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Index to Financial Statements
As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on October 15, 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
Talon 1 Acquisition Corp.
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
Cayman Islands | 6770 | 98-1598139 | ||
(State or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization) | (Primary Standard Industrial Classification Code Number) | (I.R.S. Employer Identification Number) |
2333 Ponce de Leon Blvd., Suite 630,
Coral Gables, FL 33134
(786) 662-3114
(Address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code, of registrant’s principal executive offices)
Edward J. Wegel
Chief Executive Officer
2333 Ponce de Leon Blvd., Suite 630
Coral Gables, FL 33134
(786) 662-3114
(Name, address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code, of agent for service)
Copies to:
Christopher Bellini, Esq. Martin T Schrier, Esq. Cozen O’Connor P.C. 33 South 6th Street, Suite 3800 Minneapolis, MN 55402 (612) 260-9000 | Casey T. Fleck, Esq Brett D. Nadritch, Esq. Milbank LLP 2029 Century Park East, 33rd Floor Los Angeles, CA 90067 (424) 386-4000 |
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, 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 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
| ||||||||
Title of Each Class of Security Being Registered | Amount Being Registered | Proposed Maximum Offering Price per Security(1) | Proposed Maximum Offering Price(1) | Amount of Registration Fee | ||||
Units, each consisting of one Class A ordinary share, $0.0001 par value, and one-half of one warrant (2) | 23,000,000 Units | $10.00 | $230,000,000 | $ 21,321 | ||||
Class A ordinary shares included as part of the units (3) | 23,000,000 Shares | — | — | —(4) | ||||
Warrants included as part of the units(3) | 11,500,000 Warrants | — | — | —(4) | ||||
Total | $230,000,000 | $21,321 | ||||||
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(1) | Estimated solely for the purpose of calculating the registration fee. |
(2) | Includes 3,000,000 units, consisting of 3,000,000 Class A ordinary shares and 1,500,000 warrants, which may be issued upon exercise of a 30-day option granted to the underwriters to cover over-allotments, if any. |
(3) | Pursuant to Rule 416(a), there are also being registered an indeterminable number of additional securities as may be issued to prevent dilution resulting from share splits, share dividends or similar transactions. |
(4) | No fee pursuant to Rule 457(g). |
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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Index to Financial Statements
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 nor does it seek an offer to buy these securities in any jurisdiction where the offer or sale is not permitted.
Subject to Completion, dated October 15, 2021
PRELIMINARY PROSPECTUS
$200,000,000
Talon 1 Acquisition Corp.
20,000,000 Units
Talon 1 Acquisition Corp. is a blank check company incorporated as a Cayman Islands exempted company and incorporated with limited liability, and formed for the purpose of effecting a merger, share exchange, asset acquisition, share 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 may pursue an initial business combination target in any business or industry.
This is an initial public offering of our securities. Each unit has an offering price of $10.00 and consists of one Class A ordinary share and one-half of one redeemable warrant. Each whole warrant entitles the holder thereof to purchase one Class A ordinary share at a price of $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment as described in this prospectus, and only whole warrants are exercisable. No fractional warrants will be issued upon separation of the units and only whole warrants will trade. The warrants will become exercisable 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination, and will expire five years after the completion of our initial business combination or earlier upon redemption or liquidation, as described in this prospectus. No fractional warrants will be issued upon separation of the units and only whole warrants will trade. We have also granted the underwriters a 30-day option from the date of this prospectus to purchase up to an additional 3,000,000 units to cover over-allotments, if any.
We will provide our shareholders with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their Class A ordinary 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 described below as of two business days prior to the consummation of our initial business combination, including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our taxes (“permitted withdrawals”), divided by the number of then outstanding Class A ordinary shares that were sold as part of the units in this offering, which we refer to collectively as our “public shares,” subject to the limitations described herein.
We have 15 months from the closing of this offering (or 18 months from the closing of this offering if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination, as described in more detail in this prospectus) to consummate our initial business combination. Pursuant to the terms of our second amended and restated memorandum and articles of association and the trust agreement to be entered into between us and Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company on the date of this prospectus, in order to extend the time available for us to consummate our initial business combination by an additional three months, our sponsor (as defined below) or its affiliates or designees must provide advance notice at least five days prior to the date which is 15 months from the closing of this offering and must deposit into the trust account $2,000,000, or $2,300,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full ($0.10 per share in either case), on or prior to the date which is 15 months from the closing of this offering. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination within the above time period (as such period may be extended, the “completion window”), we will redeem 100% of the public shares at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to make permitted withdrawals (less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, subject to applicable law and as further described herein.
Our sponsor, AVi8 Acquisition LLC (which we refer to as our “sponsor” throughout this prospectus), has committed to purchase an aggregate of 11,900,000 warrants (or 13,250,000 warrants if the over-allotment option is exercised in full) at a price of $1.00 per warrant ($11.9 million in the aggregate, or $13.25 million if the over-allotment option is exercised in full) in a private placement that will close simultaneously with the closing of this offering. We refer to these warrants throughout this prospectus as the “private placement warrants.” Each private placement warrant is exercisable to purchase one Class A ordinary share at $11.50 per share.
Our initial shareholders, which include our sponsor, currently own an aggregate of 5,750,000 Class B ordinary shares (up to 750,000 shares of which are subject to forfeiture depending on the extent to which the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised). We refer to these Class B ordinary shares as the “founder shares” throughout this prospectus. The Class B ordinary shares will automatically convert into Class A ordinary shares at the time of completion of our initial business combination on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustment as provided herein. Holders of the Class B ordinary shares will have the right to vote on the election or removal of our directors prior to our initial business combination and each director will need to receive the vote of two-thirds of the outstanding Class B ordinary shares in order to be elected. On any other matter submitted to a vote of our shareholders, holders of the Class B ordinary shares and holders of the Class A ordinary shares will vote together as a single class, except that in respect of any vote or votes to continue the company in a jurisdiction outside the Cayman Islands (including, but not limited to, the approval of the organizational documents of the company in such other jurisdiction), holders of Class B ordinary shares will have ten votes per share and holders of Class A ordinary shares will have one vote per share, and except as required by law or the applicable rules of The Nasdaq Capital Market (“Nasdaq”), then in effect.
Prior to this offering there has been no public market for our units, Class A ordinary shares or warrants. We intend to apply to have our units listed on Nasdaq under the symbol “TOAC.U.” We cannot guarantee that our securities will be approved for listing on Nasdaq. We expect the Class A ordinary shares and warrants comprising the units will begin separate trading on the 52nd day following the date of this prospectus unless Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC informs us of its decision to allow earlier separate trading, subject to our filing a Current Report on Form 8-K with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, or the “SEC,” containing an audited balance sheet reflecting our receipt of the gross proceeds of this offering and issuing a press release announcing when such separate trading will begin. Once the securities comprising the units begin separate trading, we expect that the Class A ordinary shares and warrants will be listed on Nasdaq under the symbols “TOAC” and “TOAC.WS,” respectively.
We are an “emerging growth company” and a “smaller reporting company” under applicable federal securities laws and will be subject to reduced public company reporting requirements. Investing in our securities involves a high degree of risk. See “Risk Factors” beginning on page 40 for a discussion of information that should be considered in connection with an investment in our securities. Investors will not be entitled to protections normally afforded to investors in Rule 419 blank check offerings.
Neither the 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.
No offer or invitation to subscribe for units may be made to the public in the Cayman Islands.
Price to Public | Underwriting Discounts and Commissions(1) | Proceeds Before Expenses, to Us | ||||||||||
Per Unit | $ | 10.00 | $ | 0.55 | $ | 9.45 | ||||||
Total | $ | 200,000,000 | $ | 11,000,000 | $ | 189,000,000 |
(1) | $0.20 per unit, or $4,000,000 in the aggregate (or $4,600,000 if the underwriters exercise their over-allotment option in full), is payable upon the closing of this offering. Also includes $0.35 per unit, or $7,000,000 in the aggregate (or $8,050,000 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 completion of our initial business combination, as described in this prospectus. See “Underwriting (Conflict of Interest)” elsewhere in this prospectus for a description of compensation and other items of value payable to the underwriters. |
Of the $211.9 million in gross proceeds we receive from this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants described in this prospectus, or $243.25 million if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full, $205.0 million ($10.00 per unit), or $235.75 million if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full ($10.00 per unit), will be deposited into a U.S.-based trust account at J.P. Morgan Chase Bank, N.A. with Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company acting as trustee, and $11.9 million, including $4.0 million in underwriting discounts and commissions (or $13.25 million, including $4.6 million in underwriting discounts and commissions, if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), will be used to pay fees and expenses in connection with the closing of this offering and for working capital following the closing of this offering. Except with respect to interest earned on the funds held in the trust account that may be released to us to make permitted withdrawals, the proceeds from this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants held in the trust account will not be released from the trust account until the earliest of (a) the completion of our initial business combination (including the release of funds to pay any amounts due to any public shareholders who properly exercise their redemption rights in connection therewith), (b) the redemption of any public shares properly submitted in connection with a shareholder vote to approve an amendment to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association that would affect the substance or timing of our obligation to redeem 100% of our public shares if we have not consummated an initial business combination within the completion window or with respect to any other material provisions relating to shareholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity, and (c) the redemption of our public shares if we are unable to complete our initial business combination within the completion window, subject to 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 shareholders.
The underwriters are offering the units for sale on a firm commitment basis. The underwriters expect to deliver the units to the purchasers on or about , 2021.
Credit Suisse | Exos Securities LLC |
The date of this prospectus is , 2021.
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Until , 2021 (25 days after the date of this prospectus), all dealers that effect transactions in these securities, whether or not participating in this offering, may be required to deliver a prospectus. This is in addition to the dealers’ obligation to deliver a prospectus when acting as underwriters and with respect to their unsold allotments or subscriptions.
We are responsible for the information contained in this prospectus. We have not, and the underwriters have not, authorized anyone to provide you with any information other than that contained in this prospectus, and neither we nor the underwriters take responsibility for any other information others may give to you. We are not, and the underwriters are not, making an offer to sell securities in any jurisdiction where the offer or sale is not permitted. You should not assume that the information contained in this prospectus is accurate as of any date other than the date on the front of this prospectus, regardless of its time of delivery or the time of any sale of shares of our Class A ordinary shares. Our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects may have changed since that date.
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This summary only highlights the more detailed information appearing elsewhere in this prospectus. As this is a summary, it does not contain all of the information that you should consider in making an investment decision. You should read this entire prospectus carefully, including the information under “Risk Factors” and our financial statements and the related notes included elsewhere in this prospectus, before investing.
Unless otherwise stated in this prospectus or the context otherwise requires, references to “we,” “us,” “company” or “our company” are to Talon 1 Acquisition Corp., a Cayman Islands exempted company, incorporated with limited liability, and references to:
• | “advisors” or “board of advisors” are to members of our advisory board; |
• | “amended and restated memorandum and articles of association” are to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association to be in effect upon completion of this offering; |
• | “Companies Act” are to the Companies Act (as amended) of the Cayman Islands as the same may be amended from time to time; |
• | “completion window” are to the period following the closing of this offering at the end of which, if we have not completed our initial business combination, we will redeem 100% of the public shares at a per share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest (net of permitted withdrawals and up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, subject to applicable law and certain conditions and as further described herein; the completion window ends 15 months from the closing of this offering (or 18 months from the closing of this offering if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination); |
• | “equity-linked securities” are to any securities of our company or any of our subsidiaries which are convertible into, or exchangeable or exercisable for, equity securities of our company or such subsidiary, including any securities issued by our company or any of our subsidiaries which are pledged to secure any obligation of any holder to purchase equity securities of our company or any of our subsidiaries; |
• | “Exchange Act” are to the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended; |
• | “founder shares” are to our Class B ordinary shares held by our sponsor and our Class A ordinary shares issued upon the automatic conversion thereof at the time of completion of our initial business combination as described herein; |
• | “initial shareholders” are to holders of our founder shares prior to this offering; |
• | “Investment Company Act” are to the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended; |
• | “JOBS Act” are to the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012; |
• | “management” or our “management team” are to our officers and directors; |
• | “Nasdaq” are to The Nasdaq Capital Market; |
• | “ordinary shares” are to our Class A ordinary shares and our Class B ordinary shares, collectively; |
• | “permitted withdrawals” are to amounts withdrawn to pay our taxes; |
• | “private placement warrants” are to the warrants issued to our sponsor in a private placement simultaneously with the closing of this offering; |
• | “public shares” are to our Class A ordinary shares sold as part of the units in this offering (whether they are purchased in this offering or thereafter in the open market); |
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• | “public shareholders” are to the holders of our public shares, including our initial shareholders and management team to the extent our initial shareholders and/or members of our management team purchase public shares, provided that each initial shareholder’s and member of our management team’s status as a “public shareholder” 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); |
• | “Sarbanes-Oxley Act” are to Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002; |
• | “Securities Act” are to the Securities Act of 1933, as amended; and |
• | “sponsor” are to AVi8 Acquisition LLC, a Delaware limited liability company. |
All references in this prospectus to shares of the company being forfeited shall take effect as surrenders for no consideration of such shares as a matter of Cayman Islands law. All references to the conversion of our Class B ordinary shares shall take effect as a redemption of such Class B ordinary shares and issuance of the corresponding Class A ordinary shares as a matter of Cayman Islands law. Unless otherwise stated, the information in this prospectus assumes that the underwriters will not exercise their over-allotment option.
Each unit consists of one Class A ordinary share and one-half of one warrant. Each whole warrant entitles the holder thereof to purchase one Class A ordinary share at a price of $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment as described in this prospectus, and only whole warrants are exercisable. No fractional warrants will be issued upon separation of the units and only whole warrants will trade. Accordingly, unless you purchase at least four units, you will not be able to receive or trade a whole warrant.
Registered trademarks referred to in this prospectus are the property of their respective owners.
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Our Company
Talon 1 Acquisition Corp. is a Cayman Islands exempted company incorporated as a blank check company formed for the purpose of effecting a merger, share exchange, asset acquisition, share purchase, reorganization or similar business combination with one or more businesses, which we refer to throughout this prospectus as our “initial business combination.” To date, our efforts have been limited to organizational activities as well as activities related to this offering. 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.
Talon 1 Acquisition Corp. is an affiliate of AVi8 Management, LLC, which is an affiliate of AVi8 Air Capital, LLC (“AVi8”). Formed in 2016, AVi8 is a U.S.-based commercial aviation strategic consulting firm that provides services to airlines and aviation support companies around the world. AVi8 develops and operationalizes businesses, in addition to improving operational efficiencies, enhancing capital structures and executing M&A activities. AVi8 recently assisted in the development of an aircraft leasing platform for a major European based investment bank, advised on the acquisition of commercial aircraft with bulge-bracket private equity groups, and conceived, developed and managed the launch and certification of an Airbus narrow body airline certified in the United States. The principal owners of AVi8 are Edward J. Wegel, Triage Capital LLC and General American Capital Partners, LLC.
Our Team
We have assembled a strong management team with a broad network of connections and corporate relationships across various industries and geographies. Any past experience or performance of our management team and their respective affiliates is not a guarantee of either (i) our ability to successfully identify and execute a transaction or (ii) success with respect to any business combination that we may consummate. You should not rely on the historical record of our management team or their respective affiliates as an assurance of the future performance of an investment in us or the returns we will, or are likely to, generate going forward. Moreover, although some of our key personnel may remain with a target business in senior management or advisory positions following a business combination, it is likely that some or all of the management of the target business will remain in place. Additionally, our management team members are subject to certain conflicts of interest. For more information, please refer to “Risk Factors—Risks Related to Our Management Team.”
Executive Team
Edward J Wegel serves as our Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. Mr. Wegel is a seasoned airline executive with 35 years of broad experience in financing, operations, and distribution. Mr. Wegel has served as a board member of public and private airlines, including Atlantic Coast Airlines, BWIA International Airlines and Eastern Airlines. Mr. Wegel is an experienced deal-maker who has led initial public offerings, privatizations, major aircraft orders, and alliance negotiations. He has extensive company restructuring experience.
Other accomplishments include: drafted the first business plan for JetBlue; focused on the then relatively new Airbus A320s and chose JFK as its base of operations; created Republic Airways with an industry-leading order for 80 EMB 145 aircraft in 1998; oversaw the acquisition of Chautauqua Airlines (where he served as Chief Executive Officer); and conceived and led the privatization and financing of BWIA International Airways, Trinidad, operating 20 L1011 and MD-80 aircraft and serving as National Airline for Trinidad, Guyana, St. Lucia, and Barbados, among and other island nations. As Chief Executive Officer, in 1995, Mr. Wegel achieved BWIA’s first ever profit in 57 years (BWIA International Airways now operates as Caribbean Airlines); co-founded Atlantic Coast Airlines / United Express in 1990, one of the first United Airlines regional airlines. Mr. Wegel served as head of finance and as a board member for Atlantic Coast Airlines, leading over $100 million in financing for operations and aircraft finance. Mr. Wegel served as a commissioned officer in the U.S. Army and received an MBA from the University of Northern Colorado after graduating from the United States Military Academy at West Point.
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Ryan Goepel serves as our Chief Financial Officer. Mr. Goepel is the Chief Financial Officer of AVi8. He is also the Chief Financial Officer of Global Crossing Airlines Group, Inc. (“GlobalX”) since February 2020, and was elected to the board of directors of GlobalX in June 2020. Mr. Goepel is a seasoned finance and operations executive with over 20 years of experience, most recently serving as Chief Financial Officer for Flair Airlines Canada from August 2018 to November 2019 to transition from a Boeing 737 charter operator to a profitable, low-cost scheduled service carrier. Profitability was achieved at Flair through the modernization of the fleet, optimization of the flight schedule to focus and grow profitable routes, revamping key personnel, and the installation of a data driven, cost conscious operating mentality while preserving best-in-class safety, reliability and on time performance. Prior to Flair, Mr. Goepel served as Chief Financial Officer for Viking Exploration, an international oil and gas company, from December 2016 to August 2018, where he raised seed capital from a broad group of investors. Prior to Viking Exploration, Mr. Goepel served as Chief Financial Officer of CC Reservoirs, a Geoscience software company, from April 2015 to December 2016, where he was responsible for the accounting, compliance, treasury, tax, and strategic planning functions and was instrumental in establishing new offices and entities in South America, the Middle East and the Far East. Prior to CC Reservoirs, Mr. Goepel served as Chief Financial Officer of ZEiTECS, an artificial lift technology company, from December 2010 to April 2015, where he oversaw its sale to Schlumberger; KBR Services Business Unit Finance Leader overseeing 12,000 employees growing revenue from $300 million to $3 billion. In addition, Mr. Goepel served as the Director of Global Finance during the Burger King turnaround that culminated with its first ever public debt raise and successful initial public offering. He is a Certified Management Accountant, with an MBA from Texas A&M University and Bachelor of Arts from the University of British Columbia.
Jeremy Falk serves as our Chief Operating Officer. Mr. Falk is currently President and Senior Managing Director of Newbridge Global Sourcing LLC. He is responsible for identifying and evaluating investment opportunities and working with our management teams to create value. Mr. Falk was previously an investment manager at AGI Partners, LLC, an alternative investment management firm that deploys capital in private equity and special opportunities. He was responsible for originating, underwriting, structuring and executing transactions. He was active in the closing, governance and monitoring of firm investments. Previously, he was an investment professional at Cerberus Capital Management, L.P., a $50 billion alternative investment management firm based in New York, in the private equity and the corporate credit groups where he focused on private equity and special situations investments across a wide range of industries. He was responsible for executing transactions and overseeing portfolio company investments, as well as identifying and executing public-market investments. He underwrote transactions and conducted financial, business and operational diligence. Prior to that he was an Analyst at Morgan Stanley & Co. Inc. in the Media & Entertainment and Transportation groups. Jeremy graduated from Columbia College with a Bachelors of Arts.
Jeff Zeunik serves as our Chief Commercial Officer. Mr. Zeunik has over 25 years of financial, operational, and leadership experience having served in a senior executive capacity for both public and private companies, as well as having served as an officer in the United States Army. Most recently, Mr. Zeunik has been serving as the Chief Financial Officer of Green Courte Residential Holdings, a Private Equity-backed REIT focused on a growing portfolio of senior-living and manufactured housing communities. Prior to Green Courte, Jeff was at Atlas Air Worldwide Holdings (NASDAQ: AAWW), operator of the world’s largest fleet of Boeing 747 freighters, where he served as Vice President of Financial Planning & Analysis from 2012 to 2017, and Senior Vice President of Financial Planning & Analysis from 2018 to 2019. During his time at Atlas he oversaw a 300%+ growth as Atlas evolved from a fleet of exclusively 747 freighters, to a fleet of 115 aircraft that included 747s, 777, 767s, 757s, and 737s, with a mix of both freighter and passenger operations. Mr. Zeunik’s efforts included the valuation of a new-build Boeing 747-8F aircraft with a list price of approximately $2.7 billion; the securing of a contract to purchase, convert, dry lease, and operate 20 Boeing 767s on behalf of Amazon Prime Air, which represented an investment of nearly $600 million; and Atlas’ acquisition of Southern Air for $100 million, an investment that paid for itself within 3 years. Prior to joining Atlas Mr. Zeunik worked at The Home Depot, where he oversaw a $2.1 billion new store construction budget and valued over 175 new stores for the US, Canada, and Mexico. He started his aviation career with US Airways, where he was involved in the renegotiation of every collective bargaining agreement as the company navigated two Chapter 11 filings and a return to profitability in the aftermath of the post-9/11 impact to the US Airline industry. Additionally, Mr. Zeunik served as an Airborne, Ranger, and Jumpmaster qualified Infantry officer in the 82nd Airborne Division. He holds a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the United States Military Academy at West Point, as well as an MBA from Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Management, and a Master of Engineering Management from Northwestern’s McCormick School of Engineering.
Nominees for our Board of Directors
Maggie Arvedlund serves as the Chief Executive Officer and Managing Partner of Turning Rock Partners. Funds affiliated with Turning Rock Partners have made a passive investment representing a majority of the economic interests in our sponsor. Prior to founding Turning Rock Partners, Ms. Arvedlund was a Managing Director at Fortress Investment Group where she spent eight years. Fortress Investment Group is a global investment firm. While at Fortress, Ms. Arvedlund was responsible for private equity and debt investments for the Fortress Partners Fund, a multi-strategy vehicle which invested across asset classes and capital structures. During her tenure at Fortress, Ms. Arvedlund served on the Investment Committee from 2010-2015. Prior to joining Fortress, Ms. Arvedlund worked at Hall Capital Partners where she held roles in the portfolio management and research divisions. Hall Capital Partners is a privately held registered investment advisory firm. Prior to Hall Capital Partners, Ms. Arvedlund held a number of senior operating roles in several privately held businesses. Ms. Arvedlund received a BS with Honors from Vanderbilt University in Economics and an MBA in Finance from NYU’s Stern School of Business. Ms. Arvedlund serves on several non-profit boards including Summer Search New York City and is a founding member of the NYU Stern Private Equity Advisory Board.
Joseph DaGrosa, Jr. has been a member of the board of directors of GlobalX since June 2020. Mr. DaGrosa currently serves as Chairman of DaGrosa Capital Partners LLC, a private equity firm focused on making control and influential minority investments in companies throughout the United States, Western Europe and Latin America, having served in that role since February 2020. Mr. DaGrosa is a co-founder of 1848 Capital Partners LLC (“1848”), having co-managed the firm from its founding in 2003 until 2016 and having served as a member of the firm’s investment committee. Mr. DaGrosa also served as co-chairman or as a board member for the following 1848 portfolio companies: Eastern Airlines, Brazil Tower Company, and Jet Support Services, Inc. Mr. DaGrosa served as Founder and Senior Partner at Core Values Partners LLC (“Core Values”), during which time Mr. DaGrosa co- founded the Heartland Food Corp., a Core Values’ portfolio platform company used to acquire two hundred and forty eight (248) Burger King restaurants out of bankruptcy (and in workout situations), creating the second largest franchisee in the Burger King system. Heartland was successfully sold in December 2006 to an affiliate of the Blackstone Group., Mr. DaGrosa was a partner at MapleWood Partners LP, a Miami-based private equity firm, where he served as a member of the Executive and Investment Committees and was co-head of the firm’s Transaction Team. Prior to MapleWood Partners LP, Mr. DaGrosa was a vice president for PaineWebber, Inc. (now part of UBS) in its Special Accounts Group. Mr. DaGrosa holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Finance, Accounting and Statistics from Syracuse University.
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Nathaniel Felsher is the current Founder and Chief Executive Officer of CAVU Management Partners, LLC, a consulting services company, having served in that role since March 2019. Felsher is the former President and Chief Strategy Officer of Aimia Inc. (TSX: AIM), a holding company with a focus on long-term investments in public and private companies, having served in that role from August 2018 through November 2018. Previously, Mr. Felsher worked at Deutsche Bank, a German multinational investment bank and financial services company, where he served for eleven years, in ever increasing roles of responsibility, most recently as Global Co-Head of Aviation – Corporate & Investment Banking until August 2018. Throughout his time at Deutsche Bank, Mr. Felsher advised clients in the aircraft leasing, airline loyalty, travel technology and transportation infrastructure sectors with respect to strategy, equity and debt placements and M&A, having executed transactions in more than 20 countries. Mr. Felsher has global deal experience having executed transactions in more than 20 countries. Prior to joining Deutsche Bank, Mr. Felsher held investment banking positions with HSBC and JPMorgan Chase & Co.
Abdol Moabery is the founder, Chief Executive Officer of GA Telesis, a leader in integrated commercial aviation services. Founded in 2002 by Mr. Moabery, GA Telesis has quickly grown to one of the largest firms in its sector, amassing vertically integrated global aviation services businesses including engine, component and aerostructural maintenance and engineering, aircraft replacement parts distribution and supply-chain management, aircraft and engine leasing, and investment management with operating units throughout the Americas, Europe and Asia. The company has also developed several strategic partnerships, including GAIC, a one-of-kind joint-venture, based in Beijing, with Air China. GA Telesis has won numerous awards and accolades, including the 2018 Air Transport Best Integrated Aviation Solutions Provider, 2014 Air Transport World MRO of the Year, The Boeing Gold Services Award and was also named among a select group of companies in the United States classified as a Good-to-Great company. While Mr. Moabery holds a substantial stake in the company, since 2007, the company’s shareholders have grown to include significant stakes by global financial institutions, Bank of America Merrill Lynch (NYSE: BAC) and Tokyo Century Corporation (8439: Tokyo).
A serial entrepreneur, Mr. Moabery is responsible for the start-up, organization and development of GA Telesis. He has 30 years of direct experience in various disciplines in aviation from flight, lease and structured finance to logistics and maintenance. Mr. Moabery previously served as Executive Vice President of Aviation Systems International, Inc., where his responsibilities included oversight and management of worldwide operations. Prior to joining ASI, he was with C-S Aviation Services, Inc. (a Soros Fund Management company), where he was responsible for the sale and marketing of the company’s aviation portfolio assets.
Mr. Moabery currently serves as the Chairman of the Board of Trustees at Florida Atlantic University and is President-elect of the Wings Club Foundation Board of Governors. He also serves as board member to several national and local charitable organizations. Mr. Moabery received the prestigious Wright Brothers Memorial Award in 2014 and the ISTAT Life Time Achievement Award in 2021 for his accomplishments in aviation.
Nominees for our Board of Advisors
Alvin Khoo serves as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer for GA Telesis. Mr. Khoo has played an instrumental role in strategic transactions like the acquisition of Finnair Engine Services and the introduction of Tokyo Century and All Nippon Airways as strategic equity investors. Prior to joining GA Telesis, Mr. Khoo was most recently a Managing Director at SkyWorks Capital, where he led corporate finance and restructuring advisory efforts. Prior to SkyWorks Capital, Khoo held various positions at JP Morgan’s Transportation Investment Banking Group. Khoo helmed the origination and execution of transactions in the aviation, aerospace, and aircraft leasing sectors. Khoo has significant transaction experience including initial public offerings, out-of-court restructuring and bankruptcies, secured and unsecured bank and bond financings, all while advising on numerous M&A transactions. Khoo also previously worked for SH&E and NatWest Markets. He received his BA from Trinity College.
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Marc Cho serves as the Chief Investment Officer for GA Telesis and is the President of the LIFT (Leasing, Investments, Finance & Trading) Group. LIFT’s mission is to apply the vast experience, expertise, and execution capabilities of GAT to make investments, manage assets, and develop new business strategies in the aviation sector. LIFT is comprised of the Asset Transaction Group (ATG: aircraft and engine leasing and trading and asset origination, management, and remarketing), Capital Management Group (CMG: management of third-party investor capital) the Leveraged Finance Group (LFG: alternative lender and financing solutions) and GA Telesis Rotorcraft (GATR: helicopter leasing and finance) . Before joining GA Telesis in 2017, Mr. Cho served as President of Echelon Aviation, the aircraft investment platform for Prospect Capital, which he co-founded in 2014. Prior to that, Mr. Cho was a Director in the Aircraft Trading and Investment team at Bank of America Merrill Lynch (BAML) for nearly eight years, where he directed origination of aircraft leasing investments, acquisition of secondary market aircraft debt, and management of a lease portfolio that grew to over 90 aircraft. He also led the acquisition of over $2.5 billion in loans and execution of over 400 aircraft trades. Prior to BAML, Mr. Cho was a Senior Vice President at DVB Bank AG for over four years, where he closed over $2.0 billion in aircraft financings during his term. His prior experience also includes executive positions at GE Capital Aviation Services (GECAS) and the aircraft finance division of Heller Financial. Mr. Cho graduated from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, where he earned a bachelor of science in economics.
Business Strategy
Our acquisition and value creation strategy is to identify, acquire and, after our initial business combination, further accelerate the growth of a company in the global aerospace, aviation or aviation services industries. We believe our management team’s knowledge, experience and relationships across these industries can effect a positive transformation or augmentation of an existing business through operational and commercial improvements. Our team is well positioned to originate attractive investment opportunities and has a history of executing transactions in multiple geographies and under varying economic and financial market conditions. In particular, we believe that the COVID-19 pandemic, which created great dislocation and disruption in all sectors of aerospace and aviation, and which sectors are currently recovering from those effects, has created attractive opportunities where we can combine our expertise and our industry-wide network with capital to develop those opportunities to create substantial value.
The global aerospace, aviation and aviation services industries have strong fundamentals, both historically and on a forward-looking basis as they are key components of the global economy and trade. These industries have benefited from global and regional economic development, growth in both business and leisure travel, as well as the expansion of e-commerce and time critical logistics. A significant metric reflecting this growth is Revenue Passenger Kilometers (“RPKs”), which grew globally at an annual rate of ~6% from 2002 to 2019 (the last full year prior to COVID-19). While the COVID-19 pandemic had a very significant impact on the sector in 2020, we believe that the negative effects are temporary and the long-term fundamentals remain strong, which results in a window of opportunity to take advantage of the shifting dynamics. The Federal Aviation Administration, for example, projects system traffic to increase by 5.5% per year between 2021 and 2041, with domestic and international RPKs forecasted to grow 5.1% and 6.6% per year, respectively.
The global aerospace, aviation and aviation services industries have faced existential crises before and yet have been resilient over the last 20 plus years. Even with industry disruptions such as the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks in the United States, the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) epidemic in 2003, and the Great Recession of 2007 to 2009, industry-wide growth has always recovered and persisted, largely linked to global GDP growth. The recoveries benefit commercial passenger airlines, freight and cargo airlines, special mission operators and business aviation with knock on positive effects on aircraft and parts OEMs, airports and MRO businesses. The International Civil Aviation Organization, a UN Agency, reports that, since 1995, global GDP has grown by 2.8% annually while global passenger air traffic has grown by 5.0% annually in that same time period, representing a multiple of 1.8x the rate of global GDP growth. We believe that emerging markets, which comprised ~30% of global air traffic prior to the pandemic, will continue to contribute to growth in the global aerospace industry, and the rapid expansion of e-commerce will also generate industry growth, specifically for the air cargo sector. As such, we believe that the global aerospace, aviation, and aviation services industries will continue toward a full recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Consistent with previous global crises, we are already seeing a robust recovery towards pre-pandemic flight activity. In May 2021, TSA daily checkpoint travel numbers surpassed 1.9 million people for the first time since the onset of the pandemic, compared to a pre-pandemic peak of 2.9 million and a pandemic low of 88 thousand. Furthermore, according to Bain & Company, in an “accelerated vaccine” scenario where distribution of an effective vaccine against the COVID-19 virus occurs on a quicker than estimated timeframe, global commercial demand is projected to return to pre-pandemic levels by 2023.
As such, we will focus on all subsectors within the global aerospace, aviation, and aviation services end markets, and our universe of prospective targets will largely include businesses directly or indirectly impacted by global air traffic trends. We believe that many companies focused on these end markets will engage in restructuring and/or mergers and acquisitions, on account of the COVID-19 pandemic.
We are well positioned to capitalize on the recent disruption. Moreover, we believe there is currently a scarcity of quality, publicly-traded, mid-cap global aerospace, aviation and aviation services companies, and that such companies will be well received by the public markets. Given the experience, networks, and resources of our management team, board of directors, and advisors, we are confident that we will be able to identify and partner with a company that can help fill this void.
The global aerospace, aviation and aviation services industries are characterized by steady growth
Secular growth in the global aerospace, aviation, and aviation services industries is supported by a number of related underlying trends and dynamics. Beginning in 2002, after an industry-wide disruption following the September 11th attacks, global RPKs for commercial airlines grew, on average, ~6% per year culminating in more than 8 trillion RPKs in 2019 (before decreasing by 66% in 2020). This increase in demand for passenger air traffic significantly outpaced supply, with available seat kilometers (“ASKs”) only growing ~3% on average over the same period, from 2002 to 2019. This dynamic is reflected in commercial aircraft load factors, an indicator that measures the percentage of available seating capacity that is filled with passengers, which increased 11.3 percentage points from 2002 to 2019. To accommodate the increase in global passenger travel, the number of aircraft added annually to the global fleet increased from ~1,000 in 2002 to a peak of ~1,800 in 2018 (which decreased to ~1,400 in 2019 and ~800 in 2020).
This period of strong demand amidst growing capacity resulted in consistent profits of over $25 billion annually for the global airline industry since 2015. According to IATA, While the global airline industry suffered losses of $126 billion in 2020 and is expected to suffer losses of $48 billion in 2021, the industry expects a return to breakeven profitability in Q1 2022.
At the same time, global air cargo expanded rapidly alongside significant growth of e-commerce, as consumer expectations for time critical delivery has become increasingly important and merchants shifted sales channels online. In Q4 2008, US retail e-commerce sales totaled ~$32 billion, or 3.4% of total US retail sales. By Q4 2020, US retail e-commerce sales totaled ~$207 billion, representing a 17% CAGR, or 14.0% of total US retail sales. Global air cargo expanded to accommodate the growth in e-commerce with freight ton-kilometers growing at an average annual rate of ~4% from 2002 to 2019 (with only a 10.6% year-over-year decline in 2020).
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(Source: ICAO, IATA)
(Source: World Bank, IATA)
(Source: Bureau of Transportation Statistics)
(1) US data; Includes domestic and international flights.
The U.S. business aviation industry also experienced material growth facilitated, in large part, by new business models that made flying more accessible to a larger population. Annual business jet delivery revenues increased 53% from 2009 to 2019, representing a 4.4% CAGR. Business aviation experienced the most rapid recovery amongst aviation segments, with year-to-date global business aviation activity, as of May 2021, down just 9% compared to the same period in 2019. Similarly, special mission aviation expanded as government agencies increasingly sought to outsource aircraft operation services with the Department of Defense’s (“DOD”) “Commercial First” policy. Examples of such contract work include: air ambulances, search and rescue, firefighting, and military troop rotation and air cargo operations. Another example of the importance of special mission aviation is the Civil Reserve Air Fleet (“CRAF”). CRAF is a cooperative, voluntary program involving the DOT, DOD, and U.S. Civil Air Carrier industry in partnership to augment DOD aircraft capability during a national defense related crisis. Air carriers volunteer their aircraft to the CRAF program through contractual agreements with U.S. Transportation Command (USTRANSCOM), located at Scott Air Force Base, Illinois. In return, the participating carriers are given preference in carrying commercial peacetime cargo and passenger traffic for DOD.
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As demand for commercial aviation, air cargo, business aviation, and special mission aviation continues to grow, so too will the need for global aerospace, aviation and aviation services, which provide mission-critical functions. Moreover, we believe that businesses in these sectors will be able to capitalize on the increasing strategic approach by many companies, to outsource non-core services, including supply chain management and aircraft maintenance. In light of these trends, Boeing forecasts the commercial aviation services market to grow to $9.0 trillion over the next 20 years, growing at 4.0% annually from 2020 to 2039.
The COVID-19 Pandemic has negatively impacted the global aerospace, aviation, and aviation services industries, but a robust recovery, supported by strong underlying fundamentals, is underway
In response to the outbreak of the COVID-19 virus in early 2020, numerous government agencies enacted travel restrictions and guidance, which contributed to a substantial drop in air traffic demand globally. As a result, global seating capacity in 2020 declined by ~50% on a year-over-year basis. Many aircraft operators survived by shoring up liquidity, securing government support, cutting programs, and canceling or delaying aircraft orders and deliveries. These actions disrupted the industry’s supply chains and subsectors.
Many industry commentators point to previous disruptions in the airline industry as evidence that the market can expect a full and fairly rapid recovery. As the chart below indicates, previous crises, including the 9/11 terrorist attacks and 2008 global financial crisis, resulted in immediate reductions in air traffic. Yet, in both cases, air traffic recovered to pre-crises levels within two years, followed by periods of steady growth. Similarly, the 2003 SARS epidemic, which resulted in a 35% reduction in monthly RPKs for Asia-Pacific airlines, resulted in a full recovery in passenger traffic for those airlines within seven months of the outbreak. With regards to the current pandemic, industry commentators expect passenger traffic to recover and surpass 2019 levels by 2024, if not sooner. We believe that service providers will benefit from a return to the industry’s long-term growth pattern.
RPKs leading up to and following crises in the United States(1)
(Source: IATA)
(1) Each period indexed to 100 as of year prior to crisis year. Crisis year defined as initial year of RPK decline for each respective period.
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As of May 2021, numerous datasets point to a strong recovery of air travel in the short term:
• | 62% of Travel Leaders Network survey respondents are planning to take a vacation in 2021; many industry commentators expect a robust surge in travel for the second half of 2021 |
• | Over 50% of Americans have received at least one COVID-19 vaccination and over 40% are fully vaccinated as of June 2021 – with the rapid vaccine rollout, the United States remains an area of strength in the air travel recovery. The US is expected to reach 85% of 2019 commercial air travel demand by July 2022 |
• | Domestic U.S. passenger traffic is expected to reach 2019 levels in the second half of 2023; the recovery of U.S. international passenger traffic will require one more year, thus returning to 2019 levels in 2024 |
• | Operators have begun ramping up capacity, with March 2021 domestic ASKs down just 29% compared to March 2019 (versus down 38% in January 2021 compared to January 2019) |
Air cargo traffic has fully recovered and is higher than 2019 levels, driven by strong e-commerce trends, supply chain constraints, and ocean freight congestion. Global air cargo volume reached an all-time high in March 2021 and was 4% higher than March 2019, in spite of capacity that was 12% below pre-crisis levels largely due to reduced passenger aircraft belly capacity. Air freight yields have risen dramatically as a result, creating new opportunities for dedicated freighter operators, passenger-to-freighter conversions, and cargo-only passenger aircraft flights.
Private aviation is another subsector that has proven especially resilient. Throughout the pandemic, many passengers who could afford to fly private chose to do so. As a result, the segment was down just 11% year-over-year in December 2020 (compared to a 66% reduction in global airline passenger traffic).
Recovery and growth in all of these subsectors will require a scaling up of global aerospace, aviation, and aviation services. In fact, service providers have historically seen faster rates of revenue recovery, compared to their customers, following industry-wide disruptions as their customers rely on such services to re-scale capacity. As these businesses look to navigate the recovery from the crisis and return to growth and expansion, we believe they will benefit from access to capital and managerial experience – two things we believe we will be able to provide. This dynamic creates a unique opportunity for us to generate strong returns for our investors.
We will seek to partner with a market leader that is primed to grow organically and through acquisition while undergoing commercial and operational improvements
We are led by a preeminent purpose-built team of experienced managers, operators and investors who have played important roles in helping build and grow profitable public and private businesses, both organically and through acquisitions, to create value for shareholders. Our management team, board of directors, and advisors have over 175 years of collective experience in the global aerospace, aviation, and aviation services industries. Collectively, we have completed over $120 billion worth of strategic acquisitions, investments and advisory engagements in the space.
We are confident that we can combine our collective experiences and networks to successfully source and acquire a mid-cap market leader. As we have collectively done many times before, we look forward to working closely with a management team to enhance the target company’s operations. We will work together to develop a comprehensive strategy for growth, both organic and through acquisitions. Ultimately, we will seek to leverage the benefits of becoming a public company, including access to debt and equity for expansion, to transform our target company into a highly respected industry leader, while simultaneously generating strong returns for our shareholders.
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Our Acquisition Criteria
Consistent with our business strategy, we have identified the following general criteria and guidelines that we believe are important in evaluating prospective targets for our initial business combination. We will leverage these criteria and guidelines in evaluating acquisition opportunities, but we may decide to enter into our initial business combination with a target that does not meet these criteria and guidelines. We intend to acquire target businesses that we believe:
• | are industry leaders that have demonstrated consistent top-line growth and/or are benefiting from secular tailwinds; |
• | have defensible and established business models, with sustainable competitive advantages and multiple avenues for growth – though many companies in our industries of interest likely experienced substantial challenges related to the COVID-19 pandemic, we seek companies with fundamentally sound business models that will recover well; |
• | can potentially benefit from having a public currency to accelerate growth trajectory; |
• | can benefit from our management team’s operating expertise, industry network, and financing experience; |
• | are not reliant on financial leverage to generate returns; |
• | are at the point in their lifecycle at which going public, with the support of our highly experienced management team and access to our robust industry networks, is a natural next step; and |
• | are valued in such a way, relative to their public peers, that we will be able to offer an attractive risk-adjusted return for our shareholders. |
We will also assess potential target opportunities based on the criteria described below:
• | Services provided: We will source and evaluate companies focused on one or more of the following services: |
a) | Aircraft services: includes fueling, cleaning, maintenance, and supply chain management |
b) | Airport services: includes passenger support, cargo handling, and ground handling (such as repositioning, ramp services, etc.) |
c) | Asset management: includes aircraft and component leasing – a core competency of the sponsor, AVi8 |
d) | Technology: includes development and sale of aviation software, such as programs related to maintenance and longevity |
e) | Aircraft operations: includes transport of passengers and/or cargo in commercial, special mission, or private contexts |
• | End market: We will focus on companies that service one or more of the following end markets: (a) commercial passenger airlines, (b) cargo airlines, (c) business aviation operators, and (d) special mission operators. We will seek companies with an international presence, but that primarily serve the US or Europe. |
• | Size: We will pursue targets with an enterprise value between $1.0 billion and $1.5 billion. |
• | Potential for add-on acquisitions: We will actively consider target companies that would serve as a strong platform for post-closing add-on acquisitions. Given our extensive industry networks and collective experience, we believe we will have access to a large number of private equity assets operating in the global aerospace, aviation, and aviation services sectors. Such add-on acquisitions can expedite growth for the target and help to amplify returns for our shareholders. |
This non-exclusive list of criteria is 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 management may deem relevant. In the event that we decide to enter into our initial business combination with a target business that does not meet the above criteria and guidelines, we will disclose that the target business does not meet the above criteria in our shareholder communications related to our initial business combination, which, as discussed in this prospectus, would be in the form of proxy solicitation or tender offer materials that we would file with the SEC.
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Sourcing of Potential Initial Business Combination Targets
Through our team’s extensive experience in sourcing, acquiring, operating, developing, growing, financing, and selling businesses in the global aerospace, aviation, and aviation services industries, we have established a robust network that will prove invaluable throughout the sourcing process. The individuals on our team have reputations for reliability and fair dealing with all involved parties as well as critical experience navigating various market conditions, including economic downturns. These connections, reputations, and experiences have created a steady flow of referrals, resulting in numerous successful transactions for both our management team and sponsor. We view the extensive network of connections and relationships of our management team and sponsor as a strong potential source of business combination opportunities. Additionally, we expect various other market participants, including investment banking firms, private equity firms, consultants, and other business enterprises, may present viable target business candidates.
We are not prohibited from pursuing an initial business combination with a company that is affiliated with our sponsor, executive officers or directors, or completing the initial business combination through a joint venture or other form of shared ownership with our sponsor, executive officers or directors. In the event we seek to complete our initial business combination with a target that is affiliated with our sponsor, executive officers or directors, we, or a committee of independent directors, would obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm or another independent entity that commonly renders valuation opinions, stating that our initial business combination is fair to our company from a financial point of view.
As more fully discussed in “Management—Conflicts of Interest,” if any of our executive officers or directors becomes aware of a business combination opportunity that falls within the line of business of any entity to which he or she has then-existing fiduciary or contractual obligations, he or she may be required to present such business combination opportunity to such entity prior to presenting such business combination opportunity to us. Certain of our executive officers currently have certain relevant fiduciary duties or contractual obligations that may take priority over their duties to us. We believe, however, that the fiduciary duties or contractual obligations of our officers and directors will not materially affect our ability to complete our initial business combination.
Initial Business Combination
We will have until 15 months from the closing of this offering to consummate our initial business combination. However, if we anticipate that we may not be able to consummate our initial business combination within 15 months, we may, by resolution of our board if requested by our sponsor, extend the period of time to consummate a business combination by an additional three months (for a total of up to 18 months to complete a business combination), subject to the sponsor providing advance notice and depositing additional funds into the trust account as set out below. Pursuant to the terms of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association and the trust agreement to be entered into between us and Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company on the date of this prospectus, in order to extend the time available for us to consummate our initial business combination by an additional three months, our sponsor or its affiliates or designees must provide advance notice at least five days prior to the date which is 15 months from the closing of this offering and must deposit into the trust account $2,000,000, or $2,300,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full ($0.10 per share in either case), on or prior to the date which is 15 months from the closing of this offering. In the event that we receive notice from our sponsor at least five days prior to the deadline of its wish for us to effect the extension, we intend to issue a press release announcing such intention at least three days prior to the deadline. In addition, we intend to issue a press release the day after the deadline announcing whether or not the funds have been timely deposited. Our sponsor and its affiliates or designees are not obligated to fund the trust account to extend the time for us to complete our initial business combination. If we are unable to consummate our initial business combination within the applicable time period, we will redeem 100% of the public shares at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to make permitted withdrawals (less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, subject to applicable law and as further described herein. In such event, the rights and warrants will be worthless.
The Nasdaq listing rules require that we must consummate our initial business combination 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 commissions held in trust and taxes payable on the interest earned on the trust account) at the time of our signing a definitive agreement in connection with our initial business combination. Our board of directors will make the determination as to the fair market value of our initial business combination. 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 our initial business combination, we will obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm which is a member of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, or FINRA, or an independent accounting firm with respect to the satisfaction of such criteria. While we consider it unlikely that our board of directors will be unable to make an independent determination of the fair market value of a target business or target businesses, it may be unable to do so if the board of directors is less familiar or experienced with the target company’s business or there is a significant amount of uncertainty as to the value of the company’s assets or prospects. 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 shareholders own shares will own or acquire 100% of the outstanding equity interests or assets of the target business or businesses. We may, however, structure our initial business combination such that the post-transaction company owns or acquires less than 100% of such interests or assets of the target business in order to meet certain objectives of the target management team or shareholders or for other reasons. However, 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 an interest in the target sufficient for the post-transaction company 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 voting securities of the target, our shareholders prior to the business combination may collectively own a minority interest in the post-transaction company, depending on valuations ascribed to the target and us in the 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. In this case, we would acquire a 100% controlling interest in the target. However, as a result of the issuance of a substantial number of new shares, our shareholders immediately prior to our initial business combination could own less than a majority of our outstanding shares subsequent to our initial business combination. If less than 100% of the 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 is what will be taken into account for purposes of Nasdaq’s 80% of net assets test. If the 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 seeking shareholder approval or for purposes of a tender offer, as applicable. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if we are not then listed on Nasdaq for whatever reason, we would no longer be required to meet the foregoing 80% of net assets test.
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The net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants released to us from the trust account upon the closing of our initial business combination may be used as consideration to pay the sellers of a target business with which we complete our initial business combination and to pay the deferred underwriting commissions. If our initial business combination is paid for using equity or debt securities, or not all of the funds released from the trust account are used for payment of the consideration in connection with our initial business combination or used for redemption of our public shares, we may use the balance of the cash released to us from the trust account following the closing for general corporate purposes, including for maintenance or expansion of operations of the post-transaction businesses, the payment of principal or interest due on indebtedness incurred in completing our initial business combination, to fund the purchase of other companies, or for working capital. In addition, we may be required to obtain additional financing in connection with the closing of our initial business combination to be used following the closing for general corporate purposes as described above. There is no limitation on our ability to raise funds through the issuance of equity or equity-linked securities or through loans, advances or other indebtedness in connection with our initial business combination, including pursuant to forward purchase agreements or backstop agreements we may enter into following consummation of this offering. Subject to compliance with applicable securities laws, we would only complete such financing simultaneously with the completion of 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. None of our sponsors, officers, directors or shareholders is required to provide any financing to us in connection with or after our initial business combination. We may issue a substantial number of additional ordinary shares or preferred shares to complete our initial business combination or under an employee incentive plan after completion of our initial business combination. We may also issue Class A ordinary shares upon conversion of the Class B ordinary shares at a ratio greater than one-to-one at the time of completion of our initial business combination as a result of the anti-dilution provisions contained in our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association. However, our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide, among other things that, following this offering and prior to the consummation of our initial business combination, we will be prohibited from issuing additional securities that would entitle the holders thereof to (i) receive funds from the trust account or (ii) vote on any initial business combination. These provisions of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, like all provisions of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, may be amended with a shareholder vote.
Our Acquisition Process
Our officers and directors have not selected a target business for our initial business combination. In evaluating a prospective target business, we expect to conduct a rigorous due diligence review of issues that we deem important to validating a company’s business quality and assessing growth and value creation opportunities, allowing our management team to price returns relative to potential risks appropriately. This review may encompass, among other things, research related to the company’s industry, markets, products, services and competitors, meetings with incumbent management and employees, on-site visits and a review of financial, operational, legal and other information which will be made available us. Our approach to the acquisition process will be centered around our management team’s operational and capital allocation expertise to target high-quality, established businesses where we see multiple opportunities for continued organic and strategic growth.
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Members of our management team and our independent directors 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. Further, each of our officers and directors may have a conflict of interest with respect to evaluating a particular business combination if the retention or resignation of any such officers and directors was included by a target business as a condition to any agreement with respect to our initial business combination.
Each of our officers and directors presently has, and any of them in the future may have, additional fiduciary or contractual obligations to other entities pursuant to which such officer or director is or will be required to present a business combination opportunity. We do not believe, however, that the fiduciary duties or contractual obligations of our officers or directors will materially affect our ability to complete our business combination.
In addition, our officers and directors are not required to commit any specified amount of time to our affairs, and, accordingly, will have conflicts of interest in allocating management time among various business activities, including identifying potential business combinations and monitoring the related due diligence.
Prior to the date of this prospectus, we will file a Registration Statement on Form 8-A with the SEC to voluntarily register our securities under Section 12 of the Exchange Act. As a result, we will be subject to the rules and regulations promulgated under the Exchange Act. We have no current intention of filing a Form 15 to suspend our reporting or other obligations under the Exchange Act prior or subsequent to the consummation of our initial business combination.
Risk Factors Summary
Our business is subject to numerous risks and uncertainties, including those highlighted in the section titled “Risk Factors” immediately following this prospectus summary. These risks include, but are not limited to, risks associated with:
• | Our executive officers and directors will allocate their time to other businesses thereby causing conflicts of interest in their determination as to how much time to devote to our affairs. This conflict of interest could have a negative impact on our ability to complete our initial business combination. |
• | We are a recently incorporated company with no operating history and no revenues, and you have no basis on which to evaluate our ability to achieve our business objective. |
• | We may not be able to complete our initial business combination within the completion window, 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 shareholders may receive only their pro rata portion of the funds in the trust account that are available for distribution to public shareholders, and our warrants will expire worthless. |
• | 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. |
• | 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. |
• | 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 shares. |
• | The requirement that we complete an initial business combination within 15 months after the closing (or 18 months after the closing of this offering if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination) of this offering may give potential target businesses leverage over us in negotiating a business combination and may limit the time we have in which to conduct due diligence on potential business combination targets 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. |
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• | Nasdaq may delist our securities from trading on its exchange, which could limit investors’ ability to make transactions in our securities and subject us to additional trading restrictions. |
• | 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 business combination. |
• | 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. |
• | Because of our limited resources and the significant competition for business combination opportunities, it may be more difficult for us to complete our initial business combination. If we do not complete our initial business combination, our public stockholders may receive only their pro rata portion of the funds in the trust account that are available for distribution to public stockholders, and our warrants will expire worthless. |
• | We may issue additional ordinary shares or preferred shares to complete our initial business combination or under an employee incentive plan after completion of our initial business combination. We may also issue Class A ordinary shares upon the conversion of the Class B ordinary shares at a ratio greater than one-to-one at the time of completion of our initial business combination as a result of the anti-dilution provisions contained in our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association. Any such issuances would dilute the interest of our shareholders and likely present other risks. |
• | If we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct redemptions pursuant to the tender offer rules, and if you or a “group” of shareholders are deemed to hold in excess of 15% of our Class A ordinary shares, you will lose the ability to redeem all such shares in excess of 15% of our Class A ordinary shares. |
• | Since our sponsor, executive officers and directors will lose their entire investment in us if our initial business combination is not completed (other than with respect to public shares they may acquire during or after this offering), a conflict of interest may arise in determining whether a particular business combination target is appropriate for our initial business combination. |
• | The officers and directors of an acquisition candidate may resign upon completion of our initial business combination. The loss of a business combination target’s key personnel could negatively impact the operations and profitability of our post-combination business. |
• | If the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants not being held in the trust account are insufficient to allow us to operate for at least the next 15 months (or the next 18 months if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination), 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 and to complete our initial business combination. |
• | Provisions in our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association and Cayman Islands law may have the effect of inhibiting a takeover of us and discouraging lawsuits against our directors and officers. |
We are a blank check 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. Please 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 the section entitled “Risk Factors” in this prospectus.
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Corporate Information
We are a Cayman Islands exempted company incorporated with limited liability. Our executive offices are located at 2333 Ponce de Leon Blvd., Suite 630, Coral Gables, FL 33134, and our telephone number is (786) 662-3114. Upon completion of this offering, our corporate website address will be https://www.talon1spac.com. Our website and the information contained on, or that can be accessed through, the website is not deemed to be incorporated by reference in, and is not considered part of, this prospectus. You should not rely on any such information in making your decision whether to invest in our securities.
We are an “emerging growth company,” as defined in Section 2(a) of the Securities Act, as modified by the JOBS Act. As such, we are eligible to take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not “emerging growth companies” including, but not limited to, not being required to comply with the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in our periodic reports and proxy statements, and exemptions from the requirements of holding a non-binding advisory vote on executive compensation and shareholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved. If some investors find our securities less attractive as a result, there may be a less active trading market for our securities and the prices of our securities may be more volatile.
In addition, Section 107 of the JOBS Act also provides that an “emerging growth company” can take advantage of the extended transition period provided in Section 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act for complying with new or revised accounting standards. In other words, an “emerging growth company” can delay the adoption of certain accounting standards until those standards would otherwise apply to private companies. We intend to take advantage of the benefits of this extended transition period.
We will remain an emerging growth company until the earlier of (1) the last day of the fiscal year (a) following the fifth anniversary of the completion of this offering, (b) in which we have total annual gross revenue of at least $1.07 billion (as adjusted for inflation pursuant to SEC rules from time to time), or (c) in which we are deemed to be a large accelerated filer, which means the market value of our Class A ordinary shares that 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 $1.0 billion in non-convertible debt securities during the prior three-year period. References herein to “emerging growth company” shall have the meaning associated with it in the JOBS Act.
Additionally, we are a “smaller reporting company” as defined in Item 10(f)(1) of Regulation S-K. Smaller reporting companies may take advantage of certain reduced disclosure obligations, including, among other things, providing only two years of audited financial statements. We will remain a smaller reporting company until the last day of the fiscal year in which (1) the market value of our shares of common stock held by non-affiliates equaled or exceeded $250 million as of the prior June 30, and (2) our annual revenues equaled or exceeded $100 million during such completed fiscal year or the market value of our shares of common stock held by non-affiliates equaled or exceeded $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 consolidated financial statements with other public companies difficult or impossible.
Exempted companies are Cayman Islands companies incorporated with limited liability wishing to conduct business outside the Cayman Islands and, as such, are exempted from complying with certain provisions of the Companies Act. As an exempted company, we have applied for and have received a tax exemption undertaking from the Cayman Islands government that, in accordance with Section 6 of the Tax Concessions Act (as amended) of the Cayman Islands, for a period of 30 years from the date of the undertaking, no law which is enacted in the Cayman Islands imposing any tax to be levied on profits, income, gains or appreciations shall apply to us or our operations and, in addition, that no tax to be levied on profits, income, gains or appreciations or which is in the nature of estate duty or inheritance tax shall be payable (i) on or in respect of our shares, debentures or other obligations or (ii) by way of the withholding in whole or in part of a payment of dividend or other distribution of income or capital by us to our shareholders or a payment of principal or interest or other sums due under a debenture or other obligation of us.
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The Offering
In making your decision on whether to invest in our securities, you should take into account not only the backgrounds of the members of our management team, but also the special risks we face as a blank check company and the fact that this offering is not being conducted in compliance with Rule 419 promulgated under the Securities Act. You will not be entitled to protections normally afforded to investors in Rule 419 blank check offerings. You should carefully consider these and the other risks set forth in the section of this prospectus entitled “Risk Factors.”
Securities offered | 20,000,000 units (or 23,000,000 units if the underwriters’ option to purchase additional units is exercised in full), at $10.00 per unit, each unit consisting of:
• one Class A ordinary share; and
• one-half of one warrant. | |
Proposed Nasdaq symbols | We anticipate that the units, the Class A ordinary shares and warrants, once they begin separate trading, will be listed on Nasdaq under the following symbols:
Units: “TOAC.U”
Class A Ordinary Shares: “TOAC”
Warrants: “TOAC.WS” | |
Trading commencement and separation of Class A ordinary shares and warrants | The units will begin trading on or promptly after the date of this prospectus. The Class A ordinary shares and warrants comprising the units will begin separate trading on the 52nd day following the date of this prospectus unless Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC informs us of its decision to allow earlier separate trading, subject to our having filed the Current Report on Form 8-K described below and having issued a press release announcing when such separate trading will begin. Once the Class A ordinary shares and warrants commence separate trading, holders will have the option to continue to hold units or separate their units into the component securities. Holders will need to have their brokers contact our transfer agent in order to separate the units into Class A ordinary shares and warrants. No fractional warrants will be issued upon separation of the units and only whole warrants will trade. Accordingly, unless you purchase at least four units, you will not be able to receive or trade a whole warrant.
Additionally, the units will automatically separate into their component parts and will not be traded after completion of our initial business combination.
In no event will the Class A ordinary shares and warrants be traded separately until we have filed with the SEC a Current Report on Form 8-K that includes an audited balance sheet reflecting our receipt of the gross proceeds at the closing of this offering. We will |
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file the Current Report on Form 8-K that includes an audited balance sheet reflecting our receipt of the gross proceeds promptly after the closing of this offering. If the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised following the initial filing of such Current Report on Form 8-K, a second or amended Current Report on Form 8-K will be filed to provide updated financial information to reflect the exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option. | ||
Units: | ||
Number outstanding before this offering | None | |
Number outstanding after this offering | 20,000,000(1) | |
Ordinary shares: | ||
Number outstanding before this offering | 5,750,000 Class B ordinary shares(2)(3) | |
Number outstanding after this offering | 25,000,000 ordinary shares, consisting of 20,000,000 Class A ordinary shares and 5,000,000 Class B ordinary shares(1)(3) | |
Warrants: | ||
Number of private placement warrants to be sold in a private placement simultaneously with this offering | 11,900,000 (1) | |
Number of warrants to be outstanding after this offering and the private placement | 21,900,000 (1) | |
Exercisability | Each whole warrant is exercisable to purchase one Class A ordinary share at $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment as provided herein. Only whole warrants are exercisable. No fractional warrants will be issued upon separation of the units and only whole warrants will trade. | |
Exercise period | The warrants will become exercisable on the later of 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination or 12 months from the closing of this offering. The warrants will expire at 5:00 p.m., New York City time, on the fifth anniversary of the completion of our initial business combination, or earlier upon redemption or liquidation. The private placement warrants purchased by our sponsor will not |
1 | Assumes no exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option and the forfeiture by our sponsor of 750,000 founder shares. |
2 | Includes up to 750,000 Class B ordinary shares that are subject to forfeiture by our sponsor depending on the extent to which the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised. |
3 | The shares included in the units are Class A ordinary shares. Founder shares are classified as Class B ordinary shares, which shares are convertible into our Class A ordinary shares on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustment as described below adjacent to the caption “Founder shares conversion and anti-dilution.” |
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be exercisable more than five years from the effective date of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part, in accordance with FINRA Rule 5110(g)(8), as long as our sponsor or any of its related persons beneficially own such private placement warrants. Upon the exercise of any warrant, the warrant exercise price will be paid directly to us and not placed in the trust account.
No public warrants will be exercisable for cash unless we have an effective and current registration statement covering the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants and a current prospectus relating to such Class A ordinary shares and such shares are registered, qualified or exempt from registration under the securities, or blue sky, laws of the state of residence of the holder (or we permit holders to exercise their warrants on a cashless basis under the circumstances specified in the warrant agreement, including in connection with a cashless exercise permitted as a result of a notice of redemption described below under “ Redemption of warrants when the price per Class A ordinary share equals or exceeds $10.00”). | ||
Redemption of warrants when the price per Class A ordinary share equals or exceeds $18.00 | Once the warrants become exercisable, we may redeem the outstanding warrants (excluding the private placement warrants), in whole and not in part, at a price of $0.01 per warrant:
• upon a minimum of 30 days’ prior written notice of redemption; and
• if, and only if, the last reported sale price of our Class A ordinary shares equals or exceeds $18.00 per share (as adjusted for adjustments to the number of shares issuable upon exercise or the exercise price of a warrant as described under the heading “Description of Securities — Warrants — Public Shareholders’ Warrants — Anti-dilution Adjustments”) for any 20 trading days within a 30 trading day period ending three business days before we send the notice of redemption to the warrant holders (which we refer to as the “Reference Value”).
