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As filed with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission on November 19, 2021.
Registration No. 333-
UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
FORM S-1
REGISTRATION STATEMENT
UNDER
THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933
C5 Acquisition Corporation
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
Delaware | 6770 | 86-3097106 | ||
(State or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization) | (Primary Standard Industrial Classification Code Number) | (I.R.S. Employer Identification Number) |
1701 Pennsylvania Ave NW
Ste # 460
Washington, D.C. 20006
Telephone: (202) 452-9133
(Address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code, of registrant’s principal executive offices)
Robert Meyerson
Chief Executive Officer
C5 Acquisition Corporation
1701 Pennsylvania Ave NW
Ste # 460
Washington, D.C. 20006
Telephone: (202) 452-9133
(Name, address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code, of agent for service)
Copies to:
Raphael M. Russo, Esq. Telephone: (212) 373-3000 | Douglas S. Ellenoff, Esq. Stuart Neuhauser, Esq. Joshua N. Englard, Esq. Ellenoff Grossman & Schole LLP 1345 Avenue of the Americas New York, NY 10105 Telephone: (212) 370-1300 |
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 | ☐ | Accelerated filer | ☐ | |||
Non-accelerated filer | ☒ | Smaller reporting company | ☒ | |||
Emerging growth company | ☒ |
If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided to Section 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act. ☐
CALCULATION OF REGISTRATION FEE
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Title of Each Class of Security Being Registered | Amount Registered | Proposed Maximum Offering Price per Security(1) | Proposed Maximum Aggregate Offering Price(1) | Amount of Registration Fee | ||||
Units, each consisting of one share of Class A common stock, $0.0001 par value per share, and one-half of one redeemable public warrant(2) | 28,750,000 Units | $10.00 | $287,500,000 | $26,652 | ||||
Shares of Class A common stock included as part of the units(3)(4) | 28,750,000 Shares | — | — | — (5) | ||||
Redeemable warrants included as part of the units(3)(4) | 14,375,000 Public Warrants | — | — | — (5) | ||||
Total | $287,500,000 | $26,652 | ||||||
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(1) | Estimated solely for the purpose of calculating the registration fee pursuant to Rule 457(a) under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Securities Act. |
(2) | Includes 3,750,000 units, which may be issued upon exercise of a 45-day option to purchase additional units granted to the underwriters. |
(3) | Pursuant to Rule 416 under the Securities Act, there are also being registered an indeterminable number of additional securities as may be issued to prevent dilution resulting from stock splits, stock dividends or similar transactions. |
(4) | Maximum number of shares of Class A common stock and redeemable public warrants, as applicable, included in the units described above, including those that may be issued upon exercise of a 45-day option granted to the underwriters described above. |
(5) | No fee pursuant to Rule 457(g) under the Securities Act. |
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.
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The information in this preliminary prospectus is not complete and may be changed. We may not sell these securities until the registration statement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission is effective. This preliminary prospectus is not an offer to sell these securities and it is not soliciting an offer to buy these securities in any jurisdiction where the offer or sale is not permitted.
SUBJECT TO COMPLETION, DATED NOVEMBER 19, 2021
PRELIMINARY PROSPECTUS
$250,000,000
C5 Acquisition Corporation
25,000,000 Units
C5 Acquisition Corporation is a blank check company formed for the purpose of effecting a merger, consolidation, capital stock exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, reorganization or similar business combination with one or more businesses or companies. We have not selected any specific business combination target and we have not, nor has anyone on our behalf, engaged in any substantive discussions, directly or indirectly, with any business combination target with respect to an initial business combination with us.
This is an initial public offering of our securities. Each unit has an offering price of $10.00 and consists of one share of our Class A common stock and one-half of one redeemable warrant. We refer to these warrants throughout this prospectus as the public warrants. Each whole public warrant entitles the holder thereof to purchase one share of our Class A common stock at a price of $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment as described in this prospectus, and only whole public warrants are exercisable. No fractional public warrants will be issued upon separation of the units and only whole public warrants will trade. The public warrants will become exercisable on the later of 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination and 12 months from the closing of this offering, and will expire five years after the completion of our initial business combination or earlier upon redemption or liquidation, as described in this prospectus. Subject to the terms and conditions described in this prospectus, we may redeem the public warrants once the public warrants become exercisable. We have also granted the underwriters a 45-day option to purchase up to an additional 3,750,000 units.
We will provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their shares of our Class A common stock in connection with our initial business combination at a per share price described herein, payable in cash, subject to the limitations described herein. If we have not completed our initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering, we will redeem 100% of the public shares at a per share price described herein, payable in cash, subject to applicable law and as further described herein.
Our sponsor, C5 Sponsor LLC, has committed to purchase an aggregate of 13,535,500 private placement warrants (or 15,035,500 warrants if the underwriters’ option to purchase additional units is exercised in full) at a price of $1.00 per private placement warrant ($13,535,500 in the aggregate, or $15,035,500 in the aggregate if the underwriters’ option to purchase additional units is exercised in full) in private placements that will close simultaneously with the closing of this offering. Each private placement warrant entitles the holder thereof to purchase one share of our Class A common stock at $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment as described in this prospectus.
As of the date of this prospectus, our initial stockholder holds 7,187,500 shares of Class B common stock (up to 937,500 of which are subject to forfeiture depending on the extent to which the underwriters’ option to purchase additional units is exercised). The shares of Class B common stock will automatically convert into shares of Class A common stock at the time of our initial business combination, or earlier at the option of the holder, on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustment as provided herein. Prior to our initial business combination, holders of our Class B common stock will have the right to elect all of our directors and may remove members of our board of directors for any reason. On any other matter submitted to a vote of our stockholders, holders of our Class B common stock and holders of our Class A common stock will vote together as a single class, except as required by applicable law or stock exchange rule.
Prior to this offering, there has been no public market for our units, Class A common stock or public warrants. We intend to apply to list our units on the New York Stock Exchange, or the NYSE, under the symbol “CXAC.U” on or promptly after the date of this prospectus. We cannot guarantee that our securities will be approved for listing on the NYSE. The Class A common stock and public warrants 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 Cantor Fitzgerald & Co. and Moelis & Company LLC inform us of their decision to allow earlier separate trading, subject to certain conditions. Once the securities constituting the units begin separate trading, we expect that the Class A common stock and public warrants will be listed on the NYSE under the symbols “CXAC” and “CXAC WS,” respectively.
We are an “emerging growth company” and “smaller reporting company” under applicable federal securities laws and will be subject to reduced public company reporting requirements. Investing in our securities involves risks. See “Risk Factors” on page 36. Investors will not be entitled to protections normally afforded to investors in Rule 419 blank check offerings.
Price to Public | Underwriting Discounts and Commissions(1) | Proceeds, before expenses, to us | ||||||||||
Per Share | $ | 10.00 | $ | 0.55 | $ | 9.45 | ||||||
Total | $ | 250,000,000 | $ | 13,750,000 | $ | 236,250,000 |
(1) | $0.20 per unit sold in the base offering, or $5,000,000 in the aggregate (or $5,750,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), is payable upon the closing of this offering. Includes $0.35 per unit sold in the base offering, or $8,750,000 in the aggregate (or up to $10,062,500 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 transaction. Does not include certain fees and expenses payable to the underwriters in connection with this offering. See “Underwriting” for a description of compensation and other items of value payable to the underwriters. |
Of the proceeds we receive from this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants described in this prospectus, $255,000,000 or $293,250,000 if the underwriters’ option to purchase additional units is exercised in full ($10.20 per unit), will be deposited into a U.S.-based trust account, with Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company acting as trustee.
The underwriters are offering the units for sale on a firm commitment basis. Delivery of the units will be made on or about , 2021.
Neither the Securities and Exchange Commission, or the SEC, nor any state securities commission has approved or disapproved of these securities or determined if this prospectus is truthful or complete. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.
Joint Book-Running Managers
Cantor | Moelis & Company |
The date of this prospectus is , 2021
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We are responsible for the information contained in this prospectus. We have not authorized anyone to provide any information or to make any representations other than those contained in this prospectus. We and the underwriters take no responsibility for, and can provide no assurance as to the reliability of, any other information that others may give you. This prospectus is an offer to sell only the units offered hereby, but only under circumstances and in jurisdictions where it is lawful to do so. The information contained in this prospectus is current only as of its date.
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This summary only highlights the more detailed information appearing elsewhere in this prospectus. 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:
• | “we,” “us,” “our” or the “company” are to C5 Acquisition Corporation, a Delaware corporation; |
• | “amended and restated certificate of incorporation” are to our certificate of incorporation to be in effect upon the completion of this offering; |
• | “common stock” are to our Class A common stock and our Class B common stock; |
• | “directors” are to our current directors and our director nominees named in this prospectus; |
• | “equity-linked securities” are to any debt or equity securities that are convertible, exercisable or exchangeable for shares of our Class A common stock issued in a financing transaction in connection with our initial business combination, including but not limited to a private placement of equity or debt; |
• | “founder shares” are to shares of our Class B common stock and shares of our Class A common stock issued upon the conversion thereof; |
• | “initial stockholders” are to holders of our founder shares prior to this offering; |
• | “letter agreement” refers to the letter agreement, the form of which is filed as an exhibit to the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part; |
• | “management,” “our management team” or “our team” are to our officers and directors; |
• | “private placement warrants” are to the warrants issued to our sponsor in a private placement transaction simultaneously with the closing of this offering and upon conversion of working capital loans, if any subsequent to the consummation of this offering; |
• | “public shares” are to shares of our Class A common stock sold as part of the units in this offering (whether they are purchased in this offering or thereafter in the open market); |
• | “public stockholders” are to the holders of our public shares, including our sponsor, officers, directors and advisors to the extent our sponsor, officers, directors and/or advisors purchase public shares, provided that their status as a “public stockholder” shall only exist with respect to such public shares; |
• | “public warrants” are to the warrants sold as part of the units in this offering (whether they are purchased in this offering or thereafter in the open market); |
• | “public warrant agreement” are to the agreement governing the public warrants, the form of which is filed as an exhibit to the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part; |
• | “private warrant agreement” are to the agreement governing the private placement warrants, the form of which is filed as an exhibit to the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part; |
• | “specified future issuance” are to any issuance by us of equity or equity-linked securities following this offering to raise additional capital to complete our initial business combination; provided that no such securities will have rights to any funds held in the trust account established in connection with this offering; |
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• | “sponsor” are to C5 Sponsor LLC, a Delaware limited liability company; |
• | “warrants” are, collectively, to the public warrants and the private placement warrants; and |
• | “warrant agreements” are, together, to our public warrant agreement and private warrant agreement. |
Unless we tell you otherwise, the information in this prospectus assumes that the underwriters will not exercise their option to purchase additional units and the forfeiture by our sponsor of 937,500 founder shares.
Introduction
We are a newly organized blank check company incorporated as a Delaware corporation and formed for the purpose of effecting a merger, consolidation, capital stock exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, reorganization, or similar business combination with one or more businesses, which we refer to throughout this prospectus as our initial business combination. We have not selected any specific business combination target and we have not, nor has anyone on our behalf, engaged in any substantive discussions, directly or indirectly, with any business combination target with respect to an initial business combination with us.
We intend to focus on businesses at the leading edge of national security innovation in three key sectors: Space, Cybersecurity and Energy Transition, which complement our team’s expertise and will benefit from our strategic and hands-on operational leadership. While we may pursue an acquisition opportunity in any industry or sector, we believe these three sectors present attractive acquisition targets as they are undergoing tremendous change and are increasingly important enablers of the global economy and international security. Many businesses that operate in these sectors will experience exponential growth as they become pioneers that assist people, governments, and corporations as they embrace and react to these changes. We believe that the experience and capabilities of our team will make us an attractive partner to potential target businesses, enhance our ability to complete a successful business combination, and bring value to the business post-business combination. Our team represents a unique combination of strategic, operating, investing, financial and transactional experience combined with the technical expertise to evaluate next generation technology businesses.
We have a diverse management team, sponsor, directors and advisors (collectively, the “C5 Acquisition Corporation team” or “team”) with relationships and networks in our target sectors. Our management team is led by Robert Meyerson (Chief Executive Officer), and David Glickman (Chief Business Development Officer and Chief Financial Officer), and our Board of Directors is led by Steve Demetriou (Non-Executive Chairman). We will be supported by our sponsor, C5 Capital USA LLC (“C5 Capital”), an investment firm that manages a series of venture capital funds and mid-stage venture capital investments focused on technology companies with an emphasis on national security.
Throughout their careers, Mr. Demetriou, Mr. Meyerson, and Mr. Glickman have built and operated successful businesses, led the development of critical infrastructure and created long-term value for stockholders. Our sponsor has significant experience evaluating and investing in companies in technology-forward and national security sectors.
Mr. Demetriou, our Non-Executive Chairman, will lead the Board of Directors in providing strategic oversight of the sourcing of acquisition opportunities and negotiation of a successful business combination. Mr. Demetriou brings more than 35 years in chief executive and senior management roles, has served on the Board of nine companies, and has a track record of creating long-term value for stockholders. He currently serves as Chair and Chief Executive Officer of Jacobs Engineering Group Inc. (NYSE: J), an innovative global solutions leader in renewable energy, cybersecurity, and space intelligence and exploration. Since becoming Chief Executive Officer of Jacobs in 2015, Mr. Demetriou has led a transformation of Jacobs’ portfolio of businesses including the divestiture of its Energy, Chemicals, and Resource business and the acquisitions of KeyW, VanDyke, Wood,
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BlueCanopy, The Buffalo Group, and CH2M. During his tenure as CEO, Mr. Demetriou has created significant long-term value for stockholders, outperforming both industry peers and the broader market. From 2016, the first fiscal year of Mr. Demetriou’s leadership to present, Jacobs has accelerated profitable growth and delivered total returns of approximately 300% – over twice that of S&P index’s total return of 130%.
Mr. Meyerson, our Chief Executive Officer, will provide operating experience, engineering expertise and an extensive network for sourcing acquisition opportunities. Mr. Meyerson is an aerospace executive, engineer, and founder with more than 30 years of experience in the space industry. Mr. Meyerson previously served as President of Blue Origin, an American aerospace company founded and owned by Jeff Bezos. Starting in 2003 and reporting directly to Mr. Bezos, Mr. Meyerson oversaw the transformation of Blue Origin from its founding with 10 employees into a more than 1500-person engineering and development organization executing on government and commercial contracts. Mr. Meyerson achieved several major technical and commercial milestones, including the development of reusable space launch systems and high-performance rocket engines. He currently serves as an Operating Partner at C5 Capital.
Mr. Glickman, our Chief Business Development Officer and Chief Financial Officer, will leverage his industry and investment experience to help identify and evaluate acquisition opportunities. Most recently, Mr. Glickman has been a Partner at Resilience Capital since 2009, where he is the head of Originations and a member of the transaction team and his responsibilities include origination, due diligence and oversight of acquisitions.
Our sponsor, C5 Capital, will provide significant support to our deal-flow and acquisition processes, especially in technical and customer due diligence. Our team will leverage C5 Capital’s network of national security practitioners and dedicated investment professionals, with significant transaction experience in these sectors, including a network of leading Operating Partners from the government and private sectors, who assist our portfolio companies as they scale and expand into new geographies.
In addition to Mr. Demetriou and Mr. Meyerson, our Board of Directors includes Linda Zecher, Jeanne Tisinger, and Arun Gupta.
C5 Capital
Our sponsor is managed by C5 Capital USA LLC and affiliated with C5 Capital Ltd., collectively referred as the “firm” or “C5 Capital.” C5 Capital manages a series of venture capital funds that make early to mid-stage venture capital investments and provide strategic advice to entrepreneurs scaling transformational technology companies. C5 Capital is a global specialist investment firm that exclusively invests in the secure data ecosystem and the resilience of critical infrastructure, including cyber security, cloud, AI, energy, and space investments. Its mission is to nurture a secure digital future.
C5 Capital has a wealth of experience in leading the digital transformation of businesses and government by investing in cutting edge Space, Cybersecurity, and Energy Transition technologies to improve the resilience of critical national infrastructure. The firm has built a powerful network of advisors whose relationships with C5 executives stretch back decades before the inception of the firm. The firm’s special advisors and directors, including Michael Garland, Sir Iain Lobban, and Lt. General Sir Graeme Lamb, bring the wisdom of distinguished careers at the highest ranks of military, defense, and intelligence. C5 Capital’s investment professionals have proven experience sourcing high potential start-ups and category-creating companies, executing mergers and acquisitions, and playing an active role in business development to accelerate the growth of our portfolio companies. The firm’s collective track record and domain expertise puts C5 Capital in a differentiated class of investors with deep technology expertise and the capacity to see ahead to the threats borne by accelerated digital transformation.
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We plan to leverage C5 Capital’s significant network to help us identify, negotiate, and complete our business combination. These networks have historically enabled the firm to complete numerous transactions which were proprietary or where a limited group of investors were invited to participate; examples include:
• | Investment in and subsequent sale of Shape Security to F5 Networks (NASDAQ: FFIV); |
• | Venture investment in Axiom Space, the company building the commercial successor to the International Space Station; |
• | Venture investment in Kevala, a leading energy grid analytics company; |
• | Investment in and pending sale of IronNet Cybersecurity to LGL Systems Acquisition Corp. (NYSE: DFNS); |
• | Investment in and subsequent sale of Omada to CVC Capital Partners; |
• | Investment in and subsequent sale of Balabit to One Identity; |
• | Merger of 4iQ and Alto Analytics and rebranding to Constella Intelligence, a provider of digital risk protection; |
• | Venture investment in Synack, named one of the 50 leading companies of the year for 2021 from The Silicon Review; |
• | Venture investment in BlueVoyant, named a Top 250 MSSP by MSSP Alert; |
• | Venture investment in Satelles, a leader protecting national critical infrastructure with assured positioning, navigation, and timing (PNT); |
• | Venture investment in Enveil, Awarded as a Technology Pioneer by World Economic Forum (WEF). |
C5 Acquisition Corporation Team
We plan to utilize the network and industry experience of the C5 Acquisition Corporation team in targeting an initial business combination. Over the course of their careers, the members of the team have developed an extensive ecosystem of relationships that we believe will serve as a proprietary source of acquisition opportunities. This network has been developed through our team’s:
• | Decades of operating and investing experience in Space, Cybersecurity, and Energy Transition; |
• | Executive and board level experience leading the operations of frontier technology companies; |
• | Extensive relationships with entrepreneurs, management teams, investors, technical/engineering innovators and government stakeholders particularly in national security; and |
• | Experience in executing mergers, acquisitions, divestitures, and public market transactions. |
We believe that our business combination target could benefit from the operational, technical and business expertise, the relationships and networks, as well as the capital raising ability of our team. We expect our networks will provide us with proprietary deal flow to create a strong pipeline of acquisition opportunities. In addition, we anticipate that our network of special advisors will provide commercial and government insight on the offense and defense capabilities gaps at the intersection of critical cyber, space, and energy infrastructure. Upon completion of this offering, members of our management team will communicate the acquisition criteria across their networks of relationships to begin the process of identifying and assessing compelling targets.
Robert “Rob” Meyerson
Mr. Meyerson serves as our Chief Executive Officer and is a member of the Board of Directors. From May 2016 to October 2017, Mr. Meyerson served as President of Blue Origin, an American aerospace company founded and owned by Jeff Bezos.
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Starting in 2003 and reporting directly to Mr. Bezos, Mr. Meyerson oversaw the transformation of Blue Origin from its founding into a more than 1500-person engineering and development organization executing on government and commercial contracts. Under his leadership, Blue Origin developed and flew the suborbital human-rated launch system, New Shepard; built a liquid rocket engine business including the BE-4 rocket engine which will power the boost stage of United Launch Alliance’s next-generation orbital launch vehicle; and designed its heavy-lift orbital launch vehicle, New Glenn. During this time, Mr. Meyerson led Blue Origin’s growth from a single facility in Seattle, WA, to multiple launch facilities, manufacturing facilities, and sales offices operating in six sites across the U.S. and internationally.
Mr. Meyerson is the founder of Delalune Space, a management consulting company focused on the aerospace, mobility, technology and investment sectors, and has served as the CEO since February 2019. Mr. Meyerson has built relationships with some of the most exciting new companies doing business in the space sector.
Mr. Meyerson joined C5 Capital as an Operating Partner in 2020 and is a member of the firm’s leadership team. C5 Capital led a $130M Series B investment in Axiom Space, and Rob now serves on Axiom’s Board of Directors. He is a member of the Investment Committee for C5’s Impact Fund.
Earlier in his career, Mr. Meyerson was a Senior Program Manager at Kistler Aerospace, and an aerospace engineer at NASA’s Johnson Space Center (JSC). He has served as a member of the Board of Directors of Sceye SA since June 2020, a member of the Board of Advisors of Hermeus, an aerospace engineering company, since 2019, a member of the Advisory Board of NLX, a communications technology firm, since 2020, and a member of the Board of Directors of Qwaltec since September 2019. He is also a member of the Board of Axiom Space, the Museum of Flight, and the University of Michigan College of Engineering Leadership Advisory Board. In 2016, the New Shepard team was awarded the Robert J. Collier Trophy for their accomplishments by the National Aeronautic Association; and in 2017, Mr. Meyerson was awarded the Space Flight Award by the American Astronautical Society.
An ally and champion for young professionals and founders, Mr. Meyerson serves as a mentor in the Brooke Owens Fellowship, the Matthew Isakowitz Fellowship, and the Techstars Starburst Space Accelerator.
Mr. Meyerson holds a B.S. degree in aerospace engineering from the University of Michigan and a master’s degree in industrial engineering (Engineering Management) from the University of Houston.
David Glickman
Mr. Glickman serves as our Chief Business Development Officer and Chief Financial Officer. Mr. Glickman will leverage his industry and investment experience to help identify and evaluate acquisition opportunities. Mr. Glickman has been a Partner at Resilience Capital since 2009 after working with the firm for several years on potential co-investments and portfolio company merger proposals. Since 2012, he has been the head of originations. From 2010 to 2012, he was the head of the transactions group and is currently a member of the transactions team. His responsibilities include origination, due diligence and oversight of acquisitions. He has extensive experience sourcing, structuring, executing, managing and exiting a broad spectrum of portfolio companies. Mr. Glickman also served as a General Partner with Sedgewick Venture Capital, a small middle market private equity fund focused on opportunistic investments in Cleveland; as a Senior Vice President of The LCP Group in New York; and as Associate Director with the Principal Activities Group at Bear, Stearns in New York. Prior to private investing, Mr. Glickman was in the Corporate Finance Department of Bear Stearns & Company in New York, Los Angeles and London, engaged in all aspects of public debt and equity transactions.
Mr. Glickman has served on the boards of numerous private and public companies including certain institutes of the Cleveland Clinic. He serves as a board observer at Xeeva, a board observer at Hynes Industries, and serves as a director of both Trialon Corp. and Luminance Brands. He graduated from Washington and Jefferson College with a BA in political science, and from the University of Southern California with an MBA.
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Our Board of Directors
Steven J. Demetriou
Mr. Demetriou serves as Non-Executive Chairman of the Board. Mr. Demetriou is currently the Chief Executive Officer and Chair of the Board of Directors of Jacobs, a leading and innovative global solutions leader in renewable energy, cybersecurity, and space intelligence and exploration. Mr. Demetriou brings more than 35 years in chief executive and senior management roles across multiple sectors and has served on the Board of nine companies over the course of his distinguished career including FirstEnergy, Kraton Corp, OM Group., Aleris Corp., and Foster Wheeler.
Since becoming Chief Executive Officer of Jacobs in 2015, Mr. Demetriou has steered a profound reshaping of the business portfolio, operations, and culture. Under his leadership, the firm has accelerated profitable growth and transformed into the leading, next-generation solutions provider by tackling some of the world’s biggest challenges for thriving cities, resilient environments, mission-critical outcomes, operational advancement, scientific discovery, and cutting-edge manufacturing. This transformation has included the divestiture of its Energy, Chemicals, and Resource business and the acquisitions of KeyW, VanDyke, Wood, BlueCanopy, The Buffalo Group, and CH2M.
Mr. Demetriou has put culture change at the top of the agenda at Jacobs and has personally championed inclusion and diversity, shifting his executive leadership team and the Jacobs board of directors to be more ethnically and gender diverse. He has also driven sustainability into the culture with the launch of PlanBeyond, Jacobs’ sustainability strategy aligned to the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals; becoming a signatory of the U.N. Global Compact; and publishing Jacobs’ global Climate Action Plan, committing to 100% renewable energy and net zero carbon for its operations and business travel in 2020, and carbon negative by 2030. Mr. Demetriou has also taken a leadership role in the industry by speaking up and speaking out on racism and social injustice and launched Jacobs global Action Plan for Advancing Justice and Equality in July 2020.
Mr. Demetriou’s broad international business perspectives are the product of more than 35 years in leadership and senior management roles across a wide range of industries, including specialty chemicals, metals and mining. In addition to serving on Jacobs’ Board, Mr. Demetriou has also served on the board for FirstEnergy Corp. since January 2017 and as a strategic advisor to Resilience Capital Partners since 2009. In July 2021, FirstEnergy Corp. paid a financial penalty and agreed to a three-year deferred prosecution agreement with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Ohio in connection with an investigation into the company’s lobbying and governmental affairs activities that led to a charge of honest services wire fraud. He is also a CEO member of the Male Champions of Change, the Co-Chair of the World Economic Forum’s (WEF) Infrastructure and Urban Development Governors, and as a member of WEF’s Alliance of CEO Climate Leaders. He has served as the U.S. Co-Chair of the U.S. - Saudi Arabian Business Council since April 2017, and has served as a Board member of the Dallas Citizens Council since December 2019. Mr. Demetriou also served as a Board member of Kraton Corporation from 2009 until 2018.
Mr. Demetriou holds a Bachelor of Science degree (B.S.) in Chemical Engineering from Tufts University.
Linda Zecher
Linda Zecher is a member of the Board of Directors. Ms. Zecher has served as the CEO & Managing Director of the Barkley Group, a Boutique Consulting firm focused on Digital Transformation of enterprise organizations since 2016. Prior to founding the Barkley Group, Ms. Zecher served as President, CEO and Director of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (HMH), a global education and learning company from 2011 until 2016. After joining HMH, Ms. Zecher led the company through a successful Chapter 11 bankruptcy restructuring and completed several acquisitions including the Education Technology division of Scholastic. Under Ms. Zecher’s leadership the company completed a public offering and now trades on NASDAQ. Previously Ms. Zecher was Corporate Vice President of Microsoft’s Worldwide Public Sector organization.
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Ms. Zecher currently is a member of the Hasbro Corporation Board where she serves on the Audit Committee and Chairs the Cyber Security Committee; Tenable Inc., a cybersecurity company (NASDAQ: TENB) where she sits on the Compensation and Nominating committees; and the Board of the Maritime Museum in St. Michaels, MD. She is a former Board member of the John F. Kennedy Library, Cradles to Crayons, The Board of James Madison University, and INSA (The intelligence and National Security Association.)
Ms. Zecher holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Ohio State University and an Honorary Doctorate from Bentley University.
Jeanne Tisinger
Jeanne Tisinger serves as a member of the Board of Directors. Ms. Tisinger is an accomplished global leader with extensive experience delivering the enabling technology and business services for the Central Intelligence Agency’s (CIA) global operations. As former Deputy Director of CIA for Support (DDS) from 2013 until 2017, she reported to the Director of the CIA and was responsible for cyber/personnel/physical security, infrastructure, finance, supply chain management, real estate acquisition and management, medical, human resources, and associated information technology.
Prior to her role as DDS, Ms. Tisinger served as CIA’s Chief Information Officer (CIO), where she held worldwide responsibility for Enterprise Information Technology strategy, architecture development, infrastructure operations, software development, and service delivery. She drove enhancements to the CIA’s resiliency posture and significantly advanced inter- and intra-Agency collaboration capabilities. She constructed and executed the CIA’s acquisition strategy for commercial cloud services, resulting in the partnership with Amazon to provide an Amazon Web Services (AWS) cloud for the Top Security Intelligence Community (IC) Marketplace, while concurrently enhancing the IC’s cyber security posture.
Ms. Tisinger has served as a senior advisor for cybersecurity to Mastercard since 2017. She also serves as a consultant on technology strategy, cyber defense, shared services and workforce inclusion for a variety of clients including financial services, technology solutions providers, energy, and national defense.
Since 2019, Ms. Tisinger has served as Lead Independent Director for Midwest Reliability Organization, which oversees North America’s Bulk Electric Power Grid, and Satelles, a secure Position, Navigation and Timing Service, which provides global backup for GPS. Additionally, she has served on the Board of Advisors for Virginia Tech’s Hume Center for National Security and Technology since 2019. Ms. Tisinger was named by Washingtonian magazine as a Top 100 Tech Titan for the National Capital Region, Information Week’s Top 25 Public CIO’s, and FedScoop’s top 10 Most Influential Women in Federal IT.
Ms. Tisinger received a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Management from George Mason University and completed the Executive Leadership Program at Northwestern University, Kellogg School of Management.
Arun Gupta
Arun Gupta serves as a member of our Board of Directors. Mr. Gupta is an accomplished mission-oriented executive with experience in US and International Venture Capital, Assessing Emerging Technologies, Scaling High-Growth Companies, Teaching Entrepreneurship, and Coordinating National Security & Tech Policy. Mr. Gupta currently is an Adjunct Professor/Senior Advisor to Provost at Georgetown University, Lecturer at Stanford University, and Venture Partner at Columbia Capital. Mr. Gupta maintains very active relationships in the emerging technology, entrepreneurship, public policy, and international finance communities.
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As a Partner at Columbia Capital, Mr. Gupta’s investment career spanned seventeen years, with a focus on emerging tech-enabled services and infrastructure companies in AI, Cybersecurity, Mobile, Government Services, and SaaS/Cloud infrastructure sectors in the US and India. He is currently on the board or was previously involved with Columbia portfolio companies: Adjoined Consulting (acquired by Kanbay International, Inc.), Altamira (Acquired by Clearsky), Daz3D, Millennial Media (NYSE: MM), Endgame (acquired by Elastic), Riptech (acquired by Symantec Corporation), Softek Storage Holdings (acquired by IBM), Verato, Vubiquity (acquired by Amdocs) and Webs (acquired by Vistaprint). Prior to joining Columbia Capital in 2000, Mr. Gupta was at Carlyle Venture Partners focused on software investments. Prior to Carlyle, Mr. Gupta held positions in Arthur D. Little’s telecom and technology consulting practice and shared responsibility for establishing ADL’s management consulting operations in Mumbai 1995-98.
At Georgetown University, Mr. Gupta also serves on the Georgetown Entrepreneurship Advisory Board, and teaches Entrepreneurial Finance and Venture Capital at McDonough School of Business. Mr. Gupta is actively engaged with initiatives related to Tech & Society, AI/Cybersecurity at the Center for Security and Emerging Technology (CSET), and the Pivot Program - teaching business skills to returning citizens.
At Stanford University, Mr. Gupta serves on the Stanford in Washington (SIW) Advisory Board and currently teaches “Valley Meets Mission: Entrepreneurial Ventures in DC” at Stanford in Washington. The class highlights mission-oriented entrepreneurial opportunities through discussions with leaders at the intersection of the government, mission, technology, and entrepreneurship.
As a mission-focused technology angel investor, Mr. Gupta focuses on SaaS, GovTech, and Sustainable Food investments and currently serves on the board of directors or angel investor in 1901 Group (acquired by Leidos); FAST Acquisition Corp, restaurant and sustainable food SPAC (NYSE: FST); Morning Consult, a leading SaaS global data intelligence company; and Blacklynx, a leading provider of high-speed analytics solutions for the National Security market. Mr. Gupta also is a member of the board of directors of LMI.
Mr. Gupta received a B.S. degree with Distinction in Electrical Engineering and an M.S. degree in Engineering Economic Systems from Stanford University. He received his M.B.A. from Harvard Business School.
Market Opportunity
The C5 Acquisition Corporation team is focused on businesses at the leading edge of national security innovation and global economic growth in three key sectors: Space, Cybersecurity and Energy Transition. These three sectors will play critical roles in the growth of the global economy and international security for decades to come. Each of these three sectors has a large total addressable market that is rapidly growing. While these sectors are high growth, they also have high barriers to entry and are prone to binary market outcomes, which requires operational expertise, technical knowhow, and understanding of end customer needs to identify the most attractive companies.
• | Space: The space sector is undergoing significant transformation and is poised for rapid growth. According to Morgan Stanley, annual revenue generated by the global space economy is expected to grow from $350 billion to over $1 trillion dollars by 2040. Once driven primarily by government needs, the sector has become increasingly commercialized as companies have developed methods of utilizing the space environment to generate value for customers. Recent technological, business, and policy changes have dramatically increased the pace of change in the sector. Catalysts for significant growth include the acceleration in commercialization, dramatic reduction in the costs to access and operate assets in space, and an increase in both government and private funding. Significant opportunities for value creation will be realized in satellite operations (e.g., communications, broadband, navigation, remote sensing), manufacturing, transportation (including launch services), and in-space activities, such as space tourism, climate monitoring and national security. |
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• | Cybersecurity: The cybersecurity sector has experienced unprecedented growth driven by a combination of factors, including accelerated cloud adoption, remote work, and the digital transformation of the supply chains. The global cybersecurity market is estimated by IDC to grow from $125.2B in 2020 to $174.7B by 2024, at an 8.1% compound annual growth rate. As companies and governments are increasingly enabled by digital infrastructure, the threat environment has worsened, data privacy regulations have tightened, and a shortage in expert cybersecurity talent has been realized. According to a recent survey by BlueVoyant, 92% of U.S. organizations have experienced a cybersecurity breach that originated from vulnerabilities in their vendor ecosystem in the past 12 months. Key cybersecurity growth areas include distributed cloud, privacy-enhancing computation, zero-trust security, continuous cyber-risk mitigation, no-code DevOps security and hyper-automation. |
• | Energy Transition: The energy sector is a multi-trillion-dollar industry that is undergoing massive transformation to meet energy needs and sustainability goals, creating opportunity for those at the leading edge of enabling technology. A crucial element in allowing us to meet this demand is accelerating the energy transition, a key factor of which is decentralization. As the traditional utility business model is replaced by decentralized networks, digitalization plays a central role in driving the clean energy transition. Our focus is on energy transition and innovation to enable the space sector and national security. A high degree of automation and data analytics is required to manage global systems powered by new varieties of energy sources. Key sector growth areas include energy grid intelligence; modular reactors enabling hybrid, nuclear/renewable energy systems; smart city applications; IoT; green hydrogen solutions; advanced batteries and energy storage; and zero carbon technologies. |
Our team is uniquely qualified to source, evaluate, acquire, and (after business combination) add long-term value to companies within these three sectors. Our team’s operational expertise, deep technical know-how, and market/customer insights will de-risk our acquisition process.
Our Business Strategy
Our business strategy is to identify and execute a business combination in the Space, Cybersecurity, and Energy Transition sectors that can benefit from our team’s expertise and can generate long-term risk adjusted returns to stockholders. We believe our team’s expertise in Space, Cybersecurity, and Energy Transition technology and business operations, coupled with our extensive network of advisors and partners, will allow us to source highly competitive opportunities for the business. We plan to leverage these extensive networks of potential transaction sources to execute our abovementioned strategy. We will rely on our team’s collective operational experience, technical acumen, relationships, and expertise to evaluate that the business combination will generate long-term value to stockholders.
To source targets, we plan to leverage the networks of Mr. Demetriou, Mr. Meyerson, Mr. Glickman, Ms. Zecher, Ms. Tisinger, Mr. Gupta, and C5 Capital, which include entrepreneurs, former senior national security and intelligence officers, public and private investors, and former executives with experience in our target sectors. We will leverage the extensive network of our team and proprietary deal flow of our sponsor C5 Capital to inform our deal flow of high-quality companies within our target sectors. This network provides us with the ability to identify and attract leading entrepreneurs and target businesses aligned with our strategy.
We will use the investment, technical, and operating experience of our team and our sponsor to rigorously evaluate targets. Our team’s deep understanding of technologies in our target sectors will allow us to assess product feasibility as well as value-creating potential. Moreover, we will leverage our team’s deep understanding of key customers within our target sectors to evaluate the target’s product market fit and assess the technical track record of prospective targets. Our team’s collective customer insights, technical expertise, and investment experience strengthen our approach to acquisition.
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Our team has extensive experience growing and operating businesses in government-driven industries. The team has insight into the government as a customer and partner, has executed on significant government contracts, as well as holds high level relationships in several G8 countries that we can use to assist our target to expand and drive value.
We are seeking an acquisition where our continued involvement will unlock significant value for investors. Following the initial business combination, we expect to assist the post-business combination entity in advancing its growth plans. We expect to collaborate with management as an active partner on a variety of activities including broadening their networks of prospective customers; building strong partner ecosystems; supporting diverse, equitable and inclusive talent acquisition; and providing advice on growth strategy. We believe our team’s collective experience demonstrates a commitment to a long-term partnership.
Our Acquisition Criteria
Consistent with our investment philosophy and strategy, we plan to identify highly competitive businesses run by world class teams pursuing large market opportunities that are seated at inflection points of growing demand driven by technological innovation in the target sectors.
We will be looking to make an acquisition that offers attractive returns to stockholders. We intend to acquire companies that we believe:
• | operate in attractive and growing subsectors within space, cybersecurity, and energy transition; |
• | are mission-driven; |
• | can benefit from strategic/operational enhancement from our team; |
• | have products that are technologically differentiated and create significant value to customers; |
• | have scalable business models and monetization approaches; |
• | have mature management with demonstrated customer confidence in their ability to execute; |
• | can address the needs of both government and commercial customers; and |
• | have had initial market success with customer traction. |
We endeavor to be guided by the strategy outlined above in evaluating opportunities, but we reserve the right to complete our initial business combination with a target business that does not meet some or all of these criteria.
The criteria set forth above 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 other considerations, factors and criteria that our directors and officers may deem relevant.
Acquisition Process
In evaluating a prospective target business, we expect to conduct a rigorous and comprehensive due diligence review of prospective target businesses which will encompass, as appropriate and among other things, meetings with incumbent management teams and employees, document reviews, business plan reviews, interviews of customers and suppliers, inspection of facilities and a review of financial, operational, legal and other information made available to us about the target and its industry.
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We expect that certain of our officers, directors and advisors will, directly or indirectly, own founder 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.
Certain of our officers and directors presently have, 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 or contractual obligations. As a result, if any of our officers or directors becomes aware of a business combination opportunity that is suitable for an entity to which he or she has then-current fiduciary or contractual obligations, then, subject to such officer’s and director’s fiduciary duties under Delaware 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 those other entities decide to pursue any such opportunity, we may be precluded from pursuing the same. However, we do not expect these duties to materially affect our ability to complete our initial business combination. Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will provide that we renounce our interest in any business combination opportunity offered to any director or officer unless such opportunity is expressly offered to such person solely in his or her capacity as a director or officer of the company and it is an opportunity that we are able to complete on a reasonable basis.
In addition, none of our advisors are officers or directors of our company and, therefore, owe us no fiduciary duties as such. While we expect that they will assist us in identifying business combination targets, they have no obligation to do so and may devote a substantial portion of their business time to activities unrelated to us. Our advisors may have fiduciary, contractual or other obligations or duties to other organizations to present business combination opportunities to such other organizations rather than to us. Accordingly, if any advisor becomes aware of a business combination opportunity which is suitable for one or more entities to which such advisor has fiduciary, contractual or other obligations or duties, such advisor will honor those obligations and duties to present such business combination opportunity to such entities first and only present it to us if such entities reject the opportunity and such advisor determines to present the opportunity to us. These conflicts may not be resolved in our favor and a potential business opportunity may be presented to another entity prior to its presentation to us. Furthermore, while none of our advisors will have any duty to offer acquisition opportunities to us, they may become aware of a potential transaction that is an attractive opportunity for us, which they may decide to share with us. Conflicts may arise from their affiliation with our company, their provision of services both to us and to third-party clients, as well as from actions undertaken by them for their own account. In performing services for other clients and also when acting for their own account, they may take commercial steps which may have an adverse effect on us. Any of our advisors’ other activities may, individually or in the aggregate, have an adverse effect on us, and the interests of our advisors or their respective clients or counterparties may at times be averse to ours. We do not believe, however, that the fiduciary, contractual or other obligations or duties of our advisors will materially affect our ability to complete our initial business combination.
Initial Business Combination
The NYSE rules require that an initial business combination must be with one or more operating businesses or assets with a fair market value equal to at least 80% of the net assets held in the trust account (net of amounts disbursed to management for working capital purposes, if permitted, and excluding the amount of any deferred underwriting discount). 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 or another independent entity that commonly renders valuation opinions, with respect to the satisfaction of such criteria. We do not currently intend to purchase multiple businesses in unrelated industries in conjunction with our initial business combination, although there is no assurance that will be the case.
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We anticipate structuring our initial business combination so that the post-transaction company in which our public stockholders 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 stockholders or for other reasons, but we will only complete such business combination if the post-transaction company owns or acquires 50% or more of the 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 outstanding voting securities of the target, our stockholders prior to our initial business combination may collectively own a minority interest in the post-transaction company, depending on valuations ascribed to the target and us in our initial business combination transaction. For example, we could pursue a transaction in which we issue a substantial number of new shares in exchange for all of the outstanding capital stock 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 stockholders immediately prior to our initial business combination could own less than a majority of our outstanding shares subsequent to our initial business combination. If less than 100% of the outstanding 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 valued 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 and we will treat the target businesses together as the initial business combination for the purposes of a tender offer or for seeking stockholder approval, as applicable.
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 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.
Risk Factors Summary
Our business is subject to numerous risks and uncertainties, including those highlighted in “Risk Factors” section of this prospectus. These risks include, but are not limited to, risks associated with:
• | being a newly incorporated company with no operating history and no revenues; |
• | our ability to complete our initial business combination, including risks arising from the uncertainty resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic; |
• | our public stockholders’ ability to exercise redemption rights; |
• | the requirement that we complete our initial business combination within the prescribed time frame; |
• | the possibility that NYSE may delist our securities from trading on its exchange; |
• | being declared an investment company under the Investment Company Act; |
• | complying with changing laws and regulations; |
• | our ability to continue as a “going concern”; |
• | our ability to select an appropriate target business or businesses; |
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• | the performance of the prospective target business or businesses; |
• | the pool of prospective target businesses available to us and the ability of our officers, directors and advisors to generate a number of potential business combination opportunities; |
• | the issuance of additional Class A common stock in connection with a business combination that may dilute the interest of our stockholders; |
• | the incentives to our sponsor, officers and directors to complete a business combination to avoid losing their entire investment in us if our initial business combination is not completed; |
• | 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; |
• | our success in retaining or recruiting, or changes required in, our officers, key employees or directors following our initial business combination; |
• | our ability to obtain additional financing to complete our initial business combination; |
• | our ability to amend the terms of public warrants in a manner that may be adverse to the holders of public warrants; |
• | our ability to redeem your unexpired public warrants prior to their exercise; |
• | our public securities’ potential liquidity and trading; and |
• | provisions in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and Delaware law that may have the effect of inhibiting a takeover of us and discouraging lawsuits against our directors and officers. |
Corporate Information
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, as amended, 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, as amended, 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 stockholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved. If some investors find our securities less attractive as a result, there may be a less active trading market for our securities and the prices of our securities may be more volatile.
In addition, Section 107 of the JOBS Act also provides that an “emerging growth company” can take advantage of the extended transition period provided in Section 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act for complying with new or revised accounting standards. In other words, an “emerging growth company” can delay the adoption of certain accounting standards until those standards would otherwise apply to private companies. We intend to take advantage of the benefits of this extended transition period.
We will remain an emerging growth company until the earlier of: (1) the last day of the fiscal year (a) following the fifth anniversary of the 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 common stock that is held by non-affiliates exceeds $700 million as of the end of that year’s second fiscal quarter; and (2) the date on which we have issued more than $1.00 billion in non-convertible debt securities during the prior three-year period. References herein to “emerging growth company” shall have the meaning associated with it in the JOBS Act.
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Additionally, we are a “smaller reporting company” as defined in Item 10(f)(1) of Regulation S-K. Smaller reporting companies may take advantage of certain reduced disclosure obligations, including, among other things, providing only two years of audited financial statements. We will remain a smaller reporting company until the last day of the fiscal year in which (1) the market value of our common stock held by non-affiliates exceeds $250 million as of the end of that year’s second fiscal quarter, or (2) our annual revenues exceeded $100 million during such completed fiscal year and the market value of our common stock held by non-affiliates exceeds $700 million as of the end of that year’s second fiscal quarter.
Our executive offices are located at 1701 Pennsylvania Ave NW, Ste # 460, Washington, D.C. 20006 and our telephone number is (202) 452-9133. Upon completion of this offering, our corporate website address will be [ ]. Our website and the information contained on, or that can be accessed through, our website is not deemed to be incorporated by reference in, and is not considered part of, this prospectus or the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part. You should not rely on any such information in making your decision whether to invest in our securities.
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The Offering
In making your decision 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 “Risk Factors” section of this prospectus.
