example, the adjustment increases the warrant holders’ proportionate interest in our assets or earnings and profits (e.g., through an increase in the number of ordinary shares that would be obtained upon exercise or through a decrease to the exercise price) as a result of a distribution of cash or other property to the holders of our ordinary shares which is taxable to the holders of such ordinary shares as a dividend distribution. Such constructive distribution would be subject to tax as if the U.S. Holders of the warrants received a cash distribution from us equal to the fair market value of such proportionate increased interest.
Taxation on the Disposition of Ordinary Shares and Warrants
Subject to the PFIC rules discussed below, upon a sale or other taxable disposition of our ordinary shares or warrants which, in general, would include a redemption of ordinary shares to the extent described below, and including as a result of a dissolution and liquidation in the event we do not consummate an initial business combination within the required time period, a U.S. Holder generally will recognize capital gain or loss. The amount of gain or loss recognized generally will be equal to the difference between (1) the sum of the amount of cash and the fair market value of any property received in such disposition (or, if the ordinary shares or warrants are held as part of units at the time of the disposition, the portion of the amount realized on such disposition that is allocated to the ordinary shares or warrants based upon the then fair market values of the ordinary shares and the warrants included in the units) and (2) the U.S. Holder’s adjusted tax basis in its ordinary shares or warrants so disposed of. A U.S. Holder’s adjusted tax basis in its ordinary shares or warrants generally will equal the U.S. Holder’s acquisition cost (that is, the portion of the purchase price of a unit allocated to an ordinary share or warrant, as described above under “—General Treatment of a Unit”) reduced by any prior distributions treated as a return of capital. See “—Exercise, Lapse or Redemption of a Warrant” below for a discussion regarding a U.S. Holder’s basis in an ordinary share acquired pursuant to the exercise or redemption of a warrant.
Long-term capital gains recognized by non-corporate U.S. Holders are currently generally subject to U.S. federal income tax at a reduced rate of tax. Capital gain or loss will generally constitute long-term
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capital gain or loss if the U.S. Holder’s holding period for the ordinary shares or warrants exceeds one year. It is unclear whether the redemption rights with respect to the ordinary shares described in this prospectus may prevent a U.S. Holder from satisfying the applicable holding period requirements for this purpose. The deductibility of capital losses is subject to various limitations that are not described herein because a discussion of such limitations depends on each U.S. Holder’s particular facts and circumstances. U.S. Holders should consult their own tax advisors regarding how these limitations may apply to them.
Redemption of Ordinary Shares
Subject to the PFIC rules discussed below, if a U.S. Holder’s ordinary shares are redeemed pursuant to the exercise of a shareholder redemption right or if we purchase a U.S. Holder’s ordinary shares in an open market transaction, for U.S. federal income tax purposes, such redemption will be subject to the following rules. If the redemption qualifies as a sale of the ordinary shares under Section 302 of the Code, the tax treatment of such redemption will be as described under “—Taxation on the Disposition of Ordinary Shares and Warrants” above. Whether a redemption of our shares qualifies for sale treatment will depend largely on the total number of our ordinary shares treated as held by such U.S. Holder (including any shares constructively owned as a result of, among other things, owning warrants). The redemption of ordinary shares generally will be treated as a sale or exchange of the ordinary shares (rather than as a distribution) if the receipt of cash upon the redemption (1) is “substantially disproportionate” with respect to a U.S. Holder, (2) results in a “complete termination” of such holder’s interest in us or (3) is “not essentially equivalent to a dividend” with respect to such holder. These tests are explained more fully below.
In determining whether any of the foregoing tests are satisfied, a U.S. Holder must take into account not only our ordinary shares actually owned by such holder, but also our ordinary shares that are constructively owned by such holder. A U.S. Holder may constructively own, in addition to our ordinary shares owned directly, ordinary shares owned by related individuals and entities in which such holder has an interest or that have an interest in such holder, as well as any ordinary shares such holder has a right to acquire by exercise of an option, which would generally include ordinary shares which could be acquired pursuant to the exercise of a warrant. In order to meet the substantially disproportionate test, the percentage of our outstanding voting shares actually and constructively owned by a U.S. Holder immediately following the redemption of our ordinary shares must, among other requirements, be less than 80% of the percentage of our outstanding voting and ordinary shares actually and constructively owned by such holder immediately before the redemption. Prior to our initial business combination the ordinary shares may not be treated as voting shares for this purpose and, consequently, this substantially disproportionate test may not be applicable. There will be a complete termination of a U.S. Holder’s interest if either (1) all of our ordinary shares actually and constructively owned by such U.S. Holder are redeemed or (2) all of our ordinary shares actually owned by such U.S. Holder are redeemed and such holder is eligible to waive, and effectively waives, in accordance with specific rules, the attribution of shares owned by family members and such holder does not constructively own any other of our shares. The redemption of the ordinary shares will not be essentially equivalent to a dividend if such redemption results in a “meaningful reduction” of a U.S. Holder’s proportionate interest in us. Whether the redemption will result in a meaningful reduction in a U.S. Holder’s proportionate interest in us will depend on the particular facts and circumstances. However, the IRS has indicated in a published ruling that even a small reduction in the proportionate interest of a small minority shareholder in a publicly held corporation who exercises no control over corporate affairs may constitute such a “meaningful reduction.” U.S. Holders should consult with their own tax advisors as to the tax consequences of an exercise of the redemption right.
If none of the foregoing tests are satisfied, then the redemption may be treated as a distribution and the tax effects will be as described under “—Taxation of Distributions,” above. After the application of those rules, any remaining tax basis a U.S. Holder has in the redeemed ordinary shares will be added to the adjusted tax basis in such holder’s remaining ordinary shares. If there are no remaining ordinary shares, a U.S. Holder should consult its own tax advisors as to the allocation of any remaining basis.
U.S. Holders who actually or constructively own five percent (or, if our ordinary shares are not then considered publicly traded, one percent) or more of our shares (by vote or value) may be subject to special reporting requirements with respect to a redemption of ordinary shares, and such holders should consult with their own tax advisors with respect to their reporting requirements.
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Exercise, Lapse or Redemption of a Warrant
Subject to the PFIC rules discussed below and except as discussed below with respect to the cashless exercise of a warrant or possibly, the redemption of a warrant for ordinary shares, a U.S. Holder generally will not recognize gain or loss upon the exercise of a warrant for cash. An ordinary share acquired pursuant to the exercise of a warrant for cash generally will have a tax basis equal to the U.S. Holder’s tax basis in the warrant, increased by the amount paid to exercise the warrant. It is unclear whether a U.S. Holder’s holding period for the ordinary share will commence on the date of exercise of the warrant or the day following the date of exercise of the warrant; in either case, the holding period will not include the period during which the U.S. Holder held the warrant. If a warrant is allowed to lapse unexercised, a U.S. Holder generally will recognize a capital loss equal to such holder’s tax basis in the warrant.
The tax consequences of a cashless exercise of a warrant are not clear under current U.S. federal income tax law. A cashless exercise may be tax-free, either because the exercise is not a realization event or, if it is treated as a realization event, because the exercise is treated as a “recapitalization” for U.S. federal income tax purposes. In either tax-free situation, a U.S. Holder’s tax basis in the ordinary shares received generally would equal the U.S. Holder’s tax basis in the warrants. If the cashless exercise was not a realization event, it is unclear whether a U.S. Holder’s holding period for the ordinary shares would be treated as commencing on the date of exercise of the warrant or the day following the date of exercise of the warrant. If the cashless exercise were treated as a recapitalization, the holding period of the ordinary shares would include the holding period of the warrants.
It is also possible that a cashless exercise could be treated as a taxable exchange in which gain or loss would be recognized. For example, a portion of the warrants to be exercised on a cashless basis could, for U.S. federal income tax purposes, be deemed to have been surrendered in payment of the exercise price of the remaining portion of such warrants, which would be deemed to be exercised. In such event, a U.S. Holder could be deemed to have surrendered warrants with an aggregate fair market value equal to the exercise price for the total number of warrants deemed exercised. The U.S. Holder would recognize capital gain or loss in an amount equal to the difference between the fair market value of the warrants deemed surrendered and the U.S. Holder’s tax basis in such warrants. In this case, a U.S. Holder’s tax basis in the ordinary shares received would equal the sum of the U.S. Holder’s initial investment in the warrants deemed exercised (i.e., the portion of the U.S. Holder’s purchase price for the units that is allocated to such warrants, as described above under “—General Treatment of a Unit”) and the exercise price of such warrants. It is unclear whether a U.S. Holder’s holding period for the ordinary shares would commence on the date of exercise of the warrant or the day following the date of exercise of the warrant.
Due to the absence of authority on the U.S. federal income tax treatment of a cashless exercise, there can be no assurance which, if any, of the alternative tax consequences and holding periods described above would be adopted by the IRS or a court of law. Accordingly, U.S. Holders should consult their tax advisors regarding the tax consequences of a cashless exercise.
Subject to the PFIC rules described below, if we redeem warrants for cash pursuant to the redemption provisions described in the section of this prospectus entitled “Description of Securities—Warrants—Public Shareholders’ Warrants” or if we purchase warrants in an open market transaction, such redemption or purchase generally will be treated as a taxable disposition to the U.S. Holder, taxed as described above under “—Taxation on the Disposition of Ordinary Shares and Warrants.”
Passive Foreign Investment Company Rules
A foreign (i.e., non-U.S.) corporation will be a PFIC for U.S. federal income tax purposes if at least 75% of its gross income in a taxable year, including its pro rata share of the gross income of any corporation in which it is considered to own at least 25% of the shares by value, is passive income. Alternatively, a foreign corporation will be a PFIC if at least 50% of its assets in a taxable year of the foreign corporation, ordinarily determined based on fair market value and averaged quarterly over the year, including its pro rata share of the assets of any corporation in which it is considered to own at least 25% of the shares by value, are held for the production of, or produce, passive income. Passive income generally includes dividends, interest, rents and royalties (other than rents or royalties derived from the active conduct of a trade or business) and gains from the disposition of passive assets.
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Because we are a blank check company, with no current active business, we believe that it is likely that we will meet the PFIC asset or income test for our current taxable year. However, pursuant to a start-up exception, a corporation will not be a PFIC for the first taxable year the corporation has gross income (the “start-up year”), if (1) no predecessor of the corporation was a PFIC; (2) the corporation satisfies to the IRS that it will not be a PFIC for either of the two taxable years following the start-up year; and (3) the corporation is not in fact a PFIC for either of those years. The applicability of the start-up exception to us will not be known until after the close of our current taxable year and, possibly, after the close of our two subsequent taxable years. After the acquisition of a company or assets in a business combination, we may still meet one of the PFIC tests depending on the timing of the acquisition and the amount of our passive income and assets as well as the passive income and assets of the acquired business. If the company that we acquire in a business combination is a PFIC, then we will likely not qualify for the start-up exception and will be a PFIC for our current taxable year. Our actual PFIC status for our current taxable year or any future taxable year, however, will not be determinable until after the end of such taxable year. Accordingly, there can be no assurance with respect to our status as a PFIC for our current taxable year or any future taxable year.
If we are determined to be a PFIC for any taxable year (or portion thereof) that is included in the holding period of a U.S. Holder of our ordinary shares or warrants and, in the case of our ordinary shares, the U.S. Holder did not make either a timely qualified electing fund (“QEF”) election or a mark-to-market election for our first taxable year as a PFIC in which the U.S. Holder held (or was deemed to hold) ordinary shares, as described below, such holder generally will be subject to special rules with respect to:
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any gain recognized by the U.S. Holder on the sale or other disposition of its ordinary shares or warrants; and
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any “excess distribution” made to the U.S. Holder (generally, any distributions to such U.S. Holder during a taxable year of the U.S. Holder that are greater than 125% of the average annual distributions received by such U.S. Holder in respect of the ordinary shares during the three preceding taxable years of such U.S. Holder or, if shorter, such U.S. Holder’s holding period for the ordinary shares).
Under these rules,
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the U.S. Holder’s gain or excess distribution will be allocated ratably over the U.S. Holder’s holding period for the ordinary shares and warrants;
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the amount allocated to the U.S. Holder’s taxable year in which the U.S. Holder recognized the gain or received the excess distribution, or to the period in the U.S. Holder’s holding period before the first day of our first taxable year in which we are a PFIC, will be taxed as ordinary income;
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the amount allocated to other taxable years (or portions thereof) of the U.S. Holder and included in its holding period will be taxed at the highest tax rate in effect for that year and applicable to the U.S. Holder; and
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the interest charge generally applicable to underpayments of tax will be imposed in respect of the tax attributable to each such other taxable year of the U.S. Holder.
In general, if we are determined to be a PFIC, a U.S. Holder may avoid the PFIC tax consequences described above in respect to our ordinary shares (but not our warrants) by making a timely QEF election (if eligible to do so) to include in income its pro rata share of our net capital gains (as long-term capital gain) and other earnings and profits (as ordinary income), on a current basis, in each case whether or not distributed, in the taxable year of the U.S. Holder in which or with which our taxable year ends.
A U.S. Holder generally may make a separate election to defer the payment of taxes on undistributed income inclusions under the QEF rules, but if deferred, any such taxes will be subject to an interest charge. A U.S. Holder may not make a QEF election with respect to its warrants to acquire our ordinary shares. As a result, if a U.S. Holder sells or otherwise disposes of such warrants (other than upon exercise of such warrants), any gain recognized generally may be subject to the special tax and interest charge rules treating the gain as an excess distribution, as described above, if we were a PFIC at any time during the period the U.S. Holder held the warrants. If a U.S. Holder that exercises such warrants properly makes a QEF election
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with respect to the newly acquired ordinary shares (or has previously made a QEF election with respect to our ordinary shares), the QEF election will apply to the newly acquired ordinary shares, but the adverse tax consequences relating to PFIC shares, adjusted to take into account the current income inclusions resulting from the QEF election, will continue to apply with respect to such newly acquired ordinary shares (which generally will be deemed to have a holding period for purposes of the PFIC rules that includes the period the U.S. Holder held the warrants), unless the U.S. Holder makes a purging election. The purging election creates a deemed sale of such shares at their fair market value. The gain recognized by the purging election will be subject to the special tax and interest charge rules treating the gain as an excess distribution, as described above. As a result of the purging election, the U.S. Holder will have a new basis and holding period in the ordinary shares acquired upon the exercise of the warrants for purposes of the PFIC rules. U.S. Holders are urged to consult their tax advisors as to the application of the rules governing purging elections to their particular circumstances.