We will not redeem the warrants as described above unless an effective registration statement under the Securities Act covering the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants is effective and a current prospectus relating to those Class A ordinary shares is available throughout the 30-day redemption period, except if the warrants may be exercised on a cashless basis and such cashless exercise is exempt from registration under the Securities Act If and when the warrants become redeemable by us, we may exercise our redemption right even if we are unable to register or qualify the securities issuable upon exercise of such warrants for sale under all applicable state securities laws. |
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None of the private placement warrants will be redeemable by us so long as they are held by our sponsor or its permitted transferees. | ||
Redemption of warrants when the price per Class A ordinary share equals or exceeds $10.00 | Once the warrants become exercisable, we may redeem the outstanding warrants (except as described herein with respect to the private placement warrants), in whole and not in part, at a price of $0.10 per warrant:
• upon a minimum of 30 days’ prior written notice of redemption, provided that holders will be able to exercise their warrants on a cashless basis prior to redemption and receive that number of shares determined by reference to the table set forth under “Description of Securities — Warrants — Public Shareholders’ Warrants” based on the redemption date and the “fair market value” of our Class A ordinary shares (as defined below) except as otherwise described in “Description of Securities — Warrants — Public Shareholders’ Warrants”; and
• if, and only if, the Reference Value equals or exceeds $10.00 per public share (as adjusted for adjustments to the number of shares issuable upon exercise or the exercise price of a warrant as described under the heading “Description of Securities — Warrants — Public Shareholders’ Warrants — Anti-dilution Adjustments”).
The “fair market value” of our Class A ordinary shares for the above purpose shall mean the volume weighted average price of our Class A ordinary shares during the ten trading days immediately following the date on which the notice of redemption is sent to the holders of warrants. This redemption feature differs from the typical warrant redemption features used in other blank check offerings. We will provide our warrant holders with the final fair market value no later than one business day after the ten trading day period described above ends. In no event will the warrants be exercisable in connection with this redemption feature for more than 0.361 Class A ordinary shares per warrant (subject to adjustment).
No fractional Class A ordinary shares will be issued upon redemption. If, upon redemption, a holder would be entitled to receive a fractional interest in a share, we will round down to the nearest whole number of the number of Class A ordinary shares to be issued to the holder. Please see the section entitled “Description of Securities — Warrants — Public Shareholders’ Warrants” for additional information. |
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None of the private placement warrants will be redeemable by us so long as they are held by our sponsor or its permitted transferees. | ||
Founder shares | As of the date of this prospectus, our initial shareholders own an aggregate of 5,750,000 founder shares. The number of founder shares was determined based on the expectation that the founder shares would represent 20% of the outstanding shares after this offering. As such, our initial shareholders will collectively own 20% of our issued and outstanding shares after this offering (assuming they do not purchase any units in this offering). In July 2021, our sponsor transferred 50,000 founder shares to each of our three independent director nominees, 75,000 founder shares to Jeremy Falk, our Chief Operating Officer, 50,000 founder to shares to Ryan Goepel, our Chief Financial Officer, and 10,000 founder shares to each of our two board of advisor nominees. Up to 750,000 founder shares will be subject to forfeiture by our initial shareholders (or their permitted transferees) depending on the extent to which the underwriters’ over-allotment option is not exercised so that our initial shareholders will maintain ownership of 20% of our ordinary shares after this offering.
The founder shares are identical to the Class A ordinary shares included in the units being sold in this offering, except that:
• only holders of the founder shares have the right to vote on the election or removal of directors prior to our initial business combination;
• in respect of any vote or votes to continue the company in a jurisdiction outside the Cayman Islands (including, but not limited to, the approval of the organizational documents of the company in such other jurisdiction), which requires the approval of at least two-thirds of the votes of all ordinary shares, holders of our founder shares will have ten votes for every founder share and holders of our Class A ordinary shares will have one vote for every Class A ordinary share;
• the founder shares are Class B ordinary shares that automatically convert into our Class A ordinary shares at the time of completion of our initial business combination on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustment pursuant to certain anti-dilution rights, as described herein; |
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• the founder shares are subject to certain transfer restrictions, as described in more detail below;
• our sponsor, officers and directors have entered into a letter agreement with us, pursuant to which they have agreed (i) 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, (ii) to waive their redemption rights with respect to any founder shares and public shares held by them in connection with a shareholder vote to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association in a manner that would affect the substance or timing of our obligation to redeem 100% of our public shares if we have not consummated an initial business combination within the completion window and (iii) 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 completion window (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 shareholders for a vote, we will complete our initial business combination only if a majority of the outstanding ordinary shares voted are voted in favor of the initial business combination. Our initial shareholders have agreed to vote any founder shares held by them and any public shares purchased during or after this offering in favor of our initial business combination. As a result, in addition to our initial shareholders’ founder shares, we would need 7,500,001, or 37.5%, of the 20,000,000 public shares sold in this offering to be voted in favor of a transaction (assuming all outstanding shares are voted) in order to have our initial business combination approved (assuming the over-allotment option is not exercised); and
• the founder shares are entitled to registration rights. | ||
Transfer restrictions on founder shares | Our initial shareholders have agreed not to transfer, assign or sell any founder shares held by them until one year after the date of the consummation of our initial business combination or earlier if, subsequent to our initial business combination, (i) the last reported sale price of our Class A ordinary shares 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 or (ii) we consummate a subsequent liquidation, merger, stock exchange or other similar transaction which results in all of our |
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shareholders having the right to exchange their ordinary shares for cash, securities or other property (except as described herein under “Principal Shareholders — Transfers of Founder Shares and Private Placement Warrants”). We refer to such transfer restrictions throughout this prospectus as the “lock-up.” | ||
Founder shares conversion and anti-dilution rights | As of the date of this prospectus, we have outstanding 5,750,000 Class B ordinary shares, par value $0.0001 per share. The Class B ordinary shares will automatically convert into our Class A ordinary shares at the time of completion of our initial business combination on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustment for stock splits, stock dividends, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like and subject to further adjustment as provided herein. In the case that additional Class A ordinary shares, or equity-linked securities, are issued or deemed issued in excess of the amounts sold in this offering and related to the closing of the initial business combination, the ratio at which Class B ordinary shares will convert into Class A ordinary shares will be adjusted (unless the holders of a majority of the outstanding Class B ordinary shares agree to waive such adjustment with respect to any such issuance or deemed issuance) so that the number of Class A ordinary shares issuable upon conversion of all Class B ordinary shares will equal, in the aggregate, on an as-converted basis, 20% of the sum of the total number of all ordinary shares outstanding upon the completion of this offering plus all Class A ordinary shares and equity-linked securities issued or deemed issued in connection with the business combination (excluding any shares or equity-linked securities issued, or to be issued, to any seller in the business combination). | |
Voting | Prior to our initial business combination, only holders of our founder shares (our Class B ordinary shares) will have the right to vote on the election or removal of directors. Holders of our public shares will not be entitled to vote on the election or removal of directors during such time. In addition, in respect of any vote or votes to continue the company in a jurisdiction outside the Cayman Islands (including, but not limited to, the approval of the organizational documents of the company in such other jurisdiction), which requires the approval of at least two-thirds of the votes of all ordinary shares, holders of our founder shares will have ten votes for every founder share and holders of our Class A ordinary shares will have one vote for every Class A ordinary share and, as a result, our initial shareholders will be able to approve any such proposal without the vote of any other shareholder. These provisions of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association may only be amended by a special |
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resolution passed by a majority of at least 90% of our ordinary shares voting in a general meeting. With respect to any other matter submitted to a vote of our shareholders, including any vote in connection with our initial business combination, except as required by law or the applicable rules of Nasdaq then in effect, holders of our founder shares and holders of our public shares will vote together as a single class, with each share entitling the holder to one vote. | ||
Private placement warrants | Our sponsor has committed, pursuant to a written agreement, to purchase an aggregate of 11,900,000 private placement warrants (or 13,250,000 private placement warrants if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), each exercisable to purchase one Class A ordinary share at $11.50 per share, at a price of $1.00 per warrant ($11.9 million in the aggregate or $13.25 million in the aggregate if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) in a private placement that will close simultaneously with the closing of this offering. Each whole private placement warrant is exercisable for one whole Class A ordinary share at $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 such that at the time of closing $205.0 million (or $235.75 million if the underwriters exercise their over-allotment option in full) will be held in the trust account. If we do not complete our initial business combination within the completion window, the proceeds from 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.
So long as they are held by our sponsor or its permitted transferees, the private placement warrants will not be redeemable by us and will be exercisable on a cashless basis. If the private placement warrants are held by holders other than our sponsor or its permitted transferees, the private placement warrants will be redeemable by us in all redemption scenarios and exercisable by the holders on the same basis as the warrants included in the units being sold in this offering and will only be exercisable for our Class A ordinary shares. The private placement warrants purchased by our sponsor will not be exercisable more than five years from the effective date of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part, in accordance with FINRA Rule 5110(g)(8), as long as our sponsor or any of its related persons beneficially own such private placement warrants. |
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Transfer restrictions on private placement warrants | The private placement warrants will not be transferable, assignable or saleable until the date that is 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination (except as described below under “Principal Shareholders — Transfers of Founder Shares and Private Placement Warrants”). | |
Cashless exercise of private placement warrants | If holders of private placement warrants elect to exercise them on a cashless basis, they would pay the exercise price by surrendering their warrants for that number of Class A ordinary shares equal to the quotient obtained by dividing (x) the product of the number of Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants, multiplied by the excess of the “sponsor fair market value” (defined below) over the exercise price of the warrants by (y) the sponsor fair market value. The “sponsor fair market value” shall mean the average last reported sale price of the Class A ordinary shares for the 10 trading days ending on the third trading day prior to the date on which the notice of warrant exercise is sent to the warrant agent. The reason that we have agreed that these warrants will be exercisable on a cashless basis so long as they are held by our sponsor or its permitted transferees is because it is not known at this time whether they will be affiliated with us following a business combination. If they remain affiliated with us, their ability to sell our securities in the open market will be significantly limited. We expect to have policies in place that prohibit insiders from selling our securities 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 they are in possession of material non-public information. Accordingly, unlike public shareholders who could sell the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants freely in the open market, the insiders could be significantly restricted from doing so. As a result, we believe that allowing the holders to exercise such warrants on a cashless basis is appropriate. | |
Proceeds to be held in trust account | The Nasdaq listing rules 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 proceeds we will receive from this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants described in this prospectus, $205.0 million, or $10.00 per unit ($235.75 million, or $10.00 per unit, if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) will be deposited into a U.S.-based trust account at J.P. Morgan Chase Bank, N.A. with Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company acting as trustee and $11.9 million (or $13.25 million, if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) will be used to pay the initial underwriting discounts and commissions, 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 $7.0 million (or $8.05 million if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) in deferred underwriting commissions. |
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Except with respect to interest earned on the funds held in the trust account that may be released to make permitted withdrawals, the proceeds from this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants will not be released from the trust account until the earliest of (a) the completion of our initial business combination (including the release of funds to pay any amounts due to any public shareholders who properly exercise their redemption rights in connection therewith), (b) the redemption of any public shares properly submitted in connection with a shareholder vote to approve an amendment to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association that would affect the substance or timing of our obligation to redeem 100% of our public shares if we have not consummated an initial business combination within the completion window, or (c) the redemption of our public shares if we are unable to complete our initial business combination within the completion window, subject to 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 shareholders.
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Ability to extend time to complete business combination | If we anticipate that we may not be able to consummate our initial business combination within 15 months, we may, by resolution of our board if requested by our sponsor, extend the period of time to consummate a business combination by an additional three months (for a total of 18 months to complete a business combination), subject to the sponsor providing advance notice and depositing additional funds into the trust account as set out below. Pursuant to the terms of our second amended and restated memorandum and articles of association and the trust agreement to be entered into between us and Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company on the date of this prospectus, in order to extend the time available for us to consummate our initial business combination by an additional three months, our sponsor or its affiliates or designees must provide advance notice at least five days prior to the date which is 15 months from the closing of this offering and must deposit into the trust account $2,000,000, or $2,300,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full ($0.10 per share in either case), on or prior to the date which is 15 months from the closing of this offering. Any such payment would be made in the form of a loan. The terms of the promissory note to be issued in connection with any such loan have not yet been negotiated. If we complete our initial business combination, we would repay such loaned amount out of the proceeds of the trust account released to us. If we do not complete a business combination, we will not repay such loan. Furthermore, the letter agreement with our initial shareholders contains a provision pursuant to which our sponsor has agreed to waive its right to be repaid for such loans in the event that we do not complete a business combination. Our sponsor and its affiliates or designees are not obligated to fund the trust account to extend the time for us to complete our initial business combination.
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Anticipated expenses and funding sources | Except as described above with respect to the payment of taxes from interest earned on the funds held in the trust account, 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 make permitted withdrawals. The proceeds held in the trust account will be invested only in U.S. government treasury obligations with a maturity of 185 days or less or in money market funds meeting certain conditions under Rule 2a-7 under the Investment Company Act which invest only in direct U.S. government treasury obligations. We will disclose in each quarterly and annual report filed with the SEC prior to our initial business combination whether the proceeds deposited in the trust account are invested in U.S. government treasury obligations or money market funds or a combination thereof. We estimate the interest earned on the trust account will be approximately $100,000 per year, assuming an interest rate of 0.05% per year; however, we can provide no assurances regarding this amount. Unless and until we complete our initial business combination, we may pay our expenses only from: |
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• the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants not held in the trust account, which will be approximately $1,124,500 in working capital after the payment of approximately $1,124,500 in expenses relating to this offering and other operating expenses and approximately $4 million in underwriting discounts and commissions;
• any loans or additional investments from our sponsor, members of our management team or their affiliates or other third parties, although they are under no obligation to advance funds 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; and
• permitted withdrawals from the trust account. | ||
Conditions to completing our initial business combination | There is no limitation on our ability to raise funds privately or through loans in connection with our initial business combination. The Nasdaq listing rules require that our initial business combination must be with one or more target businesses that together have a fair market value equal to at least 80% of the balance in the trust account (excluding the amount of any deferred underwriting commissions held in trust and taxes payable on the interest earned on the trust account) at the time of our signing a definitive agreement in connection with our initial business combination.
If our board of directors is not able to independently determine the fair market value of the target business or businesses or we are considering an initial business combination with an affiliated entity, we will obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm that is a member of FINRA or an independent accounting firm. Our shareholders may not be provided with a copy of such opinion nor will they be able to rely on such opinion.
We anticipate structuring our initial business combination so that the post-transaction company in which our public shareholders own shares will own or acquire 100% of the outstanding equity interests or assets of the target business or businesses. We may, however, structure our initial business combination such that the post-transaction company owns or acquires less than 100% of such interests or assets of the target business in order to meet certain objectives of the target management team or shareholders or for other reasons. However, 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 an interest in the target sufficient for the post-transaction company 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 voting securities of the target, our shareholders prior to the business combination may collectively own a minority interest in the post-business combination company, depending on valuations ascribed to the target and us in the business combination transaction. If less than 100% of the 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 is what will be taken into account for purposes of Nasdaq’s |
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80% of net assets test, provided that in the event that the business combination involves more than one target business, the 80% of net assets test will be based on the aggregate value of all of the transactions and we will treat the transactions together as our initial business combination for seeking shareholder approval or for purposes of a tender offer, as applicable. | ||
Permitted purchases of public shares and public warrants by our affiliates | If we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct redemptions in connection with our initial business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our sponsor, initial shareholders, directors, officers, advisors or their 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. However, other than as expressly stated herein, they have no current commitments, plans or intentions to engage in such transactions and have not formulated any terms or conditions for any such transactions. None of the funds held in the trust account will be used to purchase public shares or public warrants in such transactions. If they engage in such transactions, they will not make any such purchases when they are in possession of any material nonpublic information not disclosed to the seller or if such purchases are prohibited by Regulation M under the Exchange Act. We do not currently anticipate that such purchases, if any, would constitute a tender offer subject to the tender offer rules under the Exchange Act or a going-private transaction subject to the going-private rules under the Exchange Act; however, if the purchasers determine at the time of any such purchases that the purchases are subject to such rules, the purchasers will comply with such rules. Any such purchases will be reported pursuant to Section 13 and Section 16 of the Exchange Act to the extent such purchasers are subject to such reporting requirements. See “Proposed Business — Permitted Purchases of our Securities” for a description of how our sponsor, initial shareholders, directors, executive officers, advisors or any of their affiliates will select which shareholders to purchase securities from in any private transaction.
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The purpose of any such purchases of shares could be to vote such shares in favor of the business combination and thereby increase the likelihood of obtaining shareholder approval of the business combination or to satisfy a closing condition in an agreement with a target that requires us to have a minimum net worth or a certain amount of cash at the closing of our initial business combination, where it appears that such requirement would otherwise not be met. The purpose of any such purchases of public warrants could be to reduce the number of public warrants outstanding or to vote such warrants on any matters submitted to the warrant holders for approval in connection with our initial business combination. Any such purchases of our securities may result in the completion of our initial business combination that may not otherwise have been possible. In addition, if such purchases are made, the public “float” of our Class A ordinary shares or our 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.
There is no limit on the number of public shares and public warrants that our initial shareholders, sponsor, officers, directors or their affiliates may purchase pursuant to the transactions described above. | ||
Redemption rights for public shareholders in connection with our initial business combination | We will provide our public shareholders 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 earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to make permitted withdrawals, 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 $10.25 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. There will be no redemption rights in connection with our initial business combination with respect to our warrants. Our sponsor, officers and directors 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 held by them and any public shares they may acquire during or after this offering. |
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Limitations on redemptions | Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide that in no event will we redeem our public shares in an amount that would cause our net tangible assets to be less than $5,000,001 (so that we are not subject to the SEC’s “penny stock” rules). However, a greater net tangible asset or cash requirement may be contained in the agreement relating to our initial business combination. For example, the proposed business combination may require (i) cash consideration to be paid to the target or its owners, (ii) cash to be transferred to the target for working capital or other general corporate purposes or (iii) the retention of cash to satisfy other conditions in accordance with the terms of the proposed business combination. In the event the aggregate cash consideration we would be required to pay for all our Class A ordinary shares that are validly submitted for redemption plus any amount required to satisfy cash conditions pursuant to the terms of the proposed business combination exceed the aggregate amount of cash available to us, we will not complete the business combination or redeem any shares, and all our Class A ordinary shares submitted for redemption will be returned to the holders thereof. | |
Manner of conducting redemptions | We will provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their public shares in connection with our initial business combination either (i) in connection with a shareholder meeting called to approve the business combination or (ii) by means of a tender offer. The decision as to whether we will seek shareholder approval of a proposed business combination or conduct a tender offer will be made by us, solely in our discretion, and will be based on a variety of factors such as the timing of the transaction and whether the terms of the transaction would require us to seek shareholder approval under applicable law or stock exchange listing requirements. Asset acquisitions and stock purchases would not typically require shareholder approval, while direct mergers with our company and any transactions where we issue more than 20% of our outstanding ordinary shares or seek to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association would require shareholder approval. We currently intend to conduct redemptions in connection with a shareholder vote unless shareholder approval is not required by applicable law or stock exchange listing requirements and we choose to conduct redemptions pursuant to the tender offer rules of the SEC for business or other legal reasons.
If we hold a shareholder vote to approve our initial business combination, we will:
• conduct the redemptions in conjunction with a proxy solicitation pursuant to Regulation 14A of the Exchange Act, which regulates the solicitation of proxies, and not pursuant to the tender offer rules; and
• file proxy materials with the SEC.
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If we seek shareholder approval, we will complete our initial business combination only if a majority of our ordinary shares 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 our outstanding ordinary shares representing a majority of the voting power of all outstanding ordinary shares of the company entitled to vote at such meeting. Our initial shareholders will count towards this quorum and have agreed to vote their founder shares and any public shares purchased during or after this offering in favor of our initial business combination. For purposes of seeking approval of the majority of our outstanding ordinary shares voted, non-votes will have no effect on the approval of our initial business combination once a quorum is obtained. As a result, in addition to our initial shareholders’ founder shares, we would need 7,500,001, or 37.5%, of the 20,000,000 public shares sold in this offering to be voted in favor of an initial business combination in order to have our initial business combination approved (assuming all outstanding shares are voted and the over-allotment option is not exercised). We intend to give approximately 30 days (but 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 the voting agreements of our initial shareholders, may make it more likely that we will consummate our initial business combination. Each public shareholder may elect to redeem its public shares irrespective of whether they vote for or against the proposed transaction or vote at all.
We may require our public shareholders 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 proxy solicitation or tender offer materials mailed to such holders, or up to two business days prior to the initially 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. We believe that this will allow our transfer agent to efficiently process any redemptions without the need for further communication or action from the redeeming public shareholders, which could delay redemptions and result in additional administrative cost. If the proposed business combination is not approved and we continue to search for a target business, we will promptly return any certificates delivered, or shares tendered electronically, by public shareholders who elected to redeem their shares. |
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If we conduct redemptions pursuant to the tender offer rules of the SEC, we will:
• 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 our initial business combination and the redemption rights as is required under Regulation 14A of the Exchange Act, which regulates the solicitation of proxies. 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 shareholder vote even if we are not able to maintain our Nasdaq listing or Exchange Act registration.
Upon the public announcement of our business combination, if we elect to conduct redemptions pursuant to the tender offer rules, we or our sponsor will terminate any plan established in accordance with Rule 10b5-1 to purchase our Class A ordinary shares in the open market, in order to comply with Rule 14e-5 under the Exchange Act.
In the event we conduct redemptions pursuant to the tender offer rules, our offer to redeem will remain open for at least 20 business days, in accordance with Rule 14e-1(a) under the Exchange Act, and we will not be permitted to complete our initial business combination until the expiration of the tender offer period. In addition, the tender offer will be conditioned on public shareholders not tendering more than the number of public shares we are permitted to redeem. If public shareholders tender more shares than we have offered to purchase, we will withdraw the tender offer and not complete the initial business combination. | ||
Limitation on redemption rights of shareholders holding 15% or more of the shares sold in this offering if we hold shareholder vote | Notwithstanding the foregoing redemption rights, if we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct redemptions in connection with our business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide that a public shareholder, together with any affiliate of such shareholder or any other person with whom such shareholder is acting in concert or as a “group” (as defined under Section 13 of the Exchange Act), will be restricted from redeeming its shares with respect to more than an aggregate of 15% of the shares sold in this offering, without our prior consent. We believe the restriction described above will discourage shareholders from accumulating large blocks of shares, and subsequent attempts by such holders to use their ability to redeem their shares as a means to force us or our management to purchase their shares at a significant premium to the then-current market price or on other undesirable terms. Absent this provision, a public shareholder holding more than an aggregate of 15% of the shares sold in this offering could threaten to exercise its redemption rights against a business combination if such holder’s shares are not purchased by us, our sponsor or our management at a premium to the then-current market price or on other undesirable terms. By limiting our shareholders’ ability to redeem to no more than 15% of the shares |
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sold in this offering, we believe we will limit the ability of a small group of shareholders to unreasonably attempt to block our ability to complete our business combination, particularly in connection with a business combination with a target that requires as a closing condition that we have a minimum net worth or a certain amount of cash. However, we would not be restricting our shareholders’ ability to vote all of their shares (including all shares held by those shareholders that hold more than 15% of the shares sold in this offering) for or against our business combination. | ||
Redemption rights in connection with proposed amendments to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association | Some other blank check companies have a provision in their constitutional documents which prohibits the amendment of certain constitutional provisions. Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide that any of its provisions, including those related to pre-business combination activity (including the requirement to deposit proceeds of this offering and the private placement warrants into the trust account and not release such amounts except in specified circumstances, and to provide redemption rights to public shareholders as described herein, but excluding the provision of the articles relating to the appointment of directors, which requires the approval of a majority of at least 90% of our ordinary shares voting in a general meeting), may be amended if approved by holders of at least two-thirds of our ordinary shares who attend and vote in a general meeting, and corresponding provisions of the trust agreement governing the release of funds from our trust account may be amended if approved by holders of 65% of our ordinary shares. Our initial shareholders, who will beneficially own 20% of our ordinary shares upon the closing of this offering (assuming they do not purchase units in this offering), may participate in any vote to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association and/or trust agreement and will have the discretion to vote in any manner they choose. |
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Our sponsor, officers and directors have agreed, pursuant to a written agreement with us, that they will not propose any amendment to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association that would affect the substance or timing of our obligation to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within the completion window, unless we provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem their Class A ordinary shares upon approval of any such amendment at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including permitted withdrawals, divided by the number of then outstanding public shares. | ||
Release of funds in trust account on completion of our initial business combination | On the completion of our initial business combination, the funds held in the trust account will be used to pay amounts due to any public shareholders who exercise their redemption rights as described above under “Redemption rights for public shareholders 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 securities, or not all of the funds released from the trust account are used for payment of the consideration in connection with our initial business combination, we may apply the balance of the cash released to us from the trust account for general corporate purposes, including for maintenance or expansion of operations of post-transaction businesses, the payment of principal or interest due on indebtedness incurred in completing our initial business combination, to fund the purchase of other companies or for working capital. | |
Redemption of public shares and distribution and liquidation if no initial business combination | Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association provides that we will have only the completion window to complete our initial business combination. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination within the completion window, we will (i) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up, (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter, redeem the public shares, at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to make permitted withdrawals (less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses and net of taxes payable), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public shareholders’ rights as shareholders (including the right to receive further liquidating distributions, if any), subject to applicable law, and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining shareholders and our board of directors, dissolve and liquidate, subject in each case to our obligations under Cayman Islands law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law. There will be no redemption rights or liquidating distributions with respect to our warrants, which will expire worthless if we fail to complete our initial business combination within the completion window. |
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Our sponsor, officers and directors have entered into a letter agreement with us, pursuant to which they have waived their rights to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to any founder shares held by them if we fail to complete our initial business combination within the completion window. However, if our initial shareholders or management team 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 complete our initial business combination within the allotted completion window.
The underwriters have agreed to waive their rights to their deferred underwriting commissions held in the trust account in the event we do not complete our initial business combination and subsequently liquidate 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. | ||
Payments to insiders | There will be no restrictions on payments to insiders. We expect that some or all of the following payments will be made to our sponsor, officers or directors, or our or their affiliates, none of which will be made from the proceeds of this offering held in the trust account prior to the completion of our initial business combination, other than from any permitted withdrawals:
• repayment of up to an aggregate of $0.3 million in loans made to us by our sponsor to cover offering-related and organizational expenses;
• reimbursement for office space, utilities, secretarial support and administrative services provided to us by our sponsor, in an amount equal to $10,000 per month, for up to 15 months (or for up to 18 months if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination); |
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• underwriting discounts and commissions, placement agent fees, initial purchaser fees or discounts, finder’s fees, arrangement fees, commitment fees and transaction, structuring, consulting, advisory and management fees and similar fees for services rendered prior to or in connection with the completion of an initial business combination;
• reimbursement of legal fees and expenses incurred by our sponsor, officers or directors in connection with our formation, the initial business combination and their services to us;
• reimbursement for any out-of-pocket expenses related to identifying, investigating, negotiating and completing an initial business combination; and
• repayment of loans which may be made by our sponsor or an affiliate of our sponsor or certain of our officers and directors to finance transaction costs in connection with an intended initial business combination; up to $1.5 million of such loans may be convertible into warrants of the post business combination entity at a price of $1.00 per warrant at the option of the lender; the warrants would be identical to the private placement warrants, including as to exercise price, exercisability and exercise period; except for the foregoing, the terms of such loans, if any, have not been determined and no written agreements exist with respect to such loans. | ||
Audit Committee | We will establish and maintain an audit committee, which initially will be composed of a majority of independent directors and, within one year of the date of this offering, will be composed entirely of independent directors 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. For more information, see the section entitled “Management — Committees of the Board of Directors — Audit Committee.” | |
Conflicts of Interest | Each of our officers and directors presently has, and any of them in the future may have additional, fiduciary or contractual obligations to other entities pursuant to which such officer or director is or will be required to present a business combination opportunity (e.g., Edward J. Wegel serves as our Chief Executive Officer and Executive Chairman of our board of directors and serves as Co-Founder and President of AVi8 (having assumed the role in December 2016), and Ryan Goepel serves as our Chief Financial Officer and is also the Chief Financial Officer of Avi8 (having assumed that role in February 2020) and the Chief Financial Officer of GlobalX (having served in that role since February 2020), and was elected to the board of directors of GlobalX in June 2020). Accordingly, if any of our officers or directors becomes aware of a business combination opportunity which is suitable for an entity to which he or she has then-current fiduciary or contractual obligations, he or she will honor his or her fiduciary or contractual obligations to present such opportunity to such entity. We do not believe, however, that the fiduciary or contractual obligations of our officers or directors will |
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materially affect our ability to identify and pursue business combination opportunities or 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.
The purpose for the renouncement of corporate opportunities is to allow officers, directors or other representatives with multiple business affiliations to continue to serve as an officer of our company or on our board of directors. Our officers and directors may from time to time be presented with opportunities that could benefit both another business affiliation and us. In the absence of the “corporate opportunity” waiver in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, certain candidates would not be able to serve as an officer or director. We believe we substantially benefit from having representatives who bring significant, relevant and valuable experience to our management, and, as a result, the inclusion of the “corporate opportunity” waiver in our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association provides us with greater flexibility to attract and retain the officers and directors that we feel are the best candidates.
However, the personal and financial interests of our directors and officers may influence their motivation in timely identifying and pursuing an initial business combination or completing our initial business combination. The different timelines of competing business combinations could cause our directors and officers to prioritize a different business combination over finding a suitable acquisition target for our business combination. Consequently, our directors’ and officers’ discretion in identifying and selecting a suitable target business may result in a conflict of interest when determining whether the terms, conditions and timing of a particular business combination are appropriate and in our shareholders’ best interest, which could negatively impact the timing for a business combination. |
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In addition, our founders and our directors and officers may sponsor, form or participate in other blank check companies similar to ours prior to completion of our initial business combination. As a result, our sponsor, officers or directors could have conflicts of interest in determining whether to present business combination opportunities to us or to any other blank check company with which they may become involved. Although we have no formal policy in place for vetting potential conflicts of interest, our board of directors will review any potential conflicts of interest on a case-by-case basis. Any such companies may present additional conflicts of interest in pursuing an acquisition target, particularly in the event there is overlap among investment mandates. However, we do not believe that any potential conflicts would materially affect our ability to complete our initial business combination because our management team has significant experience in identifying and executing multiple acquisition opportunities simultaneously, and we are not limited by industry or geography in terms of the acquisition opportunities we can pursue. | ||
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 accountants) for services rendered or products sold to us, or by a prospective target business with which we have entered into a letter of intent, confidentiality or other similar agreement or business combination agreement, reduce the amount of funds in the trust account to below (i) $10.00 per public share or (ii) such lesser amount per public share held in the trust account as of the date of the liquidation of the trust account due to reductions in the value of the trust assets, in each case net of the interest which may be withdrawn in permitted withdrawals. This liability will not apply with respect to any claims by a third party or prospective target business 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, then 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. We have not asked our sponsor to reserve for such indemnification obligations. None of our officers will indemnify us for claims by third parties including, without limitation, claims by vendors and prospective target businesses. |
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Summary Financial Data
The following table summarizes the relevant financial data for the Company and should be read with the financial statements, which are included in this prospectus. The Company has not had any significant operations to date, so only balance sheet data is presented.
September 30, 2021 | ||||||||
Balance Sheet Data: | Actual | As Adjusted(5) | ||||||
Working Capital (deficiency)(1) | $ | (393,588 | ) | $ | 187,660,394 | |||
Total Assets(2) | $ | 416,110 | $ | 206,117,234 | ||||
Total Liabilities(3) | $ | 423,376 | $ | 18,456,840 | ||||
Shareholder’s Equity(4) | $ | (7,266 | ) | $ | (17,339,606 | ) |
(1) | The “as adjusted” calculation includes $205,000,000 cash held in trust from the proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants, plus $1,124,500 in cash held outside the trust account, plus $(7,266) of actual shareholder’s equity at September 30, 2021, less $7,000,000 of deferred underwriting commissions, less $11,456,840 fair value of the warrant liability. |
(2) | The “as adjusted” calculation equals $205,000,000 cash held in trust from the proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants, plus $1,124,500 in cash held outside the trust account, plus $(7,266) of actual shareholder’s equity at September 30, 2021. |
(3) | The “as adjusted” calculation includes $7,000,000 of deferred underwriting commissions and the fair value of the warrant liability of $11,456,840. |
(4) | Excludes 20,000,000 class A ordinary shares 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 ordinary shares that may be redeemed in connection with our initial business combination (approximately $10.00 per share). |
(5) | Assumes the full forfeiture of 750,000 shares of Class B ordinary shares that are subject to forfeiture depending on the extent to which the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised. |
If no business combination is completed within the period to consummate the initial business combination, 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 the Company to pay its franchise and income taxes as well as expenses relating to the administration of the trust account (less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses), will be used to fund the redemption of the Company’s public Shares. The sponsor, directors and each member of the management team have entered into a letter agreement with the Company, 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 the Company does not complete its initial business combination within such 15-month time period (or within 18 months if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination).
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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 the Consummation of, or Inability to Consummate, an Initial Business Combination
Our public shareholders may not be afforded an opportunity to vote on our proposed business combination, and even if we hold a shareholder vote, holders of our founder shares will participate in such vote, which means we may complete our initial business combination even though a majority of our public shareholders do not support that combination.
We may choose not to hold a shareholder vote to approve our initial business combination if the business combination would not require shareholder approval under applicable law or stock exchange listing requirements. Except as required by applicable law or stock exchange requirement, the decision as to whether we will seek shareholder approval of a proposed business combination or will allow shareholders to sell their shares to us in a tender offer will be made by us, solely in our discretion, and will be based on a variety of factors, such as the timing of the transaction and whether the terms of the transaction would otherwise require us to seek shareholder approval. Even if we seek shareholder approval, the holders of our founder shares will participate in the vote on such shareholder approval. Accordingly, we may complete our initial business combination even if holders of a majority of our outstanding public shares do not approve of the business combination we complete. Please see the section entitled “Proposed Business — Shareholders May Not Have the Ability to Approve Our Initial Business Combination” for additional information.
If we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination, our sponsor, officers and directors have agreed to vote in favor of such initial business combination, regardless of how our public shareholders vote.
Our initial shareholders, officers and directors 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 shareholders’ founder shares, we would need 7,500,001, or 37.5%, of the 20,000,000 public shares sold in this offering to be voted in favor of a transaction (assuming all issued and outstanding shares are voted and the option to purchase additional units is not exercised) in order to have such initial business combination approved. We expect that our initial shareholders and their permitted transferees will own at least 20% of our outstanding ordinary shares at the time of any such shareholder vote. Accordingly, if we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination, it is more likely that the necessary shareholder approval will be received than would be the case if our initial shareholders and their permitted transferees agreed to vote their founder shares in accordance with the majority of the votes cast by our public shareholders.
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 shareholder 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 our initial business combination. Since our board of directors may complete a business combination without seeking shareholder approval, public shareholders may not have the right or opportunity to vote on the business combination, unless we seek such shareholder vote. Accordingly, if we do not seek shareholder 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 shareholders in which we describe our initial business combination.
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The ability of our public shareholders to redeem their shares for cash may make our financial condition unattractive to potential business combination targets, which may make it difficult for us to enter into a business combination with a target.
We may seek to enter into a business combination transaction agreement with a prospective target that requires as a closing condition that we have a minimum net worth or a certain amount of cash. If too many public shareholders exercise their redemption rights, we would not be able to meet such closing condition and, as a result, would not be able to proceed with the business combination. The amount of the deferred underwriting commissions payable to the underwriter 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. If we are able to consummate an initial business combination, the per-share value of shares held by non-redeeming shareholders will reflect our obligation to pay and the payment of the deferred underwriting commissions. Furthermore, in no event will we redeem our public shares in an amount that would cause our net tangible assets to be less than $5,000,001 (so that we are not subject to the SEC’s “penny stock” rules) or any greater net tangible asset or cash requirement which may be contained in the agreement relating to our initial business combination. Consequently, if accepting all properly submitted redemption requests would cause our net tangible assets to be less than $5,000,001 or make us unable to satisfy a minimum cash condition as described above, we would not proceed with such redemption and the related business combination and may instead search for an alternate business combination. Prospective targets will be aware of these risks and, thus, may be reluctant to enter into a business combination transaction with us. If we are able to complete an initial business combination, the per share value of shares held by non-redeeming shareholders will reflect our obligation to pay the deferred underwriting commissions.
The ability of our public shareholders to exercise redemption rights with respect to a large number of our shares may not allow us to complete the most desirable business combination or optimize our capital structure.
At the time we enter into an agreement for our initial business combination, we will not know how many shareholders may exercise their redemption rights, and therefore will need to structure the transaction based on our expectations as to the number of shares that will be submitted for redemption. If our initial business combination agreement requires us to use a portion of the cash in the trust account to pay the purchase price, or requires us to have a minimum amount of cash at closing, we will need to reserve a portion of the cash in the trust account to meet such requirements, or arrange for third-party financing. In addition, if a larger number of shares are submitted for redemption than we initially expected, we may need to restructure the transaction to reserve a greater portion of the cash in the trust account or arrange for third-party financing. Raising additional third-party financing may involve dilutive equity issuances or the incurrence of indebtedness at higher than desirable levels. Furthermore, this dilution would increase to the extent that the anti-dilution provision of the Class B ordinary shares result in the issuance of Class A ordinary shares on a greater than one-to-one basis upon conversion of the Class B ordinary shares at the time of completion of our initial business combination. In addition, the amount of deferred underwriting commissions payable to the underwriters is not required to be adjusted for any shares that are redeemed in connection with our initial business combination. The above considerations may limit our ability to complete the most desirable business combination available to us or optimize our capital structure. The per-share amount we will distribute to shareholders who properly exercise their redemption rights will not be reduced by the deferred underwriting commissions and after such redemptions, the amount held in trust will continue to reflect our obligation to pay the entire deferred underwriting commissions.
The ability of our public shareholders to exercise redemption rights with respect to a large number of our shares could increase the probability that our initial business combination will be unsuccessful and that you will have to wait for liquidation in order to redeem your shares.
If our initial business combination agreement requires us to use a portion of the cash in the trust account to pay the purchase price, or requires us to have a minimum amount of cash at closing, the probability that our initial business combination will be unsuccessful is increased. If our initial business combination is unsuccessful, you will 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 shares in the open market; however, at such time our shares may trade at a discount to the pro rata amount per share in the trust account. In either situation, you may suffer a material loss on your investment or lose the benefit of funds expected in connection with our redemption until we liquidate, or you are able to sell your shares in the open market.
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The requirement that we complete our initial business combination within the completion window may give potential target businesses leverage over us in negotiating a business combination and may limit the time we have in which to conduct due diligence on potential business combination targets, in particular as we approach our dissolution deadline, which could undermine our ability to complete our initial business combination on terms that would produce value for our shareholders.
Any potential target business with which we enter into negotiations concerning a business combination will be aware that we must complete our initial business combination within the completion window. 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 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 completion window, 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 shareholders may receive only their pro rata portion of the funds in the trust account that are available for distribution to public shareholders, and our warrants will expire worthless.
We may not be able to find a suitable target business and complete our initial business combination within the completion window. 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. If we have not completed our initial business combination within such time period, we will (i) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up, (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter, redeem the public shares, at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to make permitted withdrawals (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 shareholders’ rights as shareholders (including the right to receive further liquidating distributions, if any), subject to applicable law, and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining shareholders and our board of directors, dissolve and liquidate, subject in each case to our obligations under Cayman Islands law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law. In such case, our public shareholders may only receive $10.00 per share, and our warrants will expire worthless. In certain circumstances, our public shareholders may receive less than $10.00 per share on the redemption of their shares. See “— If third parties bring claims against us, the proceeds held in the trust account could be reduced and the per-share redemption amount received by shareholders may be less than $10.00 per share.”
Our board or our sponsor may decide not to extend the term we have to consummate our initial business combination, in which case we would cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up and we would redeem our public shares and liquidate, and the rights and warrants will be worthless.
We will have until 15 months from the closing of this offering to consummate our initial business combination. However, if we anticipate that we may not be able to consummate our initial business combination within 15 months, we may, by resolution of our board if requested by our sponsor, extend the period of time to consummate a business combination by an additional three months (for a total of up to 18 months to complete a business combination), subject to the sponsor providing advance notice and depositing additional funds into the trust account as set out below. In order for the time available for us to consummate our initial business combination to be extended, our sponsor or its affiliates or designees must deposit into the trust account for the three month extension $2,000,000, or $2,300,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full ($0.10 per share in either case), on or prior to the date which is 15 months from the closing of this offering. Any such payment would be made in the form of a loan. The terms of the promissory note to be issued in connection with any such loan have not yet been negotiated. Consequently, such loan might not be made on the terms described in this prospectus. Our sponsor and its affiliates or designees are not obligated to fund the trust account to extend the time for us to complete our initial business combination. If we are unable to consummate our initial business combination within the applicable time period, we will redeem 100% of the public shares at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to make permitted withdrawals (less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, subject to applicable law and as further described herein. In such event, the rights and warrants will be worthless.
If we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination, our initial shareholders, sponsor, directors, officers, advisors and their affiliates may elect to purchase shares or public warrants from public shareholders or public warrant holders, which may influence a vote on a proposed business combination and reduce the public “float” of our Class A ordinary shares.
If we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct redemptions in connection with our initial business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our initial shareholders, sponsor, directors, officers, advisors or their affiliates may purchase shares or public warrants or a combination thereof in privately negotiated transactions or in the open market either prior to or following the completion of our initial business combination, although they are under no obligation to do so. There is no limit on the number of shares our initial shareholders, directors, officers, advisors or their affiliates may purchase in such transactions, subject to compliance with applicable law and the Nasdaq rules. However, other than as expressly stated herein, they have no current commitments, plans or intentions to engage in such transactions and have not formulated any terms or conditions for any such transactions. None of the funds in the trust account will be used to purchase shares or public warrants in such transactions.
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In the event that our initial shareholders, sponsor, directors, officers, advisors or their affiliates purchase shares in privately negotiated transactions from public shareholders who have already elected to exercise their redemption rights, such selling shareholders would be required to revoke their prior elections to redeem their shares. The purpose of any such purchases of shares could be to vote such shares in favor of the business combination and thereby increase the likelihood of obtaining shareholder approval of the business combination or to satisfy a closing condition in an agreement with a target that requires us to have a minimum net worth or a certain amount of cash at the closing of our business combination, where it appears that such requirement would otherwise not be met. The purpose of any such purchases of public warrants could be to reduce the number of public warrants outstanding or to vote such warrants on any matters submitted to the warrant holders for approval in connection with our initial business combination. Any such purchases of our securities may result in the completion of our business combination that may not otherwise have been possible. We expect that any such purchases will be reported pursuant to Section 13 and Section 16 of the Exchange Act to the extent the purchasers are subject to such reporting requirements. See “Proposed Business — Permitted Purchase of Our Securities” for a description of how our sponsor, directors, officers, advisors or any of their affiliates will select which shareholders to purchase securities from in any private transaction.
In addition, if such purchases are made, the public “float” of our Class A ordinary shares 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 shareholder fails to receive notice of our offer to redeem our public shares in connection with our business combination, or fails to comply with the procedures for tendering its shares, such shares may not be redeemed.
We will comply with the proxy rules or tender offer rules, as applicable, when conducting redemptions in connection with our business combination. Despite our compliance with these rules, if a shareholder fails to receive our proxy solicitation or tender offer materials, as applicable, such shareholder may not become aware of the opportunity to redeem its shares. In addition, the proxy solicitation or tender offer materials, as applicable, that we will furnish to holders of our public shares in connection with our initial business combination will describe the various procedures that must be complied with in order to validly redeem or tender public shares. For example, we may require our public shareholders 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 proxy solicitation or tender offer 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. In the event that a shareholder fails to comply with these or any other procedures, its shares may not be redeemed. See “Proposed Business — Business Strategy — Tendering share 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. Therefore, to liquidate your investment, you may be forced to sell your public shares or warrants, potentially at a loss.
Our public shareholders will be entitled to receive funds from the trust account only upon the earliest to occur of: (i) the redemption of any public shares properly submitted in connection with our initial business combination (including the release of funds to pay any amounts due to any public shareholders who properly exercise their redemption rights in connection therewith), (ii) the redemption of any public shares properly submitted in connection with a shareholder vote to approve an amendment to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association that would modify the substance or timing of our obligation to redeem 100% of our public shares if we have not consummated an initial business combination within the completion window, or (iii) the redemption of our public shares if we are unable to complete an initial business combination within the completion window, subject to applicable law and as further described herein. In no other circumstances will a public shareholder have any right or interest of any kind in the trust account. Holders of warrants will not have any right to the proceeds held in the trust account with respect to the warrants. Accordingly, to liquidate your investment, you may be forced to sell your public shares or warrants, potentially at a loss.
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If we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct redemptions pursuant to the tender offer rules, and if you or a “group” of shareholders are deemed to hold in excess of 15% of our Class A ordinary shares, you will lose the ability to redeem all such shares in excess of 15% of our Class A ordinary shares.
If we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct redemptions in connection with our initial business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide that a public shareholder, together with any affiliate of such shareholder or any other person with whom such shareholder is acting in concert or as a “group” (as defined under Section 13 of the Exchange Act), will be restricted from seeking redemption rights with respect to more than an aggregate of 15% of the shares sold in this offering without our prior consent, which we refer to as the “Excess Shares.” However, we would not be restricting our shareholders’ ability to vote all of their shares (including Excess Shares) for or against our initial business combination. Your inability to redeem the Excess Shares will reduce your influence over our ability to complete our initial business combination and you could suffer a material loss on your investment in us if you sell Excess Shares in open market transactions. Additionally, you will not receive redemption distributions with respect to the Excess Shares if we complete our initial business combination. And as a result, you will continue to hold that number of shares exceeding 15% and, in order to dispose of such shares, would be required to sell your shares in open market transactions, potentially at a loss.
Because of our limited resources and the significant competition for business combination opportunities, it may be more difficult for us to complete our initial business combination. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination, our public shareholders may receive only their pro rata portion of the funds in the trust account that are available for distribution to public shareholders, 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 are numerous target businesses we could potentially acquire with the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants, our ability to compete with respect to the acquisition of certain target businesses that are sizable will be limited by our available financial resources. This inherent competitive limitation gives others an advantage in pursuing the acquisition of certain target businesses. Furthermore, we are obligated to offer holders of our public shares the right to redeem their shares for cash at the time of our initial business combination, in conjunction with a shareholder vote or through a tender offer. Target businesses will be aware that this may reduce the resources available to us for our initial business combination. Any of these obligations may place us at a competitive disadvantage in successfully negotiating a business combination. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination, our public shareholders may receive only their pro rata portion of the funds in the trust account that are available for distribution to public shareholders, and our warrants will expire worthless. In certain circumstances, our public shareholders may receive less than $10.00 per share upon our liquidation. See “— If third parties bring claims against us, the proceeds held in the trust account could be reduced and the per-share redemption amount received by shareholders may be less than $10.00 per share” and other risk factors below.
If the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants not being held in the trust account are insufficient to allow us to operate for at least the duration of the completion window, we may be unable to complete our initial business combination, in which case our public shareholders may only receive $10.00 per share, or less than such amount in certain circumstances, and our warrants will expire worthless.
The funds available to us outside of the trust account may not be sufficient to allow us to operate for at least the duration of the completion window, assuming that our initial business combination is not completed during that time. We believe that, upon the closing of this offering, the funds available to us outside of the trust account, including permitted withdrawals and loans or additional investments from our sponsor, will be sufficient to allow us to operate for at least the duration of the completion window; however, we cannot assure you that our estimate is accurate. Of the funds available to us, we could use a portion of the funds available to us to pay fees to consultants to assist us with our search for a target business. We could also use a portion of the funds as a down payment or to fund a “no-shop” provision (a provision in letters of intent or merger agreements designed to keep target businesses from “shopping” around for transactions with other companies on terms more favorable to such target businesses) with respect to a particular proposed business combination, although we do not have any current intention to do so. If we entered into a letter of intent or merger agreement where we paid for the right to receive exclusivity from a target business and were subsequently required to forfeit such funds (whether as a result of our breach or otherwise), we might not have sufficient funds to continue searching for, or conduct due diligence with respect to, a target business. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination, our public shareholders may receive only approximately $10.00 per share on the liquidation of our trust account and our warrants will expire worthless. In certain circumstances, our public shareholders may receive less than $10.00 per share upon our liquidation. See “— If third parties bring claims against us, the proceeds held in the trust account could be reduced and the per-share redemption amount received by shareholders may be less than $10.00 per share” and other risk factors below.
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If the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants not being held in the trust account are insufficient to allow us to operate for at least the duration of the completion window, it could limit the amount available to fund our search for a target business or businesses and complete our initial business combination and we will depend on loans from our sponsor or management team to fund our search for a business combination, to make permitted withdrawals and to complete our initial business combination. If we are unable to obtain these loans, we may be unable to complete our initial business combination.
Of the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants, only approximately $1.0 million will be available to us initially outside the trust account to fund our working capital requirements. In the event that our offering expenses and other operating expenses exceed our estimate of $1,775,500, 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 and other operating expenses are less than our estimate of $1,775,500, the amount of funds we intend to be held outside the trust account would increase by a corresponding amount. The amount held in the trust account will not be impacted as a result of such increase or decrease. If our other sources of working capital are insufficient, we will depend on loans from our sponsor or management team or a third party to fund our search, to pay our taxes and to complete our initial business combination. If we are unable to obtain such loans, it could limit the amount available to fund our search for a target business and we may be unable to complete our initial business combination. We could also be forced to liquidate. None of our sponsor, members of our management team nor any of their affiliates is under any obligation to advance funds to us in such circumstances. Any such advances would be repaid only from funds held outside the trust account or from funds released to us upon completion of our initial business combination. Up to $1.5 million of such loans may be convertible into warrants of the post-business combination entity at a price of $1.00 per warrant at the option of the lender. The warrants would be identical to the private placement warrants. Prior to the completion of our initial business combination, we do not expect to seek loans from parties other than our sponsor or an affiliate of our sponsor as we do not believe third parties will be willing to loan such funds and provide a waiver against any and all rights to seek access to funds in our trust account. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination because we do not have sufficient funds available to us, we will be forced to cease operations and liquidate the trust account. Consequently, our public shareholders may only receive an estimated $10.00 per share, or possibly less, on our redemption of our public shares, and our warrants will expire worthless. See “— If third parties bring claims against us, the proceeds held in the trust account could be reduced and the per-share redemption amount received by shareholders may be less than $10.00 per share” and other risk factors below.
Subsequent to our completion of our initial business combination, we may be required to take write-downs or write-offs, restructuring and impairment or other charges that could have a significant negative effect on our financial condition, results of operations and our share price, which could cause you to lose some or all of your investment.
Even if we conduct extensive due diligence on a target business with which we combine, we cannot assure you that this diligence will surface all material issues in relation to 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 shareholders who choose to remain shareholders following the business combination could suffer a reduction in the value of their securities. Such shareholders are unlikely to have a remedy for such reduction in value unless they are able to successfully claim that the reduction was due to the breach by our officers or directors of a duty of care or other fiduciary duty owed to them, or if they are able to successfully bring a private claim under securities laws that the proxy solicitation or tender offer materials, as applicable, relating to the business combination contained an actionable material misstatement or material omission.
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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 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 business combination. |
In addition, we may have imposed upon us burdensome requirements, including:
• | registration as an investment company; |
• | adoption of a specific form of corporate structure; and |
• | reporting, record keeping, voting, proxy and disclosure requirements and other rules and regulations. |
In order not to be regulated as an investment company under the Investment Company Act, unless we can qualify for an exclusion, we must ensure that we are engaged primarily in a business other than investing, reinvesting or trading of securities and that our activities do not include investing, reinvesting, owning, holding or trading “investment securities” constituting more than 40% of our assets (exclusive of U.S. government securities and cash items) on an unconsolidated basis. Our business will be to identify and complete a business combination and thereafter to operate the post-transaction business or assets for the long term. We do not plan to buy businesses or assets with a view to resale or profit from their resale. We do not plan to buy unrelated businesses or assets or to be a passive investor.
We do not believe that our anticipated principal activities will subject us to the Investment Company Act. To this end, the proceeds held in the trust account may only be invested in 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 initial business combination; (ii) the redemption of any public shares properly submitted in connection with a shareholder vote to approve an amendment to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association that would affect the substance or timing of our obligation to redeem 100% of our public shares if we have not consummated an initial business combination within the completion window; or (iii) the redemption of our public shares if we are unable to complete our initial business combination within the completion window, subject to applicable law. If we do not invest the proceeds as discussed above, we may be deemed to be subject to the Investment Company Act. If we were deemed to be subject to the Investment Company Act, compliance with these additional regulatory burdens would require additional expenses for which we have not allotted funds and may hinder our ability to complete a business combination, or may result in our liquidation. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination, our public shareholders may only receive their pro rata portion of the funds in the trust account that are available for distribution to public shareholders, and our warrants will expire worthless.
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Our directors may decide not to enforce the indemnification obligations of our sponsor, resulting in a reduction in the amount of funds in the trust account available for distribution to our public shareholders.
In the event that the proceeds in the trust account are reduced below the lesser of (i) $10.00 per public share and (ii) the actual amount per public share held in the trust account as of the date of the liquidation of the trust account, if less than $10.00 per share due to reductions in the value of the trust assets, in each case net of the interest which may be withdrawn to pay taxes, and our sponsor asserts that it is unable to satisfy its obligations or that it has no indemnification obligations related to a particular claim, our independent directors would determine whether to take legal action against our sponsor to enforce its indemnification obligations.
While we currently expect that our independent directors would take legal action on our behalf against our sponsor to enforce its indemnification obligations to us, it is possible that our independent directors in exercising their business judgment and subject to their fiduciary duties may choose not to do so in any particular instance. If our independent directors choose not to enforce these indemnification obligations, the amount of funds in the trust account available for distribution to our public shareholders may be reduced below $10.00 per share.
If third parties bring claims against us, the proceeds held in the trust account could be reduced and the per-share redemption amount received by shareholders may be less than $10.00 per share.
Our placing of funds in the trust account may not protect those funds from third-party claims against us. Although we will seek to have all vendors, service providers (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 shareholders, such parties may not execute such agreements, or even if they execute such agreements, they may not be prevented from bringing claims against the trust account, including, but not limited to, fraudulent inducement, breach of fiduciary responsibility or other similar claims, as well as claims challenging the enforceability of the waiver, in each case in order to gain 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 management is unable to find a service provider willing to execute a waiver. In addition, there is no guarantee that such entities will agree to waive any claims they may have in the future as a result of, or arising out of, any negotiations, contracts or agreements with us and will not seek recourse against the trust account for any reason. Upon redemption of our public shares, if we are unable to complete 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 shareholders could be less than the $10.00 per public share initially held in the trust account, due to claims of such creditors. Pursuant to the letter agreement the form of which is filed as an exhibit to the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part, 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 (other than our independent public accountants) for services rendered or products sold to us, or a prospective target business with which we have entered into a written letter of intent, confidentiality or other similar agreement or business combination agreement, reduce the amount of funds in the trust account to below the lesser of (i) $10.00 per public share and (ii) the actual amount per public share held in the trust account as of the date of the liquidation of the trust account, if less than $10.00 per share due to reductions in the value of the trust assets, in each case net of the interest which may be withdrawn to pay taxes, provided that such liability will not apply to any claims by a third party or prospective target business who executed a waiver of any and all rights to the monies held in the trust account (whether or not such waiver is enforceable) nor will it apply to any claims under our indemnity of the underwriters of this offering against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act. However, we have not asked our sponsor to reserve for such indemnification obligations, nor have we independently verified whether our sponsor has sufficient funds to satisfy its indemnity obligations and we believe that our sponsor’s only assets are securities of our company. Therefore, we cannot assure you that our sponsor would be able to satisfy those obligations. As a result, if any such claims were successfully made against the trust account, the funds available for our initial business combination and redemptions could be reduced to less than $10.00 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.
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If, after we distribute the proceeds in the trust account to our public shareholders, 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 shareholders, we file a bankruptcy petition or an involuntary bankruptcy petition is filed against us that is not dismissed, any distributions received by shareholders 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 shareholders. In addition, our board of directors may be viewed as having breached its fiduciary duty to our creditors and/or having acted in bad faith, thereby exposing itself and us to claims of punitive damages, by paying public shareholders from the trust account prior to addressing the claims of creditors.
If, before distributing the proceeds in the trust account to our public shareholders, we file a bankruptcy 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 shareholders and the per-share amount that would otherwise be received by our shareholders in connection with our liquidation may be reduced.
If, before distributing the proceeds in the trust account to our public shareholders, we file a bankruptcy 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 shareholders. To the extent any bankruptcy claims deplete the trust account, the per-share amount that would otherwise be received by our shareholders in connection with our liquidation may be reduced.
Changes in laws or regulations, or a failure to comply with any laws and regulations, may adversely affect our business, including our ability to negotiate and complete our initial business combination, and results of operations.
We are subject to laws and regulations enacted by national, regional and local governments. In particular, we will be required to comply with certain SEC and other legal requirements. Compliance with, and monitoring of, applicable laws and regulations may be difficult, time consuming and costly. Those laws and regulations and their interpretation and application may also change from time to time and those changes could have a material adverse effect on our business, investments and results of operations. In addition, a failure to comply with applicable laws or regulations, as interpreted and applied, could have a material adverse effect on our business, including our ability to negotiate and complete our initial business combination, and results of operations.
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Our search for a business combination, and any target business with which we ultimately consummate a business combination, may be materially adversely affected by the recent novel coronavirus (“COVID-19”) outbreak.
On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization officially declared the outbreak of the COVID-19 a “pandemic.” A significant outbreak of COVID-19 has resulted in a widespread health crisis that adversely affected the economies and financial markets worldwide, and could potentially adversely affect the business of any potential target business with which we consummate a business combination. Furthermore, we may be unable to complete a business combination if continued concerns relating to COVID-19 restrict travel, limit the ability to have meetings with potential investors or the target company’s personnel, vendors and services providers are unavailable to negotiate and consummate a transaction in a timely manner. The extent to which COVID-19 impacts our search for a business combination will depend on future developments, which are highly uncertain and cannot be predicted, including new information which may emerge concerning the severity of COVID-19 and the actions to contain COVID-19 or treat its impact, among others. If the disruptions posed by COVID-19 or other matters of global concern continue for an extensive period of time, our ability to consummate a business combination, or the operations of a target business with which we ultimately consummate a business combination, may be materially adversely affected.
Because we are not limited to a particular industry, sector or 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, sector or location. However, we will not, under our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, be permitted to effectuate our initial business combination with another blank check company or similar company with nominal operations. Because we have not yet identified or approached any specific target business with respect to a 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 securityholders who choose to remain securityholders following our initial business combination could suffer a reduction in the value of their securities. Such securityholders are unlikely to have a remedy for such reduction in value of their securities.
We may seek acquisition opportunities in industries or sectors 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 a 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 related to such acquisition. Accordingly, any securityholders who choose to remain securityholders following our initial business combination could suffer a reduction in the value of their securities. Such securityholders 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 guidelines, such combination may not be as successful as a combination with a business that does meet all of our general criteria and guidelines. In addition, if we announce a prospective business combination with a target that does not meet our general criteria and guidelines, a greater number of shareholders may exercise their redemption rights, which may make it difficult for us to meet any closing condition with a target business that requires us to have a minimum net worth or a certain amount of cash. In addition, if shareholder approval of the transaction is required by law, or we decide to obtain shareholder approval for business or other legal reasons, it may be more difficult for us to attain shareholder approval of our initial business combination if the target business does not meet our general criteria and guidelines. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination, our public shareholders may only receive their pro rata portion of the funds in the trust account that are available for distribution to public shareholders, and our warrants will expire worthless.
We may seek business combination opportunities with a financially unstable business or an entity lacking an established record of revenue or earnings, which could subject us to volatile revenues, cash flows or earnings or difficulty in retaining key personnel.
To the extent we complete our initial business combination with a financially unstable business or an entity lacking an established record of revenues, cash flows or earnings, we may be affected by numerous risks inherent in the operations of the business with which we combine. These risks include volatile revenues, cash flows or earnings and difficulties in obtaining and retaining key personnel. Although our officers and directors will endeavor to evaluate the risks inherent in a particular target business, we may not be able to properly ascertain or assess all of the significant risk factors and we may not have adequate time to complete due diligence. Furthermore, some of these risks may be outside of our control and leave us with no ability to control or reduce the chances that those risks will adversely impact a target business.
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 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 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, more effort and more resources to identify 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 targets companies to demand improved financial terms. Attractive deals could also become scarcer for other reasons, such as economic or industry sector downturns, geopolitical tensions, or increases in the cost of additional capital needed to close business combinations or operate targets post-business combination.
This could delay or otherwise complicate or frustrate our ability to find and consummate an initial business combination.
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We may issue additional ordinary shares or preferred shares to complete our initial business combination or under an employee incentive plan after completion of our initial business combination. We may also issue Class A ordinary shares upon the conversion of the Class B ordinary shares at a ratio greater than one-to-one at the time of completion of our initial business combination as a result of the anti-dilution provisions contained in our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association. Any such issuances would dilute the interest of our shareholders and likely present other risks.
Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association authorizes the issuance of up to 800,000,000 Class A ordinary shares, par value $0.0001 per share, 199,000,000 Class B ordinary shares, par value $0.0001 per share, and 1,000,000 undesignated preferred shares, par value $0.0001 per share. Immediately after this offering, there will be 780,000,000 and 194,000,000 (assuming, in each case, that the underwriters have not exercised their over-allotment option) authorized but unissued Class A ordinary shares and Class B ordinary shares, respectively, available for issuance, which amount does not take into account Class A ordinary shares reserved for issuance upon exercise of outstanding warrants, or shares issuable upon conversion of Class B ordinary shares. Our Class B ordinary shares are automatically convertible into Class A ordinary shares at the time of completion of our initial business combination, initially at a one-for-one ratio but subject to adjustment as set forth herein. Immediately after the consummation of this offering, there will be no preferred shares issued and outstanding. Our Class B ordinary shares are convertible into Class A ordinary shares initially at a one-for-one ratio but subject to adjustment as set forth herein, including in certain circumstances in which we issue Class A ordinary shares or equity-linked securities related to our initial business combination.