Securities offered | 25,000,000 units (or 28,750,000 units if the underwriters’ option to purchase additional units is exercised in full), at $10.00 per unit, each unit consisting of: | |
• one share of Class A common stock; and
• one-half of one redeemable public warrant to purchase one share of Class A common stock. | ||
Proposed NYSE symbols | Units: “CXAC.U” | |
Class A Common Stock: “CXAC” | ||
Public Warrants: “CXAC WS” | ||
Trading commencement and separation of Class A common stock and public warrants | The units will begin trading on or promptly after the date of this prospectus. The Class A common stock and public warrants constituting the units will begin separate trading on the 52nd day following the date of this prospectus (or, if such date is not a business day, the following business day) unless Cantor Fitzgerald & Co. and Moelis & Company LLC 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 shares of Class A common stock and public 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 shares of Class A common stock and public warrants. No fractional public warrants will be issued upon separation of the units and only whole public warrants will trade. Accordingly, unless you purchase at least two units, you will not be able to receive or trade a whole public 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 common stock and public warrants is prohibited until we have filed a Current Report on Form 8-K | In no event will the Class A common stock and public warrants be traded separately until we have filed with the SEC a Current Report on Form 8-K which includes an audited balance sheet of our company reflecting our receipt of the gross proceeds at the closing of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants. We will file the Current Report on Form 8-K promptly after the closing of this offering. If the underwriters’ option to purchase additional units 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’ option to purchase additional units. |
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Units: | ||
Number outstanding before this offering | None | |
Number outstanding after this offering | 25,000,000(1) | |
Common stock: | ||
Number outstanding before this offering | 7,187,500(2)(4) | |
Number outstanding after this offering | 31,250,000(1)(3)(4) | |
Warrants: | ||
Number of private placement warrants to be sold in private placements simultaneously with this offering | 13,535,500(1) | |
Number of warrants to be outstanding after this offering and the sale of private placement warrants | 26,035,500(1) |
Exercisability | Each whole public warrant offered in this offering is exercisable to purchase one share of our Class A common stock, subject to adjustment as provided herein, and only whole warrants are exercisable. No fractional public warrants will be issued upon separation of the units and only whole public warrants will trade. | |
We structured each unit to contain one-half of one redeemable public warrant, with each whole public warrant exercisable for one share of Class A common stock, as compared to units issued by some other similar blank check companies which contain whole public warrants exercisable for one whole share, in order to reduce the dilutive effect of the public warrants upon completion of our initial business combination as compared to units that each contain a whole public 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 share of Class A common stock, subject to adjustment as described herein. In addition, if (x) we issue additional shares of Class A common stock 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 share of Class A common stock (with such issue price or effective issue price to be determined in good faith |
(1) | Assumes no exercise of the underwriters’ option to purchase additional units and the forfeiture by our sponsor of 937,500 founder shares. |
(2) | Consists solely of founder shares and includes up to 937,500 shares that are subject to forfeiture by our sponsor depending on the extent to which the underwriters’ option to purchase additional units is exercised. |
(3) | Includes 25,000,000 public shares and 6,250,000 founder shares. |
(4) | Founder shares are classified as shares of Class B common stock, which shares will automatically convert into shares of Class A common stock at the time of our initial business combination, or earlier at the option of the holder, on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustment as described below adjacent to the caption “Founder shares conversion and anti-dilution rights.” |
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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 common stock during the 20 trading day period starting on the trading day after the day on which we consummate our initial business combination (such price, the “Market Value”) is below $9.20 per share of Class A common stock, the exercise price of the public warrants will be adjusted (to the nearest cent) to be equal to 115% of the higher of the Market Value and the Newly Issued Price and, in the case of the public warrants only, the $18.00 per share redemption trigger price described adjacent to the caption “Redemption of public warrants” will be adjusted (to the nearest cent) to be equal to 180% of the higher of the Market Value and the Newly Issued Price. | ||
Exercise period | The public warrants will become exercisable on the later of:
• 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination; and
• 12 months from the closing of this offering; | |
provided in each case that we have an effective registration statement under the Securities Act covering the issuance of the shares of common stock 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 public and private warrant agreements, as applicable). | ||
We are not registering the shares of Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the public warrants at this time. However, 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, and within 60 business days following our initial business combination to have declared effective, a registration statement covering the issuance of the shares of Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the public warrants and to maintain a current prospectus relating to those shares of Class A common stock until the expiration, or, in the case of the public warrants only, redemption of the warrants in accordance with the provisions of the public warrant agreement; provided that, if our Class A common stock is at the time of any exercise of a public warrant not listed on a national securities exchange such that it satisfies 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 |
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will not be required to file or maintain in effect a registration statement. If a registration statement covering the Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the public 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 public 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 public 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 public warrants | Once the public warrants become exercisable, we may redeem the outstanding public warrants: | |
• in whole and not in part;
• at a price of $0.01 per public 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 of our Class A common stock has been at least $18.00 per share (as adjusted for stock splits, stock dividends, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) for any 10 trading days within a 20-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 public warrants for cash unless a registration statement under the Securities Act covering the issuance of the shares of Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the public warrants is then effective and a current prospectus relating to those shares of common stock is available throughout the 30-day redemption period or we have elected to require the exercise of the public warrants on a “cashless basis” as described below. See “Description of Securities—Warrants—Public Stockholders’ Warrants” for additional information. | ||
If and when the public 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. | ||
If we call the public warrants for redemption for cash, as described above, our management will have the option to require all holders that wish to exercise public warrants to do so on a “cashless basis.” In determining whether to require all holders to exercise their public warrants on a “cashless basis,” our management will consider, among other factors, our cash position, the number of public warrants that are outstanding and the dilutive effect on our |
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stockholders of issuing the maximum number of shares of Class A common stock issuable upon the exercise of our public warrants. | ||
In such event, each holder would pay the exercise price by surrendering the public warrants for that number of shares of Class A common stock equal to the quotient obtained by dividing (x) the product of the number of shares of Class A common stock underlying the public warrants, multiplied by the excess of the “fair market value” (as defined below) over the exercise price of the public warrants by (y) the fair market value. The “fair market value” means the volume-weighted last reported sale price of the Class A common stock as reported for the ten (10) trading days ending on the third (3rd) trading day prior to the date that notice of exercise of the public warrants is sent to the warrant agent from the holder of such public warrants or its securities broker or intermediary. Please see “Description of Securities — Warrants — Public Stockholders’ Warrants” for additional information. | ||
Election and removal of directors; voting rights | Prior to our initial business combination, only holders of our Class B common stock will have the right to vote on the election of directors. Holders of the Class A common stock will not be entitled to vote on the election 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. These provisions of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation may only be amended by a resolution passed by the holders of a majority of our Class B common stock. With respect to any other matter submitted to a vote of our stockholders, including any vote in connection with our initial business combination, except as required by applicable law or stock exchange rule, holders of our Class A common stock and holders of our Class B common stock will vote together as a single class, with each share entitling the holder to one vote. However, in connection with our initial business combination, we may enter into a stockholders’ agreement or other arrangements with the stockholders of the target or other investors to provide for voting or other corporate governance arrangements that differ from those in effect upon completion of this offering. | |
Founder shares | On May 18, 2021, our sponsor purchased an aggregate of 7,187,500 founder shares for an aggregate purchase price of $25,000, resulting in an effective purchase price per founder share of approximately $0.0035. Prior to the initial investment in our company of $25,000 by our sponsor, we had no assets, tangible or intangible. The purchase price of the founder shares was determined by dividing the amount of cash contributed to us by the number of founder shares issued. If we increase or decrease the size of this offering, we will effect a stock dividend or share contribution back to capital or other appropriate mechanism, as applicable, with respect to our Class B common stock immediately prior to the consummation of this offering in such amount as to maintain the number of founder shares at 20% of the outstanding shares of our common stock upon the consummation of this offering. Up to 937,500 founder shares are subject to forfeiture by our sponsor depending on the extent to which the underwriters’ option to purchase additional units is exercised. |
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The founder shares are identical to the shares of Class A common stock included in the units being sold in this offering, except that: | ||
• prior to our initial business combination, only holders of the Class B common stock have the right to vote on the election of directors and holders of a majority of the outstanding shares of our Class B common stock may remove members of our board of directors for any reason;
• our initial stockholders, officers, directors and advisors have entered into a letter agreement with us, pursuant to which they have agreed to waive: (1) their redemption rights with respect to any founder shares and public shares held by them, as applicable, in connection with our initial business combination; (2) their redemption rights with respect to any founder shares | ||
and public shares held by them in connection with a stockholder vote to approve an amendment to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemptions in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we have not consummated our initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering or (B) with respect to any other material provision relating to stockholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity; and (3) their rights to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to any founder shares they hold if we fail to complete our initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering or during any extended time that we have to consummate a business combination beyond 18 months as a result of a stockholder vote to amend our amended and restated certificate of incorporation (an “Extension Period”) (although they will be entitled to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to any public shares they hold if we fail to complete our initial business combination within the prescribed time frame). If we submit our initial business combination to our public stockholders for a vote, our initial stockholders have agreed to vote any founder shares and any public shares held by them in favor of our initial business combination. As a result, in addition to our initial stockholders’ founder shares, we would need 9,375,001, or 37.5% (assuming all issued and outstanding shares are voted and the underwriters’ option to purchase additional units is not exercised), or 1,562,501, or 6.25% (assuming only the minimum number of shares representing a quorum are voted and the underwriters’ option to purchase additional units is not exercised) of the 25,000,000 public shares sold in this offering to be voted in favor of a transaction, in order to have such initial business combination approved;
• the founder shares are subject to certain transfer restrictions, as described in more detail below;
• the founder shares are automatically convertible into shares of our Class A common stock at the time of our initial business combination, or earlier at the option of the holder, on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustment pursuant to certain anti-dilution rights, as described in more detail below; and |
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• the holders of the founder shares are entitled to registration rights. | ||
Transfer restrictions on founder shares | Our initial stockholders, officers, directors and advisors have agreed not to transfer, assign or sell any founder shares held by them until the earlier to occur of: (1) one year after the completion of our initial business combination; and (2) subsequent to our initial business combination, (x) the date on which we complete a liquidation, merger, stock exchange, reorganization or other similar transaction that results in all of our public stockholders having the right to exchange their shares of common stock for cash, securities or other property or (y) if the last reported sale price of our Class A common stock equals or exceeds $12.00 per share (as adjusted for stock splits, stock dividends, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) for any 20 trading days within any 30-trading day period commencing at least 150 days after our initial business combination (except as described under “Principal Stockholders—Transfers of Founder Shares and Private Placement Warrants”). Any permitted transferees would be subject to the same restrictions and other agreements of our initial stockholders with respect to any founder shares. We refer to such transfer restrictions throughout this prospectus as the lock-up. | |
In addition, at the time of our initial business combination, our sponsor may agree to vesting or other terms relating to our founder shares that it believes best align our sponsor’s objectives with that of our post-initial business combination stockholders. For example, in connection with initial business combinations, sponsors of other blank check companies have, in the recent past, subjected a certain number of their founder shares to vesting conditions based on the stock price of the blank check companies’ public stock, which our sponsor may elect to pursue if they believe it will help effectuate a business combination, although our sponsor has no obligation or other duty to do so. | ||
Founder shares conversion and anti-dilution rights | The shares of Class B common stock will automatically convert into shares of Class A common stock at the time of our initial business combination, or earlier at the option of the holder, on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustment as provided herein. In the case that additional shares of Class A common stock, or equity-linked securities, are issued or deemed issued in excess of the amounts issued in this offering and related to the closing of our initial business combination, the ratio at which shares of Class B common stock shall convert into shares of Class A common stock will be adjusted (unless the holders of a majority of the outstanding shares of our Class B common stock agree to waive such anti-dilution adjustment with respect to any such issuance or deemed issuance) so that the number of shares of Class A common stock issuable upon conversion of all shares of Class B common stock will equal, in the aggregate, on an as-converted basis, 20% of the total number of all shares of common stock outstanding upon completion of this offering plus all shares of Class A common stock and equity-linked securities issued or deemed issued in connection with our initial business combination (net of the number of shares of Class A common stock redeemed in connection with our initial business combination), excluding any shares or equity-linked securities issued, or to be issued, to any seller of an interest in the target to us in our initial business combination. |
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Private placement warrants | Our sponsor has committed to purchase an aggregate of 13,535,500 private placement warrants (or 15,035,500 if the underwriters’ option to purchase additional units is exercised in full) at a price of $1.00 per private placement warrant ($13,535,500 in the aggregate or $15,035,500 in the aggregate if the underwriters’ option to purchase additional units is exercised in full) in a private placement transaction that will occur simultaneously with the closing of this offering. Each private placement warrant entitles the holder thereof to purchase one share of Class A common stock at a price of $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment as provided herein. A portion of the purchase price of the private placement warrants will be added to the proceeds from this offering to be held in the trust account. If we do not complete our initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering or following any Extension Period, the proceeds of the sale of the private placement warrants held in the trust account will be used to fund the redemption of our public shares (subject to the requirements of applicable law) and the private placement warrants will expire worthless. The private placement warrants will not be redeemable by us (see “Description of Securities—Warrants—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 private placement warrants for that number of shares of Class A common stock equal to the quotient obtained by dividing (x) the product of the number of shares of Class A common stock underlying the private placement warrants, multiplied by the excess of the “sponsor fair market value” (as defined below) of the Class A common stock over the exercise price of the private placement warrants by (y) the “sponsor fair market value.” For purposes of this paragraph, “sponsor fair market value” means the volume-weighted average last reported sale price of the Class A common stock for the 10 trading days ending on the third trading day prior to the date on which the notice of exercise of the private placement warrants is sent to the warrant agent. We expect to have policies in place that restrict insiders from selling our securities except during specific periods. | |
Transfer restrictions on private placement warrants | The private placement warrants (including the Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the private placement warrants) will not be transferable, assignable or salable until 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination, except as described under “Principal Stockholders—Transfers of Founder Shares and Private Placement Warrants.” | |
Expression of Interest | Cantor Fitzgerald & Co. has informed us that it, its affiliates, or certain accounts over which it or its affiliates have discretionary authority have expressed an interest in purchasing up to 7.5% of the units to be sold in this offering. However, because indications of interest are not binding agreements or commitments to purchase and are simply expressions of intent, these entities may |
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determine to purchase fewer or no units at all in the offering or may purchase more units than they indicate an interest in purchasing (although all such entities combined have indicated that they will not purchase more than an aggregate of 9.99% of the units offered in this offering). In addition, Cantor may allocate fewer or no units offered in this offering to any of these entities. The underwriters will receive the same underwriting discount on any units purchased by these entities as they will on any other units sold to the public in this offering. If any such entity purchases any units in this offering or otherwise in the open market, it has no obligation to (i) vote the underlying shares in favor of any business combination, (ii) refrain from exercising any redemption rights with respect to any shares underlying the units offered in this offering or (iii) hold any such units or underlying shares beyond the consummation of an initial business combination, if any. Any trading decisions made by any of the foregoing entities will be made by them based on market conditions at the time of the proposed sale or redemption. Cantor’s affiliates will not receive any economic or other interest in our sponsor. | ||
Proceeds to be held in trust account | Of the net proceeds we will receive from this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants described in this prospectus, $255,000,000 ($10.20 per unit), or $293,250,000 ($10.20 per unit) if the underwriters’ option to purchase additional units is exercised in full, will be deposited into a segregated U.S.-based trust account, with Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company acting as trustee, and $3,535,500 will be used to pay expenses in connection with the closing of this offering and for working capital following this offering. The proceeds to be placed in the trust account include $8,750,000 (or up to $10,062,500 if the underwriters’ option to purchase additional units is exercised in full) in deferred underwriting commissions. The funds in the trust account will be invested only in U.S. government treasury bills with a maturity of 185 days or less or in money market funds investing solely in U.S. Treasuries. | |
Except with respect to interest earned on the funds held in the trust account that may be released to us to pay our taxes, if any, the funds held in the trust account will not be released from the trust account until the earliest of: (1) the completion of our initial business combination; (2) the redemption of any public shares properly submitted in connection with a stockholder vote to amend our amended and restated certificate of incorporation (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemptions in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering or (B) with respect to any other material provision relating to stockholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity; and (3) the redemption of all of our public shares if we have not completed our initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering, subject to |
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applicable law. 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. | ||
Anticipated expenses and funding sources | Unless and until we complete our initial business combination, no proceeds held in the trust account will be available for our use, except the withdrawal of interest to pay taxes or to redeem our public shares in connection with an amendment to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, as described above. The funds in the trust account will be invested only in U.S. government treasury bills with a maturity of 185 days or less or in money market funds investing solely in U.S. Treasuries and meeting certain conditions under Rule 2a-7 under the Investment Company Act. Based upon current interest rates, we expect the trust account to generate approximately $51,000 of interest annually (assuming an interest rate of 0.02% per year). 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 $2,635,500 in working capital after the payment of approximately $900,000 in expenses relating to this offering; and
• any loans or additional investments from our sponsor, members of our management team or any of their respective affiliates or other third parties, although they are under no obligation or other duty to loan funds to, or invest in, us, and provided that 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. If we complete our initial business combination, we expect to 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 to repay such loaned amounts. Up to $2,000,000 of such loans may be convertible into private placement warrants at a price of $1.00 per warrant at the option of the lender at the time of the business combination. The warrants would be identical to the private placement warrants issued to our sponsor. | ||
Conditions to completing our initial business combination | There is no limitation on our ability to raise funds privately (including pursuant to a specified future issuance) or through loans in connection with our initial business combination. The NYSE rules require that an initial business combination must be with one or more operating businesses or assets with a fair market value equal to at least 80% of the net assets held in the trust account (net of amounts disbursed to management for working capital purposes, if permitted, and excluding the amount of any deferred underwriting discount). We do not currently intend to purchase multiple businesses in unrelated industries in |
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conjunction with our initial business combination, although there is no assurance that will be the case. | ||
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. We will complete our initial business combination only 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. Even if the post-transaction company owns or acquires 50% or more of the outstanding voting securities of the target, our stockholders prior to our initial business combination may collectively own a minority interest in the post-transaction company, depending on valuations ascribed to the target and us in our initial business combination transaction. If less than 100% of the outstanding 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 valued for purposes of the 80% of net assets test, provided that in the event that 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 and we will treat the target businesses together as the initial business combination for the purposes of a tender offer or for seeking stockholder approval, as applicable. | ||
Permitted purchases and other transactions with respect to our securities | If we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct redemptions in connection with our initial business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our sponsor, directors, officers, advisors or any of their respective affiliates may purchase public shares or public warrants or a combination thereof in privately negotiated transactions or in the open market either prior to or following the completion of our initial business combination, although they are under no obligation or other duty to do so. There is no limit on the number of securities such persons may purchase, or any restriction on the price that they may pay. Any such price per share may be different than the amount per share a public stockholder would receive if it elected to redeem its shares in connection with our initial business combination. Additionally, at any time at or prior to our initial business combination, subject to applicable securities laws (including with respect to material nonpublic information), our sponsor, directors, officers, advisors or any of their 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, such persons have no current commitments, plans or intentions to engage in such purchases or other transactions and have not formulated any terms or conditions for any such |
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purchases or other transactions. None of the funds in the trust account will be used to purchase public shares or public warrants in such transactions. Such persons will be subject to restrictions in making any such purchases when they are in possession of any material non-public information or if such purchases are prohibited by Regulation M under the Exchange Act. See “Proposed Business—Permitted purchases and other transactions with respect to our securities” for a description of how such persons will determine from which stockholders to enter into transactions with. | ||
We will adopt an insider trading policy which will require insiders to clear all trades with our legal counsel, our chief financial officer or another officer prior to execution. We cannot currently determine whether our insiders will make such purchases pursuant to a Rule 10b5-1 plan, as it will be dependent upon several factors, including but not limited to, the timing and size of such purchases. Depending on such circumstances, our insiders may either make such purchases pursuant to a Rule 10b5-1 plan or determine that such a plan is not necessary. | ||
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. Our sponsor, directors, officers, advisors or any of their respective affiliates will be restricted from making purchases if such purchases would violate Section 9(a)(2) or Rule 10b-5 of the Exchange Act. | ||
We expect that 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. | ||
The purpose of any such transaction could be to (1) vote such shares in favor of the initial business combination and thereby increase the likelihood of obtaining stockholder approval of the initial business combination, (2) reduce the number of public warrants outstanding or to vote such public warrants on any matters submitted to the public 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 transactions 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 shares of Class A common stock or 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. |
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Redemption rights for public stockholders in connection with our initial business combination | We will provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their public shares in connection with 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 (which interest shall be net of taxes payable), 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 public 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 public shares. There will be no redemption rights upon the completion of our initial business combination with respect to our public warrants. Our initial stockholders, officers, directors and advisors have entered into a letter agreement with us, pursuant to which they have agreed to waive their redemption rights with respect to any founder shares and any public shares held by them in connection with the completion of our initial business combination. | |
Manner of conducting redemptions | We will provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their public shares either: (1) in connection with a stockholder meeting called to approve the business combination; or (2) by means of a tender offer. Except as required by applicable law or stock exchange rules, the decision as to whether we will seek stockholder approval of a proposed business combination or 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. Asset acquisitions and stock purchases would not typically require stockholder approval while direct mergers with our company where we do not survive and any transactions where we issue more than 20% of our outstanding common stock or seek to amend our amended and restated certificate of incorporation would typically require stockholder approval. We intend to conduct redemptions without a stockholder vote pursuant to the tender offer rules of the SEC unless stockholder approval is required by applicable law or stock exchange listing requirement or we choose to seek stockholder approval for business or other reasons. | |
If a stockholder vote is not required and we do not decide to hold a stockholder vote for business or other reasons, we will, pursuant to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation: | ||
• 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 |
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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 shares of our Class A common stock 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 stockholders not tendering more than a specified number of public shares, which number will be based on the requirement that we may not redeem public shares in an amount that would cause our net tangible assets to be less than $5,000,001 or any greater net tangible asset or cash requirement which may be contained in the agreement relating to our initial business combination. If public stockholders tender more shares than we have offered to purchase, we will withdraw the tender offer and not complete such initial business combination, and we instead may search for an alternate business combination (including, potentially, with the same target). | ||
If, however, stockholder approval of the transaction is required by applicable law or stock exchange listing requirement, or we decide to obtain stockholder approval for business or other reasons, 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. | ||
We expect that a final proxy statement would be mailed to public stockholders at least 10 days prior to the stockholder vote. However, we expect that a draft proxy statement would be made available to such stockholders well in advance of such time, providing additional notice of redemption if we conduct redemptions in conjunction with a proxy solicitation. Although we are not required to do so, we currently intend to comply with the substantive and procedural requirements of Regulation 14A in connection with any stockholder vote even if we are not able to maintain our NYSE listing or Exchange Act registration. | ||
If we seek stockholder approval, we will complete our initial business combination only if a majority of the outstanding shares of our common stock voted are voted in favor of the business combination. A quorum for such meeting will consist of the holders present in person or by proxy of shares of outstanding |
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capital stock of the company representing a majority of the voting power of all outstanding shares of capital stock of the company entitled to vote at such meeting. Our initial stockholders, officers, directors and advisors will count towards this quorum and have agreed to vote any founder shares and any public shares held by them in favor of our initial business combination. We expect that at the time of any stockholder vote relating to our initial business combination, our initial stockholders and their permitted transferees will own at least 20% of our outstanding shares of common stock entitled to vote thereon. As a result, in addition to our initial stockholders’ founder shares, we would need 9,375,001, or 37.5% (assuming all issued and outstanding shares are voted and the underwriters’ option to purchase additional units is not exercised), or 1,562,501, or 6.25% (assuming only the minimum number of shares representing a quorum are voted and the underwriters’ option to purchase additional units is not exercised) of the 25,000,000 public shares sold in this offering to be voted in favor of a transaction, in order to have such initial business combination approved. These quorum and voting thresholds and agreements may make it more likely that we will consummate our initial business combination. Each public stockholder may elect to redeem its public shares without voting, and if they do vote, irrespective of whether they vote for or against the proposed transaction. | ||
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will provide that we will not redeem our public shares in an amount that would cause our net tangible assets to be less than $5,000,001 or any greater net tangible asset or cash requirement which may be contained in the agreement relating to our initial business combination. For example, the proposed business combination may require: (1) cash consideration to be paid to the target or its owners; (2) cash to be transferred to the target for working capital or other general corporate purposes; or (3) 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 shares of common stock 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 on such terms or redeem any shares, all shares of common stock submitted for redemption will be returned to the holders thereof, and we instead may search for an alternate business combination or seek to revise the terms of such business combination. | ||
Tendering share certificates in connection with a tender offer or redemption rights | We may require our public stockholders seeking to exercise their redemption rights, whether they are record holders or hold their shares in “street name,” to either tender their certificates to our transfer agent prior to the date set forth in the tender offer documents or proxy materials mailed to such holders, or up to two business days prior to the scheduled vote on the proposal to |
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approve our initial business combination in the event we distribute proxy materials, 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, rather than simply voting against the initial business combination. The tender offer or proxy materials, as applicable, that we will furnish to holders of our public shares in connection with our initial business combination will indicate whether we are requiring public stockholders to satisfy such delivery requirements, which will include the requirement that a beneficial holder must identify itself in order to validly redeem its shares. In the event we do not proceed with the proposed business combination, we will promptly return any shares delivered for redemption. | ||
Limitation on redemption rights of stockholders holding more than 15% of the shares sold in this offering if we hold stockholder vote | Notwithstanding the foregoing redemption rights, if we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct redemptions in connection with our initial business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will provide that a public stockholder, together with any affiliate of such stockholder or any other person with whom such stockholder is acting in concert or as a “group” (as defined under Section 13 of the Exchange Act), will be restricted from redeeming its shares with respect to more than an aggregate of 15% of the shares sold in this offering without our prior consent. We believe the restriction described above will discourage stockholders 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 sponsor or its affiliates to purchase their shares at a significant premium to the then-current market price or on other undesirable terms. Absent this provision, a public stockholder 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 or our sponsor or its affiliates at a premium to the then-current market price or on other undesirable terms. By limiting our stockholders’ ability to redeem to no more than 15% of the shares sold in this offering, we believe we will limit the ability of a small group of stockholders 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 stockholders’ ability to vote all of their shares (including all shares held by those stockholders that hold more than 15% of the shares sold in this offering) for or against our initial business combination. | |
Redemption rights in connection with proposed amendments to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation | Some other blank check companies have a provision in their charter which prohibits the amendment of certain charter provisions. Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will provide that any of its provisions related to pre-business combination activity (including the requirement to deposit |
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proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants into the trust account and not release such amounts except in specified circumstances and to provide redemption rights to public stockholders as described herein) may be amended if approved by holders of at least 65% of our outstanding common stock, and corresponding provisions of the trust agreement governing the release of funds from our trust account may be amended if approved by holders of at least 65% of our outstanding common stock. Unless specified in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation or bylaws, or as required by applicable law or stock exchange rules, the affirmative vote of a majority of the outstanding shares of our common stock that are voted is required to approve any such matter voted on by our stockholders, and, prior to our initial business combination, the affirmative vote of holders of a majority of the outstanding shares of our Class B common stock is required to approve the election or removal of directors. Prior to an initial business combination, we may not issue additional securities that can vote pursuant to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation on any initial business combination or any amendments to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation. Our initial stockholders, who will beneficially own 20% of our common stock upon the closing of this offering (assuming they do not purchase any units in this offering), may participate in any vote to amend our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and/or trust agreement and will have the discretion to vote in any manner they may choose. Our sponsor, officers, directors and advisors have agreed, pursuant to a written agreement with us, that they will not propose any amendment to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemptions in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering or (B) with respect to any other material provision relating to stockholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity, unless we provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to redeem their shares of common stock upon approval of any such amendment at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest (which interest shall be net of taxes payable), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares. Our initial stockholders, officers, directors and advisors have entered into a letter agreement with us, pursuant to which they have agreed to waive their redemption rights with respect to any founder shares and any public shares held by them in connection with amendments to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and the completion of our initial business combination. Any permitted transferees would be subject to the same restrictions and other agreements of our initial stockholders with respect to any founder shares. |
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Release of funds in trust account on closing of our initial business combination | On the completion of our initial business combination, all amounts held in the trust account will be disbursed directly by the trustee or released to us to pay amounts due to any public stockholders who properly exercise their redemption rights as described under “Redemption rights for public stockholders in connection with 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 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. | |
Redemption of public shares and distribution and liquidation if no initial business combination | Our sponsor, officers, directors and advisors have agreed that we will have only 18 months from the closing of this offering to complete our initial business combination. If we have not completed our initial business combination within such 18-month period or during any Extension Period, we will: (1) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up; (2) as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter, redeem the public shares, at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest (which interest shall be 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, which redemption will completely extinguish public stockholders’ rights as stockholders (including the right to receive further liquidating distributions, if any); and (3) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining stockholders and our board of directors, dissolve and liquidate, subject in each case to our obligations under Delaware law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law. There will be no redemption rights or liquidating distributions with respect to our public warrants, which will expire worthless if we fail to complete our initial business combination within such period. Our initial stockholders, officers, directors and advisors have entered into a letter agreement with us, pursuant to which they have waived their rights to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to any founder shares held by them if we fail to complete our initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering or during any Extension Period. However, if our sponsor or any of our officers, directors, advisors or any of their respective affiliates then hold any public shares, they will be entitled to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to such public shares if we fail to complete our initial business combination within the allotted time frame to complete our initial business |
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combination. The underwriters have agreed to waive their rights to their deferred underwriting commission held in the trust account in the event we do not complete our initial business combination 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. | ||
Our sponsor, officers, directors and advisors have agreed, pursuant to a written agreement with us, that they will not propose any amendment to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemptions in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering or (B) with respect to any other material provision relating to stockholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity, unless we provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to redeem their shares of common stock upon approval of any such amendment at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest (which interest shall be net of taxes payable), divided by the number of the then outstanding public shares. However, we may not redeem our public shares in an amount that would cause our net tangible assets to be less than $5,000,001. | ||
Limited payments to insiders | There will be no finder’s fees, reimbursements or other cash payments made by us to our sponsor, officers, directors, advisors or our or any of their respective 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 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: | |
• repayment of an aggregate of up to $300,000 in loans made to us by our sponsor to cover offering-related and organizational expenses;
• payment to our sponsor of a total of $35,000 per month, for up to 18 months, for office space and administrative and support services, which includes up to approximately $22,000 per month payable to our Chief Financial Officer and consultants to assist us with our search for a target business;
• reimbursement for any out-of-pocket expenses related to identifying, investigating and completing an initial business combination; and
• repayment of loans which may be made by our sponsor, an affiliate of our sponsor or certain of our officers and directors to finance transaction costs in connection with an intended initial business combination, the terms of which have not been determined nor have any written agreements been executed with respect thereto. Up to $2,000,000 of such loans may be convertible into warrants at a price of $1.00 per warrant at the option of the lender. |
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These payments may be funded using the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants not held in the trust account or, upon completion of the initial business combination, from any amounts remaining from the proceeds of the trust account released to us in connection therewith. | ||
Our audit committee will review on a quarterly basis all payments that were made by us to our sponsor, officers or directors or our or any of their respective affiliates. | ||
Audit committee | Prior to the effectiveness of this registration statement, we will have established and will maintain an audit committee to, among other things, monitor compliance with the terms described above and 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. See “Management—Committees of the Board of Directors—Audit Committee” for additional information. | |
Indemnity | 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 public registered accounting firm) for services rendered or products sold to us, or a prospective target business with which we have discussed entering into a transaction agreement, reduce the amount of funds in the trust account to below: (1) $10.20 per public share; or (2) such lesser amount per public share held in the trust account as of the date of the liquidation of the trust account due to reductions in the value of the trust assets, in each case net of the amount of interest which may be withdrawn to pay taxes, except as to any claims by a third party who executed a waiver of any and all rights to seek access to the trust account and except as to any claims under our indemnity of the underwriters of 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. We have not independently verified whether our sponsor has sufficient funds to satisfy its indemnity obligations and believe that our sponsor’s only assets are securities of our company and, therefore, our sponsor may not be able to satisfy those obligations. We have not asked our sponsor to reserve for such obligations. |
Risks
We are a 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. See “Proposed Business—Comparison of This Offering to Those of Blank Check Companies Subject to Rule 419” for additional information concerning how Rule 419 blank check offerings differ from this offering. You should carefully consider these and the other risks set forth in “Risk Factors” section of this prospectus.
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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. As a result, only balance sheet data is presented.
September 30, 2021 | ||||||||
Actual | As Adjusted | |||||||
Balance Sheet Data: | ||||||||
Working capital (deficiency) | $ | (331,191 | ) | $ | 7,659,644 | |||
Total assets | $ | 639,926 | $ | 257,659,644 | (1) | |||
Total liabilities | $ | 615,782 | $ | 8,750,000 | (2) | |||
Value of Class A common stock subject to possible redemption | $ | — | $ | 255,000,000 | (3) | |||
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Stockholders’ equity | $ | 24,144 | $ | (6,090,356 | )(4) | |||
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(1) | The “as adjusted” calculation equals $257,659,644 cash held in trust from the proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants, including the deferred underwriting discounts and commissions of $8,750,000 plus $2,635,500 of cash held outside the trust account. |
(2) | The “as adjusted” calculation equals $8,750,000 of deferred underwriting commissions, assuming the over-allotment option is not exercised. |
(3) | The “as adjusted” calculation equals the “as adjusted” total assets, less the “as adjusted” total liabilities, less the “as adjusted” stockholders’ equity, which is set to approximate the minimum net tangible assets threshold of at least $5,000,001. |
(4) | Excludes 25,000,000 shares of common stock purchased in the public market which are subject to redemption in connection with our initial business combination. The “as adjusted” calculation equals the “as adjusted” total assets, less the “as adjusted” total liabilities, less the value of shares of common stock that may be converted in connection with our initial business combination ($10.20 per share). |
If our initial business combination is not completed within 18 months from the closing of this offering, 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 franchise and income taxes (less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses), will be used to fund the redemption of our public shares. Our initial stockholders have entered into a letter agreement with us, pursuant to which they have agreed to waive their rights to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to their founder shares if we fail to complete our initial business combination within such 18-month time period or during any Extension Period.
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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, and Consummation of or Inability to Consummate, an Initial Business Combination
Our public stockholders may not be afforded an opportunity to vote on our proposed initial business combination, which means we may complete our initial business combination even though a majority of our public stockholders do not support such a combination.
We may not hold a stockholder vote to approve our initial business combination unless the business combination would require stockholder approval under applicable law or stock exchange listing requirements or if we decide to hold a stockholder vote for business or other reasons. For instance, the NYSE rules currently allow us to engage in a tender offer in lieu of a stockholder meeting but would still require us to obtain stockholder approval if we were seeking to issue more than 20% of our outstanding shares to a target business as consideration in any business combination. Therefore, if we were structuring a business combination that required us to issue more than 20% of our outstanding shares, we would seek stockholder approval of such business combination. However, except as required by applicable law or stock exchange rules, the decision as to whether we will seek stockholder approval of a proposed business combination or will allow stockholders to sell their shares to us in a tender offer will be made by us, solely in our discretion, and will be based on a variety of factors, such as the timing of the transaction. Accordingly, we may consummate our initial business combination even if holders of a majority of our outstanding public shares do not approve of the business combination we consummate. See “Proposed Business—Stockholders May Not Have the Ability to Approve Our Initial Business Combination” for additional information.
As the number of special purpose acquisition companies evaluating targets increases, attractive targets may become scarcer and there may be more competition for attractive targets. This could increase the cost of our initial business combination and could even result in our inability to find a target or to consummate an initial business combination.
In recent years, the number of special purpose acquisition companies that have been formed has increased substantially. Many potential targets for special purpose acquisition companies have already entered into an initial business combination, and there are still many special purpose acquisition companies preparing for an initial public offering or seeking targets for their initial business combination, as well as many such 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 and select a suitable target and to consummate an initial business combination.
In addition, because there are more special purpose acquisition companies seeking to enter into an initial business combination with available targets, the competition for available targets with attractive fundamentals or business models may increase, which could cause 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 and consummate an initial business combination and may result in our inability to consummate an initial business combination on terms favorable to our investors altogether.
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If we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination, our sponsor, officers, directors and advisors have agreed to vote in favor of such initial business combination, regardless of how our public stockholders vote.
Our initial stockholders, officers, directors and advisors have agreed (and their permitted transferees will agree) to vote any founder shares and any public shares held by them in favor of our initial business combination. As a result, in addition to our initial stockholders’ founder shares, we would need 9,375,001, or 37.5% (assuming all issued and outstanding shares are voted and the underwriters’ option to purchase additional units is not exercised), or 1,562,501, or 6.25% (assuming only the minimum number of shares representing a quorum are voted and the underwriters’ option to purchase additional units is not exercised) of the 25,000,000 public shares sold in this offering to be voted in favor of a transaction, in order to have such initial business combination approved. We expect that our initial stockholders and their permitted transferees will own at least 20% of our outstanding shares of common stock at the time of any such stockholder vote. Accordingly, if we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination, it is more likely that the necessary stockholder approval will be received than would be the case if our initial stockholders and their permitted transferees agreed to vote their founder shares in accordance with the majority of the votes cast by our public stockholders.
Your only opportunity to affect the investment decision regarding a potential business combination will be limited to the exercise of your right to redeem your shares from us for cash, unless we seek stockholder approval of such business combination.
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. Additionally, since our board of directors may complete a business combination without seeking stockholder approval, public stockholders may not have the right or opportunity to vote on the business combination. Accordingly, if we do not seek stockholder approval, your only opportunity to affect the investment decision regarding a potential business combination may be limited to exercising your redemption rights within the period of time (which will be at least 20 business days) set forth in our tender offer documents mailed to our public stockholders in which we describe our initial business combination.
The ability of our public stockholders to redeem their shares for cash may make our financial condition unattractive to potential business combination targets, which may make it difficult for us to enter into a business combination with a target.
We may seek to enter into a business combination transaction agreement with a prospective target that requires as a closing condition that we have a minimum net worth or a certain amount of cash. If too many public stockholders exercise their redemption rights, we would not be able to meet such closing condition and, as a result, would not be able to proceed with the business combination. The amount of the deferred underwriting commissions payable to the underwriters will not be adjusted for any shares that are redeemed in connection with a business combination and such amount of deferred underwriting discount is not available for us to use as consideration in an initial business combination. Furthermore, we will not redeem our public shares in an amount that would cause our net tangible assets to be less than $5,000,001 or any greater net tangible asset or cash requirement which may be contained in the agreement relating to our initial business combination. Consequently, if accepting all properly submitted redemption requests would cause our net tangible assets to be less than $5,000,001 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 (including, potentially, with the same target). Prospective targets will be aware of these risks and, thus, may be reluctant to enter into a business combination transaction with us. If we are able to consummate an initial business combination, the per-share value of shares held by non-redeeming stockholders will reflect our obligation to pay the deferred underwriting commissions.
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The ability of our public stockholders to exercise redemption rights with respect to a large number of our shares may not allow us to complete the most desirable business combination or optimize our capital structure.
At the time we enter into an agreement for our initial business combination, we will not know how many stockholders may exercise their redemption rights and, therefore, we will need to structure the transaction based on our expectations as to the number of shares that will be submitted for redemption. If our initial business combination agreement requires us to use a portion of the cash in the trust account to pay the purchase price or requires us to have a minimum amount of cash at closing, we will need to reserve a portion of the cash in the trust account to meet such requirements or arrange for third-party financing. In addition, if a larger number of shares is submitted for redemption than we initially expected, we may need to restructure the transaction to reserve a greater portion of the cash in the trust account or arrange for third-party financing. Raising additional third-party financing may involve dilutive equity issuances or the incurrence of indebtedness at higher than desirable levels. The above considerations may limit our ability to complete the most desirable business combination available to us or optimize our capital structure.
We may engage any of our underwriters or their respective affiliates to provide additional services to us after this offering, which may include acting as financial advisor in connection with an initial business combination or as placement agent in connection with any related financing transactions. Our underwriters are entitled to receive deferred commissions that will be released from the trust only upon a completion of an initial business combination. These financial incentives may cause them to have potential conflicts of interest in rendering any such additional services to us after this offering, including, for example, in connection with the sourcing and consummation of an initial business combination.
We may engage any of our underwriters or their respective 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 such underwriters or their respective affiliates fair and reasonable fees or other compensation that would be determined at that time in an arm’s-length negotiation; provided that no agreement will be entered into with any of our underwriters or their respective affiliates and no fees or other compensation for such services will be paid to any of the underwriters or their respective affiliates prior to the date that is 60 days from the date of this prospectus, unless such payment would not be deemed underwriters’ compensation in connection with this offering. Our underwriters are also entitled to receive deferred commissions that are conditioned on the completion of an initial business combination. The underwriters’ or their respective affiliates’ financial interests tied to the consummation of a business combination transaction may give rise to potential conflicts of interest in providing any such additional services to us, including potential conflicts of interest in connection with the sourcing and consummation of an initial business combination.
The ability of our public stockholders to exercise redemption rights with respect to a large number of our shares could increase the probability that our initial business combination would be unsuccessful and that you would have to wait for liquidation in order to redeem your stock.
If our initial business combination agreement requires us to use a portion of the cash in the trust account to pay the purchase price, or requires us to have a minimum amount of cash at closing, the probability that our initial business combination would be unsuccessful increases. If our initial business combination is unsuccessful, you would not receive your pro rata portion of the trust account until we liquidate the trust account. If you are in need of immediate liquidity, you could attempt to sell your stock in the open market; however, at such time our stock may trade at a discount to the pro rata amount per share in the trust account. In either situation, you may suffer a material loss on your investment or lose the benefit of funds expected in connection with our redemption until we liquidate or you are able to sell your stock in the open market.
Because our trust account will initially contain $10.20 per share of Class A common stock, public stockholders may be more incentivized to redeem their public shares at the time of our initial business combination.
Our trust account will initially contain $10.20 per share of Class A common stock. This is different than some other similarly structured blank check companies for which the trust account will only contain $10.00 per share of Class A common stock. As a result of the additional funds that could be available to public stockholders
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upon redemption of public shares, our public stockholders may be more incentivized to redeem their public shares and not to hold those shares of Class A common stock through our initial business combination. A higher percentage of redemptions by our public stockholders could make it more difficult for us to complete our initial business combination.
The requirement that we complete our initial business combination within the prescribed time frame may give potential target businesses leverage over us in negotiating a business combination and may limit the time we have in which to conduct due diligence on potential business combination targets, in particular as we approach our dissolution deadline, which could undermine our ability to complete our initial business combination on terms that would produce value for our stockholders.
Any potential target business with which we enter into negotiations concerning a business combination will be aware that we must complete our initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering. Consequently, such target business may obtain leverage over us in negotiating a business combination, knowing that if we do not complete our initial business combination with that particular target business, we may be unable to complete our initial business combination with any target business. This risk will increase as we get closer to the end of the timeframe described above. In addition, we may have limited time to conduct due diligence and may enter into our initial business combination on terms that we would have rejected upon a more comprehensive investigation.
We may not be able to complete our initial business combination within the prescribed time frame, in which case we would cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up and we would redeem our public shares and liquidate, in which case our public stockholders may receive only $10.20 per share, or less than such amount in certain circumstances, and our public warrants will expire worthless.
Our sponsor, officers, directors and advisors have agreed that we must complete our initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering. We may not be able to find a suitable target business and complete our initial business combination within such time period. Our ability to complete our initial business combination may be negatively impacted by general market conditions, volatility in the capital and debt markets and the other risks described herein, including as a result of terrorist attacks, natural disasters or a significant outbreak of infectious diseases. 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 and other events (such as terrorist attacks, natural disasters or a significant outbreak of other infectious diseases) may negatively impact businesses we may seek to acquire. It may also have the effect of heightening many of the other risks described in this “Risk Factors” section, such as those related to the market for our securities and cross-border transactions.
If we have not completed our initial business combination within such time period or during any Extension Period, we will: (1) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up; (2) as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter, redeem the public shares, at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest (which interest shall be 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, which redemption will completely extinguish public stockholders’ rights as stockholders (including the right to receive further liquidating distributions, if any); and (3) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining stockholders and our board of directors, dissolve and liquidate, subject in each case to our obligations under Delaware law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law. In such case, our public stockholders may receive only $10.20 per share, or less than $10.20 per share, on the redemption of their shares, and our public 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 stockholders may be less than $10.20 per share” and other risk factors herein.
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Our search for a business combination, and any target business with which we ultimately consummate a business combination, may be materially adversely affected by COVID-19 outbreak and other events 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 parts of the world, including the United States. On January 30, 2020, the World Health Organization declared the outbreak of 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 United States 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 COVID-19 outbreak has adversely affected, and other events (such as terrorist attacks, natural disasters or a significant outbreak of other infectious diseases) could adversely affect, economies and financial markets worldwide, business operations and the conduct of commerce generally, and the business of any potential target business with which we consummate a business combination could be, or may already have been, materially and adversely affected. Furthermore, we may be unable to complete a business combination if concerns relating to COVID-19 continue to restrict travel or 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 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. In addition, if any treatment or vaccine for COVID-19 is ineffective or underutilized, any impact on our business may be prolonged. If the disruptions posed by COVID-19 or other events (such as terrorist attacks, natural disasters or a significant outbreak of other infectious diseases) 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 (such as terrorist attacks, natural disasters or a significant outbreak of other infectious diseases), including as a result of increased market volatility and decreased market liquidity and third-party financing being unavailable on terms acceptable to us or at all.
Finally, the outbreak of COVID-19 may also have the effect of heightening many of the other risks described in this “Risk Factors” section, such as those related to the market for our securities and cross border transactions.
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 public stockholders 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 $255,000,000, will be held in an interest-bearing trust account. The proceeds held in the trust account may only be invested in direct U.S. government securities with 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. government treasury obligations currently yield a positive rate of interest, they have briefly yielded negative interest rates in recent years. Central banks in Europe and Japan pursued interest rates below zero in recent years, and the Open Market Committee of the Federal Reserve has not ruled out the possibility that it may in the future adopt similar policies in the United States. In the event 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 stockholders are entitled to receive their share of the proceeds held in the trust account, plus any interest income. If the balance of the trust account is reduced below $255,000,000 as a result of negative interest rates, the amount of funds in the trust account available for distribution to our public stockholders may be reduced below $10.20 per share.
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If we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination, our sponsor, directors, officers, advisors or any of their respective affiliates may enter into certain transactions, including purchasing shares or warrants from the public, which may influence the outcome of our proposed business combination and reduce the public “float” of our securities.
If we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct redemptions in connection with our initial business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our sponsor, directors, officers, advisors or any of their respective affiliates may purchase public shares or public warrants or a combination thereof in privately negotiated transactions or in the open market either prior to or following the completion of our initial business combination, although they are under no obligation or other duty to do so. Such a purchase may include a contractual acknowledgement that such public stockholder, although still the record holder of our shares is no longer the beneficial owner thereof and therefore agrees not to exercise its redemption rights. In the event that our sponsor, directors, officers, advisors or any of their respective affiliates purchase public shares in privately negotiated transactions from public stockholders who have already elected to exercise their redemption rights, such selling public stockholders would be required to revoke their prior elections to redeem their shares. The price per share paid in any such transaction may be different than the amount per share a public stockholder would receive if it elected to redeem its shares in connection with our initial business combination. Additionally, at any time at or prior to our initial business combination, subject to applicable securities laws (including with respect to material nonpublic information), our sponsor, directors, officers, advisors or any of their 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, such persons have no current commitments, plans or intentions to engage in such transactions and have not formulated any terms or conditions for any such transactions. See “Proposed Business—Permitted purchases and other transactions with respect to our securities” for a description of how such persons will determine from which stockholders to enter into transactions with. The purpose of any such transaction could be to (1) vote such shares in favor of the initial business combination and thereby increase the likelihood of obtaining stockholder approval of the initial business combination, (2) reduce the number of public warrants outstanding or to vote such public warrants on any matters submitted to the public 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 transactions 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 common stock or public warrants and the number of beneficial holders of our securities may be reduced, possibly making it difficult to maintain or obtain the quotation, listing or trading of our securities on a national securities exchange.
If a stockholder fails to receive notice of our offer to redeem our public shares in connection with our initial business combination, or fails to comply with the procedures for tendering its shares, such public shares may not be redeemed.
We will comply with the tender offer rules or proxy rules, as applicable, when conducting redemptions in connection with our initial business combination. Despite our compliance with these rules, if a stockholder fails to receive our tender offer or proxy materials, as applicable, such stockholder may not become aware of the opportunity to redeem its public shares. In addition, the tender offer documents or proxy materials, as applicable, that we will furnish to holders of our public shares in connection with our initial business combination will describe the various procedures that must be complied with in order to validly tender or redeem public shares. For example, we may require our public stockholders seeking to exercise their redemption rights, whether they are record holders or hold their public shares in “street name,” to either tender their certificates to our transfer agent prior to the date set forth in the tender offer or proxy materials documents mailed to such holders, or up to two business days prior to the scheduled vote on the proposal to approve the initial business combination in the event we distribute proxy materials, or to deliver their public shares to the transfer agent electronically. In the
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event that a stockholder fails to comply with these procedures, its public shares may not be redeemed. See “Proposed Business—Tendering stock certificates in connection with a tender offer or redemption rights.”
You will not have any rights or interests in funds from the trust account, except under certain limited circumstances. To liquidate your investment, therefore, you may be forced to sell your public shares or public warrants, potentially at a loss.
Our public stockholders will be entitled to receive funds from the trust account only upon the earliest to occur of: (1) the completion of our initial business combination, and then only in connection with those shares of Class A common stock that such stockholder properly elected to redeem, subject to the limitations described herein; (2) the redemption of any public shares properly submitted in connection with a stockholder vote to amend our amended and restated certificate of incorporation (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemptions in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering or (B) with respect to any other material provision relating to stockholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity; and (3) the redemption of all 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 as further described herein. In addition, if we have not completed an initial business combination within the required time period for any reason, compliance with Delaware law may require that we submit a plan of dissolution to our then-existing stockholders for approval prior to the distribution of the proceeds held in our trust account. In that case, public stockholders may be forced to wait beyond the end of such period before they receive funds from our trust account. In no other circumstances will a public stockholder have any right or interest of any kind in or to the trust account. Holders of public warrants will not have any right to the proceeds held in the trust account with respect to the public warrants. Accordingly, to liquidate your investment, you may be forced to sell your public shares or public warrants, 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 are unable to complete our initial business combination, our public stockholders may receive only approximately $10.20 per share, or less in certain circumstances, on our redemption of their stock, and our warrants will expire worthless.
We expect to encounter intense competition from other entities having a business objective similar to ours, including private investors (which may be individuals or investment partnerships), other blank check companies and other entities, domestic and international, competing for the types of businesses we intend to acquire. Many of these individuals and entities are well-established and have extensive experience in identifying and effecting, directly or indirectly, acquisitions of companies operating in or providing services to various industries. Many of these competitors possess greater technical, human and other resources or more local industry knowledge than we do and our financial resources will be relatively limited when contrasted with those of many of these competitors. While we believe there will be 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. Our sponsor or any of its affiliates may make additional investments in us, although our sponsor and its affiliates have no obligation or other duty to do so. This inherent competitive limitation gives others an advantage in pursuing the acquisition of certain target businesses. Furthermore, our obligation to pay cash in connection with our public stockholders who exercise their redemption rights may reduce the resources available to us for our initial business combination and our outstanding warrants, and the future dilution they potentially represent, may not be viewed favorably by target businesses. Any of these factors may place us at a competitive disadvantage in successfully negotiating and completing an initial business combination. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination, our public stockholders may receive only approximately $10.20 per 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 stockholders may be less than $10.20 per share” and other risk factors herein.
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If the funds not being held in the trust account are insufficient to allow us to operate for at least the 18 months following the closing of this offering, we may be unable to complete our initial business combination.
The funds available to us outside of the trust account may not be sufficient to allow us to operate for at least the 18 months following the closing of this offering, assuming that our initial business combination is not completed during that time. We expect to incur significant costs in pursuit of our acquisition plans. Management’s plans to address this need for capital through this offering and potential loans from certain of our affiliates are discussed under “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.” However, our affiliates are not obligated to make loans to us in the future, and we may not be able to raise additional financing from unaffiliated parties necessary to fund our expenses. Any such event in the future may negatively impact the analysis regarding our ability to continue as a going concern at such time.
We believe that, upon the closing of this offering, the funds available to us outside of the trust account will be sufficient to allow us to operate for at least the 18 months following the closing of this offering; however, we cannot assure you that our estimate is accurate. Of the funds available to us, we could use a portion of the funds available to us to pay commitment fees for financing, director and officer liability insurance premiums, 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 in letters of intent or merger agreements designed to keep target businesses from “shopping” around for transactions with other companies or investors on terms more favorable to such target businesses) with respect to a particular proposed business combination, although we do not have any current intention to do so. If we entered into an agreement where we paid for the right to receive exclusivity from a target business and were subsequently required to forfeit such funds (whether as a result of our breach or otherwise), we might not have sufficient funds to continue searching for, or conduct due diligence with respect to, a prospective target business. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination, our public stockholders may receive only approximately $10.20 per 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 stockholders may be less than $10.20 per 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, it could limit the amount available to fund our search for a target business or businesses and complete our initial business combination and we will depend on loans from our sponsor or management team to fund our search, to pay our taxes and to complete our initial business combination. If we are unable to obtain such loans, we may be unable to complete our initial business combination.
Of the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants, only approximately $2,635,500 will be available to us initially outside the trust account to fund our working capital requirements. In the event that our offering expenses exceed our estimate of $900,000, 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 $900,000, the amount of funds we intend to be held outside the trust account would increase by a corresponding amount. If we are required to seek additional capital, we would need to borrow funds from our sponsor, management team or other third parties to operate or may be forced to liquidate. Neither our sponsor, members of our management team nor any of their respective affiliates is under any obligation or other duty to loan funds to, or invest in, us in such circumstances. Any such loans may be repaid only from funds held outside the trust account or from funds released to us upon completion of our initial business combination. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination because we do not have sufficient funds available to us, we will be forced to cease operations and liquidate the trust account. In such case, our public stockholders may receive only $10.20 per share, or less in certain circumstances, 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 stockholders may be less than $10.20 per share” and other risk factors herein.
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We may issue our shares to investors in connection with our initial business combination at a price that is less than the prevailing market price of our shares at that time.
In connection with our initial business combination, we may issue shares to investors in private placement transactions (so-called PIPE transactions) at a price of $10.00 per share or at a price which approximates the per-share amounts in our trust account at such time. The purpose of such issuances will be to enable us to provide sufficient liquidity to the post-business combination entity and such issuances may be made upon beneficial terms to such investors, which could cause dilution to our existing stockholders. The price of the shares we issue may therefore be less, and potentially significantly less, than the market price for our shares at such time.
Subsequent to our completion of our initial business combination, we may be required to subsequently take write-downs or write-offs, restructuring and impairment or other charges that could have a significant negative effect on our financial condition, results of operations and the price of our securities, which could cause you to lose some or all of your investment.
Even if we conduct extensive due diligence on a target business with which we combine, we cannot assure you that this diligence will identify all material issues that may be present with a particular target business, that it would be possible to uncover all material issues through a customary amount of due diligence, or that factors outside of the target business and outside of our control will not later arise. As a result of these factors, we may be forced to later write-down or write-off assets, restructure our operations, or incur impairment or other charges that could result in our reporting losses. Even if our due diligence successfully identifies certain risks, unexpected risks may arise and previously known risks may materialize in a manner not consistent with our preliminary risk analysis. Even though these charges may be non-cash items and not have an immediate impact on our liquidity, the fact that we report charges of this nature could contribute to negative market perceptions about us or our securities. In addition, charges of this nature may cause us to violate net worth or other covenants to which we may be subject as a result of assuming pre-existing debt held by a target business or by virtue of our obtaining post-combination debt financing. Accordingly, any stockholders or warrant holders who choose to remain a stockholder or warrant holder following our initial business combination could suffer a reduction in the value of their securities. Such stockholders or warrant holders are unlikely to have a remedy for such reduction in value.
If third parties bring claims against us, the proceeds held in the trust account could be reduced and the per-share redemption amount received by stockholders may be less than $10.20 per share.
Our placing of funds in the trust account may not protect those funds from third-party claims against us. Although we will seek to have all vendors, service providers (other than our independent registered public accounting firm), prospective target businesses and other entities with which we do business execute agreements with us waiving any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to any monies held in the trust account for the benefit of our public stockholders, such parties may not execute such agreements, or even if they execute such agreements they may not be prevented from bringing claims against the trust account, including, but not limited to, fraudulent inducement, breach of fiduciary responsibility or other similar claims, as well as claims challenging the enforceability of the waiver, in each case in order to gain an advantage with respect to a claim against our assets, including the funds held in the trust account. If any third party refuses to execute an agreement waiving such claims to the monies held in the trust account, our management will perform an analysis of the alternatives available to it and will only enter into an agreement with a third party that has not executed a waiver if management believes that such third party’s engagement would be significantly more beneficial to us than any alternative. Making such a request of potential target businesses may make our acquisition proposal less attractive to them and, to the extent prospective target businesses refuse to execute such a waiver, it may limit the field of potential target businesses that we might pursue. Examples of possible instances where we may engage a third party that refuses to execute a waiver include the engagement of a third-party consultant whose particular expertise or skills are believed by management to be significantly superior to those of other consultants that would agree to execute a waiver or in cases where we are unable to find a service provider willing to execute a waiver. In addition, there is no guarantee that such entities will agree to waive any claims they may have in the future as a result of, or arising out of, any negotiations, contracts or agreements with us and will not seek recourse against the trust account for any reason. Upon redemption of our public shares, if we have not
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completed our initial business combination within the prescribed timeframe, or upon the exercise of a redemption right in connection with our initial business combination, we will be required to provide for payment of claims of creditors that were not waived that may be brought against us within the 10 years following redemption. Accordingly, the per-share redemption amount received by public stockholders could be less than the $10.20 per share initially held in the trust account, due to claims of such creditors.
Our sponsor has agreed that it will be liable to us if and to the extent any claims by a third party for services rendered or products sold to us, or a prospective target business with which we have discussed entering into a transaction agreement, reduce the amount of funds in the trust account to below: (1) $10.20 per public share; or (2) such lesser amount per public share held in the trust account as of the date of the liquidation of the trust account due to reductions in the value of the trust assets, in each case net of the amount of interest which may be withdrawn to pay taxes, except as to any claims by a third party who executed a waiver of any and all rights to seek access to the trust account and except as to any claims under our indemnity of the underwriters of 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. We have not independently verified whether our sponsor has sufficient funds to satisfy its indemnity obligations and believe that our sponsor’s only assets are securities of our company. Our sponsor may not have sufficient funds available to satisfy those obligations. We have not asked our sponsor to reserve for such obligations, and therefore, no funds are currently set aside to cover any such obligations. As a result, if any such claims were successfully made against the trust account, the funds available for our initial business combination and redemptions could be reduced to less than $10.20 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, directors or advisors will indemnify us for claims by third parties including, without limitation, claims by vendors and prospective target businesses.
Our independent directors may decide not to enforce the indemnification obligations of our sponsor, resulting in a reduction in the amount of funds in the trust account available for distribution to our public stockholders.
In the event that the proceeds in the trust account are reduced below the lesser of: (1) $10.20 per public share; or (2) such lesser amount per public share held in the trust account as of the date of the liquidation of the trust account due to reductions in the value of the trust assets, in each case net of the amount of interest which may be withdrawn to pay taxes, and our sponsor asserts that it is unable to satisfy its obligations or that it has no indemnification obligations related to a particular claim, our independent directors would determine whether to take legal action against our sponsor to enforce its indemnification obligations. While we currently expect that our independent directors would take legal action on our behalf against our sponsor to enforce its indemnification obligations to us, it is possible that our independent directors in exercising their business judgment may choose not to do so in certain instances. For example, the cost of such legal action may be deemed by the independent directors to be too high relative to the amount recoverable or the independent directors may determine that a favorable outcome is not likely. If our independent directors choose not to enforce these indemnification obligations, the amount of funds in the trust account available for distribution to our public stockholders may be reduced below $10.20 per share.
If, after we distribute the proceeds in the trust account to our public stockholders, we file a bankruptcy petition or an involuntary bankruptcy petition is filed against us that is not dismissed, a bankruptcy court may seek to recover such proceeds, and the members of our board of directors may be viewed as having breached their fiduciary duties to our creditors, thereby exposing the members of our board of directors and us to claims of punitive damages.
If, after we distribute the proceeds in the trust account to our public stockholders, we file a bankruptcy petition or an involuntary bankruptcy petition is filed against us that is not dismissed, any distributions received by stockholders could be viewed under applicable debtor/creditor and/or bankruptcy laws as either a “preferential transfer” or a “fraudulent conveyance.” As a result, a bankruptcy court could seek to recover some or all amounts
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received by our stockholders. In addition, our board of directors may be viewed as having breached its fiduciary duty to our creditors and/or having acted in bad faith by paying public stockholders from the trust account prior to addressing the claims of creditors, thereby exposing itself and us to claims of punitive damages.
If, before distributing the proceeds in the trust account to our public stockholders, we file a bankruptcy petition or an involuntary bankruptcy petition is filed against us that is not dismissed, the claims of creditors in such proceeding may have priority over the claims of our stockholders and the per share amount that would otherwise be received by our stockholders in connection with our liquidation may be reduced.
If, before distributing the proceeds in the trust account to our public stockholders, we file a bankruptcy petition or an involuntary bankruptcy petition is filed against us that is not dismissed, the proceeds held in the trust account could be subject to applicable bankruptcy law, and may be included in our bankruptcy estate and subject to the claims of third parties with priority over the claims of our stockholders. To the extent any bankruptcy claims deplete the trust account, the per share amount that would otherwise be received by our public stockholders in connection with our liquidation would be reduced.
If we are deemed to be an investment company under the Investment Company Act, we may be required to institute burdensome compliance requirements and our activities may be restricted, which may make it difficult for us to complete our initial business combination.
If we are deemed to be an investment company under the Investment Company Act, our activities may be restricted, including:
• | restrictions on the nature of our investments; and |
• | restrictions on the issuance of securities; |
each of which may make it difficult for us to complete our initial business combination.
In addition, we may have imposed upon us burdensome requirements, including:
• | registration as an investment company with the SEC; |
• | adoption of a specific form of corporate structure; and |
• | reporting, record keeping, voting, proxy and disclosure requirements and compliance with 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 total 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 United States “government securities” within the meaning of Section 2(a)(16) of the Investment Company Act having a maturity of 185 days or less or in money market funds meeting certain conditions under Rule 2a-7 promulgated under the Investment Company Act which invest only in direct U.S. government treasury obligations. Pursuant to the trust agreement, the trustee is not permitted to invest in other securities or assets. By restricting the investment of the proceeds to these instruments, and by having a business plan targeted at acquiring and growing businesses for the long term (rather than on buying and selling businesses in the manner of a merchant bank or private equity fund), we intend to avoid being deemed an “investment company” within the meaning of the Investment Company Act. 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: (i) the completion of our primary business objective, which is a business combination; (ii) the redemption of any public
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shares properly submitted in connection with a stockholder vote to amend our amended and restated certificate of incorporation (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemptions in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering or (B) with respect to any other material provision relating to stockholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity; and (iii) absent a business combination, our return of the funds held in the trust account to our public stockholders as part of our redemption of the public shares. If we do not invest the proceeds as discussed above, we may be deemed to be subject to the Investment Company Act. If we were deemed to be subject to the Investment Company Act, compliance with these additional regulatory burdens would require additional expenses for which we have not allotted funds and may hinder our ability to consummate our initial business combination. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination, our public stockholders may receive only approximately $10.20 per share on the liquidation of our trust account and our warrants will expire worthless. In certain circumstances, our public stockholders may receive less than $10.20 per share on the redemption of their shares. See “—If third parties bring claims against us, the proceeds held in the trust account could be reduced and the per-share redemption amount received by stockholders may be less than $10.20 per share” and other risk factors herein.