The QEF election is made on a shareholder-by-shareholder basis and, once made, can be revoked only with the consent of the IRS. A U.S. Holder generally makes a QEF election by attaching a completed IRS Form 8621 (Return by a Shareholder of a Passive Foreign Investment Company or Qualified Electing Fund), including the information provided in a PFIC Annual Information Statement, to a timely filed U.S. federal income tax return for the tax year to which the election relates. Retroactive QEF elections generally may be made only by filing a protective statement with such return and if certain other conditions are met or with the consent of the IRS. U.S. Holders should consult their own tax advisors regarding the availability and tax consequences of a retroactive QEF election under their particular circumstances.
In order to comply with the requirements of a QEF election, a U.S. Holder, upon written request, must receive a PFIC Annual Information Statement from us. If we determine we are a PFIC for any taxable year prior to the time we effect a business combination, we currently intend to endeavor to provide to a U.S. Holder such information as the IRS may require, including a PFIC Annual Information Statement, in order to enable the U.S. Holder to make and maintain a QEF election. However, there is no assurance that we will have timely knowledge of our status as a PFIC in the future or that the required information will be provided.
If a U.S. Holder has made a QEF election with respect to our ordinary shares, and the special tax and interest charge rules do not apply to such shares (because of a timely QEF election for our first taxable year as a PFIC in which the U.S. Holder holds (or is deemed to hold) such shares or a purge of the PFIC taint pursuant to a purging election, as described above), any gain recognized on the sale of our ordinary shares generally will be taxable as capital gain and no interest charge will be imposed under the PFIC rules. As discussed above, U.S. Holders of a QEF are currently taxed on their pro rata shares of its earnings and profits, whether or not distributed. In such case, a subsequent distribution of such earnings and profits that were previously included in income generally should not be taxable as a dividend to such U.S. Holders. The tax basis of a U.S. Holder’s shares in a QEF will be increased by amounts that are included in income, and decreased by amounts distributed but not taxed as dividends, under the above rules.
Although a determination as to our PFIC status will be made annually, an initial determination that our company is a PFIC will generally apply for subsequent years to a U.S. Holder who held ordinary shares or warrants while we were a PFIC, whether or not we meet the test for PFIC status in those subsequent years. A U.S. Holder who makes the QEF election discussed above for our first taxable year as a PFIC in which the U.S. Holder holds (or is deemed to hold) our ordinary shares, however, will not be subject to the PFIC tax and interest charge rules discussed above in respect to such shares. In addition, such U.S. Holder will not be subject to the QEF inclusion regime with respect to such shares for any taxable year of us that ends within or with a taxable year of the U.S. Holder and in which we are not a PFIC. On the other hand, if the QEF election is not effective for each of our taxable years in which we are a PFIC and the U.S. Holder holds (or is deemed to hold) our ordinary shares, the PFIC rules discussed above will continue to apply to such shares unless the holder makes a purging election, as described above, and pays the tax and interest charge with respect to the gain inherent in such shares attributable to the pre-QEF election period.
Alternatively, if a U.S. Holder, at the close of its taxable year, owns shares in a PFIC that are treated as marketable stock, the U.S. Holder may make a mark-to-market election with respect to such shares for such taxable year. If the U.S. Holder makes a valid mark-to-market election for the first taxable year of the U.S. Holder in which the U.S. Holder holds (or is deemed to hold) ordinary shares in us and for which we
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are determined to be a PFIC, such holder generally will not be subject to the PFIC rules described above in respect to its ordinary shares. Instead, in general, the U.S. Holder will include as ordinary income each year the excess, if any, of the fair market value of its ordinary shares at the end of its taxable year over the adjusted basis in its ordinary shares. Such a U.S. Holder also will be allowed to take an ordinary loss in respect of the excess, if any, of the adjusted basis of its ordinary shares over the fair market value of its ordinary shares at the end of its taxable year (but only to the extent of the net amount of previously included income as a result of the mark-to-market election). Such U.S. Holder’s basis in its ordinary shares will be adjusted to reflect any such income or loss amounts, and any further gain recognized on a sale or other taxable disposition of the ordinary shares will be treated as ordinary income. Currently, a mark-to-market election may not be made with respect to our warrants.
The mark-to-market election is available only for stock that is regularly traded on a national securities exchange that is registered with the SEC, including the NASDAQ, or on a foreign exchange or market that the IRS determines has rules sufficient to ensure that the market price represents a legitimate and sound fair market value. U.S. Holders should consult their own tax advisors regarding the availability and tax consequences of a mark-to-market election in respect to our ordinary shares under their particular circumstances.
If we are a PFIC and, at any time, have a foreign subsidiary that is classified as a PFIC, U.S. Holders generally would be deemed to own a portion of the shares of such lower-tier PFIC, and generally could incur liability for the deferred tax and interest charge described above if we receive a distribution from, or dispose of all or part of our interest in, the lower-tier PFIC or the U.S. Holders otherwise were deemed to have disposed of an interest in the lower-tier PFIC. We will endeavor to cause any lower-tier PFIC to provide to a U.S. Holder the information that may be required to make or maintain a QEF election with respect to the lower-tier PFIC. However, there is no assurance that we will have timely knowledge of the status of any such lower-tier PFIC. In addition, we may not hold a controlling interest in any such lower-tier PFIC and thus there can be no assurance we will be able to cause the lower-tier PFIC to provide the required information. U.S. Holders are urged to consult their own tax advisors regarding the tax issues raised by lower-tier PFICs.
A U.S. Holder that owns (or is deemed to own) shares in a PFIC during any taxable year of the U.S. Holder, may have to file an IRS Form 8621 (whether or not a QEF or mark-to-market election is made) and such other information as may be required by the U.S. Treasury Department.
The rules dealing with PFICs and with the QEF and mark-to-market elections are very complex, are unclear in certain respects, and are affected by various factors in addition to those described above. Accordingly, U.S. Holders of our ordinary shares or warrants should consult their own tax advisors concerning the application of the PFIC rules to our ordinary shares or warrants under their particular circumstances.
Consequences of a Domestication
The discussion below assumes that we will qualify for the start-up exception to the PFIC rules as discussed above under “—Passive Foreign Investment Company Rules” and will not be treated as a PFIC for any taxable year, including our current taxable year. In the event that we do not qualify for the start-up exception or are otherwise treated as a PFIC for U.S. federal income tax purposes for any taxable year, the tax consequences below may be different, as discussed in the section entitled “—Alternative Treatment of a Domestication under the PFIC Rules.” All prospective U.S. Holders are urged to consult their own tax advisors regarding the consequences of a Domestication, including the potential application of the PFIC rules (including if the start-up exception is unavailable or if we were otherwise treated as a PFIC for any taxable year, including our current taxable year) .
It is possible that we could change our place of incorporation to a U.S. tax jurisdiction (a “Domestication”) in connection with our initial business combination. The U.S. federal income tax consequences of a Domestication will depend in part upon whether such Domestication qualifies as a “reorganization” within the meaning of Section 368 of the Code. Under Section 368(a)(1)(F) of the Code a reorganization (an “F reorganization”) includes a “mere change in identity, form, or place of organization of one corporation, however effected.” To qualify as an F reorganization, a transaction must generally, among
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other requirements, (i) involve only one operating corporation; (ii) result in no change in the shareholders; and (iii) result in no change in the assets of the corporation. Based on the foregoing, we expect that any change in our place of incorporation to a U.S. jurisdiction would qualify as an F reorganization.
Accordingly, assuming a Domestication qualifies as an F reorganization, based on such characterization, U.S. Holders of Class A ordinary shares or warrants would not recognize gain or loss on the Domestication for U.S. federal income tax purposes, except as provided below under “—Effects of Section 367 of the Code.” However, if we are considered a PFIC contrary to our assumption, a U.S. Holder may recognize gain (but not loss) upon the Domestication even if it qualifies as an F reorganization. The initial tax basis of a new share or warrant received by a U.S. Holder in the Domestication would equal the U.S. Holder’s tax basis in the Class A ordinary share or warrant surrendered in exchange thereof, increased by any amount included in the income of such U.S. Holder as a result of Section 367 of the Code—see “—Effects of Section 367 of the Code.” The holding period for a new share or warrant received by a U.S. Holder would include such holder’s holding period for the Class A ordinary share or warrant surrendered in exchange therefor.
Following a Domestication, a U.S. Holder generally would be required to include in gross income the amount of any distribution of cash or other property paid on our Class A ordinary shares. A distribution on such shares generally would be treated as U.S. source dividend income for U.S. federal income tax purposes to the extent the distribution is paid out of our current or accumulated earnings and profits (as determined under U.S. federal income tax principles). Dividends paid by us to a corporate U.S. Holder generally would be eligible for the dividends-received deduction allowed to domestic corporations in respect of dividends received from other domestic corporations. It is unclear, however, whether certain redemption rights described in this prospectus may suspend the running of the applicable holding period for this purpose. U.S. Holders should consult their tax advisors regarding the availability of such lower rate for any dividends paid with respect to our Class A ordinary shares. Distributions in excess of such earnings and profits generally would be applied against and reduce the U.S. Holder’s basis in its Class A ordinary shares (but not below zero) and, to the extent in excess of such basis, would be treated as gain from the sale or exchange of such Class A ordinary shares (see “—Gain or Loss on Sale, Taxable Exchange or Other Taxable Disposition of Class A Ordinary Shares and Warrants” above). With respect to non-corporate U.S. Holders, such dividends generally would be taxed at the lower applicable long-term capital gains rate provided that the applicable holding period requirement is met (see “—Gain or Loss on Sale, Taxable Exchange or Other Taxable Disposition of Class A Ordinary Shares and Warrants”).
Effects of Section 367 of the Code
Section 367 of the Code applies to certain nonrecognition transactions involving foreign corporations, including the domestication of a foreign corporation in an F reorganization. When it applies, Section 367 imposes income tax on certain U.S. persons in connection with transactions that would otherwise generally be tax-free. A U.S. Holder who, on the day of a Domestication, beneficially owns (directly, indirectly or constructively, taking into account a U.S. Holder’s ownership of our warrants) our Class A ordinary shares with a fair market value of less than $50,000 would not generally subject to income tax under these rules pursuant to a de minimis exception. Additionally, a U.S. Holder who, on the day of a Domestication, beneficially owns (directly, indirectly or constructively, taking into account a U.S. Holder’s ownership of our warrants) our Class A ordinary shares with a fair market value of $50,000 or more but less than 10% of the total combined voting power of all classes of our ordinary shares entitled to vote may elect to recognize gain with respect to a Domestication or, in the alternative, recognize the net positive earnings and profits amount as described below. Complex attribution rules apply in determining whether a U.S. Holder owns 10% or more of the total combined voting power of all classes of our ordinary shares entitled to vote. All U.S. Holders are urged to consult their tax advisors with respect to those attribution rules.
Unless a U.S. Holder described above makes the “all earnings and profits” election as described below, such holder generally must recognize gain (but not loss) with respect to shares received in a Domestication. Any such gain would be equal to the excess of the fair market value of the new shares received over the U.S. Holder’s adjusted basis in the Class A ordinary shares deemed to be surrendered in exchange therefor. Such gain would be capital gain, and would be long-term capital gain if the holder held our shares for more than one year.
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In lieu of recognizing any gain as described in the preceding paragraph, such a U.S. Holder may elect to include the “all earnings and profits” amount attributable to our Class A ordinary shares under Section 367(b). There are, however, strict conditions for making this election. This election must comply with applicable Treasury Regulations and generally must include, among other things: (i) a statement that the Domestication is a Section 367(b) exchange; (ii) a complete description of the Domestication, (iii) a description of any stock, securities or other consideration transferred or received in the Domestication, (iv) a statement describing the amounts required to be taken into account for U.S. federal income tax purposes, (v) a statement that the U.S. Holder is making the election that includes (A) a copy of the information that the U.S. Holder received from us establishing and substantiating the U.S. Holder’s all earnings and profits amount with respect to the U.S. Holder’s shares, and (B) a representation that the U.S. Holder has notified us that the U.S. Holder is making the election, and (vi) certain other information required to be furnished with the U.S. Holder’s tax return or otherwise furnished pursuant to the Code or the Treasury Regulations thereunder. In addition, the election must be attached by the U.S. Holder to its timely filed U.S. federal income tax return for the year of the Domestication, and the U.S. Holder must send notice to us of the election no later than the date such tax return is filed. In connection with this election, we intend to provide each U.S. Holder eligible to make such an election with information regarding our earnings and profits upon request. We do not expect to have significant, if any, cumulative earnings and profits through the date of the Domestication and if we do not have cumulative earnings and profits that are greater than zero, a U.S. Holder who makes this election generally would not have an income inclusion under Section 367(b) provided the U.S. Holder properly executes the election and complies with the applicable notice requirements.
U.S. HOLDERS ARE STRONGLY URGED TO CONSULT THEIR TAX ADVISORS REGARDING WHETHER TO MAKE THIS ELECTION AND, IF THE ELECTION IS DETERMINED TO BE ADVISABLE, THE APPROPRIATE FILING REQUIREMENTS WITH RESPECT TO THIS ELECTION.
Alternative Treatment of a Domestication under the PFIC Rules
If we are treated as a PFIC, Section 1291(f) of the Code requires that, to the extent provided in Treasury Regulations, a U.S. person who disposes of our stock (including for this purpose exchanging warrants for newly issued warrants in a Domestication) recognizes gain notwithstanding any other provision of the Code. No final Treasury Regulations are currently in effect under Section 1291(f) of the Code. However, proposed Treasury Regulations under Section 1291(f) of the Code have been promulgated with a retroactive effective date. If finalized in their current form, those proposed Treasury Regulations may require gain recognition to U.S. Holders of our Class A ordinary shares and warrants upon a Domestication in the manner discussed above in the section entitled “—Passive Foreign Investment Company Rules” if
(i) we were classified as a PFIC at any time during such U.S. Holder’s holding period in our Class A ordinary shares or warrants and
(ii) the U.S. Holder had not timely made (a) a QEF election for the first taxable year in which the U.S. Holder owned such Class A ordinary shares or in which we were a PFIC, whichever is later (or a QEF election along with a purging election), or (b) a mark-to-market election with respect to such Class A ordinary shares. Generally, regulations provide that neither election applies to warrants.