We may issue a substantial number of additional ordinary shares or preferred shares to complete our initial business combination or under an employee incentive plan after completion of our initial business combination. We may also issue Class A ordinary shares upon conversion of the Class B ordinary shares at a ratio greater than one-to-one at the time of completion of our initial business combination as a result of the anti-dilution provisions contained in our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association. However, our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide, among other things, that prior to our initial business combination, we may not issue additional ordinary shares that would entitle the holders thereof to (i) receive funds from the trust account or (ii) vote on any initial business combination. These provisions of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, like all provisions of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, may be amended with a shareholder vote. The issuance of additional ordinary shares or preferred shares:
• | may significantly dilute the equity interest of investors in this offering; |
• | may subordinate the rights of holders of ordinary shares if preferred shares are issued with rights senior to those afforded to our ordinary shares; |
• | could cause a change in control if a substantial number of our ordinary shares are issued, which may affect, among other things, our ability to use our net operating loss carry forwards, if any, and could result in the resignation or removal of our present officers and directors; and |
• | may adversely affect prevailing market prices for our units, Class A ordinary shares and/or warrants. |
We are not required to obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm or from an independent accounting firm, and consequently, you may have no assurance from an independent source that the price we are paying for the business is fair to our company from a financial point of view.
Unless we complete our business combination with an affiliated entity, we are not required to obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm that is a member of FINRA 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 shareholders will be relying on the judgment of our board of directors, who will determine fair market value based on standards generally accepted by the financial community. Such standards used will be disclosed in our proxy solicitation or tender offer materials, as applicable, related to our initial business combination. If our board of directors is not able to independently determine the fair market value of our initial business combination, we will obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm. However, our shareholders may not be provided with a copy of such opinion, nor will they be able to rely on such opinion.
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Resources could be wasted in researching business combinations that are not completed, which could materially adversely affect subsequent attempts to locate and acquire or merge with another business. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination, our public shareholders may only receive their pro rata portion of the funds in the trust account that are available for distribution to public shareholders, and our warrants will expire worthless.
We anticipate that the investigation of each specific target business and the negotiation, drafting and execution of relevant agreements, disclosure documents and other instruments will require substantial management time and attention and substantial costs for accountants, attorneys, consultants and others. If we decide not to complete a specific initial business combination, the costs incurred up to that point for the proposed transaction likely would not be recoverable. Furthermore, if we reach an agreement relating to a specific target business, we may fail to complete our initial business combination for any number of reasons including those beyond our control. Any such event will result in a loss to us of the related costs incurred which could materially adversely affect subsequent attempts to locate and acquire or merge with another business. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination, our public shareholders may only receive their pro rata portion of the funds in the trust account that are available for distribution to public shareholders, and our warrants will expire worthless.
Our current officers may not remain in their positions following our 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, which could, in turn, negatively impact the value of our shareholders’ investment in us.
When evaluating the desirability of effecting our initial business combination with a prospective target business, our ability to assess the target business’s management may be limited due to a lack of time, resources or information. Our assessment of the capabilities of the target business’s management, therefore, may prove to be incorrect and such management may lack the skills, qualifications or abilities we suspected. Should the target business’s management not possess the skills, qualifications or abilities necessary to manage a public company, the operations and profitability of the post-combination business may be negatively impacted. Accordingly, any shareholders who choose to remain shareholders following the business combination could suffer a reduction in the value of their securities. Such shareholders are unlikely to have a remedy for such reduction in value unless they are able to successfully claim that the reduction was due to the breach by our officers or directors of a duty of care or other fiduciary duty owed to them, or if they are able to successfully bring a private claim under securities laws that the proxy solicitation or tender offer materials (as applicable) relating to the business combination contained an actionable material misstatement or material omission.
The officers and directors of an acquisition candidate may resign upon completion of our initial business combination. The loss of a business combination target’s key personnel could negatively impact the operations and profitability of our post-combination business.
The role of an acquisition candidate’s key personnel upon the completion of our initial business combination cannot be ascertained at this time. Although we contemplate that certain members of an acquisition candidate’s management team will remain associated with the acquisition candidate following our initial business combination, it is possible that members of the management of an acquisition candidate will not wish to remain in place.
We may only be able to complete one business combination with the proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants, which will cause us to be solely dependent on a single business which may have a limited number of products or services. This lack of diversification may negatively impact our operations and profitability.
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The net proceeds from this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants will provide us with up to $211.9 million (or $243.25 million if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) that we may use to complete our initial business combination (after taking into account the $7.0 million, or $8.05 million if the over-allotment option is exercised in full, of deferred underwriting commissions being held in the trust account and the estimated expenses of this offering).
We may effectuate our initial business combination with a single target business or multiple target businesses simultaneously or within a short period of time. However, we may not be able to effectuate our initial business combination with more than one target business because of various factors, including the existence of complex accounting issues and the requirement that we prepare and file pro forma financial statements with the SEC that present operating results, and the financial condition of several target businesses as if they had been operated on a combined basis. By completing our initial business combination with only a single entity, our lack of diversification may subject us to numerous economic, competitive and regulatory developments. Further, we would not be able to diversify our operations or benefit from the possible spreading of risks or offsetting of losses, unlike other entities which may have the resources to complete several business combinations in different industries or different areas of a single industry. Accordingly, the prospects for our success may be:
• | 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 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 business combination strategy, we may seek to effectuate our initial business combination with a privately held company. Very little public information generally exists about private companies, and we could be required to make our decision on whether to pursue a potential initial business combination on the basis of limited information, which may result in 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.
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We may structure a business combination so that the post-transaction company in which our public shareholders own 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 an interest in the target sufficient for the post-transaction company not to be required to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act. We will not consider any transaction that does not meet such criteria. Even if the post-transaction company owns 50% or more of the voting securities of the target, our shareholders prior to the business combination may collectively own a minority interest in the post business combination company, depending on valuations ascribed to the target and us in the business combination transaction. 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. In this case, we would acquire a 100% interest in the target. However, as a result of the issuance of a substantial number of new shares, our shareholders immediately prior to such transaction could own less than a majority of our outstanding ordinary shares subsequent to such transaction. In addition, other minority shareholders may subsequently combine their holdings resulting in a single person or group obtaining a larger share of the company’s stock than we initially acquired. Accordingly, this may make it more likely that our management will not be able to maintain control of the target business.
We do not have a specified maximum redemption threshold. The absence of such a redemption threshold may make it possible for us to complete a business combination with which a substantial majority of our shareholders do not agree.
Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will not provide a specified maximum redemption threshold, except that in no event will we redeem our public shares in an amount that would cause our net tangible assets to be less than $5,000,001 (such that we are not subject to the SEC’s “penny stock” rules). As a result, we may be able to complete our business combination even though a substantial majority of our public shareholders do not agree with the transaction and have redeemed their shares or, if we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination and do not conduct redemptions in connection with our initial business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, have entered into privately negotiated agreements to sell their shares to our sponsor, officers, directors, advisors or any of their affiliates. In the event the aggregate cash consideration we would be required to pay for all Class A ordinary shares that are validly submitted for redemption plus any amount required to satisfy cash conditions pursuant to the terms of the proposed business combination exceed the aggregate amount of cash available to us, we will not complete the business combination or redeem any shares, all Class A ordinary shares submitted for redemption will be returned to the holders thereof, and we instead may search for an alternate business combination.
Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will require the affirmative vote of a majority of our board of directors to approve our initial business combination, which may have the effect of delaying or preventing a business combination that our public shareholders would consider favorable.
Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will require the affirmative vote of a majority of our board of directors. Accordingly, it is unlikely that we will be able to enter into an initial business combination unless our board members find the target and the business combination attractive. This may make it more difficult for us to approve and enter into an initial business combination than other blank check companies and could result in us not pursuing an acquisition target or other board or corporate action that our public shareholders would find favorable.
In order to effectuate our initial business combination, we may seek to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association or other governing instruments in a manner that will make it easier for us to complete our initial business combination but that some of our shareholders or warrant holders may not support.
In order to effectuate a business combination, blank check companies have, in the past, amended various provisions of their constitutional documents and modified governing instruments. For example, blank check companies have amended the definition of business combination, increased redemption thresholds and changed industry focus. We cannot assure you that we will not seek to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association or governing instruments in order to effectuate our initial business combination though amending our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will require at least a special resolution of our shareholders as a matter of Cayman Islands law.
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Certain provisions of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association 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 two-thirds of our ordinary shares who attend and vote in a general meeting, which is a lower amendment threshold than that of some other blank check companies. It may be easier for us, therefore, to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association and the trust agreement to facilitate the completion of an initial business combination that some of our shareholders may not support.
Some other blank check companies have a provision in their constitutional documents which prohibits the amendment of certain of its constitutional 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 shares. 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 memorandum and articles of association will provide that any of its provisions, including those related to pre-business combination activity (including the requirement to deposit proceeds of this offering and the private placement of warrants into the trust account and not release such amounts except in specified circumstances, and to provide redemption rights to public shareholders, as described herein), but excluding the provisions of the articles relating to the election or removal of directors and continuation of the company in a jurisdiction outside the Cayman Islands, may be amended if approved by holders of at least two-thirds of our ordinary shares who attend and vote in a general meeting, and corresponding provisions of the trust agreement governing the release of funds from our trust account may be amended if approved by holders of 65% of our ordinary shares. Our initial shareholders, who will collectively beneficially own 20% of our ordinary shares upon the closing of this offering (assuming they do not purchase any units in this offering), may participate in any vote to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association and/or trust agreement and will have the discretion to vote in any manner they choose. As a result, we may be able to amend the provisions of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association which govern our pre-business combination behavior more easily than some other blank check companies, and this may increase our ability to complete a business combination with which you do not agree. Our shareholders may pursue remedies against us for any breach of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association.
Our sponsor, officers, directors and director nominees have agreed, pursuant to a written agreement with us, that they will not propose any amendment to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association that would affect the substance or timing of our obligation to redeem 100% of our public shares if we have not consummated an initial business combination within the completion window, unless we provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem their Class A ordinary shares upon approval of any such amendment at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to make permitted withdrawals, divided by the number of then outstanding public shares. These agreements are contained in a letter agreement, the form of which is filed as an exhibit to the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part, that we have entered into with our sponsor, officers, directors and director nominees. Our shareholders 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 or director nominees for any breach of these agreements. As a result, in the event of a breach, our shareholders would need to pursue a shareholder derivative action, subject to applicable law.
We may be unable to obtain additional financing to complete our initial business combination or to fund the operations and growth of a target business, which could compel us to restructure or abandon a particular business combination. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination, our public shareholders may only receive their pro rata portion of the funds in the trust account that are available for distribution to public shareholders, and our warrants will expire worthless.
Although we believe that the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants will be sufficient to allow us to complete our initial business combination, because we have not yet selected any prospective target business we cannot ascertain the capital requirements for any particular transaction. If the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants prove to be insufficient, either because of the size of our initial business combination, the depletion of the available net proceeds in search of a target business, the obligation to redeem for cash a significant number of shares from shareholders who elect redemption in connection with our initial business combination or the terms of negotiated transactions to purchase shares in connection with our initial business combination, we may be required to seek additional financing or to abandon the proposed business combination. We cannot assure you that such financing will be available on acceptable terms, if at all. To the extent that additional financing proves to be unavailable when needed to complete our initial business combination, we would be compelled to either restructure the transaction or abandon that particular business combination and seek an alternative target business candidate. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination, our public shareholders may only receive their pro rata portion of the funds in the trust account that are available for distribution to public shareholders, and our warrants will expire worthless. In addition, even if we do not need additional financing to complete our business combination, we may require such financing to fund the operations or growth of the target business. The failure to secure additional financing could have a material adverse effect on the continued development or growth of the target business. None of our officers, directors or shareholders is required to provide any financing to us in connection with or after our business combination.
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The securities in the trust account could bear a negative rate of interest, which could reduce the value of the assets held in trust such that the per-share redemption amount received by public shareholders may be less than $10.00 per share.
The proceeds held in the Trust Account are invested only in U.S. government treasury obligations with a maturity of 185 days or less or in money market funds meeting certain conditions under Rule 2a-7 under the Investment Company Act, which invest only in direct U.S. government treasury obligations. 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 that we are unable to complete our initial business combination or make certain amendments to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, our public shareholders are entitled to receive their pro-rata share of the proceeds held in the Trust Account, plus any interest income not released to us, net of taxes payable. Negative interest rates could impact the per-share redemption amount that may be received by public shareholders. In addition, we are allowed to remove permitted withdrawals to pay our taxes; this means that even with a positive interest rate, most or all of the interest income may be withdrawn by us and not be available to fund our business combination or to be returned to investors upon a redemption.
We may reincorporate in another jurisdiction in connection with our initial business combination, in which case the laws of such jurisdiction would govern some or all of our future material agreements, and we may not be able to enforce our legal rights.
In connection with our initial business combination, we may relocate the home jurisdiction of our business from the Cayman Islands to another jurisdiction. If we determine to do this, the laws of such jurisdiction may govern some or all of our future material agreements. The system of laws and the enforcement of existing laws in such jurisdiction may not be as certain in implementation and interpretation as in the United States. The inability to enforce or obtain a remedy under any of our future agreements could result in a significant loss of business, business opportunities or capital.
Risks Relating to Our Management Team
We are dependent upon our officers and directors, and their loss could adversely affect our ability to operate.
Our operations are dependent upon a relatively small group of individuals and, in particular, our officers and directors. We believe that our success depends on the continued service of our officers and directors, at least until we have completed our initial business combination. In addition, our officers and directors are not required to commit any specified amount of time to our affairs and, accordingly, will have conflicts of interest in allocating their time among various business activities, including identifying potential business combinations and monitoring the related due diligence. We do not have an employment agreement with, or key-man insurance on the life of, any of our directors or officers. The unexpected loss of the services of one or more of our directors or officers or their removal could have a detrimental effect on us.
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Our ability to successfully effect our initial business combination and to be successful thereafter will be totally dependent upon the efforts of our key personnel. The loss of key personnel could negatively impact the operations and profitability of our post-combination business.
Our ability to successfully effect our 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 business combination, it is likely that some or all of the management of the target business will remain in place. While we intend to closely scrutinize any individuals we 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 provide for them to receive compensation following our business combination and as a result, may cause them to have conflicts of interest in determining whether a particular business combination is the most advantageous.
Our key personnel may be able to remain with our company after the completion of our business combination only if they are able to negotiate employment or consulting agreements in connection with the business combination. Such negotiations would take place simultaneously with the negotiation of the business combination and could provide for such individuals to receive compensation in the form of cash payments and/or our securities for services they would render to us after the completion of the business combination. Such negotiations also could make such key personnel’s retention or resignation a condition to any such agreement. The personal and financial interests of such individuals may influence their motivation in identifying and selecting a target business.
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. These conflicts 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 businesses. We do not intend to have any full-time employees prior to the completion of our initial business combination. Each of our officers is engaged in several other business endeavors for which he may be entitled to substantial compensation, and our officers are not obligated to contribute any specific number of hours per week to our affairs. If our officers’ and directors’ other business affairs require them to devote substantial amounts of time to such affairs in excess of their current commitment levels, it could limit their ability to devote time to our affairs which may have a negative impact on our ability to complete our initial business combination. For a complete discussion of our officers’ and directors’ other business affairs, please see “Management — Directors and Officers.”
Certain of our officers and directors are now, and all of them may in the future become, affiliated with entities engaged in business activities similar to those intended to be conducted by us and, accordingly, may have conflicts of interest in allocating their time and determining to which entity a particular business opportunity should be presented.
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Following the completion of this offering and until we consummate our initial business combination, we intend to engage in the business of identifying and combining with one or more businesses. Our sponsor and officers and directors are, and may in the future become, affiliated with entities that are engaged in a similar business. Our officers and directors also may become aware of business opportunities which may be appropriate for presentation to us and the other entities to which they owe certain fiduciary or contractual duties. Accordingly, they will have conflicts of interest in determining to which entity a particular business opportunity should be presented. These conflicts may not be resolved in our favor and a potential target business may be presented to another entity prior to its presentation to us. Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide that, to the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, we renounce any interest or expectancy in, or in being offered an opportunity to participate in, any potential transaction or matter which may be a corporate opportunity for both us and another entity about which any member of our management team or director acquires knowledge and we will waive any claim or cause of action we may have in respect thereof.
For a complete discussion of our officers’ and directors’ business affiliations and the potential conflicts of interest that you should be aware of, please see “Management — Directors and Officers,” “Management — Conflicts of Interest” and “Certain Relationships and Related Party Transactions.”
Our officers, directors, security holders and their respective affiliates may have pecuniary interests that conflict with our interests.
We have not adopted a policy that expressly prohibits our directors, officers, security holders or affiliates from having a direct or indirect pecuniary or financial interest in any investment to be acquired or disposed of by us or in any transaction to which we are a party or have an interest. In fact, we may enter into a business combination with a target business that is affiliated with our sponsor, our directors or officers, although we do not intend to do so. We do not have a policy that expressly prohibits any such persons from engaging for their own account in business activities of the types conducted by us. Accordingly, such persons or entities may have a conflict between their interests and ours.
We may not have sufficient funds to satisfy indemnification claims of our directors and officers.
We have agreed to indemnify our officers and directors to the fullest extent permitted by law. However, our officers and directors have agreed, and any persons who may become officers or directors prior to the initial business combination will agree, to waive any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to any monies in the trust account and to not seek recourse against the trust account for any reason whatsoever. Accordingly, any indemnification provided will be able to be satisfied by us only if (i) we have sufficient funds outside of the trust account or (ii) we consummate an initial business combination. Our obligation to indemnify our officers and directors may discourage shareholders from bringing a lawsuit against our officers or directors for breach of their fiduciary duty. These provisions also may have the effect of reducing the likelihood of derivative litigation against our officers and directors, even though such an action, if successful, might otherwise benefit us and our shareholders. Furthermore, a shareholder’s investment may be adversely affected to the extent we pay the costs of settlement and damage awards against our officers and directors pursuant to these indemnification provisions.
We may engage in a business combination with one or more target businesses that have relationships with entities that may be affiliated with our sponsor, officers, directors or existing holders which may raise potential conflicts of interest.
In light of the involvement of our sponsor, officers and directors with other entities, we may decide to acquire one or more businesses affiliated with our sponsor, officers, directors or existing holders. Our officers and directors also serve as officers and board members for other entities, including, without limitation, those described under “Management — Conflicts of Interest.” They may also have investments in target businesses. Such entities may compete with us for business combination opportunities. Our sponsor, officers and directors are not currently aware of any specific opportunities for us to complete our business combination with any entities with which they are affiliated, and there have been no preliminary 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 in “Proposed Business — Effecting our initial business combination — 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 obligation to obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm that is a member of FINRA or from an independent accounting firm regarding the fairness to our company from a financial point of view of a business combination with one or more domestic or international businesses affiliated with our sponsor, 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 shareholders as they would be absent any conflicts of interest.
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Since our sponsor, officers and directors will lose their entire investment in us if our business combination is not completed (other than with respect to public shares they may acquire during or after this offering), a conflict of interest may arise in determining whether a particular business combination target is appropriate for our initial business combination.
As of the date of this prospectus, our initial shareholders own an aggregate of 5,750,000 founder shares. The number of founder shares issued was determined based on the expectation that the total size of this offering would be a maximum of 23,000,000 units if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full, and therefore that such founder shares would represent 20% of the outstanding shares after this offering. Our initial shareholders will forfeit up to 750,000 founder shares depending on the extent to which the underwriters’ over-allotment option is not exercised. In July 2021, our sponsor transferred 50,000 founder shares to each of our three independent director nominees, 75,000 founder shares to Jeremy Falk, our Chief Operating Officer, 50,000 founder to shares to Ryan Goepel, our Chief Financial Officer, and 10,000 founder shares to each of our two board of advisor nominees. The founder shares will be worthless if we do not complete our initial business combination. In addition, our sponsor has committed, pursuant to a written agreement, to purchase an aggregate of 11,900,000 private placement warrants (or 13,250,000 private placement warrants if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), each exercisable for one Class A ordinary share at $11.50 per share, for an aggregate purchase price of $11.9 million (or $13.25 million if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), or $1.00 per warrant, that will also be worthless if we do not complete a business combination. The founder shares are identical to the Class A ordinary shares included in the units being sold in this offering, except that they are Class B ordinary shares that automatically convert into our Class A ordinary shares at the time of completion of our initial business combination on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustment pursuant to certain anti-dilution rights, as described herein. However, the holders have agreed (A) to vote any shares owned by them in favor of any proposed business combination and (B) not to redeem any founder shares in connection with a shareholder vote to approve a proposed initial business combination. In addition, we may obtain loans from our sponsor, affiliates of our sponsor or an officer or director. The personal and financial interests of our officers and directors may influence their motivation in identifying and selecting a target business combination, completing an initial business combination and influencing the operation of the business following our initial business combination. This risk may become more acute as the end of the completion window nears.
Risks Relating to Our Securities
Nasdaq may delist our securities from trading on its exchange, which could limit investors’ ability to make transactions in our securities and subject us to additional trading restrictions.
We intend to apply to have our units listed on Nasdaq on or promptly after the date of this prospectus and our Class A ordinary shares and warrants listed on or promptly after their date of separation. Although after giving effect to this offering we expect to meet, on a pro forma basis, the minimum initial listing standards set forth in the Nasdaq listing standards, we cannot assure you that our securities will be, or will continue to be, listed on Nasdaq in the future or prior to our initial business combination. In order to continue listing our securities on Nasdaq prior to our initial business combination, we must maintain certain financial, distribution and share price levels. Generally, we must maintain a minimum number of holders of our securities (generally 300 round lot holders). Additionally, in connection with our initial business combination, we will be required to demonstrate compliance with Nasdaq’s initial listing requirements, which are more rigorous than Nasdaq’s continued listing requirements, in order to continue to maintain the listing of our securities on Nasdaq. For instance, our share price would generally be required to be at least $4.00 per share, our stockholders’ equity would generally be required to be at least $5.0 million and we would be required to have a minimum of 300 round lot holders of our securities, with at least 50% of such round lot holders holding securities with a market value of at least $2,500. We cannot assure you that we will be able to meet those initial listing requirements at that time.
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If Nasdaq delists our securities from trading on its exchange and we are not able to list our securities on another national securities exchange, we expect our securities could be quoted on an over-the-counter market. If this were to occur, we could face significant material adverse consequences, including:
• | a limited availability of market quotations for our securities; |
• | reduced liquidity for our securities; |
• | a determination that our Class A ordinary shares are a “penny stock” which will require brokers trading in our Class A ordinary shares to adhere to more stringent rules and possibly result in a reduced level of trading activity in the secondary trading market for our securities; |
• | a limited amount of news and analyst coverage; and |
• | a decreased ability to issue additional securities or obtain additional financing in the future. |
The National Securities Markets Improvement Act of 1996, which is a federal statute, prevents or preempts the states from regulating the sale of certain securities, which are referred to as “covered securities.”
Because we expect that our units and eventually our Class A ordinary shares and warrants will be listed on Nasdaq, our units, Class A ordinary shares and warrants will be covered securities. Although the states are preempted from regulating the sale of our securities, the federal statute does allow the states to investigate companies if there is a suspicion of fraud, and, if there is a finding of fraudulent activity, then the states can regulate or bar the sale of covered securities in a particular case. While we are not aware of a state having used these powers to prohibit or restrict the sale of securities issued by blank check companies, other than the state of Idaho, certain state securities regulators view blank check companies unfavorably and might use these powers, or threaten to use these powers, to hinder the sale of securities of blank check companies in their states. Further, if we were no longer listed on Nasdaq, our securities would not be covered securities 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 United States securities laws. However, because we will have net tangible assets in excess of $5,000,000 upon the successful completion of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants and will file a Current Report on Form 8-K, including an audited balance sheet demonstrating this fact, we are exempt from rules promulgated by the SEC to protect investors in blank check companies, such as Rule 419. Accordingly, investors will not be afforded the benefits or protections of those rules. Among other things, this means our units will be immediately tradable and we will have a longer period of time to complete our initial business combination than do companies subject to Rule 419. Moreover, if this offering were subject to Rule 419, that rule would prohibit the release of any interest earned on funds held in the trust account to us unless and until the funds in the trust account were released to us upon the completion of our initial business combination. For a more detailed comparison of our offering to offerings that comply with Rule 419, please see “Proposed Business — Comparison of This Offering to Those of Blank Check Companies Subject to Rule 419.”
Our shareholders may be held liable for claims by third parties against us to the extent of distributions received by them upon redemption of their shares.
If we are forced to enter into an insolvent liquidation, any distributions received by shareholders could be viewed as an unlawful payment if it was proved that immediately following the date on which the distribution was made, we were unable to pay our debts as they fall due in the ordinary course of business. As a result, a liquidator could seek to recover some or all amounts received by our shareholders. Furthermore, our directors may be viewed as having breached their fiduciary duties to us or our creditors and/or may have acted in bad faith, and thereby exposing themselves and our company to claims, by paying public shareholders from the trust account prior to addressing the claims of creditors. We cannot assure you that claims will not be brought against us for these reasons. We and our directors and officers who knowingly and willfully authorized or permitted any distribution to be paid out of our share premium account while we were unable to pay our debts as they fall due in the ordinary course of business would be guilty of an offence and may be liable to a fine of up to approximately $18,300 and to imprisonment for five years in the Cayman Islands.
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We may not hold an annual meeting of shareholders until after the consummation of our initial business combination, which could delay the opportunity for our shareholders to elect directors.
In accordance with the Nasdaq corporate governance requirements, we are required to hold an annual meeting within one year after our first fiscal year end following our listing on Nasdaq. There is no requirement under the Companies Act for us to hold annual or general meetings or elect directors. Until we hold an annual meeting of shareholders, public shareholders may not be afforded the opportunity to discuss company affairs with management. In addition, as holders of our Class A ordinary shares, our public shareholders will not have the right to vote on the election or removal of directors prior to consummation of our initial business combination.
We are not registering Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants under the Securities Act or any state securities laws at this time, and such registration may not be in place when an investor desires to exercise warrants, thus precluding such investor from being able to exercise its warrants except on a cashless basis and potentially causing such warrants to expire worthless.
We are not registering Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants under the Securities Act or any state securities laws at this time. However, under the terms of the warrant agreement, we have agreed to use our best efforts to file a registration statement under the Securities Act covering such shares and maintain a current prospectus relating to the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants, until the expiration or redemption of the warrants in accordance with the provisions of the warrant agreement. We cannot assure you that we will be able to do so if, for example, any facts or events arise which represent a fundamental change in the information set forth in the registration statement or prospectus, the financial statements contained or incorporated by reference therein are not current, complete or correct or the SEC issues a stop order. If the shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants are not registered under the Securities Act, we will be required to permit holders to exercise their warrants on a cashless basis, in which case, the number of Class A ordinary shares that you will receive upon cashless exercise will be based on a formula subject to a maximum amount of shares equal to 0.361 Class A ordinary shares per warrant (subject to adjustment), as further described under the heading “Description of Securities — Warrants.” However, no warrant will be exercisable for cash or on a cashless basis, and we will not be obligated to issue any shares to holders seeking to exercise their warrants, unless the issuance of the shares upon such exercise is registered or qualified under the securities laws of the state of the exercising holder, or an exemption from registration is available. Notwithstanding the above, if our Class A ordinary shares are at the time of any exercise of a warrant not listed on a national securities exchange such that they satisfy the definition of a “covered security” under Section 18(b)(1) of the Securities Act, we may, at our option, require holders of public warrants who exercise their warrants to do so on a “cashless basis” in accordance with Section 3(a)(9) of the Securities Act and, in the event we so elect, we will not be required to file or maintain in effect a registration statement, but we will be required to 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 warrant, or issue securities or other compensation in exchange for the warrants in the event that we are unable to register or qualify the shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants under the Securities Act or applicable state securities laws, and there is no applicable exemption available. If the issuance of the shares upon exercise of the warrants is not so registered or qualified or exempt from registration or qualification, the holder of such warrant shall not be entitled to exercise such warrant and such warrant may have no value and expire worthless. In such event, holders who acquired their warrants as part of a purchase of units will have paid the full unit purchase price solely for the Class A ordinary shares included in the units. If and when the warrants become redeemable by us, we may exercise our redemption right even if we are unable to register or qualify the securities issuable upon exercise of such warrants for sale under all applicable state securities laws.
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The grant of registration rights to our initial shareholders may make it more difficult to complete our initial business combination, and the future exercise of such rights may adversely affect the market price of our Class A ordinary shares.
Pursuant to an agreement to be entered into concurrently with the issuance and sale of the securities in this offering, our initial shareholders and their permitted transferees can demand that we register the Class A ordinary shares into which founder shares are convertible, holders of our private placement warrants and their permitted transferees can demand that we register the private placement warrants and the Class A ordinary shares 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 such warrants or the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of such warrants. Assuming the founder shares convert on a one for one basis and no warrants are issued upon conversion of working capital loans, an aggregate of up to 5,000,000 Class A ordinary shares and up to 11,900,000 warrants (or up to 5,750,000 Class A ordinary shares and up to 13,250,000 warrants if the over-allotment option is exercised in full) are subject to registration under these agreements. 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 ordinary shares. In addition, the existence of the registration rights may make our initial business combination more costly or difficult to conclude. This is because the shareholders of the target business may increase the equity stake they seek in the combined entity or ask for more cash consideration to offset the negative impact on the market price of our Class A ordinary shares that is expected when the securities owned by our initial shareholders, holders of our private placement warrants, holders of working capital loans or their respective permitted transferees are registered.
Unlike some other similarly structured blank check companies, our initial shareholders will receive additional Class A ordinary shares if we issue shares to consummate our initial business combination.
The founder shares will automatically convert into Class A ordinary shares at the time of completion of our initial business combination on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustment for share splits, share dividends, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like and subject to further adjustment as provided herein. In the case that additional Class A ordinary shares or equity-linked securities convertible or exercisable for Class A ordinary shares are issued or deemed issued in excess of the amounts sold in this offering and related to the closing of our initial business combination, the ratio at which founder shares will convert into Class A ordinary shares will be adjusted so that the number of Class A ordinary shares issuable upon conversion of all founder shares will equal, in the aggregate, 20% of the sum of our ordinary shares outstanding upon completion of this offering plus the number of Class A ordinary shares and equity-linked securities issued or deemed issued in connection with our initial business combination, excluding any Class A ordinary shares or equity-linked securities issued, or to be issued, to any seller in our initial business combination.
We may issue notes or other debt securities, or otherwise incur substantial debt, to complete a business combination, which may adversely affect our leverage and financial condition and thus negatively impact the value of our shareholders’ investment in us.
Although we have no commitments as of the date of this prospectus to issue any notes or other debt securities, or to otherwise incur outstanding debt following this offering, we may choose to incur substantial debt to complete our business combination. We and our officers have agreed that we will not incur any indebtedness unless we have obtained from the lender a waiver of any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to the monies held in the trust account. As such, no issuance of debt will affect the per share amount available for redemption from the trust account. Nevertheless, the incurrence of debt could have a variety of negative effects, including:
• | 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; |
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• | our immediate payment of all principal and accrued interest, if any, if the debt security is payable on demand; |
• | our inability to obtain necessary additional financing if the debt security contains covenants restricting our ability to obtain such financing while the debt security is outstanding; |
• | our inability to pay dividends on our ordinary shares; |
• | using a substantial portion of our cash flow to pay principal and interest on our debt, which will reduce the funds available for dividends on our ordinary shares if declared, to pay expenses, make capital expenditures and acquisitions and fund other general corporate purposes; |
• | limitations on our flexibility in planning for and reacting to changes in our business and in the industry in which we operate; |
• | increased vulnerability to adverse changes in general economic, industry and competitive conditions and adverse changes in government regulation; |
• | limitations on our ability to borrow additional amounts for expenses, capital expenditures, acquisitions, debt service requirements, and execution of our strategy; and |
• | other disadvantages compared to our competitors who have less debt. |
The exercise price for the public warrants is higher than in some other blank check company offerings, and, accordingly, the 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 warrants are less likely to ever be in the money and more likely to expire worthless.
Our initial shareholders will control the election and removal 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 and may exert a substantial influence on actions requiring shareholder vote, potentially in a manner that you do not support.
Upon the closing of this offering, our initial shareholders will own 20% of our issued and outstanding ordinary shares (assuming they do not purchase any units in this offering). In addition, the founder shares, all of which are held by our initial shareholders, will (i) entitle the holders to elect all of our directors prior to our initial business combination and (ii) in respect of any vote or votes to continue the company in a jurisdiction outside the Cayman Islands (including, but not limited to, the approval of the organizational documents of the company in such other jurisdiction), which requires the approval of at least two-thirds of the votes of all ordinary shares, entitle the holders to ten votes for every founder share. Holders of our public shares will have no right to vote on the election or removal of directors during such time. These provisions of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association may only be amended by a special resolution passed by a majority of at least 90% of our ordinary shares voting in a general meeting. As a result, you will not have any influence over the election or removal of directors or our continuation in a jurisdiction outside the Cayman Islands prior to our initial business combination.
Neither our initial shareholders nor, to our knowledge, any of our officers or directors, have any current intention to purchase additional securities, other than as disclosed in this prospectus. Factors that would be considered in making such additional purchases would include consideration of the current trading price of our Class A ordinary shares. In addition, as a result of their substantial ownership in our company, our initial shareholders may exert a substantial influence on other actions requiring a shareholder vote, potentially in a manner that you do not support, including amendments to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association and approval of major corporate transactions. If our initial shareholders purchase any additional ordinary shares in the aftermarket or in privately negotiated transactions, this would increase their influence over these actions.
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Accordingly, our initial shareholders will exert significant influence over actions requiring a shareholder vote at least until the completion of our initial business combination.
Our sponsor paid a nominal price for the founder shares, and, accordingly, you will experience immediate and substantial dilution from the purchase of our Class A ordinary shares.
The difference between the public offering price per share (allocating all of the unit purchase price to the Class A ordinary shares and none to the warrant included in the unit) and the pro forma net tangible book value per Class A ordinary share after this offering constitutes the dilution to you and the other investors in this offering. Our sponsor acquired the founder shares at a nominal price, significantly contributing to this dilution. Upon the closing of this offering, and assuming no value is ascribed to the warrants included in the units, you and the other public shareholders will incur an immediate and substantial dilution of approximately 134.7% (or $13.47 per share, assuming no exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option), the difference between the pro forma net tangible book value per share after this offering of $(3.47) and the initial offering price of $10.00 per unit. This dilution would increase to the extent that the anti-dilution provisions of the founder shares result in the issuance of Class A ordinary shares on a greater than one-to-one basis upon conversion of the founder shares at the time of completion of our initial business combination and would become exacerbated to the extent that public shareholders seek redemptions from the trust for their public shares. In addition, because of the anti-dilution protection in the founder shares, any equity or equity-linked securities issued in connection with our initial business combination would be disproportionately dilutive to our Class A ordinary shares. Moreover, although we are of the view that our sponsor, directors and officers paid fair value for the founder shares, there is no assurance that a taxing authority would agree with us, and if a taxing authority were to successfully assert otherwise, we may be subject to material withholding and other tax liabilities that could adversely affect our financial condition.
We may amend the terms of the warrants in a manner that may be adverse to holders of public warrants with the approval by the holders of at least 65% of the then outstanding public warrants. As a result, the exercise price of your warrants could be increased, the exercise period could be shortened and the number of our Class A ordinary shares purchasable upon exercise of a warrant could be decreased, all without your approval.
Our warrants will be issued in registered form under a warrant agreement between Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, as warrant agent, and us. The warrant agreement provides that the terms of the warrants may be amended without the consent of any holder to cure any ambiguity or correct any defective provision, but requires the approval by the holders of at least 65% of the then outstanding public warrants to make any change that adversely affects the interests of the registered holders of public warrants. Accordingly, we may amend the terms of the public warrants in a manner adverse to a holder if holders of at least 65% 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 65% of the then outstanding public warrants is unlimited, examples of such amendments could be amendments to, among other things, increase the exercise price of the warrants, convert the warrants into cash, shorten the exercise period or decrease the number of our Class A ordinary shares purchasable upon exercise of a warrant.
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 warrant holders to obtain a favorable judicial forum for disputes with our company.
Our warrant agreement will provide that, subject to applicable law, (i) any action, proceeding or claim against us arising out of or relating in any way to the warrant agreement, including under the Securities Act, will be brought and enforced in the courts of the State of New York or the 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 the warrant agreement will not apply to suits brought to enforce any liability or duty created by the Exchange Act or any other claim for which the federal district courts of the United States of America are the sole and exclusive forum. Any person or entity purchasing or otherwise acquiring any interest in any of our warrants shall be deemed to have notice of and to have consented to the forum provisions in our warrant agreement. If any action, the subject matter of which is within the scope the forum provisions of the warrant agreement, is filed in a court other than a court of the 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 shall be deemed to have consented to: (x) the personal jurisdiction of the state and federal courts located in the City of New York, County of New York, State of New York in connection with any action brought in any such court to enforce the forum provisions (an “enforcement action”), and (y) having service of process made upon such warrant holder in any such enforcement action by service upon such warrant holder’s counsel in the foreign action as agent for such warrant holder.
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This choice-of-forum provision may limit a warrant holder’s ability to bring a claim in a judicial forum that it finds favorable for disputes with our company, which may discourage such lawsuits. Alternatively, if a court were to find this provision of our warrant agreement inapplicable or unenforceable with respect to one or more of the specified types of actions or proceedings, we may incur additional costs associated with resolving such matters in other jurisdictions, which could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations and result in a diversion of the time and resources of our management and board of directors.
We may redeem your unexpired warrants prior to their exercise at a time that is disadvantageous to you, thereby making your warrants worthless.
We have the ability to redeem issued and outstanding 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 Reference Value equals or exceeds $18.00 per share (as adjusted for changes to the number of shares issuable upon exercise or the exercise price of a warrant as described under the heading “Description of Securities — Warrants — Public Shareholders’ Warrants — Anti-dilution Adjustments”). Please see “Description of Securities — Warrants — Public Shareholders’ Warrants — Redemption of warrants when the price per Class A ordinary share equals or exceeds $18.00.” If and when the warrants become redeemable by us, we may exercise our redemption right even if we are unable to register or qualify the securities issuable upon exercise of such warrants for sale under all applicable state securities laws. As a result, we may redeem the warrants as set forth above even if the holders are otherwise unable to exercise the warrants. Redemption of the issued and outstanding warrants could force you (i) to exercise your warrants and pay the exercise price therefor at a time when it may be disadvantageous for you to do so, (ii) to sell your warrants at the then-current market price when you might otherwise wish to hold your warrants or (iii) to accept the nominal redemption price which, at the time the issued and outstanding warrants are called for redemption, we expect would be substantially less than the market value of your warrants. None of the private placement warrants will be redeemable by us so long as they are held by our sponsor or its permitted transferees.
In addition, we have the ability to redeem the outstanding warrants at any time after they become exercisable and prior to their expiration, at a price of $0.10 per warrant if, among other things, the Reference Value equals or exceeds $10.00 per share (as adjusted for changes to the number of shares issuable upon exercise or the exercise price of a warrant as described under the heading “Description of Securities — Warrants — Public Shareholders’ Warrants — Anti-dilution Adjustments”). In such a case, the holders will be able to exercise their warrants prior to redemption for a number of Class A ordinary shares determined based on the redemption date and the fair market value of our Class A ordinary shares. Please see “Description of Securities — Warrants — Public Shareholders’ Warrants — Redemption of warrants when the price per Class A ordinary share equals or exceeds $10.00.” The value received upon exercise of the warrants (1) may be less than the value the holders would have received if they had exercised their warrants at a later time where the price of the shares issuable upon exercise of such warrants is higher and (2) may not compensate the holders for the value of the warrants, including because the number of ordinary shares received is capped at 0.361 Class A ordinary shares per warrant (subject to adjustment) irrespective of the remaining life of the warrants.
Our management’s ability to require holders of our warrants to exercise such warrants on a cashless basis will cause holders to receive fewer Class A ordinary shares upon their exercise of the warrants than they would have received had they been able to exercise their warrants for cash.
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If we call our public warrants for redemption after the redemption criteria described elsewhere in this prospectus have been satisfied, our management will have the option to require any holder that wishes to exercise its warrant (including any warrants held by our sponsor, officers, directors or their permitted transferees) to do so on a “cashless basis.” If our management chooses to require holders to exercise their warrants on a cashless basis, the number of Class A ordinary shares received by a holder upon exercise will be fewer than it would have been had such holder exercised his warrant for cash. This will have the effect of reducing the potential “upside” of the holder’s investment in our company.
Our warrants and founder shares may have an adverse effect on the market price of our Class A ordinary shares and make it more difficult to effectuate our business combination.
We will be issuing warrants to purchase 10,000,000 Class A ordinary shares (or up to 11,500,000 Class A ordinary shares if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) as part of the units offered by this prospectus and, simultaneously with the closing of this offering, we will be issuing in a private placement an aggregate of 11,900,000 (or up to 13,250,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) private placement warrants, each exercisable to purchase one Class A ordinary share at $11.50 per share. The founder shares are convertible into Class A ordinary shares on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustment for share splits, share dividends, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like and subject to further adjustment as set forth herein. In addition, if our sponsor makes any working capital loans, it may convert those loans into up to an additional 1,500,000 private placement warrants, at the price of $1.00 per warrant. To the extent we issue Class A ordinary shares to effectuate a business combination, the potential for the issuance of a substantial number of additional Class A ordinary shares upon exercise of these warrants and conversion rights could make us a less attractive acquisition vehicle to a target business. Any such issuance will increase the number of issued and outstanding Class A ordinary shares and reduce the value of the Class A ordinary shares issued to complete the business 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.
Because each unit contains one-half of one warrant and only a whole warrant may be exercised, the units may be worth less than units of other blank check companies.
Each unit contains one-half of one warrant. Pursuant to the warrant agreement, no fractional warrants will be issued upon separation of the units, and only whole warrants will trade. This is different from other offerings similar to ours whose units include one ordinary share and one warrant to purchase one whole share. We have established the components of the units in this way in order to reduce the dilutive effect of the warrants upon completion of a business combination since the warrants will be exercisable in the aggregate for one-half of the number of shares compared to units that each contain a whole warrant to purchase one share, thus making us, we believe, a more attractive merger partner for target businesses. Nevertheless, this unit structure may cause our units to be worth less than if they included a warrant to purchase one whole share.
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 ordinary shares and 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; |
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• | 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 operating companies; |
• | 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. Shareholders therefore have no access to information about prior market history on which to base their investment decision. Following this offering, the price of our securities may vary significantly due to one or more potential business combinations and general market or economic conditions, including as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak. Furthermore, an active trading market for our securities may never develop or, if developed, it may not be sustained. You may be unable to sell your securities unless a market can be established and sustained.
Because we must furnish our shareholders with target business financial statements, we may lose the ability to complete an otherwise advantageous initial business combination with some prospective target businesses.
The federal proxy rules require that a proxy statement with respect to a vote on a business combination meeting certain financial significance tests include target historical and/or pro forma financial statement disclosure. 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.
Compliance obligations under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act may make it more difficult for us to effectuate our business combination, require substantial financial and management resources, and increase the time and costs of completing our initial business combination.
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. Further, for as long as we remain an emerging growth company, we will not be required to comply with the independent registered public accounting firm attestation requirement on our internal control over financial reporting. The fact that we are a blank check company makes compliance with the requirements of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act particularly burdensome for us as compared to other public companies because a target business with which we seek to complete our 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.
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Provisions in our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association may inhibit a takeover of us, which could limit the price investors might be willing to pay in the future for our Class A ordinary shares and could entrench management.
Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will contain provisions that may discourage unsolicited takeover proposals that shareholders may consider to be in their best interests. These provisions include a staggered board, three-year director terms and the ability of the board of directors to designate the terms of and issue new series of preferred shares, which may make more difficult the removal of management and may discourage transactions that otherwise could involve payment of a premium over prevailing market prices for our securities.
Risks Associated with Our Status as a Foreign Entity
Because we are incorporated under the laws of the Cayman Islands, you may face difficulties in protecting your interests, and your ability to protect your rights through the U.S. Federal courts may be limited.
We are an exempted company incorporated with limited liability under the laws of the Cayman Islands. As a result, it may be difficult for investors to effect service of process within the United States upon our directors or officers, or enforce judgments obtained in the United States courts against our directors or officers.
Our corporate affairs will be governed by our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, the Companies Act (as the same may be supplemented or amended from time to time) and the common law of the Cayman Islands. We will also be subject to the federal securities laws of the United States. The rights of shareholders to take action against the directors, actions by minority shareholders and the fiduciary responsibilities of our directors to us under Cayman Islands law are to a large extent governed by statutory law and the common law of the Cayman Islands. The common law of the Cayman Islands is derived in part from comparatively limited judicial precedent in the Cayman Islands as well as from English common law, the decisions of whose courts are of persuasive authority, but are not binding on a court in the Cayman Islands. The rights of our shareholders and the fiduciary responsibilities of our directors under Cayman Islands law are different from what they would be under statutes or judicial precedent in some jurisdictions in the United States. In particular, the Cayman Islands has a different body of securities laws as compared to the United States, and certain states, such as Delaware, may have more fully developed and judicially interpreted bodies of corporate law. In addition, Cayman Islands companies may not have standing to initiate a shareholders derivative action in a Federal court of the United States.
We have been advised by our Cayman Islands legal counsel that the courts of the Cayman Islands are unlikely (i) to recognize or enforce against us judgments of courts of the United States predicated upon the civil liability provisions of the federal securities laws of the United States or any state; and (ii) in original actions brought in the Cayman Islands, to impose liabilities against us predicated upon the civil liability provisions of the federal securities laws of the United States or any state, so far as the liabilities imposed by those provisions are penal in nature. In those circumstances, although there is no statutory enforcement in the Cayman Islands of judgments obtained in the United States, the courts of the Cayman Islands will recognize and enforce a foreign money judgment of a foreign court of competent jurisdiction without retrial on the merits based on the principle that a judgment of a competent foreign court imposes upon the judgment debtor an obligation to pay the sum for which judgment has been given provided certain conditions are met. For a foreign judgment to be enforced in the Cayman Islands, such judgment must be final and conclusive and for a liquidated sum, and must not be in respect of taxes or a fine or penalty, inconsistent with a Cayman Islands judgment in respect of the same matter, impeachable on the grounds of fraud or obtained in a manner, or be of a kind the enforcement of which is, contrary to natural justice or the public policy of the Cayman Islands (awards of punitive or multiple damages may well be held to be contrary to public policy). A Cayman Islands Court may stay enforcement proceedings if concurrent proceedings are being brought elsewhere.
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As a result of all of the above, public shareholders may have more difficulty in protecting their interests in the face of actions taken by management, members of the board of directors or controlling shareholders than they would as public shareholders of a United States company.
After our initial business combination, it is possible that a majority of our directors and officers will live outside the United States and all of our assets will be located outside the United States; therefore, investors may not be able to enforce federal securities laws or their other legal rights.
It is possible that after our initial business combination, a majority of our directors and officers will reside outside of the United States and all of our assets will be located outside of the United States. As a result, it may be difficult, or in some cases not possible, for investors in the United States to enforce their legal rights, to effect service of process upon all of our directors or officers or to enforce judgments of United States courts predicated upon civil liabilities and criminal penalties on our directors and officers under United States laws.
We may pursue a business combination with a target business in any geographic location. If we effect our initial business combination with a company with operations or opportunities outside of the United States, we would be subject to a variety of additional risks that may negatively impact our operations.
If we effect our initial business combination with a company with operations or opportunities outside of the United States, we would be subject to any special considerations or risks associated with companies operating in an international setting, including any of the following:
• | costs and difficulties inherent in managing cross-border business operations and complying with difficult commercial and legal requirements of the overseas market; |
• | rules and regulations regarding currency redemption; |
• | tax issues, such as complex corporate taxes, withholding taxes on operating income and withholding taxes on shareholders; |
• | tax law changes and variations in tax laws as compared to the United States; |
• | laws governing the manner in which future business combinations may be effected; |
• | exchange listing and/or delisting requirements; |
• | tariffs and trade barriers; |
• | regulations related to customs and import/export matters; |
• | local or regional economic policies and market conditions; |
• | unexpected changes in regulatory requirements; |
• | longer payment cycles; |
• | currency fluctuations and exchange controls; |
• | rates of inflation; |
• | challenges in collecting accounts receivable; |
• | cultural and language differences; |
• | employment regulations; |
• | underdeveloped or unpredictable legal or regulatory systems; |
• | corruption; |
• | protection of intellectual property; |
• | social unrest, crime, strikes, riots and civil disturbances; |
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• | terrorist attacks, natural disasters and wars; |
• | deterioration of political relations with the United States; and |
• | government appropriation of assets. |
We may not be able to adequately address these additional risks. If we were unable to do so, our operations might suffer, which may adversely impact our results of operations and financial condition.
If our management following our initial business combination is unfamiliar with United States securities laws, they may have to expend time and resources becoming familiar with such laws, which could lead to various regulatory issues.
Following our initial business combination, our management may resign from their positions as officers or directors of the company and the management of the target business at the time of the business combination will remain in place. Management of the target business may not be familiar with United States securities laws. If new management is unfamiliar with United States securities laws, they may have to expend time and resources becoming familiar with such laws. This could be expensive and time-consuming and could lead to various regulatory issues which may adversely affect our operations.
After our initial business combination, substantially all of our assets may be located in a foreign country and substantially all of our revenue will be derived from our operations in such country. Accordingly, our results of operations and prospects will be subject, to a significant extent, to the economic, political and legal policies, developments and conditions in the country in which we operate.
The economic, political and social conditions, as well as government policies, of the country in which our operations are located could affect our business. Economic growth could be uneven, both geographically and among various sectors of the economy and such growth may not be sustained in the future. If in the future such country’s economy experiences a downturn or grows at a slower rate than expected, there may be less demand for spending in certain industries. A decrease in demand for spending in certain industries could materially and adversely affect our ability to find an attractive target business with which to consummate our initial business combination and if we effect our initial business combination, the ability of that target business to become profitable.
Exchange rate fluctuations and currency policies may cause a target business’ ability to succeed in the international markets to be diminished.
In the event we acquire a non-U.S. target, all revenues and income would likely be received in a foreign currency, and the dollar equivalent of our net assets and distributions, if any, could be adversely affected by reductions in the value of the local currency. The value of the currencies in non-U.S. regions fluctuates and is affected by, among other things, changes in political and economic conditions. Any change in the relative value of such currency against our reporting currency may affect the attractiveness of any target business or, following consummation of our initial business combination, our financial condition and results of operations. Additionally, if a currency appreciates in value against the dollar prior to the consummation of our initial business combination, the cost of a target business as measured in dollars will increase, which may make it less likely that we are able to consummate such transaction.
General Risk Factors
We are a blank check company with no operating history and no revenues, and you have no basis on which to evaluate our ability to achieve our business objective.
We are a blank check exempted company established under the laws of the Cayman Islands with no operating results, and we will not commence operations until obtaining funding through this offering. Because we lack an operating history, you have no basis upon which to evaluate our ability to achieve our business objective of completing our initial business combination with one or more target businesses. We have no plans, arrangements or understandings with any prospective target business concerning a business combination 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.
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We may be a passive foreign investment company, or “PFIC,” which could result in adverse U.S. federal income tax consequences to U.S. investors.
If we are a PFIC for any taxable year (or portion thereof) that is included in the holding period of a U.S. holder (as defined in the section of this prospectus captioned “Income Tax Considerations — United States Federal Income Tax Considerations — U.S. Holder and Non-U.S. Holder Defined”) of our Class A ordinary shares or warrants, the U.S. holder may be subject to certain adverse U.S. federal income tax consequences and may be subject to additional reporting requirements. Our PFIC status for our current and subsequent taxable years may depend on whether we qualify for the PFIC start-up exception (see the section of this prospectus captioned “Income Tax Considerations — United States Federal Income Tax Considerations — Considerations for U.S. Holders — Passive Foreign Investment Company Rules”). Depending on the particular circumstances, the application of the start-up exception may be subject to uncertainty, and there cannot be any assurance that we will qualify for the start-up exception. Additionally, even if we qualify for the start-up exception with respect to a given taxable year, there cannot be any assurance that we would not be a PFIC in other taxable years. Accordingly, there can be no assurances with respect to our status as a PFIC for our current taxable year or any subsequent taxable year. Our actual PFIC status for any taxable year will not be determinable until after the end of such taxable year. If we determine we are a PFIC for any taxable year, to the extent commercially practicable, we will endeavor to provide to a U.S. holder such information as the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) may require, including a PFIC annual information statement, in order to enable the U.S. holder to make and maintain a “qualified electing fund” election with respect to their Class A ordinary shares, but there can be no assurance that we will timely provide such required information, and such election would likely be unavailable with respect to our warrants in all cases. We urge U.S. holders to consult their own tax advisors regarding the possible application of the PFIC rules to holders of our Class A ordinary shares and warrants. For a more detailed explanation of the tax consequences of PFIC classification to U.S. holders, see the section of this prospectus captioned “Income Tax Considerations — United States Federal Income Tax Considerations — Considerations for U.S. Holders — Passive Foreign Investment Company Rules.”
We may reincorporate in another jurisdiction in connection with our initial business combination and such reincorporation may result in taxes imposed on shareholders or warrant holders.
We may, in connection with our initial business combination and subject to requisite shareholder approval under the Companies Act, reincorporate in the jurisdiction in which the target company or business is located, or in another jurisdiction. The transaction may require a shareholder or warrant holder to recognize taxable income in the jurisdiction in which the shareholder or warrant holder is a tax resident or in which its members are resident if it is a tax transparent entity. We do not intend to make any cash distributions to shareholders or warrant holders to pay such taxes. Shareholders or warrant holders may be subject to withholding taxes or other taxes with respect to their ownership of us after the reincorporation.
Our initial business combination and our structure thereafter may not be tax-efficient to our shareholders 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 shareholder approval, we may structure our business combination in a manner that requires shareholders 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 (including, but not limited to, the jurisdiction in which the target company or business is located). We do not intend to make any cash distributions to shareholders or warrant holders to pay taxes in connection with our business combination or thereafter. Accordingly, a shareholder or a warrant holder may need to satisfy any 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, shareholders 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.
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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.
An investment in this offering may result in uncertain U.S. federal income tax consequences.
An investment in this offering may result in uncertain U.S. federal income tax consequences. For instance, because there are no authorities that directly address instruments similar to the units we are issuing in this offering, the allocation an investor makes with respect to the purchase price of a unit between the Class A ordinary shares and the one-half of a warrant to purchase one Class A ordinary share included in each unit could be challenged by the IRS or courts. In addition, the U.S. federal income tax consequences of a cashless exercise of warrants included in the units we are issuing in this offering are unclear under current law. Finally, it is unclear whether the redemption rights with respect to our ordinary shares suspend the running of a U.S. holder’s (as defined in section titled “Income Tax Considerations — United States Federal Income Tax Consideration — Considerations for U.S. Holders”) holding period for purposes of determining whether any gain or loss realized by such holder on the sale or exchange of Class A ordinary shares is long-term capital gain or loss and for determining whether any dividend we pay would be considered “qualified dividend income” for U.S. federal income tax purposes. See the section titled “Income Tax Considerations — United States Federal Income Tax Considerations” for a summary of the U.S. federal income tax considerations of an investment in our securities. Prospective investors are urged to consult their tax advisors with respect to these and other tax consequences when acquiring, owning or disposing of our securities.
We are an emerging growth company within the meaning of the Securities Act, and if we take advantage of certain exemptions from disclosure requirements available to emerging growth companies, this could make our securities less attractive to investors and may make it more difficult to compare our performance with other public companies.
We are an “emerging growth company” within the meaning of the Securities Act, as modified by the JOBS Act, and we may take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not emerging growth companies including, but not limited to, not being required to comply with the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in our periodic reports and proxy statements, and exemptions from the requirements of holding a nonbinding advisory vote on executive compensation and shareholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved. As a result, our shareholders may not have access to certain information they may deem important. We could be an emerging growth company for up to five years, although circumstances could cause us to lose that status earlier, including if the market value of our Class A ordinary shares held by non-affiliates exceeds $700 million as of any June 30 before that time, in which case we would no longer be an emerging growth company as of the following December 31. We cannot predict whether investors will find our securities less attractive because we will rely on these exemptions. If some investors find our securities less attractive as a result of our reliance on these exemptions, the trading prices of our securities may be lower than they otherwise would be, there may be a less active trading market for our securities and the trading prices of our securities may be more volatile.
Further, Section 102(b)(1) of the JOBS Act exempts emerging growth companies from being required to comply with new or revised financial accounting standards until private companies (that is, those that have not had a Securities Act registration statement declared effective or do not have a class of securities registered under the Exchange Act) are required to comply with the new or revised financial accounting standards. The JOBS Act provides that a company can elect to opt out of the extended transition period and comply with the requirements that apply to non-emerging growth companies but any such an election to opt out is irrevocable. We have elected not to opt out of such extended transition period, which means that when a standard is issued or revised and it has different application dates for public or private companies, we, as an emerging growth company, can adopt the new or revised standard at the time private companies adopt the new or revised standard. This may make comparison of our financial statements with another public company which is neither an emerging growth company nor an emerging growth company which has opted out of using the extended transition period difficult or impossible because of the potential differences in accountant standards used.
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Cyber incidents or attacks directed at us could result in information theft, data corruption, operational disruption and/or financial loss.
We depend on digital technologies, including information systems, infrastructure and cloud applications and services, including those of third parties with which we may deal. Sophisticated and deliberate attacks on, or security breaches in, our systems or infrastructure, or the systems or infrastructure of third parties or the cloud, could lead to corruption or misappropriation of our assets, proprietary information and sensitive or confidential data. As an early stage company without significant investments in data security protection, we may not be sufficiently protected against such occurrences. We may not have sufficient resources to adequately protect against, or to investigate and remediate any vulnerability to, cyber incidents. It is possible that any of these occurrences, or a combination of them, could have adverse consequences on our business and lead to financial loss.
We are subject to changing law and regulations regarding regulatory matters, corporate governance and public disclosure that have increased both our costs and the risk of non-compliance.
We are subject to rules and regulations by various governing bodies, including, for example, the SEC, which are charged with the protection of investors and the oversight of companies whose securities are publicly traded, and to new and evolving regulatory measures under applicable law. Our efforts to comply with new and changing laws and regulations have resulted in and are likely to continue to result in, increased general and administrative expenses and a diversion of management time and attention from revenue-generating activities to compliance activities.
Moreover, because these laws, regulations and standards are subject to varying interpretations, their application in practice may evolve over time as new guidance becomes available. This evolution may result in continuing uncertainty regarding compliance matters and additional costs necessitated by ongoing revisions to our disclosure and governance practices. If we fail to address and comply with these regulations and any subsequent changes, we may be subject to penalty and our business may be harmed.
We employ a mail forwarding service, which may delay or disrupt our ability to receive mail in a timely manner.
Mail addressed to the company and received at its registered office will be forwarded unopened to the forwarding address supplied by company to be dealt with. None of the company, its directors, officers, advisors or service providers (including the organization which provides registered office services in the Cayman Islands) will bear any responsibility for any delay howsoever caused in mail reaching the forwarding address, which may impair your ability to communicate with us.
Since only holders of our founder shares will have the right to vote on the appointment of our directors, upon the listing of our shares on Nasdaq, Nasdaq may consider us to be a “controlled company” within the meaning of Nasdaq rules and, as a result, we may qualify for exemptions from certain corporate governance requirements.
After completion of this offering, only holders of our founder shares will have the right to vote on the appointment of our directors. As a result, Nasdaq may consider us to be a “controlled company” within the meaning of Nasdaq’s corporate governance standards. Under Nasdaq’s 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 of directors that includes a majority of ‘independent directors,’ as defined under the rules of Nasdaq;
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• we have a compensation committee of our board of directors that is comprised entirely of independent directors with a written charter addressing the committee’s purpose and responsibilities; and
• we have a nominating and corporate governance committee of our board of directors that is comprised entirely of independent directors with a written charter addressing the committee’s purpose and responsibilities.
We do not intend to utilize these exemptions and intend to comply with the corporate governance requirements of Nasdaq, subject to applicable phase-in rules. However, if we determine in the future to utilize some or all of these exemptions, you will not have the same protections afforded to stockholders of companies that are subject to all of Nasdaq’s corporate governance requirements.
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CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
Certain statements in this prospectus may constitute “forward-looking statements” for purposes of the federal securities laws. Our forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding our or our management team’s expectations, hopes, beliefs, intentions or strategies regarding the future. In addition, any statements that refer to projections, forecasts or other characterizations of future events or circumstances, including any underlying assumptions, are forward-looking statements. The words “anticipate,” “believe,” “continue,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “may,” “might,” “plan,” “possible,” “potential,” “predict,” “project,” “should,” “would” and similar expressions may identify forward-looking statements, but the absence of these words does not mean that a statement is not forward-looking. Forward-looking statements in this prospectus may include, for example, statements about:
• | our ability to select an appropriate target business or businesses; |
• | our ability to complete our initial business combination; |
• | our expectations around the performance of the prospective target business or businesses; |
• | our success in retaining or recruiting, or changes required in, our officers 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; |
• | the ability of our officers and directors 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 the heading “Risk Factors.” Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should any of our assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary in material respects from those projected in these forward-looking statements. We undertake no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as may be required under applicable securities laws.
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We are offering 20,000,000 units at an offering price of $10.00 per unit. We estimate that the net proceeds of this offering together with the funds we will receive from the sale of the private placement warrants will be used as set forth in the following table.