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.
Because we are neither limited to evaluating target businesses in a particular industry, sector or geographic area 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 seek to complete a business combination with an operating company in any industry or sector. However, we will not, under our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, be permitted to effectuate our initial business combination solely with another blank check company or similar company with nominal operations. Because we have not selected any specific business combination target and we have not, nor has anyone on our behalf, engaged in any substantive discussions, directly or indirectly, with any business combination target with respect to an initial business combination with us, 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 ability to control or reduce the chances that those risks will adversely impact a target business. We also cannot assure you that an investment in our units will ultimately prove to be more favorable to investors than a direct investment, if such opportunity were available, in a business combination target. Accordingly, any stockholders or warrant holders who choose to remain a stockholder or warrant holder following our initial business combination could suffer a reduction in the value of their securities. Such stockholders or warrant holders are unlikely to have a remedy for such reduction in value.
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Although we have identified general criteria and guidelines that we believe are important in evaluating prospective target businesses, we may enter into our initial business combination with a target that does not meet such criteria and guidelines, and as a result, the target business with which we enter into our initial business combination may not have attributes entirely consistent with our general criteria and guidelines.
Although we have identified general criteria and guidelines for evaluating prospective target businesses, it is possible that a target business with which we enter into our initial business combination will not have all of these positive attributes. If we complete our initial business combination with a target that does not meet some or all of these criteria and guidelines, such combination may not be as successful as a combination with a business that does meet all of our general criteria and guidelines. In addition, if we announce a prospective business combination with a target that does not meet our general criteria and guidelines, a greater number of stockholders may exercise their redemption rights, which may make it difficult for us to meet any closing condition with a target business that requires us to have a minimum net worth or a certain amount of cash. In addition, if stockholder approval of the transaction is required by applicable law or stock exchange rules, or we decide to obtain stockholder approval for business or other reasons, it may be more difficult for us to attain stockholder approval of our initial business combination if the target business does not meet our general criteria and guidelines. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination, our public stockholders may receive only approximately $10.20 per share, or less in certain circumstances, on the liquidation of our trust account and our warrants will expire worthless.
We may seek acquisition opportunities in acquisition targets that may be outside of our management’s areas of expertise.
We will consider a business combination outside of our management’s areas of expertise if such business combination candidate is presented to us and we determine that such candidate offers an attractive acquisition opportunity for our company. In the event we elect to pursue an acquisition outside of the areas of our management’s expertise, our management’s expertise may not be directly applicable to its evaluation or operation, and 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 relevant to such acquisition. Accordingly, any stockholders or warrant holders who choose to remain a stockholder or warrant holder following our initial business combination could suffer a reduction in the value of their securities. Such stockholders or warrant holders are unlikely to have a remedy for such reduction in value.
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, which could subject us to volatile revenues or earnings, intense competition and difficulties in obtaining and retaining key personnel.
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. 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.
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We are not required to obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm or from an independent accounting firm regarding fairness. Consequently, you may have no assurance from an independent source that the price we are paying for the business is fair to our company from a financial point of view.
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 from an independent accounting firm that the price we are paying is fair to our company from a financial point of view. If no opinion is obtained, our stockholders will be relying on the judgment of our board of directors, who will determine fair market value based on standards generally accepted by the financial community. Such standards used will be disclosed in our tender offer documents or proxy solicitation materials, as applicable, related to our initial business combination.
We may issue additional shares of Class A common stock or preferred stock to complete our initial business combination or under an employee incentive plan after completion of our initial business combination. We may also issue shares of Class A common stock upon the conversion of the Class B common stock at a ratio greater than one-to-one at the time of our initial business combination as a result of the anti-dilution provisions described herein. Any such issuances would dilute the interest of our stockholders and likely present other risks.
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will authorize the issuance of up to 500,000,000 shares of Class A common stock, par value $0.0001 per share, and 100,000,000 shares of Class B common stock, par value $0.0001 per share, and 1,000,000 shares of undesignated preferred stock, par value $0.0001 per share. Immediately after this offering, there will be 475,000,000 and 93,750,000 (assuming in each case, that the underwriters have not exercised their option to purchase additional units) authorized but unissued shares of Class A and Class B common stock available, respectively, for issuance, which amount takes into account shares reserved for issuance upon exercise of outstanding warrants but not upon the conversion of the Class B common stock. Shares of Class B common stock are automatically convertible into shares of our Class A common stock at the time of our initial business combination, or earlier at the option of the holder, initially at a one-for-one ratio but subject to adjustment as set forth herein. Immediately after this offering, there will be no shares of preferred stock issued and outstanding.
We may issue a substantial number of additional shares of Class A common stock, and may issue shares of preferred stock, in order to complete our initial business combination (including pursuant to a specified future issuance) or under an employee incentive plan after completion of our initial business combination. We may also issue shares of Class A common stock to redeem the warrants as described under “Description of Securities—Warrants—Public Stockholders’ Warrants” or upon conversion of the Class B common stock at a ratio greater than one-to-one at the time of our initial business combination as a result of the anti-dilution provisions described herein. However, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will provide, among other things, that prior to our initial business combination, we may not issue additional shares of capital stock that would entitle the holders thereof to (1) receive funds from the trust account or (2) vote pursuant to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation on any initial business combination or any amendments to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation. The issuance of additional shares of common or preferred stock:
• | may significantly dilute the equity interest of investors in this offering, which dilution would increase if the anti-dilution provisions in the Class B common stock resulted in the issuance of Class A shares on a greater than one-to-one basis upon conversion of the Class B common stock; |
• | may subordinate the rights of holders of common stock if preferred stock is issued with rights senior to those afforded our common stock; |
• | could cause a change of control if a substantial number of shares of our common stock is 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 stock ownership or voting rights of a person seeking to obtain control of us; |
• | may adversely affect prevailing market prices for our units, Class A common stock and/or public warrants; and |
• | may not result in adjustment to the exercise price of our warrants. |
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 are unable to complete our initial business combination, our public stockholders may receive only approximately $10.20 per share, or less than such amount in certain circumstances, on the liquidation of our trust account and our warrants will expire worthless.
We anticipate that the investigation of each specific target business and the negotiation, drafting and execution of relevant agreements, disclosure documents and other instruments will require substantial management time and attention and substantial costs for accountants, attorneys and others. If we decide not to complete a specific initial business combination, the costs incurred up to that point for the proposed transaction likely would not be recoverable. Furthermore, if we reach an agreement relating to a specific target business, we may fail to complete our initial business combination for any number of reasons including those beyond our control. Any such event will result in a loss to us of the related costs incurred which could materially adversely affect subsequent attempts to locate and acquire or merge with another business. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination, our public stockholders may receive only approximately $10.20 per 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 stockholders may be less than $10.20 per share” and other risk factors herein.
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 materially negatively impact our operations and profitability.
The net proceeds from this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants will provide us with $255,000,000 (or $293,250,000 if the underwriters’ option to purchase additional units is exercised in full) that we may use to complete our initial business combination (which includes $8,750,000 or up to $10,062,500 if the underwriters’ option to purchase additional units is exercised in full, of deferred underwriting commissions being held in the trust account, and excludes estimated offering expenses of $900,000).
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 risks. Further, we would not be able to diversify our operations or benefit from the possible spreading of risks or offsetting of losses, unlike other entities which may have the resources to complete several business combinations in different industries or different areas of a single industry. Accordingly, the prospects for our success may be:
• | solely dependent upon the performance of a single business, property or asset; or |
• | dependent upon the development or market acceptance of a single or limited number of products, processes or services. |
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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 investigations (if there are multiple sellers) and the additional risks associated with the subsequent assimilation of the operations and services or products of the acquired companies in a single operating business. If we are unable to adequately address these risks, it could negatively impact our profitability and results of operations.
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.
Our management may not be able to maintain control of a target business after our initial business combination. We cannot provide assurance that, upon loss of control of a target business, new management will possess the skills, qualifications or abilities necessary to profitably operate such business.
We may structure our initial business combination so that the post-transaction company in which our public stockholders own or acquire shares will own less than 100% of the outstanding equity interests or assets of a target business, but we will only complete such business combination if the post-transaction company owns or acquires 50% or more of the outstanding voting securities of the target or otherwise acquires a controlling interest in the target business sufficient for us not to be required to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act. We will not consider any transaction that does not meet such criteria. Even if the post-transaction company owns or acquires 50% or more of the outstanding voting securities of the target, our stockholders prior to our initial business combination may collectively own a minority interest in the post business combination company, depending on valuations ascribed to the target and us in our initial business combination. For example, we could pursue a transaction in which we issue a substantial number of new shares of common stock in exchange for all of the outstanding capital stock 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% interest in the target. However, as a result of the issuance of a substantial number of new shares of common stock, our stockholders immediately prior to such transaction could own less than a majority of our outstanding shares of common stock subsequent to such transaction. In addition, other minority stockholders may subsequently combine their holdings resulting in a single person or group obtaining a larger share of the company’s stock than we initially acquired. Accordingly, this may make it more likely that our management will not be able to maintain our control of the target business.
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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 stockholders do not agree.
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will not provide a specified maximum redemption threshold, except that we will not redeem our public shares in an amount that would cause our net tangible assets to be less than $5,000,001 or any greater net tangible asset or cash requirement which may be contained in the agreement relating to our initial business combination. As a result, we may be able to complete our initial business combination even though a substantial majority of our public stockholders do not agree with the transaction and have redeemed their shares or, if we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination and do not conduct redemptions in connection with our initial business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, have entered into privately negotiated agreements to sell their shares to our sponsor, officers, directors, advisors or any of their respective affiliates. In the event the aggregate cash consideration we would be required to pay for all shares of common stock 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 shares of common stock submitted for redemption will be returned to the holders thereof, and we instead may search for an alternate business combination (including, potentially, with the same target).
The exercise price for the public warrants is higher than in some other blank check company offerings, and, accordingly, the public warrants are more likely to expire worthless.
The exercise price of the public warrants is higher than in some other blank check companies. For example, historically, the exercise price of a warrant was often a fraction of the purchase price of the units in the initial public offering. The exercise price for our public warrants is $11.50 per share, subject to adjustments as provided herein. As a result, the public warrants are less likely to ever be in the money and more likely to expire worthless.
In order to effectuate an initial business combination, blank check companies have, in the recent past, amended various provisions of their charters and modified governing instruments, including their warrant agreements. We cannot assure you that we will not seek to amend our amended and restated certificate of incorporation or governing instruments, including our warrant agreement, in a manner that will make it easier for us to complete our initial business combination that some of our stockholders or warrant holders may not support.
In order to effectuate an initial business combination, blank check companies have, in the recent past, amended various provisions of their charters and modified governing instruments, including their warrant agreements. For example, blank check companies have amended the definition of business combination, increased redemption thresholds, extended the time to consummate an initial business combination and, with respect to their warrants, amended their warrant agreements to require the warrants to be exchanged for cash and/or other securities. We cannot assure you that we will not seek to amend our charter or governing instruments or extend the time to consummate an initial business combination in order to effectuate our initial business combination. To the extent any such amendment would be deemed to fundamentally change the nature of any of the securities offered through the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part, we would register, or seek an exemption from registration for, the affected securities.
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Certain provisions of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation that relate to our pre-business combination activity (and corresponding provisions of the agreement governing the release of funds from our trust account) may be amended with the approval of holders of at least 65% of our outstanding common stock, which is a lower amendment threshold than that of some other blank check companies. It may be easier for us, therefore, to amend our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and the trust agreement to facilitate the completion of an initial business combination that some of our stockholders may not support.
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 a company’s pre-business combination activity, without approval by holders of a certain percentage of the company’s stockholders. In those companies, amendment of these provisions typically requires approval by holders holding between 90% and 100% of the company’s public shares. Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will provide that any of its provisions related to pre-business combination activity (including the requirement to deposit proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants into the trust account and not release such amounts except in specified circumstances and to provide redemption rights to public stockholders as described herein) may be amended if approved by holders of at least 65% of our outstanding common stock, and corresponding provisions of the trust agreement governing the release of funds from our trust account may be amended if approved by holders of at least 65% of our outstanding common stock. Unless specified in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation or bylaws, or as required by applicable law or stock exchange rules, the affirmative vote of a majority of the outstanding shares of our common stock that are voted is required to approve any such matter voted on by our stockholders, and, prior to our initial business combination, the affirmative vote of holders of a majority of the outstanding shares of our Class B common stock is required to approve the election or removal of directors. We may not issue additional securities that can vote pursuant to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation on any initial business combination or any amendments to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation. Our initial stockholders, who will beneficially own 20% of our common stock upon the closing of this offering (assuming they do not purchase any units in this offering), may participate in any vote to amend our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and/or trust agreement and will have the discretion to vote in any manner they choose. As a result, we may be able to amend the provisions of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation which will govern our pre-business combination behavior more easily than some other blank check companies, and this may increase our ability to complete our initial business combination with which you do not agree.
Our sponsor, officers, directors and advisors have agreed, pursuant to a written agreement, that they will not propose any amendment to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemptions in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering or (B) with respect to any other material provision relating to stockholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity, unless we provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to redeem their shares of Class A common stock upon approval of any such amendment at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, divided by the number of then outstanding public shares. These agreements are contained in a letter agreement that we have entered into with our sponsor, officers, directors and advisors. Our public stockholders are not parties to, or third-party beneficiaries of, these agreements and, as a result, will not have the ability to pursue remedies against our sponsor, officers, directors and advisors for any breach of these agreements. As a result, in the event of a breach, our public stockholders would need to pursue a stockholder derivative action, subject to applicable law.
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.
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 selected any specific
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business combination target and we have not, nor has anyone on our behalf, engaged in any substantive discussions, directly or indirectly, with any business combination target with respect to an initial business combination with us, 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 stockholders who elect redemption in connection with our initial business combination or the terms of negotiated transactions to purchase shares in connection with our initial business combination, we may be required to seek additional financing (including pursuant to a specified future issuance) or to abandon the proposed business combination. We cannot assure you that such financing will be available on acceptable terms, if at all. To the extent that additional financing proves to be unavailable when needed to complete our initial business combination, we would be compelled to either restructure the transaction or abandon that particular business combination and seek an alternative target business candidate. In addition, even if we do not need additional financing to complete our initial business combination, we may require such financing to fund the operations or growth of the target business. The failure to secure additional financing could have a material adverse effect on the continued development or growth of the target business. None of our officers, directors, advisors or stockholders is required to provide any financing to us in connection with or after our initial business combination. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination, our public stockholders may receive only approximately $10.20 per share, or less in certain circumstances, on the liquidation of our trust account, and our public warrants will expire worthless.
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 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 or accept less favorable terms, or both. However, any failure to obtain adequate directors and officers liability insurance could have an adverse impact on the post-business combination’s ability to attract and retain qualified officers and directors.
In addition, even after we were to complete an initial business combination, our directors and officers could still be subject to potential liability from claims arising from conduct alleged to have occurred prior to the initial business combination. As a result, in order to protect our directors and officers, the post-business combination entity may need to purchase additional insurance with respect to any such claims (“run-off insurance”). The need for run-off insurance would be an added expense for the post-business combination entity and could interfere with or frustrate our ability to consummate an initial business combination on terms favorable to our investors.
Risks Relating to Our Securities
The NYSE may delist our securities from trading on its exchange, which could limit investors’ ability to make transactions in our securities and subject us to additional trading restrictions.
We intend to apply to have our units listed on the NYSE on or promptly after the date of this prospectus and our Class A common stock and public warrants on or promptly after their date of separation. Although after giving effect to this offering we expect to meet the minimum initial listing standards set forth in the NYSE listing
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standards, we cannot assure you that our securities will be, or will continue to be, listed on the NYSE in the future or prior to our initial business combination. In order to continue listing our securities on the NYSE prior to our initial business combination, we must maintain certain financial, distribution and stock price levels. In general, we must maintain a minimum number of holders of our securities (generally 300 public stockholders). Additionally, in connection with our initial business combination, we will be required to demonstrate compliance with the NYSE’s initial listing requirements, which are more rigorous than the NYSE’s continued listing requirements, in order to continue to maintain the listing of our securities on the NYSE. For instance, in order for our Class A common stock to be listed upon the consummation of our initial business combination, at such time, our stock price would generally be required to be at least $4.00 per share, our global market capitalization would be required to be at least $200,000,000, the aggregate market value of publicly-held shares would be required to be at least $100,000,000 and we would be required to have at least 400 round lot holders. We cannot assure you that we will be able to meet those initial listing requirements at that time.
If the NYSE delists any of our securities from trading on its exchange and we are not able to list such securities on another national securities exchange, we expect such securities could be quoted on an over-the-counter market. If this were to occur, we could face significant material adverse consequences, including:
• | a limited availability of market quotations for our securities; |
• | reduced liquidity for our securities; |
• | a determination that our Class A common stock is a “penny stock” which will require brokers trading in our Class A common stock to adhere to more stringent rules and possibly result in a reduced level of trading activity in the secondary trading market for our securities; |
• | a limited amount of news and analyst coverage; and |
• | a decreased ability to issue additional securities or obtain additional financing in the future. |
The National Securities Markets Improvement Act of 1996, as amended, which is a federal statute, prevents or preempts the states from regulating the sale of certain securities, which are referred to as “covered securities.” Because we expect that our units and eventually our Class A common stock and public warrants will be listed on the NYSE, our units, Class A common stock and public warrants will qualify as covered securities under such 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 NYSE, our securities would not qualify as covered securities under such statute and we would be subject to regulation in each state in which we offer our securities.
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, since our securities will be listed on a national securities exchange, 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
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completion of our initial business combination. Please see “Proposed Business—Comparison of This Offering to Those of Blank Check Companies Subject to Rule 419” for a more detailed comparison of our offering to offerings that comply with Rule 419.
If we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct redemptions pursuant to the tender offer rules, and if you or a “group” of stockholders are deemed to hold in excess of 15% of our Class A common stock, you will lose the ability to redeem all such shares in excess of 15% of our Class A common stock.
If we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct redemptions in connection with our initial business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will provide that a public stockholder, together with any affiliate of such stockholder or any other person with whom such stockholder is acting in concert or as a “group” (as defined under Section 13 of the Exchange Act), will be restricted from redeeming its shares with respect to more than an aggregate of 15% of the shares sold in this offering, which we refer to as the “Excess Shares,” without our prior consent. However, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation does not restrict our stockholders’ ability to vote all of their shares (including Excess Shares) for or against our initial business combination. Your inability to redeem the Excess Shares will reduce your influence over our ability to complete our initial business combination and you could suffer a material loss on your investment in us if you sell Excess Shares in open market transactions. Additionally, you will not receive redemption distributions with respect to the Excess Shares if we complete our initial business combination. And as a result, you will continue to hold that number of shares exceeding 15% and, in order to dispose of such shares, would be required to sell your stock in open market transactions, potentially at a loss.
Our stockholders may be held liable for claims by third parties against us to the extent of distributions received by them upon redemption of their shares.
Under the Delaware General Corporation Law, or the DGCL, stockholders may be held liable for claims by third parties against a corporation to the extent of distributions received by them in a dissolution. The pro rata portion of our trust account distributed to our public stockholders upon the redemption of our public shares in the event we do not complete our initial business combination within the required time period may be considered a liquidating distribution under Delaware law. If a corporation complies with certain procedures set forth in Section 280 of the DGCL intended to ensure that it makes reasonable provision for all claims against it, including a 60-day notice period during which any third-party claims can be brought against the corporation, a 90-day period during which the corporation may reject any claims brought, and an additional 150-day waiting period before any liquidating distributions are made to stockholders, any liability of stockholders with respect to a liquidating distribution is limited to the lesser of such stockholder’s pro rata share of the claim or the amount distributed to the stockholder, and any liability of the stockholder would be barred after the third anniversary of the dissolution. However, it is our intention to redeem our public shares as soon as reasonably possible following the 18th month from the closing of this offering (or the end of any Extension Period) in the event we do not complete our initial business combination and, therefore, we do not intend to comply with the foregoing procedures.
Because we do not intend to comply with Section 280 of the DGCL, Section 281(b) of the DGCL requires us to adopt a plan, based on facts known to us at such time that will provide for our payment of all existing and pending claims or claims that may be potentially brought against us within the 10 years following our dissolution. However, because we are a blank check company, rather than an operating company, and our operations will be limited to searching for prospective target businesses to acquire, the only likely claims to arise would be from our vendors (such as lawyers, investment bankers, consultants, etc.) or prospective target businesses. If our plan of distribution complies with Section 281(b) of the DGCL, any liability of stockholders with respect to a liquidating distribution is limited to the lesser of such stockholder’s pro rata share of the claim
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or the amount distributed to the stockholder, and any liability of the stockholder would likely be barred after the third anniversary of the dissolution. We cannot assure you that we will properly assess all claims that may be potentially brought against us. As such, our stockholders could potentially be liable for any claims to the extent of distributions received by them (but no more) and any liability of our stockholders may extend beyond the third anniversary of such date.
Furthermore, if the pro rata portion of our trust account distributed to our public stockholders upon the redemption of our public shares in the event we do not complete our initial business combination within the required time period is not considered a liquidating distribution under Delaware law and such redemption distribution is deemed to be unlawful, then pursuant to Section 174 of the DGCL, the statute of limitations for claims of creditors could then be six years after the unlawful redemption distribution, instead of three years, as in the case of a liquidating distribution.
We may not hold an annual meeting of stockholders until after we consummate our initial business combination and you will not be entitled to any of the corporate protections provided by such a meeting.
We may not hold an annual meeting of stockholders until after we consummate our initial business combination (unless required by the NYSE) and thus may not be in compliance with Section 211(b) of the DGCL, which requires an annual meeting of stockholders be held for the purposes of electing directors in accordance with a company’s bylaws unless such election is made by written consent in lieu of such a meeting. Therefore, if our stockholders want us to hold an annual meeting prior to our consummation of our initial business combination, they may attempt to force us to hold one by submitting an application to the Delaware Court of Chancery in accordance with Section 211(c) of the DGCL. Until we hold an annual meeting of stockholders, public stockholders may not be afforded the opportunity to discuss company affairs with management. In addition, prior to our business combination (a) as holders of our Class A common stock, our public stockholders will not have the right to vote on the appointment of our directors and (b) holders of a majority of the outstanding shares of our Class B common stock may remove a member of our board of directors for any reason.
We are not registering the shares of Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the public 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 public warrants, thus precluding such investor from being able to exercise its public warrants except on a “cashless basis” and potentially causing such warrants to expire worthless.
We are not registering the shares of Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the public warrants under the Securities Act or any state securities laws at this time. However, under the terms of the public warrant agreement, 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, and within 60 business days following our initial business combination to have declared effective, a registration statement covering the issuance of the shares of Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the public warrants and to maintain a current prospectus relating to those shares of Class A common stock until the public 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 public warrants are not registered under the Securities Act, we will be required to permit holders to exercise their public warrants on a cashless basis. However, no public 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 public 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 common stock is at the time
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of any exercise of a public warrant not listed on a national securities exchange such that it satisfies 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 public warrants to do so on a “cashless basis” in accordance with Section 3(a)(9) of the Securities Act and, in the event we so elect, we will not be required to file or maintain in effect a registration statement, but we will use our commercially reasonable efforts to register or qualify the shares under applicable blue sky laws to the extent an exemption is not available. In no event will we be required to net cash settle any public warrant, or issue securities or other compensation in exchange for the public warrants in the event that we are unable to register or qualify the shares underlying the public warrants under applicable state securities laws and no exemption is available. If the issuance of the shares upon exercise of the public warrants is not so registered or qualified or exempt from registration or qualification, the holder of such public warrant shall not be entitled to exercise such public warrant and such public warrant may have no value and expire worthless. In such event, holders who acquired their public warrants as part of a purchase of units will have paid the full unit purchase price solely for the shares of Class A common stock included in the units. There may be a circumstance where an exemption from registration exists for holders of our private placement warrants to exercise their private placement 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, officers and advisors) would be able to exercise their warrants and sell the shares of Class A common stock underlying their private placement warrants while holders of our public warrants would not be able to exercise their warrants and sell the underlying shares of Class A common stock. If and when the public warrants become redeemable by us, we may exercise our redemption right even if we are unable to register or qualify the underlying shares of Class A common stock for sale under all applicable state securities laws. As a result, we may redeem public warrants even if the holders are otherwise unable to exercise their public warrants.
The grant of registration rights to our initial stockholders and their permitted transferees may make it more difficult to complete our initial business combination, and the future exercise of such rights may adversely affect the market price of our Class A common stock.
Pursuant to an agreement to be entered into on or prior to the closing of this offering, at or after the time of our initial business combination, our initial stockholders and their permitted transferees can demand that we register the resale of their founder shares after those shares convert to shares of our Class A common stock. In addition, our sponsor and its permitted transferees can demand that we register the resale of the private placement warrants and the shares of Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the private placement warrants, and holders of warrants that may be issued upon conversion of working capital loans may demand that we register the resale of such warrants or the Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of such warrants. We will bear the cost of registering these securities. The registration and availability of such a significant number of securities for trading in the public market may have an adverse effect on the market price of our Class A common stock. In addition, the existence of the registration rights may make our initial business combination more costly or difficult to complete. This is because the stockholders of the target business may increase the equity stake they seek in the combined entity or ask for more cash consideration to offset the negative impact on the market price of our Class A common stock that is expected when the common stock owned by our initial stockholders or their permitted transferees, the private placement warrants or warrants issued in connection with working capital loans are registered for resale.
We may issue notes or other debt securities, or otherwise incur substantial debt, to complete a business combination, which may adversely affect our leverage and financial condition and thus negatively impact the value of our stockholders’ investment in us.
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 and affiliates of our management could potentially provide or arrange such financing. We have agreed that we will not incur any indebtedness unless we have obtained from
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the lender a waiver of any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to the monies held in the trust account. As such, no issuance of debt will affect the per share amount available for redemption from the trust account. Nevertheless, the incurrence of debt could have a variety of negative effects, including:
• | default and foreclosure on our assets if our operating revenues after an initial business combination are insufficient to repay our debt obligations; |
• | acceleration of our obligations to repay the indebtedness even if we make all principal and interest payments when due if we breach certain covenants that require the maintenance of certain financial ratios or reserves without a waiver or renegotiation of that covenant; |
• | our immediate payment of all principal and accrued interest, if any, if the debt is payable on demand; |
• | our inability to obtain necessary additional financing if the debt contains covenants restricting our ability to obtain such financing while the debt is outstanding; |
• | our inability to pay dividends on our common stock; |
• | using a substantial portion of our cash flow to pay principal and interest on our debt, which will reduce the funds available for dividends on our common stock if declared, expenses, capital expenditures, acquisitions and other general corporate purposes; |
• | limitations on our flexibility in planning for and reacting to changes in our business and in the industry in which we operate; |
• | increased vulnerability to adverse changes in general economic, industry and competitive conditions and adverse changes in government regulation; and |
• | limitations on our ability to borrow additional amounts for expenses, capital expenditures, acquisitions, debt service requirements, execution of our strategy and other purposes and other disadvantages compared to our competitors who have less debt. |
Our initial stockholders will control the election of our board of directors until consummation of our initial business combination and will hold a substantial interest in us. As a result, they will elect all of our directors prior to our initial business combination and may exert a substantial influence on actions requiring a stockholder vote, potentially in a manner that you do not support.
Upon the closing of this offering, our initial stockholders will own 20% of our outstanding common stock (assuming they do not purchase any units in this offering). In addition, prior to our initial business combination, holders of our Class B common stock will have the right to appoint all of our directors and may remove members of our board of directors for any reason. Holders of our public shares will have no right to vote on the election of directors during such time. As a result, you will not have any influence over the election of directors prior to our initial business combination.
Neither our initial stockholders nor, to our knowledge, any of our officers, directors or advisors, 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 common stock. In addition, as a result of their substantial ownership in our company, our initial stockholders may exert a substantial influence on other actions requiring a stockholder vote, potentially in a manner that you do not support, including amendments to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and approval of major corporate transactions. Furthermore, 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
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“staggered” board of directors, only a minority of the board of directors will be considered for appointment and our initial stockholders, because of their ownership position, will control the outcome, as only holders of our Class B common stock will have the right to elect all of our directors and remove members of our board of directors for any reason. If our initial stockholders purchase any additional shares of common stock in the aftermarket or in privately negotiated transactions, this would increase their influence over these actions. Accordingly, our initial stockholders will exert significant influence over actions requiring a stockholder vote. See “Proposed Business—Permitted purchases and other transactions with respect to our securities.”
Our initial stockholders paid an aggregate of $25,000, or approximately $0.0035 per founder share, and, accordingly, you will experience immediate and substantial dilution from the purchase of our Class A common stock.
The difference between the public offering price per share (allocating all of the unit purchase price to the common stock and none to the public warrants) and the pro forma net tangible book value per share of our Class A common stock after this offering constitutes the dilution to you and the other investors in this offering. Our initial stockholders acquired the founder shares at a nominal price, significantly contributing to this dilution. Upon the closing of this offering, and assuming no value is ascribed to the public warrants, you and the other public stockholders will incur an immediate and substantial dilution of approximately 109.7% (or $10.97 per share, assuming no exercise of the underwriters’ option to purchase additional units), the difference between the pro forma net tangible book value per share of $(0.97) and the initial offering price of $10.20 per unit. This dilution would increase to the extent that the anti-dilution provisions of the Class B common stock result in the issuance of Class A shares on a greater than one-to-one basis upon conversion of the Class B common stock at the time of our initial business combination and would become exacerbated to the extent that public stockholders seek redemptions from the trust. 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 common stock.
We may amend the terms of the public 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 public warrants could be increased, the public warrants could be converted into cash or stock (at a ratio different than initially provided), the exercise period could be shortened and the number of shares of our Class A common stock purchasable upon exercise of a public warrant could be decreased, all without your approval.
Our public warrants will be issued in registered form under a public warrant agreement between Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, as warrant agent, and us. The public warrant agreement provides that (a) the terms of the public 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 public warrant agreement to the description of the terms of the public warrants and the public warrant agreement set forth in this prospectus, or defective provision or (ii) adding or changing any provisions with respect to matters or questions arising under the public warrant agreement as the parties to the public warrant agreement may deem necessary or desirable and that the parties deem to not adversely affect the rights of the registered holders of the public warrants (iii) providing for the delivery of an “Alternative Issuance” (as defined in the public warrant agreement), and (b) all other modifications or amendments require the vote or written consent of at least 50% of the then outstanding public warrants and (b) all other modifications or amendments require the vote or written consent of at least 50% of the then outstanding public warrants and amending our private warrant agreement will require a vote of at least 50% of the then outstanding private placement warrants and at least 50% of the then outstanding public warrants. Accordingly, we may amend the terms of the public warrants in a manner adverse to a holder if holders of at least 50% of the then outstanding public warrants approve of such amendment. Although our ability to amend the terms of the public warrants with the consent of at least 50% of the then outstanding public warrants is unlimited, examples of such amendments could be amendments to, among other things, increase the exercise price of the public warrants, convert the public warrants into cash or stock (at a ratio different than initially
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provided), shorten the exercise period or decrease the number of shares of our common stock purchasable upon exercise of a public warrant. Furthermore, we will agree to not lower the exercise price of the public warrants or extend the duration of the exercise period of the public warrants without taking the same actions with respect to the private placement warrants and vice versa.
We may redeem your unexpired public warrants prior to their exercise at a time that is disadvantageous to you, thereby making your public warrants worthless.
We have the ability to redeem outstanding public warrants at any time after they become exercisable and prior to their expiration, at a price of $0.01 per warrant if, among other things, the last reported sale price of our Class A common stock has been at least $18.00 per share (as adjusted for stock splits, consolidations, stock dividends, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) for any 10 trading days within a 20 trading-day period ending on the third trading day prior to the date on which the notice of redemption is given to the public warrant holders and provided that certain other conditions are met. If and when the public 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 public warrants as set forth above even if the holders are otherwise unable to exercise the warrants. Redemption of the outstanding public warrants could force you to: (1) exercise your public warrants and pay the exercise price therefor at a time when it may be disadvantageous for you to do so; (2) sell your public warrants at the then-current market price when you might otherwise wish to hold your warrants; or (3) accept the nominal redemption price which, at the time the outstanding warrants are called for redemption, we expect would be substantially less than the market value of your public warrants.
Our warrants and founder shares may have an adverse effect on the market price of our Class A common stock and make it more difficult to effectuate our initial business combination.
We will be issuing public warrants to purchase 12,500,000 shares of our Class A common stock (or up to 14,375,000 shares of our Class A common stock if the underwriters’ option to purchase additional units is exercised in full), at a price of $11.50 per whole share (subject to adjustment as provided herein), 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 transaction an aggregate of 13,535,500 (or 15,035,500 if the underwriters’ option to purchase additional units is exercised in full) private placement warrants, each exercisable to purchase one share of Class A common stock at a price of $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment as provided herein. Our initial stockholders currently hold 7,187,500 founder shares (up to 937,500 of which are subject to forfeiture by our sponsor depending on the extent to which the underwriters’ option to purchase additional units is exercised). The founder shares are convertible into shares of Class A common stock on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustment as set forth herein. In addition, if our sponsor, an affiliate of our sponsor or our officers and directors make any working capital loans, up to $2,000,000 of such loans may be converted into private placement 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.
To the extent we issue shares of Class A common stock to effectuate our initial business combination, the potential for the issuance of a substantial number of additional shares of Class A common stock upon exercise of these warrants or conversion rights could make us a less attractive acquisition vehicle to a target business. Any such issuance will increase the number of outstanding shares of our Class A common stock and reduce the value of the Class A common stock issued to complete the business combination. Therefore, our warrants and founder shares may make it more difficult to effectuate a business combination or increase the cost of acquiring the target business.
The private placement warrants are identical to the public warrants, except that: (1) they will not be redeemable by us (except as described under “Description of Securities—Warrants—Public Stockholders’ Warrants”); (2) they (including the Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of these private placement
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warrants) may not, subject to certain limited exceptions, be transferred, assigned or sold by our sponsor until 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination; (3) our sponsor, or its permitted transferees, may exercise their private placement warrants on a cashless basis; and (4) the holders thereof (including with respect to the shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of these private placement warrants) are entitled to registration rights.
Because each unit contains one-half of one redeemable public warrant and only a whole public 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 public warrant. Pursuant to the public warrant agreement, no fractional public warrants will be issued upon separation of the units, and only whole units will trade. This is different from other offerings similar to ours whose units include one share of Class A common stock and one whole warrant 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 public warrants upon completion of a business combination since the public warrants will be exercisable in the aggregate for a third of the number of shares compared to units that each contain a whole public warrant to purchase one whole share, thus making us, we believe, a more attractive business combination partner for target businesses. Nevertheless, this unit structure may cause our units to be worth less than if they included a public warrant to purchase one whole share.
Our warrant agreements will designate the courts of the City of New York, County of New York, State of New York, the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York or the federal district courts of the United States as the exclusive forums for certain types of actions and proceedings that may be initiated by holders of our warrants, which could limit the ability of holders of our warrants to obtain a favorable judicial forum for disputes with our company.
Our warrant agreements 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 agreements will be brought and enforced in the courts of the City of New York, County of New York, State of New York or the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, and (ii) that we irrevocably submit to such jurisdiction, which jurisdiction shall be the exclusive forum for any such action, proceeding or claim. We will waive any objection to such exclusive jurisdiction and that such courts represent an inconvenient forum.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, these provisions of our warrant agreements will not apply to suits brought to enforce any liability or duty created by the Securities Act, the Exchange Act or any other claim for which the federal district courts of the United States of America shall be 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 agreements. If any action, the subject matter of which is within the scope the forum provisions of our warrant agreements, is filed in a court other than a court of the City of New York, County of New York, State of New York or the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, a “foreign action” in the name of any holder of our warrants, such holder of our warrants 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, and (y) having service of process made upon such holder of our warrants in any such action brought in such court to enforce the forum provisions by service upon such holder’s counsel in the foreign action as agent for such holder.
This choice-of-forum provision may limit the ability of a holder of our warrants to bring a claim in a judicial forum that it finds favorable for disputes with our company, which may discourage such lawsuits. Warrant holders who are unable to bring their claims in the judicial forum of their choosing may be required to incur additional costs in pursuit of actions which are subject to our choice-of-forum provision. However, the enforceability of similar exclusive forum provisions (including exclusive federal forum provisions for actions, suits or proceedings asserting a cause of action arising under the Securities Act) in other companies’ organizational documents has been challenged in legal proceedings, and there is uncertainty as to whether
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courts would enforce the exclusive forum provisions in our warrant agreement. Additionally, our stockholders cannot waive compliance with the federal securities laws and the rules and regulations thereunder. Alternatively, if a court were to find these provisions of our warrant agreements to be 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.
A provision of our warrant agreements may make it more difficult for us to consummate an initial business combination.
Unlike most blank check companies, if (i) we issue additional shares of Class A common stock or equity-linked securities for capital raising purposes in connection with the closing of our initial business combination at a Newly Issued Price of less than $9.20 per share of Class A common stock, (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 of Class A common stock, 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, in the case of the public warrants only, the $18.00 per share redemption trigger prices described under “Description of Securities—Warrants—Public Stockholders’ Warrants—Redemption of public warrants” will be adjusted (to the nearest cent) to be equal to 180% of the higher of the Market Value and the Newly Issued Price. This may make it more difficult for us to consummate an initial business combination with a target business.
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The nominal purchase price paid by our sponsor for the founder shares may result in significant dilution to the implied value of your public shares upon the consummation of our initial business combination.
We are offering our units at an offering price of $10.00 per unit and the amount in our trust account is initially anticipated to be $10.20 per public share, implying an initial value of $10.20 per public share. However, prior to this offering, our sponsor paid a nominal aggregate purchase price of $25,000 for the founder shares, or approximately $0.0035 per share. As a result, the value of your public shares may be significantly diluted upon the consummation of our initial business combination, when the founder shares are converted into public shares. For example, the following table shows the dilutive effect of the founder shares on the implied value of the public shares upon the consummation of our initial business combination, assuming that our equity value at that time is $246,250,000, which is the amount we would have for our initial business combination in the trust account after payment of $8,750,000 of deferred underwriting commissions, assuming the underwriters’ over-allotment option is not exercised, no interest is earned on the funds held in the trust account, and no public shares are redeemed in connection with our initial business combination, and without taking into account any other potential impacts on our valuation at such time, such as the trading price of our public shares, the business combination transaction costs, any equity issued or cash paid to the target’s sellers or other third parties, or the target’s business itself, including its assets, liabilities, management and prospects, as well as the value of our public and private warrants. At such valuation, each of our shares of common stock would have an implied value of $7.88 per share upon consummation of our initial business combination, which would be a 22.8% decrease as compared to the initial implied value per public share of $10.20 (the price per unit in this offering, assuming no value to the public warrants).
Public shares | 25,000,000 | |||
Founder shares(1) | 6,250,000 | |||
Total shares | 31,250,000 | |||
Total funds in trust available for initial business combination (less deferred underwriting commissions) | $ | 246,250,000 | ||
Initial implied value per public share | $ | 10.20 | ||
Implied value per share upon consummation of initial business combination | $ | 7.88 |
(1) | Assumes over-allotment option has not been exercised and 937,500 shares were forfeited by our sponsor. |
The value of the founder shares following completion of our initial business combination is likely to be substantially higher than the nominal price paid for them, even if the trading price of our common stock at such time is substantially less than $10.20 per share.
Upon the closing of this offering, assuming no exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option, our sponsor will have invested in us an aggregate of $13,560,500, comprised of the $25,000 purchase price for the founder shares and the $13,535,500 purchase price for the private placement warrants. Assuming a trading price of $10.00 per share upon consummation of our initial business combination, the 6,250,000 founder shares would have an aggregate implied value of $48,250,000 (assuming no value is attributed to the public warrants included in the units we are offering pursuant to this prospectus or the private placement warrants). Even if the trading price of our common stock was as low as approximately $1.28 per share, the value of the founder shares would be equal to the sponsor’s initial investment in us. As a result, our sponsor is likely to be able to recoup its investment in us and make a substantial profit on that investment, even if our public shares have lost significant value. Accordingly, our management team, which owns interests in our sponsor, may have an economic incentive that differs from that of the public stockholders to pursue and consummate an initial business combination rather than to liquidate and to return all of the cash in the trust to the public stockholders, even if that business combination were with a riskier or less-established target business. For the foregoing reasons, you should consider our management team’s financial incentive to complete an initial business combination when evaluating whether to redeem your shares prior to or in connection with the initial business combination.
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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 determining the size of this offering, management held customary organizational meetings with representatives of the underwriters, both prior to our inception and thereafter, with respect to the state of capital markets, generally, and the amount the underwriters believed they 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 common stock and public warrants underlying the units, include:
• | the history and prospects of companies whose principal business is the acquisition of other companies; |
• | prior offerings of those companies; |
• | our prospects for acquiring an operating business at attractive values; |
• | a review of debt to equity ratios in leveraged transactions; |
• | our capital structure; |
• | an assessment of our management and their experience in identifying suitable acquisition opportunities; |
• | general conditions of the securities markets at the time of this offering; and |
• | 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. Stockholders 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 and other events (such as terrorist attacks, natural disasters or a significant outbreak of other infectious diseases). 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.
Because we must furnish our stockholders with target business financial statements, we may lose the ability to complete an otherwise advantageous initial business combination with some prospective target businesses.
The federal proxy rules require that a proxy statement with respect to a vote on a business combination meeting certain financial significance tests include historical and/or pro forma financial statement disclosure in periodic reports. We will include the same financial statement disclosure in connection with our tender offer documents, whether or not they are required under the tender offer rules. These financial statements may be required to be prepared in accordance with, or be reconciled to, accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America, or GAAP, or international financial reporting standards as issued by the International Accounting Standards Board, or IFRS, depending on the circumstances and the historical financial statements may be required to be audited in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States), or PCAOB. These financial statement requirements may limit the pool of potential target businesses we may acquire because some targets may be unable to provide such financial statements in time for us to disclose such financial statements in accordance with federal proxy rules and complete our initial business combination within the prescribed time frame.
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Compliance obligations under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act may make it more difficult for us to effectuate our initial business combination, require substantial financial and management resources, and increase the time and costs of completing an acquisition.
Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act requires that we evaluate and report on our system of internal 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 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.
Provisions in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and Delaware law may inhibit a takeover of us, which could limit the price investors might be willing to pay in the future for our Class A common stock and could entrench our management.
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will contain provisions that may discourage unsolicited takeover proposals that stockholders may consider to be in their best interests. These provisions include a staggered board of directors and the ability of the board of directors to designate the terms of and issue new series of preferred common stock. We are also subject to anti-takeover provisions under Delaware law, which could delay or prevent a change of control. Together these provisions may make more difficult the removal of our management and may discourage transactions that otherwise could involve payment of a premium over prevailing market prices for our securities.
Risks Relating to Our Management Team
Our officers and directors will allocate their time to other businesses thereby causing conflicts of interest in their determination as to how much time to devote to our affairs. This conflict of interest could have a negative impact on our ability to complete our initial business combination.
Our officers and directors are not required to, and will not, commit their full time to our affairs, which may result in a conflict of interest in allocating their time between our operations and our search for a business combination and their other responsibilities. In addition, while we expect that our advisors will assist us in identifying business combination targets, they have no obligation to do so and may devote a substantial portion of their business time to activities unrelated to us. We do not intend to have any full-time employees prior to the completion of our business combination. Each of our officers, directors and advisors is engaged in several other business endeavors for which he or she may be entitled to substantial compensation and our officers, directors and advisors are not obligated to contribute any specific number of hours per week to our affairs. Our independent directors also serve as officers and/or board members for other entities. If our officers’, directors’ and advisors’ 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. See “Management—Executive Officers, Directors and Director Nominees and Advisors” for a discussion of our officers’ and directors’ other business affairs.
We are dependent upon our officers and directors and their departure could adversely affect our ability to operate.
Our operations are dependent upon a relatively small group of individuals. We believe that our success depends on the continued service of our officers and directors, at least until we have completed our initial business combination. We do not have an employment agreement with, or key-man insurance on the life of, any
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of our directors or officers. The unexpected loss of the services of one or more of our directors or officers could have a detrimental effect on us.
Our ability to successfully effect our initial business combination and to be successful thereafter will be dependent upon the efforts of our key personnel, some of whom may join us following our initial business combination. The loss of key personnel could negatively impact the operations and profitability of our post-combination business.
Our ability to successfully effect our initial business combination is dependent upon the efforts of our key personnel. The role of our key personnel in the target business, however, cannot presently be ascertained. Although some of our key personnel may remain with the target business in senior management or advisory positions following our initial business combination, we do not currently expect that any of them will do so. While we intend to closely scrutinize any individuals we engage after our initial business combination, we cannot assure you that our assessment of these individuals will prove to be correct. These individuals may be unfamiliar with the requirements of operating a company regulated by the SEC, which could cause us to have to expend time and resources helping them become familiar with such requirements.
In addition, the officers and directors of an acquisition candidate may resign upon completion of our initial business combination. The departure of a business combination target’s key personnel could negatively impact the operations and profitability of our post-combination business. The role of an acquisition candidate’s key personnel upon the completion of our initial business combination cannot be ascertained at this time. Although we contemplate that certain members of an acquisition candidate’s management team will remain associated with the acquisition candidate following our initial business combination, it is possible that members of the management of an acquisition candidate will not wish to remain in place. The loss of key personnel could negatively impact the operations and profitability of our post-combination business.
Our key personnel may negotiate employment or consulting agreements with a target business in connection with a particular business combination, and a particular business combination may be conditioned on the retention or resignation of such key personnel. These agreements may cause our key personnel to have conflicts of interest in determining whether to proceed with a particular business combination. However, we do not expect that any of our key personnel will remain with us after the completion of our initial business combination.
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 direct and indirect personal and financial interests of such individuals may influence their motivation in identifying and selecting a target business. However, we believe the ability of such individuals to remain with us after the completion of our initial business combination will not be the determining factor in our decision as to whether or not we will proceed with any potential business combination, as we do not expect that any of our key personnel will remain with us after the completion of our initial business combination.
We may have a limited ability to assess the management of a prospective target business and, as a result, may effect 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’s management, therefore, may prove to be
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incorrect and such management may lack the skills, qualifications or abilities we suspected. Should the target’s management not possess the skills, qualifications or abilities necessary to manage a public company, the operations and profitability of the post-combination business may be negatively impacted. Accordingly, any stockholders or warrant holders who choose to remain a stockholder or warrant holder following our initial business combination could suffer a reduction in the value of their securities. Such stockholders or warrant holders are unlikely to have a remedy for such reduction in value.
The officers and directors of an acquisition candidate may resign upon completion of our initial business combination. The departure of a business combination target’s key personnel could negatively impact the operations and profitability of our post-combination business. The role of an acquisition candidate’s key personnel upon the completion of our initial business combination cannot be ascertained at this time. Although we contemplate that certain members of an acquisition candidate’s management team will remain associated with the acquisition candidate following our initial business combination, it is possible that members of the management of an acquisition candidate will not wish to remain in place.
Certain of our officers and directors are now, and all of them may in the future become, affiliated with entities engaged in business activities similar to those intended to be conducted by us and, accordingly, may have conflicts of interest in determining to which entity a particular business opportunity or other transaction 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, selecting and combining with one or more businesses. Our sponsor, its members, and our officers and directors are, or may in the future become, affiliated with entities (such as operating companies or investment vehicles) that are engaged in a similar business. We do not have employment contracts with our officers and directors that will limit their ability to work at other businesses.
As described under “Proposed Business—Sourcing of Potential Business Combination Targets” and “Management—Conflicts of Interest,” our officers and directors, our sponsor and its members presently has, and any of them in the future may have additional, fiduciary, contractual or other obligations or duties to one or more other entities pursuant to which such officer or director is or will be required to present a business combination opportunity to such entities. Accordingly, if any of our officers or directors, or our sponsor or any of its members, becomes aware of a business combination opportunity which is suitable for one or more entities to which he or she has fiduciary, contractual or other obligations or duties, he or she will honor these obligations and duties to present such business combination opportunity to such entities first, and only present it to us if such entities reject the opportunity and he or she determines to present the opportunity to us (including as described under “Proposed Business—Sourcing of Potential Business Combination Targets”). These conflicts may not be resolved in our favor and a potential target business opportunity may be presented to another entity prior to its presentation to us. Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will provide that we renounce our interest in any corporate opportunity offered to any director or officer unless such opportunity is expressly offered to such person solely in his or her capacity as a director or officer of our company and such opportunity is one we are legally and contractually permitted to undertake and would otherwise be reasonable for us to pursue.
In addition, none of our advisors are officers or directors of our company and, therefore, owe us no fiduciary duties as such. While we expect that they will assist us in identifying business combination targets, they have no obligation to do so and may devote a substantial portion of their business time to activities unrelated to us. Our advisors may have fiduciary, contractual or other obligations or duties to other organizations to present business combination opportunities to such other organizations rather than to us. Accordingly, if any advisor becomes aware of a business combination opportunity which is suitable for one or more entities to which such advisor has fiduciary, contractual or other obligations or duties, such advisor will honor those obligations and duties to present such business combination opportunity to such entities first and only present it to us if such entities reject the opportunity and such advisor determines to present the opportunity to us. These conflicts may not be resolved in our favor and a potential business opportunity may be presented to another entity prior to its presentation to us.
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See “Management—Executive Officers, Directors and Director Nominees and Advisors,” “Management—Conflicts of Interest” and “Certain Relationships and Related Party Transactions” for a discussion of our officers’ and directors’ business affiliations and potential conflicts of interest.
Members of our management team and board of directors have significant experience as founders, board members, officers, executives or employees of other companies. Certain of those persons have been, may be, or may become, involved in litigation, investigations or other proceedings, including related to those companies or otherwise. The defense or prosecution of these matters could be time-consuming and could divert our management’s attention, and may have an adverse effect on us, which may impede our ability to consummate an initial business combination.
During the course of their careers, members of our management team and board of directors have had significant experience as founders, board members, officers, executives or employees of other companies. As a result of their involvement and positions in these companies, certain of those persons have been, may be or may in the future become involved in litigation, investigations or other proceedings, including relating to the business affairs of such companies, transactions entered into by such companies, or otherwise. Individual members of our management team and board of directors also may become involved in litigation, investigations or other proceedings involving claims or allegations related to or as a result of their personal conduct, either in their capacity as a corporate officer or director or otherwise, and may be personally named in such actions and potentially subject to personal liability. Any such liability may or may not be covered by insurance and/or indemnification, depending on the facts and circumstances. The defense or prosecution of these matters could be time-consuming. Any litigation, investigations or other proceedings and the potential outcomes of such actions may divert the attention and resources of our management team and board of directors away from identifying and selecting a target business or businesses for our initial business combination and may negatively affect our reputation, which may impede our ability to complete an initial business combination.
Our officers, directors, advisors, security holders or their respective affiliates may have competitive pecuniary interests that conflict with our interests.
We have not adopted a policy that expressly prohibits our directors, officers, advisors, security holders or their respective affiliates (including our sponsor and the members or our sponsor) 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, any of its members, our directors, officers or advisors, or we may pursue an affiliated joint acquisition opportunity with any such persons. We do not have a policy that expressly prohibits any such persons from engaging for their own account in business activities of the types conducted by us. Accordingly, such persons or entities may have a conflict between their interests and ours.
We may engage in a business combination with one or more target businesses that have relationships with entities that may be affiliated with our officers or directors which may raise potential conflicts of interest.
In light of the involvement of our sponsor, its members and our officers and directors with other businesses, we may decide to acquire one or more businesses affiliated with or competitive with our sponsor, any of its members, our officers or directors and their respective affiliates. Our officers and directors also serve as officers and/or board members for other entities, including, without limitation, those described under “Management—Conflicts of Interest.” Such entities and entities affiliated with our sponsor and its members, may compete with us for business combination opportunities. Our 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 for a business combination as set forth under “Proposed Business—Selection 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 from an independent accounting firm, regarding the fairness to our
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company from a financial point of view of a business combination with one or more domestic or international businesses affiliated with our sponsor, officers or directors, 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 stockholders as they would be absent any conflicts of interest.
Since our initial stockholders will lose their entire investment in us if our initial business combination is not completed (other than with respect to any public shares they may hold), a conflict of interest may arise in determining whether a particular business combination target is appropriate for our initial business combination.
On May 18, 2021, our sponsor purchased an aggregate of 7,187,500 founder shares for an aggregate purchase price of $25,000, resulting in an effective purchase price per founder share of approximately $0.0035. If we increase or decrease the size of this offering, we will effect a stock dividend or share contribution back to capital or other appropriate mechanism, as applicable, with respect to our Class B common stock immediately prior to the consummation of this offering in such amount as to maintain the number of founder shares at 20% of the outstanding shares of our common stock upon the consummation of this offering. The founder shares will be worthless if we do not complete an initial business combination. Additionally, members of our management team may directly or indirectly own our securities following this offering, including founder shares, and accordingly, 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. See “Principal Stockholders” for additional information.
In addition, our sponsor has committed to purchase an aggregate of 13,535,500 (or 15,035,500 if the underwriters’ option to purchase additional units is exercised in full) private placement warrants for a purchase price of $13,535,500 (or $15,035,500 if the underwriters’ option to purchase additional units is exercised in full), or $1.00 per private placement warrant, that will also be worthless if we do not complete our initial business combination. Each private placement 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 provided herein.