Any “all earnings and profits amount” included in income by a U.S. Holder as a result of the Domestication (discussed under the heading “—Effects of Section 367 of the Code” above) would generally be treated as gain subject to these rules.
It is difficult to predict whether, in what form and with what effective date, final Treasury Regulations under Section 1291(f) of the Code may be adopted or how any such Treasury Regulations would apply. Therefore, U.S. Holders of our Class A ordinary shares that have not made a valid QEF election (or a QEF election along with a purging election) or a mark-to-market election may, pursuant to the proposed Treasury Regulations, be subject to taxation under the PFIC rules on the Domestication with respect to their Class A ordinary shares and warrants under the PFIC rules in the manner set forth above. A U.S. Holder that made a valid QEF election would generally not be subject to the adverse PFIC rules discussed above with respect to their Class A ordinary shares but rather would include annually in gross income its pro rata share of our ordinary earnings and net capital gain, whether or not such amounts are actually distributed.
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The application of the PFIC rules to our warrants is unclear. A proposed Treasury Regulation issued under the PFIC rules generally treats an “option” (which would include one of our warrants) to acquire the stock of a PFIC as stock of the PFIC, while a final Treasury Regulation issued under the PFIC rules provides that the QEF election does not apply to options and no mark-to-market election is currently available with respect to options. Therefore, it is possible that the proposed Treasury Regulations, if finalized in their current form, would apply to cause gain recognition on the exchange of our warrants for new warrants pursuant to the Domestication.
Any gain recognized by a U.S. Holder of our Class A ordinary shares or warrants as a result of the Domestication pursuant to PFIC rules would be taxable income to such U.S. Holder, taxed under the PFIC rules in the manner set forth above, with no corresponding receipt of cash.
ALL U.S. HOLDERS ARE STRONGLY URGED TO CONSULT THEIR TAX ADVISORS REGARDING THE U.S. FEDERAL, STATE, LOCAL AND FOREIGN TAX CONSEQUENCES OF A DOMESTICATION AND ITS APPLICATION TO THEM.
Tax Reporting
Certain U.S. Holders may be required to file an IRS Form 926 (Return by a U.S. Transferor of Property to a Foreign Corporation) to report a transfer of property (including cash) to us. Substantial penalties may be imposed on a U.S. Holder that fails to comply with this reporting requirement. Furthermore, certain U.S. Holders who are individuals and certain entities will be required to report information with respect to such U.S. Holder’s investment in “specified foreign financial assets,” which may include an interest in us, on IRS Form 8938 (Statement of Specified Foreign Financial Assets), subject to certain exceptions. Persons who are required to report specified foreign financial assets and fail to do so may be subject to substantial penalties. Potential investors are urged to consult their tax advisors regarding the foreign financial asset and other reporting obligations and their application to an investment in our securities.
Non-U.S. Holders
Dividends (including constructive distributions treated as dividends) paid or deemed paid to a Non-U.S. Holder in respect to its ordinary shares generally will not be subject to U.S. federal income tax, unless the dividends are effectively connected with the Non-U.S. Holder’s conduct of a trade or business within the U.S. (and, if required by an applicable income tax treaty, are attributable to a permanent establishment or fixed base that such holder maintains in the U.S.).
In addition, a Non-U.S. Holder generally will not be subject to U.S. federal income tax on any gain attributable to a sale or other disposition of our ordinary shares and warrants (including a redemption or cashless exercise of warrants to the extent such disposition may otherwise be treated as taxable) unless such gain is effectively connected with its conduct of a trade or business in the U.S. (and, if required by an applicable income tax treaty, is attributable to a permanent establishment or fixed base that such holder maintains in the U.S.) or the Non-U.S. Holder is an individual who is present in the U.S. for 183 days or more in the taxable year of sale or other disposition and certain other conditions are met (in which case, such gain from U.S. sources generally is subject to tax at a 30% rate or a lower applicable tax treaty rate).
Dividends (including constructive distributions treated as dividends) and gains that are effectively connected with the Non-U.S. Holder’s conduct of a trade or business in the U.S. (and, if required by an applicable income tax treaty, are attributable to a permanent establishment or fixed base in the U.S.) generally will be subject to U.S. federal income tax at the same regular U.S. federal income tax rates applicable to a comparable U.S. Holder and, in the case of a Non-U.S. Holder that is a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes, also may be subject to an additional branch profits tax at a 30% rate or a lower applicable tax treaty rate.
The U.S. federal income tax characterization of the redemption of a Non-U.S. Holder’s ordinary shares generally will correspond to the U.S. federal income tax characterization of such a redemption of a U.S. Holder’s ordinary shares, as described under “U.S. Holders — Redemption of Ordinary Shares” above, and the consequences of the redemption to the Non-U.S. Holder will be as described above under this heading “Non-U.S. Holders” based on such characterization.
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The U.S. federal income tax treatment of a Non-U.S. Holder’s exercise of a warrant, the lapse of a warrant held by a Non-U.S. Holder or the redemption of a warrant held by a Non-U.S. Holder generally will correspond to the U.S. federal income tax treatment of the exercise, lapse or redemption of a warrant by a U.S. Holder, as described under “U.S. Holders — Exercise, Lapse or Redemption of a Warrant” above, although to the extent a cashless exercise results in a taxable exchange, the consequences would be similar to those described in the preceding paragraphs above for a Non-U.S. Holder’s gain on the sale or other disposition of our ordinary shares and warrants.
The terms of each warrant provide for an adjustment to the number of shares for which the warrant may be exercised or to the exercise price of the warrant in certain events. An adjustment which has the effect of preventing dilution generally is not taxable. However, the Non-U.S. Holders of the warrants would be treated as receiving a constructive distribution from us if, for example, the adjustment increases the warrant holders’ proportionate interest in our assets or earnings and profits (e.g., through an increase in the number of ordinary shares that would be obtained upon exercise or through a decrease to the exercise price) as a result of a distribution to the holders of our ordinary shares which is taxable to the holders of such ordinary shares as a dividend distribution. Such constructive distribution would be subject to tax as if the Non-U.S. Holders of the warrants received a cash distribution from us equal to the fair market value of such increased interest.
Effects of a Domestication on Non-U.S. holders of our Class A ordinary shares or warrants
A Non-U.S. Holder would generally not be subject to U.S. federal income tax on a Domestication. The following describes U.S. federal income tax consequences relating to the ownership and disposition of our Class A ordinary shares and warrants by a Non-U.S. Holder after a Domestication.
Distributions
In general, any distributions (including constructive distributions) made to a Non-U.S. Holder on our Class A ordinary shares after a Domestication, to the extent paid out of our current or accumulated earnings and profits (as determined under U.S. federal income tax principles), would constitute dividends for U.S. federal income tax purposes and, provided such dividends are not effectively connected with the Non-U.S. Holder’s conduct of a trade or business within the U.S., would be subject to withholding tax on the gross amount of the dividend at a rate of 30%, unless such Non-U.S. Holder is eligible for a reduced rate of withholding tax under an applicable income tax treaty and provides proper certification of its eligibility for such reduced rate (usually on an IRS Form W-8BEN or W-8BEN-E, as applicable). In the case of any constructive dividend, it is possible that this tax would be withheld from any amount owed to a Non-U.S. Holder by us or the applicable withholding agent, including cash distributions on other property or sale proceeds from warrants or other property subsequently paid or credited to such Non-U.S. Holder. Any distribution not constituting a dividend would be treated first as reducing (but not below zero) the Non-U.S. Holder’s adjusted tax basis in our Class A ordinary shares or warrants and then, to the extent such distribution exceeds the Non-U.S. Holder’s adjusted tax basis, as gain realized from the sale or other disposition of our ordinary shares or warrants, which will be treated as described under “—Gain on Sale, Taxable Exchange or Other Taxable Disposition of Class A Ordinary Shares and Warrants” below.
Dividends paid by us to a Non-U.S. Holder that are effectively connected with such Non-U.S. Holder’s conduct of a trade or business within the U.S. (or if a tax treaty applies are attributable to a U.S. permanent establishment or fixed base maintained by the Non-U.S. Holder in the U.S.) would generally not be subject to U.S. withholding tax, provided such Non-U.S. Holder complies with certain certification and disclosure requirements (usually by providing an IRS Form W-8ECI). Instead, such dividends generally would be subject to U.S. federal income tax at the same regular U.S. federal income tax rates applicable to a comparable U.S. Holder and, in the case of a Non-U.S. Holder that is a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes, also may be subject to an additional branch profits tax at a 30% rate or a lower applicable tax treaty rate.
Gain on Sale, Taxable Exchange or other Taxable Disposition of our Class A Ordinary Shares and Warrants
A Non-U.S. Holder would generally not be subject to U.S. federal income tax on gain realized on a sale or other disposition of our Class A ordinary shares or warrants, including with respect to warrants, exercise, lapse or redemption, unless:
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•
the gain is effectively connected with a trade or business of the Non-U.S. Holder in the U.S. (and, if an applicable treaty so requires, is attributable to the conduct of trade or business through a permanent establishment or fixed base in the U.S. in which case the gain would be subject to U.S. federal income tax on a net income basis at the regular graduated rates and in the manner applicable to U.S. Holders and, if the Non-U.S. Holder is a corporation, an additional “branch profits tax” may also apply), or
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we are or have been a U.S. real property holding corporation at any time within the five-year period preceding the disposition or the Non-U.S. Holder’s holding period, whichever period is shorter, and either (i) our Class A ordinary shares have ceased to be regularly traded on an established securities market or (ii) the Non-U.S. Holder has owned or is deemed to have owned, at any time within the five-year period preceding the disposition or the Non-U.S. Holder’s holding period, whichever period is shorter, more than 5% of our Class A ordinary shares.
If the second bullet point above applies to a Non-U.S. Holder, then gain recognized by such Non-U.S. Holder on the sale, exchange or other disposition of our Class A ordinary shares or warrants would be subject to tax at generally applicable U.S. federal income tax rates. In addition, a buyer of such stock or warrants from a Non-U.S. Holder may be required to withhold U.S. income tax at a rate of 15% of the amount realized upon such disposition. We would be classified as a U.S. real property holding corporation if the fair market value of our “United States real property interests” equals or exceeds 50% of the sum of the fair market value of our worldwide real property interests plus our other assets used or held for use in a trade or business, as determined for U.S. federal income tax purposes. We do not expect to be classified as a U.S. real property holding corporation following a Domestication. However, such determination is factual in nature and subject to change and no assurance can be provided as to whether we are or will be a U.S. real property holding corporation with respect to a Non-U.S. Holder following a Domestication or at any future time.
ALL NON-U.S. HOLDERS ARE URGED TO CONSULT THEIR OWN TAX ADVISORS REGARDING THE U.S. FEDERAL, STATE, LOCAL AND FOREIGN TAX CONSEQUENCES OF A DOMESTICATION AND ITS APPLICATION TO THEM.
Information Reporting and Backup Withholding
Distributions with respect to our securities and proceeds from the sale, exchange or redemption of our securities may be subject to information reporting to the IRS and possible U.S. backup withholding. Backup withholding will not apply, however, to a U.S. Holder who furnishes a correct taxpayer identification number and makes other required certifications, or who is otherwise exempt from backup withholding and establishes such exempt status. A Non-U.S. Holder generally will eliminate the requirement for information reporting and backup withholding by providing certification of its foreign status, under penalties of perjury, on a duly executed applicable IRS Form W-8 or by otherwise establishing an exemption.
Backup withholding is not an additional tax. Amounts withheld as backup withholding may be credited against a holder’s U.S. federal income tax liability, and a holder generally may obtain a refund of any excess amounts withheld under the backup withholding rules by timely filing the appropriate claim for refund with the IRS and furnishing any required information.
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UNDERWRITING
Under the terms and subject to the conditions contained in an underwriting agreement dated the date of this prospectus, we have agreed to sell to the underwriters named below the following respective numbers of units:
Underwriters | | | Number of Units | | |||
Citigroup Global Markets Inc. | | | | | 7,500,000 | | |
Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC | | | | | 7,500,000 | | |
| | | | | 15,000,000 | | |
The underwriting agreement provides that the underwriters are obligated to purchase all the units in this offering if any are purchased, other than those units covered by the over-allotment option described below.
We have granted to the underwriters a 45-day option to purchase on a pro rata basis up to 2,250,000 additional units at the initial public offering price, less the underwriting discounts and commissions. The option may be exercised only to cover any over-allotments of units.
The offering of the units described in this prospectus is subject to receipt and acceptance and subject to the underwriters’ right to reject any order in whole or in part.
The underwriters propose to offer the units initially at the public offering price on the cover page of this prospectus and to selling group members at that price less a selling concession of $ per unit.
The following table shows the underwriting discounts and commissions that we are to pay to the underwriters in connection with this offering. These amounts are shown assuming both no exercise and full exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option. $0.35 per unit, or $5,250,000 (or $6,037,500 if the over-allotment option is exercised in full), of deferred underwriting commissions will be paid to the underwriters upon the completion of our initial business combination.
| | | Paid By Global Technology Acquisition Corp. I | | |||||||||
| | | No Exercise | | | Full Exercise | | ||||||
Per Unit(1) | | | | $ | 0.55 | | | | | $ | 0.55 | | |
Total(1) | | | | $ | 8,250,000 | | | | | $ | 9,487,500 | | |
(1)
Includes $0.35 per unit, or $5,250,000 in the aggregate (or $6,037,500 in the aggregate if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), payable to the underwriters for deferred underwriting commissions to be placed in a trust account located in the U.S. as described herein and released to the underwriters only upon the consummation of an initial business combination.
We estimate that our out-of-pocket expenses for this offering will be approximately $2,500,000. We have agreed to pay for the FINRA-related fees and expenses of the underwriters’ legal counsel, not to exceed . The underwriters have agreed to reimburse us for up to approximately $0.4 million of the expenses in connection with this offering and the initial business combination.