Without Over- Allotment Option | Over-Allotment Option Fully Exercised | |||||||
Gross proceeds | ||||||||
Gross proceeds from units offered to public(1) | $ | 200,000,000 | $ | 230,000,000 | ||||
Gross proceeds from private placement warrants offered in the private placement | 11,900,000 | 13,250,000 | ||||||
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Total gross proceeds | 211,900,000 | 243,250,000 | ||||||
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Estimated Offering expenses and other operating expenses(2) | ||||||||
Underwriting discounts and commissions (2.0% of gross proceeds from units offered to public, excluding deferred portion)(3) | 4,000,000 | 4,600,000 | ||||||
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Legal fees and expenses | 275,000 | 275,000 | ||||||
Printing and engraving expenses | 35,000 | 35,000 | ||||||
Accounting fees and expenses | 80,000 | 80,000 | ||||||
SEC/FINRA Expenses | 52,000 | 52,000 | ||||||
Nasdaq listing and filing fees | 75,000 | 75,000 | ||||||
Director and officer liability insurance premiums | 1,200,000 | 1,200,000 | ||||||
Miscellaneous | 58,500 | 58,500 | ||||||
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Total offering expenses and other operating expenses (excluding underwriting discounts and commissions) | 1,775,500 | 1,775,500 | ||||||
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Proceeds after estimated offering expenses and other operating expenses | $ | 206,124,500 | $ | 236,874,500 | ||||
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Held in trust account(3) | $ | 205,000,000 | $ | 235,750,000 | ||||
% of public offering size | 102.5 | % | 102.5 | % | ||||
Not held in trust account | $ | 1,124,500 | $ | 1,124,500 | ||||
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The following table shows the use of the approximately $1,124,500 of net proceeds not held in the trust account.(4)
Amount �� | % of Total | |||||||
Legal, accounting, due diligence, travel and other expenses in connection with any business combination(5) | $ | 490,000 | 43 | % | ||||
Legal and accounting fees related to regulatory reporting obligations | 200,000 | 18 | % | |||||
Payment for office space, administrative and support services | 150,000 | 13 | % | |||||
Reserve for liquidation expenses | 100,000 | 9 | % | |||||
Nasdaq continued listing fees | 130,000 | 12 | % | |||||
Working capital to cover miscellaneous expenses (including taxes net of anticipated interest income) | 54,500 | 5 | % | |||||
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Total | $ | 1,124,500 | 100.0 | % | ||||
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(1) | Includes amounts payable to public shareholders who properly redeem their shares in connection with our successful completion of our initial business combination. |
(2) | A portion of the offering expenses may be paid from the proceeds of loans from our sponsor of up to $0.3 million as described in this prospectus. These loans will be convertible into private placement warrants at a price of $1.00 per warrant at the option of our sponsor and, if not converted, will be repaid upon completion of this offering out of the $1,124,500 of offering proceeds that has been allocated for the payment of offering expenses and other operating expenses (other than underwriting discounts and commissions) and amounts not to be held in the trust account. These expenses are estimates only. In the event that offering expenses and other operating expenses are less than set forth in this table, the difference of any such amounts will be used for post-closing working capital expenses. In the event that the offering expenses and other operating expenses are more than as set forth in this table, we may fund such excess with funds not held in the trust account. |
(3) | Does not include amounts Exos Securities LLC may earn for providing other services pursuant to the Exos Engagement Letter. The underwriters have agreed to defer underwriting discounts and commissions equal to 3.5% of the gross proceeds of this offering. Upon completion of our initial business combination, $7,000,000, which constitutes the underwriters’ deferred underwriting commissions (or $8,050,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) will be paid to the underwriters from the funds held in the trust account, and the remaining funds, less amounts released to the trustee to pay redeeming shareholders, will be released to us and can be used to pay all or a portion of the purchase price of the business or businesses with which our initial business combination occurs or for general corporate purposes, including payment of principal or interest on indebtedness incurred in connection with our initial business combination, to fund the purchases of other companies or for working capital. The underwriters will not be entitled to any interest accrued on the deferred underwriting commissions. See “Underwriting” for more information on the arrangements with the underwriters. |
(4) | These expenses are estimates only. Our actual expenditures for some or all of these items may differ from the estimates set forth herein. For example, we may incur greater legal and accounting expenses than our current estimates in connection with negotiating and structuring our business combination based upon the level of complexity of such business combination. In the event we identify a business combination target in a specific industry subject to specific regulations, we may incur additional expenses associated with legal due diligence and the engagement of special legal counsel. In addition, our staffing needs may vary and as a result, we may engage a number of consultants to assist with legal and financial due diligence. We do not anticipate any change in our intended use of proceeds, other than fluctuations among the current categories of allocated expenses, which fluctuations, to the extent they exceed current estimates for any specific category of expenses, would not be available for our expenses. The amount in the table above does not include interest available to us from the trust account. The proceeds held in the trust account will be invested only in U.S. government treasury obligations with a maturity of 185 days or less or in money market funds meeting certain conditions under Rule 2a-7 under the Investment Company Act which invest only in direct U.S. government treasury obligations. We estimate the interest earned on the trust account will be approximately $100,000 per year, assuming an interest rate of 0.05% per year; however, we can provide no assurances regarding this amount. |
(5) | Includes estimated amounts that may also be used in connection with our business combination to fund a “no shop” provision and commitment fees for financing. |
The Nasdaq listing rules provide that at least 90% of the gross proceeds from this offering and the private placement be deposited in a trust account. Of the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants, $205.0 million (or $235.75 million if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), including $7.0 million (or $8.05 million if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) of deferred underwriting commissions, will be deposited into a U.S.-based trust account at J.P. Morgan Chase Bank, N.A. with Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company acting as trustee, and $11.9 million (or $13.25 million if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), will be used to pay expenses in connection with the closing of this offering, including underwriting discounts and commissions, and for working capital following this offering. The proceeds held in the trust account will be invested only in U.S. government treasury obligations with a maturity of 185 days or less or in money market funds meeting certain conditions under Rule 2a-7 under the Investment Company Act which invest only in direct U.S. government treasury obligations. We estimate that the interest earned on the trust account will be approximately $100,000 per year, assuming an interest rate of 0.05% per year; however, we can provide no assurances regarding this amount. Except with respect to interest earned on the funds held in the trust account that may be released to make permitted withdrawals, the proceeds from this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants will not be released from the trust account until the earliest to occur of (a) the completion of our initial business combination (including the release of funds to pay any amounts due to any public shareholders who properly exercise their redemption rights in connection therewith), (b) the redemption of any public shares properly submitted in connection with a shareholder vote to approve an amendment to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association that would affect the substance or timing of our obligation to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete an initial business combination within the completion window or (c) the redemption of our public shares if we are unable to complete our initial business combination within the completion window, subject to applicable law. Based on current interest rates, we expect that interest earned on the trust account will be sufficient to pay our taxes.
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The net proceeds from this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants released to us from the trust account upon the closing of our initial business combination may be used as consideration to pay the sellers of a target business with which we ultimately complete our business combination and to pay the deferred underwriting commissions. If our initial business combination is paid for using equity or debt securities, or not all of the funds released from the trust account are used for payment of the consideration in connection with our business combination, we may apply the balance of the cash released from the trust account for general corporate purposes, including for maintenance or expansion of operations of the post-transaction company, the payment of principal or interest due on indebtedness incurred in completing our initial business combination, to fund the purchase of other companies or for working capital. There is no limitation on our ability to raise funds privately or through loans in connection with our initial business combination.
We believe that amounts not held in trust 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 affiliates, but such persons are not under any obligation to advance funds to, or invest in, us.
We will reimburse our sponsor for office space, utilities, secretarial support and administrative services provided to members of our management team, in an amount equal to $10,000 per month, for up to 15 months (or for up to 18 months if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination). Upon completion of our initial business combination or our liquidation, we will cease paying these monthly fees.
Prior to the closing of this offering, our sponsor has agreed to loan the company up to $0.3 million to be used for a portion of the expenses of this offering. This loan is non-interest bearing, unsecured and is due at the closing of this offering. This loan will be convertible into private placement warrants at a price of $1.00 per warrant at the option of our sponsor and, if not converted, will be repaid upon the closing of this offering as part of the estimated $1,124,500 of offering expenses and other operating expenses held outside of the trust.
In addition, in order to finance transaction costs in connection with an intended initial business combination, our sponsor or an affiliate of our sponsor or certain of our officers and directors may, but are not obligated to, loan us funds as may be required. If we complete our initial business combination, we would repay such loaned amounts out of the proceeds of the trust account released to us. Otherwise, such loans would be repaid only out of funds held outside the trust account. In the event that our initial business combination does not close, we may use a portion of the working capital held outside the trust account to repay such loaned amounts but no proceeds from our trust account would be used to repay such loaned amounts. Up to $1.5 million of such loans may be convertible into warrants of the post business combination entity at a price of $1.00 per warrant at the option of the lender. The warrants would be identical to the private placement warrants issued to our sponsor, including as to exercise price, exercisability and exercise period. Except as set forth above, the terms of such loans, if any, have not been determined and no written agreements exist with respect to such loans. Prior to the completion of our initial business combination, we do not expect to seek loans from parties other than our sponsor or an affiliate of our sponsor as we do not believe third parties will be willing to loan such funds and provide a waiver against any and all rights to seek access to funds in our trust account.
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If we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination, and we do not conduct redemptions in connection with our business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our initial stockholders, directors, officers, advisors or their affiliates may purchase shares in privately negotiated transactions either prior to or following the completion of our initial business combination. However, other than as expressly stated herein they have no current commitments, plans or intentions to engage in such transactions and have not formulated any terms or conditions for any such transactions. If they engage in such transactions, they will not make any such purchases when they are in possession of any material non-public information not disclosed or if such purchases are prohibited by Regulation M under the Exchange Act. We do not currently anticipate that such purchases, if any, would constitute a tender offer subject to the tender offer rules under the Exchange Act or a going-private transaction subject to the going-private rules under the Exchange Act; however, if the purchasers determine at the time of any such purchases that the purchases are subject to such rules, the purchasers will comply with such rules.
We may not redeem our public shares in an amount that would cause our net tangible assets to be less than $5,000,001 (so that we are not subject to the SEC’s “penny stock” rules) and the agreement for our business combination may require 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 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.
A public stockholder will be entitled to receive funds from the trust account only upon the earliest to occur of: (a) our completion of an initial business combination, (b) the redemption of any public shares properly tendered 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 redemption 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 15 months from the closing of this offering (or 18 months from the closing of this offering if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination) or (ii) with respect to any other provisions relating to stockholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity and (c) the redemption of our public shares if we have not completed our business combination within 15 months following the closing of this offering (or 18 months from the closing of this offering if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination), subject to applicable law and as further described herein and any limitations (including but not limited to cash requirements) created by the terms of the proposed business combination. In no other circumstances will a public stockholder have any right or interest of any kind to or in the trust account. Holders of warrants will not have any right to the proceeds held in the trust account with respect to the warrants.
Our sponsor and each member of our management team 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. In addition, our sponsor has agreed to waive its rights to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to any founder shares held by them if we do not complete our business combination within the prescribed time frame. However, if our sponsor or any of our officers, directors or affiliates acquires 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 do not complete our initial business combination within the prescribed time frame.
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We have not paid any cash dividends on our ordinary shares to date and do not intend to pay cash dividends prior to the completion of our initial business combination. The payment of cash dividends in the future will be dependent upon our revenues and earnings, if any, capital requirements and general financial condition subsequent to completion of our initial business combination. The payment of any cash dividends subsequent to our initial business combination will be within the discretion of our board of directors at such time. In addition, our board of directors is not currently contemplating and does not anticipate declaring any other stock dividends in the foreseeable future, except if we increase or decrease the size of this offering pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act, in which case, 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 ownership of our initial shareholders prior to this offering at 20% of our issued and outstanding ordinary shares upon the consummation of this offering. Further, if we incur any indebtedness in connection with our 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 the Company’s Class A ordinary shares, assuming no value is attributed to the warrants included in the units the Company is offering pursuant to this prospectus or the private placement warrants, and the pro forma net tangible book value per share of its Class A ordinary shares after this offering constitutes the dilution to investors in this offering. Such calculation does not reflect any dilution associated with the sale and exercise of warrants, including the private placement warrants, which would cause the actual dilution to the public shareholders to be higher, particularly where a cashless exercise is utilized. Net tangible book value per share is determined by dividing the Company’s net tangible book value, which is its total tangible assets less total liabilities (including the value of its Class A ordinary shares which may be redeemed for cash), by the number of outstanding Class A ordinary shares.
At September 30, 2021, our net tangible book (deficit) was $393,588, or approximately $(0.07) per share. After giving effect to the sale of 20,000,000 Class A ordinary shares included in the units we are offering by this prospectus (or 23,000,000 Class A ordinary shares if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), the sale of the private placement warrants and the deduction of underwriting commissions and estimated expenses of this offering, our pro forma net tangible book value at September 30, 2021, would have been $(17,339,606) or $(3.47) per share (or $(19,880,366) or $(3.46) per share if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), representing an immediate increase in net tangible book value (as decreased by the value of 20,000,000 units of our Class A ordinary shares that may be redeemed for cash or 23,000,000 units of our Class A ordinary shares if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) of $(3.40) per share (or $(3.39) per share to our initial Shareholders as of the date of this prospectus. Total dilution to public Shareholders from this offering will be $13.47 per share (or $13.46 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full).
The following table illustrates the dilution to the public shareholders on a per-share basis, assuming no value is attributed to the warrants included in the units or the private placement warrants:
Without Over-allotment | With Over-allotment | |||||||
Public offering price | $ | 10.00 | $ | 10.00 | ||||
Net tangible book deficit before this offering | (0.07 | ) | (0.07 | ) | ||||
Increase (decrease) attributable to public shareholder’s | (3.40 | ) | (3.39 | ) | ||||
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Pro forma net tangible book value after this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants | (3.47 | ) | (3.46 | ) | ||||
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Dilution to public shareholders | $ | 13.47 | $ | 13.46 | ||||
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Percentage of dilution to public shareholders | 134.7 | % | 134.6 | % |
For purposes of presentation, we have reduced our pro forma net tangible book value after this offering (assuming no exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option) by $205,000,000 because holders of up to approximately 102.5% of the public shares may redeem their shares for a pro rata share of the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account at a per share redemption price equal to the amount in the trust account as set forth in our tender offer or proxy materials (initially anticipated to be the aggregate amount held in trust two days prior to the commencement of our tender offer or shareholders meeting, including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our taxes, if any, less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses) divided by the number of the then outstanding public shares.
The following table sets forth information with respect to our initial shareholders and the public shareholders:
Shares Purchased | Total Consideration | Average Price | ||||||||||||||||||
Number | Percentage | Number | Percentage | Per Share | ||||||||||||||||
Initial shareholders(1)(2) | 5,000,000 | 20.00 | % | $ | 25,000 | 0.01 | % | $ | 0.005 | |||||||||||
Public shareholders | 20,000,000 | 80.00 | % | $ | 200,000,000 | 99.99 | % | $ | 10.00 | |||||||||||
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25,000,000 | 100.00 | % | $ | 200,025,000 | 100.00 | % | ||||||||||||||
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(1) | Assumes the full forfeiture of 750,000 shares of Class B ordinary shares that are subject to forfeiture depending on the extent to which the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised. |
(2) | Assumes conversion of the founder shares into Class A ordinary shares on a one-for-one basis. The dilution to public shareholders would increase to the extent that the anti-dilution provisions of the founder shares result in the issuance of shares of Class A ordinary shares on a greater than one-to-one basis upon such conversion. |
The pro forma net tangible book value per share after the offering (assuming that the underwriters’ over-allotment option is not exercised) is calculated as follows:
Without Over- allotment | With Over- allotment | |||||||
Numerator: | ||||||||
Net tangible book deficit before this offering | $ | (393,588 | ) | $ | (393,588 | ) | ||
Net proceeds from this offering and sale of the private placement warrants(1) | 206,124,500 | 236,874,500 | ||||||
Plus: Offering costs paid in advance, excluded from tangible book value | 386,322 | 386,322 | ||||||
Less: Warrant liability | (11,456,840 | ) | (12,947,600 | ) | ||||
Less: Deferred underwriting commissions | (7,000,000 | ) | (8,050,000 | ) | ||||
Less: Proceeds held in trust subject to redemption | (205,000,000 | ) | (235,750,000 | ) | ||||
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$ | (17,339,606 | ) | $ | (19,880,366 | ) | |||
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Denominator: | ||||||||
Class B ordinary shares outstanding prior to this offering | 5,750,000 | 5,750,000 | ||||||
Class B ordinary shares forfeited if over-allotment is not exercised | (750,000 | ) | — | |||||
Class A ordinary shares included in the units offered | 20,000,000 | 23,000,000 | ||||||
Less: Shares subject to redemption | (20,000,000 | ) | (23,000,000 | ) | ||||
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5,000,000 | 5,750,000 | |||||||
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(1) | Expenses applied against gross proceeds include offering expenses and other operating expenses of $1,775,500 and underwriting commissions of $4,000,000 or $4,600,000 if the underwriters exercise their over-allotment option (excluding deferred underwriting fees). See “Use of Proceeds.” |
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The following table sets forth the Company’s capitalization at September 30, 2021, and as adjusted to give effect to the filing of its amended and restated certificate of incorporation, the sale of its units in this offering and the private placement warrants and the application of the estimated net proceeds derived from the sale of such securities:
September 30, 2021 | ||||||||
Actual | As Adjusted (1)(3) | |||||||
Note payable to related party(1) | $ | 95,972 | $ | — | ||||
Warrant liability(2) | 11,456,840 | |||||||
Deferred underwriting commissions | — | 7,000,000 | ||||||
Class A ordinary shares, $0.0001 par value, 800,000,000 shares authorized; -0- and 20,000,000 shares are subject to possible redemption, actual and as adjusted, respectively(3) | — | 205,000,000 | ||||||
Preferred shares, $0.0001 par value, 1,000,000 shares authorized; none issued and outstanding, actual and as adjusted | — | — | ||||||
Class A ordinary shares, $0.0001 par value, 800,000,000 shares authorized; -0- and -0- shares issued and outstanding (excluding -0- and 20,000,000 shares subject to possible redemption), actual and as adjusted, respectively | — | — | ||||||
Class B ordinary shares, $0.0001 par value, 199,000,000 shares authorized; 5,750,000 and 5,000,000 shares issued and outstanding, actual and as adjusted, respectively(4) | 575 | 500 | ||||||
Additional paid-in capital(5) | 24,425 | — | ||||||
Accumulated deficit | (32,266 | ) | (17,340,106 | ) | ||||
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Total shareholder’s equity | $ | (7,266 | ) | $ | (17,339,606 | ) | ||
Total capitalization | $ | 88,706 | $ | 206,117,234 | ||||
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(1) | Our sponsor has agreed to loan us up to $300,000 to be used for a portion of the expenses of this offering. The as adjusted information gives effect to the repayment of this note as a purchase price credit towards the purchase of the private placement warrants. As of September 30, 2021, we have borrowed $95,972 under the promissory note with our sponsor. |
(2) | We will account for the 21,900,000 warrants to be issued in connection with this offering (the 10,000,000 warrants included in the units and the 11,900,000 private placement warrants, assuming the underwriters’ over-allotment option is not exercised) in accordance with the guidance contained in ASC 815-40. Such guidance provides that because the warrants do not meet the criteria for equity treatment thereunder, each warrant must be recorded as a liability. Accordingly, we will classify each warrant as a liability at is fair value. This liability is subject to re-measurement at each balance sheet date. With each such re-measurement, the warrant liability will be adjusted to fair value, with the change in fair value recognized in our statement of operations. |
(3) | Upon the completion of our initial business combination, we will provide our public shareholders 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 by us), subject to the limitations described herein whereby we may not redeem public shares in an amount that would cause our net tangible assets to be less than $5,000,001, either prior to or upon consummation of an initial business combination, after payment of the deferred underwriting commission, and any limitations (including, but not limited to, cash requirements) created by the terms of the proposed business combination. The value of common stock that may be redeemed is equal to $10.25 per share (which is the assumed redemption price) multiplied by 20,000,000 shares of common stock. |
(4) | Actual share amount is prior to any forfeiture of founder shares and as adjusted shares amount assumes no exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option. |
(5) | The “as adjusted” additional paid-in capital calculation is adjusted to zero, with the off-setting balance recorded to accumulated deficit since additional paid-in capital cannot be less than zero. |
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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 Cayman Islands exempted company and formed for the purpose of effecting a merger, capital share exchange, asset acquisition, share purchase, reorganization or similar business combination with one or more 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. We intend to effectuate our initial business combination using cash from the proceeds of this offering and the private placement of the private placement warrants, our capital stock, debt or a combination of the foregoing.
The issuance of additional ordinary shares in connection with a business combination to the owners of the target or other investors:
• | may significantly dilute the equity interest of investors in this offering, which dilution would increase if the anti-dilution provisions in the Class B ordinary shares resulted in the issuance of Class A shares on a greater than one-to-one basis upon conversion of the Class B ordinary shares; |
• | may subordinate the rights of holders of our ordinary shares if preferred shares are issued with rights senior to those afforded to our ordinary shares; |
• | could cause a change in control if a substantial number of ordinary shares are issued, which may affect, among other things, our ability to use our net operating loss carry forwards, if any, and could result in the resignation or removal of our present officers and directors; |
• | may have the effect of delaying or preventing a change of control of us by diluting the stock ownership or voting rights of a person seeking to obtain control of us; and |
• | may adversely affect prevailing market prices for our Units, Class A ordinary shares and/or warrants. |
Similarly, if we issue debt securities or otherwise incur significant debt to bank or other lenders or the owners of a target, 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 security is payable on demand; |
• | our inability to obtain necessary additional financing if the debt security contains covenants restricting our ability to obtain such financing while the debt security is outstanding; |
• | our inability to pay dividends on our ordinary shares; |
• | using a substantial portion of our cash flow to pay principal and interest on our debt, which will reduce the funds available for dividends on our ordinary shares if declared, our ability to pay expenses, make capital expenditures and acquisitions and fund other general corporate purposes; |
• | limitations on our flexibility in planning for and reacting to changes in our business and in the industry in which we operate; |
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• | increased vulnerability to adverse changes in general economic, industry and competitive conditions and adverse changes in government regulation; |
• | limitations on our ability to borrow additional amounts for expenses, capital expenditures, acquisitions, debt service requirements, and execution of our strategy; and |
• | other purposes and other disadvantages compared to our competitors who have less debt. |
As indicated in the accompanying financial statements, at September 30, 2021 and May 3, 2021, we had $29,788 and $51,000, respectively, in cash. Further, we expect to incur significant costs in the pursuit of our initial business combination. We cannot assure you that our plans to raise capital or to complete our initial business combination will be successful.
Results of Operations and Known Trends or Future Events
We have neither engaged in any operations nor generated any revenues to date. Our only activities since inception have been organizational activities and those necessary to prepare for this offering. Following this offering, we will not generate any operating revenues until after completion of our initial business combination. We will generate non-operating income in the form of interest income on cash and cash equivalents after this offering. There has been no significant change in our financial or trading position and no material adverse change has occurred since the date of our audited financial statements. After this offering, we expect to incur increased expenses as a result of being a public company (for legal, financial reporting, accounting and auditing compliance), as well as expenses as we conduct due diligence on prospective business combination candidates. We expect our expenses to increase substantially after the closing of this offering.
Liquidity and Capital Resources
Our liquidity needs have been satisfied prior to completion of this offering through capital contributions from related parties of $95,972 and $26,000 as of September 30, 2021 and May 3, 2021 respectively. We estimate that the net proceeds from (i) the sale of the units in this offering, after deducting offering expenses and other operating expenses of approximately $1,775,500 and underwriting discounts and commissions of $4.0 million ($4.6 million if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) (excluding deferred underwriting commissions of $7.0 million (or $8.05 million if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full)), and (ii) the sale of the private placement warrants for a purchase price of $11.9 million (or approximately $13.25 million if the over-allotment option is exercised in full), will be $206.1 million (or $236.87 million if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full). Of this amount, $205.0 million (or $235.75 million if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) will be held in the trust account, which excludes $7.0 million (or $8.05 million if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) of deferred underwriting commissions. The proceeds held in the trust account will be invested only in U.S. government treasury obligations with a maturity of 185 days or less or in money market funds meeting certain conditions under Rule 2a-7 under the Investment Company Act which invest only in direct U.S. government treasury obligations. We will disclose in each quarterly and annual report filed with the SEC prior to our initial business combination whether the proceeds deposited in the trust account are invested in U.S. government treasury obligations or money market funds or a combination thereof. The remaining approximately $1,124,500 will not be held in the trust account. In the event that our offering expenses and other operating expenses exceed our estimate of $1,124,500, 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 and other operating expenses are less than our estimate of $1,775,500, the amount of funds we intend to be held outside the trust account would increase by a corresponding amount.
We intend to use substantially all of the funds held in the trust account, including any amounts representing interest earned on the trust account (less taxes payable and deferred underwriting commissions) to complete our initial business combination. We may withdraw interest to make permitted withdrawals. Our annual income tax obligations will depend on the amount of interest and other income earned on the amounts held in the trust account. To the extent that our capital shares or debt is used, in whole or in part, as consideration to complete our initial business combination, the remaining proceeds held in the trust account will be used as working capital to finance the operations of the target business or businesses, make other acquisitions and pursue our growth strategies.
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After the closing of this offering, we will have available to us the approximately $1.4 million 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, plants 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 pay cash compensation to our independent directors.
In addition, our sponsor, an affiliate of our sponsor or our officers and directors may, but none of them is obligated to, loan us funds as may be required to fund our working capital requirements. If we complete our initial business combination, we would repay such loaned amounts out of the proceeds of the trust account released to us. Otherwise, such loans would be repaid only out of funds held outside the trust account. In the event that our initial business combination does not close, we may use a portion of the working capital held outside the trust account to repay such loaned amounts but no proceeds from our trust account would be used for such repayment.
We do not believe we will need to raise additional funds following this offering in order to meet the expenditures required for operating our business prior to our initial business combination. However, if our estimates of the costs of identifying a target business, undertaking in-depth due diligence and negotiating an initial business combination are less than the actual amount necessary to do so, we may have insufficient funds available to operate our business prior to our initial business combination. In order to fund working capital deficiencies or finance transaction costs in connection with an intended initial business combination, our sponsor or an affiliate of our sponsor or certain of our officers and directors may, but are not obligated to, loan us funds as may be required. If we complete our initial business combination, we would repay such loaned amounts out of the proceeds of the trust account released to us. Otherwise, such loans would be repaid only out of funds held outside the trust account. In the event that our initial business combination does not close, we may use a portion of the working capital held outside the trust account to repay such loaned amounts but no proceeds from our trust account would be used for such repayment. Up to $1.5 million of such loans may be convertible into warrants of the post business combination entity at a price of $1.00 per warrant at the option of the lender. The warrants would be identical to the private placement warrants, including as to exercise price, exercisability and exercise period. The terms of such loans, if any, have not been determined and no written agreements exist with respect to such loans. Prior to the completion of our initial business combination, we do not expect to seek loans from parties other than our sponsor or an affiliate of our sponsor as we do not believe third parties will be willing to loan such funds and provide a waiver against any and all rights to seek access to funds in our trust account.
We expect our primary liquidity requirements during that period to include approximately $400,000 for legal, accounting, due diligence and travel; $130,000 for the Nasdaq listing fees; $200,000 for regulatory reporting requirements, $294,500 for general and administrative expenses and $100,000 as a reserve for liquidation expenses.
These amounts are estimates and may differ materially from our actual expenses. In addition, we could use a portion of the funds not being placed in trust to pay commitment fees for financing, fees to consultants to assist us with our search for a target business or as a down payment or to fund a “no-shop” provision (a provision designed to keep target businesses from “shopping” around for transactions with other companies or investors on terms more favorable to such target businesses) with respect to a particular proposed business combination, although we do not have any current intention to do so. If we entered into an agreement where we paid for the right to receive exclusivity from a target business, the amount that would be used as a down payment or to fund a “no-shop” provision would be determined based on the terms of the specific business combination and the amount of our available funds at the time. Our forfeiture of such funds (whether as a result of our breach or otherwise) could result in our not having sufficient funds to continue searching for, or conducting due diligence with respect to, prospective target businesses.
Moreover, we may need to obtain additional financing to complete our business combination, either because the transaction requires more cash than is available from the proceeds held in our trust account or because we become obligated to redeem a significant number of our public shares in connection with our initial business combination, in which case we may issue additional securities or incur debt in connection with such 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.
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Controls and Procedures
We are not currently required to maintain an effective system of internal controls as defined by Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. We will be required to comply with the internal control requirements of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2022. Only in the event that we are deemed to be a large accelerated filer or an accelerated filer would we be required to comply with the independent registered public accounting firm attestation requirement. Further, for as long as we remain an emerging growth company as defined in the JOBS Act, we intend to take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not emerging growth companies including, but not limited to, not being required to comply with the independent registered public accounting firm attestation requirement.
Prior to the closing of this offering, we have not completed an assessment, nor has our independent registered public accounting firm tested our systems, of our internal controls. We expect to assess the internal controls of our target business or businesses prior to the completion of our initial business combination and, if necessary, to implement and test additional controls as we may determine are necessary in order to state that we maintain an effective system of internal controls. A target business may not be in compliance with the provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act regarding the adequacy of internal controls. Many small and mid-sized target businesses we may consider for our 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.
Once our management’s report on internal controls is complete, we will retain our independent registered public accounting firm to audit and render an opinion on such report when required by Section 404. 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 portion of the proceeds from the sale of the private placement warrants held in the trust account will be invested in U.S. government treasury obligations with a maturity of 185 days or less or in money market funds meeting certain conditions under Rule 2a-7 under the Investment Company Act which invest only in direct U.S. government treasury obligations. Due to the short-term nature of these investments, we believe there will be no associated material exposure to interest rate risk.
Related Party Transactions
As of the date of this prospectus, our initial shareholders own 5,750,000 founder shares. The number of founder shares owned was determined based on the expectation that such founder shares would represent 20% of the outstanding shares upon completion of this offering. In July 2021, our sponsor transferred 50,000 founder shares to each of our three independent director nominees, 75,000 founder shares to Jeremy Falk, our Chief Operating Officer, 50,000 founder to shares to Ryan Goepel, our Chief Financial Officer, and 10,000 founder shares to each of our two board of advisor nominees.
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Commencing on the date that our securities are first listed on Nasdaq, we have agreed to pay our sponsor a total of $10,000 per month, for up to 15 months (or for up to 18 months if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination), for office space, utilities, secretarial support and administrative services. Upon completion of our initial business combination or our liquidation, we will cease paying these monthly fees.
Our sponsor, officers and directors, 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 to our sponsor, officers, directors or our or their affiliates and will determine which expenses and the amount of expenses that will be reimbursed. There is no cap or ceiling on the reimbursement of out-of-pocket expenses incurred by such persons in connection with activities on our behalf.
Prior to the consummation of this offering, our sponsor has agreed to loan the company up to $0.3 million to be used for a portion of the expenses of this offering. This loan is non-interest bearing, unsecured and is due at the closing of this offering. This loan will be convertible into private placement warrants at a price of $1.00 per warrant at the option of our sponsor and, if not converted, will be repaid upon the closing of this offering as part of the estimated $1,124,500 of offering expenses and other operating expenses not held in trust.
In addition, in order to finance transaction costs in connection with an intended initial business combination, our sponsor or an affiliate of our sponsor or certain of our officers and directors may, but are not obligated to, loan us funds as may be required. If we complete our initial business combination, we would repay such loaned amounts out of the proceeds of the trust account released to us. Otherwise, such loans would be repaid only out of funds held outside the trust account. In the event that our initial business combination does not close, we may use a portion of the working capital held outside the trust account to repay such loaned amounts but no proceeds from our trust account would be used for such repayment. Up to $1.5 million of such loans may be convertible into warrants of the post business combination entity at a price of $1.00 per warrant at the option of the lender. Such warrants would be identical to the private placement warrants, including as to exercise price, exercisability and exercise period. The terms of such loans by our officers and directors, if any, have not been determined and no written agreements exist with respect to such loans. We do not expect to seek loans from parties other than our sponsor or an affiliate of our sponsor as we do not believe third parties will be willing to loan such funds and provide a waiver against any and all rights to seek access to funds in our trust account.
Our sponsor has committed to purchase an aggregate of 11,900,000 private placement warrants (or 13,250,000 private placement warrants if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) at a price of $1.00 per warrant ($11.9 million in the aggregate, or $13.25 million if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) in a private placement that will occur simultaneously with the closing of this offering. Each whole private placement warrant is exercisable for one whole Class A ordinary share at $11.50 per share. The private placement warrants will not be exercisable more than five years from the effective date of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part, in accordance with FINRA Rule 5110(g)(8), as long as our sponsor or any of its related persons beneficially own such private placement warrants. Our sponsor will be permitted to transfer the private placement warrants held by it to certain permitted transferees, including our officers and directors and other persons or entities affiliated with or related to it, but the transferees receiving such securities will be subject to the same agreements with respect to such securities as the sponsor. Otherwise, these warrants (including the shares of our Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of these warrants) will not, subject to certain limited exceptions, be transferable, assignable or saleable until 30 days after the completion of our business combination. The private placement warrants will be non-redeemable so long as they are held by our sponsor or its permitted transferees. The private placement warrants may also be exercised by the sponsor and its permitted transferees for cash or on a cashless basis. Otherwise, the private placement warrants have terms and provisions that are identical to those of the warrants being sold as part of the units in this offering, including as to exercise price, exercisability and exercise period.
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Pursuant to a registration rights agreement we will enter into with our initial shareholders on or prior to the closing of this offering, we may be required to register certain securities for sale under the Securities Act. These holders and holders of warrants issued upon conversion of working capital loans, if any, are entitled under the registration rights agreement to make up to one demand 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 we will not permit any registration statement filed under the Securities Act to become effective until the securities covered thereby are released from their lock-up restrictions, as described herein. We will bear the costs and expenses of filing any such registration statements.
Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements; Commitments and Contractual Obligations; Quarterly Results
As of May 3, 2021, we did not have any off-balance sheet arrangements as defined in Item 303(a)(4)(ii) of Regulation S-K and did not have any commitments or contractual obligations. No unaudited quarterly operating data is included in this prospectus as we have not conducted any operations to date.
JOBS Act
The JOBS Act contains provisions that, among other things, relax certain reporting requirements for qualifying public companies. We will qualify as an “emerging growth company” and under the JOBS Act will be allowed to comply with new or revised accounting pronouncements based on the effective date for private (not publicly traded) companies. We are electing to delay the adoption of new or revised accounting standards, and as a result, we may not comply with new or revised accounting standards on the relevant dates on which adoption of such standards is required for non-emerging growth companies. As a result, our financial statements may not be comparable to companies that comply with new or revised accounting pronouncements as of public company effective dates.
Additionally, we are in the process of evaluating the benefits of relying on the other reduced reporting requirements provided by the JOBS Act. Subject to certain conditions set forth in the JOBS Act, if, as an “emerging growth company”, we choose to rely on such exemptions we may not be required to, among other things, (i) provide an independent registered public accounting firm’s attestation report on our system of internal controls over financial reporting pursuant to Section 404, (ii) provide all of the compensation disclosure that may be required of non-emerging growth public companies under the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, (iii) comply with any requirement that may be adopted by the PCAOB regarding mandatory audit firm rotation or a supplement to the independent registered public accounting firm’s report providing additional information about the audit and the financial statements (auditor discussion and analysis), and (iv) disclose certain executive compensation related items such as the correlation between executive compensation and performance and comparisons of the 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.
Overview
Talon 1 Acquisition Corp. is a Cayman Islands exempted company incorporated with limited liability and formed as a blank check company for the purpose of effecting a merger, share exchange, asset acquisition, share purchase, reorganization or similar business combination with one or more businesses, which we refer to throughout this prospectus as our “initial business combination.” To date, our efforts have been limited to organizational activities as well as activities related to this offering. 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.
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Business Strategy
Our acquisition and value creation strategy is to identify, acquire and, after our initial business combination, further accelerate the growth of a company in the public markets. Our team has a history of executing transactions in multiple geographies and under varying economic and financial market conditions. Although we may pursue an acquisition in a number of industries or geographies, we intend to capitalize on the ability of our management team where we believe a combination of our relationships, knowledge and experience across industries can effect a positive transformation or augmentation of an existing business.
We believe that we are well-positioned to identify attractive initial business combination opportunities in the global aerospace, aviation, and aviation services industries.
• | These industries have demonstrated a long track record of consistent growth. For example, from 1998 to 2019, Revenue Passenger Miles and Available Seat Miles grew globally at rates of 5.5% and 4.6% respectively, according to Airline Monitor and the International Air Transport Association (“IATA”). |
• | Although the COVID-19 pandemic has adversely affected the global aerospace, aviation, and aviation services industries, strong underlying fundamentals and expected recovery create a unique opportunity to invest in the industry. For example, according to IATA, since the onset in March 2020 of COVID, RPMs have grown globally at a rate of ~350%. Furthermore, according to Bain & Company, in an “accelerated vaccine” scenario where distribution of an effective vaccine against the COVID-19 virus occurs on a quicker than estimated timeframe, global commercial demand is projected to return to pre-pandemic levels by 2023. |
• | Our strategy is to acquire a leading market participant that has organic growth potential through commercial and operational improvements as well as with complementary further acquisitions. |
The global aerospace, aviation, and aviation services industries have demonstrated consistent growth over the last 20+ years, with positive trends impacting commercial passenger airlines, air cargo airlines, business aviation and special mission operators. Industry-wide growth has outpaced global GDP growth, with Boeing estimating that global annual passenger traffic has risen at a multiple of 1.7x global GDP growth over the past 25 years on average. Global GDP growth is supported by emerging markets, with these regions accounting for 60% of the world’s economic growth between 2008 and 2018 and 40% of new passenger air traffic over the last 10 years. Air cargo operators have similarly benefited from economic growth globally, further supported by the rise of e-commerce and growing consumer confidence.
We believe these are secular trends that will continue to drive opportunities for aircraft operators as well as services providers that offer mission-critical products and services to these businesses. Our business strategy is to focus on all subsectors within the global aerospace, aviation, and aviation services end markets, whose customers are mainly aircraft operators in passenger, cargo, business aviation or other end markets. Our universe of target companies will largely be drawn from businesses that are directly or indirectly impacted by global air traffic trends for one or all of these end markets.
While we remain confident in the long-term growth prospects of the industry and the opportunity that the COVID-19 pandemic has created. Many high-quality companies are facing near-term liquidity challenges. We believe this market dynamic creates further opportunity for our team to consummate our initial business combination, as we expect a recovery will be accompanied by a number of restructurings and significant merger and acquisition activity to consolidate the market.
We have deliberately formed our strong management team, board of directors and board of advisors with significant global aerospace, aviation and aviation services experience in order to source, evaluate and execute a merger with a target company that would benefit from access to the public markets and the skills of our management team. We believe there is a lack of quality public, mid-cap global aerospace, aviation, and aviation services companies and believe we can address this void in the marketplace. Our team further intends to capitalize on the current and medium-term disruption in the market, and we expect to benefit from a significant recovery in the sector over the next three to five years, representing built-in secular growth. Our goal is to acquire a target partner that will be a platform for future add-on acquisitions, with the strategy of becoming a much-needed consolidator of the sector, offering integrated services across aviation end markets.
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Acquisition Criteria
Consistent with our business strategy, we have identified the following general criteria and guidelines that we believe are important in evaluating prospective targets for our initial business combination. We will leverage these criteria and guidelines in evaluating acquisition opportunities, but we may decide to enter into our initial business combination with a target that does not meet these criteria and guidelines. We intend to acquire target businesses that we believe:
• | are leading companies that have exhibited positive top-line growth and/or are experiencing secular tailwinds; |
• | have defensible and established business models, with sustainable competitive advantages and multiple avenues for growth; |
• | can potentially benefit from having a public currency to accelerate growth trajectory; |
• | can benefit from our management team’s operating expertise, industry network and financing experience; |
• | are not reliant on financial leverage to generate returns; |
• | are at the point in their lifecycle at which going public is a natural next step; and |
• | will offer an attractive risk-adjusted returns for our shareholders. |
We do not intend to pursue an acquisition in the natural resources, infrastructure or energy industries, including the upstream, midstream and energy services sub-sectors.
These criteria are not intended to be exhaustive. Any evaluation relating to the merits of a particular initial business combination may be based, to the extent relevant, on these general guidelines as well as other considerations, factors and criteria that our management may deem relevant. In the event that we decide to enter into our initial business combination with a target business that does not meet the above criteria and guidelines, we will disclose that the target business does not meet the above criteria in our shareholder communications related to our initial business combination, which, as discussed in this prospectus, would be in the form of proxy solicitation or tender offer materials that we would file with the SEC.
Initial Business Combination
The Nasdaq listing rules require that we must consummate our initial business combination 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 commissions held in trust and taxes payable on the interest earned on the trust account) at the time of our signing a definitive agreement in connection with our initial business combination. Our board of directors will make the determination as to the fair market value of our initial business combination. 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 our initial business combination, we will obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm which is a member of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, or FINRA, or an independent accounting firm with respect to the satisfaction of such criteria.
We anticipate structuring our initial business combination so that the post-transaction company in which our public shareholders own shares will own or acquire 100% of the outstanding equity interests or assets of the target business or businesses. We may, however, structure our initial business combination such that the post-transaction company owns or acquires less than 100% of such interests or assets of the target business in order to meet certain objectives of the target management team or shareholders or for other reasons. However, 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 an interest in the target sufficient for the post-transaction company 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 voting securities of the target, our shareholders prior to the business combination may collectively own a minority interest in the post-transaction company, depending on valuations ascribed to the target and us in the 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. In this case, we would acquire a 100% controlling interest in the target. However, as a result of the issuance of a substantial number of new shares, our shareholders immediately prior to our initial business combination could own less than a majority of our outstanding shares subsequent to our initial business combination. If less than 100% of the 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 is what will be taken into account for purposes of Nasdaq’s 80% of net assets test. If the 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 seeking shareholder approval or for purposes of a tender offer, as applicable.
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Our Acquisition Process
In evaluating a prospective target business, we expect to conduct a rigorous due diligence review of issues that we deem important to validating a company’s business quality and assessing growth and value creation opportunities, allowing our management team to price returns relative to potential risks appropriately. This review may encompass, among other things, research related to the company’s industry, markets, products, services and competitors, meetings with incumbent management and employees, on-site visits and a review of financial, operational, legal and other information which will be made available to us. Our approach to the acquisition process will be centered around our management team’s operational and capital allocation expertise to target high-quality, established businesses where we see multiple opportunities for continued organic and strategic growth.
We are not prohibited from pursuing an initial business combination with a company that is affiliated with our sponsor, officers or directors. In the event we seek to complete our initial business combination with a company that is affiliated with our sponsor, officers or directors, we, or a committee of independent directors, will obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm which is a member of FINRA or an independent accounting firm that our initial business combination is fair to our company from a financial point of view.
Members of our management team and our independent directors may 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. Further, each of our officers and directors may have a conflict of interest with respect to evaluating a particular business combination if the retention or resignation of any such officers and directors was included by a target business as a condition to any agreement with respect to our initial business combination.
We currently do not have any specific business combination under consideration. Our officers and directors have neither individually selected nor considered a target business for our initial business combination.
Each of our officers and directors presently has, and any of them in the future may have, additional fiduciary or contractual obligations to other entities pursuant to which such officer or director is or will be required to present a business combination opportunity. We do not believe, however, that the fiduciary duties or contractual obligations of our officers or directors will materially affect our ability to complete our business combination.
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In addition, our officers and directors are not required to commit any specified amount of time to our affairs, and, accordingly, will have conflicts of interest in allocating management time among various business activities, including identifying potential business combinations and monitoring the related due diligence.
Our Management Team
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 members of our management team will devote in any time period 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.
We believe our management team’s 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. This network has grown through the activities of our management team sourcing, acquiring and financing businesses, our management team’s relationships with sellers, financing sources and target management teams and the experience of our management team in executing transactions under varying economic and financial market conditions. See the section of this prospectus entitled “Management” for a more complete description of our management team’s experience.
Status as a Public Company
We believe our structure will make us an attractive business combination partner to target businesses. As an existing public company, we offer a target business an alternative to the traditional initial public offering through a merger or other business combination with us. In a business combination transaction with us, the owners of the target business may, for example, exchange their ordinary shares in the target business for Class A ordinary shares (or shares of a new holding company) or for a combination of our Class A ordinary shares and cash, allowing us to tailor the consideration to the specific needs of the sellers. 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. The typical initial public offering process takes a significantly longer period of time than the typical business combination transaction process, and there are significant expenses and market and other uncertainties in the initial public offering process, including underwriting discounts and commissions, marketing and road show efforts that may not be present to the same extent in connection with a business combination with us.
Furthermore, once a proposed business combination is completed, the target business will have effectively become public, whereas an initial public offering is always subject to the underwriters’ ability to complete the offering, as well as general market conditions, which could delay or prevent the offering from occurring or could have negative valuation consequences. Once public, we believe the target business would then have greater access to capital, an additional means of providing management incentives consistent with shareholders’ interests and the ability to use its equity as currency for acquisitions. Being a public company can offer further benefits by augmenting a company’s profile among potential new customers and vendors and aid in attracting talented employees.
While we believe that our structure and our management team’s backgrounds will make us an attractive business partner, some potential target businesses may view our status as a blank check company, such as our lack of an operating history and our ability to seek shareholder approval of any proposed initial business combination, negatively.
We are an “emerging growth company,” as defined in Section 2(a) of the Securities Act, as modified by the JOBS Act. As such, we are eligible to take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not “emerging growth companies” including, but not limited to, not being required to comply with the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in our periodic reports and proxy statements, and exemptions from the requirements of holding a non-binding advisory vote on executive compensation and shareholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved. If some investors find our securities less attractive as a result, there may be a less active trading market for our securities and the prices of our securities may be more volatile.
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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 (as adjusted for inflation pursuant to SEC rules from time to time), or (c) in which we are deemed to be a large accelerated filer, which means the market value of our Class A ordinary shares that 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 $1.0 billion in non-convertible debt securities during the prior three-year period.
Additionally, we are a “smaller reporting company” as defined in Item 10(f)(1) of Regulation S-K. Smaller reporting companies may take advantage of certain reduced disclosure obligations, including, among other things, providing only two years of audited financial statements. We will remain a smaller reporting company until the last day of the fiscal year in which (1) the market value of our shares of common stock held by non-affiliates equaled or exceeded $250 million as of the end of that year’s second fiscal quarter, and (2) our annual revenues equaled or exceeded $100 million during such completed fiscal year or the market value of our shares of common stock held by non-affiliates equaled or exceeded $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 consolidated financial statements with other public companies difficult or impossible.
Financial Position
With funds available for a business combination initially in the amount of up to $198.0 million, after payment of $7.0 million of deferred underwriting commissions (or up to $227.7 million after payment of $8.05 million of deferred underwriting commissions if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), in each case before fees and expenses associated with our initial business combination, 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 or leverage ratio. Because we are able to complete our 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 private placement of the private placement warrants, our capital shares, debt or a combination of the foregoing. We may seek to complete our initial business combination with a company or business that may be financially unstable or in its early stages of development or growth, which would subject us to the numerous risks inherent in such companies and businesses.
If our initial business combination is paid for using equity or debt securities, or not all of the funds released from the trust account are used for payment of the consideration in connection with our business combination or used for redemptions of purchases of our Class A ordinary 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 the post-transaction company, the payment of principal or interest due on indebtedness incurred in completing our initial business combination, to fund the purchase of other companies or for working capital.
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Accordingly, there is no current basis for investors in this offering to evaluate the possible merits or risks of the target business with which we may ultimately complete our initial business combination. Although our management will assess the risks inherent in a particular target business with which we may combine, we cannot assure you that this assessment will result in our identifying all risks that a target business may encounter. Furthermore, some of those risks may be outside of our control, meaning that we can do nothing to control or reduce the chances that those risks will adversely affect a target business.
We may need to obtain additional financing to complete our initial business combination, either because the transaction requires more cash than is available from the proceeds held in our trust account or because we become obligated to redeem a significant number of our public shares in connection with our initial business combination, in which case we may issue additional securities or incur debt in connection with such business combination. 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, we would seek shareholder approval of such financing. There are no prohibitions on our ability to issue securities or incur debt in connection with our initial business combination. We are not currently a party to any arrangement or understanding with any third party with respect to raising any additional funds through the sale of securities, the incurrence of debt or otherwise.
Sources of Target Businesses
We anticipate that target business candidates will be brought to our attention from various other market participants, including investment market participants, private equity groups, investment banking firms, consultants and large business enterprises. Target businesses may be brought to our attention by such unaffiliated sources as a result of being solicited by us through calls or mailings. These sources may also introduce us to target businesses in which they think we may be interested on an unsolicited basis, since many of these sources will have read this prospectus and know what types of businesses we are targeting. Our officers and directors, as well as their affiliates, may also bring to our attention target business candidates that they become aware of through their business contacts as a result of formal or informal inquiries or discussions they may have, as well as attending trade shows or conventions. While we do not presently anticipate engaging the services of professional firms or other individuals that specialize in business acquisitions on any formal basis, we may engage these firms or other individuals in the future, in which event we may pay a finder’s fee, consulting fee or other compensation to be determined in an arm’s length negotiation based on the terms of the transaction. We will engage a finder only to the extent our management determines that the use of a finder may bring opportunities to us that may not otherwise be available to us or if finders approach us on an unsolicited basis with a potential transaction that our management determines is in our best interest to pursue. Payment of a finder’s fee is customarily tied to completion of a transaction; in which case any such fee will be paid out of the funds held in the trust account. Our sponsor or any of our existing officers or directors, or any entity with which they are affiliated, may serve as a finder or provide other services for which they may be paid underwriting discounts and commissions, placement agent fees, initial purchaser fees or discounts, finder’s fees, arrangement fees, commitment fees and transaction, structuring, consulting, advisory and management fees and similar fees for any services they render in order to effectuate, the completion of our initial business combination (regardless of the type of transaction that it is). We have agreed to pay our sponsor a total of $10,000 per month, for up to 15 months (or for up to 18 months if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination), for office space, utilities, secretarial support and administrative services and to reimburse our sponsor for any out-of-pocket expenses related to identifying, investigation and completing an initial business combination. Some of our officers and directors may enter into employment or consulting agreements with the post-transaction company following our initial business combination. The presence or absence of any such fees or arrangements will not be used as a criterion in our selection process of an acquisition candidate.
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We are not prohibited from pursuing an initial business combination with a business combination target that is affiliated with our sponsor, officers or directors, or from making the acquisition through a joint venture or other form of shared ownership with our sponsor, officers or directors. In the event we seek to complete our initial business combination with a business combination target that is affiliated with our sponsor, officers or directors, we, or a committee of independent directors, would obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm which is a member of FINRA or an independent accounting firm that such an 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 more fully discussed in the section of this prospectus entitled “Management — Conflicts of Interest,” if any of our officers or directors becomes aware of a business combination opportunity that falls within the line of business of any entity to which he or she has pre-existing fiduciary or contractual obligations, he or she will be required to present such business combination opportunity to such entity prior to presenting such business combination opportunity to us. Our officers and directors currently have certain relevant fiduciary duties or contractual obligations that will take priority over their duties to us.
Selection of a Target Business and Structuring of our Initial Business Combination
Our initial business combination must occur with one or more target businesses that together have an aggregate fair market value of at least 80% of our assets held in the trust account (excluding the deferred underwriting commissions and taxes payable on the income earned on the trust account and taxes payable on the interest earned on the trust account) at the time of the agreement to enter into the initial business combination. 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 is not able to independently determine the fair market value of the target business or businesses, we will obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm that is a member of FINRA or from an independent accounting firm with respect to the satisfaction of such criteria. We do not intend to purchase multiple businesses in unrelated industries in conjunction with our initial business combination. 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 with another blank check company or a similar company with nominal operations.
In any case, we will only complete an initial business combination in which we own or acquire 50% or more of the outstanding voting securities of the target or otherwise acquire an interest in the target sufficient for the post-transaction company not to be required to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act. If we own or acquire less than 100% of the outstanding equity interests or assets of a target business or businesses, the portion of such business or businesses that are owned or acquired by the post-transaction company is what will be valued for purposes of Nasdaq’s 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 business combination.
To the extent we effect our 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 significant risk factors.
In evaluating a prospective target business, we expect to conduct a disciplined due diligence review of issues that we deem important to validating a company’s business quality and assessing growth and value creation opportunities, allowing our management team to price returns relative to potential risks appropriately. This review may encompass, among other things, research related to the company’s industry, markets, products, services and competitors, meetings with incumbent management and employees, on-site visits and a review of financial, operational, legal and other information which will be made available to us. If we determine to move forward with a particular target, we will proceed to structure and negotiate the terms of the business combination transaction.
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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, and negotiation with, a prospective target business with which our business combination is not ultimately completed will result in our incurring losses and will reduce the funds we can use to complete another business combination. The company may pay underwriting discounts and commissions, placement agent fees, initial purchaser fees or discounts, finder’s fees, arrangement fees, commitment fees and transaction, structuring, consulting, advisory and management fees and similar fees or other compensation to our sponsor, our directors, members of our management team, or any of their respective affiliates, for services rendered to or in connection with our initial 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. Unlike other entities that have the resources to complete business combinations with multiple entities in one or several industries, it is probable that we will not have the resources to diversify our operations and mitigate the risks of being in a single line of business. By completing our business combination with only a single entity, our lack of diversification may:
• | subject us to negative economic, competitive and regulatory developments, any or all of which may have a substantial adverse impact on the particular industry in which we operate after our initial business combination, and/or |
• | cause us to depend on the marketing and sale of a single product or limited number of products or services. |
Limited Ability to Evaluate the Target’s Management Team
Although we intend to closely scrutinize the management of a prospective target business when evaluating the desirability of effecting our business combination with that business, our assessment of the target business’s management may not prove to be correct. In addition, the future management may not have the necessary skills, qualifications or abilities to manage a public company. Furthermore, the future role of members of our management team, if any, in the target business cannot presently be stated with any certainty. The determination as to whether any of the members of our management team will remain with the combined company will be made at the time of our initial business combination. While it is possible that one or more of our directors will remain associated in some capacity with us following our business combination, it is unlikely that any of them will devote their full efforts to our affairs subsequent to our business combination. Moreover, we cannot assure you that members of our management team will have significant experience or knowledge relating to the operations of the particular target business.
We cannot assure you that any of our key personnel will remain in senior management or advisory positions with the combined company. The determination as to whether any of our key personnel will remain with the combined company will be made at the time of our initial business combination.
Following a business combination, we may seek to recruit additional managers to supplement the incumbent management of the target business. We cannot assure you that we will have the ability to recruit additional managers, or that additional managers will have the requisite skills, knowledge or experience necessary to enhance the incumbent management.
Shareholders May Not Have the Ability to Approve our Initial Business Combination
We may conduct redemptions without a shareholder vote pursuant to the tender offer rules of the SEC subject to the provisions of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association. However, we will seek shareholder approval if it is required by law or applicable stock exchange rule, or we may decide to seek shareholder approval for business or other legal reasons.
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Under Nasdaq’s listing rules, shareholder approval would be required for our initial business combination if, for example:
• | we issue (other than in a public offering for cash) ordinary shares that will either (a) be equal to or in excess of 20% of the number of Class A ordinary shares 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 stockholders (as defined by Nasdaq rules) has a 5% or greater interest (or such persons collectively have a 10% or greater interest), directly or indirectly, in the target business or assets to be acquired or otherwise and the present or potential issuance of common stock could result in an increase in outstanding common stock or voting power of 5% or more; or |
• | the issuance or potential issuance of ordinary shares will result in our undergoing a change of control. |
Other than if effected by a merger under Companies Act, which would require the passing of a shareholders’ special resolution, the Companies Act and Cayman Islands law do not currently require, and we are not aware of any other applicable law that will require, shareholder approval of our initial business combination.
The decision as to whether we will seek shareholder approval of a proposed business combination in those instances in which shareholder approval is not required by law will be made by us, solely in our discretion, and will be based on business and legal reasons, which include a variety of factors, including, but not limited to:
• | the timing of the transaction, including in the event we determine shareholder approval would require additional time and there is either not enough time to seek shareholder approval or doing so would place the company at a disadvantage in the transaction or result in other additional burdens on the company; |
• | the expected cost of holding a shareholder vote; |
• | the risk that the shareholders 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 shareholders. |
Permitted Purchases of our Securities
In the event we seek shareholder approval of our business combination and we do not conduct redemptions in connection with our business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our initial shareholders, sponsor, directors, officers, advisors or their affiliates may purchase 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 shares our initial shareholders, directors, officers, advisors or their affiliates may purchase in such transactions, subject to compliance with applicable law and Nasdaq rules. However, other than as expressly stated herein, they have no current commitments, plans or intentions to engage in such transactions and have not formulated any terms or conditions for any such transactions. None of the funds in the trust account will be used to purchase shares or public warrants in such transactions. If they engage in such transactions, they will not make any such purchases when they are in possession of any material non-public information not disclosed to the seller or if such purchases are prohibited by Regulation M under the Exchange Act. Such a purchase may include a contractual acknowledgement that such shareholder, although still the record holder of our shares, is no longer the beneficial owner thereof and therefore agrees not to exercise its redemption rights.
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In the event that our initial shareholders, sponsor, directors, officers, advisors or their affiliates purchase shares in privately negotiated transactions from public shareholders who have already elected to exercise their redemption rights, such selling shareholders would be required to revoke their prior elections to redeem their shares. We do not currently anticipate that such purchases, if any, would constitute a tender offer subject to the tender offer rules under the Exchange Act or a going-private transaction subject to the going-private rules under the Exchange Act; however, if the purchasers determine at the time of any such purchases that the purchases are subject to such rules, the purchasers will comply with such rules.
The purpose of any such purchases of shares could be to (i) vote such shares in favor of the business combination and thereby increase the likelihood of obtaining shareholder approval of the business combination or (ii) to satisfy a closing condition in an agreement with a target that requires us to have a minimum net worth or a certain amount of cash at the closing of our business combination, where it appears that such requirement would otherwise not be met. The purpose of any such purchases of public warrants could be to reduce the number of public warrants outstanding or to vote such warrants on any matters submitted to the warrant holders for approval in connection with our initial business combination. Any such purchases of our securities may result in the completion of our business combination that may not otherwise have been possible.
In addition, if such purchases are made, the public “float” of our ordinary shares or public warrants may be reduced and the number of beneficial holders of our securities may be reduced, which may make it difficult to maintain or obtain the quotation, listing or trading of our securities on a national securities exchange.
Our initial shareholders, sponsor, officers, directors and/or their affiliates anticipate that they may identify the shareholders with whom our initial shareholders, sponsor, officers, directors or their affiliates may pursue privately negotiated purchases by either the shareholders contacting us directly or by our receipt of redemption requests submitted by shareholders (in the class of Class A ordinary shares) following our mailing of proxy materials in connection with our initial business combination. To the extent that our sponsor, officers, directors, advisors or their affiliates enter into a private purchase, they would identify and contact only potential selling shareholders who have expressed their election to redeem their shares for a pro rata share of the trust account or vote against our initial business combination, whether or not such shareholder has already submitted a proxy with respect to our initial business combination but only if such shares have not already been voted at the shareholder meeting related to our initial business combination. Our sponsor, officers, directors, advisors or any of their affiliates will select which shareholders to purchase shares from based on the negotiated price and number of shares and any other factors that they may deem relevant, and will only purchase shares if such purchases comply with Regulation M under the Exchange Act and the other federal securities laws.
Any purchases by our sponsor, officers, directors and/or their affiliates who are affiliated purchasers under Rule 10b-18 under the Exchange Act will only be made 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. 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 their affiliates will not make purchases of ordinary shares if the purchases would violate Section 9(a)(2) or Rule 10b-5 of the Exchange Act. 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.
Ability to Extend Time to Complete Business Combination
We will have until 15 months from the closing of this offering to consummate our initial business combination. However, if we anticipate that we may not be able to consummate our initial business combination within 15 months, we may, by resolution of our board if requested by our sponsor, extend the period of time to consummate a business combination by an additional three months (for a total of 18 months to complete a business combination), subject to the sponsor providing advance notice and depositing additional funds into the trust account as set out below. Pursuant to the terms of our second amended and restated memorandum and articles of association and the trust agreement to be entered into between us and Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company on the date of this prospectus, in order to extend the time available for us to consummate our initial business combination by an additional three months, our sponsor or its affiliates or designees must provide advance notice at least five days prior to the date which is 15 months from the closing of this offering and must deposit into the trust account $2,000,000, or $2,300,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full ($0.10 per share in either case), on or prior to the which is 15 months from the closing of this offering. In the event that we receive notice from our sponsor at least five days prior to the applicable deadline of its wish for us to effect the extension, we intend to issue a press release announcing such intention at least three days prior to the deadline. In addition, we intend to issue a press release the day after the deadline announcing whether or not the funds have been timely deposited. Our sponsor and its affiliates or designees are not obligated to fund the trust account to extend the time for us to complete our initial business combination.
Redemption Rights for Public Shareholders in Connection with our Initial Business Combination
We will provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their Class A ordinary shares 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 earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us as permitted withdrawals, divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, subject to the limitations described herein. At the completion of our initial business combination, we will be required to purchase any ordinary shares properly delivered for redemption and not withdrawn. The amount in the trust account is initially anticipated to be $10.25 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. Our sponsor, officers and directors 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 held by them and any public shares held by them in connection with our initial business combination.
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Limitations on Redemptions
Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide that in no event will we redeem our public shares in an amount that would cause our net tangible assets to be less than $5,000,001 (so that we are not subject to the SEC’s “penny stock” rules). However, the proposed business combination may require (i) cash consideration to be paid to the target or its owners, (ii) cash to be transferred to the target for working capital or other general corporate purposes or (iii) the retention of cash to satisfy other conditions in accordance with the terms of the proposed business combination. In the event the aggregate cash consideration we would be required to pay for all Class A ordinary shares that are validly submitted for redemption plus any amount required to satisfy cash conditions pursuant to the terms of the proposed business combination exceed the aggregate amount of cash available to us, we will not complete the business combination or redeem any shares, and all Class A ordinary shares submitted for redemption will be returned to the holders thereof.
Manner of Conducting Redemptions
We will provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their Class A ordinary shares either (i) in connection with a shareholder meeting called to approve the business combination or (ii) by means of a tender offer. The decision as to whether we will seek shareholder approval of a proposed business combination or conduct a tender offer will be made by us, solely in our discretion, and will be based on a variety of factors such as the timing of the transaction and whether the terms of the transaction would require us to seek shareholder approval under applicable law or stock exchange listing requirement. Asset acquisitions and stock purchases would not typically require shareholder approval while direct mergers with our company and any transactions where we issue more than 20% of our outstanding ordinary shares or seek to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association would require shareholder approval. If we structure a business combination transaction with a target business in a manner that requires shareholder approval, we will not have discretion as to whether to seek a shareholder vote to approve the proposed business combination. We currently intend to conduct redemptions in connection with a shareholder vote unless shareholder approval is not required by applicable law or stock exchange listing requirement and we choose to conduct redemptions pursuant to the tender offer rules of the SEC for business or other legal reasons. So long as we obtain and maintain a listing for our securities on the Nasdaq, we will be required to comply with the Nasdaq rules.
If we hold a shareholder vote to approve our initial business combination, we will, pursuant to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association:
• | 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. |
In the event that we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination, we will distribute proxy materials and, in connection therewith, provide our public shareholders with the redemption rights described above.