The founder shares are identical to the shares of common stock included in the units being sold in this offering, except that: (1) prior to our initial business combination, only holders of the Class B common stock have the right to vote on the election of directors and holders of a majority of the outstanding shares of our Class B common stock may remove members of our board of directors for any reason; (2) our initial stockholders, officers, directors and advisors have entered into a letter agreement with us, pursuant to which they have agreed to waive: (a) their redemption rights with respect to any founder shares and any public shares held by them in connection with our initial business combination, (b) their redemption rights with respect to any founder shares and public shares held by them in connection with a stockholder vote to approve an amendment to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation (I) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemptions in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we have not consummated our initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering or (II) with respect to any other material provision relating to stockholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity; and (c) their rights to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to any founder shares held by them if we fail to complete our initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering (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); (3) the founder shares are subject to certain transfer restrictions, as described under “Description of Securities—Founder Shares”; (4) the founder shares are automatically convertible into shares of our Class A common stock at the time of our initial business combination, or earlier at the option of the holder, on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustment pursuant to certain anti-dilution rights, as described herein; and (5) the holders of founder shares are entitled to registration rights.
The direct and indirect personal and financial interests of our sponsor, its members, and our officers, directors and advisors may influence their motivation in identifying and selecting a target business combination, completing an initial business combination and influencing the operation of the business following the initial business combination. This risk may become more acute as the deadline for completing our initial business combination nears.
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Risks Associated with Acquiring and Operating a Business in Foreign Countries
If our management team pursues a company with operations or opportunities outside of the United States for our initial business combination, we may face additional burdens in connection with investigating, agreeing to and completing such combination, and if we effect such initial business combination, we would be subject to a variety of additional risks that may negatively impact our operations.
If our management team pursues a company with operations or opportunities outside of the United States for our initial business combination, we would be subject to risks associated with cross-border business combinations, including in connection with investigating, agreeing to and completing our initial business combination, conducting due diligence in a foreign market, having such transaction approved by any local governments, regulators or agencies and changes in the purchase price based on fluctuations in foreign exchange rates.
If we effect our initial business combination with such a company, we would be subject to any special considerations or risks associated with companies operating in an international setting, including any of the following:
• | costs and difficulties inherent in managing cross-border business operations and complying with commercial and legal requirements of overseas markets; |
• | rules and regulations regarding currency redemption; |
• | complex corporate withholding taxes on individuals; |
• | laws governing the manner in which future business combinations may be effected; |
• | tariffs and trade barriers; |
• | regulations related to customs and import/export matters; |
• | longer payment cycles; |
• | changes in local regulations as part of a response to the COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak or a significant outbreak of other infectious diseases; |
• | tax consequences; |
• | currency fluctuations and exchange controls; |
• | rates of inflation; |
• | challenges in collecting accounts receivable; |
• | cultural and language differences; |
• | employment regulations; |
• | crime, strikes, riots, civil disturbances, terrorist attacks and wars; |
• | deterioration of political relations with the United States; |
• | obligatory military service by personnel; and |
• | government appropriation of assets. |
We may not be able to adequately address these additional risks. If we were unable to do so, we may be unable to complete such combination or, if we complete such combination, our operations might suffer, either of which may adversely impact our results of operations and financial condition.
If our management following our initial business combination is unfamiliar with U.S. securities laws, they may have to expend time and resources becoming familiar with such laws, which could lead to various regulatory issues.
Following our initial business combination, any or all of our management could resign from their positions as officers of the post-business combination company, and the management of the target business at the time of the business combination could remain in place. Management of the target business may not be familiar with
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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.
We may reincorporate in another jurisdiction in connection with our initial business combination and such reincorporation may result in taxes imposed on our stockholders or warrant holders.
We may, in connection with our initial business combination and subject to requisite stockholder approval under the DGCL, reincorporate in the jurisdiction in which the target company or business is located or in another jurisdiction. The transaction may require a stockholder or warrant holder to recognize taxable income in the jurisdiction in which the stockholder or warrant holder is a tax resident or in which its members are resident if it is a tax transparent entity (or may otherwise result in adverse tax consequences). We do not intend to make any cash distributions to stockholders or warrant holders to pay such taxes. Stockholders or warrant holders may be subject to withholding taxes or other taxes with respect to their ownership of us after the reincorporation.
General Risk Factors
We have no operating history and no revenues, and you have no basis on which to evaluate our ability to achieve our business objective.
We have 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 not selected any specific business combination target and we have not, nor has anyone on our behalf, engaged in any substantive discussions, directly or indirectly, with any business combination target with respect to an initial business combination with us 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 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 September 30, 2021, we had cash and a working capital deficit of $284,591 and $331,191, respectively. Further, we have incurred and expect to continue to incur significant costs in pursuit of our acquisition plans. Our management’s plans to address this need for capital through this offering are discussed under “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.” Our plans to raise capital and to consummate our initial business combination may not be successful. 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.
Past performance by members of our management team may not be indicative of future performance of an investment in us.
Information regarding performance by, or businesses associated with, members of our management team is presented for informational purposes only. Any past experience and performance, including related to acquisitions, of members of our management team is not a guarantee either: (1) that we will be able to successfully identify and select a suitable candidate for our initial business combination; or (2) of any results with respect to any initial business combination we may consummate. You should not rely on the historical record and performance of members of our management team as indicative of the future performance of an investment in us or the returns we will, or are likely to, generate going forward.
Certain agreements related to this offering may be amended without stockholder approval.
Certain agreements, including the letter agreement among us and our sponsor, officers, directors and advisors, and the registration rights agreement among us and our initial stockholders, may be amended without stockholder approval. These agreements contain various provisions, including transfer restrictions on our founder
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shares, that our public stockholders might deem to be material. For example, our letter agreement and the underwriting agreement contain certain lock-up provisions with respect to the founder shares, private placement warrants and other securities held by our initial stockholders, sponsor, officers and directors. Amendments to such agreements would require the consent of the applicable parties thereto and would need to be approved by our board of directors, which may do so for a variety of reasons, including to facilitate our initial business combination. While we do not expect our board of directors to approve any amendment to any of these agreements prior to our initial business combination, it may be possible that our board of directors, in exercising its business judgment and subject to its fiduciary duties, chooses to approve one or more amendments to any such agreement in connection with the consummation of our initial business combination. Any such amendments would not require approval from our stockholders, may result in the completion of our initial business combination that may not otherwise have been possible, and may have an adverse effect on the value of an investment in our securities.
We are an emerging growth company and a smaller reporting company within the meaning of the Securities Act, and if we take advantage of certain exemptions from disclosure requirements available to emerging growth companies or smaller reporting companies, this could make our securities less attractive to investors and may make it more difficult to compare our performance with other public companies.
We are an “emerging growth company” within the meaning of the Securities Act, as modified by the JOBS Act, and we may take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not emerging growth companies including, but not limited to, not being required to comply with the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in our periodic reports and proxy statements, and exemptions from the requirements of holding a nonbinding advisory vote on executive compensation and stockholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved. As a result, our stockholders may not have access to certain information they may deem important. We could be an emerging growth company for up to five years, although circumstances could cause us to lose that status earlier, including if the market value of our common stock held by non-affiliates exceeds $700 million as of the end of any second quarter of a fiscal year, in which case we would no longer be an emerging growth company as of the end of such fiscal year. We cannot predict whether investors will find our securities less attractive because we will rely on these exemptions. If some investors find our securities less attractive as a result of our reliance on these exemptions, the trading prices of our securities may be lower than they otherwise would be, there may be a less active trading market for our securities and the trading prices of our securities may be more volatile.
Further, Section 102(b)(1) of the JOBS Act exempts emerging growth companies from being required to comply with new or revised financial accounting standards until private companies (that is, those that have not had a Securities Act registration statement declared effective or do not have a class of securities registered under the Exchange Act) are required to comply with the new or revised financial accounting standards. The JOBS Act provides that a company can elect to opt out of the extended transition period and comply with the requirements that apply to non-emerging growth companies but any such election to opt out is irrevocable. We have elected not to opt out of such extended transition period which means that when a standard is issued or revised and it has different application dates for public or private companies, we, as an emerging growth company, can adopt the new or revised standard at the time private companies adopt the new or revised standard. This may make comparison of our financial statements with another public company 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 common stock held by non-affiliates exceeds $250 million as of the end of that year’s second fiscal quarter, or (2) our annual revenues exceeded $100 million during such completed fiscal year and the market value of our common stock held by non-affiliates
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exceeds $700 million as of the end of that year’s second fiscal quarter. To the extent we take advantage of such reduced disclosure obligations, it may also make comparison of our financial statements with other public companies difficult or impossible.
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 NYSE, the NYSE may consider us to be a “controlled company” within the meaning of the NYSE 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 NYSE may consider us to be a “controlled company” within the meaning of the NYSE corporate governance standards. Under the NYSE 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 NYSE.
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will designate the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware as the sole and exclusive forum for certain types of actions and proceedings that may be initiated by our stockholders, which could limit our stockholders’ ability to obtain a favorable judicial forum for disputes with our company or our company’s directors, officers or other employees.
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will provide that, unless we consent in writing to the selection of an alternative forum, the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware shall be the sole and exclusive forum for any (1) derivative action or proceeding brought on behalf of our company, (2) action asserting a claim of breach of a fiduciary duty owed by any current or former director, officer, or other employee of our company to our company or our stockholders, (3) action asserting a claim against our company or any director, officer or employee of our company arising pursuant to any provision of the DGCL or our amended and restated certificate of incorporation or our bylaws, or (4) action asserting a claim against us or any director or officer of our company governed by the internal affairs doctrine except for, as to each of (1) through (4) above, any claim (a) as to which the Court of Chancery determines that there is an indispensable party not subject to the jurisdiction of the Court of Chancery (and the indispensable party does not consent to the personal jurisdiction of the Court of Chancery within ten days following such determination), (b) which is vested in the exclusive jurisdiction of a court or forum other than the Court of Chancery, (c) for which the Court of Chancery does not have subject matter jurisdiction or (d) any action arising under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, as to which the federal district courts of the United States are the exclusive forum. Notwithstanding the foregoing, these provisions will not apply to suits brought to enforce a duty or liability created by the Exchange Act or any other claim for which the federal courts have exclusive jurisdiction. Any person or entity purchasing or otherwise acquiring any interest in any shares of our capital stock shall be deemed to have notice of and to have consented to the forum provisions in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation. If any action the subject matter of which is within the scope the forum provisions is filed in a court other than a court located within the State of Delaware (a “foreign action”) in the name of any stockholder, such stockholder shall be deemed to have consented to: (x) the personal jurisdiction of the state and federal courts located within the State of Delaware in connection with any action brought in any such court to enforce the forum provisions (an “enforcement action”), and (y) having service of process made upon such stockholder in any such enforcement action by service upon such stockholder’s counsel in the foreign action as agent for such stockholder. This forum selection clause may discourage claims or limit stockholders’ ability to submit claims in a judicial forum that they find favorable and may result in additional costs for a stockholder seeking to bring a claim. While we believe the risk of a court declining to enforce this forum selection clause is low, if a court were to determine the forum selection clause to be inapplicable or unenforceable in an action, we may incur additional costs in conjunction with our efforts to resolve the dispute in an alternative jurisdiction, which could have a negative impact on our results of operations and financial condition and result in a diversion of the time and resources of our management and board of directors.
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We intend to account for our warrants as equity. If it were later determined that our warrants should have been accounted for as a liability, we might be required to restate our financial statements and the warrants would be recorded at fair value, with any changes in fair value each period reported in earnings. Treating our warrants as a liability could cause us to incur significant expense, have an adverse effect on the market price of our common stock and make it more difficult for us to consummate an initial business combination.
On April 12, 2021, the staff of the SEC issued a public statement entitled “Staff Statement on Accounting and Reporting Considerations for Warrants issued by Special Purpose Acquisition Companies (“SPACs”) (the “Staff Statement”). In the Staff Statement, the SEC staff expressed its view that, in accordance with the guidance contained in Derivatives and Hedging — Contracts in Entity’s Own Equity (ASC 815-40), certain terms and conditions common to SPAC warrants may require those warrants to be classified as liabilities on the SPAC’s balance sheet as opposed to equity.
We have modified the terms and conditions of our warrants in order to address the issues raised in the Staff Statement, and we intend to account for our warrants as equity. If it is later determined that our warrants should have been classified as a liability, we may have to assess the impact of that determination on our financial statements, and we might be required to restate previously-issued financial statements to reflect the treatment of the warrants as a liability. We would also be required to classify our warrants as a liability at their fair value. That liability would be subject to re-measurement at each balance sheet date. With each such re-measurement, the warrant liability would be adjusted to fair value, with the change in fair value recognized in our statement of operations and therefore our reported earnings. The impact of such changes in fair value on earnings could have an adverse effect on the market price of our stock. Furthermore, a restatement, if required, could result in significant expense, and could potentially delay our initial business combination. In addition, if our warrants are classified as a liability, we will have to incur significant expense in valuing such liabilities on a quarterly and annual basis, potential targets may seek a SPAC that does not have warrants that are accounted for as a warrant liability and such classification and ongoing expense may make it more difficult for us to complete an initial business combination.
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 common stock and the one-half of a public warrant to purchase one Class A common stock 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 public warrants included in the units we are issuing in this offering is unclear under current law, and the adjustment to the exercise price and/or redemption price of the public warrants could give rise to dividend income to investors without a corresponding payment of cash. Finally, it is unclear whether the redemption rights with respect to our common stock suspend the running of a U.S. Holder’s (as defined in “United States Federal Income Tax Considerations”) holding period for purposes of determining whether any gain or loss realized by such U.S. Holder on the sale or exchange of Class A common stock 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 “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 own tax advisors with respect to these and other tax consequences when purchasing, holding or disposing of our securities.
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CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
Some statements contained in this prospectus are, and oral statements made from time to time by our representatives may be, forward-looking in nature. 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,” “target,” “goal,” “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:
• | our ability to select an appropriate target business or businesses; |
• | our ability to complete our initial business combination; |
• | our expectations around the performance of a prospective target business or businesses; |
• | our success in retaining or recruiting, or changes required in, our officers, key employees or directors following our initial business combination; |
• | our 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; |
• | our potential ability to obtain additional financing to complete our initial business combination; |
• | our pool of prospective target businesses, including the location and industry of such target businesses; |
• | our ability to consummate an initial business combination due to the uncertainty resulting from the recent COVID-19 pandemic and other events (such as terrorist attacks, natural disasters or a significant outbreak of other infectious diseases); |
• | the ability of our officers, directors and advisors to generate a number of potential business combination opportunities; |
• | our public securities’ potential liquidity and trading; |
• | the lack of a market for our securities; |
• | the use of proceeds not held in the trust account or available to us from interest income on the trust account balance; |
• | the trust account not being subject to claims of third parties; or |
• | 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 “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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We are offering 25,000,000 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 Option to Purchase Additional Units | Option to Purchase Additional Units Exercised in Full | |||||||
Gross proceeds | ||||||||
Gross proceeds from units offered to public(1) | $ | 250,000,000 | $ | 287,500,000 | ||||
Gross proceeds from private placement warrants offered in the private placements | 13,535,500 | 15,035,500 | ||||||
Total gross proceeds | $ | 263,535,500 | $ | 302,535,500 | ||||
Estimated offering expenses(2) | ||||||||
Underwriting commissions (2.0% of gross proceeds from units offered to public, excluding deferred portion)(3) | $ | 5,000,000 | $ | 5,750,000 | ||||
Legal fees and expenses | 300,000 | 300,000 | ||||||
Printing and engraving expenses | 40,000 | 40,000 | ||||||
Accounting fees and expenses | 30,000 | 30,000 | ||||||
SEC expenses | 31,367 | 31,367 | ||||||
FINRA expenses | 43,625 | 43,625 | ||||||
Travel and road show | 10,000 | 10,000 | ||||||
NYSE listing and filing fees | 85,000 | 85,000 | ||||||
Miscellaneous expenses(4) | 360,008 | 360,008 | ||||||
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Total estimated offering expenses (other than underwriting commissions) | 900,000 | 900,000 | ||||||
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Proceeds after estimated offering expenses | $ | 257,635,500 | $ | 295,885,500 | ||||
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Held in trust account(3) | $ | 255,000,000 | $ | 293,250,000 | ||||
% of public offering size | 102 | % | 102 | % | ||||
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Not held in trust account | $ | 2,635,500 | $ | 2,635,500 | ||||
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The following table shows the use of the approximately $2,635,500 of estimated net proceeds not held in the trust account.(5)
Amount | % of Total | |||||||
Legal, accounting, due diligence, travel and other expenses in connection with any business combination(6) | $ | 360,000 | 13.7 | % | ||||
Legal and accounting fees related to regulatory reporting obligations | 120,000 | 4.6 | ||||||
Payment for office space and administrative and support services(7) | 840,000 | 31.9 | ||||||
Directors and officers insurance premiums | 1,000,000 | 37.9 | ||||||
Reserve for liquidation expenses | 100,000 | 3.8 | ||||||
NYSE continued listing fees | 85,000 | 3.2 | ||||||
Working capital to cover miscellaneous expenses (including franchise taxes net of anticipated interest income) | 130,500 | 4.9 | ||||||
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Total | $ | 2,635,500 | 100.0 | % |
(1) | Includes amounts payable to public stockholders who properly redeem their shares in connection with our successful completion of our initial business combination. |
(2) | A portion of the offering expenses are expected to be paid from the proceeds of loans from our sponsor of up to $300,000, as described in this prospectus. As of September 30, 2021, there was $300,000 outstanding under such promissory note. These loans will be repaid upon completion of this offering out of $900,000 of offering proceeds that have been allocated for the payment of offering expenses (other than underwriting commissions). These expenses are estimated only. 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. 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 equal to 3.5% of the gross proceeds of this offering. Upon completion of our initial business combination, $8,750,000, which constitutes the underwriters’ deferred commissions (or up to $10,062,500 if the underwriters’ option to purchase additional units is exercised in full) will be paid to the underwriters from the funds held in the trust account and the remaining funds, less amounts used to pay redeeming stockholders, 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) | Includes organizational and administrative expenses and may include amounts related to above-listed expenses in the event actual amounts exceed estimates. |
(5) | 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 a business combination based upon the level of complexity of such business combination. In the event we identify and select an acquisition 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. 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. Based on current interest rates, we would expect approximately $51,000 to be available to us annually from interest earned on the funds held in the trust |
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account; however, we can provide no assurances regarding this amount. This estimate assumes an interest rate of 0.02% per annum based upon current yields of securities in which the trust account may be invested. In addition, in order to fund working capital deficiencies or finance transaction costs in connection with an intended initial business combination, our sponsor, an affiliate of our sponsor or 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 to repay such loaned amounts. Up to $2,000,000 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. We do not expect to seek loans from parties other than our sponsor, an affiliate of our sponsor or our officers and directors, if any, 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. |
(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. |
The rules of the NYSE provide that at least 90% of the gross proceeds from this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants be deposited in a trust account. Of the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants, $255,000,000 (or $293,250,000 if the underwriters’ option to purchase additional units is exercised in full), including $8,750,000 (or up to $10,062,500 if the underwriters’ option to purchase additional units is exercised in full) of deferred underwriting commissions, will, upon the consummation of this offering, be placed in a U.S. based trust account, with Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company acting as trustee. The funds in the trust account will be invested only in U.S. government treasury bills with a maturity of 185 days or less or in money market funds investing solely in U.S. Treasuries and meeting certain conditions under Rule 2a-7 under the Investment Company Act. Based on current interest rates, we estimate that the interest earned on the trust account will be approximately $51,000 per year, assuming an interest rate of 0.02% per year. We will not be permitted to withdraw any of the principal or interest held in the trust account, except with respect to interest earned on the funds held in the trust account that may be released to us to pay our taxes, if any, the funds held in the trust account will not be released from the trust account until the earliest of: (1) the completion of our initial business combination; (2) the redemption of any public shares properly submitted in connection with a stockholder vote to amend our amended and restated certificate of incorporation (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemptions in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering or (B) with respect to any other material provision relating to stockholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity; and (3) the redemption of all 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. Based on current interest rates, we expect that interest earned on the trust account will be sufficient to pay 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 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. There is no limitation on our ability to raise funds privately or through loans in connection with our initial business combination.
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We believe that amounts not held in trust will be sufficient to pay the costs and expenses to which such proceeds are allocated. This belief is based on the fact that while we may begin preliminary due diligence of a target business in connection with an indication of interest, we intend to undertake in-depth due diligence, depending on the circumstances of the relevant prospective acquisition, only after we have negotiated and signed a letter of intent or other preliminary agreement that addresses the terms of a business combination. 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, members of our management team or any of their respective affiliates, but such persons are not under any obligation or other duty to loan funds to, or invest in, us.
We will enter into an administrative services agreement pursuant to which we will pay our sponsor a total of $35,000 per month for office space and administrative and support services, which includes up to approximately $22,000 per month payable to our Chief Financial Officer and consultants to assist us with our search for a target business. Upon completion of our initial business combination or our liquidation, we will cease paying these monthly fees.
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 will be repaid upon completion of this offering out of the $900,000 of offering proceeds that have been allocated for the payment of offering expenses (other than underwriting commissions).
In addition, in order to fund working capital deficiencies or finance transaction costs in connection with an intended initial business combination, our sponsor, an affiliate of our sponsor or 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 to repay such loaned amounts. Up to $2,000,000 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 by our sponsor, an affiliate of our sponsor or 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, an affiliate of our sponsor or our officers and directors, if any, 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 seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct redemptions in connection with our initial business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our sponsor, directors, officers, advisors or any of their respective affiliates may also purchase shares in privately negotiated transactions or in the open market either prior to or following the completion of our initial business combination. See “Proposed Business—Permitted purchases and other transactions with respect to our securities” for a description of how such persons will determine from which stockholders to seek to acquire shares. The price per share paid in any such transaction may be different than the amount per share a public stockholder would receive if it elected to redeem its shares in connection with our initial business combination. However, such persons have no current commitments, plans or intentions to engage in such transactions and have not formulated any terms or conditions for any such transactions. If such persons engage in such transactions, they will be subject to restrictions in making any such purchases when they are in possession of any material non-public information or if such purchases are prohibited by Regulation M under the Exchange Act. We do not currently anticipate that such purchases, if any, would constitute a tender offer subject to the tender offer rules under the Exchange Act or a going-private transaction subject to the going-private rules under the Exchange Act; however, if the purchasers determine at the time of any such purchases that the purchases are subject to such rules, the purchasers will be required to comply with such rules.
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We may not redeem our public shares in an amount that would cause our net tangible assets to be less than $5,000,001 or any greater net tangible asset or cash requirement which may be contained in the agreement relating to our initial business combination. If too many public stockholders exercise their redemption rights so that we cannot satisfy the net tangible asset requirement or any net worth or cash requirements, we would not proceed with the redemption of our public shares or the business combination, and instead may search for an alternate business combination (including, potentially, with the same target).
A public stockholder will be entitled to receive funds from the trust account only upon the earliest to occur of: (1) the completion of our initial business combination and then, only in connection with those public shares that such stockholder has properly elected to redeem, subject to the limitations described in this prospectus; (2) the redemption of any public shares properly submitted in connection with a stockholder vote to amend our amended and restated certificate of incorporation (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemptions in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering or (B) with respect to any other material provision relating to stockholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity; and (3) the redemption of all 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. In no other circumstances will a public stockholder have any right or interest of any kind to or in the trust account. Holders of public warrants will not have any rights of proceeds held in the trust account with respect to the public warrants.
Our initial stockholders, officers, directors and advisors have entered into a letter agreement with us, pursuant to which they have agreed to waive (1) their redemption rights with respect to any founder shares and any public shares held by them in connection with the completion of our initial business combination and (2) their redemption rights with respect to any founder shares and public shares held by them in connection with a stockholder vote to approve an amendment to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemptions in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we have not consummated our initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering or (B) with respect to any other material provision relating to stockholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity. In addition, our initial stockholders, officers, directors and advisors have agreed to waive their rights to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to any founder shares held by them if we fail to complete our initial business combination within the prescribed time frame. However, if our sponsor or any of our officers, directors, advisors or any of their respective affiliates then hold any public shares, they will be entitled to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to such public shares if we fail to complete our initial business combination within the allotted time frame to complete our initial business combination.
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We have not paid any cash dividends on our common stock to date and do not intend to pay cash dividends prior to the completion of our initial business combination. The payment of cash dividends in the future will be dependent upon our revenues and earnings, if any, capital requirements and general financial condition subsequent to completion of our initial business combination. The payment of any cash dividends subsequent to our initial business combination will be within the discretion of our board of directors at such time. In addition, our board of directors is not currently contemplating and does not anticipate declaring any stock dividends in the foreseeable future, except if we increase the size of this offering, in which case we will effect a stock dividend or other appropriate mechanism immediately prior to the consummation of this offering in an amount as to maintain the number of founder shares at 20% of our issued and outstanding shares of common stock upon the consummation of this offering. Further, if we incur any indebtedness in connection with our initial business combination, our ability to declare dividends may be limited by restrictive covenants we may agree to in connection therewith.
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The difference between the public offering price per share of Class A common stock, assuming no value is attributed to the public warrants we are offering pursuant to this prospectus or the private placement warrants, and the pro forma net tangible book value per share of our Class A common stock 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 stockholders 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 common stock which may be redeemed for cash), by the number of outstanding shares of our Class A common stock.
At September 30, 2021, our net tangible book deficit was $331,191, or approximately $(0.05) per share of Class B common stock. After giving effect to the sale of 25,000,000 shares of Class A common stock included in the units we are offering by this prospectus (or 28,750,000 shares of Class A common stock 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 September 30, 2021 would have been $(6,090,356) or $(0.97) per share (or $(7,402,856), or $(1.03) 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 the approximately 25,000,000 shares of Class A common stock that may be redeemed for cash in connection with our initial business combination, or 28,750,000 shares of Class A common stock if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) of $(0.92) per share to our initial stockholders as of the date of this prospectus and an immediate dilution of $10.97 per share or 109.7% (or $11.03 per share or 110.3% if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) to our public stockholders not exercising their redemption rights. Total dilution to public stockholders from this offering will be $10.97 per share (or $11.03 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full).
The following table illustrates the dilution to the public stockholders on a per share basis, assuming no value is attributed to the public warrants or the private placement warrants:
No exercise of over- allotment option | Exercise of over- allotment option in full | |||||||
Public offering price | $ | 10.00 | $ | 10.00 | ||||
Net tangible book value before this offering | (0.05 | ) | (0.05 | ) | ||||
Decrease attributable to public stockholders and sale of private placement warrants | (0.92 | ) | (0.98 | ) | ||||
Pro forma net tangible book value after this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants | $ | (0.97 | ) | $ | (1.03 | ) | ||
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Dilution to public stockholders | $ | 10.97 | $ | 11.03 | ||||
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Percentage of dilution to new investors | 109.7 | % | 110.3 | % | ||||
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For purposes of presentation, we have reduced our pro forma net tangible book value after this offering (assuming no exercise of the underwriters’ option to purchase additional units) by $255,000,000 because holders of up to approximately 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, calculated as of two business days prior to the consummation of our initial business combination, including interest (which interest shall be net of taxes payable) divided by the number of shares of Class A common stock sold in this offering.
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The following table sets forth information with respect to our initial stockholders and the public stockholders:
Shares Purchased | Total Consideration | Average Price per Share | ||||||||||||||||||
Number | Percentage | Amount | Percentage | |||||||||||||||||
Initial Stockholders(1)(2) | 6,250,000 | 20.00 | % | $ | 25,000 | 0.01 | % | $ | 0.004 | |||||||||||
Public Stockholders | 25,000,000 | 80.00 | % | 250,000,000 | 99.99 | % | $ | 10.000 | ||||||||||||
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31,250,000 | 100.00 | % | $ | 250,025,000 | 100.00 | % | ||||||||||||||
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(1) | Assumes the full forfeiture of 937,500 shares that are subject to forfeiture by our sponsor depending on the extent to which the underwriters’ option to purchase additional units is exercised. |
(2) | Assumes conversion of Class B common stock into Class A common stock on a one-for-one basis. The dilution to public stockholders would increase to the extent that the anti-dilution provisions of the Class B common stock result in the issuance of shares of Class A common stock on a greater than one-to-one basis upon such conversion. |
The pro forma net tangible book value per share as of September 30, 2021 giving effect to the offering is calculated as follows:
No exercise of over-allotment option | Exercise of over- allotment option in full | |||||||
Numerator: | ||||||||
Net tangible book value (deficit) before this offering | $ | (331,191 | ) | $ | (331,191 | ) | ||
Proceeds from this offering and sale of the private placement warrants, net of expenses | 257,635,500 | 295,885,500 | ||||||
Plus: Offering costs accrued for and paid in advance, excluded from tangible book value before this offering | 354,335 | 354,335 | ||||||
Less: deferred underwriters’ commissions payable | (8,750,000 | ) | (10,062,500 | ) | ||||
Less: amount of Class A common stock subject to redemption to maintain net tangible assets of at least $5,000,001 | (255,000,000 | ) | (293,250,000 | ) | ||||
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$ | (6,090,356 | ) | (7,402,856 | ) | ||||
Denominator: | ||||||||
Shares of Class B common stock outstanding prior to this offering | 7,187,500 | 7,187,500 | ||||||
Shares forfeited if option to purchase additional units is not exercised | (937,500 | ) | — | |||||
Shares of Class A common stock included in the units offered | 25,000,000 | 28,750,000 | ||||||
Less: shares subject to redemption | (25,000,000 | ) | (28,750,000 | ) | ||||
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6,250,000 | 7,187,500 |
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The following table sets forth our capitalization at September 30, 2021 and as adjusted to give effect to the filing of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, the sale of our 25,000,000 units in this offering for $250,000,000 (or $10.00 per unit) and the sale of 13,535,500 private placement warrants for $13,535,500 (or $1.00 per private placement warrant) and the application of the estimated net proceeds derived from the sale of such securities:
September 30, 2021 | ||||||||
Actual | As Adjusted(1) | |||||||
Notes payable to related party(6) | $ | 300,000 | $ | 300,000 | ||||
Deferred underwriting commissions(5) | — | 8,750,000 | ||||||
Class A common stock, subject to redemption(2) | — | 255,000,000 | ||||||
Stockholders’ equity (deficit): | — | — | ||||||
Preferred stock, $0.0001 par value, 1,000,000 shares authorized (actual and as adjusted); no shares issued or outstanding (actual and as adjusted) | — | — | ||||||
Common Stock | — | |||||||
Class A common stock, $0.0001 par value, 500,000,000 shares authorized (actual and as adjusted); no shares issued or outstanding (actual and as adjusted)) | — | — | ||||||
Class B common stock, $0.0001 par value, 100,000,000 shares authorized (actual and as adjusted); 7,187,500(3) shares issued and outstanding (actual); 6,250,000(3) shares issued and outstanding (as adjusted) | 719 | 625 | ||||||
Additional paid-in capital(4) | 24,281 | — | ||||||
Accumulated deficit | (856 | ) | (6,090,981 | ) | ||||
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Total stockholders’ equity (deficit) | 24,144 | (6,090,356 | ) | |||||
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Total capitalization | $ | 324,144 | $ | 257,959,656 |
(1) | Assumes the full forfeiture of 937,500 shares that are subject to forfeiture by our sponsor depending on the extent to which the underwriters’ option to purchase additional units is exercised. The proceeds of the sale of such shares will not be deposited into the trust account, the shares will not be eligible for redemption from the trust account nor will they be eligible to vote upon the initial business combination. |
(2) | In connection with our initial business combination, we will provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to redeem their public shares for cash equal to their pro rata share of 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 (which interest shall be net of taxes payable), subject to the limitations described herein whereby our net tangible assets will be maintained at a minimum of $5,000,001 or any greater net tangible asset or cash requirement which may be contained in the agreement relating to our initial business combination. The “as adjusted” amount of Class A common stock, subject to redemption equals the “as adjusted” total assets of $257,959,656, less the “as adjusted” total liabilities of $8,750,000 less “as adjusted” total stockholder’s equity. The value of Class A common stock that may be redeemed is equal to $10.20 per share (which is the assumed redemption price) multiplied by 25,000,000 shares of Class A common stock, which is the maximum number of shares of Class A common stock that may be redeemed for a $10.20 purchase price per share and still maintain at least $5,000,001 of net tangible assets. |
(3) | Actual share amount is prior to any forfeiture of founder shares by our sponsor and the “as adjusted” share amount assumes no exercise of the underwriters’ option to purchase additional units. |
(4) | The “as adjusted” additional paid-in capital calculation is equal to the “as adjusted” total stockholders’ equity of $(6,090,356), less common stock (par value) of $625, less the accumulated deficit of $6,090,981. |
(5) | 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 September 30, 2021, we had borrowed $300,000 under the promissory note with our sponsor. |
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MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS
OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
Overview
We are a blank check company incorporated as a Delaware corporation and formed for the purpose of effecting a merger, consolidation, capital stock exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, reorganization or similar business combination with one or more businesses or companies. We have not selected any specific business combination target and we have not, nor has anyone on our behalf, engaged in any substantive discussions, directly or indirectly, with any business combination target with respect to an initial business combination with us. 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 capital stock, debt or a combination of cash, stock and debt.
The issuance of additional shares of our stock 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 common stock resulted in the issuance of Class A shares on a greater than one-to-one basis upon conversion of the Class B common stock; |
• | may subordinate the rights of holders of common stock if preferred stock is issued with rights senior to those afforded our common stock; |
• | could cause a change of control if a substantial number of shares of our common stock is 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 stock ownership or voting rights of a person seeking to obtain control of us; |
• | may adversely affect prevailing market prices for our units, Class A common stock and/or public warrants; and |
• | may not result in adjustment to the exercise price of our warrants. |
Similarly, if we issue debt securities or otherwise incur significant indebtedness, 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 common stock; |
• | using a substantial portion of our cash flow to pay principal and interest on our debt, which will reduce the funds available for dividends on our common stock if declared, expenses, capital expenditures, acquisitions and other general corporate purposes; |
• | limitations on our flexibility in planning for and reacting to changes in our business and in the industry in which we operate; |
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• | 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. |
As indicated in the accompanying financial statements, as of September 30, 2021, we had $284,591 in cash and working capital deficit of $331,191. Further, we expect to continue to incur significant costs in the pursuit of our acquisition plans. 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. We will generate non-operating income in the form of interest income on cash and cash equivalents in the form of specified U.S. government treasury bills or specified money market funds 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
As indicated in the accompanying financial statements, we had $284,591 in cash and a working capital deficit of $331,191 at September 30, 2021. As indicated in the accompanying financial statements, we had $25,000 in cash and a working capital deficit of $40,090 at May 18, 2021. Further, we expect to incur significant costs in the pursuit of our initial business combination plans. We lack the financial resources needed to sustain operations for a reasonable period of time. Our plans to address this uncertainty through this offering are discussed above. Our plans to raise capital or to consummate our initial business combination may not be successful. These factors, among others, raise substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern.
Our liquidity needs have been satisfied prior to the completion of this offering through receipt of $25,000 from the sale of the founder shares and up to $300,000 in loans from our sponsor under an unsecured promissory note. As of September 30, 2021, there was $300,000 outstanding under such promissory note. We estimate that the net proceeds from: (1) the sale of the units in this offering, after deducting offering expenses of approximately $900,000 and underwriting commissions of $5,000,000 ($5,750,000 if the underwriters’ option to purchase additional units is exercised in full) (excluding deferred underwriting commissions of $8,750,000 (or up to $10,062,500 if the underwriters’ option to purchase additional units is exercised in full)); and (2) the sale of the private placement warrants for a purchase price of $13,535,500 (or $15,035,500 if the underwriters’ option to purchase additional units is exercised in full), will be $257,635,500 (or $295,885,500 if the underwriters’ option to purchase additional units is exercised in full). Of this amount, $255,000,000 (or $293,250,000 if the underwriters’ option to purchase additional units is exercised in full), which includes $8,750,000 (or up to $10,062,500 if the underwriters’ option to purchase additional units is exercised in full) of deferred underwriting commissions, will be deposited into the trust account. The funds in the trust account will be invested only in U.S. government treasury bills with a maturity of 185 days or less or in money market funds investing solely in U.S. Treasuries. The remaining $2,635,500 will not be held in the trust account. In the event that our offering expenses exceed our estimate of $900,000, 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 $900,000, the amount of funds we intend to be held outside the trust account would increase by a corresponding amount.
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We intend to use substantially all of the funds held in the trust account, including any amounts representing interest earned on the trust account (which interest shall be net of taxes payable and excluding deferred underwriting commissions) to complete our initial business combination. We may withdraw interest to pay taxes. Delaware franchise tax is based on our authorized shares or on our assumed par and non-par capital, whichever yields a lower result. Under the authorized shares method, each share is taxed at a graduated rate based on the number of authorized shares with a maximum aggregate tax of $200,000 per year. Under the assumed par value capital method, Delaware taxes each $1,000,000 of assumed par value capital at the rate of $350; where assumed par value would be (1) our total gross assets following this offering, divided by (2) our total issued shares of common stock following this offering, multiplied by (3) the number of our authorized shares following this offering. Based on the number of shares of our common stock authorized and outstanding and our estimated total gross proceeds after the completion of this offering, our annual franchise tax obligation is expected to be capped at the maximum amount of annual franchise taxes payable by us as a Delaware corporation of $200,000. 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 only taxes payable by us out of the funds in the trust account will be income and franchise taxes. We expect the interest earned on the amount in the trust account will be sufficient to pay our taxes. To the extent that our capital stock or debt is used, in whole or in part, as consideration to complete our initial business combination, the remaining proceeds held in the trust account will be used as working capital to finance the operations of the target business or businesses, make other acquisitions and pursue our growth strategies.
Prior to the completion of our initial business combination, we will have available to us $2,635,500 of proceeds held outside the trust account. We will use these funds primarily to identify and evaluate target businesses, perform business due diligence on prospective target businesses, travel to and from the offices or similar locations of prospective target businesses or their representatives or owners, review corporate documents and material agreements of prospective target businesses, structure, negotiate and complete a business combination, and to pay taxes to the extent the interest earned on the trust account is not sufficient to pay our taxes.
In order to fund working capital deficiencies or finance transaction costs in connection with an intended initial business combination, our sponsor, an affiliate of our sponsor or 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 $2,000,000 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 by our sponsor, an affiliate of our sponsor or 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, an affiliate of our sponsor or our officers and directors, if any, 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 $360,000 for legal, accounting, due diligence, travel and other expenses in connection with any business combinations; $120,000 for legal and accounting fees related to regulatory reporting requirements; $85,000 for the NYSE continued listing fees; $840,000 for office space and administrative and support services; $1,000,000 for directors and officers insurance premiums; $100,000 as a reserve for liquidation expenses; and approximately $130,500 for working capital to cover miscellaneous expenses (including franchise taxes net of anticipated interest income).
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 in letters of intent or merger agreements designed to keep target businesses from “shopping” around for transactions
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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.
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. 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. Moreover, we may need to obtain additional financing either to complete our initial business combination or because we become obligated to redeem a significant number of our public shares in connection with our initial business combination, in which case we may issue additional securities (which may include a specified future issuance) or incur debt in connection with such business combination.
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 reporting 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, will we be required to comply with the independent registered public accounting firm attestation requirement on our internal control over financial reporting. Further, for as long as we remain an emerging growth company, we 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 has our independent registered public accounting firm tested our systems of 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 we may work with the target 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:
• | staffing for financial, accounting and external reporting areas, including segregation of duties; |
• | reconciliation of accounts; |
• | proper recording of expenses and liabilities in the period to which they relate; |
• | evidence of internal review and approval of accounting transactions; |
• | documentation of processes, assumptions and conclusions underlying significant estimates; and |
• | 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.
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Once our management’s report on internal controls is complete, we will retain an independent registered public accounting firm to audit and render an opinion on such report when required by Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. The independent registered public accounting firm 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 bills with a maturity of 185 days or less or in money market funds investing solely in U.S. Treasuries and meeting certain conditions under Rule 2a-7 under the Investment Company Act. Due to the short-term nature of these investments, we believe there will be no associated material exposure to interest rate risk.
Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements; Commitments and Contractual Obligations; Quarterly Review
As of September 30, 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.
Related Party Transactions
On May 18, 2021, our sponsor purchased an aggregate of 7,187,500 founder shares for an aggregate purchase price of $25,000, resulting in an effective purchase price per founder share of approximately $0.0035. The purchase price of the founder shares was determined by dividing the amount of cash contributed to us by the number of founder shares issued. If we increase or decrease the size of this offering, we will effect a stock dividend or a share contribution back to capital or other appropriate mechanism, as applicable, with respect to our Class B common stock immediately prior to the consummation of this offering in such amount as to maintain the number of founder shares at 20% of our issued and outstanding shares of our common stock upon the consummation of this offering. Up to 937,500 founder shares are subject to forfeiture by our sponsor depending on the extent to which the underwriters’ option to purchase additional units is exercised. Our sponsor does not intend to purchase any units in this offering.
We will enter into an administrative services agreement pursuant to which we will also pay our sponsor a total of $35,000 per month for office space and administrative and support services, which includes up to approximately $22,000 per month payable to our Chief Financial Officer and consultants to assist us with our search for a target business. Upon completion of our initial business combination or our liquidation, we will cease paying these monthly fees.
Our sponsor, officers, directors and advisors or any of their respective affiliates will be reimbursed for any out-of-pocket expenses incurred in connection with activities on our behalf such as identifying potential target businesses and performing due diligence on suitable business combinations. Our audit committee will review on a quarterly basis all payments that were made by us to our sponsor, officers, directors or our or any of their respective 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.
Our sponsor has agreed to loan us up to $300,000 under an unsecured promissory note to be used for a portion of the expenses of this offering. As of September 30, 2021, there was $300,000 outstanding under such 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. These loans will be repaid upon completion of this offering out of the $900,000 of offering proceeds that have been allocated for the payment of offering expenses (other than underwriting commissions).
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In addition, in order to fund working capital deficiencies or finance transaction costs in connection with an intended initial business combination, our sponsor, an affiliate of our sponsor or 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 $2,000,000 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 by our sponsor, an affiliate of our sponsor or 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, an affiliate of our sponsor or our officers and directors, if any, 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.
Our sponsor has committed to purchase an aggregate of 13,535,500 (or 15,035,500 if the underwriters’ option to purchase additional units is exercised in full) private placement warrants at a price of $1.00 per private placement warrant ($13,535,500 in the aggregate or $15,035,500 in the aggregate if the underwriters’ option to purchase additional units is exercised in full) in a private placement transaction that will occur simultaneously with the closing of this offering. Each private placement 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 provided herein. The private placement warrants are identical to the public warrants, except that: (1) they will not be redeemable by us (see “Description of Securities—Warrants—Public Stockholders’ Warrants”); (2) they (including the Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of these private placement warrants) may not, subject to certain limited exceptions, be transferred, assigned or sold by our sponsor until 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination; (3) our sponsor, or its permitted transferees, may exercise their private placement warrants on a cashless basis; and (4) the holders thereof (including with respect to the shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of these warrants) are entitled to registration rights.
Pursuant to a registration rights agreement that we will enter into with our initial stockholders on or prior to the closing of this offering, we may be required to register certain securities for sale under the Securities Act. Our initial stockholders, and holders of warrants issued upon conversion of working capital loans, if any, are entitled under the registration rights agreement to make up to three demands that we register certain of our securities held by them for sale under the Securities Act and to have the securities covered thereby registered for resale pursuant to Rule 415 under the Securities Act. In addition, these holders have the right to include their securities in other registration statements filed by us. However, the registration rights agreement provides that no sales of these securities will be effected until after the expiration of the applicable lock-up period, as described herein. We will bear the costs and expenses of filing any such registration statements. See “Certain Relationships and Related Party Transactions” for additional information.
JOBS Act
On April 5, 2012, the JOBS Act was signed into law. 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
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“emerging growth company”, we choose to rely on such exemptions we may not be required to, among other things: (1) provide an auditor’s attestation report on our system of internal controls over financial reporting pursuant to Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act; (2) 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; (3) 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 (4) disclose certain executive compensation-related items such as the correlation between executive compensation and performance and comparisons of the CEO’s compensation to median employee compensation. These exemptions will apply for a period of five years following the completion of this offering or until we are no longer an “emerging growth company,” whichever is earlier.
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Introduction
We are a newly organized blank check company incorporated as a Delaware corporation and formed for the purpose of effecting a merger, capital stock exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, reorganization, or similar business combination with one or more businesses, which we refer to throughout this prospectus as our initial business combination. We have not selected any specific business combination target and we have not, nor has anyone on our behalf, engaged in any substantive discussions, directly or indirectly, with any business combination target with respect to an initial business combination with us.
We intend to focus on businesses at the leading edge of national security innovation in three key sectors: Space, Cybersecurity and Energy Transition, which complement our team’s expertise and will benefit from our strategic and hands-on operational leadership. While we may pursue an acquisition opportunity in any industry or sector, we believe these three sectors present attractive acquisition targets as they are undergoing tremendous change and are increasingly important enablers of the global economy and international security. Many businesses that operate in these sectors will experience exponential growth as they become pioneers that assist people, governments, and corporations as they embrace and react to these changes. We believe that the experience and capabilities of our team will make us an attractive partner to potential target businesses, enhance our ability to complete a successful business combination, and bring value to the business post-business combination. Our team represents a unique combination of strategic, operating, investing, financial and transactional experience combined with the technical expertise to evaluate next generation technology businesses.
We have a diverse management team, sponsor, directors and advisors with relationships and networks in our target sectors. Our management team is led by Robert Meyerson (Chief Executive Officer), and David Glickman (Chief Business Development Officer and Chief Financial Officer), and our Board of Directors is led by Steve Demetriou (Non-Executive Chairman). We will be supported by our sponsor, C5 Capital, an investment firm that manages a series of venture capital funds and mid-stage venture capital investments focused on technology companies with an emphasis on national security.
Throughout their careers, Mr. Demetriou, Mr. Meyerson and Mr. Glickman have built and operated successful businesses, led the development of critical infrastructure and created long-term value for stockholders. Our sponsor has significant experience evaluating and investing in companies in technology-forward and national security sectors.
Mr. Demetriou, our Non-Executive Chairman, will lead the Board of Directors in providing strategic oversight of the sourcing of acquisition opportunities and negotiation of a successful business combination. Mr. Demetriou brings more than 35 years in chief executive and senior management roles, has served on the Board of nine companies, and has a track record of creating long-term value for stockholders. He currently serves as Chair and Chief Executive Officer of Jacobs Engineering Group Inc. (NYSE: J), an innovative global solutions leader in renewable energy, cybersecurity, and space intelligence and exploration. Since becoming Chief Executive Officer of Jacobs in 2015, Mr. Demetriou has led a transformation of Jacobs’ portfolio of businesses including the divestiture of its Energy, Chemicals, and Resource business and the acquisitions of KeyW, VanDyke, Wood, BlueCanopy, The Buffalo Group, and CH2M. During his tenure as CEO, Jacobs has created significant long-term value for stockholders, outperforming both industry peers and the broader market. From 2016, the first fiscal year of Mr. Demetriou’s leadership to present, Jacobs has accelerated profitable growth and delivered total returns of approximately 300% – over twice that of S&P index’s total return of 130%.
Mr. Meyerson, our Chief Executive Officer, will provide operating experience, engineering expertise and an extensive network for sourcing acquisition opportunities. Mr. Meyerson is an aerospace executive, engineer, and founder with more than 30 years of experience in the space industry. Mr. Meyerson previously served as President of Blue Origin, an American aerospace company founded and owned by Jeff Bezos. Starting in 2003
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and reporting directly to Mr. Bezos, Mr. Meyerson oversaw the transformation of Blue Origin from its founding with 10 employees into a more than 1500-person engineering and development organization executing on government and commercial contracts. Mr. Meyerson achieved several major technical and commercial milestones, including the development of reusable space launch systems and high-performance rocket engines. He currently serves as an Operating Partner at C5 Capital.
Mr. Glickman, our Chief Business Development Officer and Chief Financial Officer, will leverage his industry and investment experience to help identify and evaluate acquisition opportunities. Most recently, Mr. Glickman has been a Partner at Resilience Capital since 2009, where he is the head of Originations and a member of the transaction team and his responsibilities include origination, due diligence and oversight of acquisitions.
Our sponsor, C5 Capital, will provide significant support to our deal-flow and acquisition processes, especially in technical and customer due diligence. Our team will leverage C5 Capital’s network of national security practitioners and dedicated investment professionals, with significant transaction experience in these sectors, including a network of leading Operating Partners from the government and private sectors, who assist our portfolio companies as they scale and expand into new geographies.
In addition to Mr. Demetriou and Mr. Meyerson, our Board of Directors includes Linda Zecher, Jeanne Tisinger, and Arun Gupta.
C5 Capital
Our sponsor is managed by C5 Capital USA LLC and affiliated with C5 Capital Ltd., collectively referred as the “firm” or “C5 Capital.” C5 Capital manages a series of venture capital funds that make early to mid-stage venture capital investments and provide strategic advice to entrepreneurs scaling transformational technology companies. C5 Capital is a global specialist investment firm that exclusively invests in the secure data ecosystem and the resilience of critical infrastructure, including cyber security, cloud, AI, energy, and space investments. Its mission is to nurture a secure digital future.
C5 Capital has a wealth of experience in leading the digital transformation of businesses and government by investing in cutting edge Space, Cybersecurity, and Energy Transition technologies to improve the resilience of critical national infrastructure. The firm has built a powerful network of advisors whose relationships with C5 executives stretch back decades before the inception of the firm. The firm’s special advisors and directors, including Michael Garland, Sir Iain Lobban, and Lt. General Sir Graeme Lamb, bring the wisdom of distinguished careers at the highest ranks of military, defense, and intelligence. C5 Capital’s investment professionals have proven experience sourcing high potential start-ups and category-creating companies, executing mergers and acquisitions, and playing an active role in business development to accelerate the growth of our portfolio companies. The firm’s collective track record and domain expertise puts C5 Capital in a differentiated class of investors with deep technology expertise and the capacity to see ahead to the threats borne by accelerated digital transformation.
We plan to leverage C5 Capital’s significant network to help us identify, negotiate, and complete our business combination. These networks have historically enabled the firm to complete numerous transactions which were proprietary or where a limited group of investors were invited to participate; examples include:
• | Investment in and subsequent sale of Shape Security to F5 Networks (NASDAQ: FFIV); |
• | Venture investment in Axiom Space, the company building the commercial successor to the International Space Station; |
• | Venture investment in Kevala, a leading energy grid analytics company; |
• | Investment in and pending sale of IronNet Cybersecurity to LGL Systems Acquisition Corp. (NYSE: DFNS); |
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• | Investment in and subsequent sale of Omada to CVC Capital Partners; |
• | Investment in and subsequent sale of Balabit to One Identity; |
• | Merger of 4iQ and Alto Analytics and rebranding to Constella Intelligence, a provider of digital risk protection; |
• | Venture investment in Synack, named one of the 50 leading companies of the year for 2021 from The Silicon Review; |
• | Venture investment in BlueVoyant, named a Top 250 MSSP by MSSP Alert; |
• | Venture investment in Satelles, a leader protecting national critical infrastructure with assured positioning, navigation, and timing (PNT); |
• | Venture investment in Enveil, Awarded as a Technology Pioneer by World Economic Forum (WEF). |
C5 Acquisition Corporation Team
We plan to utilize the network and industry experience of the C5 Acquisition Corporation team in targeting an initial business combination. Over the course of their careers, the members of the team have developed an extensive ecosystem of relationships that we believe will serve as a proprietary source of acquisition opportunities. This network has been developed through our team’s:
• | Decades of operating and investing experience in Space, Cybersecurity, and Energy Transition; |
• | Executive and board level experience leading the operations of frontier technology companies; |
• | Extensive relationships with entrepreneurs, management teams, investors, technical/engineering innovators and government stakeholders particularly in national security; and |
• | Experience in executing mergers, acquisitions, divestitures, and public market transactions. |
We believe that our business combination target could benefit from the operational, technical and business expertise, the relationships and networks, as well as the capital raising ability of our team. We expect our networks will provide us with proprietary deal flow to create a strong pipeline of acquisition opportunities. In addition, we anticipate that our network of special advisors will provide commercial and government insight on the offense and defense capabilities gaps at the intersection of critical cyber, space, and energy infrastructure. Upon completion of this offering, members of our management team will communicate the acquisition criteria across their networks of relationships to begin the process of identifying and assessing compelling targets.
Robert “Rob” Meyerson
Mr. Meyerson serves as our Chief Executive Officer and is a member of the Board of Directors. From May 2016 to October 2017, Mr. Meyerson served as President of Blue Origin, an American aerospace company founded and owned by Jeff Bezos.
Starting in 2003 and reporting directly to Mr. Bezos, Mr. Meyerson oversaw the transformation of Blue Origin from its founding into a more than 1500-person engineering and development organization executing on government and commercial contracts. Under his leadership, Blue Origin developed and flew the suborbital human-rated launch system, New Shepard; built a liquid rocket engine business including the BE-4 rocket engine which will power the boost stage of United Launch Alliance’s next-generation orbital launch vehicle; and designed its heavy-lift orbital launch vehicle, New Glenn. During this time, Mr. Meyerson led Blue Origin’s growth from a single facility in Seattle, WA, to multiple launch facilities, manufacturing facilities, and sales offices operating in six sites across the U.S. and internationally.
Mr. Meyerson is the founder of Delalune Space, a management consulting company focused on the aerospace, mobility, technology and investment sectors, and has served as the CEO since February 2019.
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Mr. Meyerson has built relationships with some of the most exciting new companies doing business in the space sector.
Mr. Meyerson joined C5 Capital as an Operating Partner in 2020 and is a member of the firm’s leadership team. C5 Capital led a $130M Series B investment in Axiom Space, and Rob now serves on Axiom’s Board of Directors. He is a member of the Investment Committee for C5’s Impact Fund.