The underwriters have informed us that the underwriters do not intend to make sales to discretionary accounts.
We, our sponsor and our officers and directors have agreed that we will not offer, sell, contract to sell, pledge or otherwise dispose of, directly or indirectly, without the prior written consent of the underwriters for a period of 180 days after the date of this prospectus, any units, warrants, ordinary shares or any other securities convertible into, or exercisable, or exchangeable for, ordinary shares; provided, however, that we may (1) issue and sell the private placement warrants; (2) issue and sell the additional units to cover our underwriters’ over-allotment option (if any); (3) register with the SEC pursuant to an agreement to be entered into concurrently with the issuance and sale of the securities in this offering the resale of the founder shares, the private placement warrants and warrants that may be issued upon conversion of working capital
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loans (and any Class A ordinary shares issued or issuable upon exercise of any such private placement warrants or warrants issued upon conversion of the working capital loans and upon conversion of the founder shares), as the case may be; and (4) issue securities in connection with our initial business combination. However, the foregoing shall not apply to the forfeiture of any founder shares pursuant to their terms or any transfer of founder shares to any current or future independent director of the Company (as long as such current or future independent director is subject to the terms of the letter agreement, filed herewith, at the time of such transfer; and as long as, to the extent any Section 16 reporting obligation is triggered as a result of such transfer, any related Section 16 filing includes a practical explanation as to the nature of the transfer). The underwriters in their sole discretion may release any of the securities subject to these lock-up agreements at any time without notice.
Our sponsor and our directors and executive officers have agreed not to transfer, assign or sell any of their founder shares until the earliest of (A) one year after the completion of our initial business combination and (B) subsequent to our initial business combination, (x) if the closing price of our Class A ordinary shares equals or exceeds $12.00 per share (as adjusted for share sub-divisions, share capitalizations, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) for any 20 trading days within any 30-trading day period commencing at least 150 days after our initial business combination, or (y) the date on which we complete a liquidation, merger, share exchange or other similar transaction that results in all of our public shareholders having the right to exchange their ordinary shares for cash, securities or other property (except pursuant to limited exceptions as described under “Principal Shareholders—Transfers of Founder Shares and Private Placement Warrants”). Any permitted transferees would be subject to the same restrictions and other agreements of our sponsor and our directors and executive officers with respect to any founder shares.
The private placement warrants (including the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the private placement warrants) will not be transferable, assignable or salable until 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination (except pursuant to limited exceptions as described under “Principal Shareholders—Transfers of Founder Shares and Private Placement Warrants”).
We have agreed to indemnify the underwriters against certain liabilities under the Securities Act, or contribute to payments that the underwriters may be required to make in that respect.
We will apply to have our units listed on the NASDAQ under the symbol “GTACU.” Once the securities comprising the units begin separate trading, we expect that the Class A ordinary shares and warrants will be listed on the NASDAQ under the symbols “GTAC” and “GTACW,” respectively.
Prior to this offering, there has been no public market for our securities. Consequently, the initial public offering price for the units was determined by negotiations between us and the underwriters.
The determination of our per unit offering price was more arbitrary than would typically be the case if we were an operating company. Among the factors considered in determining the initial public offering price were the history and prospects of companies whose principal business is the acquisition of other companies, prior offerings of those companies, our management, our capital structure, and currently prevailing general conditions in equity securities markets, including current market valuations of publicly traded companies considered comparable to our company. We cannot assure you, however, that the price at which the units, Class A ordinary shares or warrants will sell in the public market after this offering will not be lower than the initial public offering price or that an active trading market in our units, Class A ordinary shares or warrants will develop and continue after this offering.
The underwriters have agreed to waive their rights to their deferred underwriting commission held in the trust account in the event we do not consummate an initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 24 months from the closing of this offering at the election of the Company in two separate three month extensions subject to satisfaction of certain conditions, including the deposit of up to $1,500,000, or $1,725,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full ($0.10 per unit in either case) for each three month extension, into the trust account, or as extended by the Company’s shareholders in accordance with our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association) and, in such event, such amounts will be included with the funds held in the trust account that will be available to fund the redemption of our public shares.
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In connection with this offering, the underwriters may engage in stabilizing transactions, over-allotment transactions, syndicate covering transactions and penalty bids in accordance with Regulation M under the Exchange Act.
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Stabilizing transactions permit bids to purchase the underlying security so long as the stabilizing bids do not exceed a specified maximum.
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Over-allotment involves sales by the underwriters of units in excess of the number of units the underwriters are obligated to purchase, which creates a syndicate short position. The short position may be either a covered short position or a naked short position. In a covered short position, the number of units over-allotted by the underwriters is not greater than the number of units that they may purchase in the over-allotment option. In a naked short position, the number of units involved is greater than the number of units in the over-allotment option. The underwriters may close out any covered short position by either exercising its over-allotment option and/or purchasing units in the open market.
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Syndicate covering transactions involve purchases of the units in the open market after the distribution has been completed in order to cover syndicate short positions. In determining the source of units to close out the short position, the underwriters will consider, among other things, the price of units available for purchase in the open market as compared to the price at which they may purchase units through the over-allotment option. If the underwriters sell more units than could be covered by the over-allotment option, a naked short position, the position can only be closed out by buying units in the open market. A naked short position is more likely to be created if the underwriters are concerned that there could be downward pressure on the price of the units in the open market after pricing that could adversely affect investors who purchase in this offering.
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Penalty bids permit the representative to reclaim a selling concession from a syndicate member when the units originally sold by the syndicate member are purchased in a stabilizing or syndicate covering transaction to cover syndicate short positions.
These stabilizing transactions, syndicate covering transactions and penalty bids may have the effect of raising or maintaining the market price of our units or preventing or retarding a decline in the market price of the units. As a result, the price of our units may be higher than the price that might otherwise exist in the open market. These transactions may be effected on the NASDAQ or otherwise and, if commenced, may be discontinued at any time.
We are not under any contractual obligation to engage any of the underwriters to provide any services for us after this offering, but we may do so at our discretion. However, any of the underwriters may introduce us to potential target businesses, provide financial advisory services to us in connection with a business combination or assist us in raising additional capital in the future, including by acting as a placement agent in a private offering or underwriting or arranging debt financing. If any of the underwriters provide services to us after this offering, we may pay the such underwriter fair and reasonable fees 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 and no fees for such services will be paid to any of the underwriters prior to the date that is 60 days from the date of this prospectus, unless such payment would not be deemed underwriters’ compensation in connection with this offering. We may pay the underwriters of this offering or any entity with which they are affiliated, a finder’s fee or other compensation for services rendered to us in connection with the completion of a business combination. Any fees we may pay the underwriters or their affiliates for services rendered to us after this offering may be contingent on the completion of a business combination and may include non-cash compensation. The underwriters or their affiliates that provide these services to us may have a potential conflict of interest given that the underwriters are entitled to the deferred portion of their underwriting compensation for this offering only if an initial business combination is completed within the specified timeframe.
The underwriters and their affiliates have engaged in, and may in the future engage in, investment banking and other commercial dealings in the ordinary course of business with us or our affiliates. The underwriters have received, or may in the future receive, customary fees and commissions for these transactions.
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In addition, in the ordinary course of their business activities, the underwriters and their affiliates may make or hold a broad array of investments and actively trade debt and equity securities (or related derivative securities) and financial instruments (including bank loans) for their own account and for the accounts of their customers. Such investments and securities activities may involve securities and/or instruments of ours or our affiliates. The underwriters and their affiliates may also make investment recommendations and/or publish or express independent research views in respect of such securities or financial instruments and may hold, or recommend to clients that they acquire, long and/or short positions in such securities and instruments.
A prospectus in electronic format may be made available on the websites maintained by the underwriters, or selling group members, if any, participating in this offering and the underwriters participating in this offering may distribute prospectuses electronically. The underwriters may allocate a number of units for sale to its online brokerage account holders. Internet distributions will be allocated by the underwriters that will make internet distributions on the same basis as other allocations.
The units are offered for sale in the U.S. and other jurisdictions where it is lawful to make such offers.
The underwriters have represented and agreed that they have not offered, sold or delivered and will not offer, sell or deliver any of the units directly or indirectly, or distribute this prospectus or any other offering material relating to the units, in or from any jurisdiction except under circumstances that will result in compliance with the applicable laws and regulations thereof and that will not impose any obligations on us except as set forth in the underwriting agreement.
European Economic Area
In relation to each EEA Member State (each a “Relevant Member State”), no units have been offered or will be offered pursuant to the Offering to the public in that Relevant Member State prior to the publication of a prospectus in relation to the units which has been approved by the competent authority in that Relevant Member State or, where appropriate, approved in another Relevant Member State and notified to the competent authority in that Relevant Member State, all in accordance with the Prospectus Regulation, except that the units may be offered to the public in that Relevant Member State at any time:
(a) to any legal entity which is a qualified investor as defined under Article 2 of the Prospectus Regulation;
(b) to fewer than 150 natural or legal persons (other than qualified investors as defined under Article 2 of the Prospectus Regulation) subject to obtaining the prior consent of the underwriters for any such offer; or
(c) in any other circumstances falling within Article 1(4) of the Prospectus Regulation,
provided that no such offer of the units shall require the Company or any underwriter to publish a prospectus pursuant to Article 3 of the Prospectus Regulation or supplement a prospectus pursuant to Article 23 of the Prospectus Regulation.
For the purposes of this provision, the expression an ‘offer to the public’ in relation to the units in any Relevant Member State means the communication in any form and by any means of sufficient information on the terms of the offer and any units to be offered so as to enable an investor to decide to purchase any units, and the expression “Prospectus Regulation” means Regulation (EU) 2017/1129.
Each person in a Relevant Member State who receives any communication in respect of, or who acquires any units under, the offering contemplated hereby will be deemed to have represented, warranted and agreed to and with each of the underwriters and their affiliates and the Company that
(a) it is a qualified investor within the meaning of the Prospectus Regulation; and
(b) in the case of any units acquired by it as a financial intermediary, as that term is used in Article 5 of the Prospectus Regulation, (i) the units acquired by it in the offering have not been acquired on a non-discretionary basis on behalf of, nor have they been acquired with a view to their offer or resale to, persons in any Relevant Member State other than qualified investors, as that term is
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defined in the Prospectus Regulation, or have been acquired in other circumstances falling within the points (a) to (d) of Article 1(4) of the Prospectus Regulation and the prior consent of the underwriters has been given to the offer or resale; or (ii) where the Offer Shares have been acquired by it on behalf of persons in any Relevant Member State other than qualified investors, the offer of those units to it is not treated under the Prospectus Regulation as having been made to such persons.
The Company, the underwriters and their affiliates, and others will rely upon the truth and accuracy of the foregoing representation, acknowledgement and agreement. Notwithstanding the above, a person who is not a qualified investor and who has notified the underwriters of such fact in writing may, with the prior consent of the underwriters, be permitted to acquire units in the offering.
This European Economic Area selling restriction is in addition to any other selling restrictions set out below.
Notice to Investors in the United Kingdom
This Prospectus and any other material in relation to the units described herein is only being distributed to, and is only directed at, and any investment or investment activity to which this Prospectus relates is available only to, and will be engaged in only with persons who are (i) persons having professional experience in matters relating to investments who fall within the definition of investment professionals in Article 19(5) of the FPO; or (ii) high net worth entities falling within Article 49(2)(a) to (d) of the FPO; (iii) outside the UK; or (iv) persons to whom an invitation or inducement to engage in investment activity (within the meaning of Section 21 of the FSMA) in connection with the issue or sale of any units may otherwise lawfully be communicated or caused to be communicated, (all such persons together being referred to as “Relevant Persons”). The units are only available in the UK to, and any invitation, offer or agreement to purchase or otherwise acquire the units will be engaged in only with, the Relevant Persons. This Prospectus and its contents are confidential and should not be distributed, published or reproduced (in whole or in part) or disclosed by recipients to any other person in the UK. Any person in the UK that is not a Relevant Person should not act or rely on this Prospectus or any of its contents.
No units have been offered or will be offered pursuant to the Offering to the public in the United Kingdom prior to the publication of a prospectus in relation to the units which has been approved by the Financial Conduct Authority, except that the units may be offered to the public in the United Kingdom at any time:
(a) to any legal entity which is a qualified investor as defined under Article 2 of the UK Prospectus Regulation;
(b) to fewer than 150 natural or legal persons (other than qualified investors as defined under Article 2 of the UK Prospectus Regulation), subject to obtaining the prior consent of the underwriters for any such offer; or
(c) in any other circumstances falling within Section 86 of the FSMA,
provided that no such offer of the units shall require the Company and/or any Underwriters or any of their affiliates to publish a prospectus pursuant to Section 85 of the FSMA or supplement a prospectus pursuant to Article 23 of the UK Prospectus Regulation. For the purposes of this provision, the expression an “offer to the public” in relation to the units in the United Kingdom means the communication in any form and by any means of sufficient information on the terms of the offer and any units to be offered so as to enable an investor to decide to purchase or subscribe for any units and the expression “UK Prospectus Regulation” means Regulation (EU) 2017/1129 as it forms part of domestic law by virtue of the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018.
Each person in the UK who acquires any units in the Offer or to whom any offer is made will be deemed to have represented, acknowledged and agreed to and with the Company, the underwriters and their affiliates that it meets the criteria outlined in this section.
Notice to Residents of Japan
Each underwriter will not offer or sell any of our units directly or indirectly in Japan or to, or for the benefit of any Japanese person or to others, for re-offering or re-sale directly or indirectly in Japan or to any
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Japanese person, except in each case pursuant to an exemption from the registration requirements of, and otherwise in compliance with, the Securities and Exchange Law of Japan and any other applicable laws and regulations of Japan. For purposes of this paragraph, “Japanese person” means any person resident in Japan, including any corporation or other entity organized under the laws of Japan.