If we seek shareholder approval, we will complete our initial business combination only if a majority of the outstanding ordinary shares 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 our outstanding ordinary shares representing a majority of the voting power of all of our outstanding ordinary shares entitled to vote at such meeting. Our initial shareholders will count toward this quorum and have agreed to vote their founder shares and any public shares purchased during or after this offering in favor of our initial business combination. For purposes of seeking approval of the majority of our outstanding ordinary shares voted, non-votes will have no effect on the approval of our initial business combination once a quorum is obtained. As a result, in addition to our initial shareholders’ founder shares, we would need 7,500,001, or 37.5%, of the 20,000,000 public shares sold in this offering to be voted in favor of a transaction (assuming all outstanding shares are voted) in order to have our initial business combination approved (assuming the over-allotment option is not exercised). We intend to give approximately 30 days (but 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 the voting agreements of our initial shareholders, may make it more likely that we will consummate our initial business combination. Each public shareholder may elect to redeem its public shares irrespective of whether it votes for or against the proposed transaction. In addition, our sponsor, officers and directors 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.
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If we conduct redemptions pursuant to the tender offer rules of the SEC, we will:
• | 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. 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 shareholder vote even if we are not able to maintain our Nasdaq listing or Exchange Act registration. |
Upon the public announcement of our business combination, we or our sponsor will terminate any plan established in accordance with Rule 10b5-1 to purchase our Class A ordinary shares 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 shareholders not tendering more than the number of public shares we are permitted to redeem. If public shareholders tender more shares than we have offered to purchase, we will withdraw the tender offer and not complete the initial business combination.
Limitation on Redemption upon Completion of our Initial Business Combination if we Seek Shareholder Approval
If we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct redemptions in connection with our business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide that a public shareholder, together with any affiliate of such shareholder or any other person with whom such shareholder is acting in concert or as a “group” (as defined under Section 13 of the Exchange Act), will be restricted from seeking redemption rights with respect to more than an aggregate of 15% of the shares sold in this offering, which we refer to as the “Excess Shares.” We believe this restriction will discourage shareholders from accumulating large blocks of shares, and subsequent attempts by such holders to use their ability to exercise their redemption rights against a proposed business combination as a means to force us or our management to purchase their shares at a significant premium to the then-current market price or on other undesirable terms. Absent this provision, a public shareholder holding more than an aggregate of 15% of the shares sold in this offering could threaten to exercise its redemption rights if such holder’s shares are not purchased by us, our sponsor or our management at a premium to the then-current market price or on other undesirable terms. By limiting our shareholders’ ability to redeem no more than 15% of the shares sold in this offering without our prior consent, we believe we will limit the ability of a small group of shareholders to unreasonably attempt to block our ability to complete our business combination, particularly in connection with a business combination with a target that requires as a closing condition that we have a minimum net worth or a certain amount of cash. However, we would not be restricting our shareholders’ ability to vote all of their shares (including Excess Shares) for or against our business combination.
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Tendering Share Certificates in Connection with a Tender Offer or Redemption Rights
Public shareholders seeking to exercise their redemption rights, whether they are record holders or hold their shares in “street name,” will be required to either tender their certificates to our transfer agent prior to the date set forth in the proxy solicitation or tender offer materials (as applicable) mailed to such holders, or up to two business days prior to the initially 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 proxy solicitation or tender offer materials (as applicable) that we will furnish to holders of our public shares in connection with our initial business combination will indicate the applicable delivery requirements. Accordingly, a public shareholder would have from the time we send out our tender offer materials until the close of the tender offer period, or up to two days prior to the 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. Given the relatively short period in which to exercise redemption rights, it is advisable for shareholders to use electronic delivery of their public shares.
There is a nominal cost associated with the above-referenced tendering process and the act of certificating the shares or delivering them through the DWAC System. The transfer agent will typically charge the tendering broker a fee of approximately $80.00 and it would be up to the broker whether or not to pass this cost on to the redeeming holder. However, this fee would be incurred regardless of whether or not we require holders seeking to exercise redemption rights to tender their shares. The need to deliver shares is a requirement of exercising redemption rights regardless of the timing of when such delivery must be effectuated.
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 the date of the shareholder meeting set forth in our proxy materials, as applicable. 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 business combination.
If our initial business combination is not approved or completed for any reason, then our public shareholders who elected to exercise their redemption rights would not be entitled to redeem their shares for the applicable pro rata share of the trust account. In such case, we will promptly return any certificates delivered by public holders who elected to redeem their shares.
If our initial proposed business combination is not completed, we may continue to try to complete a business combination with a different during the remainder of the completion window.
Redemption of Public Shares and Liquidation if no Initial Business Combination
Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide that we will have only the completion window to complete our initial business combination. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination within the completion window, we will: (i) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up, (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter, redeem the public shares, at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to make permitted withdrawals (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 shareholders’ rights as shareholders (including the right to receive further liquidating distributions, if any), subject to applicable law, and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining shareholders and our board of directors, dissolve and liquidate, subject in each case to our obligations under Cayman Islands law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law. There will be no redemption rights or liquidating distributions with respect to our warrants, which will expire worthless if we fail to complete our initial business combination within the completion window.
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Our sponsor, officers and directors have entered into a letter agreement with us, pursuant to which they have waived their rights to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to any founder shares held by them if we fail to complete our initial business combination within the completion window. However, if our sponsor, officers or directors 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 complete our initial business combination within the completion window.
Our sponsor, officers, directors and director nominees have agreed, pursuant to a written agreement with us, that they will not propose any amendment to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association (A) that would affect the substance or timing of our obligation to redeem 100% of our public shares if we have not consummated an initial business combination within the completion window or (B) with respect to any other material provisions relating to shareholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity, unless we provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem their Class A ordinary shares upon approval of any such amendment at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to make permitted withdrawals, 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. If this optional redemption right is exercised with respect to an excessive number of public shares such that we cannot satisfy the net tangible asset requirement, we would not proceed with the amendment or the related redemption of our public shares at such time. Pursuant to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, such an amendment would need to be approved by the affirmative vote of the holders of at least 65% of all then outstanding ordinary shares.
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 as part of the estimated $1.0 million of cash held outside of 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 used to make permitted withdrawals, 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 any tax payments or expenses for the dissolution of the trust, 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 shareholders upon our dissolution would be $10.25. The proceeds deposited in the trust account could, however, become subject to the claims of our creditors which would have higher priority than the claims of our public shareholders. We cannot assure you that the actual per-share redemption amount received by shareholders will not be substantially less than $10.00. 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 (other than our independent registered public accounting firm), service providers, prospective target businesses and other entities with which we do business execute agreements with us waiving any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to any monies held in the trust account for the benefit of our public shareholders, there is no guarantee that they will execute such agreements or even if they execute such agreements that they would be prevented from bringing claims against the trust account including but not limited to fraudulent inducement, breach of fiduciary responsibility or other similar claims, as well as claims challenging the enforceability of the waiver, in each case in order to gain an advantage with respect to a claim against our assets, including the funds held in the trust account. If any third party refuses to execute an agreement waiving such claims to the monies held in the trust account, our management will perform an analysis of the alternatives available to it and will only enter into an agreement with a third party that has not executed a waiver if management believes that such third party’s engagement would be significantly more beneficial to us than any alternative. Examples of possible instances where we may engage a third party that refuses to execute a waiver include the engagement of a third party consultant whose particular expertise or skills are believed by management to be significantly superior to those of other consultants that would agree to execute a waiver or in cases where management is unable to find a service provider willing to execute a waiver. 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 are unable to complete 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 shareholders could be less than the $10.00 per share initially held in the trust account, due to claims of such creditors. Pursuant to the letter agreement, the form of which is filed as Exhibit 10.1 to the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part, 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 (other than our independent public accountants) for services rendered or products sold to us, or a prospective target business with which we have entered into a written letter of intent, confidentiality or other similar agreement or business combination agreement, reduce the amount of funds in the trust account to below (i) $10.00 per public share or (ii) such lesser amount per public share held in the trust account as of the date of the liquidation of the trust account, due to reductions in value of the trust assets, in each case net of the amount of interest which may be withdrawn to pay taxes, except as to any claims by a third party or prospective target business who executed a waiver of any and all rights to the monies held in the trust account (whether or not such waiver is enforceable) and except as to any claims under our indemnity of the underwriters of this offering against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act. However, we have not asked our sponsor to reserve for such indemnification obligations, nor have we independently verified whether our sponsor has sufficient funds to satisfy its indemnity obligations, and we believe that our sponsor’s only assets are securities of our company. Therefore, we cannot assure you that our sponsor would be able to satisfy those obligations. As a result, if any such claims were successfully made against the trust account, the funds available for our initial business combination and redemptions could be reduced to less than $10.00 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 (i) $10.00 per public share or (ii) such lesser amount per public share held in the trust account as of the date of the liquidation of the trust account, due to reductions in value of the trust assets, in each case net of the amount of interest which may be withdrawn to pay taxes, and our sponsor asserts that it is unable to satisfy its indemnification obligations or that it has no indemnification obligations related to a particular claim, our independent directors would determine whether to take legal action against our sponsor to enforce its indemnification obligations. While we currently expect that our independent directors would take legal action on our behalf against our sponsor to enforce its indemnification obligations to us, it is possible that our independent directors in exercising their business judgment may choose not to do so if, for example, the cost of such legal action is deemed by the independent directors to be too high relative to the amount recoverable or if the independent directors determine that a favorable outcome is not likely. We have not asked our sponsor to reserve for such indemnification obligations and we cannot assure you that our sponsor would be able to satisfy those obligations. Accordingly, we cannot assure you that due to claims of creditors the actual value of the per-share redemption price will not be less than $10.00 per public share.
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We will seek to reduce the possibility that our sponsor will have to indemnify the trust account due to claims of creditors by endeavoring to have all vendors, service providers (other than our independent registered public accounting firm), prospective target businesses or other entities with which we do business execute agreements with us waiving any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to monies held in the trust account. Our sponsor will also not be liable as to any claims under our indemnity of the underwriters of this offering against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act. We will have access to up to approximately $1,124,500 from the proceeds of this offering with which to pay any such potential claims (including costs and expenses incurred in connection with our liquidation, currently estimated to be no more than approximately $100,000). In the event that we liquidate and it is subsequently determined that the reserve for claims and liabilities is insufficient, shareholders who received funds from our trust account could be liable for claims made by creditors. In the event that our offering expenses and other operating expenses exceed our estimate of $1,775,500, 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 and other operating expenses are less than our estimate of $1,775,500, the amount of funds we intend to be held outside the trust account would increase by a corresponding amount.
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 shareholders. To the extent any bankruptcy claims deplete the trust account, we cannot assure you we will be able to return $10.00 per share to our public shareholders. Additionally, if we file a bankruptcy petition or an involuntary bankruptcy petition is filed against us that is not dismissed, any distributions received by shareholders 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 shareholders. Furthermore, our board of directors may be viewed as having breached its fiduciary duty to our creditors and/or may have acted in bad faith, and thereby exposing itself and our company to claims of punitive damages, by paying public shareholders from the trust account prior to addressing the claims of creditors. We cannot assure you that claims will not be brought against us for these reasons.
Our public shareholders will be entitled to receive funds from the trust account only (i) in the event of the redemption of our public shares if we are unable to complete our initial business combination within the completion window, subject to applicable law, (ii) in connection with a shareholder vote to approve an amendment to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association (A) that would affect the substance or timing of our obligation to redeem 100% of our public shares if we have not consummated an initial business combination within the completion window or (B) with respect to any other material provisions relating to shareholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity (iii) if they redeem their respective shares for cash in connection with our initial business combination. In no other circumstances will a shareholder have any right or interest of any kind to or in the trust account. In the event we seek shareholder approval in connection with our initial business combination, a shareholder’s voting in connection with the business combination alone will not result in a shareholder’s redeeming its shares to us for an applicable pro rata share of the trust account. Such shareholder must have also exercised its redemption rights described above. These provisions of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, like all provisions of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, may be amended with a shareholder vote.
Comparison of Redemption or Purchase Prices in Connection with our Initial Business Combination and if We Fail to Complete our Initial Business Combination.
The following table compares the redemptions and other permitted purchases of public shares that may take place in connection with our initial business combination and if we are unable to complete our initial business combination within the completion window.
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Redemptions in Connection with our Initial Business Combination | Other Permitted Purchases of Public Shares by us or our Affiliates | Redemptions if we fail to Complete an Initial Business Combination | ||||
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 shareholder vote. The redemption price will be the same whether we conduct redemptions pursuant to a tender offer or in connection with a shareholder vote. In either case, our public shareholders may redeem their public shares for cash equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account as of two business days prior to the consummation of the initial business combination (which is initially anticipated to be $10.00 per public share), including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to make permitted withdrawals, divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, subject to the limitation that no redemptions will take place, if all of the redemptions would cause our net tangible assets to be less than $5,000,001 and any limitations (including but not limited to cash requirements) agreed to in connection with the negotiation of terms of a proposed business combination. | If we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination, our sponsor, directors, officers, advisors or their affiliates may purchase shares in privately negotiated transactions or in the open market prior to or following completion of our initial business combination. There is no limit to the prices that our sponsor, directors, officers, advisors or their affiliates may pay in these transactions. | If we are unable to completed our business combination within the completion window, 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 $10.00 per public share including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to make permitted withdrawals (less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares. | |||
Impact to remaining shareholders | The redemptions in connection with our initial business combination will reduce the book value per share for our remaining shareholders, who will bear the burden of the deferred underwriting commissions and interest withdrawn to make permitted withdrawals payable (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 would be no impact to our remaining shareholders because the purchase price would not be paid by us. | The redemption of our public shares if we fail to complete our initial business combination will reduce the book value per share for the shares held by our initial shareholders, who will be our only remaining shareholders after such redemptions. |
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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 discounts and commissions and underwriting expenses of our offering would be identical to those of an offering undertaken by a company subject to Rule 419, and that the underwriters will not exercise their over-allotment option. None of the provisions of Rule 419 apply to our offering.
Terms of Our Offering | Terms Under a Rule 419 Offering | |||
Escrow of offering proceeds | The Nasdaq listing rules provide that at least 90% of the gross proceeds from this offering and the private placement be deposited in a U.S.-based trust account. $205,000,000 of the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants will be deposited into a U.S.-based trust account at J.P. Morgan Chase Bank, N.A. with _______ acting as trustee. | Approximately $170,100,000 of the offering proceeds, representing the gross proceeds of this offering, would be deposited into either an escrow account with an insured depositary institution or in a separate bank account established by a broker-dealer in which the broker-dealer acts as trustee for persons having the beneficial interests in the account. | ||
Investment of net proceeds | $205,000,000 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 obligations with a maturity of 185 days or less or in money market funds meeting certain conditions under Rule 2a-7 under the Investment Company Act which invest only in direct U.S. government treasury obligations. | Proceeds could be invested only in specified securities such as a money market fund meeting conditions of the Investment Company Act or in securities that are direct obligations of, or obligations guaranteed as to principal or interest by, the United States. | ||
Receipt of interest on escrowed funds | Interest income (if any) on proceeds from the trust account to be paid to shareholders is reduced by (i) any taxes paid or payable, (ii) permitted withdrawals, and (iii) 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 income on funds in escrow account would be held for the sole benefit of investors, unless and only after the funds held in escrow were released to us in connection with our completion of a business combination. |
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Terms of Our Offering | Terms Under a Rule 419 Offering | |||
Limitation on fair value or net assets of target business | The Nasdaq listing rules require that our initial business combination must be with one or more target businesses that together have an aggregate fair market value equal to at least 80% of the net assets in the trust account (excluding the amount of any deferred underwriting commissions held in trust and taxes payable on the interest earned on the trust account) at the time of our signing a definitive agreement in connection with our initial business combination. | The fair value or net assets of a target business must represent at least 80% of the maximum offering proceeds. | ||
Trading of securities issued | The units are expected to begin trading on or promptly after the date of this prospectus. The Class A ordinary shares and warrants comprising the units will begin separate trading on the 52nd day following the date of this prospectus unless Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC informs us of its decision to allow earlier separate trading, subject to our having filed the Current Report on Form 8-K described below and having issued a press release announcing when such separate trading will begin. We will file the Current Report on Form 8-K promptly after the closing of this offering. If the over-allotment option is exercised following the initial filing of such Current Report on Form 8-K, a second or amended Current Report on Form 8-K will be filed to provide updated financial information to reflect the exercise of the over-allotment option. Additionally, the units will automatically separate into their component parts and will not be traded after completion of our initial business combination. | No trading of the units or the underlying Class A ordinary shares and warrants would be permitted until the completion of a business combination. During this period, the securities would be held in the escrow or trust account. | ||
Exercise of the warrants | The warrants cannot be exercised until the later of 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination or 12 months from the closing of this offering. | The warrants could be exercised prior to the completion of a business combination, but securities received and cash paid in connection with the exercise would be deposited in the escrow or trust account. |
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Terms of Our Offering | Terms Under a Rule 419 Offering | |||
Election to remain an investor | We will provide our public shareholders 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 earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to make permitted withdrawals, subject to the limitations described herein. We may not be required by law to hold a shareholder vote. If we are not required by law and do not otherwise decide to hold a shareholder vote, we will, pursuant to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, conduct the redemptions pursuant to the tender offer rules of the SEC and file tender offer documents with the SEC which will contain substantially the same financial and other information about the initial business combination and the redemption rights as is required under the SEC’s proxy rules. If, however, we hold a shareholder vote, we will, like many blank check companies, offer to redeem shares in conjunction with a proxy solicitation pursuant to the 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 shareholder vote, a final proxy statement would be mailed to public shareholders at least 10 days prior to the shareholder vote. However, we expect that a draft proxy statement would be made available to such shareholders well in advance of such time, providing additional notice of redemption if we conduct redemptions in conjunction with a proxy solicitation. If we seek shareholder approval, we will complete our initial business combination only if a majority of the outstanding ordinary shares voted are voted in favor of the business combination. Additionally, each public shareholder may elect to redeem their public shares irrespective of whether they vote for or against the proposed transaction. A quorum for such meeting will consist of the holders present in person or by proxy of our outstanding ordinary shares representing a majority of the voting power of all of our outstanding ordinary shares entitled to vote at such meeting. | A prospectus containing information pertaining to the business combination required by the SEC would be sent to each investor. Each investor would be given the opportunity to notify the company in writing, within a period of no less than 20 business days and no more than 45 business days from the effective date of a post-effective amendment to the company’s registration statement, to decide if he, she or it elects to remain a shareholder of the company or require the return of his, her or its investment. If the company has not received the notification by the end of the 45th business day, funds and interest or dividends, if any, held in the trust or escrow account are automatically returned to the shareholder. Unless a sufficient number of investors elect to remain investors, all funds on deposit in the escrow account must be returned to all of the investors and none of the securities are issued. |
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Terms of Our Offering | Terms Under a Rule 419 Offering | |||
Business combination deadline | If we have not completed an initial business combination within the completion window, we will (i) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up, (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter, redeem 100% of the public shares, at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to make permitted withdrawals (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 shareholders’ rights as shareholders (including the right to receive further liquidating distributions, if any), subject to applicable law, and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining shareholders and our board of directors, dissolve and liquidate, subject in each case to our obligations under Cayman Islands law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law. | If an acquisition has not been completed within 15 months after the effective date of the company’s registration statement, funds held in the trust or escrow account are returned to investors. |
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Terms of Our Offering | Terms Under a Rule 419 Offering | |||
Release of funds | Except with respect to interest income (if any) earned on the funds held in the trust account that may be released to us to make permitted withdrawals, the proceeds from this offering held in the trust account will not be released from the trust account until the earliest of (i) the completion of our initial business combination (including the release of funds to pay any amounts due to any public shareholders who properly exercise their redemption rights in connection therewith), (ii) the redemption of any public shares properly submitted in connection with a shareholder vote to approve an amendment to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association that would affect the substance or timing of our obligation to redeem 100% of our public shares if we have not consummated an initial business combination within the completion window and (iii) the redemption of our public shares if we are unable to complete our initial business combination within the completion window, subject to applicable law. | The proceeds held in the escrow account are not released until the earlier of the completion of a business combination or the failure to effect a business combination within the allotted time. | ||
Limitation on redemption rights of shareholders holding more than 15% of the shares sold in this offering if we hold a shareholder vote | If we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct redemptions in connection with our initial business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide that a public shareholder, together with any affiliate of such shareholder or any other person with whom such shareholder is acting in concert or as a “group” (as defined under Section 13 of the Exchange Act), will be restricted from seeking redemption rights with respect to Excess Shares (more than an aggregate of 15% of the shares sold in this offering). Our public shareholders’ 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 shareholders to redeem shares based on the number of shares held by such shareholders in connection with an initial business combination. |
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Terms of Our Offering | Terms Under a Rule 419 Offering | |||
Tendering share certificates in connection with a tender offer or redemption rights | We may require our public shareholders 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 initially 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. | 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 contact such shareholders to arrange for them to deliver their certificate to verify ownership. |
Competition
In identifying, evaluating and selecting a target business for our business combination, we may encounter intense competition from other entities having a business objective similar to ours, including other blank check companies, private equity groups and leveraged buyout funds, and operating businesses seeking strategic acquisitions. Many of these entities are well established and have extensive experience identifying and effecting business combinations directly or through affiliates. Moreover, many of these competitors possess greater financial, technical, human and other resources than we do. Our ability to acquire larger target businesses will be limited by our available financial resources. This inherent limitation gives others an advantage in pursuing the acquisition of a target business. Furthermore, our obligation to pay cash in connection with our public shareholders who exercise their redemption rights may reduce the resources available to us for our initial business combination and our outstanding warrants, and the future dilution they potentially represent, may not be viewed favorably by certain target businesses. Either of these factors may place us at a competitive disadvantage in successfully negotiating an initial business combination.
Facilities
Our executive offices are located at 2333 Ponce de Leon Blvd., Suite 630, Coral Gables, FL 33134, and our telephone number is (786) 662-3114. The cost for our use of this space is included in the $10,000 per month, for up to 15 months (or for up to 18 months from the closing of this offering if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination), we will pay to our sponsor for office space, utilities, secretarial support and administrative services. We consider our current office space adequate for our current operations.
Human Capital Management
We currently have two officers. These individuals are not obligated to devote any specific number of hours to our matters but they intend to devote as much of their time as they deem necessary to our affairs until we have completed our initial business combination. The amount of time that they will devote in any time period will vary based on whether a target business has been selected for our initial business combination and the stage of the business combination process we are in.
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Periodic Reporting and Financial Information
We have registered our units, Class A ordinary shares and warrants under the Exchange Act and have reporting obligations, including the requirement that we file annual, quarterly and current reports with the SEC. In accordance with the requirements of the Exchange Act, our annual reports will contain financial statements audited and reported on by our independent registered public accountants.
We will provide shareholders with audited financial statements of the prospective target business as part of the proxy solicitation or tender offer materials (as applicable) sent to shareholders. These financial statements may be required to be prepared in accordance with, or reconciled to, GAAP or IFRS, depending on the circumstances, and the historical financial statements may be required to be audited in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. These financial statement requirements may limit the pool of potential target businesses we may acquire because some targets may be unable to provide such statements in time for us to disclose such statements in accordance with federal proxy rules and complete our initial business combination within the prescribed time frame. We cannot assure you that any particular target business identified by us as a potential acquisition candidate will have financial statements prepared in accordance with the requirements outlined above, or that the potential target business will be able to prepare its financial statements in accordance with the requirements outlined above. To the extent that any applicable requirements cannot be met, we may not be able to acquire the proposed target business. While this may limit the pool of potential acquisition candidates, we do not believe that this limitation will be material.
We will be required to evaluate our internal control procedures for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2022 as required by the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. Only in the event we are deemed to be a large accelerated filer or an accelerated filer, and no longer qualify as an emerging growth company, will we be required to have our internal control procedures audited. 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. We have filed 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 are 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.
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.
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Officers, Directors and Director Nominees
Our officers, directors and director nominees are as follows:
Name | Age | Position | ||
Edward J. Wegel* | 63 | Chief Executive Officer and Executive Chairman of Board of Directors | ||
Ryan Goepel* | 46 | Chief Financial Officer and Chief Accounting Officer | ||
Jeremy Falk* | 42 | Chief Operating Officer | ||
Jeff Zeunik* | 49 | Chief Commercial Officer | ||
Maggie Arvedlund | 42 | Director Nominee | ||
Joseph DaGrosa, Jr. | 56 | Director Nominee | ||
Nathaniel Felsher | 40 | Director Nominee | ||
Abdol Moabery | 53 | Director Nominee |
* | Denotes an executive officer. |
Edward J. Wegel — Edward J. Wegel serves as our Chief Executive Officer and Executive Chairman of our board of directors. Mr. Wegel has served as Co-Founder and President of AVi8, an aircraft leasing and aviation design company, since assuming the role in December 2016. Mr. Wegel also served as a Consultant for Credit Suisse until October 2020, where he advised on the development of a new aircraft leasing platform, having assumed that role in June 2018. Prior to AVi8 and Credit Suisse, Mr. Wegel served as Founder, President and Chief Executive Officer of Eastern Air Lines Group, Inc., a privately held airline company, from December 2008 until October 2016. Mr. Wegel also served as Founder and Managing Partner of Aviation Capital Partners LLC, an aviation company that acquired and leased aircrafts to airline companies, from August 1993 through September 2016. From April 2004 through June 2008, Mr. Wegel served as Chief Executive Officer and Chairman, and Chief Restructuring Officer, of One Travel Holdings, Inc., a travel services company, during which time he led then publicly-traded company through a pre-planned bankruptcy and subsequent re-financing and sale. Mr. Wegel also served as the Vice President of Corporate Planning and Development of Mesa Air Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: MESA), a commercial aviation holding company, from December of 2003 to February of 2005, where he led a team that oversaw the acquisition of Midway Airlines and all aspects of corporate acquisitions and development. From 1999-2002 Mr. Wegel served as Senior Vice President of SH&E, an aviation consulting firm. From 1997-1999 Mr. Wegel served as President and Chief Executive Officer and a Member of the Board of Directors of Chautauqua Airlines dba US Airways Express, the brand name for the regional affiliate of US Airways. From 1995-1997 Mr. Wegel served as President and Chief Operating Officer and a Member of the Board of Directors of the former BWIA International Airways, a national airline based in Trinidad and Tobago. Prior to BWIA, Mr. Wegel served as Co-Founder, Senior Vice President of Finance and a Member of the Board of Directors of Atlantic Coast Airlines, an airline based in the United States owned by Atlantic Coast Holdings, Inc. which operated as United Express for United Airlines and Delta Connection for Delta Air Lines. From 1987-1991 Mr. Wegel served as Vice President of Investment Banking at Shearson Lehman Brothers where Mr. Wegel managed over $1 billion in investments, including Lehman Brothers commercial aircraft limited partnerships, which owned over 45 aircrafts on lease to 12 major U.S. and foreign airlines. During this time he also served on the Board of Directors of Polaris Industries (NYSE: PII). Mr. Wegel holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Engineering from the United States Military Academy at West Point and a Master’s in Business Administration from the University of Northern Colorado.
We believe that Mr. Wegel’s extensive industry experience, amounting to over 35 years of experience in the aviation industry, leadership experience, and educational credentials together make him well suited to serve as our Chairman and Chief Executive Officer.
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Ryan Goepel — Ryan Goepel serves as our Chief Financial Officer. Mr. Goepel is the Chief Financial Officer of AVi8, having assumed that role in February 2020. Mr. Goepel is also the Chief Financial Officer of GlobalX having served in that role since February 2020, and was elected to the board of directors of GlobalX in June 2020. Mr. Goepel is a seasoned finance and operations executive with over 20 years of experience, most recently serving as Chief Financial Officer for Flair Airlines Canada from August 2018 to November 2019, during which time he assisted in the transition from a Boeing 737 charter operator to a profitable, low-cost scheduled service carrier. Prior to Flair, Mr. Goepel served as Chief Financial Officer of Viking Exploration, an international oil and gas company, from December 2016 to August 2018. Prior to Viking Exploration, Mr. Goepel served as Chief Financial Officer of CC Reservoirs, a geoscience software company, from April 2015 to December 2016. Prior to CC Reservoirs, Mr. Goepel served as Chief Financial Officer of ZEiTECS, a GlobalX artificial lift technology company, from December 2010 to April 2015, where he oversaw ZEiTECS’ sale to Schlumberger. From December 2007 to December 2010 Mr. Goepel served as Business Unit Finance Leader at KBR (NYSE: KBR), where he oversaw 12,000 employees growing revenue from $300 million to $3 billion. Prior to KRB, Mr. Goepel served as Managing Director of Quiznos, an American franchised fast-food restaurant brand, from May 2007 to December 2007 and as Senior Manager Business Development of Nabors Corporation, one of the world’s largest oil and gas drilling contractors, from June 2006 to May 2007. In addition, from January 2005 to June 2006 Mr. Goepel served as the Director of Global Finance of Burger King during its turnaround that culminated with its first ever public debt raise and successful initial public offering. Mr. Goepel is a Certified Management Accountant, with an MBA from Texas A&M University and Bachelor of Arts from the University of British Columbia.
We believe that Mr. Goepel’s experience as a Chief Financial Officer coupled with his educational credentials, including his status as a Certified Management Accountant, makes him well suited to serve as our Chief Investment Officer.
Jeremy Falk — Jeremy Falk serves as our Chief Operating Officer. Mr. Falk has served as President and Senior Managing Director of Newbridge Global Sourcing LLC, an alternative capital provider, since assuming the role in February 2019. Prior to serving in his role at Newbridge Global Sourcing LLC, Mr. Falk was an investment manager at AGI Partners, LLC, an alternative investment management firm, from 2009 to 2019, where he was responsible for originating, underwriting, structuring and executing transactions. Prior to his time at AGI Partners, LLC, from 2006 to 2009, Mr. Falk served as an investment professional in the private equity and the corporate credit groups of Cerberus Capital Management, L.P., a $35 billion alternative investment management firm based in New York, where he was responsible for underwriting transactions and the financial, business and operational diligence of such transactions. From 2002 to 2006, Mr. Falk served as an Analyst at Morgan Stanley & Co. Inc. in the Transportation and Media & Entertainment and groups. Mr. Falk holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Columbia College.
We believe that Mr. Falk’s leadership experience coupled with his experience serving in investment and management roles makes him well suited to serve as our Chief Operating Officer.
Robert Jeffrey (“Jeff”) Zeunik — Jeff Zeunik serves as our Chief Commercial Officer. Mr. Zeunik currently serves as the Chief Financial Officer of Green Courte Residential Holdings, a Private Equity-backed REIT focused on a growing portfolio of senior-living and manufactured housing communities, having served in this role since June 2021. Mr. Zeunik is also the President and Co-Founder of CabanUp Group, Inc., a leisure company based in Florida, having served in this role since April 2019. Mr. Zeunik previously served as a partner at B2B CFO, a strategic business advisory service company focused on advising owners of privately held companies, having served in this role from July 2020 to May 2021. Prior to B2B CFO, Mr. Zeunik served in numerous capacities at Atlas Air Worldwide Holdings (NASDAQ: AAWW), a leader in global airfreight, serving as Senior Vice President, Financial Planning and Analysis from January 2018 to April 2019, as Vice President, Financial Planning and Analysis from January 2012 to December 2017 and as Senior Director, Financial Planning and Analysis And Fleet Planning from 2008 to January 2012. Prior to Atlas Air Worldwide Holdings, Mr. Zeunik served as Director, Finance – Construction and Real Estate at Home Depot (NYSE: HD), the largest home improvement retailer in the United States, from 2006 to 2008, and as G&A Manager, Strategic Planning and Analysis from 2005-2005. Prior to Home Depot, Mr. Zeunik worked at Organizational Concepts International, LLC, a business management consulting company, where he served as a consultant for US Airways in the US Airways labor negotiations. From 2002 to 2004 Mr. Zeunik served as Manager and Senior Financial Analyst at US Airways, a major American airline that operated from 1937 until its merger with American Airlines in 2015.
Mr. Zeunik earned a Bachelor’s of Science in Mechanical Engineering from the United States Military Academy at West Point. Mr. Zeunik also earned a Master’s of Business Administration in Finance and Strategy from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University and earned a Master’s of Engineering Management from Northwestern University’s McCormick School of Engineering.
Maggie Arvedlund — Maggie Arvedlund is our Director Nominee. Ms. Arvedlund serves as the Chief Executive Officer and Managing Partner of Turning Rock Partners, having assumed that role in January of 2016. Prior to founding Turning Rock Partners, Ms. Arvedlund was a Managing Director at Fortress Investment Group, a global investment firm, where she spent eight years from May 2007 until December 2015. While at Fortress, Ms. Arvedlund was responsible for private equity and debt investments for the Fortress Partners Fund, a multi-strategy vehicle which invested across asset classes and capital structures. During her tenure at Fortress, Ms. Arvedlund served on the Investment Committee from January 2010 to August 2015. Prior to joining Fortress, Ms. Arvedlund worked at Hall Capital Partners, a privately held registered investment advisory firm, from January of 2001 to May of 2005 where she held roles in the portfolio management and research divisions. Ms. Arvedlund currently serves on several non-profit boards, including Summer Search New York City, and she is a founding member of the NYU Stern Private Equity Advisory Board. Ms. Arvedlund hold a Bachelor of Science degree in Economics with Honors from Vanderbilt University and a Master’s in Business Administration in Finance from NYU’s Stern School of Business.
We believe that Ms. Arvedlund’s extensive management and investment experience and credentials make her well suited to serve as a member of our Board of Directors.
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Joseph DaGrosa, Jr. — Joseph DaGrosa, Jr. is our Director Nominee. Mr. DaGrosa serves as Chairman, Founder and Senior Partner of DaGrosa Capital Partners LLC (“DaGrosa Capital”), a private equity firm, having assumed the role in February 2020. Mr. DaGrosa serves as Chairman of a number of DaGrosa Capital’s portfolio companies, including Kapital Football Group LLC, a soccer platform holding company that invests in controlling and influential minority stakes in top football clubs and academies globally, having served in that role since January 2020, and Quinn Residences, a real estate investment trust focused on the acquisition and development of single-family home rentals, of which Mr. DaGrosa had previously served as Co-Chairman since February 2020 to March 2021. Mr. DaGrosa also serves as a member of the Board of Directors and Lead Investor of Global Crossing Airlines, a DaGrosa Capital portfolio company and newly-launched airline company focused on providing scheduled charter and cargo operations throughout the United States, Canada and South America, and as a member of the Board of Directors and Lead Investor at Hoy Health, a DaGrosa Capital portfolio company focused on providing telemedicine and remote patient monitoring services. From January 2016 to February 2020 Mr. DaGrosa served as Founder and Chairman of General American Capital Partners LLC (“GACP”), a middle-market private equity firm. While at GACP, Mr. DaGrosa served as Chairman of Soccerex, a GACP portfolio company and the leading business to business convention and event provider to the global football industry from August 2018 to present and as Chairman and President of Girondins de Bordeaux F.C., a Ligue 1 French professional football club and GACP portfolio company from November 2018 to December 2019. Mr. DaGrosa is also a co-founder of 1848 Capital Partners LLC, a private equity company, having served as Founder and Senior Partner from January 2006 to February 2016. While at 1848 Capital Partners LLC, Mr. DaGrosa served on the Board of Directors of certain 1848 portfolio companies, including as a Vice Chairman & Co-CIO of Jet Support Services, Inc., a specialty insurer and warranty provider to the business aviation industry, from May 2008 to December 2020,as Founder and Board Member of Brazil Tower Company, a company engaged in the construction, development and ownership of wireless and broadcast communications towers in Brazil, from June 2013 to present and as Founder and Board Member of Eastern Airlines, a U.S. Part 121 Flag Air Carrier, from October 2014 to December 2015. From April 2003 to December 2006, Mr. DaGrosa served as Founder and Senior Partner of Core Value Partners LLC, a private equity firm focused on the acquisition and development of quick service restaurant franchises. While at Core Value Partners LLC, in December 2003, Mr. DaGrosa and his partners formed Heartland Food Corp., an acquisition vehicle that acquired 248 Burger King franchises out of bankruptcy, and successfully led the turnaround and sale of Heartland to GSO Capital, which is now an affiliate of the Blackstone Group, in December 2006. From 1996 to 2003, Mr. DaGrosa served as Partner and Co-Head of Transactions at Partner at Maplewood Partners LP, a Miami-based private equity firm, where he served as member of the Executive and Investment Committees and was co-head of the firm’s Transaction Team. Prior to MapleWood Partners LP, from 1988 to 1996, Mr. DaGrosa served as Vice President of the Special Accounts group at PaineWebber, Inc., an American investment bank and stock brokerage firm that was acquired by UBS in 2000. Mr. DaGrosa received his Bachelor of Science degree in Finance, Accounting and Statistics from Syracuse University.
We believe that Mr. DaGrosa’s extensive business and investment qualifications coupled with his experience serving as a Member of the Board of Directors of various entities in the aviation and other industries, makes him well suited to serve on our Board of Directors.
Nathaniel Felsher — Nathaniel Felsher is our Director Nominee. Mr. Felsher is the current Founder and Chief Executive Officer of CAVU Management Partners, LLC, a consulting services company, having served in that role since March 2019. Mr. Felsher is the former President and Chief Strategy Officer of Aimia Inc. (TSX: AIM), a holding company with a focus on long-term investments in public and private companies, having served in that role from August 2018 through November 2018. Prior to Aimia, Mr. Felsher worked at Deutsche Bank, a German multinational investment bank and financial services company, from August 2007 to August 2018, where he served in ever increasing roles of responsibility, most recently serving as Global Co-Head of Aviation – Corporate & Investment Banking. Throughout his time at Deutsche Bank, Mr. Felsher advised clients in the aircraft leasing, airline loyalty, travel technology and transportation infrastructure sectors with respect to strategy, equity and debt placements and M&A, having executed transactions in more than 20 countries. Prior to joining Deutsche Bank, Mr. Felsher served as an investment banker at HSBC, a British multinational investment bank and financial services holding company, from May 2006 to August 2007 and as an investment banker at JPMorgan Chase & Co., an American investment bank and financial services holding company, from August 2004 to April 2006. Mr. Felsher earned his Bachelor of Arts from Bowdoin College.
We believe that Mr. Felsher’s extensive business and investment qualifications coupled with his experience in the aviation industry makes him well suited to serve on our Board of Directors.
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Abdol Moabery — Abdol Moabery is our Director Nominee. Mr. Maobery is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of GA Telesis, LLC, a leader in integrated commercial aviation services, having served in that role since the founding of the company in February 2002. Mr. Moabery previously served as Executive Vice President of Aviation Systems International, Inc., an aviation technology company, from March 2000 to January 2002, where his responsibilities included oversight and management of worldwide operations. Prior to joining Aviation Systems International, Inc., Mr. Moabery was with C-S Aviation Services, Inc., a Soros Fund Management company, where he was responsible for the sale and marketing of the company’s aviation portfolio assets from March 1998 to March 2000. Mr. Moabery has been a member of the of the Board of Trustees of Florida Atlantic University since May 2011, having served as Chairman of the Board of Trustees since September 2019. Mr. Moabery also serves as President-elect of the Board of Governors of the Wings Club Foundation, a non-profit focused on promoting the advancement and development of aeronautics. Mr. Moabery is also a member of the Orange Bowl Committee, having served in that role since March 2020 and is on the Board of Directors of TimberTech Championship, a PGA Tour Champions tournament, having served in that role since 2014. Mr. Moabery previously served on the College Football National Championship Committee 2021, having served in that role from November 2019 to February 2021. Mr. Moabery received the prestigious Wright Brothers Memorial Award in 2014 and the ISTAT Life Time Achievement Award in 2021 for his accomplishments in aviation. Mr. Moabery is a distinguished philanthropist having donated millions of dollars to organizations centered around helping children. Mr. Moabery is an honorably discharged veteran from the United States Navy and he earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Business from Florida Atlantic University.
We believe that Mr. Maobery’s extensive business and investment qualifications coupled with his extensive aviation industry experience, makes him well suited to serve on our Board of Directors.
Number and Terms of Office of Officers and Directors
We intend to have five directors upon completion of this offering. Our board of directors will be divided into three classes with only one class of directors being elected in each year and each class (except for those directors appointed prior to our first annual meeting of shareholders) serving a three-year term. The term of office of the first class of directors, consisting of Nathaniel Felsher and Abdol Moabery will expire at our first annual meeting of shareholders. The term of office of the second class of directors, consisting of Maggie Arvedlund and Joseph DaGrosa, Jr. will expire at the second annual meeting of shareholders. The term of office of the third class of directors, consisting of Edward J. Wegel, will expire at the third annual meeting of shareholders. We may not hold an annual meeting of shareholders until after we consummate our initial business combination.
Our officers are appointed by the board of directors and serve at the discretion of the board of directors, rather than for specific terms of office. Our board of directors is authorized to appoint persons to the offices set forth in our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association as it deems appropriate. Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association provide that our officers may consist of a President, Vice Presidents, Secretary, Treasurer, Assistant Treasurer, Manager, Controller and such other offices as may be determined by the board of directors.
Director Independence
The Nasdaq listing standards 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 other than an executive officer or employee of the company or its subsidiaries or any other individual having a relationship which, in the opinion of the company’s board of directors, would interfere with the director’s exercise of independent judgment in carrying out the responsibilities of a director. We expect to have three “independent directors” as defined in the Nasdaq rules and applicable SEC rules prior to the completion of this offering. Edward J. Wegel has not been determined to be an independent director under the Nasdaq rules and applicable SEC rules due to, among other things, his position as our Chief Executive Officer and his controlling interest in our sponsor. Maggie Arvedlund has not been determined to be an independent director under the Nasdaq rules and applicable SEC rules because funds affiliated with Turning Rock Partners, of which she is the Chief Executive Officer and Managing Partner, have made a passive investment representing a majority of the economic interests in our sponsor. Our board of directors has determined that each of Joseph DaGrosa, Jr., Nathaniel Felsher and Abdol Moabery are “independent directors” as defined in the Nasdaq listing standards and applicable SEC rules.
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Officer and Director Compensation
None of our officers or directors has received any cash compensation for services rendered to us. Commencing on the date that our securities are first listed on Nasdaq through the earlier of consummation of our initial business combination and our liquidation, we have agreed to pay our sponsor a total of $10,000 per month, for up to 15 months (or for up to 18 months if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination), for office space, utilities, secretarial support and administrative services. In addition, our sponsor, executive officers and directors, 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 to our sponsor, officers or directors, or our or their affiliates. Any such payments prior to an initial business combination will be made using funds held outside the trust account. Other than quarterly audit committee review of such reimbursements, we do not expect to have any additional controls in place governing our reimbursement payments to our directors and officers for their out-of-pocket expenses incurred in connection with our activities on our behalf in connection with identifying and consummating an initial business combination. In addition, our sponsor, executive officers and directors, 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.
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 fees from the combined company. All of these fees will be fully disclosed to shareholders, to the extent then known, in the proxy solicitation or tender offer materials (as applicable) furnished to our shareholders in connection with a proposed business combination. We have not established any limit on the amount of such fees that may be paid by the combined company to our directors or members of management. It is unlikely the amount of such compensation will be known at the time of the proposed business combination, because the directors of the post-combination business will be responsible for determining officer and director compensation. Any compensation to be paid to our officers will be determined, or recommended to the board of directors for determination, either by a compensation committee constituted solely by independent directors or by a majority of the independent directors on our board of directors.
We do not intend to take any action to ensure that members of our management team maintain their positions with us after the consummation of our initial business combination, although it is possible that some or all of our officers and directors may negotiate employment or consulting arrangements to remain with us after our initial business combination. The existence or terms of any such employment or consulting arrangements to retain their positions with us may influence our management’s motivation in identifying or selecting a target business but we do not believe that the ability of our management to remain with us after the consummation of our initial business combination will be a determining factor in our decision to proceed with any potential business combination. We are not party to any agreements with our officers and directors that provide for benefits upon termination of employment.
Committees of the Board of Directors
Upon the effectiveness of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part, our board of directors will have three standing committees: an audit committee, a compensation committee and a nominating and corporate governance committee. Subject to phase-in rules and a limited exception, the Nasdaq listing rules and Rule 10A of the Exchange Act require that the audit committee of a listed company be comprised solely of independent directors. Subject to phase-in rules and a limited exception, the Nasdaq listing rules require that the compensation and nominating and corporate governance committees 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.
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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. Abdol Moabery, Joseph DaGrosa, Jr. and Nathaniel Felsher will serve as members of our audit committee. Under Nasdaq’s 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, subject to the exception described below. Our board of directors has determined that each of Abdol Moabery, Joseph DaGrosa, Jr. and Nathaniel Felsher are independent.
Nathaniel Felsher will serve as chair of the audit committee. Each member of the audit committee is financially literate and our board of directors has determined that Nathaniel Felsher qualifies as an “audit committee financial expert” as defined in applicable SEC rules.
We will adopt an audit committee charter, which will detail the principal functions of the audit committee, including:
• | 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 permitted non-audit services to be provided by the independent registered public accounting firm or any other registered public accounting firm engaged by us, and establishing pre-approval policies and procedures; |
• | reviewing and discussing with the independent registered public accounting firm all relationships the auditors have with us in order to evaluate their continued independence; |
• | setting clear hiring policies for employees or former employees of the independent registered public accounting firm; |
• | setting clear policies for audit partner rotation in compliance with applicable laws and regulations; |
• | obtaining and reviewing a report, at least annually, from the independent registered public accounting firm describing (i) the independent registered public accounting firm’s internal quality-control procedures and (ii) any material issues raised by the most recent internal quality-control review, or peer review, of the audit firm, or by any inquiry or investigation by governmental or professional authorities within the preceding five years respecting one or more independent audits carried out by the firm and any steps taken to deal with such issues; |
• | 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
Prior to the consummation of this offering, we will establish a compensation committee of the board of directors. Abdol Moabery and Joseph DaGrosa, Jr. will serve as members of our compensation committee. Under Nasdaq’s listing standards and applicable SEC rules, we are required to have a compensation committee comprised entirely of independent directors, subject to certain phase-in rules. Our board of directors has determined that each of Abdol Moabery and Joseph DaGrosa, Jr. are independent. Abdol Moabery will serve as chair of the compensation committee.
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We will adopt a compensation committee charter, which will detail the principal functions of the compensation committee, including:
• | reviewing and approving on an annual basis the corporate goals and objectives relevant to our chief executive officer’s compensation, 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 approving on an annual basis the compensation of all of our other officers; |
• | reviewing on an annual basis our executive compensation policies and plans; |
• | implementing and administering our incentive compensation equity-based remuneration plans; |
• | assisting management in complying with our proxy statement and annual report disclosure requirements; |
• | approving all special perquisites, special cash payments and other special compensation and benefit arrangements for our officers and employees; |
• | if required, producing a report on executive compensation to be included in our annual proxy statement; and |
• | reviewing, evaluating and recommending changes, if appropriate, to the remuneration for directors. |
The charter will also provide that the compensation committee may, in its sole discretion, retain or obtain the advice of a compensation consultant, legal counsel or other adviser and will be directly responsible for the appointment, compensation and oversight of the work of any such adviser. However, before engaging or receiving advice from a compensation consultant, external legal counsel or any other adviser, the compensation committee will consider the independence of each such adviser, including the factors required by Nasdaq and the SEC.
Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee
Prior to the consummation of this offering, we will establish a nominating and corporate governance committee of the board of directors. The members of our nominating and corporate governance will be Joseph DaGrosa, Jr., Nathaniel Felsher and Abdol Moabery. Under Nasdaq’s listing standards, we are required to have a corporate governance and nominating committee composed entirely of independent directors. Our board of directors has determined that each of Joseph DaGrosa, Jr., Nathaniel Felsher and Abdol Moabery are independent. Joseph DaGrosa, Jr. will serve as chair of the nominating and corporate governance committee.
The primary purposes of our nominating and corporate governance committee will be to assist the board of directors in:
• | identifying, screening and reviewing individuals qualified to serve as directors and recommending to the board of directors candidates for nomination for election at the annual meeting of shareholders or to fill vacancies on the board of directors; |
• | developing, 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 nominating and corporate governance committee will be governed by a charter that complies with Nasdaq’s listing rules. |
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Director Nominations
Our nominating and corporate governance committee will recommend to the board of directors candidates for nomination for election at the annual meeting of the shareholders.
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, our 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 shareholders. 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.
Compensation Committee Interlocks and Insider Participation
Our compensation committee will consist of Abdol Moabery and Joseph DaGrosa, Jr. None of these directors has ever served as an officer or employee of the Company. None of the members of the compensation committee have, or have had during the last year, any relationship with the Company requiring disclosure under Item 404 of Regulation S-K. None of our executive officers served as a member of the board of directors or compensation committee (or similar committee) of any other company whose executive officer(s) served as a member of our compensation committee.
Code of Business Conduct and Ethics
Upon the effectiveness of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part, we will have adopted a Code of Business Conduct and Ethics applicable to our directors, officers and employees. A copy of our Code of Business Conduct and Ethics will be posted on our website. In addition, a copy of the Code of Business Conduct and Ethics will be provided without charge upon request from us. We intend to disclose any amendments to or waivers of certain provisions of our Code of Business Conduct and Ethics in a Current Report on Form 8-K.
Corporate Governance Guidelines
Our board of directors will adopt corporate governance guidelines in accordance with the corporate governance rules of Nasdaq 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
Under Cayman Islands law, directors owe fiduciary duties to the company including the following:
• | duty to act in good faith in what the director believes to be in the best interests of the company as a whole; |
• | duty to exercise authority for the purpose for which it is conferred; |
• | directors should not improperly fetter the exercise of future discretion; |
• | duty not to put themselves in a position in which there is a conflict between their duty to the company and their personal interests; and |
• | duty to exercise independent judgment. |
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In addition to the above, directors also owe a duty of care which is not fiduciary in nature. This duty has been defined as a requirement to act as a reasonably diligent person having both the general knowledge, skill and experience that may reasonably be expected of a person carrying out the same functions as are carried out by that director in relation to the company and the general knowledge skill and experience which that director has.
As set out above, directors have a duty not to put themselves in a position of conflict and this includes a duty not to engage in self-dealing, or to otherwise benefit as a result of their position. However, in some instances what would otherwise be a breach of this duty can be forgiven and/or authorized in advance by the shareholders provided that there is full disclosure by the directors. This can be done by way of permission granted in the amended and restated memorandum and articles of association or alternatively by shareholder approval at general meetings.
Each of our officers and directors presently has, and any of them in the future may have, additional fiduciary or contractual obligations to other entities pursuant to which such officer or director is or will be required to present a business combination opportunity (e.g., Edward J. Wegel serves as our Chief Executive Officer and Executive Chairman of our board of directors and serves as Co-Founder and President of AVi8 (having assumed the role in December 2016), and Ryan Goepel serves as our Chief Financial Officer and is also the Chief Financial Officer of AVi8 (having assumed that role in February 2020) and the Chief Financial Officer of GlobalX (having served in that role since February 2020), and was elected to the board of directors of GlobalX in June 2020). Accordingly, if any of our officers or directors becomes aware of a business combination opportunity which is suitable for an entity to which he or she has then-current fiduciary or contractual obligations, he or she will honor such obligations to present such business combination opportunity to such entity, subject to his or her fiduciary duties. We do not believe, however, that the fiduciary or contractual obligations of our officers or directors will materially affect our ability to identify and pursue business combination opportunities or complete our initial business combination.
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. |
• | Our initial shareholders 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 shareholders 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 the completion window. 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. Furthermore, our initial shareholders have agreed not to transfer, assign or sell any founder shares held by them until one year after the date of the consummation of our initial business combination or earlier if, subsequent to our initial business combination, (i) the last reported sale price of our Class A ordinary shares 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 or (ii) we consummate a subsequent liquidation, merger, stock exchange or other similar transaction which results in all of our shareholders having the right to exchange their ordinary shares for cash, securities or other property. With certain limited exceptions, the private placement warrants and the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of such warrants will not be transferable, assignable or saleable until 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination. Since our sponsor and officers and directors may directly or indirectly own ordinary shares and warrants following this offering, our officers and directors may have a conflict of interest in determining whether a particular target business is an appropriate business with which to effectuate our initial business combination. |
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• | Our officers and directors may have a conflict of interest with respect to evaluating a particular business combination if the retention or resignation of any such officers and directors was included by a target business as a condition to any agreement with respect to our initial business combination. |
• | Our sponsor or any of its affiliates may make additional investments in the company in connection with our initial business combination, although our sponsor and their affiliates have no obligation to do so. If our sponsor or any of its affiliates elect to make additional investments or provide financing, such proposed transactions could influence our sponsor’s motivation to complete our initial business combination. |
• | Our sponsor, officers or directors may have a conflict of interest with respect to evaluating a business combination and financing arrangements as we may obtain loans from our sponsor or an affiliate of our sponsor or any of our officers or directors to finance transaction costs in connection with an intended initial business combination. Up to $1.5 million of such loans may be convertible into warrants at a price of $1.00 per warrant at the option of the lender. Such warrants would be identical to the private placement warrants, including as to exercise price, exercisability and exercise period. |
The conflicts described above may not be resolved in our favor.
We are not prohibited from pursuing an initial business combination with a company that is affiliated with our sponsor, officers or directors or making the acquisition through a joint venture or other form of shared ownership with our sponsor, officers or directors. In the event we seek to complete our initial business combination with a business combination target that is affiliated with our sponsor, officers or directors, we, or a committee of independent directors, would obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm which is a member of FINRA 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.
Our sponsor or any of our existing officers or directors, or any entity with which they are affiliated, may serve as a finder or provide other services for which they may be paid underwriting discounts and commissions, placement agent fees, initial purchaser fees or discounts, finder’s fees, arrangement fees, commitment fees and transaction, structuring, consulting, advisory and management fees and similar fees by the company for any services they render in order to effectuate, the completion of our initial business combination (regardless of the type of transaction that it is). Further, commencing on the date our securities are first listed on Nasdaq, we will pay an amount equal to $10,000 per month, for up to 15 months (or for up to 18 months if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination), to our sponsor for office space, utilities, secretarial support and administrative services provided to us.
In the event that we submit our initial business combination to our public shareholders for a vote, we will complete our initial business combination only if a majority of the outstanding ordinary shares voted are voted in favor of the initial business combination. Our initial shareholders have agreed to vote any founder shares held by them and any public shares purchased during or after the offering in favor of our initial business combination and our officers and directors have also agreed to vote any public shares purchased during or after this offering in favor of our initial business combination.
Limitation on Liability and Indemnification of Officers and Directors
Cayman Islands law does not limit the extent to which a company’s memorandum and articles of association may provide for indemnification of officers and directors, except to the extent any such provision may be held by the Cayman Islands courts to be contrary to public policy, such as to provide indemnification against willful default, fraud or the consequences of committing a crime. Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide for indemnification of our officers and directors to the maximum extent permitted by law, including for any liability incurred in their capacities as such, except through their own actual fraud, willful default or willful neglect.
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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 memorandum and articles of association. We may purchase a policy of directors’ and officers’ liability insurance that insures our officers and directors against the cost of defense, settlement or payment of a judgment in some circumstances and insures us against our obligations to indemnify our officers and directors.
Our officers and directors have agreed, and any persons who may become officers or directors prior to the initial business combination will agree, to waive any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to any monies in the trust account, and to waive any right, title, interest or claim of any kind they may have in the future as a result of, or arising out of, any services provided to us and will not seek recourse against the trust account for any reason whatsoever (except to the extent they are entitled to funds from the trust account due to their ownership of public shares). Accordingly, any indemnification provided will only be able to be satisfied by us if (i) we have sufficient funds outside of the trust account or (ii) we consummate an initial business combination.
Our indemnification obligations may discourage shareholders from bringing a lawsuit against our officers or directors for breach of their fiduciary duty. These provisions also may have the effect of reducing the likelihood of derivative litigation against our officers and directors, even though such an action, if successful, might otherwise benefit us and our shareholders. Furthermore, a shareholder’s investment may be adversely affected to the extent we pay the costs of settlement and damage awards against our officers and directors pursuant to these indemnification provisions.
We believe that these provisions, the insurance and the indemnity agreements are necessary to attract and retain talented and experienced officers and directors.
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 ordinary shares as of the date of this prospectus, and as adjusted to reflect the sale of our ordinary shares 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 ordinary shares; |
• | each of our named executive officers, directors, director nominees and advisors that beneficially owns our ordinary shares; 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 ordinary shares beneficially owned by them. The following table does not reflect record or beneficial ownership of the private placement warrants as these warrants are not exercisable within 60 days of the date of this prospectus.
As of the date of this prospectus, our initial shareholders own 5,750,000 founder shares. In July 2021, our sponsor transferred 50,000 founder shares to each of our three independent director nominees, 75,000 founder shares to Jeremy Falk, our Chief Operating Officer, 50,000 founder to shares to Ryan Goepel, our Chief Financial Officer, and 10,000 founder shares to each of our two board of advisor nominees. The following table presents the number of shares and percentage of our ordinary shares owned by our initial shareholders before and after this offering. The post-offering numbers and percentages presented assume that the underwriters do not exercise their over-allotment option, that our sponsor forfeits 750,000 founder shares, and that there are 25,000,000 ordinary shares issued and outstanding after this offering.
Before Offering | After Offering | |||||||||||||||
Name and Address of Beneficial Owner(1) | Number of Shares Beneficially Owned(2) | Approximate Percentage of Outstanding Ordinary Shares | Number of Shares Beneficially Owned(2) | Approximate Percentage of Outstanding Ordinary Shares | ||||||||||||
AVi8 Acquisition LLC (our sponsor)(3) | 5,455,000 | 94.87 | % | 4,705,000 | 18.82 | % | ||||||||||
Edward J. Wegel | 5,455,000 | 94.87 | % | 4,705,000 | 18.82 | % | ||||||||||
Maggie Arvedlund | — | — | — | — | ||||||||||||
Joseph DaGrosa, Jr. | 50,000 | * | 50,000 | * | ||||||||||||
Nathaniel Felsher | 50,000 | * | 50,000 | * | ||||||||||||
Abdol Moabery | 50,000 | * | 50,000 | * | ||||||||||||
Ryan Goepel | 50,000 | * | 50,000 | * | ||||||||||||
Jeremy Falk | 75,000 | 1.30 | % | 75,000 | * | |||||||||||
Alvin Khoo | 10,000 | * | 10,000 | * | ||||||||||||
Marc Cho | 10,000 | * | 10,000 | * | ||||||||||||
All directors, director nominees, advisors and executive officers as a group (9 Individuals) | 5,750,000 | 100 | % | 5,000,000 | 20.0 | % |
* | Less than one percent. |
(1) | Unless otherwise noted, the business address of each of the following entities or individuals is 2333 Ponce de Leon Blvd., Suite 630, Coral Gables, FL 33134. |
(2) | Interests shown consist solely of founder shares, classified as Class B ordinary shares. Such shares will automatically convert into Class A ordinary shares at the time of completion of our initial business combination on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustment, as described in the section entitled “Description of Securities.” |
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(3) | AVi8 Acquisition LLC is a Delaware limited liability company (our “sponsor”). The address of our sponsor, is 2333 Ponce de Leon Blvd., Suite 630, Coral Gables, FL 33134. Edward J. Wegel has voting and dispositive power over the securities held by AVi8 Acquisition LLC and therefore may be deemed to be a beneficial owner thereof. |
Immediately after this offering, our initial shareholders will beneficially own 20% of the then-issued and outstanding ordinary shares (assuming they do not purchase any units in this offering). Because of this ownership block, our initial shareholders may be able to effectively influence the outcome of all matters requiring approval by our shareholders, including the election or removal of directors, amendments to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association and approval of significant corporate transactions, including approval of our initial business combination.
The holders of the founder shares have agreed (A) to vote any shares owned by them in favor of any proposed business combination and (B) not to redeem any shares in connection with a shareholder vote to approve a proposed initial business combination.
Our sponsor has committed, pursuant to a written agreement, to purchase an aggregate of 11,900,000 private placement warrants (or 13,250,000 private placement warrants if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), each exercisable to purchase Class A ordinary share at $11.50 per share, at a price of $1.00 per warrant ($11.9 million in the aggregate or $13.25 million if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), in a private placement that will close simultaneously with the closing of this offering. If we do not complete our initial business combination within the completion window, the private placement warrants will expire worthless. The private placement warrants are subject to the transfer restrictions described below. In addition, the private placement warrants will not be exercisable more than five years from the effective date of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part, in accordance with FINRA Rule 5110(g)(8), as long as our sponsor or any of its related persons beneficially own such private placement warrants. The private placement warrants will not be redeemable by us so long as they are held by our sponsor or its permitted transferees. Our sponsor, or its permitted transferees, has the option to exercise the private placement warrants on a cashless basis. If the private placement warrants are held by holders other than our sponsor or its permitted transferees, the private placement warrants will be redeemable by us and exercisable by the holders on the same basis as the warrants included in the units being sold in this offering. Otherwise, the private placement warrants have terms and provisions that are identical to those of the warrants being sold as part of the units in this offering.
Our sponsor and our officers and directors are deemed to be our “promoters” as such term is defined under the federal securities laws.
Transfers of Founder Shares and Private Placement Warrants
The founder shares, private placement warrants and any Class A ordinary shares issued upon conversion or exercise thereof are each subject to transfer restrictions pursuant to a letter agreement to be entered into by our sponsor, directors, officers and us. This letter agreement will provide that the founder shares may not be transferred, assigned or sold until the earlier of (x) one year after the completion of our initial business combination or earlier if, subsequent to our business combination, the last reported sale price of our Class A ordinary shares 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, or (y) the date on which we complete a liquidation, merger, capital share exchange, reorganization or other similar transaction after our initial business combination that results in all of our shareholders having the right to exchange their ordinary shares for cash, securities or other property.
The letter agreement will provide that the private placement warrants and the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of such warrants may not be transferred, assigned or sold until 30 days following the completion of our initial business combination.
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Additionally, in the event of (i) our liquidation prior to the completion of our initial business combination, or (ii) the completion of a liquidation, merger, stock exchange or other similar transaction which results in all of our stock holders having the right to exchange their ordinary shares for cash, securities or other property subsequent to our completion of our initial business combination, the lock-up period shall terminate. However, as described below, such securities may be transferred during the lock-up period to certain permitted transferees, provided that in the cases of clauses (a) through (f) below the permitted transferees enter into a written agreement agreeing to be bound by these transfer restrictions. Permitted transfers include: (a) transfers to our officers or directors, any affiliates or family members of any of our officers or directors, any members of our sponsor or their affiliates, or any affiliates of our sponsor, (b) in the case of an individual, transfers by gift to members of the individual’s immediate family or to a trust, the beneficiary of which is a member of one of the individual’s immediate family, 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 the individual; (d) in the case of an individual, transfers pursuant to a qualified domestic relations order; (e) transfers by virtue of the laws of the Cayman Islands or our sponsor’s operating agreement upon dissolution of our sponsor; (f) transfers by private sales or transfers made in connection with the consummation of a business combination at prices no greater than the price at which the securities were originally purchased; (g) transfers to any third-party pledgee in a bona fide transaction as collateral to secure obligations pursuant to lending or other arrangements between such third parties (or their affiliates or designees) and our sponsor, directors, officers and/or their affiliates or any similar arrangement relating to a financing arrangement for the benefit of our sponsor, directors, officers and/or their affiliates; and (h) transfers pursuant to a bona fide loan or pledge or as a grant or maintenance of a bona fide lien, security interest, pledge or other similar encumbrance (each, a “Pledge”) of any such securities owned by our sponsor, directors, officers and/or their affiliates to a nationally or internationally recognized financial institution in connection with a loan to our sponsor, directors, officers and/or their affiliates; provided, however, that (A) our sponsor, directors, officers and/or their affiliates shall not Pledge such securities resulting in a loan-to-value ratio in excess of 50%; and (B) our sponsor, directors, officers or the Company, as the case may be, shall provide Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC prior written notice informing them of any public filing, report or announcement made by or on behalf of our sponsor, directors, officers or the Company with respect thereto.
