SUBJECT TO COMPLETION, DATED SEPTEMBER 14, 2021
PRELIMINARY PROSPECTUS
$150,000,000
Apeiron Capital Investment Corp.
15,000,000 Units
Apeiron Capital Investment Corp. is a newly organized blank check company formed for the purpose of effecting a merger, capital stock exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, reorganization or similar business combination with one or more businesses, which we refer to as our initial business combination. We have not selected any specific business combination target and we have not, nor has anyone on our behalf, initiated any substantive discussions, directly or indirectly, with any business combination target.
This is an initial public offering of our securities. Each unit has an offering price of $10.00 and consists of one share of our Class A common stock and one-half of one redeemable warrant. Each whole warrant entitles the holder thereof to purchase one share of our Class A common stock at a price of $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment as described herein. Only whole warrants are exercisable. The warrants will become exercisable on the later of 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination or 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. No fractional warrants will be issued upon separation of the units and only whole warrants will trade. The underwriters have a 45-day option from the date of this prospectus to purchase up to an additional 2,250,000 units to cover over-allotments, if any. We will provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their shares of our Class A common stock upon the completion of our initial business combination, subject to the limitations described herein. If we do not complete our initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering, we will redeem 100% of the public shares for cash, subject to applicable law and certain conditions as further described herein.
Our sponsor, Apeiron Capital Sponsor, LLC, has agreed to purchase an aggregate of 6,250,000 warrants (or 6,925,000 warrants if the over-allotment option is exercised in full) at a price of $1.00 per warrant ($6,250,000 in the aggregate, or $6,925,000 if the over-allotment option is exercised in full) each exercisable to purchase one share of our Class A common stock at a price of $11.50 per share, in a private placement that will close simultaneously with the closing of this offering. We refer to these warrants throughout this prospectus as the private placement warrants.
Up to five qualified institutional buyers or institutional accredited investors which are not affiliated with us, our sponsor, our directors or any member of our management, and which we refer to as the anchor investors throughout this prospectus, have each expressed to us an interest in purchasing up to 1,485,000 units in this offering (for an aggregate of up to approximately 50% of the units in this offering) at the offering price of $10.00 per unit, and such allocations will be determined by the underwriters. subject to satisfying NYSE initial listing requirements. There can be no assurance that the anchor investors will acquire any units in this offering, or as to the amount of such units the anchor investors will retain, if any, prior to or upon the consummation of our initial business combination. There is also no guarantee that all five anchor investors will participate in the offering. Subject to each anchor investor purchasing 100% of the units allocated to it, in connection with the closing of this offering our sponsor will sell 100,000 founder shares to each anchor investor at their original purchase price of approximately $0.006 per share. Since our sponsor is transferring founder shares held by it to the anchor investors and we are not issuing any new Class B common stock, there will be no dilutive impact on the other investors in this offering. For a discussion of certain additional arrangements with the anchor investors, see “Summary — The Offering — Expressions of Interest.”
Our initial stockholders, which include our sponsor, own an aggregate of 4,312,500 shares of our Class B common stock (up to 562,500 shares of which are subject to forfeiture depending on the extent to which the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised), which will automatically convert into shares of Class A common stock at the time of our initial business combination.
Currently, there is no public market for our units, Class A common stock or warrants. We have applied to list our units on the New York Stock Exchange, or the NYSE, under the symbol “APN U”. We expect that our units will be listed on the NYSE on or promptly after the date of this prospectus. We cannot guarantee that our securities will be approved for listing on the NYSE. We expect the Class A common stock and warrants comprising the units will begin separate trading on the 52nd day following the date of this prospectus unless B. Riley Securities, Inc., the representative of the underwriters, which we refer to in this prospectus as B. Riley, informs us of its decision to allow earlier separate trading, subject to our satisfaction of certain conditions. Once the securities comprising the units begin separate trading, we expect that the Class A common stock and warrants will be listed on the NYSE under the symbols “APN” and “ APN W,” respectively.
We are an “emerging growth company” under applicable federal securities laws and will be subject to reduced public company reporting requirements. Investing in our securities involves a high degree of risk. See “Risk Factors” beginning on page 35 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 U.S. 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 Apeiron Capital Investment Corp. | | | | $ | 9.45 | | | | | $ | 141,750,000 | | |
(1)
Includes $0.35 per unit, or $5,250,000 in the aggregate (or $6,037,500 if the over-allotment option is exercised in full) payable to the underwriters for deferred underwriting commissions which will be placed in a trust account located in the United States as described herein and will only be payable upon consummation of our initial business combination. Does not include certain fees and expenses payable to the underwriters in connection with this offering. See the section of this prospectus entitled “Underwriting” beginning on page 156 for a description of compensation and other items of value payable to the underwriters.
Of the proceeds we receive from this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants described in this prospectus, $151.5 million or approximately $174.23 million if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full ($10.10 per unit in either case) will be deposited into a trust account in the United States at J.P. Morgan Chase Bank, N.A., with Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company acting as trustee, and $1.75 million will be available to pay fees and expenses in connection with the closing of this offering and for working capital following the closing of this offering. 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 stockholders.
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.
Sole Book-Running Manager
B. Riley Securities
, 2021