Notice to Residents of Hong Kong
Each underwriter and each of its affiliates have not (1) offered or sold, and will not offer or sell, in Hong Kong, by means of any document, our units other than (A) to “professional investors” as defined in the Securities and Futures Ordinance (Cap.571) of Hong Kong and any rules made under that Ordinance or (B) in other circumstances which do not result in the document being a “prospectus” as defined in the Companies Ordinance (Cap. 32 of Hong Kong) or which do not constitute an offer to the public within the meaning of that Ordinance or (2) issued or had in its possession for the purposes of issue, and will not issue or have in its possession for the purposes of issue, whether in Hong Kong or elsewhere any advertisement, invitation or document relating to our units which is directed at, or the contents of which are likely to be accessed or read by, the public in Hong Kong (except if permitted to do so under the securities laws of Hong Kong) other than with respect to our securities which are or are intended to be disposed of only to persons outside Hong Kong or only to “professional investors” as defined in the Securities and Futures Ordinance and any rules made under that Ordinance. The contents of this document have not been reviewed by any regulatory authority in Hong Kong. You are advised to exercise caution in relation to the offer. If you are in any doubt about any of the contents of this document, you should obtain independent professional advice.
Notice to Residents of Singapore
This prospectus or any other offering material relating to our units has not been and will not be registered as a prospectus with the Monetary Authority of Singapore, and the units will be offered in Singapore pursuant to exemptions under Section 274 and Section 275 of the Securities and Futures Act, Chapter 289 of Singapore (the “Securities and Futures Act”). Accordingly our units may not be offered or sold, or be the subject of an invitation for subscription or purchase, nor may this prospectus or any other offering material relating to our units be circulated or distributed, whether directly or indirectly, to the public or any member of the public in Singapore other than (a) to an institutional investor or other person specified in Section 274 of the Securities and Futures Act, (b) to a sophisticated investor, and in accordance with the conditions specified in Section 275 of the Securities and Futures Act or (c) otherwise pursuant to, and in accordance with the conditions of, any other applicable provision of the Securities and Futures Act.
Notification under Section 309B(1)(c) of the Securities and Futures Act: Solely for the purposes of its obligations pursuant to sections 309B(1)(a) and 309B(1)(c) of the Securities and Futures Act and the Securities and Futures (Capital Markets Products) Regulations 2018 of Singapore (the “CMP Regulations 2018”), the Issuer has determined, and hereby notifies all relevant persons (as defined in Section 309A of the SFA) that the notes are (A) prescribed capital markets products (as defined in the CMP Regulations 2018) and (B) Excluded Investment Products (as defined in MAS Notice SFA 04-N12: Notice on the Sale of Investment Products and MAS Notice FAA-N16: Notice on Recommendations on Investment Products).
Notice to Residents of Germany
Each person who is in possession of this prospectus is aware that no German sales prospectus (Verkaufsprospekt) within the meaning of the Securities Sales Prospectus Act (Wertpapier-Verkaufsprospektgesetz, the “Act”) of the Federal Republic of Germany has been or will be published with respect to our units. In particular, each underwriter has represented that it has not engaged and have agreed that it will not engage in a public offering (offentliches Angebot) within the meaning of the Act with respect to any of our units otherwise then in accordance with the Act and all other applicable legal and regulatory requirements.
Notice to Residents of France
The units are being issued and sold outside the Republic of France and that, in connection with their initial distribution, it has not offered or sold and will not offer or sell, directly or indirectly, any units to the
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public in the Republic of France, and that it has not distributed and will not distribute or cause to be distributed to the public in the Republic of France this prospectus or any other offering material relating to the units, and that such offers, sales and distributions have been and will be made in the Republic of France only to qualified investors (investisseurs qualifiés) in accordance with Article L.411-2 of the Monetary and Financial Code and decrét no. 98-880 dated October 1, 1998.
Notice to Residents of the Netherlands
Our units may not be offered, sold, transferred or delivered in or from the Netherlands as part of their initial distribution or at any time thereafter, directly or indirectly, other than to, individuals or legal entities situated in The Netherlands who or which trade or invest in securities in the conduct of a business or profession (which includes banks, securities intermediaries (including dealers and brokers), insurance companies, pension funds, collective investment institution, central governments, large international and supranational organizations, other institutional investors and other parties, including treasury departments of commercial enterprises, which as an ancillary activity regularly invest in securities; hereinafter, “Professional Investors”); provided that in the offer, prospectus and in any other documents or advertisements in which a forthcoming offering of our units is publicly announced (whether electronically or otherwise) in The Netherlands it is stated that such offer is and will be exclusively made to such Professional Investors. Individual or legal entities who are not Professional Investors may not participate in the offering of our units, and this prospectus or any other offering material relating to our units may not be considered an offer or the prospect of an offer to sell or exchange our units.
Notice to Prospective Investors in the Cayman Islands
No offer or invitation, whether directly or indirectly, may be made to the public in the Cayman Islands to subscribe for our securities.
Notice to Canadian Residents
The units may be sold only to purchasers purchasing, or deemed to be purchasing, as principal that are accredited investors, as defined in National Instrument 45-106 Prospectus Exemptions or subsection 73.3(1) of the Securities Act (Ontario), and are permitted clients, as defined in National Instrument 31-103 Registration Requirements, Exemptions and Ongoing Registrant Obligations. Any resale of the units must be made in accordance with an exemption from, or in a transaction not subject to, the prospectus requirements of applicable securities laws.
Securities legislation in certain provinces or territories of Canada may provide a purchaser with remedies for rescission or damages if this prospectus (including any amendment thereto) contains a misrepresentation, provided that the remedies for rescission or damages are exercised by the purchaser within the time limit prescribed by the securities legislation of the purchaser’s province or territory. The purchaser should refer to any applicable provisions of the securities legislation of the purchaser’s province or territory for particulars of these rights or consult with a legal advisor.
Pursuant to section 3A.3 of National Instrument 33-105 Underwriting Conflicts (“NI 33-105”), the underwriters are not required to comply with the disclosure requirements of NI 33-105 regarding underwriter conflicts of interest in connection with this offering.
183
LEGAL MATTERS
Latham & Watkins LLP will pass upon the validity of the securities offered in this prospectus with respect to units and warrants. Carey Olsen will pass upon the validity of the securities offered in this prospectus with respect to the ordinary shares and matters of Cayman Islands law. In connection with this offering, Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP advised the underwriters in connection with the offering of the securities.
EXPERTS
The financial statements of Global Technology Acquisition Corp. I as of February 10, 2021 and for the period from February 9, 2021 (inception) through February 10, 2021 appearing in this prospectus have been audited by Marcum LLP, independent registered public accounting firm, as set forth in their report thereon (which contains an explanatory paragraph relating to substantial doubt about the ability of Global Technology Acquisition Corp. I to continue as a going concern as described in Note 1 to the financial statements), appearing elsewhere in this prospectus, and are included in reliance upon such report given on the authority of such firm as experts in accounting and auditing.
WHERE YOU CAN FIND ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
We have filed with the SEC a registration statement on Form S-1 under the Securities Act with respect to the securities we are offering by this prospectus. This prospectus does not contain all of the information included in the registration statement. For further information about us and our securities, you should refer to the registration statement and the exhibits and schedules filed with the registration statement. Whenever we make reference in this prospectus to any of our contracts, agreements or other documents, the references are materially complete but may not include a description of all aspects of such contracts, agreements or other documents, and you should refer to the exhibits attached to the registration statement for copies of the actual contract, agreement or other document.
Upon completion of this offering, we will be subject to the information requirements of the Exchange Act and will file annual, quarterly and current event reports, proxy statements and other information with the SEC. You can read our SEC filings, including the registration statement, over the Internet at the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov.
184
Global Technology Acquisition Corp. I
Index to Financial Statements
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Financial Statements: | | | | | | | |
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| | | | F-4 | | | |
| | | | F-5 | | | |
| | | | F-6 | | | |
| | | | F-7 | | |
F-1
REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM
To the Shareholder and Board of Directors of
Global Technology Acquisition Corp. I
Global Technology Acquisition Corp. I
Opinion on the Financial Statements
We have audited the accompanying balance sheet of Global Technology Acquisition Corp. I (the “Company”) as of February 10, 2021, the related statements of operations, changes in shareholder’s equity and cash flows for the period from February 9, 2021 (inception) through February 10, 2021, and the related notes (collectively referred to as the “financial statements”). In our opinion, the financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Company as of February 10, 2021, and the results of its operations and its cash flows for the period from February 9, 2021 (inception) through February 10, 2021, in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.
Explanatory Paragraph — Going Concern
The accompanying financial statements have been prepared assuming that the Company will continue as a going concern. As more fully described in Note 2 to the financial statements, the Company’s ability to execute its business plan is dependent upon its completion of the proposed initial public offering described in Note 3 to the financial statements. The Company has a working capital deficiency as of February 10, 2021 and lacks the financial resources it needs to sustain operations for a reasonable period of time, which is considered to be one year from the issuance date of the financial statements. These conditions raise substantial doubt about the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern. Management’s plan in regard to these matters are also described in Notes 1 and 3. The financial statements do not include any adjustments that might result from the outcome of this uncertainty.
Basis for Opinion
These financial statements are the responsibility of the Company’s management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the Company’s financial statements based on our audit. We are a public accounting firm registered with the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (“PCAOB”) and are required to be independent with respect to the Company in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.
We conducted our audit in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement, whether due to error or fraud. The Company is not required to have, nor were we engaged to perform, an audit of its internal control over financial reporting. As part of our audit we are required to obtain an understanding of internal control over financial reporting but not for the purpose of expressing an opinion on the effectiveness of the Company’s internal control over financial reporting. Accordingly, we express no such opinion.
Our audit included performing procedures to assess the risks of material misstatement of the financial statements, whether due to error or fraud, and performing procedures that respond to those risks. Such procedures included examining, on a test basis, evidence regarding the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. Our audit also included evaluating the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the financial statements. We believe that our audit provides a reasonable basis for our opinion.
/s/ Marcum llp
Marcum llp
We have served as the Company’s auditor since 2021.
Houston, TX
March 3, 2021, except for Note 2, and Note 6, as to which the date is July 12, 2021, and except for the description of the Proposed Offering, Trust Account, and Business Combination in Note 1, the description of the Private Placement Warrants in Note 4, and Note 5, as to which the date is October 4, 2021
March 3, 2021, except for Note 2, and Note 6, as to which the date is July 12, 2021, and except for the description of the Proposed Offering, Trust Account, and Business Combination in Note 1, the description of the Private Placement Warrants in Note 4, and Note 5, as to which the date is October 4, 2021
F-2
Global Technology Acquisition Corp. I
Balance Sheets
| | | June 30, 2021 | | | February 10, 2021 | | ||||||
| | | (unaudited) | | | (audited) | | ||||||
ASSETS | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Cash | | | | $ | 61,000 | | | | | $ | — | | |
Deferred offering costs | | | | | 365,000 | | | | | | 20,000 | | |
Total assets | | | | $ | 426,000 | | | | | $ | 20,000 | | |
LIABILITIES AND SHAREHOLDER’S EQUITY | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Current liabilities: | | | | ||||||||||
Accounts payable and accrued offering costs | | | | | 285,000 | | | | | | — | | |
Sponsor loan | | | | $ | 170,000 | | | | | $ | — | | |
Total liabilities | | | | | 455,000 | | | | | | — | | |
Commitments and contingencies | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Shareholder’s equity: | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Preferred shares, $0.0001 par value; 1,000,000 shares authorized, none issued or outstanding | | | | | — | | | | | | — | | |
Class A ordinary shares, $0.0001 par value, 200,000,000 authorized shares, none issued or outstanding | | | | | — | | | | | | — | | |
Class B ordinary shares, $0.0001 par value, 20,000,000 authorized shares, 4,312,500 shares issued and outstanding, as restated ($432, rounded to $-0-)(1)(2) | | | | | — | | | | | | — | | |
Additional paid-in-capital | | | | | 25,000 | | | | | | 25,000 | | |
Accumulated deficit | | | | | (54,000) | | | | | | (5,000) | | |
Total shareholder’s equity (deficit) | | | | | (29,000) | | | | | | 20,000 | | |
Total liabilities and shareholder’s equity | | | | $ | 426,000 | | | | | $ | 20,000 | | |
(1)
Includes an aggregate of 562,500 Class B ordinary shares held by the Sponsor that are subject to forfeiture to the extent that the underwriters’ over-allotment option is not exercised in full.
(2)
Share amounts have been retroactively restated to reflect the surrender of 2,156,250 Class B ordinary shares by our Sponsor on June 30, 2021 which reduced Class B ordinary shares outstanding (see Note 4).
See accompanying notes to financial statements.
F-3
Global Technology Acquisition Corp. I
Statements of Operations
| | | For the period from February 9, 2021 (inception) to June 30, 2021 | | | For the period from February 9, 2021 (inception) to February 10, 2021 | | ||||||
| | | (unaudited) | | | (audited) | | ||||||
General and administrative expenses | | | | $ | 54,000 | | | | | $ | 5,000 | | |
Net loss | | | | $ | (54,000) | | | | | $ | (5,000) | | |
Weighted average ordinary shares outstanding | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Basic and diluted(1)(2) | | | | | 3,750,000 | | | | | | 3,750,000 | | |
Net loss per ordinary share: | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Basic and diluted | | | | $ | (0.01) | | | | | $ | (0.00) | | |
(1)
Excludes an aggregate of 562,500 Class B ordinary shares held by the Sponsor that are subject to forfeiture to the extent that the underwriters’ over-allotment option is not exercised in full.
(2)
Share amounts have been retroactively restated to reflect the surrender of 2,156,250 Class B ordinary shares by our Sponsor on June 30, 2021 which reduced Class B ordinary shares outstanding (see Note 4).
See accompanying notes to financial statements.