Prior to our initial business combination, permitted transferees would be subject to the same written agreements as our sponsor, directors and officers with respect to (i) voting any founder shares held by them in favor of the initial business combination, (ii) agreeing to not propose any amendment to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association that would affect the substance or timing of our obligation to redeem 100% of public shares if we do not complete an initial business combination within the completion window and (iii) waiving their redemption rights and rights to liquidating distributions.
Registration Rights
The holders of the founder shares, private placement warrants and warrants that may be issued upon conversion of working capital loans will have registration rights to require us to register a sale of any of our securities held by them pursuant to a registration rights agreement to be signed prior to or on the effective date of this offering. These holders will be entitled to make up to one demand, excluding short form registration demands, that we register such securities for sale under the Securities Act. In addition, these holders will have “piggyback” registration rights to include their securities in other registration statements filed by us, subject to certain limitations.
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CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS
As of the date of this prospectus, our initial shareholders own an aggregate of 5,750,000 founder shares. The number of founder shares was determined based on the expectation that the founder shares would represent 20% of the outstanding shares upon completion of this offering. Up to 750,000 founder shares are subject to forfeiture by our initial shareholders depending on the extent to which the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised. The founder shares (including the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise thereof) may not, subject to certain limited exceptions, be transferred, assigned or sold by the holder.
Our sponsor has committed, pursuant to a written agreement, to purchase an aggregate of 11,900,000 private placement warrants (or 13,250,000 private placement warrants if the over-allotment option is exercised in full) for a purchase price of $1.00 per warrant in a private placement that will occur simultaneously with the closing of this offering. As such, our sponsor’s interest in this transaction is valued at between $11.9 million and $13.25 million if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full, depending on the number of private placement warrants purchased. Each private placement warrant entitles the holder to purchase one whole Class A ordinary share at $11.50 per share. The private placement warrants (including the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise thereof) may not, subject to certain limited exceptions, be transferred, assigned or sold by the holder until 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination.
As more fully discussed in the section of this prospectus titled “Management — Conflicts of Interest,” if any of our officers or directors becomes aware of a business combination opportunity that falls within the line of business of any entity to which he or she has then-current fiduciary or contractual obligations, he or she will honor his or her fiduciary or contractual obligations to present such business combination opportunity to such entity. Our officers and directors currently have certain relevant fiduciary duties or contractual obligations that may take priority over their duties to us.
Commencing on the date that our securities are first listed on Nasdaq, we will pay our sponsor a total of $10,000 per month, for up to 15 months (or for 18 months if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination), for office space, utilities, secretarial support and administrative services. Upon completion of our initial business combination or our liquidation, we will cease paying these monthly fees.
In addition to these monthly fees, underwriting discounts and commissions, placement agent fees, initial purchaser fees or discounts, finder’s fees, arrangement fees, commitment fees and transaction, structuring, consulting, advisory and management fees and similar fees may be paid by the company to our sponsor, officers and directors, or any of their respective affiliates, for services rendered prior to or in connection with the completion of our initial business combination or following our initial business combination. However, these individuals will be reimbursed for any out-of-pocket expenses incurred in connection with activities on our behalf such as identifying potential target businesses and performing due diligence on suitable business combinations. Our audit committee will review on a quarterly basis all payments that were made to our sponsor, officers, directors or our or their affiliates and will determine which expenses and the amount of expenses that will be reimbursed. There is no cap or ceiling on the reimbursement of out-of-pocket expenses incurred by such persons in connection with activities on our behalf.
Prior to the closing of this offering, our sponsor has agreed to loan the Company an aggregate of up to $0.3 million to be used for a portion of the expenses related to this offering. This loan is non-interest bearing, unsecured and is due at the closing of this offering. This loan will be convertible into private placement warrants at a price of $1.00 per warrant at the option of our sponsor and, if not converted, will be repaid upon completion of this offering out of the $1,124,500 of offering proceeds. The value of our sponsor’s interest in this transaction corresponds to the principal amount outstanding under any such loans.
In addition, in order to finance transaction costs in connection with an intended initial business combination, our sponsor or an affiliate of our sponsor or certain of our officers and directors may, but are not obligated to, loan us funds as may be required. If we complete an initial business combination, we would repay such loaned amounts out of the proceeds of the trust account released to us. Otherwise, such loans would be repaid only out of funds held outside the trust account. In the event that our initial business combination does not close, we may use a portion of the working capital held outside the trust account to repay such loaned amounts but no proceeds from our trust account would be used for such repayment. Up to $1.5 million of such loans may be convertible into warrants at a price of $1.00 per warrant at the option of the lender. The warrants would be identical to the private placement warrants, including as to exercise price, exercisability and exercise period. Except as set forth above, the terms of such loans by our officers and directors, if any, have not been determined and no written agreements exist with respect to such loans. Prior to the completion of our initial business combination, we do not expect to seek loans from parties other than our sponsor or an affiliate of our sponsor as we do not believe third parties will be willing to loan such funds and provide a waiver against any and all rights to seek access to funds in our trust account.
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After our initial business combination, members of our management team who remain with us may be paid consulting, management or other fees from the combined company with any and all amounts being fully disclosed to our shareholders, to the extent then known, in the tender offer or proxy solicitation materials (as applicable) furnished to our shareholders. It is unlikely the amount of such compensation will be known at the time of distribution of such tender offer materials or at the time of a shareholder meeting held to consider our initial business combination, as applicable, as it will be up to the directors of the post-combination business to determine executive and director compensation.
We will enter into a registration rights agreement with respect to the private placement warrants, the warrants issuable upon conversion of working capital loans (if any) and the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the foregoing and upon conversion of the founder shares, which is described under the heading “Description of Securities — Registration Rights.”
Related Party 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 a code of business conduct and 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) or as disclosed in our public filings with the SEC. Under our code of business conduct and 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 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. We also require each of our directors and executive officers to complete a directors’ and officers’ questionnaire that elicits information about related party transactions.
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 will not 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 directors, have obtained an opinion from an independent investment banking firm which is a member of FINRA 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 restrictions on payments made to insiders. We expect that some or all of the following payments will be made to our sponsor, officers or directors, or our or their affiliates, none of which will be made from the proceeds of this offering held in the trust account prior to the completion of our initial business combination, other than from any permitted withdrawals:
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• | repayment of up to an aggregate of $0.3 million in loans made to us by our sponsor to cover offering-related and organizational expenses, which loans may be convertible into private placement warrants at a price of $1.00 per warrant at the option of our sponsor; |
• | reimbursement for office space, utilities, secretarial support and administrative services provided to us by our sponsor, in an amount equal to $10,000 per month, for up to 15 months (or for up to 18 months if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination); |
• | underwriting discounts and commissions, placement agent fees, initial purchaser fees or discounts, finder’s fees, arrangement fees, commitment fees and transaction, structuring, consulting, advisory and management fees and similar fees for services rendered prior to or in connection with the completion of an initial business combination; |
• | reimbursement of legal fees and expenses incurred by our sponsor, officers or directors in connection with our formation, the initial business combination and their services to us; |
• | reimbursement for any out-of-pocket expenses related to identifying, investigating, negotiating and completing an initial business combination; and |
• | repayment of loans which may be made by our sponsor or an affiliate of our sponsor or certain of our officers and directors to finance transaction costs in connection with an intended initial business combination, the terms of which have not been determined nor have any written agreements have been executed with respect thereto, and up to $1.5 million 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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We are a Cayman Islands exempted company incorporated with limited liability (company number 374912) and our affairs are governed by our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, the Companies Act and common law of the Cayman Islands. Pursuant to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, we are authorized to issue 800,000,000 Class A ordinary shares, $0.0001 par value each, 199,000,000 Class B ordinary shares, $0.0001 par value each, and 1,000,000 undesignated preferred shares, $0.0001 par value each. The following description summarizes the material terms of our shares as set out more particularly in our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association. Because it is only a summary, it may not contain all the information that is important to you.
Units
Each unit has an offering price of $10.00 and consists of one Class A ordinary shares and one-half of one warrant. Each whole warrant entitles the holder thereof to purchase one Class A ordinary share at a price of $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment as described in this prospectus. Warrants must be exercised for one whole Class A ordinary share. Only whole warrants are exercisable. No fractional warrants will be issued upon separation of the units and only whole warrants will trade. Accordingly, unless you purchase at least four units, you will not be able to receive or trade a whole warrant We expect the ordinary shares and warrants comprising the units will begin separate trading on the 52nd day following the closing of this offering unless Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC informs us of its decision to allow earlier separate trading, subject to our having filed the Current Report on Form 8-K described below and having issued a press release announcing when such separate trading will begin. Once the Class A ordinary shares and warrants commence separate trading, holders will have the option to continue to hold units or separate their units into the component securities. Holders will need to have their brokers contact our transfer agent in order to separate the units into Class A ordinary shares and warrants. No fractional warrants will be issued upon separation of the units and only whole warrants will trade. Accordingly, unless you purchase at least four units, you will not be able to receive or trade a whole warrant.
In no event will the Class A ordinary shares and warrants be traded separately until we have filed with the SEC a Current Report on Form 8-K which includes an audited balance sheet of the company reflecting our receipt of the gross proceeds at the closing of this offering. We will file the Current Report on Form 8-K promptly, and no later than four business days, after the closing of this offering which will include this audited balance sheet. If the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised following the initial filing of such Current Report on Form 8-K, a second or amended Current Report on Form 8-K will be filed to provide updated financial information to reflect the exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option.
Additionally, the units will automatically separate into their component parts and will not be traded after completion of our initial business combination.
Ordinary Shares
Upon the closing of this offering, 25,000,000 ordinary shares will be outstanding (assuming no exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option and the corresponding forfeiture of 750,000 founder shares by our sponsor), consisting of:
• | 20,000,000 Class A ordinary shares underlying the units being offered in this offering; and |
• | 5,000,000 Class B ordinary shares held by our sponsor. |
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 ordinary shares immediately prior to the consummation of this offering in such amount as to maintain the ownership of founder shares by our initial shareholders prior to this offering at 20% of our issued and outstanding ordinary shares upon the consummation of this offering.
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Class A ordinary shareholders and Class B ordinary shareholders of record are entitled to one vote for each share held on all matters to be voted on by shareholders and vote together as a single class, except as required by law or the applicable rules of Nasdaq then in effect; provided, that (i) holders of our Class B ordinary shares will have the right to elect all of our directors prior to our initial business combination and holders of our Class A ordinary shares will not be entitled to vote on the election or removal of directors during such time, and (ii) in respect of any vote or votes to continue the company in a jurisdiction outside the Cayman Islands (including, but not limited to, the approval of the organizational documents of the company in such other jurisdiction), which requires the approval of at least two-thirds of the votes of all ordinary shares, holders of our Class B ordinary shares will have ten votes for every Class B ordinary shares and holders of our Class A ordinary shares will have one vote for every Class A ordinary share. These provisions of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association may only be amended by a special resolution passed by a majority of at least 90% of our ordinary shares voting in a general meeting. Unless specified in the Companies Act, our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association or applicable stock exchange rules, the affirmative vote of a majority of our ordinary shares that are voted is required to approve any matter voted on by our shareholders (other than the election or removal of directors), and the affirmative vote of a majority of our founder shares is required to approve the election or removal of directors. Approval of certain actions will require a special resolution under Cayman Islands law and pursuant to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association; such actions include amending our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association and approving a statutory merger or consolidation with another company. Directors are elected for a term of three 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 founder shares voted for the election of directors can elect all of the directors. Our shareholders are entitled to receive ratable dividends when, as and if declared by the board of directors out of funds legally available therefor.
Because our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will authorize the issuance of up to 800,000,000 Class A ordinary shares, if we were to enter into a business combination, we may (depending on the terms of such a business combination) be required to increase the number of ordinary shares which we are authorized to issue at the same time as our shareholders vote on the business combination to the extent we seek shareholder approval in connection with our initial business combination.
In accordance with Nasdaq corporate governance requirements, we are not required to hold an annual meeting until no later than one year after our first fiscal year end following our listing on Nasdaq. There is no requirement under the Companies Act for us to hold annual or general meetings or elect directors. In addition, as holders of our Class A ordinary shares, our public shareholders will not have the right to vote on the election or removal of directors prior to completion of our initial business combination. We may not hold an annual meeting of shareholders prior to the consummation of our initial business combination.
We will provide our Class A public shareholders 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 as of two business days prior to the consummation of our initial business combination, including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to in permitted withdrawals, 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 $10.25 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. Our sponsor, officers and directors 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.
Unlike many blank check companies that hold shareholder votes and conduct proxy solicitations in conjunction with their initial business combinations and provide for related redemptions of public shares for cash in connection with our initial business combinations even when a vote is not required by law, if a shareholder vote is not required by law and we do not decide to hold a shareholder vote for business or other legal reasons, we will, pursuant to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, conduct the redemptions pursuant to the tender offer rules of the SEC, and file tender offer documents with the SEC prior to completing our initial business combination. Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association 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 shareholder approval of the transaction is required by law, or we decide to obtain shareholder approval for business or other legal reasons, we will, like many blank check companies, offer to redeem shares in conjunction with a proxy solicitation pursuant to the proxy rules and not pursuant to the tender offer rules. If we seek shareholder approval, we will complete our initial business combination only if a majority of the outstanding ordinary shares voted are voted in favor of the business combination (or, if the applicable rules of Nasdaq then in effect require, a majority of the outstanding ordinary shares held by public shareholders are voted in favor of the business transaction). Unless restricted by Nasdaq rules, a quorum for such meeting will consist of the holders present in person or by proxy of our outstanding ordinary shares representing a majority of the voting power of all of our outstanding ordinary shares entitled to vote at such meeting. Unless restricted by Nasdaq rules, our initial shareholders will count towards such quorum. However, the participation of our sponsor, officers, directors, advisors or any of their affiliates in privately-negotiated transactions (as described in this prospectus), if any, could result in the approval of our initial business combination even if a majority of our public shareholders vote, or indicate their intention to vote, against such business combination unless restricted by applicable Nasdaq rules. For purposes of seeking approval of the majority of our outstanding ordinary shares, non-votes will have no effect on the approval of our initial business combination once a quorum is obtained. We intend to give approximately 30 days (but 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.
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If we seek shareholder approval in connection with our initial business combination, our initial shareholders, officers and directors have agreed (and their permitted transferees will agree), pursuant to the terms of a letter agreement entered into with us, to vote any founder shares held by them and any public shares purchased during or after this offering in favor of our initial business combination. As a result, in addition to our initial shareholders’ founder shares, we would need 7,500,001, or approximately 37.5%, of 20,000,000 public shares sold in this offering to be voted in favor of a transaction (assuming all outstanding shares are voted and no exercise of the underwriter’s over-allotment option) in order to have such initial business combination approved (or, if the applicable rules of the Nasdaq then in effect require approval by a majority of the votes cast by public shareholders, we would need 10,000,001 of public shares sold in this offering to be voted in favor of a transaction (assuming all outstanding shares are voted and no exercise of the underwriter’s over-allotment option) in order to have such initial business combination approved). Additionally, each public shareholder may elect to redeem its public shares without voting, and if it does vote, irrespective of whether it votes for or against the proposed transaction. These quorum and voting thresholds and the letter agreement may make it more likely that we will consummate our initial business combination.
If we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct redemptions in connection with our initial business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide that a public shareholder, together with any affiliate of such shareholder or any other person with whom such shareholder is acting in concert or as a “group” (as defined under Section 13 of the Exchange Act), will be restricted from redeeming its shares with respect to more than an aggregate of 15% of the ordinary shares sold in this offering, which we refer to as the “Excess Shares.” However, we would not be restricting our shareholders’ ability to vote all of their shares (including Excess Shares) for or against our initial business combination. Our shareholders’ inability to redeem the Excess Shares will reduce their influence over our ability to complete our initial business combination, and such shareholders could suffer a material loss in their investment if they sell such Excess Shares on the open market. Additionally, such shareholders will not receive redemption distributions with respect to the Excess Shares if we complete the business combination. And, as a result, such shareholders will continue to hold that number of shares exceeding 15% and, in order to dispose such shares would be required to sell their shares in open market transactions, potentially at a loss.
Pursuant to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, if we are unable to complete our initial business combination within the completion window, we will (i) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up, (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible but no more than ten business days thereafter, subject to lawfully available funds therefor, redeem the public shares, at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our taxes (less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public shareholders’ rights as shareholders (including the right to receive further liquidating distributions, if any), subject to applicable law, and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining shareholders and our board of directors, dissolve and liquidate, subject in each case to our obligations under Cayman Islands law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law. Our sponsor, officers and directors 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 the completion window. However, if our initial shareholders acquire public shares after this offering, 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 prescribed time period.
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In the event of a liquidation, dissolution or winding up of the company after a business combination, our shareholders are entitled to share ratably in all assets remaining available for distribution to them after payment of liabilities and after provision is made for each class of shares, if any, having preference over the ordinary shares. Our shareholders have no preemptive or other subscription rights. There are no sinking fund provisions applicable to the ordinary shares, except that we will provide our shareholders 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, after permitted withdrawals, in connection with our initial business combination, subject to the limitations described herein.
Founder Shares
The founder shares are identical to the Class A ordinary shares included in the units being sold in this offering, and holders of founder shares have the same shareholder rights as public shareholders, except that (i) only holders of the founder shares have the right to vote on the election or removal of directors prior to our initial business combination, (ii) in respect of any vote or votes to continue the company in a jurisdiction outside the Cayman Islands (including, but not limited to, the approval of the organizational documents of the company in such other jurisdiction), which requires the approval of at least two-thirds of the votes of all ordinary shares, holders of our founder shares have ten votes for every founder share and, as a result, our initial shareholders will be able to approve any such proposal without the vote of any other shareholder, (iii) the founder shares are subject to certain transfer restrictions, as described in more detail below, and (iv) our sponsor, officers and directors have entered into a letter agreement with us, pursuant to which they have agreed (A) 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 and (B) 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 completion window, 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 such time period, (v) the founder shares are Class B ordinary shares that are automatically convertible into Class A ordinary shares at the time of completion 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 (vi) are entitled to registration rights. If we submit our initial business combination to our public shareholders for a vote, our initial shareholders, officers and directors have agreed (and their permitted transferees will agree), pursuant to the terms of a letter agreement entered into with us, to vote any founder shares held by them and any public shares purchased during or after this offering in favor of our initial business combination.
The Class B ordinary shares will automatically convert into Class A ordinary shares at the time of completion of our initial business combination on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustment for share splits, share dividends, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like, and subject to further adjustment as provided herein. In the case that additional Class A ordinary shares, or equity-linked securities, are issued or deemed issued in excess of the amounts sold in this offering and related to the closing of our initial business combination, the ratio at which Class B ordinary shares will convert into Class A ordinary shares will be adjusted (unless the holders of two-thirds of the outstanding Class B ordinary shares agree to waive such anti-dilution adjustment with respect to any such issuance or deemed issuance) so that the number of Class A ordinary shares issuable upon conversion of all Class B ordinary shares will equal, in the aggregate, 20% of the sum of the total number of all ordinary shares outstanding upon completion of this offering plus all Class A ordinary shares and equity-linked securities issued or deemed issued in connection with the business combination, excluding any shares or equity-linked securities issued, or to be issued, to any seller in the business combination. Holders of founder shares may also elect to convert their Class B ordinary shares into an equal number of Class A ordinary shares, subject to adjustment as provided above, at any time.
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With certain limited exceptions, the founder shares are not transferable, assignable or salable (except to our officers and directors 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, (B) subsequent to our initial business combination, if the last reported sale price of the Class A ordinary shares equals or exceeds $12.00 per share (as adjusted for share splits, share dividends, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) for any 20 trading days within any 30-trading day period commencing at least 150 days after our initial business combination, or (C) following the completion of our initial business combination, such future date on which we complete a liquidation, merger, share exchange, reorganization or other similar transaction that results in all of our public shareholders having the right to exchange their ordinary shares for cash, securities or other property.
Register of Members
Under Cayman Islands law, we must keep a register of members and there shall be entered therein:
• | the names and addresses of the members, a statement of the shares held by each member, and of the amount paid or agreed to be considered as paid, on the shares of each member; |
• | the date on which the name of any person was entered on the register as a member; and |
• | the date on which any person ceased to be a member. |
Under Cayman Islands law, the register of members of our company is prima facie evidence of the matters set out therein (i.e. the register of members will raise a presumption of fact on the matters referred to above unless rebutted) and a member registered in the register of members shall be deemed as a matter of Cayman Islands law to have legal title to the shares as set against its name in the register of members. Upon the closing of this public offering, the register of members shall be immediately updated to reflect the issue of shares by us. Once our register of members has been updated, the shareholders recorded in the register of members shall be deemed to have legal title to the shares set against their name. However, there are certain limited circumstances where an application may be made to a Cayman Islands court for a determination on whether the register of members reflects the correct legal position. Further, the Cayman Islands court has the power to order that the register of members maintained by a company should be rectified where it considers that the register of members does not reflect the correct legal position. If an application for an order for rectification of the register of members were made in respect of our ordinary shares, then the validity of such shares may be subject to re-examination by a Cayman Islands court.
Preferred Stock
Our memorandum and articles of association will provide that preferred shares may be issued from time to time in one or more series. Our board of directors will be authorized to fix the voting rights, if any, designations, powers, preferences, the relative, participating, optional or other special rights and any qualifications, limitations and restrictions thereof, applicable to the shares of each series. Our board of directors will be able to, without shareholder approval, issue preferred shares with voting and other rights that could adversely affect the voting power and other rights of the holders of the ordinary shares and could have anti-takeover effects. The ability of our board of directors to issue preferred shares without shareholder approval could have the effect of delaying, deferring or preventing a change of control of us or the removal of existing management. We have no preferred shares outstanding at the date hereof. Although we do not currently intend to issue any preferred shares, we cannot assure you that we will not do so in the future. No preferred shares are being issued or registered in this offering.
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Warrants
Public Shareholders’ Warrants
Each whole warrant entitles the registered holder to purchase one Class A ordinary share at a price of $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment as discussed below, at any time commencing on the later of 12 months from the closing of this offering or 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination, provided in each case that we have an effective registration statement under the Securities Act covering the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants and a current prospectus relating to them is available (or we permit holders to exercise their warrants on a cashless basis under the circumstances specified in the warrant agreement) 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. Pursuant to the warrant agreement, a warrant holder may exercise its warrants only for a whole number of Class A ordinary shares. This means that only a whole warrant may be exercised at any given time by a warrant holder. No fractional warrants will be issued upon separation of the units and only whole warrants will trade. Accordingly, unless you purchase at least four units, you will not be able to receive or trade a whole warrant. The warrants will expire five years after the date on which we complete our initial business combination, at 5:00 p.m., New York City time, or earlier upon redemption or liquidation.
We will not be obligated to deliver any Class A ordinary shares pursuant to the exercise of a warrant and will have no obligation to settle such warrant exercise unless a registration statement under the Securities Act with respect to the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants is then effective and a prospectus relating thereto is current, subject to our satisfying our obligations described below with respect to registration, or a valid exemption from registration is available. No warrant will be exercisable and we will not be obligated to issue Class A ordinary shares upon exercise of a warrant unless the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon such warrant exercise have been registered, qualified or deemed to be exempt under the securities laws of the state of residence of the registered holder of the warrants. In the event that the conditions in the two immediately preceding sentences are not satisfied with respect to a warrant, the holder of such warrant will not be entitled to exercise such warrant and such warrant may have no value and expire worthless. In no event will we be required to net cash settle any warrant. In the event that a registration statement is not effective for the exercised warrants, the purchaser of a unit containing such warrant will have paid the full purchase price for the unit solely for the Class A ordinary share underlying such unit.
We are not registering the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants at this time. However, we have agreed that as soon as practicable, but in no event later than 15 business days, after the closing of our initial business combination, we will use our commercially reasonable efforts to file with the SEC a registration statement for the registration, under the Securities Act, of the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants. We will use our commercially reasonable efforts to cause the same to become effective and to maintain the effectiveness of such registration statement, and a current prospectus relating thereto, until the expiration of the warrants in accordance with the provisions of the warrant agreement. If a registration statement covering the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants is not effective by the sixtieth (60th) business day after the closing of our initial business combination, warrant holders may, until such time as there is an effective registration statement and during any period when we will have failed to maintain an effective registration statement, exercise warrants on a “cashless basis” in accordance with Section 3(a)(9) of the Securities Act or another exemption. Notwithstanding the above, if our Class A ordinary shares are at the time of any exercise of a warrant not listed on a national securities exchange such that they satisfy the definition of a “covered security” under Section 18(b)(1) of the Securities Act, we may, at our option, require holders of public warrants who exercise their warrants to do so on a “cashless basis” in accordance with Section 3(a)(9) of the Securities Act and, in the event we so elect, we will not be required to file or maintain in effect a registration statement or register or qualify the shares under applicable blue sky laws to the extent an exemption is available. In such event, each holder would pay the exercise price by surrendering each such warrant for that number of Class A ordinary shares equal to the lesser of (A) the quotient obtained by dividing (x) the product of the number of our Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants, multiplied by the excess of the “fair market value” less the exercise price of the warrants by (y) the fair market value and (B) 0.361. The “fair market value” shall mean the volume weighted average price of our Class A ordinary shares for the 10 trading days ending on the trading day prior to the date on which the notice of exercise is received by the warrant agent.
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Redemption of warrants when the price per Class A ordinary share equals or exceeds $18.00. Once the warrants become exercisable, we may redeem the outstanding warrants (except as described herein with respect to the private placement warrants):
• | in whole and not in part; |
• | at a price of $0.01 per warrant; |
• upon not less than 30 days’ prior written notice of redemption to each warrant holder; and
• | if, and only if, the last reported sale price of the Class A ordinary shares equals or exceeds $18.00 per share (as adjusted for adjustments to the number of shares issuable upon exercise or the exercise price of a warrant as described under the heading “— Warrants — Public Warrants — Anti-dilution Adjustments”) for any 20 trading days within a 30-trading day period ending three business days before we send the notice of redemption to the warrant holders (which we refer to as the “Reference Value”). |
We will not redeem the warrants as described above unless a registration statement under the Securities Act covering the issuance of the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants is then effective and a current prospectus relating to those Class A ordinary shares is available throughout the 30-day redemption period, except if the warrants may be exercised on a cashless basis and such cashless exercise is exempt from registration under the Securities Act. If and when the warrants become redeemable by us, we may exercise our redemption right even if we are unable to register or qualify the securities issuable upon exercise of such warrants for sale under all applicable state securities laws.
We have established the last of the redemption criterion discussed above to prevent a redemption call unless there is at the time of the call a significant premium to the warrant exercise price. If the foregoing conditions are satisfied and we issue a notice of redemption of the warrants, each warrant holder will be entitled to exercise his, her or its warrant prior to the scheduled redemption date. However, the price of the Class A ordinary shares may fall below the $18.00 redemption trigger price (as adjusted for share splits, share dividends, rights issuances, subdivisions, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) as well as the $11.50 (for whole shares) warrant exercise price after the redemption notice is issued.
Redemption of warrants when the price per Class A ordinary share equals or exceeds $10.00. Once the warrants become exercisable, we may redeem the outstanding warrants:
• | in whole and not in part; |
• | at $0.10 per warrant upon a minimum of 30 days’ prior written notice of redemption provided that holders will be able to exercise their warrants on a cashless basis prior to redemption and receive that number of shares determined by reference to the table below, based on the redemption date and the “fair market value” of our Class A ordinary shares (as defined below) except as otherwise described below; |
• | if, and only if, the Reference Value (as defined above under “Redemption of warrants when the price per Class A ordinary share equals or exceeds $18.00”) equals or exceeds $10.00 per public share (as adjusted for adjustments to the number of shares issuable upon exercise or the exercise price of a warrant as described under the heading “— Warrants — Public Shareholders’ Warrants — Anti-dilution Adjustments”); and |
�� | • | if the closing price of the Class A common stock for any 20 trading days within a 30-trading day period ending on the third trading day prior to the date on which we send the notice of redemption to the warrant holders is less than $18.00 per share (as adjusted for adjustments to the number of shares issuable upon exercise or the exercise price of a warrant as described under the heading “— Warrants — Public Shareholders’ Warrants — Anti-dilution Adjustments”), the private placement warrants must also be concurrently called for redemption on the same terms as the outstanding public warrants, as described above. |
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During the period beginning on the date the notice of redemption is given, holders may elect to exercise their warrants on a cashless basis. The numbers in the table below represent the number of Class A ordinary shares that a warrant holder will receive upon such cashless exercise in connection with a redemption by us pursuant to this redemption feature, based on the “fair market value” of our Class A ordinary shares on the corresponding redemption date (assuming holders elect to exercise their warrants and such warrants are not redeemed for $0.10 per warrant), determined for these purposes based on the volume-weighted average price of our Class A ordinary shares during the 10 trading days immediately following the date on which the notice of redemption is sent to the holders of warrants, and the number of months that the corresponding redemption date precedes the expiration date of the warrants, each as set forth in the table below. We will provide our warrant holders with the final fair market value no later than one business day after the 10-trading day period described above ends.
Pursuant to the warrant agreement, references above to Class A ordinary shares shall include a security other than Class A ordinary shares into which the Class A ordinary shares have been converted or exchanged for in the event we are not the surviving company in our initial business combination. The numbers in the table below will not be adjusted when determining the number of Class A ordinary shares to be issued upon exercise of the warrants if we are not the surviving entity following our initial business combination.
The share prices set forth in the column headings of the table below will be adjusted as of any date on which the number of shares issuable upon exercise of a warrant or the exercise price of the warrant is adjusted as set forth under the heading “— Anti-dilution Adjustments” below. If the number of shares issuable upon exercise of a warrant is adjusted, the adjusted share prices in the column headings will equal the share prices immediately prior to such adjustment, multiplied by a fraction, the numerator of which is the number of shares deliverable upon exercise of a warrant immediately prior to such adjustment and the denominator of which is the number of shares deliverable upon exercise of a warrant as so adjusted. The number of shares in the table below shall be adjusted in the same manner and at the same time as the number of shares issuable upon exercise of a warrant. If the exercise price of a warrant is adjusted pursuant to the fifth paragraph of “— Anti-Dilution Adjustments” below, the adjusted share prices in the column headings shall equal the share prices immediately prior to such adjustment multiplied by a fraction, the numerator of which is the exercise price after such adjustment and the denominator of which is $10.00. If the exercise price of a warrant is adjusted pursuant to the second paragraph of “— Anti-Dilution Adjustments” below, the adjusted share prices in the column headings shall equal the share prices immediately prior to such adjustment less the decrease in the exercise price pursuant to such exercise price adjustment.
Redemption Date (period to expiration of warrants) | Fair Market Value of Class A Ordinary Shares | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
£$10.00 | $11.00 | $12.00 | $13.00 | $14.00 | $15.00 | $16.00 | $17.00 | ³$18.00 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
60 months | 0.261 | 0.281 | 0.297 | 0.311 | 0.324 | 0.337 | 0.348 | 0.358 | 0.361 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
57 months | 0.257 | 0.277 | 0.294 | 0.310 | 0.324 | 0.337 | 0.348 | 0.358 | 0.361 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
54 months | 0.252 | 0.272 | 0.291 | 0.307 | 0.322 | 0.335 | 0.347 | 0.357 | 0.361 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
51 months | 0.246 | 0.268 | 0.287 | 0.304 | 0.320 | 0.333 | 0.346 | 0.357 | 0.361 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
48 months | 0.241 | 0.263 | 0.283 | 0.301 | 0.317 | 0.332 | 0.344 | 0.356 | 0.361 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
45 months | 0.235 | 0.258 | 0.279 | 0.298 | 0.315 | 0.330 | 0.343 | 0.356 | 0.361 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
42 months | 0.228 | 0.252 | 0.274 | 0.294 | 0.312 | 0.328 | 0.342 | 0.355 | 0.361 |
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39 months | 0.221 | 0.246 | 0.269 | 0.290 | 0.309 | 0.325 | 0.340 | 0.354 | 0.361 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
36 months | 0.213 | 0.239 | 0.263 | 0.285 | 0.305 | 0.323 | 0.339 | 0.353 | 0.361 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
33 months | 0.205 | 0.232 | 0.257 | 0.280 | 0.301 | 0.320 | 0.337 | 0.352 | 0.361 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
30 months | 0.196 | 0.224 | 0.250 | 0.274 | 0.297 | 0.316 | 0.335 | 0.351 | 0.361 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
27 months | 0.185 | 0.214 | 0.242 | 0.268 | 0.291 | 0.313 | 0.332 | 0.350 | 0.361 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
24 months | 0.173 | 0.204 | 0.233 | 0.260 | 0.285 | 0.308 | 0.329 | 0.348 | 0.361 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
21 months | 0.161 | 0.193 | 0.223 | 0.252 | 0.279 | 0.304 | 0.326 | 0.347 | 0.361 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
18 months | 0.146 | 0.179 | 0.211 | 0.242 | 0.271 | 0.298 | 0.322 | 0.345 | 0.361 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
15 months | 0.130 | 0.164 | 0.197 | 0.230 | 0.262 | 0.291 | 0.317 | 0.342 | 0.361 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
12 months | 0.111 | 0.146 | 0.181 | 0.216 | 0.250 | 0.282 | 0.312 | 0.339 | 0.361 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
9 months | 0.090 | 0.125 | 0.162 | 0.199 | 0.237 | 0.272 | 0.305 | 0.336 | 0.361 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
6 months | 0.065 | 0.099 | 0.137 | 0.178 | 0.219 | 0.259 | 0.296 | 0.331 | 0.361 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
3 months | 0.034 | 0.065 | 0.104 | 0.150 | 0.197 | 0.243 | 0.286 | 0.326 | 0.361 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
0 months | — | — | 0.042 | 0.115 | 0.179 | 0.233 | 0.281 | 0.323 | 0.361 |
The exact fair market value and redemption date may not be set forth in the table above, in which case, if the fair market value is between two values in the table or the redemption date is between two redemption dates in the table, the number of Class A ordinary shares to be issued for each warrant exercised will be determined by a straight-line interpolation between the number of shares set forth for the higher and lower fair market values and the earlier and later redemption dates, as applicable, based on a 365 or 366-day year, as applicable. For example, if the volume weighted average price of our Class A ordinary shares during the 10 trading days immediately following the date on which the notice of redemption is sent to the holders of the warrants is $11.00 per share, and at such time there are 57 months until the expiration of the warrants, holders may choose to, in connection with this redemption feature, exercise their warrants for 0.277 Class A ordinary shares for each whole warrant. For an example where the exact fair market value and redemption date are not as set forth in the table above, if the volume weighted average price of our Class A ordinary shares during the 10 trading days immediately following the date on which the notice of redemption is sent to the holders of the warrants is $13.50 per share, and at such time there are 38 months until the expiration of the warrants, holders may choose to, in connection with this redemption feature, exercise their warrants for 0.298 Class A ordinary shares for each whole warrant. In no event will the warrants be exercisable on a cashless basis in connection with this redemption feature for more than 0.361 Class A ordinary shares per warrant (subject to adjustment). Finally, as reflected in the table above, if the warrants are out of the money and about to expire, they cannot be exercised on a cashless basis in connection with a redemption by us pursuant to this redemption feature, since they will not be exercisable for any Class A ordinary shares.
This redemption feature differs from the typical warrant redemption features used in many other blank check offerings, which typically only provide for a redemption of warrants for cash (other than the private placement warrants) when the trading price for the Class A ordinary shares exceeds $18.00 per share for a specified period of time. This redemption feature is structured to allow for all of the outstanding warrants to be redeemed when the Class A ordinary shares are trading at or above $10.00 per public share, which may be at a time when the trading price of our Class A ordinary shares is below the exercise price of the warrants. We have established this redemption feature to provide us with the flexibility to redeem the warrants without the warrants having to reach the $18.00 per share threshold set forth above under “— Redemption of warrants when the price per Class A ordinary share equals or exceeds $18.00.” Holders choosing to exercise their warrants in connection with a redemption pursuant to this feature will, in effect, receive a number of shares for their warrants based on an option pricing model with a fixed volatility input as of the date of this prospectus. This redemption right provides us with an additional mechanism by which to redeem all of the outstanding warrants, and therefore have certainty as to our capital structure as the warrants would no longer be outstanding and would have been exercised or redeemed. We will be required to pay the applicable redemption price to warrant holders if we choose to exercise this redemption right and it will allow us to quickly proceed with a redemption of the warrants if we determine it is in our best interest to do so. As such, we would redeem the warrants in this manner when we believe it is in our best interest to update our capital structure to remove the warrants and pay the redemption price to the warrant holders.
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As stated above, we can redeem the warrants when the Class A ordinary shares are trading at a price starting at $10.00, which is below the exercise price of $11.50, because it will provide certainty with respect to our capital structure and cash position while providing warrant holders with the opportunity to exercise their warrants on a cashless basis for the applicable number of shares. If we choose to redeem the warrants when the Class A ordinary shares are trading at a price below the exercise price of the warrants, this could result in the warrant holders receiving fewer Class A ordinary shares than they would have received if they had chosen to wait to exercise their warrants for Class A ordinary shares if and when such Class A ordinary shares were trading at a price higher than the exercise price of $11.50.
No fractional Class A ordinary shares will be issued upon exercise. If, upon exercise, a holder would be entitled to receive a fractional interest in a share, we will round down to the nearest whole number of the number of Class A ordinary shares to be issued to the holder. If, at the time of redemption, the warrants are exercisable for a security other than the Class A ordinary shares pursuant to the warrant agreement (for instance, if we are not the surviving company in our initial business combination), the warrants may be exercised for such security. At such time as the warrants become exercisable for a security other than the Class A ordinary shares, the company (or surviving company) will use its commercially reasonable efforts to register under the Securities Act the security issuable upon the exercise of the warrants.
Redemption procedures. A holder of a warrant may notify us in writing in the event it elects to be subject to a requirement that such holder will not have the right to exercise such warrant, to the extent that after giving effect to such exercise, such person (together with such person’s affiliates), to the warrant agent’s actual knowledge, would beneficially own in excess of 4.9% or 9.8% (or such other amount as specified by the holder) of the Class A ordinary shares outstanding immediately after giving effect to such exercise.
Anti-dilution Adjustments. If the number of outstanding Class A ordinary shares is increased by a dividend payable in Class A ordinary shares, or by a split-up of Class A ordinary shares or other similar event, then, on the effective date of such share dividend, split-up or similar event, the number of Class A ordinary shares issuable on exercise of each warrant will be increased in proportion to such increase in the outstanding Class A ordinary shares. A rights offering to holders of Class A ordinary shares entitling holders to purchase Class A ordinary shares at a price less than the fair market value will be deemed a share dividend of a number of Class A ordinary shares equal to the product of (i) the number of Class A ordinary shares actually sold in such rights offering (or issuable under any other equity securities sold in such rights offering that are convertible into or exercisable for Class A ordinary shares) multiplied by (ii) one (1) minus the quotient of (x) the price per Class A ordinary share paid in such rights offering divided by (y) the fair market value. For these purposes (i) if the rights offering is for securities convertible into or exercisable for Class A ordinary shares, in determining the price payable for Class A ordinary shares, there will be taken into account any consideration received for such rights, as well as any additional amount payable upon exercise or conversion and (ii) fair market value means the volume weighted average price of Class A ordinary shares as reported during the ten (10) trading day period ending on the trading day prior to the first date on which the Class A ordinary shares trade on the applicable exchange or in the applicable market, regular way, without the right to receive such rights.
In addition, if we, at any time while the warrants are outstanding and unexpired, pay a dividend or make a distribution in cash, securities or other assets to the holders of Class A ordinary shares on account of such Class A ordinary shares (or other shares of our share capital into which the warrants are convertible), other than (a) as described above, (b) any cash dividends or cash distributions which, when combined on a per share basis with all other cash dividends and cash distributions paid on the Class A ordinary shares during the 365-day period ending on the date of declaration of such dividend or distribution does not exceed $0.50 (as adjusted to appropriately reflect any other adjustments and excluding cash dividends or cash distributions that resulted in an adjustment to the exercise price or to the number of Class A ordinary shares issuable on exercise of each warrant) but only with respect to the amount of the aggregate cash dividends or cash distributions equal to or less than $0.50 per share, (c) to satisfy the redemption rights of the holders of Class A ordinary shares in connection with a proposed initial business combination, (d) to satisfy the redemption rights of the holders of Class A ordinary shares in connection with a shareholder vote to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within the completion window or (B) with respect to any other material provision relating to shareholders’ 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 warrant exercise price will be decreased, effective immediately after the effective date of such event, by the amount of cash and/or the fair market value of any securities or other assets paid on each Class A ordinary share in respect of such event.
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If the number of outstanding Class A ordinary shares is decreased by a consolidation, combination, reverse share split or reclassification of Class A ordinary shares or other similar event, then, on the effective date of such consolidation, combination, reverse share split, reclassification or similar event, the number of Class A ordinary shares issuable on exercise of each warrant will be decreased in proportion to such decrease in outstanding Class A ordinary shares.
Whenever the number of Class A ordinary shares purchasable upon the exercise of the warrants is adjusted, as described above, the warrant exercise price will be adjusted (to the nearest cent) by multiplying the warrant exercise price immediately prior to such adjustment by a fraction (x) the numerator of which will be the number of Class A ordinary shares purchasable upon the exercise of the warrants immediately prior to such adjustment, and (y) the denominator of which will be the number of Class A ordinary shares so purchasable immediately thereafter. The warrant agreement provides that no adjustment to the number of the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of a warrant will be required until cumulative adjustments amount to 1% or more of the number of Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of a warrant as last adjusted. Any such adjustments that are not made will be carried forward and taken into account in any subsequent adjustment. All such carried forward adjustments will be made (i) in connection with any subsequent adjustment that (taken together with such carried forward adjustments) would result in a change of at least 1% in the number of Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of a warrant and (ii) on the exercise date of any warrant.
In case of any reclassification or reorganization of the outstanding Class A ordinary shares (other than those described above or that solely affects the par value of such Class A ordinary shares), or in the case of any merger or consolidation of us with or into another entity (other than a consolidation or merger in which we are the continuing entity and that does not result in any reclassification or reorganization of our outstanding Class A ordinary shares), or in the case of any sale or conveyance to another corporation or entity of the assets or other property of us as an entirety or substantially as an entirety in connection with which we are dissolved, the holders of the warrants will thereafter have the right to purchase and receive, upon the basis and upon the terms and conditions specified in the warrants and in lieu of the Class A ordinary shares immediately theretofore purchasable and receivable upon the exercise of the rights represented thereby, the kind and amount of shares or other securities or property (including cash) receivable upon such reclassification, reorganization, merger or consolidation, or upon a dissolution following any such sale or transfer, that the holder of the warrants would have received if such holder had exercised their warrants immediately prior to such event. If less than 70% of the consideration receivable by the holders of Class A ordinary shares in such a transaction is payable in the form of shares in the successor entity that is listed for trading on a national securities exchange or is quoted in an established over-the-counter market, or is to be so listed for trading or quoted immediately following such event, and if the registered holder of the warrant properly exercises the warrant within thirty days following public disclosure of such transaction, the warrant exercise price will be reduced as specified in the warrant agreement based on the Black-Scholes value (as defined in the warrant agreement) of the warrant. The purpose of such exercise price reduction is to provide additional value to holders of the warrants when an extraordinary transaction occurs during the exercise period of the warrants pursuant to which the holders of the warrants otherwise do not receive the full potential value of the warrants.
The warrants will be issued in registered form under a warrant agreement between Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, as warrant agent, and us. You should review a copy of the warrant agreement, which will be filed as an exhibit to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part, for a complete description of the terms and conditions applicable to the warrants. The warrant agreement provides that the terms of the warrants may be amended without the consent of any holder for the purpose of (i) curing any ambiguity or to correct any mistake, including to conform the provisions of the warrant agreement to the description of the terms of the warrants and the warrant agreement set forth in this prospectus, or defective provision or (ii) adding or changing any provisions with respect to matters or questions arising under the warrant agreement as the parties to the warrant agreement may deem necessary or desirable and that the parties deem to not adversely affect the rights of the registered holders of the warrants, provided that the approval by the holders of at least 50% of the then-outstanding public warrants is required to make any change that adversely affects the interests of the registered holders.
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The warrants may be exercised upon surrender of the warrant certificate on or prior to the expiration date at the offices of the warrant agent, with the exercise form on the reverse side of the warrant certificate completed and executed as indicated, accompanied by full payment of the exercise price (or on a cashless basis, if applicable), by certified or official bank check payable to us, for the number of warrants being exercised. The warrant holders do not have the rights or privileges of holders of Class A ordinary shares and any voting rights until they exercise their warrants and receive Class A ordinary shares. After the issuance of Class A ordinary shares upon exercise of the warrants, each holder will be entitled to one vote for each share held of record on all matters to be voted on by shareholders.
Warrants may be exercised only for a whole number of Class A ordinary shares. No fractional shares will be issued upon exercise of the warrants. If, upon exercise of the warrants, a holder would be entitled to receive a fractional interest in a share, we will, upon exercise, round down to the nearest whole number of Class A ordinary shares to be issued to the warrant holder.
Private Placement Warrants
The private placement warrants (including the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the private placement warrants) will not be transferable, assignable or salable until 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination (except, among other limited exceptions as described under “Principal Shareholders — Transfers of Founder Shares and Private Placement Warrants,” to our officers and directors and other persons or entities affiliated with our sponsor) and they will not be redeemable by us so long as they are held by our sponsor or its permitted transferees. The private placement warrants will expire at 5:00 p.m., New York City time, on the fifth anniversary of the completion of our initial business combination, or earlier upon redemption or liquidation. In addition, the private placement warrants will not be exercisable more than five years from the effective date of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part, in accordance with FINRA Rule 5110(g)(8), as long as our sponsor or any of its related persons beneficially own such private placement warrants. Otherwise, the private placement warrants have terms and provisions that are identical to those of the warrants being sold as part of the units in this offering. If the private placement warrants are held by holders other than our sponsor or its permitted transferees, the private placement warrants will be redeemable by us and exercisable by the holders on the same basis as the warrants included in the units being sold in this offering.
If holders of the private placement warrants elect to exercise them on a cashless basis, they would pay the exercise price by surrendering his, her or its warrants for that number of Class A ordinary shares equal to the quotient obtained by dividing (x) the product of the number of Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants, multiplied by the excess of the “fair market value” (defined below) over the exercise price of the warrants by (y) the fair market value. The “fair market value” shall mean the average last reported sale price of the Class A ordinary shares for the 10 trading days ending on the third trading day prior to the date on which the notice of warrant exercise is sent to the warrant agent. The reason that we have agreed that these warrants will be exercisable on a cashless basis so long as they are held by our sponsor and its permitted transferees is because it is not known at this time whether they will be affiliated with us following a business combination. If they remain affiliated with us, their ability to sell our securities in the open market will be significantly limited. We expect to have policies in place that 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 shareholders who could exercise their warrants and sell the Class A ordinary shares received upon such exercise freely in the open market in order to recoup the cost of such exercise, the insiders could be significantly restricted from selling such securities. As a result, we believe that allowing the holders to exercise such warrants on a cashless basis is appropriate.
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In order to finance transaction costs in connection with an intended initial business combination, our sponsor or an affiliate of our sponsor or certain of our officers and directors may, but are not obligated to, loan us funds as may be required. If we complete our initial business combination, we would repay such loaned amounts out of the proceeds of the trust account released to us. Otherwise, such loans would be repaid only out of funds held outside the trust account. In the event that our initial business combination does not close, we may use a portion of the working capital held outside the trust account to repay such loaned amounts but no proceeds from our trust account would be used to repay such loaned amounts. Up to $1.5 million of such loans may be convertible into warrants at a price of $1.00 per warrant at the option of the lender. Such warrants would be identical to the private placement warrants.
Dividends
We have not paid any cash dividends on our ordinary shares to date and do not intend to pay cash dividends prior to the completion of a 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 a 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 share dividends in the foreseeable future, except if we increase the size of this offering, in which case we will effect a share dividend with respect to our Class B ordinary shares immediately prior to the consummation of the offering in such amount as to maintain the ownership of founder shares by our initial shareholders prior to this offering at 20% of our issued and outstanding ordinary shares 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 ordinary shares and warrant agent for our warrants is Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company. We have agreed to indemnify Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company in its roles as transfer agent and warrant agent, its agents and each of its shareholders, directors, officers and employees against all claims and losses 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.
Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company has agreed that it has no right of set-off or any right, title, interest or claim of any kind to, or to any monies in, the trust account, and has irrevocably waived any right, title, interest or claim of any kind to, or to any monies in, the trust account that it may have now or in the future. Accordingly, any indemnification provided will only be able to be satisfied, or a claim will only be able to be pursued, solely against us and our assets outside the trust account and not against any monies in the trust account or interest earned thereon.
Certain Differences in Corporate Law
We are incorporated in the Cayman Islands. Our management chose the Cayman Islands as our place of incorporation because:
• | we believe investors are increasingly familiar with special purpose investment vehicles organized as Cayman Islands companies; |
• | we believe we will have added flexibility in our selection of an initial business combination as a Cayman Islands company because of its favorable tax system; |
• | of its political and economic stability; |
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• | of its effective judicial system; |
• | of the absence of exchange control or currency restrictions; and |
• | of the availability of professional support services. |
Cayman Islands companies are governed by the Companies Act. The Companies Act is modeled on historic English Law but does not follow recent English Law statutory enactments, and differs from laws applicable to United States corporations and their shareholders. Set forth below is a summary of the material differences between the provisions of the Companies Act applicable to us and the laws applicable to companies incorporated in the United States and their shareholders.
Mergers and Similar Arrangements. In certain circumstances, the Companies Act allows for mergers or consolidations between two Cayman Islands companies, or between a Cayman Islands exempted company and a company incorporated in another jurisdiction (provided that is facilitated by the laws of that other jurisdiction).
Where the merger or consolidation is between two Cayman Islands companies, the directors of each company must approve a written plan of merger or consolidation containing certain prescribed information. That plan or merger or consolidation must then be authorized by either (a) a special resolution (usually a majority of 662/3% in value who attend and vote at a general meeting) of the shareholders of each company; or (b) such other authorization, if any, as may be specified in such constituent company’s articles of association. No shareholder resolution is required for a merger between a parent company (i.e., a company that owns at least 90% of the issued shares of each class in a subsidiary company) and its subsidiary company. The consent of each holder of a fixed or floating security interest of a constituent company must be obtained, unless the court waives such requirement. If the Cayman Islands Registrar of Companies is satisfied that the requirements of the Companies Act (which includes certain other formalities) have been complied with, the Registrar of Companies will register the plan of merger or consolidation.
Where the merger or consolidation involves a foreign company, the procedure is similar, save that with respect to the foreign company, the directors of the Cayman Islands exempted company are required to make a declaration to the effect that, having made due enquiry, they are of the opinion that the requirements set out below have been met: (i) that the merger or consolidation is permitted or not prohibited by the constitutional documents of the foreign company and by the laws of the jurisdiction in which the foreign company is incorporated, and that those laws and any requirements of those constitutional documents have been or will be complied with; (ii) that no petition or other similar proceeding has been filed and remains outstanding or order made or resolution adopted to wind up or liquidate the foreign company in any jurisdictions; (iii) that no receiver, trustee, administrator or other similar person has been appointed in any jurisdiction and is acting in respect of the foreign company, its affairs or its property or any part thereof; and (iv) that no scheme, order, compromise or other similar arrangement has been entered into or made in any jurisdiction whereby the rights of creditors of the foreign company are and continue to be suspended or restricted.
Where the surviving company is the Cayman Islands exempted company, the directors of the Cayman Islands exempted company are further required to make a declaration to the effect that, having made due enquiry, they are of the opinion that the requirements set out below have been met: (i) that the foreign company is able to pay its debts as they fall due and that the merger or consolidated is bona fide and not intended to defraud unsecured creditors of the foreign company; (ii) that in respect of the transfer of any security interest granted by the foreign company to the surviving or consolidated company (a) consent or approval to the transfer has been obtained, released or waived; (b) the transfer is permitted by and has been approved in accordance with the constitutional documents of the foreign company; and (c) the laws of the jurisdiction of the foreign company with respect to the transfer have been or will be complied with; (iii) that the foreign company will, upon the merger or consolidation becoming effective, cease to be incorporated, registered or exist under the laws of the relevant foreign jurisdiction; and (iv) that there is no other reason why it would be against the public interest to permit the merger or consolidation.
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Where the above procedures are adopted, (other than in respect of the parent subsidiary merger described above), the Companies Act provides for a right of dissenting shareholders to be paid a payment of the fair value of his or her shares upon their dissenting to the merger or consolidation if they follow a prescribed procedure. In essence, that procedure is as follows (a) the shareholder must give his or her written objection to the merger or consolidation to the constituent company before the vote on the merger or consolidation, including a statement that the shareholder proposes to demand payment for his or her shares if the merger or consolidation is authorized by the vote; (b) within 20 days following the date on which the merger or consolidation is approved by the shareholders, the constituent company must give written notice to each shareholder who made a written objection; (c) a shareholder must within 20 days following receipt of such notice from the constituent company, give the constituent company a written notice of his or her intention to dissent including, among other details, a demand for payment of the fair value of his or her shares; (d) within seven days following the date of the expiration of the period set out in paragraph (b) above or seven days following the date on which the plan of merger or consolidation is filed, whichever is later, the constituent company, the surviving company or the consolidated company must make a written offer to each dissenting shareholder to purchase his or her shares at a price that the company determines is the fair value and if the company and the shareholder agree to the price within 30 days following the date on which the offer was made, the company must pay the shareholder such amount; and (e) if the company and the shareholder fail to agree to a price within such 30 day period, within 20 days following the date on which such 30 day period expires, the company (and any dissenting shareholder) must file a petition with the Cayman Islands Grand Court to determine the fair value and such petition must be accompanied by a list of the names and addresses of the dissenting shareholders with whom agreements as to the fair value of their shares have not been reached by the company. At the hearing of that petition, the court has the power to determine the fair value of the shares together with a fair rate of interest, if any, to be paid by the company upon the amount determined to be the fair value. Any dissenting shareholder whose name appears on the list filed by the company may participate fully in all proceedings until the determination of fair value is reached. These rights of a dissenting shareholder are not to be available in certain circumstances, for example, to shareholders holding shares of any class in respect of which an open market exists on a recognized stock exchange or recognized interdealer quotation system at the relevant date and the consideration paid for such shares meets certain requirements under the Companies Act, or where the consideration for such shares to be contributed are shares of any company listed on a national securities exchange or shares of the surviving or consolidated company.
Moreover, Cayman Islands law also has separate statutory provisions that facilitate the reconstruction or amalgamation of companies in certain circumstances, schemes of arrangement will generally be more suited for complex mergers or other transactions involving widely held companies, commonly referred to in the Cayman Islands as a “scheme of arrangement” which may be analogous to a merger. In the event that a merger was sought pursuant to a scheme of arrangement (the procedure of which are more rigorous and take longer to complete than the procedures typically required to consummate a merger in the United States), the arrangement in question must be approved by a majority in number of each class of shareholders and creditors with whom the arrangement is to be made and who must in addition represent three-fourths in value of each such class of shareholders or creditors, as the case may be, that are present and voting either in person or by proxy at a meeting, or meeting summoned for that purpose. The convening of the meetings and subsequently the terms of the arrangement must be sanctioned by the Grand Court of the Cayman Islands. While a dissenting shareholder would have the right to express to the court the view that the transaction should not be approved, the court can be expected to approve the arrangement if it satisfies itself that:
• | we are not proposing to act illegally or beyond the scope of our corporate authority and the statutory provisions as to majority vote have been complied with; |
• | the shareholders have been fairly represented at the meeting in question; |
• | the arrangement is such as a businessman would reasonably approve; and |
• | the arrangement is not one that would more properly be sanctioned under some other provision of the Companies Act or that would amount to a “fraud on the minority.” |
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If a scheme of arrangement or takeover offer (as described below) is approved, shareholders would have no rights comparable to appraisal rights, which would otherwise ordinarily be available to dissenting shareholders of United States corporations, providing rights to receive payment in cash for the judicially determined value of the shares.
Squeeze-out Provisions. When a takeover offer is made and accepted by holders of 90% of the shares to whom the offer relates is made within four months, the offeror may, within a two-month period, require the holders of the remaining shares to transfer such shares on the terms of the offer. An objection can be made to the Grand Court of the Cayman Islands but this is unlikely to succeed unless there is evidence of fraud, bad faith, collusion or inequitable treatment of the shareholders.
Further, transactions similar to a merger, reconstruction and/or an amalgamation may in some circumstances be achieved through other means to these statutory provisions, such as a share capital exchange, asset acquisition or control, through contractual arrangements, of an operating business.
Shareholders’ Suits. Our Cayman Islands counsel is not aware of any reported class action having been brought in a Cayman Islands court. Derivative actions have been brought in the Cayman Islands courts, and the Cayman Islands courts have confirmed the availability for such actions. In most cases, we will be the proper plaintiff in any claim based on a breach of duty owed to us, and a claim against (for example) our officers or directors usually may not be brought by a shareholder. However, based both on Cayman Islands authorities and on English authorities, which would in all likelihood be of persuasive authority and be applied by a court in the Cayman Islands, exceptions to the foregoing principle apply in circumstances in which:
• | a company is acting, or proposing to act, illegally or beyond the scope of its authority; |
• | the act complained of, although not beyond the scope of the authority, could be effected if duly authorized by more than the number of votes which have actually been obtained; or |
• | those who control the company are perpetrating a “fraud on the minority.” |
A shareholder may have a direct right of action against us where the individual rights of that shareholder have been infringed or are about to be infringed.
Enforcement of civil liabilities. The Cayman Islands has a different body of securities laws as compared to the United States and provides less protection to investors. Additionally, Cayman Islands companies may not have standing to sue before the Federal courts of the United States.
We have been advised by our Cayman Islands legal counsel that the courts of the Cayman Islands are unlikely (i) to recognize or enforce against us judgments of courts of the United States predicated upon the civil liability provisions of the federal securities laws of the United States or any state; and (ii) in original actions brought in the Cayman Islands, to impose liabilities against us predicated upon the civil liability provisions of the federal securities laws of the United States or any state, so far as the liabilities imposed by those provisions are penal in nature. In those circumstances, although there is no statutory enforcement in the Cayman Islands of judgments obtained in the United States, the courts of the Cayman Islands will recognize and enforce a foreign money judgment of a foreign court of competent jurisdiction without retrial on the merits based on the principle that a judgment of a competent foreign court imposes upon the judgment debtor an obligation to pay the sum for which judgment has been given provided certain conditions are met. For a foreign judgment to be enforced in the Cayman Islands, such judgment must be final and conclusive and for a liquidated sum, and must not be in respect of taxes or a fine or penalty, inconsistent with a Cayman Islands judgment in respect of the same matter, impeachable on the grounds of fraud or obtained in a manner, and or be of a kind the enforcement of which is, contrary to natural justice or the public policy of the Cayman Islands (awards of punitive or multiple damages may well be held to be contrary to public policy). A Cayman Islands Court may stay enforcement proceedings if concurrent proceedings are being brought elsewhere.
Special Considerations for Exempted Companies. We are an exempted limited company with limited liability (meaning our public shareholders have no liability, as members of the company, for liabilities of the company over and above the amount paid for their shares) under the Companies Act. The Companies Act distinguishes between ordinary resident companies and exempted companies. Any company that is registered in the Cayman Islands but conducts business mainly outside of the Cayman Islands may apply to be registered as an exempted company. The requirements for an exempted company are essentially the same as for an ordinary company except for the exemptions and privileges listed below:
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• | annual reporting requirements are minimal and consist mainly of a statement that the company has conducted its operations mainly outside of the Cayman Islands and has complied with the provisions of the Companies Act; |
• | an exempted company’s register of members is not open to inspection; |
• | an exempted company does not have to hold an annual general meeting; |
• | an exempted company may, under strict conditions, issue negotiable or bearer shares; |
• | an exempted company may obtain an undertaking against the imposition of any future taxation (such undertakings are usually given for 30 years in the first instance). The Company applied for and was issued such undertaking; and |
• | an exempted company may register by way of continuation in another jurisdiction and be deregistered in the Cayman Islands. |
Our Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles of Association
Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association 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 (other than amendments relating to the appointment of directors, which require the approval of a majority of at least 90% of our ordinary shares voting in a general meeting) cannot be amended without a special resolution. As a matter of Cayman Islands law, a special resolution must be approved by either (i) at least two-thirds (or any higher threshold specified in a company’s articles of association) of a company’s shareholders at a general meeting for which notice specifying the intention to propose the resolution as a special resolution has been given; or (ii) if so authorized by a company’s articles of association, by a unanimous written resolution of all of the company’s shareholders. Other than as described above, our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide that special resolutions must be approved either by at least two-thirds of our shareholders who attend and vote at a shareholder meeting, or by a unanimous written resolution of all of our shareholders.
Our initial shareholders, who collectively will beneficially own 20% of our ordinary shares 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 memorandum and articles of association and will have the discretion to vote in any manner they choose. Specifically, our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide, among other things, that:
• | if we are unable to complete our initial business combination within the completion window, we will (i) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up, (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter, subject to lawfully available funds therefor, redeem 100% of the public shares, at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to make permitted withdrawals (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 shareholders’ rights as shareholders (including the right to receive further liquidating distributions, if any), subject to applicable law, and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining shareholders and our board of directors, dissolve and liquidate, subject in each case to our obligations under Cayman Islands 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 ordinary shares that would entitle the holders thereof to (i) receive funds from the trust account or (ii) vote on any initial business combination; |
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• | although we do not intend to enter into a business combination with a target business that is affiliated with our sponsor, our directors or our officers, we are not prohibited from doing so. In the event we enter into such a transaction, we, or a committee of independent directors, will obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm that is a member of FINRA, or from an independent accounting firm, that such a business combination is fair to our company from a financial point of view; |
• | if a shareholder vote on our initial business combination is not required by law and we do not decide to hold a shareholder vote for business or other legal 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 occur 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 and excluding the amount of any deferred underwriting commissions held in trust and any taxes payable on interest earned) at the time of our signing a definitive agreement in connection with our initial business combination; |
• | if our shareholders approve an amendment to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association that would affect the substance or timing of our obligation to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within the completion window, we will provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their ordinary shares upon such approval at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including permitted withdrawals, divided by the number of then outstanding public shares; |
• | we will not effectuate our initial business combination with another blank check company or a similar company with nominal operations; and |
• | our sponsor and its affiliates will not have a duty to communicate or offer any business opportunity to us. |
In addition, our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide that in no event will we redeem our public shares in an amount that would cause our net tangible assets to be less than $5,000,001.