Earlier in his career, Mr. Meyerson was a Senior Program Manager at Kistler Aerospace, and an aerospace engineer at NASA’s Johnson Space Center (JSC). He has served as a member of the Board of Directors of Sceye SA since June 2020, a member of the Board of Advisors of Hermeus, an aerospace engineering company, since 2019, a member of the Advisory Board of NLX, a communications technology firm, since 2020, and a member of the Board of Directors of Qwaltec since September 2019. He is also a member of the Board of Axiom Space, the Museum of Flight, and the University of Michigan College of Engineering Leadership Advisory Board. In 2016, the New Shepard team was awarded the Robert J. Collier Trophy for their accomplishments by the National Aeronautic Association; and in 2017, Mr. Meyerson was awarded the Space Flight Award by the American Astronautical Society.
An ally and champion for young professionals and founders, Mr. Meyerson serves as a mentor in the Brooke Owens Fellowship, the Matthew Isakowitz Fellowship, and the Techstars Starburst Space Accelerator.
Mr. Meyerson holds a B.S. degree in aerospace engineering from the University of Michigan and a master’s degree in industrial engineering (Engineering Management) from the University of Houston.
David Glickman
Mr. Glickman serves as our Chief Business Development Officer and Chief Financial Officer. Mr. Glickman will leverage his industry and investment experience to help identify and evaluate acquisition opportunities. Mr. Glickman has been a Partner at Resilience Capital since 2009 after working with the firm for several years on potential co-investments and portfolio company merger proposals. Since 2012, he has been the head of originations. From 2010 to 2012, he was the head of the transactions group and is currently a member of the transactions team. His responsibilities include origination, due diligence and oversight of acquisitions. He has extensive experience sourcing, structuring, executing, managing and exiting a broad spectrum of portfolio companies. Mr. Glickman also served as General Partner with Sedgewick Venture Capital, a small middle market private equity fund focused on opportunistic investments in Cleveland, Senior Vice President of The LCP Group in New York and Associate Director with the Principal Activities Group at Bear, Stearns in New York. Prior to private investing, Mr. Glickman was in the Corporate Finance Department of Bear Stearns & Company in New York, Los Angeles and London, engaged in all aspects of public debt and equity transactions.
Mr. Glickman has served on the boards of numerous private and public companies including certain institutes of the Cleveland Clinic. He serves as a board observer at Xeeva, a board observer at Hynes Industries, and serves as a director of both Trialon Corp. and Luminance Brands. He graduated from Washington and Jefferson College with a BA in political science, and from the University of Southern California with an MBA.
Our Board of Directors
Steven J. Demetriou
Mr. Demetriou serves as Non-Executive Chairman of the Board. Mr. Demetriou is currently the Chief Executive Officer and Chair of the Board of Directors of Jacobs, a leading and innovative global solutions leader in renewable energy, cybersecurity, and space intelligence and exploration. Mr. Demetriou brings more than 35 years in chief executive and senior management roles across multiple sectors and has served on the Board of nine companies over the course of his distinguished career including FirstEnergy, Kraton Corp, OM Group., Aleris Corp., and Foster Wheeler.
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Since becoming Chief Executive Officer of Jacobs in 2015, Mr. Demetriou has steered a profound reshaping of the business portfolio, operations, and culture. Under his leadership, the firm has accelerated profitable growth and transformed into the leading, next-generation solutions provider by tackling some of the world’s biggest challenges for thriving cities, resilient environments, mission-critical outcomes, operational advancement, scientific discovery, and cutting-edge manufacturing. This transformation has included the divestiture of its Energy, Chemicals, and Resource business and the acquisitions of KeyW, VanDyke, Wood, BlueCanopy, The Buffalo Group, and CH2M.
Mr. Demetriou has put culture change at the top of the agenda at Jacobs and has personally championed inclusion and diversity, shifting his executive leadership team and the Jacobs board of directors to be more ethnically and gender diverse. He has also driven sustainability into the culture with the launch of PlanBeyond, Jacobs’ sustainability strategy aligned to the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals; becoming a signatory of the U.N. Global Compact; and publishing Jacobs’ global Climate Action Plan, committing to 100% renewable energy and net zero carbon for its operations and business travel in 2020, and carbon negative by 2030. Mr. Demetriou has also taken a leadership role in the industry by speaking up and speaking out on racism and social injustice and launched Jacobs global Action Plan for Advancing Justice and Equality in July 2020.
Mr. Demetriou’s broad international business perspectives are the product of more than 35 years in leadership and senior management roles across a wide range of industries, including specialty chemicals, metals and mining. In addition to serving on Jacobs’ Board, Mr. Demetriou has also served on the board for FirstEnergy Corp. since January 2017 and as a strategic advisor to Resilience Capital Partners since 2009. In July 2021, FirstEnergy Corp. paid a financial penalty and agreed to a three-year deferred prosecution agreement with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Ohio in connection with an investigation into the company’s lobbying and governmental affairs activities that led to a charge of honest services wire fraud. He is also a CEO member of the Male Champions of Change, the Co-Chair of the World Economic Forum’s (WEF) Infrastructure and Urban Development Governors, and a member of WEF’s Alliance of CEO Climate Leaders. He has served as the U.S. Co-Chair of the U.S. - Saudi Arabian Business Council since April 2017, and a Board member of the Dallas Citizens Council since December 2019. Mr. Demetriou also served as a Board member of Kraton Corporation from 2009 until 2018.
Mr. Demetriou holds a Bachelor of Science degree (B.S.) in Chemical Engineering from Tufts University.
Linda Zecher
Linda Zecher is a member of the Board of Directors. Ms. Zecher has served as the CEO & Managing Director of the Barkley Group, a Boutique Consulting firm focused on Digital Transformation of enterprise organizations since 2016. Prior to founding the Barkley Group, Ms. Zecher served as President, CEO and Director of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (HMH), a global education and learning company from 2011 until 2016. After joining HMH, Ms. Zecher led the company through a successful Chapter 11 bankruptcy restructuring and completed several acquisitions including the Education Technology division of Scholastic. Under Ms. Zecher’s leadership the company completed a public offering and now trades on NASDAQ. Previously Ms. Zecher was Corporate Vice President of Microsoft’s Worldwide Public Sector organization.
Ms. Zecher currently is a member of the Hasbro Corporation Board where she serves on the Audit Committee and Chairs the Cyber Security Committee; Tenable Inc., a cybersecurity company (NASDAQ: TENB) where she sits on the Compensation and Nominating committees; and the Board of the Maritime Museum in St. Michaels, MD. She is a former Board member of the John F. Kennedy Library, Cradles to Crayons, The Board of James Madison University, and INSA (The intelligence and National Security Association.)
Ms. Zecher holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Ohio State University and an Honorary Doctorate from Bentley University.
Jeanne Tisinger
Jeanne Tisinger serves as a member of the Board of Directors. Ms. Tisinger is an accomplished global leader with extensive experience delivering the enabling technology and business services for the Central
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Intelligence Agency’s (CIA) global operations. As former Deputy Director of CIA for Support (DDS) from 2013 until 2017, she reported to the Director of the CIA and was responsible for cyber/personnel/physical security, infrastructure, finance, supply chain management, real estate acquisition and management, medical, human resources, and associated information technology.
Prior to her role as DDS, Ms. Tisinger served as CIA’s Chief Information Officer (CIO), where she held worldwide responsibility for Enterprise Information Technology strategy, architecture development, infrastructure operations, software development, and service delivery. She drove enhancements to the CIA’s resiliency posture and significantly advanced inter- and intra-Agency collaboration capabilities. She constructed and executed the CIA’s acquisition strategy for commercial cloud services, resulting in the partnership with Amazon to provide an Amazon Web Services (AWS) cloud for the Top Security Intelligence Community (IC) Marketplace, while concurrently enhancing the IC’s cyber security posture.
Ms. Tisinger has served as a senior advisor for cybersecurity to Mastercard since 2017. She also serves as a consultant on technology strategy, cyber defense, shared services and workforce inclusion for a variety of clients including financial services, technology solutions providers, energy, and national defense.
Since 2019, Ms. Tisinger has served as Lead Independent Director for Midwest Reliability Organization, which oversees North America’s Bulk Electric Power Grid, and Satelles, a secure Position, Navigation and Timing Service, which provides global backup for GPS. Additionally, she has served on the Board of Advisors for Virginia Tech’s Hume Center for National Security and Technology since 2019. Ms. Tisinger was named by Washingtonian magazine as a Top 100 Tech Titan for the National Capital Region, Information Week’s Top 25 Public CIO’s, and FedScoop’s top 10 Most Influential Women in Federal IT.
Ms. Tisinger received a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Management from George Mason University and completed the Executive Leadership Program at Northwestern University, Kellogg School of Management.
Arun Gupta
Arun Gupta serves as a member of our Board of Directors. Mr. Gupta is an accomplished mission-oriented executive with experience in US and International Venture Capital, Assessing Emerging Technologies, Scaling High-Growth Companies, Teaching Entrepreneurship, and Coordinating National Security & Tech Policy. Mr. Gupta currently is an Adjunct Professor/Senior Advisor to Provost at Georgetown University, Lecturer at Stanford University, and Venture Partner at Columbia Capital. Mr. Gupta maintains very active relationships in the emerging technology, entrepreneurship, public policy, and international finance communities.
As a Partner at Columbia Capital, Mr. Gupta’s investment career spanned seventeen years, with a focus on emerging tech-enabled services and infrastructure companies in AI, Cybersecurity, Mobile, Government Services, and SaaS/Cloud infrastructure sectors in the US and India. He is currently on the board or was previously involved with Columbia portfolio companies: Adjoined Consulting (acquired by Kanbay International, Inc.), Altamira (Acquired by Clearsky), Daz3D, Millennial Media (NYSE: MM), Endgame (acquired by Elastic), Riptech (acquired by Symantec Corporation), Softek Storage Holdings (acquired by IBM), Verato, Vubiquity (acquired by Amdocs) and Webs (acquired by Vistaprint). Prior to joining Columbia Capital in 2000, Mr. Gupta was at Carlyle Venture Partners focused on software investments. Prior to Carlyle, Mr. Gupta held positions in Arthur D. Little’s telecom and technology consulting practice and shared responsibility for establishing ADL’s management consulting operations in Mumbai 1995-98.
At Georgetown University, Mr. Gupta also serves on the Georgetown Entrepreneurship Advisory Board, and teaches Entrepreneurial Finance and Venture Capital at McDonough School of Business. Mr. Gupta is actively engaged with initiatives related to Tech & Society, AI/Cybersecurity at the Center for Security and Emerging Technology (CSET), and the Pivot Program - teaching business skills to returning citizens.
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At Stanford University, Mr. Gupta serves on the Stanford in Washington (SIW) Advisory Board and currently teaches “Valley Meets Mission: Entrepreneurial Ventures in DC” at Stanford in Washington. The class highlights mission-oriented entrepreneurial opportunities through discussions with leaders at the intersection of the government, mission, technology, and entrepreneurship.
As a mission-focused technology angel investor, Mr. Gupta focuses on SaaS, GovTech, and Sustainable Food investments and currently serves on the board of directors or angel investor in 1901 Group (acquired by Leidos); FAST Acquisition Corp, restaurant and sustainable food SPAC (NYSE: FST); Morning Consult, a leading SaaS global data intelligence company; and Blacklynx, a leading provider of high-speed analytics solutions for the National Security market. Mr. Gupta also is a member of the board of directors of LMI.
Mr. Gupta received a B.S. degree with Distinction in Electrical Engineering and an M.S. degree in Engineering Economic Systems from Stanford University. He received his M.B.A. from Harvard Business School.
Market Opportunity
The C5 Acquisition Corporation team is focused on businesses at the leading edge of national security innovation and global economic growth in three key sectors: Space, Cybersecurity and Energy Transition. These three sectors will play critical roles in the growth of the global economy and international security for decades to come. Each of these three sectors has a large total addressable market that is rapidly growing. While these sectors are high growth, they also have high barriers to entry and are prone to binary market outcomes, which requires operational expertise, technical knowhow, and understanding of end customer needs to identify the most attractive companies.
• | Space: The space sector is undergoing significant transformation and is poised for rapid growth. According to Morgan Stanley, annual revenue generated by the global space economy is expected to grow from $350 billion to over $1 trillion dollars by 2040. Once driven primarily by government needs, the sector has become increasingly commercialized as companies have developed methods of utilizing the space environment to generate value for customers. Recent technological, business, and policy changes have dramatically increased the pace of change in the sector. Catalysts for significant growth include the acceleration in commercialization, dramatic reduction in the costs to access and operate assets in space, and an increase in both government and private funding. Significant opportunities for value creation will be realized in satellite operations (e.g., communications, broadband, navigation, remote sensing), manufacturing, transportation (including launch services), and in-space activities, such as space tourism, climate monitoring and national security. |
• | Cybersecurity: The cybersecurity sector has experienced unprecedented growth driven by a combination of factors, including accelerated cloud adoption, remote work, and the digital transformation of the supply chains. The global cybersecurity market is estimated by IDC to grow from $125.2B in 2020 to $174.7B by 2024, at an 8.1% compound annual growth rate. As companies and governments are increasingly enabled by digital infrastructure, the threat environment has worsened, data privacy regulations have tightened, and a shortage in expert cybersecurity talent has been realized. According to a recent survey by BlueVoyant, 92% of U.S. organizations have experienced a cybersecurity breach that originated from vulnerabilities in their vendor ecosystem in the past 12 months. Key cybersecurity growth areas include distributed cloud, privacy-enhancing computation, zero-trust security, continuous cyber-risk mitigation, no-code DevOps security and hyper-automation. |
• | Energy Transition: The energy sector is a multi-trillion-dollar industry that is undergoing massive transformation to meet energy needs and sustainability goals, creating opportunity for those at the leading edge of enabling technology. A crucial element in allowing us to meet this demand is accelerating the energy transition, a key factor of which is decentralization. As the traditional utility business model is replaced by decentralized networks, digitalization plays a central role in driving the clean energy transition. |
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Our focus is on energy transition and innovation to enable the space sector and national security. A high degree of automation and data analytics is required to manage global systems powered by new varieties of energy sources. Key sector growth areas include energy grid intelligence; modular reactors enabling hybrid, nuclear/renewable energy systems; smart city applications; IoT; green hydrogen solutions; advanced batteries and energy storage; and zero carbon technologies. |
Our team is uniquely qualified to source, evaluate, acquire, and (after business combination) add long-term value to companies within these three sectors. Our team’s operational expertise, deep technical knowhow, and market/customer insights will de-risk our acquisition process.
Our Business Strategy
Our business strategy is to identify and execute a business combination in the Space, Cybersecurity, and Energy Transition sectors that can benefit from our team’s expertise and can generate long-term risk adjusted returns to stockholders. We believe our team’s expertise in Space, Cybersecurity, and Energy technology and business operations, coupled with our extensive network of advisors and partners, will allow us to source highly competitive opportunities for the business. We plan to leverage these extensive networks of potential transaction sources to execute our abovementioned strategy. We will rely on our team’s collective operational experience, technical acumen, relationships, and expertise to evaluate that the business combination will generate long-term value to stockholders.
To source targets, we plan to leverage the networks of Mr. Demetriou, Mr. Meyerson, Mr. Glickman, Ms. Zecher, Ms. Tisinger, Mr. Gupta, and C5 Capital, which include entrepreneurs, former senior national security and intelligence officers, public and private investors, and former executives with experience in our target sectors. We will leverage the extensive network of our team and proprietary deal flow of our sponsor C5 Capital to inform our deal flow of high-quality companies within our target sectors. This network provides us with the ability to identify and attract leading entrepreneurs and target businesses aligned with our strategy.
We will use the investment, technical, and operating experience of our team and our sponsor to rigorously evaluate targets. Our team’s deep understanding of technologies in our target sectors will allow us to assess product feasibility as well as value-creating potential. Moreover, we will leverage our team’s deep understanding of key customers within our target sectors to evaluate the target’s product market fit and assess the technical track record of prospective targets. Our team’s collective customer insights, technical expertise, and investment experience strengthen our approach to acquisition.
Our team has extensive experience growing and operating businesses in government-driven industries. The team has insight into the government as a customer and partner, has executed on significant government contracts, as well as holds high level relationships in several G8 countries that we can use to assist our target to expand and drive value.
We are seeking an acquisition where our continued involvement will unlock significant value for investors. Following the initial business combination, we expect to assist the post-business combination entity in advancing its growth plans. We expect to collaborate with management as an active partner on a variety of activities including broadening their networks of prospective customers; building strong partner ecosystems; supporting diverse, equitable and inclusive talent acquisition; and providing advice on growth strategy. We believe our team’s collective experience demonstrates a commitment to a long-term partnership.
Our Acquisition Criteria
Consistent with our investment philosophy and strategy, we plan to identify highly competitive businesses run by world class teams pursuing large market opportunities that are seated at inflection points of growing demand driven by technological innovation in the target sectors.
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We will be looking to make an acquisition that offers attractive returns to stockholders. We intend to acquire companies that we believe:
• | operate in attractive and growing subsectors within space, cybersecurity, and energy transition; |
• | are mission-driven; |
• | can benefit from strategic/operational enhancement from our team; |
• | have products that are technologically differentiated and create significant value to customers; |
• | have scalable business models and monetization approaches; |
• | have mature management with demonstrated customer confidence in their ability to execute; |
• | can address the needs of both government and commercial customers; and |
• | have had initial market success with customer traction. |
We endeavor to be guided by the strategy outlined above in evaluating opportunities, but we reserve the right to complete our initial business combination with a target business that does not meet some or all of these criteria.
The criteria set forth above 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 other considerations, factors and criteria that our directors and officers may deem relevant.
Acquisition Process
In evaluating a prospective target business, we expect to conduct a rigorous and comprehensive due diligence review of prospective target businesses which will encompass, as appropriate and among other things, meetings with incumbent management teams and employees, document reviews, business plan reviews, interviews of customers and suppliers, inspection of facilities and a review of financial, operational, legal and other information made available to us about the target and its industry.
We expect that certain of our officers, directors and advisors will, directly or indirectly, own founder 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.
Certain of our officers and directors presently have, 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 or contractual obligations. As a result, if any of our officers or directors becomes aware of a business combination opportunity that is suitable for an entity to which he or she has then-current fiduciary or contractual obligations, then, subject to such officer’s and director’s fiduciary duties under Delaware 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 those other entities decide to pursue any such opportunity, we may be precluded from pursuing the same. However, we do not expect these duties to materially affect our ability to complete our initial business combination. Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will provide that we renounce our interest in any business combination opportunity offered to any director or officer unless such opportunity is expressly offered to such person solely in his or her capacity as a director or officer of the company and it is an opportunity that we are able to complete on a reasonable basis.
In addition, none of our advisors are officers or directors of our company and, therefore, owe us no fiduciary duties as such. While we expect that they will assist us in identifying business combination targets, they have no obligation to do so and may devote a substantial portion of their business time to activities unrelated to us. Our
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advisors may have fiduciary, contractual or other obligations or duties to other organizations to present business combination opportunities to such other organizations rather than to us. Accordingly, if any advisor becomes aware of a business combination opportunity which is suitable for one or more entities to which such advisor has fiduciary, contractual or other obligations or duties, such advisor will honor those obligations and duties to present such business combination opportunity to such entities first and only present it to us if such entities reject the opportunity and such advisor determines to present the opportunity to us. These conflicts may not be resolved in our favor and a potential business opportunity may be presented to another entity prior to its presentation to us. Furthermore, while none of our advisors will have any duty to offer acquisition opportunities to us, they may become aware of a potential transaction that is an attractive opportunity for us, which they may decide to share with us. Conflicts may arise from their affiliation with our company, their provision of services both to us and to third-party clients, as well as from actions undertaken by them for their own account. In performing services for other clients and also when acting for their own account, they may take commercial steps which may have an adverse effect on us. Any of our advisors’ other activities may, individually or in the aggregate, have an adverse effect on us, and the interests of our advisors or their respective clients or counterparties may at times be averse to ours. We do not believe, however, that the fiduciary, contractual or other obligations or duties of our advisors will materially affect our ability to complete our initial business combination.
Initial Business Combination
The NYSE rules require that an initial business combination must be with one or more operating businesses or assets with a fair market value equal to at least 80% of the net assets held in the trust account (net of amounts disbursed to management for working capital purposes, if permitted, and excluding the amount of any deferred underwriting discount). 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 or another independent entity that commonly renders valuation opinions, with respect to the satisfaction of such criteria. We do not currently intend to purchase multiple businesses in unrelated industries in conjunction with our initial business combination, although there is no assurance that will be the case.
We anticipate structuring our initial business combination so that the post-transaction company in which our public stockholders own 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 stockholders or for other reasons, but we will only complete such business combination if the post-transaction company owns or acquires 50% or more of the 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 outstanding voting securities of the target, our stockholders prior to our initial business combination may collectively own a minority interest in the post-transaction company, depending on valuations ascribed to the target and us in our initial business combination transaction. For example, we could pursue a transaction in which we issue a substantial number of new shares in exchange for all of the outstanding capital stock 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 stockholders immediately prior to our initial business combination could own less than a majority of our outstanding shares subsequent to our initial business combination. If less than 100% of the outstanding 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 valued 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 and we will treat the target businesses together as the initial business combination for the purposes of a tender offer or for seeking stockholder approval, as applicable.
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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 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.
Sourcing of Potential Business Combination Targets
We believe our management team’s significant operating and transaction experience and relationships with companies will provide us with a substantial number of potential business combination targets. Over the course of their careers, the members of our management team have developed a broad network of contacts and corporate relationships around the world. We believe this network provides us with a robust and consistent flow of acquisition opportunities which were proprietary or where a limited group of investors were invited to participate in the sale process. We believe that this network of contacts and relationships will provide us with important sources of acquisition opportunities. In addition, we anticipate that target business candidates will be brought to our attention from various unaffiliated sources, including investment market participants, private equity funds and large business enterprises seeking to divest non-core assets or divisions.
We are not prohibited from pursuing an initial business combination with a company that is affiliated with our sponsor, its members, or our officers or directors. In the event we seek to complete our initial business combination with a business that is affiliated with our sponsor, its members, or our officers or directors, we, or a committee of independent and disinterested directors, will obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm or from an independent accounting firm, 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.
As discussed above and under “Management—Conflicts of Interest,” if our sponsor, any of its members, or any of our officers or directors becomes aware of a business combination opportunity that is suitable for one or more entities to which it, he or she has fiduciary, contractual or other obligations or duties, it, he or she will honor these obligations and duties to present such business combination opportunity to such entities first, and only present it to us if such entities reject the opportunity and he or she determines to present the opportunity to us (including as described above). In addition, we may, at our option, pursue an affiliated joint acquisition opportunity with an entity to which our sponsor, any of its members, or an officer, director or advisor has a fiduciary, contractual or other obligation or duty. Any such parties may co-invest with us in the target business at the time of our initial business combination, or we could raise additional proceeds to complete the acquisition by making a specified future issuance to any such parties.
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 target businesses an alternative to the traditional initial public offering through a merger, capital stock exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, reorganization or similar business combination. In this situation, the owners of the target business would exchange their shares of stock in the target business for shares of our stock or for a combination of shares of our stock and cash, allowing us to tailor the consideration to the specific needs of the sellers. Although there are various costs and obligations associated with being a public company, we believe target businesses will find this method a more certain and cost effective method to becoming a public company than the typical initial public offering. In a typical initial public offering, there are additional expenses incurred in marketing, road show and public reporting efforts that may not be present to the same extent in connection with a business combination with us.
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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. Once public, we believe the target business would then have greater access to capital and an additional means of providing management incentives consistent with stockholders’ interests. It can offer further benefits by augmenting a company’s profile among potential new customers and vendors and aid in attracting talented employees.
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 common stock that is held by non-affiliates exceeds $700 million as of the end of that year’s second fiscal quarter; and (2) the date on which we have issued more than $1.00 billion in non-convertible debt securities during the prior three-year period.
Additionally, we will remain a smaller reporting company until the last day of the fiscal year in which (1) the market value of our common stock held by non-affiliates exceeds $250 million as of the end of that year’s second fiscal quarter, or (2) our annual revenues exceeded $100 million during such completed fiscal year and the market value of our common stock held by non-affiliates exceeds $700 million as of the end of that year’s second fiscal quarter.
Financial Position
With funds available for a business combination initially in the amount of $246,250,000 assuming no redemptions and after payment of $8,750,000 of deferred underwriting fees (or $283,187,500 assuming no redemptions and after payment of $10,062,500 of deferred underwriting fees if the underwriters’ option to purchase additional units is exercised in full), in each case, after estimated offering expenses of $900,000 and estimated working capital expenses of $2,635,500, 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
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 capital stock, 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.
Members of our management team 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)
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contacted any prospective target business or had any substantive discussions, formal or otherwise, with respect to a business combination transaction with us. Additionally, we have not, nor has anyone on our behalf, taken any substantive measure, directly or indirectly, to identify or select any suitable acquisition candidate for us, nor have we engaged or retained any agent or other representative to identify or select any such acquisition candidate.
We may seek to raise additional funds in connection with the completion of our initial business combination through a private offering of equity securities (including pursuant to a specified future issuance) or debt securities or loans, 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.
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 stockholder approval of such financing. There are no prohibitions on our ability to raise funds privately (including pursuant to a specified future issuance) 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.
Selection of a target business and structuring of our initial business combination
The NYSE rules require that an initial business combination must be with one or more operating businesses or assets with a fair market value equal to at least 80% of the net assets held in the trust account (net of amounts disbursed to management for working capital purposes, if permitted, and excluding the amount of any deferred underwriting discount). The fair market value of the target or targets will be determined by our board of directors based upon one or more standards generally accepted by the financial community, such as discounted cash flow valuation or value of comparable businesses. If our board of directors is not able to independently determine the fair market value of the target business or businesses, we will obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm or another independent entity that commonly renders valuation opinions, with respect to the satisfaction of such criteria. We do not currently intend to purchase multiple businesses in unrelated industries in conjunction with our initial business combination, although there is no assurance that will be the case. Subject to this requirement, our management will have virtually unrestricted flexibility in identifying and selecting one or more prospective target businesses, although we will not be permitted to effectuate our initial business combination solely with another blank check company or a similar company with nominal operations.
In any case, we will only complete an initial business combination if the post-transaction company owns or acquires 50% or more of the outstanding voting securities of the target or otherwise acquires a controlling interest in the target business sufficient for it not to be required to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act. If less than 100% of the outstanding 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 valued for purposes of the 80% of net assets test. There is no basis for investors in this offering to evaluate the possible merits or risks of any target business with which we may ultimately complete our initial business combination.
To the extent we effect our initial business combination with a company or business that may be financially unstable or in its early stages of development or growth, we may be affected by numerous risks inherent in such company or business. Although our management 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.
In evaluating a prospective target business, we expect to conduct a thorough due diligence review which may encompass, among other things, meetings with incumbent management and employees, document reviews, inspection of facilities, as well as a review of financial, operational, legal and other information which will be made available to us.
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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 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.
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.
By completing our initial business combination with only a single entity our lack of diversification may subject us to numerous economic, competitive and regulatory risks. Further, we would not be able to diversify our operations or benefit from the possible spreading of risks or offsetting of losses, unlike other entities which may have the resources to complete several business combinations in different industries or different areas of a single industry. Accordingly, the prospects for our success may be:
• | solely dependent upon the performance of a single business, property or asset; or |
• | dependent upon the development or market acceptance of a single or limited number of products, processes or services. |
This lack of diversification may subject us to numerous 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.
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. 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 highly 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 post-business combination 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 our initial 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.
Stockholders may not have the ability to approve our initial business combination
We may conduct redemptions without a stockholder vote pursuant to the tender offer rules of the SEC. However, we will seek stockholder approval if it is required by applicable law or stock exchange rule, or we may decide to seek stockholder approval for business or other reasons. Presented in the table below is a graphic
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explanation of the types of initial business combinations we may consider and whether stockholder approval is currently required under Delaware law for each such transaction.
Type of Transaction | Whether Stockholder Approval is Required | |||
Purchase of assets | No | |||
Purchase of stock of target not involving a merger with the company | No | |||
Merger of target into a subsidiary of the company | No | |||
Merger of the company with a target | Yes |
Under the NYSE’s listing rules, stockholder approval would be required for our initial business combination if, for example:
• | we issue (other than in a public offering for cash) shares of common stock that will either (a) be equal to or in excess of 20% of the number of shares of common stock then outstanding or (b) have voting power equal to or in excess of 20% of the voting power then outstanding; |
• | any of our directors, officers or substantial security holders (as defined by the NYSE rules) has a 5% or greater interest, directly or indirectly, in the target business or assets to be acquired and if the number of shares of common stock to be issued, or if the number of shares of common stock into which the securities may be convertible or exercisable, exceeds either (a) 1% of the number of shares of common stock or 1% of the voting power outstanding before the issuance in the case of any of our directors and officers or (b) 5% of the number of shares of common stock or 5% of the voting power outstanding before the issuance in the case of any substantial securityholders; or |
• | the issuance or potential issuance will result in our undergoing a change of control. |
The decision as to whether we will seek stockholder approval of a proposed business combination in those instances in which stockholder approval is not required by applicable law or stock exchange rule 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:
• | the timing of the transaction, including in the event we determine stockholder approval would require additional time and there is either not enough time to seek stockholder approval or doing so would place the company at a disadvantage in the transaction or result in other additional burdens on the company; |
• | the expected cost of holding a stockholder vote; |
• | the risk that the stockholders would fail to approve the proposed business combination; |
• | other time and budget constraints of the company; and |
• | additional legal complexities of a proposed business combination that would be time-consuming and burdensome to present to stockholders. |
Permitted purchases and other transactions with respect to our securities
In the event we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct redemptions in connection with our initial business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our sponsor, directors, officers, advisors or any of their respective affiliates may purchase public shares or public warrants in privately negotiated transactions or in the open market either prior to or following the completion of our initial business combination. There is no limit on the number of securities such persons may purchase. Additionally, at any time at or prior to our initial business combination, subject to applicable securities laws (including with
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respect to material nonpublic information), our sponsor, directors, officers, advisors or any of their respective affiliates may enter into transactions with investors and others to provide them with incentives to acquire public shares, vote their public shares in favor of our initial business combination or not redeem their public shares. However, they have no current commitments, plans or intentions to engage in such purchases or other transactions and have not formulated any terms or conditions for any such purchases or other transactions. None of the funds held in the trust account will be used to purchase public shares or public warrants in such transactions. Such persons will be subject to restrictions in making any such purchases when they are in possession of any material non-public information or if such purchases are prohibited by Regulation M under the Exchange Act. Such a purchase may include a contractual acknowledgement that such stockholder, although still the record holder of our shares, is no longer the beneficial owner thereof and therefore agrees not to exercise its redemption rights. We will adopt an insider trading policy which will require insiders to clear all trades with our legal counsel, our chief financial officer or another officer prior to execution. We cannot currently determine whether our insiders will make such purchases pursuant to a Rule 10b5-1 plan, as it will be dependent upon several factors, including but not limited to, the timing and size of such purchases. Depending on such circumstances, our insiders may either make such purchases pursuant to a Rule 10b5-1 plan or determine that such a plan is not necessary.
In the event that our sponsor, directors, officers, advisors or any of their respective affiliates purchase public shares in privately negotiated transactions from public stockholders who have already elected to exercise their redemption rights or submitted a proxy to vote against our initial business combination, such selling stockholders 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 (1) vote such shares in favor of the initial business combination and thereby increase the likelihood of obtaining stockholder approval of the initial business combination, (2) reduce the number of public warrants outstanding or to vote such public warrants on any matters submitted to the public 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 transactions 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 shares of Class A common stock 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, advisors and/or any of their respective affiliates anticipate that they may identify the stockholders with whom our sponsor, officers, directors, advisors or any of their respective affiliates may pursue privately negotiated transactions by either the stockholders contacting us directly or by our receipt of redemption requests submitted by stockholders (in the case of public shares) following our mailing of proxy materials in connection with our initial business combination. To the extent that our sponsor, officers, directors, advisors or any of their respective affiliates enter into a private transaction, they would identify and contact only potential selling or redeeming stockholders 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. Such persons would select the stockholders from whom to acquire shares based on the number of shares available, the negotiated price per share and such other factors as any such person may deem relevant at the time of purchase. The price per share paid in any such transaction may be different than the amount per share a public stockholder would receive if it elected to redeem its shares in connection with our initial business combination. Our sponsor, officers, directors, advisors
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or any of their respective affiliates 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.
Any purchases by our sponsor, officers, directors and/or any of their respective affiliates who are affiliated purchasers under Rule 10b-18 under the Exchange Act will be restricted unless such purchases are made in compliance with Rule 10b-18, which is a safe harbor from liability for manipulation under Section 9(a)(2) and Rule 10b-5 of the Exchange Act. Rule 10b-18 has certain technical requirements that must be complied with in order for the safe harbor to be available to the purchaser. Our sponsor, officers, directors and/or any of their respective affiliates will be restricted from making purchases of common stock if such purchases would violate Section 9(a)(2) or Rule 10b-5 of the Exchange Act.
Redemption rights for public stockholders in connection with our initial business combination
We will provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their shares of common stock in connection with 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 (which interest shall be net of taxes payable), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, subject to the limitations described herein. At the time of our business combination, we will be required to purchase any public shares properly delivered for redemption and not withdrawn. 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 public 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 public shares. There will be no redemption rights with respect to our public warrants. Our initial stockholders, officers, directors and advisors have entered into a letter agreement with us, pursuant to which they have agreed to waive their redemption rights with respect to any founder shares and any public shares held by them in connection with our initial business combination.
Manner of conducting redemptions
We will provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their shares of Class A common stock either: (1) in connection with a stockholder meeting called to approve the business combination; or (2) by means of a tender offer. Except as required by applicable law or stock exchange rules, the decision as to whether we will seek stockholder approval of a proposed business combination or 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. Asset acquisitions and stock purchases would not typically require stockholder approval while direct mergers with our company where we do not survive and any transactions where we issue more than 20% of our outstanding common stock or seek to amend our amended and restated certificate of incorporation would typically require stockholder approval. If we structure a business combination transaction with a target company in a manner that requires stockholder approval, we will not have discretion as to whether to seek a stockholder vote to approve the proposed business combination. We intend to conduct redemptions without a stockholder vote pursuant to the tender offer rules of the SEC unless stockholder approval is required by applicable law or stock exchange listing requirement or we choose to seek stockholder approval for business or other reasons.
If a stockholder vote is not required and we do not decide to hold a stockholder vote for business or other reasons, we will, pursuant to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation:
• | 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. |
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Upon the public announcement of our initial business combination, we and our sponsor will terminate any plan established in accordance with Rule 10b5-1 to purchase shares of our Class A common stock in the open market if we elect to redeem our public shares through a tender offer, 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 stockholders not tendering more than a specified number of public shares, which number will be based on the requirement that we may not redeem public shares in an amount that would cause our net tangible assets to be less than $5,000,001 or any greater net tangible asset or cash requirement which may be contained in the agreement relating to our initial business combination. If public stockholders tender more shares than we have offered to purchase, we will withdraw the tender offer and not complete such initial business combination, and we instead may search for an alternate business combination (including, potentially, with the same target).
If, however, stockholder approval of the transaction is required by applicable law or stock exchange listing requirement, or we decide to obtain stockholder approval for business or other reasons, we will, pursuant to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation:
• | 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. |
We expect that a final proxy statement would be mailed to public stockholders at least 10 days prior to the stockholder vote. However, we expect that a draft proxy statement would be made available to such stockholders well in advance of such time, providing additional notice of redemption if we conduct redemptions in conjunction with a proxy solicitation. Although we are not required to do so, we currently intend to comply with the substantive and procedural requirements of Regulation 14A in connection with any stockholder vote even if we are not able to maintain our NYSE listing or Exchange Act registration.
In the event that we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination, we will distribute proxy materials and, in connection therewith, provide our public stockholders with the redemption rights described above in connection with the initial business combination.
If we seek stockholder approval, we will complete our initial business combination only if a majority of the outstanding shares of our common stock voted are voted in favor of the business combination. A quorum for such meeting will consist of the holders present in person or by proxy of shares of outstanding capital stock of the company representing a majority of the voting power of all outstanding shares of capital stock of the company entitled to vote at such meeting. Our initial stockholders, officers, directors and advisors will count towards this quorum and have agreed to vote any founder shares and any public shares held by them in favor of our initial business combination. These quorum and voting thresholds and agreements, may make it more likely that we will consummate our initial business combination. Each public stockholder may elect to redeem its public shares without voting, and if they do vote, irrespective of whether they vote for or against the proposed transaction. In addition, our initial stockholders, officers, directors and advisors have entered into a letter agreement with us, pursuant to which they have agreed to waive their redemption rights with respect to any founder shares and any public shares held by them in connection with the completion of a business combination.
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will provide that we will not redeem our public shares in an amount that would cause our net tangible assets to be less than $5,000,001 or any greater net tangible asset or cash requirement which may be contained in the agreement relating to our initial business combination. For
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example, the proposed business combination may require: (1) cash consideration to be paid to the target or its owners; (2) cash to be transferred to the target for working capital or other general corporate purposes; or (3) 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 shares of Class A common stock that are validly submitted for redemption plus any amount required to satisfy cash conditions pursuant to the terms of the proposed business combination exceed the aggregate amount of cash available to us, we will not complete the business combination or redeem any shares, all shares of common stock submitted for redemption will be returned to the holders thereof, and we instead may search for an alternate business combination (including, potentially, with the same target).
Limitation on redemption in connection with our initial business combination if we seek stockholder approval
Notwithstanding the foregoing redemption rights, if we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct redemptions in connection with our initial business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will provide that a public stockholder, together with any affiliate of such stockholder or any other person with whom such stockholder is acting in concert or as a “group” (as defined under Section 13 of the Exchange Act), will be restricted from redeeming its shares with respect to more than an aggregate of 15% of the shares sold in this offering, which we refer to as the “Excess Shares,” without our prior consent. We believe the restriction described above will discourage stockholders 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 sponsor or its affiliates to purchase their shares at a significant premium to the then-current market price or on other undesirable terms. Absent this provision, a public stockholder 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 or our sponsor or its affiliates at a premium to the then-current market price or on other undesirable terms. By limiting our stockholders’ ability to redeem to no more than 15% of the shares sold in this offering, we believe we will limit the ability of a small group of stockholders 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 stockholders’ ability to vote all of their shares (including Excess Shares) for or against our initial business combination.
Tendering stock certificates in connection with a tender offer or redemption rights
We may require our public stockholders seeking to exercise their redemption rights, whether they are record holders or hold their shares in “street name,” to either tender their certificates to our transfer agent prior to the date set forth in the tender offer documents or proxy materials mailed to such holders, or up to two business days prior to the vote on the proposal to approve the business combination in the event we distribute proxy materials or to deliver their shares to the transfer agent electronically using The Depository Trust Company’s DWAC (Deposit / Withdrawal At Custodian) System, rather than simply voting against the initial business combination at the holder’s option. The tender offer or proxy materials, as applicable, that we will furnish to holders of our public shares in connection with our initial business combination will indicate whether we are requiring public stockholders to satisfy such delivery requirements, which will include the requirement that a beneficial holder must identify itself in order to validly redeem its shares. In the event we do not proceed with the proposed business combination, we will promptly return any shares delivered for redemption. Accordingly, a public stockholder 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 scheduled vote on the business combination if we distribute proxy materials, as applicable, to tender its shares if it wishes to seek to exercise its redemption rights. Pursuant to the tender offer rules, the tender offer period will be not less than 20 business days and, in the case of a stockholder vote, a final proxy statement would be mailed to public stockholders at least 10 days prior to the stockholder vote. However, we expect that a draft proxy statement would be made available to such stockholders well in advance of such time, providing additional notice of redemption if we conduct redemptions in conjunction with a
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proxy solicitation. Given the relatively short exercise period, it is advisable for stockholders 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 Depository Trust Company’s DWAC (Deposit / Withdrawal At Custodian) System. The transfer agent will typically charge the tendering broker a fee of approximately $80 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 stockholders’ 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 stockholder to arrange for him or her to deliver his or her certificate to verify ownership. As a result, the stockholder 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 stock 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 stockholders were aware they needed to commit before the stockholder 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 holder’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 the date set forth in the tender offer materials or two business days prior to the scheduled date of the stockholder meeting set forth in our proxy materials, as applicable (unless we elect to allow additional withdrawal rights). Furthermore, if a holder of a public share delivered its certificate in connection with an 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 stockholders 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 until 18 months from the closing of this offering or during any Extension Period.
Redemption of public shares and liquidation if no initial business combination
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will provide that we will have only 18 months from the closing of this offering to complete our initial business combination. If we have not completed our initial business combination within such period or during any Extension Period, we will: (1) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up; (2) as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter, redeem the public shares, at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest (which interest shall be 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, which
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redemption will completely extinguish public stockholders’ rights as stockholders (including the right to receive further liquidating distributions, if any); and (3) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining stockholders and our board of directors, dissolve and liquidate, subject in each case to our obligations under Delaware law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law. There will be no redemption rights or liquidating distributions with respect to our public warrants, which will expire worthless if we fail to complete our initial business combination within the prescribed time period.
Our initial stockholders, officers, directors and advisors have entered into a letter agreement with us, pursuant to which they have waived their rights to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to any founder shares held by them if we fail to complete our initial business combination within the prescribed time period. However, if our sponsor or any of our officers, directors, advisors or any of their respective affiliates then hold any public shares, they will be entitled to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to such public shares if we fail to complete our initial business combination within the allotted time frame to complete our initial business combination.
Our sponsor, officers, directors and advisory board members have agreed, pursuant to a written agreement with us, that they will not propose any amendment to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemptions in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering or (B) with respect to any other material provision relating to stockholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity, unless we provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to redeem their shares of Class A common stock upon approval of any such amendment at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest (which interest shall be net of taxes payable), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares. However, we may not redeem our public shares in an amount that would cause our net tangible assets to be less than $5,000,001.
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 estimated $2,635,500 of proceeds held outside the trust account, although we cannot assure you that there will be sufficient funds for such purpose. However, if those funds are not sufficient to cover the costs and expenses associated with implementing our plan of dissolution, to the extent that there is any interest accrued in the trust account not required to pay taxes, we may request the trustee to release to us an additional amount of up to $100,000 of such accrued interest to pay those costs and expenses.
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 and any tax payments or expenses for the dissolution of the trust, the per-share redemption amount received by stockholders 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 stockholders. We cannot assure you that the actual per-share redemption amount received by stockholders will not be substantially less than $10.20. See “Risk Factors—Risks Relating to Our Search for, and Consummation of or Inability to Consummate, an Initial Business Combination—If third parties bring claims against us, the proceeds held in the trust account could be reduced and the per-share redemption amount received by stockholders may be less than $10.20 per share” and other risk factors described above. Under Section 281(b) of the DGCL, our plan of dissolution must provide for all claims against us to be paid in full or make provision for payments to be made in full, as applicable, if there are sufficient assets. These claims must be paid or provided for before we make any distribution of our remaining assets to our stockholders. While we intend to pay such amounts, if any, we cannot assure you that we will have funds sufficient to pay or provide for all creditors’ claims.
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Although we will seek to have all vendors, service providers (other than our independent registered public accounting firm), prospective target businesses and other entities with which we do business execute agreements with us waiving any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to any monies held in the trust account for the benefit of our public stockholders, there is no guarantee that they will execute such agreements or even if they execute such agreements that they would be prevented from bringing claims against the trust account including but not limited to fraudulent inducement, breach of fiduciary responsibility or other similar claims, as well as claims challenging the enforceability of the waiver, in each case in order to gain an advantage with respect to a claim against our assets, including the funds held in the trust account. If any third party refuses to execute an agreement waiving such claims to the monies held in the trust account, our management will perform an analysis of the alternatives available to it and will only enter into an agreement with a third party that has not executed a waiver if management believes that such third party’s engagement would be significantly more beneficial to us than any alternative. Examples of possible instances where we may engage a third party that refuses to execute a waiver include the engagement of a third-party consultant whose particular expertise or skills are believed by management to be significantly superior to those of other consultants that would agree to execute a waiver or in cases where we are unable to find a service provider willing to execute a waiver. In addition, there is no guarantee that such entities will agree to waive any claims they may have in the future as a result of, or arising out of, any negotiations, contracts or agreements with us and will not seek recourse against the trust account for any reason. 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, or a prospective target business with which we have discussed entering into a transaction agreement, reduce the amount of funds in the trust account to below (1) $10.20 per public share; or (2) such lesser amount per public share held in the trust account as of the date of the liquidation of the trust account due to reductions in the value of the trust assets, in each case net of the amount of interest which may be withdrawn to pay taxes, except as to any claims by a third party who executed a waiver of any and all rights to seek access to the trust account and except as to any claims under our indemnity of the underwriters of 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. We have not independently verified whether our sponsor has sufficient funds to satisfy its indemnity obligations and believe that our sponsor’s only assets are securities of our company and, therefore, our sponsor may not be able to satisfy those obligations. We have not asked our sponsor to reserve for such obligations. 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.
In the event that the proceeds in the trust account are reduced below: (1) $10.20 per public share; or (2) such lesser amount per public share held in the trust account as of the date of the liquidation of the trust account due to reductions in the value of the trust assets, in each case net of the amount of interest which may be withdrawn to pay taxes, and our sponsor asserts that it is unable to satisfy its indemnification obligations or that it has no indemnification obligations related to a particular claim, our independent directors would determine whether to take legal action against our sponsor to enforce its indemnification obligations. While we currently expect that our independent directors would take legal action on our behalf against our sponsor to enforce its indemnification obligations to us, it is possible that our independent directors in exercising their business judgment may choose not to do so in certain instances. For example, the cost of such legal action may be deemed by the independent directors to be too high relative to the amount recoverable or the independent directors may determine that a favorable outcome is not likely. Accordingly, we cannot assure you that due to claims of creditors the actual value of the per-share redemption price will not be substantially less than $10.20 per public share. See “Risk Factors—Risks Relating to Our Search for, and Consummation of or Inability to Consummate, an Initial Business Combination—If third parties bring claims against us, the proceeds held in the trust account could be reduced and the per-share redemption amount received by stockholders may be less than $10.20 per share” and other risk factors described above.
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We will seek to reduce the possibility that our sponsor will have to indemnify the trust account due to claims of creditors by endeavoring to have all vendors, service providers (other than our independent registered public accounting firm), prospective target businesses and other entities with which we do business execute agreements with us waiving any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to 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 an estimated $2,635,500 from the proceeds of 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, stockholders who received funds from our trust account could be liable for claims made by creditors. In the event that our offering expenses exceed our estimate of $900,000, 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 $900,000, the amount of funds we intend to be held outside the trust account would increase by a corresponding amount.
Under the DGCL, stockholders may be held liable for claims by third parties against a corporation to the extent of distributions received by them in a dissolution. The pro rata portion of our trust account distributed to our public stockholders upon the redemption of our public shares in the event we do not complete our initial business combination within the required time period may be considered a liquidating distribution under Delaware law. If the corporation complies with certain procedures set forth in Section 280 of the DGCL intended to ensure that it makes reasonable provision for all claims against it, including a 60-day notice period during which any third-party claims can be brought against the corporation, a 90-day period during which the corporation may reject any claims brought, and an additional 150-day waiting period before any liquidating distributions are made to stockholders, any liability of stockholders with respect to a liquidating distribution is limited to the lesser of such stockholder’s pro rata share of the claim or the amount distributed to the stockholder, and any liability of the stockholder would be barred after the third anniversary of the dissolution.
Furthermore, if the pro rata portion of our trust account distributed to our public stockholders upon the redemption of our public shares in the event we do not complete our initial business combination within the required time period, is not considered a liquidating distribution under Delaware law and such redemption distribution is deemed to be unlawful, then pursuant to Section 174 of the DGCL, the statute of limitations for claims of creditors could then be six years after the unlawful redemption distribution, instead of three years, as in the case of a liquidating distribution. If we have not completed our initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering or during any Extension Period, we will: (1) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up; (2) as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter, redeem the public shares, at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest (which interest shall be 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, which redemption will completely extinguish public stockholders’ rights as stockholders (including the right to receive further liquidating distributions, if any); and (3) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining stockholders and our board of directors, dissolve and liquidate, subject in each case to our obligations under Delaware law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law. Accordingly, it is our intention to redeem our public shares as soon as reasonably possible following the end of our acquisition period and, therefore, we do not intend to comply with those procedures. As such, our stockholders could potentially be liable for any claims to the extent of distributions received by them (but no more) and any liability of our stockholders may extend well beyond the third anniversary of such date.
Because we will not be complying with Section 280 of the DGCL, Section 281(b) of the DGCL requires us to adopt a plan, based on facts known to us at such time that will provide for our payment of all existing and pending claims or claims that may be potentially brought against us within the subsequent ten years. However, because we are a blank check company, rather than an operating company, and our operations will be limited to
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searching for prospective target businesses to acquire, the only likely claims to arise would be from our vendors (such as lawyers, investment bankers, etc.) or prospective target businesses. As described above, pursuant to the obligation contained in our underwriting agreement, we will seek to have all vendors, service providers (other than our independent registered public accounting firm), prospective target businesses and other entities with which we do business execute agreements with us waiving any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to any monies held in the trust account.
As a result of this obligation, the claims that could be made against us are significantly limited and the likelihood that any claim that would result in any liability extending to the trust account is remote. Further, our sponsor may be liable only to the extent necessary to ensure that the amounts in the trust account are not reduced below: (1) $10.20 per public share; or (2) such lesser amount per public share held in the trust account as of the date of the liquidation of the trust account due to reductions in the value of the trust assets, in each case net of the amount of interest which may be withdrawn to pay taxes, except as to any claims by a third party who executed a waiver of any and all rights to seek access to the trust account and except as to any claims under our indemnity of the underwriters of 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.
If we file a bankruptcy petition or an involuntary bankruptcy petition is filed against us that is not dismissed, the proceeds held in the trust account could be subject to applicable bankruptcy law, and may be included in our bankruptcy estate and subject to the claims of third parties with priority over the claims of our stockholders. To the extent any bankruptcy claims deplete the trust account, we cannot assure you we will be able to return $10.20 per share to our public stockholders. Additionally, if we file a bankruptcy petition or an involuntary bankruptcy petition is filed against us that is not dismissed, any distributions received by stockholders could be viewed under applicable debtor/creditor and/or bankruptcy laws as either a “preferential transfer” or a “fraudulent conveyance.” As a result, a bankruptcy court could seek to recover some or all amounts received by our stockholders. Furthermore, our board of directors may be viewed as having breached its fiduciary duty to our creditors and/or may have acted in bad faith, and thereby exposing itself and our company to claims of punitive damages, by paying public stockholders from the trust account prior to addressing the claims of creditors. We cannot assure you that claims will not be brought against us for these reasons. See “Risk Factors—Risks Relating to Our Search for, and Consummation of or Inability to Consummate, an Initial Business Combination—If, after we distribute the proceeds in the trust account to our public stockholders, we file a bankruptcy petition or an involuntary bankruptcy petition is filed against us that is not dismissed, a bankruptcy court may seek to recover such proceeds, and the members of our board of directors may be viewed as having breached their fiduciary duties to our creditors, thereby exposing the members of our board of directors and us to claims of punitive damages.”
A public stockholder will be entitled to receive funds from the trust account only upon the earliest to occur of: (1) the completion of our initial business combination and then, only in connection with those public shares that such stockholder has properly elected to redeem, subject to the limitations described in this prospectus; (2) the redemption of any public shares properly submitted in connection with a stockholder vote to amend our amended and restated certificate of incorporation (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemptions in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering or (B) with respect to any other material provision relating to stockholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity; and (3) the redemption of all 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. In no other circumstances will a public stockholder have any right or interest of any kind to or in the trust account. In the event we seek stockholder approval in connection with our initial business combination, a stockholder’s voting in connection with our initial business combination alone will not result in a stockholder’s redeeming its shares to us for an applicable pro rata share of the trust account. Such stockholder must have also exercised its redemption rights described above. Holders of public warrants will not have any rights of proceeds held in the trust account with respect to the public warrants.
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Amended and restated certificate of incorporation
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will contain certain requirements and restrictions relating to this offering that will apply to us until the consummation of our initial business combination. If we seek to amend any provisions of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemptions in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering or (B) with respect to any other material provision relating to stockholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity, we will provide public stockholders with the opportunity to redeem their public shares in connection with any such vote. Our initial stockholders, officers, directors and advisors have agreed to waive any redemption rights with respect to any founder shares and any public shares held by them in connection with the completion of our initial business combination. Specifically, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will provide, among other things, that:
• | prior to the consummation of our initial business combination, we shall either: (1) seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination at a meeting called for such purpose, in connection with which, stockholders may seek to redeem their shares without voting, and if they do vote, irrespective of whether they vote for or against the proposed transaction, into their pro rata share of the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, calculated as of two business days prior to the completion of our initial business combination, including interest (which interest shall be net of taxes payable); or (2) provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to tender their shares to us by means of a tender offer (and thereby avoid the need for a stockholder vote) for an amount equal to their pro rata share of the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, calculated as of two business days prior to the completion of our initial business combination, including interest (which interest shall be net of taxes payable), in each case subject to the limitations described herein; |
• | we will not redeem public shares in an amount that would cause our net tangible assets to be less than $5,000,001 or any greater net tangible asset or cash requirement which may be contained in the agreement relating to our initial business combination and, if we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination, we will proceed with the initial business combination if a majority of the outstanding shares voted are voted in favor of the initial business combination, or such other vote as required by law or stock exchange rule; |
• | if we have not completed our initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering, we will: (1) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up; (2) as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter, redeem the public shares, at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest (which interest shall be 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, which redemption will completely extinguish public stockholders’ rights as stockholders (including the right to receive further liquidating distributions, if any), subject to applicable law; and (3) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining stockholders and our board of directors, dissolve and liquidate, subject in each case to our obligations under Delaware law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law; and |
• | prior to our initial business combination, we may not issue additional shares of capital stock that would entitle the holders thereof to (1) receive funds from the trust account or (2) vote pursuant to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation on any initial business combination or any amendments to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation. |
These provisions cannot be amended without the approval of holders of at least 65% of our outstanding common stock.
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Additionally, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will provide that, prior to our initial business combination, only holders of our Class B common stock will have the right to vote on the election of directors and that holders of a majority of the outstanding shares of our Class B common stock may remove a member of the board of directors for any reason.