F-4
Global Technology Acquisition Corp. I
Statements of Changes in Shareholder’s Equity
For the period from February 9, 2021 (inception) to June 30, 2021:
| | | Class B Ordinary Shares(1)(2) | | | Additional Paid-in Capital | | | Accumulated Deficit | | | Total Shareholder’s Equity | | ||||||||||||||||||
| | | Shares | | | Amount | | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Balance, February 9, 2021 (inception) | | | | | — | | | | | $ | — | | | | | $ | — | | | | | $ | — | | | | | $ | — | | |
Issuance of Class B ordinary shares to Sponsor at approximately $0.004 per share(1)(2) | | | | | 4,312,500 | | | | | | — | | | | | | 25,000 | | | | | | — | | | | | | 25,000 | | |
Net loss | | | | | — | | | | | | — | | | | | | — | | | | | | (54,000) | | | | | | (54,000) | | |
Balance, June 30, 2021 (unaudited) | | | | | 4,312,500 | | | | | $ | — | | | | | $ | 25,000 | | | | | $ | (54,000) | | | | | $ | (29,000) | | |
For the period from February 9, 2021 (inception) to February 10, 2021(2):
| | | Class B Ordinary Shares(1)(2) | | | Additional Paid-in Capital | | | Accumulated Deficit | | | Total Shareholder’s Equity | | ||||||||||||||||||
| | | Shares | | | Amount | | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Balance, February 9, 2021 (inception) | | | | | — | | | | | $ | — | | | | | $ | — | | | | | $ | — | | | | | $ | — | | |
Issuance of Class B ordinary shares to Sponsor at approximately $0.004 per share(1)(2) | | | | | 4,312,500 | | | | | | — | | | | | | 25,000 | | | | | | — | | | | | | 25,000 | | |
Net loss | | | | | — | | | | | | — | | | | | | — | | | | | | (5,000) | | | | | | (5,000) | | |
Balance, February 10, 2021 (audited) | | | | | 4,312,000 | | | | | $ | — | | | | | $ | 25,000 | | | | | $ | (5,000) | | | | | $ | 20,000 | | |
(1)
Includes an aggregate of 562,500 Class B ordinary shares held by the Sponsor that are subject to forfeiture to the extent that the underwriters’ over-allotment option is not exercised in full.
(2)
Share amounts have been retroactively restated to reflect the surrender of 2,156,250 Class B ordinary shares by our Sponsor on June 30, 2021 which reduced Class B ordinary shares outstanding (see Note 4).
See accompanying notes to financial statements.
F-5
Global Technology Acquisition Corp. I
Statements of Cash Flows
| | | For the period from February 9, 2021 (inception) to June 30, 2021 | | | For the period from February 9, 2021 (inception) to February 10, 2021 | | ||||||
| | | (unaudited) | | | (audited) | | ||||||
Cash flows from operating activities: | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Net loss | | | | $ | (54,000) | | | | | $ | (5,000) | | |
Adjustments to reconcile net loss to net cash used in operations: | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Increase in accounts payable and accruals | | | | | 4,000 | | | | | | — | | |
Payment by Founders of formation costs | | | | | 5,000 | | | | | | 5,000 | | |
Net cash used in operating activities | | | | | (45,000) | | | | | | — | | |
Cash from financing activities: | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Proceeds from Sponsor Note | | | | | 170,000 | | | | | | — | | |
Payment of deferred offering costs | | | | | (64,000) | | | | | | — | | |
Net cash provided from financing activities | | | | | 106,000 | | | | | | — | | |
Net change in cash | | | | | 61,000 | | | | | | — | | |
Cash at beginning of period | | | | | — | | | | | | — | | |
Cash at end of period | | | | $ | 61,000 | | | | | $ | — | | |
Supplemental disclosure of non-cash financing activities: | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Sale of 6,468,750 of Class B ordinary shares to Founders and deposited with counsel for formation and deferred offering costs | | | | $ | 25,000 | | | | | $ | 25,000 | | |
Payment by Founders of deferred offering costs | | | | $ | 20,000 | | | | | $ | 20,000 | | |
Deferred offering costs included in accrued liabilities | | | | $ | 281,000 | | | | | | — | | |
See accompanying notes to financial statements.
F-6
Global Technology Acquisition Corp. I
Notes to Financial Statements
Note 1—Description of Organization and Business Operations
Organization and General:
Global Technology Acquisition Corp. I (the “Company”) was incorporated in the Cayman Islands as an exempted company on February 9, 2021. The Company was formed for the purpose of effecting a merger, share exchange, asset acquisition, share purchase, reorganization or similar business combination with one or more businesses (the “Business Combination”). The Company is an “emerging growth company,” as defined in Section 2(a) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the “Securities Act,” as modified by the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012 (the “JOBS Act”).
At June 30, 2021 and February 10, 2021, the Company had not commenced any operations. All activity for the period from February 9, 2021 (inception) to June 30, 2021 relates to the Company’s formation and the proposed initial public offering (“Proposed Offering”) described below. The Company will not generate any operating revenues until after completion of its initial Business Combination, at the earliest. The Company will generate non-operating income in the form of interest income on cash and cash equivalents from the proceeds derived from the Proposed Offering.
Sponsor and Proposed Offering:
The Company’s sponsor is Global Technology Acquisition I Sponsor LP, an exempted limited partnership registered in the Cayman Islands (the “Sponsor”). The Company intends to finance a Business Combination with proceeds from the $150,000,000 Proposed Offering (Note 3) and a $8,500,000 private placement (Note 4). Upon the closing of the Proposed Offering and the private placement, $153,000,000 (or $175,950,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full—Note 3) will be held in a trust account (the “Trust Account”).
The Trust Account:
The funds in the Trust Account will be invested only in U.S. government treasury bills with a maturity of one hundred and eighty-five (185) days or less or in money market funds meeting certain conditions under Rule 2a-7 under the Investment Company Act of 1940 which invest only in direct U.S. government obligations. Funds will remain in the Trust Account until the earlier of (i) the consummation of its initial Business Combination or (ii) the distribution of the Trust Account as described below. The remaining funds outside the Trust Account may be used to pay for business, legal and accounting due diligence on prospective acquisition targets and continuing general and administrative expenses.
The Company’s amended and restated memorandum and articles of associating provides that, other than the withdrawal of interest to pay tax obligations, if any, less up to $100,000 interest to pay dissolution expenses, none of the funds held in trust will be released until the earliest of: (a) the completion of the initial Business Combination, (b) the redemption of any public shares properly submitted in connection with a shareholder vote to amend the Company’s amended and restated certificate of incorporation (i) to modify the substance or timing of the Company’s obligation to redeem 100% of the public shares if the Company does not complete the initial Business Combination within 18 months from the closing of the Proposed Offering (or up to 24 months from the closing of the Proposed Offering at the election of the Company in two separate three month extensions subject to satisfaction of certain conditions, including the deposit of up to $1,500,000, or $1,725,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full ($0.10 per unit in either case) for each three month extension, into the Trust Account, or as extended by the Company’s shareholders in accordance with our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association) or (ii) with respect to any other provision relating to shareholders’ rights or pre-Business Combination activity, and (c) the redemption of the public shares if the Company is unable to complete the initial Business Combination within 18 months from the closing of the Proposed Offering (or up to 24 months as previously described), subject to applicable law. The proceeds deposited in the Trust Account could become subject to the claims of creditors, if any, which could have priority over the claims of our public shareholders.
F-7
Global Technology Acquisition Corp. I
Notes to Financial Statements
Note 1—Description of Organization and Business Operations (continued)
Business Combination:
The Company’s management has broad discretion with respect to the specific application of the net proceeds of the Proposed Offering, although substantially all of the net proceeds of the Proposed Offering are intended to be generally applied toward consummating a Business Combination with (or acquisition of) a Target Business. As used herein, “Target Business” is one or more target businesses that together have a fair market value equal to at least 80% of the balance in the Trust Account (less any taxes payable on interest earned) at the time of signing a definitive agreement in connection with the Company’s initial Business Combination. There is no assurance that the Company will be able to successfully effect a Business Combination.
The Company, after signing a definitive agreement for a Business Combination, will either (i) seek shareholder approval of the Business Combination at a meeting called for such purpose in connection with which shareholders may seek to redeem their shares, regardless of whether they vote for or against the Business Combination, for cash equal to their pro rata share of the aggregate amount then on deposit in the Trust Account as of two business days prior to the consummation of the initial Business Combination, including interest but less taxes payable and amounts released for taxes, or (ii) provide shareholders with the opportunity to have their shares redeemed by the Company by means of a tender offer (and thereby avoid the need for a shareholder vote) for an amount in cash equal to their pro rata share of the aggregate amount then on deposit in the Trust Account as of two business days prior to commencement of the tender offer, including interest but less taxes payable and amounts released to the Company for working capital. The decision as to whether the Company will seek shareholder approval of the Business Combination or will allow shareholders to sell their shares in a tender offer will be made by the Company, solely in its 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 the Company to seek shareholder approval unless a vote is required by the rules of the NASDAQ Global Market. If the Company seeks shareholder approval, it will complete its Business Combination only if a majority of the outstanding shares of Class A and Class B ordinary shares voted are voted in favor of the Business Combination. However, in no event will the Company redeem its public shares in an amount that would cause its net tangible assets to be less than $5,000,001 upon consummation of a Business Combination. In such case, the Company would not proceed with the redemption of its public shares and the related Business Combination, and instead may search for an alternate Business Combination.
If the Company holds a shareholder vote or there is a tender offer for shares in connection with a Business Combination, a public shareholder will have the right to redeem its shares for an amount in cash equal to its pro rata share of the aggregate amount then on deposit in the Trust Account as of two business days prior to the consummation of the initial Business Combination, including interest but less taxes payable and amounts released to the Company for working capital. As a result, such shares of Class A ordinary shares will be recorded at redemption amount and classified as temporary equity upon the completion of the Proposed Offering, in accordance with Financial Accounting Standards Accounting Standards Codification (FASB ASC 480), “Distinguishing Liabilities from Equity.” The amount in the Trust Account is initially anticipated to be $10.20 per public common share ($153,000,000 held in the Trust Account divided by 15,000,000 public shares, or $175,950,000 held in the Trust Account divided by 17,250,000 public shares if the underwriters exercise their over-allotment option in full).
The Company will have 18 months from the closing date of the Proposed Offering to complete its initial Business Combination (or up to 24 months as previously described). If the Company does not complete a Business Combination within this period of time, it shall (i) cease all operations except for the purposes of winding up; (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible, but not more than ten business days thereafter, redeem the public shares of Class A ordinary shares for a per share pro rata portion of the Trust Account, including interest, but less taxes payable and amounts released to the Company for working capital (less up to $100,000 of such net interest to pay dissolution expenses) and (iii) as promptly as possible following such redemption, dissolve and liquidate the balance of the Company’s net assets to its creditors and remaining
F-8
Global Technology Acquisition Corp. I
Notes to Financial Statements
Note 1—Description of Organization and Business Operations (continued)
shareholders, as part of its plan of dissolution and liquidation. The initial shareholders have entered into letter agreements with us, pursuant to which they have waived their rights to participate in any redemption with respect to their initial shares; however, if the initial shareholders or any of the Company’s officers, directors or affiliates acquire shares of Class A ordinary shares in or after the Proposed Offering, they will be entitled to a pro rata share of the Trust Account upon the Company’s redemption or liquidation in the event the Company does not complete a Business Combination within 18 months from the closing of the proposed offering (or up to 24 months as previously described).
In the event of such distribution, it is possible that the per share value of the residual assets remaining available for distribution (including Trust Account assets) will be less than the price per Unit in the Proposed Offering.
Risks and Uncertainties—COVID-19:
Management continues to evaluate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the industry and has concluded that while it is reasonably possible that the virus could have an effect on the Company’s financial position, results of its operations and/or search for a target company and/or a target company’s financial position and results of its operations, 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.
Note 2—Summary of Significant Accounting Policies
Basis of Presentation and Going Concern:
The financial statements of the Company are presented in U.S. dollars and have been prepared in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“US GAAP”) and pursuant to the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”).
The accompanying financial statements have been prepared assuming that the Company will continue as a going concern. In connection with the Company’s assessment of going concern considerations, as of June 30, 2021, management believes that the Company’s access to funds from the Sponsor entity (its sole shareholder, see Note 4) and the Sponsor’s financial wherewithal to provide such funds, is sufficient to fund the working capital needs of the Company until the earlier of the consummation of the Proposed Offering or one year from the date of issuance of these financial statements. However, the Company has no working capital at June 30, 2021 and cannot assure that it has sufficient funds to complete its plans. This factor, among others, indicates that the Company may be unable to continue operations as a going concern. Managements plans are discussed in Notes 1 and 3. No adjustment has been made in the accompanying financial statements to the amounts and classification of assets and liabilities which could result should the Company be unable to continue as a going concern.
The Company has selected December 31, 2021 as its fiscal year end. All dollar amounts are rounded to the nearest thousand dollars.
Emerging Growth Company
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. The Company has elected not to opt out of such extended transition period which means that when an accounting standard is issued or revised and it has different application dates for public or private
F-9
Global Technology Acquisition Corp. I
Notes to Financial Statements
Note 2—Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (continued)
companies, the Company, as an emerging growth company, can adopt the new or revised standard at the time private companies adopt the new or revised standard.
Net Loss per Ordinary Share:
The Company complies with accounting and disclosure requirements of ASC Topic 260, “Earnings Per Share.” Net loss per ordinary share is computed by dividing net loss applicable to ordinary shareholders by the weighted average number of ordinary shares outstanding during the period (after deducting 562,500 shares subject to forfeiture in connection with a Proposed Offering—Note 3), plus, to the extent dilutive, the incremental number of ordinary shares to settle warrants, as calculated using the treasury stock method. At June 30, 2021 and February 10, 2021, the Company did not have any dilutive securities and other contracts that could, potentially, be exercised or converted into ordinary shares and then share in the earnings of the Company under the treasury stock method. As a result, diluted loss per ordinary share is the same as basic loss per ordinary share for the period presented.
Cash and Cash Equivalents:
The Company considers all highly liquid instruments with original maturities of three months or less when acquired, to be cash equivalents. The Company had no cash equivalents at June 30, 2021 and February 10, 2021.
Concentration of Credit Risk:
Financial instruments that potentially subject the Company to concentrations of credit risk consist of cash accounts in a financial institution, which at times, may exceed the Federal depository insurance coverage of $250,000. The Company has not experienced losses on these accounts and management believes the Company is not exposed to significant risks on such accounts.
Financial Instruments:
The fair value of the Company’s assets and liabilities, which qualify as financial instruments under FASB ASC 820, “Fair Value Measurements and Disclosures,” approximates the carrying amounts represented in the balance sheet, primarily due to their short-term nature.
Fair Value Measurements:
The Company complies with FASB ASC 820, Fair Value Measurements, for its financial assets and liabilities that are re-measured and reported at fair value at each reporting period, and non-financial assets and liabilities that are re-measured and reported at fair value at least annually.