The Companies Act permits a company incorporated in the Cayman Islands to amend its memorandum and articles of association with the approval of the holders of at least two-thirds of such company’s issued and outstanding ordinary shares. A company’s articles of association may specify that the approval of a higher majority is required but, provided the approval of the required majority is obtained, any Cayman Islands exempted company may amend its memorandum and articles of association regardless of whether its memorandum and articles of association provides otherwise. Accordingly, although we could amend any of the provisions relating to our proposed offering, structure and business plan which are contained in our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, we view all of these provisions as binding obligations to our shareholders and neither we, nor our officers or directors, will take any action to amend or waive any of these provisions unless we provide dissenting public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem their public shares.
Certain members of our management team and directors have fiduciary duties or are subject to contractual obligations or policies and procedures that require them to present business opportunities that may be appropriate for one or more entities to the respective investment committees or other decision making bodies of such entities or funds prior to presenting such opportunities to us regardless of the capacity in which they are made aware of such opportunities. To address the matter set out above, our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide that to the maximum extent permitted by law, we renounce any interest or expectancy in, or in being offered an opportunity to participate in, any potential transaction or matter which may be a corporate opportunity for both us and another entity about which any member of our management team or director acquires knowledge and we will waive any claim or cause of action we may have in respect thereof. In addition, our amended and restated articles of association will contain provisions to exculpate and indemnify, to the maximum extent permitted by law, such persons in respect of any liability, obligation or duty to the Company that may arise as a consequence of such persons becoming aware of any business opportunity or failing to present such business opportunity to the Company.
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Anti-Money Laundering — Cayman Islands
If any person resident in the Cayman Islands knows or suspects, or has reasonable grounds for knowing or suspecting, that another person is engaged in criminal conduct, is involved with terrorism or terrorist property or proliferation financing or is the business combination partner of a financial sanction and the information for that knowledge or suspicion came to their attention in the course of business in the regulated sector or other trade, profession, business or employment, the person will be required to report such knowledge or suspicion to (i) the Financial Reporting Authority of the Cayman Islands, pursuant to the Proceeds of Crime Act (as amended) of the Cayman Islands if the disclosure relates to criminal conduct, money laundering or proliferation financing or is the business combination partner of a financial sanction; or (ii) a police officer of the rank of constable or higher, or the Financial Reporting Authority, pursuant to the Terrorism Act (as amended) of the Cayman Islands, if the disclosure relates to involvement with terrorism or terrorist financing and property. Such a report will not be treated as a breach of confidence or of any restriction upon the disclosure of information imposed by any enactment or otherwise. We reserve the right to refuse to make any payment to a shareholder if our directors or officers suspect or are advised that the payment to such shareholder might result in a breach of applicable anti-money laundering, counter-terrorist financing, prevention of proliferation financing and financial sanctions or other laws or regulations by any person in any relevant jurisdiction, or if such refusal is considered necessary or appropriate to ensure our compliance with any such laws or regulations in any applicable jurisdiction.
Cayman Islands Data Protection
We have certain duties under the Data Protection Act (as amended) of the Cayman Islands (the “DPA”) based on internationally accepted principles of data privacy.
Privacy Notice
Introduction
This privacy notice puts our shareholders on notice that through your investment in the company you will provide us with certain personal information which constitutes personal data within the meaning of the DPA (“personal data”).
In the following discussion, the “company” refers to us and our affiliates and/or delegates, except where the context requires otherwise.
Investor Data
We will collect, use, disclose, retain and secure personal data to the extent reasonably required only and within the parameters that could be reasonably expected during the normal course of business. We will only process, disclose, transfer or retain personal data to the extent legitimately required to conduct our activities of on an ongoing basis or to comply with legal and regulatory obligations to which we are subject. We will only transfer personal data in accordance with the requirements of the DPA, and will apply appropriate technical and organizational information security measures designed to protect against unauthorized or unlawful processing of the personal data and against the accidental loss, destruction or damage to the personal data.
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In our use of this personal data, we will be characterized as a “data controller” for the purposes of the DPA, while our affiliates and service providers who may receive this personal data from us in the conduct of our activities may either act as our “data processors” for the purposes of the DPA or may process personal information for their own lawful purposes in connection with services provided to us.
We may also obtain personal data from other public sources. Personal data includes, without limitation, the following information relating to a shareholder and/or any individuals connected with a shareholder as an investor: name, residential address, email address, contact details, corporate contact information, signature, nationality, place of birth, date of birth, tax identification, credit history, correspondence records, passport number, bank account details, source of funds details and details relating to the shareholder’s investment activity.
Who this Affects
If you are a natural person, this will affect you directly. If you are a corporate investor (including, for these purposes, legal arrangements such as trusts or exempted limited partnerships) that provides us with personal data on individuals connected to you for any reason in relation your investment in the Company, this will be relevant for those individuals and you should transmit the content of this Privacy Notice to such individuals or otherwise advise them of its content.
How the Company May Use Your Personal Data
The company, as the data controller, may collect, store and use personal data for lawful purposes, including, in particular:
(i) | where this is necessary for the performance of our rights and obligations under any purchase agreements; |
(ii) | where this is necessary for compliance with a legal and regulatory obligation to which we are subject (such as compliance with anti-money laundering and FATCA/CRS requirements); and/or |
(iii) | where this is necessary for the purposes of our legitimate interests and such interests are not overridden by your interests, fundamental rights or freedoms. |
Should we wish to use personal data for other specific purposes (including, if applicable, any purpose that requires your consent), we will contact you.
Why We May Transfer Your Personal Data
In certain circumstances, we may be legally obliged to share personal data and other information with respect to your shareholding with the relevant regulatory authorities such as the Cayman Islands Monetary Authority or the Tax Information Authority. They, in turn, may exchange this information with foreign authorities, including tax authorities.
We anticipate disclosing personal data to persons who provide services to us and their respective affiliates (which may include certain entities located outside the US, the Cayman Islands or the European Economic Area), who will process your personal data on our behalf.
The Data Protection Measures We Take
Any transfer of personal data by us or our duly authorized affiliates and/or delegates outside of the Cayman Islands shall be in accordance with the requirements of the DPA.
We and our duly authorized affiliates and/or delegates shall apply appropriate technical and organizational information security measures designed to protect against unauthorized or unlawful processing of personal data, and against accidental loss or destruction of, or damage to, personal data.
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We shall notify you of any personal data breach that is reasonably likely to result in a risk to your interests, fundamental rights or freedoms or those data subjects to whom the relevant personal data relates.
Certain Anti-Takeover Provisions of our Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles of Association
Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association provide that our board of directors will be classified into three classes of directors. As a result, in most circumstances, a person can gain control of our board only by successfully engaging in a proxy contest at two or more annual general meetings.
Our authorized but unissued ordinary shares and preferred shares are available for future issuances without shareholder approval and could be utilized for a variety of corporate purposes, including future offerings to raise additional capital, acquisitions and employee benefit plans. The existence of authorized but unissued and unreserved ordinary shares and preferred shares could render more difficult or discourage an attempt to obtain control of us by means of a proxy contest, tender offer, merger or otherwise
Securities Eligible for Future Sale
Immediately after the consummation of this offering, we will have 25,000,000 (or 28,750,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) ordinary shares outstanding. Of these shares, the 20,000,000 shares (or 23,000,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option 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 5,000,000 (or 5,750,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) shares and all 11,900,000 (or 13,250,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option 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 the Class B ordinary shares and private placement warrants are subject to transfer restrictions as set forth elsewhere in this prospectus. These restricted securities will be subject to registration rights as more fully described below under “— Registration Rights.”
Rule 144
Pursuant to Rule 144, a person who has beneficially owned restricted ordinary shares or warrants for at least six months would be entitled to sell their securities provided that (i) such person is not deemed to have been one of our affiliates at the time of, or at any time during the three months preceding, a sale and (ii) we are subject to the Exchange Act periodic reporting requirements for at least three months before the sale and have filed all required reports under Section 13 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act during the 12 months (or such shorter period as we were required to file reports) preceding the sale.
Persons who have beneficially owned restricted ordinary shares or warrants for at least six months but who are our affiliates at the time of, or at any time during the three months preceding, a sale, would be subject to additional restrictions, by which such person would be entitled to sell within any three-month period only a number of securities that does not exceed the greater of:
• | 1% of the total number of ordinary shares then outstanding, which will equal 250,000 shares immediately after this offering (or 287,500 if the underwriters exercise their over-allotment option in full); or |
• | the average weekly reported trading volume of the Class A ordinary shares during the four calendar weeks preceding the filing of a notice on Form 144 with respect to the sale. |
Sales by our affiliates under Rule 144 are also limited by manner of sale provisions and notice requirements and to the availability of current public information about us.
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Restrictions on the Use of Rule 144 by Shell Companies or Former Shell Companies
Rule 144 is not available for the resale of securities initially issued by shell companies (other than business combination related shell companies) or issuers that have been at any time previously a shell company. However, Rule 144 also includes an important exception to this prohibition if the following conditions are met:
• | the issuer of the securities that was formerly a shell company has ceased to be a shell company; |
• | 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 shareholders will be able to sell their founder shares and our sponsor will be able to sell their 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, if any, will have registration rights to require us to register a sale of any of our securities held by them (in the case of the founder shares, only after conversion to our Class A ordinary shares) pursuant to a registration rights agreement to be signed prior to or on the effective date of this offering. These holders will be entitled to make up to one demand, excluding short form registration demands, that we register such securities for sale under the Securities Act. In addition, these holders will have certain “piggyback” registration rights to include such securities in other registration statements filed by us 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 we will not permit any registration statement filed under the Securities Act to become effective until termination of the applicable lock-up period, which occurs (i) in the case of the founder shares, on the earlier of (A) one year after the completion of our initial business combination, (B) subsequent to our initial business combination, if the last reported sale price of the Class A ordinary shares equals or exceeds $12.00 per share (as adjusted for share splits, share dividends, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) for any 20 trading days within any 30-trading day period commencing at least 150 days after our initial business combination, or (C) following the completion of our initial business combination, such future date on which we complete a liquidation, merger, share exchange, reorganization or other similar transaction that results in all of our public shareholders having the right to exchange their ordinary shares for cash, securities or other property, and (ii) in the case of the private placement warrants and the respective Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of such warrants, 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination. We will bear the costs and expenses incurred in connection with filing any such registration statements.
Listing of Securities
We intend to apply to list our units, Class A ordinary shares and warrants on Nasdaq under the symbols “TOAC.U,” “TOAC” and “TOAC.WS,” respectively. We expect that our units will be listed on Nasdaq on or promptly after the effective date of the registration statement. We cannot guarantee that our securities will be approved for listing on Nasdaq. Following the date Class A ordinary shares and warrants are eligible to trade separately, we anticipate that our Class A ordinary shares and warrants will be listed separately and as a unit on Nasdaq. Additionally, the units will automatically separate into their component parts and will not be traded after completion of our initial business combination.
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The following summary of certain Cayman Islands and U.S. federal income tax consequences of an investment in our units, Class A ordinary shares and warrants is based upon laws and relevant interpretations thereof in effect as of the date of this prospectus, all of which are subject to change. This summary does not deal with all possible tax consequences relating to an investment in our Class A ordinary shares and warrants, such as the tax consequences under state, local and other tax laws.
Prospective investors should consult their professional advisors on the possible tax consequences of buying, holding or selling any securities under the laws of their country of citizenship, residence or domicile.
CAYMAN ISLANDS TAXATION
There is, at present, no direct taxation in the Cayman Islands and interest, dividends and gains payable to Talon 1 Acquisition Corp. will be received free of all Cayman Islands taxes. Talon 1 Acquisition Corp. is registered as an “exempted company” pursuant to the Companies Act (as amended). Talon 1 Acquisition Corp. has applied for, and received, an undertaking from the Government of the Cayman Islands to the effect that, for a period of thirty years from the date of the undertaking, no law that thereafter is enacted in the Cayman Islands imposing any tax or duty to be levied on profits, income or on gains or appreciation, or any tax in the nature of estate duty or inheritance tax, will apply to any property comprised in, or any income arising under, Talon 1 Acquisition Corp., or to the shareholders thereof, in respect of any such property or income.
UNITED STATES FEDERAL INCOME TAX CONSIDERATIONS
The following is a discussion of material U.S. federal income tax consequences generally applicable to the acquisition, ownership and disposition of our units (each consisting of one Class A ordinary share and one-half of one redeemable warrant), which we refer to collectively as our “securities,” that are purchased in this offering by U.S. holders (as defined below) and Non-U.S. holders (as defined below). Applicable federal income tax considerations may be different than discussed below after we combine with one or more other companies in a business combination, in particular if the surviving company is considered a resident in the United States for such purposes. Because the components of a unit are generally separable at the option of the holder, the holder of a unit generally should be treated, for U.S. federal income tax purposes, as the owner of the underlying Class A ordinary shares and one-half of one warrant that are components of the unit. As a result, the discussion below with respect to actual holders of Class A ordinary shares and warrants should also apply to holders of units (as the deemed owners of the underlying Class A ordinary shares and warrants that constitute the units).
This discussion is based on the provisions of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, or the Code, U.S. Treasury regulations, administrative rulings and judicial decisions, all as in effect on the date hereof, and all of which are subject to change, possibly with retroactive effect. We cannot assure you that a change in law will not significantly alter the tax considerations that we describe in this summary. We have not sought and will not seek any ruling from the U.S. Internal Revenue Service, or IRS, with respect to the statements made and the conclusions reached in the following summary, and there can be no assurance that the IRS or a court will agree with such statements and conclusions. This discussion is limited to certain U.S. federal income tax considerations to beneficial owners of our securities who are initial purchasers of a unit pursuant to this offering and hold the unit and each component of the unit as a capital asset within the meaning of Section 1221 of the Code. This discussion assumes that the Class A ordinary shares and warrants will trade separately and that any distributions made (or deemed made) by us on our Class A ordinary shares and any consideration received (or deemed received) by a holder in consideration for the sale or other disposition of our securities will be in U.S. dollars.
This discussion does not address all aspects of U.S. federal income taxation that may be relevant to holders in light of their personal circumstances. In addition, this summary does not address U.S. federal non-income tax laws (such as estate or gift tax laws), any state, local or non-U.S. tax laws or any tax treaties. In addition, this discussion does not address all tax considerations that may be important to certain categories of investors that may be subject to special rules, such as:
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• | banks, insurance companies or other financial institutions; |
• | broker-dealers; |
• | tax-exempt entities or governments or agencies or instrumentalities thereof; |
• | qualified foreign pension funds (or any entities the interests of which are held by a qualified foreign pension fund); |
• | dealers in securities or foreign currencies; |
• | traders in securities that use the mark-to-market method of accounting for U.S. federal income tax purposes; |
• | partnerships or other pass-through entities for U.S. federal income tax purposes or holders of interests therein; |
• | persons deemed to sell our securities under the constructive sale provisions of the Code; |
• | persons that acquired our securities through the exercise or cancellation of employee stock options or otherwise as compensation or through a tax-qualified retirement plan; |
• | U.S. holders (as defined below) whose functional currency is not the U.S. dollar; |
• | Non-U.S. holders (as defined below) who are individuals present in the United States for 183 days or more in the taxable year of the disposition of our units, Class A ordinary shares or warrants; |
• | certain former citizens or former long-term residents of the United States; |
• | regulated investment companies, real estate investment trusts, persons subject to the “applicable financial statement” rules of Section 451(b) of the Code, persons that actually or constructively own five percent or more of our shares by vote or value; |
• | controlled foreign corporations; |
• | passive foreign investment companies; |
• | our sponsor, founders, officers or directors, S-corporations; and |
• | persons that hold our securities as part of a straddle, appreciated financial position, synthetic security, hedge, conversion transaction or other integrated investment or risk reduction transaction. |
THIS DISCUSSION IS ONLY A SUMMARY OF CERTAIN U.S. FEDERAL INCOME TAX CONSIDERATIONS ASSOCIATED WITH THE ACQUISITION, OWNERSHIP AND DISPOSITION OF SECURITIES. PROSPECTIVE INVESTORS ARE ENCOURAGED TO CONSULT THEIR TAX ADVISORS WITH RESPECT TO THE APPLICATION OF THE U.S. FEDERAL INCOME TAX LAWS (INCLUDING ANY POTENTIAL FUTURE CHANGES THERETO) TO THEIR PARTICULAR SITUATION, AS WELL AS ANY TAX CONSEQUENCES OF THE PURCHASE, OWNERSHIP AND DISPOSITION OF OUR SECURITIES ARISING UNDER THE U.S. FEDERAL NON-INCOME TAX LAWS (SUCH AS ESTATE OR GIFT TAX LAWS) OR UNDER THE LAWS OF ANY STATE, LOCAL, NON-U.S. OR OTHER TAXING JURISDICTION OR UNDER ANY APPLICABLE INCOME TAX TREATY.
Allocation of Purchase Price and Characterization of a Unit
No statutory, administrative or judicial authority directly addresses the treatment of a unit or instruments similar to a unit for U.S. federal income tax purposes and, therefore, that treatment is not entirely clear. We intend to treat the acquisition of a unit, for U.S. federal income tax purposes, as the acquisition of one Class A ordinary share and one-half of one warrant to acquire one Class A ordinary share and, by purchasing a unit, you will agree to adopt such treatment for U.S. federal income tax purposes. 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 one share of Class A ordinary shares and the one-half of one warrant based on the relative fair market value of each at the time of issuance. Under U.S. federal income tax law, each investor must make his or her own determination of such value based on all the relevant facts and circumstances.
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Therefore, we strongly urge each investor to consult his or her tax advisor regarding the determination of value for these purposes. The price allocated to such share of Class A ordinary shares and such one-half of one warrant should be the shareholder’s initial tax basis in such share or one-half of one warrant. Any disposition of a unit should be treated for U.S. federal income tax purposes as a disposition of the share of Class A ordinary shares and the one-half of one warrant comprising the unit, and the amount realized on the disposition should be allocated between the Class A ordinary shares and the one-half of one warrant based on their respective relative fair market values at the time of disposition. The separation of the Class A ordinary share and the one-half of one warrant constituting a unit and the combination of two-halves of warrants into a single warrant should not be a taxable event for U.S. federal income tax purposes.
The foregoing treatment of the units, Class A ordinary shares and warrants and a holder’s purchase price allocation are not binding on the IRS or the courts. Because there are no authorities that directly address instruments that are similar to the units, no assurance can be given that the IRS or the courts will agree with the characterization described above or the discussion below. Accordingly, each prospective investor is encouraged to consult its own tax advisors regarding the tax consequences of an investment in a unit (including alternative characterizations of a unit). The balance of this discussion assumes that the characterization of the units described above is respected for U.S. federal income tax purposes.
U.S. Holder and Non-U.S. Holder Defined
A “U.S. holder” is a beneficial owner of our units, Class A ordinary shares or warrants who is or that is, for U.S. federal income tax purposes:
• | an individual who is a citizen or resident of the United States; |
• | a corporation (or other entity taxable as a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes) created or organized in or under the laws of the United States, any state thereof or the District of Columbia; |
• | an estate the income of which is subject to U.S. federal income tax 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 United States persons (as defined in the Code) who have the authority to control all substantial decisions of the trust or (B) that has made a valid election under applicable U.S. Treasury regulations to be treated as a United States person. |
A “Non-U.S. holder” is a beneficial owner of our units, Class A ordinary shares or warrants who is or that is, for U.S. federal income tax purposes, an individual, corporation, estate or trust that is not a U.S. holder.
This discussion does not consider the tax treatment of partnerships or other pass-through entities which hold our securities through units. If a partnership (including an entity or arrangement treated as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes) holds our units, Class A ordinary shares or warrants, the U.S. federal income tax treatment of a partner in the partnership generally will depend upon the status of the partner, upon the activities of the partnership and upon certain determinations made at the partner level. Accordingly, we urge partners in partnerships (including entities or arrangements treated as partnerships for U.S. federal income tax purposes) who are considering the purchase of our securities to consult their tax advisors regarding the U.S. federal income tax considerations of the purchase, ownership and disposition of our securities.
Considerations for U.S. Holders
This section applies to you if you are a “U.S. holder.”
Taxation of Distributions. Subject to the passive foreign investment company, or PFIC, rules discussed below, a U.S. holder generally will be required to include in gross income as foreign source dividends the amount of any distribution of cash or other property (other than certain distributions of our shares or rights to acquire our shares) paid on our Class A ordinary shares to the extent the distribution is paid out of our current or accumulated earnings and profits (as determined under U.S. federal income tax principles). Such amount will be includible in gross income by such U.S. holder on the date that such U.S. holder actually or constructively receives the distribution in accordance with the U.S. holder’s regular method of accounting for U.S. federal income tax purposes. Dividends paid by us will be taxable to a corporate U.S. holder at regular rates and will not be eligible for the dividends-received deduction generally allowed to domestic corporations in respect of dividends received from other domestic corporations.
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Distributions in excess of such earnings and profits generally will be applied against and reduce the U.S. holder’s basis in its Class A ordinary shares (but not below zero) and, to the extent in excess of such basis, will be treated as capital gain from the sale or exchange of such Class A ordinary shares (the treatment of which is described under “— Gain or Loss on Sale, Taxable Exchange or Other Taxable Disposition of Class A Ordinary Shares and Warrants” below).
With respect to non-corporate U.S. holders, under tax laws currently in effect, dividends generally will be taxed at the lower applicable long-term capital gains rate (see “— Gain or Loss on Sale, Taxable Exchange or Other Taxable Disposition of Class A Ordinary Shares and Warrants” below) only if our Class A ordinary shares are readily tradable on an established securities market in the United States, we are not a PFIC at the time the dividend was paid or in the previous year, and certain other requirements, including certain holding period requirements, are met. It is unclear whether certain redemption rights described in this prospectus may suspend the running of the holding period for purposes of the applicable holding period requirements. U.S. holders are encouraged to consult their own tax advisors regarding the availability of the lower rate for any dividends paid with respect to our Class A ordinary shares.
Gain or Loss on Sale, Taxable Exchange or Other Taxable Disposition of Class A Ordinary Shares and Warrants. Upon a sale or other taxable disposition of our Class A ordinary shares or warrants which, in general, would include a redemption of Class A ordinary shares that is treated as a sale of such securities (in the case of Class A ordinary shares, as described below), including as a result of a dissolution and liquidation in the event we do not consummate an initial business combination within the required time period, and subject to the PFIC rules discussed below, a U.S. holder generally will recognize capital gain or loss in an amount equal to the difference between the amount realized and the U.S. holder’s adjusted tax basis in the Class A ordinary shares or warrants. Any such capital gain or loss generally will be long-term capital gain or loss if the U.S. holder’s holding period for the Class A ordinary shares or warrants so disposed of exceeds one year. It is unclear, however, whether the redemption rights with respect to the Class A ordinary shares described in this prospectus may suspend the running of the applicable holding period for this purpose. If the running of the holding period for the Class A ordinary shares is suspended, then non-corporate U.S. holders may not be able to satisfy the one-year holding period requirement for long-term capital gain treatment, in which case any gain on a sale or other taxable disposition of the Class A ordinary shares would be subject to short-term capital gain treatment and would be taxed at regular ordinary income tax rates. Long-term capital gains recognized by non-corporate U.S. holders may be taxed at reduced rates of taxation. The deductibility of capital losses is subject to limitations.
Generally, the amount of gain or loss recognized by a U.S. holder on a sale or other taxable disposition will be equal to the difference between (i) the sum of the amount of cash and the fair market value of any property received in such disposition (or, if the Class A ordinary shares or warrants are held as part of units at the time of the disposition, the portion of the amount realized on such disposition that is allocated to the Class A ordinary shares or the warrants based upon the then relative fair market values of the Class A ordinary shares and the warrants included in the units) and (ii) the U.S. holder’s adjusted tax basis in its Class A ordinary shares or warrants so disposed of. A U.S. holder’s adjusted tax basis in its Class A ordinary shares or warrants generally will equal the U.S. holder’s acquisition cost (that is, the portion of the purchase price of a unit allocated to a share of Class A ordinary shares or one-half of one warrant, as described above under “— Allocation of Purchase Price and Characterization of a Unit”) reduced, in the case of a Class A ordinary share, by any prior distributions treated as a return of capital. See “Exercise, Lapse or Redemption of a Warrant” below for a discussion regarding a U.S. holder’s basis in the Class A ordinary share acquired pursuant to the exercise of a warrant.
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Redemption of Class A Ordinary Shares. Subject to the PFIC rules discussed below, in the event that a U.S. holder’s Class A ordinary shares are redeemed pursuant to the redemption provisions described in this prospectus under the section entitled “Description of Securities — Ordinary Shares” or if we purchase a U.S. holder’s Class A ordinary shares in an open market transaction (either such transaction is referred to as a “redemption” for the remainder of this discussion), the treatment of the transaction for U.S. federal income tax purposes will depend on whether the redemption qualifies as a sale of the Class A ordinary shares under Section 302 of the Code. If the redemption qualifies as a sale of Class A ordinary shares, the U.S. holder will be treated as described under “Considerations for U.S. Holders — Gain or Loss on Sale, Taxable Exchange or Other Taxable Disposition of Class A Ordinary Shares and Warrants” above. If the redemption does not qualify as a sale of Class A ordinary shares, the U.S. holder will be treated as receiving a corporate distribution with the tax consequences described above under “Considerations for U.S. Holders — Taxation of Distributions.” Whether a redemption qualifies for sale treatment will depend largely on the total number of our ordinary shares treated as held by the U.S. holder (including any shares constructively owned by the U.S. holder, as described in the following paragraph, including as a result of owning warrants) relative to all of our shares outstanding both before and after the redemption. The redemption of Class A ordinary shares generally will be treated as a sale of the Class A ordinary shares (rather than as a corporate distribution) if the redemption (i) is “substantially disproportionate” with respect to the U.S. holder, (ii) results in a “complete termination” of the U.S. holder’s interest in us or (iii) 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 our shares actually owned by the U.S. holder, but also our ordinary shares that are constructively owned by it. A U.S. holder may constructively own, in addition to shares owned directly, shares 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 shares the U.S. holder has a right to acquire by exercise of an option, which would generally include Class A ordinary shares which could be acquired by such U.S. holder pursuant to the exercise of the warrants. In order to meet the substantially disproportionate test, the percentage of our issued and outstanding voting shares actually and constructively owned by the U.S. holder immediately following the redemption of Class A ordinary shares must, among other requirements, be less than 80% of the percentage of our issued and outstanding voting shares actually and constructively owned by the U.S. holder immediately before the redemption. Prior to our initial business combination, the Class A ordinary shares may not be treated as voting shares for this purpose and, consequently, this substantially disproportionate test may not be applicable. There will be a complete termination of a U.S. holder’s interest if either (i) all of our ordinary shares actually and constructively owned by the U.S. holder are redeemed or (ii) all of our ordinary shares actually owned by the U.S. holder are redeemed, the U.S. holder is eligible to waive, and effectively waives in accordance with specific rules, the attribution of shares owned by certain family members, and the U.S. holder does not constructively own any other ordinary shares of ours (including any shares constructively owned by the U.S. holder as a result of owning our warrants). The redemption of Class A ordinary shares will not be essentially equivalent to a dividend if a U.S. holder’s 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. However, the IRS has indicated in a published ruling that even a small reduction in the proportionate interest of a small minority shareholder in a publicly held corporation who exercises no control over corporate affairs may constitute such a “meaningful reduction.” A U.S. holder is encouraged to consult with its own tax advisors as to the tax consequences of a redemption.
If none of the foregoing tests is satisfied, then the redemption of any Class A ordinary shares will be treated as a corporate distribution and the tax effects will be as described under “Considerations for U.S. Holders — Taxation of Distributions,” above. After the application of those rules, any remaining tax basis of the U.S. holder in the redeemed Class A ordinary shares will be added to the U.S. holder’s adjusted tax basis in its remaining shares, or, if it has none, to the U.S. holder’s adjusted tax basis in its warrants or possibly in other shares constructively owned by it.
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U.S. holders who actually or constructively own five percent (or, if our Class A ordinary shares are not then publicly traded, one percent) or more of our shares (by vote or value) may be subject to special reporting requirements with respect to a redemption of Class A ordinary shares, and such U.S. holders are encouraged to consult with their own tax advisors with respect to their reporting requirements.
Exercise, Lapse or Redemption of a Warrant. Subject to the PFIC rules discussed below, and except as discussed below with respect to the cashless exercise of a warrant, a U.S. holder generally will not recognize taxable gain or loss on the acquisition of Class A ordinary shares upon exercise of a warrant for cash. The U.S. holder’s tax basis in the Class A ordinary shares received upon exercise of the warrant generally will 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 units that is allocated to the warrant, as described above under “— Allocation of Purchase Price and Characterization of a Unit”) and the exercise price. It is unclear whether a U.S. holder’s holding period for the Class A ordinary shares received will commence on the date of exercise of the warrant or the day following the date of exercise of the warrant; in either case, the holding period will not include the period during which the U.S. holder held the warrant. If a warrant lapses unexercised, a U.S. holder generally will recognize a capital loss equal to such holder’s tax basis in the warrant.
The tax consequences of a cashless exercise of a warrant are not clear under current law. Subject to the PFIC rules discussed below, a cashless exercise may not be taxable, 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 (including if a U.S. holder exercises its warrants on a cashless basis after we provide notice that we will redeem warrants for $0.10 as described in the section of this prospectus entitled “Description of Securities — Warrants — Public Shareholders’ Warrants — Redemption of warrants when the price per Class A ordinary share equals or exceeds $10.00” and such cashless exercise is characterized as a redemption of warrants for Class A ordinary shares). In either situation, a U.S. holder’s tax basis in the Class A ordinary shares received generally should equal the U.S. holder’s tax basis in the warrants exercised therefor. If the cashless exercise was not a realization event, it is unclear whether a U.S. holder’s holding period for the Class A ordinary shares received would be treated as commencing on the date of exercise of the warrant or the day following the date of exercise of the warrant; in either case, the holding period will not include the period during which the U.S. holder held the warrant. If the cashless exercise were treated as a recapitalization, the holding period of the Class A ordinary shares received would include the holding period of the warrants.
It is also possible that a cashless exercise may be treated in part as a taxable exchange in which gain or loss would be recognized. In such event, a U.S. holder may be deemed to have surrendered a number of warrants equal to the number of Class A ordinary shares having a value equal to the exercise price for the total number of warrants to be exercised. Subject to the PFIC rules discussed below, the U.S. holder would recognize capital gain or loss in an amount equal to the difference between the fair market value of the Class A ordinary shares received in respect 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 aggregate tax basis in the Class A ordinary shares received would equal the sum of the U.S. holder’s initial investment in the warrants deemed exercised (i.e., the portion of the U.S. holder’s purchase price for the units that is allocated to the warrants, as described above under “Allocation of Purchase Price and Characterization of a Unit”) and the exercise price of such warrants. In addition, if we provide notice that we will redeem warrants for $0.10 as described in the section of this prospectus entitled “ Description of Securities — Warrants — Public Shareholders’ Warrants — Redemption of warrants when the price per Class A ordinary share equals or exceeds $10.00”, and a U.S. holder exercises its warrant on a cashless basis and receives the amount of Class A ordinary shares as determined by reference to the fair market value of the Class A ordinary shares on the corresponding redemption date, it is also possible that such cashless exercise could be characterized as a redemption of warrants for Class A ordinary shares for tax purposes in a taxable exchange in which gain or loss would be recognized with respect to all of the warrants so exercised. In either case, it is unclear whether a U.S. holder’s holding period for the Class A ordinary shares would commence on the date of exercise of the warrant or the day following the date of exercise of the warrant; in either case, the holding period will not include the period during which the U.S. holder held the warrant.
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 ordinary share 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, U.S. holders are encouraged to consult their tax advisors regarding the tax consequences of a cashless exercise.
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Subject to the PFIC rules described below, if we redeem warrants for cash pursuant to the redemption provisions described in the section of this prospectus entitled “Description of Securities — Warrants — Public Shareholders’ Warrants” or if we purchase warrants in an open market transaction, such redemption or purchase generally will be treated as a taxable disposition to the U.S. holder, taxed as described above under “— Gain or Loss on Sale, Taxable Exchange or Other Taxable Disposition of Class A Ordinary Shares and Warrants.”
Possible Constructive Distributions. The terms of the warrants provide for an adjustment to the number of Class A ordinary shares for which warrants may be exercised or to the exercise price of the warrants in certain events, as discussed in the section of this prospectus entitled “Description of Securities — Warrants — Public Shareholders’ Warrants.” An adjustment which has the effect of preventing dilution generally is not taxable. The U.S. holders of the warrants would, however, be treated as receiving a constructive distribution from us if, for example, the adjustment increases the warrant holders’ proportionate interest in our assets or earnings and profits (e.g., through an increase in the number of Class A ordinary shares that would be obtained upon exercise or through a decrease in the exercise price of the warrant), which adjustment may be made as a result of a distribution of cash or other property to the holders of our Class A ordinary shares which would be taxable to the U.S. holders of such Class A ordinary shares as described under “Considerations for 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 the U.S. holders of the warrants received a cash distribution from us equal to the fair market value of such increased interest. It is possible a constructive distribution with respect to Class A ordinary shares or warrants could arise in other circumstances. For certain information reporting purposes, we are required to determine the date and amount of any such constructive distributions. Proposed Treasury regulations, which we may rely on prior to the issuance of final regulations, specify how the date and amount of constructive distributions are determined.
Additional Tax on Net Investment Income
Certain U.S. holders that are individuals, estates and trusts are required to pay a 3.8 percent tax on “net investment income” (or in the case of an estate or trust, “undistributed net investment income”), which generally includes, among other things, capital gains from the sale or other disposition of the Class A ordinary shares and warrants, subject to certain limitations and exceptions. Each U.S. holder is encouraged to consult its own tax advisors regarding the applicability of this additional tax to its ownership and disposition of the Class A ordinary shares and warrants.
Passive Foreign Investment Company Rules
A foreign (i.e., non-U.S.) corporation will be classified as a PFIC for U.S. federal income tax purposes if at least 75% of its gross income in a taxable year, including its pro rata share of the gross income of any corporation in which it is considered to own at least 25% of the shares by value, is passive income. Alternatively, a foreign corporation will be a PFIC if at least 50% of its assets in a taxable year of the foreign corporation, ordinarily determined based on fair market value and averaged quarterly over the year, including its pro rata share of the assets of any corporation in which it is considered to own at least 25% of the shares by value, are held for the production of, or produce, passive income. Passive income generally includes, among other things, dividends, interest, rents and royalties (other than rents or royalties derived from the active conduct of a trade or business) and gains from the disposition of assets giving rise to passive income.
Because we are a “blank check” company, with no current active business, we believe that it is likely that we will meet the PFIC asset or income test for our current taxable year. Pursuant to a start-up exception, however, a corporation will not be a PFIC for the first taxable year the corporation has gross income (the “start-up year”), if (1) no predecessor of the corporation was a PFIC; (2) the corporation satisfies the IRS that it will not be a PFIC for either of the first two taxable years following the start-up year; and (3) the corporation is not in fact a PFIC for either of those years. The applicability of the start-up exception is uncertain and will not be known until after the close of our current taxable year ending December 31, 2021 and, perhaps, until
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after the close of our start-up year and the first two taxable years following our start-up year (within the meaning of the start-up exception). Although subject to uncertainty, it is possible that we could be treated as a PFIC for a taxable year prior to our start-up year (within the meaning of the start-up exception). After the acquisition of a company or assets in a business combination, we may still meet one of the PFIC tests depending on the timing of the acquisition and the amount of our passive income and assets as well as the passive income and assets of the acquired business. If the company that we acquire in a business combination is a PFIC, then we will likely not qualify for the start-up exception and will be a PFIC for our current taxable year. Our actual PFIC status for our current taxable year or any subsequent taxable year, however, will not be determinable until after the end of such taxable year (and, in the case of the startup exception to our current taxable year, perhaps until after the end of our two taxable years following our startup year). Accordingly, there can be no assurance with respect to our status as a PFIC for our current taxable year ending December 31, 2021 or any future taxable year.
If we are determined to be a PFIC for any taxable year (or portion thereof) that is included in the holding period of a U.S. holder of our Class A ordinary shares or warrants and, in the case of our Class A ordinary shares, the U.S. holder did not make either a timely mark-to-market election or a qualified electing fund, or QEF election for our first taxable year as a PFIC in which the U.S. holder held (or was deemed to hold) Class A ordinary shares, as described below, such U.S. holder generally will be subject to special rules with respect to (i) any gain recognized by the U.S. holder on the sale or other disposition of its Class A ordinary shares or warrants (which may include gain realized by reason of transfers of Class A ordinary shares or warrants that would otherwise qualify as nonrecognition transactions for U.S. federal income tax purposes) and (ii) any “excess distribution” made to the U.S. holder (generally, any distributions to such U.S. holder during a taxable year of the U.S. holder that are greater than 125% of the average annual distributions received by such U.S. holder in respect of the Class A ordinary shares during the three preceding taxable years of such U.S. holder or, if shorter, the portion of such U.S. holder’s holding period for the Class A ordinary shares that preceded the taxable year of the distribution).
Under these rules:
• | the U.S. holder’s gain or excess distribution will be allocated ratably over the U.S. holder’s holding period for the Class A ordinary shares or warrants; |
• | the amount allocated to the U.S. holder’s taxable year in which the U.S. holder recognized the gain or received the excess distribution, or to the period in the U.S. holder’s holding period before the first day of our first taxable year in which we are a PFIC, will be taxed as ordinary income; |
• | the amount allocated to other taxable years (or portions thereof) of the U.S. holder and included in its holding period will be taxed at the highest tax rate in effect for that year and applicable to the U.S. holder without regard to the U.S. holder’s other items of income and loss for such year; and |
• | an additional amount equal to the interest charge generally applicable to underpayments of tax will be imposed on the U.S. holder with respect to the tax attributable to each such other taxable year of the U.S. holder. |
In general, if we are determined to be a PFIC, a U.S. holder may be able to avoid the PFIC tax consequences described above in respect to our Class A ordinary shares by making a timely and valid QEF election (if eligible to do so) to include in income its pro rata share of our net capital gains (as long-term capital gain) and other earnings and profits (as ordinary income), on a current basis, in each case whether or not distributed, in the taxable year of the U.S. holder in which or with which our taxable year ends. A U.S. holder generally may make a separate election to defer the payment of taxes on undistributed income inclusions under the QEF rules, but if deferred, any such taxes will be subject to an interest charge.
It is not entirely clear how various aspects of the PFIC rules apply to the warrants. However, a U.S. holder may not make a QEF election with respect to its warrants to acquire our Class A ordinary shares. As a result, if a U.S. holder sells or otherwise disposes of such warrants (other than upon exercise of such warrants), any gain recognized generally will be treated as an excess distribution, as described above, if we were a PFIC at any time during the period the U.S. holder held the warrants. If a U.S. holder that exercises such warrants properly makes and maintains a QEF election with respect to the newly acquired Class A ordinary shares (or has previously made a QEF election with respect to our Class A ordinary shares), the QEF election will apply prospectively to the newly acquired Class A ordinary shares. Notwithstanding such QEF election, the rules relating to “excess distributions” discussed above, adjusted to take into account the current income inclusions resulting from the QEF election, will continue to apply retroactively with respect to such newly acquired Class A ordinary shares as though the U.S. holder held such shares throughout the period in which the U.S. holder held the exercised warrants (because, under proposed U.S. Treasury regulations, the U.S. holder generally will be deemed to have a holding period for purposes of the PFIC rules that includes the period the U.S. holder held the warrants), unless the U.S. holder makes a purging election under the PFIC rules. Under the purging election, the U.S. holder will be deemed to have sold such shares at their fair market value and any gain recognized on such deemed sale will be treated as an excess distribution as described above, with such gain allocated over the U.S. holder’s holding period in the warrants. As a result of the purging election, the U.S. holder will have a new basis and, for purposes of the PFIC rules a new holding period in the Class A ordinary shares acquired upon the exercise of the warrants. U.S. holders are urged to consult their tax advisors as to the application of the rules governing purging elections to their particular circumstances.
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The QEF election is made on a shareholder-by-shareholder basis and, once made, can be revoked only with the consent of the IRS. A U.S. holder generally makes a QEF election by attaching a completed IRS Form 8621 (Information Return by a Shareholder of a Passive Foreign Investment Company or Qualified Electing Fund), including the information provided in a PFIC annual information statement, to a timely filed U.S. federal income tax return for the tax year to which the election relates. Retroactive QEF elections generally may be made only by filing a protective statement with such return and if certain other conditions are met or with the consent of the IRS. U.S. holders are encouraged to consult their own tax advisors regarding the availability and tax consequences of a retroactive QEF election under their particular circumstances.
In order to comply with the requirements of a QEF election, a U.S. holder must receive a PFIC annual information statement from us. If we determine we are a PFIC for any taxable year, to the extent commercially practicable, we will endeavor to provide to a U.S. holder such information as the IRS may require, including a PFIC annual information statement, in order to enable the U.S. holder to make and maintain a QEF election, but there can be no assurance that we will timely provide such required information. However, there is no assurance that we will have timely knowledge of our status as a PFIC in the future or of the required information to be provided.
If a U.S. holder has made a QEF election with respect to our Class A ordinary shares, and the excess distribution rules discussed above do not apply to such shares (because of a timely QEF election for our first taxable year as a PFIC in which the U.S. holder holds (or is deemed to hold) such shares or a purge of the PFIC taint pursuant to a purging election, as described above), any gain recognized on the sale of our Class A ordinary shares generally will be taxable as capital gain and no additional interest charge will be imposed under the PFIC rules. As discussed above, if we are a PFIC for any taxable year, a U.S. holder of our Class A ordinary shares that has made a QEF election will be currently taxed on its pro rata share of our earnings and profits, whether or not distributed. In such case, a subsequent distribution of such earnings and profits that were previously included in income generally should not be taxable when distributed to such U.S. holder. The tax basis of a U.S. holder’s shares in a QEF will be increased by amounts that are included in income, and decreased by amounts distributed but not taxed as dividends, under the above rules. Similar basis adjustments apply to property if by reason of holding such property the U.S. holder is treated under the applicable attribution rules as owning shares in a QEF.
Although a determination as to our PFIC status will be made annually, an initial determination that our company is a PFIC will generally apply for subsequent years to a U.S. holder who held Class A ordinary shares or warrants while we were a PFIC, whether or not we meet the test for PFIC status in those subsequent years. A U.S. holder who makes the QEF election discussed above for our first taxable year as a PFIC in which the U.S. holder holds (or is deemed to hold) our Class A ordinary shares, however, will not be subject to the excess distribution rules discussed above with respect to such shares. In addition, such U.S. holder will not be subject to the QEF inclusion regime with respect to such shares for any taxable year of ours that ends within or with a taxable year of the U.S. holder and in which we are not a PFIC. On the other hand, if the QEF election is not effective for each of our taxable years in which we are a PFIC and the U.S. holder holds (or is deemed to hold) our Class A ordinary shares, the PFIC rules discussed above will continue to apply to such shares unless the holder makes a purging election, as described above, and pays the tax and interest charge with respect to the gain inherent in such shares attributable to the pre-QEF election period.
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Alternatively, if a U.S. holder, at the close of its taxable year, owns shares in a PFIC that are treated as marketable stock, the U.S. holder may make a mark-to-market election with respect to such shares for such taxable year. If the U.S. holder makes a valid mark-to-market election for the first taxable year of the U.S. holder in which the U.S. holder holds (or is deemed to hold) Class A ordinary shares in us and for which we are determined to be a PFIC, such U.S. holder generally will not be subject to the PFIC rules described above with respect to its Class A ordinary shares. Instead, in general, the U.S. holder will include as ordinary income each year the excess, if any, of the fair market value of its Class A ordinary shares at the end of its taxable year over the adjusted basis in its Class A ordinary shares. These amounts of ordinary income would not be eligible for the favorable tax rates applicable to qualified dividend income or long-term capital gains. The U.S. holder also will be allowed to take an ordinary loss in respect of the excess, if any, of the adjusted basis of its Class A ordinary shares over the fair market value of its Class A ordinary shares at the end of its taxable year (but only to the extent of the net amount of previously included income as a result of the mark-to-market election). The U.S. holder’s basis in its Class A ordinary shares will be adjusted to reflect any such income or loss amounts, and any further gain recognized on a sale or other taxable disposition of the Class A ordinary shares will be treated as ordinary income. Currently, a mark-to-market election may not be made with respect to warrants.
The mark-to-market election is available only for stock that is regularly traded on a national securities exchange that is registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including Nasdaq (on which we intend to list the Class A ordinary shares), or on a foreign exchange or market that the IRS determines has rules sufficient to ensure that the market price represents a legitimate and sound fair market value. If made, a mark-to-market election would be effective for the taxable year for which the election was made and for all subsequent taxable years unless the Class A ordinary shares ceased to qualify as “marketable stock” for purposes of the PFIC rules or the IRS consented to the revocation of the election. U.S. holders are encouraged to consult their own tax advisors regarding the availability and tax consequences of a mark-to-market election with respect to our Class A ordinary shares under their particular circumstances.
If we are a PFIC and, at any time, have a foreign subsidiary that is classified as a PFIC, U.S. holders generally would be deemed to own a portion of the shares of such lower-tier PFIC, and generally could incur liability for the deferred tax and interest charge described above if we receive a distribution from, or dispose of all or part of our interest in, the lower-tier PFIC or the U.S. holders otherwise were deemed to have disposed of an interest in the lower-tier PFIC. We will endeavor, to the extent commercially practicable, to cause any lower-tier PFIC to provide to a U.S. holder the information that may be required to make or maintain a QEF election with respect to the lower-tier PFIC. However, there is no assurance that we will have timely knowledge of the status of any such lower-tier PFIC. In addition, we may not hold a controlling interest in any such lower-tier PFIC and thus there can be no assurance we will be able to cause the lower-tier PFIC to provide the required information. A mark-to-market election generally would not be available with respect to such lower-tier PFIC. U.S. holders are encouraged to consult their own tax advisors regarding the tax issues raised by lower-tier PFICs.
A U.S. holder that owns (or is deemed to own) shares in a PFIC during any taxable year of the U.S. holder may have to file an IRS Form 8621 (whether or not a QEF or market-to-market election is made) and such other information as may be required by the U.S. Treasury Department. Failure to do so, if required, will extend the statute of limitations until such required information is furnished to the IRS.
The rules dealing with PFICs and with the QEF, purging and mark-to-market elections are very complex and are affected by various factors in addition to those described above. Accordingly, U.S. holders of our Class A ordinary shares and warrants are encouraged to consult their own tax advisors concerning the application of the PFIC rules to our Class A ordinary shares and warrants under their particular circumstances.
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Tax Reporting
Certain U.S. holders may be required to file an IRS Form 926 (Return by a U.S. Transferor of Property to a Foreign Corporation) to report a transfer of property (including cash) to us. Substantial penalties may be imposed on a U.S. holder that fails to comply with this reporting requirement, and the period of limitations on assessment and collection of U.S. federal income taxes will be extended in the event of a failure to comply. Furthermore, certain U.S. holders who are individuals and certain entities will be required to report information with respect to such U.S. holder’s investment in “specified foreign financial assets” on IRS Form 8938 (Statement of Specified Foreign Financial Assets), subject to certain exceptions. Specified foreign financial assets generally include any financial account maintained with a non-U.S. financial institution and should also include our units, the Class A ordinary shares and warrants if they are not held in an account maintained with a U.S. financial institution. Persons who are required to report specified foreign financial assets and fail to do so may be subject to substantial penalties, and the period of limitations on assessment and collection of U.S. federal income taxes may be extended in the event of a failure to comply. Each U.S. holder is encouraged to consult with its own tax advisor regarding the foreign investment and other reporting obligations and their application to an investment in our Class A ordinary shares and warrants.
Information Reporting and Backup Withholding. Information reporting requirements generally will apply to dividends paid to a U.S. holder and to the proceeds of the sale or other disposition of our units, Class A ordinary shares and warrants, unless the U.S. holder is an exempt recipient and certifies to such exempt status. Backup withholding may apply to such payments if the U.S. holder fails to provide a taxpayer identification number or 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. Rather, the U.S. federal income tax liability (if any) of persons subject to backup withholding may be reduced by the amount of tax withheld. If backup withholding results in an overpayment of taxes, a refund may be obtained, provided that the required information is timely furnished to the IRS.
Considerations for Non-U.S. Holders
This section applies to you if you are a “Non-U.S. holder.”
Taxation of Distributions, Gain or Loss on Sale, Taxable Exchange or Other Taxable Disposition of Class A Ordinary Shares and Warrants. Dividends (including, as described under “— Considerations for U.S. Holders — Possible Constructive Distributions” above, constructive distributions treated as dividends) paid or deemed paid to a Non-U.S. holder in respect of our Class A ordinary shares generally will not be subject to U.S. federal income tax, unless the dividends are effectively connected with the Non-U.S. holder’s conduct of a trade or business within the United States (and are attributable to a U.S. permanent establishment or fixed base that such Non-U.S. holder maintains in the United States, if an applicable treaty so requires). In addition, a Non-U.S. holder generally will not be subject to U.S. federal income tax on any gain attributable to a sale or other taxable disposition of our Class A ordinary shares or warrants which, in general, would include a redemption of Class A ordinary shares or warrants that is treated as a sale of such securities (in the case of Class A ordinary shares, as described below), unless such gain is effectively connected with its conduct of a trade or business in the United States (and, if required by an applicable income tax treaty, is attributable to a permanent establishment or fixed base that such holder maintains in the United States).
Dividends (including, as described under “— Considerations for U.S. Holders — Possible Constructive Distributions” above, constructive distributions treated as dividends) and gains that are effectively connected with the Non-U.S. holder’s conduct of a trade or business in the United States (and are attributable to a U.S. permanent establishment or fixed base that such Non-U.S. holder maintains in the United States, if an applicable treaty so requires) generally will be subject to U.S. federal income tax at the same regular U.S. federal income tax rates applicable to a comparable U.S. holder and, in the case of a Non-U.S. holder that is a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes, also may be subject to an additional branch profits tax at a 30% rate or a lower applicable tax treaty rate.
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Redemption of Class A Ordinary Shares. The characterization for U.S. federal income tax purposes of the redemption of a Non-U.S. holder’s Class A ordinary shares pursuant to the redemption provisions described in the section of this prospectus entitled “Description of Securities — Ordinary Shares” generally will correspond to the U.S. federal income tax characterization of such a redemption of a U.S. holder’s Class A ordinary shares, as described under “Considerations for U.S. Holders — Redemption of Class A Ordinary Shares” above, and the consequences of the redemption to the Non-U.S. holder will be as described above under “Considerations for Non-U.S. Holders — Taxation of Distributions, Gain on Sale, Taxable Exchange or Other Taxable Disposition of Class A Ordinary Shares and Warrants.”
Exercise, Lapse or Redemption of a Warrant. The U.S. federal income tax treatment of a Non-U.S. holder’s exercise of a warrant, or the lapse of a warrant held by a Non-U.S. holder, generally will correspond to the U.S. federal income tax treatment of the exercise or lapse of a warrant by a U.S. holder, as described under “Considerations for U.S. Holders — Exercise, Lapse or Redemption of a Warrant,” above, although to the extent a cashless exercise results in a taxable exchange, the consequences would be similar to those described above under “Considerations for Non-U.S. Holders — Taxation of Distributions, Gain on Sale, Taxable Exchange or Other Taxable Disposition of Class A Ordinary Shares and Warrants.”
The characterization for U.S. federal income tax purposes of the redemption of a Non-U.S. holder’s warrants generally will correspond to the U.S. federal income tax treatment of such a redemption of a U.S. holder’s warrants, as described under “— Considerations for U.S. Holders — Exercise, Lapse or Redemption of a Warrant” above, and the consequences of the redemption to the Non-U.S. holder will be as described in the paragraphs above under the heading “— Considerations for Non-U.S. Holders” based on such characterization.
Possible Constructive Distributions. The terms of the warrants provide for an adjustment to the number of Class A ordinary shares for which warrants may be exercised or to the exercise price of the warrants in certain events, as discussed in the section of this prospectus entitled “Description of Securities — Warrants — Public Shareholders’ Warrants.” An adjustment which has the effect of preventing dilution generally is not taxable. Non-U.S. holders of the warrants would, however, be treated as receiving a constructive distribution from us if, for example, the adjustment increases the warrant holders’ proportionate interest in our assets or earnings and profits (e.g., through an increase in the number of Class A ordinary shares that would be obtained upon exercise or through a decrease in the exercise price of the warrant), which adjustment may be made as a result of a distribution of cash or other property to the holders of our Class A ordinary shares which would be taxable to the Non-U.S. holders of such shares as described under “Considerations for Non-U.S. Holders — Taxation of Distributions, Gain or Loss on Sale, Taxable Exchange or Other Taxable Disposition of Class A Ordinary Shares and Warrants” above 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.
Additional Tax on Net Investment Income. If you are a foreign estate or trust, you may be subject to the additional tax described under “Considerations for U.S Holders — Additional Tax on Net Investment Income” above. Each Non-U.S. holder is encouraged to consult its own tax advisors regarding the applicability of this additional tax to its ownership and disposition of the Class A ordinary shares and warrants.
Information Reporting and Backup Withholding. Dividend payments with respect to our Class A ordinary shares and proceeds from the sale, exchange or redemption of our Class A ordinary shares may be subject to information reporting to the IRS and possible U.S. backup withholding. A Non-U.S. holder generally will eliminate the requirement for information reporting and backup withholding by providing certification of its foreign status, under penalties of perjury, on a duly executed applicable IRS Form W-8 or by otherwise establishing an exemption.
Backup withholding is not an additional tax. Rather, the U.S. federal income tax liability (if any) of persons subject to backup withholding may be reduced by the amount of tax withheld. If backup withholding results in an overpayment of taxes, a refund may be obtained, provided that the required information is timely furnished to the IRS.
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NON-U.S. HOLDERS AND U.S. HOLDERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO CONSULT THEIR OWN TAX ADVISORS REGARDING THESE AND OTHER EFFECTS OF A POSSIBLE REINCORPORATION ON AN INVESTMENT IN OUR CLASS A ORDINARY SHARES OR WARRANTS.
INVESTORS CONSIDERING THE PURCHASE OF OUR SECURITIES ARE ENCOURAGED TO CONSULT THEIR OWN TAX ADVISORS REGARDING THE APPLICATION OF THE U.S. FEDERAL INCOME TAX LAWS TO THEIR PARTICULAR SITUATIONS AND THE APPLICABILITY AND EFFECT OF U.S. FEDERAL NON-INCOME TAX LAW (SUCH AS ESTATE AND GIFT TAX LAWS) AND ANY STATE, LOCAL OR NON-U.S. TAX LAWS AND TAX TREATIES.
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Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC and Exos Securities LLC are acting as representatives of the underwriters and joint bookrunners of the offering. Subject to the terms and conditions stated in the underwriting agreement dated the date of this prospectus, each underwriter named below has severally agreed to purchase, and we have agreed to sell to each such underwriter, the number of units set forth opposite each such underwriter’s name:
Underwriter | Number of Units | |||
Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC | ||||
Exos Securities LLC | ||||
Total | 20,000,000 |
The underwriting agreement provides that the obligations of the underwriters to purchase the units included in this offering are subject to approval of legal matters by counsel and to other conditions. The underwriters are obligated to purchase all of the units (other than those covered by the over-allotment option described below) if they purchase any of the units.
Units sold by the underwriters to the public will initially be offered at the initial public offering price set forth on the cover of this prospectus. If all of the units are not sold at the initial offering price, the underwriters may change the offering price and the other selling terms. Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC and Exos Securities LLC have advised us that the underwriters do not intend to make sales to discretionary accounts.
If the underwriters sell more units than the total number set forth in the table above, we have granted to the underwriters an option, exercisable for 30 days from the date of this prospectus, to purchase up to 3,000,000 additional units at the public offering price less the underwriting discounts and commissions. The underwriters may exercise this option solely for the purpose of covering over-allotments, if any, in connection with this offering. To the extent the option is exercised, each underwriter must purchase a number of additional units approximately proportionate to that underwriter’s initial purchase commitment. Any units issued or sold under the option will be issued and sold on the same terms and conditions as the other units that are the subject of this offering.
We, our sponsor and our officers and directors have agreed that, subject to certain exceptions, for a period of 180 days from the date of this prospectus, we and they will not, without the prior written consent of Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC, offer, sell, contract to sell, pledge or otherwise dispose of, directly or indirectly, any units, warrants, Class A ordinary shares or any other securities convertible into, or exercisable, or exchangeable for, Class A ordinary shares; provided, however, that we may (i) issue and sell the private placement warrants, (ii) issue and sell the additional units to cover our underwriters’ over-allotment option (if any), (iii) register with the SEC pursuant to an agreement to be entered into on or prior to the closing of this offering, the resale of the founder shares and the private placement warrants or the warrants and Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants and (iv) issue securities in connection with our initial business combination. Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC in its sole discretion may release any of the securities subject to these lock-up agreements at any time without notice.
Pursuant to our engagement letter dated December 14, 2020 with Exos Securities LLC, as amended (the “Exos Engagement Letter”), Exos Securities LLC is serving as an underwriter in connection with this offering. We have agreed to pay Exos Securities LLC underwriting discounts and commissions as disclosed herein. The Exos Engagement Letter also provides Exos Securities LLC with a right of first refusal to act as our exclusive placement agent in connection with any private placement transaction (including a private investment in public equity (PIPE) transaction) or other financing that may be undertaken by us, and to act as the investment manager to the trustee of the Trust Account, on customary terms and conditions, during the term of the Exos Engagement Letter, which shall initially be for a term of 12 months and will not exceed three years from the commencement of sales of the public offering of our securities, for which Exos may earn additional fees. Upon the depositary’s receipt of the proceeds of the underwriting, Exos will manage the investment of the Trust Account proceeds on behalf of investors in the Company. Exos currently intends to invest the proceeds in US Treasury Bills with a maturity of 185 days or less. Any uninvested proceeds will be transferred into a money market fund offered by the depositary. Exos expects to earn a customary fee, calculated based upon a “bid-offer spread” of approximately 2 basis points. Assuming Trust Account proceeds of $230 million and the current interest rate environment, execution revenue to Exos is estimated at approximately $50,000 per year. If the interest rate environment changes or other qualified investment opportunities become available, Exos could select other investments, could receive more or less than the foregoing estimated amount and could receive compensation in the form of commissions or rebates.
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Our initial shareholders have agreed not to transfer, assign or sell any of their founder shares until the earlier to occur of: (i) one year after the completion of our initial business combination or (ii) the date on which we complete a liquidation, merger, share exchange or other similar transaction after our initial business combination that results in all of our shareholders having the right to exchange their Class A ordinary shares for cash, securities or other property (except as described herein under “Principal Shareholders — Transfers of Founder Shares and Private Placement Warrants”). Any permitted transferees will be subject to the same restrictions and other agreements of our initial shareholders with respect to any founder shares. We refer to such transfer restrictions throughout this prospectus as the “lock-up.” Notwithstanding the foregoing, if the closing price of our Class A ordinary shares equals or exceeds $12.00 per share (as adjusted for share subdivisions, share capitalizations, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) for any 20 trading days within any 30-trading day period commencing at least 150 days after our initial business combination, the founder shares will be released from the lock-up.
The private placement warrants (including the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the private placement warrants) will not be transferable, assignable or salable until 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination (except with respect to permitted transferees as described herein under “Principal Shareholders — Transfers of Founder Shares and Private Placement Warrants”).
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 representatives.
The determination of our per unit offering price was more arbitrary than would typically be the case if we were an operating company. Among the factors considered in determining the initial public offering price were the history and prospects of companies whose principal business is the acquisition of other companies, prior offerings of those companies, our management, our capital structure, and currently prevailing general conditions in equity securities markets, including current market valuations of publicly traded companies considered comparable to our company. We cannot assure you, however, that the price at which the units, Class A ordinary shares or warrants will sell in the public market after this offering will not be lower than the initial public offering price or that an active trading market in our units, Class A ordinary shares or warrants will develop and continue after this offering.
We intend to apply to have our units listed on Nasdaq, and if approved, we expect our units to be listed on Nasdaq under the symbol “TOAC.U” commencing on or promptly after the date of this prospectus. We cannot guarantee that our securities will be approved for listing on Nasdaq. Once the securities comprising the units begin separate trading, we expect that the Class A ordinary shares and warrants will be listed on Nasdaq under the symbols “TOAC” and “TOAC.WS”, respectively. Additionally, the units will automatically separate into their component parts and will not be traded after consummation of an initial business combination.
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.
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Paid by Talon 1 Acquisition Corp. | ||||||||
No Exercise | Full Exercise | |||||||
Per Unit(1) | $ | 0.55 | $ | 0.55 | ||||
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Total(1) | $ | 11,000,000 | $ | 12,650,000 | ||||
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(1) | $0.20 per unit, or $4,000,000 in the aggregate (or $4,600,000 if the underwriters exercise their over-allotment option in full), is payable upon the closing of this offering. Also includes $0.35 per unit, or $7,000,000 in the aggregate (or $8,050,000 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. The underwriters and we have agreed that, in our sole and exclusive discretion, up to 28.57% of the deferred underwriting discounts and commissions may be allocated by us to one or more FINRA members, including certain of the underwriters and/or their affiliates, that assist us in connection with our initial business combination; provided that any of the amount of the deferred underwriting discounts and commissions not allocated by us as described in this sentence will be paid to the underwriters in accordance with the terms of the underwriting agreement entered into in connection with this offering. |
If we do not consummate an initial business combination within the completion window, the underwriters have each agreed that (i) it will forfeit any rights or claims to its deferred discounts and commissions, including any accrued interest thereon, then in the trust account and (ii) that the deferred underwriting discounts and commissions will be distributed on a pro rata basis, together with any accrued interest thereon (which interest will be net of taxes paid or payable) to the public shareholders.