Unless specified in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation or bylaws, or as required by applicable law or stock exchange rules, the affirmative vote of holders of a majority of the outstanding shares of our common stock that are voted is required to approve any such matter voted on by our stockholders.
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 during any Extension Period.
Redemptions in Connection | Other Permitted Purchases of | Redemptions if We Fail to | ||||
Calculation of redemption price | Redemptions at the time of our initial business combination may be made pursuant to a tender offer or in connection with a stockholder vote. The redemption price will be the same whether we conduct redemptions pursuant to a tender offer or in connection with a stockholder vote. In either case, our public stockholders may redeem their public shares for 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 (which is initially anticipated to be $10.20 per public share), including interest (which interest shall be net of taxes payable), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, subject to the limitation that no redemptions will take | If we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination, our sponsor, directors, officers, advisors or any of their respective affiliates may purchase shares in privately negotiated transactions or in the open market either prior to or following the completion of our initial business combination. Such purchases will be restricted except to the extent such purchases are able to be made in compliance with Rule 10b-18, which is a safe harbor from liability for manipulation under Section 9(a)(2) and Rule 10b-5 of the Exchange Act. None of the funds in the trust account will be used to purchase shares in such transactions. | If we have not completed our initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering or during any Extension Period, we will redeem all public shares at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account (which is initially anticipated to be $10.20 per public share), including interest (which interest shall be 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. |
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Redemptions in Connection | Other Permitted Purchases of | Redemptions if We Fail to | ||||
place if all of the redemptions would cause our net tangible assets to be less than $5,000,001 or any greater net tangible asset or cash requirement which may be contained in the agreement relating to our initial business combination. | ||||||
Impact to remaining stockholders | The redemptions in connection with our initial business combination will reduce the book value per share for our remaining stockholders, who will bear the burden of the deferred underwriting commissions and interest withdrawn in order to pay our taxes (to the extent not paid from amounts accrued as interest on the funds held in the trust account). | If the permitted purchases described above are made, there will be no impact to our remaining stockholders because the purchase price would not be paid by us. |
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 option to purchase additional units. 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 | The rules of the NYSE provide that at least 90% of the gross proceeds from this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants be deposited in a trust account. $255,000,000 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 with Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company acting as trustee. | At least $216,877,500 of the offering proceeds, representing the gross proceeds of this offering less allowable underwriting commissions, expenses and company deductions under Rule 419, 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 |
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Terms of Our Offering | Terms Under a Rule 419 Offering | |||
having the beneficial interests in the account. | ||||
Investment of net proceeds | $255,000,000 of the net offering proceeds and the sale of the private placement warrants held in trust will be invested only in U.S. government treasury bills with a maturity of 185 days or less or in money market funds investing solely in U.S. Treasuries and meeting certain conditions under Rule 2a-7 under the Investment Company Act. | 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 United States. | ||
Receipt of interest on escrowed funds | Interest on proceeds from the trust account to be paid to stockholders is reduced by: (1) any taxes paid or payable; and (2) in the event of our liquidation for failure to complete our initial business combination within the allotted time, 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. | Interest 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. | ||
Limitation on fair value or net assets of target business | The NYSE rules require that an initial business combination must be with one or more operating businesses or assets with a fair market value equal to at least 80% of the net assets held in the trust account (net of amounts disbursed to management for working capital purposes, if permitted, and excluding the amount of any deferred underwriting discount). | 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 will begin trading on or promptly after the date of this prospectus. The Class A common stock and public warrants constituting the units will begin separate trading on the 52nd day following the date of this prospectus (or, if such date is not a business day, the following business day) unless Cantor Fitzgerald & Co. and Moelis & Company LLC inform us of their decision to allow earlier separate trading, subject to our having filed the Current | No trading of the units or the underlying common stock and public 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 | |||
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 underwriters’ option to purchase additional units 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’ option to purchase additional units. | ||||
Exercise of the warrants | The public warrants cannot be exercised until the later of 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination and 12 months from the closing of this offering. | The public 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 stockholders with the opportunity to redeem their public shares for cash equal to their pro rata share of 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, which interest shall be net of taxes payable, in connection with our initial business combination, subject to the limitations described herein. We may not be required by applicable law or stock exchange rules to hold a stockholder vote. If we are not required by applicable law or stock exchange rules and do not otherwise decide to hold a stockholder vote, we will, pursuant to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, conduct the redemptions pursuant to the tender | 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 stockholder 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 stockholder. Unless a sufficient number of investors elect to remain investors, all funds on | ||
offer rules of the SEC and file tender offer documents with the | deposit in the escrow account must be returned to all of the |
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Terms of Our Offering | Terms Under a Rule 419 Offering | |||
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 stockholder 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. Pursuant to the tender offer rules, the tender offer period will be not less than 20 business days and, in the case of a stockholder vote, a final proxy statement would be mailed to public stockholders at least 10 days prior to the stockholder vote. However, we expect that a draft proxy statement would be made available to such stockholders well in advance of such time, providing additional notice of redemption if we conduct redemptions in conjunction with a proxy solicitation. If we seek stockholder approval, we will complete our initial business combination only if a majority of the outstanding shares of our common stock voted are voted in favor of the business combination. A quorum for such meeting will consist of the holders present in person or by proxy of shares of outstanding capital stock of the company representing a majority of the voting power of all outstanding shares of capital stock of the company entitled to vote at such meeting. Additionally, each public stockholder may elect to redeem its public shares without voting and, if they do vote, irrespective of whether they vote for or against the proposed transaction. | investors and none of the securities are issued. | |||
Business combination deadline | If we have not completed an initial business combination within 18 | If an acquisition has not been completed within 18 months after |
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Terms of Our Offering | Terms Under a Rule 419 Offering | |||
months from the closing of this offering or during any Extension Period, we will: (1) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up; (2) as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter, redeem the public shares, at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest (which interest shall be 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, which redemption will completely extinguish public stockholders’ rights as stockholders (including the right to receive further liquidating distributions, if any), subject to applicable law; and (3) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining stockholders and our board of directors, dissolve and liquidate, subject in each case to our obligations under Delaware law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law. | the effective date of the company’s registration statement, funds held in the trust or escrow account are returned to investors. | |||
Release of funds | Except with respect to interest earned on the funds held in the trust account that may be released to us to pay our taxes, if any, the funds held in the trust account will not be released from the trust account until the earliest of: (1) the completion of our initial business combination; (2) the redemption of any public shares properly submitted in connection with a stockholder vote to amend our amended and restated certificate of incorporation (A) to | The proceeds held in the escrow account are not released until the earlier of the completion of a business combination and the failure to effect a business combination within the allotted time. | ||
modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemptions in connection with our initial business combination or |
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Terms of Our Offering | Terms Under a Rule 419 Offering | |||
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 material provision relating to stockholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity; and (3) the redemption of all 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. | ||||
Limitation on redemption rights of stockholders holding more than 15% of the shares sold in this offering if we hold a stockholder vote | If we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct redemptions in connection with our initial business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will provide that a public stockholder, together with any affiliate of such stockholder or any other person with whom such stockholder is acting in concert or as a “group” (as defined under Section 13 of the Exchange Act), will be restricted from redeeming its shares with respect Excess Shares (more than an aggregate of 15% of the shares sold in this offering) without our prior consent. Our public stockholders’ inability to redeem Excess Shares will reduce their influence over our ability to complete our initial business combination and they could suffer a material loss on their investment in us if they sell Excess Shares in open market transactions. | Most blank check companies provide no restrictions on the ability of stockholders to redeem shares based on the number of shares held by such stockholders in connection with an initial business combination. | ||
Tendering stock certificates in connection with a tender offer or redemption rights | We may require our public stockholders seeking to exercise their redemption rights, whether they are record holders or hold their shares in “street name,” to either tender their certificates to our transfer agent prior to the date set forth in the tender offer documents or proxy materials mailed to such holders or up to | In order to perfect redemption rights in connection with their business combinations, holders could vote against a proposed business combination and check a box on the proxy card indicating such holders were seeking to exercise their redemption rights. After the business combination was approved, the company would |
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Terms of Our Offering | Terms Under a Rule 419 Offering | |||
two business days prior to the scheduled vote on the proposal to approve the business combination in the event we distribute proxy materials, 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. The tender offer or proxy materials, as applicable, that we will furnish to holders of our public shares in connection with our initial business combination will indicate whether we are requiring public stockholders to satisfy such delivery requirements, which will include the requirement that a beneficial holder must identify itself in order to validly redeem its shares. In the event we do not proceed with the proposed business combination, we will promptly return any shares delivered for redemption. Accordingly, a public stockholder 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 scheduled vote on the business combination if we distribute proxy materials, as applicable, to tender its shares if it wishes to seek to exercise its redemption rights. | contact such stockholders to arrange for them to deliver their certificate to verify ownership. |
Competition
We expect to encounter intense competition from other entities having a business objective similar to ours, including private investors (which may be individuals or investment partnerships), other blank check companies and other entities, domestic and international, competing for the types of businesses we intend to acquire.
Many of these individuals and entities are well-established and have extensive experience in identifying and effecting, directly or indirectly, acquisitions of companies operating in or providing services to various industries. Many of these competitors possess greater technical, human and other resources or more local industry knowledge than we do and our financial resources will be relatively limited when contrasted with those of many of these competitors. While we believe there will be 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. Our sponsor or any of its affiliates may make additional investments in us, although our sponsor and its affiliates have no obligation or other duty to do so. This inherent competitive limitation gives
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others an advantage in pursuing the acquisition of certain target businesses. Furthermore, our obligation to pay cash in connection with our public stockholders who exercise their redemption rights may reduce the resources available to us for our initial business combination and our outstanding public warrants, and the future dilution they potentially represent, may not be viewed favorably by target businesses. Any of these factors may place us at a competitive disadvantage in successfully negotiating and completing an initial business combination.
Facilities
We currently maintain our executive offices at 1701 Pennsylvania Ave NW, Ste # 460, Washington, D.C. 20006. The cost for this space is included in the $35,000 per month fee that we will pay our sponsor for office space and administrative and support services, which includes up to approximately $22,000 per month payable to our Chief Financial Officer and consultants to assist us with our search for a target business. We consider our current office space adequate for our current operations.
Human Capital Management
We currently have two officers and do not intend to have any full-time employees prior to the completion of our initial business combination. Members of our management team are not obligated to devote any specific number of hours to our matters but they intend to devote as much of their time as they deem necessary to our affairs until we have completed our initial business combination. The amount of time that any such person will devote in any time period 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 common stock and public 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 accounting firm.
We will provide stockholders with audited financial statements of the prospective target business as part of the tender offer materials or proxy solicitation materials sent to stockholders to assist them in assessing the target business. These financial statements may be required to be prepared in accordance with, or be reconciled to, GAAP or IFRS, depending on the circumstances and the historical financial statements may be required to be audited in accordance with PCAOB standards. These financial statement requirements may limit the pool of potential target businesses we may acquire because some targets may be unable to provide such financial statements in time for us to disclose such financial statements in accordance with federal proxy rules and complete our initial business combination within the prescribed time frame. While this may limit the pool of potential business combination 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 be required to comply with the independent registered public accounting firm attestation requirements 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.
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.
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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 stockholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved. If some investors find our securities less attractive as a result, there may be a less active trading market for our securities and the prices of our securities may be more volatile.
In addition, Section 107 of the JOBS Act also provides that an “emerging growth company” can take advantage of the extended transition period provided in Section 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act for complying with new or revised accounting standards. In other words, an “emerging growth company” can delay the adoption of certain accounting standards until those standards would otherwise apply to private companies. We intend to take advantage of the benefits of this extended transition period.
We will remain an emerging growth company until the earlier of: (1) the last day of the fiscal year (a) following the fifth anniversary of the 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 common stock that is held by non-affiliates exceeds $700 million as of the end of that year’s second fiscal quarter; and (2) the date on which we have issued more than $1.00 billion in non-convertible debt securities during the prior three-year period. References herein to “emerging growth company” 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 common stock held by non-affiliates exceeds $250 million as of the end of that year’s second fiscal quarter, or (2) our annual revenues exceeded $100 million during such completed fiscal year and the market value of our common stock held by non-affiliates exceeds $700 million as of the end of that year’s second fiscal quarter.
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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Executive Officers, Directors and Director Nominees and Advisors
Our officers, directors and director nominees are as follows:
Name | Age | Title | ||||
Robert “Rob” Meyerson | 56 | Chief Executive Officer and Director | ||||
David Glickman | 59 | Chief Business Development Officer and Chief Financial Officer | ||||
Steven J. Demetriou | 63 | Non-Executive Chairman of the Board of Directors | ||||
Linda Zecher | 68 | Director Nominee | ||||
Jeanne Tisinger | 59 | Director Nominee | ||||
Arun Gupta | 52 | Director Nominee |
Our Management Team
Robert “Rob” Meyerson
Mr. Meyerson serves as our Chief Executive Officer and is a member of the Board of Directors. From May 2016 to October 2017, Mr. Meyerson served as President of Blue Origin, an American aerospace company founded and owned by Jeff Bezos.
Starting in 2003 and reporting directly to Mr. Bezos, Mr. Meyerson oversaw the transformation of Blue Origin from its founding into a more than 1500-person engineering and development organization executing on government and commercial contracts. Under his leadership, Blue Origin developed and flew the suborbital human-rated launch system, New Shepard; built a liquid rocket engine business including the BE-4 rocket engine which will power the boost stage of United Launch Alliance’s next-generation orbital launch vehicle; and designed its heavy-lift orbital launch vehicle, New Glenn. During this time, Mr. Meyerson led Blue Origin’s growth from a single facility in Seattle, WA, to multiple launch facilities, manufacturing facilities, and sales offices operating in six sites across the U.S. and internationally.
Mr. Meyerson is the founder of Delalune Space, a management consulting company focused on the aerospace, mobility, technology and investment sectors, and has served as the CEO since February 2019. Mr. Meyerson has built relationships with some of the most exciting new companies doing business in the space sector.
Mr. Meyerson joined C5 Capital as an Operating Partner in 2020 and is a member of the firm’s leadership team. C5 Capital led a $130M Series B investment in Axiom Space, and Rob now serves on Axiom’s Board of Directors. He is a member of the Investment Committee for C5’s Impact Fund.
Earlier in his career, Mr. Meyerson was a Senior Program Manager at Kistler Aerospace, and an aerospace engineer at NASA’s Johnson Space Center (JSC). He has served as a member of the Board of Directors of Sceye SA since June 2020, a member of the Board of Advisors of Hermeus, an aerospace engineering company, since 2019, a member of the Advisory Board of NLX, a communications technology firm, since 2020, and a member of the Board of Directors of Qwaltec since September 2019. He is also a member of the Board of Axiom Space, Qwaltec, Sceye SA, the Museum of Flight, and the University of Michigan College of Engineering Leadership Advisory Board. In 2016, Mr. Meyerson and the New Shepard team were awarded the Robert J. Collier Trophy for their accomplishments by the National Aeronautic Association; and in 2017 he was awarded the Space Flight Award by the American Astronautical Society.
An ally and champion for young professionals and founders, Mr. Meyerson serves as a mentor in the Brooke Owens Fellowship, the Matthew Isakowitz Fellowship, and the Techstars Starburst Space Accelerator.
Mr. Meyerson holds a B.S. degree in aerospace engineering from the University of Michigan and a master’s degree in industrial engineering (Engineering Management) from the University of Houston.
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David Glickman
Mr. Glickman serves as our Chief Business Development Officer and Chief Financial Officer. Mr. Glickman will leverage his industry and investment experience to help identify and evaluate acquisition opportunities. Mr. Glickman has been a Partner at Resilience Capital since 2009 after working with the firm for several years on potential co-investments and portfolio company merger proposals. Since 2012, he has been the head of originations. From 2010 to 2012, he was the head of the transactions group and is currently a member of the transactions team. His responsibilities include origination, due diligence and oversight of acquisitions. He has extensive experience sourcing, structuring, executing, managing and exiting a broad spectrum of portfolio companies. Mr. Glickman also served as a General Partner with Sedgewick Venture Capital, a small middle market private equity fund focused on opportunistic investments in Cleveland, a Senior Vice President of The LCP Group in New York and Associate Director with the Principal Activities Group at Bear, Stearns in New York. Prior to private investing, Mr. Glickman was in the Corporate Finance Department of Bear Stearns & Company in New York, Los Angeles and London, engaged in all aspects of public debt and equity transactions.
Mr. Glickman has served on the boards of numerous private and public companies including certain institutes of the Cleveland Clinic. He serves as a board observer at Xeeva, a board observer at Hynes Industries, and serves as a director of both Trialon Corp. and Luminance Brands. He graduated from Washington and Jefferson College with a BA in political science, and from the University of Southern California with an MBA.
Our Board of Directors
Steven J. Demetriou
Mr. Demetriou serves as Non-Executive Chairman of the Board. Mr. Demetriou is currently the Chief Executive Officer and Chair of the Board of Directors of Jacobs, a leading and innovative global solutions leader in renewable energy, cybersecurity, and space intelligence and exploration. Mr. Demetriou brings more than 35 years in chief executive and senior management roles across multiple sectors and has served on the Board of nine companies over the course of his distinguished career including FirstEnergy, Kraton Corp, OM Group., Aleris Corp., and Foster Wheeler.
Since becoming Chief Executive Officer of Jacobs in 2015, Mr. Demetriou has steered a profound reshaping of the business portfolio, operations, and culture. Under his leadership, the firm has accelerated profitable growth and transformed into the leading, next-generation solutions provider by tackling some of the world’s biggest challenges for thriving cities, resilient environments, mission-critical outcomes, operational advancement, scientific discovery, and cutting-edge manufacturing.
This transformation has included the divestiture of its Energy, Chemicals, and Resource business and the acquisitions of KeyW, VanDyke, Wood, BlueCanopy, The Buffalo Group, and CH2M.
Mr. Demetriou has put culture change at the top of the agenda at Jacobs and has personally championed inclusion and diversity, shifting his executive leadership team and the Jacobs board of directors to be more ethnically and gender diverse. He has also driven sustainability into the culture with the launch of PlanBeyond, Jacobs’ sustainability strategy aligned to the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals; becoming a signatory of the U.N. Global Compact; and publishing Jacobs’ global Climate Action Plan, committing to 100% renewable energy and net zero carbon for its operations and business travel in 2020, and carbon negative by 2030. Mr. Demetriou has also taken a leadership role in the industry by speaking up and speaking out on racism and social injustice and launched Jacobs global Action Plan for Advancing Justice and Equality in July 2020.
Mr. Demetriou’s broad international business perspectives are the product of more than 35 years in leadership and senior management roles across a wide range of industries, including specialty chemicals, metals and mining. In addition to serving on Jacobs’ Board, Mr. Demetriou has also served on the board for FirstEnergy Corp. since 2017 and as a strategic advisor to Resilience Capital Partners since 2009. In July 2021, FirstEnergy Corp. paid a financial penalty and agreed to a three-year deferred prosecution agreement with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Ohio in connection with an investigation into the company’s lobbying and governmental affairs activities that led to a charge of honest services wire fraud. He is also a CEO member of the Male Champions of Change, the
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Co-Chair of the World Economic Forum’s (WEF) Infrastructure and Urban Development Governors, and a member of WEF’s Alliance of CEO Climate Leaders. He has served as the U.S. Co-Chair of the U.S. - Saudi Arabian Business Council since April 2017, and a Board member of the Dallas Citizens Council since December 2019. Mr. Demetriou also served as a Board member of Kraton Corporation from 2009 until 2018.
Mr. Demetriou holds a Bachelor of Science degree (B.S.) in Chemical Engineering from Tufts University.
Linda Zecher
Linda Zecher is a member of the Board of Directors. Ms. Zecher has served as the CEO & Managing Director of the Barkley Group, a Boutique Consulting firm focused on Digital Transformation of enterprise organizations since 2016. Prior to founding the Barkley Group, Ms. Zecher served as President, CEO and Director of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (HMH), a global education and learning company from 2011 until 2016. After joining HMH, Ms. Zecher led the company through a successful Chapter 11 bankruptcy restructuring and completed several acquisitions including the Education Technology division of Scholastic. Under Ms. Zecher’s leadership the company completed a public offering and now trades on NASDAQ. Previously Ms. Zecher was Corporate Vice President of Microsoft’s Worldwide Public Sector organization.
Ms. Zecher currently is a member of the Hasbro Corporation Board where she serves on the Audit Committee and Chairs the Cyber Security Committee; Tenable Inc., a cybersecurity company (NASDAQ: TENB) where she sits on the Compensation and Nominating committees; and the Board of the Maritime Museum in St. Michaels, MD. She is a former Board member of the John F. Kennedy Library, Cradles to Crayons, The Board of James Madison University, and INSA (The intelligence and National Security Association.)
Ms. Zecher holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Ohio State University and an Honorary Doctorate from Bentley University.
Jeanne Tisinger
Jeanne Tisinger serves as a member of the Board of Directors. Ms. Tisinger is an accomplished global leader with extensive experience delivering the enabling technology and business services for the Central Intelligence Agency’s (CIA) global operations. As former Deputy Director of CIA for Support (DDS) from 2013 until 2017, she reported to the Director of the CIA and was responsible for cyber/personnel/physical security, infrastructure, finance, supply chain management, real estate acquisition and management, medical, human resources, and associated information technology.
Prior to her role as DDS, Ms. Tisinger served as CIA’s Chief Information Officer (CIO), where she held worldwide responsibility for Enterprise Information Technology strategy, architecture development, infrastructure operations, software development, and service delivery. She drove enhancements to the CIA’s resiliency posture and significantly advanced inter- and intra-Agency collaboration capabilities. She constructed and executed the CIA’s acquisition strategy for commercial cloud services, resulting in the partnership with Amazon to provide an Amazon Web Services (AWS) cloud for the Top Security Intelligence Community (IC) Marketplace, while concurrently enhancing the IC’s cyber security posture.
Ms. Tisinger has served as a senior advisor for cybersecurity to Mastercard since 2017. She also serves as a consultant on technology strategy, cyber defense, shared services and workforce inclusion for a variety of clients including financial services, technology solutions providers, energy, and national defense.
Since 2019, Ms. Tisinger serves as Lead Independent Director for Midwest Reliability Organization, which oversees North America’s Bulk Electric Power Grid, and Satelles, a secure Position, Navigation and Timing Service, which provides global backup for GPS. Additionally, she has served on the Board of Advisors for Virginia Tech’s Hume Center for National Security and Technology since 2019. Ms. Tisinger was named by Washingtonian magazine as a Top 100 Tech Titan for the National Capital Region, Information Week’s Top 25 Public CIO’s, and FedScoop’s top 10 Most Influential Women in Federal IT.
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Ms. Tisinger received a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Management from George Mason University and completed the Executive Leadership Program at Northwestern University, Kellogg School of Management.
Arun Gupta
Arun Gupta serves as a member of our Board of Directors. Mr. Gupta is an accomplished mission-oriented executive with experience in US and International Venture Capital, Assessing Emerging Technologies, Scaling High-Growth Companies, Teaching Entrepreneurship, and Coordinating National Security & Tech Policy. Arun currently is an Adjunct Professor/Senior Advisor to Provost at Georgetown University, Lecturer at Stanford University, and Venture Partner at Columbia Capital. Arun maintains very active relationships in the emerging technology, entrepreneurship, public policy, and international finance communities.
As a Partner at Columbia Capital, Mr. Gupta’s investment career spanned seventeen years, with a focus on emerging tech-enabled services and infrastructure companies in AI, Cybersecurity, Mobile, Government Services, and SaaS/Cloud infrastructure sectors in the US and India. He is currently on the board or was previously involved with Columbia portfolio companies: Adjoined Consulting (acquired by Kanbay International, Inc.), Altamira (Acquired by Clearsky), Daz3D, Millennial Media (NYSE: MM), Endgame (acquired by Elastic), Riptech (acquired by Symantec Corporation), Softek Storage Holdings (acquired by IBM), Verato, Vubiquity (acquired by Amdocs) and Webs (acquired by Vistaprint). Prior to joining Columbia Capital in 2000, Arun was at Carlyle Venture Partners focused on software investments. Prior to Carlyle, Mr. Gupta held positions in Arthur D. Little’s telecom and technology consulting practice and shared responsibility for establishing ADL’s management consulting operations in Mumbai 1995-98.
At Georgetown University, Mr. Gupta also serves on the Georgetown Entrepreneurship Advisory Board, and teaches Entrepreneurial Finance and Venture Capital at McDonough School of Business. Mr. Gupta is actively engaged with initiatives related to Tech & Society, AI/Cybersecurity at the Center for Security and Emerging Technology (CSET), and the Pivot Program - teaching business skills to returning citizens.
At Stanford University, Mr. Gupta serves on the Stanford in Washington (SIW) Advisory Board and currently teaches “Valley Meets Mission: Entrepreneurial Ventures in DC” at Stanford in Washington. The class highlights mission-oriented entrepreneurial opportunities through discussions with leaders at the intersection of the government, mission, technology, and entrepreneurship.
As a mission-focused technology angel investor, Mr. Gupta focuses on SaaS, GovTech, and Sustainable Food investments and currently serves on the board of directors or angel investor in 1901 Group (acquired by Leidos); FAST Acquisition Corp, restaurant and sustainable food SPAC (NYSE: FST); Morning Consult, a leading SaaS global data intelligence company; and Blacklynx, a leading provider of high-speed analytics solutions for the National Security market. Mr. Gupta also is a member of the board of directors of LMI.
Mr. Gupta received a B.S. degree with Distinction in Electrical Engineering and an M.S. degree in Engineering Economic Systems from Stanford University. He received his M.B.A. from Harvard Business School.
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 NYSE 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 NYSE. The term of office of the first class of directors, consisting of [ ], will expire at our first annual general meeting. The term of office of the second class of directors, consisting of [ ] and [ ], will expire at our second annual general meeting. The term of office of the third class of directors, consisting of [ ] and [ ], will expire at our third annual general meeting.
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Prior to consummation of our initial business combination, holders of our Class B common stock will have the right to elect all of our directors and remove members of our board of directors for any reason. Holders of our public shares will not have the right to vote on the election of directors during such time. Approval of our initial business combination will require the affirmative vote of a majority of our board directors. Subject to any other special rights applicable to the stockholders, prior to our initial business combination, any vacancies on our board of directors may be filled by the affirmative vote of a majority of the directors present and voting at the meeting of our board of directors that includes any directors representing our sponsor then on our board of directors, or by holders of a majority of the outstanding shares of our Class B common stock.
Our officers are elected by the board of directors and serve at the discretion of the board of directors, rather than for specific terms of office. Our board of directors is authorized to appoint persons to the offices set forth in our bylaws as it deems appropriate. Our bylaws will provide that our officers may consist of a Chief Executive Officer, a President, a Chief Financial Officer, Vice Presidents, a Secretary, Assistant Secretaries, a Treasurer, Assistant Treasurers and such other offices as may be determined by the board of directors (including interim officers as it deems appropriate).
Director Independence
The rules of the NYSE require that a majority of our board of directors be independent within one year of our initial public offering. An “independent director” is defined generally as a person that, in the opinion of the company’s board of directors, has no material relationship with the listed company (either directly or as a partner, stockholder or officer of an organization that has a relationship with the company). Upon the effectiveness of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part, we expect to have three “independent directors” as defined in the NYSE rules and applicable SEC rules prior to completion of this offering. Our board of directors has determined that each of [ ], [ ] and [ ] is an “independent director” under applicable SEC and NYSE rules. Our independent directors will have regularly scheduled meetings at which only independent directors are present.
Executive Officer and Director Compensation
None of our officers or directors have received any cash compensation for services rendered to us. Our sponsor, officers, directors and their respective affiliates will be reimbursed for any out-of-pocket expenses incurred in connection with activities on our behalf such as identifying or selecting 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 our or any of their respective affiliates.
After the completion of our initial business combination, directors or members of our management team who remain with us may be paid consulting, management or other compensation from the combined company. All compensation will be fully disclosed to stockholders, to the extent then known, in the tender offer materials or proxy solicitation materials furnished to our stockholders in connection with a proposed business combination. It is unlikely the amount of such compensation will be known at the time such materials are distributed, because the directors of the post-combination business will be responsible for determining executive officer and director compensation. Any compensation to be paid to our officers after the completion of our initial business combination will be determined by a compensation committee constituted solely by independent directors.
We are not party to any agreements with our officers and directors that provide for benefits upon termination of employment. The existence or terms of any such employment or consulting arrangements may influence our management’s motivation in identifying or selecting a target business, and we do not believe that the ability of our management to remain with us after the consummation of our initial business combination should be a determining factor in our decision to proceed with any potential business combination.
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Committees of the Board of Directors
Upon the effective date of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part, our board of directors will have three standing committees: an audit committee, a compensation committee and a nominating and corporate governance committee, each of which will be composed solely of independent directors. Subject to phase-in rules, the rules of the NYSE and Rule 10A-3 of the Exchange Act require that the audit committee of a listed company be comprised solely of independent directors, and the rules of the NYSE require that the compensation committee and the nominating and corporate governance committee of a listed company be comprised solely of independent directors. Each committee will operate under a charter that will be approved by our board of directors and will have the composition and responsibilities described below. The charter of each committee will be available on our website following the closing of this offering.
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. The members of our audit committee will be [ ], [ ] and [ ]. [ ] will serve as chairman of the audit committee. Under the NYSE listing standards and applicable SEC rules, we are required to have at least three members of the audit committee, all of whom must be independent, within one year of our listing on the NYSE. Our board of directors has determined that each of [ ], [ ] and [ ] is an under applicable SEC and NYSE rules.
Each member of the audit committee is financially literate and our board of directors has determined that [ ] qualifies as an “audit committee financial expert” as defined in applicable SEC rules and has accounting or related financial management expertise.
We will adopt an audit committee charter, which will detail the purpose and principal functions of the audit committee, including:
• | assisting board oversight of (1) the integrity of our financial statements, (2) our compliance with legal and regulatory requirements, (3) our independent public registered accounting firm’s qualifications and independence, and (4) the performance of our internal audit function and independent registered public accounting firms; |
• | the appointment, compensation, retention, replacement, and oversight of the work of the independent registered public accounting firm and any other independent registered public accounting firm engaged by us; |
• | pre-approving all audit and non-audit services to be provided by the independent public registered accounting firms or any other registered public accounting firm engaged by us, and establishing pre-approval policies and procedures; |
• | reviewing and discussing with the independent public registered accounting firms all relationships the public registered accounting firms have with us in order to evaluate their continued independence; |
• | setting clear hiring policies for employees or former employees of the independent public registered accounting firms; |
• | setting clear policies for audit partner rotation in compliance with applicable laws and regulations; |
• | obtaining and reviewing a report, at least annually, from the independent public registered accounting firms describing (1) the independent registered public accounting firm’s internal quality-control procedures and (2) any material issues raised by the most recent internal quality-control review, or peer review, of the public registered accounting firm, or by any inquiry or investigation by governmental or professional authorities, within the preceding five years respecting one or more independent audits carried out by the firm and any steps taken to deal with such issues; |
• | meeting to review and discuss our annual audited financial statements and quarterly financial statements with management and the independent public registered accounting firm, including |
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reviewing our specific disclosures under “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations”; |
• | reviewing and approving any related party transaction required to be disclosed pursuant to Item 404 of Regulation S-K promulgated by the SEC prior to us entering into such transaction; and |
• | reviewing with management, the independent registered public accounting firm, and our legal advisors, as appropriate, any legal, regulatory or compliance matters, including any correspondence with regulators or government agencies and any employee complaints or published reports that raise material issues regarding our financial statements or accounting policies and any significant changes in accounting standards or rules promulgated by the Financial Accounting Standards Board, the SEC or other regulatory authorities. |
Compensation Committee
Upon the effectiveness of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part, we will establish a compensation committee of the board of directors. The members of our compensation committee will be [ ], [ ] and [ ]. [ ] will serve as chair of the compensation committee. Our board of directors has determined that each of [ ], [ ] and [ ] is an “independent director” under applicable SEC and NYSE rules.
We will adopt a compensation committee charter, which will detail the purpose and responsibility of the compensation committee, including:
• | reviewing and approving on an annual basis the corporate goals and objectives relevant to our Chief Executive Officer’s compensation, evaluating our Chief Executive Officer’s performance in light of such goals and objectives and determining and approving the remuneration (if any) of our Chief Executive Officer based on such evaluation; |
• | reviewing and making recommendations to our board of directors with respect to the compensation, and any incentive-compensation and equity-based plans that are subject to board approval of all of our other officers; |
• | reviewing our executive compensation policies and plans; |
• | implementing and administering our incentive compensation equity-based remuneration plans; |
• | assisting management in complying with our proxy statement and annual report disclosure requirements; |
• | approving all special perquisites, special cash payments and other special compensation and benefit arrangements for our officers and employees; |
• | producing a report on executive compensation to be included in our annual proxy statement; and |
• | reviewing, evaluating and recommending changes, if appropriate, to the remuneration for directors. |
The charter will also provide that the compensation committee may, in its sole discretion, retain or obtain the advice of a compensation consultant, independent legal counsel or other adviser and will be directly responsible for the appointment, compensation and oversight of the work of any such adviser. However, before engaging or receiving advice from a compensation consultant, external legal counsel or any other adviser, the compensation committee will consider the independence of each such adviser, including the factors required by the NYSE and the SEC.
Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee
Upon the effectiveness of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part, we will establish a nominating and corporate governance committee of the board of directors. The members of our nominating and corporate governance committee will be [ ], [ ] and [ ]. [ ] will serve as chair of the nominating and corporate governance committee. Our board of directors has determined that each of [ ], [ ] and [ ] is an “independent director” under applicable SEC and NYSE rules.
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We will adopt a nominating and corporate governance committee charter, which will detail the purpose and responsibilities of the nominating and corporate governance committee, including:
• | identifying, screening and reviewing individuals qualified to serve as directors, consistent with criteria approved by the board, and recommending to the board of directors candidates for nomination for election at the annual meeting of stockholders or to fill vacancies on the board of directors; |
• | developing and recommending to the board of directors and overseeing implementation of our corporate governance guidelines; |
• | coordinating and overseeing the annual self-evaluation of the board of directors, its committees, individual directors and management in the governance of the company; and |
• | reviewing on a regular basis our overall corporate governance and recommending improvements as and when necessary. |
The charter will also provide that the nominating and corporate governance committee may, in its sole discretion, retain or obtain the advice of, and terminate, any search firm to be used to identify director candidates, and will be directly responsible for approving the search firm’s fees and other retention terms.
We have not formally established any specific, minimum qualifications that must be met or skills that are necessary for directors to possess. In general, in identifying and evaluating nominees for director, the board of directors considers educational background, diversity of professional experience, knowledge of our business, integrity, professional reputation, independence, wisdom, and the ability to represent the best interests of our stockholders. Prior to our initial business combination, holders of our public shares will not have the right to recommend director candidates for nomination to our board of directors.
Code of Business Conduct and Ethics
Prior to the closing of this offering, we will adopt a code of business conduct and ethics (our “Code of Ethics”) applicable to our directors, officers, advisors and employees. You will be able to review this document by accessing our public filings at the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov. In addition, a copy of our Code of Ethics will be provided without charge upon request from us. We intend to disclose any amendments to or waivers of certain provisions of our Code of Ethics in a Current Report on Form 8-K. See “Where You Can Find Additional Information.”
Corporate Governance Guidelines
Our board of directors will adopt corporate governance guidelines in accordance with the corporate governance rules of the NYSE that serve as a flexible framework within which our board of directors and its committees operate. These guidelines will cover a number of areas including board membership criteria and director qualifications, director responsibilities, board agenda, roles of the chairman of the board, chief executive officer and presiding director, meetings of independent directors, committee responsibilities and assignments, board member access to management and independent advisors, director communications with third parties, director compensation, director orientation and continuing education, evaluation of senior management and management succession planning. A copy of our corporate governance guidelines will be posted on our website.
Conflicts of Interest
Our management team is responsible for the management of our affairs. As described above and below, each of our officers and directors presently has, and any of them in the future may have additional, fiduciary, contractual or other obligations or duties to one or more other entities pursuant to which such officer or director is or will be required to present a business combination opportunity to such entities. Accordingly, if any of our officers or directors becomes aware of a business combination opportunity which is suitable for one or more entities to which he or she has fiduciary, contractual or other obligations or duties, he or she will honor these obligations and duties to present such business combination opportunity to such entities first, and only present it to us if such entities reject the opportunity and he or she determines to present the opportunity to us (including as described under “Proposed Business—Sourcing of Potential Business Combination Targets”). These conflicts
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may not be resolved in our favor and a potential target business opportunity may be presented to another entity prior to its presentation to us.
We do not believe, however, that the fiduciary, contractual or other obligations or duties of our officers or directors will materially affect our ability to complete our initial business combination. Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will provide that we renounce our interest in any corporate opportunity offered to any director or officer unless such opportunity is expressly offered to such person solely in his or her capacity as a director or officer of our company and such opportunity is one we are legally and contractually permitted to undertake and would otherwise be reasonable for us to pursue.
Our sponsor, its members, our officers and directors may become involved with subsequent special purpose acquisition companies similar to our company. Potential investors should also be aware of the following other potential conflicts of interest:
• | None of our officers or directors is required to commit his or her full time to our affairs and, accordingly, may have conflicts of interest in allocating his or her time among various business activities. |
• | In the course of their other business activities, our officers and directors may become aware of investment and business opportunities which may be appropriate for presentation to us as well as the other entities with which they are affiliated. Our management may have conflicts of interest in determining to which entity a particular business opportunity should be presented. See “—Directors, Director Nominees, Executive Officers and Advisors” for a description of our management’s other affiliations. |
• | Our initial stockholders, officers, directors and advisors have agreed to waive their redemption rights with respect to any founder shares and any public shares held by them in connection with the consummation of our initial business combination. Additionally, our initial stockholders, officers, directors and advisors have agreed to waive their redemption rights with respect to any founder shares held by them if we fail to consummate our initial business combination within 18 months after the closing of this offering or during any Extension Period. However, if our initial stockholders or any of our officers, directors, advisors or affiliates acquire public shares in or after this offering, they will be entitled to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to such public shares if we fail to consummate our initial business combination within the prescribed time frame. If we do not complete our initial business combination within such applicable time period, the proceeds of the sale of the private placement warrants held in the trust account will be used to fund the redemption of our public shares, and the private placement warrants will expire worthless. |
• | With certain limited exceptions, the founder shares will not be transferable, assignable or salable by our initial stockholders until the earlier of: (1) one year after the completion of our initial business combination; and (2) subsequent to our initial business combination, (x) the date on which we consummate a liquidation, merger, stock exchange, reorganization or other similar transaction that results in all of our public stockholders having the right to exchange their shares of common stock for cash, securities or other property and (y) if the last reported sale price of our Class A common stock equals or exceeds $12.00 per share (as adjusted for stock splits, stock dividends, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) for any 20 trading days within any 30-trading day period commencing at least 150 days after our initial business combination. With certain limited exceptions, the private placement warrants and the shares of common stock underlying such private placement warrants, will not be transferable, assignable or salable by our sponsor until 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination. Since our sponsor, officers, directors and advisors may directly or indirectly own common stock and warrants following this offering, our officers, directors and advisors 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. See “Principal Stockholders” for additional information. |
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• | Our key personnel may negotiate employment or consulting agreements with a target business in connection with a particular business combination. These agreements may provide for them to receive compensation following our initial business combination and as a result, may cause them to have conflicts of interest in determining whether to proceed with a particular business combination. |
• | Our key personnel may have a conflict of interest with respect to evaluating a particular business combination if the retention or resignation of any such key personnel was included by a target business as a condition to any agreement with respect to our initial business combination. |
The conflicts described above may not be resolved in our favor.
In general, officers and directors of a corporation incorporated under the laws of the State of Delaware are required to present business opportunities to a corporation if:
• | the corporation could financially undertake the opportunity; |
• | the opportunity is within the corporation’s line of business; and |
• | it would not be fair to the corporation and its stockholders for the opportunity not to be brought to the attention of the corporation. |
Accordingly, as a result of multiple business affiliations, our officers and directors have similar legal obligations and duties relating to presenting business opportunities meeting the above-listed criteria to multiple entities. Furthermore, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will provide that the doctrine of corporate opportunity will not apply with respect to any of our officers or directors in circumstances where the application of the doctrine would conflict with any fiduciary duties or contractual obligations they may have, and there will not be any expectancy that any of our directors or officers will offer any such corporate opportunity of which he or she may become aware to us. Below is a table summarizing the entities to which our officers, directors and director nominees currently have fiduciary duties or contractual obligations that may present a conflict of interest.
Name of Individual | Entity Name | Entity’s Business | Affiliation | |||
Robert Meyerson | Delalune Space | Management Consulting | Founder and Chief Executive Officer | |||
Axiom Space | Space Services | Director | ||||
Qwaltec | Aerospace Engineering Support | Director | ||||
NLX Inc. | Communications Technology | Advisor | ||||
Hermeus Corp. | Aerospace Engineering | Advisor | ||||
Sceye SA | Engineering | Director | ||||
David Glickman | Trialon Corp. | Auto sensor testing | Director | |||
Luminance Brands | LED lighting | Director | ||||
Hynes Industries | Manufacturing (steel) | Board observer | ||||
Xeeva | Business Services (co-op purchasing) | Board observer | ||||
Magnum Energy Solutions LLC | Wireless Automation Solutions | Director | ||||
Aero Communications Inc. | Telecom Services | Director and Vice President | ||||
Ohio Mineral Inc. | Aggregates | Director | ||||
Affinity Special Apparel Inc. | Director |
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Name of Individual | Entity Name | Entity’s Business | Affiliation | |||
Steven Demetriou | Jacobs | Space, Cybersecurity and Infrastructure | Chief Executive Officer and Chair of Board of Directors | |||
FirstEnergy Corp | Electric Utility | Director | ||||
Linda Zecher | Barkley Group | Consulting | Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director | |||
Hasbro Corporation | Toy and Game Manufacturer | Director; Chair of Cyber Security Committee; Member of Audit Committee | ||||
Tenable, Inc. | Cybersecurity | Director; Member of Compensation and Nominating Committees | ||||
Jeanne Tisinger | Mastercard | Payments Processing | Senior Advisor | |||
Midwest Reliability Organization | Electricity Management Oversight | Lead Independent Director | ||||
Satelles | GPS Backup | Lead Independent Director | ||||
Arun Gupta | Columbia Capital | Investment Firm | Partner | |||
Director |
Accordingly, if any of our officers or directors becomes aware of a business combination opportunity which is suitable for one or more entities to which he or she has fiduciary, contractual or other obligations or duties, he or she will honor these obligations and duties to present such business combination opportunity to such entities first, and only present it to us if such entities reject the opportunity and he or she determines to present the opportunity to us (including as described under “Proposed Business—Sourcing of Potential Business Combination Targets”). These conflicts may not be resolved in our favor and a potential target business opportunity may be presented to another entity prior to its presentation to us.
We do not believe, however, that the fiduciary, contractual or other obligations or duties of our officers or directors will materially affect our ability to complete our initial business combination. Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will provide that we renounce our interest in any corporate opportunity offered to any director or officer unless such opportunity is expressly offered to such person solely in his or her capacity as a director or officer of our company and such opportunity is one we are legally and contractually permitted to undertake and would otherwise be reasonable for us to pursue.
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 business that is affiliated with our sponsor, officers or directors, we, or a committee of independent and disinterested directors, will obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm or from an independent accounting firm, 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 through a specified future issuance or otherwise, although our sponsor and its affiliates have no obligation or current intention to do so. If our sponsor or any of its affiliates elects to make additional investments, such proposed investments could influence our sponsor’s motivation to complete an initial business combination.
In the event that we submit our initial business combination to our public stockholders for a vote, our initial stockholders, officers, directors and advisors have agreed to vote any founder shares and any public shares held
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by them in favor of our initial business combination, and our officers, directors and advisors have also agreed to vote public shares purchased by them (if any) during or after this offering in favor of our initial business combination.
In addition, none of our advisors are officers or directors of our company and, therefore, owe us no fiduciary duties as such. While we expect that they will assist us in identifying business combination targets, they have no obligation to do so and may devote a substantial portion of their business time to activities unrelated to us. Our advisors may have fiduciary, contractual or other obligations or duties to other organizations to present business combination opportunities to such other organizations rather than to us. Accordingly, if any advisor becomes aware of a business combination opportunity which is suitable for one or more entities to which such advisor has fiduciary, contractual or other obligations or duties, such advisor will honor those obligations and duties to present such business combination opportunity to such entities first and only present it to us if such entities reject the opportunity and such advisor determines to present the opportunity to us. These conflicts may not be resolved in our favor and a potential business opportunity may be presented to another entity prior to its presentation to us. Furthermore, while none of our advisors will have any duty to offer acquisition opportunities to us, they may become aware of a potential transaction that is an attractive opportunity for us, which they may decide to share with us. Conflicts may arise from their affiliation with our company, their provision of services both to us and to third-party clients, as well as from actions undertaken by them for their own account. In performing services for other clients and also when acting for their own account, they may take commercial steps which may have an adverse effect on us. Any of our advisors’ other activities may, individually or in the aggregate, have an adverse effect on us, and the interests of our advisors or their respective clients or counterparties may at times be averse to ours.
Limitation on Liability and Indemnification of Officers and Directors
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will provide that our officers and directors will be indemnified by us to the fullest extent authorized by Delaware law, as it now exists or may in the future be amended. In addition, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will provide that our directors will not be personally liable for monetary damages to us or stockholders for breaches of their fiduciary duty as directors, except to the extent such exemption from liability or limitation thereof is not permitted by the DGCL.
We will enter into agreements with our officers and directors to provide contractual indemnification in addition to the indemnification provided for in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation. Our bylaws also permit us to maintain insurance on behalf of any officer, director or employee for any liability arising out of his or her actions, regardless of whether Delaware law would permit such indemnification. We will obtain 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.
A stockholder’s investment may be adversely affected to the extent we pay the costs of settlement and damage awards against 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.
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.
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The following table sets forth information regarding the beneficial ownership of our common stock as of the date of this prospectus, and as adjusted to reflect the sale of our common stock included in the units offered by this prospectus, and assuming no purchase of units in this offering, by:
• | each person known by us to be the beneficial owner of more than 5% of our outstanding shares of common stock; |
• | each of our executive officers, directors, director nominees and advisors; and |
• | all our executive officers, directors, director nominees and advisors as a group. |
Unless otherwise indicated, we believe that all persons named in the table have sole voting and investment power with respect to all shares of common stock beneficially owned by them. The following table does not reflect record or beneficial ownership of the private placement warrants as these private placement warrants are not exercisable within 60 days of the date of this prospectus.
The post-offering ownership percentage column below assumes that the underwriters do not exercise their option to purchase additional units, that our sponsor forfeits 937,500 founder shares and that there are 31,250,000 shares of our common stock issued and outstanding after this offering.
Name and Address of Beneficial Owner(1) | Number of Shares Beneficially Owned(2) | Approximate Percentage of Outstanding Common Stock | ||||||||||
Before Offering | After Offering(2) | |||||||||||
C5 Sponsor LLC (our sponsor)(3) | 7,187,500 | 100.0 | % | [ | ]% | |||||||
Steven J. Demetriou | — | |||||||||||
Robert Meyerson | — | |||||||||||
David Glickman | — | |||||||||||
Linda Zecher | — | |||||||||||
Jeanne Tisinger | — | |||||||||||
Arun Gupta | — | |||||||||||
All directors, executive officers and advisors as a group | — |
* | Less than one percent. |
(1) | Unless otherwise noted, the business address of each of the following entities or individuals is in care of the Company at 1701 Pennsylvania Ave NW, Ste # 460, Washington, D.C. 20006. |
(2) | Interests shown consist solely of shares of Class B common stock which are referred to herein as founder shares. Such shares will automatically convert into shares of Class A common stock at the time of our initial business combination, or earlier at the option of the holder, on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustment, as described under “Description of Securities.” |
(3) | Our sponsor is the record holder of such shares of Class B common stock. C5 Capital USA LLC, a Delaware limited liability company, is the managing member of our sponsor and has voting and investment discretion with respect to the shares of Class B common stock held of record by our sponsor. No single individual has beneficial ownership of C5 Capital USA LLC. |
Upon the completion of this offering, our initial stockholders will beneficially own 20.0% of the then issued and outstanding shares of our common stock (assuming our initial stockholders do not purchase any units in this offering). As a result of holding substantially all of the founder shares, our sponsor will have the right, prior to our initial business combination, to elect all of our directors and remove any director for any reason. In addition, because of this ownership block, our initial stockholders may be able to effectively influence the outcome of all matters requiring approval by our stockholders, including amendments to our amended and restated certificate of
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incorporation and approval of significant corporate transactions. If we increase or decrease the size of this offering, we will effect a stock dividend or share contribution back to capital or other appropriate mechanism, as applicable, with respect to our Class B common stock immediately prior to the consummation of this offering in such amount as to maintain the number of founder shares at 20% of our issued and outstanding shares of our common stock upon the consummation of this offering.
Our sponsor has committed to purchase an aggregate of 13,535,500 (or 15,035,500 if the underwriters’ option to purchase additional units is exercised in full) private placement warrants at a price of $1.00 per private placement warrant ($13,535,500 in the aggregate or $15,035,500 in the aggregate if the underwriters’ option to purchase additional units is exercised in full) in a private placement transaction that will occur simultaneously with the closing of this offering.
Each private placement warrant entitles the holder thereof to purchase one share of our Class A common stock at $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment as provided herein. Proceeds from the private placement warrants will be added to the proceeds from this offering to be held in the trust account. If we do not complete our initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering or during any Extension Period, the proceeds of the sale of the private placement warrants held in the trust account will be used to fund the redemption of our public shares, and the private placement warrants will expire worthless. The private placement warrants are identical to the public warrants, except that: (1) they will not be redeemable by us (see “Description of Securities—Warrants—Public Stockholders’ Warrants”); (2) they (including the Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of these private placement warrants) may not, subject to certain limited exceptions, be transferred, assigned or sold by our sponsor until 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination; (3) our sponsor, or its permitted transferees, may exercise their private placement warrants on a cashless basis; and (4) the holders thereof (including with respect to the shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of these warrants) are entitled to registration rights.
Our sponsor and our executive officers are deemed to be our “promoters” as such term is defined under the federal securities laws. See “Certain Relationships and Related Party Transactions” for additional information regarding our relationships with our promoters.
Members of our management team may directly or indirectly own our securities following this offering. See “—Transfers of Founder Shares and Private Placement Warrants” and “Management—Conflicts of Interests.”
Transfers of Founder Shares and Private Placement Warrants
The founder shares, private placement warrants and any shares of Class A common stock issued upon conversion or exercise thereof are each subject to transfer restrictions pursuant to lock-up provisions in the letter agreement with us to be entered into by our initial stockholders. Those lock-up provisions provide that such securities are not transferable or salable (1) in the case of the founder shares, until the earlier of (A) one year after the completion of our initial business combination and (B) subsequent to our initial business combination, (x) the date on which we complete a liquidation, merger, stock exchange, reorganization or other similar transaction that results in all of our public stockholders having the right to exchange their shares of Class A common stock for cash, securities or other property or (y) if the last reported sale price of the Class A common stock equals or exceeds $12.00 per share (as adjusted for stock splits, stock dividends, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) for any 20 trading days within any 30-trading day period commencing at least 150 days after our initial business combination, and (2) in the case of the private placement warrants and the respective Class A common stock underlying such private placement warrants, until 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination, except in each case (a) to our officers, directors or advisors, any affiliates or family members of any of our officers, directors, or advisors, any direct or indirect members, partners or stockholders of our sponsor or any employee or partner of any such member, partner or stockholder, or any affiliates of our sponsor, (b) in the case of an individual, transfers by gift to a member of the individual’s immediate family, to a trust, the
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beneficiaries of which are one or more of the individual’s immediate family or an affiliate of such person, or to a charitable organization, (c) in the case of an individual, transfers by virtue of laws of descent and distribution upon death of such individual, (d) in the case of an individual, transfers pursuant to a qualified domestic relations order, (e) transfers by virtue of law or our sponsor’s operating agreement upon dissolution of a person other than an individual, (f) transfers by private transfers or sales and transfers made in connection with the consummation of our initial business combination at prices no greater than the price at which the securities were originally purchased, (g) to an entity that is an affiliate of such holder, (h) transfers in the event of our liquidation prior to the completion of our initial business combination, (i) to us for no value for cancellation in connection with the consummation of our initial business combination, (j) in the event of our completion of a liquidation, merger, stock exchange, reorganization or other similar transaction which results in all of our stockholders having the right to exchange their shares of Class A common stock for cash, securities or other property subsequent to the completion of our initial business combination or (k) to a nominee or custodian of a person or entity to whom a disposition or transfer would be permissible under clauses (a) through (h) above; provided, however, that, in the case of clauses (a) through (f) and (j), these permitted transferees must enter into a written agreement with us agreeing to be bound by the transfer restrictions in the letter agreement.
Registration Rights
The holders of the founder shares, private placement warrants and warrants that may be issued upon conversion of working capital loans (and any shares of common stock issuable upon the exercise of the private placement warrants or warrants issued upon conversion of the working capital loans and upon conversion of the founder shares) 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 requiring us to register such securities for resale (in the case of the founder shares, only after conversion to shares of Class A common stock). The holders of these securities will be entitled to make up to three demands, excluding short form registration 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 and rights to require us to register for resale such securities pursuant to Rule 415 under the Securities Act. However, the registration rights agreement provides that no sales of these securities will be effected until after the expiration of the applicable lock-up period, as described herein. We will bear the expenses incurred in connection with the filing of any such registration statements.
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CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS
On May 18, 2021, our sponsor purchased an aggregate of 7,187,500 founder shares for an aggregate purchase price of $25,000, resulting in an effective purchase price per share of approximately $0.0035. Up to 937,500 founder shares are subject to forfeiture by our sponsor depending on the extent to which the underwriters’ option to purchase additional units is exercised.