Fair value is defined as the price that would be received for sale of an asset or paid for transfer of a liability, in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date. GAAP establishes a three-tier fair value hierarchy, which prioritizes the inputs used in measuring fair value. The hierarchy gives the highest priority to unadjusted quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities (Level 1 measurements) and the lowest priority to unobservable inputs (Level 3 measurements). These tiers include:
•
Level 1, defined as observable inputs such as quoted prices (unadjusted) for identical instruments in active markets;
•
Level 2, defined as inputs other than quoted prices in active markets that are either directly or indirectly observable such as quoted prices for similar instruments in active markets or quoted prices for identical or similar instruments in markets that are not active; and
•
Level 3, defined as unobservable inputs in which little or no market data exists, therefore requiring an entity to develop its own assumptions, such as valuations derived from valuation techniques in which one or more significant inputs or significant value drivers are unobservable.
F-10
Global Technology Acquisition Corp. I
Notes to Financial Statements
Note 2—Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (continued)
In some circumstances, the inputs used to measure fair value might be categorized within different levels of the fair value hierarchy. In those instances, the fair value measurement is categorized in its entirety in the fair value hierarchy based on the lowest level input that is significant to the fair value measurement.
Use of Estimates:
The preparation of financial statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America requires the Company’s management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of expenses during the reporting period.
Making estimates requires management to exercise significant judgment. It is at least reasonably possible that the estimate of the effect of a condition, situation or set of circumstances that existed as of June 30, 2021 and February 10, 2021, which management considered in formulating its estimate, could change in the near term due to one or more future confirming events. Accordingly, the actual results could differ significantly from those estimates.
Deferred Offering Costs:
The Company complies with the requirements of the FASB ASC 340-10-S99-1 and SEC Staff Accounting Bulletin (SAB) Topic 5A—“Expenses of Offering”. Costs incurred in connection with preparation for the Proposed Offering, together with the underwriters’ discount, will be charged to will be allocated between equity and warrant liability and costs associated with issuing the warrants accounted for as liabilities are charged to operations when the warrants are issued, or charged to operations if the Proposed Offering is not completed.
Income Taxes:
FASB ASC 740 prescribes a recognition threshold and a measurement attribute for the financial statement recognition and measurement of tax positions taken or expected to be taken in a tax return. For those benefits to be recognized, a tax position must be more-likely-than-not to be sustained upon examination by taxing authorities. There were no unrecognized tax benefits as of June 30, 2021 or February 10, 2021. The Company recognizes interest and penalties related to unrecognized tax benefits as income tax expense. No amounts were accrued for the payment of interest and penalties at June 30, 2021 and February 10, 2021. The Company is currently not aware of any issues under review that could result in significant payments, accruals or material deviation from its position. The Company is subject to income tax examinations by major taxing authorities since inception. The Company is considered an exempted Cayman Islands Company and is presently not subject to income taxes or income tax filing requirements in the Cayman Islands or the United States. As such, the Company’s tax provision was zero for the period presented.
The Company follows the asset and liability method of accounting for income taxes under FASB ASC 740, “Income Taxes”. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are recognized for the estimated future tax consequences attributable to differences between the financial statements carrying amounts of existing assets and liabilities and their respective tax bases. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are measured using enacted tax rates expected to apply to taxable income in the years in which those temporary differences are expected to be recovered or settled. The effect on deferred tax assets and liabilities of a change in tax rates is recognized in income in the period that included the enactment date. Valuation allowances are established, when necessary, to reduce deferred tax assets to the amount expected to be realized.
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 (ASC 815)”. For derivative financial instruments that are accounted for as liabilities, the derivative
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Global Technology Acquisition Corp. I
Notes to Financial Statements
Note 2—Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (continued)
instrument is initially recorded at its fair value upon issuance, and the liability is then re-valued at each reporting date, as determined by the Company based upon a valuation report obtained from its independent third-party valuation firm, with changes in the fair value reported in the statements of operations. The classification of derivative instruments, including whether such instruments should be recorded as liabilities or as equity, is evaluated at the end of each reporting period. Derivative liabilities are classified in the balance sheet 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. There were no derivative financial instruments as of June 30, 2021 or February 10, 2021.
Recent Accounting Pronouncements:
In August 2020, the FASB issued 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. ASU 2020-06 is effective January 1, 2022 and should be applied on a full or modified retrospective basis, with early adoption permitted beginning on January 1, 2021. The Company is currently evaluating the impact that the pronouncement will have on the financial statements.
Management does not believe that any recently issued, but not yet effective, accounting pronouncements, if currently adopted, would have a material effect on the Company’s financial statements.
Subsequent Events
The Company evaluated subsequent events and transactions that occurred after February 10, 2021, the date of the audited balance sheet, through March 3, 2021, the date that the financial statements were available to be issued. The Company also evaluated subsequent events and transactions that occurred after June 30, 2021, the unaudited balance sheet date, up to October 14, 2021, the date that the unaudited interim financial statements were available to be issued. All such events that would require adjustment or disclosure in the financial statements have been recognized or disclosed.
See also, Note 7.
Note 3—Proposed Offering
Pursuant to the Proposed Offering, the Company intends to offer for sale up to 15,000,000 units at a price of $10.00 per unit (the “Units”). Each Unit consists of one share of the Company’s Class A ordinary shares, $0.0001 par value, and one-half of one warrant (the “Warrants”). Each whole Warrant offered in the Proposed Offering is exercisable to purchase one share of our Class A ordinary shares. Each whole Warrant entitles the holder thereof to purchase one Class A ordinary share at a price of $11.50 per whole share, subject to adjustment, terms and limitations as described herein. The Warrants will become exercisable on the later of 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination and 12 months from the closing of this offering, and will expire five years after the completion of our initial business combination or earlier upon redemption or liquidation as described therein. However, if the Company does not complete its initial Business Combination on or prior to the 18-month period allotted to complete the Business Combination, the Warrants will expire at the end of such period. Under the terms of a proposed Warrant agreement, the Company has agreed to use its best efforts to file a new registration statement under the Securities Act, following the completion of the Company’s initial Business Combination. No fractional shares will be issued upon exercise of the Warrants. If, upon exercise of the Warrants, a holder would be entitled to receive a fractional interest in a share, the Company will, upon exercise, round down to the nearest whole number the
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Global Technology Acquisition Corp. I
Notes to Financial Statements
Note 3—Proposed Offering (continued)
number of shares of Class A ordinary shares to be issued to the Warrant holder. If the Company is unable to deliver registered Class A ordinary shares to the holder upon exercise of a Warrant during the exercise period, there will be no net cash settlement of these Warrants and the Warrants will expire worthless, unless they may be exercised on a cashless basis in the circumstances described in the warrant agreement.
Once the Warrants become exercisable, the Company may redeem the outstanding Warrants in whole and not in part at a price of $0.01 per Warrant upon a minimum of 30 days’ prior written notice of redemption, only in the event that the last sale price of the Class A ordinary shares equals or exceeds $18.00 per share for any 20 trading days within the 30-trading day period ending on the third trading day before the Company sends the notice of redemption to the Warrant holders, and that certain other conditions are met. Once the Warrants become exercisable, the Company may also redeem the outstanding Warrants in whole and not in part at a price of $0.10 per Warrant upon a minimum of 30 days’ prior written notice of redemption, only in the event that the closing price of the Class A ordinary shares equals or exceeds $10.00 per share on the trading day prior to the date on which the Company sends the notice of redemption, and that certain other conditions are met. If the closing price of the Class A ordinary shares is less than $18.00 per share (as adjusted) for any 20 trading days within a 30-trading day period ending three trading days before the Company sends the notice of redemption to the warrant holders, the Private Placement Warrants must also concurrently be called for redemption on the same terms as the outstanding Public Warrants, as described above.
The Company expects to grant the underwriters a 45-day option to purchase up to 2,250,000 additional Units to cover any over-allotments, at the Public Offering price less the underwriting discounts and commissions. The Warrants that would be issued in connection with 2,250,000 over-allotment units are identical to the public Warrants and have no net cash settlement provisions.
The Company expects to pay an underwriting discount of 2.0% of the per Unit price ($3,000,000, or $3,450,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised) to the underwriters at the closing of the Proposed Offering and a deferred underwriting fee of 3.5% ($5,250,000, or $6,037,500 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised) of the per Unit price upon the completion of the Company’s initial business combination.
Note 4—Related party transactions
Founder Shares
On February 10, 2021, the Sponsor purchased 6,468,750 Class B ordinary shares (the “Founder Shares”) for $25,000 or approximately $0.004 per share (up to 843,750 of which are subject to forfeiture to the extent the underwriters’ over-allotment option is not exercised in full). The Founder Shares are substantially identical to the Class A ordinary shares included in the Units being sold in the Proposed Offering except that the Founder Shares automatically convert into shares of Class A ordinary shares at the time of the initial Business Combination, or at any time prior thereto at the option of the holder, and are subject to certain transfer restrictions, as described in more detail below. On June 30, 2021 our Sponsor surrendered 2,156,250 Class B ordinary shares for no consideration, resulting in 4,312,500 shares outstanding of which 562,500 are subject to forfeiture in the event the underwriters’ over-allotment option is not exercised. All share and per share amounts prior to June 30, 2021 have been restated (see Note 6).
The Sponsor has agreed to forfeit up to 562,500 Founder Shares to the extent that the over-allotment option is not exercised in full by the underwriters. The forfeiture will be adjusted to the extent that the over-allotment option is not exercised in full by the underwriters so that the initial shareholders will own 20.0% of the Company’s issued and outstanding shares after the Proposed Offering. If the Company increases or decreases the size of the Proposed Offering pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act, the Company will effect a share dividend or share contribution back to capital, as applicable, immediately prior to the consummation of the Proposed Offering in such amount as to maintain the ownership of the Company’s
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Global Technology Acquisition Corp. I
Notes to Financial Statements
Note 4—Related party transactions (continued)
shareholders prior to the Proposed Offering at 20.0% of the Company’s issued and outstanding shares of the Company’s Class A ordinary shares upon the consummation of the Proposed Offering.
The Company’s initial shareholders have agreed not to transfer, assign or sell any of their Founder Shares until the earlier of (A) one year after the completion of the Company’s initial Business Combination, or (B), subsequent to the Company’s initial Business Combination, if (x) the last sale price of the Company’s Class A ordinary shares equals or exceeds $12.00 per share (as adjusted for share splits, share dividends, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) for any 20 trading days within any 30-trading day period commencing at least 150 days after the Company’s initial Business Combination or (y) the date on which the Company completes a liquidation, merger, share exchange or other similar transaction after the initial Business Combination that results in all of the Company’s shareholders having the right to exchange their shares of ordinary shares for cash, securities or other property.
Private Placement Warrants
The Sponsor has agreed to purchase from the Company an aggregate of 8,500,000 warrants (or 9,400,000 private placement warrants if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) at a price of $1.00 per warrant (a purchase price of $8,500,000, or $9,400,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), in a private placement that will occur simultaneously with the completion of the Proposed Offering (the “Private Placement Warrants”). Each Private Placement Warrant entitles the holder to purchase one Class A ordinary shares at $11.50 per share. The purchase price of the Private Placement Warrants will be added to the proceeds from the Proposed Offering, net of expenses of the offering and working capital to be available to the Company, to be held in the Trust Account pending completion of the Company’s initial Business Combination. The Private Placement Warrants (including the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the Private Placement Warrants) will not be transferable, assignable or salable until 30 days after the completion of the initial Business Combination and they will be non-redeemable so long as they are held by the Sponsor or its permitted transferees. If the Private Placement Warrants are held by someone other than the Sponsor or its permitted transferees, the Private Placement Warrants will be redeemable by the Company and exercisable by such holders on the same basis as the warrants included in the Units being sold in the Proposed Offering. Otherwise, the Private Placement Warrants have terms and provisions that are identical to those of the Warrants being sold as part of the Units in the Proposed Offering and have no net cash settlement provisions.
If the Company does not complete a Business Combination, then the proceeds from the sale of the Private Placement Warrants will be part of the liquidating distribution to the public shareholders and the Private Placement Warrants issued to the Sponsor will expire worthless.
In addition, if (x) the Company issues additional shares of Class A ordinary shares or equity-linked securities for capital raising purposes in connection with the closing of the initial Business Combination at an issue price or effective issue price of less than $9.20 per share of Class A ordinary share (with such issue price or effective issue price to be determined in good faith by the board of directors and, in the case of any such issuance to our initial shareholders or their affiliates, without taking into account any founder shares or warrants held by our initial shareholders or such affiliates, as applicable, as applicable, prior to such issuance) (the “Newly Issued Price”), (y) the aggregate gross proceeds from such issuances represent more than 60% of the total equity proceeds, and interest thereon, available for the funding of the initial Business Combination on the date of the consummation of the initial Business Combination (net of redemptions), and (z) the volume weighted average trading price of Class A ordinary shares during the 20 trading day period starting on the trading day prior to the day on which the Company consummates its initial Business Combination (such price, the “Market Value”) is below $9.20 per share, the exercise price of the warrants will be adjusted (to the nearest cent) to be equal to 115% of the greater of the Market Value and the Newly Issued Price, 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, and the $10.00 per share redemption trigger price will be adjusted (to the nearest cent) to be equal to the higher of the Market Value and the Newly Issued Price.
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Global Technology Acquisition Corp. I
Notes to Financial Statements
Note 4—Related party transactions (continued)
Subsequent to June 30, 2021, in July 2021, the Company received an aggregate of approximately $835,000 as an advance, from investors in the Sponsor and at the direction of the Sponsor, on the Private Placement Warrants.
Registration Rights
The Company’s initial shareholders and the holders of the Private Placement Warrants will be entitled to registration rights pursuant to a registration and shareholder rights agreement to be signed on or before the date of the prospectus for the Proposed Offering. These holders will be entitled to make up to three demands, excluding short form registration demands, that the Company register such securities for sale under the Securities Act. In addition, these holders will have “piggy-back” registration rights to include their securities in other registration statements filed by the Company. The Company will bear the expenses incurred in connection with the filing of any such registration statements. There will be no penalties associated with delays in registering the securities under the proposed registration and shareholder rights agreement.