In connection with the offering, the underwriters may purchase and sell units in the open market. Purchases and sales in the open market may include short sales, purchases to cover short positions, which may include purchases pursuant to the over-allotment option, and stabilizing purchases.
• | Short sales involve secondary market sales by the underwriters of a greater number of units than they are required to purchase in the offering. |
• | “Covered” short sales are sales of units in an amount up to the number of units represented by the underwriters’ over-allotment option. |
• | “Naked” short sales are sales of units in an amount in excess of the number of units represented by the underwriters’ over-allotment option. |
• | Covering transactions involve purchases of units either pursuant to the over-allotment option or in the open market after the distribution has been completed in order to cover short positions. |
• | To close a naked short position, the underwriters must purchase units in the open market after the distribution has been completed. 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 the offering. |
• | To close a covered short position, the underwriters must purchase units in the open market after the distribution has been completed or must exercise the over-allotment option. In determining the source of units to close the covered short position, the underwriters will consider, among other things, the price of units available for purchase in the open market as compared to the price at which they may purchase units through the over-allotment option. |
• | Stabilizing transactions involve bids to purchase units so long as the stabilizing bids do not exceed a specified maximum. |
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Purchases to cover short positions and stabilizing purchases, as well as other purchases by the underwriters for their own accounts, may have the effect of preventing or retarding a decline in the market price of the units. They may also cause the price of the units to be higher than the price that would otherwise exist in the open market in the absence of these transactions. The underwriters may conduct these transactions in the over-the-counter market or otherwise. If the underwriters commence any of these transactions, they may discontinue them at any time.
We estimate that the total expenses of this offering payable by us will be $2,000,000, excluding underwriting discounts and commissions.
We have agreed to indemnify the underwriters against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act, or to contribute to payments the underwriters may be required to make because of any of those liabilities. We have also agreed to pay for the FINRA-related fees and expenses of the underwriters’ legal counsel, not to exceed $25,000.
Except as provided in the Exos Engagement Letter, we are not under any contractual obligation to engage any of the underwriters to provide any services for us after this offering, and have no present intent to do so. However, any of 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 any of the underwriters and no fees for such services will be paid to any of the underwriters prior to the date that is 90 days from the date of this prospectus, unless FINRA determines that 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.
Some of 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 affiliates may make or hold a broad array of investments and actively trade debt and equity securities (or related derivative securities) and financial instruments (including bank loans) for their own account and for the accounts of their customers. Such investments and securities activities may involve securities and/or instruments of ours or our affiliates. The underwriters and their affiliates may also make investment recommendations and/or publish or express independent research views in respect of such securities or financial instruments and may hold, or recommend to clients that they acquire, long and/or short positions in such securities and instruments.
Notice to Prospective Investors in Canada
Resale Restrictions
The distribution of units in Canada is being made only on a private placement basis exempt from the requirement that we prepare and file a prospectus with the securities regulatory authorities in each province where trades of these securities are made. Any resale of the units in Canada must be made under applicable securities laws which may vary depending on the relevant jurisdiction, and which may require resales to be made under available statutory exemptions or under a discretionary exemption granted by the applicable Canadian securities regulatory authority. Purchasers are advised to seek legal advice prior to any resale of the securities.
Representations of Canadian Purchasers
By purchasing units in Canada and accepting delivery of a purchase confirmation, a purchaser is representing to us and the dealer from whom the purchase confirmation is received that:
• | the purchaser is entitled under applicable provincial securities laws to purchase the units without the benefit of a prospectus qualified under those securities laws as it is an “accredited investor” as defined under National Instrument 45-106 — Prospectus Exemptions or Section 73.3 of the Securities Act (Ontario), as applicable; |
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• | the purchaser is a “permitted client” as defined in National Instrument 31-103 — Registration Requirements, Exemptions and Ongoing Registrant Obligations; |
• | where required by law, the purchaser is purchasing as principal and not as agent; and |
• | the purchaser has reviewed the text above under Resale Restrictions. |
Conflicts of Interest
Canadian purchasers are hereby notified that the representatives are relying on the exemption set out in section 3A.3 or 3A.4, if applicable, of National Instrument 33-105 — Underwriting Conflicts from having to provide certain conflict of interest disclosure in this document.
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 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.
Notice to Prospective Investors in the European Economic Area
In relation to each member state of the European Economic Area (each a “Relevant State”), no units have been offered or will be offered to the public in that Relevant State prior to the publication of a prospectus in relation to the units which has been approved by the competent authority in that Relevant State or, where appropriate, approved in another Relevant State and notified to the competent authority in that Relevant State, all in accordance with the Prospectus Regulation), except that offers of units may be made to the public in that Relevant State at any time under the following exemptions under the Prospectus Regulation:
• | to any legal entity which is a qualified investor as defined under the Prospectus Regulation; |
• | to fewer than 150 natural or legal persons (other than qualified investors as defined under the Prospectus Regulation), subject to obtaining the prior consent of the representatives for any such offer; or |
• | in any other circumstances falling within Article 1(4) of the Prospectus Regulation, |
provided that no such offer of units shall require us or the 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.
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For the purposes of this provision, the expression an “offer to the public” in relation to any units in any Relevant State means the communication in any form and by any means of sufficient information on the terms of the offer and any units to be offered so as to enable an investor to decide to purchase or subscribe for any units, and the expression “Prospectus Regulation” means Regulation (EU) 2017/1129.
Notice to Prospective Investors in the United Kingdom
In relation to the United Kingdom, no units have been offered or will be offered pursuant to this offering to the public in the United Kingdom prior to the publication of a prospectus in relation to the units that either (i) has been approved by the Financial Conduct Authority, or (ii) is to be treated as if it had been approved by the Financial Conduct Authority in accordance with the transitional provision in Regulation 74 of the Prospectus (Amendment etc.) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019, except that offers of units may be made to the public in the United Kingdom at any time under the following exemptions under the UK Prospectus Regulation:
• | to any legal entity which is a qualified investor as defined in Article 2 of the UK Prospectus Regulation; |
• | to fewer than 150 natural or legal persons (other than qualified investors as defined in Article 2 of the UK Prospectus Regulation), subject to obtaining the prior consent of the representatives for any such offer; or |
• | in any other circumstances falling within section 86 of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000, as amended (the “FSMA”), |
provided that no such offer of units 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.
For the purposes of this provision, the expression an “offer to the public” in relation to any units in the United Kingdom means the communication in any form and by any means of sufficient information on the terms of the offer and any units to be offered so as to enable an investor to decide to purchase or subscribe for any units, and the expression “UK Prospectus Regulation” means Regulation (EU) 2017/1129 as it forms part of domestic law by virtue of the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018.
The underwriter has represented and agreed that:
• | it has only communicated or caused to be communicated and will only communicate or cause to be communicated an invitation or inducement to engage in investment activity (within the meaning of Section 21 of the FSMA) received by it in connection with the issue or sale of any units in circumstances in which Section 21(1) of the FSMA does not apply to the issuer; and |
• | it has complied and will comply with all applicable provisions of the FSMA with respect to anything done by it in relation to any units in, from or otherwise involving the United Kingdom. |
Notice to Prospective Investors in the Dubai International Financial Centre
This prospectus relates to an Exempt Offer in accordance with the Offered Securities Rules of the Dubai Financial Services Authority (“DFSA”). This prospectus is intended for distribution only to persons of a type specified in the Offered Securities Rules of the DFSA. It must not be delivered to, or relied on by, any other person. The DFSA has no responsibility for reviewing or verifying any documents in connection with Exempt Offers. The DFSA has not approved this prospectus nor taken steps to verify the information set forth herein and has no responsibility for the prospectus. The securities to which this prospectus relates may be illiquid and/or subject to restrictions on their resale. Prospective purchasers of the securities offered should conduct their own due diligence on the securities. If you do not understand the contents of this prospectus you should consult an authorized financial advisor.
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Notice to Prospective Investors in Australia
No placement document, prospectus, product disclosure statement or other disclosure document has been lodged with the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (“ASIC”), in relation to the offering. This prospectus does not constitute a prospectus, product disclosure statement or other disclosure document under the Corporations Act 2001 (the “Corporations Act”), and does not purport to include the information required for a prospectus, product disclosure statement or other disclosure document under the Corporations Act.
Any offer in Australia of the units may only be made to persons (the “Exempt Investors”) who are “sophisticated investors” (within the meaning of section 708(8) of the Corporations Act), “professional investors” (within the meaning of section 708(11) of the Corporations Act) or otherwise pursuant to one or more exemptions contained in section 708 of the Corporations Act so that it is lawful to offer the units without disclosure to investors under Chapter 6D of the Corporations Act.
The units applied for by Exempt Investors in Australia must not be offered for sale in Australia in the period of 12 months after the date of allotment under the offering, except in circumstances where disclosure to investors under Chapter 6D of the Corporations Act would not be required pursuant to an exemption under section 708 of the Corporations Act or otherwise or where the offer is pursuant to a disclosure document which complies with Chapter 6D of the Corporations Act.
Further, any shares issued on conversion of the warrants included in the units must not be offered for sale in Australia in the period of 12 months after the date of issue of those shares except in circumstances where disclosure to investors under Chapter 6D of the Corporations Act would not be required pursuant to an exemption under section 708 of the Corporations Act or otherwise or where the offer is pursuant to a disclosure document which complies with Chapter 6D of the Corporations Act. Any person acquiring units or underlying securities must observe such Australian on-sale restrictions.
This prospectus contains general information only and does not take account of the investment objectives, financial situation or particular needs of any particular person. It does not contain any securities recommendations or financial product advice. Before making an investment decision, investors need to consider whether the information in this prospectus is appropriate to their needs, objectives and circumstances, and, if necessary, seek expert advice on those matters.
Notice to Prospective Investors in Switzerland
This prospectus is not intended to constitute an offer or solicitation to purchase or invest in the securities. The securities may not be publicly offered, directly or indirectly, in Switzerland within the meaning of the Swiss Financial Services Act (“FinSA”) and no application has or will be made to admit the securities shares to trading on any trading venue (exchange or multilateral trading facility) in Switzerland. Neither this prospectus nor any other offering or marketing material relating to the securities constitutes a prospectus pursuant to the FinSA, and neither this prospectus nor any other offering or marketing material relating to the securities may be publicly distributed or otherwise made publicly available in Switzerland.
Notice to Prospective Investors in Germany
Each person who is in possession of this prospectus is aware that no German sales prospectus (Verkaufsprospekt) within the meaning of the Securities Sales Prospectus Act (Wertpapier-Verkaufsprospektgesetz, the “Act”) of the Federal Republic of Germany has been or will be published with respect to our units. In particular, the underwriter has represented that it has not engaged and has agreed that it will not engage in a public offering (offentliches Angebot) within the meaning of the Act with respect to any of our units otherwise then in accordance with the Act and all other applicable legal and regulatory requirements.
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Notice to Prospective Investors in the Netherlands
Our units may not be offered, sold, transferred or delivered in or from the Netherlands as part of their initial distribution or at any time thereafter, directly or indirectly, other than to, individuals or legal entities situated in The Netherlands who or which trade or invest in securities in the conduct of a business or profession (which includes banks, securities intermediaries (including dealers and brokers), insurance companies, pension funds, collective investment institution, central governments, large international and supranational organizations, other institutional investors and other parties, including treasury departments of commercial enterprises, which as an ancillary activity regularly invest in securities; hereinafter, “Professional Investors”); provided that in the offer, prospectus and in any other documents or advertisements in which a forthcoming offering of our units is publicly announced (whether electronically or otherwise) in The Netherlands it is stated that such offer is and will be exclusively made to such Professional Investors. Individual or legal entities who are not Professional Investors may not participate in the offering of our units, and this prospectus or any other offering material relating to our units may not be considered an offer or the prospect of an offer to sell or exchange our units.
Notice to Prospective Investors in France
Neither this prospectus nor any other offering material relating to the units described in this prospectus has been submitted to the clearance procedures of the Autorité des Marchés Financiers or by the competent authority of another member state of the European Economic Area and notified to the Autorité des Marchés Financiers. The units have not been offered or sold and will not be offered or sold, directly or indirectly, to the public in France. Neither this prospectus nor any other offering material relating to the units has been or will be:
• | released, issued, distributed or caused to be released, issued or distributed to the public in France; or |
• | used in connection with any offer for subscription or sale of the units to the public in France. Such offers, sales and distributions will be made in France only: |
• | to qualified investors (investisseurs qualifiés) and/or to a restricted circle of investors (cercle restreint d’investisseurs), in each case investing for their own account, all as defined in, and in accordance with, Articles L.411-2, D.411-1, D.411-2, D.734-1, D.744-1, D.754-1 and D.764-1 of the French Code monétaire et financier; |
• | to investment services providers authorized to engage in portfolio management on behalf of third parties; or |
• | in a transaction that, in accordance with article L.411-2-II-1°-or-2°-or 3° of the French Code monétaire et financier and article 211-2 of the General Regulations (Règlement Général) of the Autorité des Marchés Financiers, does not constitute a public offer (appel public à l’épargne). |
The units may be resold directly or indirectly, only in compliance with Articles L.411-1, L.411-2, L.412-1 and L.621-8 through L.621-8-3 of the French Code monétaire et financier.
Notice to Prospective Investors in Hong Kong
The underwriter and each of its affiliates have not (1) offered or sold, and will not offer or sell, in Hong Kong, by means of any document, our units other than (A) to “professional investors” as defined in the Securities and Futures Ordinance (Cap.571) of Hong Kong and any rules made under that Ordinance or (B) in other circumstances which do not result in the document being a “prospectus” as defined in the Companies Ordinance (Cap. 32 of Hong Kong) or which do not constitute an offer to the public within the meaning of that Ordinance or (2) issued or had in its possession for the purposes of issue, and will not issue or have in its possession for the purposes of issue, whether in Hong Kong or elsewhere any advertisement, invitation or document relating to our units which is directed at, or the contents of which are likely to be accessed or read by, the public in Hong Kong (except if permitted to do so under the securities laws of Hong Kong) other than with respect to our securities which are or are intended to be disposed of only to persons outside Hong Kong or only to “professional investors” as defined in the Securities and Futures Ordinance and any rules made under that Ordinance. The contents of this document have not been reviewed by any regulatory authority in Hong Kong. You are advised to exercise caution in relation to the offer. If you are in any doubt about any of the contents of this document, you should obtain independent professional advice.
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Notice to Prospective Investors in Japan
The units and underlying Class A ordinary shares and warrants have not been and will not be registered under the Financial Instruments and Exchange Law of Japan (Law No. 25 of 1948, as amended) and, accordingly, will not be offered or sold, directly or indirectly, in Japan, or for the benefit of any Japanese Person or to others for re-offering or resale, directly or indirectly, in Japan or to any Japanese Person, except in compliance with all applicable laws, regulations and ministerial guidelines promulgated by relevant Japanese governmental or regulatory authorities in effect at the relevant time. For the purposes of this paragraph, “Japanese Person” will mean any person resident in Japan, including any corporation or other entity organized under the laws of Japan.
Notice to Prospective Investors in Singapore
This prospectus has not been registered as a prospectus with the Monetary Authority of Singapore. Accordingly, this prospectus and any other document or material in connection with the offer or sale, or invitation for subscription or purchase, of the units may not be circulated or distributed, nor may the units be offered or sold, or be made the subject of an invitation for subscription or purchase, whether directly or indirectly, to persons 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 pursuant to Section 275(1), or any person pursuant to Section 275(1A), and in accordance with the conditions specified in Section 275 of the SFA or (iii) otherwise pursuant to, and in accordance with the conditions of, any other applicable provision of the SFA, in each case subject to compliance with conditions set forth in the SFA.
Where the units 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 in 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, |
shares, debentures and units of shares and debentures of that corporation or the beneficiaries’ rights and interest (howsoever described) in that trust will not be transferred within six months after that corporation or that trust has acquired the shares pursuant to an offer made under Section 275 of the SFA except:
• | to an institutional investor (for corporations, 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 that is made on terms that such shares, debentures and units of shares and debentures of that corporation or such rights and interest in that trust are acquired at a consideration of not less than S$200,000 (or its equivalent in a foreign currency) for each transaction, whether such amount is to be paid for in cash or by exchange of securities or other assets, and further for corporations, in accordance with the conditions specified in Section 275 of the SFA; |
• | where no consideration is or will be given for the transfer; or |
• | where the transfer is by operation of law. |
Solely for the purposes of its obligations pursuant to sections 309B(1)(a) and 309B(1)(c) of the SFA and the Securities and Futures (Capital Markets Products) Regulations 2018 of Singapore (the “CMP Regulations 2018”), the Issuer has determined, and hereby notifies all relevant persons (as defined in Section 309A of the SFA) that the units are (A) prescribed capital markets products (as defined in the CMP Regulations 2018) and (B) Excluded Investment Products (as defined in MAS Notice SFA 04-N12: Notice on the Sale of Investment Products and MAS Notice FAA-N16: Notice on Recommendations on Investment Products).
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Cayman Islands
No offer or invitation, whether directly or indirectly, may be made to the public in the Cayman Islands to subscribe for the units.
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Cozen O’Connor, Minneapolis, Minnesota, 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 with respect to units and warrants. Stuarts Walker Hersant Humphries, Cayman Islands, will pass upon the validity of the securities offered in this prospectus with respect to the ordinary shares and matters of Cayman Islands law. In connection with this offering, Milbank LLP is acting as counsel to the underwriters.
The financial statements of Talon 1 Acquisition Corp. as of May 3, 2021 and for the period from April 20, 2021 to May 3, 2021, have been audited by Marcum LLP, independent registered public accounting firm, as stated in their report, which contains an explanatory paragraph regarding the company’s ability to continue as a going concern, which is incorporated herein. Such financial statements have been included herein in reliance on the report of such firm given upon their authority as experts in accounting and auditing.
WHERE YOU CAN FIND ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
We have filed with the SEC a registration statement on Form S-1 under the Securities Act with respect to the securities we are offering by this prospectus. This prospectus does not contain all of the information included in the registration statement. For further information about us and our securities, you should refer to the registration statement and the exhibits and schedules filed with the registration statement. Whenever we make reference in this prospectus to any of our contracts, agreements or other documents, the references are materially complete but may not include a description of all aspects of such contracts, agreements or other documents, and you should refer to the exhibits attached to the registration statement for copies of the actual contract, agreement or other document.
Upon completion of this offering, we will be subject to the information requirements of the Exchange Act and will file annual, quarterly and current event reports, proxy statements and other information with the SEC. You can read our SEC filings, including the registration statement, over the Internet at the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov.
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TALON 1 ACQUISITION CORP.
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REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM
To the Shareholder and Board of Directors of
Talon 1 Acquisition Corp.
Opinion on the Financial Statements
We have audited the accompanying balance sheet of Talon 1 Acquisition Corp. (the “Company”) as of May 3, 2021, the related statements of operations, stockholder’s equity and cash flows for the period from April 20, 2021 (inception) through May 3, 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 3, 2021, and the results of its operations and its cash flows for the period from April 20, 2021 (inception) through May 3, 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 business plan is dependent upon its completion of the proposed initial public offering described in Note 3 to the financial statements. The Company has a working capital deficiency as of May 3, 2021, and lacks the financial resources it needs to sustain operations for a reasonable amount 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 and in accordance with auditing standards generally accepted in the United States of America. 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.
Houston, TX
July 23, 2021, except for Note 4 as it relates to Private Placement Warrants, as to which the date is October 15, 2021.
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TALON 1 ACQUISITION CORP.
As of September 30, 2021 | As of May 3, 2021 | |||||||
(Unaudited) | (Audited) | |||||||
ASSETS | ||||||||
Cash and cash equivalent | $ | 29,788 | $ | 51,000 | ||||
Deferred offering costs associated with proposed public offering | 386,322 | 100,174 | ||||||
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Total assets | $ | 416,110 | $ | 151,174 | ||||
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LIABILITIES AND SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY | ||||||||
Current liabilities: | ||||||||
Accrued offering and formation costs | $ | 327,404 | $ | 131,228 | ||||
Note payable | 95,972 | 26,000 | ||||||
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Total current liabilities | 423,376 | 157,228 | ||||||
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Commitments and Contingencies (Note 5) | ||||||||
Shareholders’ Equity: | ||||||||
Preference shares, $0.0001 par value; 1,000,000 shares authorized; none issued and outstanding | — | — | ||||||
Class A ordinary shares, $0.0001 par value; 800,000,000 shares authorized; none issued and outstanding | — | — | ||||||
Class B ordinary shares, $0.0001 par value; 199,000,000 shares authorized; 5,750,000 shares issued and outstanding(1) | 575 | 575 | ||||||
Additional paid-in capital | 24,425 | 24,425 | ||||||
Accumulated Deficit | (32,266 | ) | (31,054 | ) | ||||
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Total shareholders’ equity | (7,266 | ) | (6,054 | ) | ||||
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Total Liabilities and Shareholders’ Equity | $ | 416,110 | $ | 151,174 | ||||
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(1) | Includes an aggregate of up to 750,000 Class B shares subject to forfeiture if the over-allotment option is not exercised in full or in part by the underwriters (see Note 4). |
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.
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TALON 1 ACQUISITION CORP.
For the period from April 20, 2021 (inception) Through Sept 30, 2021 | For the period from April 20, 2021 (inception) Through May 3, 2021 | |||||||
(Unaudited) | (Audited) | |||||||
Formation and operating costs | $ | 32,266 | $ | 31,054 | ||||
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Net loss | $ | (32,266 | ) | $ | (31,054 | ) | ||
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Weighted average shares outstanding, basic and diluted (1) | 5,000,000 | 5,000,000 | ||||||
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Basic and diluted net loss per share | $ | (0.01 | ) | $ | (0.01 | ) | ||
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(1) | This number excludes an aggregate of up to 750,000 Class B shares subject to forfeiture if the over-allotment option is not exercised in full or in part by the underwriters (see Note 4). |
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.
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TALON 1 ACQUISITION CORP.
STATEMENTS OF CHANGES IN SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY
For the period from April 20, 2021 (inception) through May 3, 2021 (audited) and
the period from April 20, 2021 (inception) through September 30, 2021 (unaudited)
Ordinary Shares | Additional Paid-In Capital | Accumulated Deficit | Total Shareholders’ Equity | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Class A | Class B | Class K | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Shares | Amount | Shares | Amount | Shares | Amount | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Balance as of April 20 2021 (inception) | — | $ | — | — | $ | — | — | $ | — | $ | — | $ | — | $ | — | |||||||||||||||||||||
Issuance of Class B ordinary shares to Sponsor(1) | — | — | 5,750,000 | 575 | — | — | 24,425 | — | 25,000 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Net loss | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | (31,054 | ) | (31,054 | ) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Balance as of May 3, 2021 | — | — | 5,750,000 | 575 | — | — | 24,425 | (31,054 | ) | (6,054 | ) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Net loss (unaudtied) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | (1,212 | ) | (1,212 | ) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Balance as of September 30 2021 | — | $ | — | 5,750,000 | $ | 575 | — | — | $ | 24,425 | $ | (32,266 | ) | $ | (7,266 | ) | ||||||||||||||||||||
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(1) | Includes an aggregate of up to 750,000 Class B shares subject to forfeiture if the over-allotment option is not exercised in full or in part by the underwriters (see Note 4). |
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.
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TALON 1 ACQUISITION CORP.
For the period from April 20, 2021 (inception) Through Sept 30, 2021 | For the period from April 20, 2021 (inception) Through May 3, 2021 | |||||||
(Unaudited) | (Audited) | |||||||
Cash Flows from Operating Activities | ||||||||
Net Loss | $ | (32,266 | ) | $ | (31,054 | ) | ||
Adjustments to reconcile net loss to net cash used in operating activities | ||||||||
Changes in operating assets and liabilities | ||||||||
Deferred offering costs associated with proposed public offering | (58,918 | ) | 31,054 | |||||
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Net cash provided by operating activities | (91,184 | ) | — | |||||
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Proceeds from issuance of Class B ordinary shares to Sponsor | 25,000 | 25,000 | ||||||
Proceeds from issuance of notes payable | 95,972 | 26,000 | ||||||
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Net cash provided by financing activities | 120,972 | 51,000 | ||||||
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Net increase in cash | 29,788 | 51,000 | ||||||
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Cash - beginning of period | — | — | ||||||
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Cash - end of period | $ | 29,788 | $ | 51,000 | ||||
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Supplemental disclosure of noncash investing and financing activities: | ||||||||
Accrued offering and formation costs | 327,404 | 131,228 | ||||||
Deferred offering costs associated with proposed public offering | 327,404 | 100,174 |
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.
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TALON 1 ACQUISITION CORP.
Note 1 — Description of Organization, Business Operations, Going Concern and Basis of Presentation
Talon 1 Acquisition Corp. (the “Company”) is a blank check company incorporated in Cayman Islands on April 20, 2021. The Company was 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 (the “Business Combination”). The Company is an emerging growth company and, as such, the Company is subject to all of the risks associated with emerging growth companies.
As of September 30, 2021, the Company had not commenced any operations. All activity for the period from April 20, 2021 (inception) through September 30, 2021 relates to the Company’s formation and the proposed initial public offering described below. The Company will not generate any operating revenues until after the completion of its initial Business Combination, at the earliest. The Company will generate non-operating income in the form of interest income on cash and cash equivalents from the proceeds derived from the Proposed Public Offering (as defined below). The Company has selected December 31 as its fiscal year end.
The Company’s sponsor is AVi8 Acquisition LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (the “Sponsor”). The Company’s ability to commence operations is contingent upon obtaining adequate financial resources through a proposed public offering (the “Proposed Public Offering”) of 20,000,000 units of the Company, each unit consisting of one Class A ordinary share and one-half of one warrant (each, a “Unit” and collectively, the “Units”), at $10.00 per Unit (or 23,000,000 Units if the underwriter’s over-allotment option is exercised in full), which is discussed in Note 5, and the sale of 11,900,000 warrants of the Company (or 13,250,000 warrants if the underwriter’s over-allotment option is exercised in full) (each, a “Private Placement Warrant” and collectively, the “Private Placement Warrants”), at a price of $1.00 per Private Placement Warrant in a private placement to the Sponsor that will close simultaneously with the Proposed Public Offering.
The Company’s management has broad discretion with respect to the specific application of the net proceeds of the Proposed Public Offering and the sale of Private Placement Warrants, although substantially all of the net proceeds are intended to be applied generally toward consummating a Business Combination. There is no assurance that the Company will be able to complete a Business Combination successfully. The Company must complete one or more initial Business Combinations having an aggregate fair market value of at least 80% of the net assets held in the Trust Account (as defined below) (excluding the amount of deferred underwriting discounts held in Trust and taxes payable on the income earned on the Trust Account) at the time of the agreement to enter into the initial Business Combination. However, the Company only intends to complete a Business Combination if the post-transaction company owns or acquires 50% or more of the issued and outstanding voting securities of the target or otherwise acquires a controlling interest in the target sufficient for it not to be required to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act 1940, as amended (the “Investment Company Act”). Upon the closing of the Proposed Public Offering, management has agreed that an amount equal to at least $10.25 per Unit sold in the Proposed Public Offering, including the proceeds from the sale of the private placement warrants and the sale of forward purchase units, will be held in a trust account (“Trust Account”) located in the United States with Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company acting as trustee, and invested only in United States “government securities” within the meaning of Section 2(a)(16) of the Investment Company Act having a maturity of 180 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, as determined by the Company, until the earlier of: (i) the completion of a Business Combination and (ii) the distribution of the Trust Account as described below.
The Company will provide the holders (the “Public Shareholders“) of the Company’s issued and outstanding Class A ordinary shares, par value $0.0001 per share, sold in the Proposed Public Offering (the “Public Shares”) with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their Public Shares upon the completion of a Business Combination either (i) in connection with a shareholders meeting called to approve the Business Combination or (ii) by means of a tender offer. The decision as to whether the Company will seek shareholder approval of a Business Combination or conduct a tender offer will be made by the Company, solely in its discretion. The Public Shareholders will be entitled to redeem their Public Shares for a pro rata portion of the amount then held in the Trust Account (initially anticipated to be $10.25 per Public Share). The per-share amount to be distributed to Public
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Index to Financial Statements
Shareholders who redeem their Public Shares will not be reduced by the deferred underwriting commissions the Company will pay to the underwriters (as discussed in Note 5). These Public Shares will be recorded at a redemption value and classified as temporary equity upon the completion of the Proposed Public Offering in accordance with the Financial Accounting Standards Board’s (“FASB”) Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) Topic 480 “Distinguishing Liabilities from Equity.” If the Company seeks shareholder approval, the Company will proceed with a Business Combination if a majority of the shares voted are voted in favor of the Business Combination. If a shareholder vote is not required by law and the Company does not decide to hold a shareholder vote for business or other legal reasons, the Company will, pursuant to its Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation (the “Certificate of Incorporation”), conduct the redemptions pursuant to the tender offer rules of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) and file tender offer documents with the SEC prior to completing a Business Combination. If, however, shareholder approval of the transaction is required by law, or the Company decides to obtain shareholder approval for business or legal reasons, the Company will offer to redeem the Public Shares in conjunction with a proxy solicitation pursuant to the proxy rules and not pursuant to the tender offer rules. Additionally, each Public Shareholder may elect to redeem their Public Shares irrespective of whether they vote for or against the proposed transaction. If the Company seeks shareholder approval in connection with a Business Combination, the initial shareholders (as defined below) have agreed to vote their Founder Shares (as defined below in Note 4) and any Public Shares purchased during or after the Proposed Public Offering in favor of a Business Combination. In addition, the initial shareholders have agreed to waive their redemption rights with respect to their Founder Shares and Public Shares in connection with the completion of a Business Combination.
The Certificate of Incorporation will provide that a Public Shareholder, together with any affiliate of such shareholder or any other person with whom such shareholder is acting in concert or as a “group” (as defined under Section 13 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”)), will be restricted from redeeming its shares with respect to more than an aggregate of 15% of the Public Shares, without the prior consent of the Company. The holders of the Founder Shares (the “initial shareholders”) have agreed not to propose an amendment to the Certificate of Incorporation (A) to modify the substance or timing of the Company’s obligation to allow redemption in connection with a Business Combination or to redeem 100% of the Public Shares if the Company does not complete a Business Combination within the Combination Period (as defined below) or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to shareholder’s rights or pre-initial Business Combination activity, unless the Company provides the Public Shareholders with the opportunity to redeem their Public Shares in conjunction with any such amendment.
The Company has until 15 months from the closing of the Proposed Public Offering to consummate a Business Combination. However, if the Company is not able to consummate a Business Combination within 15 months, the Company, by resolution of the board of the Company, at the request of the Company’s sponsor, may extend the period of time to consummate a Business Combination by an additional three months (for a total of 18 months to complete a Business Combination), subject to the Company’s sponsor providing advance notice and depositing additional funds into the trust account as set out below (the “Combination Period”). Pursuant to the terms of the Company’s second amended and restated memorandum and articles of association and the trust agreement to be entered into between the Company and Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company on the date of this prospectus, in order to extend the time available for the Company to consummate its initial Business Combination by an additional three months, the Company’s sponsor or its affiliates or designees must provide advance notice at least five days prior to the date which is 15 months from the closing of this offering and must deposit into the trust account $2,000,000, or $2,300,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full ($0.10 per share in either case), on or prior to the date which is 15 months from the closing of this offering. In the event that the Company receives notice from its sponsor at least five days prior to the deadline to effect the extension, the Company intends to issue a press release announcing such intention at least three days prior to the deadline. In addition, the Company intends to issue a press release the day after the deadline announcing whether or not the funds had been timely deposited. However, the Company’s initial shareholders and its affiliates or designees are not obligated to fund the trust account to extend the time to consummate a Business Combination.
If the Company is unable to complete a Business Combination within 15 months from the closing of the Proposed Public Offering (the “Combination Period”) (or 18 months from the closing of the Proposed Public Offering if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination) and the Company’s shareholders have not amended the Certificate of Incorporation to extend such Combination Period, the Company will (i) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up; (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible but no more than ten business days thereafter subject to lawfully available funds therefor, redeem the Public Shares, at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the Trust Account, including interest earned on the funds held in the Trust Account and not previously released to the Company to pay its taxes, if any (less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses) divided by the number of the then outstanding Public Shares, which redemption will completely extinguish Public Shareholder’s rights as shareholders (including the right to receive further liquidation distributions, if any), subject to applicable law; and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of the remaining shareholders and the board of directors, liquidate and dissolve, subject in each case to the Company’s obligations under Cayman Islands law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law.
The initial shareholders have agreed to waive their rights to liquidating distributions from the Trust Account with respect to the Founder Shares if the Company fails to complete a Business Combination within the Combination Period. However, if the initial shareholders acquire Public Shares in or after the Proposed Public Offering, they will be entitled to liquidating distributions from the Trust Account with respect to such Public Shares if the Company fails to complete a Business Combination within the Combination Period. The underwriters have agreed to waive their rights to the deferred underwriting commission (see Note 5) held in the Trust Account in the event the Company does not complete a Business Combination within in the Combination Period and, in such event, such amounts will be included with the other funds held in the Trust Account that will be available to fund the
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Index to Financial Statements
redemption of the Public Shares. In the event of such distribution, it is possible that the per share value of the residual assets remaining available for distribution (including Trust Account assets) will be only $10.25. In order to protect the amounts held in the Trust Account, the Sponsor has agreed to be liable to the Company if and to the extent any claims by a third party (except for the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm) for services rendered or products sold to the Company, or a prospective target business with which the Company has discussed entering into a transaction agreement (a “Target”), reduce the amount of funds in the Trust Account to below (i) $10.25 per Public Share or (ii) the 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 interest which may be withdrawn to pay taxes, provided that such liability will not apply to any claims by a third party or Target that executed a waiver of any and all rights to seek access to the Trust Account nor will it apply to any claims under the Company’s indemnity of the underwriters of the Proposed Public Offering against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (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. The Company will seek to reduce the possibility that the Sponsor will have to indemnify the Trust Account due to claims of creditors by endeavoring to have all vendors, service providers (other than the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm), prospective target businesses or other entities with which the Company does business, execute agreements with the Company waiving any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to monies held in the Trust Account.
Going Concern Consideration
As of September 30, 2021, the Company had $29,788 in cash and a working capital deficiency of $(393,588). Further, the Company has incurred and expects to continue to incur significant costs in pursuit of its financing and acquisition plans. Management’s plans to address this need for capital through the Proposed Public Offering. The Company cannot assure that its plans to raise capital or to consummate an initial Business Combination will be successful. In addition, management is currently evaluating the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the industry and its effect on the Company’s financial position, results its operations and/or search for a target company. See further discussion of the Company’s assessment of the COVID-19 pandemic below.
These factors, among others, raise substantial doubt about the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern for the twelve months following the issuance of these financial statements. The financial statements do not include any adjustments that might result from its inability to consummate the Proposed Public Offering or its inability to continue as a going concern.
COVID-19
On January 30, 2020, the World Health Organization (“WHO”) announced a global health emergency because of a new strain of coronavirus (the “COVID-19 outbreak”). In March 2020, the WHO classified the COVID-19 outbreak as a pandemic, based on the rapid increase in exposure globally. The full impact of the COVID-19 outbreak continues to evolve. Management continues to evaluate the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak on the industry and has concluded that while it is reasonably possible that the virus could have a negative effect on the Company’s financial position, results of its operations and/or search for a target company, the specific impact is not readily determinable as of the date of these financial statements. The financial statements do not include any adjustments that might result from the outcome of this uncertainty.
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Index to Financial Statements
Note 2 — Summary of Significant Accounting Policies
Basis of Presentation
The accompanying financial statements are presented in U.S. dollars in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“U.S. GAAP”) and pursuant to the rules and regulations of the SEC. In the opinion of management, the accompanying unaudited financial statements include all adjustments, consisting of a normal recurring nature, which are necessary for a fair presentation of the financial position, operating results and cash flows for the periods presented. All amounts included in the notes subsequent to May 3, 2021 are unaudited.
Emerging Growth Company
The Company is an “emerging growth company,” as defined in Section 2(a) of the Securities Act, as modified by the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012 (the “JOBS Act”), and it 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 independent registered public accounting firm attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in its periodic reports and proxy statements, and exemptions from the requirements of holding a nonbinding advisory vote on executive compensation and shareholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved.
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 an emerging growth company can elect to opt out of the extended transition period and comply with the requirements that apply to non-emerging growth companies but any such an election to opt out is irrevocable. The Company has elected not to opt out of such extended transition period, which means that when a standard is issued or revised and it has different application dates for public or private companies, the Company, as an emerging growth company, can adopt the new or revised standard at the time private companies adopt the new or revised standard. This may make comparison of the Company’s financial statements with another public company that is neither an emerging growth company nor an emerging growth company that has opted out of using the extended transition period difficult or impossible because of the potential differences in accounting standards used.
Financial Instruments
The fair value of the Company’s assets and liabilities, which qualify as financial instruments under FASB ASC 820, “Fair Value Measurement,” approximates the carrying amounts represented in the balance sheet.
Use of Estimates
The preparation of financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP requires the Company’s management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from those estimates.
Accounting Policy on Redeemable Shares
The Company will account for its Class A ordinary shares subject to possible redemption in accordance with the guidance in FASB ASC Topic 480 “Distinguishing Liabilities from Equity.” Class A ordinary shares subject to mandatory redemption (if any) will be classified as a liability instrument and measured at fair value. Conditionally redeemable Class A ordinary shares (including Class A ordinary shares that feature redemption rights that are either within the control of the holder or subject to redemption upon the occurrence of uncertain events not solely within the Company’s control) will be classified as temporary equity. At all other times, Class A ordinary shares will be classified as shareholders’ equity. The Company’s Class A ordinary shares feature certain redemption rights that are considered to be outside of the Company’s control and subject to the occurrence of uncertain future events. Accordingly, Class A ordinary shares subject to possible redemption are presented at redemption value as temporary equity, outside of the shareholders’ equity section of the Company’s balance sheet.
Deferred Offering Costs Associated with the Proposed Public Offering
Deferred offering costs consist of legal, accounting, underwriting fees and other costs incurred through the balance sheet date that are directly related to the Proposed Public Offering. Offering costs are allocated to the separable financial instruments issued in the Proposed Public Offering based on a relative fair value basis, compared to total proceeds received. Offering costs associated with warrant liabilities are expensed as incurred, presented as non-operating expenses in the statement of operations. Offering costs associated with the Class A ordinary shares will be charged to stockholders’ equity upon the completion of the Proposed Public Offering. Should the Proposed Public Offering prove to be unsuccessful, these deferred costs, as well as additional expenses to be incurred, will be charged to operations.
Net Loss Per Ordinary Share
The Company complies with accounting and disclosure requirements of FASB ASC Topic 260, “Earnings Per Share.” Net loss per ordinary share is computed by dividing net loss by the weighted average number of ordinary shares outstanding during the period. Weighted average shares were reduced for the effect of an aggregate of 750,000 shares of Common Stock that are subject to forfeiture if the over-allotment option is not exercised by the underwriters (see Note 5). As of September 30, 2021 and May 3, 2021, the Company did not have any dilutive securities and other contracts that could, potentially, be exercised or converted into shares of common stock and then share in the earnings of the Company. As a result, diluted loss per share is the same as basic loss per share for the period presented.
Income Taxes
The Company follows the asset and liability method of accounting for income taxes under FASB ASC 740, “Income Taxes.” Deferred tax assets and liabilities are recognized for the estimated future tax consequences attributable to differences between the financial statements carrying amounts of existing assets and liabilities and their respective tax bases. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are measured using enacted tax rates expected to apply to taxable income in the years in which those temporary differences are expected to be recovered or settled. The effect on deferred tax assets and liabilities of a change in tax rates is recognized in income in the period that included the enactment date. Valuation allowances are established, when necessary, to reduce deferred tax assets to the amount expected to be realized. Deferred tax assets were deemed immaterial as of September 30, 2021 and May 3, 2021.
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Index to Financial Statements
FASB ASC 740 prescribes a recognition threshold and a measurement attribute for the financial statement recognition and measurement of tax positions taken or expected to be taken in a tax return. For those benefits to be recognized, a tax position must be more likely than not to be sustained upon examination by taxing authorities. There were no unrecognized tax benefits as of September 30, 2021 and May 3, 2021. The Company recognizes accrued interest and penalties related to unrecognized tax benefits as income tax expense. No amounts were accrued for the payment of interest and penalties as of September 30, 2021 and May 3, 2021. The Company is currently not aware of any issues under review that could result in significant payments, accruals or material deviation from its position. The Company is subject to income tax examinations by major taxing authorities since inception.
Warrant Policy
The Company will account for the 21,900,000 warrants to be issued in connection with the Proposed Public Offering (the 10,000,000 Public Warrants and the 11,900,000 Private Placement Warrants assuming the underwriters’ over-allotment option is not exercised) in accordance with the guidance contained in ASC 815-40. Such guidance provides that because the warrants do not meet the criteria for equity treatment thereunder, each warrant must be recorded as a liability. Accordingly, the Company will classify each warrant as a liability at its fair value. This liability is subject to re-measurement at each balance sheet date. With each such re-measurement, the warrant liability will be adjusted to fair value, with the change in fair value recognized in the Company’s statement of operations.
Recent Accounting Pronouncements
In August 2020, the FASB issued Accounting Standard Update (“ASU”) No. 2020-06, “Debt-Debt with Conversion and Other Options (Subtopic 470-20) and Derivatives and Hedging-Contracts in Entity’s Own Equity (Subtopic 815-40): Accounting for Convertible Instruments and Contracts in an Entity’s Own Equity (“ASU 2020-06”), which simplifies accounting for convertible instruments by removing major separation models required under current GAAP. The ASU 2020-06 also removes certain settlement conditions that are required for equity-linked contracts to qualify for the derivative scope exception and it also simplifies the diluted earnings per share calculation in certain areas. The Company has not adopted this standard in the current period and is in the process of evaluating its impact.
The Company’s management does not believe that any other recently issued, but not yet effective, accounting standards updates, if currently adopted, would have a material effect on the Company’s unaudited condensed financial statements.
Note 3 — Proposed Public Offering
Pursuant to the Proposed Public Offering, the Company intends to offer for sale 20,000,000 Units at a price of $10.00 per Unit. Each Unit consists of one share of Class A ordinary shares, and one-half of one redeemable warrant (each, a “Public Warrant”). Each Public Warrant entitles the holder to purchase one share of Class A ordinary shares at a price of $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment (see Note 6).
The Company will grant the underwriters a 45-day option from the date of the final prospectus relating to the Proposed Public Offering to purchase up to 3,000,000 additional Units to cover over-allotments, if any, at the Proposed Public Offering price, less underwriting discounts and commissions.
Note 4 — Related Party Transactions
Founder Shares
In April 2021, the sponsor acquired 5,750,000 founder shares (the “Founder Shares”) for an aggregate purchase price of $25,000, consisting of 5,750,000 Class B founder shares which includes an aggregate of up to 750,000 Class B shares subject to forfeiture if the over-allotment option is not exercised in full or in part by the underwriters. Prior to the initial investment in the company of $25,000 by our sponsor, we had no assets, tangible or intangible. The per share purchase price of the founder shares was determined by dividing the amount of cash contributed to the company by the aggregate number of founder shares issued. On July 23, 2021, our sponsor transferred, for no consideration, 50,000 founder shares to each of our three independent director nominees, 10,000 founder shares to each of the two board of advisor nominees, 50,000 founder shares to Ryan Goepel, our Chief Financial Officer, and 75,000 founder shares to Jeremy Falk, our Chief Operating Officer.
Class B Founder Shares
The Class B founder shares will automatically convert into Class A ordinary shares on the first business day following the completion of our initial business combination, at a ratio such that the number of Class A ordinary shares issuable upon conversion of all Class B founder shares will equal, in the aggregate on an as-converted basis, 15% of the sum of (i) the total number of all Class A ordinary shares issued and outstanding upon completion of this offering (including any over-allotment shares if the underwriters exercise their overallotment option), plus (ii) the total number of Class A ordinary shares issued or deemed issued or issuable upon conversion of the Class B founder shares plus (iii) the total number of Class A ordinary shares issued or deemed issued or issuable upon conversion or exercise of any equity-linked securities (as defined herein) or rights issued or deemed issued, by the Company in connection with or in relation to the consummation of the initial business combination, excluding (x) any Class A
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Index to Financial Statements
ordinary shares or equity-linked securities exercisable for or convertible into Class A ordinary shares issued, deemed issued, or to be issued, to any seller in the initial business combination, and (y) any private placement warrants issued to our sponsor, its affiliates or any member of our management team upon conversion of working capital loans. Prior to our initial business combination, only holders of our Class B ordinary shares will be entitled to vote on the appointment of directors.
Administrative Services Agreement
The Company intends to enter into an agreement, commencing on the effective date of the Proposed Public Offering, to pay to the Company’s sponsor a total of $10,000 per month, for up to 15 months (or for up to 18 months if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination), for office space, utilities, secretarial support and administrative services. Upon completion of the Company’s initial business combination, the Company will cease paying these monthly fees.
Related Party Extension Loans
As discussed in Note 1, the Company may extend the period of time to consummate a Business Combination by an additional three months (for a total of 18 months to complete a Business Combination). In order to extend the time available for the Company to consummate a Business Combination, the Company’s sponsor and its affiliates or designees must deposit into the Trust Account $0.10 per unit or up to an aggregate of $2,000,000 (or $2,300,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full). Any such payments would be made in the form of a loan. The terms of the loan in connection with the loan have not yet been negotiated. If the Company completes a Business Combination, the Company would repay such loaned amounts out of the proceeds of the Trust Account released to the Company. If the Company does not complete a Business Combination, the Company will not repay such loan.
Promissory Note
Pursuant to a Promissory Note, dated April 30, 2021, by and between the Company as the maker and its sponsor, AVi8 Acquisition LLC, the Company has borrowed $95,972 as of September 30, 2021.
Private Placement Warrants
The Sponsor will agree to purchase an aggregate of 11,900,000 Private Placement Warrants (or 13,250,000 Private Placement Warrants if the underwriter’s over-allotment option is exercised in full), at a price of $1.00 per Private Placement Warrant, or approximately $11.9 million in the aggregate (or $13.25 million if the underwriter’s over-allotment option is exercised in full) in a private placement that will occur simultaneously with the closing of the Proposed Public Offering. Each Private Placement Warrant is exercisable for one whole share of Class A ordinary shares at a price of $11.50 per ordinary share. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of the private placement warrants and the sale of forward purchase units to the Sponsor will be added to the proceeds from the Proposed Public Offering to be held in the Trust Account. If the Company does not complete a Business Combination within the Combination Period, the Private Placement Warrants will expire worthless. The Private Placement Warrants will be non-redeemable (except as described below in Note 6 under “Warrants — Redemption of warrants when the price per share of Class A ordinary shares equals or exceeds $10.00”) so long as they are held by the initial purchasers or their permitted transferees.
The purchasers of the Private Placement Warrants will agree, subject to limited exceptions, not to transfer, assign or sell any of their Private Placement Warrants (except to permitted transferees) until 30 days after the completion of the initial Business Combination.
In addition, in order to finance transaction costs in connection with a Business Combination, the Sponsor or an affiliate of the Sponsor, or certain of the Company’s officers and directors may, but are not obligated to, loan the Company funds as may be required (“Working Capital Loans”). If the Company completes a Business Combination, the Company would repay the Working Capital Loans out of the proceeds of the Trust Account released to the Company. Otherwise, the Working Capital Loans would be repaid only out of funds held outside the Trust Account. In the event that a Business Combination does not close, the Company may use a portion of proceeds held outside the Trust Account to repay the Working Capital Loans but no proceeds held in the Trust Account would be used to repay the Working Capital Loans. The Working Capital Loans would either be repaid upon consummation of a Business Combination or, at the lender’s discretion, up to $1,500,000 of such Working Capital Loans may be convertible into warrants of the post Business Combination entity at a price of $1.00 per warrant. The warrants would be identical to the Private Placement Warrants. Except for the foregoing, the terms of such Working Capital Loans, if any, have not been determined and no written agreements exist with respect to such loans. To date, the Company had $0 in borrowings under the Working Capital Loans.
Note 5 — Commitments & Contingencies
Registration Rights
The holders of Founder Shares, Private Placement Warrants and warrants that may be issued upon conversion of Working Capital Loans, if any (and any Class A ordinary shares issuable upon the exercise of the Private Placement Warrants or warrants issued upon conversion of the Working Capital Loans), will be entitled to registration rights pursuant to a registration rights agreement to be signed prior to the consummation of the Proposed Public Offering. These holders will be entitled to certain demand and “piggyback” registration rights. However, the registration rights agreement will provide that we will not be required to effect or permit any registration or cause any registration statement to become effective until termination of the applicable lock-up period. The Company will bear the expenses incurred in connection with the filing of any such registration statements.
Underwriting Agreement
The underwriters will be entitled to an underwriting discount of $0.20 per Unit, or $4,000,000 in the aggregate (or $4,600,000 in the aggregate if the underwriter’s over-allotment option is exercised in full), payable upon the closing of the Proposed Public Offering. An additional fee of $0.35 per Unit, or $7,000,000 in the aggregate (or approximately $8,050,000 in the aggregate if the underwriter’s over-allotment option is exercised in full) will be payable to the underwriters for deferred underwriting commissions. The deferred fee will become payable to the underwriters from the amounts held in the Trust Account solely in the event that the Company completes a Business Combination, subject to the terms of the underwriting agreement.
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Index to Financial Statements
Note 6 — Warrant Liability
Warrants — Public Warrants may only be exercised for a whole number of shares. 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 (a) 30 days after the completion of a Business Combination or (b) 12 months from the closing of the Proposed Public Offering; provided in each case that the Company has an effective registration statement under the Securities Act covering the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants and a current prospectus relating to them is available and such shares are registered, qualified or exempt from registration under the securities, or blue sky, laws of the state of residence of the holder (or holders are permitted to exercise their warrants on a cashless basis under certain circumstances as a result of (i) the Company’s failure to have an effective registration statement by the 60th business day after the closing of the initial Business Combination or (ii) a notice of redemption described under “Redemption of warrants when the price per share of Class A ordinary shares equals or exceeds $10.00”). The Company has agreed that as soon as practicable, but in no event later than 15 business days after the closing of its initial Business Combination, the Company will use its commercially reasonable efforts to file with the SEC and have an effective registration statement covering the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants and will use its commercially reasonable efforts to cause the same to become effective within 60 business days after the closing of the Company’s initial Business Combination and to maintain a current prospectus relating to those Class A ordinary shares until the warrants expire or are redeemed. If the shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants are not registered under the Securities Act in accordance with the above requirements, the Company will be required to permit holders to exercise their warrants on a cashless basis. However, no warrant will be exercisable for cash or on a cashless basis, and the Company will not be obligated to issue any shares to holders seeking to exercise their warrants, unless the issuance of the shares upon such exercise is registered or qualified under the securities laws of the state of the exercising holder, or an exemption from registration is available. Notwithstanding the above, if the Company’s Class A ordinary shares are at the time of any exercise of a warrant not listed on a national securities exchange such that they satisfy the definition of a “covered security” under Section 18(b)(1) of the Securities Act, the Company may, at its 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 the Company so elects, it will not be required to file or maintain in effect a registration statement, and in the event the Company does not so elect, it will use its commercially reasonable efforts to register or qualify the shares under applicable blue sky laws to the extent an exemption is not available.
The Private Placement Warrants are identical to the Public Warrants, except that, so long as they are held by the Sponsor or its permitted transferees, (i) they will not be redeemable by the Company, (ii) they (including the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of these warrants) may not, subject to certain limited exceptions, be transferred, assigned or sold by the Sponsor until 30 days after the completion of the initial Business Combination, (iii) they may be exercised by the holders on a cashless basis and (iv) are subject to registration rights.
Redemption of warrants when the price per share of Class A ordinary shares equals or exceeds $18.00: Once the warrants become exercisable, the Company may redeem the outstanding warrants (except as described herein with respect to the Private Placement Warrants):
• | in whole and not in part; |
• | at a price of $0.01 per warrant; |
• | upon a minimum of 30 days’ prior written notice of redemption; and |
• | if, and only if the last reported sale price of Class A ordinary shares for any 20 trading days within a 30-trading day period ending on the third trading day prior to the date on which the Company sends the notice of redemption to the warrant holders (the “Reference Value”) equals or exceeds $18.00 per share (as adjusted). |
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Index to Financial Statements
The Company will not redeem the warrants as described above unless an effective registration statement under the Securities Act covering the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants is effective and a current prospectus relating to those Class A ordinary shares is available throughout the 30-day redemption period. Any such exercise would not be on a cashless basis and would require the exercising warrant holder to pay the exercise price for each warrant being exercised.
Redemption of warrants when the price per share of Class A ordinary shares equals or exceeds $10.00: Once the warrants become exercisable, the Company may redeem the outstanding warrants:
• | in whole and not in part; |
• | at a price of $0.10 per warrant upon a minimum of 30 days’ prior written notice of redemption, provided that holders will be able to exercise their warrants on a cashless basis after receiving notice of redemption but prior to redemption and receive that number of Class A ordinary shares to be determined by reference to an agreed table based on the redemption date and the “fair market value” of Class A ordinary shares; |
• | if, and only if the Reference Value equals or exceeds $10.00 per share (as adjusted); and |
• | if, and only if the Reference Value is less than $18.00 per share (as adjusted), the private placement warrants must also be concurrently called for redemption on the same terms as the outstanding public warrants. The “fair market value” of Class A ordinary shares shall mean the volume-weighted average price of Class A ordinary shares for the 10 trading days immediately following the date on which the notice of redemption is sent to the holders of warrants. In no event will the warrants be exercisable in connection with this redemption feature for more than 0.361 Class A ordinary shares per warrant (subject to adjustment). |
In no event will the Company be required to net cash settle any warrant. If the Company is unable to complete a Business Combination within the Combination Period and the Company liquidates the funds held in the Trust Account, holders of warrants will not receive any of such funds with respect to their warrants, nor will they receive any distribution from the Company’s assets held outside of the Trust Account with the respect to such warrants. Accordingly, the warrants may expire worthless.
Note 7 — Shareholder’s Equity
Class A Ordinary Shares — The Company is authorized to issue 800,000,000 Class A ordinary shares with a par value of $0.0001 per share. As of September 30, 2021 and May 3, 2021, there were no Class A ordinary shares issued or outstanding.
Class B Ordinary Shares — The Company is authorized to issue 199,000,000 Class B ordinary shares with a par value of $0.0001 per share. On September 30, 2021 and May 3, 2021, 5,750,000 Class B ordinary shares were issued and outstanding. Each Class B ordinary share has 10 votes.
Holders of the Class A ordinary shares and holders of the Class B ordinary shares will vote together as a single class on all matters submitted to a vote of the Company’s shareholders, except as required by law or stock exchange rule; provided that only holders of the Class B ordinary shares shall have the right to vote on the election of the Company’s directors prior to the initial Business Combination.
Preferred Shares — The Company is authorized to issue 1,000,000 preferred shares, par value $0.0001 per share, with such designations, voting and other rights and preferences as may be determined from time to time by the Company’s board of directors. As of September 30, 2021 and May 3, 2021, there were no preferred shares issued or outstanding.
Note 8 — Subsequent Events
The Company evaluated subsequent events and transactions that occurred after the balance sheet date up to October 15, 2021, the date that the financial statements were available to be issued. Based on this review, the Company did not identify any subsequent events that would have required adjustment or disclosure in the financial statements.
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Index to Financial Statements
$200,000,000
20,000,000 Units
Talon 1 Acquisition Corp.
PRELIMINARY PROSPECTUS
, 2021
Credit Suisse | Exos Securities LLC |
Until , 2021 (25 days after the date of this prospectus), all dealers that buy, sell or trade our Class A ordinary shares, whether or not participating in this offering, may be required to deliver a prospectus. This is in addition to the dealers’ obligation to deliver a prospectus when acting as underwriters and with respect to their unsold allotments or subscriptions.
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Index to Financial Statements
PART II
INFORMATION NOT REQUIRED IN PROSPECTUS
Item 13. Other Expenses of Issuance and Distribution.
The estimated expenses and other operating costs payable by us in connection with the offering described in this registration statement (other than the underwriting discounts and commissions) will be as follows:
SEC expenses | $ | 21,000 | ||
FINRA expenses | 31,000 | |||
Accounting fees and expenses | 80,000 | |||
Printing and engraving expenses | 35,000 | |||
Legal fees and expenses | 275,000 | |||
Nasdaq listing and filing fees | 75,000 | |||
Director and officers liability insurance premiums(1) | 1,200,000 | |||
Miscellaneous | 58,500 | |||
|
| |||
Total | $ | 1,775,500 | ||
|
|
(1) | This amount represents the approximate amount of annual director and officer liability insurance premiums the registrant anticipates paying following the completion of its initial public offering and until it completes a business combination. |
Item 14. Indemnification of Directors and Officers.
Cayman Islands law does not limit the extent to which a company’s memorandum and articles of association may provide for indemnification of officers and directors, except to the extent any such provision may be held by the Cayman Islands courts to be contrary to public policy, such as to provide indemnification against willful default, fraud or the consequences of committing a crime. Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide for indemnification of our officers and directors to the maximum extent permitted by law, including for any liability incurred in their capacities as such, except through their own actual fraud, willful default or willful neglect.
We will enter into agreements with our officers and directors to provide contractual indemnification in addition to the indemnification provided for in our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association. We may purchase a policy of directors’ and officers’ liability insurance that insures our officers and directors against the cost of defense, settlement or payment of a judgment in some circumstances and insures us against our obligations to indemnify our officers and directors.
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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Index to Financial Statements
Item 15. Recent Sales of Unregistered Securities.
Our sponsor has committed, pursuant to a written agreement, to purchase from us an aggregate of 11,900,000 private placement warrants (or 13,250,000 private placement warrants if the over-allotment option is exercised in full) at $1.00 per warrant (for an aggregate purchase price of $11.9 million (or $13.25 million if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full)). These purchases will take place on a private placement basis simultaneously with the completion of our initial public offering. These issuances will be made pursuant to the exemption from registration contained in Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act. Our sponsor is an accredited investor for purposes of Rule 501 of Regulation D under the Securities Act. The sole business of our sponsor is to act as our sponsor in connection with this offering.
No underwriting discounts or commissions were paid with respect to such sales.
Item 16. Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedules.
(a) | The list of exhibits immediately preceding the signature page of this registration statement is incorporated herein by reference. |
(b) | See page F-1 for an index to the financial statements and schedules included in the registration statement. |
Item 17. Undertakings.
(a) | The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes to provide to the underwriter at the closing specified in the underwriting agreements, certificates in such denominations and registered in such names as required by the underwriter to permit prompt delivery to each purchaser. |
(b) | Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act may be permitted to directors, officers and controlling persons of the registrant pursuant to the foregoing provisions, or otherwise, the registrant has been advised that in the opinion of the Securities and Exchange Commission such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and is, therefore, unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification against such liabilities (other than the payment by the registrant of expenses incurred or paid by a director, officer or controlling person of the registrant in the successful defense of any action, suit or proceeding) is asserted by such director, officer or controlling person in connection with the securities being registered, the registrant will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to a court of appropriate jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by it is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue. |
(c) | The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes that: |
(1) | For purposes of determining any liability under the Securities Act, the information omitted from the form of prospectus filed as part of this registration statement in reliance upon Rule 430A and contained in a form of prospectus filed by the registrant pursuant to Rule 424(b)(1) or (4) or 497(h) under the Securities Act shall be deemed to be part of and included in this registration statement as of the time it was declared effective. |
(2) | For the purpose of determining any liability under the Securities Act, each post-effective amendment that contains a form of prospectus shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof. |
(3) | For the purpose of determining liability under the Securities Act to any purchaser, if the registrant is subject to Rule 430C, each prospectus filed pursuant to Rule 424(b) as part of a registration statement relating to an offering, other than registration statements relying on Rule 430B or other than prospectuses filed in reliance on Rule 430A, shall be deemed to be part of and included in the registration statement as of the date it is first used after effectiveness. Provided, however, that no statement made in a registration statement or prospectus that is part of the registration statement or made in a document incorporated or deemed incorporated by reference into the registration statement or prospectus that is part of the registration statement will, as to a purchaser with a time of contract of sale prior to such effective date, supersede or modify any statement that was made in the registration statement or prospectus that was part of the registration statement or made in any such document immediately prior effective date. |
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Index to Financial Statements
(4) | For the purpose of determining liability of a registrant under the Securities Act to any purchaser in the initial distribution of the securities, the undersigned registrant undertakes that in a primary offering of securities of an undersigned registrant pursuant to this registration statement, regardless of the underwriting method used to sell the securities to the purchaser, if the securities are offered or sold to such purchaser by means of any of the following communications, the undersigned registrant will be a seller to the purchaser and will be considered to offer or sell such securities to such purchaser: |
(i) | Any preliminary prospectus or prospectus of the undersigned registrant relating to the offering required to be filed pursuant to Rule 424; |
(ii) | Any free writing prospectus relating to the offering prepared by or on behalf of the undersigned registrant or used or referred to by an undersigned registrant; |
(iii) | The portion of any other free writing prospectus relating to the offering containing material information about the undersigned registrant or its securities provided by or on behalf of the undersigned registrant; and |
(iv) | Any other communication that is an offer in the offering made by the undersigned registrant to the purchaser. |
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Index to Financial Statements
EXHIBIT INDEX
* | Filed herewith. |
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Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, the registrant has duly caused this Registration Statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in the New York City, New York, on the 15th day of October, 2021.
Talon 1 Acquisition Corp. | ||
By: | /s/ Edward J. Wegel | |
Edward J. Wegel | ||
Chief Executive Officer |
Power of Attorney
KNOW ALL BY THESE PRESENTS, that each person whose signature appears below constitutes and appoints each of Edward J. Wegel and Ryan Goepel as his or her true and lawful attorney-in-fact, with full power of substitution and resubstitution for him or her and in his or her name, place and stead, in any and all capacities to sign any and all amendments including post-effective amendments to this registration statement and any and all registration statements filed pursuant to Rule 462 under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and to file the same, with all exhibits thereto, and other documents in connection therewith, with the SEC, hereby ratifying and confirming all that said attorney-in-fact or his substitute, each acting alone, may lawfully do or cause to be done by virtue thereof.
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, this Registration Statement has been signed below by the following persons in the capacities and on the dates indicated.
Name | Position | Date | ||
/s/ Edward J. Wegel | Chief Executive Officer and Director | |||
Edward J. Wegel | (Principal Executive Officer) | October 15, 2021 | ||
/s/ Ryan Goepel | Chief Financial Officer | |||
Ryan Goepel | (Principal Financial and Accounting Officer) | October 15, 2021 | ||
/s/ Jeremy Falk | Chief Operating Officer | |||
Jeremy Falk | October 15, 2021 |
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