Our sponsor has committed to purchase an aggregate of 13,535,500 (or 15,035,500 if the underwriters’ option to purchase additional units is exercised in full) private placement warrants for a purchase price of $1.00 per private placement warrant in a private placement transaction that will occur simultaneously with the closing of this offering. As such, our sponsor’s interest in this transaction is valued at an aggregate of between $13,535,500 and $15,035,500 depending on the number of private placement warrants purchased. Each private placement warrant entitles the holder thereof to purchase one share of Class A common stock at a price of $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment as provided herein. The private placement warrants (including the Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the private placement warrants) may not, subject to certain limited exceptions, be transferred, assigned or sold by our sponsor until 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination.
As described under “Proposed Business—Sourcing of Potential Business Combination Targets” and “Management—Conflicts of Interest,” if any of our officers or directors becomes aware of a business combination opportunity which is suitable for one or more entities to which he or she has fiduciary, contractual or other obligations or duties, he or she will honor these obligations and duties to present such business combination opportunity to such entities first, and only present it to us if such entities reject the opportunity and he or she determines to present the opportunity to us. Our officers and directors currently have other relevant fiduciary, contractual or other obligations or duties that may take priority over their duties to us.
We will enter into an administrative services agreement pursuant to which we will also pay our sponsor a total of $35,000 per month for office space and administrative and support services, which includes up to approximately $22,000 per month payable to our Chief Financial Officer and consultants to assist us with our search for a target business. Upon completion of our initial business combination or our liquidation, we will cease paying these monthly fees. Accordingly, in the event the consummation of our initial business combination takes the maximum 18 months, our sponsor will be paid a total of $840,000 ($35,000 per month) for office space and administrative and support services and will be entitled to be reimbursed for any out-of-pocket expenses.
Our sponsor, officers, directors and advisors or any of their respective affiliates will be reimbursed for any out-of-pocket expenses incurred in connection with activities on our behalf such as identifying or selecting 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 our or any of their respective 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.
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 September 30, 2021, there was $300,000 outstanding under such 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. These loans will be repaid upon completion of this offering out of the $900,000 of offering proceeds that have been allocated for the payment of offering expenses (other than underwriting commissions). The value of our sponsor’s interest in this loan transaction corresponds to the principal amount outstanding under any such loan.
In addition, in order to fund working capital deficiencies or finance transaction costs in connection with an intended initial business combination, our sponsor, an affiliate of our sponsor or 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
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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 $2,000,000 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 by our sponsor, an affiliate of our sponsor or 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, an affiliate of our sponsor or our officers and directors, if any, 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, if any, may be paid consulting, management or other fees from the combined company with any and all amounts being fully disclosed to our stockholders, to the extent then known, in the tender offer or proxy solicitation materials, as applicable, furnished to our stockholders. 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 stockholder 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 officer and director compensation.
We have entered into a letter agreement with our initial stockholders, officers, directors and advisors pursuant to which (x) they have agreed to waive: (1) their redemption rights with respect to any founder shares and public shares held by them, as applicable, in connection with our initial business combination; (2) their redemption rights with respect to any founder shares and public shares held by them in connection with a stockholder vote to approve an amendment to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemptions in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we have not consummated our initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering or (B) with respect to any other material provision relating to stockholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity; and (3) their rights to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to any founder shares they hold if we fail to complete our initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering or during any Extension Period (although they will be entitled to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to any public shares they hold if we fail to complete our initial business combination within the prescribed time frame), and (y) the founder shares are subject to certain transfer restrictions, as described under “Description of Securities—Founder Shares.”
We have entered into a registration rights agreement with respect to the founder shares, private placement warrants and warrants issued upon conversion of working capital loans (if any), which is described under “Principal Stockholders—Registration Rights.”
Related Party Transactions Policy
We have not yet adopted a formal policy for the review, approval or ratification of related party transactions. Accordingly, the transactions discussed above were not reviewed, approved or ratified in accordance with any such policy.
Prior to the consummation of this offering, we will adopt our Code of Ethics requiring us to avoid, wherever possible, all conflicts of interests, except under guidelines or resolutions approved by our board of directors (or the appropriate committee of our board of directors) or as disclosed in our public filings with the SEC. Under our Code of Ethics, conflict of interest situations will include any financial transaction, arrangement or relationship (including any indebtedness or guarantee of indebtedness) involving the company.
In addition, our audit committee, pursuant to a written charter that we will adopt prior to the consummation of this offering, will be responsible for reviewing and approving related party transactions to the extent that we
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enter into such transactions. An affirmative vote of a majority of the members of the audit committee present at a meeting at which a quorum is present will be required in order to approve a related party transaction. A majority of the members of the entire audit committee will constitute a quorum. Without a meeting, the unanimous written consent of all of the members of the audit committee will be required to approve a related party transaction. Our audit committee will review on a quarterly basis all payments that were made by us to our sponsor, officers or directors, or our or any of their affiliates.
These procedures are intended to determine whether any such related party transaction impairs the independence of a director or presents a conflict of interest on the part of a director, employee or officer.
To further minimize conflicts of interest, we have agreed not to consummate an initial business combination with an entity that is affiliated with any of our sponsor, officers or directors unless we, or a committee of independent and disinterested directors, have obtained an opinion from an independent investment banking firm or an independent accounting firm that our initial business combination is fair to our company from a financial point of view. There will be no finder’s fees, reimbursements or other cash payments made by us to our sponsor, officers or directors or our or any of their respective 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 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:
• | repayment of an aggregate of up to $300,000 in loans made to us by our sponsor to cover offering-related and organizational expenses; |
• | payment to our sponsor of a total of $35,000 per month, for up to 18 months, for office space and administrative and support services, which includes up to approximately $22,000 per month payable to our Chief Financial Officer and consultants to assist us with our search for a target business; |
• | reimbursement for any out-of-pocket expenses related to identifying, investigating and completing an initial business combination; and |
• | repayment of loans which may be made by our sponsor, an affiliate of our sponsor or our officers and directors to finance transaction costs in connection with an intended initial business combination, the terms of which have not been determined nor have any written agreements been executed with respect thereto. Up to $2,000,000 of such loans may be convertible into warrants at a price of $1.00 per warrant at the option of the lender. |
These payments may be funded using the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants not held in the trust account or, upon completion of the initial business combination, from any amounts remaining from the proceeds of the trust account released to us in connection therewith.
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Pursuant to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, our authorized capital stock will consist of 500,000,000 shares of Class A common stock, $0.0001 par value, 100,000,000 shares of Class B common stock, $0.0001 par value, and 1,000,000 shares of undesignated preferred stock, $0.0001 par value. The following description summarizes the material terms of our capital stock. 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 share of Class A common stock and one-half of one redeemable public warrant. Each whole public warrant entitles the holder thereof to purchase one share of our Class A common stock at a price of $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment as described in this prospectus. Pursuant to the public warrant agreement, a public warrant holder may exercise its public warrants only for a whole number of shares of the company’s Class A common stock. This means only a whole public warrant may be exercised at any given time by a public warrant holder.
The common stock and public warrants 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 Cantor Fitzgerald & Co. and Moelis & Company LLC 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 shares of Class A common stock and public 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 shares of Class A common stock and public warrants. Additionally, the units will automatically separate into their component parts and will not be traded after completion of our initial business combination. No fractional public warrants will be issued upon separation of the units and only whole public warrants will trade. Accordingly, unless you purchase at least three units, you will not be able to receive or trade a whole public warrant.
In no event will the Class A common stock and public warrants be traded separately until we have filed with the SEC a Current Report on Form 8-K which includes an audited balance sheet of our company reflecting our receipt of the gross proceeds at the closing of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants. We will file the Current Report on Form 8-K that includes this audited balance sheet promptly after the closing of this offering. If the underwriters’ option to purchase additional units 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’ option to purchase additional units.
Common Stock
Upon the closing of this offering, 31,250,000 shares of our common stock will be outstanding (assuming no exercise of the underwriters’ option to purchase additional units and the corresponding forfeiture of 937,500 founder shares by our sponsor), including:
• | 25,000,000 shares of our Class A common stock underlying the units being offered in this offering; and |
• | 6,250,000 shares of Class B common stock held by our initial stockholders. |
If we increase or decrease the size of this offering, we will effect a stock dividend or share contribution back to capital or other appropriate mechanism, as applicable, with respect to our Class B common stock immediately prior to the consummation of this offering in such amount as to maintain the number of founder shares at 20% of our issued and outstanding shares of our common stock upon the consummation of this offering.
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Common stockholders of record are entitled to one vote for each share held on all matters to be voted on by stockholders; provided that, prior to our initial business combination, holders of our Class B common stock will have the right to elect all of our directors and remove members of our board of directors for any reason. On any other matter submitted to a vote of our stockholders, holders of our Class B common stock and holders of our Class A common stock will vote together as a single class, except as required by applicable law or stock exchange rule. Unless specified in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation or bylaws, or as required by applicable law or stock exchange rules, the affirmative vote of holders of a majority of the outstanding shares of our common stock that are voted is required to approve any such matter voted on by our stockholders. Directors are elected for a term of two years. There is no cumulative voting with respect to the election of directors, with the result that the holders of more than 50% of the Class B common stock voted for the election of directors can elect all of the directors. Our stockholders are entitled to receive ratable dividends when, as and if declared by the board of directors out of funds legally available therefor. However, in connection with our initial business combination, we may enter into a stockholders’ agreement or other arrangements with the stockholders of the target or other investors to provide for voting or other corporate governance arrangements that differ from those in effect upon completion of this offering.
Because our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will authorize the issuance of up to 200,000,000 shares of Class A common stock, 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 shares of common stock which we are authorized to issue at the same time as our stockholders vote on the business combination to the extent we seek stockholder approval in connection with our initial business combination.
In accordance with the NYSE corporate governance requirements, we are not required to hold an annual meeting until one year after our first fiscal year end following our listing on the NYSE. Under Section 211(b) of the DGCL, we are, however, required to hold an annual meeting of stockholders for the purposes of electing directors in accordance with our bylaws unless such election is made by written consent in lieu of such a meeting. We may not hold an annual meeting of stockholders to elect new directors prior to the consummation of our initial business combination, and thus we may not be in compliance with Section 211(b) of the DGCL, which requires an annual meeting. Therefore, if our stockholders want us to hold an annual meeting prior to the consummation of our initial business combination, they may attempt to force us to hold one by submitting an application to the Delaware Court of Chancery in accordance with Section 211(c) of the DGCL.
We will provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their shares in connection with 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 (which interest shall be net of taxes payable), 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 owner must identify itself in order to validly redeem its shares. Our initial stockholders, officers, directors and advisors have entered into a letter agreement with us, pursuant to which they have agreed to waive their redemption rights with respect to any founder shares and any public shares held by them in connection with the completion of our initial business combination or certain amendments to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation. Permitted transferees of our sponsor, officers, directors or advisors will be subject to the same obligations. Unlike many blank check companies that hold stockholder votes and conduct proxy solicitations in conjunction with their initial business combinations and provide for related redemptions of public shares for cash in connection with such initial business combinations even when a vote is not required by applicable law or stock exchange listing requirements, if a stockholder vote is not required by applicable law or stock exchange listing requirements and we do not decide to hold a stockholder vote for business or other reasons, we will, pursuant to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, conduct the redemptions pursuant to the tender offer rules of the SEC, and file tender offer documents with the SEC prior to completing our initial business combination. Our amended and
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restated certificate of incorporation will 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 stockholder approval of the transaction is required by applicable law or stock exchange rules, or we decide to obtain stockholder 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 stockholder approval, we will complete our initial business combination only if a majority of the outstanding shares of our common stock voted are voted in favor of the business combination. A quorum for such meeting will consist of the holders present in person or by proxy of shares of outstanding capital stock of the company representing a majority of the voting power of all outstanding shares of capital stock of the company entitled to vote at such meeting. However, the participation of our sponsor, officers, directors, advisors or any of their respective 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 stockholders vote, or indicate their intention to vote, against such business combination. For purposes of seeking approval of the majority of our outstanding shares of common stock, non-votes will have no effect on the approval of our initial business combination once a quorum is obtained. We intend to give not less than 10 days nor more than 60 days prior written notice of any such meeting, if required, at which a vote shall be taken to approve our initial business combination. These quorum and voting thresholds and agreements may make it more likely that we will consummate our initial business combination.
If we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct redemptions in connection with our initial business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will provide that a public stockholder, together with any affiliate of such stockholder or any other person with whom such stockholder is acting in concert or as a “group” (as defined under Section 13 of the Exchange Act), will be restricted from redeeming its shares with respect Excess Shares (more than an aggregate of 15% of the shares sold in this offering) without our prior consent. However, we would not be restricting our stockholders’ ability to vote all of their shares (including Excess Shares) for or against our initial business combination. Our public stockholders’ inability to redeem Excess Shares will reduce their influence over our ability to complete our initial business combination and they could suffer a material loss on their investment in us if they sell Excess Shares in open market transactions. Additionally, such stockholders will not receive redemption distributions with respect to the Excess Shares if we complete the business combination. And, as a result, such stockholders will continue to hold that number of shares exceeding 15% and, in order to dispose such shares would be required to sell their stock in open market transactions, potentially at a loss.
If we seek stockholder approval in connection with our initial business combination, our initial stockholders, officers, directors and advisors have agreed (and their permitted transferees, as applicable, will agree) to vote any founder shares and any public shares held by them in favor of our initial business combination. As a result, in addition to our initial stockholders’ founder shares, we would need 9,375,001, or 37.5% (assuming all issued and outstanding shares are voted and the underwriters’ option to purchase additional units is not exercised), or 1,562,501, or 6.25% (assuming only the minimum number of shares representing a quorum are voted and the underwriters’ option to purchase additional units is not exercised) of the 25,000,000 public shares sold in this offering to be voted in favor of a transaction, in order to have such initial business combination approved. Additionally, each public stockholder may elect to redeem its public shares without voting, and if they do vote, irrespective of whether they vote for or against the proposed transaction.
Pursuant to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, if we have not completed our initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering, we will: (1) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up; (2) as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter, redeem the public shares, at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest (which interest shall be 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, which redemption will completely extinguish public stockholders’ rights as stockholders (including the right to receive further liquidating distributions, if any), subject to applicable law; and (3) as promptly as reasonably possible
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following such redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining stockholders and our board of directors, dissolve and liquidate, subject in each case to our obligations under Delaware law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law. Our initial stockholders, officers, directors and advisors have entered into a letter 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 held by them if we fail to complete our initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering. However, if our sponsor or any of our officers, directors, advisors or any of their respective affiliates then hold any public shares, they will be entitled to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to such public shares if we fail to complete our initial business combination within the allotted time frame to complete our initial business combination.
In the event of a liquidation, dissolution or winding up of the company after a business combination, our stockholders at such time will be 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 stock, if any, having preference over the common stock. Our stockholders have no preemptive or other subscription rights. There are no sinking fund provisions applicable to the common stock, except that we will provide our stockholders with the opportunity to redeem their public shares for cash equal to their pro rata share of the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest (which interest shall be net of taxes payable), in connection with our initial business combination, subject to the limitations described herein.
Founder Shares
The founder shares are identical to the shares of common stock included in the units being sold in this offering, except that: (1) prior to our initial business combination, only holders of the Class B common stock have the right to vote on the election of directors and holders of a majority of the outstanding shares of our Class B common stock may remove members of our board of directors for any reason; (2) our initial stockholders, officers, directors and advisors have entered into a letter agreement with us, pursuant to which they have agreed to waive: (a) their redemption rights with respect to any founder shares and any public shares held by them in connection with our initial business combination, (b) their redemption rights with respect to any founder shares and public shares held by them in connection with a stockholder vote to approve an amendment to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemptions in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we have not consummated our initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering or (B) with respect to any other material provision relating to stockholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity; and (c) their rights to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to any founder shares held by them if we fail to complete our initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering or during any Extension Period (although they will be entitled to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to any public shares they hold if we fail to complete our initial business combination within the prescribed time frame); (3) the founder shares are subject to certain transfer restrictions, as described in more detail below; (4) the founder shares are automatically convertible into shares of our Class A common stock at the time of our initial business combination, or earlier at the option of the holder, on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustment pursuant to certain anti-dilution rights, as described herein; and (5) the holders of founder shares are entitled to registration rights. If we submit our initial business combination to our public stockholders for a vote, our initial stockholders, officers, directors and advisors have agreed (and their permitted transferees, as applicable, will agree) to vote any founder shares and any public shares held by them in favor of our initial business combination.
The shares of Class B common stock will automatically convert into shares of Class A common stock at the time of our initial business combination, or earlier at the option of the holder, on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustment as provided herein. In the case that additional shares of Class A common stock, or equity-linked securities, are issued or deemed issued in excess of the amounts issued in this offering and related to the closing of our initial business combination, the ratio at which shares of Class B common stock shall convert into shares
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of Class A common stock will be adjusted (unless the holders of a majority of the outstanding shares of our Class B common stock agree to waive such anti-dilution adjustment with respect to any such issuance or deemed issuance) so that the number of shares of Class A common stock issuable upon conversion of all shares of Class B common stock will equal, in the aggregate, on an as-converted basis, 20% of the total number of all shares of common stock outstanding upon completion of this offering plus all shares of Class A common stock and equity-linked securities issued or deemed issued in connection with our initial business combination (net of the number of shares of Class A common stock redeemed in connection with our initial business combination), excluding any shares or equity-linked securities issued, or to be issued, to any seller of an interest in the target to us in our initial business combination.
With certain limited exceptions, the founder shares are not transferable, assignable or salable (except to our officers, directors and advisors and other persons or entities affiliated with our sponsor, each of whom will be subject to the same transfer restrictions) until the earlier of (A) one year after the completion of our initial business combination, and (B) subsequent to our initial business combination, (x) the date on which we complete a liquidation, merger, stock exchange, reorganization or other similar transaction that results in all of our public stockholders having the right to exchange their shares of common stock for cash, securities or other property or (y) if the last reported sale price of our Class A common stock equals or exceeds $12.00 per share (as adjusted for stock splits, stock dividends, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) for any 20 trading days within any 30-trading day period commencing at least 150 days after our initial business combination.
In addition, at the time of our initial business combination, our sponsor may agree to vesting or other terms relating to our founder shares that it believes best align our sponsor’s objectives with that of our post-initial business combination stockholders. For example, in connection with initial business combinations, sponsors of other blank check companies have, in the recent past, subjected a certain number of their founder shares to vesting conditions based on the stock price of the blank check companies’ public stock, which our sponsor may elect to pursue if they believe it will help effectuate a business combination, although our sponsor has no obligation or other duty to do so.
Preferred Stock
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will authorize 1,000,000 shares of preferred stock and will provide that shares of preferred stock 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 stockholder approval, issue preferred stock with voting and other rights that could adversely affect the voting power and other rights of the holders of the common stock and could have anti-takeover effects. The ability of our board of directors to issue preferred stock without stockholder 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 preferred stock outstanding at the date hereof. Although we do not currently intend to issue any shares of preferred stock, we cannot assure you that we will not do so in the future. No shares of preferred stock are being issued or registered in this offering.
Warrants
Public Stockholders’ Warrants
Each whole public warrant entitles the registered holder to purchase one share of our Class A common stock at a price of $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment as discussed below, at any time commencing on the later of 12 months from the closing of this offering and 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination, except as described below. Pursuant to the public warrant agreement, a public warrant holder may exercise its public warrants only for a whole number of shares of Class A common stock. This means only a whole public warrant may be exercised at a given time by a public warrant holder. No fractional public warrants will be issued upon separation of the
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units and only whole public warrants will trade. Accordingly, unless you purchase at least three units, you will not be able to receive or trade a whole public warrant. The public 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 shares of Class A common stock pursuant to the exercise of a public warrant and will have no obligation to settle such public warrant exercise unless a registration statement under the Securities Act covering the issuance of the shares of Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the public warrants is then effective and a current prospectus relating to those shares of Class A common stock is available, subject to our satisfying our obligations described below with respect to registration, or a valid exemption from registration is available. No public 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 public warrants, unless the issuance of the shares upon such exercise is registered or qualified under the securities laws of the state of residence of the exercising holder, or an exemption from registration is available. In the event that the conditions in the two immediately preceding sentences are not satisfied with respect to a public warrant, the holder of such public warrant will not be entitled to exercise such public warrant and such public warrant may have no value and expire worthless. In no event will we be required to net cash settle any public warrant. In the event that a registration statement is not effective for the exercised public warrants, the purchaser of a unit containing such public warrant will have paid the full purchase price for the unit solely for the share of Class A common stock underlying such unit.
We are not registering the shares of Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the public warrants at this time. However, 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, and within 60 business days following our initial business combination to have declared effective, a registration statement covering the issuance of the shares of Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the public warrants and to maintain a current prospectus relating to those shares of Class A common stock until the public warrants expire or are redeemed. Notwithstanding the above, if our Class A common stock is at the time of any exercise of a warrant not listed on a national securities exchange such that it satisfies 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 will use our commercially reasonable efforts to register or qualify the shares under applicable blue sky laws to the extent an exemption is not available. In such event, each holder would pay the exercise price by surrendering the warrants for that number of shares of Class A common stock equal to the quotient obtained by dividing (x) the product of the number of shares of Class A common stock underlying the public 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. The “fair market value” of our Class A common stock shall mean the volume-weighted average price of our Class A common stock as reported during the 10 trading days ending on the trading day prior to the date that notice of exercise is received by the warrant agent from the holder of such public warrants or its securities broker or intermediary.
We have agreed that any action, proceeding or claim against us arising out of or relating in any way to the warrant agreements will be brought and enforced in the courts of the City of New York, County of New York, State of New York, the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York or the federal district courts of the United States, and we irrevocably submit to such jurisdiction, which jurisdiction will be the exclusive forum for any such action, proceeding or claim. However, the enforceability of similar exclusive forum provisions (including exclusive forum provisions for actions, suits or proceedings asserting a cause of action arising under the Securities Act or the Exchange Act) in other companies’ organizational documents has been challenged in legal proceeds, and there is uncertainty as to whether courts would enforce the exclusive forum provisions in our warrant agreements. Notwithstanding the foregoing, these provisions of the warrant agreements will not apply to suits brought to enforce any liability or duty created by the Securities Act, Exchange Act or any other claim for which the federal district courts of the United States of America shall be the sole and exclusive
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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 agreements. Additionally, our stockholders cannot waive compliance with the federal securities laws and the rules and regulations thereunder. See “Risk Factors—Risks Relating to Our Securities—Our warrant agreement will designate the courts of the City of New York, County of New York, State of New York or the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York as the sole and exclusive forum for certain types of actions and proceedings that may be initiated by holders of our warrants, which could limit the ability of holders of our warrants to obtain a favorable judicial forum for disputes with our company.”
Redemption of public warrants.
Once the public warrants become exercisable, we may redeem the outstanding public warrants:
• | in whole and not in part; |
• | at a price of $0.01 per public warrant; |
• | upon a minimum of 30 days’ prior written notice of redemption, or the 30-day redemption period, to each public warrant holder; and |
• | if, and only if, the average last reported sale price of our Class A common stock equals or exceeds $18.00 per share (as adjusted for stock splits, consolidations, stock dividends, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) for any 10 trading days within a 20-trading day period ending on the third trading day prior to the date on which we send the notice of redemption to the public warrant holders. |
We will not redeem the public warrants as described above unless a registration statement under the Securities Act covering the shares of Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the public warrants is then effective and a current prospectus relating to those shares of Class A common stock is available throughout the 30-day redemption period. If and when the public 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 public warrants even if the holders are otherwise unable to exercise their public warrants.
If and when the public 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 $18.00 per share (as adjusted) redemption criteria discussed above to prevent a redemption call unless there is at the time of the call a significant premium to the public warrant exercise price. If the foregoing conditions are satisfied and we issue a notice of redemption of the public warrants, each public warrant holder will be entitled to exercise its public warrant prior to the scheduled redemption date. Any such exercise would not be done on a “cashless” basis and would require the exercising public warrant holder to pay the exercise price for each warrant being exercised. However, the price of the Class A common stock may fall below the $18.00 redemption trigger price (as adjusted for stock splits, consolidations, stock dividends, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) as well as the $11.50 warrant exercise price after the redemption notice is issued.
If we call the public warrants for redemption for cash, as described above, our management will have the option to require all holders that wish to exercise public warrants to do so on a “cashless basis.” In determining whether to require all holders to exercise their public warrants on a “cashless basis,” our management will consider, among other factors, our cash position, the number of public warrants that are outstanding and the dilutive effect on our stockholders of issuing the maximum number of shares of Class A common stock issuable upon the exercise of our public warrants.
In such event, each holder would pay the exercise price by surrendering the public warrants for that number of shares of Class A common stock equal to the quotient obtained by dividing (x) the product of the number of
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shares of Class A common stock underlying the public warrants, multiplied by the excess of the fair market value (as defined below) over the exercise price of the public warrants by (y) the fair market value. The “fair market value” means the volume-weighted last reported sale price of the Class A common stock as reported for the ten (10) trading days ending on the third (3rd) trading day prior to the date that notice of exercise of the public warrants is sent to the warrant agent from the holder of such public warrants or its securities broker or intermediary.
Redemption Procedures
A holder of a public 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 public warrant, to the extent that after giving effect to such exercise, such person (together with such person’s affiliates), would beneficially own in excess of 9.8% (or such other amount as a holder may specify) of the shares of Class A common stock outstanding immediately after giving effect to such exercise.
Anti-Dilution Adjustments
If the number of outstanding shares of Class A common stock is increased by a stock dividend payable in shares of Class A common stock, or by a split-up of shares of Class A common stock or other similar event, then, on the effective date of such stock dividend, split-up or similar event, the number of shares of Class A common stock issuable on exercise of each public warrant will be increased in proportion to such increase in the outstanding shares of Class A common stock. A rights offering to all or substantially all holders of Class A common stock entitling holders to purchase shares of Class A common stock at a price less than the fair market value will be deemed a stock dividend of a number of shares of Class A common stock equal to the product of (1) the number of shares of Class A common stock 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 common stock) multiplied by (2) one minus the quotient of (x) the price per share of Class A common stock paid in such rights offering divided by (y) the “historical fair market value”. For these purposes (1) if the rights offering is for securities convertible into or exercisable for Class A common stock, in determining the price payable for Class A common stock, there will be taken into account any consideration received for such rights, as well as any additional amount payable upon exercise or conversion and (2) “historical fair market value” means the volume-weighted average last reported sale price of Class A common stock as reported during the ten trading day period ending on the trading day prior to the first date on which the shares of Class A common stock 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 public warrants are outstanding and unexpired, pay to all or substantially all of the holders of Class A common stock a dividend or make a distribution in cash, securities or other assets to the holders of Class A common stock on account of such shares of Class A common stock (or other shares of our capital stock into which the public warrants are convertible), other than (a) as described above, (b) certain ordinary cash dividends, (c) to satisfy the redemption rights of the holders of Class A common stock in connection with a proposed initial business combination, (d) to satisfy the redemption rights of the holders of Class A common stock in connection with a stockholder vote to amend our amended and restated certificate of incorporation (I) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemptions in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our Class A common stock if we do not complete our initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering or (II) with respect to any other material provision relating to stockholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity, or (e) in connection with the redemption of our public shares upon our failure to complete our initial business combination, then the public 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 share of Class A common stock in respect of such event.
If the number of outstanding shares of our Class A common stock is decreased by a consolidation, combination, reverse stock split or reclassification of shares of Class A common stock or other similar event,
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then, on the effective date of such consolidation, combination, reverse stock split, reclassification or similar event, the number of shares of Class A common stock issuable on exercise of each public warrant will be decreased in proportion to such decrease in outstanding shares of Class A common stock.
Whenever the number of shares of Class A common stock purchasable upon the exercise of the public warrants is adjusted, as described above, the public warrant exercise price will be adjusted by multiplying the public warrant exercise price immediately prior to such adjustment by a fraction (x) the numerator of which will be the number of shares of Class A common stock purchasable upon the exercise of the public warrants immediately prior to such adjustment, and (y) the denominator of which will be the number of shares of Class A common stock so purchasable immediately thereafter.
In addition, if (x) we issue additional shares of Class A common stock or equity-linked securities for capital raising purposes in connection with the closing of our initial business combination at a Newly Issued Price of less than $9.20 per share of Class A common stock, (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 (ii) the Market Value is below $9.20 per share of Class A common stock, then the exercise price of the public warrants will be adjusted to be equal to 115% of the higher of the Market Value and the Newly Issued Price, the $18.00 per share redemption trigger prices described above under “—Redemption of public warrants” and will be adjusted (to the nearest cent) to be equal to the 180% of the higher of the Market Value and the Newly Issued Price.
In case of any reclassification or reorganization of the issued and outstanding shares of Class A common stock (other than those described above or that solely affects the par value of such shares of Class A common stock), or in the case of any merger or consolidation of us with or into another entity or conversion of the Company into another type of entity (other than a merger or consolidation in which we are the continuing entity and that does not result in any reclassification or reorganization of our outstanding shares of Class A common stock), 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 public warrants will thereafter have the right to purchase and receive, upon the basis and upon the terms and conditions specified in the public warrants and in lieu of the shares of our Class A common stock immediately theretofore purchasable and receivable upon the exercise of the rights represented thereby, the kind and amount of shares of stock 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 public warrants would have received if such holder had exercised their public 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 merger or consolidation, then the kind and amount of securities, cash or other assets for which each public 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 merger or consolidation that affirmatively make such election, and if a tender, exchange or redemption offer shall have been made to and accepted by us (other than a tender, exchange or redemption offer made by us in connection with redemption rights held by our stockholders as provided for in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation or as a result of the redemption of the shares of Class A common stock by us if a proposed initial business combination is presented to our stockholders 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 meaning of Rule 13d-3 under the Exchange Act) securities representing more than 50% of the aggregate voting power, including the power to vote on the election of our directors, of our issued and outstanding equity securities, and (for the avoidance of doubt) such tender offer results in a change of control of us, the holder of a public warrant shall be entitled to receive as the alternative issuance, the highest amount of cash, securities or other property to which such holder would actually
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have been entitled as a stockholder if such public warrant holder had exercised the public warrant prior to the expiration of such tender or exchange offer, accepted such offer and all of the shares of Class A common stock held by such holder had been purchased pursuant to such tender or exchange offer, subject to adjustments (from and after the consummation of such tender or exchange offer) as nearly equivalent as possible to the adjustments provided for in the public warrant agreement. Additionally, if less than 70% of the consideration receivable by the holders of Class A common stock in such a transaction is payable in the form of Class A common stock 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 public warrant properly exercises the public warrant within thirty days following public disclosure of such transaction, the public warrant exercise price will be reduced as specified in the public warrant agreement based on the per share consideration minus Black-Scholes Warrant Value (as defined in the warrant agreement) of the public warrant.
The public warrants will be issued in registered form under a public warrant agreement between Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, as warrant agent, and us. You should review a copy of the public warrant agreement, which will be filed as an exhibit to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part, for a description of the terms and conditions applicable to the public warrants. The public warrant agreement provides that (a) the terms of the public 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 public warrant agreement to the description of the terms of the warrants and the public warrant agreement set forth in this prospectus, or defective provision or (ii) adding or changing any provisions with respect to matters or questions arising under the public warrant agreement as the parties to the public warrant agreement may deem necessary or desirable and that the parties deem to not adversely affect the rights of the registered holders of the public warrants and (b) all other modifications or amendments require the vote or written consent of at least 50% of the then outstanding public warrants and, solely with respect to any amendment to the terms of the private placement warrants or any provision of the private warrant agreement with respect to the private placement warrants, at least 50% of the then outstanding private placement warrants and at least 50% of the registered holders of the then outstanding public warrants. The public warrant agreement provides that the Company may not lower the warrant price or extend the duration of the exercise period of the public warrants without taking the same action with respect to the private placement warrants.
The public warrant holders do not have the rights or privileges of holders of Class A common stock and any voting rights until they exercise their public warrants and receive shares of Class A common stock. After the issuance of shares of Class A common stock upon exercise of the public warrants, each holder will be entitled to one vote for each share held of record on all matters to be voted on by stockholders.
No fractional public warrants will be issued upon separation of the units and only whole public warrants will trade.
Private Placement Warrants
The private placement warrants are identical to the public warrants,: (1) they will not be redeemable by us (except as described under “—Public Stockholders’ Warrants—Redemption of public warrants”); (2) they (including the Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of these private placement warrants) may not be transferred, assigned or sold by our sponsor until 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination (except, among other limited exceptions as described under “Principal Stockholders—Transfers of Founder Shares and Private Placement Warrants,” to our officers, directors and advisors and other persons or entities affiliated with our sponsor); (3) our sponsor, or its permitted transferees, may exercise their private placement warrants on a cashless basis, as described below; and (4) the holders thereof (including with respect to the shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of these private placement warrants) are entitled to registration rights.
If our sponsor or its permitted transferees elect to exercise their private placement warrants on a cashless basis, they would pay the exercise price by surrendering warrants for that number of shares of Class A common stock equal
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to the quotient obtained by dividing (x) the product of the number of shares of Class A common stock underlying the warrants, multiplied by the excess of the “fair market value” (as defined below) over the exercise price of the warrants by (y) the “sponsor fair market value”. The “sponsor fair market value” shall mean the volume-weighted average last reported sale price of the Class A common stock for the 10 trading days ending on the third trading day prior to the date on which the notice of exercise is sent to the warrant agent. We expect to have policies in place that prohibit 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 stockholders who could exercise their public warrants and sell the shares of Class A common stock 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 the private placement 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, an affiliate of our sponsor or 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 to repay such loaned amounts. Up to $2,000,000 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 private warrant agreement provides that the Company may not lower the warrant price or extend the duration of the exercise period of the private placement warrants without taking the same action with respect to the public warrants.
Dividends
We have not paid any cash dividends on our common stock to date and do not intend to pay cash dividends prior to the completion of our initial business combination. The payment of cash dividends in the future will be dependent upon our revenues and earnings, if any, capital requirements and general financial condition subsequent to completion of our initial business combination. The payment of any cash dividends subsequent to a business combination will be within the discretion of our board of directors at such time. In addition, our board of directors is not currently contemplating and does not anticipate declaring any stock dividends in the foreseeable future, except if we increase the size of this offering, in which case we will effect a stock dividend with respect to our Class B common stock immediately prior to the consummation of this offering in such amount as to maintain the number of founder shares at 20% of our issued and outstanding shares of our common stock upon the consummation of this offering. Further, if we incur any indebtedness, 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 common stock 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 stockholders, directors, officers and employees against all liabilities, including judgments, costs and reasonable counsel fees that may arise out of acts performed or omitted for its activities in that capacity, except for any liability due to any gross negligence, willful misconduct or bad faith of the indemnified person or entity.
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Our Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will contain certain requirements and restrictions relating to this offering that will apply to us until the completion of our initial business combination. These provisions cannot be amended without the approval of the holders of at least 65% of our outstanding common stock. Our initial stockholders, who collectively will beneficially own 20% of our common stock upon the closing of this offering (assuming our initial stockholders do not purchase any units in this offering), may participate in any vote to amend our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and will have the discretion to vote in any manner they choose. Unless specified in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation or bylaws, or as required by applicable law or stock exchange rules, the affirmative vote of a majority of the outstanding shares of our common stock that are voted is required to approve any such matter voted on by our stockholders, and, prior to our initial business combination, the affirmative vote of holders of a majority of the outstanding shares of our Class B common stock is required to approve the election or removal of directors. Specifically, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will provide, among other things, that:
• | if we have not completed our initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering, we will: (1) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up; (2) as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter, redeem the public shares, at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest (which interest shall be 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, which redemption will completely extinguish public stockholders’ rights as stockholders (including the right to receive further liquidating distributions, if any), subject to applicable law; and (3) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining stockholders and our board of directors, dissolve and liquidate, subject in each case to our obligations under Delaware law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law; |
• | prior to our initial business combination, we may not issue additional shares of capital stock that would entitle the holders thereof to: (1) receive funds from the trust account; or (2) vote pursuant to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation on any initial business combination; |
• | although we do not currently intend to enter into a business combination with a target business that is affiliated with our sponsor, its members, 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 and disinterested directors, will obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm or from an independent accounting firm that such a business combination is fair to our company from a financial point of view; |
• | if a stockholder vote on our initial business combination is not required by applicable law or stock exchange rules and we do not decide to hold a stockholder 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; |
• | our initial business combination must be with one or more operating businesses or assets with a fair market value equal to at least 80% of the net assets held in the trust account (excluding the amount of any deferred underwriting discount); |
• | if our stockholders approve an amendment to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemptions in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do |
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not complete our initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering or (B) with respect to any other material provision relating to stockholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity, we will provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their shares of common stock 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 (which interest shall be net of taxes payable), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares; and |
• | 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 certificate of incorporation will provide that under no circumstances will we redeem our public shares in an amount that would cause our net tangible assets to be less than $5,000,001 or any greater net tangible asset or cash requirement which may be contained in the agreement relating to our initial business combination.
Certain Anti-Takeover Provisions of Delaware Law and Our Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation and Bylaws
We have elected to be exempt from the restrictions imposed under Section 203 of the DGCL. However, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will contain similar provisions providing that we may not engage in certain “business combinations” with any “interested stockholder” for a three-year period following the time that such stockholder becomes an “interested stockholder” unless:
• | prior to such time, our board of directors approved either the business combination or the transaction which resulted in the stockholder becoming an “interested stockholder”; |
• | upon consummation of the transaction which resulted in the stockholder becoming an “interested stockholder,” the “interested stockholder” owned at least 85% of our voting stock outstanding at the time the transaction commenced (excluding certain shares); or |
• | on or subsequent to such time, the business combination is approved by our board of directors and authorized at an annual or special meeting of stockholders, and not by written consent, by the affirmative vote of at least two-thirds of the outstanding voting stock not owned by the “interested stockholder.” |
Generally, a “business combination” includes a merger, asset or stock sale to the “interested stockholder.” Subject to certain exceptions, an “interested stockholder” is a person who, together with that person’s affiliates and associates, owns, or within the previous three years owned, 15% or more of our voting stock.
Under some circumstances, this provision will make it more difficult for a person who is an “interested stockholder” to effect various business combinations with us for a three-year period.
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will provide that our sponsor and its various affiliates, successors and transferees will not be deemed to be “interested stockholders” regardless of the percentage of our voting stock owned by them, and accordingly will not be subject to this provision.
Our authorized but unissued common stock and preferred stock are available for future issuances without stockholder 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 common stock and preferred stock could render more difficult or discourage an attempt to obtain control of us by means of a proxy contest, tender offer, merger or otherwise.
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Exclusive Forum For Certain Lawsuits
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will require that, unless we consent in writing to the selection of an alternative forum, the sole and exclusive forum for (a) any derivative action or proceeding brought on our behalf, (b) any action asserting a claim of breach of a fiduciary duty owed by any current or former director, officer or other employee to us or our stockholders, (c) any action asserting a claim arising pursuant to any provision of the DGCL, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation or bylaws, or (d) any action asserting a claim against us or any of our directors, officers or employees governed by the internal affairs doctrine shall be the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware, except for, as to each of (a) through (d) above, any claim (i) as to which the Court of Chancery determines that there is an indispensable party not subject to the jurisdiction of the Court of Chancery (and the indispensable party does not consent to the personal jurisdiction of the Court of Chancery within ten days following such determination), (ii) which is vested in the exclusive jurisdiction of a court or forum other than the Court of Chancery, (iii) for which the Court of Chancery does not have subject matter jurisdiction or (iv) any action arising under the Securities Act, as to which the federal district courts are the exclusive forum. Notwithstanding the foregoing, these provisions will not apply to suits brought to enforce a duty or liability created by the Exchange Act or any other claim for which the federal courts have exclusive jurisdiction. Although we believe this forum provision benefits us by providing increased consistency in the application of Delaware law in the types of lawsuits to which it applies, a court may determine that this provision is unenforceable, and to the extent it is enforceable, the provision may have the effect of discouraging lawsuits against our directors and officers, although our stockholders will not be deemed to have waived our compliance with federal securities laws and the rules and regulations thereunder. If any action, the subject matter of which is within the scope of the forum provisions of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, is filed in a court other than a court of the State of Delaware (a “foreign action”) in the name of any stockholder, such stockholder shall be deemed to have consented to (i) the personal jurisdiction of the state and federal courts located within the State of Delaware in connection with any action brought in such court to enforce the forum provisions (an “enforcement action”), and (ii) having service of process made upon such stockholder in any such enforcement action by service upon such stockholder’s counsel in the foreign action as agent for such stockholder.
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation does not purport to require suits brought to enforce a duty or liability created by the Exchange Act to be brought in the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware or another court of the State of Delaware. Section 27 of the Exchange Act creates exclusive federal jurisdiction over all claims brought to enforce any duty or liability created by the Exchange Act or the rules and regulations thereunder. Section 22 of the Securities Act creates concurrent jurisdiction for federal and state courts over all suits brought to enforce any duty or liability created by the Securities Act or the rules and regulations thereunder. As noted above, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will provide that, unless we consent in writing to the selection of an alternative forum, the federal district courts of the United States of America shall be the exclusive forum for the resolution of any complaint asserting a cause of action arising under the Securities Act. Accordingly, there is uncertainty as to whether a court would enforce such provision, and our stockholders will not be deemed to have waived our compliance with the federal securities laws and the rules and regulations thereunder.
Special Meeting of Stockholders
Our bylaws provide that special meetings of our stockholders may be called only by a majority vote of our board of directors, by our chief executive officer or by our chairman, if any.
Class B Common Stock Consent Right
For so long as any shares of Class B common stock remain outstanding, we may not, without the prior vote or written consent of the holders of a majority of the shares of Class B common stock then outstanding, voting separately as a single class, amend, alter or repeal any provision of our amended and restated certificate of
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incorporation, whether by merger, consolidation or otherwise, if such amendment, alteration or repeal would after or change the powers, preferences or relative, participating, optional or other or special rights of the Class B common stock. Any action required or permitted to be taken at any meeting of the holders of Class B common stock may be taken without a meeting, without prior notice and without a vote, if a consent or consents in writing, setting forth the action so taken, shall be signed by the holders of the outstanding Class B common stock having not less than the minimum number of votes that would be necessary to authorize or take such action at a meeting at which all shares of Class B common stock were present and voted.
Advance Notice Requirements for Stockholder Proposals and Director Nominations
Our bylaws will provide for advance notice procedures with respect to stockholder proposals and the nomination of candidates for election as directors, other than nominations made by or at the direction of our board of directors or a committee of our board of directors. In order for any matter to be “properly brought” before a meeting, a stockholder will have to comply with advance notice requirements and provide us with certain information. Generally, to be timely, a stockholder’s notice must be received at our principal executive offices not less than 90 days nor more than 120 days prior to the first anniversary date of the immediately preceding annual meeting of stockholders. Pursuant to Rule 14a-8 of the Exchange Act, proposals seeking inclusion in our annual proxy statement must comply with the notice periods contained therein. Our bylaws will also specify requirements as to the form and content of a stockholder’s notice. Our bylaws will allow the chairman of the meeting at a meeting of the stockholders to adopt rules and regulations for the conduct of meetings which may have the effect of precluding the conduct of certain business at a meeting if the rules and regulations are not followed. These provisions may also defer, delay or discourage a potential acquirer from conducting a solicitation of proxies to elect the acquirer’s own slate of directors or otherwise attempting to influence or obtain control of us.
Securities Eligible for Future Sale
Immediately after this offering, we will have 31,250,000 (or 35,937,500 if the underwriters’ option to purchase additional units is exercised in full) shares of Class A common stock outstanding. Of these shares, the 25,000,000 shares (or 28,750,000 shares if the underwriters’ option to purchase additional units is exercised in full) sold in this offering will be freely tradable without restriction or further registration under the Securities Act, except for any shares purchased by one of our affiliates within the meaning of Rule 144 under the Securities Act. All of the remaining 6,250,000 (or 7,187,500 if the underwriters’ option to purchase additional units is exercised in full) founder shares and all 13,535,500 (or 15,035,500 if the underwriters’ option to purchase additional units is exercised in full) private placement warrants are restricted securities under Rule 144, in that they were issued in private transactions not involving a public offering, and are subject to transfer restrictions as set forth elsewhere in this prospectus.
Rule 144
Pursuant to Rule 144, a person who has beneficially owned restricted shares of our common stock or warrants for at least six months would be entitled to sell their securities provided that: (1) 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 (2) 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 12 months (or such shorter period as we were required to file reports) preceding the sale.
Persons who have beneficially owned restricted shares of our common stock 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 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 shares of common stock then outstanding, which will equal 312,500 shares immediately after this offering (or 359,375 if the underwriters exercise their option to purchase additional units in full); or |
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• | the average weekly reported trading volume of the common stock 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 a 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; |
• | the issuer of the securities is subject to the reporting requirements of Section 13 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act; |
• | the issuer of the securities has filed all Exchange Act reports and material required to be filed, as applicable, during the preceding 12 months (or such shorter period that the issuer was required to file such reports and materials), other than Current Reports on Form 8-K; 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 initial stockholders will be able to sell their founder shares and our sponsor will be able to sell its 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 warrants that may be issued upon conversion of working capital loans (and any shares of common stock issuable upon the exercise of the private placement warrants or warrants issued upon conversion of the working capital loans and upon conversion of the founder shares) 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 requiring us to register such securities for resale (in the case of the founder shares, only after conversion to shares of Class A common stock). The holders of these securities will be entitled to make up to three demands, excluding short form registration 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 and rights to require us to register for resale such securities pursuant to Rule 415 under the Securities Act. However, the registration rights agreement provides that no sales of these securities will be effected until after the expiration of the applicable lock-up period, as described under “Principal Stockholders—Transfers of Founder Shares and Private Placement Warrants.” We will bear the expenses incurred in connection with the filing of any such registration statements.
Listing of Securities
We intend to apply to list our units, Class A common stock and public warrants on the NYSE under the symbols “CXAC.U,” “CXAC” and “CXAC WS,” respectively. We expect that our units will be listed on the NYSE on or promptly after the effective date of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part. Following the date the shares of our Class A common stock and public warrants are eligible to trade separately, we anticipate that the shares of our common stock and public warrants will be listed separately and as a unit on the NYSE. We cannot guarantee that our securities will be approved for listing on the NYSE.
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UNITED STATES FEDERAL INCOME TAX CONSIDERATIONS
The following discussion is a summary of the U.S. federal income tax considerations generally applicable to the ownership and disposition of our units, Class A common stock and public warrants, which we refer to collectively as our securities. This summary is based upon U.S. federal income tax law as of the date of this prospectus, which is subject to change or differing interpretations, possibly with retroactive effect. This summary does not discuss all aspects of U.S. federal income taxation that may be important to particular investors in light of their individual circumstances, including investors subject to special tax rules (e.g., financial institutions, insurance companies, broker-dealers, tax-exempt organizations (including private foundations), taxpayers that have elected mark-to-market accounting, taxpayers subject to special accounting rules as a result of any item of gross income with respect to the units (or components thereof) being taken into account in an applicable financial statement, S corporations, regulated investment companies, real estate investment trusts, investors that acquired our securities pursuant to an exercise of employee share options, in connection with employee share incentive plans, or otherwise as compensation, investors that will hold Class A common stock or public warrants as part of a straddle, hedge, conversion, or other integrated transaction for U.S. federal income tax purposes, controlled foreign corporations, passive foreign investment companies, or investors that have a functional currency other than the U.S. dollar), all of whom may be subject to tax rules that differ materially from those summarized below. In addition, this summary does not discuss other U.S. federal tax consequences (e.g., estate or gift tax), any state, local, or non-U.S. tax considerations, or the additional tax on net investment income or alternative minimum tax. In addition, this summary is limited to investors that will hold our securities as “capital assets” (generally, property held for investment) under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, (the “Code”), and that acquired the securities pursuant to this offering (or, in the case of Class A common stock, upon exercise of public warrants so acquired). No ruling from the Internal Revenue Service, (the “IRS”) has been or be sought regarding any matter discussed herein. No assurance can be given that the IRS would not assert, or that a court would not sustain a position contrary to any of the tax aspects set forth below.
For purposes of this summary, a “U.S. Holder” is a beneficial holder of securities who or that is:
• | an individual who is a U.S. citizen or resident of the United States as determined for U.S. federal income tax purposes; |
• | a corporation or other entity treated as a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes created in, or organized under the law of, the United States or any state or political subdivision thereof; |
• | an estate the income of which is includible in gross income for U.S. federal income tax purposes regardless of its source; or |
• | a trust (A) the administration of which is subject to the primary supervision of a U.S. court and which has one or more U.S. persons (within the meaning of the Code) who have the authority to control all substantial decisions of the trust or (B) that has in effect a valid election under applicable Treasury regulations to be treated as a U.S. person. |
A “non-U.S. Holder” is a beneficial holder of shares who or that is neither a U.S. Holder nor a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes.
If a partnership (including an entity or arrangement treated as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes) holds our securities, the tax treatment of a partner, member or other beneficial owner in such partnership will generally depend upon the status of the partner, member or other beneficial owner, the activities of the partnership and certain determinations made at the partner, member or other beneficial owner level.
THIS DISCUSSION OF U.S. FEDERAL INCOME TAX CONSIDERATIONS IS FOR GENERAL INFORMATION PURPOSES ONLY AND IS NOT TAX ADVICE. WE URGE PROSPECTIVE HOLDERS TO CONSULT THEIR TAX ADVISORS CONCERNING THE U.S. FEDERAL INCOME TAX CONSEQUENCES TO THEM OF OWNING AND DISPOSING OF OUR SECURITIES, AS WELL AS THE APPLICATION OF ANY STATE, LOCAL AND NON-U.S. INCOME, ESTATE AND OTHER TAX CONSIDERATIONS.
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Personal Holding Company Status
We would be subject to a second level of U.S. federal income tax on a portion of our income if we are determined to be a personal holding company, or PHC, for U.S. federal income tax purposes. A U.S. corporation will generally be classified as a PHC for U.S. federal income tax purposes in a given taxable year if (1) at any time during the last half of such taxable year, five or fewer individuals (without regard to their citizenship or residency and including as individuals for this purpose certain entities such as certain tax-exempt organizations, pension funds, and charitable trusts) own or are deemed to own (pursuant to certain constructive ownership rules), directly or indirectly, more than 50% of the stock of the corporation by value and (2) at least 60% of the corporation’s adjusted ordinary gross income, as determined for U.S. federal income tax purposes, for such taxable year consists of PHC income (which includes, among other things, dividends, interest, certain royalties, annuities and, under certain circumstances, rents).
Depending on the date and size of our initial business combination, it is possible that at least 60% of our adjusted ordinary gross income may consist of PHC income as discussed above. In addition, depending on the concentration of our stock in the hands of individuals, including the members of our sponsor and certain tax-exempt organizations, pension funds, and charitable trusts, it is possible that more than 50% of our stock will be owned or deemed owned (pursuant to the constructive ownership rules) by five or fewer such persons during the last half of a taxable year. Thus, no assurance can be given that we will not become a PHC following this offering or in the future. If we are or were to become a PHC in a given taxable year, we would be subject to an additional PHC tax, currently imposed at a rate of 20%, on our undistributed PHC income, which generally includes our taxable income, subject to certain adjustments.
General Treatment of Units
There is no authority directly addressing the treatment, for U.S. federal income tax purposes, of instruments with terms substantially the same as the units and, therefore, their treatment is not entirely clear. The acquisition of a unit should be treated for U.S. federal income tax purposes as the acquisition of one share of our Class A common stock and one-half of one public warrant to acquire one share of our Class A common stock. We intend to treat the acquisition of a unit in this manner and, by purchasing a unit, you agree to adopt such treatment 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 share of Class A common stock and the one-half of one public warrant based on their respective relative fair market values. A holder’s initial tax basis in the Class A common stock and the one-half of one warrant included in each unit should equal the portion of the purchase price of the unit allocated thereto. The separation of the Class A common stock and one-half of one public warrant constituting a unit should not be a taxable event for U.S. federal income tax purposes.
The foregoing treatment of the units and a holder’s purchase price allocation are not binding on the IRS or the courts. Because there is no authority that directly addresses 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. Each prospective investor is urged to consult its tax advisors regarding the U.S. federal, state, local and any foreign tax consequences of an investment in a unit (including alternative characterizations of a unit and its components). The following discussion is based on the assumption that the characterization of the Class A common stock and public warrants and the allocation methodology described above are respected for U.S. federal income tax purposes.
U.S. Holders
Taxation of Distributions
If we make distributions in cash or other property (other than certain distributions of our stock or rights to acquire our stock) to U.S. Holders of shares of our Class A common stock, such distributions will constitute dividends for U.S. federal income tax purposes to the extent paid from our current or accumulated earnings and
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profits, as determined under U.S. federal income tax principles. Distributions in excess of current and accumulated earnings and profits will constitute a return of capital that will be applied against and reduce (but not below zero) the U.S. Holder’s adjusted tax basis in our Class A common stock. Any remaining excess will be treated as gain realized on the sale or other disposition of the Class A common stock and will be treated as described under “U.S. Holders — Gain or Loss on Sale, Taxable Exchange or Other Taxable Disposition of Class A Common Stock” below.
Dividends we pay to a U.S. Holder that is a taxable corporation generally will qualify for the dividends received deduction if the requisite holding period is satisfied. With certain exceptions (including dividends treated as investment income for purposes of investment interest deduction limitations), and provided certain holding period requirements are met, dividends we pay to a non-corporate U.S. Holder will generally constitute “qualified dividends” that will be subject to tax at the maximum tax rate accorded to long-term capital gains. It is unclear whether the redemption rights with respect to the Class A common stock described in this prospectus may prevent a U.S. Holder from satisfying the applicable holding period requirements with respect to the dividends received deduction or the preferential tax rate on qualified dividend income, as the case may be. If the applicable holding periods are not satisfied, then a corporation may not be able to qualify for the dividends received deduction and would have taxable income equal to the entire dividend amount, and non-corporate holders may be subject to tax on such dividend at regular ordinary income tax rates instead of the preferential rate that applies to qualified dividend income.