Related Party Loans
In February 2021, the Sponsor agreed to loan the Company an aggregate of $300,000 by drawdowns of not less than $10,000 each against the issuance of an unsecured promissory note (the “Note”) to cover expenses related to the Proposed Offering. The Note is non-interest bearing and payable on the earlier of December 31, 2021 or the completion of the Proposed Offering. As of June 30, 2021 and February 10, 2021, the balance outstanding under the Note was $170,000 and -0-, respectively
If the Sponsor, an affiliate of the Sponsor or certain of our officers and directors make any working capital loans, up to $1,500,000 of such loans may be converted into warrants, at the price of $1.00 per warrant, at the option of the lender. Such warrants would be identical to the Private Placement Warrants. As of June 30, 2021 and February 10, 2021, the Sponsor has not made any working capital loans to the Company.
Administrative Services Agreement
The Company will enter into an Administrative Services Agreement to pay $10,000 a month to the Sponsor for office space, utilities, and secretarial and administrative support services. Services will commence on the date the securities are first listed on the NASDAQ Global Market and will terminate upon the earlier of the consummation by the Company of an initial Business Combination or the liquidation of the Company.
Note 5 — Warrant liabilities
The Company will account for the 16,000,000 warrants to be issued in connection with the Proposed Public Offering (the 7,500,000 Public Warrants and the 8,500,000 Private Placement Warrants assuming the underwriters’ over-allotment option is not exercised) in accordance with the guidance contained in ASC 815-40. Such guidance provides that because the warrants do not meet the criteria for equity treatment thereunder, the warrants must be recorded as a liability. Accordingly, the Company will classify the warrants as a derivative liability at their fair value, and the costs associated with issuing such warrants will be charged to operations.
The accounting treatment of derivative financial instruments requires that the Company record a derivative liability upon the closing of the Proposed Public Offering. Accordingly, the Company will classify the warrants as a liability at their fair value and the warrants will be allocated a portion of the proceeds from the issuance of the Units equal to its fair value determined by the Monte Carlo simulation. This liability is subject to re-measurement at each balance sheet date. With each such re-measurement, the warrant liability will be adjusted to fair value, with the change in fair value recognized in the Company’s statement of operations. The Company will reassess the classification at each balance sheet date. If the classification
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Global Technology Acquisition Corp. I
Notes to Financial Statements
Note 5 — Warrant liabilities (continued)
changes as a result of events during the period, the warrants will be reclassified as of the date of the event that causes the reclassification.
Note 6—Shareholder’s Equity
Ordinary Shares
The authorized ordinary shares of the Company include 200,000,000 Class A ordinary shares, par value, $0.0001, and 20,000,000 Class B ordinary shares, par value, $0.0001, or 220,000,000 ordinary shares in total. Upon completion of the Proposed Offering, the Company may (depending on the terms of the Business Combination) be required to increase the authorized number of shares at the same time as its shareholders vote on the Business Combination to the extent the Company seeks shareholder approval in connection with its Business Combination. Holders of the Company’s Class A and Class B ordinary shares vote together as a single class and are entitled to one vote for each share of Class A and Class B ordinary shares.
At June 30, 2021 and February 10, 2021 (as restated for the surrender of 2,156,250 Class B ordinary shares by our Sponsor on June 30, 2021) there were 4,312,500 shares of Class B ordinary shares issued and outstanding, and no Class A ordinary shares issued or outstanding.
Preferred Shares
The Company is authorized to issue 1,000,000 preferred shares, par value $0.0001, with such designations, voting and other rights and preferences as may be determined from time to time by the Company’s board of directors. At June 30, 2021, there were no preferred shares issued or outstanding.
Note 7—Commitments and Contingencies
Registration Rights
The Company’s initial shareholders and the holders of the Private Placement Warrants will be entitled to registration rights, as described in Note 4, pursuant to a registration and shareholder rights agreement to be signed on or before the date of the prospectus for the Proposed Offering.
Underwriters’ Overallotment Option
The Company expects to grant the underwriters a 45-day option to purchase up to 2,250,000 additional Units to cover any over-allotments, at the Public Offering price less the underwriting discounts and commissions. The Warrants that would be issued in connection with 2,250,000 over-allotment units are identical to the public Warrants and have no net cash settlement provisions, as discussed in Note 3.
Note 8—Subsequent Events
Subsequent to June 30, 2021, in July 2021, the Company received an aggregate of approximately $835,000 as an advance, from investors in the Sponsor and at the direction of the Sponsor, on the Private Placement Warrants.
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Global Technology Acquisition Corp. I
15,000,000 Units
Citigroup Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC
, 2021
Until , 2021, all dealers that effect transactions in these securities, whether or not participating in this offering, may be required to deliver a prospectus. This is in addition to the dealer’s obligation to deliver a prospectus when acting as an underwriter and with respect to unsold allotments or subscriptions.
PART II
INFORMATION NOT REQUIRED IN PROSPECTUS
Item 13. Other Expenses of Issuance and Distribution.
The estimated expenses payable by us in connection with the offering described in this registration statement (other than the underwriting discount and commissions) will be as follows:
| Legal fees and expenses | | | | $ | 300,000 | | |
| Accounting fees and expenses | | | | | 50,000 | | |
| SEC/FINRA Expenses | | | | | 70,000 | | |
| Travel and road show | | | | | 20,000 | | |
| NASDAQ listing and filing fees | | | | | 75,000 | | |
| Printing and engraving expenses | | | | | 35,000 | | |
| Miscellaneous | | | | | 50,000 | | |
| Total offering expenses (other than underwriting commissions) | | | | $ | 600,000 | | |
Item 14. Indemnification of Directors and Officers.
Cayman Islands law does not limit the extent to which a company’s memorandum and articles of association may provide for indemnification of officers and directors, except to the extent any such provision may be held by the Cayman Islands courts to be contrary to public policy, such as to provide indemnification against willful default, willful neglect, civil fraud or the consequences of committing a crime. Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association provide for indemnification of our officers and directors to the maximum extent permitted by law, including for any liability incurred in their capacities as such, except through their own actual fraud, willful default or willful neglect. We will enter into agreements with our directors and officers to provide contractual indemnification in addition to the indemnification provided for in our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association. We may purchase a policy of directors’ and officers’ liability insurance that insures our officers and directors against the cost of defense, settlement or payment of a judgment in some circumstances and insures us against our obligations to indemnify our officers and directors.
Our officers and directors have agreed to waive any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to any monies in the trust account, and have agreed to waive any right, title, interest or claim of any kind they may have in the future as a result of, or arising out of, any services provided to us and will not seek recourse against the trust account for any reason whatsoever. Accordingly, any indemnification provided will only be able to be satisfied by us if (i) we have sufficient funds outside of the trust account or (ii) we consummate an initial business combination.
Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act may be permitted to directors, officers or persons controlling us pursuant to the foregoing provisions, we have been informed that in the opinion of the SEC such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and is therefore unenforceable.
Item 15. Recent Sales of Unregistered Securities.
On February 10, 2021, Global Technology Acquisition I Sponsor LP, our sponsor, paid $25,000 to cover for certain expenses on behalf us in exchange for issuance of an aggregate of 6,468,750 Class B ordinary shares (the “founder shares”) or approximately $0.004 per share. On June 30, 2021, our Sponsor surrendered 2,156,250 Class B ordinary shares for no consideration, resulting in 4,312,500 shares outstanding of which 562,500 are subject to forfeiture in the event the underwriters’ over-allotment option is not exercised. All share and per share amounts have been restated. Such securities were issued in connection with our organization pursuant to the exemption from registration contained in Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act. The number of founder shares outstanding was determined based on the expectation that the total size of this offering would be a maximum of 17,250,000 units if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full and therefore that such founder shares would represent 20% of the outstanding
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shares after this offering. Up to 562,500 of these shares will be subject to forfeiture depending on the extent to which the underwriters’ over-allotment is exercised or reduced.
Our sponsor is an accredited investor for purposes of Rule 501 of Regulation D. Each of the equity holders in our sponsor is an accredited investor under Rule 501 of Regulation D. The sole business of our sponsor is to act as the company’s sponsor in connection with this offering. The limited liability company agreement of our sponsor provides that its membership interests may only be transferred to our officers or directors or other persons affiliated with our sponsor, or in connection with estate planning transfers.
Our sponsor has committed, pursuant to a written agreement, to purchase from us an aggregate of 8,500,000 private placement warrants (or 9,400,000 warrants if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) at $1.00 per warrant (for an aggregate purchase price of $8,500,000 (or $9,400,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full)), subject to adjustment. This purchase will take place on a private placement basis simultaneously with the completion of our initial public offering. This issuance will be made pursuant to the exemption from registration contained in Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act.
No underwriting discounts or commissions were paid with respect to such sales.
Item 16. Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedules.
(a)
Exhibits. The following exhibits are being filed herewith:
| Exhibit No. | | | Description | |
| 1.1 | | | | |
| 3.1 | | | | |
| 3.2 | | | | |
| 3.3 | | | | |
| 4.1 | | | | |
| 4.2 | | | | |
| 4.3 | | | | |
| 4.4 | | | | |
| 5.1 | | | | |
| 5.2 | | | | |
| 10.1 | | | | |
| 10.2 | | | | |
| 10.3 | | | | |
| 10.4 | | | | |
| 10.5 | | | | |
| 10.6 | | | | |
| 10.7 | | | Securities Subscription Agreement, dated February 10, 2021, between the Registrant and Global Technology Acquisition I Sponsor LP.* | |
| 10.8 | | | | |
| 23.1 | | | | |
| 23.2 | | | |
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| Exhibit No. | | | Description | |
| 23.3 | | | | |
| 24.1 | | | | |
| 99.1 | | | | |
| 99.2 | | | | |
| 99.3 | | | | |
| 99.4 | | | |
*
Previously filed.
**
Filed herewith
(b)
Financial Statements. See page F-1 for an index to the financial statements and schedules included in the registration statement.
Item 17. Undertakings.
(a)
The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes to provide to the underwriters at the closing specified in the underwriting agreements, certificates in such denominations and registered in such names as required by the underwriters to permit prompt delivery to each purchaser.
(b)
Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act of 1933 may be permitted to directors, officers and controlling persons of the registrant pursuant to the foregoing provisions, or otherwise, the registrant has been advised that in the opinion of the Securities and Exchange Commission such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Act and is, therefore, unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification against such liabilities (other than the payment by the registrant of expenses incurred or paid by a director, officer or controlling person of the registrant in the successful defense of any action, suit or proceeding) is asserted by such director, officer or controlling person in connection with the securities being registered, the registrant will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to a court of appropriate jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by it is against public policy as expressed in the Act and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue.
(c)
The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes that:
(1)
For purposes of determining any liability under the Securities Act of 1933, the information omitted from the form of prospectus filed as part of this registration statement in reliance upon Rule 430A and contained in a form of prospectus filed by the registrant pursuant to Rule 424 (b)(1) or (4) or 497(h) under the Securities Act shall be deemed to be part of this registration statement as of the time it was declared effective.
(2)
For the purpose of determining any liability under the Securities Act of 1933, each post-effective amendment that contains a form of prospectus shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.
(3)
For the purpose of determining liability under the Securities Act of 1933 of any purchaser, if the registrant is subject to Rule 430C, each prospectus filed pursuant to Rule 424(b) as part of a registration statement relating to an offering, other than registration statements relying on Rule 430B or other than prospectuses filed in reliance on Rule 430A, shall be deemed to be part of and included in the registration statement as of the date it is first used after effectiveness. Provided, however, that no statement made in a registration statement or prospectus that is part of the registration statement or made in a document incorporated or deemed incorporated by reference into the registration statement or prospectus that is part of the registration statement will, as to a purchaser with a time of contract of sale prior to such first use, supersede
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or modify any statement that was made in the registration statement or prospectus that was part of the registration statement or made in any such document immediately prior to such date of first use.
(4)
For the purpose of determining liability of a registrant under the Securities Act of 1933 to any purchaser in the initial distribution of the securities, the undersigned registrant undertakes that in a primary offering of securities of an undersigned registrant pursuant to this registration statement, regardless of the underwriting method used to sell the securities to the purchaser, if the securities are offered or sold to such purchaser by means of any of the following communications, the undersigned registrant will be a seller to the purchaser and will be considered to offer or sell such securities to such purchaser:
(i)
any preliminary prospectus or prospectus of the undersigned registrant relating to the offering required to be filed pursuant to Rule 424;
(ii)
any free writing prospectus relating to the offering prepared by or on behalf of the undersigned registrant or used or referred to by an undersigned registrant;
(iii)
the portion of any other free writing prospectus relating to the offering containing material information about the undersigned registrant or its securities provided by or on behalf of the undersigned registrant; and
(iv)
any other communication that is an offer in the offering made by the undersigned registrant to the purchaser.
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SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, the registrant has duly caused this Registration Statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in the City of New York, State of New York, on the 14th day of October, 2021.
| | | | GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY ACQUISITION CORP. I | | |||
| | | | By: | | | /s/ Arnau Porto Dolc | |
| | | | | | | Name: Arnau Porto Dolc Title: Chief Executive Officer | |
Power of Attorney
KNOW ALL MEN BY THESE PRESENTS, that each person whose signature appears below constitutes and appoints each of Arnau Porto Dolc and Claudia Gast his or her true and lawful attorney-in-fact, with full power of substitution and resubstitution for him or her and in his or her name, place and stead, in any and all capacities to sign an and all amendments including post-effective amendments to this registration statement and any and all registration statements filed pursuant to Rule 462 under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and to file the same, with all exhibits thereto, and other documents in connection therewith, with the SEC, hereby ratifying and confirming all that said attorney-in-fact or his or her substitute, each acting alone, may lawfully do or cause to be done by virtue thereof.
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, this Registration Statement has been signed below by the following persons in the capacities and on the dates indicated.
| Name | | | Position | | | Date | |
| /s/ Arnau Porto Dolc Arnau Porto Dolc | | | Chief Executive Officer and Director (Principal Executive Officer) | | | October 14, 2021 | |
| /s/ Claudia Gast Claudia Gast | | | Chief Financial Officer, Secretary and Director (Principal Financial and Accounting Officer) | | | October 14, 2021 | |
| /s/ Fabrice Grinda Fabrice Grinda | | | Executive Chairman | | | October 14, 2021 | |
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