Gain or Loss on Sale, Taxable Exchange or Other Taxable Disposition of Class A Common Stock
A U.S. Holder will recognize gain or loss on the sale, taxable exchange or other taxable disposition (which would include a dissolution and liquidation in the event we do not complete an initial business combination within the completion window) of our Class A common stock. Any such gain or loss will be capital gain or loss, and will be long-term capital gain or loss if the U.S. Holder’s holding period for the Class A common stock so disposed of exceeds one year. It is unclear, however, whether the redemption rights with respect to the Class A common stock described in this prospectus may suspend the running of the applicable holding period for this purpose. The amount of gain or loss recognized will generally 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 Class A common stock is held as part of a unit at the time of the disposition, the portion of the amount realized on such disposition that is allocated to the Class A common stock based upon the then fair market values of the Class A common stock and the one-half of one public warrant included in the unit) and (2) the U.S. Holder’s adjusted tax basis in its Class A common stock so disposed of. A U.S. Holder’s adjusted tax basis in its Class A common stock will generally equal the U.S. Holder’s acquisition cost (that is, as discussed above, the portion of the purchase price of a unit allocated to a share of Class A common stock or, as discussed below, the U.S. Holder’s initial basis for Class A common stock received upon exercise of a public warrant) less any prior distributions treated as a return of capital. The deductibility of capital losses is subject to limitations.
Redemption of Class A Common Stock
In the event that a U.S. Holder’s Class A common stock is redeemed pursuant to the redemption provisions described in this prospectus under “Description of Securities — Common Stock”, the treatment of the transaction for U.S. federal income tax purposes will depend on whether the redemption qualifies as sale of the Class A common stock under Section 302 of the Code. If the redemption qualifies as a sale of Class A common stock under the tests described below, the tax consequences to the U.S. Holder will be the same as described under “— Gain or Loss on Sale, Taxable Exchange or Other Taxable Disposition of Class A Common Stock” above. If the redemption does not qualify as a sale of Class A common stock, the U.S. Holder will be treated as receiving a corporate distribution, the tax consequences of which are described above under “— Taxation of Distributions.” Whether the redemption qualifies for sale treatment will depend primarily on the total number of shares of our stock treated as held by the U.S. Holder (including any stock constructively owned by the U.S. Holder as a result of owning warrants) both before and after the redemption. For a given U.S. Holder, the redemption of Class A
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common stock will generally be treated as a sale of the Class A common stock (rather than as a corporate distribution) if the redemption (1) is “substantially disproportionate” with respect to the U.S. Holder, (2) results in a “complete termination” of the U.S. Holder’s interest in us or (3) is “not essentially equivalent to a dividend” with respect to the U.S. Holder. These tests are explained more fully below.
In determining whether any of the foregoing tests are satisfied, a U.S. Holder takes into account not only stock actually owned by the U.S. Holder, but also shares of our stock that are constructively owned by it. A U.S. Holder may constructively own stock owned by certain related individuals and entities in which the U.S. Holder has an interest or that have an interest in such U.S. Holder, as well as any stock the U.S. Holder has a right to acquire by exercise of an option, which would generally include common stock which could be acquired pursuant to the exercise of the warrants. A redemption of a U.S. Holder’s stock will be substantially disproportionate with respect to the U.S. Holder if the percentage of our outstanding voting stock actually and constructively owned by the U.S. Holder immediately following the redemption of common stock is, among other requirements, less than 80% of the percentage of our outstanding voting stock actually and constructively owned by the U.S. Holder immediately before the redemption. Prior to our initial business combination, the Class A common stock may not be treated as voting stock 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 the shares of our stock actually and constructively owned by the U.S. Holder are redeemed or (2) all of the shares of our stock actually owned by the U.S. Holder are redeemed and the U.S. Holder is eligible to waive, and effectively waives in accordance with specific rules, the attribution of stock owned by certain family members and the U.S. Holder does not constructively own any other stock (including any stock constructively owned by the U.S. Holder as a result of owning warrants). The redemption of the Class A common stock will not be essentially equivalent to a dividend if the redemption results in a “meaningful reduction” of the 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. The IRS has indicated in a published ruling that even a small reduction in the proportionate interest of a small minority stockholder in a publicly held corporation who exercises no control over corporate affairs may constitute such a “meaningful reduction.” Each U.S. Holder is urged to consult its tax advisor as to the tax consequences of a redemption, including the application of the constructive ownership rules described above.
If none of the foregoing tests is satisfied, the redemption will be treated as a corporate distribution, the tax consequences of which are described under “— Taxation of Distributions,” above. After the application of those rules, any remaining tax basis of the U.S. Holder in the redeemed Class A common stock should be added to the U.S. Holder’s adjusted tax basis in its remaining stock, or, if it has none, to the U.S. Holder’s adjusted tax basis in its warrants or possibly in other stock constructively owned by it.
Exercise of a Warrant
Except as discussed below with respect to the cashless exercise of a warrant, a U.S. Holder will not recognize gain or loss upon the exercise of a warrant. The U.S. Holder’s tax basis in the share of our Class A common stock received upon exercise of the warrant will generally be an amount equal to the sum of the U.S. Holder’s initial investment in the warrant (i.e., the portion of the U.S. Holder’s purchase price for a unit that is allocated to the warrant, as described above under “— General Treatment of Units”) and the exercise price of such warrant. It is unclear whether a U.S. Holder’s holding period for the Class A common stock received upon exercise of the warrant would commence on the date of exercise of the warrant or the day following the date of exercise of the warrant; however, in either case the holding period will not include the period during which the U.S. Holder held the warrants.
The tax consequences of a cashless exercise of a warrant are not clear under current tax law. A cashless exercise may be nontaxable, either because the exercise is not a realization event or because the exercise is treated as a recapitalization for U.S. federal income tax purposes. In either situation, a U.S. Holder’s tax basis in the Class A common stock received would generally equal the holder’s tax basis in the warrant. If the cashless
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exercise were treated as not being a realization event, it is unclear whether a U.S. Holder’s holding period for the Class A common stock would commence on the date of exercise of the warrant or the day following the date of exercise of the warrant. If, however, the cashless exercise were treated as a recapitalization, the holding period of the Class A common stock would include the holding period of the warrant.
It is also possible that a cashless exercise could be treated in part as a taxable exchange in which gain or loss is recognized. In such event, 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 sold or surrendered in consideration for the exercise price of the remaining warrants which would be deemed to be exercised. For this purpose, a U.S. Holder would be deemed to have surrendered a number of warrants having an aggregate value equal to the exercise price for the warrants deemed exercised. The U.S. Holder would recognize capital gain or loss in an amount equal to the difference between the aggregate value of the warrants deemed surrendered and the U.S. Holder’s tax basis in the warrants deemed surrendered. In this case, a U.S. Holder’s tax basis in the Class A common stock 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 the warrant, as described above under “— General Treatment of Units”) and the exercise price of such warrants. It is unclear whether a U.S. Holder’s holding period for the Class A common stock would commence on the date of exercise of the warrant or the day following the date of exercise of the warrant; however, in either case the holding period will not include the period during which the U.S. Holder held the warrant.
Due to the absence of authority on the U.S. federal income tax treatment of a cashless exercise, including when a U.S. Holder’s holding period would commence with respect to the Class A common stock received, 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, each U.S. Holder is urged to consult its tax advisor regarding the tax consequences of a cashless exercise.
If we give notice of an intention to redeem warrants for $0.10 as described in the section of this prospectus entitled “Description of Securities—Warrants—Public Stockholders’ Warrants”, and a U.S. Holder exercises its warrant on a cashless basis and receives the amount of Class A common stock as determined by reference to the table set forth thereunder, we intend to treat such exercise as a redemption of warrants for Class A common stock for U.S. federal income tax purposes. We intend to treat such redemption as a “recapitalization” within the meaning of Section 368(a)(1)(E) of the Code, although such treatment is not certain. Accordingly, a U.S. Holder would not recognize any gain or loss on the redemption of warrants for shares of Class A common stock. A U.S. Holder’s aggregate tax basis in the shares of Class A common stock received in the redemption generally would equal the U.S. Holder’s aggregate tax basis in the warrants redeemed and the holding period for the shares of Class A common stock received should include the U.S. Holder’s holding period for the surrendered warrants. However, there is some uncertainty regarding this tax treatment and it is possible such a redemption could be treated as a taxable exchange in which gain or loss would be recognized. Accordingly, each U.S. Holder is urged to consult its tax advisor regarding the tax consequences of a redemption of warrants for shares of Class A common stock.
Sale, Exchange, Redemption or Expiration of a Warrant
Upon a sale, exchange (other than by exercise), redemption (other than a cashless exercise consummated after we give notice of an intention to redeem warrants for $0.10 as described above in the last paragraph of “Exercise of a Warrant,” which we intend to treat as a redemption for Class A common stock), or expiration of a warrant, a U.S. Holder will recognize taxable gain or loss in an amount equal to the difference between (1) the amount realized upon such disposition or expiration (or, if the warrant is held as part of a unit at the time of the disposition of the unit, the portion of the amount realized on such disposition that is allocated to the warrant based on the then fair market values of the warrant and the Class A common stock constituting such unit) and (2) the U.S. Holder’s tax basis in the warrant (that is, the portion of the U.S. Holder’s purchase price for a unit that is allocated to the warrant, as described above under “— General Treatment of Units”). Such gain or loss will generally be treated as long-term capital gain or loss if the warrant is held by the U.S. Holder for more than
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one year at the time of such disposition or expiration. 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 deductibility of capital losses is subject to certain limitations.
Possible Constructive Distributions
The terms of each warrant provide for an adjustment to the number of shares of Class A common stock for which the warrant may be exercised or to the exercise price of the warrant in certain events, as discussed in the section of this prospectus captioned “Description of Securities — Warrants — Public Stockholders’ Warrants.” An adjustment which has the effect of preventing dilution is generally not a taxable event. Nevertheless, a U.S. Holder of warrants would be treated as receiving a constructive distribution from us if, for example, the adjustment increases the U.S. Holder’s proportionate interest in our assets or earnings and profits (e.g., through an increase in the number of shares of Class A common stock that would be obtained upon exercise) as a result of a distribution of cash or other property, such as securities, to the holders of shares of our Class A common stock, or as a result of the issuance of a stock dividend to holders of shares of our Class A common stock, in each case that is taxable to such U.S. Holders as described under “U.S. Holders — Taxation of Distributions” above. Such constructive distribution would be subject to tax as described under that section in the same manner as if such U.S. Holder received a cash distribution from us equal to the fair market value of such increased interest.
Information Reporting and Backup Withholding.
In general, information reporting requirements may apply to dividends paid to a U.S. Holder and to the proceeds of the sale or other disposition of our units, shares of Class A common stock and warrants, unless the U.S. Holder is an exempt recipient. Backup withholding may apply to such payments if the U.S. Holder fails to provide a taxpayer identification number, a certification of exempt status or has been notified by the IRS that it is subject to backup withholding (and such notification has not been withdrawn).
Backup withholding is not an additional tax. Any amounts withheld under the backup withholding rules will be allowed as a refund or a credit against a U.S. Holder’s U.S. federal income tax liability provided the required information is timely furnished to the IRS.
Non-U.S. Holders
Taxation of Distributions
In general, any distributions (including constructive distributions) we make to a non-U.S. Holder of shares of our Class A common stock, to the extent paid out of our current or accumulated earnings and profits (as determined under U.S. federal income tax principles), will 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 United States, we will be required to withhold tax from 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 the applicable withholding agent, including cash distributions on other property or sale proceeds from warrants or other property subsequently paid or credited to such holder. Any distribution not constituting a dividend will be treated first as reducing (but not below zero) the non-U.S. Holder’s adjusted tax basis in its shares of our Class A common stock and, 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 the Class A common stock, which will be treated as described under “Non-U.S. Holders — Gain on Sale, Taxable Exchange or Other Taxable Disposition of Class A Common Stock and Warrants” below. In addition, if we determine that we are classified as a “United States real property holding corporation” (see “Non-U.S. Holders — Gain on Sale, Taxable Exchange or Other Taxable Disposition of Class A Common Stock and Warrants” below), we will withhold 15% of any distribution that exceeds our current and accumulated earnings and profits.
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Dividends we pay 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 United States (or, if a tax treaty applies, are attributable to a U.S. permanent establishment or fixed base maintained by the non-U.S. Holder) will generally not be subject to the 30% 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 will generally be subject to U.S. federal income tax, net of certain deductions, at the same graduated individual or corporate rates applicable to U.S. Holders. If the non-U.S. Holder is a corporation, dividends that are effectively connected income may also be subject to a “branch profits tax” at a rate of 30% (or such lower rate as may be specified by an applicable income tax treaty).
Exercise of a Warrant
The U.S. federal income tax treatment of a non-U.S. Holder’s exercise of a warrant generally will correspond to the U.S. federal income tax treatment of the exercise of a warrant by a U.S. Holder, as described under “U.S. Holders — Exercise of a Warrant” above, although to the extent a cashless exercise results in a taxable exchange, the tax consequences to the non-U.S. Holder would be the same as those described below in “Non-U.S. Holders — Gain on Sale, Exchange or Other Taxable Disposition of Class A Common Stock and Warrants.”
Gain on Sale, Exchange or Other Taxable Disposition of Class A Common Stock and Warrants
A non-U.S. Holder will generally not be subject to U.S. federal income or withholding tax in respect of gain recognized on a sale, taxable exchange or other taxable disposition of our Class A common stock, which would include a dissolution and liquidation in the event we do not complete an initial business combination within the completion window, or warrants (including an expiration or redemption of our warrants), in each case without regard to whether those securities were held as part of a unit, unless:
• | the gain is effectively connected with the conduct of a trade or business by the non-U.S. Holder within the United States (and, if an applicable tax treaty so requires, is attributable to a U.S. permanent establishment or fixed base maintained by the non-U.S. Holder); |
• | the non-U.S. Holder is an individual who is present in the United States for 183 days or more in the taxable year of disposition and certain other conditions are met; or |
• | we are or have been a “United States real property holding corporation” for U.S. federal income tax purposes at any time during the shorter of the five-year period ending on the date of disposition or the period that the non-U.S. Holder held our Class A common stock, and, in the case where shares of our Class A common stock are regularly traded on an established securities market, the non-U.S. Holder has owned, directly or constructively, more than 5% of our Class A common stock at any time within the shorter of the five-year period preceding the disposition or such non-U.S. Holder’s holding period for the shares of our Class A common stock. There can be no assurance that our Class A common stock will be treated as regularly traded on an established securities market for this purpose. |
Gain described in the first bullet point above will be subject to tax at generally applicable U.S. federal income tax rates. Any gains described in the first bullet point above of a non-U.S. Holder that is a foreign corporation may also be subject to an additional “branch profits tax” at a 30% rate (or lower applicable treaty rate). Gain described in the second bullet point above will generally be subject to a flat 30% U.S. federal income tax. Non-U.S. Holders are urged to consult their tax advisors regarding possible eligibility for benefits under income tax treaties.
If the third bullet point above applies to a non-U.S. Holder, gain recognized by such holder on the sale, exchange or other disposition of our Class A common stock or warrants will be subject to tax at generally
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applicable U.S. federal income tax rates. In addition, a buyer of our Class A common stock or warrants from such holder may be required to withhold U.S. federal income tax at a rate of 15% of the amount realized upon such disposition. We cannot determine whether we will be a United States real property holding corporation in the future until we complete an initial business combination. We will be classified as a United States 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. If we are or have been a “United States real property holding corporation” you are urged to consult your own tax advisors regarding the application of these rules.
Possible Constructive Distributions
The terms of each public warrant provide for an adjustment to the number of shares of Class A common stock for which the public warrant may be exercised or to the exercise price of the public warrant in certain events, as discussed in the section of this prospectus captioned “Description of Securities — Warrants — Public Stockholders’ Warrants.” An adjustment which has the effect of preventing dilution is generally not a taxable event.
Nevertheless, a non-U.S. Holder of warrants would be treated as receiving a constructive distribution from us if, for example, the adjustment increases the holder’s proportionate interest in our assets or earnings and profits (e.g., through an increase in the number of shares of Class A common stock that would be obtained upon exercise) as a result of a distribution of cash or other property, such as other securities, to the holders of shares of our Class A common stock, or as the result of the issuance of a stock dividend to holders of shares of our Class A common stock, in each case that is taxable to such non-U.S. Holders as described under “Non-U.S. Holders — Taxation of Distributions” above. A non-U.S. Holder would be subject to U.S. federal income tax withholding as described under that section in the same manner as if such non-U.S. Holder received a cash distribution from us equal to the fair market value of such increased interest without any corresponding receipt of cash.
Redemption of Class A Common Stock
The characterization for U.S. federal income tax purposes of the redemption of a non-U.S. Holder’s Class A common stock pursuant to the redemption provisions described in this prospectus under “Description of Securities — Common Stock” will generally correspond to the U.S. federal income tax characterization of such a redemption of a U.S. Holder’s Class A common stock, as described under “U.S. Holders — Redemption of Class A Common Stock” above, and the consequences of the redemption to the non-U.S. Holder will be as described above under “Non-U.S. Holders — Taxation of Distributions” and “Non-U.S. Holders — Gain on Sale, Exchange or Other Taxable Disposition of Class A Common Stock and Warrants,” as applicable. Because it may not be certain at the time a non-U.S. Holder is redeemed whether such non-U.S. Holder’s redemption will be treated as a sale of shares or a distribution constituting a dividend, and because such determination will depend in part on a non-U.S. Holder’s particular circumstances, we or the applicable withholding agent may not be able to determine whether (or to what extent) a non-U.S. Holder is treated as receiving a dividend for U.S. federal income tax purposes. Therefore, we or the applicable withholding agent may withhold tax at a rate of 30% on the gross amount of any consideration paid to a non- U.S. Holder in redemption of such non-U.S. Holder’s Class A common stock unless special procedures are available to non-U.S. Holders to certify that they are entitled to exemptions from, or reductions in, such withholding tax. However, there can be no assurance that such special certification procedures will be available. A non-U.S. Holder generally may obtain a refund of any such excess amounts withheld by timely filing an appropriate claim for refund with the IRS.
Non-U.S. Holders should consult their own tax advisors regarding the application of the foregoing rules in light of their particular facts and circumstances.
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Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act
Sections 1471 through 1474 of the Code and the Treasury Regulations and administrative guidance promulgated thereunder (commonly referred as the “Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act” or “FATCA”) generally impose withholding at a rate of 30% in certain circumstances on dividends (including constructive dividends) in respect of our securities which are held by or through certain foreign financial institutions (including investment funds), unless any such institution (1) enters into, and complies with, an agreement with the IRS to report, on an annual basis, information with respect to interests in, and accounts maintained by, the institution that are owned by certain U.S. persons and by certain non-U.S. entities that are wholly or partially owned by U.S. persons and to withhold on certain payments, or (2) if required under an intergovernmental agreement between the United States and an applicable foreign country, reports such information to its local tax authority, which will exchange such information with the U.S. authorities. An intergovernmental agreement between the United States and an applicable foreign country may modify these requirements. Accordingly, the entity through which our securities are held will affect the determination of whether such withholding is required. Similarly, dividends in respect of our securities held by an investor that is a non-financial non-U.S. entity that does not qualify under certain exceptions will generally be subject to withholding at a rate of 30%, unless such entity either (1) certifies to us or the applicable withholding agent that such entity does not have any “substantial United States owners” or (2) provides certain information regarding the entity’s “substantial United States owners,” which will in turn be provided to the U.S. Department of Treasury. Under certain circumstances, a non-U.S. Holder may be eligible for refunds or credits of such withholding taxes, and a non-U.S. Holder may be required to file a U.S. federal income tax return to claim such refunds or credits. Prospective investors should consult their tax advisors regarding the possible implications of FATCA on their investment in our securities.
Information Reporting and Backup Withholding
In general, information reporting requirements will apply to payments of dividends and proceeds from the sale of our securities to non-U.S. Holders that are not exempt recipients. We must report annually to the IRS and to each such holder the amount of dividends or other distributions we pay to such non-U.S. Holder on our shares of Class A common stock and the amount of tax withheld with respect to those distributions, regardless of whether withholding is required. The IRS may make copies of the information returns reporting those dividends and amounts withheld available to the tax authorities in the country in which the non-U.S. Holder resides pursuant to the provisions of an applicable income tax treaty or exchange of information treaty.
The gross amount of dividends and proceeds from the disposition of our Class A common stock or warrants paid to a holder that fails to provide the appropriate certification in accordance with applicable U.S. Treasury regulations generally will be subject to backup withholding at the applicable rate.
Information reporting and backup withholding are generally not required with respect to the amount of any proceeds from the sale by a non-U.S. Holder of Class A common stock or warrants outside the United States through a foreign office of a foreign broker that does not have certain specified connections to the United States. However, if a non-U.S. Holder sells Class A common stock or warrants through a U.S. broker or the U.S. office of a foreign broker, the broker will generally be required to report to the IRS the amount of proceeds paid to such holder, unless the non-U.S. Holder provides appropriate certification (usually on an IRS Form W-8BEN or W-8BEN-E, as applicable) to the broker of its status as a non-U.S. Holder or such non-U.S. Holder is an exempt recipient. In addition, for information reporting purposes, certain non-U.S. brokers with certain relationships with the United States will be treated in a manner similar to U.S. brokers.
Backup withholding is not an additional tax. Any amounts we withhold under the backup withholding rules may be refunded or credited against a holder’s U.S. federal income tax liability, if any, by the IRS if the required information is furnished in a timely manner to the IRS.
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Our initial business combination and structure thereafter may not be tax-efficient to our stockholders and warrant holders.
As a result of our business combination, our tax obligations may be more complex, burdensome and uncertain. Although we will attempt to structure our initial business combination in a tax-efficient manner, tax structuring considerations are complex, the relevant facts and law are uncertain and may change, and we may prioritize commercial and other considerations over tax considerations. For example, in connection with our initial business combination and subject to any requisite stockholder approval, we may structure our business combination in a manner that requires stockholders and/or warrant holders to recognize gain or income for tax purposes, effect a business combination with a target company in another jurisdiction, or reincorporate in a different jurisdiction. We do not intend to make any cash distributions to stockholders or warrant holders to pay taxes in connection with our business combination or thereafter. Accordingly, a stockholder or a warrant holder may need to satisfy any tax liability resulting from our initial business combination with cash from its own funds or by selling all or a portion of the shares received. In addition, stockholders and warrant holders may also be subject to additional income, withholding or other taxes with respect to their ownership of us after our initial business combination.
In addition, we may effect a business combination with a target company that has business operations outside of the United States, and possibly, business operations in multiple jurisdictions. If we effect such a business combination, we could be subject to significant income, withholding and other tax obligations in a number of jurisdictions with respect to income, operations and subsidiaries related to those jurisdictions. Due to the complexity of tax obligations and filings in other jurisdictions, we may have a heightened risk related to audits or examinations by U.S. federal, state, local and non-U.S. taxing authorities. This additional complexity and risk could have an adverse effect on our after-tax profitability and financial condition.
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Under the terms and subject to the conditions of the underwriting agreement, we have agreed to sell to the underwriters named below the following respective numbers of units at a public offering price less the underwriting discounts and commissions set forth on the cover page of this prospectus.
Underwriters | Number of Units | |||
Cantor Fitzgerald & Co. | ||||
Moelis & Company LLC | ||||
|
| |||
Total | 25,000,000 | |||
|
|
The underwriting agreement provides that the underwriters are obligated to purchase all the units in the 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 3,750,000 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.
We have been advised by the underwriters that they propose to offer the units to the public at the initial offering price set forth on the cover page of this prospectus. The underwriters may allow dealers concessions not in excess of $ per unit and the dealers may re-allow a concession not in excess of $ per unit to other dealers. After the initial offering of the units, the representative may change the offering price and other selling terms. The offering of the units by the underwriters is subject to receipt and acceptance and subject to the underwriters’ right to reject any order in whole or in part. Sales of any units outside the United States may be made by affiliates of the underwriters.
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 $8,750,000 (or $10,062,500 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:
Per Unit(1) | Total(1) | |||||||||||||||
Without Over- allotment | With Over- allotment | Without Over- allotment | With Over- allotment | |||||||||||||
Underwriting discounts and commissions paid by us | $ | 0.55 | $ | 0.55 | $ | 13,750,000 | $ | 15,812,500 |
(1) | $0.20 per unit sold in the base offering, or $5,000,000 in the aggregate (or $5,750,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), is payable upon the closing of this offering. Includes $0.35 per unit sold in the base offering, or $8,750,000 in the aggregate (or up to $10,062,500 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. |
We estimate that our out-of-pocket expenses for this offering will be approximately $900,000. We have agreed to reimburse the underwriters for certain of its out-of-pocket costs for this offering up to an aggregate reimbursement allowance of $ , including, but not limited to, $15,000 in legal fees related to the review by FINRA and the expenses of investigations and background checks of our principals, not to exceed $5,500 per person.
We, our sponsor and our officers, directors and advisors have agreed that we will not offer, sell, contract to sell, pledge or grant any option to purchase or otherwise dispose of, directly or indirectly, without the prior written consent of Cantor Fitzgerald & Co. for a period of 180 days after the date of this prospectus, any units,
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warrants, shares of common stock or any other securities convertible into, or exercisable, or exchangeable for, shares of common stock or enter into any swap or other arrangement that transfers to another, in whole or in part, any of the economic consequences of ownership of any units, shares of common stock, warrants or any securities convertible into, or exercisable, or exchangeable for, shares of common stock owned, whether any such transaction is to be settled by delivery of such securities, in cash or otherwise; 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 private placement warrants and the shares of Class A stock issuable upon exercise of the private placement warrants and the founder shares; 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). Cantor Fitzgerald & Co. in its sole discretion may release any of the securities subject to these lock-up agreements at any time without notice.
Our initial stockholders, officers, directors and advisors have agreed not to transfer, assign or sell any of their founder shares until the earlier to occur of: (A) one year after the completion of our initial business combination and (B) subsequent to our initial business combination, (x) the date on which we complete a liquidation, merger, stock exchange, reorganization or other similar transaction that results in all of our public stockholders having the right to exchange their shares of common stock for cash, securities or other property or (y) if the last reported sale price of our Class A common stock equals or exceeds $12.00 per share (as adjusted for stock splits, stock dividends, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) for any 20 trading days within any 30-trading day period commencing at least 150 days after our initial business combination (except as described under “Principal Stockholders—Transfers of Founder Shares and Private Placement Warrants”). Any permitted transferees would be subject to the same restrictions and other agreements of our initial stockholders with respect to any founder shares.
The private placement warrants (including the shares of Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the private placement warrants) will not be transferable, assignable or salable until 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination (except with respect to permitted transferees as described under “Principal Stockholders—Transfers of Founder Shares and Private Placement Warrants”).
Cantor Fitzgerald & Co. has informed us that it, its affiliates, or certain accounts over which it or its affiliates have discretionary authority have expressed an interest in purchasing up to 7.5% of the units to be sold in this offering. However, because indications of interest are not binding agreements or commitments to purchase and are simply expressions of intent, these entities may determine to purchase fewer or no units at all in the offering or may purchase more units than they indicate an interest in purchasing (although all such entities combined have indicated that they will not purchase more than an aggregate of 9.99% of the units offered in this offering). In addition, Cantor may allocate fewer or no units offered in this offering to any of these entities. The underwriters will receive the same underwriting discount on any units purchased by these entities as they will on any other units sold to the public in this offering. If any such entity purchases any units in this offering or otherwise in the open market, it has no obligation to (i) vote the underlying shares in favor of any business combination, (ii) refrain from exercising any redemption rights with respect to any shares underlying the units offered in this offering or (iii) hold any such units or underlying shares beyond the consummation of an initial business combination, if any. Any trading decisions made by any of the foregoing entities will be made by them based on market conditions at the time of the proposed sale or redemption. Cantor’s affiliates will not receive any economic or other interest in our sponsor.
We have agreed to indemnify the several underwriters against certain liabilities under the Securities Act, or contribute to payments that the underwriters may be required to make in that respect.
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We intend to apply to list our units on the NYSE, under the symbol “CXAC.U.” and, once the Class A common stock and public warrants begin separate trading, to have our Class A common stock and public warrants listed on the NYSE under the symbols “CXAC” and “CXAC WS,” 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 common stock or public 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 common stock or public 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 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.
Stabilization and Other Transactions
The underwriters pursuant to Regulation M under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, may engage in short sale transactions, stabilizing transactions, syndicate covering transactions or the imposition of penalty bids in connection with this offering. These activities may have the effect of stabilizing or maintaining the market price of the units at a level above that which might otherwise prevail in the open market. Establishing short sales positions may involve either “covered” short sales or “naked” short sales.
“Covered” short sales are sales made in an amount not greater than the underwriters’ option to purchase additional units in this offering. The underwriters may close out any covered short position by either exercising the overallotment option or purchasing our securities in the open market or from market participants. In determining the source of units to close out the covered short position, the underwriters will consider, among other things, the price of units available for purchase in the market as compared to the price at which they may purchase units through the overallotment option.
“Naked” short sales are sales in excess of the option to purchase additional units. The underwriters must close out any naked short position by purchasing units in the open market. A naked short position is more likely to be created if the underwriters are concerned that there may 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.
A stabilizing bid is a bid for the purchase of securities on behalf of the underwriters for the purpose of fixing or maintaining the price of the securities. A syndicate covering transaction is the bid for or the purchase of securities on behalf of the underwriters to reduce a short position incurred by the underwriters in connection with the offering. Similar to other purchase transactions, the underwriters’ purchases to cover the syndicate short sales may have the effect of raising or maintaining the market price of our securities or preventing or retarding a decline in the market price of our securities. As a result, the price of our securities may be higher than the price that might otherwise exist in the open market. A penalty bid is an arrangement permitting the underwriters to reclaim the selling concession otherwise accruing to a syndicate member in connection with the offering if the securities originally sold by such syndicate member are purchased in a syndicate covering transaction and therefore have not been effectively placed by such syndicate member.
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The underwriters have advised us that, following the completion of this offering, they currently intend to make a market in the units as permitted by applicable laws and regulations. However, the underwriters are not obligated to do so, and the underwriters may discontinue any market-making activities at any time without notice in their sole discretion. Accordingly, no assurance can be given as to the liquidity of the trading market for the units, that you will be able to sell any of the units held by you at a particular time or that the prices that you receive when you sell will be favorable.
Neither we, nor any of the underwriters make any representation or prediction as to the direction or magnitude of any effect that the transactions described above may have on the price of our securities. The underwriters are not obligated to engage in these activities and, if commenced, may end any of these activities at any time. These transactions may be effected on the NYSE in the over-the-counter market or otherwise.
We are not under any contractual obligation to engage the underwriters to provide any services for us after this offering, and have no present intent to do so. However, the underwriters may introduce us to potential target businesses or assist us in raising additional capital in the future. If any of the underwriters provide services to us after this offering, we may pay 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 the underwriters and no fees for such services will be paid to 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 and 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.
The underwriters and their respective affiliates are full service financial institutions engaged in various activities, which may include sales and trading, commercial and investment banking, advisory, investment management, investment research, principal investment, hedging, market making, brokerage and other financial and non-financial activities and services. 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. They have received, or may in the future receive, customary fees and commissions for these transactions.
In addition, in the ordinary course of their business activities, the underwriters and their respective affiliates, officers, directors and employees 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 agree to allocate a number of units to underwriters and selling group members for sale to their online brokerage account holders. Internet distributions will be allocated by the underwriters and selling group members that will make internet distributions on the same basis as other allocations.
The units are offered for sale in those jurisdictions in the United States and elsewhere 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 or other duties on us except as set forth in the underwriting agreement.
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Market Making
The underwriters have advised us that, following the completion of this offering, they currently intend to make a market in the units as permitted by applicable laws and regulations. However, the underwriters are not obligated to do so, and the underwriters may discontinue any market-making activities at any time without notice in their sole discretion. Accordingly, no assurance can be given as to the liquidity of the trading market for the units, that you will be able to sell any of the units held by you at a particular time or that the prices that you receive when you sell will be favorable.
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NOTICE TO INVESTORS
Canada
This prospectus constitutes an “exempt offering document” as defined in and for the purposes of applicable Canadian securities laws. No prospectus has been filed with any securities commission or similar regulatory authority in Canada in connection with the offer and sale of the securities. No securities commission or similar regulatory authority in Canada has reviewed or in any way passed upon this prospectus or on the merits of the securities and any representation to the contrary is an offence.
Canadian investors are advised that this prospectus has been prepared in reliance on section 3A.3 of National Instrument 33-105 Underwriting Conflicts (“NI 33-105”). Pursuant to section 3A.3 of NI 33-105, this prospectus is exempt from the requirement that the issuer and the underwriter(s) provide investors with certain conflicts of interest disclosure pertaining to “connected issuer” and/or “related issuer” relationships that may exist between the issuer and the underwriter(s) as would otherwise be required pursuant to subsection 2.1(1) of NI 33-105.
Resale Restrictions
The offer and sale of the securities in Canada is being made on a private placement basis only and is exempt from the requirement that the issuer prepares and files a prospectus under applicable Canadian securities laws. Any resale of the securities acquired by a Canadian investor in this offering must be made in accordance with applicable Canadian securities laws, which may vary depending on the relevant jurisdiction, and which may require resales to be made in accordance with Canadian prospectus requirements, pursuant to a statutory exemption from the prospectus requirements, in a transaction exempt from the prospectus requirements or otherwise under a discretionary exemption from the prospectus requirements granted by the applicable local Canadian securities regulatory authority. These resale restrictions may under certain circumstances apply to resales of the securities outside of Canada.
Representations of Purchasers
Each Canadian investor who purchases the securities will be deemed to have represented to the issuer and the underwriter(s) that the investor (i) is purchasing the securities as principal, or is deemed to be purchasing as principal in accordance with applicable Canadian securities laws, for investment only and not with a view to resale or redistribution; (ii) is an “accredited investor” as such term is defined in section 1.1 of National Instrument 45-106 Prospectus Exemptions (“NI 45-106”) or, in Ontario, as such term is defined in section 73.3(1) of the Securities Act (Ontario); and (iii) is a “permitted client” as such term is defined in section 1.1 of National Instrument 31-103 Registration Requirements, Exemptions and Ongoing Registrant Obligations.
Taxation and Eligibility for Investment
Any discussion of taxation and related matters contained in this prospectus does not purport to be a comprehensive description of all of the tax considerations that may be relevant to a Canadian investor when deciding to purchase the securities and, in particular, does not address any Canadian tax considerations. No representation or warranty is hereby made as to the tax consequences to a resident, or deemed resident, of Canada of an investment in the securities or with respect to the eligibility of the securities for investment by such investor under relevant Canadian federal and provincial legislation and regulations.
Rights of Action for Damages or Rescission
Securities legislation in certain of the Canadian jurisdictions provides certain purchasers of securities pursuant to an offering memorandum (such as this prospectus), including where the distribution involves an “eligible foreign security” as such term is defined in Ontario Securities Commission Rule 45-501 Ontario
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Prospectus and Registration Exemptions and in Multilateral Instrument 45-107 Listing Representation and Statutory Rights of Action Disclosure Exemptions, as applicable, with a remedy for damages or rescission, or both, in addition to any other rights they may have at law, where the offering memorandum, or other offering document that constitutes an offering memorandum, and any amendment thereto, contains a “misrepresentation” as defined under applicable Canadian securities laws. These remedies, or notice with respect to these remedies, must be exercised or delivered, as the case may be, by the purchaser within the time limits prescribed under, and are subject to limitations and defences under, applicable Canadian securities legislation. In addition, these remedies are in addition to and without derogation from any other right or remedy available at law to the investor.
Language of Documents
Upon receipt of this document, each Canadian investor hereby confirms that it has expressly requested that all documents evidencing or relating in any way to the sale of the securities described herein (including for greater certainty any purchase confirmation or any notice) be drawn up in the English language only. Par la réception de ce document, chaque investisseur Canadien confirme par les présentes qu’il a expressément exigé que tous les documents faisant foi ou se rapportant de quelque manière que ce soit à la vente des valeurs mobilières décrites aux présentes (incluant, pour plus de certitude, toute confirmation d’achat ou tout avis) soient rédigés en anglais seulement.
Australia
This document does not constitute a prospectus, product disclosure statement or other disclosure document under the Australia’s Corporations Act 2001 (Cth) (the “Corporations Act”) of Australia. This document has not been lodged with the Australian Securities & Investments Commission and is only directed to the categories of exempt persons set out below. Accordingly, if you receive this document in Australia:
You confirm and warrant that you are either:
• | a “sophisticated investor” under section 708(8)(a) or (b) of the Corporations Act; |
• | a “sophisticated investor” under section 708(8)(c) or (d) of the Corporations Act and that you have provided an accountant’s certificate to the company which complies with the requirements of section 708(8)(c)(i) or (ii) of the Corporations Act and related regulations before the offer has been made; or |
• | a “professional investor” within the meaning of section 708(11)(a) or (b) of the Corporations Act. |
To the extent that you are unable to confirm or warrant that you are an exempt sophisticated investor or professional investor under the Corporations Act any offer made to you under this document is void and incapable of acceptance.
You warrant and agree that you will not offer any of the shares issued to you pursuant to this document for resale in Australia within 12 months of those securities being issued unless any such resale offer is exempt from the requirement to issue a disclosure document under section 708 of the Corporations Act.
European Economic Area
In relation to each member state of the European Economic Area (each a “Member State”), no securities have been offered or will be offered pursuant to the offer described herein in that Member State prior to the publication of a prospectus in relation to the securities which has been approved by the competent authority in that Member State or, where appropriate, approved in another Member State and notified to the competent authority in that Member State, all in accordance with the Prospectus Regulation, except that the securities may be offered to the public in that Member State at any time:
(i) | to any legal entity which is a qualified investor as defined under Article 2 of the Prospectus Regulation; |
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(ii) | 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 |
(iii) | in any other circumstances falling within Article 1(4) of the Prospectus Regulation, |
provided that no such offer of securities shall require the issuer 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.
Each person in a Member State who acquires any securities in the offer or to whom any offer is made will be deemed to have represented, acknowledged and agreed to and with the issuer and the underwriters that it is a qualified investor within the meaning of the Prospectus Regulation.
In the case of any securities being offered to a financial intermediary as that term is used in Article 5(1) of the Prospectus Regulation, each such financial intermediary will be deemed to have represented, acknowledged and agreed to and with the issuer and the underwriters that the securities acquired by it in the offer 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 circumstances which may give rise to an offer to the public other than their offer or resale in a Member State to qualified investors, in circumstances in which the prior consent of the underwriters has been obtained to each such proposed offer or resale. Neither the issuer nor the underwriters have authorised, nor do they authorise, the making of any offer of securities through any financial intermediary, other than offers made by the underwriters which constitute the final placement of securities contemplated in this document.
The issuer and the underwriters and their affiliates will rely upon the truth and accuracy of the foregoing representations, acknowledgements and agreements.
For the purposes of this provision, the expression an “offer to the public” in relation to any securities in any Member State means the communication in any form and by any means of sufficient information on the terms of the offer and any securities to be offered so as to enable an investor to decide to purchase, or subscribe for, any securities and the expression “Prospectus Regulation” means Regulation (EU) 2017/1129.
In Member States, this document is being distributed only to, and is directed only at, persons who are “qualified investors” within the meaning of Article 2(e) of the Prospectus Regulation (“Qualified Investors”). This document must not be acted on or relied on in any Member State by persons who are not Qualified Investors. Any investment or investment activity to which this document relates is available in any Member State only to Qualified Investors and will be engaged in only with such persons.
Hong Kong
No securities have been, may be or will be offered or sold in Hong Kong, by means of any document, other than to persons whose ordinary business is to buy or sell shares or debentures, whether as principal or agent; or to “professional investors” as defined in the Securities and Futures Ordinance (Cap. 571) of Hong Kong (the “SFO”) and any rules made thereunder; or in other circumstances which do not result in the document being a “prospectus” as defined in the Companies (Winding UP and Miscellaneous Provisions) Ordinance (Cap. 32) of Hong Kong (the “C(WUMP)O”), or which do not constitute an offer to the public within the meaning of the C(WUMP)O. No document, invitation or advertisement relating to the securities has been issued or may be issued or will be issued or may be in the possession of any person for the purpose of issue (in each case whether in Hong Kong or elsewhere), which is directed at, or the contents of which are likely to be accessed or read by, the public of Hong Kong (except if permitted under the securities laws of Hong Kong) other than with respect to 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 SFO and any rules made thereunder.
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This document has not been and will not be registered with the Registrar of Companies in Hong Kong. Accordingly, this document may not be issued, circulated or distributed in Hong Kong, and the securities may not be offered for subscription to members of the public in Hong Kong. Each person acquiring the securities will be required, and is deemed by the acquisition of the securities, to confirm that he is aware of the restriction on offers of the securities described in this document and the relevant offering documents and that he is not acquiring, and has not been offered any securities in circumstances that contravene any such restrictions.
Japan
The offering has not been and will not be registered under the Financial Instruments and Exchange Act of Japan (Act No. 25 of 1948 of Japan, as amended) (the “FIEA”), and the Initial Purchaser will not offer or sell any securities, directly or indirectly, in Japan or to, or for the benefit of, any resident of Japan (which term as used herein means, unless otherwise provided herein, any person resident in Japan, including any corporation or other entity organized under the laws of Japan), or to others for re-offering or resale, directly or indirectly, in Japan or to a resident of Japan, except pursuant to an exemption from the registration requirements of, and otherwise in compliance with, the FIEA and any other applicable laws, regulations and ministerial guidelines of Japan.
Singapore
This document has not been and will not be lodged or registered with the Monetary Authority of Singapore. Accordingly, this document and any other document or material in connection with the offer or sale, or the invitation for subscription or purchase of the securities may not be issued, circulated or distributed, nor may the securities be offered or sold, or be made the subject of an invitation for subscription or purchase, whether directly or indirectly, to any person in Singapore other than (i) to an institutional investor under Section 274 of the Securities and Futures Act, Chapter 289 of Singapore (the “SFA”), (ii) to a relevant person as defined under Section 275(2) of the SFA, or any person pursuant to Section 275(1A) of the SFA, and in accordance with the conditions, specified in Section 275 of the SFA and where (where applicable) Regulation 3 of the Securities and Futures (Classes of Investors) Regulations 2018 , or (iii) otherwise pursuant to, and in accordance with the conditions of any other applicable provision of the SFA. In the event that you are not an investor falling within any of the categories set out above, please return this document immediately. You may not forward or circulate this document to any other person in Singapore.
No offer is made to you with a view to the securities being subsequently offered for sale to any other party. There are on-sale restrictions that may be applicable to investors who acquire securities. As such, investors are advised to acquaint themselves with the provisions of the SFA relating to resale restrictions and comply accordingly.
Where the securities are subscribed or purchased under Section 275 of the SFA by a relevant person which is:
• | a corporation (which is not an accredited investor as defined under Section 4A of the SFA) the sole business of which is to hold investments and the entire share capital of which is owned by one or more individuals, each of whom is an accredited investor; or |
• | a trust (where the trustee is not an accredited investor) whose sole purpose is to hold investments and each beneficiary is an accredited investor, |
securities or securities-based derivatives contracts (each term as defined in Section 2(1) of the SFA) of that corporation or the beneficiaries’ rights and interest (howsoever described) in that trust shall not be transferable within six months after that corporation or that trust has acquired the securities under Section 275 of the SFA except:
• | to an institutional investor under Section 274 of the SFA or to a relevant person defined in Section 275(2) of the SFA, or to any person pursuant to an offer referred to in Section 275(1A) or Section 276(4)(i)(B) of the SFA; |
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• | where no consideration is given for the transfer; |
• | where the transfer is by operation of law; |
• | as specified in Section 276(7) of the SFA; or |
• | as specified in Regulation 37A of the Securities and Futures (Offers of Investments) (Securities and Securities-based Derivatives Contracts) Regulations 2018 of Singapore. |
Switzerland
The securities may not be publicly offered in Switzerland and will not be listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange, or SIX, or on any other stock exchange or regulated trading facility in Switzerland. This document has been prepared without regard to the disclosure standards for issuance prospectuses under art. 652a or art. 1156 of the Swiss Code of Obligations or the disclosure standards for listing prospectuses under art. 27 ff. of the SIX Listing Rules or the listing rules of any other stock exchange or regulated trading facility in Switzerland. Neither this document nor any other offering or marketing material relating to the securities or the offering may be publicly distributed or otherwise made publicly available in Switzerland.
Neither this document nor any other offering or marketing material relating to the offering, the issuer or the securities have been or will be filed with or approved by any Swiss regulatory authority. In particular, this document will not be filed with, and the offer of securities will not be supervised by, the Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority FINMA, or FINMA, and the offer of securities has not been and will not be authorized under the Swiss Federal Act on Collective Investment Schemes, or CISA. The investor protection afforded to acquirers of interests in collective investment schemes under the CISA does not extend to acquirers of securities.
Israel
This document does not constitute a prospectus under the Israeli Securities Law, 5728-1968, or the Securities Law, and has not been filed with or approved by the Israel Securities Authority. In the State of Israel, this document is being distributed only to, and is directed only at, and any offer of the shares is directed only at, investors listed in the first addendum, or the Addendum, to the Israeli Securities Law, consisting primarily of joint investment in trust funds, provident funds, insurance companies, banks, portfolio managers, investment advisors, members of the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange, underwriters, venture capital funds, entities with equity in excess of NIS 50 million and “qualified individuals”, each as defined in the Addendum (as it may be amended from time to time), collectively referred to as qualified investors (in each case purchasing for their own account or, where permitted under the Addendum, for the accounts of their clients who are investors listed in the Addendum). Qualified investors will be required to submit written confirmation that they fall within the scope of the Addendum, are aware of the meaning of same and agree to it.
United Kingdom
In relation to the United Kingdom, no securities have been offered or will be offered pursuant to the offer described herein to the public in the United Kingdom prior to the publication of a prospectus in relation to the securities which has been approved by the UK Financial Conduct Authority, except that the securities may be offered to the public in the United Kingdom at any time:
(i) | to any legal entity which is a qualified investor as defined under Article 2 of the UK Prospectus Regulation; |
(ii) | 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 |
(iii) | in any other circumstances falling within Section 86 of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (as amended) (the “FSMA”), |
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provided that no such offer of the securities shall require the issuer or any underwriter to publish a prospectus pursuant to Section 85 of the FSMA or supplement a prospectus pursuant to Article 23 of the UK Prospectus Regulation.
Each person in the United Kingdom who acquires any securities in the offer or to whom any offer is made will be deemed to have represented, acknowledged and agreed to and with the issuer and the underwriters that it is a qualified investor within the meaning of the UK Prospectus Regulation.
In the case of any securities being offered to a financial intermediary as that term is used in Article 5(1) of the UK Prospectus Regulation, each such financial intermediary will be deemed to have represented, acknowledged and agreed to and with the issuer and the underwriters that the securities acquired by it in the offer 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 circumstances which may give rise to an offer to the public other than their offer or resale in the United Kingdom to qualified investors, in circumstances in which the prior consent of the underwriters has been obtained to each such proposed offer or resale. Neither the issuer nor the underwriters have authorised, nor do they authorise, the making of any offer of securities through any financial intermediary, other than offers made by the underwriters which constitute the final placement of securities contemplated in this document.
The issuer and the underwriters and their affiliates will rely upon the truth and accuracy of the foregoing representations, acknowledgements and agreements.
For the purposes of this provision, the expression an “offer to the public” in relation to the securities 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 securities to be offered so as to enable an investor to decide to purchase or subscribe for any securities and the expression “UK Prospectus Regulation” means Regulation (EU) 2017/1129 as it forms part of United Kingdom law by virtue of the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018.
In the United Kingdom, this document is being distributed only to, and is directed only at, persons who are “qualified investors” within the meaning of Article 2(e) of the UK Prospectus Regulation who are also: (i) persons who fall within the definition of “investment professionals” in Article 19(5) of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Financial Promotion) Order 2005, as amended (the “Order”); (ii) persons falling within Article 49(2) of the Order; or (iii) persons to whom it may otherwise lawfully be communicated (all such persons together being referred to as “relevant persons”). This document must not be acted on or relied on in the United Kingdom by persons who are not relevant persons. Any investment or investment activity to which this document relates is available in the United Kingdom only to relevant persons and will be engaged in only with such persons.
Any invitation or inducement to engage in investment activity (within the meaning of Section 21 of the FSMA) may only be communicated or caused to be communicated in connection with the issue or sale of the securities in circumstances in which Section 21(1) of the FSMA does not apply. All applicable provisions of the FSMA and the Order must be complied with in respect of anything done by any person in relation to the securities in, from or otherwise involving the United Kingdom.
Conflicts of Interest
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.
Statutory Rights of Action
Securities legislation in certain provinces or territories of Canada may provide a purchaser with remedies for rescission or damages if the prospectus (including any amendment thereto) such as this document contains a
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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 of these securities in Canada 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.
Enforcement of Legal Rights
All of our directors and officers as well as the experts named herein may be located outside of Canada and, as a result, it may not be possible for Canadian purchasers to effect service of process within Canada upon us or those persons. All or a substantial portion of our assets and the assets of those persons may be located outside of Canada and, as a result, it may not be possible to satisfy a judgment against us or those persons in Canada or to enforce a judgment obtained in Canadian courts against us or those persons outside of Canada.
Taxation and Eligibility for Investment
Canadian purchasers of units should consult their own legal and tax advisors with respect to the tax consequences of an investment in the units in their particular circumstances and about the eligibility of the units for investment by the purchaser under relevant Canadian legislation.
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Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP is acting as counsel in connection with the registration of our securities under the Securities Act and, as such, will pass upon the validity of the securities offered in this prospectus. Certain legal matters will be passed upon on behalf of the underwriters by Ellenoff, Grossman & Schole LLP.
The financial statements of C5 Acquisition Corporation as of May 18, 2021 and for the period from March 30, 2021 (inception) through May 18, 2021 appearing in this prospectus have been audited by Marcum LLP, independent registered public accounting firm, as set forth in their report thereon, which includes an explanatory paragraph as to the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern, appearing elsewhere in this prospectus, and are included in reliance on such report given on the authority of such firm as experts in auditing and accounting.
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.
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INDEX TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
Page | ||||
F-2 | ||||
Balance Sheets as of September 30, 2021 (unaudited) May 18, 2021 (audited) | F-3 | |||
F-4 | ||||
F-5 | ||||
F-6 | ||||
F-7 |
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.
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REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM
To the Shareholder and Board of Directors of
C5 Acquisition Corporation
Opinion on the Financial Statements
We have audited the accompanying balance sheet of C5 Acquisition Corporation (the “Company”) as of May 18, 2021, the related statements of operations, changes in stockholder’s equity and cash flows for the period from March 30, 2021 (inception) through May 18, 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 May 18, 2021, and the results of its operations and its cash flows for the period from March 30, 2021 (inception) through May 18, 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 1 to the financial statements, the Company’s ability to execute its business plan is dependent upon its completion of the proposed public offering described in Note 3 to the financial statements. The Company has a working capital deficiency and lacks financial resources it needs to sustain its 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 plans with 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/ MarcumLLP
MarcumLLP
We have served as the Company’s auditor since 2021
Los Angeles, CA
June 28, 2021 except for Notes 2, 4, and 8, to which the date is November 19, 2021
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.
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BALANCE SHEETS
September 30, 2021 | May 18, 2021 | |||||||
(unaudited) | (audited) | |||||||
ASSETS | ||||||||
Current assets – Cash | $ | 284,591 | $ | 25,000 | ||||
Deferred offering costs | 355,335 | 65,000 | ||||||
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Total Assets | $ | 639,926 | $ | 90,000 | ||||
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LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDER’S EQUITY | ||||||||
Accrued offering costs | $ | 315,000 | $ | 65,000 | ||||
Due to related party | — | 90 | ||||||
Accrued operating and formation costs | 782 | — | ||||||
Note payable – Sponsor | 300,000 | — | ||||||
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Total Current Liabilities | 615,782 | 65,090 | ||||||
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Commitments and contingencies (Note 6) | ||||||||
Stockholder’s Equity: | ||||||||
Preferred stock, $0.0001 par value each; 1,000,000 shares authorized; none issued and outstanding | — | — | ||||||
Class A common stock, $0.0001 par value each; 500,000,000 shares authorized; none issued and outstanding | — | — | ||||||
Class B common stock, $0.0001 par value each; 100,000,000 shares authorized; 7,187,500 shares issued and outstanding (1) | 719 | 719 | ||||||
Additional paid-in capital | 24,281 | 24,281 | ||||||
Accumulated deficit | (856 | ) | (90 | ) | ||||
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Total Stockholder’s Equity | 24,144 | 24,910 | ||||||
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Total Liabilities and Stockholder’s Equity | $ | 639,926 | $ | 90,000 | ||||
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(1) | Includes an aggregate of up to 937,500 shares of Class B common stock subject to forfeiture if the over-allotment option is not exercised in full or in part by the underwriters (see Note 5). |
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.
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STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS
For the Period from March 30, 2021 (Inception) through September 30, 2021 | For the Period from March 30, 2021 (Inception) through May 18, 2021 | |||||||
(unaudited) | (audited) | |||||||
Formation costs | $ | 856 | $ | 90 | ||||
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Net loss | $ | (856 | ) | $ | (90 | ) | ||
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Weighted average shares outstanding, basic and diluted (1) | 6,250,000 | 6,250,000 | ||||||
Basic and diluted net loss per common share | $ | (0.00 | ) | $ | (0.00 | ) |
(1) | Excludes an aggregate of up to 937,500 shares of Class B common stock subject to forfeiture if the over-allotment option is not exercised in full or in part by the underwriters (see Note 5). |
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.
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STATEMENTS OF CHANGES IN STOCKHOLDER’S EQUITY
FOR THE PERIOD FROM MARCH 30, 2021 (INCEPTION) THROUGH MAY 18, 2021 (AUDITED) AND FOR THE PERIOD FROM MARCH 30, 2021 (INCEPTION) THROUGH SEPTEMBER 30, 2021 (UNAUDITED)
Class B Common Stock | Additional Paid-in Capital | Accumulated Deficit | Total Stockholder’s Equity | |||||||||||||||||
Shares | Amount | |||||||||||||||||||
Balance, March 30, 2021 (inception) | — | $ | — | $ | — | $ | — | $ | — | |||||||||||
Issuance of Class B common stock to Sponsor(1) | 7,187,500 |